Presentation to the Enterprise Centre of Hants County on migration myths and reality with a focus on Nova Scotia.

1. Farewell to Nova Scotia . . . or not! Migration Fact and Fiction Ryan MacNeil

7. Place Becomes Unattractive 1. Major company or industry is hurt or exits 2. Economic recession hurts business 3. Unemployment climbs 4. Infrastructure breaks down 5. City budget deficit increases Outward Migration of People Tourism, Convention Business Fall Off Outward Migration of Business Banks Tighten Credit, Bankruptcies increase, Crime Increases, Social Needs Rise, City Image Deteriorates Government Raises Taxes Kotler, Haider & Rein (1993)

9. PEOPLE LEFT NOVA SCOTIA FROM JANUARY TO MARCH THIS YEAR 4,760

10. PEOPLE MOVED TO ALBERTA FROM JANUARY TO MARCH THIS YEAR 27,963

11. Movers are young, single, and rural.

12. Nova Scotia Youth Populations 1980-2003 Nova Scotia Youth Populations 1980-2003 0 10000 20000 30000 40000 50000 60000 70000 80000 90000 100000 15-19 years 20-24 years 25-29 years 1980 2003

13. Migration is over-hyped and full of myths and misconceptions .

15. Myth #1 Migration is customarily conceptualized as a product of the material forces at work in our society… (Fielding, 1992, p 201).

16. Myth #1 culture society personal biographies interpersonal ties

19. Myth #2 “ What distinguishes Newfoundland is not that Newfoundlanders choose to leave their home province at a greater rate than people in other provinces, but rather that other Canadians choose to move to Newfoundland at a lower rate than they do any other province .” (House, White and Ripley, 1990, 12)

27. What, then, distinguishes successful regions from unsuccessful ones? MIGRATION TURNOVER

31. Communities can reverse the spiral by choosing a new direction and working together to achieve it.

33. Farewell to Nova Scotia . . . or not! Migration Fact and Fiction Ryan MacNeil