According to Statistics Canada (StatCan), in 2022-23, population increases in three communities represented around 75% of the growth in all of Greater Victoria.
Those municipalities were Victoria at 30%, Langford at 27% and Saanich at 17%.
A Reddit user compiled StatCan information to create a bar graph showing just how many new residents moved into each municipality—or in Metchosin’s case, how many left.
Within the time span the data for this graph was compiled, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) say that in Victoria proper, there were 2,312 new residents compared to 1,727 “new house starts” in 2022—meaning housing units that construction began on in that time.
In Langford, there were 2,101 new residents compared to 1,254 house starts in 2022 and in Saanich there were 1,347 new residents compared to just 338 house starts in 2022.
On the lower end of the graph lies Metchosin, where there were negative 33 residents, meaning their population decreased in that time; Oak Bay, which grew by 78; Highlands, which grew by 92; and Sidney, which grew by 98.
In 2022, there were only seven house starts in Metchosin, seven in Highlands, 27 in Oak Bay and 71 in Sidney.
Since the introduction of several BC initiatives which aim to accelerate homes being built as the housing crisis worsens, these numbers have become worse in some municipalities and better in others.
According to the CMHC, In 2023 there were only 946 house starts in Victoria proper, 1,406 in Langford, 555 in Saanich, eight in Metchosin, three in Highlands, 32 in Oak Bay and 55 in Sidney.
To summarize, in 2022, Greater Victoria saw 4,787 new house starts whereas in 2023, the region saw 4,992—meaning Victoria and its surrounding municipalities did marginally better than the previous year.
In total, Greater Victoria’s population increased by 7,715 in 2022-23.
