Saskatoon estimates its population grew by 14,400 in a year. Can the city handle this influx?
City say roughly 85 per cent of growth comes from immigration
Yogesh Pandey moved to Saskatoon from India with his wife and two sons in September last year with hopes of a better life, but the family is facing many challenges in the city.
The City of Saskatoon estimates its population grew by approximately 14,400 from Oct. 1, 2022, to Oct. 1, 2023, the largest year-over-year population change for the city in the post-war era.
Experts say that as the city grows, services and infrastructure also need to expand faster. Dozens of recent newcomers CBC spoke with agree.
Pandey said more than 13 years of work experience in the banking and finance industry in India is not enough for him to land a job in Saskatoon.
"In Saskatoon, I understand that kind of job prospect is not available. Majority of it is in Vancouver or Toronto," he said.
"From the employment perspective, I think the process is slow.… It's a struggle and frustrating."
He is staying positive and searching for jobs in his field, but his family is going through the savings they came with.
The family is also still looking for a family doctor and having to depend on walk-in clinics.
Transit system should improve
Pandey said the transit system in the city is not efficient or convenient in winter, even for grocery runs. He said buses are often packed and take too long to reach destinations.
"In case of an emergency, I have to book an Uber and it's quite expensive for a newcomer," he said. "There should be a better frequency of buses."
In a recent council meeting, riders of Saskatoon transit shared their experiences on the city's buses. Several expressed concerns about waiting for late buses or buses being filled to maximum capacity, especially during the cold winter weather.
Mike Moellenbeck, the director of Saskatoon Transit, said buses have never been in greater demand in the city. He said the significant increase in the population is the reason.
"Our estimates indicate that the city of Saskatoon has experienced population growth of more than five per cent," Moellenbeck said.
To meet this demand, the city plans to acquire more buses and increase the frequency of trips during peak hours. It has already ordered 10 new buses, including two electric ones slated to be delivered this spring. The other eight are to be released later this fall.
According to the Bus Fleet Replacement Plan approved by the municipal council in December, 38 new vehicles should be purchased by the city over the next few years thanks to $60 million from a federal infrastructure program.
Roughly 85 per cent of population growth comes from immigration
Previous to last year, the city's highest population jump in 20 years was 2012, when it grew by 7,000.
Mike Jordan, Saskatoon's chief of public policy and government relations, said the city's estimates are based on Statistics Canada's quarterly provincial population estimates. They factor three variables from StatsCan (natural increase in the population, net interprovincial migration and net international migration) along with municipal historical migration trends.
Statistics Canada said its official population estimates for the 2022-2023 period are scheduled to be released on May 22.
Jordan said roughly 85 per cent of last year's estimated 14,400 growth comes from international immigration. Similar to national trends, he said many newcomers are coming from India, China, Afghanistan, Nigeria and the Philippines.
Lack of affordable housing and doctors
Gurpreet Singh, a recent newcomer, said he is a part of an online social media group with hundreds of recent immigrants in Saskatoon. He said besides lack of employment opportunities, the biggest hurdle for them is availability of doctors and affordable housing.
Within a month of their arrival in 2022, Singh's son fell sick and had to be rushed to the ER.
"The wait times were huge. I wasn't expecting that. My son was vomiting," he said.
He said it took nearly half a year to find a family doctor and that many newcomers are falling through the cracks in the health-care system.
"There is a shortage of specialized doctors in Saskatoon, especially for children. The wait time for a pediatrician is about two years," he said.
Singh said a median income household cannot afford the rising mortgage prices in 2024. He is the only earning member in his home and said one full time job is not enough to look after the needs of his family. He depends on extra part-time jobs.
The 37-year-old said the city lacks affordable rental options, let alone affordable places to buy.
"When I landed here, a two-bedroom apartment in an old building was around $1,200. Now, they are charging $1,500 and newer buildings are charging up to $2,000," he said.
"How can a person afford that? What is the definition of affordable housing? I'm still struggling with that."
He said the bank determined his affordability as $300,000 which is not enough for even a townhouse. Singh said the city should boost its infrastructure and housing supply if they are to welcome more newcomers and tax hikes aren't the sole solution.
A vision needed for the future of Saskatoon
Ahmad Majid, an HR manager at the Saskatchewan Intercultural Association, said the population growth over the past year has caused a steep rise in the demand for the association's services, some of which now have wait times.
"Newcomers are struggling in navigating health care and finding affordable safe housing," he said, noting language and cultural barriers can exacerbate the problems.
Majid said classrooms are being maxed out, and more support for teachers and ESL programs is needed in Saskatoon.
"As a community, we don't necessarily have a clear vision of where we are going to be in five or 10 years with the school, housing and health-care systems," he said.
He said employers in the city have to find a balance where they don't tokenize diversity and inclusion in the workforce, but also don't leave newcomers behind.
"The common problem with many newcomers is, on one hand, they need Canadian experience to be considered for professional jobs. On the other hand, nobody's willing to give them that Canadian experience to get the ball rolling and get their foot in the door," he said.
"It's going to take all of us to make the future bright for the city."
Housing and affordability are challenges: city councillor
Ward 6 Coun. Cynthia Block said the population growth shows Saskatoon is an "attractive place for people to live, work and play."
"There's no question that there are challenges that all cities in Canada are facing right now around housing and affordability, but Saskatoon is working really hard to address those," she said.
Block said the intent is to create a city that is more livable and walkable, with a modern public transportation system and opportunities for everyone. The end goal is to make Saskatoon "more efficient, less expensive and more sustainable."
Block said there is a need for more grocery stores in the core neighbourhoods, as one recently closed in the Broadway area.
"Unless or until we can get grocery stores where people live, I will not feel that my job is done," she said.
"The city is also working with the province to create more schools in our city, especially as we are growing in areas on the outside of our city."
She said updating the public transportation system will be an important step toward replicating what smart cities are doing.
The downtown entertainment district developments, Block said, will also attract more residential development. She said the city provides incentives or grants for affordable housing.
"We're finally getting to the execution part. That's going to be transformative for our city to be able to have better active transportation, housing and density that hopefully is more appropriate for a growing city that allows us to grow inward and upward."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
