(File photo/paNOW staff)

By Jaryn Vecchio

Positive Sign

P.A. seeing jump in population, local chamber excited for what this means for businesses now and down the road

Feb 17, 2022 | 5:00 PM

Prince Albert is seeing a jump in its population and the local Chamber of Commerce believes it’s a sign of good things to come.

Earlier this month, Statistics Canada released highlights from the 2021 census with P.A. seeing a 5.1 per cent increase since the last report which was taken in 2016.

In total, 37,756 people currently call the city home, a five-year-jump of more than 1,800 residents.

Patty Hughes, CEO for the P.A. & District Chamber of Commerce, told paNOW more people in the community means more traffic for local businesses.

“Prince Albert is a great place to invest and a great place to do business and we are very much looking forward to many of the opportunities that will be coming to Prince Albert as the investment is made in the area.”

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Hughes is specifically talking about what’s to come for the city.

There are several projects on the go that are expected to be a big boost to the economy through new business and traffic. This includes the pulp mill restart and aquatic and arena centre.

“Once these projects get up and going in the next 18 months to two years, we will definitely see a significant increase and Prince Albert is ready to do business with these people,” Hughes added.

Her expectation is to see an even bigger jump during the next census, slated for 2026.

As for right now, Hughes noted the Chamber is seeing a lot of positive signs by businesses already operating in the city. This is highlighted in the upcoming Samuel McLeod Business Awards.

The organization has received six nominations for businesses that opened their doors within the past year and another five that decided to transform and expand their services.

Population growth compared

P.A. was one of three major communities in Saskatchewan to out-pace the entire province in growth.

Saskatchewan has added a total of 34,153 people since 2016, a 3.1 per cent rise.

Saskatoon (7.7 per cent) and Regina (5.3 per cent) were the only ones, along with P.A., to see better growth, while Swift Current (0.9 per cent) and Lloydminster (0.7 per cent) were the only other major communities to see an increase in population.

North Battleford, Moose Jaw, Yorkton, and Estevan each saw their numbers drop over the past five years.

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Jaryn.Vecchio@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow