The largest group of new residents arriving in Penticton in the last 15 months are from the Lower Mainland, with the majority moving here for work, according to data collected through the City鈥檚 Welcome Home initiative.

This Economic Development campaign invites newcomers who arrived after July 2022 to complete an application form for a Welcome Home pack. A total of 150 people filled out a survey prior to Oct. 31, representing 384 new residents who arrived since July 1, 2022.

The responses show that 81 people (54 per cent) who filled out application forms to receive the Welcome Home packs moved for employment reasons, such as starting a job or taking over/starting a business. Of this working group, 13 per cent came to work remotely and 55 per cent of this sub-group indicated that moving closer to friends and family was an attraction. A further 11 households (7 per cent) came because the respondent鈥檚 partner had secured a job in Penticton.

This is up from last year when 42 per cent moved here for work.

The second largest group of newcomers are retired, representing 38 households and 25 per cent of survey responses. They are mostly moving from the Lower Mainland (39.5 per cent) and Northern/Interior B.C. (23.7 per cent), with notable interprovincial migration from Ontario (13.2 per cent) and Manitoba (10.5 per cent).

The survey explores not only the respondents鈥� most recent residential community but also whether they have immigrated to Canada in the last five years. Of the total respondents who filled out the survey, 16 per cent indicated they had relocated from elsewhere in the world, with the Philippines, India and Mexico topping the list.

Of the total new arrivals who filled out the survey, 43 per cent were between the ages of 19 to 44. Those arriving between the ages of 45 to 64 have dropped to 23.5 per cent (compared to 35 per cent in the same survey last year), and the number of children aged 0 to 18 has grown to 22 per cent (15 per cent last year).

The climate (21 per cent), access to nature (19 per cent), and proximity to family and friends (15 per cent) were the most mentioned reasons to move to Penticton.

鈥淭he Welcome Home campaign reflects the diversity that we鈥檙e seeing in our housing needs assessment,鈥� said Blake Laven, the city鈥檚 director of development services. 鈥淎s we continue to grow, we鈥檙e going to welcome more skilled workers, students, professionals and parents. This data reinforces the need to continue to provide a mix of housing types to meet the needs of new and old residents.鈥�

This initiative is part of the ongoing Start Here Penticton campaign, building upon the Economic Development strategies to attract and retain skilled labour and businesses.