News Releases

The extended warmer weather and extreme melting at the City of Saskatoon snow storage sites is flooding access roads and creating slushy road conditions.  To prevent further damage to the roads the Central Avenue and Valley Road sites will be closed today until further notice.  Two sites remain open, but may experience the same conditions and be required to close.  All visitors to these sites are advised to use caution to avoid getting stuck.

The snow storage sites are located at:
Wanuskewin Road (1.4 km south of Highway 11) 
McOrmond Drive (between 8th Street East and College Drive)
Closed - Central Avenue (3.8 km north of Attridge Drive)
Closed - Valley Road (west of the Saskatoon Landfill access)
The City of Saskatoon thanks everyone for their cooperation.
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.

During the spring melting period, the City of Saskatoon’s Parks Division reminds citizens to be cautious around park ponds, pathways, and low-lying areas where melt water has collected.

Recent weather conditions have contributed to some low-lying areas in parks accumulating very deep and potentially dangerous water levels.  Low-lying park pathways in Draggins Car Club Park in the Hampton Village neighbourhood have been closed due to flooding.  Pumping of excess water is underway in the parks that require attention.

The ice on ponds and areas of melt water accumulation is extremely thin.  Citizens are advised to stay clear of these areas for their safety. 

Caution is also advised along park pathways as sporadic freezing and thawing is causing slippery conditions. 

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.

Citizens are reminded that there is currently a vacancy on the Board of Revision, a quasi-judicial Board that hears appeal arising from assessment procedures.  Appointees to the Board of Revision shall also serve on the Licence Appeal Board which hears appeals regarding the City’s various licensing bylaws.

Interested candidates should submit their applications by the deadline at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 28, 2014. All applications will be kept on file and reviewed throughout the year as openings occur.

Application forms can be obtained from the City Clerk’s Office at City Hall (second floor, 222 – 3^rd Avenue North), or online at www.saskatoon.ca, search under “A” for Appointments to Boards and Committees.

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 invites the public to the Lawson Civic Centre (225 Primrose Drive) on Saturday, March 29, 2014, between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to celebrate the facility’s 25th Anniversary. 

Come and sign the GIANT card, view the displays of Lawson’s past, and meet the friendly staff.  There will be face painting, games, prizes, and lots of family fun.

There is no fee to attend this event; however, regular admission rates to the pool and weight room are still in effect.

Lawson Civic Centre 25th Anniversary Celebration - Saturday, March 29, 2014
Drop in between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Cake and refreshments:  11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Family Swim:  10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Public Swim:  1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The Lawson Civic Centre includes a wave pool, fitness room, meeting and recreational space, and the Rusty Macdonald Branch Library, all under one roof.  The facility officially opened its doors to the public on March 11, 1989.

For more information on Lawson or any of the five other leisure centres, please visit www.saskatoon.ca/go/Lawson.

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 Fire Department reminds the public to be cautious and stay off the South Saskatchewan River and other ponds and lakes throughout the city this spring. At this time of year the ice on these bodies of water becomes unpredictable and can change rapidly.

Keep safety in mind whenever you are near larger bodies of water. Water pooling on top of the ice or melting at the edge of the river, lake or pond is an indication that the ice has started to melt and may not be strong enough to support you. The riverbank and areas around city ponds and lakes also get very slippery at this time of year and are not a safe place for anyone to play, especially children and animals.  

Remember, in an emergency call 9-1-1.

The public is invited to the “Living in Harmony” Recognition, Art, and Literary Awards Ceremony on Friday, March 21, 2014, at 10 a.m., at Centennial Collegiate.  The Awards Ceremony marks the date of March 21 - International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

Living in Harmony Recognition, Art, and Literary Awards Ceremony
Friday, March 21, 2014
10 a.m.
Centennial Collegiate
160 Nelson Road

This event acknowledges the Living in Harmony Literary and Art Contest winners and the Living in Harmony Community Recognition Award recipients.  The Living in Harmony Program recognizes the efforts of individuals who engage or promote intercultural harmony and social cohesion.  The City of Saskatoon’s Cultural Diversity and Race Relations Committee presents these awards to focus attention on the positive initiatives taking place in our community.
 
For more information, please visit www.saskatoon.ca and search under “L” for Living in Harmony.

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’s (City) Parks Division is pleased to announce the City’s participation in iCemetery, a free, third party app for mobile devices that can be used for locating loved ones buried in Woodlawn Cemetery. 

iCemetery provides a convenient way to search for the final resting places of those who have passed at select cemeteries in Canada, which now includes Saskatoon’s Woodlawn Cemetery.  Visitors can search by first and last name, view the burial plot detail, and be guided to the actual location of the plot within the cemetery using GPS data from your mobile phone.

iCemetery is free for download at the Apple App Store (http://itunes.apple.com/app) for iPhone, iPad, and iTouch devices and at Google Play (https://play.google.com/store/apps) for Android mobile devices.

Woodlawn Cemetery is a beautifully landscaped 105 acre public cemetery that is owned and operated by the City. It is centrally located at 1502 2nd Avenue North, just near the intersection of 33rd Street and Warman Road.  The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (October 1 to March 31 - closed from 12:00 to 12:30 p.m. for lunch) and can be reached at 306-975-3308 for inquiries.

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 Immediate Release:  March 18, 2014
 

Today, The City of Saskatoon launched Building Better Roads – Saskatoon’s Road Plan, the most aggressive program of road work in this community’s history. 

“The Building Better Roads Plan demonstrates that we are heading into an action-packed season of roadwork,” Jeff Jorgenson, General Manager of Transportation and Utilities says. “More than $50 million will be spent on Saskatoon roads this year; that’s 47 per cent more than was spent last year. We want everyone to be ready because the result will be more projects this construction season, meaning more work zones and traffic detours.” 

The Building Better Roads Plan grew out of the 2013 Civic Services Survey which identified road conditions as the single most important issue facing Saskatoon.  

City Council responded by introducing the Dedicated Road Levy in this year’s budget, providing the necessary funding to launch the Building Better Roads Plan. The Plan supports the City of Saskatoon’s strategic goals of Asset and Financial Sustainability, Quality of Life, Continuous Improvement and Moving Around. 

The Dedicated Road Levy is funded by a 4.29% increase in property taxes for 2014 which provides $6.7 million in new funding to be used exclusively for road repair and road maintenance. 

“The Dedicated Road Levy is a key element of investing substantially more in our roads for 2014.  The Dedicated Road Levy and added investments will go toward work such as street sweeping, pothole patching, sidewalk rehabilitation, back lane upgrades, road construction and repair, as well as snow and ice management,” Jorgenson says. 

“We take this investment seriously. This year citizens will see changes in how we do our work.  For example, to minimize the amount of time high-traffic roads are closed for construction, much of the work will either be done at night, or round-the-clock. Continually improving our practices will ensure we get the absolute best value for our citizens’ dollars.” 

Jorgenson adds extra workers and equipment have already started with increased snow grading and removal activities and will soon flow into aggressive pothole patching and street sweeping.  

In the coming weeks, the City will be launching new ways for people to keep up to date where and when work is being done. 

We are also pleased to launch a new “Report a Pothole” tool which allows the public to report potholes online. This Report a Pothole tool is map-based, GPS-enabled and allows anyone to report a pothole from their desktop computer or mobile device. Users will be able to see if the same pothole has already been flagged, and when potholes are repaired. Residents can find this tool on our website at Saskatoon.ca under “check this out.” It’s designed to be easy to use, and a detailed help menu and step-by-step video is also included. 

In an emergency or to talk directly to customer service staff, potholes can also be reported by phone 24/7, at 306-975-2476. 

“We’ve already been repairing the larger potholes since the snow started melting. And as soon as weather permits, the spring pothole blitz will be in full force,” Jorgenson says. “We’re anticipating the streets will be dry earlier than last year because so much snow and ice along priority roadways was trucked away this winter.”  

City crews will  concentrate on patching potholes in all driving lanes on freeways and other high traffic roads including tackling those larger clusters of potholes. Immediately following spring street sweeping, eight patching crews will constantly patrol Saskatoon throughout the summer, keeping roads smooth, including fixing potholes on residential streets.  He says a cold, temporary asphalt mix will be used on potholes until the streets dry and the weather improves, following which a more permanent hot asphalt mix will be used. 

The spring pothole blitz is a key component of Building Better Roads – Saskatoon’s Roads Plan.

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 (City) reminds residents that the public survey and forum for the first stage of the Growing Forward! Shaping Saskatoon project will remain open for input until Friday, March 21, 2014, at www.shapingsaskatoon.ca.

Growing Forward! Shaping Saskatoon is a city-wide initiative that will take us from vision to action on how we shape the City’s Growth Plan to Half a Million. It is a proactive way to plan for our future and help navigate the challenges associated with rapid population growth. The Growth Plan to Half a Million will help guide civic investments over the next 30 to 40 years by addressing three key elements:

Shaping Growth - How do we grow along major corridors?
Shaping Transit - How do we move more people?
Shaping Bridges - How do we manage infrastructure investments?

A public event was held on Tuesday, February 25, 2014, at TCU Place to start the discussion about future options for transit, bridges, and growth along major corridors. Event materials and project information are available on the Growing Forward! Shaping Saskatoon website at www.growingfwd.ca.  

Your feedback is important to us!  Public consultation will be ongoing throughout the Growing Forward! Shaping Saskatoon process. The survey is one of many opportunities for the public to get involved in this exciting initiative.  Watch for more public input opportunities coming in the Fall.  Those interested can also 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.

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On March 29, 2014 at 8:30 p.m., the City of Saskatoon will be taking part in Earth Hour - a global event to acknowledge the importance of environmental awareness and action both during and beyond the hour.

This year, the City of Saskatoon has created an Online Earth Hour forum on shapingsaskatoon.ca. “Businesses, organizations, students and community members are encouraged to post why they feel Earth Hour is important and what they’re doing this year to participate.

“Our collective efforts raise awareness of climate change and promote actions that conserve energy and help reduce GHG emissions.” says Brenda Wallace, Director of Environmental & Corporate Initiatives.  “Celebrating and acknowledging these efforts is part of creating a more sustainable Saskatoon.”

FREE Transit March 29, 2014

As a way of showing support for action on climate change, Saskatoon Transit is offering free transit on March 29 from 7:30 p.m. until 1:00 a.m. Reduce your footprint and save money by giving transit a try!

“Saskatoon Transit is once again proud to participate in the Earth Hour initiative by providing free Transit service from 7:30pm until last bus on March 29, 2014,” says Bob Howe, Director of Saskatoon Transit.  “This free service will provide citizens who may not have tried Transit in that past, with an opportunity to try it free of charge. For our regular Transit Customers, this event is another way of saying thank you for using Saskatoon Transit.” 

Post Your Photos Online

The City of Saskatoon is encouraging residents to show the world how they’re participating in Earth Hour. Residents can simply post their Earth Hour photos to their own Facebook or Twitter accounts using the hashtag #yxeEarthHour to show how they're taking action on climate change. Two lucky winners will be drawn to receive a 1 month bus pass and transit promo prize pack from Saskatoon Transit!

In 2013, the City of Saskatoon partnered with the Saskatchewan Environmental Society to engage businesses and City Facilities in Earth Hour. There were 205 participants who took part by: dimming or turning out lights, shutting down computers and other electronics, lowering their thermostats, engaging their employees and clients in environmental action, or hosting events.

To find out more about the City of Saskatoon’s participation in Earth Hour, please visit Saskatoon.ca and search under “E” for Earth Hour.

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.