Living in Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan is the prairie region of Canada bordered by the United States from the south, Alberta to the west, Manitoba to the east, and Northwest Territories to the north. Saskatchewan is one of the sunniest provinces of Canada, which gets approximately 2,500 hours of sunshine annually. 

The province is also called the land of living skies and is full of nature.  It does have magnificent sunsets, blue skies with puffy white clouds, northern lights, awesome storm skies, etc.

Saskatchewan has a population of over 1.1 million with its capital Regina counting roughly 280,000 and Saskatoon, the largest city, having a population of 300,000. Other major cities in Saskatchewan are Prince Albert, North Battleford, Moose Jaw, Yorkton, Swift Current, Melfort, and the border city of Lloydminster.

Economy and Employment

Saskatchewan’s diverse economy, low unemployment, healthy real estate market, and rising incomes, all indicate that it will continue to grow and prosper, becoming an even more attractive and competitive province. 

There are a number of job opportunities available in the province that drives Saskatchewan’s population growth. The employment growth is steady, and the economy remains strong for Saskatchewan.

Saskatchewan is also called as Canada’s breadbasket because the province produces almost 28 percent of Canada’s grain and over 54 percent of Canada’s wheat crop. As agriculture is very important to Saskatchewan’s economy, finance, insurance, and real estate also make a significant impact. 

The province is also rich in minerals such as potash, uranium, coal, oil and natural gas. Saskatchewan is Canada’s leading exporter of potash and uranium.

The unemployment rate in Saskatchewan is the lowest in Canada, which makes Saskatchewan a good place to find work in Canada.

Standard of Living

Saskatchewan offers a high quality of life and the lowest cost of living by Canadian standards. The province has a high standard of living, that attracts immigrants to settle in the province. The average family income in Saskatchewan is approximately $80,000 which is higher than the Canadian average. 

The housing costs are low compared to other Canadian cities as natural resources help to keep down energy costs. Saskatchewan also offers some social programs that make a major contribution to help all residents of the province maintaining high standards of living. 

Residential Housing

It is relatively affordable for newcomers to purchase or rent a home for a family, by Canadian standards. The government of Saskatchewan founded Saskatchewan Housing Corporation (SHC) to fund social housing, provide grants and other incentives for low-income and rental housing development within the province.

Education

All citizens and permanent residents under the age of 20 are entitled to attend schooling through the end of secondary school in Canada free of cost. Education in Saskatchewan is generally divided as Elementary (primary or public school), Secondary (high school) and Post-secondary (university, college). 

Once a student completes secondary school, the province of Saskatchewan offers a number of different options for the students to continue their education and training. The University of Saskatchewan is one of the top universities in Canada and is renowned because of its contribution to medical research.

Health Care

As per Canadian Law, all provinces must provide universal, publicly funded healthcare to all the citizens and legal residents of Canada. Which means basic health services in Canada are offered at no cost to the patient. There are some cosmetic surgery procedures and a number of dental care procedures, which aren’t covered.

Sources: City of Saskatoon, Government of Saskatchewan