News Releases

The City of Saskatoon’s Emergency Management Organization (EMO) reports that this morning’s 10:00 a.m. city-wide notifynow TEST message was successfully delivered to 87,996 contacts using 141,029 message pathways (text, phone message, and email).

“Saskatoon’s population is now over 270,000 and growing. To date, we’ve had just over 26,000 residents customize their notifynow profile,” says Pamela Goulden-McLeod, Director of Emergency Management. “We have had an increase in sign-ups since we sent a notifynow message last month, but we would really like to see more residents customize their profile, telling notifynow how to best reach them. Notifynow can’t reach you and your family if you have incomplete or out-of-date contact information in the notifynow system.”   

Did you receive your notifynow TEST message today? Notifynow is a free service and these important safety messages can help you be prepared, connected and informed in the event of a city-wide emergency or one affecting only your neighbourhood.

“If you have a phone number that is publicly available, you may be in the notifynow system,” Goulden-McLeod says. “However, we encourage residents to visit the City’s website to tell us how they want to receive their notifynow public safety notification messages.”

Goulden-McLeod says people can receive notifynow messages on their cell phone, by text and email, and also register up to five different addresses that are important to them.

“To ensure you receive notifynow public safety information messages, you must have at least one address registered.”

It’s easy to customize your notifynow profile and your communication preferences. Signing-up lets you choose your preferred communication method. Help notifynow reach you - and more Saskatoon residents with timely, trusted and targeted public safety notification messages.

“Notifynow messages should play an important part of your family’s emergency preparedness plan,” adds Goulden-McLeod. “These public safety notification messages can tell you what to do, what to expect, or even where to go in an emergency situation, and this greatly helps to reduce stress for you and those you care about.”

Last month, at the request of the Saskatoon Police Service, a city-wide notifynow public safety notification was sent to alert Saskatoon residents on the escape of two inmates.

The notifynow system issued a public safety message to a localized area in August 2017 for a potential flooding situation, and again in November 2017 to a targeted neighbourhood area when a semi-tanker rolled-over on College Drive.

Visit saskatoon.ca/notifynow today to customize your communication preferences or call 306-975-3210 for more information.

Following three days of presentations, questions, and debate of the City’s first Multi-Year Business Plan and Budget, Mayor Charlie Clark and City Council have finalized the budget investments for 2020/2021. City Council’s Strategic Priorities, Strategic Plan and public input guided the multi-year budget process.
Notable Multi-Year Budget Investment Highlights

City Council started its budget review with a property tax increase of 3.14 per cent in 2020 and 3.52 per cent in 2021. City Council made several adjustments and adopted various options to minimize tax increases to ensure citizens would receive maximum benefits for their tax dollars invested for 2020 and 2021.

The municipal property tax has been finalized at 3.70 per cent for 2020 (the lowest increase in 10 years) and 3.87 per cent for 2021. In 2020, 1 per cent of the property tax is equivalent to $2.45 million, and $2.56 million in 2021.

Multi-Year Budget Property Tax Rates for Residential Property Owners

For a homeowner with a property assessment value of $371,000, in 2020, the 3.70 per cent increase equates to $5.82 per month or $69.87 for the year. In 2021, the 3.87 per cent increase equates to $6.28 per month or $75.35 for the year.

City Council Considered Various Budget Options

Approximately $19.0 million in funding was available to advance City Council’s priority projects in 2020 and 2021 comprised of: a one-time doubling of the Federal Gas Tax in 2019, available Reserve for Capital Expenditure (RCE) funding in 2020 and 2021, and funding from the Multi-Material Stewardship Western (MMSW) Program in 2020.

City Council had the option to allocate these funds based on its earlier prioritization results or retain any amount of reserve funds in anticipation of future needs or initiatives not yet identified.

At the recommendation of the Administration, $242,000 was left in reserves to be utilized for future contingency or other emerging issues. Notable capital investments include:

• $10.0 million in 2020 for the Curbside Organics Program
• $2.0 million in 2020 and $800,000 in 2021 for Growth Plan implementation and Corridor Planning/Infill Development
• $180,000 in 2020 for continued work on an intelligent transportation system that communicates rail crossing delays to first responders
• $150,000 in 2020 for a Downtown Stimulus Strategy
• $150,000 in both 2020 and in 2021 to make measurable progress on Green Infrastructure implementation

Operating Budget Adjustments

• A total of $1.8 million was phased-in for Asset Management Plans for Bridges, Parks and Sidewalks
• $175,000 increase for Transit expansion into Rosewood in 2020, and $175,000 to expand Transit into Brighton in 2021
• $250,000 increase for the Low Emissions Community Plan
• ​$178,900 increase for various items such as increases to the funding agreements with Saskatoon Crisis Intervention Services and Wanuskewin, dust issues on Beef Research Road, the Recreation Game Plan, anti-racism initiatives and Culture Plan implementation

This first Multi-Year Business Plan and Budget for 2020 and 2021 is an important first step to further improving the City’s strategic investments, transparency and ongoing accountability. City Council’s investment decisions in the priorities and services that matter most to citizens will ensure Saskatoon continues to be a great place to live, work, learn and play.

The finalized 2020/2021 Multi-Year Business Plan and Budget document will be on saskatoon.ca/budget as soon as it is available.

An Ontario Superior Court Justice has today ordered the return of $335 thousand in City money fraudulently obtained in August.  This means the City will recover all $1.04 M that was directed to a fraudster’s bank account in August 2019 through a fraud scheme.

“This is exactly the outcome we have wanted for the past three months,” says City Manager Jeff Jorgenson. “We are grateful to the Court and for the efforts made by many people and organizations to recover this stolen money.”

Mr. Justice Michael A. Penny reserved his decision on November 5. The remaining funds had been the subject of court hearings in Toronto, where three parties claimed they had been unwitting victims of the fraud scheme.

Justice Penny found none of the remaining defendants provided enough evidence to require a trial. He also awarded the City $25 thousand in Court costs.

Each defendant has 30 days to appeal.  Until then the money will be held in trust by the City’s lawyers.

Jorgenson says the City is currently finalizing the costs of the recovery and has already installed tighter accounting measures at City Hall.

“The finance team has worked closely with our internal auditors to implement appropriate controls that are now in place to help ensure that nothing like this happens again.”

Jorgenson anticipates an update report on the full cost of the recovery and findings of the root cause investigation will be provided to City Council before year-end.

View related news releases on this matter on saskatoon.ca.

Following a competitive request for proposal and negotiations process, the City has finalized a new eight-year agreement with Loraas Recycle for Curbside Recycling Services, effective January 1, 2020 through 2027.

“We are happy to continue our partnership with Loraas Recycle to deliver a successful recycling program and to offer the levels of service the City and its residents have come to expect,” says Russ Munro, Director of Water & Waste Operations.

The program will continue to have bi-weekly collection year-round and have the same collection routes and days in 2020. The City will also maintain its contract with Cosmopolitan Industries through 2023.

Because of increased pressures and shifts in the global recycling market, there are changes required to both residential recycling programs that will take effect January 1, 2020, including:

• Removal of black plastics (e.g. takeout containers and disposable coffee cup lids)
• Removal of polycoat* (e.g. paper coffee cups and beverage cups)
• Curbside Residential Recycling rate increase to $7.38 per household per month in 2020 and $7.47 in 2021 pending City Council approval
• Multi-Unit Residential Recycling rate increase to $3.71 per household per month in 2020 and $3.86 in 2021 pending City Council approval

Additional information on these changes can be found in this fact sheet.

As noted, these changes come after much deliberation and are a result of significant changes in global recycling markets, impacting municipal recycling programs across North America. Demand for high-quality material and a decrease in commodity values has lowered profits for the sale of those materials, resulting in lower revenues to offset processing costs. 

“An ideal scenario would have us accepting all recyclable material and maintaining the rates for our residents, but unfortunately the market is dictating otherwise,” says Munro. “That said, the changes we are implementing to our residential recycling programs will help stabilize us during this time of market uncertainty and put us in a better financial position than other prairie cities with similar recycling programs.

“We remain diligent in working with our recycling partners to run an efficient and cost-effective recycling program for the City and its residents.”

The administration will present a report, Additional Information for Curbside Residential Recycling for 2020 and Beyond, to the Standing Policy Committee of Environment, Utilities and Corporate Services on December 2, 2019.

*Tetra Pak containers (e.g. juice boxes, milk cartons, and soup broth containers) are still accepted in the program as they can be recycled through SARCAN Recycling.

City Council is set to deliberate Administration’s proposed 2020/2021 Multi-Year Business Plan and Budget on November 25, 26,27, 2019.

The multi-year business plan, operating and capital budget will guide the investments, projects, and service levels the City wants to achieve over the next two years, with an eye to future planning.

To maintain and improve the high quality of life Saskatoon residents enjoy, a significant portion of the proposed 2020/2021 Budget is aimed at investing in core programs and services that reflect the top priorities of Saskatoon residents. Learn more about the proposed 2020/2021 Multi-Year Business Plan and Budget.

City Council will make careful investment decisions to ensure:

• property taxes and fees are kept as low as possible for the next two years
• dedicated investments are made in the core services residents rely on every day and consider the most important
• the right investments are made for a sustainable future
• the City’s debt levels and assets are properly maintained

Watch the Your City Video on the City's first two-year budget planning approach. 

The budget deliberation sessions are open to the public and begin at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, November 25, in Council Chambers. 

Members of the public may email using the online form or write a letter to City Council relating to 2020/2021 Budget matters.  Emails/letters must be received before 10:00 a.m. on Monday, November 25, 2019.

More details at saskatoon.ca/write-letter-councilcommittees.

A record of Saskatoon’s former residents who fell in military service during the Second World War and in the following years is on display at City Hall.

“We’re so pleased to have this volume and be able to have it where it can be seen by more people,” says City Archivist Jeff O’Brien.  “It joins the First World War Book of Remembrance we already have at the archives and together they form such a vital community historical resource.”

As was the first book, the second volume is a gift to the City from the Military Institute of Saskatoon.

The book contains the names of 345 residents of Saskatoon who died during the Second World War, three killed in the Korean War, seven during peacetime operations and five during the War in Afghanistan.

The latest book was presented to City Council in 2018 and is now part of the permanent collection of the City of Saskatoon Archives.

The Book of Remembrance will be available for viewing until Friday, November 15, 2019.

The City of Saskatoon is awaiting the decision of an Ontario Superior Court Justice on the return of City money fraudulently obtained in August.

The issue was considered in a Toronto courtroom Tuesday, November 5^th. 

“The matter has been heard by the Court and no further actions can be taken on recovery efforts until we know its decision,” says City Manager Jeff Jorgenson. “So we can’t speculate on how long it will take or what the decision will be.”

The City has recovered just over two thirds or nearly $700 thousand of the City’s money that was directed to a fraudster’s bank account in August 2019 through a fraud scheme.

“As we’ve said from the outset, we’re extremely grateful for the efforts made by many people and organizations to recover the stolen money,” Jorgenson says.  “We remain optimistic that the remaining funds that are still frozen in several bank accounts will be returned to the City.”

Jorgenson anticipates an update report on the findings of the root cause investigation will be provided to City Council before year-end.

A fraudster obtained $1.04 million in the scheme, and any money that has not been returned to the City has been identified, traced and locked down by the Court.

View related news releases on this matter on saskatoon.ca.

The following is a statement from Terry Schmidt, General Manager of Transportation and Construction:

"At around 5 a.m. today there was a report of erratic driving involving a City of Saskatoon one ton sanding truck. At this point, there have been no reports of injuries, property damage or theft.

The driver, a City of Saskatoon employee, was detained by Police.

Separate investigations by the City of Saskatoon and Saskatoon Police Service are underway."