NEW POPULATION STATS RELEASED

New population figures just released have yet to reflect Saskatchewan's surging job numbers.

Quarterly population figures from Statistics Canada indicate the province's population was estimated at 1,010,007 as of October 1. That's a small drop – less than 0.2 per cent – from the population estimate on July 1, 2002.

"These figures are mildly surprising, and have not caught up to our great job numbers and our economy's strong performance in recent months," Industry and Resources Minister Eldon Lautermilch said. "Clearly we're continuing to see the impact of agriculture challenges on our overall numbers. But with our solid economic foundations and current momentum, we expect to see better population figures over the long term."

Saskatchewan has posted five straight months of record job numbers and eight consecutive months of job increases over previous year figures. Saskatchewan has also led the country for three straight months in highest percentage increase in job growth.

Other economic indicators show that manufacturing shipments, retail and department store sales, new vehicle sales, urban housing starts, potash sales and natural gas production are all up. Drilling for gas wells was at an all-time high last year.

"We've built a strong business and investment climate in this province, with new incentives for our oil and gas and mining sectors, support to critical industry infrastructure, and sustainable tax cuts for Saskatchewan people," Lautermilch said. "We're also promoting our economic climate and business successes to a broader audience through the Our Future is Wide Open campaign.

"By working together, business, communities and government are creating new jobs and new opportunities. Saskatchewan is a great place in which to live, work and do business, and that story and that economic performance will ultimately result in a return to the solid population growth that we saw for much of the Nineties."

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For More Information, Contact:

Bob Ellis Industry and Resources Regina Phone: (306)787-8277