Jobs are on the way out of town, and they are taking the commuters with them, according to a study released by Statistics Canada on Wednesday morning.
While the majority of jobs in Canada are still in major metropolitan areas, the suburbs are attracting more businesses and commuters.
Statistics Canada found that the farther the job was from the downtown core, the more likely a commuter was to use a car rather than transit, walking or cycling.
"Altogether, 58 per cent of commuters drove to work when their job was located less than five kilometres from the city centre. This rose to about 80 per cent when the job was more than 20 kilometres out," the report said.
While high-paying skilled jobs remained the domain of the cities between 1996 and 2001, manufacturing and retail jobs are relocating.
"In Toronto, for example, the proportion of manufacturing workers in areas at least 20 kilometres from the city centre rose from 51 per cent in 1996 to 57 per cent in 2001," the report said.
Rates of public transit use have remained constant, however, because urbanites are increasingly forgoing cars in favour of buses, streetcars and subways.
In Toronto, one of the most heavily trafficked public transit cities, ridership in suburban and outlying areas has increased, Toronto Transit Commission spokeswoman Marilyn Bolton said.
"Many years ago, Mississauga and Scarborough were considered suburbs. Now they're part of the city," she said.
The report focused on 27 cities, particularly the eight largest: Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa-Hull, Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver.