News Releases

Pressures of inflation, lower than expected revenues that have not recovered post-pandemic, and service requirements for a growing city, have all contributed to an unprecedented revenue gap in 2024 and 2025. “The City of Saskatoon is not immune to the ongoing financial pressures that our business community and residents are facing,” says Clae Hack, Chief Financial Officer.

“We recognize that significant adjustments will be required to reduce the revenue gap not only for 2024 and 2025, but over the next number of years to address ongoing inflation and the lingering impacts the pandemic have had on the City.” 

“While identifying the funding required to maintain ‘business as usual' service levels is an important first step to understanding the pressures facing the City, we know there are going to be challenging decisions to make over the months ahead to drive the funding gap and property tax impact down.”

Hack again stresses the Administration is not recommending any budget or property tax rate at this point; the 2024/2025 Budget Status Update information report provides the foundation for discussions over the next several months with City Council regarding options. While higher than anyone would want, Hack says the figures represent the fully transparent view of the financial pressures facing the City’s 2024/2025 budget, summarized in the table below:

Inflation

The inflationary pressures are daunting: for example, at times, the City is experiencing
30 per cent increases in contracts to maintain the roadway treatment cycle; Saskatoon Light & Power has experienced an increase of 33 per cent in material prices, and the Saskatoon Fire Department has had fire engine costs increase from $900,000 to $1.5 million for a new apparatus unit – a 60 per cent increase.

Growth

In terms of growth, the City requires resources to address the needs of a growing city.  Examples of some of the growth pressures facing 2024 and 2025 include the opening of operations at Recovery Park; extending Saskatoon Transit services for Aspen Ridge, Evergreen and North Kensington; the future East Leisure Centre expected to open in 2029; the future Fire Station expected to open in 2026; future Emergency Snow Event responses; and for phase-ins to fund the Bus Rapid Transit.

Base Budget Adjustments

Base budget assumptions are typically for expenses or revenue budgets that have become misaligned with actuals over time. The misalignment could be due to several reasons including over-estimation of revenues or incorrect prior-year assumptions.

The most significant base budget impact in 2024 relates to a key budget management strategy throughout the pandemic which was to use one-time funding to offset operating revenue decreases and to assist with additional COVID-related expenditures, to minimize property tax increases.  The strategy envisioned that revenues would return to pre-pandemic levels by
2024 and one-time funding would no longer be needed.

Unfortunately, operating revenues have not returned to pre-pandemic levels and the
$10.0 million in one-time funding that was included in the 2023 budget has been fully utilized, creating a gap in the 2024 budget. 

If the revenue gap is left unmitigated, the City would be faced with an 18.56 per cent  property tax impact for 2024, and 6.95 per cent for 2025. The City will work hard to put forward strategies and options to help minimize future property tax increases. City Council will be provided with meaningful options over several planned Special Budget Meetings that could significantly lower the 2024 property tax and return the property tax rate in 2025 to be more in line with historical trends

“The City is not alone. Inflation and post-pandemic effects continue to impact municipalities across Canada also challenged with finding solutions to combat mounting budget pressures,” Hack says. “We’re not happy where the figures are at, and we will work to provide viable options for City Council over the months ahead to lower the revenue gap and associated property tax increases for 2024/2025.”

The additional Special Budget Meetings are planned over the next months in the lead-up to City Council finalizing its 2024/2025 Multi-Year Business Plan and Budget in November this year.

The 2024/2025 Budget Status Update information report will be considered by the Governance and Priorities Committee (GPC) on Wednesday, June 14 at 9:30 a.m.

Visit saskatoon.ca/budget

The Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo (Zoo) is ready for summer with the arrival of over 300 butterflies and the official opening of the Prairie Butterfly House.

“We are thrilled to kick off our first full season for the Prairie Butterfly House,” says Jeff Mitchell, Zoo Manager. “Each trip to the Prairie Butterfly House will be unique, as we will have new butterflies arriving throughout the season including some spectacular morphos and caligos species.”

Opening day celebrations include educational activities hosted by the Saskatoon Zoo Society and giveaways including reusable shopping bags, pins, pens, temporary tattoos and more courtesy of the Saskatoon Zoo Foundation.

“We have to thank all of our contributors as this wonderful exhibit would not have come to fruition without their support,” says Dawn Woroniuk, Chief Executive Officer, Saskatoon Zoo Foundation. “The Prairie Butterfly House further enhances the Zoo’s educational and conservation programming while providing a serene space for guests of all ages to enjoy. We are so excited to showcase this new addition to the Zoo and look forward making another big announcement at our annual ZOOGALA event on June 9^th.”

The Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo and Saskatoon Zoo Foundation would like to thank the following contributors, partners and organizations that made the Prairie Butterfly House possible:

• Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan)
• Norplex Business Centre
• Hunter Family
• Duval Family
• Ultravision Construction
• One-mouse Graphic Design
• Dutch Growers
• Laser Impressions

“Our government’s crucial investments in tourism focused on rebuilding the industry, promoting what Canada has to offer, and designing new tourism experiences for the future,” said the Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister for PrairiesCan. “The new Prairie Butterfly House is a wonderful example of those diverse experiences. This facility celebrates the Prairies’ distinct character and reflects the federal government’s continued commitment to create good jobs and build an economy that works for everyone.”

Butterflies fly freely around the Prairie Butterfly House allowing visitors to fully immerse themselves in nature and experience the beauty and tranquility that the space offers. The Zoo reminds guests to maintain a safe space for the butterflies by not handling or removing butterflies or plants from the habitat.

The Prairie Butterfly House is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Visit saskatoon.ca/zoo to learn more and to plan your next visit.

City Administration recommends oversight of the Community Support Program (CSP) be transferred to the Saskatoon Fire Department (SFD) to provide better coordination and integration to address community safety and well-being. 

“Much has changed since the Community Support Program rolled out,” says Assistant Chief Yvonne Raymer. “That is why we are recommending a whole-community team approach to deal with safety and well-being in our city core and elsewhere. With this approach, we will be able to maintain the current level of support in the core business districts and enhance our response with Transit support workers and partnerships with specially trained police officers.”  

For several years, the Downtown Saskatoon Business Improvement District (BID) has administrated the CSP, which provides uniform patrols within the boundaries of the three city centre BIDs of Downtown, Riversdale, and Broadway. 

An information report will be presented to City Council’s Standing Policy Committee on Planning, Development and Community Services at its June 7 regular meeting. The report notes that with the current agreement with the Downtown BID set to expire, SFD recognized that greater capacity and collaboration with other public safety initiatives already underway is required to address the needs of those requiring supports in Saskatoon. Such an arrangement would also allow for better information or data sharing so the teams can develop evidence-based responses and solutions for social distress in our community. 
 
Assistant Chief Raymer notes the SFD – through various initiatives – has already worked to gain trust and build relationships with the most vulnerable in Saskatoon. 

“Through discussions with the BIDs, it was identified that transitioning operations of the CSP to the SFD, beginning in 2024, may be a suitable option, particularly given that SFD plays a significant role in response and outreach for those in need. In line with this view, we very recently began a pilot Task Force of Saskatoon Police Service Alternative Response Officers (ARO) and SFD Fire Inspectors, which we believe has the team approach that we think will be an effective community safety model.” 

Administration will continue to explore the transition of the oversight of the CSP to the SFD, which will include engagement with community partners such as the Saskatoon Police Service, the Street Activity Subcommittee and the Downtown Saskatoon, Riversdale, and Broadway BIDs. 

The review will also include participation from Saskatoon Transit. At its regular meeting on May 31, City Council approved a recommendation to explore a transit support workers program using a “One City” approach to address the need identified for targeted safety support services.  

A subsequent report on the transition of the CSP will be brought forward in advance of the 2024-2025 Multi-Year Business Plan and Budget. 

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.