As the Saskatchewan provincial election approaches, voters and candidates alike must give the issues of housing and immigration the attention they deserve.
It's no secret that there is a dark side to the economic boom affecting Saskatchewan and the Yorkton region in particular. Housing prices have risen precariously in recent years, and if major industrial projects like the proposed BHP Billiton mine near Melville go ahead, the trend will only accelerate. Some of those future hikes may already be reflected in current housing costs thanks to market speculators.
All levels of government have begun looking at solutions, but nothing announced so far is likely to make much of a dent. The Housing Strategy for Saskatchewan released last month will help finance the building of about 1,000 new homes across the province. Yorkton alone could likely do with that construction over the next few years.
The problem needs more serious attention.
Lest anyone take this as a socialist rallying cry, remember that affordable housing is good business, as well. Citizens handing their entire paycheque over for rent each month can't participate in the local economy.
And it is difficult for business owners to find help if no one can afford to live on market wages. Major retailers in Yorkton currently struggle to fill staffing quotas, which does not bode well going into the holiday season.
Housing is not a total solution, of course. We can build apartments, mansions, and hobbit holes-none of it helps if Saskatchewan lacks the population to fill them.
That's why immigration needs to be another top priority for all parties. The system has been improving, but it is still far more difficult to settle in Saskatchewan from abroad than it needs to be.
And those who do come tend to be tragically underutilized. Canada used to lament its "brain drain." Today the problem is "brain waste": highly educated, professional immigrants working unskilled jobs because paperwork blocks them from employment in the field of their training.
Anyone proposing to lead Saskatchewan into the future needs to have credible solutions to these issues.
