New Brunswick is trying to lure people from Toronto with ridiculously cheap homes
Thinking about leaving Toronto now that you're no longer bound to a physical office or have much to do outside your own living room?
You're far from alone; A recent Royal LePage survey found that 46 per cent of Toronto residents aged 25-35 are currently "considering a move from their current home to a less dense area as a result of the pandemic."
A new urban exodus is, in fact, already well under way as employers embrace remote work and downtown-dwellers leave their tiny Toronto condos in search of larger, less-expensive homes.
With house prices skyrocketing in Canada's largest city, the trend is only expected to continue, resulting in a rush on smaller Ontario cities, towns and suburbs — a rush that local economic development agencies have been more than happy to accommodate, if not flat out facilitate.
London, Ontario, is trying to tempt Torontonians with its low population density, while Owen Sound is offering up free pajamas to city slickers who might consider a life in cottage country.
We're now even starting to see other provinces get into the game, as evidenced by a newly-launched campaign called "Live for the moment NB."
Produced by the Province of New Brunswick in partnership with the economic development committees of cities such as Saint John, Moncton and Fredericton, the marketing campaign squarely targets Canadians who currently live in large urban centres.
"Now that you can work from anywhere, your best life is right here in New Brunswick," reads the campaign website's landing page as video footage displays idyllic scenes of people paddleboarding, camping, riding bikes and enjoying beautiful views of nature.
The site hypes New Brunswick's "world class" music, food and sports scenes, as well as its close-knit communities, abundant access to nature, high quality of life scores, bilingualism and "beautiful coastlines that mingle with city skylines."
More than anything, however, it displays quite prominently how much someone in either Toronto, Calgary, Montreal or Vancouver would save by purchasing a home in New Brunswick compared to where they're living now.
"With Canada's most affordable houses, you'll soon collect the keys to your dream home for a lot less than other cities nationally," reads the website, quoting a savings of 77 per cent ($865,200) over the current average Toronto home price of nearly $1,000,000.
And New Brunswick is not kidding — house prices are insanely low compared to what they are in Toronto and Vancouver, ranging from $135,213 in the province's northwest region to $225,200 in the southeast.
You can explore what life is purported to be like in different parts of New Brunswick through the campaign website, or, if it suits your fancy, leave your digits for a local expert who'll answer any questions you have by phone.
Among the things we're told you can expect in New Brunswick, per website copy, are "open spaces, fresh ocean breezes, lively kitchen parties, and seafood galore." I can dig it.
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