Census data on commuting

Statistics Canada has provided some analysis around commuting in several of Canada’s larger urban centres—comparing commuting in the 1996 and 2016 censuses. Commuting is one form of labour mobility that we’ll be addressing in LBST 325: Labour mobility and migrant workers, when this course opens late in 2020.

Canada-wide, the finding include:

• Jobs have been moving away from city centres.
• Public transit use among traditional commuters (suburb to core) increased.
• Active forms of transportation are increasingly be used by residents within city cores. 

Table 4 shows commuting distances for workers. 

In both, Edmonton and Calgary, commuting distances appear to be increasing. This may reflect both the growth in city size and the dispersal of jobs out of the central core of the city. Public transit use (roughly 25%) and active commuting (about 10%) is highest among those with commutes under 5 km and drops off sharply after that. Public transit use is also highest among traditional commuters and within-core commuters—perhaps reflecting the set up on transit infrastructure.

Interestingly, for both Edmonton and Calgary, the largest category of commuting is commutes over 5km between suburbs (43% and 39% respectively). This is followed by traditional commutes (suburbs to core) at 22% and 30% and commutes of less than 5km within suburbs at 22% and 18%.

-- Bob Barnetson