News Releases

The City of Saskatoon has a responsibility to conserve water and, along with the community, has identified it as an important measure to reduce greenhouse gases, care for the environment, and lower water utility bills.

The Water Conservation Strategy, which has been in the works for two years and informed by public engagement, encourages conservation through a variety of methods. The report will go before the City’s Environment, Utilities, and Corporate Services Committee on Monday.

“The Strategy is a roadmap of actions to help residents and City operations achieve many benefits from water conservation, like managing water costs, improving resiliency, and limiting environmental impacts”, says Jeanna South, Director of Sustainability. “Some of these actions include reducing peak summer use to ease demand on infrastructure, reducing water used in the City’s own operations to save costs, and showing residents and businesses ways that they can change their water use to reduce their utility bills.”

Water reduction targets were established in the Low Emissions Community Plan to reduce future water infrastructure expansion costs and greenhouse gas emissions. Although per capita water use in Saskatoon has been on a downward trend as residents have realized the benefits of conservation, recent data shows more efforts in all parts of the community and in the City’s own operations are necessary. 

“The intent of this strategy is to prioritize the initiatives, develop programs based on priorities, implement those initiatives as funding becomes available, and monitor progress and refine assumptions to keep the Water Conservation Strategy current,” says South.

Some water conservation initiatives underway include improving City water use in parks and other areas of operations, residential water use education, and the Industrial, Commercial and Institutional (ICI) building energy and efficiency retrofit program.

For more information, please visit saskatoon.ca/waterconservation.

The City of Saskatoon has a responsibility to conserve water and, along with the community, has identified it as an important measure to reduce greenhouse gases, care for the environment, and lower water utility bills.

The Water Conservation Strategy, which has been in the works for two years and informed by public engagement, encourages conservation through a variety of methods. The report will go before the City’s Environment, Utilities, and Corporate Services Committee on Monday.

“The Strategy is a roadmap of actions to help residents and City operations achieve many benefits from water conservation, like managing water costs, improving resiliency, and limiting environmental impacts”, says Jeanna South, Director of Sustainability. “Some of these actions include reducing peak summer use to ease demand on infrastructure, reducing water used in the City’s own operations to save costs, and showing residents and businesses ways that they can change their water use to reduce their utility bills.”

Water reduction targets were established in the Low Emissions Community Plan to reduce future water infrastructure expansion costs and greenhouse gas emissions. Although per capita water use in Saskatoon has been on a downward trend as residents have realized the benefits of conservation, recent data shows more efforts in all parts of the community and in the City’s own operations are necessary. 

“The intent of this strategy is to prioritize the initiatives, develop programs based on priorities, implement those initiatives as funding becomes available, and monitor progress and refine assumptions to keep the Water Conservation Strategy current,” says South.

Some water conservation initiatives underway include improving City water use in parks and other areas of operations, residential water use education, and the Industrial, Commercial and Institutional (ICI) building energy and efficiency retrofit program.

For more information, please visit saskatoon.ca/waterconservation.

A Vancouver-based developer has approached the City with a proposal to open a full-service grocery store, with a restaurant, and take-out at the Midtown Plaza. The Standing Policy Committee on Transportation will consider the request from Arbutus Properties when the committee meets on Monday, May 2, 2022.

The grocery store is proposed for the space in Midtown Plaza that was initially developed for another business but has remained vacant.

The Administration report recommends installing a full traffic signal at the intersection of Auditorium Avenue and Idylwyld Drive, removing the median on Idylwyld Drive between Auditorium Avenue and 22nd Street, and installing a traffic island at the intersection of 21st Street and Idylwyld Drive. These changes were all previously identified in the Imagine Idylwyld project plan.

The report recommends that the City completes these changes once the grocery store reaches a certain build-out point. The cost of the infrastructure changes is $220 thousand.

A requested tax abatement for the grocery store is not recommended, as the available space at Midtown Plaza has already been approved for a tax abatement.

If approved, the next steps will be in the developer’s hands.

The City is pleased to announce the installation of new bike racks along Saskatoon’s historic 21^st Street that honour First Nations and Métis peoples’ histories and cultures.

The bike racks were created in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action No. 79:  Participate in a strategy to commemorate the contributions and history of Aboriginal peoples to Canada. 

Saskatoon is located on Treaty 6 Territory and Homeland of the Métis. As a way to honour this history, the City worked together with First Nations Elder, Harry Lafond, and Métis Elder, Senator Nora Cummings, to feature Treaty 6 Territory and Homeland of the Métis medals on bike racks along 21^st Street. These medals were chosen as meaningful symbols that could demonstrate respect for Saskatoon’s Indigenous histories on one of the city’s major historic streets.

“Thank you so much to Elders Senator Nora Cummings and Harry Lafond as well as the Saskatchewan Indigenous Cultural Centre and Gabriel Dumont Institute for partnering with the City of Saskatoon on this project. Our streets have a story to tell. Saskatoon’s story is about being a gathering place where First Nations, Métis and non-Indigenous people have come together over generations,” says Mayor Charlie Clark. “Bike racks can also be sculptures on our streets. This is a great way to use those sculptures to reveal a deeper history for our own residents and visitors to our city, right in the heart of the Downtown, here in Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the Métis.”

“Saskatoon is a beautiful walking and cycling city. The new bike racks reflect the aesthetics of the city while expressing the reconciliation spirit of who we want to be as a community,” says First Nations Elder Harry Lafond. “The Truth and Reconciliation Commission has brought us to a place in our history to recognize thousands of years of settlement on the banks of the Saskatchewan River. We are experiencing the beauty of an intensifying diversity and with it the challenge to physically express our recognition of this gift throughout our growing city. The bike racks not only reflect the beauty of 21^st Street, but more importantly the spirit and beauty of who we want to become.”

"As Métis people, especially in the city, our history and our experiences have often been overlooked. We have never had a medal before, so for me it is exciting to see the City using this medal to honour our rich history and culture,” says Métis Senator Nora Cummings. “The medal includes symbols that are important to us as Métis people. By having these medals on the bike racks, it helps to educate others about our experiences here and to encourage pride amongst ourselves and especially amongst our young people. It’s important that they have pride in themselves, their history and their identity.”

The Saskatchewan Indigenous Cultural Centre and Gabriel Dumont Institute provided important historical information to explain the significance of the bike rack medals and the history of First Nations and Métis peoples in Saskatoon and surrounding area. 

With the support of the Downtown Saskatoon Business Improvement District, this information is posted in the directories along 21^st Street.  

“Downtown Saskatoon is proud that historic 21^st Street was chosen for this project and that needed infrastructure was constructed in such a way to commemorate the many contributions of Indigenous peoples to Canada,” says Brent Penner, Executive Director of Downtown Saskatoon. “Downtown Saskatoon is a connected community, offering a #PlaceToBelong to all our neighbours.”

For more information on the Treaty 6 Territory and Homeland of the Métis bike rack project and to learn more about the history of First Nations and Métis peoples in Saskatoon and surrounding area, visit saskatoon.ca/medals.