News Releases

Saskatoon is bracing itself for a severe winter storm – in two waves –, with snowfall today and blizzard conditions with more significant amounts of snowfall and wind carrying into Sunday. The City is actively planning and responding to what could be a record snowfall; approximately 35 cm by Sunday evening with wind gusts of up to 80 km/hr.

Snow Clearing

City snow crews are sanding priority roadways and are on standby to begin plowing, clearing and de-icing when needed. During the snowfall, efforts will be focused on the busiest streets and access to emergency services. Crews may need to revisit these streets multiple times to maintain mobility before the snowfall stops.

“Mobility may become a challenge, particularly on Sunday and into Monday morning,” says Goran Saric, Director of Roadways, Fleet and Support. “We ask that residents try to avoid unnecessary travel, but if they must, please practice caution around city crews and allow them to execute the snow clean-up as quickly and efficiently as possible.”

Once the highest priority streets are cleared, crews will move through the rest of the priority system, which is expected to take several days to work through.

Saric adds with the Civic election on Monday, the strategy aims to maximize, as is safe and practical, people being able to move around the City before, during, and after the storm, which includes accessing polling stations.

Residents are reminded that snow removal crews are equipped with blue and amber flashing lights. They should stay 2-3 vehicle lengths behind and be prepared to stop quickly.

More information on the City’s snow clearing efforts can be found at saskatoon.ca/snow

Emergency Preparedness

The City would also like to remind residents of some important emergency preparedness tips to help ensure their safety during the storm.

1. Have an inventory of everything that the members and pets in your household would need for several days, including foods and medications.
2. Charge your phones, tablets, and portable battery packs; and equip yourself with a supply of batteries for radios and other battery-operated devices.
3. Reach out to people who may require support:
   • More than 300 people in Saskatoon are self-isolating due to COVID-19.
   • Consider whether any of your neighbours might need assistance, including those that are seniors or have disabilities.
4. If travel is necessary:
   • Equip yourself with an emergency kit containing warm clothes, blankets, candles, and snacks.
   • Be sure to let someone know where you’re going and when you arrive.
   • Plan for delays in your commute to work on Monday and for getting children to school.
   • Activate the GPS locator app on your smartphone (‘Find My’ on iPhone and ‘Find My Device’ on Android) to allow assigned contacts to track you.

A more detailed list of emergency preparedness tips can be found at saskatoon.ca/snowstorm2020

Residents are encouraged to subscribe to NotifyNow for updates on public safety messages.

For timely updates on snow and ice alerts visit saskatoon.ca/service-alerts and follow us at twitter.com/YXEServiceAlert.

There was a serious incident today inside the lobby at City Hall and a man was injured.  City staff are now being offered mental health supports in the wake of this event.

The Saskatoon Police Service publicly shared the following details:

At approximately 2:00 p.m., November 2, 2020, Police responded to City Hall after reports that a man was in the lobby and threatening to cause harm to himself. The man then did produce a knife and caused injury to himself before police could intervene. There were no threats made against any other persons. The 21-year-old man was transported to hospital for treatment and is believed to be in stable condition at this time.

City Manager Jeff Jorgenson says there were many staff members who saw this happen and some may be deeply affected by this traumatic incident. “We understand what our staff members and first responders are going through, and we support them,” he says. “Our thoughts are also with the man that paramedics took to the hospital.”

Jorgenson says counselling resources are available to everyone touched by this. Most immediately, Jorgenson says one-on-one sessions are being arranged with trained counsellors for staff who need someone to talk to.

Additionally, to further help provide the necessary support and counselling to staff, City Hall and the customer care line will be closed on Tuesday, November 3^rd from 8:00 a.m. to noon.  Online services are available. 

The advance polling station at City Hall, accessible through door 1A, will stay open. 

We greatly appreciate everyone’s understanding and compassion at this time.

With the colder temperatures kicking in, the dingoes and grizzly bears at the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo (Zoo) are settling into their new daily routines. Grizzly bears Mistaya (miss‑TIE’‑yuh) and Koda (KOH’-dah) are preparing for their annual deep sleep and dingoes Maple and Euci will be heading inside for warmer temperatures.

“Native areas for dingoes typically do not see temperatures below minus 5 degrees Celsius,” says Zoo Manager Jeff Mitchell. “Since Maple and Euci have not adapted to our cold weather in Saskatoon, we will be providing them access to one of our indoor facilities.”

Mitchell notes, while the dingoes will still have access to outside, they will likely stay indoors once colder temperatures set in.

As for the grizzlies, it is business as usual for Mistaya and Koda as the bears prepare for their annual deep sleep called torpor.

“The bears have been steadily building up their fat reserves during hyperphagia – a time when they eat over 10,000 calories a day and drink up to five gallons of water,” says Jeff Mitchell. “Once their deep sleep begins, we expect to see their heart rate and breathing rates decrease along with their body temperature.”

During torpor, bears can sleep for more than 100 days without eating, drinking or passing waste. It is expected that Mistaya and Koda will begin their deep sleep in the coming weeks.

Cameras will once again be live in the bear dens so that the Zoo can closely monitor behavior, activity levels, and breathing patterns. The Zoo will be working closely with Canada's Accredited Zoos and Aquariums Nutrition Advisory and Research Group to carefully monitor the bears throughout the winter.

The Zoo is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and admission is by donation until March 31. For more information on the Zoo, please visit saskatoon.ca/zoo.