Populations growing in local area
Sask Health numbers show growth across the region
November 22, 2022, 4:16 pm
Saskatchewan Health covered population numbers continue to show growth across the area.
The latest numbers show 3,303 active health card numbers in the town of Moosomin in 2022, up 67 or two per cent from 3,236 a year ago, and up 342, or 11.55 per cent from 2,961 a decade ago.
The latest numbers show a total of 17,416 people with health cards in the local region, up 164 or 0.95 per cent from 17,242 last year, and up 617, or 3.67 per cent from 16,799 a decade ago.
Covered population numbers are not the same as a census, but indicate the number of people with an active health card who list their address in each community.
The health numbers show a steady increase in population in the area, especially in Moosomin.
Of the 617 increase in population between 2012 and 2022, more than half of the increase, 342 people, is in the town of Moosomin, and 44 is in the RM of Moosomin (which includes Moosomin Regional Park).
“The health numbers show a fairly significant rise and that matches what we see in Moosomin,” Mayor Larry Tomlinson said.
“I think when you look at these numbers, and you look at what we’ve got coming in Moosomin, with Cobblestone House and the new apartments, I think it’s great for the future of Moosomin. I think it’s going to continue to grow. We just have to be very welcoming to the people who are building here and are putting places up, and keep trying to get them to town, and I think it’ll happen.”
“We’ve got the services,” Tomlinson said. “We have the hospital. We have the services, and we’re ready for more people to come to town. I think it’ll continue to grow.
“I know there’s a lot more potential for business growth in Moosomin. I know there’s more stuff in the works, and if it comes to fruition it’ll be great for the whole area.
“It looks really promising. I think we’ll do nothing but grow.”
Census being redone
The rise in the health numbers come at the same time as Statistics Canada showed a decline in population in Moosomin in the 2021 Census. The 2016 census showed a 10.4 per cent population growth in five years in Moosomin, the highest growth rate in rural Saskatchewan, but the 2021 census, which Statistics Canada is planning to redo, showed a decrease in Moosomin’s population. Many Moosomin residents told the World-Spectator they had not been contacted for the 2021 census. Several individuals who live in seniors housing said no one in their entire buildings had been included in the census, which showed more than 100 unoccupied residences in Moosomin, and showed fewer total residences in Moosomin than the number of residences the town of Moosomin sends water bills to.
The town has asked Statistics Canada to redo the census, which it has committed to do before the end of this year.
“It will be nice to see what the new census shows,” Tomlinson said.
“It’s supposed to happen by the end of the year. When we checked around after the census, none of the seniors homes got a census form, and none of the people in the Elks senior houses got counted. I think they missed a lot of the seniors. Even at my house, no one came to our door and nothing was left at our place. It was a complete failure. I don’t know what the system was, but it sure didn’t work. I’m hoping we can get the census numbers back where they should be.
“I’m sure the health numbers are closer than what the census is.”
