News Releases

The 2024 Point-in-Time Count has identified 1,499 individuals in Saskatoon experiencing homelessness. The count offers a “snapshot” of individuals and families residing in emergency shelters, transitional housing, unsheltered locations including encampments, systems, and experiencing hidden homelessness.

“The results of this count represent the minimum number of individuals experiencing unsheltered and sheltered homelessness in Saskatoon,” says Lesley Anderson, Director of Planning and Development. “These numbers and demographics will improve our understanding of the needs and circumstances of the people who are affected by homelessness in our community.”

The City of Saskatoon, in partnership with the Saskatoon Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP), the Reaching Home Community Entity in Saskatoon, and the Community-University Institute for Social Research (CUISR) at the University of Saskatchewan, along with numerous community organizations and well over 200 volunteers conducted a Point-in-Time (PiT) Homelessness Count on October 8, 2024.

“SHIP believes that we need to continue to work as a community to reduce the number of homeless people,” says Robert LaFontaine, SHIP Executive Director. “The PiT count effectively sets the work we need to do going forward.”

The 2024 homelessness count has increased nearly three times in the overall number compared to the last count conducted in 2022. While some of this increase reflects the recognition of new categories, numerous other factors have contributed to this significant rise. By reporting these updated figures, we align our efforts with those of other municipalities across the country, promoting consistency and collaboration in addressing homelessness on a national scale. 

Further data collected from the PiT Count surveys will be released in early 2025 when we launch the Saskatoon PiT Community Report. Volunteers, media, survey participants and local agencies are welcome to attend. Further information will be available in the New Year.

The Clarence Downey Speed Skating oval will open for the season on Sunday, December 15, 2024

The Oval, located on Dudley Street at Avenue R in the Gordon Howe Complex, is a 400-metre outdoor, oval-shaped rink for all skating levels.  A warm-up building provides change rooms, public washrooms, and an area to lace up skates in comfort.  Speed skates are not required. 

Public Skating Hours:

• Monday to Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
• Saturday and Sunday from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
• Closed Fridays
• Cancelled: December 24 to 27, December 31 and January 1

For more information, please visit saskatoon.ca/oval or call 306‑668-4693.

*This report includes road restrictions on Priority 1 (high traffic, high speed) streets only.

NEW

SPADINA CRES E ROAD CLOSED FROM 3RD AVE S TO 2ND AVE S
(Construction)
Start: December 12, 7:00 a.m. End: December 13, 5:00 p.m.

NIGHT WORK

CIRCLE DR E EB CURB LANE CLOSED FROM PRESTON AVE S TO CIRCLE DR E
(Guardrail improvements)
Start: December 11, 7:00 p.m. End: December 12, 6:00 a.m.

ONGOING

24TH ST E WB LANES CLOSED FROM 6TH AVE N TO 5TH AVE N
(SL&P construction)
Start: August 7, 8:00 a.m. End: December 18, 5:00 p.m.

4TH AVE N NB CURB LANE CLOSED FROM 22ND ST E TO 23RD ST E
(Vault repairs)
Start: September 16, 7:00 a.m. End: December 20, 4:00 p.m.

8TH ST E ROAD CLOSED FROM MCORMOND DR TO ZIMMERMAN RD
(Road construction)
No access to Zimmerman Rd from 8th St
Start: June 10, 7:00 a.m. End: December 20, 5:00 p.m.

BRIGHTON BLVD ROAD CLOSED FROM TASKAMANWA ST TO 8TH ST E
(Construction)
Use McOrmond Dr
Start: November 20, 2023, 7:00 a.m. End: September 26, 2025, 5:00 p.m.

All restrictions will be lifted as indicated, weather permitting and barring any unforeseen circumstances.

For more information about current road restrictions and construction, visit saskatoon.ca/construction.

The Saskatoon Fire Department (SFD) is currently testing and monitoring ice thickness at storm water retention ponds around the city to verify their safety and integrity for recreational use. 

The ice must reach a minimum thickness of at least eight inches to be considered safe for public recreational activities such as skating, broomball and hockey. Signage posted at each pond will indicate whether the pond is safe for recreational use. When the ice thickness reaches a minimum of eight inches and is considered safe, SFD will replace the “No Skating” symbol on site signs with a “Skating Permitted” image. While ice testing is underway, community members are asked to remain off storm pond ice surfaces until signage indicates the pond is safe to use. 

As the weather continues to sporadically warm and cool, SFD would like to caution the public of changing ice conditions. Residents are reminded to check the posted signage each time they consider using the pond. Community members are advised to always exercise an elevated level of caution when around any large body of water. Keep a close watch on children and pets when visiting trails, parks, or off-leash areas that may run adjacent to a storm water retention pond. Community members who use the ponds for recreational purposes assume all risk and maintenance responsibilities for the ice including shoveling, flooding, as well as user safety. 

Only select storm water ponds are designated for recreational use. Please visit saskatoon.ca/ponds for more information.

The City of Saskatoon (City) is implementing a contingency plan to reduce the impacts of the ongoing Canada Post service disruption on the Tax Instalment Payment Plan Service (TIPPS).

Due to the postal strike, the City cannot efficiently provide all property owners with revised 2025 TIPPS statements. The City must provide written notice for changes to withdrawal amounts, as required by federal legislation. As a result, most property owners will not receive adjustments to their 2025 TIPPS withdrawal amounts for January to June 2025. Withdrawal amounts for this period will match the July to November 2024 amounts. A small portion of property owners will be contacted directly with adjustments to their TIPPS amounts for January 2025.

All TIPPS withdrawals will be adjusted effective July 1, 2025, to account for the actual 2025 property tax, including revaluation changes and approved budget increases.

For more information on payment and billing options, to ensure that your payments are made on time during the mail service disruption, visit: saskatoon.ca/CanadaPost.

Questions? Customer Service Representatives are also available to assist by calling (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) 306-975-2400, toll-free at 1-800-667-9944 or emailing revenue@saskatoon.ca.

As of this morning, crews have completed grading and rut levelling on 70 per cent of all neighbourhoods in Saskatoon.  

Crews began grading and rut levelling all residential streets across the city on Sunday afternoon, addressing severe rutting on city streets caused by weekend rain. All available graders, both City-owned and contracted, are mobilized, and the expectation is to complete grading in all neighbourhoods by the end of this week—a goal crews are on track to meet. 

In some cases, certain streets have been temporarily skipped due to limited access, often caused by parked vehicles. These streets are being revisited once parking restrictions are in place. The City is asking residents to please move vehicles off the street where possible to help our crews work efficiently. 

Residents should give road equipment the space it needs to operate, especially those with flashing blue and amber lights. Parents and guardians should also ensure that children stay clear of snow piles to avoid any potential risks from moving equipment. 

Curbside collections (black, blue and green carts) will continue as scheduled for the remainder of the week. Proper cart placement will be key to successful collections. Residents are asked to roll out carts by 7 a.m. and place them in front of, or four feet to the side of, snowbanks to ensure collection truck arms can access carts. Road conditions in certain neighbourhoods can prevent collections from occurring. Please check saskatoon.ca/service-alerts to see if your neighbourhood has been impacted and your rescheduled collection date.  

For regular updates, visit saskatoon.ca/snow for the list of neighbourhoods scheduled for grading in the next 48 hours. Additional updates will be provided as the work progresses, and more neighbourhoods will be added as operations continue. Thank you for your patience and cooperation as crews work to complete this important task. 

Spadina Crescent will be closed between 3rd and 2nd avenues starting Thursday, December 12, at 7:00 a.m. for construction. Detours will be in place guiding motorists around the work zone. This project is expected to take two days to complete, weather permitting and barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Saskatoon Transit may be affected by these detours. Transit service alerts and real-time bus information are available on third-party apps like Transit and Google Maps Transit on desktop.                              

For more information about current road restrictions and construction, visit saskatoon.ca/construction.

This afternoon, Saskatoon Light & Power experienced two separate power outages that affected customers in various areas of the city. Both outages were promptly addressed, and power was restored quickly.

The first outage lasted six minutes and affected east-central neighbourhoods, including Holliston, Adelaide Churchill, Haultain, Greystone Heights, Varsity View, Brevoort Park, Eastview and Nutana Park. The second event, lasting 17 minutes, impacted approximately 35,000 customers across the majority of the west, north, and east regions of the SL&P franchise area.

The outages were caused by the failure of a device called a Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) at the Taylor Street Substation. The RTU is a computer that enables remote operation of the substation. When the RTU failed, it inadvertently caused a switch to open, leading to the outages. The failed unit has been disconnected to prevent further disruptions, and its replacement is being prioritized for the coming weeks.

Today’s outages were unrelated to last week’s power issues caused by a mechanical failure of a switch at a different substation. The two incidents appear to be an unfortunate coincidence.

Saskatoon Light & Power prides itself on maintaining one of Canada's best reliability scores among electricity providers. Although equipment failures can happen from frequent use and exposure to the environment, SL&P’s team is committed to quickly resolving these issues to minimize any impact on customers.

For more information on Saskatoon Light & Power, or to view the outage map, visit Saskatoon.ca/SL&P.

*This report includes road restrictions on Priority 1 (high traffic, high speed) streets only.

NEW

AVE H N ROAD CLOSED FROM 35TH ST W TO 37TH ST W
(Sanitary sewer inspection)
Start: December 11, 8:00 a.m. End: December 11, 4:00 p.m.

CIRCLE DR E EB MEDIAN LANE CLOSED FROM CLARENCE AVE S TO PRESTON AVE S
(Streetlight pole repairs)
Start: December 11, 9:00 a.m. End: December 11, 3:00 p.m.

CIRCLE DR E EB CURB LANE CLOSED AT PORTAGE AVE
(Streetlight pole repairs)
Start: December 11, 9:00 a.m. End: December 11, 3:00 p.m.

2ND AVE N SB MEDIAN & CURB LANES CLOSED FROM KING ST TO QUEEN ST
(Manhole repair)
Start: December 11, 12:00 p.m. End: December 11, 3:00 p.m.

ONGOING

CIRCLE DR E WB MEDIAN LANE CLOSED AT PRESTON AVE S
(Guardrail improvements)
Start: December 10, 7:00 p.m. End: December 11, 6:00 a.m.

19TH ST E EB LANES & WB MEDIAN LANE CLOSED FROM 2ND AVE S TO 3RD AVE S
(Crane work)
Start: December 3, 7:00 a.m. End: December 11, 5:00 p.m.

19TH ST E EB CURB LANE CLOSED FROM 2ND AVE S TO 3RD AVE S
(Building maintenance)
Start: November 19, 7:00 a.m. End: December 11, 5:00 p.m.

24TH ST E WB LANES CLOSED FROM 6TH AVE N TO 5TH AVE N
(SL&P construction)
Start: August 7, 8:00 a.m. End: December 18, 5:00 p.m.

4TH AVE N NB CURB LANE CLOSED FROM 22ND ST E TO 23RD ST E
(Vault repairs)
Start: September 16, 7:00 a.m. End: December 20, 4:00 p.m.

8TH ST E ROAD CLOSED FROM MCORMOND DR TO ZIMMERMAN RD
(Road construction)
No access to Zimmerman Rd from 8th St
Start: June 10, 7:00 a.m. End: December 20, 5:00 p.m.

BRIGHTON BLVD ROAD CLOSED FROM TASKAMANWA ST TO 8TH ST E
(Construction)
Use McOrmond Dr
Start: November 20, 2023, 7:00 a.m. End: September 26, 2025, 5:00 p.m.

All restrictions will be lifted as indicated, weather permitting and barring any unforeseen circumstances.

For more information about current road restrictions and construction, visit saskatoon.ca/construction.

4th Avenue will be closed between 22nd and 23rd streets on Tuesday, December 10, starting at 9:00 a.m. for vault work. Detours will be in place guiding motorists around the work zone. This project is expected to take six hours to complete, weather permitting and barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Saskatoon Transit may be affected by these detours. Transit service alerts and real-time bus information are available on third-party apps like Transit and Google Maps Transit on desktop.                              

For more information about current road restrictions and construction, visit saskatoon.ca/construction.