City Manager's Message
Saskatoon is a phenomenal city. We have a thriving Downtown, a resilient economy, a diverse population, and a spectacularly beautiful river valley for all to enjoy. Saskatoon is known for being a great place to live, work, learn and play because of the quality of life we’ve come to enjoy. Our City services, programs and operations contribute greatly to this place.
Our vision for the future is not modest. We have a bold vision of our community and how our Administration will deliver services in the future. This vision and how we will achieve it are outlined in the 2022-2025 Strategic Plan - a guiding document that provides a framework with specific outcomes that City Council and Administration will work on together.
The theme for the 2022-2025 Strategic Plan, miyo-pimatisiwin, is a Cree phrase that translates as “the good life.” It reflects our journey towards healing and balance and the importance of lifelong learning and improving.
Our city is recognized globally as a centre for education, innovation, and creativity. With our competitive tax policies and stable governance system, Saskatoon is a lucrative place to invest and do business.
There is always more to do to improve our quality of life. As proud as we are of the city we’ve inherited from our predecessors and what we’ve achieved, the City of Saskatoon is moving forward with unprecedented momentum. There is a lot of work ahead of us, and we are up for the challenge.
I invite you to explore our website to find out more about what City Council and Administration are doing to deliver quality programs and services to our community.
Striving to be the Best Managed City in Canada
Planning for the Future
Guided by our refreshed and re-focused Strategic Plan, we’re committed to planning ahead and dedicating resources to new opportunities and rising to the challenges of a growing vibrant city. We invite citizens to follow our progress by reading the Strategic Plan Progress Reports under Related Documents.
Increasing Fiscal Responsibility
The 2024/2025 Multi-Year Business Plan and Budget focuses on investments to deliver the valued core civic services and service levels, programs and projects, to the residents we serve. By adopting a longer-term view of our financial planning, we’re also sharing a snapshot of the future with citizens so they may be better prepared.
Measuring Our Performance
Our Performance Dashboard ensures our accountability and gives citizens a look into how we are doing, where we need to improve, where we are making our positive strides, and what strategies need to be identified or developed to help us meet our goals.
Citizen Satisfaction
Our 2023 Civic Satisfaction & Performance Survey revealed 78% of respondents rated the quality of life in Saskatoon as good or very good. And 81% rated their overall satisfaction with our civic services high citing they receive very good or good value from the services provided by the City.
Fourth Fastest Population Growth
According to Statistics Canada, the Saskatoon Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) recorded the fourth strongest growth rate among Canadian CMAs in 2015 (2.0%), just behind Calgary and Edmonton. The population within city limits reached a quarter million, while the CMA population reached 300,000.
Service, Savings and Sustainability
We continue working together to build a culture of innovation and creativity, and to grow Saskatoon in a sustainable way. I invite you to review our 2023: Service, Savings & Sustainability Report showcasing how we continuously improve the way we deliver services for residents of Saskatoon and find ongoing new efficiencies in the way we do our work every day.
Awards
The City is a Great Place to Work
The City of Saskatoon was once again named one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers in 2020. The City was also recognized as one of Saskatchewan’s Top 50 Employers in 2020, the ninth year in a row.
Our Stable, Sound and Robust Financial Future
For 2023, the City received another ‘AAA’/Stable credit rating from Standard & Poor’s, the international bond-rating agency. The City has earned S&P’s highest rating every year for more than a decade. We are proud of our budgetary performance, sound financial management, and ongoing commitment to managing the city in a smart, sustainable way.
Gold Infrastructure Award
The Bridging to Tomorrow Project received a gold Infrastructure award at the National Awards for Innovation and Excellence in Public-Private Partnerships in Toronto in 2018. The project, which involved the construction of Chief Mistawasis Bridge and Traffic Bridge, was selected for breaking new ground on how P3 projects are built, financed, or delivered, as well as the impact they have on boosting the economy, saving costs, and creating more vibrant, inclusive communities.
Supporting Reconciliation
The City was honoured to receive the Peacemaker Award in 2018 for its ongoing efforts in responding to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, and for providing exceptional service to mediation and dispute resolution in our community.
Sustainable Development Recognition
The public engagement campaign for the City’s Climate Action Plan was recognized by the Regional Centre for Expertise – Saskatchewan, as part of its Sustainable Development Recognition Program. The program recognizes projects that help increase capacity for sustainable development in Saskatchewan and contribute to advancing UNESCO’s Global Action Programme on Education for Sustainable Development.