News Releases

For the August 18, 2016 Meeting of City Council

9.3.1 Saskatoon Strides – 2015 Report on Service, Savings and Sustainability

*City Council will be asked to receive the 2015 Report on Service, Savings and Sustainability.
*The City is committed to continue to explore and implement new ways to improve service, increase savings, and grow Saskatoon in a sustainable way. Saskatoon Strides - 2015 Report on Service, Savings and Sustainability highlights the City’s accomplishments in each of these areas for 2015.

Additional Information

*In 2015, the City identified savings, additional funding, and revenues total over $183M. Increased operational efficiencies and service level enhancements resulted in savings of $5.2M. The City also applied to the Government of Canada and received approval for $860,000 in funding through the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program. Saskatoon Land delivered $16.07M in financial returns to the City.
*The City embarked on two P3 projects in 2015; the North Commuter Parkway and Traffic Bridge Project and the Civic Operations Centre. The procurement method chosen for the two projects has an estimated Value for Money savings of $161.7M NPV (Net Present Value) when compared to the design, bid, build procurement method.
*The City’s various environmental programs help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 94,000 tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent annually, the equivalent of removing over 19,000 cars off our roads. Civic programs also diverted approximately 31,828 tonnes of waste from the Saskatoon Landfill in 2015.
*The City received awards and recognition from the industry and citizens on the services it provides.

9.3.2 2015 Annual Report – Sustaining the Saskatoon Advantage

*City Council will be asked to receive the 2015 Annual Report – Sustaining the Saskatoon Advantage which includes a summary of the progress achieved on the 2015 Corporate Business Plan.

Additional Information

*Highlights from the 2015 Corporate Business Plan include:
-total investment in roads exceeded $53 million – an increase of $3 million from 2014 and $19 million from 2013.
-the completion of PotashCorp Playland and Kinsmen Park.
-the early completion of University Bridge rehabilitation.
-starting the North Commuter Parkway and Traffic Bridge replacement project.
-starting construction on the permanent snow storage facility at the new Civic Operations Centre (COC), with completion expected in late 2016. Construction also began on the new Transit facility at the COC.
-launch of Citizen Budget – an interactive activity that showed residents how building the City’s annual budget requires balancing affordability for taxpayers and helped them share their views on the City’s spending priorities and future investments for the 2016 budget.
-the City partnered to host the Wicihitowin “Working Together” conference in an effort to increase Aboriginal engagement and service delivery.
-public engagement initiatives moved forward on several elements of the Growing Forward! and Growth Plan to Half a Million; corridor redevelopment, employment areas, transit and transportation.

9.6.3 2016 Local Government Elections – Amendments to Bylaw No. 8191, The Election Bylaw, 2012

*City Council will be asked to add provisions and update the Bylaw to reflect recent provincial legislative changes.

Additional Information

*Housekeeping amendments to the Bylaw would update references to the new legislation and new section numbers, as well as provide for procedures related to the programming, use, storage and transport of vote counting machines and the counting of votes necessitated by the new legislation.

The City of Saskatoon’s ongoing commitment to continuous improvement helped save taxpayers $183M in 2015.

“The City staff continues to make strides toward delivering better services for Saskatoon residents,” says Catherine Gryba, General Manager of Corporate Performance. “We’ve found and put into place new efficiencies in the way we do our work, and keep an eye on how well we’re doing.”

The City monitors progress with its new performance dashboard guided by a dedicated drive for year-over-year service improvements.

“Better also means the savings we gain through continuous improvement, ultimately benefiting property taxes,” Gryba says. “They were kept lower in 2015 than they would have been without finding these savings for our annual business plan and budget.”

Full details are contained in Saskatoon Strides 2015: Our Report on Service, Savings, and Sustainability.

“The measures highlighted on our performance dashboard and in Saskatoon Strides keep us focused on planning and investing in what matters most to people, and for the future growth of the city,” says Gryba.

The City’s attention to innovative thinking and improved service levels contributed to:

• the early completion of the University Bridge Rehabilitation
• City and community partners hosting the Wicihitowin “Working Together” Aboriginal Engagement Conference
• implementing automatic announcements on buses to increase accessibility

The City’s attention to innovative thinking on financial matters contributed to:

• $161 million in value for money savings from selecting P3 projects
• $16 million in financial returns from Saskatoon Land
• $860,000 in funding received from the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Funding Program

Operational efficiencies and service level enhancements contributed $5.2 million in savings including:

• $715,000 on roadway contracts.  A streamlined roadway tender process created more competitive bidding, ensured quality and timely responses from contractors 
• $250,000 from a new de-icing product which was tested and proved effective for use at colder temperatures, also resulting in less overall street clean up during the spring street sweep
• $165,000 from streamlining the IT systems in the Public Works call centre. Response times and accuracy of issues and trouble locations resulted in improved communication
• $200,000 across several divisions from a number of continuous improvement initiatives in the Information Technology division

City environmental programs also contributed to sustainable growth by helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of removing 19,000 cars off city roads. Continued focus on recycling programs also diverted approximately 31,828 tonnes of waste from the Saskatoon Landfill in 2015.

The City remains focused on all seven of the Strategic Goals and the long-term goal of managing and growing Saskatoon to 500,000 people in a smart, sustainable way.

The City continues to maintain its previous successes and move forward on meeting its Strategic Goals – the theme of the 2015 City of Saskatoon Annual Report – Sustaining the Saskatoon Advantage.

“The Report highlights the progress made in 2015 on our investment activities, projects, and services, which align with what matters to our citizens and our corporate goals as directed by the City’s ten-year Strategic Plan,” says Clae Hack, Acting Chief Financial Officer.

At its August 18th meeting, City Council will receive the Annual Report as well as the 2015 Audited Consolidated Financial Statements, and Trust Fund Financial Statements. The Annual Report reflects the City’s ongoing commitment to accountability, transparency, and openness in financial reporting and is now available online at saskatoon.ca/annualreport.

Among the sustained achievements, the City was able to maintain its Standard & Poor’s ‘AAA/ Stable’ credit rating in 2015, much supported by the City’s willingness to explore innovative and alternative ways to fund, finance and deliver important infrastructure projects.

“Our financial flexibility continues to provide a solid foundation for planning key projects and delivering core services our residents rely on every day – all making us a municipal leader in Canada,” says City Manager Murray Totland. “Our $53 million investment in roads, the North Commuter Parkway and Traffic Bridge Replacement Project, progress made on our new Civic Operations Centre and the completion of PotashCorp Playland at Kinsmen Park all demonstrate our dedication to continuous improvement and innovation for the challenges that come with rapid growth."

The City placed a strong emphasis on public engagement and improving customer service in 2015 through a new online budget tool to obtain citizen feedback on the proposed 2016 Business Plan and Budget.

The City strives to keep improving with the launch of Service Saskatoon-- a new model for providing responsive citizen and customer service.

With a goal of being the best-managed city in Canada, Saskatoon’s Council and civic staff remain committed to ensure residents get the most out of tax dollars, as well as managing risk and debt appropriately.

“We are effectively investing tax dollars every year to provide the best projects, programs, services and value for residents - all of which support our continued great quality of life in Saskatoon,” Totland says.

Signs directing drivers and cyclists around the downtown protected bike lanes pilot project have been up for a few months, but the City and the Saskatoon Police Service want to make sure everyone knows what the rules are.

“The protected bike lanes on 4th Avenue and 23rd Street are still relatively new,” says Angela Gardiner, Director of Transportation. “Drivers may not understand why people on bikes are stopped where they are, or what they’re trying to do, so we’ve made some changes to road signs to try and help everyone learn how we can safely share the roads.”

For example, overhead signs are in place to remind drivers where right turns are not permitted on red lights at intersections with the protected bike lanes. 

“We anticipate that over time drivers will become more familiar with the new guidelines and compliance will increase.”

A related bike lane safety measure downtown includes Bike Boxes. These green-painted squares on the pavement at signalized intersections are connected to the protected bike lanes along 23rd Street and 4th Avenue. They are designed to help with two-stage left turns for people riding bikes. So, for people driving cars, right turns on red lights are not permitted where there is a Bike Box. 

“The SPS is dedicated to protecting the safety of everyone using Saskatoon roadways,” says Randy Huisman, Inspector for Central Division. “Our officers will be monitoring traffic activity around bike lanes and may issue warnings or tickets when violations take place.”

Protected Bike Lanes are dedicated, marked lanes for cyclists that are physically separated from vehicles and pedestrian traffic, and have been built in Canada’s largest cities including Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa and Calgary.   

The City’s Protected Bike Land Demonstration Project was approved in March of 2015 with a lane opening on 23rd Street later that year. The 4th Avenue lane was opened this past May. The project will continue to be evaluated over the next year to determine the impact of the lanes on the downtown core. A report and a recommendation on the future of the project will be prepared for City Council in early 2018.   

For more information on Protected Bike Lanes, visit saskatoon.ca/moving-around/cycling/cycling-plans-projects

A popular Pokémon GO stop outside City Hall is now enabled with WiFi access. Civic Square along with four other facilities came online today with complimentary WiFi service, powered by Shaw Go WiFi. Residents and visitors can sign up for WiFi Access when visiting these or any of the City’s 15 WiFi-enabled facilities.

Additional Locations:

• Civic Square (outdoors), Saskatoon City Hall, 222 – 3^rd Avenue North
• Shaw Centre, 122 Bowlt Cres
• Silverwood Golf Course Clubhouse, 3503 Kinnear Avenue
• George Ward Pool, 1915 5th St East
• TCU Place Convention and Arts Centre (lobby), 35 - 22nd Street East 

Shaw and the City continue to work on installing WiFi at seven remaining public facilities. More information, including a complete list of participating facilities, can be found at saskatoon.ca/wifi.

The complimentary service, made possible through a partnership agreement with Shaw Communications Inc., is a major initiative through the City’s new service model - Service Saskatoon.

Service Saskatoon and the public WiFi major initiative supports the City’s goal of Continuous Improvement by leveraging technology and emerging trends to reach our goal to provide great citizen experiences at every level.