Population On The Rise

Source: Discovermoosejaw.com

More and more people are calling Saskatchewan home, that's according to new figures from Stats Canada. Just over 1,030,000 people live in the province.

So where Saskatchewan's newest residents coming from? 100 years ago, the bulk of immigrants coming to Saskatchewan were from Eastern Europe - Russians, Germans, and Ukrainians.

Like before, immigration is once again on the rise, but countries of origin are different. Today, most are coming from countries like China, Japan, and the Phillipines. Its no fluke. Doug Elliot with Sask Trends Monitor says the spike in immigration is the result of a change in government strategy, "Unlike the inter-provincial migration which is sort of up to people whether they choose to move here or not, the immigration one is more driven by government policy."

So expect to hear more accents in the coming years. Elliott says Saskatchewan is on track to have about 7,000 more immigrants just this year.

Saskatchewan Investment Minister Rob Norris hopes more foreign business people and their families will move to the province. Norris says the government has streamlined rules for the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program in an effort to entice them.

He says the changes should result in more investment and jobs. Norris says the program is focused on large scale businesses willing to invest $10 million.