News Releases

Over 800 leading experts, community leaders, elders and youth are coming together in Saskatoon today for the Wîcihitowin (wee-chee-HEE’-toe-win) Indigenous Engagement Conference.

Reaching its highest attendance yet, the conference focuses on responding to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action and how to address Indigenous engagement and inclusion issues. The conference also aims to build allies in the community and honour Indian residential school survivors, missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, sixties scoop and day schools.

This year’s conference theme - Be a good person, try to lead a good life - honours the late Walter Linklater, a well-known and respected knowledge keeper who shared many universal teachings that continue to help guide people on a path to reconciliation.

“Our late father Walter Linklater often spoke about education as a way to bring people together and build bridges of understanding,” says son Lyndon Linklater, Traditional Knowledge Keeper. “To use our traditions and ceremonies to meet the challenges and crises we will encounter in our lives. Above all, to respect each other, to be kind to one another, and to try to live a good life.”

The conference welcomes an impressive and diverse line-up of 50 keynote speakers and panelists from across Canada, including Dr. James Makokis and Anthony Johnson, better known as Team Ahkameyimok, winners of The Amazing Race Canada, Season 7.
This year, attendees will learn from core teachings, gather key takeaways, and gain practical resources to incorporate reconciliation in both their personal and professional lives.

“Moving towards reconciliation takes courage and commitment from leading organizations within our communities, and a recognized responsibility from each of us as individuals to listen and learn the truth,” says Lisa Mooney, Global Lead, Sustainability & Strategic Inclusion, Nutrien.  “Nutrien is proud to support Wîcihitowin in cultivating an environment of openness, acceptance and healing through sharing the stories of Indian residential school survivors and encouraging safe conversations that plant the seeds of understanding.”

Conference topics include Indigenous health transformation, the impact of colonialism on Indigenous values, traditions, languages and customs, and restoring the rights of Indigenous women and girls to citizenship and safety.

“As a residential school survivor, to see this conference evolve to where it is today, is a testament of our Elders who prayed for us while we were at these schools and to our courageous youth who listened to those prayers and by letting others know that we were not forgotten. My healing journey continues with Wîcihitowin in my heart,” says Gilbert Kewistep, Knowledge Keeper, Indian residential school survivor and Wîcihitowin Conference Organizer.

This conference is made possible because of the financial support of community investors such as Nutrien, the Saskatoon Community Foundation, Affinity Credit Union and 15 other organizations representing businesses and organizations from across the province.  

The Wîcihitowin Organizing Committee is already looking ahead to next year’s conference to be held on October 6 - 8, 2020.

Following a request from the City of Winnipeg, twenty workers from Saskatoon Light & Power and the Parks Division will travel tomorrow to help clean-up efforts in the Manitoba capital.

“We are all very proud of our staff for volunteering to leave their friends and families,” says City Manager Jeff Jorgenson.

“When the call went out asking for anyone interested to go to Winnipeg, there were more volunteers than spots available. This speaks to the dedication of City workers willing to help our neighbours during a time of need.”

On Saturday October 12, Winnipeg EMO asked its Emergency Management counterparts in Saskatoon for assistance after a severe winter storm hit the province Wednesday, October 9.

The storm badly damaged Winnipeg’s urban forest, with estimates in the tens of thousands of City-owned trees damaged. The storm’s effects prompted that city to declare a Local State of Emergency on Sunday. 

A safe clean-up requires trained and skilled staff with the proper equipment, so City of Saskatoon staff worked over the weekend to gather resources to deploy to Winnipeg. To help clear downed trees, limbs and debris in Winnipeg, the 20 workers will respond with:

• 4 aerial lift trucks with chippers
• 2 ground trucks with chippers
• 1 log truck
• 2 half ton trucks

The City of Winnipeg will cover all costs. The Saskatoon team is expected to leave at 5:30 a.m. tomorrow and scheduled to be in Winnipeg for five days.

The City and Kahkewistahaw First Nation have cleared a path to designate the First Nation’s land at 1215 Claypool Drive as an urban reserve.

The City will host a special signing ceremony on Tuesday, October 22, 2019, at 9:30 a.m. in Council Chambers for the Kahkewistahaw First Nation Chief and Council, the Mayor and the Saskatoon Board of Police Commissioners to come together to formally sign the Agreements and honour the relationship between Kahkewistahaw First Nation and the City. 

At its regularly scheduled meeting on September 30, 2019, City Council approved the Municipal Services and Compatibility Agreement negotiated with Kahkewistahaw First Nation to fulfill the requirement needed for urban reserve designation. 

The agreements address:

• Municipal and police services the City will provide;
• service fees Kahkewistahaw First Nation will pay the City in lieu of property taxes; and,
• compatible land-use and development standards. 

Decisions on reserve designation are made by the federal government. Once the property is designated as a reserve, it will become the eighth urban reserve in Saskatoon. When a property transfers to reserve status, it is no longer under City jurisdiction.

For more information on urban reserves, please visit saskatoon.ca/urbanreserves.

About Kahkewistahaw First Nation
Kahkewistahaw First Nation is a member of the Yorkton Tribal Council whose home reserve is located approximately 15 kilometres north of Broadview, Saskatchewan. A signatory of Treaty No. 4, Kahkewistahaw First Nation has 2,020 members.  Approximately 670 members reside on the home reserve and 1,350 members live in other communities throughout the province. 

City Council, at its regular business meeting held on September 30, 2019 opted to maintain the list of acceptable items, minus black plastics and polycoat (e.g. disposable coffee cups), as recommend by the Administration. This decision comes during a wave of uncertainty in the global recycling markets, driven by restrictions imposed by the Chinese Government, falling oil prices, and weak market prices in the plastics market.

“An ideal scenario would have us accepting all recyclable material, but unfortunately that is out of our control,” says Russ Munro, Director of Water & Waste Operations. “Changing markets and higher processing costs are the reality we are facing, but we will continue to be diligent in working with our recycling partners to run an efficient and cost effective recycling program for Saskatoon residents. We believe the decision made by Council to enter into this long term contract will help stabilize us during this time of uncertainty in the recycling market and put us in a more favourable financial position than other prairie cities with similar recycling programs.”

City Council also opted to continue the Glass Recycling Partnership with SARCAN Recycling which would see a greater number of glass bottles being diverted for recycling. Glass will still be collected through the Curbside Program but this additional drop-off option results in less breakage and a greater potential to recycle glass containers.

The current contract for curbside residential recycling services expires on December 31, 2019, and a new contract is required for 2020 and beyond. After a competitive RFP process, the City has entered into negotiations with the highest ranked proponent to finalize an agreement. Details of the 2020 recycling program will be shared when negotiations are complete, including information on service levels, accepted materials, and rates.

The detailed report and all of its attachments can be found here.