Investing in growth, delivering on service priorities: Preliminary 2026/2027 Multi-Year Business Plan & Budget

After two consecutive years of record population growth that added 25,000 residents to Saskatoon, the City's Preliminary 2026/2027 Budget focuses on core services and infrastructure investments that keep pace with demand: repaving aging roads, expanding transit service and strengthening emergency response capacity.

The Preliminary 2026/2027 Multi-Year Business Plan and Budget and the Preliminary 2026/2027 Capital Project Budget prepared by City Administration, proposes strategic investments to enhance service delivery and support for a growing city.

Proposed Strategic Investment Highlights:

• Transportation Infrastructure – $84.4M (2026) and $89.4M (2027) to resurface roadways, improve network reliability and maintain winter snow clearing standards across a larger service area.
• Transit Development – $52.7M in capital investment to expand the bus fleet and advance LINK construction, and improve transit connections between growing neighborhoods and employment, healthcare and services.
• Public Safety – Additional firefighters for Fire Hall No. 11 and enhanced Fire Apparatus Reserve funding to reduce emergency response times as the city expands.
• Operations & Community Services – Sustained funding for recreation facilities, community programs, and civic operations maintains access to services residents rely on daily.

"These investments address the infrastructure gap that rapid growth creates," says Chief Financial Officer, Clae Hack.

“From 2022 to 2024, our city added 25,000 people — more than the populations of Yorkton and Humboldt combined — and we expect another 9,000 new residents in 2025. With that kind of growth, we need more buses, more road maintenance, and more fire halls to maintain our service levels. Administration’s proposed budget invests in the infrastructure and services needed to support our growing population.”

Hack notes that while inflation and expanding service demands place pressure on the operating budget, Saskatoon still maintains one of the lowest municipal property tax environments among major western Canadian cities—supported by the City's ‘AAA/Stable’ credit rating, which has been held for 23 consecutive years.

"Our credit rating reflects disciplined financial management that keeps the City’s borrowing costs low," Hack adds. "That means valued taxpayer dollars stretch further on capital projects."

In response to the Governance & Priorities Committee’s June 2025 direction, Administration developed multiple budget scenarios that demonstrate potential reductions to the preliminary municipal property tax rate, with corresponding service adjustments. These scenarios will provide City Council with clear options during its deliberations.

The Preliminary 2026/2027 Budget represents Administration's assessment of resources required to maintain service delivery and support for Council's strategic priorities. Final budget decisions will be made by City Council during deliberations scheduled for November 25–27, 2025.

Council’s 2026/2027 Budget deliberations will be live streamed.

Visit saskatoon.ca/budget for more information.