News Releases

City Council yesterday awarded a contract to build two much-needed road interchanges at McOrmond Drive/Highway 5 and at Boychuk Drive/Highway 16.  The tender closed at $29 million less than the estimated cost.

“Keeping people and goods safely moving around in Saskatoon is a key priority,” says Jeff Jorgenson, General Manager of Transportation and Utilities.  “We are proud that the City and city developers have a funding strategy in place to help move these projects forward, and we are also thankful to the federal and provincial governments for their contributions towards the Boychuk/Highway 16 interchange.”

Council approved a tendered award of $56.7 million at its meeting yesterday afternoon. PCL Construction Management Inc. is the successful builder following an independently monitored competition between three companies.

The Saskatoon Interchange Project has bundled these two interchanges together as a way of reducing overall costs of construction.

The McOrmond Drive/College Drive interchange is fully funded by land developers. Saskatoon is unique in the province, in that it self-funds a significant portion of interchange costs through development levies rather than taxation.

The Boychuk Drive/Highway 16 interchange is funded by both federal and provincial governments, development levies and developer contributions.

“This award has no positive or negative impact on the 2017 civic operating budget,” Jorgenson says.  “The capital cost of these projects is funded through development levies, developer contributions, and other orders of government.”

Construction will start in early 2017 with substantial completion currently targeted for October 31, 2018 for McOrmond/College Drive and July 31, 2019 for Highway 16/Boychuk Drive.

A Sale Agreement has been reached with Duchuck Holdings Ltd. for the former Saskatoon Police Service Headquarters (SPSHQ) property, situated at 130 and 140 - 4^th Avenue North.

Today, City Council approved the sale of the former property based on the Terms and Conditions included in the Sale Agreement.

Noteworthy details of the Sales Agreement are as follows:

• Purchase price of $10.7M.
• Provision of a five-year tax abatement of the full taxes on 130 - 4^th Avenue North (building site) subject to completion of a renovation or redevelopment of the property sufficient to constitute a change of predominant use to housing, office, structured parking, or a combination thereof;
• Provision of a $395,000 credit to the purchase price for the Purchaser to remove hazardous materials that currently exist within the building.  The Purchaser thereby accepts full responsibility for the hazardous materials located within the building and indemnifies the City from any and all future claims;
• The City agrees to retain responsibility for environmentally contaminated soil found to be located on the vacant site (140 – 4^th Avenue North), or which is proven to have migrated on to any surrounding property; and
• Possession Date and Closing Date will be Tuesday, February 14, 2017 or such other date that may be agreed to by the parties.

In a report to City Council, Administration considered the offer to be fair and reasonable given current market conditions in Saskatoon.

Proceeds from the sale of 130 and 140 - 4^th Avenue North will be applied to the City’s cash holdings to replenish the funds used to purchase 202 - 4^th Avenue North (Civic Square East) and related parking lots at 209 and 221 - 5^th Avenue North.

The objective of the recommended tax abatement is consistent with the intent of the Vacant Lot and Adaptive Re-use Incentive (VLAR) Program. The value of the five-year tax abatement is estimated to be $200,000 per year, based on a property being a fully renovated, multi-tenant office building. The full tax abatement will result in foregone revenue for five years, to begin the year following completion of the renovation or redevelopment.

The Rush, Go Green with eBill! Contest is ending soon, switch and get in to win!

Choose to say goodbye to your traditional paper utility bill, and make the choice to rush and go green by signing up for eBill paperless utility billing,  it’s better for the environment, and more convenient for you!

All new customers who sign-up for eBill before November 30, 2016 will be entered into the eBill Contest. We’ll draw December 1, 2016 for a pair of 2017 Season Tickets to the Saskatchewan Rush Lacrosse Club. All valued utility bill customers currently on eBill are also automatically entered into the eBill Contest.

“Our eBill service has always been a customer focused initiative, and it also supports our environmental initiatives for the City as we are committed to savings, service and sustainability,” says Shelley Sutherland, Director of Corporate Revenue.

Choosing eBill instead of traditional paper billing, reduces paper clutter and a need to file. eBill is easy to use, secure and gives customers 24/7 access to their utility account history and current consumption charges

“If the City gained ten per cent more customers on eBill, we could save approximately 513 kilograms of paper per year,” says Sutherland. “Any time we can use less paper and importantly, leave less of a carbon footprint, savings add up.”

eBill customers receive an email notification when their bill is ready for online viewing at My Utility Account on the City’s website, saskatoon.ca.

It’s easy to sign up for your ebill!  Rush – get in to win and go green today!

Visit saskatoon.ca/ebillrush to sign-up or switch over, and for eBill Contest rules. Or, call 306-975-3200 for more information.

Saskatoon Transit has been forced to make major adjustments to afternoon and evening service on November 24, 2016. The Transit union continues to direct its members to take job action, this factor is compounded with an increased amount of sick time today has increased the pressure on the system.

“We will do our best to keep as much service on the road as we possibly can but with the refusal of over time by the union and an increased number of operators calling in sick, we have no other choice but to start pulling service,” says Jim McDonald, Director of Saskatoon Transit.      

Today, Saskatoon Transit had 12 operators call in sick. This, added to the refusal of overtime has caused the cancellation of runs or “loops” on 11 school routes, 21 regular routes and will cause over-crowding on 13 regular routes during afternoon and evening service.  

“This is the first day that Transit union job action has caused us to make major cancellations to regularly scheduled routes,” says McDonald. “We expect this to continue over the next few days so we encourage riders to regularly check the apps and our website for service alerts.”

Saskatoon Transit will continue to keep customers informed by issuing service alerts when made aware of any disruptions or delays. Service alerts can be viewed at saskatoontransit.ca, saskatoon.ca, on Twitter at @stoontransit or @YXEserviceAlert, through Transit App and in Google Transit.

Transit administration may not be aware of all immediate job action but will make efforts to inform the public of delays or disruptions as the information is made available. During such times Saskatoon Transit will make every attempt to maintain an appropriate level of service based on the resources available, but may be forced to further minimize service if required.  Citizens are encouraged to plain their commute in advance and allow extra time to get to their final destination.

Individuals who do not have access to the internet can call the Transit Customer Service line at 306-975-3100 but are reminded that wait times may be longer than normal due to job action or higher than normal call volumes.

Access Transit is an essential service, and will continue operating as normal.

The City thanks our citizens, transit customers and our transit employees for their patience and understanding as we have attempted to reach a contract settlement with ATU. 

In a winter city like Saskatoon, a snow storm can happen any day, any time. When it snows, City crews sand, salt and plow high-traffic roads and priority streets to keep drivers moving.

“Our team is ready to hit the streets to keep roads clear this winter,” says new Director of Roadways, Brandon Harris. “Winter preparation is a year-round operation that we continue to build on to provide better winter roads for residents and visitors.”

Building on last year’s successes, several improvements have been made to the 2016-17 Snow & Ice Plan to ensure better winter roads for Saskatoon drivers.

“New this year, the City is outfitting all of its high-speed winter maintenance equipment with flashing blue and amber lights to be consistent with highway operations and other municipalities across the country,” says Harris. “Standard warning signals are a critical element of a safe operation, as driver confusion can result in unexpected or dangerous reactions.”

Some improvements that will impact residents and drivers include the type of salt used, broader use of pre-wetting for the application of sand and an updated Priority Street Network for snow grading.

Coarse Salt
This winter, roadway crews are piloting the use of a coarser salt for ice prevention and treatment. Coarse salt has been found to be more effective and less susceptible to blowing off the road because it can be ‘ground’ into ice. In addition, it adds friction to slippery road surfaces.  Innovative salt spreading techniques are also being tested to improve performance and reduce salt usage which will save money and decrease environmental impacts.

More Pre-Wetting
The City will also continue to use a technique known as pre-wetting, where a salt brine or specialty chemical is sprayed on sand before it is applied to high-traffic streets such as Circle Drive. Wet, heavy sand sticks much more effectively to the road in extreme cold conditions, providing increased traction on high-speed roadways. The program will operate with twelve sanders, an increase from four last winter.

Updated Priority Streets
The City’s Priority Street Network is updated to reflect changing traffic patterns and revised transit routes. Following a major snowfall, plowing and grading occurs in order of priority, beginning with high-traffic streets such as Circle Drive. Some streets will have snow grading that didn’t in previous years, while a few streets will be re-ordered as part of the snow event response. Priority streets are identified on the City’s Snow Grading Interactive Map which will be updated annually moving forward.

Other elements of the Winter Road Maintenance plan include:

• GPS tracking software pilot project to track the location of the sanders, where they have sanded and how much sand they have used.
• The 18-vehicle snow train that may be activated after a snow event to remove collected snow along the edges of Circle Drive, bridges and overpasses.
• Frequent removal of snow windrows (snow piled along the road during grading) from school zones and more clearly defined and expanded removal zones around schools.
• Snow grading and removal will occur as required along narrow, congested streets where snow windrows are not a practical option.
• Adjustments in the way the City uses private contractors for snow grading during and after a snow event, to maximize value and efficiencies.
• City-wide neighbourhood rut blitz may be initiated later in the season, when the snow pack reaches a minimum of 15 centimetres to prevent severe rutting.

Green Circle and Blue Square snow routes will once again be in effect. If an extreme snow fall occurs, a temporary Snow Route Parking Ban may be declared for city-wide snow grading. Residents are urged to find out which streets are along a Green Circle or Blue Square snow route on the City’s Snow Grading Interactive Map.

“City crews will be out there all winter, day and night,” says Harris. “Please watch for flashing lights that signal winter maintenance equipment is ahead and slow down for your safety and the safety of everyone around you.”

Be in the Know About Snow! Find out what happens in Saskatoon when it snows and how you can be prepared at saskatoon.ca/snow or download the Be in the Know About Snow poster (PDF).