News Releases

Installing new water mains Downtown and extending the lifespan of the Circle Drive North Bridge were just some of the major priorities for the City of Saskatoon (City) during the 2023 construction season. Overall, more than 200 lane kilometers of roadways were improved, which, when put into perspective, is the approximate driving distance between Saskatoon and Kindersley.

“That number includes roads repaved following water main replacements in neighbourhoods like Downtown, River Heights, Varsity View and on 33rd Street West,” says Terry Schmidt, General Manager of Transportation and Construction. “Wherever we install new water mains, we improve the roadway and address any sidewalk issues.”

City Council invested approximately $67.19 million in 2023 for road construction and maintenance including initiatives like pothole patching, line marking and street sweeping. High traffic roads resurfaced include:

• Circle Drive North westbound between Millar Avenue and Alberta Avenue
• Wanuskewin Road from 71^st Street to Penner Road
• Idylwyld Drive southbound from 60^th Street to 51^st Street
• Sections of Preston Avenue between Preston Crossing and College Drive

“The highest profile construction project was the months-long Circle Drive North Bridge rehabilitation that included asphalt and barrier replacements, drainage improvements, and concrete repairs to the bridge deck, piers and abutments. We thank everyone for their patience as we worked to make sure the structure lasts for decades to come,” says Schmidt.

Since 2014, when the City began investing millions of dollars more into roads, more than 2,100 lane kilometers of roadway have been rehabilitated, which is the approximate driving distance between Saskatoon and Chicago, Illinois.

To see where construction is happening daily, check the Daily Road Report. For information about future construction and other related topics, visit saskatoon.ca/construction.

The fun doesn’t stop just because the temperature drops! Admission to the Zoo is by donation from November 1 to March 31 each year. Saskatchewan winters typically bring snow and cold temperatures prompting many animals at the Zoo to demonstrate their natural adaptations to handle the coldest months of the year.

“Many of the species we have at the Zoo are well adapted to cold temperatures,” says Jeff Mitchell, Zoo Manager. “The Arctic wolves will grow a second layer of fur to protect themselves against the cold and their thick white fur not only provides insulation but is the perfect camouflage to blend into their surroundings in the wild.”

The snow leopard, Canada lynx and caribou are among some of the many animals that will be embracing the colder temperatures while other zoo animals like the black-tailed prairie dogs and grizzly bears are ready to sleep the chilly winter days away.

“Our zookeepers have been working with our animals to provide an environment where they can practice the same behaviours as their wild counterparts. The black-tailed prairie dogs have been busy digging tunnels all summer long and recently finished hauling mountains of straw and other bedding materials down into their elaborate tunnel systems,” says Mitchell. “We have also seen grizzly bears Mistaya and Koda settling into their den as they prepare to enter torpor.”

In the wild, torpor is a survival tactic used by grizzly bears activated by colder temperatures and decreased food availability. The Zoo will be monitoring the bears closely as their body temperature will decrease about five degrees and their heart rate will slow to about 8-12 beats per minute during torpor.

The dingoes are also prepared for colder temperatures, having moved into a new indoor habitat called the Dingo Den located inside the barn. The dingoes will still have opportunities to explore and enjoy the snow but will remain in their new indoor habitat in favour of warmer temperatures.

The Zoo Gift Shop will be open for the holiday season starting Friday, November 24. Get your 2024 Zoo Season Pass and discover a variety of plush animals, puzzles, games, clothing and more. The Zoo Gift Shop will be open Wednesday through Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. until Sunday, December 31. 

The Zoo is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., visit saskatoon.ca/zoo for more information or to plan your next visit.

On Oct. 30, 2023, SaskAbilities Partners in Employment and the City of Saskatoon entered into a partnership agreement to increase employment opportunities for individuals experiencing disability in the community. This significant agreement comes at the end of Disability Employment Awareness Month (DEAM), a month dedicated to spotlighting the many benefits of inclusive hiring in the workplace across all industries and sectors.

“Supported employment is a key part of the way SaskAbilities works to build inclusive communities for people of all abilities. The City of Saskatoon has been such a wonderful partner for many years, and I am thrilled to have this opportunity to further solidify our working relationship and signify their commitment and dedication to being an inclusive employer in our community.” – Emily Hurd, Regional Director, SaskAbilities Saskatoon Branch

Since 2019, Partners in Employment and the City of Saskatoon have collaborated to secure meaningful employment for 13+ program participants. The partnership agreement aims to “identify and explore opportunities to increase the employment of individuals experiencing disability in Saskatoon and area through cooperative initiatives”, as well, “continue to explore opportunities to strengthen and develop business opportunities” between the City of Saskatoon and the Training Centre at the SaskAbilities Saskatoon Branch.

“Through this partnership, the City commits to working closely with SaskAbilities to promote job shadowing, employment opportunities, and the broader mission of supported employment. This agreement is an accumulation of a lot of great work done by the City to build awareness both internally and within the greater community. We believe in promoting a culture of inclusion and doing so in partnership with a great organization like SaskAbilities.” – Jeff Jorgenson, City Manager, City of Saskatoon.

For more information on SaskAbilities, please visit www.saskabilities.ca.

As directed by City Council, Saskatoon will consider its first Climate Budget during the 2024-25 Business Plan and Municipal Budget deliberations on November 28-30, 2023.

The Funding Environmental Sustainability Actions and Climate Budget Report responds to a request from the Standing Policy Committee on Environment Utilities and Corporate Services (EUCS) and will be on the November 1 agenda. It includes a preview of the Climate Budget as well as details of the resources needed to progress the Low Emissions Community (LEC) and Green Pathways plans.  It outlines both funded and unfunded projects related to these plans.

“What City Council has asked us to do is come up with measures that reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gases that will require investments in the short term”, says Jeanna South, Director of Sustainability. “The ultimate expectation, looking 30 years out, is that these measures will make us more resilient and efficient while meeting our climate commitments.”

A climate budget is a governance system that establishes actions that the City needs to take in the short-term to achieve long-term targets as set out in the climate action plan.  By integrating the Climate Budget into financial budget decision-making processes, climate and environmental impacts are understood before they occur. This creates a coordinated approach with other budgeting considerations, such as societal impacts, asset management, safety, and economics.

If significant global climate action is not taken, ClimateWest (Costs of Climate Change Report, March 2023) estimates by 2050, the direct annual economic impacts of climate change in Saskatchewan will be $3.1B or $1,875 per capita. ClimateWest projects damage to electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure due to climate change to cost $65-95M annually by 2050 in Saskatchewan alone. Annual flood damages are expected to cost $70-80M, while costs due to delays arising from increased road and rail damage are expected to be $65-125M in the province by 2050.

The 2024-25 Climate Budget presents a two-year window within the 30-year Low Emissions Community (LEC) Plan. The LEC Plan was created to improve the community’s long-term resiliency and efficiency to achieve the City’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction target incrementally over time.

Seventy-five per cent of the projects in the Climate Budget support efficient civic operations and services, enhance resiliency, and/or promote sound asset management; these are recommended for funding in the 2024/2025 Business Plan and Budget. These projects also have environmental benefits; most will achieve GHG reductions, some will result in utility cost savings or improve green network resilience and performance. Subject to City Council’s approval, the funded projects include:

• Bus Rapid Transit and electrification - system improvements for Saskatoon Transit and bus purchases;
• Water-saving measures at spray pads/paddling pools and irrigation upgrades in parks which will result in operational savings;
• Civic facility improvements - such as renovations at Archibald Arena;
• Managing the long-term viability of the landfill and reducing waste through the Material Recovery Centre operation, restoration of landfill gas wellfield, and development of a bulky waste program; and
• Green Pathways initiatives that enhance the green network through existing planned projects like park upgrades and storm sewer trunk and collection.

Funding for the initiatives listed comes from capital reserves, external non-City funding, and loans.

The unfunded projects are still required to progress City goals and plans, even if they do not move forward this budget cycle.  These projects may be reconsidered in the next budget cycle, or if priorities and/or resource availability changes. Some of these projects could be funded through loans that pay themselves back with savings, such as loans to the community or fleet electrification. Other projects would require new funds, for instance from property taxes; this has not been recommended at this time.

The GHG reductions estimated from projects in the 2024-2025 Climate Budget includes:

• The LEC reduction goal for 2025 = 201,500 tonnes of CO2e (100 per cent)
• Funded projects estimate = 1,200 tonnes of CO2e reduction (0.6 per cent of the LEC reduction goal)
• Unfunded projects = 18,800 tonnes CO2e reduction at full build-out (9.3 per cent of the goal)
• After combining funded and unfunded projects, there is a gap of undefined projects required to achieve 181,500 tonnes of CO2e reduction, or 90.1 per cent.

The 2024-2025 Climate Budget GHG projection is a conservative estimate; it does not include reductions from projects with high uncertainty that could not be quantified (e.g., active transportation, bus rapid transit); or reductions from projects that were implemented in 2022/2023 (like organics, landfill gas expansion, and others) that could amount to more than 40,000 tonnes of CO₂e reductions each year. 

You can find additional information at Saskatoon.ca/ClimateBudget and Saskatoon.ca/ClimateChange.

While the company hired by the City to process green cart material has defaulted on its contract, green cart organics collection will continue. In the short-term, Loraas will continue to assist the City in processing organics materials while City officials explore cost reduction options by processing the organics in-house.

“We are disappointed that the successful vendor was unable to provide organics processing services under the contract but are fortunate to have measures in place allowing us to pursue other options to avoid disruption of the program,” says Brendan Lemke, Director of Water & Waste Operations. “In the short-term, we will continue working with Loraas while we look to complete a portion of the processing at our own facilities. By sending materials to both the Saskatoon Regional Waste Management Centre and the West Compost Depot, we will help to reduce financial pressures on the utility rates in the short term.”

A report to the November 1 meeting of the Environment, Utilities and Corporate Services Committee (EU&CS) contains details that outline short-term options for processing organics following Green Prairie Environmental's default of its organics processing contract.

The City awarded Green Prairie Environmental (GPE) the contract in September 2020 to provide organics processing services to support the City’s Curbside Organics Program. Despite it being a key condition of the contract, GPE did not site a permanent location for an organics processing facility. The Administration supported GPE to find a suitable location following its initial denial in the RM of Corman Park, but as preparation for a site progressed, GPE was unsuccessful in obtaining regulatory approval to construct the facility. GPE is ultimately unable to process organics in accordance with the contract and has defaulted on the contract as a result.

Since program launch, organics materials have been composted by Loraas and not landfilled unless contaminated. In addition to continuing to haul organics materials to Loraas for processing, the Administration is pursuing options to temporarily process a portion of the materials at the Saskatoon Regional Waste Management Centre and West Compost Depot. The City will continue to divert organics away from the landfill to make a beneficial use product and reduce greenhouse gases from waste. To date, more than 15,000 tonnes of organic waste have successfully been diverted from the landfill since collections began in May. No disruptions to the curbside organics program are expected.

A report with long-term options will be presented to EU&CS by Q1 2024.