'Come home' campaign planned by N.L.

People are moving back to Newfoundland and Labrador, population surveys show, and the government hopes to accelerate that trend with a national advertising campaign aimed at former residents.

The announcement of the campaign comes on the heels of a Statistics Canada report stating the province's population had its largest increase in 15 years, recording a jump of 1,200 in just a three-month period this yearbetween July 1 and Oct. 1.

'I'd love to see the day when we are able to send an Airbus into Fort McMurray and take three to four hundred people back to Newfoundland and Labrador.' Premier Danny Williams

Premier Danny Williams said the population bump is welcome, but the numbers will need to increase even more if the province is going to meet all of its future labour demands.

"So once we get a schedule of committed projects, then I think we are able to aggressively market," Williams said. "I'd love to see the day when we are able to send an Airbus into Fort McMurray and take three to four hundred people back to Newfoundland and Labrador."

The province is looking at some major industrial projects in the future, which could include the Marystown shipyard and a planned refinery in Placentia Bay.

Williams said he believes the province is experiencing population growth because the economy is strong and there is a renewed confidence in the province.

Hesaid the ads will likely roll out in 2008.

Real estate heats up

Meanwhile, the population increase is boosting theSt. John'sreal estate market.Property developer Gary Reardon said his operation is so busy this season, he's unable to let his staff take holidays.

"We've been seeing the migration thing back to Newfoundland for months," Reardon told CBC News. "We've got three or four clients, who have already made bookings with agents in our office, who are here to buy a property while they're on Christmas vacation."

In 2004, the real estate market in St. John's saw a dramatic jump in the number of homes for sale, creating a buyers' market.