News Releases

Environment Canada forecasts the extreme gusts and winds in Saskatoon and area to drop off over the evening to more moderate levels after 10:00 p.m.  However, evening temperatures are expected to drop which increases the likelihood of slippery road conditions.  Sanding crews will be working on priority roads overnight and into the early morning hours.  Please give yourself extra time when traveling, as it will take time to cover the city with sand once temperatures start dropping.  
City staff responded to a number of service disruptions or operational challenges throughout the day.  An Emergency Level 1 Alert allowed for the sharing of information across civic departments and divisions.  The City continues to be in contact with other external agencies which have not requested support at this point.
The following is an update on the City of Saskatoon services:

Saskatoon Light & Power (SL&P)

SL&P staff have been reasonably able to keep up with outages and is not anticipating any long-term outages at this time. Although wind speeds are anticipated to drop over the evening, power outage may still occur.  Please contact (306) 975-2621 to report a power outage.  Crews will continue to respond, determine the cause and make repairs as necessary and safe to do so. Updates will continue to be provided through Service Alerts and on Facebook and Twitter.
 

Transit
Saskatoon Transit routes are currently on schedule and not experiencing any significant delays.  There are no anticipated delays for transit service for the sold out Pink! Concert or morning services.
 

Public Works
Snow & Ice
As Environment Canada forecasts a falling temperature and over the evening, Public Works has the following operational plan in place:
Ten tandem sanders and four one-ton sanders are available to address deteriorating road conditions should the City experience freezing rain and/or snow.
If wind is the only weather issue, sanders will still be utilized to address the road conditions.  Wind can ‘polish’ the roadways to an icy surface.
The City has sufficient sand and salt supplies to address the conditions.
Area contractors (grader crews) and developing neighbourhood contractor loaders have been alerted to be prepared to mobilize, should the City experience snowfall or significant drifting conditions.
Additional staff will be available on Thursday, January 16 to augment crews with pre-scheduled load-out locations. They can also be utilized for addressing any resulting snow/freezing rain/drifting conditions.
The regular crew shift is on tonight and will be re-deployed as required to address potential storm conditions. Public Works will call in additional staff if required.
Saskatoon Landfill
The Landfill closed at 1:30 p.m. to the general public due to high winds and the associated safety concerns. It is anticipated the Landfill will be open to the general public on Thursday, January 16. However, should conditions change and the Landfill is to remain closed, the City will advise residents through a Public Service Announcement and through Facebook and Twitter. 
Recycling and Garbage Collections
By nature of what is in the recycling carts, they tend to be light-weight and the heavy winds are blowing many of them over. However, Loraas Recycling continued with collection as scheduled today.  Operators turned carts upright for collection and picked-up as much material on the ground as possible in these windy conditions.
Garbage collection continued as scheduled today in Eastview, Hampton Village, Stonebridge, Westview and Wildwood.  The heavy wind was blowing some of these carts over as well, and operators turned them upright where possible in order to collect them, but may have missed isolated areas. If your garbage was not collected today as scheduled, garbage collection will resume tomorrow, Thursday, January 16.  Residents are asked, if they can, to bring carts in and out of the wind, and place them out again by 7:00 a.m. for collection tomorrow.
Many residents today picked up overturned carts and cleaned up the material that spilled.  Thanks for keeping our city beautiful. 

Parks

A number of calls were received by Parks crew regarding damage to City trees.  Tree damage assessment teams were out in the field responding to the calls and prioritizing responses and service by assessing level of hazard. Crews will continue to address high priority hazardous or potentially hazardous situations over the evening.  Other reports regarding damanaged trees will be addressed during regular business hours.  If public has a significant concern, please call the 24-hour Public Works hotline at 306-975-2476.
Transportation
The is a traffic signal pole that was downed at Central Avenue and Attridge Drive will have to be replaced by crews in the morning when the wind is at a safer level. All other traffic signals are now operational with power restored.
Information for Residents and Visitors

The City would again like to remind residents to keep safety a priority during extreme weather events such as this one.  In an emergency, residents are to phone 911 for immediate assistance.
Should a power outage affect traffic lights, please remember to treat intersections as a four-way stop, pull over and call 306-975-2981 to report the outage.
Residents are also reminded to avoid all downed power lines, and call 306-975-2621 to report a live wire emergency.
Additionally, the City recommends residents look at their trees and property during the daylight hours to ensure the area is safe.
Unless there are unusual conditions overnight, the next update from the City will be tomorrow morning at approximately 9:30 a.m.  Over the evening, please continue to watch for more information on Service Alerts.
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.

As of December 31, 2013, City of Saskatoon Building Standards has issued building permits valuing $1,088,500,000 ($1.1 billion), which again exceeded the record total permit value by 0.6 percent ($1,082,100,000). 

The dollar figure translates to 5,020 permits issued, which was very close to the record total set in 2012 of 5,196 permits issued. 

“The housing and construction industry remains extremely strong which is excellent news for Saskatoon,” says Building Standards Director, Bob Baran.

Permits issued for residential construction projects – new builds and improvements – make up approximately 82 percent (4,092) of all building permits issued in 2013 and approximately 57 percent ($619.5 M) of the construction value.

“These include one and two-unit dwellings as well as secondary suites, apartments and row housing projects,” Baran says. “This is a slight decrease in permits of approximately 0.3 percent from 2012.”

Additionally, 12 building permits issued exceed a construction value of $10,000,000 compared to only 5 permits in 2012.  There were 116 permits that had a value of construction between $1,000,000 and $10,000,000.

City Manager Murray Totland calls the record a “sign of a thriving city.”

“It is reflective of the tremendous growth and change that Saskatoon is experiencing”. Totland says.  “The record breaking construction also indicates the City of Saskatoon continues to support its vision of becoming a 21^st century city.”

Building Standards is responsible for approving building and plumbing permits and related inspection programs.  The division administers the regulations contained in the Building Bylaw, the Swimming Pool Bylaw, the Uniform Building and Accessibility Standards Act, the National Building Code, and the Plumbing and Drainage Regulations.

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. 

 Starting at 10:15 a.m. Wednesday, January 15, the Broadway Bridge eastbound curb lane will be closed while City crews thaw a storm water outfall below the bridge that is causing surface flooding.  The eastbound pedestrian walkway will also be closed during this process.

The roadway is expected to re-open by 2:00 p.m., weather permitting and barring any unforeseen circumstances.  The City thanks everyone for their patience.

Drivers are reminded to allow extra time when travelling through a work zone, watch for pedestrians and work crews, and for everyone’s safety, please obey all detours, signs and barriers.

Know before you go! Find up-to-date traffic detour information at www.saskatoon.ca/go/traffic and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Traffic is being restricted on Confederation Drive northbound at 22nd Street due to a break on the water main.  City crews will be on-site making repairs beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, January 4, but the restriction is in place now due to damage that occurred on the roadway.  Traffic will squeeze to the curb lane for half of the block between 22nd Street and the main west entrance to the Confederation Park shopping mall. 

Both west entrances to the shopping centre remain open, but drivers are cautioned to expect delays in the area.  Some businesses in the area may be affected by the water service outage.

This is the second water main break at this location over the past month, but the cause or extent of the damage is unknown at this time.  The roadway is expected to reopen in the early-evening on Saturday, January 4, weather permitting and barring any unforeseen circumstances.  The City thanks drivers for their patience.

Drivers are reminded to allow extra time when travelling through the orange zone, watch for pedestrians and work crews, and for everyone’s safety, please obey all detours, signs and barriers.

Know before you go! Find up-to-date traffic detour information at www.saskatoon.ca/go/traffic and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Starting today, citizens of Saskatoon have another way to provide feedback and ideas on the City of Saskatoon’s programs and initiatives.

Shaping Saskatoon is a new brand and online community engagement tool. It allows citizens to take part in discussions, online forums, or surveys from a home computer or any mobile device, at a time and place that is most convenient for them. The online tool will supplement the City’s existing community engagement tools which include public meetings, open houses, surveys, focus groups, and the City’s Facebook, Twitter and Blog pages.

“We believe there is tremendous value in conducting public engagement as it helps to inform decision-making and set policies,” says Catherine Gryba, General Manager of Corporate Performance. “Through the Saskatoon Speaks initiative, we learned that the citizens of Saskatoon want to be engaged in civic matters, and according to the 2013 Civic Services Survey, only 10% of participants said public meetings are their preferred source of information, so we felt there was a need to implement this new online tool that is easy to access and convenient to use.”

The online tool will be offered as a part of any engagement activity being conducted on City projects or initiative where public input would be helpful.

Citizens are invited to visit Shaping Saskatoon at any time to view projects and to participate in discussions, forums or surveys.  Citizens must first sign in by providing a valid email address and password, as well as their first and last name.

A protocol for conducting online engagement has been developed which users can access through the site. The City of Saskatoon Privacy Policy also applies to any information shared on the site.

To access the site, click the Shaping Saskatoon icon on the home page of the City’s website (www.saskatoon.ca) or go to www.shapingsaskatoon.ca.

Engagement is currently taking place on the topic of Smart Meters, and citizens are invited to take part now!

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.

In accordance with Section 6-62(2) of the Saskatchewan Employment Act, the Employer can communicate facts and its opinion to the employees. The Employer feels it is necessary to provide details to its staff and to the public on the state of negotiations and the final offer to ATU 615. 

The following overview presents a summary of facts, for your information:

Wages

The following wage adjustments will be applied.

January 1, 2013     2.50%

January 1, 2014     2.20%

January 1, 2015     2.65%

January 1, 2016     2.65 %

This increase is the same wage adjustments agreed to by 8 other civic collective bargaining units.  This wage increase will provide a 10.38% wage increase (compounded) over a four year term.

This wage structure stays ahead of the Consumer Price Index and is a fair offer.

“Western Canadian Average”

Overall, the transit union leadership has proposed a wage adjustment based on a formula it calls a western Canadian average.  This formula includes Winnipeg, Regina and four transit operations in Alberta, including Calgary and Edmonton, which serve populations of about a million people each and both cities operate light rail systems.

The ATU proposal to set wages based on a western Canadian average formula does not achieve our needs.

In comparison to Regina and Winnipeg, Saskatoon offers a very competitive wage package.  The City wage offer to ATU will result in a bus operator (top rate) as of January 1, 2015 being paid $25.65.  As of January 1, 2015 Winnipeg will be paying $25.64 and Regina will be paying $25.88. 

Other facts include:

·     Transit workers are recruited not regionally but largely from the local area

·     Labour market wage and benefit competitiveness is driven by local market conditions and Saskatoon’s micro economy.

·     The amount of money the City has for collective bargaining needs to be determined based on factors important to Saskatoon taxpayers such as: wise spending, what citizens want, sound business planning, and local economic conditions.

Saskatoon and Winnipeg wages are essentially the same and our wage is very close to the wages paid by Regina; we consider this to be a fairer comparison in terms of service and population.

In short, the proposed western Canadian average is not an oranges to oranges comparison.

Garbage truck drivers are paid better?

The transit union leadership has publicly highlighted a difference between garbage truck operators and transit operators with transit divers receiving less; this is true.  However, Saskatoon Transit operators receive a more generous health and dental plan than do Saskatoon garbage truck drivers.

·     A CUPE 859 Operator (garbage truck driver) is paid $25.92/hr (2015);  an ATU Operator (2015) is paid $25.65/hr

·     The City provides 3.5% towards Extended Health and Dental for ATU: The City provides 2.0% towards Extended Health and Dental for CUPE 859:

So, there are always trade-offs according to what the bargaining unit decides and negotiates for its members.

Regina Transit wages

The transit union leadership has also pointed to a better wage schedule for Regina transit operators.  The Regina transit union gave up its provision for severance pay to get a higher wage scale.

Pension

ATU 615 is the only city collective bargaining unit that has not signed on to important pension contribution changes.  Ten other unions and professional associations (the Fire union included) have reached an agreement in principle regarding changes to the benefit structure of the pension plan.  The parties believe these changes set out a framework for the long term sustainability of the Plan.

Without these changes a significant portion of the money that the City has set aside for wage increases will have to be redirected to pay for the cost of the pension plans unfunded liability.

TERM

The term of the Agreement is for 4 years.  The term is for the period of January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2016.

Saskatoon Transit continues to operate as usual.

At this time, Saskatoon Transit thanks the public for its patience and understanding.

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