2024 Ward Boundary Review: Public input invited, help us draw new lines!
Early planning for Saskatoon’s 2024 municipal/school boards’ elections to be held in fall 2024 is underway. One of the first steps is to review the boundaries of the city’s ten current wards to ensure they all have similar population numbers, according to The Cities Act. Ward boundary reviews must be completed no less than 180 days before a general municipal election.
In the fall of 2022 City Administration reported to Council that under the existing provisions of The Cities Act, Ward 2 and Ward 7 are currently outside of the allowable 10% population variance threshold that triggers a ward boundary review. The Municipal Wards Commission has been created following The Municipal Wards Commission Bylaw and consists of King’s Bench Justice Richard Danyliuk, U of S Political Studies Professor Dr. Kathy Walker, and City Clerk Adam Tittemore.
The Municipal Wards Commission is now entering into the public engagement phase of the ward boundary review process and will be holding the first public engagement session to invite public feedback on several possible options to reconfigure ward boundaries.
The Municipal Wards Commission is presenting three options for ward boundary changes for feedback. The Commission has considered current density, future population growth, geographic barriers, limiting change, communities of interest, and maintaining neighbourhood boundaries.
Changing ward boundaries to ensure all ten wards comply with the legislated population range could affect the Community Association you belong to, or the City Councillor you've had to date - we know this is important to residents.
Plan to attend! Share your feedback, review current boundaries and the three options presented, and Saskatoon’s projected growth areas:
Public Engagement Session #1
Tuesday, June 20, 2023
7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Committee Room E, City Hall
Use entrance #1 at the corner of 4th Ave and 23rd St East
Public parking: available in the City Hall staff lot after 6:00 p.m.
Saskatoon residents will also be able to provide feedback online through a brief survey at saskatoon.ca/engage/ward-boundaries, in-person sessions, emailing or writing a letter to the City Clerk’s office, or dropping a submission in a comment box in the City Hall lobby. City Hall was chosen for the in-person engagement session due to its centrality to all affected wards.
A second engagement session will be held this September following a review of the feedback provided through session #1 and the engagement process. Following this, the Municipal Wards Commission will establish new ward boundaries and file its report with City Council in fall 2023.
The new ward boundaries will be in effect for the City of Saskatoon municipal elections and the School Board trustee elections to be held in November of 2024.
For more information visit saskatoon.ca/wardboundaries or call 306-975-3240.