News Releases

Since the announcement on September 15, 2020, of a confirmed case of Dutch elm disease (DED) in a tree near Saskatoon’s Montgomery neighbourhood, the City has been actively implementing the DED Response Plan which has included:

• Immediate removal of the positive tree
• ​Disposal of the infected tree at the City landfill
• Sampling of adjacent trees
• Surveillance and testing of private and public trees in the surrounding area including Montgomery, Fairhaven, Meadowgreen and South Industrial areas, with an intensive search for elm material and other sources of infection 

During their search, inspectors have issued 71 infraction notices (46 of which contained elm firewood), removed over 13,000 kilograms of elm wood from private property, and sampled an additional 20 trees with so far no additional positive test results from the lab. Inspectors have also found several instances where wood was moved from elsewhere with elm bark beetle activity in the wood.

“We would like to remind residents that the most effective management strategy for DED is to not transport or store elm wood,” says Jeff Boone, City Entomologist. “Infected firewood is the most likely way that DED would be brought into Saskatoon.”

Residents can help prevent DED by:

• Not pruning elms during the provincial pruning ban (April 1 to August 31)
• ​Not storing or transporting any elm firewood – provincial regulations prohibit the storing or transporting of elm firewood
• Always dispose of any elm wood at the City Landfill

The DED Response Plan will continue in the spring and summer of 2021 and will focus on searching for symptomatic trees to confirm that the disease has not spread.

For more information on DED, visit saskatoon.ca/dutchelmdisease.

The Spadina Lift Station, on the west shore of the South Saskatchewan River, is nearing the end of its service life. Construction on a new lift station is now underway on the same site.

“We rely on the existing Spadina Lift Station to transport about sixty per-cent of Saskatoon’s wastewater from the sanitary sewer system to the Wastewater Treatment Plant,” says Russ Munro, Director of Saskatoon Water. “The lift station is more than seventy years old and has reached a point where major modifications would ne necessary for it to keep up with growing capacity. It is more cost effective to build a new one.”

The City is grateful for its funding partnership with the Government of Canada and the Government of Saskatchewan to help make this project a reality. Under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, the Government of Canada will fund up to $7.2 million toward the Spadina Lift Station project and the Government of Saskatchewan will contribute up to $5,999,400. The remainder of the $18 million project will be funded by the City of Saskatoon, along with any additional costs.

A second building on the same site was completed in 2016 and serves as a bypass lift station. It operates whenever the primary lift station can not meet the flow demand. Unlike the existing lift station, it will not be demolished and will remain in use following completion of the new lift station.

Beginning on Tuesday, October 12, 2021, the Meewasin Trail next to the lift station site will be closed and trail users will be detoured onto a temporary trail (see map). The original trail will reopen once construction is complete in 2023.  

For more information about the project and to see a map of the construction site and temporary trail detour, visit saskatoon.ca/liftstation.

Close to 1,000 people from across Canada and around the world are coming together virtually for the first-ever online, land-based Wîcihitowin (wee-chee-HEE’-toe-win) Indigenous Engagement Conference. Today marks day one of the two-day conference.

“Like fire through a forest, COVID-19 is causing havoc on communities far and wide. It has made us rethink how we interact while continuing to support those in our communities who want to listen, learn, grow and support reconciliation efforts,” says Neal Kewistep, conference co-emcee and member of the organizing committee. “This year’s virtual conference provides us with an opportunity to share the teachings of Indigenous peoples across our nation and further to continue building an inclusive community.”

Under Indigenous teachings of natural law, fire is believed to be the giver of new life where balance of Mother Earth is restored. From destruction comes rejuvenation and replenishment.

This year’s virtual conference theme—Through the Fire—will explore Indigenous worldviews and natural law, such as the Cree word wahkohtowin, which refers to kinship or the interconnectedness nature of relationships, communities, and natural systems. Within the context of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, wahkohtowin is also about working together towards respectful Indigenous engagement and inclusion.

The new format features a condensed lineup of five keynote presentations that will challenge the audience’s ways of knowing, thinking and acting to get “through the fire” of COVID-19 and guide them on their journey of reconciliation. Speakers include:

• Niigaanwewidam (Niigaan) James Sinclair, Associate Professor, University of Manitoba & Columnist, The Winnipeg Free Press;  
• Ira Horse, Knowledge Keeper and Cree Language Advocate;  
• Davis Swindler, Cree Language Advocate;  
• Shayla Stonechild, TV Host, Yoga Instructor, Founder of Matriarch Movement;  
• Marilyn Poitras, Director, Native Law Centre, University of Saskatchewan; and  
• members and children of the Saskatoon Survivors Circle, including Eugene Arcand, Maria Linklater, A.J. Felix, Patsy Felix, Rick Daniels, Donna Pelly, and Elsie Ballantyne. 

This Wîcihitowin Indigenous Engagement Conference is possible because of the financial support of community investors such as Nutrien and the Saskatoon Community Foundation.   

“Nutrien is tied to the land and the interconnected natural systems, relying on ancient mineral deposits in order for farmers to grow enough food to feed the world in a sustainable manner.  Part of feeding the world in a sustainable manner includes our relationships with Indigenous communities.  Our partnerships with Indigenous communities are mutually beneficial based on trust and respect,” says Lisa Mooney, Global Lead, Sustainability and Strategic Inclusion at Nutrien. “For Nutrien investing in the Wîcihitowin conference results in exponential impact by developing a shared understanding and building capacity for us to create a future where we are all included and valued.”

The Wîcihitowin Organizing Committee is already looking ahead to next year’s conference, which will held on October 5 - 7, 2021. 

For more information on the speakers and performers, visit wichitowin.ca.