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Census says Estevan's population is growing

The city and the rural municipality of Estevan both saw increases in population, according to the federal census data that was released on Feb. 8.

The city and the rural municipality of Estevan both saw increases in population, according to the federal census data that was released on Feb. 8. 

The city’s population grew from 11,054 in 2011 to 11,483 people in 2016, which was an increase of 429 people, or 3.9 per cent, even though the city has been feeling the effects of an economic slowdown due to the sliding price of oil since 2014. 

Estevan remained the eighth-largest city in the province. 

The RM, meanwhile, saw its population soar from 1,139 to 1,370 people, which was a 221 or 20.3 per cent increase. The RM of Estevan ranked 21st in population for Saskatchewan RMs. 

The combined population for the two municipalities was 12,853, which was up from 12,194 in 2011. 

The census data was recorded last spring. 

“We have had a couple of tough years … on the oil sector side, so we were pleasantly surprised with the uptick in numbers,” Mayor Roy Ludwig told the Mercury. “We view that as a positive.” 

At the same time, so many people came to the city prior to 2014 for work in the southeast oil patch and other projects, and Ludwig believes some of those people have decided to stay and find work outside of the oil sector. 

“I wasn’t sure what to expect,” said Ludwig. “I guess because of the last couple of years, we definitely did have some trying times in the oil sector. So we thought the numbers might be down.” 

Estevan city council and others in the community criticized census numbers from 2006 and 2011, since they believe Estevan’s population was higher than what was reported by Statistics Canada. Council put a greater emphasis on the findings of eHealth Saskatchewan’s covered population report, which tracks the number of people in a community holding a Saskatchewan Health card. 

Ludwig believes the 2006 and 2011 census numbers failed to account for the number of transient workers and other short-term residents who had come to Estevan during the oil boom. 

This time around, though, Ludwig believes the census numbers are closer to reality. 

“The 2016 census was more in depth, and I think moving forward, we can count on the numbers more seriously,” said Ludwig. 

Grace Potter, the administrator for the RM of Estevan, said they weren’t surprised with the population data, since they have seen a lot of residential developments in the RM in the last few years. Much of that growth came before the price of oil slumped in 2014. 

They have particularly noticed an increase in the number of acreages throughout the RM, as people are more willing to embrace a rural lifestyle. 

“We have some beautiful country, and people like their space,” said Potter. “We have the valleys.” 

Construction in the RM has slowed down due to the economic downturn, so she expects the population growth will be stable until the price of oil picks up again. 

“Last year there wasn’t a significant increase, but the years prior to that, we had several developments every year,” said Potter. 

The RM still receives calls from people looking to build on an acreage, she said, particularly near the Woodlawn Regional Park.

Census numbers are vital for communities, Ludwig said. Many provincial and federal grants are doled out on a per capita basis using the census. 

“It’s always positive to know that your community is growing,” the mayor said. 

Rural communities had varying results. Bienfait’s population dropped from 780 to 762 people, Lampman dropped from 713 to 675 people, Midale increased from 562 to 604 people, Macoun grew from 246 to 269 residents, Torquay increased from 236 to 255, Frobisher slid from 166 to 160, North Portal dropped from 143 to 115 people, and Roche Percee declined from 153 to 110 residents. 

As for rural municipalities, Cymri grew from 524 to 549 people, Benson dropped from 490 to 472, Browning declined from 399 to 375, Coalfields fell from 382 to 368 residents and Cambria went from 304 to 309 residents. 

Among the other findings for 2016 were that Souris-Moose Mountain, the federal constituency for Estevan and the rest of southeast Saskatchewan, had 72,635 people, which was a slight jump from the 72,058 who lived in the riding in 2011. 

Saskatchewan’s population was pegged at 1,098,352, which was an increase of 6.3 per cent from the 1,033,381 who resided in the province five years earlier. 

And the national population was at more than 35.1 million, which was a five per cent increase from the 33.4 million who lived in Canada five years earlier.