News Releases

As Environment Canada forecasts, Saskatoon and area could face extreme gusts and sustained winds into this evening.  Environment Canada also forecasts falling temperatures, which may affect road conditions.

The City anticipated, and was prepared for, a number of service disruptions or operational challenges.

As a result, the City issued an Emergency Level 1 Alert; this opens up an information- sharing process across civic departments and divisions.  The following is a summary of service disruptions throughout the day, and the action that the City took to address them. 

OVERALL CITY OPERATIONS: JANUARY 15, 2014

Saskatoon Light & Power: promptly responded to all reported power outages and Service Alerts were issued in approximately 30 minute intervals
Public Works: operating normally
Transit: operating normally
Fire Department: responding to numerous calls regarding safety concerns

The City continues to be in contact with other external agencies which have not requested support at this point.

Saskatoon Light & Power (SL&P)

SL&P is able to keep up with outages and is not anticipating any long-term outages at this time.  Crews are able to respond, determine the cause and make repairs as necessary.  The wind creates challenges to crew safety, which is of utmost importance.  As a result, some repairs may have to wait until the wind speed diminishes significantly.  The bucket trucks are only certified up to 30 kilometres per hour (km/h).

Transit Division

If high winds persist into late afternoon, there may be traffic issues on all roads leading to Credit Union Centre (CUC) due to the sold-out Pink concert. There were some delays earlier in the day due to traffic signal loss of power, but service has been restored.  

Public Works Division

Snow & Ice

As Environment Canada forecasts a falling temperature and in light of today’s warm and slushy conditions, Public Works has the following operational plan in place:

Ten tandem sanders and four one-ton sanders are available to address deteriorating road conditions should the City experience freezing rain and/or snow.

If wind is the only weather issue, sanders will still be utilized to address the road conditions.  Wind can ‘polish’ the roadways to an icy surface.

The City has sufficient sand and salt supplies to address the conditions.

Area contractors (grader crews) and developing neighbourhood contractor loaders have been alerted to be prepared to mobilize, should the City experience snowfall or significant drifting conditions.

Additional staff will be available on Thursday, January 16 to augment crews with pre-scheduled load-out locations. They can also be utilized for addressing any resulting snow/freezing rain/drifting conditions.

The regular crew shift is on tonight and will be re-deployed as required to address potential storm conditions.  Again, if needed, Public Works will call in additional staff.

Saskatoon Landfill

The Landfill closed at 1:30 p.m. to the general public due to high winds and the associated safety concerns.

Unless safety becomes an issue, City garbage trucks and other commercial haulers will still be allowed on site but the blue transfer bins will not be accessible.

Recycling and Garbage Collections

By nature of what is in the recycling carts, they tend to be light-weight and the heavy winds are blowing many of them over.  However, Loraas Recycling continues collection as scheduled today.  Operators will turn carts upright for collection and pick-up as much material on the ground as possible in these windy conditions.  

Garbage collection continued as scheduled today in Eastview, Hampton Village, Stonebridge, Westview and Wildwood.  The heavy wind is blowing some of these carts over as well, and operators are turning them upright where possible in order to collect them, but may not be able to manage all of them in this weather.  If your garbage is not collected today as scheduled, garbage collection will resume tomorrow, Thursday, January 16.  Residents are asked to bring carts in and out of the wind, and place them out again by 7:00 a.m. for collection tomorrow. 

Residents are encouraged to be a good neighbour and pick up overturned carts and loose material on the ground where possible. 

Parks Division

A number of calls were received and at last word, Parks crews have confirmed seven City trees have been downed in the wind.  As a result, two pruning crews have been pulled off scheduled work and are exclusively responding to wind-related tree damage.

Tree damage assessment teams are out in the field responding to the calls and prioritizing responses and service by assessing level of hazard.

Phone systems have been modified in attempt to handle increased phone enquiries. We have confirmed that two external contractors are able to help out if deemed necessary.

Transportation Division

All traffic signals are now operational with power restored.

The only outstanding item is a traffic signal pole down at Central Avenue and Attridge Drive.  This will be replaced once the wind speeds are reduced below 30 km/h (the bucket trucks are only safety certified for up to 30 km/h).

Information for Residents and Visitors

The City would again like to remind residents to keep safety a priority during extreme weather events such as this one.  In an emergency, residents are to phone 911 for immediate assistance.

Should a power outage affect traffic lights, please remember to treat intersections as a four-way stop, pull over and call 306-975-2981 to report the outage. 

Residents are also reminded to avoid all downed power lines, and call 306-975-2621 to report a live wire emergency. 

If City-owned trees are damaged and residents are concerned they may be a safety hazard, please phone the Parks division at 306-975-2890 which will be open until 6:00 p.m. today.  After 6:00 p.m., January 15, 2014 you can call the 24-hour Public Works hotline at 306-975-2476.

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 City is clearing and removing snow on certain high-density parking streets in a proactive response to minimize the potential for ruts developing and creating driving issues. City crews are engaged in clearing and loading out the snow on the streets listed below which are prone to developing snow ruts and have no storage room along the curb lanes.  City crews are currently performing this work on both day and night shifts using four graders and one snow blower.  Five private contractor semi-trucks are being used for hauling snow to the City’s snow storage sites during the day shift, and nine are used during the night shift.

During this process - only the following streets listed on the DAY SHIFT will be posted with No Parking signs in advance of the scheduled date.  Vehicles that remain on the street at 6:30 a.m. on the scheduled date will be relocated to a nearby street.  Relocation towing will be utilized during each identified day shift as necessary until the day shift street locations are complete.

Streets listed for clearing during the NIGHT SHIFT will not be posted and relocation towing will not be utilized. 

Drivers can use the Find My Vehicle application at www.saskatoon.ca/go/snow or call 306-975-2476 to locate their vehicle.

Tuesday, January 14 – DAY SHIFT - City Park
5th Avenue - 22nd Street to Queen Street
3rd Avenue - 25th Street to Princess Street
7th Avenue - Queen Street to Warman Road
6th Avenue - 24th Street to 25th Street (stored on the  centre boulevard) 

Tuesday, January 14 – NIGHT SHIFT - General Areas
Airport Business Area
University Bridge
Broadway Bridge

Wednesday, January 15 – DAY SHIFT - City Park & Kelsey Woodlawn
4th Avenue - 25th Street to Queen Street
26th Street - 2nd Avenue to 5th Avenue
1st Avenue - 33rd Street to 40th Street

Wednesday, January 15 – NIGHT SHIFT – General Areas
Airport Business Area
Avenue C - 51st Street to Circle Drive North

Thursday, January 16 – DAY SHIFT – Mount Royal, Westmount & Meadow Green
Winnipeg Avenue - 18th Street to 20th Street
Witney Avenue - 20th Street to 22nd Street
Rusholme Road - Avenue H to Avenue W

Thursday, January 16 – NIGHT SHIFT – General Areas
Confederation Drive

Friday, January 17 – DAY SHIFT – Sutherland & Silverspring
Rutherford Crescent
Rutherford Way
Rutherford Lane
Konihowski Road - Central Avenue to Fedoruk Drive

Friday, January 17 – NIGHT SHIFT
Diefenbaker Drive

Saturday, January 18 – DAY SHIFT
Ruth Street - St. Henry Street to Louise Street

Saturday, January 18 – NIGHT SHIFT
Taylor Street

Sunday, January 19 - DAY SHIFT - Silverwood
Russell Road - Lenore Drive to Adilman Drive
Meilicke Road - Russell Road to Silverwood Road

Sunday, January 19 - NIGHT SHIFT
Taylor Street

This schedule is subject to change based on a new snow event or changing weather conditions where snow clearing equipment will be focused on the priority street network.  If the streets are rescheduled, new No Parking signage will be re-posted in advance to give residents an opportunity to move their vehicles. 

The City thanks residents for their patience and reminds everyone to please watch for crews and equipment on the road as they clear snow and apply de-icing material. Slow down and keep 15 metres behind maintenance equipment; be prepared to stop; and, if required, use extreme caution when passing.

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 City of Saskatoon (City) is pleased to invite independent artists or teams of artists to submit applications for its Placemaker Program that provides temporary public art to key commercial districts in Saskatoon. 

Proposals may be two or three dimensional work, installations, interventions. or digital media, such as video projection; proposals may offer participatory experiences or include performance components.

Applications may be submitted for either a completed work in the artist’s possession or for a proposed new work.  The City’s Visual Arts Placement Jury adjudicates the applications and selects the works to be exhibited, in consultation with representatives from the Downtown, Broadway, Riversdale, and Sutherland Business Improvement Districts and civic staff.

The deadline for applications is April 8, 2014.  For an information package and application form, please visit www.saskatoon.ca and search under “P” for Placemaker Program.

In partnership with PAVED Arts, the City is hosting a public art workshop for emerging artists to better understand the art commissioning process, what it is, how it works, the application process, and how to submit proposals.  The workshop will be Saturday, January 25th, 2014, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the boardroom of Ideas Inc. (near the Farmers Market - 120 Sonnenschein Place, Saskatoon).

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 Thursday, January 9, 2014, crews will begin pruning trees on civic property in City Park as part of the City of Saskatoon’s (City) overall boulevard tree maintenance program.  Varsity View will follow on Monday, January 13, 2014.

The boulevard tree maintenance program follows a regular pruning cycle to help preserve the health and appearance of the City’s boulevard and park tree inventory. Maintenance crews will remove any broken, dead, weak, and diseased branches. Keeping sidewalks and roads free of any hazards, crews will also remove any tree parts that are obstructing pedestrian or vehicle traffic and maintain appropriate clearances from buildings, signs, streetlights, and utility wires.  Tree maintenance operations in these two neighbourhoods will continue until the end of March.

Tree maintenance often requires road restrictions.  The City reminds pedestrians, cyclists and drivers to ensure that safety is a priority by respecting the work zone appropriately and obeying all road restrictions and signage.

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 City of Saskatoon (City) Business License Program is pleased to announce the launch of Business License Online.  This new tool provides a convenient method for business operators to apply for or renew their Business License online.  It is safe, easy to use, and accepts payments from major credit cards.  New business license applications and renewals may continue to be submitted by mail or in person. 

“The City is very pleased to offer this online service to businesses,” says Alan Wallace, Director of Planning and Development.  “As part of the Saskatoon Strategic Plan, the City continues to offer a business-friendly environment by providing value-added services and improvements in efficiency.”

While new business license applications have been accepted online for the past year, the opportunity to renew online is now also available.  Instructions will be provided on the renewal notice mailed to business owners approximately two weeks prior to the expiration of their license.

As of December 31, 2013, there were 10,265 licensed businesses based out of Saskatoon, an increase of 3.2 percent since 2012.  As this number grows, the Business License Program works to enhance services to ensure that Saskatoon attracts and supports new and established businesses. 

To access Business License Online or to obtain more information, please visit www.saskatoon.ca/go/businesslicenseonline.

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.