Paul Martin commentary
Saskatchewan posted its second quarterly population decline in a row in the last three months of last year.
That is something of an unusual story in these parts as we have been on a strong growth track for quite a while, largely on the strength of international immigration. But, as Ottawa tightened the spigot on foreign arrivals to the country, Saskatchewan was caught up in the reduced flow.
It was much the same story across the country as population growth declined in most regions. About the only exception was Alberta which is still seeing more arrivals than departures. BC’s population has been shrinking for almost two years and Manitoba is following our track – down in the last two quarters of 2025.
Here in Saskatchewan, the flow in international immigrants fell from 4,500 in the first quarter of last year to 2,500 by the last quarter as Ottawa’s restrictions kicked in. This was especially evident in the non-permanent resident category which fell in every quarter last year.
The only positive figure was that are still writing more birth announcements than obituaries.
