News Releases

Following the 2018-2019 Provincial Budget reinstatement of the SaskEnergy Grant-in-Lieu of taxes (GIL), City Council is in the position to reduce residential property taxes by nearly a single percentage. 

“This is most definitely a positive development,” says Kerry Tarasoff, Chief Financial Officer. “Anytime we can ease the load on the property tax is most welcome.” 

Instead of traditional property taxes, the provincial government has paid the City GIL for property and rights-of-way on which SaskPower, SaskEnergy, and TransGas operate within Saskatoon.   

Last spring, the 2017-2018 Provincial Budget eliminated the provincial utility GIL to municipalities. This left the City with a $11.4 million shortfall.  

The combined negative impact to the City’s 2017 and 2018 budgets due to the loss of the SaskEnergy GIL was $5.72 million. 

Through careful planning, spending and cost reductions, just $2.66 million of that was passed onto taxpayers.  

“With the Province re-establishing the GIL for SaskEnergy, we’re able to replace three-quarters of that amount this year and apply the rest for next year’s budget,” Tarasoff says. 

Tarasoff says that translates to a 0.91% property tax reduction, bringing the 2018 rate to 3.79%. 

The 3.79% increase means a typical single-family home with an assessed value of $371,000 will pay an additional $5.50 per month or $66 for the year.  

In an effort to move to a model based on higher frequency, Saskatoon Transit is pleased to announce service changes to better meet the needs of citizens. Saskatoon Transit will continue to offer high frequency service along main corridors with the addition of ten minute frequency along Preston Avenue and Attridge Drive up to Nelson Road/Lowe Road.

“It is encouraging to see increased ridership levels in the 2017 Saskatoon Transit Annual Report,” says Jim McDonald, Director of Saskatoon Transit. “With the service changes we are making to improve the frequency, people are recognizing transit as a viable option. Connecting the northeast corner of the city with higher frequency is another step towards bus rapid transit (BRT).”

The more frequent service will apply throughout weekdays with thirty minute frequency during evenings, weekends and statutory holidays. These service changes will take effect on July 1, 2018. It is anticipated these improvements will have a major impact on the way residents in this area use Saskatoon Transit.

The goals of these service improvements are to provide more convenient and quicker daily commutes, drastically reduce wait times, improve reliability and reduce travel time.

“We continue to make transit a convenient option for Saskatoon residents,” says McDonald. “High frequency service to more areas of the city will provide superior service along high demand corridors.” 

All of the new and altered routes can be viewed at SaskatoonTransit.ca. A public engagement session will be held on Tuesday, April 17, 2018 from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. at The Alice Turner Library. New routes will be on display and attendees will have the opportunity to hear about future transit service and ask any questions they may have.  

“This is the public’s chance to provide feedback on how the new routes will affect their commute”, says McDonald. “We hope residents and our current rider base will come out and let us know what they think.”

A short survey is also available at SaskatoonTransit.ca asking residents how the service changes affect them.   

While mass casualty incidents (MCI) are rare in Canada, our community needs to be prepared.  To that end, the Saskatoon Police Service Foundation (SPSF) is pleased to help provide funding for ballistic vests and helmets for firefighters, who are always on the front line in such an incident.

“Firefighters are often confronted with dangerous situations when they respond to calls,” says Vera Pezer, President of the SPSF.  “They are frequently working alongside police and ambulance service personnel when a high degree of risk is involved.”

A recent MCI training scenario revealed the need for additional protective equipment in the form of ballistic vests and helmets for Saskatoon Fire Department Primary Care Paramedics.  The foundation has committed $10 thousand in funding.

“We’re grateful for this generous support,” says Fire Chief Morgan Hackl. “In order for us to do our job in the ‘hot zone’ during a mass casualty incident, our paramedics need to have the equipment that will help us help others.”

The SPS Foundation is an incorporated, not-for-profit, community-led organization. It is dedicated to raising funds to support projects that contribute to community safety.

“We have seen mass casualty incidents occur regularly around the world”, said Police Chief Troy Cooper.  “While Saskatoon has not had a similar incident, this initiative will allow for enhanced cooperation with our partners in response to crisis.” 

The proceeds of its annual SPS Foundation Half Marathon, being held on April 29, will go towards this initiative.

For more information on the Saskatoon Police Foundation, visit https://saskatoonpoliceservicefoundation.org/.

In recognition of the Humboldt Broncos hockey team and the lives lost in Friday night’s highway bus tragedy, the City is lowering all flags to half-mast at civic facilities across Saskatoon. It is a small way of acknowledging the impact on the hockey community and people all across the province, and further today.

Mayor Charlie Clark says, “We are all devastated by the tragic bus crash of the Humboldt Broncos hockey team. 

These players and staff have family and friends throughout our whole province. They have touched us all. 

Saskatoon will offer support in any way we can as we all try to come to terms with the impacts of this heartbreaking accident. We have our Police, Fire, and Ambulance members all on the scene, providing emergency management and wellness supports. 

Sincere thanks to everyone who helped out last night and who continues to provide support, from emergency responders, to the media keeping us updated, to the community members who are providing comfort in this time of deep sadness. 

The City of Saskatoon will be lowering flags to half-mast in recognition of lives lost in this tragedy.” 

Every home has some level of risk for flooding during spring snow melt and rain storms.  An innovative new program was launched today in Saskatoon to help people take proactive measures and reduce their flood risk, thanks to sponsorship provided by the City and SGI CANADA.

“Homeowners can register now for a free or partially-subsidized professional home assessment to help identify flood risks through the Home Flood Protection Program,” said Reid Corbett, Director of Saskatoon Water. “Early action and preventative maintenance activities can help reduce these risks in the short and long term."

Home assessments are completed by a national environmental consulting agency - a $450 value - at a reduced rate of $125. Up to 100 homes that meet the criteria for high-risk flooding areas are eligible for a free home assessment.

Once a homeowner registers and books their 60-90 minute appointment, a trained assessor completes a 50-point visual assessment and provides a list of the top actions to reduce flood risk. Participants can also access self-help resources, a customer service help-line and local service provider information as they start implementing the recommendations.

“This leading-edge flood resiliency program comes at an important time,” said Cheryl Evans, Director of the Home Flood Protection Program at the University of Waterloo’s Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation. “As the frequency and severity of extreme weather due to climate change is increasing and exposes many homes to possible basement flooding.”

The Home Flood Protection Program was first piloted in Burlington, Ontario last year and is now available in Saskatoon for up to 400 owners of fully-detached, semi-detached and townhomes. Lessons learned from the pilot program will inform a broader rollout of the program across Canada.

City Council approved funding for the Home Flood Protection Program in response to feedback from residents in areas that experienced flooding during the July and August 2017 intense rain events.

The Home Flood Protection Program was developed by the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation at the University of Waterloo, is delivered locally by AET Group and sponsored by the City of Saskatoon and SGI CANADA. Homeowners who are interested in participating in the program can register online now or call 1-877-876-9235 (toll-free).

The City is reminding everyone that it wants to hear ideas on how to improve our lives through innovation, data, and technology; it is all part of the Smart Cities Challenge.

The Smart Cities Challenge asks communities to share their best ideas for using technology and data to improve livability and opportunities for the city and its residents.

The first step in the application process is to develop a Challenge Statement that defines the outcomes a community aims to achieve.

For Saskatoon, the focus is on improving community safety and well-being.  We need residents to weigh in with feedback, so the City has begun a process of reaching out to individuals, families, community organizations, institutions, and the technology sector.

Saskatoon residents are being asked for their ideas on how to address the challenges our city faces as they relate to community safety and well-being.

Everyone can get involved by visiting saskatoon.ca/engage on or before Monday, April 2, 2018, and answering four questions to participate in a community-wide brainstorm to narrow down key themes for the Challenge Statement.

The City is partnering with the Central Urban Métis Federation, Saskatoon Health Authority, Saskatoon Police Service, Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Saskatoon Tribal Council, United Way, and University of Saskatchewan in the development of the Smart Cities Challenge Application.

Challenge Details
Recently launched by the Government of Canada, the Challenge has three rounds of competition.  Saskatoon has until Tuesday, April 24, 2018, to submit a Challenge Statement application in the first round.  The Government of Canada will announce round one finalists in Summer 2018, and each finalist will receive $250,000 to further develop their ideas into a full proposal.  Winners will be announced in Spring 2019 and will have their ideas funded through a potential $10 million prize (Eligible Category:  Communities with Populations under 500,000).

Visit the Government of Canada's Challenge website to learn more about Smart Cities, and join the conversation on Twitter with hashtag #smartcitiesCanada.

The newest members of the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo (Zoo) family have quickly settled into their new digs at the Meerkat House and embraced their new life as Saskatonians.

“The new exhibit is quite amazing,” says Tim Sinclair-Smith, Zoo Manager.  “It features a naturalistic habitat with desert sand dunes, termite mound replicas, nest boxes, and specially made tunnel systems.  We are also working on setting up nest box cameras that will provide an up-close look at the meerkat tunnels throughout the exhibit.”

Transforming the former Komodo Island exhibit to the new Meerkat House was made possible through the generous support of the Saskatoon Zoo Foundation who raises funds for capital projects and improvements within the Zoo.  Following up on the success of the Komodo Island exhibit, the Foundation provided the required funding to bring the Meerkat House exhibit to life.

“The Saskatoon Zoo Foundation is very excited to play a role in bringing the meerkats to the Zoo,” says Dawn Woroniuk, Executive Director, Saskatoon Zoo Foundation.  “We embraced the opportunity to provide the funding to flip the exhibit space in order to bring a species that most of us never imagined coming to the Zoo.”

The new Meerkat House also features original artwork created by students from Georges Vanier Catholic Fine Arts School.  The school has been working with the Zoo to create cut-out displays highlighting various animals, with the latest installation featuring the meerkats.

Visitors to the Zoo will have their first opportunity to see the meerkats in their new permanent home when the exhibit officially opens to the public on Sunday, April 1, 2018.

Residents are encouraged to come and experience the cuteness for themselves. The Zoo is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. until the end of April and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. starting in May.  Additional information can be found at saskatoon.ca/zoo.

The City of Saskatoon and the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies (SIIT) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to create greater education, career development and training opportunities for Indigenous students and workers.

“SIIT is pleased to strengthen our relationship with the City of Saskatoon through the signing of this MOU,” says Chief Darcy Bear, SIIT Board of Governors Chairperson. “SIIT serves approximately 10,000 students and clients per year across the province,” Chief Bear says. “Partnerships, such as this one, help provide a better conduit for our students to find employment opportunities within all areas of the city’s workforce”.  

The formal agreement outlines a framework for collaboration between the two organizations, including strategic initiatives to improve the quality of life for SIIT students while living in Saskatoon.

“Strengthening our partnership with SIIT will not only help the City of Saskatoon have a more representative workforce, but it will create valuable learning opportunities for SIIT students, many who move to Saskatoon for their program and stay here after they graduate,” says Mayor Charlie Clark.

“In working more closely with this academic institution we can ensure that the programming and courses of SIIT fit well with the needs and issues facing the city,” Mayor Clark says. “This will support students in a way that advances the needs and aspirations of everyone.”

Key initiatives include:

• Develop targeted strategies to recruit students to enter into and succeed in employment.
• Engage students to identify and address barriers to employment, such as transportation, child care and housing.

“As the Saskatoon Student Association President, I look forward to any partnerships that help to reduce barriers while students are at SIIT and assist them in securing employment after they complete their education. Pursuing an education can be a stressful experience with many obstacles, any time we reduce obstacles we improve student success,” says Violet Swan, SIIT Saskatoon Student Association President.

In 2014, SIIT and the City of Saskatoon signed an ongoing agreement that provides full time students with a Transit U-pass at a discounted rate, for the September to May academic year.

The MOU responds directly to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action, specifically #92: “Ensure that Aboriginal peoples have equitable access to jobs, training, and education opportunities in the corporate sector, and that Aboriginal communities gain long-term sustainable benefits from economic development projects.”

Under the City of Saskatoon’s Strategic Goal of Continuous Improvement, this agreement supports the long term strategy of offering an inclusive workplace that embraces diverse backgrounds. This agreement also supports the City’s long-term strategy of strengthening relations with local Aboriginal organizations, under the Strategic Goal of Quality of Life.