News Releases

Drinking Water Week is May 4 to 10, 2014; a time to reflect on the critical role that water plays in our daily lives and the quality of life we enjoy.  

“Saskatoon tap water is safe and healthy,” says Reid Corbett, Director of Saskatoon Water. “We are able to consistently deliver high quality water to our customers.”

The average person in Saskatoon uses 230 litres of water per day (5 year average). Using water responsibly reduces our impact on the environment as the energy required to treat and distribute drinking water is associated with a significant amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.  Implementing simple water conservation practices can save energy, reduce greenhouse gases, and protect our water supplies.

Water Conservation Tips:

- Water the lawn once a week and avoid watering during the heat of the day or during windy times.

- Repair leaky faucets and toilets immediately.

- Run your dishwasher or washing machine only when you have a full load. This can save as much as 1,875 to 3,000 litres every month.

- Use low-flush fixtures such as water-saving shower heads and ultra low flow toilets.

Be Water Wise!  For more information, visit www.saskatoon.ca and click on “W” for Water.

Starting Tuesday, May 6 at 9:00 a.m., the median lanes of 11th Street West, west of the Dawes Avenue intersection will be closed. The other traffic lanes will remain open. The median lanes are expected to re-open by Friday May 9, weather permitting and barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Crews are installing new centre medians along 11th Street for the new Dawes Avenue construction in the area as part of the Circle Drive South Project.

Drivers are reminded to allow extra time when travelling through the orange zone, watch for pedestrians and work crews, and for everyone’s safety, please obey all detours, signs and barriers.

Know before you go! Find traffic detour information on our website at www.saskatoon.ca/go/traffic. You can also follow us on Twitter @cityofsaskatoon and with #betterroads and like Saskatoon City News on Facebook.

For Release: Monday, May 5, 2014

Starting at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 7^th, Saskatoon’s Emergency Measures Organization (EMO) will systematically test the NotifyNOW system. The purpose of the test is to give residents the opportunity to better understand the NotifyNOW system, to let people hear what a message will sound like and to encourage people to sign-up.  

“The test will give the EMO a vital opportunity to evaluate the features and functions of the NotifyNOW system in a non-emergency situation,” says Director of Emergency Planning, Ray Unrau.

The test notification will start at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 7^th and will send notifications throughout the city one quadrant at a time. Everyone with contact information linked to an address within that quadrant will receive the test notification message. After a short pause, the process will be repeated until the notifications have been sent to the three remaining quadrants. We expect the testing period to last most of the morning.

“It is also important to give an opportunity for residents to familiarize themselves with what a notification will sound like,” Unrau says. “By taking part in the test, residents will have some familiarity with the process and be ready to respond appropriately in a real emergency situation.”

The test will use information currently entered into the NotifyNOW database. That includes publically available information from the 2013/14 SaskTel phone book as well as contact information provided by residents who have signed up.

“Once the test is complete we ask that residents take note of how they received the notification message and whether the message was delivered the most effective way,” Unrau says. “For example, if they got a voice message on their home land line but would prefer to receive a text message on their cell phone they would need to sign-up or sign-in to NotifyNOW and update their account.”

We also expect that some residents will notice that they did not receive the test notification. In those instances, we will ask them to create an account by following the prompts on saskatoon.ca and provide their preferred contact information so we can reach them in the future.

Saskatoon’s Emergency Measures Organization is excited to move this project forward. The initial test is part of the process and will provide us with important technical information while demonstrating to individual residents what a targeted mass notification would sound like and how they can expect to be contacted.

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

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The Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo switched to summer hours on Thursday, May 1, 2014.  The extended hours mean that the Forestry Farm Park gates will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and the Zoo will be open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.  The last person will be admitted to the Zoo one hour before closing.  The public is reminded that the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo is a pet-free park.
Watch for new animals arriving this year at the Zoo, including a new feature animal in the PotashCorp Ark exhibit, which houses animals never seen before in Saskatoon. 
For more information, please visit www.saskatoon.ca/go/zoo.
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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For Immediate Release:  May 2, 2014

Starting at 4:00 p.m. Friday, May 2, 2014 until approximately 4:00 p.m. Monday, May 5, 2014 two tax applications on the City of Saskatoon’s website, saskatoon.ca, will undergo a temporary service disruption:

The Property Assessment & Tax Tool, found on the saskatoon.ca homepage requires software upgrades to accommodate the updating of new property tax data for 2014. Also, the Property Tax Search & Certificates (ePTSC) application (dedicated access for banks, realtors, lawyers, mortgage companies) will be reconfigured and not be available for use during this time.  

The mail-out of the 2014 Property Tax Notice to residents will start next week, and the updating of these tax applications will support this, allowing website users access to the new 2014 tax data.

The City of Saskatoon is focused on continuous improvement and aims to provide the best high-quality services to meet the high expectations of our citizens. We apologize for any inconvenience to residents over the weekend updating of these applications.

Visit saskatoon.ca and look under ‘P’ for Property Tax for an overview of 2014 Property Tax information.

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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