News Releases

Saskatoon City Council is opening up its Strategic Planning process to the public with a discussion on global trends facing the City. Let's Talk is a series of engagement opportunities between City Council and the public as part of this planning process. Kicking off the series is a conversation on trends exploring how Saskatoon will be shaped into the future. 

“We live in a changing world, and cities are at the forefront of navigating these changes,” says Mayor Charlie Clark. “From the global economy and resources, to climate change, income inequality, and technology, trends in these areas all impact how the City is able to provide a quality of life to its citizens.”

This new City Council is identifying the priorities it wants to achieve over the next four years. These priorities also need to be consistent with longer term plans that address complex trends affecting Saskatoon over the next 20 years.
To assist with this assessment, Karen Thoreson, President of the Alliance for Innovation, a network of innovative cities and counties across the United States, is being brought in. The Alliance’s new research, “The Next Big Things: The Next 20 Years in Local Government” highlights 44 trends that could impact communities in the next generation. They are categorized in the areas of Resource, Technology, Demographic, and Governance Trends.

“Many communities are deeply affected by change and disruption, often in a negative way. These 44 trends and the tools in The Next Big Things will help cities be prepared and proactive, whatever the future brings,” says Thoreson.

Thoreson will be working with staff and City Council to identify what trends are most likely to have a major impact on the City of Saskatoon, as part of the City’s strategic planning process for both the next four years as well as updating the longer-term 2013 – 2023 Strategic Plan. She says this is the first time a City Council and members of the public have been involved in this type of planning process with her, as it is usually only done by city administration.

The public is invited to the evening session of City Council’s Governance and Priorities Committee meeting where Thoreson will be presenting alongside 11 local experts offering local perspectives on key trends. The presentations are from 6:00 pm until 8:30 pm and will be followed by informal conversations in the City Hall lobby.  Parking is available at the back of City Hall on 4^th Avenue North.

Local presenters include:

• Innovation and Partnerships - Felix Thomas, Tribal Chief of Saskatoon Tribal Council and Peter Stoicheff, President of University of Saskatchewan
• Crime and Safety – Craig Nyirfa, President of Birchwood Consulting Inc., former Executive Director of the Centre of Responsibility (HUB/COR) and member of the Saskatoon Police Service.
• Community Well-being – CeCe Baptiste, Vice-Chair, United Way of Saskatoon and Area
• Inclusion and Diversity – April Sora, Immigration, Diversity and Inclusion Consultant
• Economic Development – Stephanie Yong, Director at the Wilson Centre for Entrepreneurial Excellence
• Sustainable Growth and Planning – Ryan Walker, U of S professor of urban planning
• Downtown Development - Tom McClocklin, President and Managing Director, Saskatchewan, Colliers International
• Transportation – Carl Kuhnke, Managing Director, Saskatchewan Centre of Excellence For Transportation and Infrastructure
• Environmental Sustainability – Kathleen Aitkens and David McGrane, members of Saskatoon Environmental Advisory Committee

“Saskatoon citizens care about their community and want to help shape its future,” says Mayor Clark. “It is important to engage them in these conversations about what will Saskatoon look like in four years from now, to seven generations from now.”

More information on Let’s Talk Trends can be found at www.saskatoon.ca/LT2020

The Saskatoon North Partnership for Growth (P4G) invites residents in the Rural Municipality of Corman Park, the Cities of Saskatoon, Warman, and Martensville, and the Town of Osler to an open house for the Regional Plan (Plan) on Tuesday, January 24, 2017.

The goal of the Plan, expected to be completed in April 2017, is to ensure that each of the five partnering municipalities can benefit from growth opportunities, increase efficiencies, and reduce costs by working together.  The Plan will consist of land use, transportation, and servicing plans; outline the strategies needed for implementation; and propose new governance and administrative structures for the region.

OPEN HOUSE:  P4G Regional Plan
​Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Come and Go - 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Overviews - 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Wanuskewin Heritage Park Visitor Centre
Penner Road, East of Wanuskewin Road, RM of Corman Park

This P4G event is a follow up to the engagement from February 2016 and will be presenting:

• the revised land use concept map and the updated land use category descriptions;
• the Green Network Study Area (formerly known as the Conservation and Drainage Areas); and
• the proposed governance model.

The Consultant from O2 Planning + Design, representatives from the partner municipalities, as well as the Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Authority (SREDA), will be in attendance.

“I encourage the public to attend this open house to understand the progress we’ve made on the Regional Plan and provide input into the process,” says Alex Fallon, Independent Chair of the P4G Regional Oversight Committee and President and CEO of SREDA.

If you are unable to attend the open house, please visit www.partnershipforgrowth.ca on or after January 24, 2017, to review the open house materials and provide your comments.  Online comments can be provided until Friday, February 24, 2017.  

For more Saskatoon North Partnership for Growth (P4G) Announcements and News Releases, visit www.partnershipforgrowth.ca, or connect with the Saskatoon North Partnership for Growth on Twitter and Facebook.

Crews are making progress on mending a ruptured natural gas line in Caswell Hill.  There are no longer any life-safety concerns and the Saskatoon Fire Department is ending its response.

The incident started around 10:13 this morning when a private contractor was performing some drilling work on 30^th street between Avenues C and D.

Winter weather has slowed the work as crews need to thaw the ground with a steam truck.

At last word, crews were preparing to begin installing a special shut-off valve to isolate the affected gas line.

All but one of the nine homes initially evacuated along 30^th street have now been tested and residents have been allowed to return.

Throughout the incident, emergency workers were in constant contact with public school board officials.  School staff notified parents and kept Caswell School students sheltered in place until the end of the school day when the students safely left.

Firefighters also delivered written notices to residents within a one block radius.  The notice says the situation is not dangerous but to minimize movement in the work area, it advises people to stay inside this evening.  The notice also says that despite a rotten egg smell that may linger in the area, it is safe.

Work crews are now expected to be on scene into the evening hours.

The Saskatoon Fire Department and SaskEnergy crews remain on scene of a ruptured natural gas line which happened around 10:13 this morning.

A private contractor was performing some drilling work on 30^th street when it happened. Nine homes in the immediate area were notified, five homes were currently empty; occupants in four other homes moved to a safer location of their choosing.

Right now, everyone is safe; public school board officials notified parents and coordinated with the Emergency Measures Command Bus which is also on scene.

Caswell School students are sheltering in place.  Residents within a one block radius have also been advised to shelter in place as a precaution to minimize movement in the area. The wind is currently from the northeast; the school is upwind from the work zone.

School officials are communicating directly with parents and guardians to inform them of pick-up options at the end of the school day. From 3:00 p.m. to approximately 3:30 p.m. the Saskatoon Police Service will restrict northbound traffic on Avenue B at 29^th street accommodate school buses.  

Emergency and work crews are expected to be on scene for most of the afternoon.

The City of Saskatoon’s Snow Management Facility opened today at the new Civic Operations Centre.

“This state-of-the-art facility has the capacity to store up to 1 million cubic metres of snow on a 5.7 hectare concrete pad,” says Brandon Harris, Director of Roadways and Operations.

Harris says when the snow naturally melts, the meltwater will run through an oil and grit separator and into a meltwater/storm water pond. The meltwater will then go through a series of specially designed baffle curtains before being discharged in a controlled fashion into the storm water system.

“We’ve designed this facility to make sure we are meeting City Council’s Strategic Goal of Environmental Leadership,” Harris says. “We have a responsibility to protect the South Saskatchewan River ecosystem and separating roadway materials from snow removal will go a long way toward meeting that goal.”

The Snow Management Facility will be open and monitored 24/7 for the City’s snow removal equipment and private contractor use.

In addition to the Snow Management Facility at the Civic Operations Centre, the snow storage sites at Central Avenue, Wanuskewin Road and 8th Street are open for public and private use.

Snow Management Facility at a Glance:

• Capacity to store up to 1 million cubic metres of snow.
• Storm water and meltwater management pond with inlet sand/oil/grit separator.
• Roller compacted concrete surface to facilitate site operation maintenance and cleaning.
• Geotextile material is in place to protect the soil and groundwater from infiltration and contamination, demonstrating commitment to Environmental Leadership.
• Policies are in place to manage noise created by equipment and tailgate slamming.