News Releases

The eighth and final Wîcihitowin Indigenous Engagement Conference will take place November 28-29 at Saskatoon’s TCU Place. After two years of gathering virtually, this year’s conference marks the return of meeting in-person, although there’s also an option to attend virtually.

Between 2007 and 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada travelled to all parts of Canada to bear witness to residential school experiences, to create a permanent historical record, and to engage and educate the public about Survivor experiences and intergenerational impacts. The theme of the 2022 Wîcihitowin Conference will be Bearing Witness in acknowledgement of this critical aspect of reconciliation.

Joining as speakers this year are the former Commissioners of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission — The Honourable Murray Sinclair (video presentation), Dr. Wilton Littlechild, and Dr. Marie Wilson. Other noteworthy presenters include Chief Cadmus Delorme of Cowessess First Nation; Gilles Dorval, past Indigenous Initiatives Director for the City of Saskatoon; Merelda Fiddler-Potter, former CBC reporter; and nearly a dozen Residential School Survivors.

The conference will be co-hosted by April Sora, Diversity & Inclusion Consultant at the City of Saskatoon, and Neal Kewistep, Executive-in-Residence at the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy. The complete agenda is available here.

Wîcihitowin Conference youth panelist, Allison Forsberg says: “The Wîcihitowin Conference provides Survivors and their families with an opportunity to honour each other, acknowledge the experiences that our ancestors went through, and is a place where we can all listen and learn from one another. Even though this is the eighth and final year of this conference, we think this is the beginning of a new reconciliation journey for the community.”

Residential School Survivor, Gilbert Kewistep says: “I have appreciated being involved in the Wîcihitowin Indigenous Engagement Conference and the Saskatoon Survivors’ Circle over the past few years. It has provided me with a community to support me through my healing journey. Acknowledging and sharing the truth helps us Survivors in healing from our trauma. Sharing our teachings with the broader community helps others understand what we lost and what we are trying to regain. Although this conference’s journey is coming to an end, I see this as a bright step towards something new for our communities.”

City of Saskatoon Social Development Consultant and Co-Chair of the Wîcihitowin Conference Planning Committee, Roy Lavallee says: “The City and planning partners make a point to support this conference every year because we see the outcomes, year in and year out. The feedback we get from this event is always incredible – how it influenced individuals and organizations to change their thinking as well as their practices. Past participants feel that this conference has contributed to progress on Indigenous engagement and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action.”

United Way Saskatoon & Area Director of Labour Partnerships & Community Impact and Wîcihitowin Conference Planning Committee member, Andrea Howe says: “Over the past eight years, the Wîcihitowin Conference has welcomed audiences from across Saskatchewan, Canada, and around the world. It has invested in education by bringing together First Nations and Métis people with professional, academic, and lived-experience expertise, and has showcased Indigenous culture through dance, song, and art. Thanks to its investors, partner organizations, Survivors, and all conference attendees, the conference has re-invested over $1.3-million dollars into the community and reconciliation efforts.”

In-person registration is full but tickets to attend virtually are available at wicihitowin.ca until midnight on November 24 or until sold out. For real time conference updates, follow Wîcihitowin YXE on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

With the combined presence of COVID-19 and flu cases in our community, the health of vulnerable Elders and Residential School Survivors is our top priority. Conference attendees are being urged to adhere to the following health precautions if attending in-person:

• Stay home if feeling unwell
• Go home if feeling unwell during the event
• Get vaccinated against both the flu and COVID-19 (you require a booster if it's been more than 6 months since your last vaccination)
• Mask-wearing is strongly recommended
• Avoid physical contact such as hugs and shaking hands
• Wash hands regularly and make use of hand sanitizer – particularly before eating

The Wîcihitowin Indigenous Engagement Conference is made possible through financial and human resource contributions by the City of Saskatoon, Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, Saskatchewan Health Authority, United Way of Saskatoon & Area, and the Saskatoon Public Library, with additional financial investments from Nutrien (premier investor), Saskatoon Community Foundation, and other community/partner/friend investors. Complete list of sponsors here.

Today, City Administration released a detailed administrative report providing City Council with its proposed adjustments to the 2023 Budget. The 2023 Budget was preliminarily approved by City Council on November 29, 2021, as part of the City’s Multi-Year Budget.

The assumptions used to create the 2023 Business Plan and Budget in 2021 were based on the Administration’s estimate of revenues and expenditures at the time, including the recovery of lost revenues due to the impact of COVID-19. The financial landscape for the City in 2023 has changed significantly since the forecasted revenues and expenditures were developed in 2021. The City has continued to incur higher costs for fuel, natural gas, materials, supplies and labour – leading to significant changes to the assumptions and estimates used to produce the original 2023 Plan.

“This year has brought forward significant challenges for individuals, businesses and the City in terms of unforeseen inflationary pressures, which we expect to persist into 2023. These pressures, coupled with an already ambitious City budget target, require consideration for adjustments to ensure our service levels and resources are aligned,” says Clae Hack, Chief Financial Officer. “As such, the Administration is proposing several adjustments to the preliminary approved 2023 Budget to ensure the City’s service levels are maintained and resourced appropriately.”

“We recognize the financial pressures that individuals and businesses are already under within Saskatoon, however, in order to deliver the existing service levels these adjustments are required,” adds Hack. “As always, Administration remains committed to prudent financial management and continuing to find savings where we can. This is evidenced by the $5.7 million in targeted savings within the 2023 Budget and the approximately $600,000 in identified options Council can consider for reducing the property tax increase in 2023.”

If approved by Council, the proposed budget adjustments to the 2023 Operating Budget would provide more than $10.04 million in additional resources, which will be mostly used to combat rising prices in fuel, natural gas and other inflationary pressures. This increase in costs is offset by a nearly $7.76 million increase in revenues, leaving a $2.29 million gap to be filled by the property tax.  Based on these changes the preliminarily approved property tax increase of 3.53% is recommended to increase to 4.38%. For a homeowner with an average assessed value of $344,000, the proposed 2023 tax rate would result in an additional $7.28/month or $87.30/year.

Proposed budget adjustments to the 2023 Capital Budget would increase it by $37.4 million. Most of these expenses are related to land development projects which are primarily funded through development levies and reserves. City Council may choose to increase or decrease the amounts of the operating or capital budgets for any item presented earlier or for other items it would like to bring forward. 

City Council will also review and make its final decisions on the Board of Police Commissioners 2023 Operating Budget and Capital Budget, and the upcoming Curbside Organics 2023 Rate. Deliberation on all proposed budget adjustments and formal approval of the 2023 Operating and Capital Budgets and Business Plan will take place November 28, 29 & 30, 2022, in Council Chambers starting at 1 p.m.

For citizens interested in registering to provide comments or to speak to City Council at budget deliberations, please use the Submit a Letter/Request to Speak to Council form. Registration will be open as of 5 p.m., Wednesday, November 23. The deadline to submit your online form is Monday, November 28, 2022, at 10 a.m. For questions, please email city.clerks@saskatoon.ca or contact the City Clerk’s Office at 306-975-3240.

Visit saskatoon.ca/finance for more information on the multi-year budget process, timeline of prior decisions/events or to review budget-related documents.

Shared electric scooters (e-scooters) will be available for rent in Saskatoon by spring 2023. A two-year pilot will test the program framework developed through extensive public consultation. City Council approved the project this week where two vendors will operate up to 500 shared e-scooters from spring to fall each year.

“While many people are excited for new transportation options, others are concerned about safety for riders and pedestrians, enforcement and cost,” says Director of Transportation Jay Magus. “A pilot lets us evaluate if the rules in our framework can address these before committing to a permanent program.”

The benefit for Saskatoon residents and visitors is a fun, environmentally friendly solution to the first/last mile drawback of public transportation, creating better connectivity and increasing convenience. Fewer people driving personal vehicles can ultimately reduce congestion and GHG emissions associated with transportation.

Vendors will provide e-scooters with a center column and a floorboard; there is no seat, no operable pedals and they are not self-balancing.​ People will rent them through a mobile app to unlock them, then follow instructions for parking to return them.

“Many of the safety concerns can be addressed with technology,” says Magus. “Geofencing and sidewalk detection can limit the speed and location e-scooters can travel; and there are in-app incentives for wearing a helmet and proper parking.”

The framework for the pilot requires e-scooter renters to follow the Provincial regulations: riders must be 16 years or older, wear a helmet and are restricted to streets with a 50 km/h and lower speed limit and a maximum riding speed of 24 km/h.

The City plans to consider allowing private electric scooters in 2024 once we have conducted a year of this pilot program.

The full framework and summary of public engagement is available at saskatoon.ca/escooter.

City Council has confirmed the site of a future event centre/arena will be at the Midtown Shopping Centre North Parking Lot. The location was selected at a Special Meeting of City Council this afternoon.

The Downtown Event and Entertainment District is a large, transformational project that will develop over many years. Proceeding with the development of the Downtown Event and Entertainment District project, and the vision to create a shared public space where everyone feels welcome, required a decision of City Council on the future location of the event centre/arena.

“Saskatoon is one of the few cities to have its own land bank, and without our property realized reserve we would not have been able to purchase these important pieces of land today,” says Downtown Event and Entertainment District Advisory Group Co-Chair Councillor Troy Davies. “We have met with cities across North America who have built downtown districts and the site chosen today will not only increase jobs but also opens the door for further development opportunities down the road.”

Following work with industry experts to assess several potential sites against various technical criteria, the City collected feedback on the opportunities and challenges for two feasible downtown site options. Council considered the results of the technical evaluation and the feedback from the public, ultimately endorsing the Midtown Shopping Centre North Parking Lot, north of 22nd Street between 1st Avenue and Pacific Avenue.

Some of the key opportunities highlighted with this location include:

· closeness to amenities such as restaurants and shopping

· ease of access because of its more central location

· increased Downtown activity

“As Council’s strategic lead for downtown development, this location allows for efficient use of existing land and infrastructure, and maximizes opportunities to attract new residential and commercial investments in the heart of our city,” says Advisory Group co-chair Councillor Cynthia Block.

Mayor Charlie Clark says choosing a site is the first “pivotal” step in shaping the future of Downtown for many decades to come.

“As we continue to grow and become a more global city, we want the residents in our city and our province to be able to experience world-class events in the heart of a thriving downtown. It will be a gathering place that can bring our diverse community together and drive economic investment, all part of creating a strong future for the children growing up today.”

The decision now allows City staff to begin working on conceptual designs and district master planning to help establish preliminary capital cost estimates. City Council has already directed that the project includes Indigenous placemaking. The City will be seeking community input on other district amenities in the coming months, but early feedback has already highlighted a desire for cultural gathering spaces, both indoors and outdoors.

Dan Willems, Director of Technical Services says financial strategies are already under consideration. The project is expected to be largely funded through investment other than from property taxes. While the exact funding plan is yet to be determined, a key overarching goal is that this project requires little or no increase to property taxes.

“At this point next year, our goal is to have a proposed funding strategy in front of City Council and be in a position to approach other orders of government to get their commitment to support the project.”

Willems says this decision is the first of many that must happen over the next year. “The project is truly a journey with many milestones. Within the next few months, we plan to be in a position for City Council to consider the partnership and governance model for the new facilities and whether to secure a private partner to support project development.”

Decisions about a new or expanded convention centre, and the future of the existing SaskTel Centre will be among several decisions to be considered by Council as part of the conceptual design phase later in 2023.

Along with clear opportunities with the Midtown lot, the engagement survey results also identify parking availability and traffic congestion as key challenges.

“We believe this challenge can be overcome through information sharing on the current inventory of existing on- and off-street paid parking, private stalls that could be converted, and new parking facilities planned to be constructed within walking distance,” Willems says. He adds that a parking needs assessment will be completed as part of the conceptual design, and that parking and congestion concerns may diminish as the site and the supporting transportation network is developed.

“The future bus rapid transit routes will connect the district to the entire city and will be able to move many people in and out of the area avoiding the worry over parking Downtown.”

The City will continue to work with the public and stakeholders to determine how to maximize the benefit of the district for all residents of Saskatoon. The district itself, the significant transit improvements that will accompany the district, and all elements ultimately included in the scope of work will shape Saskatoon for generations. Given this, public engagement will be integral to several work components planned throughout 2023.