News Releases

City Administration is proposing a short-term private procurement of plants with a long-term vision for shared greenhouse space as part of a report on future options for a City Greenhouse.  The proposal will be considered by City Council’s Standing Policy Committee on Planning, Development, and Community Services on June 7.

Through a public procurement process, the City secured a private vendor to provide seasonal plants for the 2023 season, after a September 2022 engineering assessment indicated increasing safety and structural issues with the City’s greenhouse facility and recommended it be vacated.

“The vision is for a potential long-term greenhouse which could see the City exploring partnerships with various groups throughout the city, such as Meewasin, the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan Polytechnic, the Saskatoon Food Bank, and others.” says Darren Crilly, Director of Parks. “Initial discussions with these groups reveal each has a need for greenhouse space, and that a shared space opportunity could be examined further. Additionally, this option has the potential to include learning, research, and community programming about native species, food security, and seed bank storage.”

As recommended in the report to be considered by committee in the short term (three to five years), plant material would be procured from the private sector while the City continues to pursue partnerships and develop the best greenhouse model possible. Further reporting will occur as discussions with partners progress. Numerous future options are laid out in the administration report, each of which envision maintaining the current service level, with the potential for future expansion. Under all options, Conservatory material currently stored in the Greenhouse will be moved to suitable City facilities for the time being.

Read the full report.

The City of Saskatoon has received the Canadian Award for Financial Reporting (CAnFR) from the Government Finance Officers Association(GFOA) of the United States and Canada.

The CAnFR award, presented for the City’s 2021 Annual Report, represents a significant accomplishment for municipal government and its financial management. The award recognizes the City’s commitment to high standards and excellence in financial transparency and accountability.

 “We are proud to receive this award for the 15^th year and of our employees who are dedicated to making the City of Saskatoon a leader in producing high-quality financial reports year after year,” says Kari Smith, Director of Finance. “We are committed to building trust through transparent financial reporting and managing tax dollars responsibly.”

The Canadian Award for Excellence in Financial Reporting Program (CanFR) was established to encourage municipal governments across Canada to publish high-quality financial reports and to provide peer recognition and technical guidance for officials preparing these reports. The attainment of this award represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management.

The City’s 2021 annual financial report was judged by impartial Canadian Review Committee members to meet the high standards of the program, including demonstrating a constructive “spirit of full disclosure” designed to clearly communicate the municipality’s financial story and to motivate potential users and user groups to read the report.

Visit saskatoon.ca/finance for additional financial reports from the City of Saskatoon.

The City of Saskatoon is excited to announce that two new ChargePoint Level 2 dual-port electric vehicle charging stations (EVCS) have been installed in the parking lots at Lakewood and Lawson Civic Centres, and are now available for public use.  

EV drivers can use these charging stations at no cost while accessing these civic centres or shopping at surrounding businesses.  

“Offering public charging stations can help reduce barriers for folks considering the switch from gas-powered vehicles to electric,” says Amber Weckworth, Manager of Climate, Strategy, and Data. “We are piloting these at two locations to help inform our future plans for EV charging infrastructure and to share these lessons with Saskatoon’s business community that also might be considering investing in EV infrastructure. We know that using electric vehicles isn’t the silver bullet in terms of climate change action, but simply put, EVs do ultimately result in lower greenhouse gas emissions and better air quality.”   

Saskatoon has over 30 charging stations according to PlugShare, a service that helps EV drivers find and share information about charging stations. According to SGI, EV ownership has been increasing in Saskatoon with just 41 battery and plug-in hybrid EV’s registered in 2016, growing to 661 in 2022 (431 battery EVs and 230 plug-in hybrid EVs).

The adoption of electric vehicles in Canada is expected to continue; a recent survey by KPMG found that 71% of Canadians would consider purchasing an EV the next time they buy a vehicle and 49% are more likely to buy an EV today compared to 2021. 

Actions outlined in the City of Saskatoon’s Low Emissions Community Plan include electrification of private vehicles with a milestone target that 30% of all new vehicle sales are for electric vehicles (EVs) by 2030, and 90% by 2050, for a total projected savings in emissions of 2,756,000 tonnes CO₂e. 

For more information, please visit Saskatoon.ca/EV.

This morning, the City and Reconciliation Saskatoon are joining with community partners to raise the Reconciliation Flag in Civic Square on the south side of City Hall. The flag is raised to set the stage for the season of commemoration or reflection during the month of June, which marks National Indigenous History Month and includes National Indigenous Peoples Day (June 21).

“As we raise the Reconciliation Flag, we remind everyone that the act of reconciliation is not just one day but a conversation that should happen every day,” says Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) Tribal Chief Mark Arcand. “Moving towards the future we see a better Province when people come together in the spirit of reconciliation.”

“The annual raising of the Reconciliation Flag is so significant to so many in our community. It represents a commitment to Reconciliation – the process of building bridges between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples,” says Shirley Isbister, President of the Central Urban Métis Federation Incorporated (CUMFI).

The flag raising event is open to all. In addition to the raising of the flag, the event includes Indigenous performances, remarks from dignitaries, and a call to action to the Saskatoon community to engage in Reconciliation.

“We really hope that residents of Saskatoon will take advantage of all the opportunities to learn about and participate in Indigenous culture in the month ahead. There will be powwows, art exhibitions, programming at Wanuskewin, and an Indigenous Peoples Day celebration in Victoria Park. It’s important that people make an effort; Reconciliation is everyone’s responsibility,” says Kathie Pruden-Nansel, Western Region 2A Representative with Métis Nation—Saskatchewan (MN-S).

This year’s flag raising event also includes the unveiling of the City’s new Reconciliation visual identity. The design was developed through consultation with community Elders to include significant imagery capturing Saskatoon and our shared journey forward on the path to Reconciliation. A new community tipi with the visual identity hand painted onto it is also being unveiled at today’s event. More detail on the creation and use of the visual identity can be found at saskatoon.ca/Indigenous.

“Over the past several years we have seen so many people and organizations step forward and commit to the path of Truth and Reconciliation in our city,” says Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark. “These steps have been very important, and we still have much work to do as we move from words to actions. There are far too many families, children, Survivors in our community who face enormous barriers every day in our community and province. People who do not experience Saskatoon as a place of support and belonging. Let’s lean in now and build a better path by humbly recognizing the ways that have failed and boldly co-create the way forward with Indigenous partners.”

There are a number of activities happening around Saskatoon during the month of June that present opportunities to learn and get involved. A listing of just some of these is available at saskatoon.ca/Indigenous. Residents are also invited to visit Civic Square to see the raised Reconciliation Flag and reflect on its significance—it will remain raised until June 5.

NOTE: The Rock Your Roots Walk for Reconciliation that formerly took place on June 21 has been moved to September 30—the National Day for Truth & Reconciliation. On June 21, the Saskatoon Indian & Métis Friendship Centre (SIMFC) will host a community celebration in Victoria Park between 10:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. The City of Saskatoon will be participating in this event, which is open to all.

The City of Saskatoon is aiming to modernize and enhance how it conducts future municipal elections having presented a decision report to the Governance & Priorities Committee on May 17, 2023. Recent amendments to The Local Government Election Act, 2015 (LGEA) provide clarity to permit municipalities greater use of various tools, namely with regards to voters lists and partnerships available with other entities, particularly Elections Saskatchewan.

“With the next municipal election officially scheduled for November 2024, planning is well underway to provide a more efficient voting process for residents,” says Adam Tittemore, City Clerk. “There’s been a continued shift in voter behaviour, notably the greater use of advance polls and mail-in ballots. Considering lessons learned from the 2020 election and best practices from other jurisdictions, we’re committed to adopting new practices and technology to create a smoother, faster and secure voter experience starting in 2024.”

A partnership with Elections Saskatchewan will be key to many of the proposed election improvements, including sharing data, establishing a municipal voters list, sharing election technology, and delivering vote-by-mail services. With respect to sharing data, pending Council endorsement, the City would enter into a formal information-sharing agreement where it would receive voter data which Elections Saskatchewan already owns and curates, to be used for the creation of the voters list. Partnerships with Elections Saskatchewan will help reduce the cost of conducting elections and, in cases such as the acquisition of voter data, come at no cost to the City.

“The legislative ability to enter into this agreement is included in the LGEA, along with the ability to use this information to create a voters list, rather than going through an enumeration process,” adds Tittemore. “The partnership is imperative in achieving our modernization goals and results in financial savings.”

City Administration has also undertaken a procurement process with election technology solution providers to use an election management system (EMS). Cloud-based applications will allow the City to more efficiently operate the election and increase the service and security level for candidates and voters. This technology is intended to be used for the 2024 election in some form to help manage an electronic voters list, mail-in ballot application and fulfilment, candidate portal, voting location management, etc.

The EMS technology and associated hardware, including all listed modules and fulfillment of mail-in ballots, is expected to come at a cost of approximately $102,000. This cost will be offset by fewer poll workers required, savings on printing and supplies, and staff time and resources associated with a more efficient election administration.

The City is committed to protecting the integrity of the voting process, providing a faster and more efficient voter experience at the polls, and an easier way to verify identity for alternative voting formats such as mail-in ballots.