Oshawa CMA, which includes Whitby and Clarington, ranked as fastest growing population in Canada

The Oshawa Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) is leading the country in population growth.

That’s according to a new ranking from Statistics Canada, which reports the Oshawa CMA had a population growth rate of 2.1 per cent in 2020.

According to the agency, the Oshawa CMA beat out Halifax and Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge for the top spot. Both of those cities reported a growth rate of two per cent in the last year.

The only other Ontario CMAs to make the top ten were Barrie, at 1.8 per cent, and Belleville, at 1.6 per cent.

A CMA is an area consisting of one or more neighbouring municipalities with a combined 100,000 people or more, situated around a core of at least 50,000 people.

The Oshawa CMA also includes Whitby and Clarington.

Overall, Canada’s population growth rate is 1.1 per cent, according to the agency.