News Releases

Saskatoon is re-imagining how we grow and move around our city by addressing our community and infrastructure needs for transit, cycling, walking and other modes of transportation in support of the City’s Plan for Growth.

“We’re at a critical time in considering how we’re going to develop our city for the future. The input we’ve received from members of the community has helped to shape the plan for Bus Rapid Transit, and we’re looking forward to continue working with citizens to identify the best ways to implement it in the coming years,” says Lesley Anderson, Director of Planning & Development. “This Special meeting will help lay out all the information in one place on both the Transit Plan and BRT, as well as the Downtown AAA Cycling Network”

Over the past eight months, the City has engaged with community members and stakeholders regarding the new Transit Plan – based around Bus Rapid Transit and the Downtown All Ages and Abilities Cycling Network. The next step in the engagement process for these projects involves Civic Administration presenting associated information reports at a Special Governance and Priorities Committee meeting on June 20, 2018.

In preparation for growth, citizens should be aware that their voice is significant in shaping these projects. Whether it’s through submitting comments and/or speaking in person, every form of engagement is essential in connecting to the big picture, which is presenting these projects to City Council for approval in Fall/Winter 2018.  

“We are at a very exciting time in our history, developing mobility options for customers of the future,” says Michael Moellenbeck, Acting Director of Saskatoon Transit. “Bus Rapid Transit, the Transit Plan and the AAA Cycling Network are initiatives about which we have had great conversations within the community and we are using those comments to adjust proposals into plans. There will be more engagement required as we work to develop the final plans but this special meeting will provide us with an excellent starting point.”

The selected streets for the downtown AAA cycling network are: 19th Street, 23rd Street, 4th Avenue, and Idylwyld Drive.

“These streets were selected based on a detailed understanding of trade-offs between the variety of users and functions these downtown streets serve, striving to achieve a balance amongst all users,” says Jay Magus, Acting Director of Transportation.

“The proposed Downtown AAA cycling network introduces a three-and-a-half kilometre network of downtown cycling facilities, providing an interconnected system of facilities that is comfortable and attractive for most users.”

Should citizens want to submit a letter or have their voice heard during this event, it is asked that they submit a “request to speak” using the following link: https://www.saskatoon.ca/write-letter-councilcommittees 

Plan for Growth projects are funded in part under the Public Transit Infrastructure Fund (PTIF) from the Government of Canada. The Government of Saskatchewan administers federal PTIF funding in the Province. The City is funding the remainder of the Plan.

To learn more about the Transit Plan, visit saskatoon.ca/transit-plan  and for the Downtown All Ages and Abilities Cycling Network, visit saskatoon.ca/AAA-Cycling-Network

Learn more about engagement opportunities by visiting saskatoon.ca/engage.

Dori Krahn of the Saskatoon Fire Department, has been selected by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to receive a Star Scholarship Award for her dedication in effectively reaching the public with fire safety education. As an award recipient, Dori is currently attending NFPA’s Conference & Expo Spotlight on Public Education (SOPE), a 2-day event for fire and life safety educators and others interested in public education and community risk reduction, in Las Vegas, Nevada. She is participating in training sessions, conference events, and a networking reception. NFPA’s Conference & Expo serves as the premier annual event for fire, electrical, and building safety.

“Dori has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to reducing Saskatoon residents’ risk to fire and related hazards,” said Laura King, regional education specialist for NFPA’s Canadian Public Education Division. “She is truly deserving of this award, and we’re thrilled to have her attend this year’s conference.”

Assistant Chief Wayne Rodger added “Dori identified a need within our community and has championed a program that meets the needs for older adults, including education, recommendations on fire and fall prevention as well as forging solid relationships with the Saskatoon Council on Ageing and the Saskatchewan Health Authority to provide further health care services.”

NFPA chose 12 scholarship recipients from the United States and Canada who provide consistent and innovative outreach to their community; actively use and implement NFPA resources and programs including Learn Not to Burn®, Remembering When™, or Fire Prevention Week; promote NFPA in their community, state or province; and/or are new, enthusiastic, fire and life safety educators interested in learning about NFPA programs and materials.

Winners were selected by NFPA’s Regional Education Specialists and Canadian Public Education Representative. Each scholarship is valued at approximately $2,000 and includes travel, conference registration, and lodging.

On behalf of the Saskatoon Fire Department, congratulations to Dori Krahn on your national recognition and continued commitment to our community!

​Today, 19 high school students will successfully graduate from the FIRE Cadet Program. Each of these students has demonstrated responsibility, respect, teamwork, community involvement, pride, and leadership to get to this point.

The FIRE Cadet Program is supported by the Saskatoon Public Schools and Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools, and is part of the Career Education Program at Bedford Road Collegiate, Mount Royal Collegiate, Tommy Douglas Collegiate, E.D. Feehan Catholic High School, Bethlehem Catholic High School, Bishop James Mahoney Catholic High School, and Holy Cross Catholic High School. Students from these schools applied to be a part of the program and were selected after an interview process.

“The FIRE Cadets have displayed impressive levels of teamwork and growth throughout their time with the Saskatoon Fire Department. The students came from a diverse set of backgrounds and interests, but quickly developed a sense of comradery. It’s a unique and rewarding experience to help lead these students and watch them work together to achieve various tasks and challenges” said Holly Lindberg, one of the firefighters leading the program.

Throughout the eight week program cadets learned to operate fire hoses, hydrants, fire trucks, and an aerial. They gained technical rope, ladder, extrication, dangerous goods, firefighter self-rescue, and water rescue skills. Cadets also received the CPR Level C and valuable experience giving fire safety presentations.

Brandon Bishop with the Saskatoon Fire Department states, “The support we have received from our community has been instrumental in the success of our students and the program. Don Flaman from Flaman Sales provided us with a trailer for the entire length of the program, SGI provided us with cars to allow our students to practice their extrication skills, and FFUN Motor Group provided the program with a van to shuttle the students to and from training sessions”.

Congratulations to each student who is graduating from the FIRE Cadet Program today!

On June 11, Administration will bring a series of recommendations around curbside waste management to the Environment, Utilities, and Corporate Services Committee of Council. Administration is recommending that a Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) waste utility and city-wide organics program be launched together before the end of 2019.

“A successful waste diversion program, which includes more comprehensive organics and recycling programs, is critical to deferring the closure of the landfill,” says Brenda Wallace, Director of Environmental and Corporate Initiatives. “It would cost an estimated 26 million dollars to close the existing landfill and 100 million dollars to establish a new one. We are excited and optimistic that so many of our engagement participants share our vision and are committed to diverting waste from our landfill.”

Additional details of the recommendation can be found in the June 11, 2018 report to Committee (Recommended Changes to Waste Management in Saskatoon) and include:

• that organics be collected in a single green cart for co-mingled food and yard waste;
• that waste utility fees be based on cart sizes (lower prices for smaller carts);
• and that no changes be made to the existing recycling program.

To help inform the recommendations, the City held a series of engagement activities between February 12 and March 6 as part of the Saskatoon Talks Trash campaign.  The primary purpose of community engagement was to ensure that changes to waste management in Saskatoon are feasible, desirable, and community-informed in their design and implementation. Residents and stakeholders were informed about city-wide organics and a variable-rate waste utility and were asked to provide feedback based on their preferences, value, and priorities. They were also invited to share ideas about recycling, depots, and other programs that could contribute to the City's goal of 70% waste diversion by 2023. 

"We're happy to report that over 5,000 residents participated in community engagement," Wallace says. "We heard you, Saskatoon! The input and ideas we received from our residents and stakeholders is invaluable, and was instrumental in helping to shape the recommendations being brought forward."

For more information regarding curbside engagement results and the recommendations being brought forward, visit: saskatoon.ca/engage/saskatoon-talks-trash-curbside

For more information on the City’s Waste Diversion Plan, visit: saskatoon.ca/wastediversion.

Community engagement with multi-unit (apartments and condos) residents and property managers is currently underway. The purpose of this engagement is to get valuable feedback and insights on organics, waste diversion, and existing services. Engagement with institutional, commercial, and industrial stakeholders will begin in fall 2018.

The federal government announced today that Saskatoon is a finalist for the federal government’s Smart Cities Challenge. 

The Smart Cities Challenge is a national competition that invites communities to implement bold ideas to address enduring challenges through innovation, data and connected technology. Saskatoon’s application has brought together a wide range of Indigenous, community, and institutional partners to focus on breaking the cycle of Indigenous youth incarceration. The application proposes to create a new cycle based on integrated and coordinated data and programs that build purpose, belonging, security and identity. 

“Through our engagement, our partners and residents have told us that Saskatchewan’s incarceration rates, and in particular Indigenous youth incarceration rates, are at a shameful level,” said Mayor Charlie Clark. “This has a price for all of us in our community and our country. We have an incredible group of partners, and most importantly, we will work directly with Indigenous youth so that this work remains grounded in lived experiences.”

By being selected as a finalist in this competition, the City of Saskatoon has been awarded a prize of $250,000 to more fully develop its proposal. The City will continue work with community partners to develop an innovative technology platform and coordinated programmatic system that will support youth to make choices that reduce the chances of incarceration. 

“We are beyond thrilled to have been selected to move on to the next phase in the Challenge,” says Lynne Lacroix, Director of Recreation and Community Development. “Saskatoon residents, institutions and businesses worked together to successfully and innovatively rise to the challenge, and we have now been given a genuine opportunity to put forward our final proposal that could lead to transformational change to the wellbeing of residents and overall quality of life in our city.”

The community and institutional partners include:

Central Urban Métis Federation Inc.

Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools

Saskatchewan Health Authority

Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technology

Saskatchewan Polytechnic

Saskatoon Police Service

Saskatoon Public Schools

Saskatoon Tribal Council

United Way of Saskatoon and area

University of Saskatchewan

There will be additional partners included in this next phase.

The final proposals are due in the coming winter with the winners being announced in early 2019. The competition that Saskatoon has entered is for communities with a population of under 500,000 residents, and there are two prizes of $10 million available to be won in this category.