News Releases

The Saskatchewan Labour Relations Board (LRB) found the City was not in a legal position to lock out workers of the Amalgamated Transit Union, 615 (ATU) September 20.  As a result the panel has ordered the City to lift the lockout and pay the Transit Union damages.

“We are surprised and disappointed at the Labour Board’s ruling,” says City Solicitor Patricia Warwick.  “This decision flies in the face of 70 years of law in Saskatchewan.  Unfortunately today’s ruling is also another distraction.  It gets us no closer to solving any of the contract issues and in fact, the ruling has serious long-term implications.”

The City believes the lockout was legal because the workplace complaint was not pending because the complaint had not yet been heard at a formally constituted meeting of the LRB and therefore, not “pending before the board.”

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.

When visiting the Woodlawn Cemetery, the City of Saskatoon (City) reminds visitors of the guidelines for gravesite memorials, which are intended to maintain a pleasant environment and respect the final resting place of loved ones.

Only approved monuments or memorials are considered permanent items and are permitted to remain in the cemetery year round.  All other items placed on a gravesite, flowerbed, monument, or concrete foundation are considered temporary and need to be removed weekly.  Flowers and other items are permitted on the gravesite the day of the burial and will be left for a period of seven calendar days.  After this time period, items will be removed by the City.  Please note, the City does not take responsibility for any removed, damaged, or missing items placed in the cemetery by the public.

From May 1 to October 15:

Families may establish a flowerbed at the gravesite (with the exception of Military burials in the “Field of Honour” and flat marker areas) upon approval from the Cemetery Office.  Annual flowers are allowed, provided they do not hang over the edge of the flowerbed or impede maintenance of adjacent gravesites.

Items not allowed within flowerbeds include shrubs, perennials, decorative fencing, rocks, stones, concrete, and breakable or fragile items.

The City assumes no responsibility for the appearance, maintenance, and fall cleanup of approved flowerbeds planted by the public.  If flowerbeds are neglected, they will be removed.

The Cemetery Office is open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding statutory holidays.  All inquiries should be directed to the Cemetery Office at 306-975-3308.

The City would also like to remind visitors of Woodlawn Cemetery’s participation in iCemetery, a free third-party app for mobile devices that can be used for locating loved ones buried in Woodlawn Cemetery.  Visitors can search by first and last name, view the burial plot detail, and be guided to the actual location of the plot within the cemetery using GPS data from your mobile phone.

iCemetery is free for download at the Apple App Store (https://itunes.apple.com/app) for iPhone, iPad, and iTouch devices and at Google Play (http://play.google.com/store/apps) for Android mobile devices.

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. 

NEW
33RD ST WB CURB (OUTSIDE) LANE CLOSED APPROACHING CIRCLE DR OVERPASS
(Guardrail repairs)
Start: October 17, 7:30 a.m. End: October 17, 9:30 a.m.
20TH ST EB & WB MEDIAN (INSIDE) LANES CLOSED FROM AVE J TO AVE L
(Sanitary Lining)
Ave K S NB & SB median (inside) lanes closed from 19th St to 20th St
Start: October 17, 9:00 a.m. End: October 17, 6:00 p.m.

IDYLWYLD DR SB MEDIAN (INSIDE) LANE CLOSED APPROACHING HWY 16 OVERPASS
(Guardrail repairs)
Start: October 17, 9:30 a.m. End: October 17, 12:00 p.m.
ONGOING
PRESTON AVE NB & CORNISH RD/HUNTER RD INTERSECTION RESTRICTIONS
(Intersection reconstruction)
Access to Stonebridge via Preston Ave will be maintained:
Preston Ave SB to Cornish Rd WB will be maintained. NB traffic will be detoured via the new Willis Cres which now joins Preston Ave.
Hunter Rd WB to Preston Ave NB will remain open for morning rush hour, the restriction will be in place from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. each day.
Start: October 14, 9:00 a.m. End: October 18, 8:00 p.m.

AIRPORT DR NB LANES CLOSED FROM GATEWAY BLVD TO THE AIRPORT
(Roadway improvements)
Two-way traffic accommodated in SB lanes. 45th St W closed from Airport Dr to Koyl Ave
Start: August 20, 1:00 p.m. End: October 29, 6:00 p.m.

All restrictions will be lifted as indicated, weather permitting and barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Slow down, pay attention and respect work zones. Watch for pedestrians and work crews, and for everyone’s safety, please obey all detours, signs and barriers.

Know before you go! Plan your route around road work by checking our Road Restrictions and Construction Projects interactive map. Find traffic detour information on our saskatoon.ca homepage or subscribe to our Traffic Detour Service Alerts. You can also follow us on Twitter @YXEServiceAlert and with #betterroadsYXE and like Saskatoon City News on Facebook.

THE NEXT Household Hazardous Waste  DAY IS SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18

Household hazardous waste requires proper disposal to reduce risks to humans and animals, and prevent pollution of our land, water, and air.  These materials should not be placed in the garbage or recycling, poured down the drain or toilet, or released into the environment.

To ensure household hazardous materials are safely disposed of or recycled, the City coordinates regular Household Hazardous Waste Days for residents to drop-off these materials.  On October 18, and the days listed below, a temporary site is set up at SaskTel Centre parking lot (101 - 3515 Thatcher Avenue) from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

2014 Household Hazardous Waste Days:

October 18
November 15
December 20

Accepted Materials include:

Pesticides, automotive oil, prescription medicine, batteries, aerosols, poisons, propane cylinders, household cleaners, mercury-containing items, Electronics (accepted by the Electronic Producer Recycling Association).

Leftover paint and empty paint cans are accepted without charge at all SARCAN recycling depots in Saskatoon.  Please do not bring paint to Household Hazardous Waste Day unless it is not accepted through the SARCAN program.  Find out what is accepted through SARCAN’s paint program at www.sarcan.ca/pages/paint.

For a complete list of accepted and non-acceptable materials, visit Saskatoon.ca and click on “H” for Household Hazardous Waste Days.

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.

Despite the warmer weather this week the City of Saskatoon is busy preparing for winter and this includes the start of the Fall Street Sweeping program on October 20 after a successful pilot program in 2013.

“While nobody is hoping fall will end and we aren’t wishing for snow anytime soon, we are ready to go should it happen,” says Pat Hyde, Director of Public Works. “Sweeping leaves in core neighbourhoods that have dense tree canopies before it snows will improve drainage in the spring and make sweeping the streets easier.”

The neighbourhoods selected for fall sweeping this year include City Park, North Park, Holiday Park, King George, Riversdale, Caswell Hill, Nutana, Varsity View, Buena Vista and Westmount. This is a weather dependant, 13-day program. Please watch for the high-visibility no parking signs in these neighbourhoods minimum of 36 hours in advance. Find the schedule at saskatoon.ca and click on Building Better Roads.

Residents are reminded not to push leaves from your boulevard or yard onto the street. Not only is it against the City Bylaw, doing this makes sweeping difficult and sweepers may have to skip a street if excessive leaves begin to delay the schedule.  Please use your City of Saskatoon Green Cart or take your leaves to our free compost depot.

School zones will not be included in the fall sweep this year due to the potential dangers with large equipment around children. The leaves left behind in these areas will not amount to enough to restrict drainage in the spring.

“Increased funding this year has also allowed us to make improvements to our snow and ice programs,” says Hyde. “We will be introducing some new features which will ultimately help with our goal of making it easy and safe for people to move around Saskatoon this winter.”

Examples of improvements include the 18-vehicle snow train, introduced earlier this year, which will be used to remove collected snow along the barriers of bridges and overpasses along Circle Drive to enhance motorist safety.  Graded snow piles will be also be removed from school zones more frequently to improve children’s safety, and additional private contractors will be utilized to help city crews with snow grading operations.

This year, the City will also use a technique called pre-wetting which involves spraying the salt and sand with a liquid before spreading it on the roadway to improve traction on Circle Drive and high-traffic streets. Wet salt and sand sticks to the road better, even in extreme cold conditions, when it would otherwise be swept off by traffic.

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.