Kitchener, ON, is the most multicultural and linguistically diverse city in Canada, scoring 8.33/10, according to a study conducted by language training platform Preply. “Since 2016, the population has grown by more than 5%, a rising number that brings with it increased cultural and linguistic diversity,” said Preply writer Rachel McHugh in a blog post. “The vibrant socio-cultural mosaic that Canada has become allows for the continued exchange of ideas and experiences, fostering innovation and inclusivity.”McHugh said Kitchener is home to a large number of ethnic and cultural groups. Like Canada as a whole, she said Kitchener is seeing an influx of immigration. Immigration increased by 65% from 2011-2015 to 2016-2021, accounting for more than 10,000 residents in this period. More than one-quarter of the population noted speaking at least one language other than English or French. McHugh went on to say the second most diverse city in Canada is Winkler, MB (8.14/10). Despite Winkler’s small population, she said the immigration population increased by 79% in the 2011-2015 to 2016-2021 period, sending the number of permanent residents in the city to 25%. It is a place of linguistic diversity. One-third of the population speaks at least one non-official language at home. Third place went to Guelph, ON (7.95). Guelph has the 12th largest population of immigrants living in Canada, making up 23% of all residents. It has a strategic plan to encourage values that build an inclusive, connected, prosperous city, with organizations supporting this. The University of Guelph has contributed to its diversification, bringing in students and residents from other parts of Canada and the world. Shifting over to British Columbia, fourth place went to Squamish (7.67). Squamish’s population increased by 22% between 2016 and 2021. It had the fourth highest proportion of in-migrants of all cities in Canada. One-third of its residents did not live in it five years earlier. Because of a large population, London, ON, came in fifth place (7.64). London’s population lends itself well to fostering a community of people from different linguistic, cultural and ethnic backgrounds. London is home to Western University, which attracts a diverse pool of students and teaching staff — many of them go on to set up homes in the city and surrounding areas. Regarding diversity of languages, it is home to more than 8,000 people who learned a non-official language as their first one and more than 112,000 who speak a non-official one. Statistics Canada said Canadians speak more than 200 languages between them. English and French are the official languages, but there are plenty of others being used every day. To examine this, Preply looked at the proportion of residents who spoke a non-official language as their first one and those who used at least one at home. McHugh said Vancouver and Toronto were tied for first place (9.91). While Vancouver and Toronto had the same score, the former had more people with a non-official language mother tongue (5%) than the latter (4%). After them was Abbotsford, BC (9.86). This was followed by Winkler (9.77), Calgary (9.64), and Kitchener (9.41). Despite the majority of the diverse cities being located in Ontario, she said the most multicultural province is British Columbia (8). While BC is the most western of Canada’s provinces and is known for its beautiful landscapes and scenery, she said it “has now made a name for itself as a cultural and linguistic melting pot.”Three-tenths of its population in 2021 immigrated there from another country — a figure that increased from 18% between 2011-2015 and 2016-2021. Additionally, 28% of its population speaks a language other than English or French at home and 3% list a non-official language as their first one. After BC was Ontario (7.54). The next provinces were Prince Edward Island (6.31) and Alberta and Manitoba (6). McHugh concluded by saying people “live in an increasingly global world, and our analysis reveals that Canada is no exception to this, with growing immigration fostering greater diversity across the country.”“As the most diverse cities, Kitchener, Winkler, Guelph, Squamish and London stood out as hubs for multiculturalism, but cities across the nation follow this same example,” she said. The Canadian government vowed to increase the number of immigrants entering Canada in November, with a goal of bringing in 500,000 people in 2025.READ MORE: Ottawa to welcome 500,000 immigrants per year by 2030That is up from the 405,000 immigrants who came to Canada in 2021 and the 465,000 expected to arrive in 2023. The new plan, revealed by former immigration minister Sean Fraser, emphasized bringing in immigrants based on their work skills and experiences. Preply analyzed data from the Canadian census gathered in 2021 and released in 2022 to deduce which Canadian cities and provinces were the most diverse. It ranked each city and province using various metrics on a scale of one to 10.
