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Victoria leads B.C. in rise of Employment Insurance recipients

Amount of people collecting EI surged in July
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There were 4,290 people collecting EI in the Victoria CMA in June. That number surged to 5,300 in July. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

The number of people Greater Victoria collecting Employment Insurance surged in July, with the city showing the largest increase in the province, Statistics Canada reported on Thursday.

There were 4,290 people collecting EI in the Victoria CMA in June. That number surged to 5,300 in July.

StatsCan says the number of EI recipients across the province increased 2.2 per cent between June and July.

Why? It was “mostly due to those from education-related occupations,” StatsCan said.

While B.C. posted a modest increase in EI recipients, Manitoba led the country.

“In Manitoba, the number of people receiving EI regular benefits increased by 18.2% in July to 17,900,” StatsCan said.

- With files from the Canadian Press