News Releases

The City will accept one of two gold Infrastructure awards at this year’s National Awards for Innovation and Excellence in Public-Private Partnerships. The award, in recognition of the Bridging to Tomorrow project, will be presented by the Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships (CCPPP) at the organization’s annual conference in Toronto on November 5, 2018.

“We are incredibly honoured to be receiving this award,” says Acting General Manager or Corporate Performance, Dan Willems. “Our entire team, including City employees, our Technical Advisory Team, and Graham Commuter Partners worked together to ensure that this project took into consideration the highest levels of safety, environmental preservation, and value to Saskatoon and area citizens.”

The project, which involved the construction of Chief Mistawasis Bridge and Traffic Bridge, was selected for breaking new ground in how P3 projects are built, financed or delivered, as well as the impact they have on boosting the economy, saving costs and creating more vibrant, inclusive communities.

Willems says not only did the Bridging to Tomorrow project deliver two new bridges and connecting roadways to improve traffic flow in some of the busiest areas of Saskatoon, but it also took into account the City’s cherished history and Indigenous roots.

“The Chief Mistawasis Bridge naming process signified an important step toward Reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and the important role they played and continue to play in our community’s development,” Willems says.  “Additionally, the design of the Traffic Bridge was kept true to the original steel-truss structure, honouring the City’s history while providing a safe commuting route to motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians.”

The City is grateful for its funding partnership with the Government of Canada and the Government of Saskatchewan to allow for the delivery of the Bridging to Tomorrow project which will benefit Saskatoon and area citizens for generations to come.

The Bridging to Tomorrow project is the largest infrastructure project ever delivered in the City and the first bundled transportation P3 in Canada. The new bridges and roadways opened to the public on October 2, 2018.

Near perfect weather through this year’s Building Better Roads program led to the completion of more projects. Twice as much preventative crack sealing was applied to roadways, twenty percent more sidewalks were replaced than originally projected, and a total of 206 lane kilometres of roadways were replaced or rehabilitated. Construction will continue until it snows or gets too cold.

“The condition of our roads are getting better every year, so we’ve been able to also turn our focus to preventative maintenance this fall with our crack sealing program,” says Angela Gardiner, Acting General Manager of Transportation & Utilities Department. “With new equipment, we’ve applied the crack sealing treatment to 56 kilometres of roads, extending their life and preventing water seepage, which leads to the formation of potholes.”

Cooperative construction season weather allowed for the completion of a total of 206 lane kilometres of roadway, bringing the total to more than 1,000 kilometres of replaced or rehabilitated roadway since 2014. The City also replaced or rehabilitated 33 kilometres of sidewalk this year, for a total of 64 kilometres since 2014.

“The additional sidewalk replacements and repairs were completed in locations that are planned for micro surfacing next year to better coordinate the two programs,” says Gardiner. “This sets us up for success next year and in years to come.”

The following is an update on some key areas of City construction and maintenance:

• Back lanes: 400 km of back lanes were graded and 15.3 km of gravel back lanes were reconstructed.
• Line painting: 892 km of lines have received a coat of paint, including 9 km of durable line markings.
• Water & sewer: 26 km of water mains and sanitary sewer mains have been replaced or rehabilitated.
• Intersections: The reconfigured roadway at Taylor Street & Arlington Avenue will improve the flow of traffic through the intersection and alleviate the congestion.
• Interchanges: Traffic has moved onto the new interchanges at McOrmond Drive & College Drive and Boychuk Drive & Highway 16 with expected completion in July 2019.
• Overpass structures: The major rehabilitation and repair work of the Circle Drive over 33rd Street northbound overpass was completed five weeks ahead of schedule.
• Bridges: The new Traffic Bridge and the Chief Mistawasis Bridge (and Central Avenue & McOrmond Drive extensions) opened October 2nd and added just over 10 km of roadway to the City’s network.
• Victoria Avenue: Victoria Avenue was reimagined, redesigned and reconstructed in time for the Traffic Bridge reopening. It marks the first time a raised cycle track has been installed in an established neighbourhood.
• Resurfacing and water & sewer improvements on Idylwyld Drive: The City undertook road resurfacing and water and sewer upgrade work on Idylwyld Drive between 33rd and 39th streets. As a result, the reliability and quality of the water distribution has been protected and a key section of a major Saskatoon throughway has been preserved for years to come.

“Significant progress has been made over the past five years and the Building Better Roads Program has established an annual funding level of $61 million to cover road construction, road repair, pothole patching, sidewalk rehabilitation, back lane upgrades, street sweeping, and snow and ice management into the future,” says Gardiner. “You’ll notice a difference as you drive, walk or cycle around Saskatoon.”

For more information about projects completed in 2018 and the Building Better Roads program, please visit saskatoon.ca/betterroads and view at https://youtu.be/m0MRb3C9oc8

Leading experts, community leaders, elders and youth are coming together in Saskatoon for the Wîcihitowin (wee-chee-HEE’-toe-win) conference to discuss the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action and address Aboriginal engagement and inclusion issues. 

“Over the past few years, we’ve noticed a growing sense of awareness of Aboriginal engagement and inclusion issues facing our community. Saskatoon is leading the way in Canada right now with bold initiatives like the community-driven naming process of Chief Mistawasis Bridge and the University of Saskatchewan’s new strategic plan which focuses on Indigenization,” says Neal Kewistep, Executive-in-Residence, Johnson Shoyama Institute of Public Policy.

“However we must not forget that real and lasting change is hard. We must continue to push for systemic change within our organizations, institutions and governments. What is needed now is less talk, more action,” Kewistep says.

This year’s conference theme is Voices of the people – past, present and future with key note speakers Senator Murray Sinclair, Former Chairperson of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and Dr. Marie Wilson, Former Commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

“During the National Truth and Reconciliation Events held here in Saskatoon and across Canada, we documented the history of Indian Residential Schools in Canada and heard the accounts of more than 6,750 residential school survivors. It’s more important now than ever to learn from those voices of the past if we’re going to take the next step forward on the path to reconciliation,” says Senator Murray Sinclair.

“Creating safe, collaborative spaces for open discussion like Wîcihitowin is crucial.  This way we can make sure those voices are part of the conversation to affect real and lasting change in our community,” says Sinclair.

This conference is presented in partnership with the United Way of Saskatoon, Aboriginal Friendship Centres of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan Health Authority, Johnson Shoyama Institute of Public Policy and the City of Saskatoon, and supported by community sponsors such as Nutrien, Saskatoon Community Foundation and Affinity Credit Union.

"Our audience has grown to be incredibly diverse and we now have people attending from all over Canada. Now in our fourth year, our numbers have peaked to over 600 showing how much this conference is needed and supported by the community,” says Brad Bird, Director of Community Impact & Strategic Partnerships, United Way.

Wîcihitowin is Cree/Saulteaux for “helping each other” or “working together”, which is an important component of delivering enhanced programs and services.

Wîcihitowin supports the City’s Strategic Goal of “Quality of Life” by identifying actions for enhancing Aboriginal well-being and participation in our community.

The McOrmond Drive and College Drive interchange will open to traffic on Wednesday, October 17, 2018, alleviating congestion on priority roads that have become busier as the city continues to grow.

“Once open, traffic at the McOrmond Drive and College Drive intersection will be free flowing with all interchange ramps operational,” says Bryan Zerebeski, the City’s manager for the Saskatoon Interchange Project. “Due to a wet September, some work surrounding the interchange will now resume in the spring.”

Southbound traffic on McOrmond Drive exiting onto College Drive will continue to use the existing ramp. All traffic exiting from College Drive onto McOrmond Drive northbound and southbound must use the right lane. (see attached gif)

The Boychuk Drive and Highway 16 interchange partially opened to traffic on September 30, nearly a year ahead of schedule. Construction on both interchanges started in April 2017 and both are expected to be totally complete by the end of July 2019. 

Drivers are reminded that the speed limit through work zones at both interchange sites is 60 km/h. For more information about the project, including renderings and video updates, visit saskatoon.ca/interchanges.

The City of Saskatoon is cautioning customers about a new telephone scam. Customers are receiving calls where the caller claims to represent Saskatoon Light & Power. The caller’s specific request is unclear.

The City of Saskatoon is reminding customers that credit card or bank account information is never collected over the telephone. The City of Saskatoon will send in the mail notices regarding outstanding utility account balances, and use an automated dialer to remind customers to contact Corporate Revenue before utility services are impacted.

All Saskatoon Light & Power staff wear identifiable uniform indicating they work for the utility and can also provide identification if requested.

Customers are asked to report suspicious calls by contacting Corporate Revenue at 306-975-2400, report online to Saskatoon Police Service, or contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. Saskatoon Light & Power customers can continue to call 306-975-2414.