News Releases

Each year, the Project Management Institute, North Saskatchewan Chapter (PMI-NSC) recognizes one project that best demonstrates exceptional performance, leadership and delivers significant value and return on investment for the customer.  This year, the City of Saskatoon’s Neighbourhood Traffic Review program was awarded this prestigious honour for its community-wide approach to resolving traffic issues that is built around finding solutions through engagement with residents.                                                                                                                

“Rather than looking at each traffic issue individually, we take a step back and consider the traffic movements, safety requirements and culture within the entire community,” explains Angela Gardiner, Acting General Manager of Transportation and Utilities. “We encourage people to take an active role in the traffic review process for their neighbourhood so we can hear about issues that matter to them.”

A typical neighbourhood traffic review is a complex, year-long process aimed at improving the quality of life in the neighbourhood by making adjustments to how people use local and collector streets. The process begins with community meetings to collect feedback on issues such as speed, pedestrian safety, traffic volume and short cutting. In addition, residents can also provide feedback through online forums.

Studies are then conducted to measure vehicular speed, traffic volume and pedestrian usage, which are analyzed and used to develop recommendations presented for feedback by residents. The City completes eight neighbourhood traffic reviews each year.

“Each Saskatoon neighbourhood is unique and this approach allows us to get right to the core of the issue,” says Gardiner. “Our approach values the feedback of the people who are using the area every day to help solve the issue.”

The City was presented with the “Project of the Year” award today at the PMI-NSC Annual General Meeting.  

Learn more about the City’s engagement process at saskatoon.ca/shapingsaskatoon

Mayor Donald Atchison today condemned the attack at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida.

"I was shocked and saddened at the tragedy in Orlando, Florida. Once again the world stands united against an act of terrorism and hate.  Today we grieve for the victims and offer our condolences to their families and friends.  Our thoughts and prayers are also with those who are in the hospital recovering from the attack."

“Members of the LGBTQ2 community, those with different religious beliefs, or ethnicity should be safe in our communities.  Acts of terrorism and hate must not divide us rather we must unite as a community against them."

Flags on civic buildings, already at half-mast, will now take on additional significance.  The City of Saskatoon will follow the protocols established by the Government of Saskatchewan and the Government of Canada to determine timing.

Lost-time injuries for City workers were at the lowest-recorded level in 2015, while overall average days lost to absenteeism also continued to decline and remain well below the national average for public sector employees.

“We are encouraged with the positive direction reflected in this report,” says Catherine Gryba, General Manager of Corporate Performance.  “We always look for ways to be more efficient and at the same time make health and safety a top priority in the work we do for our citizens.”

The results highlighting successes in health, safety and absenteeism are outlined in a report to be presented June 13, 2016 to the Standing Policy Committee on Environment, Utilities and Corporate Services.

The report* to the Committee shows:

-Incidents of injury/illness from the Saskatchewan Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) decreased from 121 in 2014 to 102 in 2015. 
-In 2015, lost-time injuries reached the lowest recorded frequency of 3.70 lost time days.  This is a 20% decrease from the 2014 reported lost-time injury frequency of 4.60.
-In 2015, the COS total, as well as the City (18%), Boards (10%) and Police (25%), had reductions in lost-time injuries.
-There was an overall decrease of 11% in injury severity and resultant number of work days lost per 100 employees for COS.
-Overall, for all civic employees, average days lost to absenteeism, total hours of absenteeism, and total costs of absenteeism was reduced in 2015.  The City’s average days lost is below the Statistics Canada public sector.
-Costs, hours and incidents of medium-term absences (more than 10 days and not long-term disability) continue to decrease over the last few years. 
-The majority of absenteeism is driven by short-term absences at 64% of total cost.  Incidents of short-term absences continue to increase at the City.

“These trends are the result of an increasingly successful safety culture at the City that values the wellbeing of our employees,” Gryba says.  “The trends also demonstrate everyone working for the City of Saskatoon wants to make safety a key aspect of civic operations – from beginning to end.”

Proper management of absenteeism supports the City’s Strategic Goal of Continuous Improvement and being the best-managed city in Canada.

*Throughout the Committee report, the City of Saskatoon (City) is used to denote all areas that are under the direction of the City Manager.  COS is used to denote the overall grouping of the City of Saskatoon, Saskatoon Police Service and the civic Boards. The Boards are comprised of the Saskatoon Public Library, Mendel Art Gallery (Remai Modern), SaskTel Centre and TCU Place.

Another piece of Saskatoon’s Bridging to Tomorrow project was unveiled during today’s Standing Policy Committee on Transportation. The committee was presented with a rendering of what the pathways on the south side of the new Traffic Bridge will look like.

“The rendering shows three meter wide pathways on each side of Victoria Avenue extending down the new bridge embankment and connecting to the existing Meewasin Trail,” said Dan Willems, Director of Major Projects. “The design concept will provide greatly increased functionality by enhancing pedestrian and cyclist access between the new Traffic Bridge and the Meewasin Trail in Rotary Park.”

The City’s Bridging to Tomorrow contractor, Graham Commuter Partners (GCP), will formally submit the design to the Meewasin Valley Authority over the summer months to complete Development Review. The new pathway connections will be completed with the new bridge, which remains scheduled to be complete in October 2018.

Anyone can follow Bridging to Tomorrow construction progress at saskatoon.ca/bridging. The webpage includes video updates, photos, and live webcams showing construction of the new Traffic Bridge and North Commuter Parkway. Construction viewing areas are also in place at River Landing and on the Meewasin Trail just north of the GCP construction trailer site, and from the Meewasin Trail located just east of the cul-de-sac at the north end of Kinnear Avenue (north of Silverwood Golf Course).