This rural Saskatchewan town is offering $30,000 to anyone who builds a home there
As rural Canada’s population declines, Moosomin wants to be a model for small-town growth
In his bustling restaurant kitchen, Roman Chernyrk and his staff are cooking up food for an increasingly busy and multicultural Moosomin, Sask. He's making trays of perogies alongside pizzas, chatting with his new-to-Canada employees in Ukrainian and English.
"There's such a great feeling of community that is hard to find these days — anywhere. That's why this is home," he said. "We're growing."
Chernyrk and his employees are part of an influx of population and business growth in Moosomin, a small, rural town about 20 kilometres west of the Saskatchewan-Manitoba border. The community says it's preparing for its population of about 3,300 people to nearly double, based on its current rate of growth.
Now, it's offering $30,000 cash to anyone who builds a home there — an incentive that's generating a lot of buzz and a flurry of interest from people looking to move there and could offer lessons for other rural communities trying to grow and retain their populations.
Murray Gray, a town councillor who chairs the economic development committee, says the community was conscious of other rural small towns in decline.
"We recognize that, and we want to do our part to buck that trend and do some unique things in order to prevent that from happening," he said.
Moosomin received $1 million from the federal government's housing accelerator fund, which is being used for the incentive program. Any type of housing qualifies, including a single-family home, mobile home, basement suite or apartments. As soon as an occupancy permit is issued, the town gives the builder a cheque for $30,000 for the first door and $8,000 for each additional door.
Gray says the idea is already generating calls from developers looking to build.
The town's target is to see 48 new units built, which will get them close to what they need now. But Gray says they'll need more if population growth stays on track, hence the cash incentive.
"We just thought cash is easiest to market and cash is more impactful," he said.
- What kind of government housing initiatives do you want to see? Tell us in an email to ask@cbc.ca.
Diverse small-town economy
Moosomin, positioned between Winnipeg and Regina, has turned into a regional hub. It has several hotels, restaurants and three potash mines nearby, plus agriculture and equipment manufacturing for the farm and oil and gas industries.
After years of slight growth, the town's economy began to boom in recent years, drawing hundreds of new residents to fill jobs in those industries and in new businesses that are opening.
It also has a regional hospital, 12 doctors and recently expanded its airport through a $10.6-million cost-sharing agreement between businesses and municipal and provincial governments.
Kevin Weedmark, president of Moosomin's Chamber of Commerce, says the community is positioning itself to keep growing — including by adding a second 90-spot daycare and a new water treatment plant to accommodate a larger population. But he notes that housing hasn't kept up.
"We've got people trying to bring new employees in, and there's just no place for them to live."
In response, Moosomin looked at an approach taken by other municipalities looking to spur housing construction: offering free utility hookups and three years of no property taxes. It calculated that the program would come at a cost of about $30,000 per unit.
Then the business community suggested the town simply offer that money up-front — in cash.
Growing Filipino, Ukrainian communities
Moosomin residents point to the town's success in attracting — and retaining — newcomers to Canada.
The Filipino community in Moosomin now numbers about 300 people, and there are also many Ukrainians and recent immigrants from other countries.
Michael Van Tomme is president of the Pinoy Moosomin Community, an organization that organizes events for Filipino residents and helps them get adjusted.
He came to Moosomin in 2020 after his wife got a job at a fast-food restaurant. They've stayed, become permanent residents and are involved in planning barbecues and basketball tournaments.
"Most people stay. In my case, I plan to stay. I already have a house here," he said. "I just love it here in Moosomin."
Chernyrk, who owns the Ukrainian buffet restaurant and pizza shop, also has no plans to leave. He came to Canada from Kharkiv about a decade ago. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he helped people fleeing his home country settle in Moosomin — with community support.
"People are so helpful here. There's no problem that we can't fix," he said. "The Filipino community wants to build a basketball court, they're going to build it."
'Bold' approach
While the Saskatchewan town is growing, much of rural Canada is facing a slow and relentless population decline. Studies have found rural communities are aging faster and in many cases struggling to attract immigrants.
During the pandemic, internal migration patters shifted as many people left larger cities for suburban or rural areas. But researchers say it's too early to tell if those who relocated are staying.
Michael Hann, an associate professor and demographer at Western University in London, Ont., says Moosomin is an example of two-step migration being done well on the Prairies. That's when people come to Canada as temporary foreign workers or international students and eventually make the transition to permanent status.
He says the town's housing strategy really stands out.
"One of the things I find really impressive is how bold the initiative is," Hann said. "To just say, $30,000 — let's do this."
He says the example Moosomin is setting is something other municipalities and jurisdictions should pay attention to and try their own approach.
"Because there are fairly acute labour shortages in Canada and we have to start thinking creatively to try and address them."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
