News Releases

Saskatoon Transit continues to concentrate on improving safety for employees and customers on the buses and at terminals. It has addressed all the initiatives in the Saskatoon Transit Frontline Employee Safety Plan, announced in June 2024, and will present a progress report on Tuesday, April 1, at City Council’s Standing Policy Committee on Transportation meeting.

In response to challenges with violence and aggression on buses and at terminals at the beginning of 2024, Saskatoon Transit management and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 615 committed to prioritizing 17 initiatives to improve workplace safety and foster a culture of safety within Saskatoon Transit.

The plan involves security measures, new processes for reporting incidents and protocols to maintain order on the bus, reduce negative interactions and prepare employees with the skills and resources they need to de-escalate situations. Transit will continue to focus on these initiatives, as many are new, and it can take time for noticeable differences.

Repeated customer surveys throughout 2024 in the Transit app support a correlation between the perception of safety and the number of negative interactions occurring. Saskatoon Transit will use employee feedback about what’s working or not to improve the programs and processes in the plan and continue to support the City’s Community Safety and Well-Being initiatives.

Renovations made to the former Saskatchewan Transportation Company parcel depot for use as a temporary enhanced emergency shelter are complete. The City has turned the renovated building over and The Mustard Seed is preparing for shelter operations, with an anticipated opening in April.

In September 2024, City Council approved an 18-month permit for temporary operation of a 30 to 40 bed enhanced emergency residential shelter at 210 Pacific Avenue. Council also approved a request to lease the City-owned building to the Government of Saskatchewan at a below market rate. 

After hearing feedback from nearby residents and businesses, the City committed to implement changes to the site plan of the temporary shelter as detailed here. Measures include:

• Fencing to create a sense of space for those using the shelter, and delineation between the shelter and surrounding businesses. There will be no walk-in access off Pacific Avenue. Facility access for shelter guests will only be from Ontario Avenue.
• Fencing will feature artwork, created by local Indigenous artists and youth, to connect the shelter to the community and add vibrancy to the neighbourhood. This will include a series of original hand painted banners depicting Indigenous stories by local artists, Josh Wāpiskisiw and Honey Constant-Inglis, and a group of young multi-cultural artists from W.P. Bate School. Indigenous storytelling during the winter season is a cherished Indigenous tradition for passing on knowledge from generation to generation, sharing culture, history, teachings, spirituality and language. Interpretive plaques will be placed onsite to explain the stories.
• 7-day-per-week, extended-hour security/support dedicated to the downtown with a proactive priority focus on the vicinity around the proposed shelter.

Representatives from the City, Saskatoon Fire Department, Saskatoon Police Service, Government of Saskatchewan and The Mustard Seed are also meeting with neighbours in the immediate vicinity ahead of the opening to discuss the operating and safety plan. More information on the integrated operating and safety plan can be read here.

City Administration, in collaboration with the Government of Saskatchewan, is in the final stages of identifying a permanent site for the enhanced emergency shelter. An update will be provided when available. 

Direct service from the Special Events Stop (23rd Street and 2nd Avenue) to see the Beach Boys at SaskTel Centre on Thursday, March 27 at 7:30 p.m., is available at the following times:

• 6:15 p.m.
• 6:55 p.m.

Post-event drop-off is at the downtown terminal and regular fares apply ($3.00 per trip). Fare can be purchased on your mobile phone using either the TGo or transit app, transfers and passes are also accepted. Typically, buses arrive onsite 30 minutes prior to the end of the event.

Plan your trip to events at SaskTel Centre on Route 333 using the Transit app up to two weeks in advance. Check out the Transit+ feature to help make connections that combine Transit with OnDemand Transit, riide, and Uber. Download the Transit app from the Apple Store or Google Play.

Transit service times for special events at SaskTel Centre and other popular destinations can always be found at SaskatoonTransit.ca/plan-my-trip/popular-destinations. Experience the convenience of using Saskatoon Transit to attend all your favourite events.

The City of Saskatoon received a formal offer from SK Recycles (formerly Multi-Material Stewardship Western) to transition to its new Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) household recycling program. This follows the May 2024 approval of Household Packaging and Paper Stewardship Program Regulations by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment. As a result, the provincial stewardship agency, SK Recycles, will take over municipal recycling programs. A report to the April 1, 2025 meeting of the Standing Policy Committee on Environment, Utilities and Corporate Services provides a detailed analysis of the options available to the City. 

Due to a number of considerations, such as existing contractual requirements for blue carts and compost depots, City Administration recommends maintaining the status quo with no changes to both the curbside and multi-unit residential recycling programs until December 2027.

Looking to the future, Administration recommends signaling its intent to participate in the SK Recycles-led collection models for both programs, starting in January 2028, by making a formal written submission to SK Recycles. This option would allow time to transition the funding model for waste services that had previously been supported by SK Recycles funding; it is also expected to cause no disruption to the service level and would be the lowest cost. Residents will learn more about the service-provider change in the months leading up to the 2028 SK Recycles implementation.

By 2028, all Saskatchewan communities will transition to a full Extended Producer Responsibility program for household packaging and paper, joining the SK Recycles program.