News Releases

From the December 6, 2016 Meeting

6.3.1 Crosswalk Issue at Aden Bowman Collegiate

Decision

*Administration will report back to the Committee at its February 2017 meeting.

Background

*In a letter, the Aden Bowman Collegiate School Community Council is seeking a solution to the issue of students jaywalking across Clarence Avenue from in front of the school to the convenience store and mall.
*Aden Bowman Collegiate School Community Council is requesting the City implement a crosswalk with painted lines and signage in front of the main school doors.

7.2.2 Highway 16 West Operational Jurisdiction Amendment

Decision

*The Committee recommended to City Council:
1. That the agreement with the Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure be amended to include the entire portion of Highway 16 from the current city limits to 500 metres after the centre of the intersection with 71st Street; and
2. That the Administration report back regarding the Urban Highway Connector Program and how it benefits various municipalities, along with a comparison with other provinces.

Background

*City Council, at its meeting held on September 29, 2014, considered the Boundary Alteration Proposal – Highway 16 and 71st Street Intersection Improvements report and resolved an agreement with the Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure be approved, in principle, to take over operational jurisdiction of Highway 16 from the current city limits up to, and including, the intersection of 71st Street.
*The report indicated that under the agreement, the City will be responsible for maintenance, direction, management, and control (including legal liability) of the portion of the highway, excluding the bridge overpass, which was planned for rehabilitation by Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure in 2015.
*The agreement was intended to be an interim agreement until the highway was formally annexed. Annexation has not yet occurred and the agreement was previously extended to January 1, 2018, or at the time the City completed the annexation of the land.

7.2.4 Sidewalk or Multiuse Pathway on 51^st Street between Warman Road and Millar Avenue

Decision

*The Committee recommended to City Council:
1. That the Administration be directed to bring forward a prioritized list of 2017 sidewalk retrofit locations for Committee and City Council’s consideration.
2. That the Administration report back to the Standing Policy Committee on Transportation in March 2017.

Background

*The report provides information regarding the addition of a sidewalk or multi-use pathway on 51st Street between Warman Road and Millar Avenue.
*The Active Transportation Plan (ATP) identifies a sidewalk on 51st Street between Warman Road and Millar Avenue. The Administration will be bringing forward a report in the first quarter of 2017 with a list of proposed construction locations for the 2017 sidewalk/pathway retrofit program.

7.2.5 Sidewalk or Multiuse Pathway on North Side of Lenore Drive Joining Sidewalk at Russell Road and Lenore Drive

Decision

*The Committee recommended to City Council:
1. That the Administration be directed to bring forward a prioritized list of 2017 sidewalk retrofit locations for Committee and City Council’s consideration.
2. That the Administration report back to the Standing Policy Committee on Transportation in March 2017.

Background

*The report provides information regarding the addition of a sidewalk or multi-use pathway on the north side of Lenore Drive between Russell Road and Wanuskewin Road.
*The Active Transportation Plan (ATP) identified the need for a sidewalk on the north side of Lenore Drive between Wanuskewin Road and Russell Road. The Administration will be bringing forward a report in the first quarter of 2017 with a list of proposed construction locations for the 2017 sidewalk/pathway retrofit program.

Saskatoon residents woke up to a snow-covered city this morning. To keep drivers moving, Roadways crews are currently plowing snow and sanding high traffic roads and Priority streets like Circle Drive. Current weather forecasts predict snowfall accumulations of 10 to 15 cm.

“It is just another day at work for Roadways,” says Eric Quail, Roadways Manager. “Our team is in great shape coming into the first snow event of the winter season.”

Roadways & Operations

Crews are currently focusing on plowing snow and sanding slippery sections and intersections on Circle Drive and Priority streets. The following has been mobilized:

• 6 Tandem Sanders
• 6 Graders
• 7 Speed Plows

In addition, City staff are undertaking the following initiatives throughout the day:

• Speed Plows are clearing snow from the main lanes and ramps of Priority streets.
• Graders are clearing snow on Priority streets like 8th Street, 22nd Street, and Idylwyld, and transitioning to other areas as required.
• A salt brine or specialty chemical is being applied as required to Priority streets.

Plowing and clearing will continue throughout the night on Priority streets and high traffic roads, transitioning to other areas of need as required.

Contractors will assist with Priority Street Grading, clearing sidewalks, bike lanes, the bus mall and River Landing.

Snow Storage Site Availability

The following snow sites are available:

• Wanuskewin, Central Avenue, and 8th Street Snow Storage Sites are open.
• The Civic Operations Centre Snow Management Facility is scheduled to open around January 9, 2017.

Sanding Operations

Roadway crews are inspecting, sanding and salting high traffic streets, bridges, and overpasses on a regular basis to provide traction and reduce icing. Sanding and salting is also occurring at intersections, curved roads and icy sections on all residential streets, as required. The sanding fleet consists of 27 sanders.

Priority Street Plowing Operations

Priority street plowing occurs on Circle Drive and Priority 1 and 2 outlying streets and rural roads, as required. The Priority street plow fleet consists of 13 tandem plows.

Priority Street Snow Removal

The Priority Street Snow Removal Program is not active due to adequate snow storage capacity. If there is a significant snow fall and Priority street snow storage is at capacity crews will focus solely on Priority streets.

“City crews will be clearing and plowing all day and night as required,” says Quail. “Please slow down and watch for flashing lights that signal winter maintenance equipment is ahead.”

For timely updates check the City website and snow and ice service alerts at saskatoon.ca/service-alerts and on Twitter by following @YXEServiceAlert.

Saskatoon Transit has again partnered with PAVED Arts to feature photographs on City buses. The Toon’s on Transit Exhibition will feature a selection of 50 photos taken by local artists. These images are on display on 100 Saskatoon Transit buses through January 2017.  

“We are very excited to be a part of this unique showcase for another year,” says Michael Moellenbeck, Operations Manager for Saskatoon Transit. “The amazing images showcased on our Saskatoon Transit buses really highlight the diversity and beauty of our city. This project is a great fit for us because it enhances the transit experience for our customers and gives talented local artists an avenue to display their work.”

The Toon’s on Transit Exhibition is made possible through a unique partnership between Saskatoon Transit and PAVED Arts. The photos appearing on Saskatoon Transit buses were selected by a panel of judges from PAVED Arts with the goal of reflecting the City of Saskatoon through the eyes of its residents.

“We had such positive response to this exhibit last year and we are very excited to expand our reach even more this year,” says Alex Rogalski, Executive Director of PAVED Arts. “With even more photographs on Saskatoon Transit we are able to really see the power of this exhibit. Art and photography can bring a city together and these photos do just that by being available for viewing by everyone on buses across the city."

In addition to the photographs being available on 100 buses, there will also be a bus dedicated to the exhibit. This bus will act as a true mobile art gallery showcasing work from nine different artists and the different perspectives of Saskatoon that their photographs capture.

For more information on the Toon’s on Transit Exhibition please use this link. 

For the first time in their lives, Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park and Zoo (SFFP&Z) grizzly bears, Mistaya (miss-TIE’-yuh) and Koda (KOH’-dah), have gone into hibernation this winter.

“We are pleased to be able to provide Koda and Mistaya with an opportunity to exhibit their natural behaviour of hibernating for the very first time,” says SFFP&Z Manager, Tim Sinclair-Smith.

In order for hibernation to occur, the bears’ food supply was limited, and the bear house was modified to allow temperatures to drop below zero; both of these changes would naturally occur in the wild.

The bears’ hibernation will provide conservation and research opportunities, and a wildlife expert says it is the sensible thing to do.

“Most institutions with captive bears keep them awake by continuing to feed year round,” says Dr. Ken Macquisten, Managing Director and Veterinarian of Grouse Mountain Refuge for Endangered Wildlife.  “As captive wildlife managers, it is our responsibility to give the animals the most natural life possible.”

Hibernation is a natural and important process for grizzly bears and will improve their health and well-being.  In terms of research opportunities, there is a lot the SFFP&Z can learn from Mistaya and Koda.  For the first time, insight will be obtained on how bears progress through the process of hibernation.

“Koda and Mistaya play essential roles in supporting the conservation of their wild kindred,” says Dr. Marc Cattet, Research Scientist and Program Veterinarian of the Foothills Research Institute.

The SFFP&Z is working on a partnership with the Foothills Research Institute to connect research initiatives on grizzly bears, both in captivity and in the wild.

“This is an exciting time for the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park and Zoo.  We are embarking on more collaborations and aim to connect ourselves to more research opportunities,” Sinclair-Smith says.

Mistaya is the sole-surviving cub from Bear 66, a well-known female grizzly killed on the Canadian Pacific railway tracks in Banff National Park, in 2005.  Mistaya stayed in the wild until it became clear that he could not survive without intervention.

Koda was also orphaned in 2005, after his mother fled the den when a logging operation came through the Grand Prairie region.  Koda was rescued and nurtured by zookeepers at the Edmonton Valley Zoo.  The cubs were paired at the Calgary Zoo and later transferred to their permanent home in Saskatoon.

For more information on the SFFP&Z, please visit www.saskatoon.ca/zoo.

To see grizzly bears in hibernation, please visit the Grouse Mountain Refuge for Endangered Wildlife bear cam at www.grousemountain.com/wildlife-refuge/bear-cam.

From the December 6, 2016 Meeting

On New Year's Eve, the ride is on us!

There is never an excuse for drinking and driving. Saskatoon Transit and Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) have partnered to provide free transit and Access Transit service on New Year’s Eve. Enjoy yourself this New Year’s Eve, and don’t worry about driving because the ride’s on us!

“Impaired driving has been top of mind in Saskatchewan as we have needlessly lost so many lives because someone made the decision to drink and drive,” says Joe Hargrave, Minister Responsible for SGI. “During last year’s holiday season, seven people were killed and 33 others were hurt in 119 crashes involving an impaired driver. Let’s not allow that to happen again this year. For your New Year’s resolution – and every day of the year – please promise, ‘I will never drink and drive.’”

Free bus service, which normally starts at 8:00 p.m., will start at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 31 to ensure residents have a safe ride to the “YXE-NYE-150” event which celebrates Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation at Kiwanis Memorial Park (Spadina Crescent East). Free transit service will run until 2:45 a.m. (times may vary slightly by route).

Customers can wait at regular stops or flag down a bus at any point along the route, if they are in need of a ride. When flagging a bus please use caution: stand on the curb at a safe place for the bus to stop and raise your hand to get the operators’ attention.

“We are thankful that SGI has partnered with us again this year to provide free service,” says Michael Moellenbeck, Operations Manager at Saskatoon Transit. “There is no reason for drinking and driving, especially on New Year’s Eve. We strongly encourage residents to jump on the bus to get to and from their destination.”

Please Note: Route 14 will not be running to the North Industrial area after 7:00 p.m.

For more information about Ding in the New Year schedules visit saskatoontransit.ca or call 306-975-3100 and speak to a Customer Service Representative. Access Transit customers can call 306-975-3555 (normal booking procedures apply).

Roadways crews are encouraged with a new winter road treatment. A pilot test of a coarser salt for ice prevention is underway. The salt pellets may be sprayed with a magnesium chloride solution to make them heavier and increase adhesion to the road, resulting in better management of ice and salt usage. When temperatures drop below -12 degrees Celsius, salt is not as effective by itself and the addition of magnesium chloride will help to increase traction.

“Our initial evaluation of the coarser salt during the extreme cold and windy conditions showed exceptional results,” says new Director of Roadways, Brandon Harris of the technique also known as pre-wetting. “We applied the sprayed salt pellets to a thin sheet of ice that formed on Queen Street and the high winds were unable to blow the salt off the road.”

The City will continue to use the pre-wetting technique on high-traffic streets such as Circle Drive, where wet, heavy sand sticks much more effectively to the road in extreme cold conditions. The City’s pre-wetting fleet consists of twelve tandem sanders. Traditional sanders also use sand already pre-wet with a magnesium chloride spray.

Additionally, with current weather forecasts predicting temperatures will fluctuate around zero this week, City crews are prepared for possible freezing rain and icy road conditions. Workers are inspecting, sanding and salting high-traffic streets, bridges and overpasses to provide traction and reduce icing. Sanding and salting is also occurring at intersections, curved roads and icy sections on all residential streets.

Even with the use of sand and salt to prevent icy road conditions, the change in temperature with an increase in moisture can result in ice developing. Drivers are reminded to slow down and be cautious.

Also new this year are flashing blue and amber lights on the City’s high-speed winter maintenance equipment. The flashing lights will be consistent with highway operations and other municipalities across the country as they signal that winter maintenance equipment is ahead.

“City crews will be out there around the clock,” says Harris. “Please watch for flashing lights and slow down for your safety and the safety of everyone around you.”

Find out what happens in Saskatoon when it snows and how you can be prepared at saskatoon.ca/snow or download the Be in the Know About Snow poster (PDF).

Residents are invited to celebrate Canada’s 150^th anniversary of Confederation with an afternoon of outdoor family fun and fireworks at the “YXE-NYE-150” event being hosted at Kiwanis Memorial Park (Spadina Crescent East) on Saturday, December 31, 2016, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.  Saskatoon will join 18 other cities across Canada, ringing in the New Year in a spectacular way.  Event activities will include:

• Jump on the sleigh rides as they cruise up and down Spadina Crescent;
• Visit the “Inuksuk Park” and build your own inuksuk with ice;
• Create a special maple leaf candle for Canada’s giant snow birthday cake;
• Warm up by the Canada 150 bonfire or at various other warming stations with photo booths;
• Express your wish for Canada’s future on a red ribbon, and tie it to the Wishing Tree;
• Visit storyteller, Joseph Naytowhow, in the giant igloo to learn about First Nations heritage;
• Skate or just hang out at the Cameco Meewasin Skating Rink @PotashCorp Plaza where a disc jockey will lead skating games with fantastic prizes;
• Craft something special at the Remai Modern Art Caravan in the Delta Bessborough Hotel lobby;
• Grab a complimentary cup of hot chocolate or coffee from Tims Coffee Truck;
• Visit the food trucks and downtown businesses for a special treat;
• Meet Olympian, Jillian Gallays, and Paralympian, Erica Gavel, to get autographs and hear about their Olympic experiences;
• Rendezvous at the YXE-NYE-150 main stage to experience indigenous and ethno-cultural entertainment; and
• Listen to Saskatoon band, The Pistolwhips, who will headline the stage. 

To cap off the celebrations, a fireworks show, set to music, will be launched from the Broadway Bridge at 8:17 p.m. (20:17 in the 24-hour time clock).  A local radio station will broadcast the music live; attendees will be able to view the fireworks from up and down the riverbank and listen to the soundtrack on radios or smart phones.

Saskatoon Transit, in partnership with Saskatchewan Government Insurance, will be offering complimentary transit services starting at 5 p.m. 

YXE-NYE-150 was made possible through a $106,000 grant from the Government of Canada’s Canada 150 Fund.  This event will be a great kick-start to the many celebrations taking place throughout 2017 to commemorate the 150^th anniversary of Confederation.  If you’d like to help make it happen, visit www.yxenye150.ca, and click on the “Volunteer” link.  See you there!

From the December 5, 2016 Meeting

7.2.6 Boychuk Interchange Land Acquisition

Decision

*The Committee forwarded the report to City Council in support of the recommendation.

Background

*The recommendation is that Administration be authorized to purchase a portion of Surface Parcel # 120790425 from Larix Holdings Ltd. for the Boychuk Interchange Project.
*The Boychuk Interchange Project was bundled with the McOrmond Interchange Project as a Design-Build Project.
*For the Boychuk Interchange, the City has previously purchased 7.51 acres of property in 2012 from Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam (Ontario) Inc.

7.2.7 Boychuk Interchange Land Exchange Agreement

Decision

*The Committee forwarded the report to City Council in support of the recommendation.

Background

*The recommendation is that Administration be authorized to enter into a tri-party land exchange agreement with 101204822 Saskatchewan Ltd. and the Rural Municipality of Corman Park No. 344 for the interchange.

From the December 5, 2016 meeting

7.1.3 Community Standards Division Progress Update

Decision

*The Committee receive the report as information and requested a report from the Fire Department to provide an update with respect to the Property Maintenance and Nuisance Bylaw.

Background

*Established in 2015, the Community Standards (CS) Division operates on a set of founding principles.
*The CS Division is comprised of three core business sections, each accountable for four basic functions.
*Within the operating budget, the CS Division is currently represented by two business lines, operates four service lines, and supports four of the corporate Strategic Goals.
*The development of CS incorporates three high-level priorities of implementation. Specific progress in various areas has been made, and many additional items are identified in the 2017 business plan.

7.1.6 Comparing Infill and Greefield Development – Scope of Work

Decision

*The Committee will be reporting to City Council to recommend that the report be received as information and referred back to the Administration for a further report on the feasibility of creating a round table on infill and greenfield development. The Committee is also reporting to Council to recommend that the matter of establishing a framework for the development of a lane paving policy be also referred to the round table (to be established) for discussion.

Background

*The report provides a “scope of work” for a future study and report comparing infill and greenfield development, including the costs associated with these forms of development. This report also addresses a Committee resolution related to incentives for green buildings and infill development.

7.2.2 Street Activity Steering Committee

Decision

*The Committee will be reporting to City Council to recommend that the City Solicitor’s Office be requested to amend the Panhandling Bylaw with respect to prohibiting panhandling on a street, sidewalk, or other public place within 8 metres of a doorway to a cinema, theatre, or performing arts venue.  However, the recommendation of the Administration with respect to prohibiting panhandling around public parking pay stations was not supported and the Committee is recommending instead that bylaw amendments be prepared to prohibit panhandling within 2 metres around any public parking pay station. In addition, although not intended to impact consideration of the proposed amendments at this time, the Committee is recommending that the Administration review panhandling bylaws from other cities across Canada with respect to buffers around businesses serving and selling alcohol.

Background

*As a result of an increasing trend in aggressive and/or coercive panhandling and panhandling in groups, the Street Activity Steering Committee believes the existing Panhandling Bylaw requires amendments to address current needs within Saskatoon.
*In its present form, the Streets Use Bylaw does not reflect the current needs of Saskatoon and requires a comprehensive review to bring it up to date.

Transit union members today voted to accept the City's offer and the new contract will now go to City Council for final approval.

“We are very happy to have a contract agreement with the Transit union,” says City Manager, Murray Totland. 

The offer includes a 10% wage increase and back pay to 2012 as well as the same pension agreement the other eight unions and associations in the general pension plan have signed.

Totland thanks the public,  transit riders and transit employees,  for "...their patience over the last number of years as we worked toward a new collective agreement.

"The new contract comes at a very appropriate time," he adds. 

"Transit is moving into the future with a new facility, fleet renewal and plans for a shift toward Bus Rapid Transit.  We now have an opportunity to leave differences behind us and work together on drawing the new roadmap for public transit in our community."

Less than two years ago, ground was broken to make way for the new Civic Operations Centre (COC), the new home for Saskatoon Transit and the City’s first permanent Snow Management Facility. Today, City officials marked the end of construction two weeks ahead of schedule and on budget thanks to the expertise and collaboration of a project team comprised of City staff and private development partners.

Saskatoon Transit will move into its new 450,000 square foot facility, a model of innovation and efficiency, in mid-January 2017. The state-of-the-art facility is LEED certified, has 27 maintenance bays, quick service, a full body shop including a paint booth, indoor storage for 224 buses, and administrative offices. It was built with the future in mind and will accommodate the fleet expansion expected over the next 10 to 15 years. In the interim, the unused space will be used for general equipment storage.

The Snow Management Facility will also open in January 2017 and has the capacity to store up to 1 million cubic metres of snow on a 14 acre concrete pad. When the snow naturally melts, the melt water will run through an oil and grit separator and into a melt water/storm water pond. The melt water will then go through a series of specially designed baffle curtains before being discharged in a controlled fashion into the storm water system. The Snow Management Facility will be operated by the City’s Roadways and Operations Division.

To qualify for federal government support, and realize taxpayer savings over the life of the project, the City entered into its first Public-Private Partnership (P3) with Integrated Team Solutions (ITS) through a competitive procurement process.

The P3 approach is expected to deliver value for taxpayer dollars equivalent to $92.3 million over the lifecycle of the facilities – savings that could not have been achieved through a traditional Design-Bid-Build model. PPP Canada’s contribution to the $154 million project is $38.5 million.

With City oversight, ITS led the design, construction, and financing of the COC and will maintain the site and buildings over the next 25 years at which time the City will assume responsibility. At all times, the City will retain full ownership and continue to deliver services.

Quotes

Hon. Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
“This state of the art facility will serve as a model for cities and municipalities across the country. Our government understands that infrastructure is the foundation for building strong and sustainable communities of all sizes and the new Civic Operations Centre is a testament to our commitment to ensure cities have the support they need.”

His Worship, Mayor Charlie Clark, City of Saskatoon

“The Civic Operations Centre is a tremendous step forward for our Transit Operations and for snow and ice management in our city. Our Transit Operations outgrew the old bus barns long ago, and our staff have been making do in cramped facilities for many years. This LEED certified facility, built ahead of schedule and on budget, has perfect timing as we prepare to modernize Transit in Saskatoon.”

Jeff Jorgenson, General Manager of Transportation & Utilities, City of Saskatoon

“From the RFQ stage to where we are today, I couldn’t be more impressed with the execution of the Civic Operations Centre project. It’s a compliment that other Canadian cities and municipalities will be looking at our City’s first P3 project as a model of innovation and collaboration that will result in taxpayer value several years down the road.”

Peter Bullen, Project Co Lead, Integrated Team Solutions

“Integrated Team Solutions is proud to have collaborated with EllisDon and the City of Saskatoon to achieve this major project milestone, ahead of time and on budget. With construction complete, we look forward to partnering with Engie to maintain and operate these state-of-the-art facilities for the City over the next 25 years.”

Michael Kazda, Vice President & Area Manager, EllisDon Construction Services Inc.

"EllisDon is pleased to have partnered with ITS and the City of Saskatoon to bring the design and construction of this project to a successful conclusion. Safely delivering a quality project, ahead of time and on budget, requires a tremendous team effort that everyone associated with the new Civic Operations Centre project should be proud of.”

Backgrounder

Civic Operations Centre At a Glance

• Situated on 180 acres of land within City limits between the CN Railway tracks and Valley Road, just west of Circle Drive.
• Designed like a campus with various buildings and facilities with the capacity to house more civic services.
• An earth berm separates the CN railway line and the Montgomery Place neighbourhood.
• The site has internal circulation roads and a signalized intersection on Valley Road.

Saskatoon Transit Facility

• LEED Certified 450,000 square foot building.
• Fully equipped with state-of-the-art maintenance shop including 27 bays utilizing a combination of built-in hoists and mobile hoists, inspection pits, a transmission shop, machine shop, electronics shop, and tire and battery shops. Also included is a body shop with a paint booth, 2 indoor bus washes with water recycling, fueling stations, bus shelter repair area, and an upholstery shop.
• 250,000 square feet of indoor heated storage space for buses.
• Administrative offices, meeting and training rooms, fare collection room, and dispatch area.

Snow Management Facility

• Capacity to store up to 1 million cubic metres of snow.
• Storm water and meltwater management pond with inlet sand/oil/grit separator.
• Roller compacted concrete surface to facilitate site operation maintenance and cleaning.
• Geotextile material is in place to protect the soil and groundwater from infiltration and contamination, demonstrating commitment to Environmental Leadership.
• Automated Access Control System capability.
• Policies are in place to manage noise created by equipment and tailgate slamming.

Public-Private Partner

• Integrated Team Solutions (ITS) is a consortium comprised of EllisDon Capital Inc., Fengate Capital, EllisDon Corporation, and ENGIE.
• Under contract with the City, ITS will maintain, repair and rehabilitate COC facilities for 25 years.
• Penalty procedures are in place if ITS fails to meet the COC service delivery standards.
• Over the 25-year period, the City retains full ownership of the facilities and will operate civic services as normal.

Timeline

• January 2013 - Federal (PPP Canada) funding approved
• September 2013 - RFQ issued for proponents
• March 2014 - RFP issued for proponents
• December 2014 -  Contract executed with ITS
• January 2015 - Construction began
• December 13, 2016 – Construction complete
• January 2017 - Saskatoon Transit moves in and Snow Management Facility becomes operational
• 2041 - End of contract with ITS

Interesting Project Facts

• 1,250 KM of electrical wire pulled
• 9 KM of fiber optic communication cable installed by SL&P - the largest installation by SL&P to date
• 122 KM of pipe for heated floor in the Transit Facility
• 1,650 light fixtures
• 144,000 concrete blocks in the Transit Facility
• Heat Recovery Units were lifted on to the roof of the Transit Facility by helicopter
• Over 582,000 man hours worked with 0 lost time injuries
• 94.5% of construction waste was recycled
• 31,200 cubic metres of concrete in the Snow Management Pad
• 12,101 cubic metres of concrete in the Transit Facility
• 135,000 cubic metres of dirt moved to level the site (cut/fill)
• 30,000 cubic metres of topsoil utilized for the berm construction

Saskatoon is a national leader in health performance and competitive tax rates say two separate economic think-tanks.

“The combination of our quality of life and our economic competitiveness is what makes us strong as a city,” says His Worship the Mayor Charlie Clark. “This is a great foundation for ensuring we continue to be a resilient city into the future, where everyone has an opportunity to share in the prosperity and good health reflected in these reports.”   

Among ten major Canadian Cities, the Conference Board of Canada ranks Saskatoon first overall in city health.  Saskatoon finishes in first place because it scores highest in life satisfaction and receives high marks for healthy people with healthy lifestyles.

Saskatoon also has the most competitive tax rates among the major Canadian cites. The C.D. Howe Institute today released figures which show Saskatoon has the best business tax environment.

“Results like these are exactly what we’ve worked toward for many years,” says City Manager Murray Totland. “Our attention to City Council’s Strategic Goals such as Quality of Life and Economic Diversity and Prosperity lead to a community with good jobs, schools, health care and people – it’s what makes Saskatoon a great place to live.”

More on the Conference Board of Canada City Health Monitor can be found here.

Follow this link to get more information about the C.D. Howe Institute’s 2016 Report Card on Business Tax Burdens in Canada’s Major Cities. 

City contractors are not wasting any time getting started on two major interchange projects. Just days after being awarded the $57 million project, PCL Construction Management Inc. contractors will begin preliminary work on the two locations.

“We’re very pleased to see that PCL is starting its preparation work,” says Celene Anger, Director, Construction and Design. “In our experience, we have success when the contractor takes advantage of every opportunity to stay on time – or even move ahead of schedule.”

Starting today, PCL will begin geotechnical investigations at both the College Drive/McOrmond Drive and Boychuk Drive/Highway 16 locations. A drill rig will be used to take fourteen bulk samples of in-situ soils, which will provide information such as groundwater pressure, moisture content and other important data points.

Work is estimated to last about five days between the two locations and is not expected to have any lane restrictions or require any detours in the areas. A construction work zone with reduced speed limits will be established in the immediate vicinity of the workers in the interest of worker and public safety.

“This is the very first step in what will be one of the largest combined roadway projects the City has ever done,” Anger says. “These interchanges are going to provide significant traffic improvements for citizens and how they move around our city – but it’s going to take a lot of work getting there. Our commitment to citizens is to keep the lines of communications open, and provide regular updates on the project, so that you have time to plan around the work and help keep your delays as short as possible.”

The City is committed to keeping everyone up to date on the status of the projects, including regular website updates and emails to interested stakeholders. To receive these email updates, subscribe through the city website at saskatoon.ca/interchanges.

For road rehabilitation progress maps and more information on city-wide road rehabilitation work, please visit saskatoon.ca/betterroads. 

The City and the Transit Union have reached a tentative agreement and the union’s membership will be voting on this next week.  

City Council approval is required to finalize a contact. If the union membership accepts the offer and it can go to City Council for approval.

Job action will continue until the agreement has been ratified. Saskatoon Transit will continue to keep customers informed by issuing service alerts when made aware of any disruptions or delays. Service alerts can be viewed at saskatoontransit.ca, saskatoon.ca, on Twitter at @stoontransit or @YXEserviceAlert, through Transit App and in Google Transit.

We encourage transit customers to continue to plan your commute in advance and give yourself extra time since we are experiencing higher volumes of passengers per bus, delays and cancellations.

Individuals who do not have access to the internet can call the Transit Customer Service line at 306-975-3100 but are reminded that wait times may be longer than normal due to job action or higher than normal call volumes.

Access Transit is an essential service, and will continue operating as normal.

The City thanks our citizens, transit customers and our transit employees for their patience and understanding. 

The Court of Queen’s Bench says the Labour Relations Board must give the Transit Union another chance to make its case regarding compensation for the final two weeks of the 2014 Transit lockout.

“I think it’s fair to say we are a bit discouraged with the decision,” says Catherine Gryba, Corporate Performance General Manager.  “So, again, this might mean there will be more legal wrangling when we are hoping to conclude a collective agreement with the Transit Union.”

After the Transit Union asked the Court to review the matter, the decision was released today.  The decision simply means that the Labour Relations Board has to have another look at whether the union deserves pay for the final two weeks of the lockout.

“We will have to weigh all the options including an appeal,” Gryba says.  “While we consider the next steps though, I want to remind everyone our ten per cent wage offer is about being equal to all City workers in an increasingly more difficult economic climate.

“If the Transit union wants more, there are only two sources where dollars would have to come from: taxpayers and bus riders, both of whom already pay their fair share.”

Gryba says for the sake of all City employees – including transit workers – and for the sake of protecting the public purse, there can be no compromise on the pension changes and the sustainability plan for the pension. 

The City has to make sure wages and pension benefits are not an unreasonable burden to taxpayers.

For facts on Transit contract negotiations, visit saskatoon.ca/factsontransit.

The December 7, 2016 notifynow TEST message sent by the City of Saskatoon’s Emergency Measures Organization (EMO) was a success based on the feedback from residents and the system data generated. Fewer residents called back to ask questions about what the TEST was about. This indicates that residents are becoming much more familiar with the notifynow messaging system, and that they know they can customize how they prefer to receive important safety messages from notifynow. 

“Most residents that called in after yesterday’s TEST message wanted to learn more about how to log in and how to customize their notifynow profile, they wanted to tell us how they’d best like to be contacted,” says Deb Davies, Emergency Measures Coordinator. “Residents are recognizing that in the event of a wide scale emergency or one affecting only their neighbourhood, they might prefer a text message, and an email in addition to receiving a notifynow message to their land line. Or maybe they want to make sure their children receive a text message. That’s what great about this system, people can tell notifynow how best to contact them, and they can sign-up communication device preferences for their family members too.”

To date, 20, 072 residents have signed up with notifynow to indicate their preferred communication method, how they want to be contacted by notifynow so they’ll know what to do, where to go, and what to expect in an impending, escalating, or even immediately occurring emergency situation in Saskatoon. This is an increase of 5,412 residents since the last notifynow TEST held May 5, 2016. With the twice-yearly testing of the notifynow system, and by creating ongoing awareness for the notifynow system, the City and the Emergency Measures Organization hope to continue to grow this number.

“One of the goals for our semi-annual notifynow testing is to familiarize residents with what a notifynow message will sound like, and how it will be displayed on their phones or on the preferred method of communication they’ve let us know about by signing up,” says Davies. “Testing also helps residents know that a timely and targeted notifynow message is legitimate - and should be trusted.”

The EMO continues to encourage everyone in Saskatoon to sign up for notifynow. Persons with publicly listed phone numbers are automatically included in the notifynow database. However, if you would like to receive your notifynow message notifications for more than one address, like your child’s school or parent’s residence, or if you would like to customize the way you receive notifications via email, cell phone or text message, then you need to sign up and provide that information.

notifynow should play a very important component in everyone’s emergency preparedness plan. The ability to receive timely emergency communications is critical to persons with hearing or speech difficulties. To receive accessible notifynow messages, sign-up and enter up to two different TTY electronic device methods for text communication via telephone.

The notifynow emergency notification system supports the City of Saskatoon’s Strategic Goals of Continuous Improvement and Quality of Life; we leverage technology to serve and connect with citizens, and keep health and safety a top priority in all that we do.

To sign-up for notifynow and to tell us how to best to reach you with timely, targeted and trusted notifynow messages in an emergency situation, visit saskatoon.ca/notifynow or call 306-975-3210 for more information.

The Province of Saskatchewan requires the City of Saskatoon to conduct a reassessment of all property classes every four years to recalculate property values to reflect an updated and more current market value assessment.  Market value is what the property might have sold for as of a specified base date.

In 2017, all property classes will have their values reassessed and updated to reflect the market value assessment of the property as of the base date of January 1, 2015.  These values will be in place until the next reassessment in 2021. The 2013 Reassessment used a base date of January 1, 2011 to establish market value.

“On a city-wide basis, our preliminary analysis indicates property assessment values have increased, with the increases varying by individual properties and by property classes, “ says Darcy Huisman, City Assessor. “We do note, the total 2017 Reassessment value changes are not as large in Saskatoon as those experienced with the last reassessment in 2013.”

The current 2017 assessed value of all the property in Saskatoon is $52.1 Billion – $30.12 Billion for residential properties and $21.98 Billion for non-residential properties and apartment buildings. Approximately 86,000 residential properties will be assessed, and 9,000 non-residential properties (includes apartment buildings.)

Property taxes are based on a property’s assessed value, and owners of properties with similar values pay similar taxes. Properties for which assessed values increase or decrease more than the average within their tax class, will see tax changes as a result of a reassessment.

The preliminary aggregate 2017 Reassessment value changes are now available for these property classes: Commercial, Multi-Residential, Residential & Condominium, and Agricultural.
 

Aggregate Taxable 2017 Reassessment Value Changes By Property Class

Note:  **% assessment change due to 2013 Reassessment provided for comparative purposes.

Historically, City Council has required that the results of a reassessment remain revenue neutral at the property class level with no changes in taxes between property classes.  Revenue neutral is a tax calculation, meaning whether property assessments increase or decrease due to changes in values, the City of Saskatoon’s tax revenue does not automatically change – the City still receives the same amount of tax revenue.

Revenue neutral assumes that the City, schools and libraries require the exact amount of tax dollars from each class of property.  Any yearly tax change brought forward by the City is communicated through the budgetary process, not by the reassessment process. 

The aggregate or total change in assessment by property class may impact the amount of property taxes paid for individual properties.  Properties which the assessed value increased or decreased by more than the overall increase in assessment, by property class, will see a change in taxes on a revenue neutral basis. 

The following chart provides examples of the impact the reassessment has on Commercial property taxes based on the concept of revenue neutral. 

​Example 1 shows an individual property’s assessment that has increased by 36%, which is the same rate as the overall commercial property class change.  The impact on the property taxes on a revenue neutral bases is zero.

Example 2 shows an individual property’s assessment which increased by 25%, compared to that of the overall commercial property class change at 36%.  The impact on the property taxes, on a revenue neutral basis is -11%. 

Example 3 shows an individual property’s assessment which increased by 45%, compared to that of the overall commercial property class change at 36%.  The impact on the property taxes, on a revenue neutral basis is 9%. 

Over the last four reassessment or revaluation cycles, the assessment change by property class (including Condominium property type) looks like this:

Supporting the City’s Strategic Goal of Asset and Financial Sustainability, the City is committed to ensuring the fair, accurate and equitable assessment and taxation of all properties in Saskatoon, and that the reassessment process is open, accountable and transparent.

The 2017 Reassessment Notices will be mailed to residents starting January 9, 2017.

For more information on Assessment, visit saskatoon.ca/assessment or call 306-975-3227.

From the November 28, 2016 Meeting

8.1.5 Municipal Heritage Property Designation – Third Avenue United Church

Decision

*The City Solicitor has been instructed to bring forward a bylaw to designate 304 3^rd Avenue North as a Municipal Heritage Property under the provisions of the The Heritage Property Act with such designation to include the exterior of the building, as well as two interior elements, being the hammer-beam rafters and Casavant organ.
*$2,500 will be allocated from the Heritage Reserve for supply and installation of a recognition plaque for the property.

Additional Information

*Ms. Peggy Sarjeant, President, Saskatoon Heritage Society had addressed the SPC on Planning, Development and Community Services regarding the heritage designation of the Third Avenue United Church to include exterior elements and interior elements such as the hammer-beam rafters and Casavant organ.

8.1.6 Renaming Request – ‘Gordie Howe Park’ to ‘Gordie Howe Sports Complex’ and Naming Advisory Committee Quarterly Report

Decision

*The report was received as information and Gordie Howe Park will be renamed Gordie Howe Sports Complex.

Additional Information

*This is in a response to a report from the SPC on Planning, Development and Community Services. The committee was advised that the Naming Advisory Committee also reviewed and supported the renaming.

8.1.7 Age Friendly Saskatoon Initiative: Implementation and Evaluation Report

Decision

*City Council received the report as information.
*The City will apply for membership in the world Health Organization Age-Friendly Global Network.
*The City will continue its collaboration with the Saskatoon council on Aging.

Additional Information

*Age-Friendly Saskatoon has focused on getting key community stakeholders working together to support efforts that advance the dignity, health, and independence of older adults. Age-Friendly Saskatoon is consistent with the City aspiration for a desirable quality of life for all residents and will help in promoting an inclusive community; in particular, the inclusion of all older adults in community life.

8.1.8 Innovative Housing Incentives – Quint Development Corporation – 204 to 216 Avenue O South

Decision

*City Council approved funding of 10% of the total capital cost of the construction of 26 affordable rental units at 204 to 216 Avenue O South by Quint Development Corporation, estimated at $556,717, subject to the availability of funds in the Affordable Housing Reserve and the approval of this project under the Provincial Rental Development Program
*City Council recommends a five-year abatement of the incremental property taxes for the 26 affordable rental units be applied, commencing the next taxation year, following the completion of construction.

Additional Information

*In November 2015, City Council set the 2016 target for the 2013 – 2022 Housing Business Plan at 400 units across the attainable housing continuum, of which 32 units are targeted to be affordable rental units. To date, City Council has committed funding of $384,548 in support of 32 affordable rental units. Innovative Housing Incentives – Quint Development Corporation – 204 to 216 Avenue O South. At its June 27, 2016 meeting, City Council approved the rezoning of 204, 208, 212, 214, and 216 Avenue O South from RM1 to RM2 by agreement to facilitate a townhouse development on this site.

8.3.1 2017 Neighbourhood Traffic Management Reviews

Decision

*City Council decided the eleven neighbourhoods selected for 2017 traffic reviews, as part of the Neighbourhood Traffic Management Program, will include Queen Elizabeth, Exhibition, Buena Vista, Erindale, Arbor Creek, Pleasant Hill, Dundonald, North Park, Richmond Heights, Silverwood Heights, and Wildwood.

Additional Information

*The process includes a strategy to review concerns on a neighbourhood-wide basis by engaging the community and stakeholders in first identifying specific traffic issues, and secondly, developing joint recommendations that address the issues.
*Neighbourhoods selected for reviews are based on Councillor input, collision history, number of concerns received, and number of existing temporary traffic calming devices.

8.3.3 Building Better Sidewalks – Sidewalk Programs Overview

Decision

*Administration has been directed to eliminate the practice of using asphalt overlays on concrete sidewalks and funding for this service level change be from reallocation of existing funding within the roadway and sidewalk preservation program.

Additional Information

*An explanation on how the City selects sidewalks for repair, the criteria considered when determining the type of sidewalk repair required for a particular section, as well as various other FAQs and phone numbers for residents to report faulty sidewalks, is available at Saskatoon.ca/sidewalks. The webpage also contains a printable PDF about sidewalk repair/replacement criteria, and indicates when the City is assessing and marking sidewalks to address locations for future preservation work.

8.4.1 Aquatic Invasive Species: Response to PARCS

Decision

*City Council received the report as information.
*Administration will provide a report with more detail in terms of specific local impacts and resources required.
*The report will be referred to the Saskatoon Environmental Advisory Committee to review and report back to the Standing Policy Committee on Environment, Utilities, and Corporate Services with input.

Additional Information

*The City receives drinking water from the South Saskatchewan River. Lake Diefenbaker, upstream of the city along the river, is at risk for aquatic mussel infestation.
*The City does not currently have programming targeted at educating residents about aquatic invasive mussels as it is a member of the South Saskatchewan River Watershed Stewards (SSRWSI), which receives funding from the province to carry out an awareness campaign about aquatic invasive mussels within our watershed.
The province has installed a sign outside of city limits on Highway 11 to Prince Albert and has offered additional free highway signs to the City to help raise awareness of aquatic invasive mussels.

9.6.1 Proposed Sale of Former Police Service Headquarters

Decision

*City Council approved the proposed sale of the former Saskatoon Police Service Headquarters property at 130 and 140 - 4th Avenue North to Duchuck Holdings Ltd. at a purchase price of $10.7M based on the terms and conditions outlined.
*There will  be a five-year tax abatement of the full taxes for 130 - 4th Avenue North (building site), subject to the completion of a renovation or redevelopment of the property sufficient to constitute a change of predominant use to housing, office, structured parking, or a combination thereof.
*The five-year tax abatement will take effect in the next taxation year following completion of the renovation or redevelopment

Additional Information

*The former property at 130 and 140 - 4^th Avenue North had been listed for sale since September 2013 by two real estate brokerage firms, first with Colliers International, and more recently, ICR Commercial Real Estate.  The initial list price was $15.6M which was based on market sales and a very active real estate market at that time.

Following extensive review of the 2017 Preliminary Corporate Business Plan and Budget, November 30 and December 1, 2016, His Worship Mayor Charlie Clark and City Council have finalized investment decisions for 2017. The property tax increase is finalized at 3.89%.

“The final investment decisions made are disciplined and responsible,” says Kerry Tarasoff, Chief Financial Officer and General Manager, Asset and Financial Management. “While funding could not be allocated to every budgetary ask, City Council’s budget decisions accomplish a strong balance between the investments that the City needs to be modern and progressive, and the service level expectations they heard through public consultation this year - without placing a heavy financial burden on citizens in 2017.”

To fulfill and maintain the City’s investment plans, service level commitments and dedicated programs, the 2017 property tax increase will be distributed as follows: 1.93% Roadway Levy, 0.55% Snow & Ice Levy, and 1.41% to  remaining civic programs and services.

What This Means To Residential Property Owners

The 3.89% property tax increase for 2017 will generate an additional $7.9 million for the City’s Operating Budget, to be invested into the rehabilitation and maintenance of roadways, the snow and ice management program, and for the expenditure increases associated with all other civic programs and services. Here is the breakdown:

2017 Operating and Capital Budget Highlights

Total Operating Budget: $812.0 million (Civic - $482.0 million, Utilities - $330.0 million)

• Over $61.7 million invested in Building Better Roads including Road Maintenance, Snow & Ice Management and Street Cleaning and Sweeping
• Over $13.6 million for the continued maintenance and design of the City’s growing park infrastructure
• $5.0 million invested in Access Transit, including additional operators which will provide an additional 4,800 rides to customers on an annual basis
• $41.2 million invested in the delivery of Transit services to deliver 1,688 bus stops across 35 bus routes and 276 km of city streets
• $97.5 million invested in the Saskatoon Police Service including 6 new Constables

Total Capital Budget: $260.7 million

• $28.7 million in Transit related infrastructure and planning as part of the Federal Public Transit Infrastructure Fund
• $21.6 million in 2017 for the repair, replacement and renewal of existing water and wastewater infrastructure under the Federal Clean Water and Wastewater Fund
• $7.0 million for Phase I of Recovery Park to improve Landfill sustainability
• $32.1 million dedicated to paved roadway and sidewalk preservation
• $5.3 million for the replacement of Fire Station No. 3 to improve community safety

Total 2017 Operating & Capital Budget Combined: $1,072.7 million
The Corporate Business Plan and Budget frames the detailed investment decisions the City will follow in 2017. Not just about revenues and expenditures, the finalized Business Plan and Budget provide a reflection of what City Council, residents, businesses and the community as a whole value. More importantly, key public feedback gathered throughout 2016 was fully considered by City Council in the shaping and building of the 2017 Business Plan and Budget.

The City’s Strategic Goal of Asset and Financial Sustainability commits to budget planning that is open and transparent, and that the City invests in what matters. To address the needs of citizens today and tomorrow, the City is focused on the long-term goal of managing the City in a smart, sustainable way.

Visit saskatoon.ca/financialfuture for more budget and financial information.

From the November 21, 2016 meeting

7.1.1 Financing Growth – Hemson Study Update

Decision

*Administration will provide a report on proactive and strategic engagement options on the four areas identified in the report.

Additional Information

*In April of 2015, the former Executive Committee received and discussed a report presented by Hemson Consulting Ltd. on Financing Growth. This study was initiated by City Council primarily to provide information to help the City understand the current and future costs of infrastructure and civic services required to support future population growth, determine the financial impact of growth, and provide a general commentary on the costs and benefits associated with different types of development.
*The report identified key issues categorized under four major topics:
-appropriate scope and levels of development levies;
-encouragement of infill and redevelopment;
-exploration of alternate financing tools and increase non-tax revenues; and
-growth of non-residential property assessment.
*The Administration has been reviewing these issues and plans to address these through future reports and discussion papers as part of the Growth Plan to Half a Million.

7.1.3 Update on ATU Job Action

Decision

*The committee received the report as information.

Additional Information

*Bargaining has been underway between the City and ATU since October 2013 and has occurred with varying degrees of frequency and intensity.
*On November 8, 2016, the parties returned to the bargaining table and ATU presented a proposal that they would be prepared to accept the City’s Agreement in Principle (AIP) on the basis of the outcome of the outstanding pension arbitration.
*On November 10, 2016, the City provided a counter, which remains as the Current Offer. ATU refused this offer and provided notice that they would be taking job action effective midnight on November 11, 2016, in the form of refusing overtime and work to rule.

The City is partnering with Bridge City Bicycle Co-op to divert approximately 2,000 bicycles from the Landfill each year. Many of the bicycles brought to the Landfill are in poor condition and not recoverable; however, some of the bicycles are recoverable for either their parts or for complete refurbishment.

“The Co-op takes the bikes, they’re fixed and then gives them to people who need one,” says Russ Munro, Director of Water and Waste Stream.  “It’s a great re-use of the material instead of it being scrapped.”

This initiative will be evaluated after one-year with the goal of transitioning to the City’s largest waste diversion project, Recovery Park, scheduled to be implemented at the Landfill by 2018. Currently recycling and/or diversion programs at the Landfill include scrap metal, appliances, used oil and antifreeze, batteries and propane tanks.

Residents are invited to recycle their used bicycles at the Landfill for re-use in the community beginning January 1, 2017.

Learn more about waste diversion at saskatoon.ca.

Flags have been lowered at all City of Saskatoon facilities to honour Saskatoon Meewasin MLA Roger Parent who passed away on Tuesday, November 29, 2016.

“This is a real loss to our community,” says Mayor Charlie Clark. “I was personally privileged to serve with Mr. Parent on a number of boards and committees related to economic development, affordable housing and the Meewasin Valley Authority over the last decade. Our city will feel his absence in these key areas.”

Prior to being elected as an MLA in 2011, Parent was involved with a number of local committees and organizations including, among other initiatives, indigenous economic development and homelessness.

The City of Saskatoon extends condolences to Parent’s wife Sheila and their family.

Following an aggressive response to a perceived public safety threat, emergency responders are confident there is no community danger; the substances in question were identified as common baking soda and talcum powder.  The matter is now the subject of a police investigation.

Fire Chief Morgan Hackl says emergency workers can’t take any chances.

“We have to approach it with diligence, we have to go through all the proper steps,” Hackl says.  “Whether it’s a malicious call or not, we can’t take that into account – we have to take the due course and take it seriously.”

Saskatoon Emergency Measures Organization, Saskatoon Fire Department, Saskatoon Police Service, Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment as well as Saskatchewan Emergency Management and Fire Safety were involved in a response to five dangerous goods calls.

Starting around 12:30 p.m. and for a period of about two hours, emergency crews went to three addresses along Fourth Avenue and two more near Cynthia Street and Avenue C North.

For the remainder of the afternoon and into the early evening, the job of hazardous materials specialists was to identify the suspicious substance, neutralize it, and remove it from the affected area.  This process was successfully completed at all five locations.

Preliminary testing of the substance points strongly in the direction of a non-harmful powder: talcum powder was detected in one location, sodium bicarbonate, more commonly known as baking soda was identified in four locations.

“Sodium bicarbonate is just a standard everyday product that people can find in their homes, there’s no danger to it,” Chief Hackl says.

The samples collected will then be sent to the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg for final testing.

City officials activated the Emergency Operations Centre with a command post set up in the mobile unit and later in a public office building. 

Over 60 emergency personnel responded to the calls Tuesday afternoon.  

City Council yesterday awarded a contract to build two much-needed road interchanges at McOrmond Drive/Highway 5 and at Boychuk Drive/Highway 16.  The tender closed at $29 million less than the estimated cost.

“Keeping people and goods safely moving around in Saskatoon is a key priority,” says Jeff Jorgenson, General Manager of Transportation and Utilities.  “We are proud that the City and city developers have a funding strategy in place to help move these projects forward, and we are also thankful to the federal and provincial governments for their contributions towards the Boychuk/Highway 16 interchange.”

Council approved a tendered award of $56.7 million at its meeting yesterday afternoon. PCL Construction Management Inc. is the successful builder following an independently monitored competition between three companies.

The Saskatoon Interchange Project has bundled these two interchanges together as a way of reducing overall costs of construction.

The McOrmond Drive/College Drive interchange is fully funded by land developers. Saskatoon is unique in the province, in that it self-funds a significant portion of interchange costs through development levies rather than taxation.

The Boychuk Drive/Highway 16 interchange is funded by both federal and provincial governments, development levies and developer contributions.

“This award has no positive or negative impact on the 2017 civic operating budget,” Jorgenson says.  “The capital cost of these projects is funded through development levies, developer contributions, and other orders of government.”

Construction will start in early 2017 with substantial completion currently targeted for October 31, 2018 for McOrmond/College Drive and July 31, 2019 for Highway 16/Boychuk Drive.

A Sale Agreement has been reached with Duchuck Holdings Ltd. for the former Saskatoon Police Service Headquarters (SPSHQ) property, situated at 130 and 140 - 4^th Avenue North.

Today, City Council approved the sale of the former property based on the Terms and Conditions included in the Sale Agreement.

Noteworthy details of the Sales Agreement are as follows:

• Purchase price of $10.7M.
• Provision of a five-year tax abatement of the full taxes on 130 - 4^th Avenue North (building site) subject to completion of a renovation or redevelopment of the property sufficient to constitute a change of predominant use to housing, office, structured parking, or a combination thereof;
• Provision of a $395,000 credit to the purchase price for the Purchaser to remove hazardous materials that currently exist within the building.  The Purchaser thereby accepts full responsibility for the hazardous materials located within the building and indemnifies the City from any and all future claims;
• The City agrees to retain responsibility for environmentally contaminated soil found to be located on the vacant site (140 – 4^th Avenue North), or which is proven to have migrated on to any surrounding property; and
• Possession Date and Closing Date will be Tuesday, February 14, 2017 or such other date that may be agreed to by the parties.

In a report to City Council, Administration considered the offer to be fair and reasonable given current market conditions in Saskatoon.

Proceeds from the sale of 130 and 140 - 4^th Avenue North will be applied to the City’s cash holdings to replenish the funds used to purchase 202 - 4^th Avenue North (Civic Square East) and related parking lots at 209 and 221 - 5^th Avenue North.

The objective of the recommended tax abatement is consistent with the intent of the Vacant Lot and Adaptive Re-use Incentive (VLAR) Program. The value of the five-year tax abatement is estimated to be $200,000 per year, based on a property being a fully renovated, multi-tenant office building. The full tax abatement will result in foregone revenue for five years, to begin the year following completion of the renovation or redevelopment.

The Rush, Go Green with eBill! Contest is ending soon, switch and get in to win!

Choose to say goodbye to your traditional paper utility bill, and make the choice to rush and go green by signing up for eBill paperless utility billing,  it’s better for the environment, and more convenient for you!

All new customers who sign-up for eBill before November 30, 2016 will be entered into the eBill Contest. We’ll draw December 1, 2016 for a pair of 2017 Season Tickets to the Saskatchewan Rush Lacrosse Club. All valued utility bill customers currently on eBill are also automatically entered into the eBill Contest.

“Our eBill service has always been a customer focused initiative, and it also supports our environmental initiatives for the City as we are committed to savings, service and sustainability,” says Shelley Sutherland, Director of Corporate Revenue.

Choosing eBill instead of traditional paper billing, reduces paper clutter and a need to file. eBill is easy to use, secure and gives customers 24/7 access to their utility account history and current consumption charges

“If the City gained ten per cent more customers on eBill, we could save approximately 513 kilograms of paper per year,” says Sutherland. “Any time we can use less paper and importantly, leave less of a carbon footprint, savings add up.”

eBill customers receive an email notification when their bill is ready for online viewing at My Utility Account on the City’s website, saskatoon.ca.

It’s easy to sign up for your ebill!  Rush – get in to win and go green today!

Visit saskatoon.ca/ebillrush to sign-up or switch over, and for eBill Contest rules. Or, call 306-975-3200 for more information.

Saskatoon Transit has been forced to make major adjustments to afternoon and evening service on November 24, 2016. The Transit union continues to direct its members to take job action, this factor is compounded with an increased amount of sick time today has increased the pressure on the system.

“We will do our best to keep as much service on the road as we possibly can but with the refusal of over time by the union and an increased number of operators calling in sick, we have no other choice but to start pulling service,” says Jim McDonald, Director of Saskatoon Transit.      

Today, Saskatoon Transit had 12 operators call in sick. This, added to the refusal of overtime has caused the cancellation of runs or “loops” on 11 school routes, 21 regular routes and will cause over-crowding on 13 regular routes during afternoon and evening service.  

“This is the first day that Transit union job action has caused us to make major cancellations to regularly scheduled routes,” says McDonald. “We expect this to continue over the next few days so we encourage riders to regularly check the apps and our website for service alerts.”

Saskatoon Transit will continue to keep customers informed by issuing service alerts when made aware of any disruptions or delays. Service alerts can be viewed at saskatoontransit.ca, saskatoon.ca, on Twitter at @stoontransit or @YXEserviceAlert, through Transit App and in Google Transit.

Transit administration may not be aware of all immediate job action but will make efforts to inform the public of delays or disruptions as the information is made available. During such times Saskatoon Transit will make every attempt to maintain an appropriate level of service based on the resources available, but may be forced to further minimize service if required.  Citizens are encouraged to plain their commute in advance and allow extra time to get to their final destination.

Individuals who do not have access to the internet can call the Transit Customer Service line at 306-975-3100 but are reminded that wait times may be longer than normal due to job action or higher than normal call volumes.

Access Transit is an essential service, and will continue operating as normal.

The City thanks our citizens, transit customers and our transit employees for their patience and understanding as we have attempted to reach a contract settlement with ATU. 

In a winter city like Saskatoon, a snow storm can happen any day, any time. When it snows, City crews sand, salt and plow high-traffic roads and priority streets to keep drivers moving.

“Our team is ready to hit the streets to keep roads clear this winter,” says new Director of Roadways, Brandon Harris. “Winter preparation is a year-round operation that we continue to build on to provide better winter roads for residents and visitors.”

Building on last year’s successes, several improvements have been made to the 2016-17 Snow & Ice Plan to ensure better winter roads for Saskatoon drivers.

“New this year, the City is outfitting all of its high-speed winter maintenance equipment with flashing blue and amber lights to be consistent with highway operations and other municipalities across the country,” says Harris. “Standard warning signals are a critical element of a safe operation, as driver confusion can result in unexpected or dangerous reactions.”

Some improvements that will impact residents and drivers include the type of salt used, broader use of pre-wetting for the application of sand and an updated Priority Street Network for snow grading.

Coarse Salt
This winter, roadway crews are piloting the use of a coarser salt for ice prevention and treatment. Coarse salt has been found to be more effective and less susceptible to blowing off the road because it can be ‘ground’ into ice. In addition, it adds friction to slippery road surfaces.  Innovative salt spreading techniques are also being tested to improve performance and reduce salt usage which will save money and decrease environmental impacts.

More Pre-Wetting
The City will also continue to use a technique known as pre-wetting, where a salt brine or specialty chemical is sprayed on sand before it is applied to high-traffic streets such as Circle Drive. Wet, heavy sand sticks much more effectively to the road in extreme cold conditions, providing increased traction on high-speed roadways. The program will operate with twelve sanders, an increase from four last winter.

Updated Priority Streets
The City’s Priority Street Network is updated to reflect changing traffic patterns and revised transit routes. Following a major snowfall, plowing and grading occurs in order of priority, beginning with high-traffic streets such as Circle Drive. Some streets will have snow grading that didn’t in previous years, while a few streets will be re-ordered as part of the snow event response. Priority streets are identified on the City’s Snow Grading Interactive Map which will be updated annually moving forward.

Other elements of the Winter Road Maintenance plan include:

• GPS tracking software pilot project to track the location of the sanders, where they have sanded and how much sand they have used.
• The 18-vehicle snow train that may be activated after a snow event to remove collected snow along the edges of Circle Drive, bridges and overpasses.
• Frequent removal of snow windrows (snow piled along the road during grading) from school zones and more clearly defined and expanded removal zones around schools.
• Snow grading and removal will occur as required along narrow, congested streets where snow windrows are not a practical option.
• Adjustments in the way the City uses private contractors for snow grading during and after a snow event, to maximize value and efficiencies.
• City-wide neighbourhood rut blitz may be initiated later in the season, when the snow pack reaches a minimum of 15 centimetres to prevent severe rutting.

Green Circle and Blue Square snow routes will once again be in effect. If an extreme snow fall occurs, a temporary Snow Route Parking Ban may be declared for city-wide snow grading. Residents are urged to find out which streets are along a Green Circle or Blue Square snow route on the City’s Snow Grading Interactive Map.

“City crews will be out there all winter, day and night,” says Harris. “Please watch for flashing lights that signal winter maintenance equipment is ahead and slow down for your safety and the safety of everyone around you.”

Be in the Know About Snow! Find out what happens in Saskatoon when it snows and how you can be prepared at saskatoon.ca/snow or download the Be in the Know About Snow poster (PDF).

Since tabling the 2017 Preliminary Budget on November 7, 2016, the following three significant changes have taken place:

• Higher assessment growth of $1.2 million than originally estimated, decreasing the mill rate by 0.61%;
• SaskPower’s proposed 5.0% rate increase on January 1, 2017, was reduced to 3.5% by the Saskatchewan Rate Review Panel for a net increase of $306,300 or 0.15%; and
• On November 17, 2016 the Saskatoon Police Board approved a budget $699,600 higher than originally tabled or a 0.34% increase.

All put together, these changes have a net reduction to the property tax requirement of $235,900 or 0.12%, on the City of Saskatoon’s (City) originally tabled budget for a revised preliminary tax increase of 3.85%.

“The good news is that assessment growth is higher than what we were estimating in the budget by $1.2 million – so this is additional money we have available to offset expenditures,” says Chief Financial Officer Kerry Tarasoff.

However, Tarasoff points out there are a few changes to the expenditure side as well.

“As you may have heard, the Saskatoon Board of Police Commissioners has now set its budget and it is being tabled with City Council with a $ 699,600 increase over what is in the current budget already proposed.”

Additionally, Tarasoff explains the smaller SaskPower rate increase also has an effect on the amount of money the city has to use.

“While the lower rate is good news for citizens on their power bills, it has a negative impact to Saskatoon Light and Power and to the mill-rate,” Tarasoff says.  “This affects the amount of revenue we receive from our own power company and franchise fees from SaskPower – as a result the net impact is a $306,300 decrease in our general revenue.”

Tarasoff says the easiest approach to dealing with the new conditions is to build these three changes into the budget already tabled and re-table the 2017 Preliminary Budget on November 30, with a newly proposed 3.85% property tax increase rather than the 3.97% increase previously discussed.

Here is a breakdown of the individual impacts:

The revised budget proposal will be introduced to City Council at its Preliminary 2017 Corporate Business Plan and Budget meeting beginning Wednesday November 30.

To view the 2017 Preliminary Corporate Business Plan and Budget, Executive Summary and other related City of Saskatoon Financial Reports, visit saskatoon.ca/financialfuture.

Following the Governance and Priorities Committee’s unanimous confirmation of the City’s existing wage and benefits offer to the Transit union, communications with stakeholders have been enhanced about this proposal and the impact of the Transit union job action on citizens and transit users.

Jeff Jorgenson, General Manager of Transportation and Utilities says the City is making every attempt to provide service with as little impact on riders.

 “As we know, the Transit Union continues to direct its members to take job action,” Jorgenson says.  “So, Saskatoon Transit management has made adjustments in order to make service as predictable as possible.  Transit has implemented a new approach to high school service, which will allow us to re-deploy buses to cover primary service.

The result is the best solution for dependable school service and dependable core service.  If the Transit Union escalates job action, there could be further delays, cancellations and over-crowding on some buses throughout the system.”

Due to the current job action by the union, between 5% and 8% of service is not being provided. Operations managers are focusing on keeping primary transit routes running as usual. Services such as the high school “extras” that have been cut due to lack of staff are primarily buses where other parallel service is available.

Transit management will be identifying service that can be reduced or eliminated on a consistent basis with the least impact to riders. This will improve predictability of the service and will make it easier for riders to understand the service reductions that are expected until the end of job action or until job action escalates.

“We have and continue to be in direct communication with the school boards, the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan Polytechnic, and the Saskatoon Health Region to advise them of the disruptions to the Transit service,” says Catherine Gryba, General Manager of Corporate Performance.

Gryba says communications are key in dealing with the Transit union job action and certainly speaking to transit employees directly is the most important goal.

“We want every transit worker to know that if they accept the contract agreement, everyone including past and retired staff who were employed from 2012-2016, will receive their back pay in time for the holiday season,” Gryba says.

Reassuring current and retired employees, Gryba stresses the Transit pension is secure and the pension deal that eight other City unions have accepted is the same deal being offered to the Transit union.

Transit employees will retain an excellent defined benefit plan that does not change by agreeing to the City’s offer. Retired employees will continue to receive their pension every month just as they always have.

“We are focused on negotiating an agreement and the City’s offer is about being equal to everyone,” she says. “If the Transit union wants more, there are only two sources where dollars would have to come from: taxpayers and bus riders, both of whom already pay their fair share.”

For the sake of all City employees – including transit workers – and for the sake of protecting the public purse, we simply cannot compromise on the pension changes and the sustainability plan for the pension.  The City has to make sure wages and pension benefits are not an unreasonable burden to taxpayers.

For facts on Transit contract negotiations, visit saskatoon.ca/factsontransit.

From the November 14, 2016 Meeting

8.1.1 Civic Operations Centre (COC) Construction Update

Decision

*The Committee received the report as information.

Background

*In October of 2014, City Council approved the award of the Request for Proposal for the COC, Phase One, to Integrated Team Solutions (ITS). This Team will design, build, finance and maintain the new Saskatoon Transit Facility, and design, build, finance, maintain and operate the permanent Snow Management Facility.
*Construction is progressing as expected and all activities are on track for Substantial Completion on December 31, 2016.

8.1.2 Remai Modern Construction Update

Decision

*The Committee received the report as information.

Background

*Construction of the EllisDon contract is approximately 97% complete.
*The Contractor is estimating that the building construction will be complete early 2017, as long as the project does not experience delays going forward.
*Secondary contracts outside of the EllisDon scope include furniture, signage and lighting.
*The Gallery is managing the contracts for the shell (Feature) gallery and restaurant fit-out. They are responsible for the move, transition, art preparation and the opening.
*The building opening is dependent upon the construction schedule.
*The Administration continues to do everything possible to prudently manage the contract with EllisDon and protect the City’s interests.
*The projected funding shortfall continues to be between $2.5 and $4.5 million considering all factors.

8.1.3 City Plan for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Call to Action

Decision

*The Committee received the report as information.

Background

*The Aboriginal Awareness Program is an education program for employees that shares the history of residential schools, their impact, and open dialogue on reconciliation in the workplace.
*The program involves a multi-year strategy to train all permanent staff with completion expected in 2019.
*The fall 2016 Leadership Forum included a presentation to raise awareness and understanding across the City’s 400 senior managers and supervisors. Program development is being guided by the community and community partnerships.
*The program will also be supplemented with a TRC Resource Kit, the City’s corporate training programs, and a supervisor/manager refresher course.

8.2.2 Service Saskatoon Progress Report and 2017 Plan

Decision

*The report has been forwarded to the 2017 Business Plan and Budget Deliberations

Background

*A new division called Service Saskatoon was created in early 2016 and the Service Saskatoon model was launched to the public in April 2016.
*The new model of citizen service is a City-wide shift in delivery of frontline service, response to service and information requests, and improvement of services into the future.
*The technology centre piece of the new model will be a new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system that will prioritize requests and give citizens ways to monitor progress of their service request/inquiry.
*Changes to the main floor of City Hall will provide a one-stop experience for citizens, making it easier to access services and information.
*Saskatoon is becoming involved in the open data movement and will engage with interested parties in providing information and data files using web-based open data.
*Service Saskatoon is responsible to ensure that website and digital information management is executed and provide support to other divisions across the corporation to manage and maintain quality control.

8.2.3 Aquatic Invasive Species: Response to PARCS

Decision

*The Committee forwarded the report to City Council for information and asked the Administration provide a report containing more detail in terms of specific local impacts and resources required.
*The report has been referred to the Saskatoon Environmental Advisory Committee to review and report back to the Standing Policy Committee on Environment, Utilities, and Corporate Services with input.

Background

*The Committee received a letter from PARCS on May 9, 2016, asking for support, by motion, and with a letter to the Premier, for a comprehensive systematic border inspection program for invasive mussel species that are commonly carried on boats.
*The City receives drinking water from the South Saskatchewan River. Lake Diefenbaker, upstream of the city along the river, is at risk for aquatic mussel infestation.
*The City does not currently have programming targeted at educating residents about aquatic invasive mussels as it is a member of the South Saskatchewan River Watershed Stewards (SSRWSI), which receives funding from the province to carry out an awareness campaign about aquatic invasive mussels within our watershed.
*The province has installed a sign outside of city limits on Highway 11 to Prince Albert and has offered additional free highway signs to the City to help raise awareness of aquatic invasive mussels.

8.2.4 Recovery Park Next Steps

Decision

*The report has been referred to the 2017 Business Plan and Budget deliberations.

Background

*Recovery Park will be a one-stop recycling and waste facility near the City landfill that will support waste diversion.
*KPMG conducted market sounding of businesses across Canada to determine a business case and options for delivery models for Recovery Park.
*The Administration has been working on a traffic model and site design for Recovery Park. There is sufficient capital funding in place to proceed with the first phase of Recovery Park.
*The private sector is interested in investing in the Organics waste stream if minimum volumes of organic waste can be guaranteed by the City.
*The Administration has identified a number of opportunities to improve the efficiency of the Green Cart Program in 2017.

From the November 14, 2016 Meeting

8.1.8 North Commuter Parkway and Traffic Bridge Construction Update

Decision

*The Committee received the report as information.

Background

*The project continues to be on time and on budget.
*At the Traffic Bridge, Graham Commuter Partners (GCP) has completed Pier 3 as well as the north and south bridge abutments. Span 4, the southernmost span of the bridge, has also been completed.
*Demolition of the last original Traffic Bridge span took place November 17, 2016.
*At the North Commuter Parkway bridge, construction of Pier 1, the west in-river pier, has been completed. Construction of Pier 2, the centre in-river pier, is underway with the pier foundation, diaphragm, and columns already complete, and construction of the pier cap currently underway.
*Earthworks for the new roadways subgrades is underway. Storm sewer installation for the new roadways is ongoing until the end of November.

8.1.10 Building Better Bridges: An Asset Management Plan for Bridges and Structures

Decision

*The Committee received the plan as information.
*Administration will provide a report for the 2017 Business Plan and Budget deliberations as part of the Corporate Management Plan.

Background

*The report shows the physical condition of bridges and structures. Currently, 29% of bridges, 58% of overpasses and 76% of pedestrian crossings are in good to very good condition.
*A potential funding plan is illustrated with the goal of bridging the funding gap to enable the assets to reach the desired condition over time.

8.1.11 Building Better Roadways: An Asset Management Plan for Roadways

Decision

*The Committee received the plan as information.
*Administration will provide a report for the 2017 Business Plan and Budget deliberations as part of the Corporate Management Plan.

Background

*The City’s roadway replacement value is estimated at $2.82 billion. In order to maintain the roadways in satisfactory to good condition, an annual investment of $26.2 million is required. This funding level will be reached in 2017 as the final year of a four year dedicated levy is completed.

8.1.12 Building Better Sidewalks: An Asset Management Plan for Sidewalks

Decision

*The Committee received the plan as information.
*Administration will provide a report for the 2017 Business Plan and Budget deliberations as part of the Corporate Management Plan.

Background

*The condition of sidewalks in Saskatoon range from ‘failed’ to ‘good’ condition depending on location. At a network level, the current overall, or system average, physical condition of sidewalks is considered to be satisfactory.
*Two potential funding plans are illustrated with the goals of bridging the funding gap to enable the assets to reach the desired condition of good over time and to show the cost of using asphalt overlays in comparison to not using asphalt overlays as a preservation strategy.

8.2.1 Building Better Sidewalks: Sidewalk Programs Overview

Decision

*The Committee recommended to City Council that Administration be directed to eliminate the practice of using asphalt overlays on concrete sidewalks and that funding for this service level be reallocated.

Background

*Capital Project #0948 – New Sidewalks and Pathways is a retrofit program to construct sidewalks and pathways at locations where they do not currently exist.
*Capital Project #1963 – Corporate Accessibility Implementation addresses the identified priorities of the Accessibility Service Level Guidelines, and a portion of this capital project includes accessibility ramp installations to address accessibility issues throughout Saskatoon.
*Capital Project #2270 – Neighbourhood Network and Primary Network Preservation Programs is administered by Major Projects and is a program to restore and maintain sidewalks in a safe condition for users, which involves repairing or replacing panels of sidewalks having trip hazards or missing sections.
*The Sidewalk Maintenance and Safety program is administered by Public Works and is a program to address spot repairs of sidewalk panels to address immediate safety concerns.
*Eliminating asphalt overlays from the treatments available for use, yet maintaining the same treatment coverage, would require an increase in funding of $2.2 million annually. This can be achieved with either a funding increase to the program or a re-distribution of funding allocations within the existing program

8.2.5 Update on Railway Working Group

Decision

*The report has been forwarded to City Council for consideration.

Background

*Modifications were made to Canadian National Railway’s (CN) operations in the south west portion of the city to reduce traffic delays in the area.
*Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Authority (SREDA) has completed a preliminary analysis of the economic impact of rail delays at key rail crossings throughout the city.
*The scope of the first phase of the grade separation and rail relocation feasibility study has been developed to compare both options.
*The second phase involves more detailed analysis on the chosen option.

8.2.6 Traffic Noise Sound Attenuation Policy Framework

Decision

*The Committee recommended to City Council:
1. That the Administration proceed with preparing a Council Policy based on the Traffic Noise Sound Attenuation policy framework provided in this report;
2. That the recommended Traffic Noise Sound Attenuation monitoring program be included in the Council Policy; and
3. That the report be considered during the 2017 Business Plan and Budget deliberations.

Background

*In 2013, a report was submitted to City Council during the 2014 Budget Deliberations and approved the construction of nine sound attenuation projects in Capital Project #1522 – Traffic Noise Sound Attenuation. The funds were to be borrowed and repaid over a 10-year period to complete these projects. City Council also requested a revised policy before additional locations on the priority list are funded and that the priority list be updated based on this policy. During consideration of the Capital Project #1522 – Traffic Noise Sound Attenuation report, the Standing Policy Committee on Transportation, at its meeting held on July 19, 2016, resolved: “That the matter be referred to the Administration to provide an update report regarding policy and standards prior to a report being submitted to the 2017 Business Plan and Budget deliberations.”

The City invested $162 million over three years to improve the condition of roads, sidewalks and back lanes. In addition, enhancements continue to be introduced to the street sweeping; pothole and utility cut repairs; road, sidewalk and back lane rehabilitation; and line painting programs. The City’s annual Civic Services survey confirms that residents are noticing a difference and rate road and sidewalk maintenance as less of a concern each year, since 2013.

“We’re wrapping up another successful construction season with 204 lane kilometres of road construction and almost 10 kilometres of new sidewalk completed, and a long list of other accomplishments,” says General Manager of Transportation & Utilities, Jeff Jorgenson. “Today we are celebrating how far we’ve come and thanking everyone for their patience and cooperation during a busy construction season.”

Road construction was scheduled to minimize the impact to the public as much as possible. Approximately 45 lane kilometres of road work were completed at night on College Drive, 8th Street, Circle Drive overpass at Idylwyld Drive, Avenue C and Faithfull Avenue. Work was completed in sections on high-volume locations on the Idylwyld Drive overpass at Ruth Street and on Broadway Avenue to maintain traffic flow.

“We continue to improve our tendering and traffic planning processes, as evident in the successful comprehensive approach to the Broadway Improvement and Queen Street projects,” says Jorgenson. “By coordinating the rehabilitation of underground utilities, roads and sidewalks at these locations, we will save money in the long-term and increase reliability of these services for businesses and residents who rely on them.”

Building Better Roads

• Road rehabilitation:
  • 204 lane kilometres in 2016 – the distance from City Hall to Kindersley
  • 624 lane kilometres over three years – the distance from City Hall to downtown Calgary
• Sidewalk replaced: almost 10 kilometres in 2016; more than 21 kilometres over three years
• Potholes repaired: 225,000 in 2016; 576,000 over three years
• New durable line markings: More than 16 kilometres in 2016; more than 44 kilometres over three years
• Back lanes reconstructed: 9 kilometres in 2016; 46 kilometres over three years
• 11,800 cubic metres of dust, leaves and debris removed with spring and fall street sweeping collected in 2016
• Major projects include Idylwyld Drive overpass reconstruction over Ruth Street; Broadway Improvement Project; Queen Street Water & Sewer Rehabilitation, pedestrian overpass on College Drive near Preston Avenue, North Commuter Parkway/Traffic Bridge, Civic Operation Centre and intersection improvements on Zimmerman Road/ Highway 16 and at 22nd Street/ Diefenbaker Drive

Residents are noticing an improvement in the condition of roads, with fewer people (32% telephone, 22% online) citing roads and sidewalks as the most important issue facing Saskatoon, compared to 2013 (36% telephone, 31% online). Since 2013, fewer people surveyed report road and sidewalks as the City’s top issue; 4% fewer (telephone) and 9% fewer (online). Satisfaction levels with the City’s road and sidewalk programs are on the rise (refer to page 21 of the 2016 Civic Services Survey).

For more information about projects completed in 2016 and the City’s road plan, please visit saskatoon.ca/betterroads. 

The City wants to extend many thanks to its Transit employees and to the public: to transit employees for their continuing efforts and professionalism through this lengthy set of contract negotiations; to the public for its patience and understanding that the City is attempting to settle the contract in a way which is fair for every city employee.

We met Thursday, November 10 with ATU and tabled a comprehensive package of wages and benefits, including a way of dealing with their concerns over this pension language

We believed it would get us a deal as it is a very fair and reasonable offer.  We are offering a 10% wage increase and in the current economic downturn, it’s certainly above what many workers would receive elsewhere in the marketplace.

Unfortunately, the ATU Executive retrenched its position on the pension changes and now says it will not accept the pension changes or the future sustainability plan for the pension.  The City even met with the union executive on the morning of November 11, only to be presented with the same position.

I’m sure this is as disappointing to you as it is to the City.  We have been very practical in bargaining with the ATU Executive over the last four years, but we can now only conclude that they are firmly entrenched in their belief that they deserve a better pension than any of the other city employees.  That is just not a fair or reasonable position.

For the sake of all City employees – including transit workers – and for the sake of protecting the public purse, the City simply cannot compromise on the pension changes and the sustainability plan for the pension.  It is of key importance to the City to protect the defined benefit plan of its employees in a way that is affordable for taxpayers.

A Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Authority (SREDA) analysis reveals the local economy loses $2.5 million of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per year as a result of traffic delays at major rail crossings in the city.

“This study provides us with a measurement of what we’ve suspected for some time,” says Angela Gardiner, Director of Transportation.  “These results will further enhance the Railway Working Group’s move toward a solution for minimizing delays at rail crossings on high traffic streets.”

The analysis is highlighted in a report for the November 14 meeting of the Standing Policy Committee on Transportation.

“The lost GDP is due to lost labour productivity to businesses in the Saskatoon Region as a result of traffic delays at nine rail crossings in the City,” says Alex Fallon, President & CEO, SREDA.

In March, the Committee directed the Administration to expand the ongoing work of the Railway Working Group to include exploring relocation of railways.  This additional mandate will be considered in the 2017 budget discussions beginning at month’s end.

The Administration report details modifications have already been made to Canadian National Railway’s (CN) operations in the south west portion of the city to reduce traffic delays in the area.

The Administration report further outlines the two phases of the upcoming feasibility study. The first phase will evaluate the costs and benefits of relocating the Canadian Pacific (CP) mainline and possibly the rail yard compared to constructing grade separations at priority rail crossing locations.

“The impact of CP on the city’s road network is significantly greater than that of CN due to the number of at-grade crossings along the mainline,” Gardiner says.  “If the relocation of CP is determined to be financially feasible, the study may further explore the relocation of CN.”

Two options will be considered as part of the feasibility study: either construct grade separations at priority rail crossing locations; or relocate CP rail infrastructure, including CP Sutherland Yards.

Once an option is chosen by City Council, the second phase of the study would be a more detailed analysis to develop a business case to approach other orders of government for construction funding.

The first phase of the feasibility study will be completed in 2017 and presented to the Standing Policy Committee on Transportation in early 2018.​​

Following extensive consultation and engagement with its citizens, the City is proud to release the 2017 Business Plan and Budget which aims at striking a balance between investing in key priorities while practicing good fiscal management and restraint. 

“The City of Saskatoon’s proposed 2017 Business Plan and Budget is focused on achieving what we heard through our public engagement process, namely increased road maintenance and snow and ice service,” says Chief Financial Officer, Kerry Tarasoff.  “While the City cannot satisfy the demands of all, we are very proud to say that this financial plan attempts to accomplish many of the important things that citizens told us in during the Shaping our Financial Future community engagement.”
To help pay for the City’s operations and to ensure the budget is balanced, the 2017 Business Plan and Budget proposes a 3.97% property tax increase.

The 2017 Operating Budget

Total operating expenditures of $481.4 million, an increase of $16.6 million, or 3.6%, over the 2016 approved Operating Budget.

Tax-supported-operating expenditures of $463.4 million for 2017, an increase of $18.4 million or 4.1%, over the 2016 approved Operating Budget.

Tax-supported operating expenditures represent 96.3% of total operating expenditures in 2017.

In 2017, 1% of the property tax is equivalent to $2.03 million. So, the proposed property tax increase for 2017 will generate an additional $8.1 million for the City’s Operating Budget. The additional property tax revenue that is collected will be distributed as follows:

• 0.55% or $1.1 million dedicated to snow and ice management
• 1.93% or $3.9 million dedicated to the maintenance of roadways.  The final year of the road levy will deliver $61.8 million to continue road improvements.
• 1.49% or $3.1 million allocated to pay for police, firefighters and other expenditures associated with all other programs and services.

The 2017 Capital Budget

In contrast to the City’s Operating Budget, the City’s Capital Budget provides the investments in hard infrastructure. This includes the construction of buildings (like recreation centres and libraries), transportation assets (like new roads and bridges), and neighbourhood infrastructure (like sidewalks and water lines).

For 2017, the City of Saskatoon is investing $261.4 million in various capital projects. This is an increase of approximately $32.7 million, or 14.3% over the 2016 approved Capital Budget.  This increase in capital programming is largely due to the City’s allocations under the Federal Public Transit Infrastructure Fund (PTIF) of $37.3 million and Clean Water and Wastewater Fund (CWWF) of $31.6 million.

What this means to residential property owners

The proposed property tax increase of 3.97% means that a homeowner who owns a single family detached home with an average assessment of $325,000 will see their municipal property taxes increase by $67.55 per year or $5.63 per month.  

“In supporting one of Canada’s great cities and vibrant economies, the City will to continue to deliver value to citizens,” Tarasoff says. “With thousands of new citizens joining us every year, providing quality services, vibrant facilities and properly maintained infrastructure is crucial to sustaining that energy.”

View the detailed 2017 Preliminary Corporate Business Plan Budget documents here.

A Saskatoon Transit articulating bus was involved in a multiple vehicle collision this afternoon.  It happened near the intersection of Preston Avenue and College Drive West around 5:30 p.m.

Police, firefighters and ambulance crews responded to the scene; paramedics took one of the bus passengers to hospital with undetermined injuries.

The Broadway Avenue Improvement Project and the Water Main Replacement Project Queen Street location both wrap up this week. This brings two of the City’s major 2016 projects to a successful close. 

“It’s been another very busy construction season overall and we are very happy to deliver on our commitment of building better roads for Saskatoon residents and visitors,” says Celene Anger, Director of Construction and Design. “The Broadway Avenue Improvement Project and Water Main Replacement Project Queen Street location were a large part of the City’s ongoing commitment to continuous improvement, meeting our immediate priorities for clean drinking water and safe wastewater removal to support a cleaner and healthier environment for our communities.”

Water main infrastructure in the Broadway neighbourhood and beneath Queen Street was almost 100 years old and were priority locations requiring the most urgent attention. Work in both areas included replacing water main infrastructure – replacing cast iron pipes and fittings and removing lead connections in order to remove weak links in the existing water distribution network. Sanitary sewer systems were also upgraded and lastly there was significant rehabilitation of roadways. This work required extensive excavation and temporary water service connections in addition to traffic restrictions and detours.

“Work on Broadway started at the beginning of the construction season back in May, and even with a stretch of cold and snow in early October, the project was finished within days of our target completion date,” Anger says. “Businesses and residents in the Broadway area were very patient while we worked on and under their streets. Now they have water main infrastructure that’s built for the future, and a smooth roadway to go with it.”   

The Queen Street project – replacing water mains between 6th Avenue and 8th Avenue – involved significant coordination between Saskatoon City Hospital and the City of Saskatoon. Although work on this particular part of the City’s water infrastructure system did not impact the hospital directly, the road work did. This 16-week project needed to be phased to allow for consistent access to the hospital for emergency services, patients, workers and residents.

Anger says her team is always looking for ways to improve how they do work and to minimize negative effects on the community.

“These were big projects which upset routines of a lot of people so we needed to be innovative. This year, our coordinated approach using targeted, flexible phasing, and extended work hours allowed us to improve services and complete the work in an efficient manner,” she says. “It’s our goal to minimize the impact to residents, businesses and essential services while we work. We thank everyone for their patience while this necessary construction was carried out.”

In the spring, crews will return to Broadway Avenue for final touch up work, landscaping and sidewalk panels and some paving on a small section of roadway at the top of the bridge. Extended paving from 2nd Avenue to Spadina Crescent (excluding the already complete Queen Street project area) will also take place in the spring.

Throughout the projects, access was always maintained to the Broadway Bridge and Saskatoon City Hospital.

Some key facts from the Broadway Avenue Improvement Project include:

• 1,663 metres of water main replaced.
• 8.9 lane kilometres of road resurfaced.
• 100 water service connections replaced.

Some key facts from the Queen Street Water Main Replacement Project include:

• 195 metres of water main replaced.
• 195 metres of road resurfaced.
• 5 water service connections replaced.

The cost for the Broadway Avenue Improvement Project is $6 million and $850,000 for the Queen Street Water Main Replacement Project.

To learn more please visit saskatoon.ca/broadway and saskatoon.ca/queenstreet.

As the Bridging to Tomorrow project approaches the one year mark, the City is pleased with the progress that has been made at each site. Work on the Traffic Bridge began in December 2015 and North Commuter Parkway site construction began in January of 2016.

“Right now at the Traffic Bridge, crews are putting the finishing touches on construction of an in-river berm on the north side of the river so they can start building the two north piers,” says Dan Willems, Director of Major Projects. “The south in-river pier, the north and south bridge abutments, and the first new span are complete and demolition of the last original span will start in mid-November.”

Meanwhile, at the North Commuter Parkway, the west in-river pier is complete and construction of the centre in-river pier is underway.

“This part of the project involves more than bridge construction. It also involves storm sewer installation as well as several kilometers of earthworks for the roads connecting to the new bridge,” says Willems. “Work also involves improvements to the intersection of Attridge Drive and Central Avenue, which is nearing completion, and the realignment of the eastbound off-ramp from Circle Drive East to Attridge Drive.”

Both bridges are scheduled to open in 2018. The North Commuter Parkway will support the transportation needs of northeast Saskatoon residents who work in the Marquis and North Industrial Areas. The new Traffic Bridge will support the growing city centre by allowing drivers, pedestrians and cyclists to cross the South Saskatchewan River. It will resemble the original bridge, but will be wider to accommodate larger vehicles like fire trucks and Transit buses.

Bridging to Tomorrow project updates, including detailed monthly summaries, links to live cameras at each bridge site, and quarterly video updates, are available at saskatoon.ca/bridging. In person, anyone can watch Traffic Bridge progress at the River Landing viewing area. North Commuter Parkway construction can be viewed from the Meewasin Trail just east of the cul-de-sac at the north end of Kinnear Avenue (north of Silverwood Golf Course).

Improving business development and employment for Métis people and communities is the focus of a one-day conference today in Saskatoon. Open to business leaders, organizations, educational institutes and economic development corporations, the conference covered a range of topics that addresses barriers faced by regional Métis businesses.

The Forum’s keynote speaker Jason Madden, Managing Partner with Pape Salter Telleit, spoke on the recent ruling of the Supreme Court Ruling and the government’s responsibility to negotiate with Métis and non-status peoples. Other sessions focused on best practices for economic development and reconciliation, and employment and procurement policies.

The Forum was organized in partnership with the City, Central Urban Metis Federation Inc. (CUMFI), Saskatoon Aboriginal Employment Partnership (SAEP), and Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Association (SREDA).

Quotations

“We recognise the whole community prospers when there are opportunities for everyone, including Aboriginal and Métis people, to participate in the economy. The more there are opportunities for Métis business leaders to network, the greater the likelihood Métis peoples can succeed in creating jobs and a better quality of life for the entire community.”

• Gilles Dorval, Director of Aboriginal Relations, City of Saskatoon.

“It is important for the Métis people in Saskatoon to be involved in the growth of our economy by creating new business opportunities.”

• Shirley Isbister, President, Central Urban Métis Federation Inc. (CUMFI)

“In order to help grow, strengthen and diversify the Saskatoon Region economy, we need to increase the number of partnerships and business opportunities that engage our Métis communities. This Forum will help us all share opportunities, strengthen relationships and ultimately lead to more successful economic development opportunities.”

• Alex Fallon, President and CEO, Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Authority.

The City of Saskatoon’s commitment to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's calls to action supports City’s Strategic Goal of “Quality of Life” by strengthening partnerships with Aboriginal and Métis organizations to enhance access to training, employment, economic opportunities, and housing.

Almost 500 Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal experts, leaders, youth and Elders will “learn from one another to build community” and commit to moving forward on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action at the second annual Wîcihitowin (wee-CHEE-toh-win) Aboriginal Engagement Conference.

“In our second year, we’re focusing on learning and resources for non-Aboriginal organizations to improve engagement and inclusion of Aboriginal peoples, whether it be as an employee, volunteer or in a board role,” says Gilles Dorval, Director of Aboriginal Relations for the City of Saskatoon.

Wîcihitowin is Cree/Saulteaux for “helping each other” or “working together”, which is an important component of delivering enhanced programs and services. This conference is presented in partnership with the City of Saskatoon, the United Way of Saskatoon, Saskatoon Health Region, and Aboriginal Friendship Centres of Saskatchewan.

“When done well, Aboriginal engagement can improve outcomes for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal community members, strengthening both the organization and our community by incorporating the voice of the Aboriginal community in programming and service delivery,” says Warren Isbister-Bear, Director of Aboriginal Relations for United Way of Saskatoon.

This year’s conference will address themes outlined in the Truth & Reconciliation Commission of Canada Calls to Action, such as: education, language & culture, health, media, newcomers to Canada and sports & reconciliation.

“These sessions offer organizations opportunities to learn more about what reconciliation might look like in a safe environment. Each organization might have a slightly different response to the calls to action and we’re learning from one another how to move forward,” says Neal Kewistep, Manager, Our Neighbourhood Health Centre & Building Health Equity for the Saskatoon Health Region.

The conference aims to support organizations working to incorporate Aboriginal values within program and service delivery settings with the goal of creating culturally respectful organizations.

“We have an opportunity through this conference to assist local organizations, be it human service, government of private industry, to address the real and perceived barriers in preventing Aboriginal people from participating fully in the economy,” said Brad Bird, Aboriginal Cultural Coordinator, Aboriginal Friendship Centres of Saskatchewan.

Keynote speakers include Dr. Marie Wilson, Former Commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, and Chief Darcy Bear, seven-term leader of Whitecap Dakota First Nation. Full agenda for the Wîcihitowin Aboriginal Engagement Conference available here. 

Wîcihitowin supports the City’s Strategic Goal of “Quality of Life” by identifying actions for enhancing Aboriginal well-being and participation in our community.

Following a police investigation and legal review, a Crown Prosecutor has recommended no charges be laid against the operator of a City street patching truck involved in a collision earlier this year.

Just after 8:30 a.m. on June 1, 2016, City officials responded to a collision between a street-patching truck and a cyclist at the corner of Idylwyld Drive and 29th Street West.

Saskatoon Police say as a result of the collision, the cyclist was warned to drive a vehicle with required due care.

In addition to a police investigation, the City follows its own protocols after a critical incident to ensure the proper operating procedures were maintained. 

The operator returned to duty in June and the conclusion of the police investigation also concludes the matter for the City.

Weather

Saskatoon continues to deal with the first winter Weather Event of the year, however Environment Canada has ended its snowfall warning for Saskatoon and area.

Even so, Saskatoon experienced a few more flurries overnight.

As of Friday morning total snowfall was 30 cm.

Hurricane Matthew is posing challenges for forecasters creating some variability in weather prediction models.

In a briefing to City officials Friday morning, Environment Canada’s John Paul Cragg says Saskatoon and area could expect up to another 5 cm of snow. Cragg says this is likely to happen very early-to-mid Sunday morning with temperatures hovering around the freezing mark.

Because of the possible fluctuating temperature, any snowfall may turn to rain.

Cragg says we may also experience easterly winds over the same period Sunday at 20 Km/h gusting to 40 Km/h. 

Roadways & Operations

As a result of the Weather Event and with near melting temperatures, roads are wet, not icy.

Roadways expects any snow accumulation predicted for the holiday weekend to be very manageable.

Crews will remain working around the clock now until Tuesday.

Sanding crews will focus on high-priority trouble areas day and night, applying sand and salt as necessary.

For timely updates, check the snow and ice service alerts at saskatoon.ca/service-alerts and on Twitter by following @YXEServiceAlert.

In the interests of public safety, Roadways will focus efforts on improving road conditions. As a result, staff will monitor and minimize water ponding and surface drainage issues as the snow melts. Only emergency flooding areas will be monitored for now.

The Fall Sweep is tentatively delayed 1 week and Roadways is considering rescheduling to start Monday, October 17, weather dependent.  

Transportation

Signals: Crews have made one pass and cleared all snow-blocked signals. There is a crew checking problem areas today to see if anything needs to be done again. 

Signs: Crews continue to patrol and clear any blocked signage. The focus remains on stop and yield signs.

As always, be extra alert at intersections.

Saskatoon Light & Power

Wind will continue to be the main challenge for the City’s power company over the weekend and especially early Sunday morning.

At this point, SL&P crews are in clean-up mode collecting downed tree limbs or pruning back trees near lines.

Crews can manage any outages that occur from overloaded tree branches or other weather related factors.

To report a tree limb contacting or threatening a Saskatoon Light & Power service line, please call 306-975-2414.

For a SaskPower service line please call 306-310-2220.

Service Alerts with regular updates will continue to be issued if outages occur. They will provide information about the cause of the outage and the anticipated time for restoration. 

Construction & Design

To let concrete cure on the pedestrian overpass, a lane closure remains in effect for the curb lane on College Drive heading towards the University Bridge.

The early autumn snowfall has also presented City construction projects with some challenges. Specifically for anyone currently on temporary water service for water line replacement, the unseasonably cold temperatures have made it necessary for property owners to keep their taps on to prevent the temporary water lines from freezing.

Overall, most of the City’s construction projects are nearing completion or in the process of being closed for winter.

The impact this weather will have depends less on the amount of snow that fell, rather on the length of time the snow sticks around.

A few days of snow that quickly melts is the same as rain.

If we have enough warm, dry weather, work sites will dry up which means paving and other construction projects can continue.

Major Projects

Work on major projects continues including work on the Attridge Drive and Central Avenue intersection. Excavation at the northeast boulevard of Attridge Drive and Central Avenue is scheduled to remain ongoing through the entire weekend. Weather depending, line painting on Attridge Drive eastbound is scheduled for Sunday. 

Drivers are reminded the traffic accommodation through this intersection includes two westbound through lanes.

For drivers who typically use the right (curb) lane to travel through the intersection, please continue to use this lane and follow the signs and delineators; the right lane does not merge into the left lane at the intersection. More information is here.

Bolting of Span 4 of the Traffic Bridge is scheduled to proceed as planned through Sunday.

Earthworks for the south embankment of the Traffic Bridge will remain ongoing through the entire weekend, weather depending. 

Earthworks for the west embankment of the North Commuter Parkway bridge will remain ongoing through the entire weekend, weather depending.

Transit

Transit service is operating as regularly scheduled. Customers could experience delays should weather conditions worsen.

NOTE: Holiday operating hours are in effect for Monday, October 10, 2016. 

Customers are reminded to dress for the weather and to track their bus in real time through Transit App and Google Transit.  

Parks & Urban Forestry

Urban Forestry crews are responding to tree damage on a priority basis.

We presently have 100 calls and more coming in today.

2 aerial crews and 2 ground crews are responding to this work and will arrange assistance from contract crews if needed.

Parks received 3 urgent calls overnight to clear roads and sidewalks.

Horticulture staff continue their inspections and report damage in parks. This work is scheduled but keeping roadways, sidewalks and paths clear is the priority.

Until more of the snow melts, everyone is advised to be cautious near trees in parks and around the city.

To report damage to City-owned trees that have failed and are blocking roadways and sidewalks, please call 306-975-2890 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

After hours tree damage can be reported to the Saskatoon Customer Service line at 306-975-2476.

Trees on private property are the responsibility of the property owner and brush that is cleared as a result of private trees obstructing public sidewalks or roadways will be left on the adjacent private property for the owner to clean up.

Any elm branches must be disposed of at the Saskatoon landfill. 

For timely updates check the City website and snow and ice service alerts at saskatoon.ca/service-alerts and on Twitter by following @YXEServiceAlert.

Weather

Saskatoon is currently experiencing the first Weather Event of the year. Environment Canada continues to issue a Snowfall Warning for Saskatoon and area. A final 2 to 4 cm is expected to fall in the warning area today before tapering off to a few flurries by tonight.

Snowfall totals are in the 20-30 cm range which has led to poor visibility, icy conditions and drifting in outlying and open areas.

Temperatures heading into the weekend will also pose challenges. Some of the forecasting models are predicting cooler daytime temperatures around the freezing mark and overnight lows around -3C or -4C into next week. These conditions could lead to more ice formation.

Roadways & Operations

Throughout the snowy conditions, city sanders and plows worked all night, plowing and salting high-priority streets and intersections, and outlying areas.

As the snow keeps falling, crews are focused on improving the Priority 1 network – the high speed, high traffic roadways.

The following equipment has been mobilized:

• 14 Graders
• 6 Plows
• 5 Sanders
• 5 Sidewalk Plows
• Private contractors
  • Sidewalk Snow Clearing
  • Area Grader Assistance

City staff just completed a full surveillance of Circle Drive.  Recent temperature increases and reduced winds have reduced drifting and softened the ice, allowing crews to knock off many of the ruts on the priority network. 

• The loops are still being worked on, but significant progress is being made.  Graders have been working to remove ruts on the lower priority routes over the past two hours (09:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.) and progress is being made on those fronts as well.
• A sidewalk plow is clearing the slush from bike lanes. They will still be wet, but will be usable for a bike.
• Roadways will continue to adjust tactics as conditions change throughout the day.
• City staff and contractors are available 24 hours per day to patrol outlying areas, clear drifts and keep driving lanes open.
• Sidewalk Plows are also out in full force city wide.

Trails: Roadways will be instructing snow clearance operators to report damage interfering with the MVA trail as they send crews to complete this work later today.

Back lanes: We are getting reports of water ponding and drainage issues due to the high precipitation. 

• Status: We are focusing all of our efforts on improving road conditions as a matter of public safety, only emergency flooding areas will be looked at for now.

Snow Storage Site Availability

• Status: All snow storage sites are closed due to wet and soft conditions to prevent damage to the sites.

Fall Sweep

• Status: The Fall Sweep is tentatively delayed one week and Roadways is considering rescheduling to start Monday, October 17, weather dependent.  

Transportation

• Crews are continuing to clear snow from signals at curbs, medians, and overhead as wind speeds have decreased and safer for workers in bucket trucks.
• Stop, yield and road signs are also being cleared.
• As always, be extra alert at intersections
• No issues have been reported about traffic signals out or malfunctioning.

Saskatoon Light & Power

Wind will be the main challenge for the City’s power company today and as the stormy conditions continue. 

There were fewer outages overnight and this morning. Neighbourhoods affected within SL&P’s service area were:

• Nutana
• Buena Vista
• Exhibition

Power went out around 7:00 a.m. and was restored to these areas at 9:30 a.m.

There were also a handful of localized outages affecting single properties or smaller groups of buildings.

Service Alerts with regular updates will continue to be issued if outages occur. They will provide information about the cause of the outage and the anticipated time for restoration. 

Major Projects

Work on major projects continues including work on the Attridge Drive and Central Avenue intersection.

Drivers are reminded the traffic accommodation through the intersection includes two westbound through lanes.

For drivers who typically use the right (curb) lane to travel through the intersection, please continue to use this lane and follow the signs and delineators; the right lane does not merge into the left lane at the intersection. More information is here.

Transit

Transit service is operating as regularly scheduled. Customers could experience delays due to heavy snowfall, ice or traffic congestion should weather conditions worsen.

Customers are reminded to dress for the weather and to track their bus in real time through Transit App and Google Transit.     

Parks & Urban Forestry

All Urban Forestry crews are responding to tree damage on a priority basis.

We presently have 38 reports of tree damage. Calls are still coming in.

Contractors are on stand-by but they have not been asked to assist as our crews are still able to handle the current response needs.

• We are seeing a lot of heavy snow on branches resulting in the drooping of lateral limbs especially on conifers and trees still in leaf.
• We expect there will continue to be damage reported until conditions change and the weight on limbs is reduced as the snow melts.
• We have received some calls about low hanging limbs weighed down by snow. However we would not remove limbs on City trees that have not failed unless there is evidence of a weak branch attachment.
• We expect most trees will withstand the current snow load and will recover.
• Sutherland neighbourhood pruning contract is in progress and will continue today.
• Horticulture crews inspected parks and naturalized areas yesterday and any non-urgent park tree damage will be addressed as resources permit.
• A further inspection of park pathways and play areas will be completed over the remainder of the week with the assistance of Horticulture staff.
• To report damage to City-owned trees that have failed and are blocking roadways and sidewalks, please call 306-975-2890 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• After hours tree damage can be reported to the Saskatoon Customer Service line at 306-975- 2476.
• Trees on private property are the responsibility of the property owner and brush that is cleared as a result of private trees obstructing public sidewalks or roadways will be left on the adjacent private property for the owner to clean up.
• Any elm branches must be disposed of at the Saskatoon landfill. 

For timely updates check the City website and snow and ice service alerts at saskatoon.ca/service-alerts and on Twitter by following @YXEServiceAlert.

Weather

Saskatoon is currently experiencing the first Weather Event of the winter season. Environment Canada continues to issue a Snowfall Warning for Saskatoon and area forecasting rain, wind, and up to 15 cm of snow which will lead to poor visibility and icy conditions.

“Gusty northerly winds will also continue today and visibilities may be reduced at times in snow and blowing snow,” the Environment Canada warning says. “Light snow will gradually taper off from west to east Wednesday night into Thursday.”

Subzero overnight lows of -3C for the remainder of the work week will more than likely make for slippery and icy conditions on roads and sidewalks.

Roadways & Operations

To keep Saskatoon people and visitors moving around, City and contractor staff are available 24 hours per day to reduce ice formation and increase traction on high-priority streets

Last night between 3:00 a.m. and 3:45 a.m., Saskatoon experienced heavy snowfall.  Additional sander operators were called in to assist the night shift and bridge sander operations into the day shift.

Circle Drive is currently covered with an ice/water slush and crews are focused on plowing slush and applying additional salt to Circle Drive and Priority 1 Streets.

The following equipment is currently available:

• 4 tandem belly plows
• 6 tandem sanders
• 12 graders
• 3 loaders
• 4 sidewalk plows

What you can expect:

• During the weather event, Roadways will focus on keeping driving lanes open on high traffic priority streets, and sand/salt high speed roads as well as high traffic intersections.
• City crews are currently plowing and applying salt to Circle Drive.
• Depending on snowfall amount, snow will be stored in the middle and adjacent to roads.
• Once the snow stops at the end of the event, sidewalk crews will focus on clearing snow from bridges, overpasses and high use walkways. Pedestrians should exercise caution. 
• Ground crews will continue to transition additional equipment for snow operations and manage utility cuts and surface drainage as the snow melts.
• The Roadways team will continue to monitor this weather event and activate Area Snow Maintenance Contracts (grader assistance) if needed. Twenty-three contract graders are available, if required.
• For timely updates check the snow and ice service alerts at saskatoon.ca/service-alerts and on Twitter by following @YXEServiceAlert.

Transportation

• Power to most of the major intersections have had electricity restored either with regular service or with portable generators.
• As of mid-morning, technicians were going to address intersections that have remained in flash mode.
• Crews are beginning to clear snow from signals at curbs and on medians, but overhead signals can’t be done because a bucket truck is needed and winds are currently too strong for worker safety.
• Stop, yield and road signs may also be covered, so be aware at intersections.

Saskatoon Light & Power

As predicted, wet heavy snow affected and continues to affect electrical service. A number of power outages were reported and addressed in the early morning starting at 2:59 a.m.

• In the area covered by Saskatoon Light & Power, 5 main outages caused partial power interruptions in 12 neighbourhoods. The majority of these neighbourhoods had power restored by 8:00 a.m.
• Most outages were caused by adverse weather conditions including wind, ice, and snow. In some cases tree limbs came in contact with power line causing a power outage.
• Crews are currently working in some localized areas that remain without power. 
• All current areas without power can expected to have their power restored within the next few hours. 

Here’s a summary of the 5 main outages from last night:

• 2:59 a.m. to 7:29 a.m. – Affecting parts of Varsity View and Grosvenor Park
• 3:06 a.m. to 6:23 a.m. – Affecting parts of City Park
• 3:37 a.m. to 8:02 a.m. – Affecting parts of Sutherland, Sutherland Industrial and Forest Grove
• 4:07 a.m. to 4:32 a.m. – Affecting parts of Adelaide, Churchill, Nutana Park
• 4:25 a.m. to 7:22 a.m. – Affecting parts of Caswell Hill, Riversdale, Pleasant Hill and Westmount

As of 10:00 a.m. some smaller pockets of isolated power outages continue to exist in the following areas:

• 1300 Block of 14th Street
• 900 Block of 10th Street
• 1100 Block of 2nd Street and 3rd Street
• 3200 Block of Mountbatten
• 1400 Block of Empress Avenue
• 1500 Block of Spadina Crescent

There were also a handful of localized outages affecting single properties.

Service Alerts with regular updates will continue to be issued if outages occur. They will provide information about the cause of the outage and the anticipated time for restoration. 

Major Projects

Work on major projects continues including work on the Attridge Drive and Central Avenue intersection.

• The Attridge Drive westbound left turn lane heading south to Central Avenue will be closed while improvements to the northeast corner of the intersection backing the Silver Spring neighbourhood are completed. More information is here.

Transit

Transit service is operating as regularly scheduled. Customers could experience delays due to heavy snowfall, ice or traffic congestion should weather conditions worsen.

• Customers are reminded to dress for the weather and to track their bus in real time through Transit App and Google Transit.     

Parks & Urban Forestry

Because leaves are not fully off the trees, wet heavy snow may cause limbs to fall.

• Parks crews and private contractors continue to be on standby as the heavy snow may cause tree limbs to fall and block roadways and sidewalks.
• Within the last 24 hours Parks received one report of a fallen tree.
• To report damage to City-owned trees that have failed and are blocking roadways and sidewalks, please call 306-975-2890 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• After hours tree damage can be reported to the Saskatoon Customer Service line at 306-975-2476.
• Trees on private property are the responsibility of the property owner and brush that is cleared as a result of private trees obstructing public sidewalks or roadways will be left on the adjacent private property for the owner to clean up.
• Any elm branches must be disposed of at the Saskatoon landfill. 

For timely updates check the City website and snow and ice service alerts at saskatoon.ca/service-alerts and on Twitter by following @YXEServiceAlert. 

Environment Canada today issued a Snowfall Warning for Saskatoon and area forecasting rain, wind, and snow which will lead to poor visibility and icy conditions.

“It’s possible we could experience as much as 15 cm of wet, heavy snow overnight and stretching into Thursday,” says Ray Unrau, Director of Emergency Measures Organization. “We want everyone to be ready for what could be a very challenging early autumn storm.”

Roadways and Operations

To keep Saskatoon people and visitors moving around, City and contractor staff are available 24 hours per day to reduce ice formation and increase traction on high-priority streets.

“During a snowfall, we focus our efforts on our busiest, high-priority streets including those around fire stations and hospitals,” says Brandon Harris, Director of Roadways and Operations. “We need to keep the main traffic routes open with the reminder that everyone has to be patient, slow down and stay alert.”

What you can expect:

• During the weather event, Roadways will focus on keeping driving lanes open on high traffic priority streets, and sand/salt high speed roads as well as high traffic intersections.
• Sanding crews will be on priority streets throughout the night and day applying sand and salt as required. 
• Depending on snowfall amount, snow will be stored in the middle and adjacent to roads.
• Staff will monitor and minimize ponding water and surface drainage issues as the snow melts.
• For timely updates check the snow and ice service alerts at saskatoon.ca/service-alerts and on Twitter by following @YXEServiceAlert.
• Equipment available includes: 4 tandem plow/sander combination units; 3 tandem sanders; 12 graders; 3 loaders; and 5 sidewalk plows.
• Wet snow may cover traffic signals and can only be cleaned safely in lower wind speeds.
• Stop, yield and road signs may also be covered, so be aware at intersections.

Saskatoon Light & Power

Wet heavy snow may also affect electrical service. Trevor Bell, Director of Saskatoon Light & Power says staff are ready for service interruptions.

“We’re keeping an eye on the weather and have a trouble crew and standby personnel on hand to deal with issues as they arise,” Bell says. “We will also call in additional crews to respond to power outages if needed.”

Service Alerts with regular updates will be issued if outages occur. They will provide information about the cause of the outage and the anticipated time for restoration. 

Construction & Design

Most of the City’s construction projects are nearing completion or in the process of being closed for winter.

“The impact this weather will have depends not so much on the amount of snow that falls, but rather on the length of time the snow stays and the weather after the snowfall,” says Celene Anger, Director of Construction & Design. “A few days of snow that quickly melts is the same as rain.”

If we have enough warm, dry weather, work sites will dry up and paving can continue.

Transit

Transit service will be operating as regularly scheduled. Customers may experience delays due to heavy snowfall, ice or traffic congestion due to weather. Saskatoon Transit will provide updates through service alerts should conditions change.   

Parks & Urban Forestry

Because leaves are not fully off the trees, wet heavy snow may cause limbs to fall.

“Parks crews will be focused on locations where branches are blocking roadways and sidewalks, or have the potential for injury or damage,” says Darren Crilly, Director of Parks. “Crews will continue to monitor the extent of City-wide tree damage and will be available to work extended hours so that follow-up on citizen reports can continue to occur.”

To report damage to City-owned trees that have failed and are blocking roadways and sidewalks, please call 306-975-2890 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. After hours tree damage can be reported to the Saskatoon Customer Service line at 306-975-2476.

Residents should leave a message with details including the adjacent address and describe the issue so that staff can prioritize the response.

Trees on private property are the responsibility of the property owner and brush that is cleared as a result of private trees obstructing public sidewalks or roadways will be left on the adjacent private property for the owner to clean up.

Any elm branches must be disposed of at the Saskatoon landfill. 

For timely updates check the City website and snow and ice service alerts at saskatoon.ca/service-alerts and on Twitter by following @YXEServiceAlert. 

Central Avenue in the Sutherland Business Improvement District (BID) is now home to “Spheres of Confluence,” a new work of public art by Paul Reimer, as seen below.  The sculpture was revealed as part of the Sutherland Culture Fair and Saskatoon’s Culture Days.

“Paul Reimer used track manufactured in 1912 from Canadian Pacific’s Sutherland rail yard; the base represents the historic importance of the railroad in Sutherland, a strong foundation future generations have built on,” says Community Development Manager, Kevin Kitchen.  “The large ring symbolizes our community and rail’s contribution to Saskatoon.  The middle represents the neighbourhood of Sutherland and the small, inner ring – the individuals and families at the core of community.  Pointing skyward to the future, is the spirit of our community.” 

Paul was born in Calgary, Alberta, and at a young age his family moved to British Columbia (BC).  In Paul’s teen years, he began his blacksmithing apprenticeship, and by 20 years old, he became the head blacksmith at Fort Steele Heritage Town, just outside of Cranbrook, BC.  In 2001, at age 26, Paul began his own blacksmithing business with six employees.  Paul lives with his wife and two children in Cranbrook.  Family and community involvement are the most important elements of Paul’s life.  With his work, Paul strives to bring the spirit of community building with public art projects to many other cities.

“The City has a vibrant art program, showcasing pieces from a wide range of artists,” Kitchen says.  “The City and the Sutherland BID are looking forward to having this unique piece displayed on Central Avenue.”

Culture Days is a national initiative intended to raise awareness of arts and culture in communities across Canada.  Many more events will be happening in Saskatoon throughout the weekend, focusing on our city’s vibrant cultural scene.  For a complete list of activities, visit the official Culture Days website.

For more information on Saskatoon’s Public Art initiatives, visit the website. 

Saskatoon’s first pink fire truck will be patrolling city streets to raise awareness and money for breast cancer research. Firefighters have long seen their colleagues, mothers, wives and daughters fight breast cancer and want to make a difference.

Fire Engine 12 is painted a traditional red but it will be wrapped in pink for the month of October. Saskatoon residents will be able to sign the pink fire truck in exchange for a $10 donation to breast cancer research. Please make sure the truck is not involved in an emergency before approaching.

Engine 12 will continue to be an integral part of the Saskatoon Fire Department’s fleet during October.  If possible, the pink truck will be at following events:

• Woman’s World Show at Prairieland Park on October 1.
• Ladies Optimist Gala at TCU Place on October 15.
• C95 Radio Marathon for Breast Cancer Research at the Circle Centre Mall on October 21.
• Breast Health Comedy Night at the Parktown Hotel on October 21^st

The pink truck is the result of a three-way partnership between the Saskatoon Fire Department, IAFF Local 80 and Cowan Imaging Group who donated the costs associated with installing the wrap.

All proceeds will be donated to the C95 Radio Marathon for Breast Cancer Research to fund research being done right here in Saskatoon.

-30-

Today, the City and SaskCulture celebrated the start of Saskatoon’s 7^th Annual Culture Days at River Landing.

“Culture Days is a chance for all of us to recognize the role that arts and culture has in making our city a better place to live, work, and play,” says Community Development Manager, Kevin Kitchen.  “Cultural activities are important as they bring people from all across our community to participate in the arts, to learn more about other cultures, and to celebrate our community and all it has to offer.”

The public is encouraged to create, participate, experience, and celebrate culture in Saskatoon with free activities and workshops being held to celebrate Culture Days from Friday, September 30, to Sunday, October 2, 2016.

The City is offering other activities throughout the weekend in support of Culture Days.  All are welcome and all events are free.

Friday, September 30
Sutherland Culture Fair
11:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Sutherland Hall (1112 Central Avenue)
*New public artwork, meet the artist, farmers’ market, SaskCulture Community Engagement Animateur Zoe Fortier, artist-led activities, Remai Modern Art Caravan, and cultural demonstrations.

Indian and Métis Friendship Centre
5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
168 Wall Street
*Engage in First Nations and Métis cultural activities, hands-on workshops, and SaskCulture Community Engagement Animateur Zoe Fortier.

Saturday, October 1
I Am The Bridge
7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
River Landing under Senator Sid Buckwold Bridge
*Short film screening in collaboration with PAVED Arts, Moving Stories YXE documentary premiere, and meet the artist (participants should bring their own lawn chairs).

Sunday, October 2
Public Art Bike Tour
1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Downtown, Riversdale, and River Landing
*Guided bike tour of new and existing public artworks and meet the artist (meet at 1:00 p.m. downtown at Drinkle Mall, 22^nd Street East and 3^rd Avenue South).

Many more events will be happening in Saskatoon throughout the weekend, focusing on our city’s vibrant cultural scene, some of which are listed below.  For a complete list of activities, visit the official Culture Days website at http://www.culturedays.ca/en/celebration-schedule.

Culture Days is a national initiative intended to raise awareness of arts and culture in communities across Canada.