News Releases
Saskatoon Fire - News Releases
Sutherland properties under Precautionary Drinking Water Advisory
February 4, 2020 - 4:11am
Approximately 400 properties in the Sutherland neighbourhood experienced a water outage and lower water pressure in the evening of February 3, following an issue with the primary water main on 102nd Street W at O’Neil Crescent. These properties are on a Precautionary Drinking Water Advisory issued by the Water Security Agency and Saskatchewan Health Authority and should boil their water until notified.
There were two separate water main breaks that caused the water distribution system in the area to depressurize. The water main breaks occurred on 102nd Street W at O’Neil Crescent, and Packham Avenue affecting approximately 400 properties south of 108th Street W.
The water was restored to all properties; however, there could be some localized water outages as crews tackle the repair to the individual water main breaks.
“We thank everyone for their patience as we work as quickly as possible to restore water service,” says Trent Schmidt, Acting Director of Water & Waste Operations. “This is the time of year when the frost is gets closer to the depth of our water pipes and we can notice an increase in breaks, unfortunately.”
Crews are flushing out the water system this morning, which could carry into tomorrow due to the size of the area affected. Following flushing, water testing can take another 48-72 hours to confirm the drinking water quality is achieved. Affected properties will receive a green Drinking Water Advisory Lifted Notice when the water quality tests confirm it is safe to drink.
Properties affected are reminded to review the white letter from the Water Security Agency and Saskatchewan Health Authority, and the yellow door hanger from the City delivered to their front door for instructions. Learn more at saskatoon.ca/drinkingwater.
More people continue to choose Transit
January 30, 2020 - 4:27am
Annual ridership has continued to grow year over year resulting in a 2.5% increase in conventional ridership and 2.2% increase in Access Transit ridership.
“I am very happy with this result as it shows that we continue to attract more riders to our system and those who are already using transit are using it more often. I attribute the increase to more reliable and frequent routing along our transit corridors,” says Jim McDonald, Director of Saskatoon Transit.
With a large student base of riders, Saskatoon Transit saw an increase of 2.4% in the number of U of S students taking advantage of their UPass.
“This shows more people, including students at the U of S, are recognizing transit as a viable alternative to driving,” says McDonald.
Contributing Factors:
Increased Frequency
Over the past three years, Saskatoon Transit has implemented three high frequency transit corridors (8th Street, 22nd Street and Attridge Drive/Preston Avenue/ College Drive). These routes offer 10 minute frequency in both directions throughout the day, decreasing the amount of time riders wait for the next bus, accommodating the volume of riders, and increasing the options they have for travel.
Saskatoon Transit has also implemented high frequency routes that run on weekday mornings to help with the volume of riders during that time. These high frequency routes run from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Conventional Transit travels 8 million kilometers per year and of that 1.5 million kilometers are high frequency corridors and routes.
Real-time Mobile App Adoption
Saskatoon Transit saw more riders adopting real-time transit apps to plan their trips. Approximately 6,000 users per day use the mobile app, transit. Of those who use this mobile app, 14,000 users receive push notification service alerts for their favourite routes. These numbers do not reflect those who use Google Maps Transit or any other mobile trip planning app.
Infrastructure Improvements
Saskatoon Transit purchased 7 new conventional buses in 2019 allowing for the last of the high floor buses to be retired. This was a big milestone, marking a 100% accessible bus fleet. Saskatoon Transit also purchased 11 new buses for Access Transit and made upgrades to 23 bus stops and 2 transit terminals (Confederation and Market Mall) in 2019.
A bus stop audit of nearly 1,500 bus stops was 92% complete in 2019. This audit will be completed and reviewed to ensure bus stops are located appropriately around the city, and to identify what stops need to be prioritized for accessibility and infrastructure improvements in 2020.
Saskatoon Transit experienced an increase in ridership of around two per cent in 2017 (8,678,825), 8.1% in 2018 (9,385,409), and 2.5% in 2019 (9,619,824). Although the increase is not as significant as it was in 2018, McDonald says this increase is pretty remarkable as we saw a decline last year in many of the top 50 transit markets in North America.
“The key to our success is overall improved service, a better customer experience and technology that supports both,” says McDonald. “In order to keep increasing our ridership numbers, we must continue to put our customer first.”
"The changes and improvements we’ve made will support a successful Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system in Saskatoon,” says McDonald. “We’re working hard to deliver the kind of service residents expect from an urban, forward-thinking city.”
As passenger demand grows, Saskatoon Transit will continue to provide safe, efficient and economical transportation to citizens and visitors to Saskatoon. We look forward to seeing you on board!
City and CUPE Local 59 reach tentative contract deal
January 27, 2020 - 4:03am
City and CUPE Local 59 reach tentative contract deal
The Bargaining Committees for the City of Saskatoon and CUPE Local 59 reached a tentative agreement on January 24, 2020.
The term of the tentative deal is for four and one-half years expiring on June 30, 2023. Details of the settlement will be released upon ratification by both parties.
The ratification process will begin the first week in February.
CUPE Local 59 is the largest collective bargaining unit of City employees.
Downtown Event and Entertainment District planning moves forward
January 22, 2020 - 10:05am
- Researching best practices and reviewing the experience of other cities in developing comparable downtown event entertainment districts;
- Engaging the services of two external advisory firms with experience in the development of arena/convention centre/entertainment districts to gain insight into aspects such as site design, patron access, site access (loading/unloading, etc.) and other technical considerations that will influence the feasibility of potential sites; and,
- Negotiating with owners of potential private sites, in addition to assessing all potential sites on City-owned property.
Following the direction of City Council, negotiations on possible locations for a new Downtown Event and Entertainment District continue to move forward.
“As one of the most significant projects the City is likely to undertake in the next decade, we are investing significant efforts to ensure pre-planning and site analysis is thoroughly completed,” says Dan Willems, Director of Technical Services.
"This file is extremely active and we are currently working with landowners and key stakeholders,” says Willems.
An Information Report will be presented to City Council at its meeting on Monday, January 27, 2020. In the report, Administration provides an update on the site selection process for a Downtown Event and Entertainment District, which includes:
As negotiations have progressed, it has become evident that additional time will be required to sort out the necessary details to secure land and achieve an agreeable outcome for all parties before public communications on the potential sites can occur.
Once negotiations with private site owners have progressed further, Administration will report back to City Council on the preferred site options and recommended public engagement strategy.
“The public will be able to provide input on all sites that were considered reasonable options before Council is asked to formally approve a preferred location for a future event and entertainment district,” Willems says.
Information will be available on saskatoon.ca later in the year with details on how the public can get involved.
New vision for high traffic streets with Corridor Transformation Plan
January 9, 2020 - 2:38am
The City of Saskatoon Corridor Transformation Plan aims to re-imagine the major transportation corridors that currently serve to move traffic from one place to another and turn them into vibrant, connected neighbourhoods that fit holistically into the city of the future. The Standing Committee on Planning, Development and Community Services will be presented the Corridor Transformation Plan on January 14, 2020.
“The Corridor Planning Program (CPP) is a key component of The Growth Plan to Half a Million,” says Chris Schulz, Special Project Manager for the Plan for Growth. “It is intended to provide a mechanism that allows us to balance future outward growth of the City with infill development.” A map of the corridor planning area is attached.
The Corridor Planning Program, along with other Growth Plan components like the Transit Plan and Brownfield Renewal, aims to help ensure that future growth and development in Saskatoon occurs in a sustainable and livable way. “The Corridor Transformation Plan is meant to assist us in creating transit-friendly and walkable areas where people can live, work, learn, and play,” says Schulz. “The Plan provides a vision and guidelines that will set the stage for turning busy roads like 8th Street into animated places where people want to stay.”
The Transit Villages Plan, a part of the corridor program that looks at specific transit hubs, will also be presented at the January 14th Planning, Development, and Community Services meeting.
Report information, including technical recommendations, is available on the City of Saskatoon website at saskatoon.ca/corridor-planning. The official agenda for the Committee meeting, including supporting documents, can be found at saskatoon.ca/city-hall.