News Releases

Beginning this Thursday, July 6, the City is undertaking major work to improve the safety and functionality of the intersection at Taylor Street and Preston Avenue. Based on a set of pre-defined criteria that includes collision history and average delays, this intersection was one identified as in need of improvements in 2017. The work is expected to take eight weeks.

“We’re very aware of how disruptive construction work at a major intersection like this can be, and we’ve planned the project in order to minimize the impacts as much as possible,” says Celene Anger, Director of Construction and Design. “We waited until school was out for construction to start, and we’re also undertaking the work in phases so we can keep one lane of traffic open in all directions at all times.”

The planned improvements to the intersection include:

• Construction of a dedicated left turning lane from Preston southbound onto Taylor to improve traffic flow and reduce delays.
• Construction of dedicated right turning lane from Taylor westbound onto Preston to improve traffic flow and reduce delays.
• Moving the island between the intersection and right turning lane from Preston southbound onto Taylor to create a bus bay. This will allow buses to pull out of the flow of traffic to pick up and drop off passengers.
• Improving the alignment of crosswalks for the ease and safety of pedestrians.
• Painting lane lines to improve safety and the road user experience.

Some of the other major intersections undergoing improvements this summer include 22nd Street and Diefenbaker Drive (now complete) and 51st Street and Warman Road. For more information about 2017 construction projects, visit saskatoon.ca/betterroads. 

City staff now have a new tool available to assist in building successful partnerships with First Nations, Métis, and other Aboriginal organizations with the launch of “ayisīnowak [a/ee/see/ni/wak, the people]:  A Communications Guide [kâ-isi-pîkiskwâtoyahk, are communicating]” (Guide).

“The journey of Reconciliation will take time, open hearts, and open minds,” says His Worship Mayor Charlie Clark.  “We all have different norms and practices for building relationships and conducting affairs.  If we are open to learning and respecting each other's protocols and practices, we will grow stronger as individuals and as a community.  This Guide is an important step in our Reconciliation journey.”

Mayor Clark, together with collaborating partners, Chief Bobby Cameron, Chair of the Saskatchewan Indigenous Cultural Centre Board of Governors; and Harry Lafond, Executive Director of the Office of the Treaty Commissioner, announced the initiative today.

The Guide provides City staff with a basic outline of Aboriginal protocol and governance systems and is designed to facilitate relationship building by increasing understanding, respect, and awareness of Aboriginal culture.  The Guide is intended to be an adaptive and living document that will continue to develop as relationships and understanding grow. 

“The City of Saskatoon has long played a leading role in supporting and enhancing relationships with First Nations peoples in a wide range of areas.  Through this Guide, the City of Saskatoon is furthering their leadership role by encouraging civic Administration to practice an appreciation of the Indigenous cultures of the region (Treaty 6 Territory),” says Chief Bobby Cameron.

The City collaborated with the Saskatchewan Indigenous Cultural Centre and the Office of the Treaty Commissioner to develop the First Edition of the Guide as part of its commitment to respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action #57.  The Guide also assists in meeting the City’s Strategic Goal of enhancing relations with Aboriginal organizations through the development of educational opportunities.  

“The Guide will be a valuable asset for organizations and City Administration as the community journeys in the spirit of Reconciliation.  Make this Guide part of the personal action plan for the way forward,” says Harry Lafond.

The development of the Guide was made possible, in part, through a summer employment partnership opportunity between the City and the Saskatoon Tribal Council.

For more information and to download a digital copy of the Guide, please visit saskatoon.ca/aboriginalrelations.

City Council approved Victoria Park as the location for the “Where Our Paths Cross” reconciliation commemorative artwork.  The endorsement came at the June 26, 2017 City Council meeting.

“Where Our Paths Cross” was commissioned by the Saskatoon Tribal Council and the City of Saskatoon, with funding from the Government of Canada.  Its creation is in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action No. 79:  Educating and creating a sense of shared awakening.

“The ‘Where Our Paths Cross’ project is not just the Saskatoon Tribal Council’s call to action, it’s our partners’ too.  Together we are collaborating to create something that reflects Reconciliation Saskatoon for our entire community,” says Tribal Chief Felix Thomas, Saskatoon Tribal Council.

A concept by accomplished Canadian artist, Gordon Reeve, was unanimously selected by a committee for “Where Our Paths Cross” following extensive community engagement.  Reeve has works on public display across Canada and his experience in Aboriginal art and engagement includes the Chatham, Ontario sculpture “A Place of Many Grasses” that is a tribute to the Shawnee Chief, Tecumseh.

Reeve’s concept for “Where Our Paths Cross” is a burnished, stainless steel sculpture that will reflect the sun and the moon.  It is designed to reach 35 feet high at its highest point, 27 feet to the top of the arch, and 20 feet wide at inside ground level.  A longer pole, pointing north, symbolically represents the First Nations long history.  A shorter pole, pointing south, symbolically represents Métis history.  Both are anchored in the earth.  The crossing of the poles signifies the crossing of their paths high above all, as in the distant past.

“I am excited about the installation of the ‘Where Our Paths Cross’ sculpture in Victoria Park.  This sculpture will be both a gathering place and a statement about reconciliation in the heart of the Meewasin Valley,” says Mayor Charlie Clark.  “It will convey the roots of our community in the First Nations and Métis culture, intersecting with all who have moved here since.  ‘Where our Paths Cross’ is a testament to our shared history and our shared future.  Thank you to Gordon Reeve for this vision and to all of the partners who helped bring this sculpture forward to our community.” 

The sculpture will be located in Victoria Park, north of the festival site and east of Spadina Crescent West.  While a number of sites were considered, Victoria Park was identified by First Nations and Métis Elders as having particular significance because it has been the site of two Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada events, is large enough to accommodate community gatherings, and has a view of the South Saskatchewan River.

The sculpture will be installed by the spring of 2018.

Since 2015, the City has been working with the Saskatoon Tribal Council, Central Urban Métis Federation Inc., Office of the Treaty Commissioner, and other community groups, leaders, and institutions in Saskatchewan to promote reconciliation.

Saskatoon’s new Traffic Bridge is ready for its first concrete deck pour. Graham Commuter Partners (GCP) will complete the first pour for the new deck during the evening of Sunday, June 25, 2017, meaning activity at the site will extend beyond typical working hours, weather permitting.

“Nighttime is the best time to complete large pours like this because the temperatures are cooler and humidity is lower,” says Dan Willems, Special Projects Manager, Major Projects and Preservation. “This will be the first of three concrete pours for the new bridge deck.”

Willems says the City’s contract with GCP contains an after-hours clause stating that generally, all work at the Traffic Bridge is to be completed between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. on weekdays and 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. on weekends.

“Outside of these hours, GCP is allowed to undertake certain critical construction activities provided the City has received and reviewed plans showing all details of the work to be completed, along with start and end dates, and that all lighting and other safety requirements to complete night work are met.”

The City would like to thank nearby residents for their understanding and patience during construction of the Traffic Bridge, which is part of the Bridging to Tomorrow Project. The project also includes construction of the North Commuter Parkway. Both bridges remain on schedule for completion in October of 2018.

For Bridging to Tomorrow updates, please visit saskatoon.ca/bridging.

The City continues to take a more strategic approach toward improving and maintaining the condition of hundreds of kilometres of sidewalks in Saskatoon. $7.9 million is going into preservation and maintenance programs this year.

“This is a budget that helps us work toward our goal to decrease the sidewalk repair and maintenance backlog,” says Rob Frank, Engineering Manager, Asset Preservation. “We continue to combine two approaches when it comes to ensuring our sidewalks are well maintained and free from immediate safety concerns – the Sidewalk Maintenance Program and the Sidewalk Preservation Program.”

The Sidewalk Maintenance Program is about extending the life of an existing sidewalk by managing safety hazards such as large cracks, broken concrete, and tripping hazards. Sidewalks are prioritized according to condition and pedestrian use and are maintained until they are determined as being in an unacceptable condition.

“We have a criteria to determine actions taken when it comes to regular maintenance, but we also consider feedback from residents who report sidewalks with immediate safety hazards. When we hear from a resident, we put it on the list for inspection and then, if necessary, prioritize it for maintenance,” says Frank.

The Sidewalk Preservation Program is a planned program that focuses on repairing sidewalks next to roadways already in the queue for a treatment under the three-year Road Preservation Program. It also addresses worst condition sidewalk segments in the highest pedestrian traffic locations. Then, as those sidewalks continue to improve, the work progresses to lower pedestrian traffic locations. This cost-effective approach ranges from repairing panels, to replacing panels, to replacing entire sidewalk segments.

The City has approximately 1,524 kilometres of sidewalks. Using current maintenance and replacement criteria, it will take approximately 15 years to address the sidewalk backlog over the entire sidewalk network.

For more information about sidewalk repair, maintenance and replacement criteria, and how to report immediate safety concerns, please visit saskatoon.ca/sidewalks. 

People of all ages, classes, cultures and abilities, are invited to celebrate National Aboriginal Day and the second annual “Rock Your Roots” Walk for Reconciliation today in Victoria Park.

The “Rock Your Roots” Walk begins at 10:00 a.m. and is part of many National Aboriginal Day activities being held throughout the day, beginning with a Pipe Ceremony at 7:30 a.m. Participants and groups are encouraged to celebrate their unique cultural heritage by holding or wearing traditional symbols of their culture or organizations during the “Rock Your Roots” Walk for Reconciliation.

National Aboriginal Day activities and entertainment in the park will include:

• 7:30 a.m. Pipe Ceremony – open to all.
• 9:30 a.m. Gather at start line for “Rock You Roots” Walk for Reconciliation.
• 10:00 a.m. “Rock Your Roots” Walk for Reconciliation begins. Along the way, Magic City Chorus, Max Laplant, Many Nations Dancers with Wild Horse, John Arcand and the Creeland Square Dancers will perform.
• 11:30 a.m. Grand Entry of dignitaries and special guests.
• 12:30 – 4:00 p.m. Public lunch, activities and family fun including learning activities in tipis, partner exhibit booths, and an entertainment stage.

The “Rock Your Roots” Walk follows a month-long series of events launched by Reconciliation Saskatoon on May 17 to promote Reconciliation in Saskatoon. The events educate and inspire citizens on the process of Canadian reconciliation and to answer the calls.

Reconciliation Saskatoon’s theme for the Walk this year is answering the calls. Leading by example, Reconciliation Saskatoon shared videos and testimonials highlighting ways members responded to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action.

Reconciliation Saskatoon is a 58 member initiative of organizations, non-profits, businesses and partners who have come together towards one mission: to initiate a citywide conversation about reconciliation and provide opportunities for everyone to engage in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action.

For more information, visit saskatoon.ca/reconciliation, www.OTC.ca or phone the Office of the Treaty Commissioner at 306-244-2100.

The City of Saskatoon’s commitment to the TRC’s Calls to Action supports the City’s Corporate Strategic Goal of Quality of Life by identifying actions for enhancing Aboriginal well-being and participation in our community.

The City is pleased to announce the launch of the “I am the Bridge” anti-racism campaign. 

“Building a city where all people can succeed starts with building relationships and a shared understanding,” says Mayor Charlie Clark.  “The ‘I am the Bridge’ campaign helps to do this by telling stories and sharing the insights of Saskatoon residents on their lived realities with racism.  These conversations are crucial to collectively build an inclusive community.”

Over the past year, residents were invited to submit videos sharing their experiences with racism in Saskatoon and their ideas on how to eliminate it.  From these submissions, the most powerful quotes were selected to produce a thought-provoking ad campaign that includes a video compilation, mix of outdoor advertising, and social media. 

“By shining a light on individual experiences, we hope this campaign will increase awareness and recognition of racism in our community and help generate ideas of inclusion among residents,” says Lynne Lacroix, Director of Recreation and Community Development. 

Racism is a global issue, not unique to Saskatoon.  It takes many forms and is influenced by a range of historical, social, political, and economic factors. 

“An understanding of the nature of racism is essential in order to recognize and address it successfully,” says Lacroix.

Everyone can be the bridge to ending racism in Saskatoon.  To learn more about anti-racism education and watch the “I am the Bridge” video, visit saskatoon.ca/iamthebridge.    

With the summer construction season in full swing, the City of Saskatoon reminds drivers, people on bikes and pedestrians about work zone safety. Now in its fourth year, the Respect Work Zones campaign focuses on respecting work zones and workers.

“We’re continually doing our best to make sure that our work zones and workers are always safe,” says Angela Gardiner, Acting General Manager of Transportation & Utilities. “We rely on the participation of residents to obey signage, watch for workers and always pay attention.”

Gardiner says as the City completes night work to limit disruption to commuters, drivers are asked to watch for speed reductions around work zones.

“Be aware of work happening at night,” she says. “Drivers can expect night work to happen on priority streets from seven o’clock at night to seven o’ clock in the morning throughout the summer and should watch for reflective cones, delineator posts and flashing lights.”

The most common type of work zones are those around construction and roadway projects, but there are other work zones such as mobile work zones for line painting, parks maintenance and even drop-off zones at the landfill.

“Respecting our different types of work zones also means respecting our workers at their place of business – these locations are their offices,” says Gardiner. “We want to keep our message of respect in the workplace front and centre.”

Gardiner stresses at times, construction work may appear halted or complete, but construction signs and barriers are kept in place where work zones are potentially hazardous to residents, or to protect construction work and materials while they set or cure. It’s imperative to never enter a work zone or move past signage even if it appears complete or inactive. There are serious safety risks in doing so, as well as the risk of vehicle damage.

The Respect Work Zones campaign supports the City Council Strategic Priority (2016-2020 Term) of Transportation. This year, through the Building Better Roads program, City Council invested $61 million to build, maintain and repair sidewalks and roadways in local neighbourhoods in addition to other projects around the city. 

Road crews will start paving work on some priority roadways this week, but many motorists won’t notice the construction until it’s complete and they are driving on smooth, new roadways.

“Our goal is to keep traffic moving during the day, so we’re scheduling more work at night,” says Matt Jurkiewicz, Engineering Manager, Technical Services, Construction and Design.  “Resurfacing is a reasonably fast moving paving project that is ideally suited for night work.  Sections of roads can be milled one night and paved the next.  We can open the roadway for daytime traffic.”

Resurfacing is a roadway treatment that replaces surface pavement and makes the road surface smooth again. A milling machine removes a top layer of existing deteriorated pavement, then a paving machine lays new, hot mix asphalt.

“This type of road work does not usually require full road closures,” Jurkiewicz says. “It relies more on lane restrictions so even at night traffic can keep moving, just at a slightly reduced speed.” 

Jurkiewicz says other types of roadway preservation work can’t be done at night, like reconstruction projects that involve open pit work and microsurfacing, which works best in the hottest days of summer.

“Crews started resurfacing work Monday night on Marquis Drive and expect to be there for about a week.  Then they’ll move on to other priority roadways including Airport Drive and Idylwyld Drive,” says Jurkiewicz.

For a complete, list of construction projects, visit the city’s online interactive maps.

The 2017 budget for roadway preservation $32 million.

Today, 21 high school students will graduate from the Fire Introduction Recruitment Experience (FIRE) Cadet Program offered through a partnership with Saskatoon Fire, the Saskatoon Public Schools and Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools.

The FIRE Cadet Program is part of the Career Education curriculum at Bedford Road Collegiate, Mount Royal Collegiate, Tommy Douglas Collegiate, E.D. Feehan Catholic High School and Bethlehem Catholic High School. Each graduating student demonstrated responsibility, respect, teamwork, community involvement, pride and leadership to ensure their personal success throughout the eight week program.

“We have seen phenomenal growth in the comradery and teamwork shown by the FIRE Cadets. The students came from different schools and different backgrounds but very quickly jelled as a group,” says Doug Wegren, a firefighter leading the program.“It was exciting to see the student’s transition from being individuals to working together to tackle multiple tasks and challenges.”

Throughout the eight week program students learned to operate fire hoses, hydrants, fire trucks and an aerial ladder. They gained technical rope, ladder, extrication, dangerous goods, firefighter self-rescue and water rescue skills. Cadets also completed the Red Cross CPR Level C training course and acquired valuable experience leading fire safety presentations.

Brandon Bishop with the Saskatoon Fire Department states, “The support we have received from our community has been instrumental in the success of our students and the FIRE Cadet Program. I want to especially acknowledge Don Flaman from Flaman Sales who provided us with a trailer for the program, and SGI who offered us cars so our students could practice their extrication skills.”

It is the hoped that this program will encourage a strong desire in the graduates to consider a future career path serving the community with the Saskatoon Fire Department.

Congratulations to each student who is graduating from the FIRE Cadet Program today. 

Visit saskatoon.ca to learn more about the Saskatoon Fire Department.