Saskatoon, Regina fastest growing Canadian cities: StatsCan

Regina and Saskatoon are at the top of the list for the fastest growing cities in Canada.

The data comes from Statistics Canada and shows population growth among the major census metropolitan areas (CMA).

The figures recorded are from July 2016 and July 2017. The numbers show Saskatoon with a growth of 2.8 per cent and Regina at 2.4 per cent.

The CMA for Saskatoon includes the communities of Warman and Martensville.

For Regina that includes White City, Balgonie and Lumsden.

The only other two areas that saw growth of more than two per cent were Guelph and the Ontario portion of Ottawa-Gatineau.

One noticeable stat was the fact that for the first time since 2009-10, Calgary and Edmonton were not part of the top five CMAs. The decline in population matches with the downturn in the resource economy that has so badly impacted Alberta.

Regina had the highest rate of international migration rate at 2.1 per cent — the second year the Queen City has topped the list.

And as if there were any wrinkles on Saskatchewan, but Regina and Saskatoon featured among the five youngest cities in Canada.

In Saskatoon, 87.9 per cent of the population are aged below 65. Regina is fourth with 87 per cent of the population below the age of 65.