News Releases

The City of Saskatoon invites the public to the Lawson Civic Centre (225 Primrose Drive) on Saturday, March 29, 2014, between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to celebrate the facility’s 25th Anniversary. 

Come and sign the GIANT card, view the displays of Lawson’s past, and meet the friendly staff.  There will be face painting, games, prizes, and lots of family fun.

There is no fee to attend this event; however, regular admission rates to the pool and weight room are still in effect.

Lawson Civic Centre 25th Anniversary Celebration - Saturday, March 29, 2014
Drop in between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Cake and refreshments:  11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Family Swim:  10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Public Swim:  1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The Lawson Civic Centre includes a wave pool, fitness room, meeting and recreational space, and the Rusty Macdonald Branch Library, all under one roof.  The facility officially opened its doors to the public on March 11, 1989.

For more information on Lawson or any of the five other leisure centres, please visit www.saskatoon.ca/go/Lawson.

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 Saskatoon Fire Department reminds the public to be cautious and stay off the South Saskatchewan River and other ponds and lakes throughout the city this spring. At this time of year the ice on these bodies of water becomes unpredictable and can change rapidly.

Keep safety in mind whenever you are near larger bodies of water. Water pooling on top of the ice or melting at the edge of the river, lake or pond is an indication that the ice has started to melt and may not be strong enough to support you. The riverbank and areas around city ponds and lakes also get very slippery at this time of year and are not a safe place for anyone to play, especially children and animals.  

Remember, in an emergency call 9-1-1.

The public is invited to the “Living in Harmony” Recognition, Art, and Literary Awards Ceremony on Friday, March 21, 2014, at 10 a.m., at Centennial Collegiate.  The Awards Ceremony marks the date of March 21 - International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

Living in Harmony Recognition, Art, and Literary Awards Ceremony
Friday, March 21, 2014
10 a.m.
Centennial Collegiate
160 Nelson Road

This event acknowledges the Living in Harmony Literary and Art Contest winners and the Living in Harmony Community Recognition Award recipients.  The Living in Harmony Program recognizes the efforts of individuals who engage or promote intercultural harmony and social cohesion.  The City of Saskatoon’s Cultural Diversity and Race Relations Committee presents these awards to focus attention on the positive initiatives taking place in our community.
 
For more information, please visit www.saskatoon.ca and search under “L” for Living in Harmony.

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 City of Saskatoon’s (City) Parks Division is pleased to announce the City’s participation in iCemetery, a free, third party app for mobile devices that can be used for locating loved ones buried in Woodlawn Cemetery. 

iCemetery provides a convenient way to search for the final resting places of those who have passed at select cemeteries in Canada, which now includes Saskatoon’s Woodlawn Cemetery.  Visitors can search by first and last name, view the burial plot detail, and be guided to the actual location of the plot within the cemetery using GPS data from your mobile phone.

iCemetery is free for download at the Apple App Store (http://itunes.apple.com/app) for iPhone, iPad, and iTouch devices and at Google Play (https://play.google.com/store/apps) for Android mobile devices.

Woodlawn Cemetery is a beautifully landscaped 105 acre public cemetery that is owned and operated by the City. It is centrally located at 1502 2nd Avenue North, just near the intersection of 33rd Street and Warman Road.  The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (October 1 to March 31 - closed from 12:00 to 12:30 p.m. for lunch) and can be reached at 306-975-3308 for inquiries.

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.

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For Immediate Release:  March 18, 2014
 

Today, The City of Saskatoon launched Building Better Roads – Saskatoon’s Road Plan, the most aggressive program of road work in this community’s history. 

“The Building Better Roads Plan demonstrates that we are heading into an action-packed season of roadwork,” Jeff Jorgenson, General Manager of Transportation and Utilities says. “More than $50 million will be spent on Saskatoon roads this year; that’s 47 per cent more than was spent last year. We want everyone to be ready because the result will be more projects this construction season, meaning more work zones and traffic detours.” 

The Building Better Roads Plan grew out of the 2013 Civic Services Survey which identified road conditions as the single most important issue facing Saskatoon.  

City Council responded by introducing the Dedicated Road Levy in this year’s budget, providing the necessary funding to launch the Building Better Roads Plan. The Plan supports the City of Saskatoon’s strategic goals of Asset and Financial Sustainability, Quality of Life, Continuous Improvement and Moving Around. 

The Dedicated Road Levy is funded by a 4.29% increase in property taxes for 2014 which provides $6.7 million in new funding to be used exclusively for road repair and road maintenance. 

“The Dedicated Road Levy is a key element of investing substantially more in our roads for 2014.  The Dedicated Road Levy and added investments will go toward work such as street sweeping, pothole patching, sidewalk rehabilitation, back lane upgrades, road construction and repair, as well as snow and ice management,” Jorgenson says. 

“We take this investment seriously. This year citizens will see changes in how we do our work.  For example, to minimize the amount of time high-traffic roads are closed for construction, much of the work will either be done at night, or round-the-clock. Continually improving our practices will ensure we get the absolute best value for our citizens’ dollars.” 

Jorgenson adds extra workers and equipment have already started with increased snow grading and removal activities and will soon flow into aggressive pothole patching and street sweeping.  

In the coming weeks, the City will be launching new ways for people to keep up to date where and when work is being done. 

We are also pleased to launch a new “Report a Pothole” tool which allows the public to report potholes online. This Report a Pothole tool is map-based, GPS-enabled and allows anyone to report a pothole from their desktop computer or mobile device. Users will be able to see if the same pothole has already been flagged, and when potholes are repaired. Residents can find this tool on our website at Saskatoon.ca under “check this out.” It’s designed to be easy to use, and a detailed help menu and step-by-step video is also included. 

In an emergency or to talk directly to customer service staff, potholes can also be reported by phone 24/7, at 306-975-2476. 

“We’ve already been repairing the larger potholes since the snow started melting. And as soon as weather permits, the spring pothole blitz will be in full force,” Jorgenson says. “We’re anticipating the streets will be dry earlier than last year because so much snow and ice along priority roadways was trucked away this winter.”  

City crews will  concentrate on patching potholes in all driving lanes on freeways and other high traffic roads including tackling those larger clusters of potholes. Immediately following spring street sweeping, eight patching crews will constantly patrol Saskatoon throughout the summer, keeping roads smooth, including fixing potholes on residential streets.  He says a cold, temporary asphalt mix will be used on potholes until the streets dry and the weather improves, following which a more permanent hot asphalt mix will be used. 

The spring pothole blitz is a key component of Building Better Roads – Saskatoon’s Roads Plan.

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.