The cost of living due to inflation has some people moving from urban centres like Regina and Saskatoon, into more rural communities like Weyburn. 

Monica Osborn, Executive Director with Weyburn Regional Economic Development, said that people are realizing that they can still have that quality of life in rural communities and be able to afford to do activities with their families. As well, with the recent pandemic, she added that people were able to work from home.

"So now, they are able to live with a little bit more financial freedom as well as still being able to work for the company that they had done at a remote location."

Osborn explained that Weyburn has the jobs available for people, and businesses are looking for qualified people for certain positions. "For example, the trade industries or construction, plumbing, all of those industries are looking for those qualified candidates."

With the increase in internet expansion in rural communities, she said that it has helped remote workers be able to move to a location that is more affordable for their families, but still work for the company that they had been previously.

"There's a good mixture of people that are coming," Osborn said. "We did a recent campaign called 'Why not Weyburn?' and we were directing it at certain, targeted people to move to Weyburn. Whether it was retirees or young families or people to fill in the labour gaps here, we are trying to get more action on that."

She shared that they are working on a 2.0 series of "Why not Weyburn?" to get more people to move to Weyburn and get them excited about what the community has to offer.

"Weyburn does have a lot to offer, and it's great for anyone that's looking to move here, whether you are a student coming out of university or college, pursuing a career in the trades industries, or whatever you happen to be into, all the way up to retirees. It's a great, safe community to live in."

Osborn noted that according to Statistics Canada and the numbers that came out from 2021, the population in Weyburn, including the RM of Weyburn, has grown 4.1 percent.

"That number may not seem like it's a large number to the majority of people, but that actually is a very large number, considering there have been lots of communities that have had a decrease in their population growth. It speaks for itself in regards to people moving to Weyburn and why they're moving here."