Stats show local population is stabilizing
March 8, 2016, 2:06 am
Kevin Weedmark
New covered population statistics released by Saskatchewan Health show that the population of the Moosomin area is stabilizing after years of growth.
The covered population statistics are not a census, but report how many people of each age group list a community as home.
The covered population includes everyone with a Saskatchewan health card, so it may not include some people who have recently moved from out of province or out of the country, while it may include students who are away at university or those who have recently moved away.
The numbers are collected as of June 30 each year. The numbers for 2015 were recently released by the health ministry.
The latest numbers from Saskatchewan Health show 3,096 people in Moosomin, down slightly from 3,105 last year but up by 590 from a decade ago.
The overall trend the health ministry’s stats show is a steady increase in population in communities in the Moosomin area over the last decade, with the population stabilizing over the last two to three years.
The total covered population of towns and villages in the area was 7,737 in 2007 and 9,590 in 2015—an increase of 1,853.
Rocanville, Redvers, and Whitewood are the other real growth stories in the region. Rocanville has grown from 1,024 to 1,200 over the last decade, Redvers from 982 to 1,365, and Whitewood from 955 to 1,238.
The health department’s numbers are 730 for Wawota, 449 for Wapella, 418 for Maryfield, 347 for Kennedy, 268 for Spy Hill, 197 for Welwyn, 147 for Tantallon, 81 for Fleming, and 54 for Fairlight.
Saskatchewan’s population has grown to nearly 1,138,879 according to the latest figures released by Statistics Canada.
Those latest figures, released in December, show that in the third quarter of 2015, the number of people living in Saskatchewan grew by 5,242 to an all-time high of 1,138,879. That represents the second-highest growth rate in Canada in both the last quarter and the last year, behind only Alberta.
Premier Brad Wall said the new population numbers and recent strong job growth numbers show Saskatchewan people have built an economy that is diverse, resilient and strong.
“Obviously, we are facing serious challenges in the energy sector,” Wall said. “But Saskatchewan’s diverse economy continues to create new jobs and our population continues to grow. That’s a big difference from a decade ago, when a downturn in one sector would mean fewer jobs and a declining population across the entire province.”
Saskatchewan’s population has now grown by 146,000 people over the past decade, after declining by nearly 24,000 over the previous decade.
In the third quarter of 2015, Saskatchewan had net international in-migration of 4,075 people, net interprovincial out-migration of 639 people and a natural increase (births minus deaths) of 1,806.
