City Statements

The City of Saskatoon acknowledges today's decision by the Court of King's Bench and appreciates the Court's consideration of this matter. 

The City's approach to the encampment has consistently focused on connecting individuals with available supports and services while addressing significant health and safety concerns for people staying at the site, the nearby school, neighbouring residents, businesses and the broader community.

The City remains committed to working with community partners to support vulnerable individuals and to uphold its responsibility to maintain safe public spaces. 

We will continue to follow established encampment response processes and work closely with partner agencies to ensure supports remain available for those who need them.

2:00 p.m. - Updated Statement

The clean-up and fencing activity for the encampment at 20th Street and Avenue K has been paused.

The level of aggressive protest from community advocacy groups has made any work at the site unsafe.

Fire and partner agency workers report most of the protest activity does not involve homeless occupants.

Crews had been prepared to clean up two vacant lots on 19th Street and Avenue K however, protesters encircled contractor vehicles, going so far as to climb on top of the fencing stacked on one of them.

Saskatoon Fire Department, police officers and other partner agency staff were confronted by aggressive protesters directing profane, derogatory and vulgar comments at them.

As a sign of good faith, the Saskatoon Fire Department was opting to forgo a clean-up of 301 Avenue K South as that address is the subject of a court application that will be heard next week.

We know this is frustrating for many in our community, notably the St. Mary’s school families and staff who have been asking for officials to take action for the past year.

City and partner agencies are planning next steps

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9:15 a.m. - Statement

We know you have heard or seen some news stories or social posts about how the City has dealt with an encampment at 20th Street West and Avenue K South.

Some suggest that people be allowed to live in small communities of tents to address the lack of adequate housing.

At face value, that might seem like a reasonable response, but it has many risks and dangers, which is why the City takes a different approach by removing encampments from private or public property under the Property Maintenance Bylaw.

The City’s encampment response prioritizes outreach and connecting people with available supports and services such as access to shelter, housing, food providers, transportation and medical care.

Each response follows four phases, with outreach offered throughout the process.

Individuals are then granted some time to gather their belongings and vacate the encampment. Anything left behind is removed by City staff or contractors.

However, in light of a recent King’s Bench court filing, the lot at 301 Avenue K south will not be cleaned up. Two other adjacent lots will be cleaned.

Here are the facts:

The situation at Avenue K and 20th Street has resulted in escalating safety concerns each day. The Saskatoon Fire Department (SFD) has received a high volume of calls, emails and concerns from residents, nearby businesses in addition to the parents and staff of St. Mary’s school, two blocks away.

The Salvation Army has been on scene since August 5, twice a week to connect people living at this site with housing, transportation, outreach and other supports. Many have accepted support.

The City relies on Saskatoon’s Property Maintenance Bylaw because it enforces safe and adequate housing.

Encampments do not meet this standard because:

• There is no access to utilities – water, sewer, heat or electricity
• There is nowhere to remove yourself from the elements

Encampments that remain in place may grow over time and increase risks such as:

• Accumulated human waste, garbage and discarded needles
• Rainwater causing contaminated waste to pool
• Attraction of pests and rodents
• Unattended or uncontrolled fires
• Increased drug use and overdose-related calls
• Reported gang activity
• Reported concerns about human exploitation or trafficking

There are growing concerns for public health as fire inspectors have observed human waste and rotting food which have attracted insects and rodents.

The City’s goal is to always support the safety and well-being of people staying at the site, but also support the safety and well-being of neighbouring residents and businesses, St. Mary’s School students and staff as well as the broader community.

Here is the background to today’s action:

On September 10, 2026, a Notice to Remedy (under the Bylaw) was issued for the Avenue K parking lot.

By September 15, the SFD reported encampments at the parking lot had grown, with additional encampments on three nearby vacant lots.

In recent weeks, The Salvation Army has noted that some people who had previously accepted support, participated in case management or used Mobile Outreach services are now declining assistance. Some individuals have told outreach workers they plan to remain at the encampment now because they believe support will be available there at the vacant lots. As a result, planning for winter supports and connections to services has stalled.

On September 21, the SFD attended the site to assess the number of structures and identify what support may be needed. At the time there were 51 structures.

The Salvation Army returned to the site on September 22 and spent four hours offering supports. SFD also served notice that a cleanup would take place and offered help to connect people with services. No one accepted supports during that visit.

SFD returned to the site on the morning of September 23 to again offer support and help people access available services.

The Ministry of Social Services was also scheduled to attend the site at 11:00 a.m. on September 23, alongside Mobile Outreach, SFD and the Saskatoon Police Service. The group was forced to leave because they were confronted by some people at the encampment who were acting aggressively, using profanity and capturing video.

SFD staff also noted community advocates appeared to outnumber the individuals who were staying in the encampment.

Following the City Council approved processes, a cleanup is scheduled for September 24. Contractors have been arranged, and fencing will be installed to help prevent future use of the site.

In response to recent media activity, the City wants to provide additional background on Modern Erratics, a public art project installed at the end of June at the Material Recovery Centre, Diefenbaker Park and Forestry Farm Park.

Modern Erratics includes three permanent public artworks inspired by glacial erratics found across Saskatchewan. Created by artist duo Sans façon, the sculptures use discarded plastics and recycled materials connected to their locations, including decommissioned carts, bottle caps and agricultural grain bags. Modern Erratics was commissioned as the public art component of the Material Recovery Centre capital project through the City’s Public Art Policy, under the Civic Capital Project Public Art funding stream. This stream supports site-specific public art integrated into designated civic capital projects.

Under the policy, designated civic capital projects with a City contribution of $5 million or more “will integrate a public art or artistic design element.” The cost of the art or design element is to be up to one per cent of the total capital project budget, to a maximum of $500,000. City Council approves capital projects to which the one percent for public art contribution will apply.

In June 2021, City Council approved the Material Recovery Centre capital project budget adjustment to $37.5 million: Recovery Park Project Capital Budget Adjustment. At this same meeting, $310,000 of the project budget was allocated for public art to be integrated into the facility. The Material Recovery Centre project was funded through a combination of some borrowing and operating contributions, reserves and funding from the federal-provincial Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) as follows:

In April 2022, a change to the public art project scope associated with the Material Recovery Centre was approved. The scope changed from one artwork focused on environmental sustainability to three smaller works: Recovery Park Public Art Scope Change The intent was to create public artwork that would reflect the role of the Material Recovery Centre, incorporate reused or recycled materials, and provide a clear visual and thematic connection to waste reduction and environmental sustainability.

The Modern Erratics project cost was $297,490, which represents approximately 0.79 per cent of the approved capital project budget.

The artists were selected through a competitive, juried process supported by the City’s Public Art Advisory Committee.

More information about the artworks, materials and locations is available in the City’s news release, website and City Stories article:

• News Release (issued June 22, 2026): Modern Erratics sculptures transform discarded plastic into public art
• Public Art Webpage – saskatoon.ca/publicart
• City Stories Article: Public art meets sustainability: Modern Erratics arrive in Saskatoon

The City of Saskatoon would like to provide clarity and reassurance regarding Federal funding for the Link Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) program.

All current Federal funding for the project remains fully in place. This includes the City’s funding through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP). There have been no changes to the ICIP program, and work related to platform construction and the bus procurement process is proceeding as planned.

Funding through the Canada Public Transit Fund (CPTF) also remains secure. While the Federal government has announced a national reduction to the CPTF from $30 billion to $25 billion over ten years, this change does not affect Saskatoon’s allocation. The City will continue to receive $3.35 million per year for the next 10 years, and this funding will be fully honoured.

As a result, there are no financial impacts to the City’s BRT plans, and the confirmed funding will ensure the project continues.

All ICIP and CPTF commitments remain intact, and the City will continue moving forward with the Link BRT program as approved.

An application for an event called Revive in '25 in Diefenbaker Park on August 21, 2025 has been approved by the City. At this time, no public safety issues have been identified that would require the City to revoke the approval of this application. The City will continue to work with event organizers around event safety as we would with any special event approved in our public parks. However, the situation may change as we get closer to the event.

The City makes our parks available for a variety of public events. Under the protections of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the City has limited ability to restrict access to public spaces. Allowing an event to occur in public space is not an endorsement by the City of the event or any message of the event organizers.

The City has received several phone calls and emails related to an event called Revive in '25. Due to the number of phone calls and emails combined with the length of time each call has taken due to the strong opinions of people on both sides of this issue, City Staff will be unable to respond to all these phone calls and emails.

The City understands that residents have questions and concerns about the event. The City has put together the following information to provide a more comprehensive response to possible questions. Please consider this information the City’s response to any phone calls and emails.

- Jeff Jorgenson, City Manager

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

What rules does the City of Saskatoon have with respect to outdoor special events?

Every year the city is host to approximately 500 different outdoor special events. An outdoor special event is any event held on City-owned land that is open to the public. Information can be found on our website about the City’s outdoor special event process:

saskatoon.ca/parks-recreation-attractions/parks/park-bookings-permits/outdoor-special-events-festivals

What events does the City allow in public spaces?

The City’s public spaces are just that – public. The City regulates the operation of the outdoor special event, but in general, the City does not regulate the purpose for the event. Special event organizers are required to apply for an outdoor special event. There are several requirements that special event organizers must comply with depending on their event. The requirements are outlined in the Outdoor Special Event Information Guide which is available online.

The City applies the following criteria in reviewing applications for outdoor special events:

• Not-for-profit or for-profit status
• Public event or private event
• Brief description of event activities
• Location
• Anticipated attendance
• Start and end dates and times
• Event activities, which include but are not limited to:
  • Amplified sound
  • Animal activities
  • Race/run/walk
  • Alcohol
  • Food/beverage
  • Fireworks
  • Tents and temporary structures that require staking
• Civic services requested, which include but are not limited to:
  • Road/lane closures
  • Police assistance
  • Pylons
  • Barricades
  • Street sweeping
  • Garbage or organics containers
• A risk assessment checklist that considers whether the event has been held in previous years and a review of any issues from those prior events.

Who approves Outdoor Special Events?

As outlined in the Outdoor Special Event Information Guide, outdoor special events are reviewed and approved by a Special Event Interdepartmental Committee. The committee members are administrative staff from various civic departments.

What role does City Council play in outdoor special events?

City Council does not approve outdoor special events. Instead outdoor special events are reviewed and approved by a Special Event Interdepartmental Committee, which is led by City staff.

Sometimes members of City Council are invited to attend events. It is up to individual members of Council whether they wish to attend an outdoor special event or endorse an outdoor special event.

Did the City approve this event?

An application for an outdoor special event called Revive in '25 was approved by the City. The City approved the use of Diefenbaker Park on August 21, 2025 for this event.

Was City Council aware this event was taking place before it was approved?

No, City Council is not part of the approval process for outdoor special events. As outlined above, the city is host to approximately 500 different outdoor special events annually. Applications for outdoor special events are reviewed and approved by the Special Event Interdepartmental Committee.

Other cities have cancelled this event? Why hasn’t the City of Saskatoon?

The most common reason provided by the media as to the reason for cancellation has been public safety. So far, the Special Event Interdepartmental Committee has not identified a public safety concern that would require the event to be cancelled in Saskatoon. As with any event, this may change as we get closer to the event.

The City did reach out to some of the cities to discuss their public safety concerns. No concerns were provided or identified that would necessitate the cancellation of the event in Saskatoon.

As with any event, public safety is paramount. The City continues to work with the special event organizer around public safety for this event. The special event organizer will need to comply with the City’s usual outdoor special event guidelines around public safety and the administrative conditions of their permit for the outdoor special event.

How can the City support this event given the message or views of the event organizers?

The City has a very clear record of supporting diversity, equity and inclusion through many initiatives identified in our Strategic Plan and the values that our employees demonstrate each day. For example, earlier this year, City Council unanimously declared Saskatoon an 2SLGBTQQIA+ safe city, which is a continued commitment to the community by the City.

The Civic Administration has reviewed comments attributed to the artist related to the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community, and strongly denounces those comments. In contrast, the Civic Administration fully supports the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community and stands with them as resolute partners and advocates.

The City similarly rejects other comments and positions attributed to the artist that have been publicly reported. The City supports equity and inclusion for all residents in Saskatoon.

If the City doesn’t support the message of this event why are you allowing it in public space?

Whether or not an individual or organization agrees with the messaging of another, the fundamental issue is this - the City fully supports the rights and protections provided by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The protections provided by this document are critical to us all and provide a check to the power of public authorities.

Under the protections provided by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the City has limited ability to restrict access to public spaces. The Saskatchewan Human Rights Code also prevents the City from denying access to a service or facility offered to the public on the basis of one of the prohibited grounds.

The City makes public spaces available to approximately 500 outdoor special events every year. Many of these events are a valued part of the lives of residents. In making public spaces available for these outdoor special events it means just that – they are publicly available. The City does not pick and choose amongst the events depending on the views of the event organizers. Given the sheer number of outdoor special events, it is unlikely that every resident would agree with every event held in the City’s public spaces. Allowing an event to occur in public space is not an endorsement by the City of the event or any message of the event organizers.

The City recognizes that there are limitations to the rights and protections provided by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Hate speech is one such limitation. However, every speech we disagree with is not necessarily hate speech based on the legal definition.

The City supports freedom of expression. It is easy to support freedom of expression when you agree with the message. It is much more difficult to uphold the protections provided by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms when you fundamentally disagree with the message.

Where can I share my comments/thoughts on this matter?

Comments may be emailed to customercare@saskatoon.ca - please note that they will be collected and shared with the appropriate staff and City Council for consideration.