Saskatchewan continues to be the fastest growing province in Canada, as the population grew by 1.53 per cent in the past year. Saskatchewan's growth rate is slightly ahead of B.C.'s rate of 1.5 per cent.

On October 1, 2010, there were 1,049,701 people living in Saskatchewan, an increase of 4,079 in the past quarter and 15,855 in the past year. Rob Norris, the Minister of Advanced Education, Employment and Immigration, said the sustained population growth is a clear sign of the continuing strength of the Saskatchewan economy.

"In the past three-and-a-half years, Saskatchewan has grown by over 50,000 people," Norris said. "You have to go back decades to find that kind of sustained growth in our province."

Saskatchewan is ending 2010 on a high note, Norris said, and the province can look forward to an even stronger year in 2011.

"Last week, RBC forecasted that Saskatchewan will lead the country with an economic growth rate of 5.3 per cent in 2011," Norris said. "They also said employment in Saskatchewan will grow by more than two per cent, which means about 10,000 new jobs for Saskatchewan people.

That kind of growth will lead to more young people staying in Saskatchewan, and more people coming from other parts of the country to live in the province.