CANMORE Among Top 10 FASTEST GROWING SMALL URBAN CENTRES IN CANADA

Chandrayee Roy Choudhury, Canada: Just about half an hour's drive from CALGARY, 

The population of Canmore, Alta., has been climbing steadily over the last five years — since 2016, the town has seen a 14.3 per cent increase in the overall population, outpacing both the provincial and Canadian average.

The mountain town is now one of the fastest growing small urban centres in Canada, according to recent census data. 

That's a fact Canmore Mayor Sean Krausert says comes as no surprise.
People come here and visit, they fall in love," he said. "They want to be part of the community. Some move right away. For some, it's a dream down the road."

While the numbers suggest Canmore is an attractive place to live, it also comes with two major constraints: a high cost of living and the need to keep wildlife corridors intact.

"The population increase is what we expected, we expect it to be over the 15,000 mark," Krausert said.

Hospitality remains the town's biggest industry, which Krausert said drives the need for affordable homes for workers.

"We have the highest cost of living in the province," Krausert said.