News Releases

The City of Saskatoon’s (City) Cultural Diversity and Race Relations Committee is now accepting nominations for the annual “Living in Harmony” awards that recognize local organizations or individuals for their efforts in the elimination of racial discrimination. The entry deadline for submissions and nominations is Friday, February 27, 2015, at 4:45 p.m. Committee members will select the winning entries/nominations.

 March 21 is International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, and in honour of this day the Cultural Diversity and Race Relations Committee invites you to explore what intercultural harmony means to you through words and/or pictures. You may also choose to nominate an individual or group for their efforts in promoting the spirit of living in harmony.

 Living in Harmony Literary Contest
Open to everyone, this contest invites submissions of poems, short stories, or essays on the theme Living in Harmony. There are three categories: elementary school students, high school students, and an open category. The author of each winning entry will receive $100.

 Living in Harmony Art Contest
Open to everyone, this contest invites submissions of all forms of art (drawings, paintings, music video, or other forms of expression) that involve the theme of Living in Harmony. There are three categories for this contest: elementary school students, high school students, and an open category. The artist for each winning entry will receive $100.

 Recognition Award
Open to everyone, this award invites nominations of local youth, adults, and groups that focus their efforts on positive initiatives within our community.

 Entry forms are available on  the City’s website at www.saskatoon.ca. Please submit entries to the City of Saskatoon Cultural Diversity and Race Relations Office, Cosmo Civic Centre (upper level), 3130 Laurier Drive, Saskatoon SK S7L 5J7.

 The winners of the Literary and Art Contests, as well as the recipient(s) of the 2015 Recognition Award, will be announced at the “Living in Harmony” Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, March 18, 2015, at The Broadway Theatre.

 For more information, please call 306-975-7826 or email cultural.diversity@saskatoon.ca.

 For more City of Saskatoon Public Service Announcements, News Releases, Traffic Detours and Service Alerts, visit www.saskatoon.ca or connect with the City of Saskatoon on Twitter and Facebook.

The City of Saskatoon invites residents to attend one of three important public engagement events to discuss the proposed Growth Plan to Half a Million (Growth Plan), which includes long-term plans for a new transit system with Bus Rapid Transit (BRT); a new river crossing at 33^rd Street and BRT lanes on the University Bridge; and changes to how we live, work, and play along our major corridors like 8^th Street, 22^nd Street, and Preston Avenue.

The public will also have an opportunity to provide input on implementation priorities for putting specific features of the Growth Plan in motion over the short-, medium-, and long-term.

 Mark your calendars!  This is your opportunity to have your say in Saskatoon’s future.

Main Events – Growth Plan Focused Discussions

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

TCU Place, 35 22^nd Street East

Daytime Session:  Noon to 2 p.m.

Evening Session:  6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Growth Plan Campus Consultation

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Louis’ Loft, 93 Campus Drive

3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Event materials and an online survey will be available at www.growingfwd.ca beginning Wednesday, February 25, through Wednesday, March 18, 2015.

This will be the third round of public engagement since the Growth Plan launched in February 2014.  The input gathered during this round of engagement will help to confirm the long-term plans for corridor redevelopment, transit, and core area bridges, as well as set the direction for an implementation plan.  We will be back in fall to share what we heard and confirm the final Growth Plan with the public.

Once complete, the Growth Plan will help to guide future infrastructure investments so residents will have more choices for how they live and move around the city as Saskatoon grows to half a million people over the next 30 to 40 years.

For more information on the Growth Plan or to sign up for project update notifications, visit www.growingfwd.ca.

For more City of Saskatoon Public Service Announcements, News Releases, Traffic Detours, and Service Alerts, visit www.saskatoon.ca or connect with the City of Saskatoon on Twitter and Facebook.

The Lakewood Civic Centre (Lakewood) leisure pool will be closed from Saturday, February 14 to Friday, February 20, 2015, as part of the repairs to the pool’s waterslide.  The work required includes repairs to the piping in the crawl space and the replacement of the main valve that supplies water to the waterslide.

Occupational Health & Safety regulations require the pool’s water level to be drained in order to prevent flooding of the crawl space while the valve is being replaced.  Once this repair has been completed it will take approximately a week to refill, reheat, and rebalance the chemistry of the water within the pool.      

The week of February 14 to 20, 2015, has been selected for closure because there are no swimming lessons scheduled during the February School Break and this time will have the least impact to the public. 

During this repair, Lakewood’s fitness and weight rooms, gymnasium, multi-purpose room, dry land programming, and childcare will remain open to the public.  Many of the City of Saskatoon’s (City) other Leisure Centres will be offering enhanced programming during the February School Break.  For hours of operation and drop-in program information, please visit www.saskatoon.ca/go/dropinonline.

 The waterslide at Lakewood has been closed for repairs since July 2014, as a result of ground movement issues in the mechanical crawlspace affecting the pump that supplies water to the slide.  Final repairs to the waterslide will continue after the pool reopens on February 20.  The final repairs include reinstallation of the main water pump.  It is anticipated that the waterslide will reopen to the public in early March 2015.

 The City apologizes for the inconvenience and thanks the public for its patience and understanding.

 For more City of Saskatoon Public Service Announcements, News Releases, Traffic Detours and Service Alerts, visit www.saskatoon.ca or connect with the City of Saskatoon on Twitter and Facebook.

NEW

20TH ST W CLOSED FROM AVE J S TO AVE K S
(Water & Sewer Connection Replacement)
Start: February 9, 9:00 a.m. End: February 12, 6:00 p.m.

All restrictions will be lifted as indicated, weather permitting and barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Slow down, pay attention and respect work zones. Watch for pedestrians and work crews, and for everyone’s safety, please obey all detours, signs and barriers.

Know before you go! Plan your route around road work by checking our Road Restrictions and Construction Projects Map. Find traffic detour information and subscribe to Traffic Detour Service Alerts at saskatoon.ca/service-alerts. You can also follow us on Twitter @YXEServiceAlert and with #betterroadsYXE and like Saskatoon City News on Facebook.

For the fourth year in a row, the City of Saskatoon is one of the Top Employers in Saskatchewan for 2015. The special designation recognizes top employers that lead their industries in offering exceptional places to work.

“Building a workplace culture that offers opportunities for career development, health, work-life balance and employee recognition is a top priority for us,” City Manager, Murray Totland says. “Our workforce, like our community, is evolving rapidly. That’s why we must continually enhance our culture of efficiency and continuous improvement.”

The City of Saskatoon applied for this competition through the Canada's Top 100 Employers application process. Employers are evaluated by the editors of Canada's Top 100 Employers using the same eight criteria as the national competition: Physical Workplace; Work Atmosphere & Social; Health, Financial & Family Benefits; Vacation & Time Off; Employee Communications; Performance Management; Training & Skills Development; and Community Involvement. Employers are compared with other organizations in their field to determine which offers the most progressive and forward-thinking programs.

Totland wants employees to feel directly connected to the City’s progress, thereby enhancing their personal satisfaction with “a job well done”.

“Our people have always been our greatest asset and I look forward to continued support across the entire corporation,” Totland says. “We invest in ongoing leadership development, a variety of in-house training programs, tuition subsidies for courses taken at outside institutions, discounted employee fitness initiatives and a pension plan.”

Saskatchewan’s Top Employers 2015 were identified in an insert in the February 4, 2015 edition of the Saskatoon Star Phoenix and Regina Leader-Post. 

Environment Canada is predicting strong winds and up to 20 centimeters of snow starting tonight, as well as the possibility of freezing rain over the weekend. The City has extra staff, contractors and equipment ready to keep priority streets clear, sanded and salted during and following the snow event.

Streets may become icy, due to strong winds and snow blowing across the roadway. Visibility may also be reduced. Please use caution and drive to the conditions. City crews will be working 24/7 to maintain priority roadways so please watch for equipment on the road. The large machines used are equipped with flashing amber lights, move slowly in teams of two or more and can be found on the road at any time of day or night. By keeping a safe distance from the equipment and approaching slowly, everyone can be safe on the road.

Snow and Ice Updates will now be issued in the form of a Service Alert. Similar to Power Outage Service Alerts, these Snow & Ice Service Alerts are available at saskatoon.ca/service-alerts, by following @YXEServiceAlert on Twitter or by liking Saskatoon City News on Facebook. These alerts are issued at 6:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. daily, once a snow event starts and continue for 72 hours after the event. The Snow Grading Map will be updated at the same time showing the status of snow grading. Salting/sanding and grading occurs on the following priority system:

Priority 1 (Highest traffic streets) will be plowed within 12 hours after a snowstorm ends.
Priority 2 (Rapid transit bus routes and busy streets) will be graded within 36 hours.
Priority 3 (Main streets and school zones) will be graded within 72 hours.

*Another snowfall or blowing snow within the 72-hour timeframe may require crews to return to Priority 1 streets, causing grading to take longer.

Residents are encouraged to report impassable or hazardous streets by calling Public Works Customer Service at 306-975-2476.

For more City of Saskatoon Public Service Announcements, News Releases, Traffic Detours and Service Alerts, visit www.saskatoon.ca or connect with the City of Saskatoon on Twitter and Facebook.

NEW

2ND AVE N NB CURB (OUTSIDE) LANE CLOSED FROM 26TH ST E TO QUEEN ST
(Sidewalk Construction)
Start: February 5, 7:00 a.m. End: February 5, 3:30 p.m.

CIRCLE DR E WB CURB (OUTSIDE) LANE CLOSED ON OVERPASS OVER IDYLWYLD DR
(Electronic work)
Start: February 5, 9:00 a.m. End: February 5, 11:00 a.m.

QUEEN ST WB CLOSED FROM 4TH AVE N TO 5TH AVE N
(Tree Pruning)
Two-way traffic in EB lanes
Start: February 5, 9:00 a.m. End: February 5, 4:00 p.m.

25TH ST E WB CURB (OUTSIDE) LANE CLOSED FROM PACIFIC AVE TO IDYLWYLD DR N
(Directional Drilling)
Start: February 5, 9:00 a.m. End: February 5, 6:00 p.m.

22ND ST W EB CURB (OUTSIDE) & CENTER LANE CLOSED APPROACHING AVE B S
(Manhole work)
Start: February 5, 10:00 a.m. End: February 5, 4:00 p.m.

All restrictions will be lifted as indicated, weather permitting and barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Slow down, pay attention and respect work zones. Watch for pedestrians and work crews, and for everyone’s safety, please obey all detours, signs and barriers.

Know before you go! Plan your route around road work by checking our Road Restrictions and Construction Projects interactive map. Find traffic detour information on our saskatoon.ca homepage or subscribe to our Traffic Detour Service Alerts. You can also follow us on Twitter @YXEServiceAlert and with #betterroadsYXE and like Saskatoon City News on Facebook.

An independent engineering report commissioned by the City concludes slope failures on some private properties along the 200 and 300 blocks of Saskatchewan Crescent and 11th Street East, resulted from three main natural factors: geology, geometry and ground water.

“The report confirms that weak soil, a steep slope and a high water table from historically high rainfalls are why the slope has moved,” says Chief Engineer and Director of Major Projects, Mike Gutek.  “The conclusions of Golder Associates were then verified by a second, arms-length review done by another engineering firm.”

The Executive Committee of City Council will receive next week an information report about the 2012 and 2013 slope failures in this area.

“This comprehensive geotechnical study – prepared at the City’s cost – not only paints a picture of what has happened, but what remedy private property owners will need to hold the slope up,” Gutek says.

City Council may choose from a wide number of possible roles for the City at this site.  They range from the current approach, which is to monitor the slope movement and provide information to residents, to participating in remediation and contributing financially.  The City typically does not contribute financially to remediation or restitution on private property.

There is a wide range of legal and associated risk consequences to the City related to this location.  These will be reported to Executive Committee In-Camera, and are of the following nature:

Current approach, which is to monitor the site and provide detailed information to adjacent property owners and residents.
Offer mediation services, with or without participation by the City.
Become actively involved with property owners in the remediation approach.
Provide some level of grant or financial aid to property owners.

Slope movements are now at a standstill because of frozen ground and they slowed considerably over the late summer and fall.  As a result of minimal movement, the City was able to lift an evacuation alert in September.

“Since the monitoring began, we have encouraged property owners to retain their own engineers to assess what they need to do to stabilize their properties,” Gutek says. 

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The new and much anticipated City website has officially launched into cyberspace today. Saskatoon.ca is now on-line.

 Over a year-long redevelopment, residents and the City revisited almost every aspect of the City’s approach to providing online services to citizens.

“A fundamental goal for us was to gear it towards how people looked for City information,” says Catherine Gryba, General Manager of Corporate Performance.  “We wanted to create a website designed with residents, for residents and we are pleased with the results.”

The new website design is easier to provide residents access to timely information and makes it easier to do business with the City.  Residents will experience improvements to 22 online services such as the Property Tax & Assessment Tool and Utility Bill lookup. The reconstruction also included a review process which eliminated outdated content and reorganized information to make it easier to search and navigate.

“Early on, we recognized we had an opportunity and responsibility to completely reimagine our approach to serving residents online,” says Rob Gilhuly, Website Project Manager.

“Throughout the redevelopment, we invited residents to participate in decisions about the new Saskatoon.ca, including setting priorities for online services, designing navigation, and selecting the visual design of the site,” Gilhuly says. Last April, the City launched the dedicated engagement site, new.saskatoon.ca, which had more than 10,000 visits over the course of the project. Residents completed over 1,000 surveys and voted 1,700 times on polls about various aspects of the site. A preview version of the site in development was launched in November for residents to provide even more feedback.

“Our work on the web will never be finished, but what we are launching today is the first step of a new approach that considers the needs of users first”, Gilhuly says. “With any project of this scope, we acknowledge there may be a few minor bugs to address and some of these bugs aren’t always discovered until the website is in full use,” he says.  “We continue to be committed to designing this with residents for residents, so if you discover a bug we not only want to know, but we will also put your name into a contest.”

The City is now inviting residents to provide feedback and participate in a contest for reporting bugs and trying out the new site features. Check out the Announcements on the homepage of saskatoon.ca for contest details.

Thanks to all of our residents for your support and participation. We couldn’t have done it without you.

For more information visit www.saskatoon.ca or connect with us on Twitter and Facebook

 -30-

During Burn Awareness Week (February 1 – 7, 2015), the Saskatoon Fire Department reminds parents and those responsible for young children that a child’s skin is especially susceptible to burns and scalds and we need to take extra precautions to protect them.

Statistics Canada reports that in 2010/2011, 346 children aged 0-4 and 59 children aged 5-9 were admitted to hospital as a result of a burn and that burns were the leading cause of hospital admissions from injury for children aged 0-4.

Children are particularly at risk of scalds because their skin is thinner and more sensitive. A child’s skin can burn four times quicker and more deeply than an adult’s.

Some safety tips to decrease the number of burns and scalds to children are:

• Set your water heater to 49°C (120°F). Water heated to 60°C (140°F) can cause a third-degree burn on a child’s skin in just one second.
• Use a travel mug with a tight-fitting lid when drinking hot liquid like coffee or tea.
• Cook on the back burners of your stove and turn the handles of pots and pans inwards.
• Ensure cords from appliances like slow-cookers or kettles are not within a child’s reach.
• Place a safety gate around your fireplace. The gas fireplace’s glass barrier can heat up to over 200°C (400°F) in about six minutes and when switched off, take about 45 minutes to cool to a safe temperature. For young children just learning to walk this is a significant risk.
• Install a smoke detector and test it every month to protect your family and home from fire and smoke.

Burns and/or scalds often happen in a split second but the consequences are long term. A child’s natural curiosity and sensitive skin makes them vulnerable. We need to do what we can to make sure they stay safe.