Previous research documented a dramatic decline in the residential mobility of elderly Canadians (65 years and older) since 1961. We examine more recent data from the 2011 and 2016 censuses to update findings and extend previous research. We first found that elderly residential mobility has continued to decline. There were substantial declines of 20 per cent and more for all types of residential mobility. Second, descriptive analysis of changes over time in the proportion of the population that lives in a different province than their province of birth for 1871 to the present suggests that the 1906–1925 birth cohorts experienced migration rates that were slightly higher than comparable later cohorts. Third, multivariate analysis of 1971–2016 interprovincial migration data shows that the 1906–1925 birth cohort who entered early adult years during World War II had higher migration rates than earlier or later birth cohorts. The cohort explanation accounted for 10 per cent of the decrease in elderly migration between 1981 and 2016. A cohort explanation can therefore contribute to understanding decreased elderly migration, but many questions remain for future study.

An understanding of trends and determinants for the residential mobility of elderly Canadians is essential for public policy and planning. Study of the patterns, changes over time, and determinants of the mobility of older Canadians has become increasingly important as the population ages. Elderly residential mobility has decreased substantially since 1971, and almost one-half of this decrease is due to changes in population composition. Because the multivariate analysis described here does not account for most of the downward trends in residential mobility, however, further work is needed on speculative explanations discussed in this article.