SASKATOON – While much of the country found itself at an economic loss following the financial downturn in the United States, Saskatchewan’s economy managed to fend off the negativity.
Robust economic activity in the prairie province has translated into robust sales for a number of local businesses, including Furniture World in Saskatoon.
“Because construction has been so strong, there’s so much demand for show homes and new home builds that people are coming in and they want to get new furniture for their new homes,” said Assistant Manager Kristy Sorensen-McLauchlan.
Sorensen-McLauchlan said there has also been an increase in demand for custom pieces of furniture, as consumer cravings have become increasingly more refined over the last few years.
Get daily National news
With Saskatoon and Regina poised to outpace some of Canada’s biggest cities in economic growth this year, Saskatchewan has become an economic island of prosperity. According to Sorensen-McLauchlan, the world is taking note.
“We would go to trade shows in the past and Saskatoon – we really weren’t on the map and didn’t really have a lot of interest from people wanting to deal out west in Saskatchewan,” she told Global News.
Since then, there has been an extreme shift in attitudes. Suppliers from the United States are only too eager to place their products on display in Saskatchewan.
“They know things are happening here.”
According to Prosperity Saskatchewan creator Eric Anderson, energy and food have been the key drivers of our economic growth. He said this is exactly what will continue to propel it forward in the future.
“That should go on for decades to come, until they find a replacement for food,” said Anderson.
According to the Saskatchewan Mining Association (SMA), the province continued to be the world’s largest producer and exporter of potash in 2011. At the current rate of extraction, known uranium deposits are expected to last for 20 to 30 years.
“When you give people energy, it allows civilizations to happen. It allows cities to grow and evolve. People no longer have to just toil to survive.”
While the economic forecast reads “clear skies ahead,” the possibility of more disposable income lining the wallets of Saskatchewan residents increases.
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.