News Releases

Water main breaks are back to normal rates for this time of year and we are back to repairing these locations and restoring water service within one to two days.  Saskatoon typically experiences one-two per day during the winter months, but between February 28 and March 14, there were about five or more per day, with one day up to 15!  There have been 175 water main breaks since January 1, compared to 89 last year at this time.  The record number (in the last 19 years) of breaks for the same date was 191 in 1996; followed by 164 in 2003. 

The main cause of the increase in water main breaks was the extended, extreme cold weather that caused ground frost to develop at 9-10 feet, where the underground pipes are located.  The shifting that occurs with frost put pressure on the pipes, causing weaker points to break.  Even though the weather was warmer, the frost is still in the ground at those deep levels. 

Frozen Connections
While water main breaks have slowed down, there is still a number of frozen water connections occurring.  If your water does not turn on, it could be an issue in the portion of the pipe that provides water service to the home from the main line.  This involves City staff inspecting the location to determine where the line is frozen which there is currently a queue of 24 to 48 hours.  Once it’s determined if the break is within the property or the City’s right-of-way, the thawing, if possible, can be scheduled.  In many cases, we can arrange temporary water service using the neighbours’ connection. In some cases, the frozen connection is within the building or under the foundation and we provide advice and support to the owner to have the lines defrosted.  To help prevent this, we recommend making sure the pipes are well-insulated, including the portion at the outside walls of your home.

Temporary Water
We empathize with residents and businesses without water service.  We can normally provide water trailers within 8 hours for areas affected by a water main break.  Residents without water service due to a frozen connection may also access drinking water from the water trailers.

Water Trailers are currently parked at the following locations:
340 Russell Road
2616 Woodward Avenue
830 Avenue B North
613 Salloum Crescent

If the water trailer is empty please call Customer Service 24/7 at 306-975-2476.

We are pleased to be able to offer free admission for residents who are experiencing a water outage due to a water main break or frozen water connection to use the shower facilities at the City Leisure Centre closest to them. They will require identification or a recent utility bill showing their address, which will be compared to list of homes affected by a water outage.

Water service is currently off at the following locations due to water main breaks:
612 Spadina Crescent East
335 Russell Road
2606 Woodward Avenue
234 Benesh Crescent

Be prepared
Every home should have an emergency preparedness plan for any time of the year, not just for water outage. Residents in areas where water main breaks have occurred in the past few years, including neighbourhoods adjacent to current water main breaks, are encouraged to be prepared by having extra drinking water stored as a precaution. It is recommended to have a 72-hour supply of water on hand for drinking and cooking equal to 3.8 litres (one gallon) per person or pet per day. Find Emergency Home Preparedness Plan information, along with videos and tips on the Saskatoon Fire Department's Emergency Measure Operation's website.

If you are affected by a water outage and have any questions, or to report a water main break 24/7, please call Customer Service at 306-975-2476 or learn more about Water Main Breaks and Repairs.

For more City of Saskatoon Public Service Announcements, News Releases, Traffic Detours and Service Alerts, visit www.saskatoon.ca or connect with the City of Saskatoon on Twitter and Facebook from the links at saskatoon.ca.

Citizens are reminded that there is currently a vacancy on the Board of Revision, a quasi-judicial Board that hears appeal arising from assessment procedures.  Appointees to the Board of Revision shall also serve on the Licence Appeal Board which hears appeals regarding the City’s various licensing bylaws.

Interested candidates should submit their applications by the deadline at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 28, 2014. All applications will be kept on file and reviewed throughout the year as openings occur.

Application forms can be obtained from the City Clerk’s Office at City Hall (second floor, 222 – 3^rd Avenue North), or online at www.saskatoon.ca, search under “A” for Appointments to Boards and Committees.

For more City of Saskatoon Public Service Announcements, News Releases, Traffic Detours and Service Alerts, visit www.saskatoon.ca or connect with the City of Saskatoon on Twitter and Facebook.

During the spring melting period, the City of Saskatoon’s Parks Division reminds citizens to be cautious around park ponds, pathways, and low-lying areas where melt water has collected.

Recent weather conditions have contributed to some low-lying areas in parks accumulating very deep and potentially dangerous water levels.  Low-lying park pathways in Draggins Car Club Park in the Hampton Village neighbourhood have been closed due to flooding.  Pumping of excess water is underway in the parks that require attention.

The ice on ponds and areas of melt water accumulation is extremely thin.  Citizens are advised to stay clear of these areas for their safety. 

Caution is also advised along park pathways as sporadic freezing and thawing is causing slippery conditions. 

For more City of Saskatoon Public Service Announcements, News Releases, Traffic Detours and Service Alerts, visit www.saskatoon.ca or connect with the City of Saskatoon on Twitter and Facebook.

The extended warmer weather and extreme melting at the City of Saskatoon snow storage sites is flooding access roads and creating slushy road conditions.  To prevent further damage to the roads the Central Avenue and Valley Road sites will be closed today until further notice.  Two sites remain open, but may experience the same conditions and be required to close.  All visitors to these sites are advised to use caution to avoid getting stuck.

The snow storage sites are located at:
Wanuskewin Road (1.4 km south of Highway 11) 
McOrmond Drive (between 8th Street East and College Drive)
Closed - Central Avenue (3.8 km north of Attridge Drive)
Closed - Valley Road (west of the Saskatoon Landfill access)
The City of Saskatoon thanks everyone for their cooperation.
For more City of Saskatoon Public Service Announcements, News Releases, Traffic Detours and Service Alerts, visit www.saskatoon.ca or connect with the City of Saskatoon on Twitter and Facebook.

Starting at 5:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 22 until 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 23, the section of 23rd Street between 3rd Avenue and 4th Avenue will be completely closed in both directions for a charity road hockey tournament.

Know before you go!  Find up-to-date Traffic Detour information on our website at www.saskatoon.ca and follow us on Twitter, Facebook or our City Blog.

The City of Saskatoon invites the public to the Lawson Civic Centre (225 Primrose Drive) on Saturday, March 29, 2014, between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to celebrate the facility’s 25th Anniversary. 

Come and sign the GIANT card, view the displays of Lawson’s past, and meet the friendly staff.  There will be face painting, games, prizes, and lots of family fun.

There is no fee to attend this event; however, regular admission rates to the pool and weight room are still in effect.

Lawson Civic Centre 25th Anniversary Celebration - Saturday, March 29, 2014
Drop in between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Cake and refreshments:  11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Family Swim:  10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Public Swim:  1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The Lawson Civic Centre includes a wave pool, fitness room, meeting and recreational space, and the Rusty Macdonald Branch Library, all under one roof.  The facility officially opened its doors to the public on March 11, 1989.

For more information on Lawson or any of the five other leisure centres, please visit www.saskatoon.ca/go/Lawson.

For more City of Saskatoon Public Service Announcements, News Releases, Traffic Detours and Service Alerts, visit www.saskatoon.ca or connect with the City of Saskatoon on Twitter and Facebook.

The Saskatoon Fire Department reminds the public to be cautious and stay off the South Saskatchewan River and other ponds and lakes throughout the city this spring. At this time of year the ice on these bodies of water becomes unpredictable and can change rapidly.

Keep safety in mind whenever you are near larger bodies of water. Water pooling on top of the ice or melting at the edge of the river, lake or pond is an indication that the ice has started to melt and may not be strong enough to support you. The riverbank and areas around city ponds and lakes also get very slippery at this time of year and are not a safe place for anyone to play, especially children and animals.  

Remember, in an emergency call 9-1-1.

The City of Saskatoon’s (City) Parks Division is pleased to announce the City’s participation in iCemetery, a free, third party app for mobile devices that can be used for locating loved ones buried in Woodlawn Cemetery. 

iCemetery provides a convenient way to search for the final resting places of those who have passed at select cemeteries in Canada, which now includes Saskatoon’s Woodlawn Cemetery.  Visitors can search by first and last name, view the burial plot detail, and be guided to the actual location of the plot within the cemetery using GPS data from your mobile phone.

iCemetery is free for download at the Apple App Store (http://itunes.apple.com/app) for iPhone, iPad, and iTouch devices and at Google Play (https://play.google.com/store/apps) for Android mobile devices.

Woodlawn Cemetery is a beautifully landscaped 105 acre public cemetery that is owned and operated by the City. It is centrally located at 1502 2nd Avenue North, just near the intersection of 33rd Street and Warman Road.  The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (October 1 to March 31 - closed from 12:00 to 12:30 p.m. for lunch) and can be reached at 306-975-3308 for inquiries.

For more City of Saskatoon Public Service Announcements, News Releases, Traffic Detours and Service Alerts, visit www.saskatoon.ca or connect with the City of Saskatoon on Twitter and Facebook.

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The public is invited to the “Living in Harmony” Recognition, Art, and Literary Awards Ceremony on Friday, March 21, 2014, at 10 a.m., at Centennial Collegiate.  The Awards Ceremony marks the date of March 21 - International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

Living in Harmony Recognition, Art, and Literary Awards Ceremony
Friday, March 21, 2014
10 a.m.
Centennial Collegiate
160 Nelson Road

This event acknowledges the Living in Harmony Literary and Art Contest winners and the Living in Harmony Community Recognition Award recipients.  The Living in Harmony Program recognizes the efforts of individuals who engage or promote intercultural harmony and social cohesion.  The City of Saskatoon’s Cultural Diversity and Race Relations Committee presents these awards to focus attention on the positive initiatives taking place in our community.
 
For more information, please visit www.saskatoon.ca and search under “L” for Living in Harmony.

For more City of Saskatoon Public Service Announcements, News Releases, Traffic Detours and Service Alerts, visit www.saskatoon.ca or connect with the City of Saskatoon on Twitter and Facebook.

For Immediate Release:  March 18, 2014
 

Today, The City of Saskatoon launched Building Better Roads – Saskatoon’s Road Plan, the most aggressive program of road work in this community’s history. 

“The Building Better Roads Plan demonstrates that we are heading into an action-packed season of roadwork,” Jeff Jorgenson, General Manager of Transportation and Utilities says. “More than $50 million will be spent on Saskatoon roads this year; that’s 47 per cent more than was spent last year. We want everyone to be ready because the result will be more projects this construction season, meaning more work zones and traffic detours.” 

The Building Better Roads Plan grew out of the 2013 Civic Services Survey which identified road conditions as the single most important issue facing Saskatoon.  

City Council responded by introducing the Dedicated Road Levy in this year’s budget, providing the necessary funding to launch the Building Better Roads Plan. The Plan supports the City of Saskatoon’s strategic goals of Asset and Financial Sustainability, Quality of Life, Continuous Improvement and Moving Around. 

The Dedicated Road Levy is funded by a 4.29% increase in property taxes for 2014 which provides $6.7 million in new funding to be used exclusively for road repair and road maintenance. 

“The Dedicated Road Levy is a key element of investing substantially more in our roads for 2014.  The Dedicated Road Levy and added investments will go toward work such as street sweeping, pothole patching, sidewalk rehabilitation, back lane upgrades, road construction and repair, as well as snow and ice management,” Jorgenson says. 

“We take this investment seriously. This year citizens will see changes in how we do our work.  For example, to minimize the amount of time high-traffic roads are closed for construction, much of the work will either be done at night, or round-the-clock. Continually improving our practices will ensure we get the absolute best value for our citizens’ dollars.” 

Jorgenson adds extra workers and equipment have already started with increased snow grading and removal activities and will soon flow into aggressive pothole patching and street sweeping.  

In the coming weeks, the City will be launching new ways for people to keep up to date where and when work is being done. 

We are also pleased to launch a new “Report a Pothole” tool which allows the public to report potholes online. This Report a Pothole tool is map-based, GPS-enabled and allows anyone to report a pothole from their desktop computer or mobile device. Users will be able to see if the same pothole has already been flagged, and when potholes are repaired. Residents can find this tool on our website at Saskatoon.ca under “check this out.” It’s designed to be easy to use, and a detailed help menu and step-by-step video is also included. 

In an emergency or to talk directly to customer service staff, potholes can also be reported by phone 24/7, at 306-975-2476. 

“We’ve already been repairing the larger potholes since the snow started melting. And as soon as weather permits, the spring pothole blitz will be in full force,” Jorgenson says. “We’re anticipating the streets will be dry earlier than last year because so much snow and ice along priority roadways was trucked away this winter.”  

City crews will  concentrate on patching potholes in all driving lanes on freeways and other high traffic roads including tackling those larger clusters of potholes. Immediately following spring street sweeping, eight patching crews will constantly patrol Saskatoon throughout the summer, keeping roads smooth, including fixing potholes on residential streets.  He says a cold, temporary asphalt mix will be used on potholes until the streets dry and the weather improves, following which a more permanent hot asphalt mix will be used. 

The spring pothole blitz is a key component of Building Better Roads – Saskatoon’s Roads Plan.

For more City of Saskatoon Public Service Announcements, News Releases, Traffic Detours and Service Alerts, visit www.saskatoon.ca or connect with the City of Saskatoon on Twitter and Facebook.