News Releases

Following an extensive veterinary examination, the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo has made a difficult decision to next week say goodbye to Ma the Capuchin Monkey.

“We don’t take a decision like this lightly,” says Zoo manager Tim Sinclair-Smith. “We know announcing this makes many of us uncomfortable about the animals we love and care for however Ma’s health and quality of life continues to decline and we have made the medical and humane decision to let her go.”

Ma has been in palliative care at the Zoo and has needed prescribed pain and anti-inflammatory medication.

“We have been managing Ma’s pain associated with aging for over a year but despite our best attempts, her quality of life has diminished and we are no longer able to control her pain,” says Dr. Dennilyn Parker an expert in Zoo, Exotic and Wildlife Medicine at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine.

A Capuchin Monkey’s average life expectancy can be as much as 25 years in the wild and up to 40 years in captivity.

Ma arrived at the Zoo in 1974 from the U of S when she was about two-years-old – which makes her about 47 or older.

“With dedicated support, love and care here at the Zoo, Ma well surpassed the typical lifespan of her species,” Sinclair-Smith says.

“We are going to miss her and while we know this will have a deep effect on our staff and anyone who’s come to see her since the mid-1970s, it’s the compassionate thing to do.”

In a given year, the City cleans out between 3,000 and 4,000 service lines connecting residential properties to the City’s sanitary sewer system. The sanitary sewer system is like a giant funnel with over 75,000 connections all directed to the Wastewater Treatment Plant. When individuals put harmful things down the drain it can quickly become a significant problem in the sewer system.

To shift behaviors, the City has developed an education campaign that is targeted towards residential users of the sanitary sewer. The goal behind Prevent Irritable Sewer Syndrome is to build awareness of what is and is not to be flushed down toilets and rinsed down sinks, and to reduce the number of blockages experienced throughout the community.

“Most drain clogs occur when materials do not dissolve or break apart in water. The common culprit for clogged drains in our community is grease and flushable wipes”, says Russ Munro, Director of Water & Waste Operations. “Increased understanding of how certain materials impact the sewer system and how to properly dispose of these items will help decrease the amount of sewer backups residents experience, which can be extremely costly and very inconvenient.”

What can residents do to help?

• Wipe fats, oils and grease off dishes before washing.
• Compost organic waste (food scraps, coffee grounds and paper towel).
• Return pharmaceuticals to pharmacy.
• Dispose of wipes, diapers, personal hygiene products, and family planning products in the garbage.
• Unload hazardous products at the household hazardous waste drop-off site.

To learn more on how to protect your pipes and Prevent Irritable Sewer Syndrome, visit: saskatoon.ca/irritable-sewer-syndrome.

The City of Saskatoon continues to make progress on recovering $1.04 million in funds that earlier this month were directed to a fraudster’s bank account through a fraud scheme.

“While it is early in the investigation, we’re pleased to say most of the funds have been identified or traced and have been locked-down by Court order,” says City Manager Jeff Jorgenson.

Jorgenson says the City is chasing down every lead and working with banking institutions and the Saskatoon Police Service.

“Recovery of the remaining funds, further fortifying our controls, and gathering all of the facts continues to be the City’s number-one priority,” he says. “This is a very good start and we are cautiously optimistic about recovering more funds.”

A fraudster electronically impersonated the Chief Financial Officer of Allan Construction, asking for a change of banking information. The City complied, and as a result, the next contract payment intended to go to that company, was directed to the fraudster’s bank account. The fraud was identified on August 12, 2019.

“It’s very disconcerting that the perpetrator used my name and our company name to commit this crime,” says Allan Construction’s CFO Blaine Dubreuil. “We have done a security assessment and are confident that our systems were not hacked or compromised. We’ll be working closely with the City of Saskatoon and the Saskatoon Police Service as the investigation continues.”

The City has issued a claim with its insurer. To protect the integrity of the police investigation the City and Allan Construction are not at liberty to disclose further details.

Clarence Avenue and 14th Street now has an illuminated crossing that accommodates both pedestrians and cyclists, thanks to a grant from the provincial Traffic Safety Fund, derived from photo speed enforcement fine revenue. Earlier this year, the City received a $45,000 grant to install signage, special illumination and amber flashing beacons at the intersection. It is the first pedestrian-cyclist actuated signal in Saskatoon.

“Initially, only a pedestrian signal was to be installed,” says Jay Magus, Director of Transportation. “However, it made sense to add the cyclist signal as well because 14th Street is a shared-use on-road cycling lane.”

The crossing operates as any other illuminated crossing in the city, but includes a cyclist push button that is easily accessible to those who simply ride up next to it. Tips on how to use the new pedestrian and cyclist crossing are available at Saskatoon.ca/bike.

Residents of Nutana and Varsity View had identified Clarence Avenue and 14th Street as a necessary location for pedestrian safety improvements through the City’s neighbourhood traffic review process. In choosing recipients, the Photo Speed Enforcement committee looked at criteria focused on priority areas including intersection safety, aggressive driving, speeding and vulnerable road users.  

Provincial Traffic Safety Fund grants will be awarded twice annually. The City plans to continue submitting funding applications to improve safety at other intersections and school zones throughout Saskatoon.

The City of Saskatoon has been affected by a fraud scheme, where a fraudster electronically impersonated the CFO of a construction company and asked for a change of banking information.  The City complied, and as a result, the next contract payment intended to go to that company, $1.04 million, was directed to the fraudster’s bank account.  The fraud was identified on August 12, 2019.

Upon discovering the fraudulent activity, the City notified its internal auditor, the Saskatoon Police Service and other authorities including banking institutions.

“Our focus at this time is on recovery of the funds.  We have experts engaged from our internal auditor, the banks affected, and the Saskatoon Police Service.  Additionally we have external and internal experts pouring over financial transactions and processes to do everything reasonably possible to protect the City from any further attacks”, City Manager, Jeff Jorgenson says.

“This incident is a serious criminal matter, and the City is working hard to recover these funds, minimize the opportunities for this to occur in the future, and to cooperate with the police in this investigation,” says Mayor Charlie Clark

“As this is an ongoing investigation, the City cannot disclose further details about the fraud at this time.  The City is now notifying the media and the public in an effort to be transparent and also to warn other corporations.  The City will continue to work with and fully cooperate with law enforcement”, says Jorgenson.