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City announces 2024 Living In Harmony Award recipients
March 21, 2024 - 8:35am
- Classroom Award: Mr. Thorpe's Grade 4/5 Class at Brownell School for drafting their own personalized land acknowledgements. Students: Zander, Isla, Luke, Rayden, Brier, Sahil, Cali, Mitchell, Izzy, Peyton, Harlyn, Ava, Emelia, Yassine, James, Jeremy, Saif, Sadie, Winona, Tak, Dani, Dewarsh, Sean, Luanne, Jaxson, and Samuel.
- Student Group Award: Leia Dustyhorn, Ghazal Al Othman, River Cronk, and Olivia Martens from Buena Vista School. These Grade 6 students created a piece of art depicting a multitude of races marching side by side alongside the river.
- Student Award: Kyra Jackson (Grade 4) at Saskatoon French School and Hezekiah Imafidon (Grade 5) at St. Thérèse of Lisieux Catholic School. These students were selected for special recognition for their gifts and their contributions to ensuring others know the importance of Black History.
- Recognition Award – Individual: Nicole White, founder of Moon Time Connections—an Indigenous-led organization that has sent over 4 million menstrual products to northern and remote communities.
- Honourable Mention – Individual: Aisha Sharma for her poem sharing the perspective of a girl facing racist comments.
- Recognition Award – Organization: The International Women of Saskatoon (IWS) for providing a safe, inclusive, and inviting space for newly arrived Canadians.
On the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, and during Cultural Diversity and Race Relations Month, the City is pleased to announce the 2024 Living In Harmony Award recipients. These awards recognize outstanding achievements in contributing to community harmony through the elimination of racial discrimination.
2024 Award Recipients
Nominations/submissions were accepted between February 7 and March 7, 2024. The winners were selected by the City of Saskatoon's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Advisory Committee. The committee members expressed how difficult it was to pick 2024 winners due to the high quality of submissions. Visit saskatoon.ca/LivingInHarmony to see a list of nominees the committee wished to recognize.
ATTACHED IMAGES (7): Classroom Winner, Student Group Winner, Student Group – artwork, Student Winners, Nicole White, Aisha Sharma - video capture, IWS Logo
Preston Avenue closed between Research Drive and Old Preston Avenue on Friday
March 21, 2024 - 6:00am
Preston Avenue will be closed between Research Drive and Old Preston Avenue starting on Friday, March 22, at 8:00 p.m. for a transmission line conversion. Detours will be in place guiding motorists around the work zone. This project is expected to take one night 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.
Daily Road Report - March 21, 2024
March 20, 2024 - 3:00pm
*This report includes road restrictions on Priority 1 (high traffic, high speed) streets only.
NEW
No new projects are scheduled to start on this date.
ONGOING
BRIGHTON BLVD ROAD CLOSED FROM TASKAMANWA ST TO 8TH ST E
(Construction)
Use McOrmond Dr
Start: November 20, 2023, 7:00 a.m. End: November 18, 2024, 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.
Rock Your Roots is back on National Indigenous Peoples Day
March 20, 2024 - 12:43pm
City co-chaired Reconciliation Saskatoon is hosting the Rock Your Roots: Walk for Reconciliation on June 21, 2024—National Indigenous Peoples Day. This walk gathers Indigenous, non-Indigenous and newcomer peoples to honour the truth of the Residential schools and those who survived them, as well as demonstrate our collective commitment to reconciliation.
Rock Your Roots began in 2016 as part of the celebrations on June 21 to honour Indigenous Peoples in Canada. In 2022, the event was postponed due to weather and took place on September 30—the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This tradition was continued in 2023, a decision made by Residential School Survivors. After Rock Your Roots last year, Survivors spoke about how they missed seeing school buses full of children arriving to the walk. Since schools are closed on September 30 to acknowledge the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, teachers are not able to facilitate the participation of their students in the Rock Your Roots event.
“I had a dream of walking for Residential School Survivors that didn’t have a voice,” says Jamie Fiddler, Residential School Survivor. “This Rock Your Roots walk is a covenant of truth or ‘tāpwēwin’ and reconciliation or ‘miyo-wâhkôhtowin.’ As we are one family, we walk and heal together, going into the future.”
Reconciliation Saskatoon creates lesson plans and activities for classrooms leading up to the event, so that learning and engagement takes place before, during, and after the Walk. With the 2024 Rock Your Roots returning to June 21, Reconciliation Saskatoon and Residential School Survivors can deepen their engagement with students across the city.
Participants of the Walk for Reconciliation are invited to “Rock Your Roots” by wearing orange or contemporary/cultural regalia, or carrying signs that celebrate their heritage. Knowledge Keepers will start the day with a ceremony. Residential School Survivors will be honoured by leading the walk. Along the route, an international cast of singers, dancers, and musicians will celebrate the diverse cultures of Saskatoon.
Reconciliation Saskatoon is grateful to the incredible community that has made this walk possible. Organizations like the Central Urban Métis Federation Inc. (CUMFI) have put the strength of their community behind Rock Your Roots.
“Rock Your Roots is a day we honour our Residential School Survivors by coming out and showing community support,” says Shirley Isbister, President of CUMFI. “Gather your families, friends, business, and office staff. Make signs, wear your cultural regalia, and come out and Rock Your Roots.”
Reconciliation Saskatoon also recognizes the incredible support of Community Investors. Blue Cross Saskatchewan was the first investor to come forward in 2024.
“Last year we had the privilege of being a part of this incredible display of diversity in our community,” says Kelly Wilson, President and CEO of Saskatchewan Blue Cross. “We’re excited to partner with Reconciliation Saskatoon to participate in the journey of Truth and Reconciliation in Saskatchewan and celebrate diversity in the province.”
Also returning to support the event: SIGA, SGI Canada, BHP, and Nutrien.
Reconciliation Saskatoon invites everyone in the community to get involved: as organizers, volunteers, community investors, and participants. For more information on the Rock your Roots: Walk for Reconciliation, please visit BeAConnectR.com/events.
ATTACHED: Images (4)
Photo credit to Alexander Willems for the following images: Shirley RYR 2023, RYR Sept 30-2023, Survivors Jamie and Rick
Bus service to Blades vs Hitmen
March 20, 2024 - 6:00am
- 5:45 p.m.
- 6:25 p.m.
Direct bus service from the Special Events Stop (23rd Street and 2nd Avenue) to experience the Saskatoon Blades take on the Calgary Hitmen at SaskTel Centre on Wednesday, March 20, at 7 p.m., is available at the following times:
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.