[someone123]

I think there was a weird anomaly for a few years where the city's economy was pretty good but immigration numbers lagged behind due to low immigration caps and the bungled provincial nomination program. It doesn't make much sense now for immigration to Halifax to be dramatically lower than it is in other Canadian cities (like, say, Charlottetown), particularly given how expensive Toronto and Vancouver have become.

I also believe that Halifax is a city that could stand generally to grow more and can easily accommodate more immigrants. The municipality needs to get into more of a growth mindset and invest in new infrastructure, but there is a lot of room for the city to fill in and there is a big advantage to growing Atlantic Canada's largest city. If Halifax had 500,000 people or 1,000,000 people it would open up some new opportunities for the region. Some hate to admit this it but there is regional value in having the port, airport, universities, nicer retail and touristy stuff, etc. that would not exist in a smaller city. For Nova Scotia the city is essential when it comes to paying for services in rural areas. If Halifax had 3x the tax base, highways and hospitals in Cape Breton would effectively be a lot more affordable. That is the situation in other provinces with bigger cities. The Maritimes are just behind.