News Releases

Saskatoon road users may be noticing fresh line paint on a number of roads and crosswalks around the city. So far this construction season, 734.4 kilometres of roadway have had fresh lines painted and an additional 8.3 kilometres of durable line markings (lasting 7 to 10 years) have been applied on high traffic roads like Circle Drive and Idylwyld Drive. The city’s 1,004 crosswalks have received their first coat of paint, and 376 have also now received the second and final coat of paint for the season.

“Our line painting program has been running smoothly this season with few disruptions from maintenance issues, weather, or anything else,” says Jay Magus, Acting Director of Transportation. “The recent heavy rainfalls did mean there were a few days we couldn’t get out there, as we can’t paint when the road surfaces are wet, however our program remains on schedule.”

The City is testing a new surface-applied durable marking product on crosswalks at high traffic locations this season. It was applied to 36 intersections on major arterial roads like 22nd Street, 8th Street, and College Drive. The more durable marking should mean the crosswalks stay in place longer and result in a reduction in the amount of time crews need to be set up in high traffic areas.

Some of the remaining line painting work to be carried out in 2017 includes:

• Approximately 200 kilometres of lines left to mark;
• 628 crosswalks remain to receive a second coat of paint;
• Installation of durable chevrons in the gore points around Circle Drive.

The projected budget for the 2017 line painting program is approximately $1.1 million. The program is expected to wrap up for the season at the end of September. Learn more by visiting saskatoon.ca/betterroads and clicking on ‘Line Painting’.

Today, in a report to the Standing Policy Committee on Environment, Utilities and Corporate Services, City Administration highlighted opportunities to divert organics from the landfill.

“Every year, 32% of all material put into our regional landfills is organic food and yard waste. And, organics still make up 58% of our single family residential garbage.” says Brenda Wallace, Director of Environmental and Corporate Initiatives. “If we want to reach our target of diverting 70% of our waste from the landfill, organics represents our single biggest opportunity.”

Wallace says a successful waste diversion program is critical to deferring the closure of the landfill. The costs to close the existing landfill and establish a new landfill are estimated at $26 million and $100 million respectively.

The diversion of organics was identified within the Waste Diversion Opportunities report presented to Council in May 2017. Outcomes from this report will be the focus of community discussions planned for the fall. Preliminary results from a recent Waste and Recycling Survey completed by Insightrix in July 2017 indicate that 79% of residents strongly or somewhat support city-wide food and yard waste (Green Cart) collection for all households.

The Green Cart Program has grown significantly since 2015, with 11% of single-family households now subscribing. However, the current Program is financially unsustainable and is not likely to divert an amount significant enough to influence the City's waste diversion targets to sustain the landfill.

The Organic Opportunities Report can be found on saskatoon.ca/wastediversion.

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

Today, in a report to the Standing Policy Committee on Environment, Utilities and Corporate Services, City Administration outlined options to expand the Waste Services Utility. Expanding the Waste Services Utility would mean reducing property taxes and transferring the cost of some or all waste management services to a monthly bill. A variable-rate utility would provide additional incentive for people to reduce the amount of waste they put in their black garbage cart, allow the City to build a sustainable funding model, and extend the life of the Landfill. The variable fee-for service model for garbage collection includes charges based on cart size or collection frequency, not weight.

“Because waste services can also vary by household, it makes sense to consider charging utility fees in a way similar to water and electricity. An expanded waste utility could provide residents with more control over the amount they pay, by reducing the amount of waste they throw in their black cart or garbage bin - extending the life of the landfill,” says Brenda Wallace, Director of Environmental and Corporate Initiatives. “We put almost 100,000 tonnes into the landfill every year, but more than 75% could be diverted through programs like recycling and composting.”

Wallace says research conducted by the US Environmental Protection Agency (2013) found that waste utility models can improve waste diversion rates by up to 40%. A successful waste diversion program is critical to deferring the closure of the landfill. The costs to close the existing landfill and establish a new landfill are estimated at $26 million and $100 million respectively.

The community has set a target of diverting 70% of our waste from the landfill. This means that 70% of waste in Saskatoon will be reused, recycled or composted. In 2016, only 22% of waste was being diverted through programs such as the single and multi-unit residential recycling programs. This is the second lowest diversion rate when benchmarked against other Canadian cities.

The expanded Waste Services Utility was identified within the Waste Diversion Opportunities report presented to Council in May 2017. Outcomes from this report will be the focus of community discussions planned for the fall.

The Waste Service Utility Design Options report can be found on saskatoon.ca/wastediversion.

This expansion of the waste services utility supports the Strategic Goal of Environmental Leadership including the four-year priority to promote and facilitate city-wide composting and recycling and the long-term strategy to eliminate the need for a new landfill; It also supports the Strategic Goal of Asset and Financial Sustainability by reducing reliance on residential property taxes and setting long term sustainable rates.

Earlier this year, City Council requested a Market Sounding be initiated by the Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Authority (SREDA) to determine what conditions are required to attract a grocery store to locate in the Downtown.

“It was important to Council to determine both the level of interest and the barriers that exist to establish a grocery store in downtown Saskatoon," says Councillor Cynthia Block.  "Getting feedback from grocers, food cooperatives, and developers who would be interested in owning/operating a grocery store will help Council determine next steps."

Now complete, SREDA’s Market Sounding report reveals key challenges expressed by industry partners, such as the current population density, cost of land, rent, construction, and establishing a site in an appropriate location with the desired building size and adequate parking.  Grocers who participated in the Market Sounding were asked whether or not they were currently interested in locating in Downtown Saskatoon.  Most indicated they had no desire as the current population is not sufficient to support a store.

"SREDA's research concluded that industry continues to be interested in the Saskatoon market; however, currently there is insufficient population to support a downtown grocery store.  That being said, if the downtown population continues to grow, and we develop the right mix of incentives and business conditions, we are hopeful that it's a case of when, and not if, a grocer will invest in our downtown," says Alex Fallon, President and Chief Executive Officer of SREDA.

Given the findings, the Administration is recommending to City Council that efforts be focused on increasing the number of residents in the Downtown, particularly in the north end where there is already a large concentration of residential buildings.

Current incentives in place for residential development in the Downtown, such as Vacant Lot and Adaptive Reuse Incentive Program Policy No. C09-035, are being recommended for review with the goal of making them more accessible, comprehensive, and effective in attracting developments.  These incentives may also target specific locations in the Downtown as a means to address population density.

“A robust suite of incentives aimed at prospective grocery stores will be prepared for Council’s consideration so that when a grocer comes forward, development of a grocery store can be expedited,” says Randy Grauer, General Manager, Community Services Department.

For a copy of the Market Sounding report, please visit saskatoon.ca/citycentre, or contact the Planning and Development Division at 306-975-7697.

Saskatoon was under a severe thunderstorm warning on Tuesday afternoon. A heavy rainfall warning quickly followed just after 1:20 p.m. The rain system was the most intense in east-central neighbourhoods, knocking out power in Avalon, Nutana, Adelaide/Churchill and Holliston. These areas experienced localized intensity from the storm system, washing out a number of roads. Although intense for the areas with the heaviest rainfall, this storm is considered to be between a one in two year, and one in five year event.

“This is the second time in less than a month that we have been hit with a system so intense that our storm sewer system simply can’t keep up – the systems in older neighbourhoods are not designed to take on so much water within a very short period of time,” said Galen Heinrichs, Water and Sewer Engineering Manager, Transportation and Utilities. “City rain gauges measured accumulations ranging from 25 mm in the southeast around Avalon and Churchill to between 1 mm and 3 mm in areas of the northwest.”

City crews were kept busy closing roads where water wasn’t receding, clearing grates, ensuring manhole covers were in place and cleaning up debris. Outdoor swimming pools closed and Saskatoon Transit routes were affected due to the heavy rain. The storm also forced the closure of PotashCorp Playland, the landfill and the compost depot at 11th Street West and Highway 7. The City has also received calls about some downed trees and branches due to wind gusts during the storm.

The Saskatoon Police Service and Saskatoon Fire Department were also kept busy responding to storm related calls.