With the release of the population numbers collected during last year’s census, many people in the southeast corner of Saskatchewan have been talking about how Weyburn saw its population increase in the five years between 2016 and 2021, while Estevan saw its population decline.

Dr. Robert Kitchen is the Conservative MP for Souris-Moose Mountain. His riding includes both of the cities, as well as a number of smaller rural communities. The numbers from the census show different tales for two cities in his constituency, and it is something that doesn’t escape his attention.

“Weyburn is a fantastic city, a beautiful city,” Kitchen said as to some of the reasons why more people are choosing to call the city home. “The city has done an awful lot to upgrade in many, many different areas.”

Meanwhile, for Estevan, the economy has played a factor in why there has been a decline. The economics of the oil sector, as well as the pressures on the coal industry, have had an impact. Another trend is also contributing to why Weyburn is seeing more people move in.

“People are saying from, the surrounding area out in the rural, well, you know let’s get into Weyburn, a beautiful place to live, and it’s becoming more of an urban centre,” Kitchen added. He would like to see something similar happen in Estevan, however, he doesn’t want the trend to happen at such a pace it will impact rural communities.

In the census numbers released last Wednesday, the numbers showed the Weyburn census agglomeration area, which includes North Weyburn, McTaggart and the R.M of Weyburn, increased by 1.6 percent. The Estevan census agglomeration area, which includes Bienfait and the R.M. of Estevan, saw the population decline by 6.6 percent from 2016.