News release
RURAL SASKATCHEWAN FOCUS OF GOVERNMENT OF CANADA REPORT
REGINA, SASKATCHEWAN -November 9, 2005 - Saskatchewan residents continue to buck the national trend when it comes to living in rural areas. Forty-three percent of them reside in rural areas, more than double the national average. A new Government of Canada report examines the trends in both rural and urban areas across the province. The Rural Saskatchewan Profile is one of 14 profiles being developed-one for every province and territory in Canada, and one for the country as a whole.
"The Government of Canada recognizes that in order for the country to reach its full potential both urban and rural areas need to be strong," said the Honourable Wayne Easter, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food with special emphasis on Rural Development. "There is an interdependency between rural and urban areas that governments at all levels need to better understand, when they are thinking about and developing programs and services that will benefit all Canadians."
For the purposes of the report, rural Saskatchewan was divided into four types of rural, based on their distance from urban centres. Statistics Canada Census data from 1991, 1996 and 2001 was used to examine 20 indicators that reflect conditions in different areas. They found there was often greater variation between the four types of rural than between rural and urban.
The Profile also uncovered some other interesting facts. Aboriginal representation in Saskatchewan increased in every geographic zone between 1996 and 2001 with the largest increase in areas the farthest from urban influence. During the same time period, the rural and small town population aged slightly less rapidly than did the province's urban population. The studies of the economic, education, social and health care indicators highlighted the greatest inequity in those areas well outside of urban centres. This study was carried out by the Canadian Rural Partnership's Rural Secretariat with help from Statistics Canada. The Rural Secretariat is a part of the Government of Canada that focuses on rural issues. You can find more information on the Canadian Rural Partnership and the Rural Secretariat at http://www.rural.gc.ca.
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For more information, please contact:
Lauraine Watson - Rural Communications
Rural Secretariat - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
(204) 983-8376
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