News Releases

The City of Saskatoon (City) is pleased to invite independent artists or teams of artists to submit applications for its Placemaker Program that provides temporary public art to key commercial districts in Saskatoon. 

Proposals may be two or three dimensional work, installations, interventions. or digital media, such as video projection; proposals may offer participatory experiences or include performance components.

Applications may be submitted for either a completed work in the artist’s possession or for a proposed new work.  The City’s Visual Arts Placement Jury adjudicates the applications and selects the works to be exhibited, in consultation with representatives from the Downtown, Broadway, Riversdale, and Sutherland Business Improvement Districts and civic staff.

The deadline for applications is April 8, 2014.  For an information package and application form, please visit www.saskatoon.ca and search under “P” for Placemaker Program.

In partnership with PAVED Arts, the City is hosting a public art workshop for emerging artists to better understand the art commissioning process, what it is, how it works, the application process, and how to submit proposals.  The workshop will be Saturday, January 25th, 2014, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the boardroom of Ideas Inc. (near the Farmers Market - 120 Sonnenschein Place, Saskatoon).

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.

Starting Thursday, January 9, 2014, crews will begin pruning trees on civic property in City Park as part of the City of Saskatoon’s (City) overall boulevard tree maintenance program.  Varsity View will follow on Monday, January 13, 2014.

The boulevard tree maintenance program follows a regular pruning cycle to help preserve the health and appearance of the City’s boulevard and park tree inventory. Maintenance crews will remove any broken, dead, weak, and diseased branches. Keeping sidewalks and roads free of any hazards, crews will also remove any tree parts that are obstructing pedestrian or vehicle traffic and maintain appropriate clearances from buildings, signs, streetlights, and utility wires.  Tree maintenance operations in these two neighbourhoods will continue until the end of March.

Tree maintenance often requires road restrictions.  The City reminds pedestrians, cyclists and drivers to ensure that safety is a priority by respecting the work zone appropriately and obeying all road restrictions and signage.

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) Business License Program is pleased to announce the launch of Business License Online.  This new tool provides a convenient method for business operators to apply for or renew their Business License online.  It is safe, easy to use, and accepts payments from major credit cards.  New business license applications and renewals may continue to be submitted by mail or in person. 

“The City is very pleased to offer this online service to businesses,” says Alan Wallace, Director of Planning and Development.  “As part of the Saskatoon Strategic Plan, the City continues to offer a business-friendly environment by providing value-added services and improvements in efficiency.”

While new business license applications have been accepted online for the past year, the opportunity to renew online is now also available.  Instructions will be provided on the renewal notice mailed to business owners approximately two weeks prior to the expiration of their license.

As of December 31, 2013, there were 10,265 licensed businesses based out of Saskatoon, an increase of 3.2 percent since 2012.  As this number grows, the Business License Program works to enhance services to ensure that Saskatoon attracts and supports new and established businesses. 

To access Business License Online or to obtain more information, please visit www.saskatoon.ca/go/businesslicenseonline.

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 process underway for the City Wide Snow Clearing is to use graders to clear, or push, the snow from the roadway and into storage along the curbs.  The program is not designed as a load out or snow removal program.  This is a proactive approach designed to reduce the snow pack on roadways in order to prevent the potential for ruts to form as the snow pack increases through successive snowfalls and/or temperatures rise.

Through a blend of private contractor and Public Works, multiple grader crews continue in neighbourhoods on each side of the city, reducing the snow pack that can develop into ruts.  This is the first time in recent history that the City has undertaken a city-wide clearing such as this, but no one wants to experience the extreme rutting that occurred last winter.  This proactive street grading was initiated early before the snow pack was too deep, so even if more snow collects this winter, the risk for deep ruts developing is low. 

Streets will be graded and the snow will be pushed into piles along the curb, called windrows.  Graders will do their best to leave space for parking along the streets, but in some cases, it will not be possible.  As part of the increased level of service for snow management through the new dedicated road levy funding, provisions were made to include city-wide snow clearing, but does not include the removal of snow.  The levy will be used to increase road reconstruction and rehabilitation, and increase road maintenance services. 

This week, graders completed the following neighbourhoods:  Montgomery, Willowgrove, Wildwood, Silverwood Heights, Wildwood, Arbor Creek and Hampton Village.  Fairhaven and Sutherland will be completed today.  For most of these residents, it is the first time seeing the new Yellow ‘No Parking’ signs, and experiencing the parking enforcement (ticket) and vehicle relocation program.  Despite this, overall compliance has been very good, increasing each day and, as a result of the compliance, graders are able to move quickly through the streets without having to work around vehicles.

In order to reduce the inconvenience for residents, residential neighbourhoods are scheduled Monday to Friday only from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., when many vehicles are usually off the street.  The Parking enforcement start time was adjusted from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. to make the process more convenient for residents.  Other neighbourhoods, such as commercial and industrial areas with different traffic and parking patterns, will be scheduled for clearing during nights and/or on weekends. 

Yellow ‘No Parking’ sandwich board signs may be supplemented with matching paper ‘No Parking’ signs and will be posted 36 hours in advance of the scheduled street grading to notify drivers to move their vehicles.  The yellow, high-visibility sandwich boards will be posted throughout the neighbourhoods on the main roads, important intersections and high-volume traffic areas. Streets that have already been cleared prior to this program will not be graded again. These streets include those on the Priority Street Network (Priority 1, 2 & 3) that receive clearing during/after each snow event and receive regular maintenance between snow events.  Residents with no off-street parking are permitted to park on these streets (where regular signage permits) and will not receive a ticket.

Along with the neighbourhood schedule, PDF maps of each neighbourhood will be available at www.saskatoon.ca/go/snow.  The neighbourhood maps will show the boundary areas of the neighbourhood where grading will take place.  They will also outline each of the Priority Streets within the identified neighbourhood indicating parking options within the neighbourhoods.

Vehicles left on the street within the designated neighbourhoods at 7:00 a.m. will be relocated and issued a fine of $100 (no reduction available).  Drivers can locate their vehicle with the Find My Vehicle! application on the City’s website or by calling the Snow & Ice Infoline at 306-975-2476.

The street grading schedule may be required to be changed as the program progresses, depending on the conditions of the streets.  If it snows, grading may be on hold if these graders are required for the priority streets.  ‘No Parking’ signs will be removed immediately in any neighbourhood/street that is cancelled.   Signs will be re-posted when rescheduled to notify residents of the new date.  Visit www.saskatoon.ca/go/snow to learn more about the City’s snow and ice management program or contact the Public Works customer service line at 306-975-2476 or public.works@saskatoon.ca.

Street Clearing Schedule – January 27 - 31

A one-week schedule will be available on Thursday each week for the following week.  Visit www.saskatoon.ca/go/snow for the schedule. One east-side and one west-side neighbourhood will be graded each day. For the week of January 27-31, the following neighbourhoods are scheduled: 

Friday, January 24: Silverspring and Lawson Heights

Monday, January 27: Parkridge and Lakeview

Tuesday, January 28: Erindale and River Heights

Wednesday, January 29: Dundonald and Forest Grove

Thursday, January 30: Lakeridge and Confederation Park

Friday, January 31: Massey Place and Briarwood

The City thanks residents for their patience and reminds everyone to please watch for crews and equipment on the road as they clear snow and apply de-icing material. Slow down and keep 15 metres behind maintenance equipment; be prepared to stop; and, if required, use extreme caution when passing.

Environment Canada forecasts, Saskatoon and area could face extreme wind gusts of up to 100-110 kilometres per hour today, January 15, 2014. 

As the force of such high winds may be destructive, the City is prepared to handle potential service disruptions throughout the wind storm.  Crews from Saskatoon Light & Power, Public Works and Transportation will continue to monitor the situation throughout the day and promptly respond to issues as they arise.

The City would also like to remind residents to keep safety a priority during extreme weather events such as this one.  In an emergency, residents are to phone 911 for immediate assistance.

Should a power outage affect traffic lights, please remember to treat intersections as a four-way stop, pull over and call 306-975-2981 to report the outage. 

Residents are also reminded to avoid all downed power lines, and call 306-975-2621 to report a live wire emergency. 

If City-owned trees are damaged and residents are concerned they may be a safety hazard, please phone 306-975-2890 during regular office hours and 306-975-3300 after hours to report the problem to a representative from the Parks Division. 

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.