The numbers are in, and they show that the average number of people living in Estevan has risen over the last five years. 

According to Statistics Canada's results, the estimated population in 2011 was 11,054. Now, as of 2016, it's 11,483. That's a rise of 3.9 percent.

Mayor Roy Ludwig is pleased.

"It's a positive thing. With that said, we usually tend to go with the medical numbers from the hospital which reflect something around 13,000. Either way, we're happy about it.

He also said that it's a good sign for the times.

"When we had the 4-5 years of the economic boom, some of the people that came for that actually stayed. We've gone through a couple years of tough times since, and now things are starting to turn around. We're very optimistic about that, and that the statistics are positive for us."

Dennis Moore is serving his eighth year as a Councillor for the City of Estevan, and he shared his thoughts on what he has seen population-wise in that time.

"It's always a fluctuation. You can see it in the traffic in the city. If you are an early riser, and heading east, west, north or any direction, you can see the people coming in. You wonder how far they are driving in here to do business, or have a job, and you can tell that the numbers are up."

"It's a positive thing for sure," he added.

Moore also shared what he see's in the near future for Estevan.

"When the economy bounces back, we will be a little more cautious. We'll have a whole new group of people that have gone through this. Now we have a chance to make a correction, and I think a part of that will stay with us. People will be here to get back on a job, and while they may not make the big dollars that they were before, it'll be a lot more sincere. They won't be here to do big wages and then move out."

"I think it will be a brand new start for us, and as for when it comes back and how soon it comes back, we may be surprised. It might come back quicker than we think," he concluded.