News Releases

For Immediate Release:  February 24, 2014

The City of Saskatoon would like to remind you about our public event on Tuesday February 25, 2014 at TCU Place to provide input on future options for transit, rapid transit, bridges and growth along major corridors as Saskatoon plans for growth to half a million people.

Growing Forward! Shaping Saskatoon is a city-wide initiative that will take us from visioning to action and shape the City’s Growth Plan to Half a Million.  It is a proactive way to plan for our future and help us navigate the challenges associated with rapid population growth.  The Growth Plan to Half a Million will help guide civic investments over the next 30 to 40 years by addressing three key elements:

Shaping Growth  How do we grow along major corridors?
Shaping Transit  How do we move more people?
Shaping Bridges  How do we manage infrastructure investments?

“The intent of the Growth Plan to Half a Million is to create more options for citizens to move around, work, shop and play closer to home while improving access throughout the entire city,” says Alan Wallace, Director of Planning and Development. “Community input will help us plan to grow in a way that is balanced and responsible, while ensuring that our city is prosperous and continues to be a great place to live.”

Please join us to share your ideas on how Saskatoon should plan to grow to half a million people:

Growing Forward! Shaping Saskatoon Public Event
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m
(Presentations to start at 10:15 a.m and 6:15 p.m. respectively.)
TCU Place (Salon A and B)
35 22nd Street East 

Public consultation will be ongoing throughout the Growing Forward! process.  This event is the first of many opportunities for the public to get involved in this exciting initiative.  

Event materials and information will also be available online at www.growingfwd.ca on the day of the event, along with an opportunity to submit comments.  You can also join the discussion on Twitter as we live-tweet the event – just follow us on Twitter or use the hashtag #yxegrowingfwd.  

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.

Due to the cold extreme weather conditions, the city is experiencing a significant number of water main breaks. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank everyone for their patience while we work to restore water service as quickly as possible in the following locations:

• 7^th Street East (water trailer available)
• Tait Crescent (water trailer available)
• Witney Avenue South (water trailer available)
• Phillips Crescent
• Appleby Place
• Louise Avenue

The City of Saskatoon’s water trailers are provided in the order of incidents reported.  Water trailers are currently located on the first 3 streets listed above, and the forth trailer is in transit. 

We make every effort to make a water trailer available within 8 hours of the water being shut off.  However, with the number of water main breaks we are currently experiencing, affected areas may anticipate this time to extend to approximately 12 hours.

We have brought in all available staff to repair the water main breaks as quickly as possible.

Due to the cold extreme weather conditions, the city is experiencing a significant number of water main breaks. City crews were able to restore water to some locations earlier today.  

We apologize for the inconvenience and thank everyone for their patience while we work to restore water service as quickly as possible in the following locations:

• 7^th Street East (water trailer available)
• Tait Crescent (water trailer available)
• Phillips Crescent (water trailer available)
• Louise Avenue (water trailer available on corner of Main Street)

The City of Saskatoon’s water trailers are provided in the order of incidents reported. 

We make every effort to make a water trailer available within 8 hours of the water being shut off.  However, with the number of water main breaks we are currently experiencing, affected areas may have experienced a longer wait..  

We have brought in all available staff to repair the water main breaks as quickly as possible and additional crews will be working Monday, February 24.              

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 is proposing a city-wide multi-unit residential recycling program, which if approved by Council will start in late 2014.

A report submitted to the February 24, 2014 Public Executive Committee meeting includes a recommendation for a cost of $2.50 per unit per month for the proposed city-wide multi-unit recycling program.  Results from recent public consultations and the independent review of the Cosmopolitan Industries business plan for the program are also included in the report. 

“We heard loud and clear from our stakeholders that we needed to keep the cost as low as possible, and we managed to determine a funding structure that would allow us to do just that,” says Jeff Jorgenson, General Manager of the Transportation & Utilities Division. “We believe this rate structure is reasonable and reflects the market value of the service to be provided.”

Between September 30 and October 18, 2013, the City received feedback from 192 stakeholders. And while price was a concern for many, very few were opposed to the overall concept of a recycling requirement for multi-unit residential buildings.

“We recognize that there is no single solution for recycling in multi-unit properties and to achieve success towards the City’s recycling goals, the program will require a high degree of customization,” says Jorgenson.  “But our focus has always been on providing a service that is convenient for residents by allowing that all recyclable materials can be placed in the same cart.”

The City chose to pursue the contract with Cosmopolitan Industries in an effort to allow the organization to continue to provide meaningful employment and vocational opportunities for participants in their programs.

If Executive Committee accepts the report, it will be presented to City Council at its meeting on March 3, 2014 for final approval. 

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or our City Blog. Click on the links at www.saskatoon.ca.

Starting at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, February 20, the Idylwyld Drive northbound curb lane will be closed between 71st Street and the point where Highway 11 and 12 divides.

The work should be completed and restrictions lifted later that same morning, weather permitting and barring any unforeseen circumstances.   

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 up-to-date traffic detour information at www.saskatoon.ca/go/traffic and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.