The City of Moose Jaw released its Business Licence report for 2017, showing off some positive numbers.

The report shows that over the years, fewer and fewer business have been closing each time the report comes out. In 2015, 205 businesses closed, 195 closed in 2016, and only 137 shut down in 2017.

"Thinking about our community, some of it is restaurants of course some of it is small retail businesses," Rob Clark, the CEO of the Moose Jaw Chamber of Commerce, explained what types of businesses he believed were the ones shutting down. "So I think that's where the growth area is."

Another positive from the report is that no businesses were closed down in December 2017. Also, last year saw 256 new businesses open in Moose Jaw, a small decrease from 272 that started in 2016.

Even though it still is a large number of businesses closing down, the upside is that less and less are closing each year. Moose Jaw's also been abuzz with rumours of business' coming into town, which can be a disappointment if they don't come, but there is a positive to it Clark explained.

"Now with all the other rumours about businesses coming into Moose Jaw, and they are hot heavy. I mean, at best that has to mean optimism, just for the fact that we have some of these rumours happening," Clark said. "If we don't have those rumours about potential businesses coming in then we're in trouble. So right now I'm feeling pretty comfortable."