Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan: Manitobans have apparently been leaving for Saskatchewan in record numbers. In recent weeks, conservative pundits and opposition MLAs have pounded on this fact, consistently blaming high taxes for the trend. This explanation lets the NDP government off the hook. Saskatchewan's advantage is as much about better opportunities as it is about lower taxes and it's important to pound on both. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. Saskatchewan is financing its growth with other people's money. Annual private investment in Saskatchewan rose to $19.8 billion in 2011 from $7.6 billion in 2003. Manitoba managed a far more modest climb over the same period, to $10 billion from $6.1 billion. Tellingly, public investment remained roughly equal in both provinces throughout that period. Cheeky Saskatchewan Roughriders fans pose a mascot at Manitobas border. Saskatchewan doesn't just tax ordinary workers less. It's also a place where employers will pay you more. In the middle of the last decade, Saskatchewan's average weekly wage began to outpace Manitoba's. As of March 2013, the average Saskatchewan weekly wage was 15 per cent higher. That boost isn't concentrated in one industry, either -- wages are higher in both the goods-producing and service sectors. Note: All data in this article is based on the latest month available from Statistics Canada, seasonally adjusted (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.