News Releases

City Council designated Third Avenue United Church as a Municipal Heritage Property in a unanimous vote at its meeting Monday afternoon.  The move comes following a recommendation made by the Saskatchewan Heritage Foundation’s Review and Appeals Committee.

“As the Administration has maintained, the property warrants designation,” says Lesley Anderson, Director of Planning and Development.  “Third Avenue United Church is one of most prominent heritage structures in the City, and has significant historical, architectural, aesthetic and cultural value.”

Under The Heritage Property Act, designated properties are provided protection in the form of a bylaw that is registered against the title of the property, and continues to apply with ownership changes.

“Once a property is designated, it is protected from demolition or unsympathetic alterations,” Anderson says.

The Municipal Heritage Advisory Committee asked for the heritage designation to include the exterior and two interior elements, the hammer-beam rafters and the Cassavant organ.

The Heritage Property Act does not require the property owner’s permission to file either the Notice of Intention to Designate or for City Council to pass the bylaw to designate the property.

In 2016, the City of Saskatoon received another ‘AAA’/Stable Credit rating from S&P Global Ratings, recognizing its strong commitment to financial stewardship and transparency. The City’s ongoing commitment to accountability, credibility and clarity in financial reporting is reflected in the 2016 Annual Report - Shaping Our Financial Future now available online.

“As we continue our work on building a better community and delivering high-quality public services, the City’s decision-making process is guided by strong financial planning,” says City Manager Murray Totland. “Our dedication to fiscal responsibility, solid planning and listening to the public – all combine to make Saskatoon a leader in municipal government.”

Totland says in the midst of a challenging economic climate the City continues to look for ways to enhance productivity and reduce costs -- whether building bridges, rehabilitating roadways, or improving services that residents count on every day.

Totland points out the majority of 2016 and 2017 Civic Services Survey respondents agree the City continues to provide a good or very good quality of life, and continues to head in the right direction.

 “Our continuous improvement and smart investments are making a positive difference in our community,” he says. “We are focused on improving service delivery, building amenities, finding cost savings and responsibly managing our debt.”

2016 Achievement Highlights

• Through the Building Better Roads Program, approximately $58.6 million was invested to improve road conditions.  The investment for 2016 was approximately $5.1 million higher than that provided in 2015.
• Completed demolition and construction of all piers at the Traffic Bridge; steel erection of spans underway.  Completed Pier 1 and Pier 2 at the North Commuter Parkway and the east and west abutments neared completion.
• Completed construction of the new Saskatoon Transit Operations Facility and the City’s first Snow Management Facility as part of the new Civic Operations Centre.
• Implemented Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) to provide the communication network for smart meter data to be sent digitally to the City, reducing lost revenues and decreasing operating costs for utilities while improving customer service by providing actual meter reads each month.
• Launched Service Saskatoon, a brand built on four pillars: Citizen Input, Staffing, Systems, and Standards. Developed a dedicated webpage for the public to receive updates and the status of projects for each pillar.  In partnership with Shaw Communications, launched the City’s complimentary public Wi-Fi initiative.
• Worked with the Office of the Treaty Commissioner, Saskatoon Tribal Council, Central Urban Métis Federation Inc., and 54 supporting organizations to launch a month-long series of activities to promote Reconciliation in Saskatoon.

City Council previously approved the 2016 Audited Consolidated Financial Statements, and Trust Fund Financial Statements on June 26, 2017, following a report from external auditor, Deloitte LLP, Chartered Professional Accountants. The Annual Report will be presented to City Council on August 28, 2017.

“I encourage residents to find out more about how we’ve invested in what matters to citizens, and the City’s many accomplishments in 2016,” Totland adds. “We always work toward building a great quality of life for everyone as we shape Saskatoon’s financial future.”

Visit saskatoon.ca/financialreports to view the major projects and initiatives within the 2016 Annual Report, and other Corporate Reports from the City of Saskatoon.

The City is continuing to receive reports of members of the public disrespecting work zones and compromising worker and public safety. The single biggest issue continues to be disregarding work zone signage and barriers and entering work zones.

“The City has strict practices for work zone set-up and management and it’s something we take very seriously,” says Cory Funk, Traffic Operations & Control Manager. “It can be frustrating when our crews take a great deal of time and care to ensure their work zones meet safety protocols, but then to see signage, cones or barriers ignored and the work zone compromised.”

Funk understands that road users can experience frustrations when they see a work zone in place where there doesn’t appear to be any work underway. However, he says it’s just as important that people respect signage even when workers are not present. Barriers remain in place for a number of reasons that aren’t always visible such as when road or roadside hazards are present or when fresh road treatments are setting.

It’s also important to note that work zones can come in various forms and are not just the typical roadwork construction areas that people are accustomed to seeing. A work zone is a signed zone around any work area that’s in place to protect workers and members of the public. The landfill is a permanent work zone and visitors will note the permanent placement of work zone signage and barriers. Parks can also include work zones when crews are using equipment to undertake maintenance and improvement work. Since not all work zones look the same, Saskatoon residents are advised to watch for workers and signage wherever they go.

The Respect Work Zones campaign supports the City Council Strategic Priority (2016-2020 Term) of Transportation. This year, through the Building Better Roads program, City Council is investing $61 million to build, maintain and repair sidewalks and roadways in local neighbourhoods in addition to other projects around the city. 

The City of Saskatoon is very pleased with the progress that has been made on the construction of the North Commuter Parkway and new Traffic Bridge. The two bridges and accompanying roadways are part of the Bridging to Tomorrow project, which remains on track for completion in October 2018.

“At the North Commuter Parkway, all of the in-river piers are now in place,” says Dan Willems, Director for Major Projects and Preservation. “The structural steel for the remaining two spans of the bridge are have been installed and the bridge is progressing on time and as planned.” 

As for North Commuter Parkway roadway work, new southbound lanes on Central Avenue from Attridge Drive to Fedoruk Road opened to traffic earlier this summer and new northbound lanes are now being reconstructed. Sound wall construction is nearly complete along Attridge Drive west of Central Avenue and is ongoing along Attridge Drive east of Central Avenue. The six-lane North Commuter Parkway will connect Saskatoon’s Marquis Industrial Area to neighbourhoods on the east-side. It will also accommodate pedestrians and cyclists.

The new Traffic Bridge looks similar to the old traffic bridge but is slightly wider and taller in order to accommodate wider traffic lanes, wider pathways on both sides, and overhead clearance for emergency vehicles. Once complete, it will once again serve as a convenient link for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists crossing the South Saskatchewan River.

“All of the Traffic Bridge trusses are now in place and bridge deck construction continues. Crews are also working on the Saskatchewan Crescent overpass and retaining walls in Rotary Park. The retaining wall on Victoria Avenue is now complete and utility work is ongoing in the area,” says Willems.

Bridging to Tomorrow project updates, including detailed monthly summaries, links to live cameras at each bridge site, and quarterly video updates, are available at saskatoon.ca/bridging.

In person, anyone can watch Traffic Bridge progress at the River Landing viewing area. North Commuter Parkway construction can be viewed from the Meewasin Trail just east of the cul-de-sac at the north end of Kinnear Avenue (north of Silverwood Golf Course). 

Citizens are increasingly more satisfied with City services says the latest Civic Services Survey.  This is one of the many results from the 2017 Civic Services Survey and Citizen Budget, both of which will be presented next week to the Governance and Priorities Committee.

The results are one important way the City gathers input to understand the needs and perceptions of citizens, and to identify areas which need added focus in the coming year.  City Council and Administration will consider the information gathered to help shape the City’s Corporate Business Plan and Budget for 2018.

“It’s great to see citizens’ continue to have an overall high level of satisfaction with the many services the City provides.  Since 2013, overall satisfaction provided by the City has seen an increase,” says Carla Blumers, Director of Communications. “When comparing the latest results with 2013, satisfaction increased from 83% to 88% for telephone respondents.  It is even more encouraging when you see online respondents overall satisfaction moving from 73% to 85%.”

In 2015, the City established a performance target of overall satisfaction with civic services of 90% or more. “Looking at the 2017 Survey results, it shows how close citizens feel the City is to getting over the goal-line,” says Blumers.

The majority of respondents on the survey continue to rate the quality of life as high (89% telephone and 85% online).  These results have held steady since 2013.

“While the most important issue facing the City continues to be roads and sidewalks, significantly fewer citizens identify this as the most important issue when compared with the 2013 results,” says Blumers.  The investment in the Building Better Roads program since 2014 is definitely making a difference.  In 2013, 35% of telephone and 31% of online respondents cited roads as the number one issue. By 2017 the percentage declined by 15% for telephone and 17% for online respondents. 

Civic Services Survey Highlights:

• 89% of telephone and 85% of online respondents rate the quality of life in Saskatoon as good or very good. A majority feel the quality of life has remained the same or improved within the last three years.
• 79% of telephone and 74% of online respondents agree the City is on the right track to making Saskatoon a better city 10 years from now.
• Roads and sidewalks continue to be the most important issue facing the city, followed by crime/policing, taxation levels, social issues and spending.
• Several specific services saw increases in satisfaction from online respondents, including: repair of water main breaks, removing contaminants from waste-water, maintenance of roadways and freeways, and street maintenance in one’s neighbourhood.
• Overall satisfaction with the quality of City information and communications is strong among both telephone and online respondents (85% telephone, 88% online).
• When interacting with the City, citizens give high ratings for customer service related activities such as staff being courteous, helpful, knowledgeable, and practicing open and accessible government. Respondents provide lower ratings for community engagement related activities such as using input from the public in decision-making, and allowing citizens to have meaningful input.
• The majority of residents believe they receive good value for what they pay in property taxes (84% telephone and 76% online). This question was last asked in 2014 where results were significantly lower.
• The majority of citizens would prefer a combination of user fees and property taxes as the most appropriate way to pay for services and balance the City’s operating budget.

Citizen Budget Highlights:

• The combined engagement results from the online Citizen Budget tool and Civic Services Survey show that citizens prefer to keep service levels/spending the same for eleven categories.  The exception is a slightly higher preference to increase service levels/spending on roads and affordable housing.
• However, the percentage of citizens who identified a preference to increase service levels/spending for Road Maintenance is significantly lower than the previous year (52% in 2017 versus 63% in 2016).

A total of 500 telephone and 800 online surveys were completed for the Civic Services Survey. There were nearly 1,600 unique visitors to the online Citizen Budget tool and 554 citizens submitted a response.

The Civic Services Survey and Citizen Budget are one of many citizen inputs that will help to inform City Council during discussions on the 2018 Corporate Business Plan and Budget plans.

The detailed findings of the 2017 Civic Services Survey  and the 2017 Citizen Budget are available at saskatoon.ca/financialfuture.