Langenburg, Saskatchewan is a small-town driven by economic growth; recently, there has been a pull to move to the countryside. Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, people have reconsidered city life, trading traffic for tractors. With cities shut down for weeks at a time, months of sheltering in small apartments, condos, and penthouses, people began getting clarity about what was important to them. With new policies allowing employees to work remotely, it gave them the opportunity to shy away from city life. A draw to being close to family in times of uncertainty was apparent as families migrated back to small towns across the country.
After months of being unable to make or follow through on large decisions due to forced COVID-19 isolation, people jumped at the chance to move to small-towns like Langenburg, Saskatchewan. For a lot of people, it is a chance to get more living space and be near nature. For others, it is an opportunity to get closer to family amidst the global health scare. For some, it is not a choice, but a decision needed to be made in terms of growing unemployment numbers and expensive city rent.
Until recently, it has been an assumption that physical workspaces promoted productivity and collaboration from employees. With the largest working-from-home experiment taking place, it is being proven remote team structures have made companies more agile. Employees are able to manage their time better; eliminating daily commute has saved roughly five hours per week, and various activities such as getting dressed, small talk and eating lunch have taken up less time since working at home.
As work offices disappear or become less crucial to work environments, the pandemic has changed the charm, necessity, and likelihood of living in cities like Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton, and Saskatoon. The accelerating trend of people leaving densely populated areas is commonly something that occurs after the economy recovers from a downturn. COVID-19 could quicken this change if permanent remote work remains and job loss numbers continue to rise in industries like restaurants and in-store retail.
With this prolonging pandemic, it is not just the people who are changing. As months go by, the mass urban centres have more small businesses closing for good; the things that drew individuals to the city are changing. Eating and going out to pubs, bars, parties, and events are reopening, but with several alterations. New rules include only parties of four being able to sit together in public eateries. The decline of local stores and restaurants takes away from the heart of cities and urban experience.
Towns across Saskatchewan have taken advantage of the new situation. Regions have launched new marketing campaigns to showcase their communities. Some areas go as far as offering money if a citizen chooses to move and live there. Being amongst one of the most affordable places to live in the country, Langenburg has encouraged Canadians to consider the small-town home.
“More and more people are choosing to live in smaller communities,” explained Economic Development Officer Lina Petkeviviene, “People have started working remotely, which makes it possible to live wherever they want. Some beautiful communities or smaller towns advertise in an attempt to attract those people who want to relocate.”. There is currently a social media campaign named “Move to Langenburg” underway. The goal is to target people looking for a vibrant small community with a lower cost of living to raise a family.
As Canadians relocate to less densely-populated areas, towns across Saskatchewan display their area as the perfect new home. Being amidst the land of the living skies, new citizens are beginning to arrive in rural areas across the province.