News Releases

The City’s Snow Angel Program is making sidewalk clearing a little easier for Saskatoon residents. Diane Woodley is one of the people who received help from her neighbours this winter and wanted to make sure they were recognized for their efforts.

His Worship, Mayor Charlie Clark, today thanked and presented a gift to this month’s winners of the Snow Angel Program prize draw.

“The Snow Angel Program is a great reminder that we are all in this together,” says Mayor Charlie Clark. “It’s about kind acts by people like the Hutchence family, taking the time to help their neighbours. And it’s one way we can come together to build a safe winter city where everyone can get outside and enjoy it.”

Diane Woodley nominated Snow Angels Tom, Katrina, Henry (3) and Andrew (6) Hutchence. Woodley is extremely grateful for the help, having undergone a knee and hip replacement.

“Every time it snows, Tom, Katrina and their sons clear my sidewalk and driveway,” says Woodley. “But, I don’t think Henry has quite figured out how it works yet. While his parents and older brother push snow off my driveway, he moves little piles of snow back on to it.”

When helping others clear their snow and ice there are some important points to remember:

• Always shovel snow on private property and not on the street.
• Chip at ice during the warm daylight hours when it is soft, and easier to break.
• Spread sand on icy patches to increase traction and make it easier to remove ice later.
• Use commercially available de-icing materials before and after ice forms.
• Watch for ice humps that are formed when water drips off of buildings and then freezes on pathways.
• To report an uncleared or dangerous sidewalk, please contact the City Bylaw Inspector at 306-975-3193.
• Residents are reminded to be safe and always exercise caution when working outside and clearing snow and ice for themselves and others.  

To nominate a Snow Angel please visit saskatoon.ca/snow and fill out the form or submit your nomination by mail to 222 3rd Avenue North, Saskatoon SK, S7K 0J5 or in person at City Hall. Those nominated will receive a thank you and be entered into a prize draw. 

The City of Saskatoon is inviting local non-profit organizations who have a project that would improve quality of life in the winter season to apply for a WinterCityYXE Grant.

Grants ranging from $500 to $5,000 will be awarded to eligible organizations for projects that can be executed next winter and further the goals and objectives of the Winter City Strategy:

• Winter Life: Getting out, celebrating, and enjoying the fun quality of life we have here, even in the coldest months of the year.
• Winter Design: Improving community comfort and accessibility for everyone, even in the ice and snow. 
• Winter Culture: Building enthusiasm for winter, taking advantage of winter opportunities, and telling the story of our winter city.
• Winter Economy: Addressing challenges associated with winter to create a more vibrant economy in the winter.

Figures released today from the 2016 Census reveal Saskatoon added more people than any other community in the province.

“This reinforces the message that Saskatchewan is increasingly urban – 90 per cent of the population growth in the province between 2011 and 2016 happened in Saskatoon, Regina, and their surrounding communities,” says Mayor Charlie Clark. 

“For Saskatoon, we’ve added the equivalent of about five new cities; in the region, we’ve added more than six and a half. This is remarkable growth.”

The data collected by Statistics Canada show the annual average population growth rate in Saskatoon was 2.2% between 2011 and 2016.  Saskatoon grew by 24 thousand people; this accounts for nearly a quarter of the entire provincial population for the same period:

In comparison, the province grew by 6.3% over between 2011 and 2016, or 1.26 % per year.

When the Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) is considered, over half of the provincial population growth occurred in the Saskatoon region:

“Cities are where the people are going and where the jobs are going,” Mayor Clark says.  Cities are playing an increasingly important role in the future of the province.”

The Census also counts 98,565 dwellings in the city of Saskatoon in 2016 which is an increase of 7,629 occupied dwellings or 7.7% over 2011.

The Saskatoon CMA is made up of the city of Saskatoon and 24 surrounding municipalities and Indian Reserves.

Saskatchewan was the third fastest growing Province or Territory behind Nunavut and Alberta and the second fastest growing province.

The City now has ten new firefighters ready to provide emergency rescue, medical and firefighting service to our community.  The Saskatoon Fire Department today graduated ten firefighters who will now begin their careers with the fire service.

“Today we celebrate the accomplishment of each one of these individuals,” says Fire Chief Morgan Hackl.  “They’ve been through a rigorous process and this public recognition is an appropriate celebration of their tremendous achievement. We welcome them to our fire family.”

In addition to being firefighters, the graduates are also Primary Care Paramedics. Saskatoon Fire Department ensures that every fire crew has members who are firefighter/paramedics. In 2016, the Saskatoon Fire Department responded to 12,286 incidents. Of those, 5,573 were life-threatening medical emergencies.

Hackl says the graduation also demonstrates a move toward enhanced front-line emergency care and the investment City Council continues to make for emergency services.

“The Fire Department’s ability to help visitors and residents of Saskatoon in a wide variety of emergencies makes our department a unique and fulfilling place to work.  It also makes our city a great place to live.”
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Backgrounder

• The new firefighters graduated from a fire college recognized by the Saskatoon Fire Department.
• All are licenced Primary Care Paramedics by the Saskatchewan College of Paramedics.
• At Fire College, each of the new firefighters completed basic training in firefighting, technical rescue, hazardous material mitigation and fire inspections.
• The Saskatoon Fire Department received 99 applications; 48 applicants had every requirement, including proof of a fitness test to confirm they are capable of such a physically demanding job; 31 of the qualified applicants were selected for an initial interview and 24 were invited to an eight-hour ride-along at a fire station.
• The candidates underwent a second interview which narrowed the search to the ten recruits. Candidates still had to successfully complete a medical, vision and hearing test as a well as undergo a Criminal Record Check.  The recruits began their orientation with the department January 16, 2017.
• Throughout their careers, firefighters have opportunities to receive further technical training if they join the Saskatoon Fire Department dangerous goods team or technical rescue team which includes: water, dive, night dive and ice rescue; low and high angle rescue; confined space rescue and trench rescue.

Saskatoon Transit is launching its Class Trip Program. This pilot program, running until June 2017, offers free transit service to teachers, students and chaperones traveling on class field trips. Classes will be able to travel on regular transit routes between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. at no charge.

“Moving students around the city can be expensive for teachers and parents,” says Jim McDonald, Director of Saskatoon Transit. “We see this as a way to make cultural and recreational activities around the city more accessible for teachers who want to take their lessons outside the classroom.”

Free transit service will eliminate the barrier of transportation costs for teachers wishing to take their students on a field trip. Through this program, Saskatoon Transit hopes to highlight the benefit of using transit and how to use and ride the bus.  

“If we can get students interested in public transit, or at least show them how it works, there’s a good chance they’ll see the benefit of using the system in the future,” McDonald says. “The program will offer teachers enough flexibility while having minimal impact on riders traveling during peak periods.”

Teachers can book their class trip two weeks in advance through the online form found on the Saskatoon Transit website.