News Releases

Beginning in Fall 2020, Saskatoon Light & Power (SL&P) started a project to replace more than 17,000 of its current high-pressure sodium (HPS) street light fixtures with light-emitting diode (LED) technology in residential neighbourhoods, commercial areas and along major streets. The two-year project will cost $6.12 million with forty per cent of the cost paid for by the Federal Government’s Low Carbon Economy Fund. 

“The Government of Canada is committed to supporting Saskatchewanians in rebuilding from the pandemic, creating jobs and building more resilient communities”, says the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change. “Today, our government is investing over $2.4M to help the City of Saskatoon install more than 17,000 LED lightbulbs in existing streetlights. Doing so will create jobs for the people of Saskatoon, reduce pollution and make our air cleaner. We are pleased to partner with Mayor Clark in this endeavor.”

Over the lifetime of this project, the City will see a cumulative reduction of about 114,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent to removing approximately 35,000 passenger cars off the road for one year.

“There is a real opportunity to make changes in Saskatoon that will benefit residents, businesses and future generations by working to build a resilient and sustainable community. The LED streetlight conversion project is a concrete example of an initiative that reduces emissions, saves money and creates jobs—and this is only one of the many possibilities that exists as we tackle climate change” says Mayor Charlie Clark. “My thanks to the federal government for helping to make this initiative a reality in our community so we can see all of these benefits more quickly.”

The remaining $3.7 million will be covered by a green loan that would be paid back by cost savings, which are estimated at $849,000 a year once all the fixtures are replaced.

“Saskatoon Light and Power is excited to begin the LED conversion project, which is one of the goals set out in the Low Emissions Community Plan to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases produced in Saskatoon. To date, approximately five thousand LED fixtures have been installed under this program in neighbourhoods and roads served by Saskatoon Light & Power,” says Trevor Bell, Director of Saskatoon Light & Power.

As work commences, residents throughout Saskatoon will notice SL&P’s “What’s the Bright Idea” campaign, which aims to inform the importance of LED fixtures for the community, including:

• 60% less energy used;
• Dark sky compliance;
• Reduced maintenance costs;
• 100,000 hours of light; and
• Increased lifespan.

The lights that are not addressed in the program include decorative lights downtown, lights along freeways, in pedestrian tunnels, under overpasses and floodlights.

Quick facts

• The City of Saskatoon is installing LED technology on all new street and pathway lighting.
• The LED fixtures use less energy than the existing HPS and metal halide fixtures.

Associated links

• Low Carbon Economy Fund
• Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change
• Canada’s strengthened climate plan: A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy

For more information on the project, visit: saskatoon.ca/slp.

For more City of Saskatoon news, program information, Service Alerts, Traffic Detours, and links to our social media channels, please visit saskatoon.ca.

City Council recently approved free parking on Saturdays in City-managed public pay parking areas throughout Saskatoon starting December 12, 2020, and ending March 27, 2021.

Parking customers are reminded that all other parking requirements remain in effect, including parking time limits. Parking Enforcement staff will continue to monitor and ticket vehicles parked in:

• a parking space for longer than the posted time limit
• reserved or accessible parking spaces without the required permit
• “No Stopping” or “No Parking” zones
• alleys (unless actively loading or unloading)

Pay parking remains in effect on lots operated by third party operators or commercial lots. 

For more information on Public Pay Parking, visit saskatoon.ca/payparking.

At its Budget Meetings on December 2 and 3, City Council approved funding for the Take It Outside Winter Animation Fund to provide immediate support to community organizations wishing to host safe outdoor activities in Saskatoon during the Winter 2020/21 season.

As part of the Take It Outside Winter Animation Fund, a total of $175,000 is currently available to non-profit organizations, ad hoc groups, businesses, or for-profit organizations through two different grant programs:

• The Take It Outside Grant program provides up to $25,000 in funding for projects that take place between December 17, 2020 to March 31, 2021. The application deadline to apply for funds is December 14, 2020.

• The Take It Outside Micro-Grant program provides up to $3,000 in funding for projects that take place between December 5, 2020 to March 31, 2021. All eligible projects will receive funding on a first come, first served basis.

For more information on the Take It Outside Grant and Take It Outside Micro-Grant programs, including eligibility requirements, visit saskatoon.ca/grants.

The Take It Outside Winter Animation Fund supports the goals and objectives of the WintercityYXE Strategy. The Strategy is an intentional effort by the City and the community to celebrate what makes Saskatoon an inviting, vibrant, safe and prosperous place in the winter, while working together to reduce the barriers that many people face during the coldest months of the year.

For information on the WintercityYXE Strategy, visit saskatoon.ca/wintercityyxe.

Making parts of downtown more pedestrian-friendly, creating diversified housing close to the riverfront, and repurposing barren or underused properties to meet community needs are among key ideas gleaned in a study on making downtown Saskatoon a more desirable place to live.

“The goal was to understand, from people who live downtown or would consider living there, what about the area makes it an attractive option and what barriers exist to people from falling in love with the idea of living a downtown urban lifestyle,” said University of Saskatchewan (USask) researcher Ryan Walker.

The project, which involved an online survey of 470 residents in downtown Saskatoon and 10 other neighbourhoods, as well as five focus group discussions via videoconference, was funded by Research Junction, a joint initiative by USask and City of Saskatoon (City).

“Sustainable growth is a strategic goal for the City, and enhancing downtown as a residential environment and getting more people living there is a priority,” said the City’s Director of Planning and Development, Lesley Anderson.

Among the key findings:

• The South Saskatchewan River and Meewasin Valley are downtown’s biggest assets, and people want to live within a few blocks of them. Amenities such as an expanded network of public spaces should be programmed with interesting things to do in all seasons.
   
• The convenient lifestyle of proximity to work, school, retail, businesses, services, and action at venues such as restaurants, bars and other public amenities are top reasons to live downtown.
   
• Diversified housing options in terms of architectural style, on-site amenities, and price points, especially in the mid-range suitable for families are in short supply. A push to develop barren lots and underused buildings is needed.
   
• The art gallery, theatre, and public library facilities are important public and private investments for a downtown urban lifestyle.
   
• Downtown respondents felt they aren’t in close community contact with business owners and are often not perceived as a target market.

Building an environment that attracts more people to live downtown can make residents a key target market, and change the debate around issues such as transit, bike lanes and parking, said Walker, principal investigator and professor in the department of geography and planning in the College of Arts and Science. Graduate student Zoe Hagen was co-investigator.

While the lack of grocery stores and feelings of being unsafe in the area remain predominant concerns, he said these challenges, especially about safety, aren’t insurmountable.

“The best way to resolve the perception of a decline in safety is to be persistent and continue to really promote residential development,” Walker said. “When you have people living downtown in higher numbers, there’s more passive street surveillance and a sense of community. The issues of safety perception sort of resolve themselves.”

Anderson said the City will use the findings from this research to help in the planning of major and minor projects downtown, including streetscape and public realm projects, as well as the upcoming Downtown Arena and Entertainment District master plan.