News Releases

Today, the City and Wanuskewin Heritage Park (Wanuskewin) entered into an agreement to lease a tract of public land for $1 per year for 99 years.  The agreement is in support of Wanuskewin’s renewal campaign.

Part of Wanuskewin’s vision for renewal is to become the first United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage site in Saskatchewan.

“Wanuskewin links our past to the present,” says Mayor Donald Atchison.  “Today, we are planning for the future of the Saskatoon region, which includes aligning the City’s cultural strategy with innovative approaches like the Wanuskewin UNESCO project.  We must protect this unique part of history and promote our cultural heritage.”

In support of this vision, the City developed a long-term lease agreement for approximately 152 hectares (375 acres) of adjacent City-owned lands for $1 per year for 99 years.

“The City of Saskatoon recognizes the significance of Wanuskewin’s revitalization vision and the benefits the development will bring to the city, the region, and our entire province,” says City Manager, Murray Totland.

Wanuskewin’s renewal project is multi-faceted and involves:

• preserving the ecology and biodiversity of the site;
• expanding the land base to meet UNESCO’s buffer criteria; and
• returning a small herd of Plains bison to its native prairie habitat.

“If ever a legacy exists, the story of the Indigenous peoples of the Northern Plains is one that must be told in a manner respectful of the millions that were here before us – in culture, spiritual integrity, and the environment,” says Wanuskewin CEO, Dana Soonias.  “Wanuskewin is excited to embark on this journey and we are grateful to the City of Saskatoon, which has committed to helping us achieve our remarkable vision.”

Wanuskewin’s plans include renovating and expanding the facility to attract international exhibitions, conferences, and special events; expanding the art gallery and showcasing Plains Indigenous art in Canada; dedicating additional green space and grassland reclamation; and increasing Saskatoon’s reputation as a global tourism destination.

“From the beginning, the City of Saskatoon has been a key partner,” says Wanuskewin Board Chair, Candace Wasacase-Lafferty.  “With the renewal of a 99-year lease, the City has once again demonstrated visionary leadership to preserve and protect this extraordinary historic Indigenous gathering place for future generations of Canadians.”

On June 17, 2016, Wanuskewin publicly revealed a team of exceptional community leaders who have committed to help Wanuskewin realize its ambitious plan, led by both Wayne Brownlee, Executive Vice President/Chief Financial Officer of PotashCorp, and Felix Thomas, Chief of the Saskatoon Tribal Council.

UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, aims to build intercultural understanding through the protection of heritage and support for cultural diversity.  There is a stringent application process, which is managed in Canada by Parks Canada.  Inscribing a site on the World Heritage List is not the end of the story; site managers and local authorities continuously work toward managing, monitoring, and preserving World Heritage properties.

Saskatoon Transit is excited to launch real time transit tracking through the third party developers, Transit App and Google Transit. This initiative provides improved GPS information for bus locations on individual routes throughout Saskatoon. Real time transit tracking will allow customers to see the location of their bus in real time and see how many minutes until the next bus arrives, which will limit wait times at bus stops.  

“We are very excited to announce that real time transit tracking is available on all scheduled Saskatoon Transit routes,” says Jim McDonald, Director of Saskatoon Transit. “This is great news for our customers because it gives them the power to better plan their day with less fear of missing the bus.”

Real time transit tracking through Transit App and Google Transit will result in better trip planning, less wait times and fewer missed connections. Customers who are currently using Transit App are not required to take any action, they will now see accurate arrival times on their selected routes within the app. Residents wishing to try Transit App on their mobile device can download it from the App Store or Google Play. Customers who prefer Google Transit can simply open Google Maps on their phone or desktop and start planning.

“Transit buses will be tracked by GPS which is huge for helping riders know exactly where their bus is. Now you can look at your phone, see that your bus is only eight minutes away and perfectly time your walk to the bus stop,” McDonald says. 

In the future, Transit App and Google Transit will allow users to receive in app notifications on transit news, major detours and delays. It is a fully functional trip planner that gives you real time information on bus locations. When planning, users will see all route options with transfer points, walk times and real time arrival information.

This service improvement falls under the Systems pillar of Service Saskatoon which aims to make it easier for citizens to access information. The data from real time transit tracking is available to other app developers through the Service Saskatoon open data license.

The Bridging to Tomorrow Project is running on schedule, with completion of the North Commuter Parkway, new Traffic Bridge, and related road infrastructure slated for completion in October of 2018. Graham Commuter Partners (GCP) has been contracted to carry out the entire project.

“A lot of progress has been made since work started in late 2015,” says Dan Willems, Director of Major Projects. “Right now, GCP is mainly focused on pier and road construction for the North Commuter Parkway, intersection improvements at Central Avenue and Attridge Drive, and next week, they will start putting up the south span of the new Traffic Bridge.”

The new Traffic Bridge will support the growing city centre by allowing drivers, pedestrians and cyclists to cross the South Saskatchewan River. Once complete, it will resemble the original bridge, but will be wider. It is being built with weathering steel which will initially result in a two tone colour, but will eventually turn the entire bridge into one brown colour tone. Demolition of the last original Traffic Bridge span is scheduled for November.

The North Commuter Parkway will support the transportation needs of citizens who live in Saskatoon’s northeast and work in the Marquis and North Industrial Areas. As a result of the new bridge and roadways, upgrades are required at Central Avenue and Attridge Drive in order to accommodate additional traffic and minimize congestion. The widening of this this intersection as well as the realignment of the eastbound off-ramp from Circle Drive East to Attridge Drive, is expected to wrap up by November of 2016.  

Bridging to Tomorrow project updates, including detailed monthly summaries, links to live cameras at each bridge site, and quarterly video updates, are available at saskatoon.ca/bridging. In person, anyone can watch Traffic Bridge progress at the River Landing viewing area. North Commuter Parkway construction can be viewed from the Meewasin Trail just east of the cul de sac at the north end of Kinnear Avenue (north of Silverwood Golf Course).

Two key intersections are scheduled for improvements in the coming weeks to help lessen traffic congestion, increase accessibility and ultimately improve safety. 

The Intersection Improvement Project Selection Process was created last year to prioritize key intersections that would benefit from improvements. This year, the intersections of Warman Road and 51st Street as well as Diefenbaker Drive and 22nd Street are in need of better safety measures and traffic flow.

“The intersection of Warman Road and 51st Street will be part of the North Commuter Parkway route scheduled to open in 2018,” says Angela Gardiner, Director of Transportation. “We know traffic patterns at this intersection are going to change when the bridge opens. So, work is being done in advance to ensure this area is ready to safely handle these changes.” 

Diefenbaker Drive and 22nd Street is also identified as an intersection that can expect significant changes in traffic volume, with eastbound and westbound traffic volumes expected to more than double in the coming years due to growth in the city. In addition, 22nd Street has also been identified as a likely bus rapid transit corridor so upgrades to this intersection will address pedestrian access and improve traffic flow and safety. 

Work on the intersections will include the modification of medians, the addition of left hand turn bays, moving of street lights, culvert modifications to improve water flow, and new pedestrian islands that will be larger with ramps for crossing in all directions. Work is scheduled to begin on the Diefenbaker Drive intersection on August 29. Work on the Warman Road intersection starts September 6 with both projects scheduled to be completed the week of November 10.

“While not as significant as in previous years, safe and easy to use roadways continue to be the top priority for people in Saskatoon,” Gardiner says. “With fewer people identifying it as their number one issue, that tells us we are making progress on our roadways and traffic management.”

Alluding to year-over-year results in the Civic Services Survey, Gardiner says it shows the City is meeting its goal of continuous improvement.

“The Civic Services Survey reflects a trend that the public is more satisfied with sidewalk maintenance, the maintenance of major roadways, freeways, back lanes and streets in community neighbourhoods.”

Gardiner points out public satisfaction is also up in how the City manages traffic flow and signage.  

“Our goal is to lessen traffic congestion, improve accessibility and ultimately improve safety. We know from the survey our investment is definitely making a difference.”

For results of the Civic Services Survey please see pages 18 & 21 (of the survey document).

For more details on the Intersection Improvement Project, please visit saskatoon.ca/intersectionimprovements.

As always, residents are reminded to slow down, pay attention and obey signage around work zones at all times. For more information, please visit saskatoon.ca/betterroads. 

August 17, 2016 Meeting

8.1.1 Saskatoon Municipal Review Commission Elections Committee Recommendations – Request of Amend Legislation

Decision

*The Committee received the report as information.

Additional Information

*In accordance with City Council’s instructions in January, the City Solicitor communicated with the Province requesting various amendments to The Local Government Election Act and The Cities Act. A response was received from the Province and the report summarizes the Province’s response.