News Releases

Everyone in Saskatoon is invited to come to one of a series of information events to be held the week of March 17th, 2025, where the future configuration of the Link rapid transit project along College Drive will be displayed and City staff will be available to answer questions. The come-and-go events will be held at various venues along the College corridor and have been scheduled to give several opportunities to come view the designs. This marks a major milestone in the project as construction moves forward toward a goal of a 2028 service launch.

“The College Drive section of the Link route is incredibly important, as it will move a large number of people from, to and through the area,” says Terry Schmidt, General Manager of Transportation and Construction. “These events will give people the opportunity to see where stations will be located as well as give them an idea of how transit, traffic, pedestrians and cyclists will move along College Drive once Link is operational.”

People are invited to attend any of the following events:

March 17
11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
University of Saskatchewan Place Riel

March 18
2:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
University of Saskatchewan Place Riel

6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Merlis Belsher Place

March 19
10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Royal University Hospital (main floor)

3:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Merlis Belsher Place

More information can be found at saskatoon.ca/linkcollegedrive.

Saskatoon has some of the lowest municipal property tax levels in Canada due to its prudent fiscal management and relatively diverse revenue mix.  In 2024 for example, a residential property owner would pay about $6.35 for every $1,000 of assessed value while non-residential properties would pay about $10.35 for every $1,000 of assessed value.

Saskatoon is among the very few cities that set an explicit tax ratio as the preferred approach to distribute the tax burden between residential and non-residential properties needed to fund City services. The current Tax Ratio Policy in Saskatoon, first approved by City Council in 2017 and maintained in 2021, set a tax ratio of 1.59 to 1 (or 1.63 to 1 after including commercial appeal contingency). This means that for every $1.00 in property tax paid by a residential property owner, a non-residential property owner paid $1.63 on an equivalent assessed value.

“It’s important to note that the City does not collect any additional property tax revenue because of reassessment or tax policy decisions such as the tax ratio. These changes and decisions result in a redistribution of the overall property tax shared amongst property owners,” says Clae Hack, Chief Financial Officer. “While individual properties may be impacted with property tax increases or decreases, overall, no new property tax revenue is generated from these changes and decisions for the City. In other words, the tax pie stays the same size but the way the pie is divided is what shifts.”

After the provincially legislated 2025 Reassessment, the Standing Policy Committee (SPC) on Finance on February 5, 2025, was briefed on the changes to property values, notably that residential properties assessed value in Saskatoon increased by 13%, on average, while assessed values for non-residential properties decreased, on average, by 2%. These results are reflective of the market conditions as of January 1, 2023.

Due to the relative increase in residential property values and a relative decrease in non-residential property values from the 2025 reassessment, the property tax ratio would have to adjust to collect the same amount of tax revenue from both residential and non-residential sectors.  To achieve this, a ratio of 1.88 to 1, the revenue neutral ratio, would be required to maintain the same distribution of the municipal property tax burden for both property classes.

As outlined in the report heading to the March 5, 2025, SPC on Finance meeting the Administration is recommending a tax ratio of 1.75 to 1.  Some of the reasons this ratio is being recommended include:

1. Splitting the difference between the existing ratio of 1.63 (including commercial contingency) and the revenue neutral ratio of 1.88 acknowledges the shifts in value the City is seeing between residential and non-residential from reassessment while at the same time offers some level of smoothing to avoid significant shifts between the classes;
2. This decision is consistent with past Council decisions where the City has lowered the ratio from 2.41 in 1998 to 1.63 in 202, when the City was seeing larger commercial value increases as compared to residential.  In this reassessment cycle, as residential values are seeing larger increases than non-residential values, it is consistent to have a corresponding movement in the ratio to minimize significant shifts as in the past;
3. At a 1.75 ratio, Saskatoon will continue to have one of the lowest property tax ratios and rates in western Canada, the city would maintain a competitive edge in terms of non-residential property taxes ; and
4. Even with an increase in the ratio to 1.75, many non-residential properties within Saskatoon will see a decrease in their property taxes. In 2024, the City collected 32% of its total property tax revenue from non-residential properties; with the proposed recommendation of a 1.75 ratio, this will fall to 30.7% in 2025.  This means that overall, the City will collect less from non-residential properties in 2025 than it did in 2024.  As 1.88 is the revenue neutral ratio, anything below this amount will still see a shift from commercial properties to residential.

At the SPC Finance Committee’s next meeting on March 5, 2025, Committee will be presented with five tax ratio approaches/options for consideration. The options presented by Administration differ in terms of property tax implications for the various property classes. There will be some trade-offs if Council decides to redistribute the municipal property tax burden amongst property classes. Council will review all tax ratio policy options presented, including Administration’s recommendation to adopt Option 3, which sets the non-residential (commercial) to residential tax ratio at 1:75 to 1 for the years 2025-2029. As noted, a 1.75 to 1 tax ratio would still be among the lowest in Western Canada, and the effective tax rate on non-residential would also remain one of the lowest in Canada.

“There is no perfect answer to what the City’s tax ratio should be,” Hack adds. “There are multiple considerations that go into this decision including the impact of the 2025 reassessment, how competitive Saskatoon’s residential and non-residential property tax rates are compared to other major western Canadian cities and overall principles around how much each property class should contribute to the City’s operational requirements. Overall, I am confident Committee will consider all implications to make its best decision.”

Visit saskatoon.ca/propertytax

On March 5, 2025, the City of Saskatoon will present the Preliminary Year-End Financial Results for the year ending December 31, 2024, to the Standing Policy Committee on Finance.

“I am pleased to report that the City’s preliminary 2024 year-end financial results indicate a surplus of $12.27 million, representing a 1.96% favourable variance from our approved civic budget,” says Clae Hack, Chief Financial Officer. “The City’s investment portfolio performed better than expected and contributed $9.14 million to this surplus, thanks to stronger interest rates and higher bond returns than originally planned in the budget.”

After accounting for the $9.14 million investment income surplus, the remaining civic operating budget realized a surplus of $3.13 million, equivalent to a 0.50% variance from the approved civic budget of $626.18 million. Some of the other key variances in 2024 that contributed to this surplus include: (Appendix 2 provides a detailed overview of all operating budget variances in 2024)

Transit Operations generated a $4.96 million surplus: 

• Transit revenues were $2.10 million higher than anticipated due to increased ridership and higher than expected UPass revenue.
• in addition, Transit had expenditure savings of $2.86 million primarily due to fuel and salary savings and vacant positions.

Administration engaged to find corporate-wide savings of $4.87 million:

• to help offset budgetary pressures, Administration gained favourable savings in staff training and travel, staff vacancies, materials, office supplies and other expenditures among the Civic Operating or Property Tax supported Business Lines.

Offset by a $6.48 million deficit in the Snow & Ice Management program: 

• activation of the Roadways Emergency Snow Response Plan (ERP) in March 2024 resulted in a $5.50 million deficit.
• 9 additional snow events in 2024 compared to the annual budgeted number of 5 to 6 snow events, caused an additional $980,000 overage.

“Administration recommends that the majority of the 2024 surplus be allocated to the City’s Fiscal Stabilization Reserve, which has been heavily relied upon in recent years,” Hack adds. “We recommend transferring funds to bring the Fiscal Stabilization Reserve to $17.04 million, leaving $6.90 million in the Snow and Ice Management Contingency Reserve. This allocation will help offset future operating budget deficits or other unforeseen challenges that may arise in the coming years.” 

Utilities 2024 Year-End Results: Details Appendix 3

The following City Utility surpluses or deficits were realized in 2024, resulting in an overall $10.73 million surplus or 2.46% positive variance from the approved budget:

• Water Utility reported a year-end surplus of $5.80 million.
• Wastewater Utility reported a year-end surplus of $4.10 million.
• Waste Services Utility reported a year-end surplus of $757,018.
• Storm Water Management Utility reported a year-end surplus of $220,129.
• Saskatoon Light & Power (SL&P) reported a deficit of $145,820.

The recommendations on the allocation of the surplus funds in 2024 are subject to the confirmation of the City’s year-end financial status as conducted by the annual external accountant’s audit process. The City’s 2024 Annual Report will be next released this summer.

The City of Saskatoon is committed to ongoing financial transparency, accountability and sound financial management. This is evidenced in its historically stable budgetary performance; the City has retained the ‘AAA’/Stable credit rating for twenty-three years, since S&P first began affirming the City’s credit rating in 2002.

For more information visit saskatoon.ca/budget

The City of Saskatoon is looking for resident input on creating a more accessible, inclusive and barrier free community for everyone who lives, works and plays here.

“Over the next year, the City must develop an accessibility plan that reflects the needs and experiences of all residents,” says Stryker Calvez, Director of Reconciliation, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (REDI) for the City of Saskatoon. “We recognize the responsibility we have to find, fix, and remove barriers so that everyone, especially people with accessibility needs, can be part of strong and inclusive communities.” Developing an accessibility plan for the City is a requirement of the Accessible Saskatchewan Act, which states that the City must have a plan in place by December 2025.

In order to create this plan, the City is looking for resident participation to complete an accessibility survey. The survey opens February 27 and can be found on the City’s Engage page. It will remain open until March 27, 2025. After completing the survey, residents will have an option to sign up to participate in focus groups and to be eligible for a random draw for one of many $50 gift certificates.

“We have done a lot of work to make these surveys as accessible as possible,” says Calvez. “There are options to complete long or short form surveys and we have tested them to ensure they are compatible with assistive technology, such as screen readers.” Paper copies of the survey will be made available and other options exist for those who request them.

Developing a plan for improved accessibility is not just about making buildings more accessible, although that is important. It is about providing information and employment opportunities in more accessible ways such as making information assistive technology friendly and using language translation services. “We also need to hear from our residents about how we can improve their accessibility and our accommodations when it comes to transportation, service animals and buying goods and services from the City,” says Calvez.

Removing barriers and improving accessibility in our communities is a complex task. “We fully recognize that we may not get everything right the first time,” says Calvez. “There is going to be some trial and error but we are committed to working with our communities to create a more inclusive community for everyone.”

Residents can learn more about the plan on our Accessibility Plan page.
 

The City of Saskatoon is proud to announce its recognition as one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers for 2025. This honour reflects the City's ongoing commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace.

"At the City, we want our employee population to reflect the residents that we serve every day and have our community see themselves in our organization. Every year we are improving, and we remain committed to creating a workplace where everyone can thrive," says Chelsey Mack, Director of HR Shared Services.

The City’s diversity and inclusiveness initiatives are wide-ranging and ongoing from reaching out to community through career fairs and recruitment presentations, to hosting a Reconciliation Town Hall for employees where a smudging ceremony was held in council chambers for the first time.

The City also values the essential connection between mental wellness and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. “We are committed to fostering a workplace where everyone feels empowered to be their authentic selves, free from the need to hide any part of their identity,” says Mack.

Canada's Best Diversity Employers recognizes employers across Canada that have exceptional workplace diversity and inclusiveness programs. This competition recognizes successful diversity initiatives in a variety of areas, including programs for employees from five groups: (a) women; (b) members of visible minorities; (c) persons with disabilities; (d) Indigenous peoples; and (e) lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) peoples.

Canada's Best Diversity Employers for 2025 are published and distributed online today in The Globe and Mail and on Eluta.ca. The City has now been honoured with this award for the tenth time.

The City of Saskatoon, in partnership with the Saskatchewan Intercultural Association, the Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF), the Graham Mitchell Foundation through the Urban Alliance on Race Relations and Nutrien, hosted a special event today to celebrate the graduates of the Civic Internship Program.  

The unique leadership development program started October 2024 and was designed to provide mentorship, learning and career-building opportunities for participants from equity-deserving communities. 

 "As mayor, I am committed to fostering opportunities like this internship—programs that connect newcomers with experienced leaders in our community. When we provide all citizens with the chance to develop and apply their skills, we strengthen our city and ensure a brighter future for everyone," says Mayor Cynthia Block. 

The program consisted of two critical components: networking with contacts at decision-making levels and working on a single project/report based on insights gained from those meetings. The work resulted in a final report “Bridging the Gap - Enhancing Newcomer Employment and Workforce Diversity in Saskatoon.”  

“When people from different backgrounds get involved in local decisions, we create stronger, more fair communities for everyone,” says Mohammed Hashim, CRRF Chief Executive Officer. “We’re honoured to have supported the City of Saskatoon’s first Civic Internship graduates, and we look forward to seeing them reap the fruits of their labour.”

Through this program, participants had the opportunity to work directly with the Mayor, City Councillors, senior City Administration and community leaders, gaining insights into municipal governance and its connection to community development. Foundational to the program was the history of Indigenous peoples including the residential school system, the 60s Scoop and MMIWG2S.*  

"Participating in the City of Saskatoon Internship Program was a transformative experience for me as a newcomer.” graduate Muna Jibreal says.  “It opened doors to understanding the City's operations, connecting with the community, and finding my place in Saskatoon's vibrant landscape."  

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*Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Two-Spirit persons 

Winter BYXE Week will take place February 15 - 23, 2025. Many activities and events are planned throughout the week, including Bike to Work Day on Thursday, February 20. Local advocacy group, Saskatoon Cycles, is coordinating the events in partnership with the City of Saskatoon, including a BYXE Week scavenger hunt and photo contest.  

“Riding a bike is great for physical and mental health; regular exercise leaves you feeling refreshed, energized and alert,” says Nathalie Baudais, Transportation Engineering Manager. 

“Don’t limit your cycling adventures to warm weather seasons. Add winter cycling to your list of must-do winter activities like skating, sledding, skiing and snowshoeing. It's a convenient and low-cost form of everyday transportation that benefits Saskatoon by decreasing traffic congestion, noise and air pollution.”  

BYXE Week is a great time to explore Saskatoon. Visit saskatoon.ca/byxe for bike routes and safety tips. 

Bike to Work Day will be held on Thursday, February 20. Commuter Stations, sponsored by local organizations and businesses, will be serving refreshments and snacks for people on bikes during their morning and afternoon commutes. Visit saskatooncycles.org/winter-byxe for a list station locations and times. 

This initiative underscores the joy of biking, promoting good health, saving money and contributing to environmental sustainability.  

If you live too far away to ride your bike, consider taking Saskatoon Transit part of the way. All buses are equipped with front bike racks that are free and easy to use. Plan your trip using the Transit app. 

For detailed information and event updates, residents can visit  saskatooncycles.org/winter-byxe and join our Facebook Event for updates! 

The City of Saskatoon is proud to announce its recognition as one of Saskatchewan’s Top Employers for 2025. This honour reflects the City's commitment to fostering a supportive and dynamic workplace that prioritizes employees' well-being and professional growth.

"We are proud to be acknowledged as one of Saskatchewan’s Top Employers for 2025. Our employees are at the heart of our success, and this award is a reflection of their hard work," says Chelsey Mack, Director of HR Shared Services. "Our focus on mental health and our Corporate Value of Safety in all that we do has played a key role in earning this honour, and we will continue to prioritize these areas."

The City of Saskatoon was evaluated on eight key criteria, the same used for Canada’s Top 100 Employer’s competition: physical workplace; work atmosphere and social; health, financial and family benefits; vacation and time off; employee communications; performance management; training and skills development; and community involvement.

The City views its employees as its greatest assets and places a strong emphasis on mental health and well-being.  “We strive to provide an environment where everyone feels safe, valued, respected, and appreciated for the work they do,” Mack says.  

The City offers a range of benefits to promote both physical and mental well-being, including discounted access to city leisure facilities and programs, on-site noon-hour yoga programs, as well as mental health training.

Employers are compared with other organizations in their field to determine which ones offer the most progressive and forward-thinking programs. The City has now been honoured with this award for the tenth time.

Saskatchewan’s 2025 Top Employers are highlighted in today’s online Saskatoon StarPhoenix and Regina Leader-Post.

The City of Saskatoon issued 2025 Reassessment Notices to more than 100,000 property owners via mail earlier this week along with an informative guide.

The 2025 Assessment Roll, a listing of all properties in Saskatoon, is open for public inspection from January 27 to March 28, 2025. This timeframe also marks the 60-Day Customer Review Period in which property owners may formally appeal their property’s assessed value in 2025.

“As a result of the 2025 Reassessment, the average residential property’s assessed value in Saskatoon will increase by 13%,” Bryce Trew, City Assessor says. “Important to note, this does not mean your residential property tax will go up 13%. If your property’s assessed value changed more than 13% from 2024 to 2025, then your share of property tax will increase. If it increased less than 13%, your share of property tax will decrease.

 “We encourage property owners to review their property’s new 2025 assessed value and their property’s characteristics on our website by using the online Property Assessment and Tax Tool or if they prefer, to contact us if they’d like to review the information we have on file about their property. We are here to help property owners who would like to connect with us by email, phone or in-person by appointment,” Trew adds.

Highlights of the 2025 Assessment Roll:                         

• The total value of the 2025 Taxable Assessment Roll is 47.2 billion, compared to 43.1 billion in 2024 as a result of the 2025 reassessment.
  • Commercial Assessment accounts for 9 billion (approx. 3,400 properties)
  • Residential Assessment accounts for 34.2 billion (approx. 93,000 properties)

• The typical residential property assessed value in Saskatoon increased 13% and the typical non-residential (commercial) property assessed value decreased 2%. (In the last reassessment cycle, the residential tax class decreased 7% and the commercial tax class increased 8%.)

• • Note: If a property owner had an assessment value increase of 13%, this does not mean their property tax will increase 13%.

Key Findings from the 2025 Assessment Roll by Assessment Sub-Groups

• Residential Tax Classes: The average assessment value increase for this tax class, is 13%.
• Single-Family Residential value increased 13% (Median Assessment is 394,200)
• Residential Condominium value increased 5% (Median Assessment is 216,500) 
• Multi-Family value increased 24% (Median Assessment is 1,966,000)

Commercial Tax Classes: The average assessment value increase for this tax class, is –2%.

• Retail value decreased 10% (Median Assessment is 1,393,600)
• Office value decreased 17% (Median Assessment is 1,325,000)
• Industrial value increased 10% (Median Assessment is 1,502,550)
• Hotel value decreased 13% (Median Assessment is 8,549,600)

Helpful Online Resources for Property Owners

Property Assessment & Tax Tool: Review the characteristics the City has on file about your property, check other assessments in your area, review market area sales, historical tax information and more.

Revenue Neutral 2025 Property Tax Estimator: Preview an estimate of the change in your 2025 property tax as a result of the 2025 Reassessment. The estimate shown is not your final property tax amount; it does not include 2025 budget changes, or yet to be approved tax policy decisions to be set by City Council and the Province in March and April. Property owners will receive their 2025 Property Tax notice by mail in May 2025.

Questions? We’re here to help.

Email: assessmentsubmit@saskatoon.ca

Mail: City of Saskatoon, Assessment & Valuation 222 - 3rd Avenue North, Saskatoon, SK S7K 0J5

Phone: Call 306-975-3227 for questions or to book an in-person appointment Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Visit saskatoon.ca/assessment for more information including helpful videos and guides.
 

The watchful eyes and quick action of a Transit supervisor patrolling the downtown bus terminal earlier this week likely prevented bear spray incidents involving employees or customers.  

The Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) recently arrested several people related to the use and possession of bear spray between January 19 and 21.  In one incident on Tuesday, January 21, the patrolling Transit supervisor saw a group of people with cans of what looked like bear spray get on a bus; the supervisor immediately reported it to the SPS who subsequently searched the suspects and made arrests.   

Saskatoon Transit increased its uniformed presence in the bus terminals and on buses this year to improve safety for employees and customers.  

All supervisors and bus operators have a direct line to emergency services and protocol to follow when they notice suspicious activity.