Sask. population keeps growing
Saskatchewan Economy Minister Bill Boyd says he’s pleased that Saskatchewan’s population grew in the first quarter of 2013, and he isn’t concerned about a net loss to Alberta.
“There’s a little bit of an outmigration to Alberta,” Boyd told reporters in Regina on Wednesday.
“The nature of our economy here in Saskatchewan is a resource-based economy. Obviously, Alberta’s is the same. So I think we will see particularly tradespeople moving back and forth between Saskatchewan and Alberta in terms of the projects that are available and the types of employment they are involved in.”
Statistics Canada has estimated the population of Saskatchewan to be 1,093,880 as of April 1, representing an increase of 4,073 since Jan. 1.
Preliminary data suggests that during the first quarter, 4,690 Canadian residents moved to Saskatchewan while 5,029 left the province, for a net interprovincial loss of 339 persons.
Although 2,192 people moved to Saskatchewan from Alberta, 574 more than that left Saskatchewan for the province to the west.
“People are going to where there’s jobs, obviously. And in some cases that’s Alberta. Fortunately for us here in the province a lot of people are choosing Saskatchewan as their home. More people than ever live in our province, which continues to expand our taxation base here in the province, which will of course allow the province to expand services going forward,” Boyd said.
Saskatchewan had 3,752 births and 2,417 deaths during the first quarter of 2013, for a natural increase of 1,335. Net international migration added 3,077 people.
“We’re seeing people from around the world choosing Saskatchewan. At one time, Saskatchewan wasn’t even on the radar as far as they were concerned. Now it’s a place where they want to be,” the economy minister said.
Boyd said Saskatchewan’s population is expected to pass the 1.1 million mark for the first time at some point later in 2013. The Sask. Party government also projects the province is on track to hit 1.2 million by 2020. A provincial media released cited a recent Conference Board of Canada report that said the number could be 1.4 million by 2035.
“These are very, very good news situations for our province where more people are choosing Saskatchewan as their home, our economy continues to grow; it’s making for a more vibrant, diversified province,” Boyd said.
Economy critic Trent Wotherspoon said the Opposition NDP is pleased to see population increases continue, but added that the government needs to make sure the growth is resulting in a better quality of life.
“We see it not translating into the kind of meaningful benefits that it should,” Wotherspoon said, noting population growth should allow for improvements in areas such as education and care for seniors.
Doug Elliott of statistical publication Sask Trends Monitor noted Statistics Canada’s estimates show growth has slowed a bit in the province. But that’s not bad news, as the rate wasn’t sustainable before and now seems reasonable, he said.
“We’ve got a slight change in interprovincial migra-tion patterns. We’re actually losing people to other provinces when we’ve been gaining in the past. But … we’re still growing at quite a rapid rate,” Elliott said.
However, Saskatchewan “should always be worried about Alberta,” he said.
“They’re this juggernaut that lives next door to us and we’ll always have to watch the numbers there because they’re so much larger and can attract people.”