Martensville Messenger September 15, 2016 | Page 14
Page 14 - SEPTEMBER 15, 2016 - MaRTEnSvillE MESSEngER
Old Population Stats Tell A Tale
For all the evils of social media
- and there are many - it can be wealth of
information. The downside is that it puts
people in silos that they need not ever feel
compelled to leave.
Whether it be Twitter or Facebook,
many have already spend far too much
of the 21st Century trapped in these echo
chambers, where they choose to only hear
from those who have the same view.
But every now and then, you are
reminded what an amazing tool social
media truly is - especially when it comes
to providing valuable tidbits of current and
historical information.
One such amazing tidbits floated
down my Twitter feed the other day. It was
simply a screen capture of the “Waghorn’s
Guide” of the 1910 populations of cities
and towns in Manitoba, Saskatchewan,
Alberta and British Columbia.
Of course, some might see this as
little more than that endless array of trivia that
flows down the social media tube - no more
useful than the abundance of cat pictures or
friends telling you what they had for lunch
that populate your social media feeds. But
this particular bit of trivia was actually
a gem because of its insight into how much
(or, in some cases, how little) Saskatchewan
and other Western communities have
changed.
Consider the 1910 populations for
the listed Saskatchewan communities:
Alameda, (450); Arcola, (1,287); Balcarres,
(400); Balgonie, (500); Biggar (400);
Broadview, (500); Carnduff, (600); Carlyle
(400); Craik, (450); Cupar, (300); Didsbury
(1,000); Davidson, (675); Duck Lake, (439);
Esterhazy, (450); Francis, (400); Govan
(500); Hague, (300); Grenfell (950); Hanley,
(600); Humboldt, (1,200); Indian Head,
(1,800); Kamsack, (400); Lashburn, (300);
Lanigan, (750); Lloydminster (1,300);
Lumsden (300); Maple Creek (1,200);
Manor, (375); Melfort, (750); Melville,
(1,740); Moose Jaw, (18,000);North
Battleford, (1,800); Nokomis, (750);
Outlook, (550); Oxbow, (750); Pense,
(300); Prince Albert, (7,000); Qu’Appelle,
(800); (Quill Lake), (300); Regina,
(15,000); Rosthern, (1,100); Rouleau (450);
Saltcoats, (450); Saskatoon, (10,000);
Sintaluta, (400); Swift Current, (1,800);
Vonda, (400); Wadena, (300); Wapella,
(520) Watrous, (900). Weyburn, (2,500);
MLA Report From Nancy
Heppner
Saskatchewan
Education Funding is
#1 in Canada
projects such as portable
classrooms, preventative
maintenance and renewal.
Since 2007, our
government has increased
education funding by over
$1 billion. This includes
40 new schools and 25
major renovations across
Saskatchewan.
Record funding to
school divisions has also
helped to hire over 700 new
teachers and nearly 200
student support workers in
the province.
A new study from
the Fraser Institute finds
Saskatchewan
education
funding is #1 in all of
Canada.
There is more to
do as our province keeps
growing and we will
continue working to ensure
Saskatchewan students have
the brightest future possible.
Parents Encourage d
to Keep Children’s
vaccinations
Up-To-Date
investing in
Education
infrastructure to
Keep Saskatchewan
Strong
Eighteen
new
schools with over 800
new
childcare
spaces
are
currently
under
construction in Regina,
Saskatoon, Warman and
Martensville and will be
ready to welcome students
in September of 2017.
Our government
has
committed
approximately
$1.4
billion toward 65 major
school capital projects
and numerous smaller
As a new school
year begins, parents are
encouraged to ensure
their kids vaccinations
are up-to-date.
Free
childhood immunizations
are available for all infants
and school-age children in
Saskatchewan.
Publicly-funded
routine
vaccinations
are easily available in
Saskatchewan at public
health clinics (for preschool
children)
and
through
school-based
programs (for school age
students).
All residents over
six months of age may also
receive a free influenza
immunization to protect
them during flu season.
You can learn more at
saskatchewan.ca/immunize
or by calling HealthLine
811.
Whitewood, (600); Wolseley, (1,400);
Yellowgrass , (500); and; Yorkton, (3,000).
By way of comparison, the
following are the 1910 populations for
other Western Canada communities - big
and small, alike: Banff, (500), Birtle,
Man. (400) Blairmore, Alta. (1,000);
Calgary, (30,000); Dauphin, Man. (3,500),
Edmonton, (25,000); Fernie, (3,000);
Grandview, Man. (860); Kamloops,
(3,000); Red Deer, (1,750); Winnipeg,
(150,000), and; Vancouver, (90,000).
It makes for interesting trivia
here - not the least of which is the fact
that Winnipeg was bigger in 1910 than
Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton,
combined.
This tells us much about the
importance of oil and sea trade in the
last century compared with the relative
insignificance of the Prairie grain trade that
dominated Winnipeg and our province in
the early years of last century. Oil and other
commerce opportunity dramatically took
over migration patterns.
Similarly, it tells us that Indian
Head, Swift Current and North Battleford
and Wolseley were virtually the same
Provincial
Politics
with
Murray Mandryk
size a century ago.
A preferred location on the CPR
main line in a fertile grain-growing area
was obviously no guarantee of long-term
community success. Further economic
opportunities were required and in the
context of Saskatchewan, rapid growth is a
relative thing.
Consider that all four of these
Saskatchewan communities in 1910 were
the same size as Red Deer, smack dab
between oil rich Edmonton and Calgary.
It pretty much tells you what you
need to know about the relative success
of the two provinces. But what may be
most telling is how many small farming
communities are virtually the same size now
as they were back then. This, despite the fact
Saskatchewan’s population has gone from
492,000 in 1910 to 1.1 million today.
How little some communities have
changed reflects how much the province, as
a whole, has changed.
ABOVE: MLA Nancy Hepner
the rest of Canada and to
many developed countries.
The
Standing
Committee on Human
Services is examining the
issue and has launched
public hearings to find ways
to boost our province’s
organ and tissue donation
rates. The committee will
report its findings and
recommendations to the
Assembly by November
30, 2016.
For
more
information, please contact
committees@legassembly.
sk.ca.
Peace sign in place of Twin Towers
Your City; Your Newspaper
Your City; Your Newspaper
Public Hearings On
Organ and Tissue
Donation Options
One organ donor
can save up to eight lives,
and one tissue donor can
improve the lives of more
than 75 people. With only
11 deceased donors last
year, Saskatchewan’s rate
of organ and tissue donation
is low when compared to
Letter to the Editor
The Martensville Messenger welcomes letters to the editor for publication. Letters
must be signed and a phone number and/or email address included so the writer’s
identity can be verified. ALL letters are the opinion of the writer and NOT the
Martensville Messenger. We reserve the right to edit letters for length, clarity
or compliance with the current standards of public taste. Submit your letter to
[email protected] or [email protected] or
drop by the Martensville Messenger office at Bay #7 - 301 Centennial Drive North.