Pay to Live in Saskatchewan?

News Story 24-Mar-2009 Vancouver Sun

Saskatchewan to harvest graduates

Recent Toronto university and college graduates hard-hit by tuition debt and bleak job opportunities in the economic recession will be offered some relief -- to the tune of $20,000 each -- when a team of Saskatchewan politicians visits the city next week. All they have to do is move to Saskatchewan.
As part of a special mission to Toronto, the Saskatchewan government will announce an incentive program for post-secondary graduates who relocate to Saskatchewan for a minimum of seven years. The program is part of the province's aggressive effort to fill thousands of jobs currently available in Saskatchewan, despite the recession.
Next week's mission will consist of a contingent of about 25 representatives from the province, including Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall and the mayors of Saskatoon and Regina, who will pitch employment opportunities in the province.

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So Saskatchewan is so desperate for people that it is now willing to buy immigrants? But I thought people were moving back to the homeland in droves?!? What gives? Did all of the family already come back?

Let me see if I have this straight: 20,000 in incentives over seven years for new immigrants…..that works out to less than $3,000 a year for seven years. What a joke! I would pay that much NOT to have to move back to Saskatchewan. Plus seven years in Saskatchewan is about as long as a life sentence. This offer reminds me of a prison scene out of Cool Hand Luke: "Sometimes," Paul Newman's character states, "nothing is a real cool hand"

The government might as well offer other cool “perks” such as:

Free snow!
Over-inflated real estate prices!
Free bag of perogies for every new migrant!*
Unlimited taxation!
Overpriced home rental costs!
10% off all smorgasboards (West side only)
All the muffin tops you want!**


*sour cream not included.
**actual muffins are excluded from this offer.

Seriously though, what kind of enticement is 3,000 a year? Why not offer a real amount to entice people to move and for a more reasonable period? Saskatchewan sure has done a great job up to this point of offering reasons NOT to live in the province.

Sadly I will not be participating in this program, but not that my love for the Great Buffet of China could ever diminish.