Winnipeg had the fifth-highest population increase in Canada in 2025

According to Statistics Canada, Winnipeg has officially surpassed 850,000 people, which is a major milestone in the city’s growth. But some Winnipeggers think the city’s growth is happening too fast, while others feel that more needs to be done in the city to keep up with this growing population.

“Too fast, it’s grown too fast, I think,” said Peter Feuerstein, a Winnipeg resident.

In 2025, Winnipeg added 8,245 new residents, making it the fifth-highest total population of any city in Canada. Mayor Scott Gillingham says affordability compared to other major cities in Canada is one of the things Winnipeg has going for it.

“When you compare the cost of housing, whether it’s rental or purchasing a home, in places like Vancouver, Toronto, or even Calgary, Winnipeg is much more affordable, so you can really enjoy a really great quality of life,” said Gillingham

Despite Winnipeg being one of the most affordable cities, some Winnipeggers fear that with the fast growth of population, it will come with more struggle.

“Maybe focus on like other things, like making sure that we’re building more apartments and everything, making sure that we have enough healthcare to go around cause that’s a bit hard to access as of right now, and that is surprising that it’s like fifth,” said Brittaney Vandepoele, a Winnipeg resident.

Feuerstein added, “The people moving here also have to be supported by jobs, infrastructure, and homes and stuff like that, and that’s lagging behind a little bit.”

When asked about housing affordability, Mayor Gillingham says concerns are being heard, and work is being done.

“I hear Winnipeggers, that is why our council is prioritizing getting housing built. We have just recently seen CMHC release its housing start stats, and in Winnipeg, we saw a 12 per cent increase in housing starts over the previous year, that is more than double the average housing start percentage increases of any other city,” said Mayor Gillingham.

“So we’re really focused on getting more housing built quickly because we know the law supply and demand means that we need more housing to maintain that affordability, but getting housing built has been and remains a priority for our council.”