What a difference five years makes.
In 2005, Statistics Canada released its 26-year population estimates and projected that the number of people living in Saskatchewan would actually drop from its 2005 level of 994,000.There are now more than 1,038,000 people who call Saskatchewan home and a new report released today by Statistics Canada projects that number to grow by anywhere from 82,000 to 260,000 over the next 26 years.
Advanced Education, Employment and Labour Minister Rob Norris said the dramatic turnaround is one more sign of the growing strength of the province and its economy.
"Five years ago, people were moving out of Saskatchewan by the thousands and a lot of people expected it to stay that way," Norris said. "Today in the new Saskatchewan, there are more people moving in than moving out, and this latest report predicts that will be the case for many years to come."
The report presents three different scenarios for population growth in Saskatchewan. The high-growth scenario projects Saskatchewan's population to grow to 1,298,200 by 2036. The medium-growth scenario would see Saskatchewan's population jump to 1,207,000 by 2036 while even the low-growth scenario projects the population to grow to 1,120,000 in that same period.
"Saskatchewan is moving forward and it's going to keep moving forward over the next several decades," Norris said.
