News Releases

The City of Saskatoon has again received a favourable endorsement from S&P Global Rating Services,  which reconfirmed the City’s ‘AAA’ credit rating with a “stable” outlook.

“We’re pleased and excited with this rating,” says Kerry Tarasoff, Chief Financial Officer. “The City is expected to benefit from a diverse economy, keep debt manageable and be able to deliver a responsible budget.”

Calling Saskatoon the “economic engine of Saskatchewan,” S&P Global Rating Services today re-affirmed ‘AAA’ long-term issuer credit and senior unsecured debt ratings on the City.

Key points within the S&P report are:

• Saskatoon has a “diverse economy and prudent management”
• The City’s record of “robust fiscal performance” is expected to continue
• The strong financial performance will allow the City to “…proceed with its capital agenda while maintaining healthy liquidity and minimal debt.” 

“The 'AAA' rating is important because it allows City Council to be able to plan for the steady population growth that we’ve experienced for the past decade or so and the growth that continues at a rate around two per cent a year,” Tarasoff says. “At our population right now that’s like adding another City of Humboldt or City of Melfort to our community over the next year.”

For more information, the report entitled “City of Saskatoon Ratings Affirmed At ‘AAA’; Outlook Remains Stable” is available on the City’s website saskatoon.ca.

Annual ridership has increased and is expected to top 1 million rides per month in 2019.  

“Any increase in ridership is encouraging to see, but 8% is incredible,” says Jim McDonald, Director of Saskatoon Transit. “It shows people are recognizing transit as a viable alternative. However, in order to keep increasing our ridership numbers, we must continue to focus on the customer first.”

In 2017, Saskatoon Transit implemented the first high frequency transit corridors (8^th Street and 22^nd Street) decreasing the amount of time riders have to wait for the next bus. In 2018, Saskatoon Transit continued to add high frequency routes and saw more riders adopting real-time transit apps to plan their trips. As we get closer to Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) implementation we will continue to make improvements – 2019 will focus on a bus stop audit to ensure bus stops are located appropriately around the city.

“The key to our success is overall improved service, a better customer experience and technology that supports both.”

After a slight ridership decline in 2016, Saskatoon Transit experienced an increase around two per cent in 2017 and in the first 11 months of 2018 ridership increased 8.4 per cent over the same period a year before. McDonald says this increase is even more remarkable as ridership has fallen in many of the top 50 transit markets in the United States and Canadian markets witnessed only incremental increases.

"Changes already made will support a successful BRT system in Saskatoon,” he says. “The new system, which features a plan for crisscrossing, high-frequency routes, will connect different parts of the city.”

“We’re working hard to deliver the kind of service residents expect from an urban, forward-thinking city,” says McDonald. “We look forward to seeing you on the bus!”

As passenger demand grows, Saskatoon Transit will continue to provide safe, efficient and economical transportation to citizens and visitors to Saskatoon.

Environment Canada forecasts a good chance of light snow and wind gusts to 50 km/h this afternoon with the current above-freezing temperatures falling to around -3 degrees. There is a possibility of flurries continuing overnight, and temperatures are expected to cool off near -14 degrees by Saturday night.

 What you can expect from us

1. Monitoring and salting high-traffic roads and priority streets, including Circle Drive and freeways.
2. Salting intersections in residential areas, on bridge decks and overpasses.
3. Even with the use of salt and sand, extra moisture from snow and freezing drizzle may cause slippery conditions during peak driving times.

 How you can help us

1. Slow down and use extra caution this afternoon and during the commute this evening.
2. Watch for blue and amber flashing lights on snow maintenance equipment. If you encounter equipment on the road, slow down, remain at least 15 metres (two-and-a-half car lengths) behind, and be ready to stop.
3. When safe to do so, drivers can report icy locations to the 24-hour Customer Service Centre at 306-975-2476 or email snow@saskatoon.ca.
4. Be in the Know About Snow! Learn more about what happens when it snows at saskatoon.ca/snow.

As road maintenance crews continue to address priority streets and high-risk intersections, the Saskatoon Fire Department warns pedestrians to proceed with caution on ice-covered sidewalks. Firefighters also remind homeowners to spread salt and sand on sidewalks around their property to prevent falls and ensure everyone has a safe holiday season.

For the past 30 years, SGI and Saskatoon Transit have partnered to offer free late night transit service on New Year’s Eve, ensuring everyone has a safe ride home. This year the service is back! SGI is once again sponsoring free rides in the evening and Saskatoon Transit has extended the free service to all day.

“Having free Transit service on New Year’s Eve removes a barrier when making decisions on how to get home after a night out,” says Jim McDonald, Director, Saskatoon Transit. “We encourage everyone to plan their route before heading out using the app called Transit.”   

Saskatoon Transit and the local taxi companies will be working together to get everyone home safe, in the most efficient way possible. Citizens are encouraged to think about using a variety of transportation modes on busy nights like New Year’s Eve. Take the bus out of the downtown or busy areas and arrange for a cab to take you the short distance home. “Riide, Comfort and United are all proud to be a part of this collaboration, connecting public and private modes of transportation to help complete first/last mile multimodal trips,” Says Carlo Triolo, General Manager, Riide.

“This collaboration helps residents celebrate the New Year responsibly by taking advantage of free transit in Saskatoon,” says Mayor Charlie Clark. “We all owe it to each other—to our family, friends, and drivers on the road—to plan a safe ride home. This service helps to make this planning easier so that we can start the New Year in a positive way.”

“Police officers will be out in full force taking advantage of new enhanced impaired driving laws to detect impaired drivers.  Making safe choices involves making a solid plan,” says Saskatoon Police Service Staff Sergeant Patrick Barbar. “Saskatoon transit is an excellent part of a plan to get home safely.”

Free bus service will be available on Monday, December 31 until 3:00 a.m. on Tuesday, January 1. (Times may vary slightly by route).

 “There is no reason for impaired driving, especially on New Year’s Eve,” says McDonald, “We are thankful to have SGI as a partner in providing free transit service to citizens on New Year’s Eve and for the partnership with Riide, Comfort and United to provide the first/last mile parts of the journey.”

“SGI is a proud sponsor of Wing in the New Year,” said Minister responsible for SGI Joe Hargrave. “There is always a better option than driving impaired. With Wing in the New Year, the people of Saskatoon have yet another great – and free – way to get home safely on New Year’s Eve.”

This holiday season the City of Saskatoon is encouraging residents to ‘Create Memories, Not Garbage’. Residents are reminded to keep waste reduction and recycling options in mind throughout their holiday celebrations. By remembering a few of these tips during the holidays, residents can help extend the life of the Landfill and help the community move towards 70% waste diversion by 2023. 

Consider recycling holiday items by selling or giving away excess products, using reusable gift bags or recyclable boxes, purchasing gifts with less packaging, sharing and giving experiences, and planning meals to reduce kitchen waste. When sorting your holiday garbage, remember a lot of seasonal items are recyclable.

Here are some recycling tips to help keep the holiday season green:

What you can recycle

• Wrapping paper – Consider using recyclable paper or reusing old newspapers to wrap your gifts. Remember, if you can rip it, you can recycle it!  No need to remove staples or tape. If you can’t rip the paper, it goes in the garbage.
• Tin foil, foil containers and metal cookie containers – Be sure to clean all types of these containers before recycling.
• Flattened cardboard boxes and packaging – Before tossing into your blue cart or bin, remember to flatten these items to increase space for other recyclables.
• Cleaned milk and eggnog containers – A quick rinse, flatten them and they’ll be ready to be recycled. You can take them to SARCAN or put them in your blue cart or bin at home.
• Recyclable plastic containers – Have a look on the bottom of your plastic containers, if there’s a number between 1 and 7, rinse and recycle it.
• Unwanted electronics – These items can be dropped off without charge at any SARCAN depot. Visit sarcan.ca for information.

The following holiday items are not accepted in blue recycle bins: Styrofoam, ribbon and bows, plasticized gift bags, toys, Christmas trees (natural or artificial), Christmas lights, ornaments or decorations. Artificial trees can be sold or donated for re-use, or taken to the Landfill for disposal. Check saskatoon.ca/christmastree for drop-off locations for natural Christmas trees.

How can you manage space in your bins?

• Excess recycling can be dropped off at one of the City’s Recycling Depots (Lawson Heights, Lakewood, University Heights, or Meadowgreen), at the Loraas Recycle Recycling Depot or Cosmopolitan Industries Recycling Depot. To keep depot bins from filling up too quickly, please make sure boxes are flattened.
• Consider storing clean, dry recyclables until your next scheduled collection.
• Please make sure your cart lid is fully closed and your cart is out by 7am on collection day.

For more holiday waste, recyclables, collection calendar, waste wizard and disposal information, visit: www.saskatoon.ca/holiday-recycling.