News Releases

From the April 3, 2017 Meeting

7.1.4 Growth Plan to Half a Million – Corridor Planning Program

Decision

*The report was received as information.

Background

*The intent of the Corridor Planning Program is to implement the Corridor Growth Core Initiative to enable the balanced approach to growth outlined in the Growth Plan.
*The Corridor Planning Program will be established through a framework of objectives and policies, intended to guide future detailed land use planning activities along the City of Saskatoon’s major transportation corridors.
*Corridor growth will provide opportunities to transform portions of the City’s major road network into vibrant urban corridors that support the use of Bus Rapid Transit and active transportation options in a connected and integrated system.

7.2.3 Partnership Agreement – Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park and Zoo and Foothills Research Institute – Grizzly Bear Program

Decision

*The report was forwarded to City Council.

Background

*The report recommends:
-Approval of a partnership.
-The intent of this new partnership is to provide an opportunity for the SFFP&Z to be directly linked to, and engaged in, conservation research on grizzly bears and other native species at the zoo.
-The new partnership will provide the SFFP&Z and the fRIGBP with a unique opportunity for scientific research findings to be communicated directly with zoo visitors, and for the grizzly bears currently housed at the SFFP&Z to actively contribute to conservation and research onsite.
-The partnership agreement between the SFFP&Z and the fRIGBP would be for a five-year term, with an option for an additional five-year renewal.

7.2.6 Revised On-Street Mobile Food Truck Policy

Decision

*The Committee is recommending City Council approve amendments.

Background

*Review of On-Street Mobile Food Truck Policy following four years of program operation has identified updates that will enhance the On-Street Mobile Food Truck Program, facilitate vendors, and address safety-related concerns.
*Amendments to allow a food truck to operate from a single location for up to six hours, instead of the current five, will accommodate the set-up and cool-down time requirements for food trucks.
*Amendments to reduce the minimum length of time that parking permits may be purchased will increase flexibility for vendors.
*Amendments to allow for parking of a support vehicle in conjunction with an over length food truck may reduce vendors’ parking costs.
*Amendments to require proof of annual provincial gas inspection as a condition of licensing will ensure public health and safety.
*Changes to the parking meter hooding fee schedule for on-street food trucks will reduce parking expenses for vendors and align more closely with actual on-street parking fees.

From the April 3, 2017 Meeting

7.1.3 Canadian Award for Financial Reporting

Decision

*The Committee received the information.

Background

*The City has been awarded a 2015 Canadian Award for Financial Reporting for its ability to present financial information in a clear, concise and informative manner.

7.2.6 Boychuk Interchange Land Acquisition  

Decision

*The committee forwarded the report to City Council

Background

*City Council approval is needed to purchase a 0.14 acre portion of land from George Brent Reddekopp for the Boychuk Interchange Project.
*Previous purchases for the Boychuk Interchange include the following land acquisitions; 7.51 acres from Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam (Ontario) Inc. in 2012, 0.09 acres from Larix Holdings Ltd. in 2016, and 0.50 acres from 101204822 Saskatchewan Ltd. In 2016.

From the April 4, 2017 Meeting

7.2.1 Service Saskatoon Progress Report and 2017 Plan

Decision

*The Committee forwarded the report to City Council for information.

Background

*Significant work is underway to prepare for a centralized one-stop shop for citizens to access our services.
*A process is underway to transition into a primary call centre.
*Service Saskatoon has been engaging and talking with citizens receiving in person service at City Hall. The information has helped in the planning for some citizen service improvements in 2017. 
*In 2017, there will be moderate changes introduced to the City Hall front entrance service/foyer area involving new informational signage for services and re-design of the Information Desk.
*A list of functional requirements for an enterprise Customer Relationship Management system is currently being finalized. An RFP is expected to be issued in 2017.
*Service Saskatoon is conducting community engagement to receive input for developing plans for moving the corporate open data initiative forward.

7.2.3 Storm and Sanitary Sewer Flow Monitoring Along Major Corridors – Sole Source

Decision

*The Committee recommending to City Council that administration prepare a sole source to Avensys Solutions Inc. for the supply of ISCO flow monitoring equipment for the total cost of $124,551 (including GST)

Background

*Storm and sanitary flow monitoring is essential for building and calibrating system models. These models are fundamental for cost effective planning, design, and operation of the storm and sanitary systems, while considering the environmental implications in existing and new neighbourhoods.
*The purchase of 17 new ISCO flow monitors is required for the Secondary Plan Process & Corridor Redevelopment component of the Growth Plan.
*In March of 2015, City Council approved the use of ISCO flow monitors as the City standard until December 31, 2018.

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 February 6, 2017, weighing in at approximately 56 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 Evy, Laka, Zoila, and Elena.

“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 Friday, April 28, to Thursday, May 11.  The winning selection will be publicly announced on Friday, May 12.

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 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. until the end of April, and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. beginning in May.  Additional information regarding the Zoo can be found online at saskatoon.ca/zoo.

This past winter, the City of Saskatoon conducted a number of public engagement activities to gather ideas about how we can improve our lived experience of winter in Saskatoon. A total of 770 people and 48 groups representing various sectors of the community provided feedback.

“We found from our engagement that people are very interested in making Saskatoon a great winter city, and we truly did receive a “blizzard” of ideas on how we can bring more energy to the winter season,” says Brenda Wallace, Director of Environmental & Corporate Initiatives. “So our next step is to review the engagement results with members of the community, see what is realistic in terms of actions, and begin the process of creating a Winter City Strategy that will benefit our economy, our residents and visitors to Saskatoon.”

Now the City is inviting the public to attend a community workshop to help shape the creation of a Winter City Strategy. The workshop will share the public engagement results. It will also include a discussion of priorities and ways everyone can work together to support new and existing winter initiatives. The session will also feature presentations by City-sponsored delegates who attended the Edmonton Winter City Shake-Up Conference in February.

The workshop will take place on Thursday, April 27 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Royal Canadian Legion Saskatoon Branch 63 located at 606 Spadina Crescent West.

For more information on the Winter City Strategy, visit Saskatoon.ca/wintercityyxe.

From beginning to mid-May, the City will take action to control cottony ash psyllid.  As outlined in a report to City Council late last year, the pest is affecting trees in Saskatoon’s downtown area, business improvement districts, and surrounding neighbourhoods.

“Large numbers of psyllids were detected in trees planted within concrete cut-outs in our central business areas, which have been particularly susceptible,” says Michelle Chartier, Superintendent of Urban Forestry and Pest Management.

Cottony ash psyllid is a non-native yellow/green pest first identified in Saskatoon, in 2006, on black and mancana ash trees.  Native to central Europe, the insect has made several appearances in North America, including recent infestations in North Dakota, Minnesota, and Alberta.

“Cottony ash psyllids are most easily recognized by the damage they create, such as browning, yellowing, and curling around leaflets, and the presence of white cotton within the leaflet,” Chartier says.  “Heavily infested trees will often lose leaves, with the remaining leaves twisted into a corkscrew shape.”

Chartier says City-owned trees have been examined and marked with colour codes to signify the action that will be taken to lessen the infestation of psyllids and preserve the natural beauty of the business districts.

• White-marked trees will receive injections of an insecticide to try to prevent further damage and spread.
• Green-marked trees will be removed and replaced with a different species not susceptible to psyllids, including:  52 trees downtown, 14 in the Broadway area, 10 in Riversdale, and 29 along 22^nd Street.  Short-term parking restrictions will be in place in the work area.

“Cleanup, including stump removal and backfilling of topsoil, will be coordinated after tree removal.  During this time, safety measures will be placed around the tree stump area to avoid any possible tripping hazards,” Chartier says.

At home, the best approach to avoid cottony ash psyllid is to keep your ash trees in good health.  Water between rainfalls, protect your trees from root or trunk damage, and avoid the use of herbicides or excessive salts in the soil near trees.

For more information, please visit saskatoon.ca/cottonyashpsyllid or call 306-975-3300.

The Bridging to Tomorrow project, which includes the construction of the North Commuter Parkway and new Traffic Bridge, is halfway complete. At the North Commuter Parkway, all girders, which support the bridge structure, are in place on the west half. Now that they’re set, the berm can be moved from the west side of the river to the east side, where construction of the third and final pier and girder installation on the two remaining east spans can begin.  

“Everything is moving ahead as planned as we reach the halfway point of our three year construction schedule,” says Dan Willems, Special Projects Manager, Major Projects & Preservation. “With the early spring weather, roadway construction for the twinning of Central Avenue north of Attridge Drive will resume next week and so will construction of the new median, sound walls and landscaping.”

At the Traffic Bridge site, structural steel installation of three of four bridge spans is now complete. Willems says work on the trusses for the final span will be completed over the next couple of months.

“The Traffic Bridge is right on track and work is also continuing on the south side of the river where the Victoria Avenue retaining wall and other retaining walls around Rotary Park will be built throughout spring and summer.”

The North Commuter Parkway will support the transportation needs of northeast Saskatoon residents who work in the Marquis and North Industrial Areas. The Traffic Bridge will support the growing city centre by allowing drivers, pedestrians and cyclists to cross the South Saskatchewan River. It will resemble the original bridge, but will be wider to accommodate larger vehicles like fire trucks and Transit buses.

Both bridges remain on track to open in October of 2018.

Bridging to Tomorrow project updates, including detailed monthly summaries, links to live cameras at each bridge site, and quarterly video updates, are available at saskatoon.ca/bridging.

In person, anyone can watch Traffic Bridge progress at the River Landing viewing area. North Commuter Parkway construction can be viewed from the Meewasin Trail just east of the cul-de-sac at the north end of Kinnear Avenue (north of Silverwood Golf Course). 

The City of Saskatoon is launching an opportunity for interested citizens, schools and businesses to participate in the development of an open data sharing program.

“The City collects a vast quantity of high-quality information and data as part of its ordinary working activities,” says Pat Hyde, Director of Service Saskatoon. “As part of a growing city committed to open governance and transparency, we believe there are huge potential benefits by making this information and data open and accessible to the public.”

Community engagement will help to determine what the community’s priorities are for the program.

Starting today, a survey is available online to allow interested citizens, schools and business to provide input for the program design.

“Information from the survey will be used to develop in-person engagement sessions that will help determine program priorities and resource requirements to manage the open data,” Hyde says.

More details about improvements to the open data sharing program will be announced as Service Saskatoon incorporates the results of the citizen input engagement processes being launched today. For more information, visit https://goo.gl/XE6V0j.

Service Saskatoon and the Open Data initiative support the City’s goal of Continuous Improvement. It will leverage technology and emerging trends to reach our goal to provide great citizen experiences at every level.

The Governance and Priorities Committee (GPC) today approved a wide-ranging plan to address a sudden multi-million dollar hole left by the recent provincial budget cuts.  The committee today approved a tax increase of 0.93% added to the existing 1.62% increase (following the March tax policy decision) which delivers an overall 2.55% municipal tax increase.  That means for an average house it amounts to $43.80 per year or $3.65 per month over the 2016 City property tax bill.

“In the longer term, we’re looking for ways to both find further cost savings and looking for further revenues,” says Mayor Charlie Clark. “We want to really engage in an ongoing negotiation with the provincial government about what the future’s going to look like.”

With reassessment and the City’s recently shifted its tax policy, the overall tax impact on residential property owners would have been 1.62%. But because the province abruptly ended its Grants in Lieu of Taxes for SaskPower, SaskEnergy and TransGas property on city land, the City was required to find ways to address this budget cut.

Committee approved recommendations on principles that included:

• Keeping any property tax increases to a minimum and service levels up; maintaining jobs; City Hall salaries are frozen and the snow and ice levy won’t be collected this year.
• Adjusting all options – how we spend, and the cash collected in fines and fees; more money will go to taxpayers from the City-owned water and waste water utilities.  Parking ticket fines will go from $20 to $30.
• Back-filling the provincial budget hole without dipping into reserves.

The GPC today also received information which outlined Provincial downloading and transfer payments on the City.

Several City Councillors want clear answers on the role and use of reserves and more detail on the perception that City reserves have been built on the back of provincial government revenue sharing.

“Revenue sharing goes to support everyday operations,” says City Manager Murray Totland. “Those are the direct services to citizens such as snow clearing, road maintenance, police and fire service.”

Totland stresses the provincial cut is not a one-year shortfall – it is a permanent operating budget adjustment that requires back-filling by ongoing funds. Taking funds from a reserve would be a one-time solution which would have to back-filled in 2018 and future years to come.

“The reserves are not to cover our day-to-day operating expenses,” Totland says. “Pulling money out of our reserves just transfers this problem down the line and leaves us to deal with unexpected situations out of our operating budget.”

The City has about $140 million in the reserve, of which $21 million is used each year in capital and operating budgets.  If the City was to only use the reserve funds to deal with the ongoing impacts of the recent provincial budget, all of the reserves would be depleted in seven years.

“So at the end of seven years, we wouldn’t have the reserves to pay for all the major projects that they currently fund,” Totland says. “And in seven years, we still would not have a long term solution to pay for the provincial budget shortfall.

“We wouldn’t have anything in our savings account to pay for projects that keep our roads, leisure centres, outdoor swimming pools, or parks in good working condition.”

Find more on the provincial budget funding impact on our website.

From the March 13, 2017 Meeting

7.1.2 North Commuter Parkway and Traffic Bridge Construction Update

Decision

*The Committee received the report as information.

Background

*At the Traffic Bridge, Graham Commuter Partners has completed demolition of the final components of the original bridge and has now completed all of the new piers, both abutments, and erection of Span 4, the southernmost span of the bridge.
*At the North Commuter Parkway, construction of Pier 1 and Pier 2, the west and centre in-river piers, is complete. Erection of the girders for Span 2, the west-centre span, is underway.

7.1.3 Highway 16/Boychuk Drive and McOrmond Drive/College Drive Construction Update

Decision

*The Committee received the report as information.

Background

*The design for both interchanges has been progressing well and PCL Construction Management Inc. has started doing preliminary site work at both locations.
*The construction of detour roads will begin in April 2017 and the detours are anticipated to be in effect for June 2017.
*The street lighting along College Drive is scheduled to be in place before June 2017.
*The Administration is developing transportation plans for each location to minimize impacts to commuters and communicate transportation alternatives.