News Releases

From the December 5, 2016 Meeting

7.2.6 Boychuk Interchange Land Acquisition

Decision

*The Committee forwarded the report to City Council in support of the recommendation.

Background

*The recommendation is that Administration be authorized to purchase a portion of Surface Parcel # 120790425 from Larix Holdings Ltd. for the Boychuk Interchange Project.
*The Boychuk Interchange Project was bundled with the McOrmond Interchange Project as a Design-Build Project.
*For the Boychuk Interchange, the City has previously purchased 7.51 acres of property in 2012 from Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam (Ontario) Inc.

7.2.7 Boychuk Interchange Land Exchange Agreement

Decision

*The Committee forwarded the report to City Council in support of the recommendation.

Background

*The recommendation is that Administration be authorized to enter into a tri-party land exchange agreement with 101204822 Saskatchewan Ltd. and the Rural Municipality of Corman Park No. 344 for the interchange.

From the December 5, 2016 meeting

7.1.3 Community Standards Division Progress Update

Decision

*The Committee receive the report as information and requested a report from the Fire Department to provide an update with respect to the Property Maintenance and Nuisance Bylaw.

Background

*Established in 2015, the Community Standards (CS) Division operates on a set of founding principles.
*The CS Division is comprised of three core business sections, each accountable for four basic functions.
*Within the operating budget, the CS Division is currently represented by two business lines, operates four service lines, and supports four of the corporate Strategic Goals.
*The development of CS incorporates three high-level priorities of implementation. Specific progress in various areas has been made, and many additional items are identified in the 2017 business plan.

7.1.6 Comparing Infill and Greefield Development – Scope of Work

Decision

*The Committee will be reporting to City Council to recommend that the report be received as information and referred back to the Administration for a further report on the feasibility of creating a round table on infill and greenfield development. The Committee is also reporting to Council to recommend that the matter of establishing a framework for the development of a lane paving policy be also referred to the round table (to be established) for discussion.

Background

*The report provides a “scope of work” for a future study and report comparing infill and greenfield development, including the costs associated with these forms of development. This report also addresses a Committee resolution related to incentives for green buildings and infill development.

7.2.2 Street Activity Steering Committee

Decision

*The Committee will be reporting to City Council to recommend that the City Solicitor’s Office be requested to amend the Panhandling Bylaw with respect to prohibiting panhandling on a street, sidewalk, or other public place within 8 metres of a doorway to a cinema, theatre, or performing arts venue.  However, the recommendation of the Administration with respect to prohibiting panhandling around public parking pay stations was not supported and the Committee is recommending instead that bylaw amendments be prepared to prohibit panhandling within 2 metres around any public parking pay station. In addition, although not intended to impact consideration of the proposed amendments at this time, the Committee is recommending that the Administration review panhandling bylaws from other cities across Canada with respect to buffers around businesses serving and selling alcohol.

Background

*As a result of an increasing trend in aggressive and/or coercive panhandling and panhandling in groups, the Street Activity Steering Committee believes the existing Panhandling Bylaw requires amendments to address current needs within Saskatoon.
*In its present form, the Streets Use Bylaw does not reflect the current needs of Saskatoon and requires a comprehensive review to bring it up to date.

Transit union members today voted to accept the City's offer and the new contract will now go to City Council for final approval.

“We are very happy to have a contract agreement with the Transit union,” says City Manager, Murray Totland. 

The offer includes a 10% wage increase and back pay to 2012 as well as the same pension agreement the other eight unions and associations in the general pension plan have signed.

Totland thanks the public,  transit riders and transit employees,  for "...their patience over the last number of years as we worked toward a new collective agreement.

"The new contract comes at a very appropriate time," he adds. 

"Transit is moving into the future with a new facility, fleet renewal and plans for a shift toward Bus Rapid Transit.  We now have an opportunity to leave differences behind us and work together on drawing the new roadmap for public transit in our community."

Less than two years ago, ground was broken to make way for the new Civic Operations Centre (COC), the new home for Saskatoon Transit and the City’s first permanent Snow Management Facility. Today, City officials marked the end of construction two weeks ahead of schedule and on budget thanks to the expertise and collaboration of a project team comprised of City staff and private development partners.

Saskatoon Transit will move into its new 450,000 square foot facility, a model of innovation and efficiency, in mid-January 2017. The state-of-the-art facility is LEED certified, has 27 maintenance bays, quick service, a full body shop including a paint booth, indoor storage for 224 buses, and administrative offices. It was built with the future in mind and will accommodate the fleet expansion expected over the next 10 to 15 years. In the interim, the unused space will be used for general equipment storage.

The Snow Management Facility will also open in January 2017 and has the capacity to store up to 1 million cubic metres of snow on a 14 acre concrete pad. When the snow naturally melts, the melt water will run through an oil and grit separator and into a melt water/storm water pond. The melt water will then go through a series of specially designed baffle curtains before being discharged in a controlled fashion into the storm water system. The Snow Management Facility will be operated by the City’s Roadways and Operations Division.

To qualify for federal government support, and realize taxpayer savings over the life of the project, the City entered into its first Public-Private Partnership (P3) with Integrated Team Solutions (ITS) through a competitive procurement process.

The P3 approach is expected to deliver value for taxpayer dollars equivalent to $92.3 million over the lifecycle of the facilities – savings that could not have been achieved through a traditional Design-Bid-Build model. PPP Canada’s contribution to the $154 million project is $38.5 million.

With City oversight, ITS led the design, construction, and financing of the COC and will maintain the site and buildings over the next 25 years at which time the City will assume responsibility. At all times, the City will retain full ownership and continue to deliver services.

Quotes

Hon. Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
“This state of the art facility will serve as a model for cities and municipalities across the country. Our government understands that infrastructure is the foundation for building strong and sustainable communities of all sizes and the new Civic Operations Centre is a testament to our commitment to ensure cities have the support they need.”

His Worship, Mayor Charlie Clark, City of Saskatoon

“The Civic Operations Centre is a tremendous step forward for our Transit Operations and for snow and ice management in our city. Our Transit Operations outgrew the old bus barns long ago, and our staff have been making do in cramped facilities for many years. This LEED certified facility, built ahead of schedule and on budget, has perfect timing as we prepare to modernize Transit in Saskatoon.”

Jeff Jorgenson, General Manager of Transportation & Utilities, City of Saskatoon

“From the RFQ stage to where we are today, I couldn’t be more impressed with the execution of the Civic Operations Centre project. It’s a compliment that other Canadian cities and municipalities will be looking at our City’s first P3 project as a model of innovation and collaboration that will result in taxpayer value several years down the road.”

Peter Bullen, Project Co Lead, Integrated Team Solutions

“Integrated Team Solutions is proud to have collaborated with EllisDon and the City of Saskatoon to achieve this major project milestone, ahead of time and on budget. With construction complete, we look forward to partnering with Engie to maintain and operate these state-of-the-art facilities for the City over the next 25 years.”

Michael Kazda, Vice President & Area Manager, EllisDon Construction Services Inc.

"EllisDon is pleased to have partnered with ITS and the City of Saskatoon to bring the design and construction of this project to a successful conclusion. Safely delivering a quality project, ahead of time and on budget, requires a tremendous team effort that everyone associated with the new Civic Operations Centre project should be proud of.”

Backgrounder

Civic Operations Centre At a Glance

• Situated on 180 acres of land within City limits between the CN Railway tracks and Valley Road, just west of Circle Drive.
• Designed like a campus with various buildings and facilities with the capacity to house more civic services.
• An earth berm separates the CN railway line and the Montgomery Place neighbourhood.
• The site has internal circulation roads and a signalized intersection on Valley Road.

Saskatoon Transit Facility

• LEED Certified 450,000 square foot building.
• Fully equipped with state-of-the-art maintenance shop including 27 bays utilizing a combination of built-in hoists and mobile hoists, inspection pits, a transmission shop, machine shop, electronics shop, and tire and battery shops. Also included is a body shop with a paint booth, 2 indoor bus washes with water recycling, fueling stations, bus shelter repair area, and an upholstery shop.
• 250,000 square feet of indoor heated storage space for buses.
• Administrative offices, meeting and training rooms, fare collection room, and dispatch area.

Snow Management Facility

• Capacity to store up to 1 million cubic metres of snow.
• Storm water and meltwater management pond with inlet sand/oil/grit separator.
• Roller compacted concrete surface to facilitate site operation maintenance and cleaning.
• Geotextile material is in place to protect the soil and groundwater from infiltration and contamination, demonstrating commitment to Environmental Leadership.
• Automated Access Control System capability.
• Policies are in place to manage noise created by equipment and tailgate slamming.

Public-Private Partner

• Integrated Team Solutions (ITS) is a consortium comprised of EllisDon Capital Inc., Fengate Capital, EllisDon Corporation, and ENGIE.
• Under contract with the City, ITS will maintain, repair and rehabilitate COC facilities for 25 years.
• Penalty procedures are in place if ITS fails to meet the COC service delivery standards.
• Over the 25-year period, the City retains full ownership of the facilities and will operate civic services as normal.

Timeline

• January 2013 - Federal (PPP Canada) funding approved
• September 2013 - RFQ issued for proponents
• March 2014 - RFP issued for proponents
• December 2014 -  Contract executed with ITS
• January 2015 - Construction began
• December 13, 2016 – Construction complete
• January 2017 - Saskatoon Transit moves in and Snow Management Facility becomes operational
• 2041 - End of contract with ITS

Interesting Project Facts

• 1,250 KM of electrical wire pulled
• 9 KM of fiber optic communication cable installed by SL&P - the largest installation by SL&P to date
• 122 KM of pipe for heated floor in the Transit Facility
• 1,650 light fixtures
• 144,000 concrete blocks in the Transit Facility
• Heat Recovery Units were lifted on to the roof of the Transit Facility by helicopter
• Over 582,000 man hours worked with 0 lost time injuries
• 94.5% of construction waste was recycled
• 31,200 cubic metres of concrete in the Snow Management Pad
• 12,101 cubic metres of concrete in the Transit Facility
• 135,000 cubic metres of dirt moved to level the site (cut/fill)
• 30,000 cubic metres of topsoil utilized for the berm construction

Saskatoon is a national leader in health performance and competitive tax rates say two separate economic think-tanks.

“The combination of our quality of life and our economic competitiveness is what makes us strong as a city,” says His Worship the Mayor Charlie Clark. “This is a great foundation for ensuring we continue to be a resilient city into the future, where everyone has an opportunity to share in the prosperity and good health reflected in these reports.”   

Among ten major Canadian Cities, the Conference Board of Canada ranks Saskatoon first overall in city health.  Saskatoon finishes in first place because it scores highest in life satisfaction and receives high marks for healthy people with healthy lifestyles.

Saskatoon also has the most competitive tax rates among the major Canadian cites. The C.D. Howe Institute today released figures which show Saskatoon has the best business tax environment.

“Results like these are exactly what we’ve worked toward for many years,” says City Manager Murray Totland. “Our attention to City Council’s Strategic Goals such as Quality of Life and Economic Diversity and Prosperity lead to a community with good jobs, schools, health care and people – it’s what makes Saskatoon a great place to live.”

More on the Conference Board of Canada City Health Monitor can be found here.

Follow this link to get more information about the C.D. Howe Institute’s 2016 Report Card on Business Tax Burdens in Canada’s Major Cities. 

City contractors are not wasting any time getting started on two major interchange projects. Just days after being awarded the $57 million project, PCL Construction Management Inc. contractors will begin preliminary work on the two locations.

“We’re very pleased to see that PCL is starting its preparation work,” says Celene Anger, Director, Construction and Design. “In our experience, we have success when the contractor takes advantage of every opportunity to stay on time – or even move ahead of schedule.”

Starting today, PCL will begin geotechnical investigations at both the College Drive/McOrmond Drive and Boychuk Drive/Highway 16 locations. A drill rig will be used to take fourteen bulk samples of in-situ soils, which will provide information such as groundwater pressure, moisture content and other important data points.

Work is estimated to last about five days between the two locations and is not expected to have any lane restrictions or require any detours in the areas. A construction work zone with reduced speed limits will be established in the immediate vicinity of the workers in the interest of worker and public safety.

“This is the very first step in what will be one of the largest combined roadway projects the City has ever done,” Anger says. “These interchanges are going to provide significant traffic improvements for citizens and how they move around our city – but it’s going to take a lot of work getting there. Our commitment to citizens is to keep the lines of communications open, and provide regular updates on the project, so that you have time to plan around the work and help keep your delays as short as possible.”

The City is committed to keeping everyone up to date on the status of the projects, including regular website updates and emails to interested stakeholders. To receive these email updates, subscribe through the city website at saskatoon.ca/interchanges.

For road rehabilitation progress maps and more information on city-wide road rehabilitation work, please visit saskatoon.ca/betterroads. 

The City and the Transit Union have reached a tentative agreement and the union’s membership will be voting on this next week.  

City Council approval is required to finalize a contact. If the union membership accepts the offer and it can go to City Council for approval.

Job action will continue until the agreement has been ratified. Saskatoon Transit will continue to keep customers informed by issuing service alerts when made aware of any disruptions or delays. Service alerts can be viewed at saskatoontransit.ca, saskatoon.ca, on Twitter at @stoontransit or @YXEserviceAlert, through Transit App and in Google Transit.

We encourage transit customers to continue to plan your commute in advance and give yourself extra time since we are experiencing higher volumes of passengers per bus, delays and cancellations.

Individuals who do not have access to the internet can call the Transit Customer Service line at 306-975-3100 but are reminded that wait times may be longer than normal due to job action or higher than normal call volumes.

Access Transit is an essential service, and will continue operating as normal.

The City thanks our citizens, transit customers and our transit employees for their patience and understanding. 

The Court of Queen’s Bench says the Labour Relations Board must give the Transit Union another chance to make its case regarding compensation for the final two weeks of the 2014 Transit lockout.

“I think it’s fair to say we are a bit discouraged with the decision,” says Catherine Gryba, Corporate Performance General Manager.  “So, again, this might mean there will be more legal wrangling when we are hoping to conclude a collective agreement with the Transit Union.”

After the Transit Union asked the Court to review the matter, the decision was released today.  The decision simply means that the Labour Relations Board has to have another look at whether the union deserves pay for the final two weeks of the lockout.

“We will have to weigh all the options including an appeal,” Gryba says.  “While we consider the next steps though, I want to remind everyone our ten per cent wage offer is about being equal to all City workers in an increasingly more difficult economic climate.

“If the Transit union wants more, there are only two sources where dollars would have to come from: taxpayers and bus riders, both of whom already pay their fair share.”

Gryba says for the sake of all City employees – including transit workers – and for the sake of protecting the public purse, there can be no compromise on the pension changes and the sustainability plan for the pension. 

The City has to make sure wages and pension benefits are not an unreasonable burden to taxpayers.

For facts on Transit contract negotiations, visit saskatoon.ca/factsontransit.

The December 7, 2016 notifynow TEST message sent by the City of Saskatoon’s Emergency Measures Organization (EMO) was a success based on the feedback from residents and the system data generated. Fewer residents called back to ask questions about what the TEST was about. This indicates that residents are becoming much more familiar with the notifynow messaging system, and that they know they can customize how they prefer to receive important safety messages from notifynow. 

“Most residents that called in after yesterday’s TEST message wanted to learn more about how to log in and how to customize their notifynow profile, they wanted to tell us how they’d best like to be contacted,” says Deb Davies, Emergency Measures Coordinator. “Residents are recognizing that in the event of a wide scale emergency or one affecting only their neighbourhood, they might prefer a text message, and an email in addition to receiving a notifynow message to their land line. Or maybe they want to make sure their children receive a text message. That’s what great about this system, people can tell notifynow how best to contact them, and they can sign-up communication device preferences for their family members too.”

To date, 20, 072 residents have signed up with notifynow to indicate their preferred communication method, how they want to be contacted by notifynow so they’ll know what to do, where to go, and what to expect in an impending, escalating, or even immediately occurring emergency situation in Saskatoon. This is an increase of 5,412 residents since the last notifynow TEST held May 5, 2016. With the twice-yearly testing of the notifynow system, and by creating ongoing awareness for the notifynow system, the City and the Emergency Measures Organization hope to continue to grow this number.

“One of the goals for our semi-annual notifynow testing is to familiarize residents with what a notifynow message will sound like, and how it will be displayed on their phones or on the preferred method of communication they’ve let us know about by signing up,” says Davies. “Testing also helps residents know that a timely and targeted notifynow message is legitimate - and should be trusted.”

The EMO continues to encourage everyone in Saskatoon to sign up for notifynow. Persons with publicly listed phone numbers are automatically included in the notifynow database. However, if you would like to receive your notifynow message notifications for more than one address, like your child’s school or parent’s residence, or if you would like to customize the way you receive notifications via email, cell phone or text message, then you need to sign up and provide that information.

notifynow should play a very important component in everyone’s emergency preparedness plan. The ability to receive timely emergency communications is critical to persons with hearing or speech difficulties. To receive accessible notifynow messages, sign-up and enter up to two different TTY electronic device methods for text communication via telephone.

The notifynow emergency notification system supports the City of Saskatoon’s Strategic Goals of Continuous Improvement and Quality of Life; we leverage technology to serve and connect with citizens, and keep health and safety a top priority in all that we do.

To sign-up for notifynow and to tell us how to best to reach you with timely, targeted and trusted notifynow messages in an emergency situation, visit saskatoon.ca/notifynow or call 306-975-3210 for more information.

The Province of Saskatchewan requires the City of Saskatoon to conduct a reassessment of all property classes every four years to recalculate property values to reflect an updated and more current market value assessment.  Market value is what the property might have sold for as of a specified base date.

In 2017, all property classes will have their values reassessed and updated to reflect the market value assessment of the property as of the base date of January 1, 2015.  These values will be in place until the next reassessment in 2021. The 2013 Reassessment used a base date of January 1, 2011 to establish market value.

“On a city-wide basis, our preliminary analysis indicates property assessment values have increased, with the increases varying by individual properties and by property classes, “ says Darcy Huisman, City Assessor. “We do note, the total 2017 Reassessment value changes are not as large in Saskatoon as those experienced with the last reassessment in 2013.”

The current 2017 assessed value of all the property in Saskatoon is $52.1 Billion – $30.12 Billion for residential properties and $21.98 Billion for non-residential properties and apartment buildings. Approximately 86,000 residential properties will be assessed, and 9,000 non-residential properties (includes apartment buildings.)

Property taxes are based on a property’s assessed value, and owners of properties with similar values pay similar taxes. Properties for which assessed values increase or decrease more than the average within their tax class, will see tax changes as a result of a reassessment.

The preliminary aggregate 2017 Reassessment value changes are now available for these property classes: Commercial, Multi-Residential, Residential & Condominium, and Agricultural.
 

Aggregate Taxable 2017 Reassessment Value Changes By Property Class

Note:  **% assessment change due to 2013 Reassessment provided for comparative purposes.

Historically, City Council has required that the results of a reassessment remain revenue neutral at the property class level with no changes in taxes between property classes.  Revenue neutral is a tax calculation, meaning whether property assessments increase or decrease due to changes in values, the City of Saskatoon’s tax revenue does not automatically change – the City still receives the same amount of tax revenue.

Revenue neutral assumes that the City, schools and libraries require the exact amount of tax dollars from each class of property.  Any yearly tax change brought forward by the City is communicated through the budgetary process, not by the reassessment process. 

The aggregate or total change in assessment by property class may impact the amount of property taxes paid for individual properties.  Properties which the assessed value increased or decreased by more than the overall increase in assessment, by property class, will see a change in taxes on a revenue neutral basis. 

The following chart provides examples of the impact the reassessment has on Commercial property taxes based on the concept of revenue neutral. 

​Example 1 shows an individual property’s assessment that has increased by 36%, which is the same rate as the overall commercial property class change.  The impact on the property taxes on a revenue neutral bases is zero.

Example 2 shows an individual property’s assessment which increased by 25%, compared to that of the overall commercial property class change at 36%.  The impact on the property taxes, on a revenue neutral basis is -11%. 

Example 3 shows an individual property’s assessment which increased by 45%, compared to that of the overall commercial property class change at 36%.  The impact on the property taxes, on a revenue neutral basis is 9%. 

Over the last four reassessment or revaluation cycles, the assessment change by property class (including Condominium property type) looks like this:

Supporting the City’s Strategic Goal of Asset and Financial Sustainability, the City is committed to ensuring the fair, accurate and equitable assessment and taxation of all properties in Saskatoon, and that the reassessment process is open, accountable and transparent.

The 2017 Reassessment Notices will be mailed to residents starting January 9, 2017.

For more information on Assessment, visit saskatoon.ca/assessment or call 306-975-3227.