News Releases

The City is preparing to enter a formal agreement with the Saskatoon Tribal Council for a new hydropower generation project at the weir.

“The Saskatoon Weir is an ideal location for expanding the City’s clean-power generation program to hydropower,” says Kevin Hudson, Manager of Sustainable Energy for the City-owned Saskatoon Light & Power. “The benefits of this initiative will be felt across the Saskatoon Region and we are delighted to have the Saskatoon Tribal Council as a partner to make it a reality.”

The total estimated cost of the project is $61.5 - 65.2 million, which is expected to be funded by the Saskatoon Tribal Council and private-sector partners, off-set by revenue generated by the power station and funding from other green-energy funding sources.

“First Nations can benefit from employment, training and education opportunities that extend beyond the construction phase of this project,” says Darrell Balkwill, Chair of STC Investments Inc. “We are confident that the investment returns from this project will allow us to continue to support community infrastructure and social programs in our member communities.”

Earlier pre-feasibility and environmental baseline studies concluded the project was technically feasible and could be economically viable over the long-term without any significant disruption to the ecology of the area or negative downstream effects to the river valley. The project has been on hold since last presented to City Council in 2015 until funding could be identified.

The project will involve restoring the weir’s current infrastructure, and the construction of a river crossing for pedestrians and cyclists that will be wider, safer and more accessible than the current one on the CP Rail Bridge.

For more details and preliminary renderings of the hydropower station and site, visit saskatoon.ca/hydropower.

In an unprecedented partnership, several Saskatchewan organizations have joined together to explore the opportunities that resulted from land claims settlements.  Prosperity Through Partnerships, the last of a three-part series on creating wealth through the land claim settlement process is taking place March 8 and 9, 2017  (today and tomorrow) between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. at TCU Place in Saskatoon.

The conference will examine:

• The reserve creation process for the purpose of working together through local and provincial partnerships in Saskatchewan;
• How to increase economic prosperity and the quality of life for both First Nations and the wider public in the province by identifying actions for enhancing Aboriginal well-being and participation in our community; and
• How business communities have entered an era of newfound partnership and prosperity with Saskatchewan First Nations, urban and rural municipalities, which began with the 1992 Saskatchewan Treaty Land Entitlement Framework Agreement.

The three-part conference series is a partnership between the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, the City of Saskatoon, the City of Regina, Aboriginal and Northern Development Canada, the Government of Saskatchewan, the Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Authority and the Saskatchewan First Nations Economic Development Network.

Prior events focused on financial and resource partners and additions to reserves for community development.

Implementation of Saskatoon’s Homelessness Action Plan (Action Plan) will be a key priority for the City over the next few years.  The creation of new, affordable rental units, supported by City initiatives, will provide options for those who lack a safe and affordable place to call home.

The Action Plan was released in November 2016, by a Steering Committee representing a variety of stakeholders in the community.  Last week, City Council approved funding for implementation of the Action Plan.  The plan will be implemented by the Saskatoon Housing Initiatives Partnership over the next five years.

“The majority of the City’s funding for attainable housing is directed towards affordable rental housing, including transitional housing for those leaving homeless shelters,” says Director of Planning and Development, Lesley Anderson.  “Affordable rental housing will continue to be a focus in 2017 and 2018, alongside the implementation of Saskatoon’s Homelessness Action Plan.”

The recently released Annual Status Report on the Housing Business Plan 2013-2022 shows that the City’s supply of affordable and transitional rental housing is growing along with other types of attainable housing supported by the Housing Business Plan.

                              Results Achieved in the Housing Plan’s First Five Years

For more information on the Housing Business Plan and the work the City is doing in this area, please visit www.saskatoon.ca/housing or call 306-975-3340.

Komodo dragons that is!  On loan from the Calgary Zoo for the next year, Thorn and Shruikan (Shrew-khan) are settling into their home away from home in the new Komodo Island exhibit at the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo.  Building of the new exhibit was made possible through the generous support of the Saskatoon Zoo Foundation, and it will officially open to the public on April 1, 2017.

“We have been very fortunate to work with zoos from across Canada over the years to bring unique species to Saskatoon, including the Komodo dragons,” says Tim Sinclair‑Smith, Manager, Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo.  “We are very excited to share the unique story of the Komodo dragons and provide an opportunity for visitors to get an up-close look at these larger than life lizards.”

Komodo dragons are easily identified by their massive size, flat heads, bowed legs, and long, thick tails.  Known as the heaviest lizards on Earth, Komodo dragons can reach more than three metres in length and weigh more than 150 kilograms.  While Komodo dragons are not considered endangered, they are very rare and, today, are found in the wild only on Indonesia’s Lesser Sunda Islands.

Do not miss your opportunity to see these giant reptiles at the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo!  From September to April, the zoo is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and from May to August daily hours are from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.  Additional information regarding the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo can be found online at www.saskatoon.ca/zoo.

The City continues to implement its Risk-Based Management Program and make headway on reducing the severity of its key strategic risks as identified in the release of the City’s Corporate Risk 2016 Annual Report.

“Risk management is not about eliminating the chances of something bad happening, it is about making sure the City is well positioned to respond to, and recover from, surprises and disruptions,” says City Manager, Murray Totland. “The City of Saskatoon, like all municipalities, faces many types of risk that, if not effectively managed, can impede the successful delivery of essential services our residents, workers and visitors rely on every day.”

Of the 23 risks identified through the Strategic Risk Assessment process, Totland says the City has been able to reduce the severity of 11 of its strategic risks from high (i.e. high likelihood and high impact) to medium (i.e. medium likelihood and medium impact), with three risks now assessed within a desired  risk zone.

“When risk is managed effectively it supports continuous improvement and the way Saskatoon runs,” Totland says.  “With that, our citizens are more likely to have greater confidence in how City Hall operates.”

At its March 6, 2017 meeting, the Standing Policy Committee on Finance will receive the Annual Report, updated information regarding each of the City’s key strategic risks and the additional risk mitigation activities planned for the next one-to-three years. 

“Identifying, understanding, and managing our risks helps us make informed decisions,” says Director of Corporate Risk, Nicole Garman.  “That means we can take a realistic look at what might happen, ways to control what we can, and what we can do to put those strategies into action.” 
Building on the successes achieved to date, more operational, financial, and compliance risk assessments will be done in 2017.

Frequently Asked Questions and more Risk-Based Management information is available at saskatoon.ca/corporaterisk.