Winnipeg or Québec - 1 Million

[Wigs]

Originally Posted by Docere

^ If "only" it had Minneapolis weather.

Yeah, there's not much stopping Minneapolis from being a Metro of 3.7M and CSA of 4.1 Million. Cold, harsh winters be damned.

[Mr Tall Forehead]

I'm going to sound like Grandpa Simpson here, but Winnipeg's winters are not nearly as severe as they were even a couple decades ago when I was in university. We get some frigidly cold days every winter but the long drawn out cold streaks of -30 days are quire rare now.

Plus knowing its winter makes it easier to dress for it. I spend a lot of time in Toronto and Ottawa for work each year and -10 to -15 in a wool overcoat is a lot more uncomfortable that -20 to -25 in a Helly Hansen or Columbia jacket over your suit.

[Surrealplaces]

Originally Posted by Wpg_Guy

With the federal reductions in foreign students, temporary foreign workers, and overall immigration levels, I’d expect Winnipeg’s population to have stagnated or grown only marginally, while Manitoba’s overall population has likely declined.

Winnipeg's population might be slowing down, but I think it'll weather the storm pretty well. I don't think it'll lose population, only a general slowdown like all cities, but probably to a lesser degree than most.

[BlackDog204]

Originally Posted by Mr Tall Forehead

I'm going to sound like Grandpa Simpson here, but Winnipeg's winters are not nearly as severe as they were even a couple decades ago when I was in university. We get some frigidly cold days every winter but the long drawn out cold streaks of -30 days are quire rare now.

Were you in town from mid January to mid February this year? lol. There was a significant amount of time and day where the temperature dipped below -25 C, for the majority of a month. It even went down to -39 C in late January.

Having lived in Alberta, what I ahve noticed is that the winters and summers in Alberta do not feel as hot or cold as Winnipeg, since the humidity and wind is not as bad in Edmonton and the surrounding area.

[BlackDog204]

Originally Posted by Surrealplaces

Winnipeg's population might be slowing down, but I think it'll weather the storm pretty well. I don't think it'll lose population, only a general slowdown like all cities, but probably to a lesser degree than most.

I believe Manitoba's population has decreased by nearly 6,000 , from it's peak in July 2025. I think it will depend on the number of South Asians that will be forced to leave Canada. I am unsure how many came to Winnipeg since COVID, but I doubt it was as many as some of the larger centers like Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, and Ottawa.

Quebec may even narrow the gap, considering that less new Canadians would up there.

[Surrealplaces]

Originally Posted by BlackDog204

I believe Manitoba's population has decreased by nearly 6,000 , from it's peak in July 2025. I think it will depend on the number of South Asians that will be forced to leave Canada. I am unsure how many came to Winnipeg since COVID, but I doubt it was as many as some of the larger centers like Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, and Ottawa.

Quebec may even narrow the gap, considering that less new Canadians would up there.

Winnipeg will probably see a blip, and it wouldn't surprise me if the growth is flat this past year, but it's been growing at a steady pace for a while now. It'll weather the storm and get back on track. QC might narrow the gap temporarily, but over the next few years I would bet Winnipeg is back on track and will still be the first to a million.

[DLLB]

According to the Canada Population clock

............... Aug 1/25 .... Aug 1/26 ........... Difference
Manitoba .. 1,514,829 .... 1,511,603 ..... -3,226 ..... .21%
Quebec .... 9,124,465 .... 9,038,427 .... -86,038 .... .94%

[Docere]

Winnipeg may have lost its relative place to Vancouver and then Calgary/Edmonton but it's been sort of a "steady Eddie" in terms of growth. It didn't really stagnate.

[BlackDog204]

Originally Posted by DLLB

According to the Canada Population clock

............... Aug 1/25 .... Aug 1/26 ........... Difference
Manitoba .. 1,514,829 .... 1,511,603 ..... -3,226 ..... .21%
Quebec .... 9,124,465 .... 9,038,427 .... -86,038 .... .94%

I am going by the actual quarterly estimates of Statistics Canada.

From July 1, 2025 to April 1, 2026:

Manitoba = (-5,837)
Quebec = (-42,075)

The population clock seems to be all over the place, at times.

[BlackDog204]

Originally Posted by Docere

Winnipeg may have lost its relative place to Vancouver and then Calgary/Edmonton but it's been sort of a "steady Eddie" in terms of growth. It didn't really stagnate.

Winnipeg definitely stagnated in growth during the 90s. In fact, of all large Canadian cities, Winnipeg grew the slowest over the last 50 years. It started to grow over the Canadian average (for metro areas) roughly 15 years ago, and has really accelerated it's growth from 2021-25.

The next quarterly estimates for provincial population should come out in mid September.