News Releases

Beginning at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, May 11, Central Avenue between Garvie Road and Somers Road will be closed while crews install a sewer main. The work is expected to last approximately 6 to 8 weeks, weather permitting.

Traffic will be detoured via Kristjanson Road. Access to the Regional Psychiatric Centre will be maintained at all times.

The work will improve the efficiency of the sewer system and ensure uninterrupted service into the future. The City thanks drivers for their patience as this necessary work is carried out.

Slow down, pay attention and respect work zones. Watch for pedestrians and work crews, and for everyone’s safety, please obey all detours, signs and barriers.

Know before you go! Plan your route around road work by checking our Road Restrictions and Construction Projects interactive map. Find traffic detour information and subscribe to Traffic Detour Service Alerts at saskatoon.ca/service-alerts. You can also follow us on Twitter @YXEServiceAlert and with #betterroadsYXE and like Saskatoon City News on Facebook.

The YMCA of Saskatoon, City of Saskatoon, and Saskatoon Tribal Council have partnered together to explore the potential of a new joint recreation facility in Saskatoon’s city centre.  The goal of a joint recreation facility is to be able to share in the available resources and improve the quality of and access to recreation in the community.

Working together with the Saskatoon office of MNP LLP (MNP), a national Assurance and Advisory Firm, the recreation facility partners will be seeking feedback from the community to determine the feasibility of such a facility.  This includes fully understanding what program needs are not being filled by existing facilities in the city centre area and the possibility of long-term success for a new facility.

The community is invited to participate in an open house and/or online survey to assist in understanding:

• the types of programs that could be available at a new facility;
• if people would go to a new facility; and
• what would make the facility the most successful.

OPEN HOUSE
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. – “Come and Go” Open House
White Buffalo Youth Lodge, Multi-Purpose Room – 602 20^th Street West

MNP consultants and representatives from each partner organization will be in attendance to collect comments.

ONLINE SURVEY
As another convenient option, a short online survey is available to the public until the end of the day, Friday May 15, 2015:
http://take-survey.com/SKMNP/psccrfsurvey.htm

If you have questions about the survey, please contact MNP at 306-664-8302 or email stephanie.bell@mnp.ca.

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

The YMCA of Saskatoon, City of Saskatoon, and Saskatoon Tribal Council have partnered together to explore the potential of a new joint recreation facility in Saskatoon’s city centre.  The goal of a joint recreation facility is to be able to share in the available resources and improve the quality of and access to recreation in the community.

Working together with the Saskatoon office of MNP LLP (MNP), a national Assurance and Advisory Firm, the recreation facility partners will be seeking feedback from the community to determine the feasibility of such a facility.  This includes fully understanding what program needs are not being filled by existing facilities in the city centre area and the possibility of long-term success for a new facility.

The community is invited to participate in an open house and/or online survey to assist in understanding:

• the types of programs that could be available at a new facility;
• if people would go to a new facility; and
• what would make the facility the most successful.

OPEN HOUSE
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. – “Come and Go” Open House
White Buffalo Youth Lodge, Multi-Purpose Room – 602 20^th Street West

MNP consultants and representatives from each partner organization will be in attendance to collect comments.

ONLINE SURVEY
As another convenient option, a short online survey is available to the public until the end of the day, Friday May 15, 2015:
http://take-survey.com/SKMNP/psccrfsurvey.htm

If you have questions about the survey, please contact MNP at 306-664-8302 or email stephanie.bell@mnp.ca.

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

ONGOING

UNIVERSITY BRIDGE CLOSED BETWEEN SPADINA CRES & COLLEGE DR
(Bridge Repairs)
Start: May 3, 7:00 a.m. End: August 31, 6:00 p.m.

*EXPECT DELAYS* CIRCLE DR/HWY 16 EB & WB MEDIAN (INSIDE) LANES CLOSED APPROACHING OVERPASS
(New bypass construction)
Start: April 30, 9:00 a.m. End: May 11, 5:00 p.m.

All restrictions will be lifted as indicated, weather permitting and barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Slow down, pay attention and respect work zones. Watch for pedestrians and work crews, and for everyone’s safety, please obey all detours, signs and barriers.

Know before you go! Plan your route around road work by checking our Road Restrictions and Construction Projects interactive map. Find traffic detour information and subscribe to Traffic Detour Service Alerts at saskatoon.ca/service-alerts. You can also follow us on Twitter @YXEServiceAlert and with #betterroadsYXE and like Saskatoon City News on Facebook.

The City has started mailing the 2015 Property Tax Notice to 91,000 properties in Saskatoon. Property owners should expect their tax notices to arrive over the next two weeks. If you do not receive your tax notice by May 31, 2015, please call 306-975-2400.

Property Taxes for 2015 are due June 30, 2015. 

Included with your 2015 Property Tax Notice is an informative brochure that explains the information you will find on your tax notice, and contact information should you have any other tax related questions. The tax brochure also highlights how you can get involved in shaping the City of Saskatoon’s financial future, through upcoming opportunities to participate and have your say in shaping the City’s annual budget for 2016. Watch for updates under City Hall>Budget& Finances>Shaping Saskatoon’s Financial Future.

Property owners are also encouraged to visit saskatoon.ca and look under >Popular Services for Residents>Look Up My Property Assessment to use the Property Assessment & Tax Tool. This helpful and easy to use tool allows the user to look up any Saskatoon property by address to see assessment information, related market area information, property tax information, and details on how the City distributes the current year’s municipal portion of property taxes to civic services.

Visit saskatoon.ca/propertytax for additional information. Or contact a Customer Service Representative at 306-975-2400, we are pleased to answer any tax related questions you may have. 

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

The City of Saskatoon will continue to expand the use of durable markings on major roadways and high speed freeways this year. Durable markings are more visible and last 7 to 10 years longer than regular road paint.

“Winter operations, including sanding and snow clearing, as well as high traffic volumes tend to wear off road paint faster,” says Angela Gardiner, Director of Transportation. “With increased funding in recent years we’ve been able to expand the use of durable markings, which are visible year round.”

The type of durable markings the City uses are called inlaid thermoplastic. Crews grind out 5 millimeter deep sections in the asphalt and fill the groove with the liquid plastic material to a level slightly above the roadway surface.  Glass reflective beads are then distributed across the liquid surface before it cures.

This year, durable markings will be applied to a total of 11.8 kilometers of road including, portions of Millar Avenue, Wanuskewin Road, Warman Road, 22nd Street, Lorne Avenue and Circle Drive. This work is scheduled to begin in June.

Traditional paint will still be used to mark lane, centre and edge lines on more than 800 kilometers of roadway across Saskatoon this year. Crews began painting lines on Monday, April 20, and are approximately 5 per cent complete.

“Repainting road markings is a priority for the City in the spring to help drivers, cyclists and pedestrians to understand and navigate the roadways safely and efficiently,” says Gardiner. “We coordinate road marking with road resurfacing work, and to minimize traffic disruptions, lines on high traffic streets are painted at night.”

Crews paint road markings two to three times each year:

• Lane lines, edge lines and center lines are painted three times a year
• Crosswalks are painted at least twice a year
• Shared bike lanes markings (sharrows) and chevrons (near freeway ramps) are painted once a year
• Road markings are repainted if they are removed  due to paving, patching etc.

For the safety of workers, please slow down when approaching work zones or line painting vehicles, and give the workers the room they need to get the job done safely and efficiently.

For more information about line painting visit saskatoon.ca/betterroads.

ONGOING

UNIVERSITY BRIDGE CLOSED BETWEEN SPADINA CRES & COLLEGE DR
(Bridge Repairs)
Start: May 3, 7:00 a.m. End: August 31, 6:00 p.m.

*EXPECT DELAYS* CIRCLE DR/HWY 16 EB & WB MEDIAN (INSIDE) LANES CLOSED APPROACHING OVERPASS
(New bypass construction)
Start: April 30, 9:00 a.m. End: May 11, 5:00 p.m.

All restrictions will be lifted as indicated, weather permitting and barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Slow down, pay attention and respect work zones. Watch for pedestrians and work crews, and for everyone’s safety, please obey all detours, signs and barriers.

Know before you go! Plan your route around road work by checking our Road Restrictions and Construction Projects interactive map. Find traffic detour information and subscribe to Traffic Detour Service Alerts at saskatoon.ca/service-alerts. You can also follow us on Twitter @YXEServiceAlert and with #betterroadsYXE and like Saskatoon City News on Facebook.

For Immediate Release:  May 6, 2015
FR15-107

Based on resident feedback and system generated data, the notifynow test conducted on May 5th was a success according to Saskatoon’s Emergency Measures Organization (EMO). The majority of residents who called the EMO following the test recognized that notifynow is an important life safety service which is being tested twice a year and is a trusted tool that will notify them of important emergencies in their neighbourhood.

One of the goals of the May 5th test was to familiarize Saskatoon residents with the sound of an emergency notification and demonstrate how it will display on their phones so in a real emergency they will trust that the information is coming from a reputable source and act on it. This test showed that notifynow reached 101,334 contact points within approximately one hour. If, for example, the EMO was instructed to issue an immediate shelter in place order to 1,600 homes in a specific neighbourhood, notifynow could deliver that message in approximately three minutes.

The City of Saskatoon EMO continues to encourage Saskatoon residents to sign up for notifynow. Residents listed in the SaskTel 2014/2015 phonebook are already in the database however, they must sign up to receive notifications at more than one address or via e-mail, text, or cell phone call. There have been more than 1,495 new notifynow sign ups since the 2015 spring campaign launched on May 3rd.

notifynow is not a news service, but a life safety service that will rapidly send critical life safety messages to Saskatoon residents who would potentially be affected in an emergency. Sign up by visiting saskatoon.ca and clicking on the ‘Find out more’ button under the notifynow advertisement on the homepage.

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

City of Saskatoon (City) crews are working on reducing mosquito populations this spring through the annual mosquito control campaign.  Due to the warm April weather, mosquitos are developing faster than in recent years; however, drier conditions have led to less mosquito habitat.  The mosquitoes currently being controlled are nuisance mosquitoes.  Mosquito control will continue throughout the summer and will also control Culex tarsalis, the mosquito that is the primary carrier for the West Nile virus in Saskatchewan.

Saskatoon residents can assist with reducing mosquito populations, including Culex tarsalis, by eliminating standing water on their property.  Mosquito larvae can develop in any water, even small amounts that are allowed to stand for four days or more.  To help control the mosquito population, you can:

• Remove any standing water from your property;
• Ensure items in and around the property like pool covers, saucers under flower pots, children’s toys, pet bowls, and wading pools are regularly emptied or replaced with clean water;
• Clean eavestroughs regularly so water does not collect in them;
• Empty and clean bird baths twice weekly;
• Ensure openings in rain barrels are covered with mosquito screening; and
• Ensure your yard is free of debris, such as old tires that can hold rainwater.

For more information on the City’s mosquito control program, please visit www.saskatoon.ca/pests.

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

The Saskatoon North Partnership for Growth (P4G) is pleased to announce the release of the vision for the P4G Regional Plan (Regional Vision).

This Regional Vision has been created in collaboration with political leaders and administrators from the partnering municipalities - the Cities of Saskatoon, Martensville, and Warman, the Town of Osler, and the Rural Municipality (RM) of Corman Park, as well as an advisory representative from the Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Authority (SREDA).

The Vision reads:  Our vision for the future is a vibrant, prosperous, and internationally competitive region. We are known for a high quality of life; a thriving and diverse economy; healthy and connected ecosystems; and efficient infrastructure supporting sustainable growth and development. The five municipalities of the Region - Osler, Martensville, Warman, Saskatoon, and the RM of Corman Park - provide a rich range of opportunities and lifestyle choices for residents and newcomers. The aesthetic beauty and ecological values of the South Saskatchewan River and prairie landscapes are key components to our quality of life. We work in partnership on issues of common interest through integrated, coordinated efforts that support our success while respecting the individual aspirations of all partners.

The Regional Vision, available online at www.partnershipforgrowth.ca, also includes six overarching guiding principles to be pursued under the Plan, as well as seven primary strategic directions that will shape the focus of regional action by the P4G.

The goal of the Plan is to ensure each of the five partnering municipalities can benefit from growth opportunities, increase efficiencies, and reduce costs by working together. The Plan, which is expected to be completed by mid-2016, will consist of plans for land use, transportation, infrastructure, and servicing. It will also outline the strategies needed for implementation and propose new governance and administrative structures for the region.

Stay tuned! Public open houses on the Regional Plan are being planned for June 2015. Citizens can also connect with P4G online at www.partnershipforgrowth.ca, on Twitter (@P4G_YXE_Region) or Facebook (facebook.com/partnershipforgrowth).

For more Saskatoon North Partnership for Growth (P4G) Announcements and News Releases, visit www.partnershipforgrowth.ca or connect with the Saskatoon North Partnership for Growth on Twitter and Facebook.