News Releases

City Administration is proposing the development of a new bylaw to improve the City’s ability to protect trees on public property. City Council’s Standing Policy Committee on Environment, Utilities and Corporate Services will consider a report at its meeting December 5, which recommends the development of a new tree protection bylaw, as well as revisions to the existing Trees on City Property Council Policy, to improve the protection, growth and preservation of public trees.

“While a bylaw will help address and formalize compliance issues, the City’s enforcement approach will always prioritize education and collaboration as our primary courses of action,” says Darren Crilly, Director of Parks. “Overall, a tree protection bylaw will help to sustain the health, beauty and safety of the City’s urban forest by providing an effective mechanism to protect and preserve trees on public property for future generations.”

Protecting Saskatoon’s urban forest is one of the key action areas identified in the City’s Pathway to a Sustainable Urban Forest Implementation Plan -- approved in principle -- by Council on October 31, 2022. The plan includes multiple recommendations with specific focus on the following areas:

• develop a new tree protection bylaw for trees on City property and update existing City Council Policy No. C09-011, Trees on City Property;
• develop a formalized tree protection process that ensures clear and consistent processes for stakeholders who conduct work near public trees; and
• update and consolidate tree protection specifications for work that takes place near public trees.

Upon approval by City Council, the City will work to develop the new bylaw and revise the existing policy for Council approval in late 2023.

For more information, visit saskatoon.ca/engage and search for Tree Protection Bylaw.

After two days of deliberations, Saskatoon City Council concluded its 2023 Budget review November 29, 2022, to finalize the City’s operating and capital budgets, boards, commissions and utility budgets for this second year of the 2022/2023 Multi-Year Business Plan and Budget cycle. The 2023 Operating and Capital Plan was prior approved in principle in 2021 but required formal approval by City Council at the 2023 Budget deliberations as per the Council Policy.

“Every year, Council deliberates the budget to bring in the lowest property tax rate, especially when we know times are tight for everyone.  We were able to bring down the proposed tax increase in 2023 from 4.38% to 3.93%,” says Mayor Charlie Clark. “We continue to recover from the challenges brought on by the pandemic and are now facing some of the highest inflationary pressures in generations. This strategic budget balances the need to be as prudent as possible and ensures we are providing the core services that residents rely on.”  

For a homeowner with a single-family detached home with an average assessed value of $344,000, the 3.93% municipal property tax increase equates to $6.53/month or $78.34/year in 2023.

To account for rising costs and global inflation the City is facing, Administration had recommended several adjustments to the 2023 Budget which resulted in a proposed property tax rate of 4.38%. This was the tax rate to maintain and deliver the existing service levels to the community and to ensure the City’s resources remained aligned for 2023. City Council has the flexibility in year two of the budget cycle to make any necessary budgetary corrections for events or circumstances requiring funding or resource adjustments.

City Council directed $1,640,000 be transferred from the Reserve for Capital Expenditures (RCE) to the Fiscal Stabilization Reserve and made the following adjustments to reduce the 2023 municipal property tax rate:

• $700,000 reduction to the corporate fuel increase assumptions
• $500,000 deferred reduction to the Return on Investment received from Saskatoon Light & Power
• Council deferred an $83,600 contribution to the Transit Vehicle Replacement Reserve which was possible because of a recent $6.5 million commitment in 2022 to fleet renewal as part of a comprehensive fleet asset management strategy approved by Council in 2022
• $68,700 reduced from the contribution to the Reserve for Major Special Events

2023 Budget adjustments and approvals:

• City Council increased ongoing operating funding of $100,000 to the Attainable Housing Program as well as provided one-time funding of $550,000 from dividends declared from the City’s Neighbourhood Land Development Fund
• Additional funding of $245,000 was also allocated to develop a Housing Strategy which will include Housing Needs Assessment, Best Practices Review and Engagement  
• $160,000 allocated from Reserves toward Heritage Program Updates
• $95,000 to fund a one-time operating contribution for a Shelter Services Support Grant to the SPCA
• Curbside Organics Program fee of $6.73 monthly per roll-out cart for green cart organics collection starting in spring 2023

“For the 2023 Budget, we’ve made important investments to address the escalating crisis of homelessness in the city and the growing need for affordable housing,” adds Mayor Clark. “City Council has allocated funds to work with housing providers to get more units built and to increase our capacity to work strategically with our community partners on coordinated housing solutions and extreme weather strategies.”

The City of Saskatoon wishes to thank all residents, organizations and business owners in Saskatoon who wrote in or spoke to City Council at budget deliberations, or in the weeks leading up to budget review. Public feedback through engagement is valued throughout the year.

The finalized 2023 Budget document will be made available on the City’s website at saskatoon.ca/budget once completed.

The eighth and final Wîcihitowin Indigenous Engagement Conference will take place November 28-29 at Saskatoon’s TCU Place. After two years of gathering virtually, this year’s conference marks the return of meeting in-person, although there’s also an option to attend virtually.

Between 2007 and 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada travelled to all parts of Canada to bear witness to residential school experiences, to create a permanent historical record, and to engage and educate the public about Survivor experiences and intergenerational impacts. The theme of the 2022 Wîcihitowin Conference will be Bearing Witness in acknowledgement of this critical aspect of reconciliation.

Joining as speakers this year are the former Commissioners of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission — The Honourable Murray Sinclair (video presentation), Dr. Wilton Littlechild, and Dr. Marie Wilson. Other noteworthy presenters include Chief Cadmus Delorme of Cowessess First Nation; Gilles Dorval, past Indigenous Initiatives Director for the City of Saskatoon; Merelda Fiddler-Potter, former CBC reporter; and nearly a dozen Residential School Survivors.

The conference will be co-hosted by April Sora, Diversity & Inclusion Consultant at the City of Saskatoon, and Neal Kewistep, Executive-in-Residence at the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy. The complete agenda is available here.

Wîcihitowin Conference youth panelist, Allison Forsberg says: “The Wîcihitowin Conference provides Survivors and their families with an opportunity to honour each other, acknowledge the experiences that our ancestors went through, and is a place where we can all listen and learn from one another. Even though this is the eighth and final year of this conference, we think this is the beginning of a new reconciliation journey for the community.”

Residential School Survivor, Gilbert Kewistep says: “I have appreciated being involved in the Wîcihitowin Indigenous Engagement Conference and the Saskatoon Survivors’ Circle over the past few years. It has provided me with a community to support me through my healing journey. Acknowledging and sharing the truth helps us Survivors in healing from our trauma. Sharing our teachings with the broader community helps others understand what we lost and what we are trying to regain. Although this conference’s journey is coming to an end, I see this as a bright step towards something new for our communities.”

City of Saskatoon Social Development Consultant and Co-Chair of the Wîcihitowin Conference Planning Committee, Roy Lavallee says: “The City and planning partners make a point to support this conference every year because we see the outcomes, year in and year out. The feedback we get from this event is always incredible – how it influenced individuals and organizations to change their thinking as well as their practices. Past participants feel that this conference has contributed to progress on Indigenous engagement and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action.”

United Way Saskatoon & Area Director of Labour Partnerships & Community Impact and Wîcihitowin Conference Planning Committee member, Andrea Howe says: “Over the past eight years, the Wîcihitowin Conference has welcomed audiences from across Saskatchewan, Canada, and around the world. It has invested in education by bringing together First Nations and Métis people with professional, academic, and lived-experience expertise, and has showcased Indigenous culture through dance, song, and art. Thanks to its investors, partner organizations, Survivors, and all conference attendees, the conference has re-invested over $1.3-million dollars into the community and reconciliation efforts.”

In-person registration is full but tickets to attend virtually are available at wicihitowin.ca until midnight on November 24 or until sold out. For real time conference updates, follow Wîcihitowin YXE on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

With the combined presence of COVID-19 and flu cases in our community, the health of vulnerable Elders and Residential School Survivors is our top priority. Conference attendees are being urged to adhere to the following health precautions if attending in-person:

• Stay home if feeling unwell
• Go home if feeling unwell during the event
• Get vaccinated against both the flu and COVID-19 (you require a booster if it's been more than 6 months since your last vaccination)
• Mask-wearing is strongly recommended
• Avoid physical contact such as hugs and shaking hands
• Wash hands regularly and make use of hand sanitizer – particularly before eating

The Wîcihitowin Indigenous Engagement Conference is made possible through financial and human resource contributions by the City of Saskatoon, Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, Saskatchewan Health Authority, United Way of Saskatoon & Area, and the Saskatoon Public Library, with additional financial investments from Nutrien (premier investor), Saskatoon Community Foundation, and other community/partner/friend investors. Complete list of sponsors here.

Today, City Administration released a detailed administrative report providing City Council with its proposed adjustments to the 2023 Budget. The 2023 Budget was preliminarily approved by City Council on November 29, 2021, as part of the City’s Multi-Year Budget.

The assumptions used to create the 2023 Business Plan and Budget in 2021 were based on the Administration’s estimate of revenues and expenditures at the time, including the recovery of lost revenues due to the impact of COVID-19. The financial landscape for the City in 2023 has changed significantly since the forecasted revenues and expenditures were developed in 2021. The City has continued to incur higher costs for fuel, natural gas, materials, supplies and labour – leading to significant changes to the assumptions and estimates used to produce the original 2023 Plan.

“This year has brought forward significant challenges for individuals, businesses and the City in terms of unforeseen inflationary pressures, which we expect to persist into 2023. These pressures, coupled with an already ambitious City budget target, require consideration for adjustments to ensure our service levels and resources are aligned,” says Clae Hack, Chief Financial Officer. “As such, the Administration is proposing several adjustments to the preliminary approved 2023 Budget to ensure the City’s service levels are maintained and resourced appropriately.”

“We recognize the financial pressures that individuals and businesses are already under within Saskatoon, however, in order to deliver the existing service levels these adjustments are required,” adds Hack. “As always, Administration remains committed to prudent financial management and continuing to find savings where we can. This is evidenced by the $5.7 million in targeted savings within the 2023 Budget and the approximately $600,000 in identified options Council can consider for reducing the property tax increase in 2023.”

If approved by Council, the proposed budget adjustments to the 2023 Operating Budget would provide more than $10.04 million in additional resources, which will be mostly used to combat rising prices in fuel, natural gas and other inflationary pressures. This increase in costs is offset by a nearly $7.76 million increase in revenues, leaving a $2.29 million gap to be filled by the property tax.  Based on these changes the preliminarily approved property tax increase of 3.53% is recommended to increase to 4.38%. For a homeowner with an average assessed value of $344,000, the proposed 2023 tax rate would result in an additional $7.28/month or $87.30/year.

Proposed budget adjustments to the 2023 Capital Budget would increase it by $37.4 million. Most of these expenses are related to land development projects which are primarily funded through development levies and reserves. City Council may choose to increase or decrease the amounts of the operating or capital budgets for any item presented earlier or for other items it would like to bring forward. 

City Council will also review and make its final decisions on the Board of Police Commissioners 2023 Operating Budget and Capital Budget, and the upcoming Curbside Organics 2023 Rate. Deliberation on all proposed budget adjustments and formal approval of the 2023 Operating and Capital Budgets and Business Plan will take place November 28, 29 & 30, 2022, in Council Chambers starting at 1 p.m.

For citizens interested in registering to provide comments or to speak to City Council at budget deliberations, please use the Submit a Letter/Request to Speak to Council form. Registration will be open as of 5 p.m., Wednesday, November 23. The deadline to submit your online form is Monday, November 28, 2022, at 10 a.m. For questions, please email city.clerks@saskatoon.ca or contact the City Clerk’s Office at 306-975-3240.

Visit saskatoon.ca/finance for more information on the multi-year budget process, timeline of prior decisions/events or to review budget-related documents.

Shared electric scooters (e-scooters) will be available for rent in Saskatoon by spring 2023. A two-year pilot will test the program framework developed through extensive public consultation. City Council approved the project this week where two vendors will operate up to 500 shared e-scooters from spring to fall each year.

“While many people are excited for new transportation options, others are concerned about safety for riders and pedestrians, enforcement and cost,” says Director of Transportation Jay Magus. “A pilot lets us evaluate if the rules in our framework can address these before committing to a permanent program.”

The benefit for Saskatoon residents and visitors is a fun, environmentally friendly solution to the first/last mile drawback of public transportation, creating better connectivity and increasing convenience. Fewer people driving personal vehicles can ultimately reduce congestion and GHG emissions associated with transportation.

Vendors will provide e-scooters with a center column and a floorboard; there is no seat, no operable pedals and they are not self-balancing.​ People will rent them through a mobile app to unlock them, then follow instructions for parking to return them.

“Many of the safety concerns can be addressed with technology,” says Magus. “Geofencing and sidewalk detection can limit the speed and location e-scooters can travel; and there are in-app incentives for wearing a helmet and proper parking.”

The framework for the pilot requires e-scooter renters to follow the Provincial regulations: riders must be 16 years or older, wear a helmet and are restricted to streets with a 50 km/h and lower speed limit and a maximum riding speed of 24 km/h.

The City plans to consider allowing private electric scooters in 2024 once we have conducted a year of this pilot program.

The full framework and summary of public engagement is available at saskatoon.ca/escooter.