News Releases

The City’s winter roads emergency response plan was approved by City Council on Monday, September 27. With this response plan in place, extra staffing and contractor resources would be activated to restore mobility after a blizzard with an accumulated snow fall of at least 25 centimetres and reduced mobility to the point that light vehicles cannot travel on city streets. This plan was developed by the Administration after 30-40 centimetres of snow fell in November 2020, which required day and night city-wide snow grading and removal to restore mobility and safety in the city.

“We have a fine-tuned response plan for snowstorms that we scale up for the handful of times each year when more than 5 centimetres of snow accumulates,” says Goran Saric, Director of Roadways, Fleet & Support. “And now, this plan is a more robust, multi-agency strategy for a future extreme event like we saw in November, allowing us to respond faster and more efficiently city-wide.”

The response plan was developed using lessons learned from the November 2020 blizzard and examples from other winter cities, with input from other agencies and stakeholders to ensure it follows an approach that works for the whole community.

Residents should have an emergency plan too. “Residents should always have a 72-hour emergency plan for any emergency event.  You should be prepared to take care of yourself and your family for a minimum of 72 hours (about 3 days),” says Pamela Goulden-McLeod, Director of Emergency Planning. “It could take that long for emergency services to reach you in a city-wide emergency at any time of year.”

The City’s previous extreme blizzard was in 2007 when 36 centimetres of snow fell in one day. Projections using 30 years of historical data for Saskatoon estimate this type of blizzard may occur again in 10 to 14 years. As the frequency and severity of inclement weather is predicted to increase with climate change, the frequency of future extreme snow events may be higher (e.g., 1 occurrence every 7 years).

More information and education about the response plan will be available this winter. For more information about the City’s regular winter operations, visit saskatoon.ca/snow. 

• green – minimal risk
• yellow - caution
• orange – high risk
• red – critical risk

• review of current Public Health Orders
• review of current COVID-19 situation
• consultation with local MHO and other key stakeholders
• review by City Council
• any approved measures would be activated on the first day of the next month and would remain in place until a review at the next Council meeting

The City of Saskatoon will have a number of adjusted civic services and hours of operation on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Wondering what’s open or closed? See full details on the City’s website.

The City of Saskatoon will have a number of adjusted civic services and hours of operation on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, as follows:

REMAI MODERN

Remai Modern's hours on September 30, are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

WASTE COLLECTIONS

Garbage (Black Cart) – Collections as scheduled on Thursday, September 30. Bi-weekly collections begin Friday, October 1.
Recycling (Blue Cart) – Collections as scheduled
Organics (Subscription Green Cart) – Collections as scheduled
For collection schedules and reminders, get the Saskatoon Waste Wizard app or visit saskatoon.ca/collectioncalendar

LANDFILL

The Landfill will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Cash transactions are accepted, although Credit and Debit are recommended.
More information at saskatoon.ca/landfill

COMPOST DEPOTS

The West Compost Depot will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
The East Compost Depot will be open from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
More information at saskatoon.ca/compostdepots

SASKATOON TRANSIT SERVICES

Fixed route and On-Demand Transit will operate regular hours on Thursday, September 30, please consult the mobile app transit to plan your trip.
Access Transit and the Transit Customer Service Centre will operate with regulate hours.  

PAY PARKING

Parking payment is required on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, September 30.
Motorists are reminded that all parking requirements remain in effect, including parking time limits.

MUNICIPAL IMPOUND LOT 

Impound Lot is open to the public between 8:00 am and 7:00 pm

SASKATOON FORESTRY FARM PARK & ZOO

Regular Hours of Operation:

Zoo 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Forestry Farm Park 7:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

GOLF COURSES (HOLIDAY PARK, WILDWOOD AND SILVERWOOD)

Regular Hours of Operation.  Open dawn to dusk.

LEISURE CENTRES

The Leisure Centres will be open regular hours of operation. Search for drop-in program information including fitness and weight room hours, public swim sessions and fitness programs on Leisure Online at saskatoon.ca/leisureonline

Cosmo Civic Centre
OPEN – 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Harry Bailey Aquatic Centre
OPEN - 6:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Lakewood Civic Centre
OPEN – 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Lawson Civic Centre
OPEN - 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Saskatoon Field House
OPEN – 6:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Shaw Centre
OPEN - 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Terry Fox Track
OPEN – 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 to 8:00 p.m.

INDOOR ARENAS
ACT Arena – Open regular hours of operation. 
Parent & Tot Skating: 2:30 to 3:15 p.m.

NOTIFYNOW

Residents are encouraged to sign-up to notifynow for timely and targeted public safety messages. Notifynow is a free service. Tell us how to best reach you on your preferred communication device. Visit saskatoon.ca/notifynow for more information.

YXE Service Alerts

For information and updates on service disruptions such as power or water check saskatoon.ca/servicealerts or follow @yxeservicealert on Twitter

Over 2,500 participants have registered for the virtual 2021 Wîcihitowin Indigenous Engagement Conference on October 5-7. The event will provide registrants with important teachings to assist them on their paths to reconciliation.

“With registration closing tonight at 11:59 p.m., we can announce that this year will be our largest group of attendees to date,” says Brad Bird, Co-Chair of the Wîcihitowin Organizing Committee and Director of Reconciliation, Saskatoon Public Library. “We are looking forward to welcoming thousands of people virtually to learn from our speakers—including Residential School Survivors and Knowledge Keepers—about the Seven Sacred Teachings that guide Indigenous Peoples’ ways of knowing.”

Established in 2014, the Wîcihitowin Conference was created to provide Residential School Survivors and Sixties Scoop Survivors with a platform to share their voices and teachings, to inspire respectful engagement and meaningful inclusion of Indigenous peoples within the community, and to share resources and tools to form and maintain culturally respectful organizations. “Wîcihitowin”, a Cree/Saulteaux term meaning “to help each other/to work together”, is the driving force for the now annual event.

“The Wîcihitowin conference provides an opportunity for community members to learn from survivors and for survivors to share their experiences, resilience and strength,” says Gilbert Kewistep, a Residential School Survivor and advisor to the conference organizing committee. “I want to thank everyone who chooses to virtually attend the conference, because fully committing your time and attention to learning matters. And, these conversations matter.”

“The City makes a point to contribute financial and human resource support to this conference every year,” says Melissa Cote, Director of Indigenous Initiatives for the City of Saskatoon. “The feedback we get from this event is always incredible – how it influenced individuals and organizations to change their thinking as well as their practices. Past participants feel that this conference has contributed to progress on Indigenous engagement and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action.”

The theme of this year’s conference is The Seven Sacred Teachings: love, respect, courage, honesty, wisdom, humility and truth. These inherent beliefs and values guide Indigenous Peoples’ ways of knowing and are shared by generations through oral traditions of storytelling and ceremony. The conference presentations will demonstrate how the Seven Sacred Teachings can guide people through their personal journeys; help community members, organizations, governments, and businesses respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action; and ensure respectful Indigenous engagement and inclusion within communities.

2021 conference presenters include:

• Chief Cadmus Delorme, Cowessess First Nation
• Dr. Cindy Blackstock, Executive Director, First Nations Child and Family Caring Society
• Dr. Dave Courchene - Nii Gaani Aki Innini (Leading Earth Man), Elder and Knowledge Keeper, Anishinaabe Nation
• Richard Van Camp, Storyteller and Author, Dene Nation from Fort Smith, Northwest Territories
• Stephanie Harpe, Residential School Survivor, International Advocate for Murdered, Missing and Exploited Indigenous Peoples, Singer/Songwriter
• Representatives from the Saskatoon Survivors Circle

“It’s important that we acknowledge there are so many different ways of learning,” says Bird. “This conference provides many Indigenous and non-Indigenous people with a connection to traditional teachings—I promise that the content will be eye-opening and thought-provoking whether you’re attending for the first time or the seventh.”

Registration is available free of charge at wicihitowin.ca, closing on September 27 at 11:59 p.m. (CST). For conference updates, you can also follow Wîcihitowin YXE on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

The Wîcihitowin Indigenous Engagement Conference is made possible through contributions from the City of Saskatoon, Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, Saskatchewan Health Authority, Saskatoon Public Library, United Way & Area, Saskatoon Community Foundation, and Nutrien (premier investor).

Residents are reminded that payment will be required in City-managed pay parking areas on National Day for Truth & Reconciliation, Thursday, September 30, 2021.

Public parking in the Downtown, Broadway, Riversdale, River Landing and Sutherland areas, as well as streets adjacent to St. Paul’s and Saskatoon City Hospitals, are metered from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Saturday. Payment is not required outside these hours, on Sundays or on statutory holidays (New Year’s Day, Family Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Saskatchewan Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving Day, Remembrance Day and Christmas Day). The National Day for Truth & Reconciliation is not a statutory holiday in Saskatchewan.

Public Pay Parking reminders:

• Customers are encouraged to use the WayToPark app as a no-touch way to pay for parking. If you must use a FlexParking station for payment, please ensure you follow public health guidelines when touching shared surfaces in public, such as using alcohol-based hand sanitizer or washing your hands as soon as you are able.
• Customers are responsible for entering the correct licence plate information when paying for parking at a FlexParking station or when using the WayToPark app.
• Parking time limits vary by location. Watch for signs wherever you are parking. 
• If you have reached the posted time limit but need more time in the area, move your vehicle around the corner or across the street. 
• Balances on a parking purchase can be carried forward to another parking space in a new location.
• Additional parking time can be purchased, but only up to the maximum allowable time posted.

For more information on Public Pay Parking, visit saskatoon.ca/payparking.

*This report includes road restrictions on Priority 1 (high traffic, high speed) streets only. 
 
NEW 
 
33RD ST W WB CURB LANE; SB RIGHT TURN LANE; & NB LEFT TURN LANE CLOSED AT CONFEDERATION DR 
(Intersection improvements) 
Start: September 27, 7:00 a.m. End: September 30, 7:00 a.m. 
 
AVE H N ROAD CLOSED FROM 30TH ST W TO 33RD ST W 
(Water main work) 
Start: September 27, 7:00 a.m. End: October 8, 4:30 p.m. 
 
CIRCLE DR E NB & SB SHOULDERS CONED OFF & SPEED REDUTIONS IN PLACE FROM 8TH ST E TO 14TH ST E 
(Shoulder clean up) 
Start: September 27, 9:00 a.m. End: September 27, 3:00 p.m. 
 
ATTRIDGE DR EB & WB MEDIAN LANES CLOSED FROM CIRCLE DR E TO CENTRAL AVE 
(Barrier installation) 
Start: September 27, 9:00 a.m. End: September 28, 3:00 p.m. 
 
51ST ST E WB CURB LANE CLOSED AT MINERS AVE 
(Pole installations) 
Start: September 27, 9:00 a.m. End: September 28, 5:00 p.m. 
 
IDYLWYLD DR N SB CURB LANE CLOSED FROM 29TH ST W TO 27TH ST W 
(Water main work) 
Start: September 27, 9:00 a.m. End: September 30, 5:00 p.m. 
 
14TH ST E EXIT RAMP; & WB PARKING & CURB LANES CLOSED FROM CIRCLE DR E TO CARLETON DR 
(PWM repair) 
Start: September 27, 9:30 a.m. End: October 17, 4:00 p.m. 
 
OVERNIGHT 
 
CIRCLE DR E EB CURB & CENTER LANES CLOSED FROM VENTURE CRES TO WARMAN RD 
(Sewer flushing) 
Start: September 27, 8:00 p.m. End: September 28, 6:00 a.m. 
 
ONGOING 
 
TRAFFIC BRIDGE CLOSED FROM SPADINA CRES E TO 11TH ST E 
(Bridge Cleaning) 
Start: September 26, 4:00 p.m. End: September 27, 3:00 a.m. 
 
AVE H N ROAD CLOSED FROM 31ST ST W TO 32ND ST W 
(Connection replacement) 
Start: September 23, 7:00 a.m. End: September 27, 7:00 a.m. 
 
CIRCLE DR E WB MEDIAN & CENTRE LANE CLOSED FROM FAITHFULL AVE TO NORTHRIDGE DR 
(Sewer flushing) 
Start: September 26, 8:00 p.m. End: September 27, 7:00 a.m. 
 
CIRCLE DR E EB MEDIAN & CENTRE LANES CLOSED FROM ALBERTA AVE TO 1ST AVE N 
(Sewer flushing) 
Start: September 26, 8:00 p.m. End: September 27, 7:00 a.m. 
 
AVE H N ROAD CLOSED FROM 30TH ST W TO 32ND ST W 
(Water main work) 
Start: September 21, 7:00 a.m. End: September 27, 7:00 a.m. 
 
3RD AVE S NB & SB MEDIAN LANES CLOSED FROM 21ST ST E TO 22ND ST E 
(Median repair) 
Start: September 26, 7:00 a.m. End: September 27, 5:00 p.m. 
 
RUTH ST W WB CURB LANE CLOSED FROM LORNE AVE TO ST GEORGE AVE 
(Water main lining) 
Start: September 13, 7:00 a.m. End: October 1, 5:00 p.m. 
 
8TH ST E INTERSECTION CLOSED NEW MCORMOND DR 
(Construction) 
Start: April 26, 7:00 a.m. End: September 30, 7:00 a.m. 
 
BROADWAY AVE SB LANES CLOSED FROM ISABELLA ST E TO HILLIARD ST E 
(Sidewalk repair) 
Start: September 22, 7:00 a.m. End: October 1, 6:00 p.m. 
 
RUTH ST E ROAD CLOSED FROM MCPHERSON AVE TO ROYAL AVE 
(Water main work) 
Start: August 16, 7:00 a.m. End: October 3, 4:00 p.m. 
 
CENTRAL AVE SB LANES CLOSED FROM 109TH ST W TO 107TH ST W     
(Streetscaping)         
Two-way traffic maintained in NB lanes         
Start: September 7, 7:00 a.m. End: October 5, 4:00 p.m. 
 
IDYLWYLD DR S NB & SB MEDIAN LANES CLOSED FROM 8TH ST E TO SASKATCHEWAN CRES W 
(Median Barrier Replacements) 
Start: September 13, 7:00 a.m. End: October 6, 3:00 p.m. 
 
BRIGHTON BLVD CLOSED FROM 8TH ST TO BRIGHTON COMMON          
(Storm sewer work)          
Start: August 30, 9:00 a.m. End: October 4, 7:00 a.m. 
 
NELSON RD SOUTH SIDEWALK CLOSED FROM HEATH AVE TO HEAL AVE 
(Sidewalk closed) 
Start: September 16, 6:00 a.m. End: October 16, 6:00 p.m. 
 
NEAULT RD NB LANES CLOSED FROM 22ND ST W TO 33RD ST W 
(Water main construction) 
Start: September 20, 10:00 a.m. End: October 25, 5:00 p.m. 
 
KENSINGTON GATE W ROAD CLOSED FROM NEAULT RD TO KENSINGTON LANE N 
(Water main work) 
Start: September 13, 7:00 a.m. End: October 25, 6:00 p.m. 
 
NEAULT RD NB & SB SPEED REDUCTION FROM 22ND ST W TO KENSINGTON GATE W    
(Water main work)    
Start: September 15, 9:00 a.m. End: October 26, 4:00 p.m. 

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