More than 64,000 people left Toronto for other parts of Ontario during COVID. Montreal lost nearly 40,000 residentsOTTAWA — Canada’s urban exodus picked up steam into the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, with tens of thousands of people leaving Toronto and Montreal for smaller cities or rural areas, official data showed on Thursday. Try refreshing your browser, or So long Toronto: COVID-19 pandemic hastens Canada's urban exodus Back to videoMontreal, Canada’s second largest city, lost nearly 40,000 residents to other areas of Quebec, up 60 per cent on the year, with another 3,600 moving out of province. The COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of remote work has prompted tens of thousands of Canadians to flee large and expensive cities in search of more space, and cheaper real estate, in small centres, cottage towns and coastal regions. That has helped drive a nationwide housing boom, with prices rising more sharply in suburbs and small towns than in urban centres, fueling worries locals could be priced out and putting pressure on municipal services.

Source: National Post January 14, 2022 02:01 UTC