News Releases

Starting today, January 2, the City of Saskatoon will mail 2024 Assessment Notices to approximately 13,000 residential and commercial property owners in Saskatoon who, since January 1, 2023, have had a change to their property’s assessment, tax status or ownership. (Bylaw No. 8067, Assessment Notices Bylaw, 2002).

The City's 2024 Assessment Roll, a listing of all property assessments in Saskatoon, opens for public inspection on January 2, 2024, and will remain open until February 5, 2024. Inspection of the roll can be in person at the Assessment and Valuation Office located at 325 3^rd Ave N, one block north of City Hall, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., excluding Saturdays, Sundays and statutory holidays, or online using the Property Assessment & Tax Tool at saskatoon.ca/taxtool.

“The 30-Day Assessment Review and Appeal period is an important time for property owners to review their property’s assessment for accuracy, fairness and equity,” says Bryce Trew, City Assessor. “Our Assessment and Valuation team is dedicated to answering any assessment-related questions property owners may have, connect with us, we’re here to help.”

Important dates and information for residential and commercial property owners:

• If you have questions about your property's assessment, tax class, or exemption status, please contact Assessment & Valuation at 306-975-3227.  Most assessment-related questions can be resolved by speaking with an assessor before deciding to file a formal appeal for your property.  Detailed assessment and tax information about your property can also be viewed by entering your property’s address into the Property Assessment & Tax Tool.
   
• If you would like to proceed with filing a formal appeal with the City’s Board of Revision regarding the valuation, classification or content of your property’s assessment, your Notice of Appeal and the accompanying fee must be received during the 30-Day Assessment Review and Appeal period January 2 to February 5, 2024.
   
• A property owner does not need to receive a 2024 Assessment Notice in order to file a formal assessment appeal in 2024. Property tax is not included in the appeal process. An informative guide will accompany the 2024 Assessment Notice mailing.

• Property owners have the option to apply for and pay online for property assessment appeals, visit saskatoon.ca/assessmentappeals
   
• To download an appeal form visit saskatoon.ca/assessmentappeals

Mail or in-person deliver your assessment appeal and your cheque/money order for the fee to:

The Secretary, Board of Revision
c/o City Clerk’s Office
222 3^rd Ave North
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan   S7K 0J5

Assessment appeal hearings are public hearings. All documents filed for an assessment appeal are public records and will be posted on the City of Saskatoon website, subject to certain exceptions under The Cities Act or a confidentiality order made by the Board of Revision.

To learn more about the factors used to determine a residential property's assessed value, view the informative video Understanding Residential Property Assessment.

Visit saskatoon.ca/assessment for more information including how to make a change to school tax support. For more information on the Board of Revision formal assessment appeal process, call 306-975-3240 .

Saskatoon Transit and SGI have partnered once again to offer free evening bus service on New Year’s Eve.

Free service will be available on Sunday, December 31 from 7 p.m. until 3 a.m. on January 1 (times may vary slightly by route). Registered Access Transit customers can also reserve free service until 2 a.m. 

SGI has partnered with local transportation agencies in Regina, Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, and Saskatoon to help minimize the occurrence of driving while under the influence.

“Free service removes any financial barrier to planning a safe ride home after a night out,” says Cory Shrigley, Customer Service Manager, Saskatoon Transit. “We are thankful to have SGI as a partner to offer a safe alternative to impaired driving.”

Everyone is encouraged to think about using a variety of transportation modes on busy nights like New Year’s Eve. Plan your trip before heading out using the real-time mobile app Transit or Google Maps Transit. Multi-modal options are available to seamlessly integrate trips with Riide or Uber with Transit+. By combining transportation modes wait times and costs can be minimized.

Taking Transit makes transportation on New Year's Eve easier and safer. Leave your car at home and let Transit do the designated driving.

To learn more, visit SaskatoonTransit.ca or call 306.975.3100.

Saskatoon City Council has approved in principle the Connecting Avenue C: Walking and Cycling Improvements project report, which details plans for the All Ages and Abilities (AAA) cycling route. 

“The initiative aligns with Saskatoon’s Growth Plan and Active Transportation Plan, focused on cultivating a vibrant, sustainable and accessible community for present and future generations,” says Jay Magus, Director of Transportation. 

Avenue C, a north-south route, from Spadina Crescent West to 45th Street West, is slated for a transformative transportation upgrade in three phases, which are aimed at fostering accessibility, comfort, convenience and safety for pedestrians and cyclists. 

Improvements will be completed in three phases, with the highest priority segments being completed first. It’s recommended for Spadina Crescent to Jamieson Street to be completed in Phase One, Jamieson Street to 38th Street in Phase Two and 38th Street to 45th Street for Phase Three. 

Vehicle travel lanes for the entire proposed stretch are planned to be maintained with varied options for separate Active Transportation pathways. *See Attachments

This project responds to the City’s pledge outlined in the Active Transportation Plan, emphasizing economic, health, environmental, societal and safety benefits that robust active transportation infrastructure brings. 

The Connecting Avenue C: Walking and Cycling Improvements project encompasses sidewalks, protected bike lanes, neighbourhood bikeways and shared-use pathways, including safety measures such as curb extensions, raised crosswalks and accessibility ramp installations. 

Extensive community involvement occurred across three phases integrated into the design process, reflecting the city's commitment to engaging residents in shaping their environment. 

Pending detailed design refinements and funding considerations in upcoming City Council discussions, this project signifies Saskatoon's dedication to creating a more connected and accessible city for its residents. 

For more information on the City of Saskatoon’s Active Transportation Plan, visit saskatoon.ca/ActiveTransportation. 

At the Regular Business meeting on December 20, 2023, City Council voted to direct Administration to review and make recommendations for the removal of minimum parking requirements from the Zoning Bylaw. This will allow developers, homeowners and businesses to decide how much onsite parking to provide on their properties, rather than it being mandated by the City.

“Removal of minimum parking requirements provides flexibility for property owners to make decisions on how to most efficiently use their own land,” says Lesley Anderson, Director of Planning and Development. “While accessible parking and bicycle parking will still be required, removing mandatory minimums as many other cities have done across North America has been shown to reduce permit wait times, improve affordable housing opportunities as space is opened up for more homes, and also supports the City’s goals for sustainability and environmental leadership by reducing regulations that incentivize automobile use and supporting more sustainable transportation options.”

To support the City’s Housing Accelerator Fund Application to the Federal Government, at its Regular Meeting, November 22, 2023, Council approved a motion for City Administration to bring forward a proposed Zoning Bylaw amendment to remove parking requirements from areas defined within the Corridor Areas and report back to a Public Hearing in the first quarter of 2024. Today’s decision directs Administration to develop recommendations for areas across the City and to bring those forward to Committee and Council as required.

“Only off-street parking will be affected by the removal of minimum parking requirements. On-street parking and the Residential Parking Program (RPP) are outside of the scope of this review,” says Anderson. “Impacts for on-street parking will be monitored and will be managed separately.”

Engagement on the removal of parking will be completed in 2024. More information can be found at the project’s Engage page, including more background on parking requirements and an in-depth frequently-asked-questions document on parking.

Two information reports presented to the Governance and Priorities Committee (GPC) at the December 12, 2023, regular meeting will serve to help develop the vision for what Downtown Saskatoon could look like with the establishment of a successful Downtown Event and Entertainment District.  

The first report examines the results of the Phase I Engagement of the project, outlining what respondents would like to see in the District and the wider Downtown to make the area more vibrant and livable.  

“Phase I Engagement was designed to ask the public what they would like to see for amenities and space improvements in the District,” says Dan Willems, Director of Technical Services, Transportation & Construction Division. “We gathered feedback on what people appreciate about Downtown currently and what we could improve to make the area more welcoming and accessible. We took this information and are using it to help inform our upcoming plans, not only for the potential event centre/arena, but for the District as a whole.” 

The Phase I Engagement, which took place from April 17 to May 18, 2023, used a number of techniques including targeted stakeholder meetings, pop-up locations for on-the-street feedback, an engagement kit, and physical and online surveys, which received 3,134 respondents. Targeted engagement remains ongoing with Indigenous leaders, Elders and Knowledge Keepers, and broader public engagement on the conceptual design is expected to take place in 2024. 

The second report analyzes the market context for future development of the area. The Downtown Market Analysis of Housing and Retail Demand was completed by the City’s Technical Advisor, Stantec. Stantec’s key takeaways include: 

• The housing market is strong, and the market analysis outlines targeting an additional 200 residential units per year in the Downtown. This looks to grow Downtown’s population to 10,000 within the next two decades. 

• The impact of more Downtown residential development will support and strengthen businesses and organizations and make Downtown more livable as a vibrant community. 

• Downtown has an existing character and energy that, together with its many amenities, create a supportive environment for redevelopment. 

“The analysis shows that Downtown housing growth can generate a significant increase in consumer spending in the Downtown area, creating a demand for additional retail and commercial development - that in turn supports the growing, thriving community,” says Lesley Anderson, Director of Planning and Development.  “It helps illustrate that the Downtown Event and Entertainment District is not just about an event centre/arena, or a convention centre, but it is also about making Downtown Saskatoon a place where people live as well as work, an attractive and accessible place with an economic impact that goes far beyond the District’s boundary.” 

The next steps in the Journey to the District include concept plans for the event centre/arena, convention centre and public spaces to be presented to City Council in early 2024, including a report on the draft funding, and the first iteration of the District Plan, which will outline the vision for the greater Downtown area. For more information on the Journey to the District, please visit saskatoon.ca/eventdistrict.