News Releases

Around 11:00 a.m. an eastbound Saskatoon Transit bus contacted a guardrail near the North Circle Drive Bridge.

Paramedics took three passengers with minor injuries on the Route 13 bus to hospital.

There were 25 passengers who boarded a replacement bus and the driver was issued a ticket for driving without due care and attention. 

As is the practice, Transit officials are conducting an internal review of the incident. 

For demonstrating openness, accountability and transparency in financial reporting, the City of Saskatoon has again received the 2016 Canadian Award for Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) of the United States and Canada.

“Our teams are committed to openness, financial transparency and to full disclosure in our yearly financial reporting, but we also aim to be innovative in our corporate reporting as a municipality,” says Clae Hack, Director of Finance. “We are proud to be recognized by our peers and receive this award for the tenth time.”

The GFOA presented the City with the Canadian Award for Financial Reporting for its 2016 Annual Financial Report recognizing the City’s ability to present financial information in a clear, concise and informative manner.

Receiving the GFOA financial reporting award represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management. Its purpose is to encourage municipal governments to complete comprehensive annual financial reports that evidence the spirit of transparency and full disclosure.

 “Our 2016 Financial Statements were prepared by our Finance Division, Asset and Financial Management Department,” Hack says.  “With a team-approach in mind, we also partnered with our Employee Experience and Performance Division, Corporate Performance Department.”

The GFOA established the Canadian Award for Financial Reporting (CAnFR) Program in 1986 to encourage and assist Canadian local governments to go beyond the minimum requirements of generally accepted accounting principles, as set by the Public Sector Accounting Board of Canadian Institute of Chartered Public Accountants.

The GFOA is a non-profit professional association serving 17,400 government finance professionals in the United States and Canada, with offices in Chicago, Illinois and Washington, D.C.

Visit saskatoon.ca to view more City of Saskatoon financial reporting documents.

After years of detailed study, planning, and community engagement, the city’s Bus Rapid Transit lines have been revealed.

“This is a major move toward the implementation of our Plan for Growth,” says Lesley Anderson, Director of Planning and Development.  “The future transit system is key to providing viable options for people to move around and supporting transit-oriented development along some of the city’s major corridors.  This plan presents us with a view of our future transit system in much greater detail than we have seen before.  Our goal is to design a system that works for Saskatoon – so join the conversation!”

“There are notable changes to the preferred route configuration presented in November,” Anderson says.  She explains that this includes the introduction of a “Green Line,” necessary to accommodate the split in the former “Red Line.”

Formerly the northern component of the Red Line servicing University Heights, the new Green Line will stretch from University Heights, through the Downtown, terminating at Confederation Mall.  This third line will parallel the Red Line for much of its length, improving the frequency along 22^nd Street, through the Downtown, and along College Drive, while making the overall system easier to understand for users.

Anderson adds the plan provides further details about:

• how a new BRT system will function;
• identifying station design options;
• platform locations; and
• configuration of dedicated runningways.

She says the plan also includes a strategy for how the rest of the transit system could be reconfigured to align with BRT; provide high-quality, direct, and frequent transit connections; and better expand to meet the future needs of a city with a population of 500,000..

“I am excited about the opportunities this system will provide our city,” says Jim McDonald, Director of Saskatoon Transit.  “This will help us encourage transit-oriented development that meets the growing needs for our city.  Change is needed to ensure the success of our future system, but it will be done incrementally and thoughtfully, in partnership with the community.”

The proposed plan, along with a summary of stakeholder and public input, will be presented to City Council for consideration and approval later this spring.

Background:
At its April 25, 2016 meeting, Saskatoon City Council approved, in principle, the Growth Plan to Half a Million, which includes plans for a re-envisioned transit system based around BRT and infill at strategic locations in the city, including the Downtown, the University of Saskatchewan endowment lands, and along major transportation corridors.  Following this approval, the City created a Ten-Year Action Plan to advance a number of the core initiatives identified in the Growth Plan to Half a Million.

The City and the Government of Canada will share in a total contribution of $7.65 million through the Public Transportation Infrastructure Fund for a number of the Plan for Growth projects, including:

• Transit Plan – includes BRT and Transit System Plan Implementation
• Corridor Growth
  • Transit Villages Concept Plans
  • Corridor Planning Program
  • Brownfield Renewal Strategy

For more information/to sign up for project updates, please visit saskatoon.ca/growth.  Learn more about engagement opportunities by visiting saskatoon.ca/engage.

Saskatoon firefighters want to remind everyone river ice is dangerous for people and pets alike.

The Saskatoon Fire Department has had to respond to a number of emergencies which have involved dogs in distress on river ice.

“Since 2011, firefighters have responded to ten emergencies that involved dogs in the river during the winter months – that’s over one a year on average,” says Assistant Chief Wayne Rodger. “So far this year the Saskatoon Fire Department has been called out to two such emergencies.”

Rodger points out moving water in the river introduces an inherent structural weakness to the ice and is one of the main reasons firefighters always warn people to stay off river ice throughout the winter season.

“Ice will weaken when water is moving above or below the ice surface,” Rodger says.  “River currents and temperatures constantly affect the quality of the ice on the river making it unstable and dangerous.”

The Saskatoon Fire Department again reminds residents to never go on the river ice and whenever possible, to maintain contact and control of dogs in off-leash areas near the river.

To move towards 70% waste diversion, residents are invited to participate in a series of engagement activities that will assist the City in redesigning the curbside waste collection system.

“Decisions about how we manage the waste-stream will impact all current and future residents. It’s important we get this right.” says Brenda Wallace, Director of Environmental and Corporate Initiatives. “The City wants to hear from a large cross-section of curbside customers including people of all ages, people living in different areas, people of various incomes, people in different types of housing and people with differing abilities. Everybody is encouraged to get involved.”

Wallace says three-quarters of what goes into Saskatoon’s Landfill could be diverted with the right programs, policies and citizen participation rates.

“Redesigning the curbside waste collection program to help make waste diversion more attractive behaviour-- while building a sustainable funding model for waste -- is critical to extending the life of the landfill,” Wallace says.

She adds the costs to close the existing landfill and establish a new landfill are estimated at $26 million and $100 million respectively.

Beginning February 12, the City will host a series of public engagement sessions, workshops and surveys to look at priorities, preferences and any barriers that might impact a redesigned curbside collection system.

The scope of the project includes: a review of the current containers and collection frequency for garbage and recycling; development of a variable-rate utility for waste; introduction of a residential city-wide composting program; and evaluation of depots and other waste services.

For more information, including dates and location of activities, visit www.saskatoon.ca/yxetalkstrash.

Community discussions with multi-unit and business stakeholders will begin in the spring of 2018.