The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Jonathon Naylor Editor Northern Sask-atchewan's birth rate is almost double that of the province as a whole. That's according to the Northern Sask-atchewan Health Indicator Report 2011, recently published by the three health authorities in the northern part of the province. It shows northern Saskatchewan had 22.1 births per 1,000 population in 2007 whereas Saskatchewan as a whole had 13.1 births. That same year, the birth rate specifically for females aged 15-44 was 95.5 per 1,000 in the North and 64 for the population as a whole. In this category, Mamawetan Churchill River Health Region _ which includes Creighton, Denare Beach and Pelican Narrows _ had the lowest birth rate of the three northern health regions. Mamawetan's rate of 89.1 births compared to 99 births in Keewatin Yatth_ Health Region and 135.7 in the Athabasca Health Authority. Between 2003 and 2007, the average northern Saskatchewan woman had 2.6 children compared to the provincial rate of 1.8 children. The highest birth rates in the northern health authorities tended to be in the 20-24-year age groups followed by the 25-29 age group. Teen pregnancy Between 2004-2005 and 2008-2009, teen pregnancy rates decreased slightly in Mamawetan, but increased in Athabasca, Keewatin, the North as a whole and the province. In 2008-2009, teen pregnancy rates were all 'substantially higher' in the three northern regions than in the province, ranging from 2.4 to 3.5 times higher. Northern Sask-atchewan continues to have a young, growing populace. Between 1995 and 2010, the total population increased by 16.5 per cent. In 2010, 32 per cent of this population was under 15 years of age. Only 4.5 per cent was over age 65. Over 80 per cent of the northern population identifies themselves as Aboriginal, including 62 per cent who are First Nations, mainly Cree and Dene, and 22 per cent as M_tis. This compares to fewer than 15 per cent for Saskatchewan as a whole.
