Monday, 4 November 2013

Planning for Regional Growth Summit: Session 3 Notes

Sustaining Saskatchewan’s Grow: Attitude is Everything

 The third session was a look at Saskatchewan's attitude. It is about mindset and it includes our town and area. If you have a question, or a comment, email me.

·         85% believe provincial future is bright

·         87% believe personal future is bright

·         80% believe we all gain when businesses do better

·         A resurgence of pioneering attitudes

·         Attitudes shaped: pioneers vs post great depression

·         The pioneering value is returning but reset

·         Why change in attitudes?

·         Buoyant economic times

·         Growth due to exports

·         4th largest exporter in Canada up 2.5 times

·         Population growth linked to commodity demands growing (super cycle)

·         Pop growth mainly linked around Saskatoon and Regina

·         60% of pop in largest 8 cities (critical to province as well)

·         International immigration has increased dramatically – 1% in province but 2% in Saskatoon and Regina

·         Immigrants attracted to larger centres

·         Need service industries

·         Oil and gas and mining are dependent upon cities and not local communities

·         Incomes have gone up

·         Employment growth

·         Rural and urban growth needs to occur - both need success

·         Value added production is needed

·         SK has had higher relative GDP growth but the population in Alberta grew due to value added and business services

·         Importance of Regional Cooperation

·         Sustained growth is not guaranteed

·         Cities of 500,000 have not had out migration – cities become their own engines

·         We need larger cities as a province (West Central SK needs Kindersley to be larger)

·         Business leaders see four challenges

·         Lack of skilled workers

·         Rising Cost of living and doing business

·         Infrastructure

·         Improve and evolve the policy environment

·         Professionals want larger centres with cache

·         Need to be aggressive to grow – fight the previous image and a need to rebrand

·         The province needs to think of itself as a community as Saskatoon and Regina grow

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