News Releases

The City of Saskatoon invites residents to attend one of three important public engagement events to discuss the proposed Growth Plan to Half a Million (Growth Plan), which includes long-term plans for a new transit system with Bus Rapid Transit (BRT); a new river crossing at 33^rd Street and BRT lanes on the University Bridge; and changes to how we live, work, and play along our major corridors like 8^th Street, 22^nd Street, and Preston Avenue.

The public will also have an opportunity to provide input on implementation priorities for putting specific features of the Growth Plan in motion over the short-, medium-, and long-term.

 Mark your calendars!  This is your opportunity to have your say in Saskatoon’s future.

Main Events – Growth Plan Focused Discussions

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

TCU Place, 35 22^nd Street East

Daytime Session:  Noon to 2 p.m.

Evening Session:  6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Growth Plan Campus Consultation

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Louis’ Loft, 93 Campus Drive

3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Event materials and an online survey will be available at www.growingfwd.ca beginning Wednesday, February 25, through Wednesday, March 18, 2015.

This will be the third round of public engagement since the Growth Plan launched in February 2014.  The input gathered during this round of engagement will help to confirm the long-term plans for corridor redevelopment, transit, and core area bridges, as well as set the direction for an implementation plan.  We will be back in fall to share what we heard and confirm the final Growth Plan with the public.

Once complete, the Growth Plan will help to guide future infrastructure investments so residents will have more choices for how they live and move around the city as Saskatoon grows to half a million people over the next 30 to 40 years.

For more information on the Growth Plan or to sign up for project update notifications, visit www.growingfwd.ca.

For more City of Saskatoon Public Service Announcements, News Releases, Traffic Detours, and Service Alerts, visit www.saskatoon.ca or connect with the City of Saskatoon on Twitter and Facebook.

The Lakewood Civic Centre (Lakewood) leisure pool will be closed from Saturday, February 14 to Friday, February 20, 2015, as part of the repairs to the pool’s waterslide.  The work required includes repairs to the piping in the crawl space and the replacement of the main valve that supplies water to the waterslide.

Occupational Health & Safety regulations require the pool’s water level to be drained in order to prevent flooding of the crawl space while the valve is being replaced.  Once this repair has been completed it will take approximately a week to refill, reheat, and rebalance the chemistry of the water within the pool.      

The week of February 14 to 20, 2015, has been selected for closure because there are no swimming lessons scheduled during the February School Break and this time will have the least impact to the public. 

During this repair, Lakewood’s fitness and weight rooms, gymnasium, multi-purpose room, dry land programming, and childcare will remain open to the public.  Many of the City of Saskatoon’s (City) other Leisure Centres will be offering enhanced programming during the February School Break.  For hours of operation and drop-in program information, please visit www.saskatoon.ca/go/dropinonline.

 The waterslide at Lakewood has been closed for repairs since July 2014, as a result of ground movement issues in the mechanical crawlspace affecting the pump that supplies water to the slide.  Final repairs to the waterslide will continue after the pool reopens on February 20.  The final repairs include reinstallation of the main water pump.  It is anticipated that the waterslide will reopen to the public in early March 2015.

 The City apologizes for the inconvenience and thanks the public for its patience and understanding.

 For more City of Saskatoon Public Service Announcements, News Releases, Traffic Detours and Service Alerts, visit www.saskatoon.ca or connect with the City of Saskatoon on Twitter and Facebook.

NEW

20TH ST W CLOSED FROM AVE J S TO AVE K S
(Water & Sewer Connection Replacement)
Start: February 9, 9:00 a.m. End: February 12, 6:00 p.m.

All restrictions will be lifted as indicated, weather permitting and barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Slow down, pay attention and respect work zones. Watch for pedestrians and work crews, and for everyone’s safety, please obey all detours, signs and barriers.

Know before you go! Plan your route around road work by checking our Road Restrictions and Construction Projects Map. Find traffic detour information and subscribe to Traffic Detour Service Alerts at saskatoon.ca/service-alerts. You can also follow us on Twitter @YXEServiceAlert and with #betterroadsYXE and like Saskatoon City News on Facebook.

For the fourth year in a row, the City of Saskatoon is one of the Top Employers in Saskatchewan for 2015. The special designation recognizes top employers that lead their industries in offering exceptional places to work.

“Building a workplace culture that offers opportunities for career development, health, work-life balance and employee recognition is a top priority for us,” City Manager, Murray Totland says. “Our workforce, like our community, is evolving rapidly. That’s why we must continually enhance our culture of efficiency and continuous improvement.”

The City of Saskatoon applied for this competition through the Canada's Top 100 Employers application process. Employers are evaluated by the editors of Canada's Top 100 Employers using the same eight criteria as the national competition: Physical Workplace; Work Atmosphere & Social; Health, Financial & Family Benefits; Vacation & Time Off; Employee Communications; Performance Management; Training & Skills Development; and Community Involvement. Employers are compared with other organizations in their field to determine which offers the most progressive and forward-thinking programs.

Totland wants employees to feel directly connected to the City’s progress, thereby enhancing their personal satisfaction with “a job well done”.

“Our people have always been our greatest asset and I look forward to continued support across the entire corporation,” Totland says. “We invest in ongoing leadership development, a variety of in-house training programs, tuition subsidies for courses taken at outside institutions, discounted employee fitness initiatives and a pension plan.”

Saskatchewan’s Top Employers 2015 were identified in an insert in the February 4, 2015 edition of the Saskatoon Star Phoenix and Regina Leader-Post. 

Environment Canada is predicting strong winds and up to 20 centimeters of snow starting tonight, as well as the possibility of freezing rain over the weekend. The City has extra staff, contractors and equipment ready to keep priority streets clear, sanded and salted during and following the snow event.

Streets may become icy, due to strong winds and snow blowing across the roadway. Visibility may also be reduced. Please use caution and drive to the conditions. City crews will be working 24/7 to maintain priority roadways so please watch for equipment on the road. The large machines used are equipped with flashing amber lights, move slowly in teams of two or more and can be found on the road at any time of day or night. By keeping a safe distance from the equipment and approaching slowly, everyone can be safe on the road.

Snow and Ice Updates will now be issued in the form of a Service Alert. Similar to Power Outage Service Alerts, these Snow & Ice Service Alerts are available at saskatoon.ca/service-alerts, by following @YXEServiceAlert on Twitter or by liking Saskatoon City News on Facebook. These alerts are issued at 6:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. daily, once a snow event starts and continue for 72 hours after the event. The Snow Grading Map will be updated at the same time showing the status of snow grading. Salting/sanding and grading occurs on the following priority system:

Priority 1 (Highest traffic streets) will be plowed within 12 hours after a snowstorm ends.
Priority 2 (Rapid transit bus routes and busy streets) will be graded within 36 hours.
Priority 3 (Main streets and school zones) will be graded within 72 hours.

*Another snowfall or blowing snow within the 72-hour timeframe may require crews to return to Priority 1 streets, causing grading to take longer.

Residents are encouraged to report impassable or hazardous streets by calling Public Works Customer Service at 306-975-2476.

For more City of Saskatoon Public Service Announcements, News Releases, Traffic Detours and Service Alerts, visit www.saskatoon.ca or connect with the City of Saskatoon on Twitter and Facebook.