It will be interesting to watch how growth is concentrating in Alberta - it's no secret that the major metro regions collect the vast majority of growth for decades, but I would be curious if that curve actually steepens in the near term where they collect even more than their long run average. For more recent history with good data, Red Deer hardly grew between the 2016 and 2021 census, Lethbridge was more notable at 5.5% over that period. Calgary (6.4%) and Edmonton (7.3%) for comparison.
The recent population boom appears to concentrate in the major cities even more so, so may be a while - or ever - if we see a trickling into the smaller cities. Most cities and town in the next tier of Albertan urban spaces don't have big draws for retirement or remote work either (whether or not those trends end up being material or not overall is still debated). With few major draws, their growth is still connected to their role as a regional service centre, fickle extraction industries, and for those cities reasonably close to the major metros - a level of relative affordability.
