News Releases

Work zone violations and abusive language continue to be a daily reality for many City employees and contractors working on roadways and in other areas around Saskatoon.

“Our workers are reporting regularly on two dangerous and continuing trends,” says Angela Gardiner, Director of Transportation. “They often encounter drivers in a hurry who move work zone signs to take a short cut, and in some instances when the worker asks them to follow the detour in place, they are met with anger and abusive language.”

A work zone can be any location with posted signs and barriers to protect the workers and the public during a project or regular work. This includes road projects but also at other places where staff are working, such as the landfill, parks and in back lanes.

Regardless of where a work zone is, the rules remain the same – respect the work zone for your own safety and the safety of the workers. 

“Our employees face many hazards; drivers, cyclists and pedestrians entering work zones should not be one of those,” says Gardiner. “Workers need to be able to focus on their job and not be watching for traffic, guiding traffic, continually replacing signs to their appropriate locations or being bombarded with verbal abuse. We need everyone to respect the work zone and the workers at all times whether they are in a vehicle, on a bike or walking.”

Remember, a work zone can be anywhere workers are present or work is on-going. The City reminds people signs are not to be moved at any time and work zones are in effect 24 hours a day until signs are removed by City workers and a project area is deemed to be completely safe for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. Respect the work zone – and the worker – wherever they are.

For more, please visit saskatoon.ca/respectworkzones.

The results are in on the 2016 Civic Services Survey and public engagement activities, which will help shape the City’s 2017 Business Plan and Budget. This year’s Civic Services Survey shows overall satisfaction with the level of services provided by the City remains high and is significantly higher than in 2013. Since 2013, overall satisfaction increased by 5% for telephone respondents and 10% for online respondents.

“I am very pleased to see this result,” says Catherine Gryba, General Manager of Corporate Performance. “In 2015, we established a performance target of overall satisfaction with civic services of 90% or more. Looking at 2016 survey results, it shows we are definitely moving in the right direction toward hitting that target.”

The majority of Civic Services Survey respondents continue to rate Saskatoon’s quality of life as high, and they feel the City is on the right track to becoming a better city 10 years from now. Each year, citizens are also asked to the name the most important issue facing the City. 

“In 2013, citizens were very concerned with the condition of roads and sidewalks,” says Gryba. “As a result of that feedback, we launched the most aggressive road improvement program in the community’s history, Building Better Roads, in 2014. That investment is definitely making a difference, and although roads continue to be cited as the most important issue, there are significantly fewer respondents saying this is an issue as compared to 2013.” 

Similar to 2015, citizens also prefer to pay for services and balance the operating budget using a combination of user fees and property tax increases. Annual survey results have always been considered in the development of the City’s business plans and budgets, but Gryba says additional engagement initiatives are also proving to be quite valuable, including an online budget tool called "Citizen Budget", and in-person surveys conducted at various locations throughout the City.

“Participation in the Citizen Budget was very strong this year with over 2,600 unique visitors and a total of 803 online submissions, which is an increase of 60% for online budget submissions and matches the number of participants in the 2016 Civic Services Survey online study.” 

Although participation for the in-person survey varies and cannot be considered statistically reliable, the responses still provide important input into the process. When the results of all engagement initiatives are combined, citizens generally support increases in service levels or an increase in spending on road maintenance. Besides road maintenance, there is also support for increases for affordable housing, transit, snow and ice management, and traffic management. 

“It’s interesting to see the needs and wants of citizens of varying demographics coming in as fairly consistent through each method of engagement,” says Gryba.

The 2016 Civic Services Survey and Citizen Budget engagement strategies support the Strategic Goal of Continuous Improvement and being the best-managed city in Canada. All results are available at saskatoon.ca/financialfuture and in the coming weeks the comments provided by on the Citizen Budget site will also be posted.  

For the August 18, 2016 Meeting of City Council

9.3.1 Saskatoon Strides – 2015 Report on Service, Savings and Sustainability

*City Council will be asked to receive the 2015 Report on Service, Savings and Sustainability.
*The City is committed to continue to explore and implement new ways to improve service, increase savings, and grow Saskatoon in a sustainable way. Saskatoon Strides - 2015 Report on Service, Savings and Sustainability highlights the City’s accomplishments in each of these areas for 2015.

Additional Information

*In 2015, the City identified savings, additional funding, and revenues total over $183M. Increased operational efficiencies and service level enhancements resulted in savings of $5.2M. The City also applied to the Government of Canada and received approval for $860,000 in funding through the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program. Saskatoon Land delivered $16.07M in financial returns to the City.
*The City embarked on two P3 projects in 2015; the North Commuter Parkway and Traffic Bridge Project and the Civic Operations Centre. The procurement method chosen for the two projects has an estimated Value for Money savings of $161.7M NPV (Net Present Value) when compared to the design, bid, build procurement method.
*The City’s various environmental programs help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 94,000 tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent annually, the equivalent of removing over 19,000 cars off our roads. Civic programs also diverted approximately 31,828 tonnes of waste from the Saskatoon Landfill in 2015.
*The City received awards and recognition from the industry and citizens on the services it provides.

9.3.2 2015 Annual Report – Sustaining the Saskatoon Advantage

*City Council will be asked to receive the 2015 Annual Report – Sustaining the Saskatoon Advantage which includes a summary of the progress achieved on the 2015 Corporate Business Plan.

Additional Information

*Highlights from the 2015 Corporate Business Plan include:
-total investment in roads exceeded $53 million – an increase of $3 million from 2014 and $19 million from 2013.
-the completion of PotashCorp Playland and Kinsmen Park.
-the early completion of University Bridge rehabilitation.
-starting the North Commuter Parkway and Traffic Bridge replacement project.
-starting construction on the permanent snow storage facility at the new Civic Operations Centre (COC), with completion expected in late 2016. Construction also began on the new Transit facility at the COC.
-launch of Citizen Budget – an interactive activity that showed residents how building the City’s annual budget requires balancing affordability for taxpayers and helped them share their views on the City’s spending priorities and future investments for the 2016 budget.
-the City partnered to host the Wicihitowin “Working Together” conference in an effort to increase Aboriginal engagement and service delivery.
-public engagement initiatives moved forward on several elements of the Growing Forward! and Growth Plan to Half a Million; corridor redevelopment, employment areas, transit and transportation.

9.6.3 2016 Local Government Elections – Amendments to Bylaw No. 8191, The Election Bylaw, 2012

*City Council will be asked to add provisions and update the Bylaw to reflect recent provincial legislative changes.

Additional Information

*Housekeeping amendments to the Bylaw would update references to the new legislation and new section numbers, as well as provide for procedures related to the programming, use, storage and transport of vote counting machines and the counting of votes necessitated by the new legislation.

The City of Saskatoon’s ongoing commitment to continuous improvement helped save taxpayers $183M in 2015.

“The City staff continues to make strides toward delivering better services for Saskatoon residents,” says Catherine Gryba, General Manager of Corporate Performance. “We’ve found and put into place new efficiencies in the way we do our work, and keep an eye on how well we’re doing.”

The City monitors progress with its new performance dashboard guided by a dedicated drive for year-over-year service improvements.

“Better also means the savings we gain through continuous improvement, ultimately benefiting property taxes,” Gryba says. “They were kept lower in 2015 than they would have been without finding these savings for our annual business plan and budget.”

Full details are contained in Saskatoon Strides 2015: Our Report on Service, Savings, and Sustainability.

“The measures highlighted on our performance dashboard and in Saskatoon Strides keep us focused on planning and investing in what matters most to people, and for the future growth of the city,” says Gryba.

The City’s attention to innovative thinking and improved service levels contributed to:

• the early completion of the University Bridge Rehabilitation
• City and community partners hosting the Wicihitowin “Working Together” Aboriginal Engagement Conference
• implementing automatic announcements on buses to increase accessibility

The City’s attention to innovative thinking on financial matters contributed to:

• $161 million in value for money savings from selecting P3 projects
• $16 million in financial returns from Saskatoon Land
• $860,000 in funding received from the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Funding Program

Operational efficiencies and service level enhancements contributed $5.2 million in savings including:

• $715,000 on roadway contracts.  A streamlined roadway tender process created more competitive bidding, ensured quality and timely responses from contractors 
• $250,000 from a new de-icing product which was tested and proved effective for use at colder temperatures, also resulting in less overall street clean up during the spring street sweep
• $165,000 from streamlining the IT systems in the Public Works call centre. Response times and accuracy of issues and trouble locations resulted in improved communication
• $200,000 across several divisions from a number of continuous improvement initiatives in the Information Technology division

City environmental programs also contributed to sustainable growth by helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of removing 19,000 cars off city roads. Continued focus on recycling programs also diverted approximately 31,828 tonnes of waste from the Saskatoon Landfill in 2015.

The City remains focused on all seven of the Strategic Goals and the long-term goal of managing and growing Saskatoon to 500,000 people in a smart, sustainable way.

The City continues to maintain its previous successes and move forward on meeting its Strategic Goals – the theme of the 2015 City of Saskatoon Annual Report – Sustaining the Saskatoon Advantage.

“The Report highlights the progress made in 2015 on our investment activities, projects, and services, which align with what matters to our citizens and our corporate goals as directed by the City’s ten-year Strategic Plan,” says Clae Hack, Acting Chief Financial Officer.

At its August 18th meeting, City Council will receive the Annual Report as well as the 2015 Audited Consolidated Financial Statements, and Trust Fund Financial Statements. The Annual Report reflects the City’s ongoing commitment to accountability, transparency, and openness in financial reporting and is now available online at saskatoon.ca/annualreport.

Among the sustained achievements, the City was able to maintain its Standard & Poor’s ‘AAA/ Stable’ credit rating in 2015, much supported by the City’s willingness to explore innovative and alternative ways to fund, finance and deliver important infrastructure projects.

“Our financial flexibility continues to provide a solid foundation for planning key projects and delivering core services our residents rely on every day – all making us a municipal leader in Canada,” says City Manager Murray Totland. “Our $53 million investment in roads, the North Commuter Parkway and Traffic Bridge Replacement Project, progress made on our new Civic Operations Centre and the completion of PotashCorp Playland at Kinsmen Park all demonstrate our dedication to continuous improvement and innovation for the challenges that come with rapid growth."

The City placed a strong emphasis on public engagement and improving customer service in 2015 through a new online budget tool to obtain citizen feedback on the proposed 2016 Business Plan and Budget.

The City strives to keep improving with the launch of Service Saskatoon-- a new model for providing responsive citizen and customer service.

With a goal of being the best-managed city in Canada, Saskatoon’s Council and civic staff remain committed to ensure residents get the most out of tax dollars, as well as managing risk and debt appropriately.

“We are effectively investing tax dollars every year to provide the best projects, programs, services and value for residents - all of which support our continued great quality of life in Saskatoon,” Totland says.