Immigration and in-migration contributed to a 2,100-person increase in the province’s population in the last three quarters of 2021. That’s according to Gerry Byrne, who says the province managed to achieve that despite years of steady population declines.

Newfoundland and Labrador was the only province in Canada to see a population drop in Statscan figures released last week—a decline of over 9,000 people between 2016 and the first part of 2021.

The fact that so many people were attracted to the province in such a short period of time says Byrne, is encouraging.

“We have to keep doing what we’re doing,” says Byrne in terms of attracting more people to Newfoundland and Labrador.