City Manager's Message
Our Vision for Success
Successful organizations must continually refresh and evolve to meet the needs of the people they serve.
Our vision for success is to create a smart and healthy workplace with a focus on investing in our people and driving towards becoming a more efficient and effective organization.
Dedication to our vision will enable us to take on the many key challenges cities are facing today, such as improving our sustainability, addressing revenue and expenditure pressures, and the delivery of quality programs and services to citizens.
As always, your input as a resident of Saskatoon plays a vital role in the City’s business planning and budget process. We make every effort to ensure we have ongoing engagement opportunities available for you to have a meaningful impact on the City’s future.
Working closely with City Council, the Civic Administration remains dedicated to building an even better community for all residents of Saskatoon. We are committed to excellence in city-building and to provide exceptional services.
I’m very proud of our dedicated City employees who continue to improve the way we do business, and in how we provide the quality services and programs residents rely on every day.
I invite you to explore our website to find out more about what City Council and Administration are doing to deliver quality programs and services to our community.
Striving to be the Best Managed City in Canada
Planning for the Future
Guided by our refreshed and re-focused Strategic Plan, we’re committed to planning ahead and dedicating resources to new opportunities and rising to the challenges of a growing vibrant city.
Increasing Fiscal Responsibility
Our first multi-year budget for the year 2020 and 2021 helped to increase the accountability and transparency of our business plan and budget process. By adopting a longer-term view of our financial planning, we’re also sharing a snapshot of the future with citizens so they may be better prepared.
Measuring Our Performance
Our Performance Dashboard ensures our accountability and gives citizens a look into how we are doing, where we need to improve, where we are making our positive strides, and what strategies need to be identified or developed to help us meet our goals.
Citizen Satisfaction
Our 2018 Citizen Satisfaction & Performance Survey revealed 84% of respondents rated the quality of life in Saskatoon as good or very good. And 82% rated their overall satisfaction with our civic services high citing they receive very good or good value from the services provided by the City.
Fourth Fastest Population Growth
According to Statistics Canada, the Saskatoon Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) recorded the fourth strongest growth rate among Canadian CMAs in 2015 (2.0%), just behind Calgary and Edmonton. The population within city limits reached a quarter million, while the CMA population reached 300,000.
Service, Savings and Sustainability
We continue working together to build a culture of innovation and creativity, and to grow Saskatoon in a sustainable way. I invite you to review our Saskatoon Strides 2018: Service, Savings & Sustainability Report showcasing how we continuously improve the way we deliver services for residents of Saskatoon and find ongoing new efficiencies in the way we do our work every day.
Awards
The City is a Great Place to Work
The City of Saskatoon was once again named one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers in 2020. The City was also recognized as one of Saskatchewan’s Top 50 Employers in 2020, the ninth year in a row.
Our Stable, Sound and Robust Financial Future
For 2019, the City received another ‘AAA’/Stable credit rating from Standard & Poor’s, the international bond-rating agency. The City has earned S&P’s highest rating every year for more than a decade. We are proud of our budgetary performance, sound financial management, and ongoing commitment to managing the city in a smart, sustainable way.
Gold Infrastructure Award
The Bridging to Tomorrow Project received a gold Infrastructure award at the National Awards for Innovation and Excellence in Public-Private Partnerships in Toronto in 2018. The project, which involved the construction of Chief Mistawasis Bridge and Traffic Bridge, was selected for breaking new ground on how P3 projects are built, financed, or delivered, as well as the impact they have on boosting the economy, saving costs, and creating more vibrant, inclusive communities.
Supporting Reconciliation
The City was honoured to receive the Peacemaker Award in 2018 for its ongoing efforts in responding to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, and for providing exceptional service to mediation and dispute resolution in our community.
Sustainable Development Recognition
The public engagement campaign for the City’s Climate Action Plan was recognized by the Regional Centre for Expertise – Saskatchewan, as part of its Sustainable Development Recognition Program. The program recognizes projects that help increase capacity for sustainable development in Saskatchewan and contribute to advancing UNESCO’s Global Action Programme on Education for Sustainable Development.