News Releases

“This is the first time in Saskatoon’s history that we will have an objective, technology-based condition assessment of our complete road network,” says Mike Gutek, Director of Major Projects. “An increase in funding has allowed us to invest in this new technology to better assess the condition of our roads.”

In the past, City engineering staff would manually inspect portions of roadway and rate the condition based on three visible defects; dips, cracking and roughness. This manual data collection would take up to four years to gather and provide data of various ages.

The new method, implemented earlier this year, uses a semi-automated road rating vehicle which can detect up to 11 different surface and structural defects in the roadway. Not only does this new method allow the City to inspect the entire roadway, it will help determine patterns, predict future distresses and determine the best long term treatments. It will also establish a new baseline network condition and provide an up-to-date road condition report card every four years with yearly report cards updated using deterioration prediction models.

“Through this new process, data from the more than 4,000 kilometres of road network can be collected in just a couple of months as opposed to four years,” says Gutek. “As we analyze the data we’ll be able to make more informed decisions as we deploy the rehabilitation budgets.”

Focusing all funding on roads that are in the worst condition would lead to a relatively rapid decline in the overall network condition; this is because it would cost the same to completely reconstruct one kilometre of the worst road as it would to repair 20 kilometres of road that may be in fair condition with a minor roadway treatment. 

The new assessment system will help to improve the City’s road network in the most cost effective way and allow a more proactive approach.

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.

The last Compost Sale Saturday of the 2014 season will be on September 13 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  Residents can come to the City of Saskatoon’s Compost Depot on Highway 7 and 11th Street to purchase compost and mulch (woodchips) for their lawn and gardens.  Payment methods include cash, credit card or debit.

The cost is $5 per bag for a 20L (5 gallon) bag of compost or a 40L (10 gallon) bag of mulch.  There is no limit to the number of bags a resident may purchase.  Residents may also bring their own containers.

Compost and mulch are also available in bulk volumes of ½ yard, 1 yard, 1.5 yard, and 2 yard quantities.  Larger volumes can be loaded into a pickup truck or small trailer.  Bulk compost will be sold at the price of $65 per cubic meter ($50 per yard) and bulk mulch at $26 per cubic meter ($20 per yard).

Since 2006, the City of Saskatoon has been accepting leaves, grass, non-elm tree and shrub branches, and garden waste at the McOrmond Drive and the Highway 7 compost depots.  This material would otherwise end up in the landfill.

“In 2013, 21,500 tonnes of material was delivered to these compost depots, and about 13,500 tonnes, or 63% of that, was delivered by residents or brought in through the Green Cart program,” says Brenda Wallace, Director of Environmental and Corporate Initiatives.  “The sale of compost supports our city’s long-term strategy to eliminate the need for a new landfill and to increase revenue sources.”

Compost is valuable, ready-to-use organic matter that can be added to garden soil or lawns.  It acts as a natural fertilizer, improves soil structure, increases water retention, and boosts the amount of good microbes found in the soil.  Mulch (e.g. woodchips) can be layered on top of the soil around flowers, vegetables, trees and shrubs to suppress weeds, retain moisture in the soil, and help protect plants from fluctuating temperatures and extreme weather.

Adding compost and mulch to your yard will help you build a healthy lawn and garden that is resistant to pests, conserves water, and does not require additional fertilizer.

For more information on Compost Sale Saturdays, visit www.saskatoon.ca and click on “C” for Composting.

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.

Additional Information
The City of Saskatoon provides a number of other composting services for residents:

Compost Bin Rebates:
The City of Saskatoon has a limited number of $20 rebates available to Saskatoon residents who purchase a compost bin or rain barrel from a Saskatoon retailer in 2014.  For more information, visit http://www.saskwastereduction.ca/rebate-form.

Master Composter Home Visits:
The City supported the Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council’s Master Composter training again in 2014.  These Master Composters offer free home visits to residents who have questions or would like to start a compost of their own. Contact (306) 931-3242 or info@saskwastereduction.ca for details.

Winter Composting Presentation:
Residents are invited to a composting presentation to learn how to compost through the winter months.

Date: Wednesday, October 1
Time: 7:00 - 8:00 pm
Location: Frances Morrison Library

Presented in partnership with the Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council.

Compost Depots:
Residents are encouraged to take their leaves, grass, sod, topsoil, and non-elm branches, stumps and tree trimmings to the City’s compost depots free of charge. 

Since 2006, the compost depots have generated more than 16,000 cubic metres of Class A compost.  This has increased landfill diversion by nearly 15% over the last seven years and saved the Saskatoon Landfill approximately 400,000 cubic metres of airspace.  Composting the 21,500 tonnes of materials accepted at the Compost Depots in 2013 instead of taking it to the landfill reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 5,000 tonnes CO₂e, or the equivalent of removing 1,050 passenger vehicles from our roadways.

Be Water Wise:
The City of Saskatoon is committed to ensuring good stewardship of our water resources.  Using compost and mulch conserves water and keeps our lawns and gardens healthy.  For details and water conservation tips, visit www.saskatoon.ca and click on “B” for “Be Water Wise.”

Greet Cart Collection Program:
The Green Cart Collection Program was expanded in 2014 and services over 3900 households, up from 2744 in 2013. Service includes bi-weekly pickup of unbagged leaves, grass clippings, and non-woody yard vegetation.  The program runs from the beginning of May to the beginning of November.

Food Waste Collection Program:
The City is examining options and next steps for developing a food-waste collection program for residents.  For more information, visit www.saskatoon.ca for the Public Agenda - Standing Committee on Environment, Utilities and Corporate Services for September 15, 2014 - Report on Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction, Attachment 3, page 1.

On Monday, September 15, the Standing Policy Committee on Environment, Utilities and Corporate Services, will receive the Integrated Waste Management Annual Report for 2013.  The report highlights the following key findings:

*Recycling programs, including the new blue-cart program for houses and recycling depots across the community achieved a 67% increase in diversion over 2012 by diverting 12,622 tonnes of material from the landfill.

*The new blue-cart program collected a broad range of materials for recycling including the following by weight:

-Paper and cardboard: 74%
-Household glass: 7%
-Aluminium and tin: 5%
-Plastics: 5%
-Deposit beverage containers: 1%
-Residuals from processing: 4%
-Contamination from collections (garbage in carts): 4%

*Recycling helped recapture 10% of the landfill airspace in 2013, equivalent to adding 5.5 years to the life of that facility.

*The Waste Disposal Rate per household continues to decline in Saskatoon and the amount of garbage collected per home in 2013 was 0.95 tonnes (or 252 kilograms per person).  This is still higher than the national average of 0.64 tonnes.

*New specifications for garbage carts are helping to bring the cart failure rate down to 0.55% compared to the rate of 15% experienced in some neighbourhoods.

*The cost to deliver residential garbage services remains constant over 2012 at $144.27 per household in 2013 (or $12.02 per household per month).  This cost is comparable with other municipalities across Canada.

*Availability of vehicles and equipment has been an issue in 2013 with significant hours of downtime logged for mechanical or maintenance-related issues.  This is affecting both service delivery and cost.

*Saskatoon has one of the highest rates of residential garbage self-hauled to the Landfill in Canada, creating site management challenges for the operations of that facility.  These challenges, along with equipment downtime, contribute to rising operating costs that have now nearly doubled since 2008 to $29/tonne.

*Landfill tipping fees must cover both operating costs and capital improvements.  The range of fees for tipping waste among 26 municipal landfills across Canada is $32.65 to $125 per tonne.  Saskatoon’s fees (at $90 in 2013) fall in the middle of this range (near the median).

Since 2013, recycling and composting programs are showing signs of continued growth and success.

The blue-cart recycling program for houses has already recycled more than 7,500 tonnes of recyclables so far in 2014.  Cart set-out rates on each collection day remain high at an average of 67%.  The contamination rate (garbage placed in carts) has dropped to under 4%.

The green-cart yard waste program now has 3,900 subscribers, an increase of 30% over 2013, contributing to the diversion of organic waste to compost depots rather than the landfill.

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.

For Release: September 11, 2014

Starting today, residents can now access Service Alerts on Twitter by following @YXEServiceAlert. 

Service Alerts are RSS feeds issued when service disruptions, such as power outages, and traffic restrictions will have a direct impact on the lives and routines of residents and visitors.

Currently, when each alert is issued it is automatically posted to Twitter and Facebook, which often clutters the City’s main Twitter feed – @CityofSaskatoon.

By pushing Service Alert tweets to their own feed, followers are now able to access the information they need about service disruptions with greater ease.  This also means information about programs and initiatives will be more accessible for those using social media through the main account, @CityofSaskatoon.

Both channels will be regularly monitored during normal City business hours, Monday through Friday.

This switch does not affect the delivery of the RSS feeds, which residents can subscribe to by following the links on Saskatoon.ca.

As the City continues to move forward with the new website redesign project, more improvements may be made to how the City engages with residents on social media.

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.

The waterslide at Lakewood Civic Centre is currently not in operation as a result of ground movement issues in the mechanical crawlspace affecting the pump that supplies water to the slide.  The City of Saskatoon (City) reassures the public that there are no concerns with the safety of the swimming pool and hot tub, which remain open at this time for all regularly scheduled activities. 
The City is currently working with a consultant to develop a solution to fix these issues as quickly as possible while having the least impact to patrons and the operation of the pool.  At this time, it is anticipated that the waterslide will remain out of service for the next several weeks.  Further updates will be provided as the repairs progress, and a timeline for the reopening of the waterslide is identified.  The City apologizes for the inconvenience, and thanks the public for its patience and understanding.
For hours of operation and drop-in programming information at Lakewood Civic Centre, refer to www.saskatoon.ca/go/dropinonline or call 306-975-2944.
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.