News Releases

The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women is on Saturday, December 6, 2014. In recognition, flags at all City of Saskatoon facilities will fly at half-mast.

Established in 1991 by the Parliament of Canada, December 6 marks the anniversary of the 1989 murders of 14 young women at l’Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal. The day is an opportunity for Canadians to reflect on the phenomenon of violence against women in our society and remember those who have died as a result of gender-based violence. 

The City of Saskatoon (City) Leisure Guide will be delivered to every home in Saskatoon on Wednesday, December 10, 2014, and available for pick up at any indoor Leisure Centre, City Hall, or Saskatoon Public Library location.  The guide will be available online beginning Monday, December 8, 2014, at www.saskatoon.ca/go/leisureguide.
The Leisure Guide is Saskatoon’s go-to source for fitness programs, recreational activities, and arts and culture opportunities for all ages and abilities.  Stay warm and stay active all winter long with the many options provided by the City of Saskatoon!  Highlights of the Winter (January 1 to March 31, 2015) Leisure Guide include:

• Information about programs at Saskatoon’s six civic Leisure Centres (Cosmo Civic Centre, Harry Bailey Aquatic Centre, Lakewood and Lawson Civic Centres, Saskatoon Field House, and Shaw Centre) including:
• Public, Parent & Tot skating, and ice rentals at four indoor rinks;
• Free outdoor skating at the Clarence Downey Speed Skating Oval and more than 40 free outdoor community rinks across the city;
• Cross-country skiing at eight groomed trails around Saskatoon;
• Special events throughout the winter season including Family Day Skate and winter programming at the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo;
• Exercise classes, learning, and volunteer opportunities offered by your neighbourhood Community Associations; and
• much, much more, including many arts, culture, and recreational services offered by other organizations in Saskatoon!

Registration begins Sunday, December 14, 2014, at 6:00 p.m. by calling 306-975-2800 or online at www.leisureonline.saskatoon.ca.  Starting Monday, December 15, 2014, at 6:30 a.m., all Leisure Centres will be accepting walk-in registrations. 

Registered programs are very popular and fill up fast!  Many people will be registering Sunday evening, and the City sincerely thanks citizens for their patience.  Additional online and telephone resources are in place for the registration process.  With that in mind, there are still thousands of people registering at once, so here are some helpful tips to help you be prepared:

• You will require a Client ID Number and Family PIN to register online.  To set one up or if you forgot yours, phone any Leisure Centre prior to Sunday, December 14, 2014. 
• Have a list of second and third program choices just in case you don’t get into your first choice.
• Join the waiting list!  Every full program has an online waiting list, and new classes may be created if there is enough demand.
• Consider other nearby Leisure Centres if your nearest location isn't available.
• Ensure your major web browser (Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox, Google Chrome) is up-to-date.

Get the Guide!  Keep the Guide!

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

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For Release: Friday, December 5, 2014

The notifynow test run by Saskatoon’s Emergency Measures Organization was a success based on the feedback from residents and the system data generated. Residents called with questions about the test but in many instances recognized that notifynow is an important life safety service which will be tested twice a year and used to notify them of important emergencies in their neighbourhood.

Since our last test about 6,000 residents of Saskatoon have signed up to specifically choose how they would like to be contacted in an emergency. Thursday’s test indicated that our database is over 90% accurate and plans are in place to improve that percentage. This time we were able to contact the 99,159 persons listed in the database within 50 minutes. Practically this means that we would be able to send a critical life safety notification to an entire neighbourhood within approximately two minutes.

Any well-run test is an opportunity for the organizers to learn and make improvements. Our initial test in May of 2014 was to over 93,000 phone numbers or email addresses and took more than 2.5 hours. This time the test was completed in approximately 50 minutes because we slowed the system down to an acceptable level for the provincial telephone system and did not allow the notifynow to leave a voice message. In a critical life safety emergency the system will leave a message.

It is important that residents recognize notifynow as a life safety notification system and are prepared to take the necessary actions to protect their safety.

From an emergency management perspective it is equally important that residents realize that they need to take the time to confirm that they have heard the message. If a contact point hung up before confirming that they listened to the message (in this case pressing 1) or do not reply to the text message or email, the system will continue to try to reach them. In an emergency every life is important and we need to be able to confirm who has received the information and which homes we need to continue to try to reach.

Notifynow is not a news service; it is a life safety service that will rapidly send critical life safety messages to citizens who would potentially be affected so they can take appropriate actions.

The City of Saskatoon reminds residents that the online survey to gather public input on possibilities for Saskatoon’s Growth Plan to Half a Million (Growth Plan) closes at midnight Sunday, December 7, 2014.  Have your say!  Visit www.shapingsaskatoon.ca to review the information and participate in one or more of the online surveys and forums on Corridor Growth, Transit, Core Area Bridges, and Employment Areas. 

The Growth Plan is made up of several parts that will fit together to form a new growth model for Saskatoon – one that will provide more choices for residents to move around the city while making it easier to work, shop, and play closer to home as our population doubles over the next 30 to 40 years.

Public consultation will be ongoing throughout the development of the Growth Plan.  To learn more and get involved, please visit the Growing Forward! Shaping Saskatoon website at www.growingfwd.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.

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Saskatoon City Council approved the South Caswell Concept Plan (Concept Plan) in 2010 to help guide redevelopment in the area once the Saskatoon Transit facility is relocated to the new Civic Operations Centre in early 2017.  To ensure the Concept Plan meets current goals and priorities, the City of Saskatoon (City) will be making updates and amendments based on community and stakeholder feedback.

The public is invited to an open house to learn about the existing Concept Plan and the amendment process moving forward.  Environmental and structural assessments have also been recently completed by consultants’, and the findings will be presented to begin the discussion on potential reuse of transit buildings and vacant spaces.  Civic staff will be in attendance to provide information, answer questions, and gather feedback.  Further public events will follow in 2015.

South Caswell Concept Plan Amendment Open House
Thursday, December 4, 2014
6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Trinity Lutheran Church (basement)
419 Avenue E North

Please note this location is not wheelchair accessible, and the City will make alternate arrangements with anyone who cannot attend due to accessibility reasons.  Please call 306-975-3465 for more information.

More detailed information on the South Caswell Concept Plan is available on www.saskatoon.ca, (look under “L” for “Local Area Planning”).

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

Saskatoon’s Emergency Measures Organization (EMO) will be systematically testing the notifynow system this evening, starting at 5:30 p.m.

The purpose of the test is to give residents the opportunity to better understand the notifynow system, to let people hear what a message will sound like, and to encourage people to sign-up. 

Starting at 5:30 p.m. today the system will send notifications throughout the city, one quadrant at a time using information in the notifynow database, which is a combination of the 2013/2014 SaskTel Phonebook and information from those whom have signed-up.

It is expected that testing period will last about 2 hours.

We also expect that some residents will notice that they did not receive the test notification. In those instances, we will ask them to create an account by following the prompts on saskatoon.ca and provide their preferred contact information so we can reach them in the future.

Saskatoon’s Emergency Measures Organization is excited to move this project forward. On-going testing is an important part of the City’s Emergency Preparedness process and will provide us with important technical information while demonstrating to individual residents what a targeted mass notification would sound like and how they can expect to be contacted.

Residents can sign-up online at Saskatoon.ca  

 

Growing Forward! Shaping Saskatoon invites residents to attend the last public engagement event to discuss possibilities for shaping Saskatoon’s Growth Plan to Half a Million (Growth Plan).  The Growth Plan is being developed to help guide future infrastructure investments in areas like corridor redevelopment, transit, and core area bridges so residents will have more choices for how they live and move around the city as Saskatoon grows. 

Growth Plan Information Session:
Thursday, December 4, 2014
6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Cosmo Civic Centre, 3130 Laurier Drive
Presentation will begin at 6:15 p.m. followed by facilitated question and answer period.
Event materials and information are also available online at www.growingfwd.ca, along with an opportunity to submit comments.
 
Public consultation will be ongoing throughout the development of the Growth Plan.  Those interested can sign up for project update notifications at www.growingfwd.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.

 

Roadway lights on Idylwyld Drive North between Marquis Drive and the Highway 16 overpass are not operating due to work in the area. Saskatoon Light & Power is working to repair the problem and lights are expected to be operational by the evening of Tuesday, December 9^th.

All roads remain open, but drivers are reminded to drive with caution.  

For more information call Saskatoon Light & Power at 306-975-2414.

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

 

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At Christmas there is an increase in activities in many of our homes. Most of us will decorate, bake and entertain more than at other times of the year. At the Fire Department we know that a few careless activities can lead to a devastating fire. A few safety tips and habits can make all the difference.

Christmas Trees – When purchasing a real tree, look for one that is green and fragrant and that very few needles fall of off when the stump is tapped on the ground. Once your tree is in your home, check it frequently to make sure it has not run out of water and only use CSA approved light strings that aren’t cracked or frayed. Remove your tree shortly after the holidays or once it starts to turn brown.

Candles – Keep lit candles away from flammable materials like paper or fabric products and never use them to decorate a Christmas tree. Make sure your candles are in stable candleholders and not in an area where they could be accidently knocked over by guests, children or pets. Always extinguish your candles when the festivities are over or when the last person leaves the room.

Fireplaces – Only burn small amounts of seasoned wood. Burning paper, wrapping paper or pine boughs can cause sparks to drift up your chimney and ignite your roof. Never use gasoline or other flammable liquids to help start a fire in your fireplace and always operate it with a screen to keep the sparks in.

Space Heaters – Place your space heater at least one meter, or three feet, away from anything that could burn like wallpaper, furniture, bedding or clothing. Check the electrical cord to make sure it isn’t cracked or frayed, never leave children or pets unsupervised in a room with a space heater and turn off and unplug space heaters when you leave a room or go to sleep. Never use unvented fuel-fired heaters inside a home or garage. The resulting carbon monoxide build-up can be deadly.

Working smoke alarms save lives. Test yours regularly and plan your escape routes. Remember a sounding smoke alarm means ‘get out and stay out’.

The Saskatoon Fire Department wishes you a safe and healthy holiday.

Thanks to plentiful snowfall over the past few weeks, cross country ski trail grooming has begun for the season in a variety of parks and open spaces throughout Saskatoon.  Skiers of all ages and skill levels are invited to enjoy the trails this season and keep active all winter long.  Locations include:

• Holiday Park Golf Course (Access at Avenue U South);
• Wildwood Golf Course (Access at 8th Street East, maintained by the Saskatoon Nordic Ski Club);
• Kinsmen Park (Access at Spadina Crescent West by the Mendel Art Gallery, maintained by the Saskatoon Nordic Ski Club);
• Lower Meewasin Park (Access at Pinehouse and Whiteswan Drives);
• Upper Meewasin Park (Access at Pinehouse and Whiteswan Drives);
• Meewasin Park to Adilman Buffer (Access at east end of Adilman Drive or Meewasin Park);
• Diefenbaker Park (Access at Ruth Street and St. Henry Avenue);
• Forest Park (Access at Lowe Road, Nelson Road, and Forest Drive); and
• Al Anderson Park (Access at Hampton Green, Dawson Crescent, and Hampton Circle).

For trail updates, call the Parks Division at 306-975-3300, or visit the regularly updated website at www.saskatoon.ca for information throughout the season and tips for ski trail etiquette.

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.