News Releases

At its meeting yesterday, City Council carried a motion to rescind a decision made November 19, 2018 regarding the implementation of a black cart variable rate waste utility for curbside pick-up at single-family homes.   

City Council has directed the Administration to report back on other funding options for the curbside waste program.

Information on possible funding options previously considered for curbside waste can be found here.

For more information about the City’s waste diversion plan, visit saskatoon.ca/wastediversion. 

At its meeting today, City Council approved a new bylaw that will regulate the operation of Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) in Saskatoon.  

Highlights of Bylaw No. 9548, The Transportation Network Company Bylaw, 2018 (Rideshare Bylaw), include:

• The minimum fare for TNCs is $3.75, which is the same as the minimum fare for taxis.
• Safety features include:
  • a TNC must disclose to a passenger, at the time of the request for service, the first name and photo of the driver and the make, model, colour, and provincial licence plate of the vehicle; and
  • a TNC must allow a passenger to track the location and route of the vehicle while carrying the passenger.
• TNC drivers cannot offer, solicit, or accept offers to provide transportation to passengers except through the transportation network, such as an app. Street hailing (flagging down a vehicle on the street) is not permitted.
• TNC vehicles must comply with provincial regulations, which require that a decal identifying the TNC be displayed on two sides of the vehicle.
• TNCs must ensure that all affiliated drivers obtain an annual vulnerable sector check; this is in addition to the annual criminal record check that TNCs must ensure for all affiliated drivers under the provincial regulations.
• Affiliated drivers have the same behavioural expectations as taxi drivers and are similarly required to provide service when appropriately dispatched.
• TNCs must pay an annual licence fee based on the number of affiliated vehicles, as well as make monthly payments of per trip fees.  An accessibility surcharge must also be remitted monthly to support the provision of wheelchair accessible taxi service.

City Council also approved a second bylaw, Bylaw No. 9549, The Taxi Amendment Bylaw, 2018 (No. 2) (Amendment Bylaw), in part to align taxi regulations with the Rideshare Bylaw and The Vehicles for Hire Act & Regulations introduced by the Government of Saskatchewan on December 14, 2018 (please visit sgi.sk.ca/rideshare for more information). 

The Amendment Bylaw further includes the extension of 16 temporary wheelchair accessible taxi licences and the establishment of a taxi cleaning fee and its reporting requirements and appeal process.

For more information on the City’s Rideshare and Amendment Bylaws, please visit saskatoon.ca/vehiclesforhire. 

The City of Saskatoon’s Emergency Measures Organization (EMO) report that today’s  notifynow test message sent to Saskatoon residents at 10:00 a.m. was executed successfully.

“Saskatoon’s population is now over 270,000 and growing. So far, we’ve had just over 24,000 residents customize their notifynow profile,” says Pamela Goulden-McLeod, Director of Emergency Planning. “We are pleased that this number continues to grow, but we would really like to see more residents customize their profile. It’s important to remember that notifynow can’t reach you and your family if you have incomplete or out-of-date contact information in the notifynow system.”

Goulden-McLeod points out, if a major and extended power outage had impacted Saskatoon, notifynow messages would have been sent directly to residents throughout the day to update them and share information.   

Did you receive your notifynow test message? Have you taken steps to be prepared, connected and informed in the event of a citywide emergency or one affecting only your neighbourhood?

“If you have a phone number that is publicly available, you may be in the notifynow system,” adds Goulden-McLeod. “However, we encourage residents to visit the City’s website to indicate how they want to receive their notifynow emergency notification messages. Many residents now prefer cell phone, text or email, or maybe all of these options and can register for up to five addresses.”

It’s easy to customize your notifynow profile and your communication preferences. Help notifynow reach you - and more Saskatoon residents with timely, trusted and targeted emergency notification messages.

“Notifynow messages should play an important part of your family’s emergency preparedness plan,” adds Goulden-McLeod. “These emergency safety 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.”

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

Saskatoon Transit is encouraging shoppers to take the Jingle Bell Express during the holiday shopping season. The Jingle Bell Express, which began as a pilot last year, provides customers with easy access to Saskatoon malls without having to worry about holiday traffic or full parking lots.

“The Jingle Bell Express removes the hassle of driving and parking, but also provides users with access to malls they may not otherwise have the opportunity to visit,” says Jim MacDonald, Director of Saskatoon Transit. “Regular fares apply and the service is available from Saturday, December 8th until Sunday, December 23rd and it will be free on Boxing Day.”

The Jingle Bell Express is a special route put into place as we lead up to the holidays. It’s called Route 1225 and runs between:

• Midtown Plaza
• Confederation Mall
• Lawson Heights
• Centre Mall
• Market Mall

Route schedule.

Weekday service will be available from 5:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. and weekend service will run from 10:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. On Boxing Day, the Jingle Bell Express will be free and will operate between 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Use the Transit App or Google Transit to plan your trip or consult the Transit website.

Jingle Bell Express riders will be asked to complete a survey for a chance to win one of five $100 gift cards provided by each participating mall.

The power outages that are currently affecting large portions of the province are not having an impact on service within Saskatoon.

A brief power outage occurred at approximately 9 a.m. for some Saskatoon Light & Power customers in the south portion of Saskatoon, but power was restored in less than 30 minutes.

No further service interruptions are anticipated in the SL&P service area, however, there is always the chance of an unexpected outage due to loss of supply, adverse weather, foreign interference with power lines, or equipment failure.

In the event of an outage, SL&P customers are advised to check the City’s website or follow @YXEServiceAlert on Twitter for updates. SaskPower customers can access updates at saskpower.com/outages.

Following two days of questions, adjustments and debate on the 2019 Preliminary Business Plan and Budget, His Worship Mayor Charlie Clark and City Council have finalized their investment decisions for 2019, arriving at a property tax increase of 4.40%.

“The finalized budget reflects investments Council has made for the future and for their strategic priority areas,” says Kerry Tarasoff, CFO and General Manager, Asset and Financial Management.  “City Council has supported initiatives that are important to our community, and maintained or increased service levels in core services citizens have told us they want.”

What the 4.40% property tax increase means to residential property owners
The 2019 property tax increase of 4.40% is a result of a 3.16% increase required to maintain civic services, and a 1.24% increase as the result of the Business Plan initiatives approved by Council during their deliberations on November 26 and 27, 2018.

The 4.40% property tax increase will generate an additional $10.2 million to maintain the service level delivery of civic services and to cover costs related to inflation and growth in Saskatoon.

For a homeowner with a property assessment value of $371,000, the municipal portion of the 4.40% increase equates to $6.63 per month or $79.52 for the year.

“City Council considered $2.6 million in business plan priority spending options with a goal to minimize the property tax increase without compromising the delivery of civic services,” adds Tarasoff. “Council focused on controlling expenditures and maintaining the assets we need, and I believe they made strategic and well-intentioned decisions for 2019.”  

2019 Operating and Capital Budget Totals

• $1.13 billion: Total 2019 Capital and Operating Budget (including Utilities, Operating & Capital)
  • $511.01 million: Total Operating Budget (excluding Utilities)
  • $362.06 million: Total Utility Operating Budget
  • ​$259.83 million: Total Capital Budget (including Utilities)

2019 Business Plan Options: Investment Highlights

• Additional $350,000 for Building Better Parks Asset Management Phase-in
• Additional $200,000 for the Recreation and Parks Facilities Game Plan
• Additional $200,000 invested in Snow and Ice Service Level enhancements
• $150,000 (including 1.0 FTE) to allow work on developing a low emissions community implementation plan aimed at lowering carbon emissions
• $100,000 allocated to fund Meewasin Valley Authority
• Building Better Bridges: $300,000 invested to maintain condition of bridges and overpasses
• Building Better Transit: $200,000 invested for Transit fleet replacements
• Urban Forestry and Pest Management Reserve: $150,000
• Sidewalk Maintenance Service Level enhancement: $100,000
• Winter City Grant Program: $25,000 to maintain dedicated programming
• Total additional investment in Active Transportation Plan Phase-In and Master Plan:  $125,000
• IT Project Management Continuous Improvement Initiatives: $125,000
• Invested $120,000 in two dedicated Performance Improvement Coordinator positions tasked with creating process improvements and finding further efficiencies through the City’s corporate transformation planned for 2019.

City Council requested Administration to provide detailed return on investment reporting in 2019 and for 2020, and operational cost savings through continuous improvement initiatives resulting from the investment in these positions.

2019 Budget Highlights by the Numbers

• 0%: Approved increase in Saskatoon Light & Power rates
• 6.45%: Property tax increase for Saskatoon Public Library (compared to 0% last year)
• 9.25%: Increase in water rates
• $5.00: Increase for a single adult monthly recreation pass
• $94.6 million: Approved for Saskatoon Police Service (up $4.1 million from 2018)
• $5.9 million: Approved budget for Remai Modern Art Gallery (up $456,000 from 2018)
  • ​$128,000: Approved for Remai Modern Art Gallery staffing positions
• $43.3 million: Approved Saskatoon Transit budget (up $2.1 million from 2018)
• $71 million: Approved amount to invest in land development
• 62: Approximate number of new full-time positions (including Saskatoon Public Library)
• 20.6%: Share of City’s 2019 Budget allocated to Saskatoon Police Service
• 6.6%: Share of 2019 Operating Budget dedicated to servicing debt

Administration will drive the development of the City’s first Multi-Year Budget for 2020 and 2021 with a rollout planned at the end of the first quarter in 2019. City Council’s Strategic Priorities and the Strategic Plan will continue to guide the budget process, and citizens will be encouraged to provide their input into the new multi-year budget process through a variety of public engagement opportunities held throughout the new year.

Visit saskatoon.ca/budget for more information.

In 1998, the Saskatoon Fire Department, in partnership with Public Health Services Saskatoon, launched a needle pick-up program. Over the past 20 years hundreds of thousands of discarded needles have been collected through the program, contributing to the safety and cleanliness of Saskatoon’s public spaces; close to 7,500 of which have been picked-up by Firefighters in 2018 alone.

Each year, Firefighters with the Saskatoon Fire Department are dispatched to various locations around the city to address reports of improperly discarded needles. “The pick-up of improperly discarded needles is most often completed on a per-call basis; that is, for the Saskatoon Fire Department to dispatch a crew to collect the needle, we must first be made aware of its location.” says Joshua Grella with the Saskatoon Fire Department. Crews ranging from two to five Firefighters may be dispatched to reports of improperly discarded needles, depending on the operating district of the call.

If you are accidentally poked by a needle’s point:

• Encourage bleeding and place your hand under running water to flush out the wound,
• Do not suck on the wound, even if a water supply is unavailable,
• Take note of the characteristics of both the needle and injury,
• Do not attempt to recap the needle,
• Visit a hospital emergency department as soon as possible, and
• If possible, safely package the needle in a hard-surfaced contained and take it with you to the emergency department.

Be sure to educate children and vulnerable adults about needle safety, instructing them to never touch a discarded needle and to notify a responsible adult immediately if one is encountered.

Never leave your discarded needles poking around; needles that are not safely disposed of can cause harm to others in the community, including workers, children, and pets.

In an emergency, call 911 immediately.

In addition to a new city-wide organics program, single-family households with curbside collection service will now have a choice in the size and cost of their waste carts. City Council voted in favour of implementing a variable rate waste utility. The previously approved city-wide organics program will be funded from property tax. Both programs are expected to launch in 2020.

“This is an important step forward for our City on our journey toward trying to achieve 70 per cent waste diversion, so we are pleased with Council’s decision,” says Dan Willems, Acting General Manager of Corporate Performance. “This is a very complex matter with many variables, so the decision to implement variable cart sizes for waste in addition to a city-wide organics program demonstrates City Council’s commitment to its strategic goal of Environmental Leadership.”

The variable rate waste utility will give residents the option of three cart sizes and is expected to incentivize residents to reduce the amount of garbage they generate by wasting less and diverting more through composting and recycling. The variable rate and three cart sizes will provide curbside residents more control over their waste costs.   

“These improvements to waste management will help us move closer to our waste diversion goals, and significantly delay the need for us to plan for a new landfill, estimated at $120M,” Willems says.

More details on the implementation plan and program costs will be presented in 2019.

The complete agenda from the November 19 City Council meeting can be found here.

For more information about the City’s waste diversion plan, visit saskatoon.ca/wastediversion.

Last week, members from Saskatoon’s host committee attended the 2018 Creative City Network of Canada’s Creative City Summit (Summit) in Mississauga, Ontario, to promote Saskatoon as next year’s Summit location to their colleagues across Canada.  This three-day conference for municipal cultural workers provided an opportunity for Saskatoon to share knowledge and highlight its dynamic arts and culture scene.

“The Creative City Network of Canada, and Saskatoon’s active participation in it, is a reflection of the growing role that creativity and the arts play in community building,” says Kevin Kitchen, Community Development Manager.  “Judging from the early responses, municipal workers from across Canada are eagerly looking forward to attending the 2019 Summit in Saskatoon as our community has much to offer the rest of the country in terms of cultural practices.”

As part of their promotional pitch, the team launched a short animated film by Saskatoon filmmaker, Andrei Feheregyhazi, entitled Saskatoon:  Where the Art Is, sponsored by the City of Saskatoon and Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport.

“I feel honoured to be a part of this project,” says filmmaker, Andrei Feheregyhazi.  “It was exciting to work on something that not only would be shown at a national conference, but also to work on something that allowed me to explore creatively the way this project did.”

The unique animated video takes viewers on a cardboard and watercolour tour of Saskatoon’s arts and culture scene and features Wanuskewin Heritage Park, Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan, SaskTel Saskatchewan Jazz Festival, Remai Modern, and some pieces in the City’s public art collection.  The composition for the video was created by local musician, Dean Summach.

For more information on the Summit and to view Saskatoon:  Where the Art Is, visit saskatoon.ca/artsandculture.

The City of Saskatoon continues undertaking improvements to its Transit shelters, bus stops, sidewalks and other related infrastructure.

Funded by the City and the Government of Canada, which invested $5.3 million through the Public Transit Infrastructure Fund toward these projects, this work will ultimately help better connect people to this important local transportation network. In Saskatchewan, the federal PTIF program is administered by the provincial government.  

“Getting people where they need to go safely, quickly, and comfortably is essential to creating liveable communities,” says the Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness. “Our government is proud to support these vital upgrades to Saskatoon’s transit infrastructure. A safer, more inclusive transit system will increase ridership, reduce congestion and improve air quality.”

“Saskatoon can contribute to improving its citizens’ quality of life with projects like these, thanks to the federal Public Transit Infrastructure Fund, which the Government of Saskatchewan administers in the province. Saskatchewan’s eligible municipal partners having access to this federally-funded program helps those communities address their local priorities,” says the Honourable Warren Kaeding Saskatchewan’s Minister of Government Relations.

“Undertaking improvements such as sidewalks, landing pads, ramps and shelters to Transit stops such as the one at Attridge Drive and Rever Road can mean the difference between choosing to use Transit or not,” says Mike Moellenbeck, Saskatoon’s Acting Director of Transit. “As we work towards a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, Transit connectivity becomes even more important. We are looking to the future in terms of the locations that make sense and responding to the needs of the people we serve today.”

Through its recent Bus Stop Blues campaign, Saskatoon Transit received more than 45 submissions on areas that would benefit from improvements. Submissions were categorized into one of three categories: 1) sidewalk/accessibility, 2) new shelter/ repair, or 3) general maintenance. Three quarters of the submissions received were asking for improvements to the Attridge Drive and Rever Road location. A full listing of the planned improvements can be found at SaskatoonTransit.ca/about-us/projects.

As part of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) plans, Attridge and Rever has also been selected for one of the BRT stations which will act as a major transfer point for the area. BRT stations are planned to be built at a height of approximately 10 inches, about 4 inches higher than existing curbs throughout the city. As a pilot, the bus stops at Attridge Drive and Rever Road were built to a height of 10 inches. The raised curbs will improve accessibility by offering near level boarding to accommodate wheelchair access without having to deploy the bus ramp allowing for faster passenger loading times. This is in addition to Saskatoon Transit’s objectives to attain a 100 per cent accessible fleet by the end of 2018.  

“When we’re upgrading stops, we look at the connecting sidewalks people use to get to those locations as well,” says David LeBoutillier, Saskatoon’s Acting Engineering Manager for Transportation. “Depending on the pre-existing conditions, we repaired, or replaced, and in some cases added new sidewalk at identified locations.”

On top of this, the City improved 20 per cent more sidewalk panels than originally projected for 2018. Sidewalk ramps – connecting sidewalks to roadways – were also installed at locations around the city. The locations for both panel and ramp repair/installation were identified based on connectivity to Transit. Additional considerations included public input, Neighbourhood Traffic Review recommendations, and prioritization for those locations where there are no sidewalks on either side of the road.

The total investment in these various improvements, including both the Government of Canada’s and City of Saskatoon’s contributions, is more than $10.6 million.