News Releases

Saskatoon Transit buses will leave the Special Events stop downtown (at 23^rd Street and 2^nd Avenue, outside 2^nd Avenue Lofts) to service the Canadian Country Music Awards (CCMA) at SaskTel Centre on Sunday, September 10^th at the following times:

3:30 p.m.

3:45 p.m.

4:10 p.m.

4:25 p.m.

4:45 p.m.

Return buses will depart directly after the show.

Saskatoon Transit encourages everyone taking in pre-award show events at Prairieland Park to consider using Transit.

• CCMA Rock’n Country Cabaret - Friday, September 8

• Route 1 from the downtown terminal to the Exhibition grounds at 6:31 p.m. and every hour until 11:31 p.m.  The last trip is at 12:14 a.m.
• The last bus leaving Hilliard Street and Ruth Street to get other buses is at 11:48 p.m.
• Route 19 runs from downtown to Lorne Ave and Ruth Street at 7:16 p.m. and every hour until 11:16 p.m.
• The last bus leaving Taylor Street and Lorne Avenue will be at 12:05 a.m.

• SiriusXM FanFest - Saturday, September 9

• Route 1 runs from downtown hourly before 10:31 a.m. then every half hour until 5:31 p.m.
• Route 19 runs from the downtown terminal hourly before 11:16 a.m. then every half hour until 5:46 p.m.

Transit route information can be found at transit.saskatoon.ca, or by calling the Transit Information Line at 306-975-7500.  Citizens can also plan their trip on the Transit or Google Maps App on their mobile device.  

For more information about Saskatoon Transit, visit saskatoontransit.ca or follow @StoonTransit on Twitter. Plan your route in advance using any of the following tools: Saskatoon Transit Trip Planner, Google Transit Trip Planner, or the Transit App on your mobile device.

The City is approximately five months into the construction of two new interchanges on Saskatoon’s east side. The Saskatoon Interchange Project, which involves the construction of an interchange at Boychuk Drive and Highway 16 and an interchange at McOrmond Drive and College Drive, began in April.

“Projects like these interchanges not only help people get around faster and more safely, they help drive our economy today and lay the foundations of growth tomorrow,” says the Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, on behalf of the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities. “I'm pleased that work is well underway. Working together, the City, province and the federal government are achieving results for the community.”

The governments of Canada and Saskatchewan are each contributing up to $10,960,885 to the Boychuk Drive and Highway 16 Interchange through the Provincial-Territorial Infrastructure Component – National and Regional Projects.

“The Government of Saskatchewan is pleased to play a role in helping improve safety for motorists and easing traffic congestion in Saskatoon by investing over $10.9 million toward the Boychuk Drive and Highway 16 project,” says the Honourable Larry Doke, Minister of Government Relations.

The Boychuk Drive and Highway 16 interchange is scheduled to open in the summer of 2019.

“At the Boychuk Drive and Highway 16 Interchange, the temporary intersection is functioning allowing the permanent works to proceed,” says Mike Gutek, City of Saskatoon Special Projects Manager of Major Projects and Preservation. “There is much work ahead, with only 25% complete so far, however it has been a good start.”

At the McOrmond Drive and College Drive interchange site, required underground service work is ongoing and a temporary intersection and adjoining roads, which will be in place until the new interchange opens, will open Sunday, September 10. All traffic movements will be maintained, however delays are anticipated and the City encourages drivers to allow themselves extra time, consider alternate routes, or travel outside of peak hours. 

“While work on this interchange is behind schedule, the contractor is working to finalize a plan to be back on track for an October 2018 completion. These are risky projects and if the schedule is not met, the contract has consequences, although typically only monetary,” Gutek says.

Surrounding developers are funding 100 per cent of the McOrmond Drive and College Drive interchange. Once open, both interchanges will ease traffic flow and also include pedestrian and cyclist pathways.

Drivers are reminded that the speed limit through both construction sites is 60 km/h.

Visit saskatoon.ca/interchanges for project updates, alternate route maps, and to see 3D renderings.

September 5, 2017 Meeting
 

7.2.1 Innovative Housing Incentives

Decision

*The Committee is forwarding a report to City Council in support of recommendations in the submitted report.

Background

*At its March 27, 2017 meeting, City Council allocated $370,000 within the Affordable Housing Reserve to be used for capital grants to support the creation of affordable rental units in 2018. At its August 14, 2017 meeting, the Standing Policy Committee on Planning, Development and Community Services approved funding of $88,375 toward two affordable rental housing projects, leaving $281,625 available for further capital grants in 2018.

7.2.4 Downtown Development Incentives

Decision

*The Committee is forwarding a report to City Council to recommend that the proposed amendments to Vacant Lot and Adaptive Reuse Incentive Program Policy No. C09-035, as noted in the report, be approved, to be applied to the City Centre area.

Background

*At its May 29, 2017 meeting, the Standing Policy Committee on Planning, Development and Community Services received an information report regarding a variety of measures to incentivize infill development. One of the items raised within that report was amendments to the Incentive Program to improve clarity for Downtown developments by providing a five-year tax abatement for all developments, without a vacancy requirement. The last amendments to the Incentive Program were completed in 2014, as a result of the City Centre Plan.

7.2.6 Fire Services Service Level

Decision

*The Committee is forwarding a report to City Council in support of the recommendations in the submitted report. The Committee is also recommending that the Administration provide a report specific to the Saskatoon Fire Department service level for response times for enforcement of the Property Maintenance and Nuisance Abatement Bylaw, in collaboration with the Community Services Department.

Background

*At the May 15, 2017, meeting of the Governance and Priorities Committee, the Administration committed to bring forward a series of service level documents on core services. Fire Services was identified as one of the core service lines to bring forward for consideration prior to the 2018 Business Plan and Budget deliberations. Moving to defined service levels supports Service Saskatoon by focusing on citizen centric service and clearly defining “what you can expect from us”.

September 5, 2017 Meeting
 

7.1.2 Request for Direct Sale of Former Railway Spurline

Decision

*The Committee approved the direct sale of former railway spurline land located west of Wentz Avenue between 47^th and 48^th Street, to several adjacent property owners and for the preparation and execution of the necessary agreements.

Background

*Development in the North Industrial area began in the 1950’s. In 1966, the City and Canadian National Railway Company (CNR) entered into an agreement for the provision of rail service throughout the North Industrial area. The area was subdivided with many 54’ wide corridors for CNR to construct and operate railway spur trackage, known as spurlines. Although CNR provided rail service via these spurlines, the City retained ownership of the land. Since demand for rail service has declined, many CNR rail service siding agreements have been cancelled resulting in several spurlines being abandoned and left vacant. At its meeting held on April 21, 2008, City Council approved the direct sale of an abandoned railway spurline between 48th and 50th Street in the North Industrial area.

7.1.6 Proposed Elk Point Neighbourhood

Decision

*The Committee will be forwarding the report to City Council with recommendations that the information be received and forwarded to the SPC on Planning, Development and Community Services for information, and that there be consideration of a review by the internal auditor of the approval process relating to this matter, and that the costs to audit this matter be provided prior to approval to proceed with such an audit as this would be an addition to the audit plan.

Background

*At its meeting on May 1, 2017, the Standing Policy Committee on Planning, Development and Community Services received an information report on the Proposed Elk Point Neighbourhood Concept Plan. During the review of the plan, it was noted that significant development activity had occurred within the Elk Point boundary. The Committee resolved that the wetland section of the report be forwarded to the Saskatoon Environmental Advisory Committee (SEAC) for their feedback before the report goes to City Council. In addition, further information has been requested from the Administration regarding improvements within the Elk Point development area.

City Council recently directed its Administration to move forward with developing options for a city-wide organics program to help keep valuable resources out of the landfill.

“Organics represents our single biggest opportunity to reach our target of diverting 70 per cent of our waste from the landfill,” says Brenda Wallace, Director of Environmental and Corporate Initiatives. “This approval is an important next step. We will be launching a series of community discussions in the fall to gather input on the design of our future organics program.”

Preliminary results from a recent Waste and Recycling Survey completed for the City by Insightrix in July 2017 indicate 79% of residents strongly or somewhat support city-wide organics collection for all households.

“A successful waste diversion program, which would include diverting organics, is critical to deferring the closure of the landfill,” Wallace says “It would cost an estimated 26 million dollars to close the existing landfill and 100 million dollars to establish a new one.”

More information on the City’s Waste Diversion Plan can be found on saskatoon.ca/wastediversion.

Exploring options for a city-wide organics program supports the Strategic Goal of Environmental Leadership; this includes the four-year priority to promote and facilitate city-wide composting and recycling as well as the long-term strategy to eliminate the need for a new landfill and to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions tied to City operations. It also supports the Waste Diversion Performance Target to divert 70% of waste by 2023.