WintercityYXE is an effort to celebrate what makes Saskatoon a fun, safe and thriving place in the winter, while working to reduce the barriers that many in Saskatoon face during the coldest months of the year. The City of Saskatoon and the community developed an action plan for how we as a community can achieve a shared vision of a winter city, called  WintercityYXE – Saskatoon's Winter City Strategy. The Strategy was shared with City Council in September 2020.

Over the last several months, we have developed an  Implementation Plan to support the Strategy. Community members contributed to the Plan by providing input for each Strategy action. Community members were also given the opportunity to provide feedback on where there may be gaps once the draft Plan was completed.

All feedback gathered during the Plan's development has been summarized in a  What We Heard Report and will be shared with City Council in May 2021. 

Future work related to each action is expected to be led or managed by the identified partners. Actions that require City funding or resource supports will be brought forward through the City’s typical budget process. ​

Across North America, cities that experience cold, dark and snowy winters are developing new ways to help residents embrace the cold winter months. The concept of designing a “Winter City” is about capitalizing on opportunities to alleviate the real and perceived negative effects of the winter season and reinforce positive ones. The outcome can be a more accessible, inclusive, active, prosperous and livable community during the coldest months of the year.

Over the course of the last few years, the City has partnered with the community to create a Winter City Strategy for Saskatoon (called WintercityYXE) that will respond to opportunities associated with winter life, winter design and winter economy, as well as address perceptions, attitudes and behaviours of residents to generate a positive winter culture in our city. ​