Much like the movie with all the hype that didn't quite meet expectations, the 2011 national census has left many in Estevan wanting more.
The long awaited, and always controversial, report was released last Wednesday and according to numbers compiled by the federal government, the Energy City's population has increased by 970 residents from the last time the census was taken.
Estevan now sits at 11,054 residents compared to 2006 when there were 10,084 people here, according to the census.
Although many are happy to see Estevan top the 11,000 mark, equally as many people were disappointed by the figure, as it is generally believed the city's population is closer to the 12,000 mark.
Mayor Gary St. Onge was among those who expected to see Estevan be around 12,000 and said he was disappointed in the numbers.
"I thought we'd be closer to 12,000," said St. Onge. "I guess in some ways you should be happy you go up. I really think that we have more than what they listed, and of course if we had more lots, we may have had more people. But I don't think it is accurate."
There are many theories around as to why Estevan's population, for the second straight census, fell well short of where many expected it would be. The transient nature of Estevan's workforce often catches most of the blame, and St. Onge said he believes it was a factor.
"You take five years ago, it is just way busier when you try and drive around our streets," he said. "Now does that mean that all these people driving through our streets are living in Bienfait or Carlyle? All these towns are full. Are they living out there, are they living in hotels?"
St. Onge said he and others with the City feel Estevan is closer to the roughly 12,300 people that were reported in the covered population statistics released in late 2011 by the Ministry of Health.
He added he would also like to see the City consider conducting a census of its own to get a better read on the population. Although those numbers would not matter in terms of provincial funding, it would be something they could present to businesses and investors interested in Estevan.
"I'd like to hire people that know our community," he said. "Even if nobody accepts it, we can say, 'hey, this shows it.'"
The less than expected census numbers will also have a major impact on the City's finances and could very well be the precursor to a property tax increase as the provincial municipal operating grants are paid out on a per capita basis.
St. Onge said the City, anticipating the population would be around 12,000, had budgeted for a roughly $400,000 increase in MOG money but will get about half of that.
"I think we had budgeted about $200,000 more than what we will get so we'll have to look at that and see where we are. It's still quite a chunk (of money), but our guys were more optimistic than that. When we first looked at the budget, it looked like we were going to get everything done in there without a (mill rate) increase but it doesn't look that good now."
St. Onge said although the census will give them a little more clarity in terms of where they stand on their budget, the City cannot finish the budget until they get a decision on their claim to the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program for costs and damages incurred during the floods of 2011.
The mayor said he was unsure of exactly how much the City's claim was for, but he noted it was a sizable one.
Estevan was just one of many communities that experienced a population increase according to the census. The town of Bienfait jumped from 748 residents to 780. Torquay rose from 184 to 236 while Lampman went from 634 to 713.
Macoun and Midale also experienced increases. Macoun rose from 168 people to 246 and Midale jumped by exactly 100 residents, going from 462 to 562.
To the east, Alameda had a more modest increase of 34 residents and now sits at a population of 342 while Oxbow continued its pattern of growth, climbing from 1,139 residents to 1,285. Carlyle is also booming as it grew from 1,257 people to 1,441.
While the City Estevan may have been unhappy with its census numbers, the same could not be said for the province as a whole, as Saskatchewan grew by 65,000 people in just five years.
Through a government press release, Premier Brad Wall said the numbers show Saskatchewan is on the right track when it comes to growth.
"Saskatchewan has gone from a province where people were moving out, to a province where people are choosing to stay and moving in," Wall said. "That is because of our growing economy, plenty of job opportunities and our great quality of life. Saskatchewan is simply the best place in Canada to live, to work, to raise a family and to build a life. More and more people are now discovering that and it is why our population is growing."
The release also noted that Martensville is the fastest growing city, going from 4,978 residents to 7,716.
