No ebb to westward flow, APEC says

Nearly 13,000 Atlantic Canadians moved to Alberta for work between July 2005 and July 2006, andthe wavehasn't peaked yet, according to a think-tank.

In its December report card, the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council says the flow of skilled workers west will continue for some time.

David Chaundy, the council's chief economist, says Alberta's need for workers of all kinds —from tradespeople to nurses to retail clerks — is being feltin Atlantic Canada.

"We're at danger of losing both highly skilled people and some other people at the lower wage sector," he saidMonday.

The report backs up the complaints of many Atlantic business owners who say they're having a tough time finding workers.

A magazine-style supplement titled Come Home to a Career in Atlantic Canada was inserted in several urban Alberta newspapers this week, aimed at homesick Atlantic Canadians who migrated to find jobs.

Chaundy says the number of people leaving the Atlantic region isn't as high as in 1981 or 1998. But those were short-lived peaks, he says, and this current flow of workers could affect the labour force for the rest of the decade.

Chaundy says it's up to business and provincial governments to convince workers that an inexpensive standard of living is more important than high wages.

That's one of the best ways to keep workers from leaving the region, he says.