News Releases

At the request of the Howe family, cremated remains of Gordie and Colleen Howe will be interred in the base of the statue honoring “Mr. Hockey” at SaskTel Centre. 

To make the interment possible, the City must apply to the provincial government and ask the statue and a small portion of adjacent area be declared a cemetery.

“When Gordie and Colleen Howe’s family approached us with this idea, we thought it was a fitting tribute to someone who had always remembered his roots,” says Catherine Gryba, General Manager of Corporate Performance.  “It’s only appropriate that we do what we can to remember this great athlete, Saskatonian and Canadian.”

Renowned hockey legend Gordie Howe died June 10, 2016.  While born in Floral, Mr. Howe grew up and spent 16 years in Saskatoon before embarking on a record-setting hockey career in the United States.  Numerous facilities in Saskatoon have been named in Mr. Howe’s honour, which reflect his Saskatoon origins.

“We’ve been speaking with the Howe family and will take the appropriate steps to safeguard and respect Gordie and Colleen’s ashes,” Gryba says.  “They will be encased in a special concrete vessel with a commemorative plaque on top to protect them.”

The Administration will ask City Council for a resolution at its regular business meeting Thursday afternoon, August 18.

The Saskatoon Blades and SaskTel Centre are planning other activities for September 25 to honour Gordie Howe and coincide with the statue commemoration.

SaskTel Centre will cover the costs of the project up to a maximum of $6000, and the Saskatoon Blades will cover any costs over and above that amount.

If the ashes are ever moved, the City must also ask the Province to rescind the cemetery designation at the statue location.

Work zone violations and abusive language continue to be a daily reality for many City employees and contractors working on roadways and in other areas around Saskatoon.

“Our workers are reporting regularly on two dangerous and continuing trends,” says Angela Gardiner, Director of Transportation. “They often encounter drivers in a hurry who move work zone signs to take a short cut, and in some instances when the worker asks them to follow the detour in place, they are met with anger and abusive language.”

A work zone can be any location with posted signs and barriers to protect the workers and the public during a project or regular work. This includes road projects but also at other places where staff are working, such as the landfill, parks and in back lanes.

Regardless of where a work zone is, the rules remain the same – respect the work zone for your own safety and the safety of the workers. 

“Our employees face many hazards; drivers, cyclists and pedestrians entering work zones should not be one of those,” says Gardiner. “Workers need to be able to focus on their job and not be watching for traffic, guiding traffic, continually replacing signs to their appropriate locations or being bombarded with verbal abuse. We need everyone to respect the work zone and the workers at all times whether they are in a vehicle, on a bike or walking.”

Remember, a work zone can be anywhere workers are present or work is on-going. The City reminds people signs are not to be moved at any time and work zones are in effect 24 hours a day until signs are removed by City workers and a project area is deemed to be completely safe for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. Respect the work zone – and the worker – wherever they are.

For more, please visit saskatoon.ca/respectworkzones.

The results are in on the 2016 Civic Services Survey and public engagement activities, which will help shape the City’s 2017 Business Plan and Budget. This year’s Civic Services Survey shows overall satisfaction with the level of services provided by the City remains high and is significantly higher than in 2013. Since 2013, overall satisfaction increased by 5% for telephone respondents and 10% for online respondents.

“I am very pleased to see this result,” says Catherine Gryba, General Manager of Corporate Performance. “In 2015, we established a performance target of overall satisfaction with civic services of 90% or more. Looking at 2016 survey results, it shows we are definitely moving in the right direction toward hitting that target.”

The majority of Civic Services Survey respondents continue to rate Saskatoon’s quality of life as high, and they feel the City is on the right track to becoming a better city 10 years from now. Each year, citizens are also asked to the name the most important issue facing the City. 

“In 2013, citizens were very concerned with the condition of roads and sidewalks,” says Gryba. “As a result of that feedback, we launched the most aggressive road improvement program in the community’s history, Building Better Roads, in 2014. That investment is definitely making a difference, and although roads continue to be cited as the most important issue, there are significantly fewer respondents saying this is an issue as compared to 2013.” 

Similar to 2015, citizens also prefer to pay for services and balance the operating budget using a combination of user fees and property tax increases. Annual survey results have always been considered in the development of the City’s business plans and budgets, but Gryba says additional engagement initiatives are also proving to be quite valuable, including an online budget tool called "Citizen Budget", and in-person surveys conducted at various locations throughout the City.

“Participation in the Citizen Budget was very strong this year with over 2,600 unique visitors and a total of 803 online submissions, which is an increase of 60% for online budget submissions and matches the number of participants in the 2016 Civic Services Survey online study.” 

Although participation for the in-person survey varies and cannot be considered statistically reliable, the responses still provide important input into the process. When the results of all engagement initiatives are combined, citizens generally support increases in service levels or an increase in spending on road maintenance. Besides road maintenance, there is also support for increases for affordable housing, transit, snow and ice management, and traffic management. 

“It’s interesting to see the needs and wants of citizens of varying demographics coming in as fairly consistent through each method of engagement,” says Gryba.

The 2016 Civic Services Survey and Citizen Budget engagement strategies support the Strategic Goal of Continuous Improvement and being the best-managed city in Canada. All results are available at saskatoon.ca/financialfuture and in the coming weeks the comments provided by on the Citizen Budget site will also be posted.  

For the August 18, 2016 Meeting of City Council

9.3.1 Saskatoon Strides – 2015 Report on Service, Savings and Sustainability

*City Council will be asked to receive the 2015 Report on Service, Savings and Sustainability.
*The City is committed to continue to explore and implement new ways to improve service, increase savings, and grow Saskatoon in a sustainable way. Saskatoon Strides - 2015 Report on Service, Savings and Sustainability highlights the City’s accomplishments in each of these areas for 2015.

Additional Information

*In 2015, the City identified savings, additional funding, and revenues total over $183M. Increased operational efficiencies and service level enhancements resulted in savings of $5.2M. The City also applied to the Government of Canada and received approval for $860,000 in funding through the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program. Saskatoon Land delivered $16.07M in financial returns to the City.
*The City embarked on two P3 projects in 2015; the North Commuter Parkway and Traffic Bridge Project and the Civic Operations Centre. The procurement method chosen for the two projects has an estimated Value for Money savings of $161.7M NPV (Net Present Value) when compared to the design, bid, build procurement method.
*The City’s various environmental programs help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 94,000 tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent annually, the equivalent of removing over 19,000 cars off our roads. Civic programs also diverted approximately 31,828 tonnes of waste from the Saskatoon Landfill in 2015.
*The City received awards and recognition from the industry and citizens on the services it provides.

9.3.2 2015 Annual Report – Sustaining the Saskatoon Advantage

*City Council will be asked to receive the 2015 Annual Report – Sustaining the Saskatoon Advantage which includes a summary of the progress achieved on the 2015 Corporate Business Plan.

Additional Information

*Highlights from the 2015 Corporate Business Plan include:
-total investment in roads exceeded $53 million – an increase of $3 million from 2014 and $19 million from 2013.
-the completion of PotashCorp Playland and Kinsmen Park.
-the early completion of University Bridge rehabilitation.
-starting the North Commuter Parkway and Traffic Bridge replacement project.
-starting construction on the permanent snow storage facility at the new Civic Operations Centre (COC), with completion expected in late 2016. Construction also began on the new Transit facility at the COC.
-launch of Citizen Budget – an interactive activity that showed residents how building the City’s annual budget requires balancing affordability for taxpayers and helped them share their views on the City’s spending priorities and future investments for the 2016 budget.
-the City partnered to host the Wicihitowin “Working Together” conference in an effort to increase Aboriginal engagement and service delivery.
-public engagement initiatives moved forward on several elements of the Growing Forward! and Growth Plan to Half a Million; corridor redevelopment, employment areas, transit and transportation.

9.6.3 2016 Local Government Elections – Amendments to Bylaw No. 8191, The Election Bylaw, 2012

*City Council will be asked to add provisions and update the Bylaw to reflect recent provincial legislative changes.

Additional Information

*Housekeeping amendments to the Bylaw would update references to the new legislation and new section numbers, as well as provide for procedures related to the programming, use, storage and transport of vote counting machines and the counting of votes necessitated by the new legislation.

The City of Saskatoon’s ongoing commitment to continuous improvement helped save taxpayers $183M in 2015.

“The City staff continues to make strides toward delivering better services for Saskatoon residents,” says Catherine Gryba, General Manager of Corporate Performance. “We’ve found and put into place new efficiencies in the way we do our work, and keep an eye on how well we’re doing.”

The City monitors progress with its new performance dashboard guided by a dedicated drive for year-over-year service improvements.

“Better also means the savings we gain through continuous improvement, ultimately benefiting property taxes,” Gryba says. “They were kept lower in 2015 than they would have been without finding these savings for our annual business plan and budget.”

Full details are contained in Saskatoon Strides 2015: Our Report on Service, Savings, and Sustainability.

“The measures highlighted on our performance dashboard and in Saskatoon Strides keep us focused on planning and investing in what matters most to people, and for the future growth of the city,” says Gryba.

The City’s attention to innovative thinking and improved service levels contributed to:

• the early completion of the University Bridge Rehabilitation
• City and community partners hosting the Wicihitowin “Working Together” Aboriginal Engagement Conference
• implementing automatic announcements on buses to increase accessibility

The City’s attention to innovative thinking on financial matters contributed to:

• $161 million in value for money savings from selecting P3 projects
• $16 million in financial returns from Saskatoon Land
• $860,000 in funding received from the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Funding Program

Operational efficiencies and service level enhancements contributed $5.2 million in savings including:

• $715,000 on roadway contracts.  A streamlined roadway tender process created more competitive bidding, ensured quality and timely responses from contractors 
• $250,000 from a new de-icing product which was tested and proved effective for use at colder temperatures, also resulting in less overall street clean up during the spring street sweep
• $165,000 from streamlining the IT systems in the Public Works call centre. Response times and accuracy of issues and trouble locations resulted in improved communication
• $200,000 across several divisions from a number of continuous improvement initiatives in the Information Technology division

City environmental programs also contributed to sustainable growth by helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of removing 19,000 cars off city roads. Continued focus on recycling programs also diverted approximately 31,828 tonnes of waste from the Saskatoon Landfill in 2015.

The City remains focused on all seven of the Strategic Goals and the long-term goal of managing and growing Saskatoon to 500,000 people in a smart, sustainable way.

The City continues to maintain its previous successes and move forward on meeting its Strategic Goals – the theme of the 2015 City of Saskatoon Annual Report – Sustaining the Saskatoon Advantage.

“The Report highlights the progress made in 2015 on our investment activities, projects, and services, which align with what matters to our citizens and our corporate goals as directed by the City’s ten-year Strategic Plan,” says Clae Hack, Acting Chief Financial Officer.

At its August 18th meeting, City Council will receive the Annual Report as well as the 2015 Audited Consolidated Financial Statements, and Trust Fund Financial Statements. The Annual Report reflects the City’s ongoing commitment to accountability, transparency, and openness in financial reporting and is now available online at saskatoon.ca/annualreport.

Among the sustained achievements, the City was able to maintain its Standard & Poor’s ‘AAA/ Stable’ credit rating in 2015, much supported by the City’s willingness to explore innovative and alternative ways to fund, finance and deliver important infrastructure projects.

“Our financial flexibility continues to provide a solid foundation for planning key projects and delivering core services our residents rely on every day – all making us a municipal leader in Canada,” says City Manager Murray Totland. “Our $53 million investment in roads, the North Commuter Parkway and Traffic Bridge Replacement Project, progress made on our new Civic Operations Centre and the completion of PotashCorp Playland at Kinsmen Park all demonstrate our dedication to continuous improvement and innovation for the challenges that come with rapid growth."

The City placed a strong emphasis on public engagement and improving customer service in 2015 through a new online budget tool to obtain citizen feedback on the proposed 2016 Business Plan and Budget.

The City strives to keep improving with the launch of Service Saskatoon-- a new model for providing responsive citizen and customer service.

With a goal of being the best-managed city in Canada, Saskatoon’s Council and civic staff remain committed to ensure residents get the most out of tax dollars, as well as managing risk and debt appropriately.

“We are effectively investing tax dollars every year to provide the best projects, programs, services and value for residents - all of which support our continued great quality of life in Saskatoon,” Totland says.

Signs directing drivers and cyclists around the downtown protected bike lanes pilot project have been up for a few months, but the City and the Saskatoon Police Service want to make sure everyone knows what the rules are.

“The protected bike lanes on 4th Avenue and 23rd Street are still relatively new,” says Angela Gardiner, Director of Transportation. “Drivers may not understand why people on bikes are stopped where they are, or what they’re trying to do, so we’ve made some changes to road signs to try and help everyone learn how we can safely share the roads.”

For example, overhead signs are in place to remind drivers where right turns are not permitted on red lights at intersections with the protected bike lanes. 

“We anticipate that over time drivers will become more familiar with the new guidelines and compliance will increase.”

A related bike lane safety measure downtown includes Bike Boxes. These green-painted squares on the pavement at signalized intersections are connected to the protected bike lanes along 23rd Street and 4th Avenue. They are designed to help with two-stage left turns for people riding bikes. So, for people driving cars, right turns on red lights are not permitted where there is a Bike Box. 

“The SPS is dedicated to protecting the safety of everyone using Saskatoon roadways,” says Randy Huisman, Inspector for Central Division. “Our officers will be monitoring traffic activity around bike lanes and may issue warnings or tickets when violations take place.”

Protected Bike Lanes are dedicated, marked lanes for cyclists that are physically separated from vehicles and pedestrian traffic, and have been built in Canada’s largest cities including Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa and Calgary.   

The City’s Protected Bike Land Demonstration Project was approved in March of 2015 with a lane opening on 23rd Street later that year. The 4th Avenue lane was opened this past May. The project will continue to be evaluated over the next year to determine the impact of the lanes on the downtown core. A report and a recommendation on the future of the project will be prepared for City Council in early 2018.   

For more information on Protected Bike Lanes, visit saskatoon.ca/moving-around/cycling/cycling-plans-projects

A popular Pokémon GO stop outside City Hall is now enabled with WiFi access. Civic Square along with four other facilities came online today with complimentary WiFi service, powered by Shaw Go WiFi. Residents and visitors can sign up for WiFi Access when visiting these or any of the City’s 15 WiFi-enabled facilities.

Additional Locations:

• Civic Square (outdoors), Saskatoon City Hall, 222 – 3^rd Avenue North
• Shaw Centre, 122 Bowlt Cres
• Silverwood Golf Course Clubhouse, 3503 Kinnear Avenue
• George Ward Pool, 1915 5th St East
• TCU Place Convention and Arts Centre (lobby), 35 - 22nd Street East 

Shaw and the City continue to work on installing WiFi at seven remaining public facilities. More information, including a complete list of participating facilities, can be found at saskatoon.ca/wifi.

The complimentary service, made possible through a partnership agreement with Shaw Communications Inc., is a major initiative through the City’s new service model - Service Saskatoon.

Service Saskatoon and the public WiFi major initiative supports the City’s goal of Continuous Improvement by leveraging technology and emerging trends to reach our goal to provide great citizen experiences at every level.

Over the past 10 years the City of Saskatoon has seen a population growth of 23 per cent. The demands of a growing population has required additional city staff, services and infrastructure.

“With greater investment in resources, the City has been able to service and attract tens of thousands of families who are choosing to move to one of the most successful and prosperous city in western Canada,” says City Manager Murray Totland.

There may be concerns about rising costs over the past decade.  Here are some facts to consider:

• To make a reasonable comparison over time, spending amounts should be measured on a per person basis and adjusted for inflation and population growth so that 2006 dollars are the same as what the City would be spending today. Additionally, inflation ought to be calculated for municipal rather than consumer spending.
• Comparing city spending can be difficult to do; each city offers its citizens a diverse basket of services that reflect the needs of the community and cities may fund those services different ways.
• The best way to make an apples to apples comparison with other cities is to look only at what tax dollars each one spends on operations.

“With these factors in mind and based on our Civic Services Survey, Saskatoon’s spending has been careful yet responsive to what citizens want,” Totland says.

Here are some key measures used by economists to demonstrate spending trends:

In light of growth, Saskatoon had the second lowest tax supported operating expenses among prairie cities after Winnipeg.  

Another way to measure the expenditure burden on residents is to look at the tax burden that is required to help fund the budget for a city. For example, considering the total residential property taxes that would be levied in each city, on a property with an assessed value of $400,000, Saskatoon’s municipal property taxes are the second lowest after Calgary.

Another important measure of how much a City spends is the number of full time jobs for its operations per 1000 population. As we see, the City’s employment numbers have been declining as a share of the population since 2011.

In terms of what is spent on those employees we see a similar trend for the percentage share of salaries and benefits for the City’s operating budget. In 2006, this was 60.8 percent of the City’s operating budget, while in 2016 it is 55.4 percent. 

Finally as the following graph indicates, over this same period of time, Average Saskatchewan weekly earnings have grown by between 30 and nearly 50 percent, well beyond a consumer or municipal price index inflationary adjustment.

In order for the City to offer citizens the services they want, salaries have to stay competitive with the demands of the labour market.

“Overall, while basic calculations of population and budget growth may reveal large percentage spending increases, there are many more factors to consider,”  Totland says.  “When an appropriate economic analysis is applied, it demonstrates Saskatoon’s spending is careful, cautious and again, measured to what citizens want in a 21^st Century City.”

The $3.7 million twinning of Claypool Drive is complete. There are now two lanes of divided traffic on Claypool Drive from Airport Drive to Hampton Gate North.

“We’re very happy to have this project completed on time, safely and on budget,” says Jeff Jorgenson, General Manager of Transportation and Utilities. “Drivers, in particular those accessing Hampton Village, will now enjoy less congestion and better access through Claypool Drive, which will serve as a main arterial road.”

The intersection at McClocklin Road and Claypool Drive has also been upgraded to include turning bays and traffic signals. This work was done to improve traffic flow in and out of Hampton Village as the area has quickly grown to more than 7,200 residents.

The project also includes upgrading from a ditch drainage system to a storm system drainage system.

“With our focus on building better roads, this completed Claypool Drive project is a great example of the progress we are making during this busy construction season,” Jorgenson says. Although work is complete, residents may see City crews working at times on landscaping and traffic signal work on Claypool Drive.

The City would like to thank residents for obeying work zone signage throughout the duration of the project. For everyone’s safety please continue to obey all detours, signs and barriers around projects across the City.