News Releases

A committee of City Councillors says the City should prepare a Memorandum of Understanding with the Saskatoon Tribal Council; the agreement would start a feasibility study for a jointly-owned hydropower station at the weir.

The Standing Policy Committee on Environment, Utilities & Corporate Services approved the move at its meeting today.  It will be considered by City Council later this month.

“This is a positive first step,” says Kevin Hudson, Manager of Sustainable Energy for the City-owned Saskatoon Light & Power. “As we have said before, there could be many benefits of an initiative like this and we look forward to developing a partnership with the Saskatoon Tribal Council.”

The total estimated cost of the project is $61.5 - 65.2 million, which is expected to be funded by the Saskatoon Tribal Council and private-sector partners, off-set by revenue generated by the power station and funding from other green-energy funding sources.

The committee also recommended the City Administration meet with whitewater park supporters to discuss the development possibility of such a recreational facility be considered at the same time as the hydro project – including costs.

Earlier pre-feasibility and environmental baseline studies concluded the project was technically feasible and is expected to be economically viable.

 “Of course we need further details, but we are confident there is a tremendous opportunity here,” says Darrell Balkwill, Chair of STC investments Inc.  “First Nations would benefit from training, jobs and educational possibilities. Investment returns would help infrastructure and social programs in our member communities.”

The project will involve restoring the weir’s current infrastructure, and the construction of a river crossing for pedestrians and cyclists that will be wider, safer and more accessible than the current one on the CP Rail Bridge.

Previous studies found that such a project would not cause any significant disruption to the ecology of the area or negative downstream effects to the river valley: a slight raise in river water is expected but it tapers to zero beneath the Senator Sid Buckwold Bridge.

The project has been on hold since last presented to City Council in 2015 until funding could be identified. 

Construction on two new interchanges in Saskatoon starts this spring - at McOrmond Drive and College Drive and at Boychuk Drive and Highway 16. Site work and the relocation of utilities adjacent to each intersection is currently underway and construction begins in June. In the meantime, transportation plans for each location are in development.

“Commuters will begin feeling the impact of construction in June, and one of the ways we are going to minimize the impact is by maintaining a dual left turning lane from College onto McOrmond,” says Dan Willems, Director of Major Projects and Preservation. “Transportation plans also include the construction of detour roads at each interchange site and recommending alternative routes.”

Through a procurement process, PCL Construction Management Inc. was chosen to design and build both interchanges, which will also include pedestrian and cyclist paths/walkways.

The McOrmond Drive and College Drive interchange is expected to open in the fall of 2018 and the Boychuk Drive and Highway 16 interchange will open in 2019.

For more information on the Saskatoon Interchange Project, including background, FAQs, and upcoming Public Information Sessions, please visit Saskatoon.ca/interchanges. 

A catalogue showcasing a collection of temporary public artworks that were a part of the City’s Placemaker Program from 1994 to 2015 was unveiled at the Frances Morrison Library Gallery today.

“Art challenges, engages, and inspires us to see the world in new ways,” says His Worship Mayor Charlie Clark.  “The Placemaker Program has given the City a tremendous legacy of public art over the last 20 years.  Art and culture will continue to have important places in our Strategic Plan and the future of our city.”

The City’s Placemaker Program works with the Business Improvement Districts to add significance to civic spaces.  These exhibits temporarily transform public spaces to engage with audiences and promote an appreciation for contemporary art practices.  All artwork is considered annually and selected by the Public Art Advisory Committee.  Artists can submit in any medium.  Preference is given to submissions by emerging artists and pieces that reflect Saskatoon’s unique sense of place through its people, history, culture, or landform.

“The City recognizes the significance of this catalogue,” says Director of Planning and Development, Lesley Anderson.  “We now have a reference to our past works that is not only useful, but beautiful.”

The Placemaker Artwork Catalogue is the final component of the 66 Physiognomies project, led by local artist, Jinzhe Cui, who used a multi-media approach to celebrate the program’s 20-year history.  The project started in 2015 and included a traditional Chinese-style scroll ink drawing, illustrated cards, six public events, and a video.  Now, added to the list is a catalogue to document and interpret the past Placemaker artworks.

“It has been a joy and opportunity to explore public art practice and to meet new people,” says Cui.  “During my journey of 66 Physiognomies, I have been touched by the beauty and uniqueness from the people, history, culture, art, and landscape in Saskatoon.”

The 20^th Anniversary Placemaker Artwork Catalogue is available online to the public, and a copy can be found at every Saskatoon public library branch.

The City would also like to remind artists that the 2017 Placemaker Program Call for Submissions is open until Wednesday, March 29, 2017.

The City is encouraged by the latest figures contained in the Diversity and Inclusion Annual Report for 2016. The report will be presented as information to the meeting of the Standing Policy Committee on Environment, Utilities & Corporate Services, on March 13, 2017.

“Our action planning for diversity and inclusion has become much more systematic,” says Marno McInnes, Director of Human Resources. “There is more work to do, but we’re hopeful a more focused strategy in 2017 will produce even better results.”

In particular McInnes highlights two key elements of the 2017 action plan:

• Using data and increased analysis to make more improvements.
• Using a model that finds solutions through three separate perspectives; people, systems and environmental.

“We have made some positive gains in relation to our Visible Minority workforce and we see improvements in the number of permanent position in relation to our Aboriginal workforce,” McInnes says. “Our priority as we move forward is to ensure that our current successes continue and we focus on those areas that need improvement.” 

The City has a long-standing commitment to diversity and inclusion including being an equity partner with the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission.  As an equity partner, the City commits to the basic principles and objectives which outline a larger responsibility to foster an inclusive society.  

The City is preparing to enter a formal agreement with the Saskatoon Tribal Council for a new hydropower generation project at the weir.

“The Saskatoon Weir is an ideal location for expanding the City’s clean-power generation program to hydropower,” says Kevin Hudson, Manager of Sustainable Energy for the City-owned Saskatoon Light & Power. “The benefits of this initiative will be felt across the Saskatoon Region and we are delighted to have the Saskatoon Tribal Council as a partner to make it a reality.”

The total estimated cost of the project is $61.5 - 65.2 million, which is expected to be funded by the Saskatoon Tribal Council and private-sector partners, off-set by revenue generated by the power station and funding from other green-energy funding sources.

“First Nations can benefit from employment, training and education opportunities that extend beyond the construction phase of this project,” says Darrell Balkwill, Chair of STC Investments Inc. “We are confident that the investment returns from this project will allow us to continue to support community infrastructure and social programs in our member communities.”

Earlier pre-feasibility and environmental baseline studies concluded the project was technically feasible and could be economically viable over the long-term without any significant disruption to the ecology of the area or negative downstream effects to the river valley. The project has been on hold since last presented to City Council in 2015 until funding could be identified.

The project will involve restoring the weir’s current infrastructure, and the construction of a river crossing for pedestrians and cyclists that will be wider, safer and more accessible than the current one on the CP Rail Bridge.

For more details and preliminary renderings of the hydropower station and site, visit saskatoon.ca/hydropower.

In an unprecedented partnership, several Saskatchewan organizations have joined together to explore the opportunities that resulted from land claims settlements.  Prosperity Through Partnerships, the last of a three-part series on creating wealth through the land claim settlement process is taking place March 8 and 9, 2017  (today and tomorrow) between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. at TCU Place in Saskatoon.

The conference will examine:

• The reserve creation process for the purpose of working together through local and provincial partnerships in Saskatchewan;
• How to increase economic prosperity and the quality of life for both First Nations and the wider public in the province by identifying actions for enhancing Aboriginal well-being and participation in our community; and
• How business communities have entered an era of newfound partnership and prosperity with Saskatchewan First Nations, urban and rural municipalities, which began with the 1992 Saskatchewan Treaty Land Entitlement Framework Agreement.

The three-part conference series is a partnership between the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, the City of Saskatoon, the City of Regina, Aboriginal and Northern Development Canada, the Government of Saskatchewan, the Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Authority and the Saskatchewan First Nations Economic Development Network.

Prior events focused on financial and resource partners and additions to reserves for community development.

Implementation of Saskatoon’s Homelessness Action Plan (Action Plan) will be a key priority for the City over the next few years.  The creation of new, affordable rental units, supported by City initiatives, will provide options for those who lack a safe and affordable place to call home.

The Action Plan was released in November 2016, by a Steering Committee representing a variety of stakeholders in the community.  Last week, City Council approved funding for implementation of the Action Plan.  The plan will be implemented by the Saskatoon Housing Initiatives Partnership over the next five years.

“The majority of the City’s funding for attainable housing is directed towards affordable rental housing, including transitional housing for those leaving homeless shelters,” says Director of Planning and Development, Lesley Anderson.  “Affordable rental housing will continue to be a focus in 2017 and 2018, alongside the implementation of Saskatoon’s Homelessness Action Plan.”

The recently released Annual Status Report on the Housing Business Plan 2013-2022 shows that the City’s supply of affordable and transitional rental housing is growing along with other types of attainable housing supported by the Housing Business Plan.

                              Results Achieved in the Housing Plan’s First Five Years

For more information on the Housing Business Plan and the work the City is doing in this area, please visit www.saskatoon.ca/housing or call 306-975-3340.

Komodo dragons that is!  On loan from the Calgary Zoo for the next year, Thorn and Shruikan (Shrew-khan) are settling into their home away from home in the new Komodo Island exhibit at the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo.  Building of the new exhibit was made possible through the generous support of the Saskatoon Zoo Foundation, and it will officially open to the public on April 1, 2017.

“We have been very fortunate to work with zoos from across Canada over the years to bring unique species to Saskatoon, including the Komodo dragons,” says Tim Sinclair‑Smith, Manager, Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo.  “We are very excited to share the unique story of the Komodo dragons and provide an opportunity for visitors to get an up-close look at these larger than life lizards.”

Komodo dragons are easily identified by their massive size, flat heads, bowed legs, and long, thick tails.  Known as the heaviest lizards on Earth, Komodo dragons can reach more than three metres in length and weigh more than 150 kilograms.  While Komodo dragons are not considered endangered, they are very rare and, today, are found in the wild only on Indonesia’s Lesser Sunda Islands.

Do not miss your opportunity to see these giant reptiles at the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo!  From September to April, the zoo is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and from May to August daily hours are from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.  Additional information regarding the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo can be found online at www.saskatoon.ca/zoo.

The City continues to implement its Risk-Based Management Program and make headway on reducing the severity of its key strategic risks as identified in the release of the City’s Corporate Risk 2016 Annual Report.

“Risk management is not about eliminating the chances of something bad happening, it is about making sure the City is well positioned to respond to, and recover from, surprises and disruptions,” says City Manager, Murray Totland. “The City of Saskatoon, like all municipalities, faces many types of risk that, if not effectively managed, can impede the successful delivery of essential services our residents, workers and visitors rely on every day.”

Of the 23 risks identified through the Strategic Risk Assessment process, Totland says the City has been able to reduce the severity of 11 of its strategic risks from high (i.e. high likelihood and high impact) to medium (i.e. medium likelihood and medium impact), with three risks now assessed within a desired  risk zone.

“When risk is managed effectively it supports continuous improvement and the way Saskatoon runs,” Totland says.  “With that, our citizens are more likely to have greater confidence in how City Hall operates.”

At its March 6, 2017 meeting, the Standing Policy Committee on Finance will receive the Annual Report, updated information regarding each of the City’s key strategic risks and the additional risk mitigation activities planned for the next one-to-three years. 

“Identifying, understanding, and managing our risks helps us make informed decisions,” says Director of Corporate Risk, Nicole Garman.  “That means we can take a realistic look at what might happen, ways to control what we can, and what we can do to put those strategies into action.” 
Building on the successes achieved to date, more operational, financial, and compliance risk assessments will be done in 2017.

Frequently Asked Questions and more Risk-Based Management information is available at saskatoon.ca/corporaterisk. 

The City has balanced the budget with a modest surplus well over half a million dollars.

“This is obviously good news,” says Clae Hack, Director of Finance. “We always strive to keep the City in the black and we’ve been able to achieve that in 2016.”

All civic utilities, including Saskatoon Light and Power and Saskatoon Water, posted surpluses.  The City’s Boards, including the Saskatoon Police Service, also posted surpluses.

Details are highlighted in a report to the Standing Policy Committee on Finance, scheduled to meet Monday, March 6, 2017.

The report outlines the surplus is due primarily to lower than expected oil and fuel prices throughout 2016. Additionally, fewer snow events in 2016 helped contribute to lower expenditures for snow and ice management.  The City also received a surplus payment from the Workers Compensation Board.

Hack says lower than expected revenues were posted in waste handling, at recreation centres and in fines – partially from better compliance.  The City also had to spend more on extra street cleaning and sweeping.  More money was also devoted to road maintenance because of warmer temperatures in spring and fall which extended the work season.

“The majority of the surplus is recommended to be transferred to the City’s Snow and Ice Stabilization Reserve to be used in future years when snow and ice management services exceed budget.”

The report supports the Strategic Goal of Asset and Financial Sustainability by demonstrating how the City invests in what matters, and demonstrates openness, accountability and transparency in the allocation of resources.