3. Regional Profile:
A Point of Reference
ASBNC Region Map
Please note that the regional borders outlined were selected only for the purpose of analysis and
that the work of the ASBNC is not inhibited by any boundaries. The ASBNC is supportive of all
partnerships that will lead to economic growth and sustainability for the Southwest and for this to
be successful, boundaries cannot exist.
Regional Profile
The information revealed in this section was compiled by Mr. Doug Elliott, the principal of QED
Information Systems Inc. and publisher of Sask Trends Monitor. It is a compilation of
demographic, social and economic information from the Statistics Canada census that is specific
to the Southwest region. This is intended as a reference document for future work by the
ASBNC.
The profile compiled by Mr. Elliot can be reviewed in its entirety in the ASBNC Final Report
Appendices document - Appendix A. This section of the report will only provide a summation
of his findings. For explanation of some of the concepts behind the terms used and to describe
the methodology employed to derive the profiles please refer to Appendix A.
The region used for the profile covers a large tract of 56,000 square kilometers in the southwest
and it is home to just over 5% of Saskatchewan residents.
Population Growth
The population of the region area is split roughly into thirds with 29% living in Swift Current,
33% living in towns and village, and 38% living in rural municipalities. Two small Reserves
(Nekaneet and Wood Mountain) are located in the region.
As in many other rural parts of the province, the population of the region is declining although
the decline is more pronounced than in other areas. In the past twenty years, the region has lost
17% of its population. The largest decline happened between 1986 and 1991. Swift Current's
population, after increasing sharply from 1981 to 1986 has fallen back and has been stable during
the 1990s. Besides Swift Current, the only part of the region that has shown population growth
in the 1990s was the RM that includes Gull Lake.
Relative to the province as a whole, the region has a relatively high number of persons 45 years
and older, particularly in the 65 to 84 age group. Seniors are widely dispersed throughout the
region although they are concentrated in towns, villages, and cities rather than in the rural
municipalities. There are relatively few people in the 20 to 29 age group and those that live in
the region tend to be in Swift Current. With few young adults, there are also relatively few
young children. The fastest growing age group in the past decade was the 45 to 64 age group as
the baby boom generation moved into their early fifties.
Family Structure and Housing
With the growth in the population 45 to 54 years of age, there is a natural increase in the number
of “empty nesters”, that is, couples with no children at home. This is evident in the Southwest
region where the number of married couples with children at home (41% of families) is declining
and the number of married couples without children at home (42% of families) is increasing.
More evidence is seen among the age of children at home where there is a large decline in the
number of children under 15 and only a stable number 18 to 24 year of age. This leaves
relatively few children of school age.
The number of lone parent families in the region is increasing although as a proportion of
families it is still relatively small compared with the rest of Saskatchewan. The same is true for
common law couples.
The number of seniors in the region is declining and one third are living alone. The proportion
of seniors living alone is lower than the provincial average.
A high proportion of dwellings in the area are owned by the occupants – 80% compared with the
provincial average of 71% and the proportion is increasing.
The housing stock in the area is not being replenished. Only 5% are less than ten years old and
four out of ten (43%) occupants state that their homes are in need of minor (33%) or major
(10%) repairs, a slight decline from the 44% who reported in 1996 that repairs were needed.
Aboriginal Population
The Aboriginal population is very small in the region, with only 2.2% of the total population
reporting Aboriginal identity compared with 1.3% in 1996 and 13.5% for the province as a
whole. Approximately the same number of Aboriginal people report First Nation (North
American Indian in the census) identity as Métis identity. Only 14% of the Aboriginal
population lives on Reserve.
Mobility and Migration
Virtually all (99%) of the region's residents are Canadian citizens and in fact 82% were born in
Saskatchewan. There was an increase from 1991 to 1996 in the number of people moving to the
region from other parts of Canada and other countries but a decline from 1996 to 2001. Among
those who were born outside Canada, more than one half immigrated before 1970 so the region
has relatively few recent immigrants. Seven out of ten of the region's residents did not move
between 1996 and 2001.
Ethnicity, Culture and Language
German is the most common ethnic origin in the region although the number who report “Canadian” ethnic origin increased by 6% from 1996 to 2001. The number of residents who
report Scottish and Polish ancestry is also increasing. Relative to the rest of the province, the
region has a disproportionately high number of persons of Norwegian ancestry and relatively few
Ukrainians or persons of Aboriginal ancestry.
With relatively few recent immigrants, the region has almost no members of a visible minority
group, less than 2% in 2001.
The English language dominates, of course, with 84% of respondents reporting English as their
mother tongue and 91% reporting that only English is used at home; 6% of the population is
bilingual (French and English) and they are concentrated in the Southeast corner of the region.
Compared with the rest of the province, there are relatively few persons reporting a Catholic
religious affiliation and more who report a Protestant religious affiliation or a non-Christian
religious affiliation.
Educational Activity and Educational Attainment
Among those 15 to 24 years of age who live in the region, 52% attended either secondary or
post-secondary school in the eight moths prior to the census. The percentage has dropped from
58% in 1996 and is no below the provincial average of 57%. The proportion remains high on the
west side of the region and near Moose Jaw.
With a relatively high number of seniors, one would expect the region to have lower levels of
completed education. In fact, 38% of the residents are post-secondary graduates – the same
percentage as in the province as a whole.
The number of adults with a university degree increased by 17% from 1996 to 2001 and the
number with a certificate or diploma increased by 7%. The increase in the number of those with
a degree is above the provincial average whereas the increase among other graduates is below.
The fields of study for post-secondary graduates tend to reflect the job opportunities in the area. Relative to the province as a whole, the region has more persons specializing in:
- applied science, technologies, and the trades;
- agriculture, biological, and food sciences;
- education, recreation, and counseling; and
- health professions and related technologies.
It has relatively few specializing in the social sciences, commerce and business administration,
and in engineering and the applied sciences.
Employment
Employment in the region has been declining by an average of 0.6% per year in the 1990s, the
same rate of decline as in the adult population. The number of unemployed is declining more
quickly so the unemployment rate is dropping.
The employment rate in the area – the percentage of the population 15 and older employed in
May 2001 – is stable and well above the provincial average in spite of the high proportion of
seniors in the region. The employment rate for youth (15 to 24 years) is also above the
provincial average.
One third of the adults who were employed from January 2000 to May 2001 report agriculture as
the industry of their main job. The second largest industry group in the area is wholesale/retail
trade which accounts for 12% of employment.
In percentage terms, the fastest growing industry group from 1996 to 2001 was the business
services group, a category that includes legal, architectural, accounting, and other consultants.
There was also a substantial increase in employment in construction and the manufacturing
sectors.
Employment declined in many industry groups including agriculture, wholesale/retail trade, and
the public sector – health, education, and government.
In percentage terms, the fastest growing occupation groups from 1996 to 2001 were:
- occupations in art, culture, recreation, and sport;
- management occupations;
- occupations in social science, government service, education, and religion; and
- trades, transport, and equipment operators.
There was a substantial decline in the large “sales and service” group.
Income
The Average income per adult in the area of $24,851 in 2000 was 4% lower than the provincial
average. Lower individual incomes when combined with the high proportion of seniors in the
area means that household incomes are also below the provincial average – 5% lower in 2000
compared with 1% in 1995.
A relatively high percentage of personal income is derived from government transfer payments –
16% compared with the provincial average of 15% – because of a high number of CPP/OAS
recipients.
Employment incomes tend to be lower in the region than in other parts of the province although
the difference is only evident among those who worked full-time throughout 2000. Average
incomes for part-time or part-year workers were similar to those in other parts of the province
whereas incomes for those full-time, full-year workers were 16% below the provincial average.
In spite of the lower incomes, the percentage of persons living below the Statistics Canada Low
Income Cutoff is below the provincial average. The lower average household incomes are a
result of relatively few households with high incomes rather than more households with low
incomes.
Agriculture
The region accounts for 20% of the farmland and 13% of the farms in the province. Farms tend
to be larger around the southwest part of the region and smaller in the northeast parts. Overall,
the average farm is 56% larger than the provincial average.
Farms in the region are more likely than those elsewhere in Saskatchewan to be classified as
wheat farms or cattle farms. As a consequence there is a higher percentage of land in pasture and
more of the average farm's assets are land. Summer fallow is also more common in the region
than in other parts of the province.
Gross income per acre is lower in the region because of the dominance of large cattle farms in
the Southwest. Expenses were also lower than average, however, so net income per acre was at
the provincial average in 2000 although 24% lower than it was in 1995.
