News Releases

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.

The risk of flooding during intense summer rainfalls is much lower for more than 50 properties near Churchill District Park. A dry storm pond in the park, which will hold flood water and serve as a sports field whenever dry, is substantially complete. It is the second dry storm pond to be built under the City of Saskatoon’s Flood Control Strategy (FCS).

“Substantial completion means it is mostly done, but there’s still some finishing touches to do before the space can officially open,” says Director of Saskatoon Water, Russ Munro. “The site will remain fenced off until fall 2023 to give the newly installed sod and trees time to establish.”

The FCS, approved by City Council in 2018, is aimed at reducing flooding in nine of Saskatoon’s most flood prone areas. The first dry storm pond opened in W.W. Ashley District Park in October. Right now, plans are in the works to begin construction on a third dry storm pond in Weaver Park in early 2023.  

The Churchill Park dry storm pond took approximately nine months to build. It will reduce summer flood concerns around Ruth Street and Cairns Avenue, Bute Street and Munroe Avenue, Ruth Street and York Avenue, and Bute Street and Albert Avenue.

“Residents will notice new trees, a new pathway, new multi-use sports fields, and spectator seating built into the slopes. We are very pleased with the result and look forward to the neighbourhood enjoying the new space next year,” says Munro.

Dry storm ponds are designed to hold water that would otherwise cause flooding during intense rainfalls. The water flows from nearby properties and roads into the dry storm pond before it slowly drains into the storm sewer and to the South Saskatchewan River. Prior to the establishment of the FCS, Saskatoon already had nine dry storm ponds, mostly in neighbourhoods built after 1989 when enhanced storm water infrastructure standards were established.

The Government of Canada is contributing 40% of the eligible construction costs up to a maximum of $21.6 million toward nine FCS projects.  The City is funding the remaining construction costs through the Storm Water Utility Capital Program and revenue generated from Storm Water Utility charges. 

For more information about the FCS, visit saskatoon.ca/floodplan.

City Council is set to consider the Administration’s recommendation that the future Downtown event centre/arena be located on the Midtown Shopping Centre North Parking Lot, north of 22^nd Street between 1^st Avenue and Pacific Avenue. The recommendation will be discussed at a Special Meeting of Council, Wednesday, November 16, 2022.

The Administration’s analysis identified two feasible site options for the future Downtown event centre/arena: the Midtown Shopping Centre North Parking Lot and the North Downtown/City Yards. City Council further directed Administration to proceed with public engagement on both sites.

The site recommendation is based, in part, on an evaluation of the sites against extensive technical criteria. Based on this evaluation, the Midtown Shopping Centre North Parking Lot site emerged with the highest score, ranking favourably in nearly every category.

Also supporting this recommendation are the survey results where respondents identified key opportunities with the Midtown site to be its proximity to amenities, its ease of access due to its central location and the potential for increased activities in the Downtown.

Despite these key opportunities, the survey results also identified some key challenges; most notably, parking availability and traffic congestion. The Administration believes the parking challenge can be mitigated at the proposed site by clearly identifying the current inventory of existing off-street paid parking, private stalls that could be converted, and off-street paid parking stalls within walking distance.  More specifically, as part of the project, Administration intends to replace the 526 stalls currently in the north parking lot and may be augmented with construction of additional parking following a parking needs assessment.

In terms of traffic congestion, the future Bus Rapid Transit routes will connect the District to the entire city, efficiently moving a large number of people in and out of the area, thereby providing alternative transportation options and reducing or minimizing the perceived challenge of traffic congestion.

The Administration also consulted with the Downtown Event and Entertainment District Advisory Group, which was established and appointed by City Council, on the site options. The Advisory Group supports the Administration’s recommendation of the Midtown Shopping Centre North Parking Lot.

The public engagement occurred between August 30 and October 3, 2022, several options for feedback were available to the public. This included a representative sample survey, an opt-in online public survey, an online survey for local business and organizations, and in-person intercept surveys.

The survey results have been consolidated and shared with City Council for their deliberations on the site of the Downtown event centre/arena, and the development of the Downtown Event and Entertainment District. In addition, future stages of the project will be informed by the feedback from this process.

The City appreciates and thanks the over 8,300 people and stakeholders who participated in the open survey and shared their perspectives on the opportunities and challenges of each site. The survey results are available on saskatoon.ca/engage for all respondents and the general public.  The agenda and corresponding reports can be found on the City’s website.

For more information visit saskatoon.ca/eventdistrict.

The City of Saskatoon has a new Waste bylaw. On Monday, October 31, City Council approved Bylaw No. 9844, The Waste Bylaw, 2022, which now has replaced the previous Bylaw No. 8310, The Waste Bylaw, 2004.

“In anticipation of new waste diversion programs beginning in 2023, the City decided to update the structure and content of our Waste Bylaw, which had been first approved 18 years ago and had undergone many amendments,” says Brendan Lemke, Director of Water and Waste Operations. “The new bylaw prepares us for the curbside organics program and Recovery Park a diversion depot co-located at the landfill, which are both set to launch in 2023.”

The changes in the new bylaw include:

•    New requirements to place recyclable and organic materials into the appropriate collection containers
•    Guidelines for home composting systems, including requiring that they be located within property lines
•    Standards for new multi-unit residential buildings to ensure City waste collection can be completed
•    New standards for waste containers used for construction activities
•    Restrictions on the composting of elm wood waste in any City program to help protect Saskatoon’s urban forest from Dutch elm disease.

“The Waste Bylaw keeps our community safe and our environment clean by instructing our community on how to properly store, sort, divert, and dispose of solid waste,” says Lemke. “The City will continue to take an education-first approach with our Waste bylaw to help make sure residents and businesses are aware of what is required and make a change before following through on enforcement.” 

For more information on the City’s Waste Bylaw, visit www.saskatoon.ca/content/bylaw-9844-waste-bylaw-2022.

A survey conducted on behalf of the City of Saskatoon by Forum Research between February and April 2022 indicates that significantly more residents claim climate change is an important environmental challenge that must be addressed—an increase of 41% from five years ago.

When asked to identify the main environmental issues facing the City, residents are most likely to focus on climate change related concerns such as extreme weather and global warming, as well as waste reduction issues like waste management and city cleanliness. The survey showed that three in five respondents raised these issues, with 50% of respondents saying they believe climate change is negatively affecting Saskatoon today.

The survey also showed residents are most concerned with how climate-related issues will affect them financially, with more than 80% of respondents saying they are very or somewhat concerned about how climate change will affect the cost of food, energy, public services, and insurance.

“The good news is, the City has been working on greenhouse gas emission reductions and waste diversion initiatives for some time now,” says Jeanna South, Director of Sustainability. “The City has also been working on several implementation plans related to waste reduction, aggressive emission reduction targets, climate action and resilience. We are focused on finding ways to make our operations more sustainable and environmentally friendly, with a focus on high-impact activities.”

The City’s Climate Action Plan: Progress Report 2021 will be presented to the Standing Policy Committee on Environment, Utilities and Corporate Services on November 7. The report tallies the progress that has been made on the Climate Action Plan, which includes The Low Emissions Community Plan and the Corporate Climate Adaptation Strategy. 

The City has committed to reducing emissions by 80% below the 2014 baseline by 2050 for both the community and the City’s own operations and has set an interim target of 15% reduction for the community and 40% reduction for the City by 2023.

2022 Environmental Awareness: Resident Survey can be found at Saskatoon.ca/climate

Climate Action Plan: Progress Report 2021 can be found at Saskatoon.ca/climate