With a recent boom in oil field activity and cheaper housing, Torquay's population is on the rise. "I think the population boom is from the lack of housing in Estevan and people seeing Torquay as a quiet place to live, and a lot of oil field activity in this area," said Torquay mayor Mike Strachan.Strachan said he believes Torquay to be the perfect setting for those looking to purchase their first home or raise a family. "It's actually a reasonably priced place to buy a house, so new families looking to buy their first house, they kind of look to here as the place to be."It's kind of a nice little change. I find that most of the people that have came from Alberta have commented on how they find it so quiet and if they need to go into the city they can, but they can also stay out here and relax," said Strachan.However, with the growing lack of amenities available to residents, Strachan said he hopes to see more businesses interested in opening up in Torquay. "We're always looking for businesses to open up in Torquay. I sure hope this isn't the way it's going to be for a while. When you look at it we're actually only 25, 30 minutes from Estevan, so it's not all that far of a trip for people," he said. Strachan said the increase in population builds opportunity for the town to grow."The more population, the more government funding we get to try and improve living for residents in he village here. It will give people another choice on where to live, where to come and start their lives."In their last census, Torquay had 183 residents. Strachan said now he believes it has grown to about 210 to 215. "I think in any place there are always pros and cons to everything, so there probably is some uninviting stuff to Torquay, but we like to look on the positive out here," said Strachan.
