Population data from Stats Canada was released Wednesday and the details on Morden's numbers have city manager, John Scarce, feeling positive.

Scarce said Morden, with 8,668 people, is on track to reach a population of 15,000 by the year 2020.

"Things are good, it's positive. We're trending in positive ways."

The national average for population growth was five per cent. Manitoba's was 5.8 per cent, and Morden's population grew by 11 per cent since 2011 increasing by 856 people in the past five years.

Further information has yet to be released regarding where those people came from, but Scarce feels immigration would be a part of that growth. Still, another 6,332 people need to move to Morden in the next three years to reach the City's goal of 15,000.

Scarce said a plan to attract those numbers is already in action.

"Our economic development team is out there constantly attracting new business to the region which will bring jobs."

To pull in the numbers, the City wants it will need to create around 1,200 to 1,500 new jobs.

"It might seem a lofty goal," Scarce said, "but you have to have goals if you want to get things going."

Bringing new business to the city is helped by the hydro energy so prevalent in Manitoba, and this is one of the strengths Morden banks on using to attract fresh industry. The City's corporate plan, released in late December, noted that software and game developers are being targeted as ideal options. This slice of companies can operate anywhere in the world thanks to the Internet.

"You do not need a lot of heavy infrastructure to be able to do [that]," said Scarce.

Marketing Morden to high value businesses is done by capitalizing on the city's benefits which Scarce lists as highly educated people, current industries operating in Morden, a strong work ethic, etc.

While the City pursues new businesses, Scarce emphasized that long-standing companies will not be neglected.

"It doesn't matter if the business has been here for 50 or 100 years, we will continue to work with that business to help them to grow and prosper. We enter into partnership with every business and industry that comes to Morden and we will continue to do that."