News Releases

A catalogue showcasing a collection of temporary public artworks that were a part of the City’s Placemaker Program from 1994 to 2015 was unveiled at the Frances Morrison Library Gallery today.

“Art challenges, engages, and inspires us to see the world in new ways,” says His Worship Mayor Charlie Clark.  “The Placemaker Program has given the City a tremendous legacy of public art over the last 20 years.  Art and culture will continue to have important places in our Strategic Plan and the future of our city.”

The City’s Placemaker Program works with the Business Improvement Districts to add significance to civic spaces.  These exhibits temporarily transform public spaces to engage with audiences and promote an appreciation for contemporary art practices.  All artwork is considered annually and selected by the Public Art Advisory Committee.  Artists can submit in any medium.  Preference is given to submissions by emerging artists and pieces that reflect Saskatoon’s unique sense of place through its people, history, culture, or landform.

“The City recognizes the significance of this catalogue,” says Director of Planning and Development, Lesley Anderson.  “We now have a reference to our past works that is not only useful, but beautiful.”

The Placemaker Artwork Catalogue is the final component of the 66 Physiognomies project, led by local artist, Jinzhe Cui, who used a multi-media approach to celebrate the program’s 20-year history.  The project started in 2015 and included a traditional Chinese-style scroll ink drawing, illustrated cards, six public events, and a video.  Now, added to the list is a catalogue to document and interpret the past Placemaker artworks.

“It has been a joy and opportunity to explore public art practice and to meet new people,” says Cui.  “During my journey of 66 Physiognomies, I have been touched by the beauty and uniqueness from the people, history, culture, art, and landscape in Saskatoon.”

The 20^th Anniversary Placemaker Artwork Catalogue is available online to the public, and a copy can be found at every Saskatoon public library branch.

The City would also like to remind artists that the 2017 Placemaker Program Call for Submissions is open until Wednesday, March 29, 2017.

The City is encouraged by the latest figures contained in the Diversity and Inclusion Annual Report for 2016. The report will be presented as information to the meeting of the Standing Policy Committee on Environment, Utilities & Corporate Services, on March 13, 2017.

“Our action planning for diversity and inclusion has become much more systematic,” says Marno McInnes, Director of Human Resources. “There is more work to do, but we’re hopeful a more focused strategy in 2017 will produce even better results.”

In particular McInnes highlights two key elements of the 2017 action plan:

• Using data and increased analysis to make more improvements.
• Using a model that finds solutions through three separate perspectives; people, systems and environmental.

“We have made some positive gains in relation to our Visible Minority workforce and we see improvements in the number of permanent position in relation to our Aboriginal workforce,” McInnes says. “Our priority as we move forward is to ensure that our current successes continue and we focus on those areas that need improvement.” 

The City has a long-standing commitment to diversity and inclusion including being an equity partner with the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission.  As an equity partner, the City commits to the basic principles and objectives which outline a larger responsibility to foster an inclusive society.  

The City is preparing to enter a formal agreement with the Saskatoon Tribal Council for a new hydropower generation project at the weir.

“The Saskatoon Weir is an ideal location for expanding the City’s clean-power generation program to hydropower,” says Kevin Hudson, Manager of Sustainable Energy for the City-owned Saskatoon Light & Power. “The benefits of this initiative will be felt across the Saskatoon Region and we are delighted to have the Saskatoon Tribal Council as a partner to make it a reality.”

The total estimated cost of the project is $61.5 - 65.2 million, which is expected to be funded by the Saskatoon Tribal Council and private-sector partners, off-set by revenue generated by the power station and funding from other green-energy funding sources.

“First Nations can benefit from employment, training and education opportunities that extend beyond the construction phase of this project,” says Darrell Balkwill, Chair of STC Investments Inc. “We are confident that the investment returns from this project will allow us to continue to support community infrastructure and social programs in our member communities.”

Earlier pre-feasibility and environmental baseline studies concluded the project was technically feasible and could be economically viable over the long-term without any significant disruption to the ecology of the area or negative downstream effects to the river valley. The project has been on hold since last presented to City Council in 2015 until funding could be identified.

The project will involve restoring the weir’s current infrastructure, and the construction of a river crossing for pedestrians and cyclists that will be wider, safer and more accessible than the current one on the CP Rail Bridge.

For more details and preliminary renderings of the hydropower station and site, visit saskatoon.ca/hydropower.

In an unprecedented partnership, several Saskatchewan organizations have joined together to explore the opportunities that resulted from land claims settlements.  Prosperity Through Partnerships, the last of a three-part series on creating wealth through the land claim settlement process is taking place March 8 and 9, 2017  (today and tomorrow) between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. at TCU Place in Saskatoon.

The conference will examine:

• The reserve creation process for the purpose of working together through local and provincial partnerships in Saskatchewan;
• How to increase economic prosperity and the quality of life for both First Nations and the wider public in the province by identifying actions for enhancing Aboriginal well-being and participation in our community; and
• How business communities have entered an era of newfound partnership and prosperity with Saskatchewan First Nations, urban and rural municipalities, which began with the 1992 Saskatchewan Treaty Land Entitlement Framework Agreement.

The three-part conference series is a partnership between the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, the City of Saskatoon, the City of Regina, Aboriginal and Northern Development Canada, the Government of Saskatchewan, the Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Authority and the Saskatchewan First Nations Economic Development Network.

Prior events focused on financial and resource partners and additions to reserves for community development.

Implementation of Saskatoon’s Homelessness Action Plan (Action Plan) will be a key priority for the City over the next few years.  The creation of new, affordable rental units, supported by City initiatives, will provide options for those who lack a safe and affordable place to call home.

The Action Plan was released in November 2016, by a Steering Committee representing a variety of stakeholders in the community.  Last week, City Council approved funding for implementation of the Action Plan.  The plan will be implemented by the Saskatoon Housing Initiatives Partnership over the next five years.

“The majority of the City’s funding for attainable housing is directed towards affordable rental housing, including transitional housing for those leaving homeless shelters,” says Director of Planning and Development, Lesley Anderson.  “Affordable rental housing will continue to be a focus in 2017 and 2018, alongside the implementation of Saskatoon’s Homelessness Action Plan.”

The recently released Annual Status Report on the Housing Business Plan 2013-2022 shows that the City’s supply of affordable and transitional rental housing is growing along with other types of attainable housing supported by the Housing Business Plan.

                              Results Achieved in the Housing Plan’s First Five Years

For more information on the Housing Business Plan and the work the City is doing in this area, please visit www.saskatoon.ca/housing or call 306-975-3340.