News Releases

After more than 900 votes, the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park and Zoo (Zoo) is pleased to announce that the infant Goeldi monkey has been named Calli.

“We wanted to extend a huge thank you to everyone that participated in selecting the name Calli for the newest member of the Goeldi troop,” said Tim Sinclair-Smith, Zoo Manager.

Calli was selected by popular vote after the Zoo narrowed down the selection to four potential names, including Calli, Maku, Tupi, and Sofia.

Citizens can see Calli and the rest of the Goeldi troop in the monkey enclosure at the Kinsmen Children’s Zoo exhibit year-round.

The Zoo is open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.  Additional information, such as admission rates and details on the recently launched Season Pass, can be found online at saskatoon.ca/zoo.

The City is looking for your help to name the infant monkey at the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park and Zoo (Zoo)!  Proud parents, Diego and Leah, welcomed an infant female Goeldi monkey on May 27, weighing in at approximately 109 grams.

“It is always exciting to welcome a new addition to the Zoo,” said Tim Sinclair-Smith, Zoo Manager.  “Both baby and mother are doing well, and now it is time to select a name for the newest member of the troop.”

The Zoo has narrowed the selection down to four potential names, including:

• Calli – short for Callimico, the species name;
• Maku – an indigenous South American language;
• Tupi – an indigenous South American language; and
• Sofia – a common Brazilian girl’s name meaning wisdom.

“We want our citizens to have a special connection with this monkey and watch her grow throughout the years.  We are inviting the public to choose the final name by voting from the potential options,” says Sinclair-Smith.

To submit your vote, visit saskatoon.ca/zoo from Tuesday, July 17, to Tuesday, July 31.  The winning selection will be publicly announced on Wednesday, August 1.

The Goeldi and her parents are located in the monkey enclosure in the Kinsmen Children’s Zoo exhibit.  Citizens are encouraged to come and experience the cuteness for themselves.  The Zoo is open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.  Additional information regarding the Zoo can be found online at saskatoon.ca/zoo.

Two mobs of meerkats are getting ready to travel to their new permanent home at the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo (Zoo).  The meerkat families are packing their tiny suitcases and getting ready to take over the space formerly occupied by the Komodo dragons.  The new exhibit will officially open to the public on Sunday, April 1, 2018.

“The addition of the meerkats provides a great opportunity for us to bring some exciting new animals to Saskatoon, allowing visitors of all ages to meet meerkats, potentially for the first time.  This is a great way to enhance our learning opportunities at the Zoo,” says Tim Sinclair-Smith, Zoo Manager.

Meerkats are very active and sociable animals that live in groups knowns as mobs.  The average mob size is around 10 to 15 individuals and may consist of up to three families living together.  Meerkats have gray and brown coloured coats of fur with dark patches around their eyes.  They also have powerful claws for digging and their pointed snouts help them to excavate prey from narrow trenches.  Meerkats are native to southern Africa, including South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique.  They typically live in dry, open plains, savannas, and grasslands.

Sinclair-Smith says, “Besides being irresistibly cute, two of the meerkats have been trained for interactive presentations and we are looking forward to bringing this unique type of educational programming to Saskatoon.”

The Zoo is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. until the end of April, and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. starting in May.  Additional information regarding the Zoo can be found at saskatoon.ca/zoo.

The City is reminding everyone that it wants to hear ideas on how to improve our lives through innovation, data, and technology; it is all part of the Smart Cities Challenge.

The Smart Cities Challenge asks communities to share their best ideas for using technology and data to improve livability and opportunities for the city and its residents.

The first step in the application process is to develop a Challenge Statement that defines the outcomes a community aims to achieve.

For Saskatoon, the focus is on improving community safety and well-being.  We need residents to weigh in with feedback, so the City has begun a process of reaching out to individuals, families, community organizations, institutions, and the technology sector.

Saskatoon residents are being asked for their ideas on how to address the challenges our city faces as they relate to community safety and well-being.

Everyone can get involved by visiting saskatoon.ca/engage on or before Monday, April 2, 2018, and answering four questions to participate in a community-wide brainstorm to narrow down key themes for the Challenge Statement.

The City is partnering with the Central Urban Métis Federation, Saskatoon Health Authority, Saskatoon Police Service, Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Saskatoon Tribal Council, United Way, and University of Saskatchewan in the development of the Smart Cities Challenge Application.

Challenge Details
Recently launched by the Government of Canada, the Challenge has three rounds of competition.  Saskatoon has until Tuesday, April 24, 2018, to submit a Challenge Statement application in the first round.  The Government of Canada will announce round one finalists in Summer 2018, and each finalist will receive $250,000 to further develop their ideas into a full proposal.  Winners will be announced in Spring 2019 and will have their ideas funded through a potential $10 million prize (Eligible Category:  Communities with Populations under 500,000).

Visit the Government of Canada's Challenge website to learn more about Smart Cities, and join the conversation on Twitter with hashtag #smartcitiesCanada.

The newest members of the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo (Zoo) family have quickly settled into their new digs at the Meerkat House and embraced their new life as Saskatonians.

“The new exhibit is quite amazing,” says Tim Sinclair-Smith, Zoo Manager.  “It features a naturalistic habitat with desert sand dunes, termite mound replicas, nest boxes, and specially made tunnel systems.  We are also working on setting up nest box cameras that will provide an up-close look at the meerkat tunnels throughout the exhibit.”

Transforming the former Komodo Island exhibit to the new Meerkat House was made possible through the generous support of the Saskatoon Zoo Foundation who raises funds for capital projects and improvements within the Zoo.  Following up on the success of the Komodo Island exhibit, the Foundation provided the required funding to bring the Meerkat House exhibit to life.

“The Saskatoon Zoo Foundation is very excited to play a role in bringing the meerkats to the Zoo,” says Dawn Woroniuk, Executive Director, Saskatoon Zoo Foundation.  “We embraced the opportunity to provide the funding to flip the exhibit space in order to bring a species that most of us never imagined coming to the Zoo.”

The new Meerkat House also features original artwork created by students from Georges Vanier Catholic Fine Arts School.  The school has been working with the Zoo to create cut-out displays highlighting various animals, with the latest installation featuring the meerkats.

Visitors to the Zoo will have their first opportunity to see the meerkats in their new permanent home when the exhibit officially opens to the public on Sunday, April 1, 2018.

Residents are encouraged to come and experience the cuteness for themselves. The Zoo is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. until the end of April and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. starting in May.  Additional information can be found at saskatoon.ca/zoo.

The City is proud to open its tenth off-leash dog park, Paul Mostoway, located at Richardson Road and McClocklin Road.  The dog park will officially open to the public at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, December 1, 2017.  The 3.2 acre dog park is fully fenced and features a crusher dust pathway, waste receptacles, and a ten-stall angled parking lot.

“The addition of the Paul Mostoway Dog Park supports our long-term strategic goal of Quality of Life for residents in Saskatoon,” said Andrew Roberts, Manager, Special Use Facilities and Capital Planning.  “Dog parks help to promote active and healthy lifestyle choices for both pets and pet owners.”

The dog park opening will feature a guided tour and provide an opportunity for residents to learn more about Saskatoon’s newest dog park.

Dog parks are naturalized spaces where dogs are permitted to be off-leash while under the control of their owner.  There are currently ten dog parks conveniently located throughout Saskatoon for vaccinated, well-behaved, and licensed dogs:

1. Avalon – Glasgow Street and Broadway Avenue
2. Caswell – Avenue F North or Avenue G North, south of 32^nd Street West
3. Fred Mendel – Avenue W South and 17^th Street West
4. Hampton Village – North of 33^rd Street West, along Junor Avenue
5. Hyde – Off of Slimmon Road, along Boychuk Drive
6. Paul Mostoway – Richardson Road and McClocklin Road
7. Pierre Radisson – Between 32^nd Street West and 33^rd Street West
8. Silverwood – Adjacent to the northeast edges of Silverwood Golf Course
9. Southwest – North of Cedar Villa Road
10. Sutherland Beach – Accessed via grid road with entry off of Central Avenue

For more information on dog parks, please visit saskatoon.ca/dogparks.

With the colder temperatures setting in, grizzly bears Mistaya (miss‑TIE’‑yuh) and Koda (KOH’-dah), have started hibernation at the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo (Zoo) for the second time.

Preparation for the bears’ hibernation has been underway for several weeks, and the Zoo has worked closely with Dr. Marc Cattet of fRI Research and Deb McWilliams, Wildlife Nutritionist with the Nutritional Advisory Group, to carefully monitor the bears’ diet leading into hibernation.

“We adjusted Mistaya and Koda’s diet to better simulate what a wild grizzly bear would consume in nature,” said Dr. Cattet.  “This adjustment resulted in both bears entering hibernation with body weights similar to what we would expect wild grizzly bears to weigh; around 325 to 350 kg.”

The bears’ second hibernation provides a great opportunity for the Zoo to gather information in relation to conservation, research, and educational initiatives for grizzly bears.  This year, the Zoo will be monitoring the bears’ activity in relation to the den and outside temperatures, which will provide insight into the potential effects a warming climate has on hibernation success.

“While we expect to see a lot of sleeping during late winter when we start to get occasional stretches of warmer days, the bears might wake up temporarily from their hibernation sleep and move around their den for several hours at a time before returning to a hibernating state,” said Dr. Cattet.

Cameras have been installed in the hibernation dens so that the Zoo can closely monitor behaviour, activity levels, and breathing patterns.  Efforts are underway to set up a live camera feed for residents to check in on Mistaya and Koda throughout their hibernation.  The live camera feed will be available in the coming weeks on saskatoon.ca/zoo.

“We are very excited to provide an opportunity for people to get a ‘behind the scenes’ look at what actually happens during hibernation,” said Tim Sinclair-Smith, Zoo Manager.

For more information on the Zoo, please visit saskatoon.ca/zoo.

The Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo’s resident Red Panda, Phoenix, will be leaving Saskatoon on Sunday, October 1, 2017.

“For the past three years, Phoenix has lived with us in the PotashCorp Ark Exhibit and his presence was enjoyed by visitors of all ages,” says Zoo Manager Tim Sinclair-Smith.

Sinclair-Smith adds, “Phoenix’s move is part of the Species Survival Plan (SSP) developed by the (American) Association of Zoos and Aquariums to help ensure the survival of selected species in zoos and aquariums, most of which are threatened or endangered in the wild.”

“The SSP plans to grow and develop a long-term program for red pandas, and Phoenix will play a key role in the continued development of the program.”

Recently, the red panda has been classified as Endangered because its population in the wild is estimated to be less than 10,000 and continues to decline due to habitat loss among other causes.

“We hope that one day red pandas will return to the Zoo, but for now our commitment is to the SSP and the important work it is doing to maintain a healthy, genetically diverse, and stable population for red pandas,” says Sinclair-Smith.

In celebration of Phoenix’s final days in Saskatoon, the Zoo Animal Care team will be on hand to answer questions at the PotashCorp Ark Exhibit throughout the month of September.

The Zoo is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and the Forestry Farm Park gates are open from 7:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

A special meeting of the Governance and Priorities Committee will be held on Wednesday, September 20, 2017, for City Council to hear an update on the Recreation & Parks Master Plan Long-Range Capital Plan.  The meeting will include presentations from community-based organizations interested in partnering with the City on capital initiatives.

In 2015, City Council approved the Recreation & Parks Master Plan to provide a framework for guiding the development, delivery and improvement of recreation and parks programs, services and facilities now and into the future.  It identified recommendations for implementation for the City and community over the next 15 years.

“The Master Plan was developed by a diverse team,” says Lynne Lacroix, Director of Recreation and Community Development.  “This included the City Administration and recreation experts, along with extensive community and stakeholder engagement.  The team heard from key agencies and sectors involved in and affected by recreation and parks services.”

The next step in the implementation of the Master Plan is to set priorities for long-range capital budget planning for recreation and parks facilities.  The goal will be to identify gaps and to formalize a process for setting priorities:  that is, what, when, and where to build or upgrade amenities.

“We’ve developed a game plan for prioritizing enhanced or new recreation and parks facilities.”

Lacroix says the plan focuses on three areas:

• maintenance of existing City-owned facilities;
• identifying new initiatives based on trends and partnership opportunities; and
• growth-related infrastructure in new areas of the city.

The game plan details annual capital expenditures and priorities related to recreation and parks infrastructure using the Master Plan tools and framework.  Once received by the Governance and Priorities Committee, this game plan, along with a proposed funding strategy, will proceed to City Council for debate in the budget proceedings later this year.

Please visit www.saskatoon.ca/recmasterplan for the highlights of the Recreation & Parks Master Plan, to view the plan in its entirety, and for more information on implementation.

The Saskatoon North Partnership for Growth (P4G) is pleased to announce the draft P4G Regional Plan (Plan) is complete.

“The goal of the Plan is to ensure each of the five partnering municipalities can benefit from growth opportunities, increase efficiencies, and reduce costs by working together,” says Alex Fallon, Independent Chair of the P4G Regional Oversight Committee and President and CEO of Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Authority (SREDA).

The draft Plan recommends a series of guiding principles and policies around land use, transportation, servicing, and implementation, as well as proposes new governance and administrative structures for the region.

The P4G invites residents in the Rural Municipality of Corman Park; the Cities of Saskatoon, Warman, and Martensville; and the Town of Osler to an Information Session for the draft Plan.

“The draft Regional Plan is a significant milestone in our efforts to plan for long-term growth across our region.  I encourage the public to attend to understand how the Regional Plan will work and the next steps,” Fallon says.

PUBLIC INFORMATION SESSION:  P4G Regional Plan
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
Open House – 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Public Presentation 6:30 p.m. followed by a moderated Question and Answer Session
North Ridge Centennial Community Centre
901 3^rd Street North, Martensville

The public is encouraged to submit, in advance, any questions or comments to be addressed during the Moderated Question and Answer Session on the P4G website at partnershipforgrowth.ca.  Answers will be posted on the website in a Frequently Asked Questions document after June 27, 2017.

The Consultant, O2 Planning + Design, and representatives from the partner municipalities and SREDA will be in attendance.

To view the draft Plan, Servicing Strategy, and the Governance and Implementation Strategy, as well as to submit questions for the Moderated Question and Answer Session, please visit the P4G website at partnershipforgrowth.ca.