News Releases

Recently the Saskatoon Fire Department has seen a significant increase in garage fires. Since October we have gone to seven garage fires. The total damage estimate for those fires was $549,000. In 2013 we went to four garage fires from October to the end of December with the damage estimated at $145,000.

The causes of the recent garage fires varied from welding to even cooking. Any activity that involves heat can lead to a garage fire.

Fire requires fuel (any flammable material), oxygen and a heat source. Garages generally have flammable material stored in them and oxygen is plentiful. All we need is a heat source and the potential for a devastating fire is there.

Most of the recent garage fires started after a resident used their garage and then left. In many cases a tiny fire grew into a large fire before anyone noticed it. Often garages do not have a smoke detector that could have given an early warning.

As the last few months have shown, there are many potential heat sources out there but the result is the same – a garage and its contents destroyed by fire. If you have a garage fire, do not open the garage door since that gives the fire more oxygen, and call 9-1-1 immediately. 

The Saskatoon Fire Department encourages residents to be extra careful when they use their garage. Be conscious of potential heat sources that you have used and make sure that there is no possibility that a fire could start.

The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women is on Saturday, December 6, 2014. In recognition, flags at all City of Saskatoon facilities will fly at half-mast.

Established in 1991 by the Parliament of Canada, December 6 marks the anniversary of the 1989 murders of 14 young women at l’Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal. The day is an opportunity for Canadians to reflect on the phenomenon of violence against women in our society and remember those who have died as a result of gender-based violence. 

The City of Saskatoon (City) Leisure Guide will be delivered to every home in Saskatoon on Wednesday, December 10, 2014, and available for pick up at any indoor Leisure Centre, City Hall, or Saskatoon Public Library location.  The guide will be available online beginning Monday, December 8, 2014, at www.saskatoon.ca/go/leisureguide.
The Leisure Guide is Saskatoon’s go-to source for fitness programs, recreational activities, and arts and culture opportunities for all ages and abilities.  Stay warm and stay active all winter long with the many options provided by the City of Saskatoon!  Highlights of the Winter (January 1 to March 31, 2015) Leisure Guide include:

• Information about programs at Saskatoon’s six civic Leisure Centres (Cosmo Civic Centre, Harry Bailey Aquatic Centre, Lakewood and Lawson Civic Centres, Saskatoon Field House, and Shaw Centre) including:
• Public, Parent & Tot skating, and ice rentals at four indoor rinks;
• Free outdoor skating at the Clarence Downey Speed Skating Oval and more than 40 free outdoor community rinks across the city;
• Cross-country skiing at eight groomed trails around Saskatoon;
• Special events throughout the winter season including Family Day Skate and winter programming at the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo;
• Exercise classes, learning, and volunteer opportunities offered by your neighbourhood Community Associations; and
• much, much more, including many arts, culture, and recreational services offered by other organizations in Saskatoon!

Registration begins Sunday, December 14, 2014, at 6:00 p.m. by calling 306-975-2800 or online at www.leisureonline.saskatoon.ca.  Starting Monday, December 15, 2014, at 6:30 a.m., all Leisure Centres will be accepting walk-in registrations. 

Registered programs are very popular and fill up fast!  Many people will be registering Sunday evening, and the City sincerely thanks citizens for their patience.  Additional online and telephone resources are in place for the registration process.  With that in mind, there are still thousands of people registering at once, so here are some helpful tips to help you be prepared:

• You will require a Client ID Number and Family PIN to register online.  To set one up or if you forgot yours, phone any Leisure Centre prior to Sunday, December 14, 2014. 
• Have a list of second and third program choices just in case you don’t get into your first choice.
• Join the waiting list!  Every full program has an online waiting list, and new classes may be created if there is enough demand.
• Consider other nearby Leisure Centres if your nearest location isn't available.
• Ensure your major web browser (Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox, Google Chrome) is up-to-date.

Get the Guide!  Keep the Guide!

For more City of Saskatoon Public Service Announcements, News Releases, Traffic Detours and Service Alerts, visit www.saskatoon.ca or connect with the City of Saskatoon on Twitter and Facebook.

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The City of Saskatoon reminds residents that the online survey to gather public input on possibilities for Saskatoon’s Growth Plan to Half a Million (Growth Plan) closes at midnight Sunday, December 7, 2014.  Have your say!  Visit www.shapingsaskatoon.ca to review the information and participate in one or more of the online surveys and forums on Corridor Growth, Transit, Core Area Bridges, and Employment Areas. 

The Growth Plan is made up of several parts that will fit together to form a new growth model for Saskatoon – one that will provide more choices for residents to move around the city while making it easier to work, shop, and play closer to home as our population doubles over the next 30 to 40 years.

Public consultation will be ongoing throughout the development of the Growth Plan.  To learn more and get involved, please visit the Growing Forward! Shaping Saskatoon website at www.growingfwd.ca.

For more City of Saskatoon Public Service Announcements, News Releases, Traffic Detours, and Service Alerts, visit www.saskatoon.ca or connect with the City of Saskatoon on Twitter and Facebook.

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The notifynow test run by Saskatoon’s Emergency Measures Organization was a success based on the feedback from residents and the system data generated. Residents called with questions about the test but in many instances recognized that notifynow is an important life safety service which will be tested twice a year and used to notify them of important emergencies in their neighbourhood.

Since our last test about 6,000 residents of Saskatoon have signed up to specifically choose how they would like to be contacted in an emergency. Thursday’s test indicated that our database is over 90% accurate and plans are in place to improve that percentage. This time we were able to contact the 99,159 persons listed in the database within 50 minutes. Practically this means that we would be able to send a critical life safety notification to an entire neighbourhood within approximately two minutes.

Any well-run test is an opportunity for the organizers to learn and make improvements. Our initial test in May of 2014 was to over 93,000 phone numbers or email addresses and took more than 2.5 hours. This time the test was completed in approximately 50 minutes because we slowed the system down to an acceptable level for the provincial telephone system and did not allow the notifynow to leave a voice message. In a critical life safety emergency the system will leave a message.

It is important that residents recognize notifynow as a life safety notification system and are prepared to take the necessary actions to protect their safety.

From an emergency management perspective it is equally important that residents realize that they need to take the time to confirm that they have heard the message. If a contact point hung up before confirming that they listened to the message (in this case pressing 1) or do not reply to the text message or email, the system will continue to try to reach them. In an emergency every life is important and we need to be able to confirm who has received the information and which homes we need to continue to try to reach.

Notifynow is not a news service; it is a life safety service that will rapidly send critical life safety messages to citizens who would potentially be affected so they can take appropriate actions.