News Releases

City Council is set to deliberate Administration’s proposed 2020/2021 Multi-Year Business Plan and Budget on November 25, 26,27, 2019.

The multi-year business plan, operating and capital budget will guide the investments, projects, and service levels the City wants to achieve over the next two years, with an eye to future planning.

To maintain and improve the high quality of life Saskatoon residents enjoy, a significant portion of the proposed 2020/2021 Budget is aimed at investing in core programs and services that reflect the top priorities of Saskatoon residents. Learn more about the proposed 2020/2021 Multi-Year Business Plan and Budget.

City Council will make careful investment decisions to ensure:

• property taxes and fees are kept as low as possible for the next two years
• dedicated investments are made in the core services residents rely on every day and consider the most important
• the right investments are made for a sustainable future
• the City’s debt levels and assets are properly maintained

Watch the Your City Video on the City's first two-year budget planning approach. 

The budget deliberation sessions are open to the public and begin at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, November 25, in Council Chambers. 

Members of the public may email using the online form or write a letter to City Council relating to 2020/2021 Budget matters.  Emails/letters must be received before 10:00 a.m. on Monday, November 25, 2019.

More details at saskatoon.ca/write-letter-councilcommittees.

A record of Saskatoon’s former residents who fell in military service during the Second World War and in the following years is on display at City Hall.

“We’re so pleased to have this volume and be able to have it where it can be seen by more people,” says City Archivist Jeff O’Brien.  “It joins the First World War Book of Remembrance we already have at the archives and together they form such a vital community historical resource.”

As was the first book, the second volume is a gift to the City from the Military Institute of Saskatoon.

The book contains the names of 345 residents of Saskatoon who died during the Second World War, three killed in the Korean War, seven during peacetime operations and five during the War in Afghanistan.

The latest book was presented to City Council in 2018 and is now part of the permanent collection of the City of Saskatoon Archives.

The Book of Remembrance will be available for viewing until Friday, November 15, 2019.

The City of Saskatoon is awaiting the decision of an Ontario Superior Court Justice on the return of City money fraudulently obtained in August.

The issue was considered in a Toronto courtroom Tuesday, November 5^th. 

“The matter has been heard by the Court and no further actions can be taken on recovery efforts until we know its decision,” says City Manager Jeff Jorgenson. “So we can’t speculate on how long it will take or what the decision will be.”

The City has recovered just over two thirds or nearly $700 thousand of the City’s money that was directed to a fraudster’s bank account in August 2019 through a fraud scheme.

“As we’ve said from the outset, we’re extremely grateful for the efforts made by many people and organizations to recover the stolen money,” Jorgenson says.  “We remain optimistic that the remaining funds that are still frozen in several bank accounts will be returned to the City.”

Jorgenson anticipates an update report on the findings of the root cause investigation will be provided to City Council before year-end.

A fraudster obtained $1.04 million in the scheme, and any money that has not been returned to the City has been identified, traced and locked down by the Court.

View related news releases on this matter on saskatoon.ca.

The following is a statement from Terry Schmidt, General Manager of Transportation and Construction:

"At around 5 a.m. today there was a report of erratic driving involving a City of Saskatoon one ton sanding truck. At this point, there have been no reports of injuries, property damage or theft.

The driver, a City of Saskatoon employee, was detained by Police.

Separate investigations by the City of Saskatoon and Saskatoon Police Service are underway."

Saskatoon has one of the safest water supplies in North America.  The vast majority of Saskatoon neighbourhoods do not have lead line connections.

However, a goal to replace lead pipes that link older homes and businesses to Saskatoon’s main water supply is progressing as planned. In 2017, the City committed to removing all underground pipes containing lead and install lead-free ones within 10 years. The work is being done in conjunction with necessary water main and road upgrades.

“Most recently, water main replacement projects have been underway in Saskatoon’s most established neighbourhoods, such as City Park and Riversdale, where the pipes are more than 100 years old in many cases,” says Angela Gardiner, General Manager of Utilities and Environment.  “Replacements also occur when a water main breaks. The connections from the main water lines into homes and businesses are replaced at the same time.”

Of the 4,900 lead water service connections identified in 2017, over 2500 have already been replaced. The City expects to have all connections replaced by 2026, completing nearly 500 every year.

The City began replacing lead connections in established neighbourhoods in 2010. City Council accelerated the program in 2017.

“When it comes to overall quality, Saskatoon has one of the safest water supplies in the world. Regular test results show lead level content in our drinking water supply is 100 times lower than the Health Canada limit when it enters the water distribution system.”

However, properties within city neighbourhoods built before 1950 may still have lead water service pipes.  In these older neighbourhoods where lead connections remain present in someone’s home, there is a greater possibility that lead can be present in water left stagnant for six hours or more.

Because of this, and every year, the City makes sure every household with a lead connection is made aware of it and ensures owners or residents receive a pamphlet containing information about the accelerated rehabilitation program, how connection replacements are coordinated and what they can do to reduce their exposure to lead. The information is also available online at Saskatoon.ca/lead.

“The most important thing someone can do is flush the water for all least five minutes if it is going to be consumed.  It’s also safe for other uses like washing dishes or watering plants – so it doesn’t have to be wasted,” Gardiner says.

Without the aggressive program now in place, the timeline would have been 90 years.