Getting Started

  1. In Medicine Hat the unemployment rate of immigrants in 2001 was 6.9%. This was 28% above the average non-immigrant unemployment rate.      

    » Source

    Unemployment Rate of Immigrants as a Ratio of the Non-Immigrant Unemployment Rate
      1996 2001
      Entered country 6 to 10 years ago Entered country within the last 5 years Entered country 6 to 10 years ago Entered country within the last 5 years
    Canada 135.4 181.8 124.3 171.6
    Alberta 123.6 152.8 117.3 123.1
    Medicine Hat 180.6 104.2 185.2 127.8

    » Source

    In the Medicine Hat Quality of Life Study published in April 2007, 71% of respondents felt that "newcomers being welcomed and accepted in the community" was important.

  2. Students undertaking federally funded programming of English as a Second Language (ESL) as provided by SAAMIS Immigration increased 43.8% between 2004 and 2007. This does not include the Mexican Mennonite population who have naturalized Canadian Status and whose numbers are increasing dramatically.      

    » Source: SAAMIS Immigration Services Association

  3. In 2006-2007 SAAMIS Immigration served 283 clients, down slightly from the 294 clients served in 2005-2006.      

    » Source: SAAMIS Immigration Services Association

  4. In 2006 the youth (15-24 years old) unemployment rate for Medicine Hat-Lethbridge economic region was 5.9%, the lowest recorded in the 19 years of data available. This was 13% below the Alberta youth unemployment rate and 49% below the national rate.        

    » Source

    Net migration – In 2001 the total percent of people in the Medicine Hat-Lethbridge economic area that lived in a different province, territory or country 5 years earlier was 11.4%. The rate for the country was 6.7%.

    » Source

    'Keeping youth and adults in the community' is considered by 80% of the respondents in the Medicine Hat Quality of Life Study to be important, while 28% felt that Medicine Hat was doing a good job on this indicator.