In my last column, I theorized that Saskatoon’s Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) will reach the 500,000 population milestone by about 2036-2037, significantly earlier than forecasted.

This week, I look at indicators showing Saskatoon is maturing and what needs to be done to prepare for future growth . . . in a not-comprehensive list.

The biblical idiom “hewers of wood and drawers of water” has long been applied to Saskatchewan. Indeed, we remain quite resource-reliant, but that phrase no longer applies.

We’ve been working on diversification for, well, almost ever. Infrastructure to support growth has been built for decades — indeed from the beginning. Witness (for example) the Canadian Light Source, the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO), and of course, the University of Saskatchewan itself, founded in 1907.

As Baljit Singh, U of S vice-president of research, recently wrote in a StarPhoenix opinion piece, Saskatchewan is no longer “punching above its weight” on the global stage. Rather, we are at the same level as our competitors.

The U of S, the size of a small city, supports the province with research, teaching, and world-wide connection.

“The depth and strength of the U of S’s international engagement is indicated by nearly $97 million in international partnership funding secured in 2024-25,” Singh wrote. “This level of funding places the U of S among the top three or four Canadian universities.”

On the business side, while historically and importantly known for potash, uranium and........

© Saskatoon StarPhoenix