An additional 1.2 million people by 2020 is the goal Premier Brad Wall has just announced for the province.
"Over the past five years, Saskatchewan people have seen the benefits of a growing province - more jobs, more opportunities and more revenue to deal with the challenges of growth," he says. "Those benefits are why we seek growth - so we can improve our health system and shorten surgical wait times, so we can do more for the most vulnerable people in our province, so we can balance the budget and pay down debt, so we can have more career opportunities for our young people. That's why growth is important and why we want it to continue."
Growth is good but with it will come challenges which in addition to the benefits, we are also seeing. So long as the government strives to meet the needs of all Saskatchewan's residents we will continue on an upward swing.
Among the plans for the province are added investments in infrastructure; developing a skilled workforce; ensuring competitiveness; increasing export trade; advancing the natural resource strengths : and, maintaining sound fiscal management says Wall.
The Saskatchewan Plan for Growth also sets a goal of reducing the debt by another $400 million by 2017. "The most lasting legacy we can leave our children and grandchildren is a debt-free province," Wall says. "Once that is achieved, we need to look ahead to ensure that our resource revenues continue to benefit future generations...
"I think Saskatchewan people appreciate growth because we have seen the benefits of growth, and we have also seen the alternative... Growth is more than just a path to economic progress. It is the path to building the kind of province we desire for all Saskatchewan people."
And it's a good path to be on we just need to make sure some residents don't fall to the wayside as the growth surge continues.
