News Releases

The condominium fire in the 300 block of 108th Street West has been fully extinguished with no serious injuries resulting.

The fire was reported to Saskatoon Fire just before 11:30 p.m. on Friday, May 27, 2022. Crews were on scene in 2.5 minutes from the time this call was received via Dispatch. It took crews 7 hours to get the blaze under control, and another 7.5 hours to fully extinguish the site.

“This was a large-scale fire and a difficult one to get under control,” says Fire Chief Morgan Hackl. “The fire spread very quickly, and it required close to 80 staff rotating through the scene before it all over.”

The cause of the fire was the improper disposal of smoking material in an exterior receptable at the northeast corner of the property. The condo unit contained 24 units and damages are estimated at $5 million.

Hackl says: “I’m extremely proud of our Department’s response. Firefighters performed amazing rescue efforts during the course of this incident which presented extreme challenges. The assistance of emergency services – including Police and Ambulance – ensure a coordinated approach to mitigate incidents such as these. And, when rehousing is required, the Salvation Army and Ministry of Social Services also play an important role.”

While Hackl acknowledges the early 911 call as a key factor, he did express serious concern that the fire alarm in the condo building had not been activated.

“I want to remind the public today that, while calling 911 is a critical step, it’s equally important to pull those internal fire alarms at the first detection of smoke or fire. Without these alarms sounding, there will be people inside the building that still aren’t aware they need to get out immediately.”

The Fire Department wishes to share these important safety reminders on the heels of this incident:

• Always ensure you’re properly disposing of smoking materials
• At first fire/smoke detection, activate the fire alarm and yell “fire”
• Call 911
• Use the nearest exit
• Test the smoke alarm monthly and replace batteries annually
• Stay well clear of an active fire scene to allow fire crews to safely do their job

More information on fire safety is available at saskatoon.ca/fire. More information on the proper disposal of smoking materials is available here.

ATTACHED: rescue clip video file
(SOURCE: Facebook video - used with permission)

Saskatoon residents are invited to participate in this year’s Arbor Week, May 28 to June 6, through a number of activities organized by SOS Trees. The week’s activities, which comply with all COVID-19 restrictions will provide the opportunity for individuals, students, and families to learn the how-to’s of planting trees, the benefits of trees, and experience the joy that comes from spending time around trees.  

This year’s theme “resurgence” is best explained by SOS Trees Coalition organizer, Linda Moskalyk, “After many months facing a pandemic, the theme is meant to inspire renewal, hope, and a fresh start. We wish to celebrate a resurgence of life and health through our relationship with trees.” 

SOS Trees Coalition was awarded a City of Saskatoon Environmental Cash Grant for 2021 and has also received City funding through the Healthy Yards program.

Sustainability Manager, Katie Burns, explains the importance of sponsoring and partnering with the community, “Sustainability is the responsibility of everyone and has a much greater chance of being achieved when we work together. It’s important that we are engaged with our community and by strengthening our relationships through partnerships and sponsorships, we are able to stay connected, better understand the community’s wants, needs, and concerns, and support excellent events like this one.”

The City hopes residents take a moment each and every day to appreciate the many benefits trees contribute to our quality of life in Saskatoon. It’s easy to take our urban forest for granted, and events like Arbor Week remind us of how important it is to sustain and support the continued growth of our urban forest. 

To see a full list of Arbor Week activities, please visit www.sostrees.ca/arborweek.html

The City of Saskatoon has again received a Canadian award for excellence in financial reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA). The recognition comes for the City's Annual Report for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2019. This is the 13^th consecutive year the City’s Annual Report has received the prestigious award.

“Receiving this award is a significant accomplishment for the City and its financial Administration,” says Kari Smith, Director of Finance. “We are committed to financial transparency and openly communicating to the citizens of Saskatoon with full disclosure in our annual reporting. Our goal is to be a leader in producing high-quality financial reports year after year.”

The Canadian Award for Excellence in Financial Reporting Program (CanFR) was established to encourage municipal governments across Canada to publish high-quality financial reports and to provide peer recognition and technical guidance for officials preparing these reports.

The City’s 2019 Annual Report has been judged by impartial Canadian Review Committee members to meet the high standards of the program, including demonstrating a constructive “spirit of full disclosure” designed to clearly communicate the municipality’s financial story and to motivate potential users and user groups to read the report.   

Visit saskatoon.ca to view additional financial reports from the City of Saskatoon.

Major improvements are in store for some of Saskatoon’s most travelled roadways during the 2022 construction season. This year, the City has earmarked approximately $65.16 million for road and bridge construction and maintenance. One of the most significant construction zones will be set up in a few weeks on Circle Drive North between Alberta Avenue and Millar Avenue.

“More than 56,000 vehicles of all sizes travel over this section of Circle Drive every day and it certainly shows,” says Terry Schmidt, General Manager of Transportation and Construction.  “The east bound lanes will be resurfaced and there will be concrete improvements on the medians and curbs. We will return next year to resurface the west bound lanes to avoid major traffic disruptions on both sides at the same time.”

Attridge Drive over Circle Drive will be another high traffic road under construction. Beginning in July, the 22-year-old overpass that approximately 64,000 vehicles travel on daily, will undergo preventative maintenance, like repaving, to make sure it lasts for years to come. The Spadina Crescent Bridge, between Queen Street and 25^th Street, is proof that preventative maintenance over the years contributes to the longevity of City assets. The 90-year-old bridge, that about 16,000 vehicles travel over every day, will be fully closed for approximately one month beginning next week as the bridge deck, asphalt, concrete, and security fencing underneath are rehabilitated or replaced.

“Other high-profile road construction locations include resurfacing on Warman Road over Circle Drive, and intersection improvements at Warman Road and 33^rd Street. Plans include adding a new turning lane to better accommodate south bound traffic on Warman Road turning right onto 33^rd Street,” says Schmidt.

Road and sidewalk improvements will be noticeable in some of Saskatoon’s most established residential neighbourhoods too, like King George, Nutana, and North Downtown. Those improvements are completed at the same time as water main and lead service line connection replacements. The City’s goal is to have all lead service line connections replaced by 2027.

Annual street maintenance such as pothole and utility cut repairs, line painting and street sweeping are also underway.

“There will be traffic delays and detours throughout Saskatoon all summer as we work to improve and clean up hundreds of kilometers of roads within a relatively short period of time. We thank residents for their patience and encourage drivers to please slow down and respect work zones.”

For more information on current and future construction, please visit saskatoon.ca/construction.

Substantial improvements have been made to Saskatoon’s road network in recent years and remain a focus for the City. Ensuring the infrastructure underneath the roads continues to last for years to come, is just as high on the priority list. In this construction season, the City will continue to push forward on replacing Saskatoon’s oldest water mains.

“We’ll be in several neighbourhoods to replace water mains that, in many cases, are more than 100 years old and have lead water service connections,” says Terry Schmidt, General Manager of Transportation and Construction. “Our goal is to replace all outdated service connections in the city by 2026.”

For efficiency, water mains and service connections are replaced at the same time. The road is then completely resurfaced and repaved curb-to-curb and sidewalks are rehabilitated wherever necessary. Sections of Nutana East, Nutana West, Caswell Hill, 20th Street West, Montgomery, Riversdale and Ruth Street East are among the areas where this type of work will take place. Approximately 23 kilometers of water and sewer mains will be replaced or rehabilitated this year and 820 water and sewer service connections are being replaced.

Annual street maintenance activities such as pothole repair, line painting and street sweeping are underway, and the City has 165 lane kilometers of road construction on the 2021 schedule. Major projects will include resurfacing the east bound lanes of College Drive from Central Avenue to the City limits, rehabilitating the overpass at Circle Drive and 8th Street, and resurfacing 8th Street from Broadway Avenue to Lorne Avenue.

“We’re making great strides, thanks to City Council’s investment of approximately $63.5 million to make our streets, bridges and sidewalks smoother, safer and longer lasting,” says Schmidt. “We are also thankful for Gas Tax Fund dollars for water, stormwater and wastewater projects as well as Municipal Economic Enhancement Program funds for road safety improvements, road rehabilitation, neighbourhood traffic safety upgrades and sidewalk rehabilitation.”

With safety always at the forefront, the City is ensuring employees and contractors continue to adhere to COVID-19 protocols at all construction sites.

To stay informed and learn more about construction projects throughout Saskatoon this year, visit saskatoon.ca/construction.

The City of Saskatoon has a responsibility to conserve water and, along with the community, has identified it as an important measure to reduce greenhouse gases, care for the environment, and lower water utility bills.

The Water Conservation Strategy, which has been in the works for two years and informed by public engagement, encourages conservation through a variety of methods. The report will go before the City’s Environment, Utilities, and Corporate Services Committee on Monday.

“The Strategy is a roadmap of actions to help residents and City operations achieve many benefits from water conservation, like managing water costs, improving resiliency, and limiting environmental impacts”, says Jeanna South, Director of Sustainability. “Some of these actions include reducing peak summer use to ease demand on infrastructure, reducing water used in the City’s own operations to save costs, and showing residents and businesses ways that they can change their water use to reduce their utility bills.”

Water reduction targets were established in the Low Emissions Community Plan to reduce future water infrastructure expansion costs and greenhouse gas emissions. Although per capita water use in Saskatoon has been on a downward trend as residents have realized the benefits of conservation, recent data shows more efforts in all parts of the community and in the City’s own operations are necessary. 

“The intent of this strategy is to prioritize the initiatives, develop programs based on priorities, implement those initiatives as funding becomes available, and monitor progress and refine assumptions to keep the Water Conservation Strategy current,” says South.

Some water conservation initiatives underway include improving City water use in parks and other areas of operations, residential water use education, and the Industrial, Commercial and Institutional (ICI) building energy and efficiency retrofit program.

For more information, please visit saskatoon.ca/waterconservation.

The City of Saskatoon has a responsibility to conserve water and, along with the community, has identified it as an important measure to reduce greenhouse gases, care for the environment, and lower water utility bills.

The Water Conservation Strategy, which has been in the works for two years and informed by public engagement, encourages conservation through a variety of methods. The report will go before the City’s Environment, Utilities, and Corporate Services Committee on Monday.

“The Strategy is a roadmap of actions to help residents and City operations achieve many benefits from water conservation, like managing water costs, improving resiliency, and limiting environmental impacts”, says Jeanna South, Director of Sustainability. “Some of these actions include reducing peak summer use to ease demand on infrastructure, reducing water used in the City’s own operations to save costs, and showing residents and businesses ways that they can change their water use to reduce their utility bills.”

Water reduction targets were established in the Low Emissions Community Plan to reduce future water infrastructure expansion costs and greenhouse gas emissions. Although per capita water use in Saskatoon has been on a downward trend as residents have realized the benefits of conservation, recent data shows more efforts in all parts of the community and in the City’s own operations are necessary. 

“The intent of this strategy is to prioritize the initiatives, develop programs based on priorities, implement those initiatives as funding becomes available, and monitor progress and refine assumptions to keep the Water Conservation Strategy current,” says South.

Some water conservation initiatives underway include improving City water use in parks and other areas of operations, residential water use education, and the Industrial, Commercial and Institutional (ICI) building energy and efficiency retrofit program.

For more information, please visit saskatoon.ca/waterconservation.

A Vancouver-based developer has approached the City with a proposal to open a full-service grocery store, with a restaurant, and take-out at the Midtown Plaza. The Standing Policy Committee on Transportation will consider the request from Arbutus Properties when the committee meets on Monday, May 2, 2022.

The grocery store is proposed for the space in Midtown Plaza that was initially developed for another business but has remained vacant.

The Administration report recommends installing a full traffic signal at the intersection of Auditorium Avenue and Idylwyld Drive, removing the median on Idylwyld Drive between Auditorium Avenue and 22nd Street, and installing a traffic island at the intersection of 21st Street and Idylwyld Drive. These changes were all previously identified in the Imagine Idylwyld project plan.

The report recommends that the City completes these changes once the grocery store reaches a certain build-out point. The cost of the infrastructure changes is $220 thousand.

A requested tax abatement for the grocery store is not recommended, as the available space at Midtown Plaza has already been approved for a tax abatement.

If approved, the next steps will be in the developer’s hands.