News Releases

Starting Tuesday, September 3, 2024, crews will begin pruning trees on civic property in Meadowgreen and Sutherland as part of the City's Boulevard Tree Maintenance Program. Tree maintenance operations in these two neighbourhoods will continue until December 15, 2024. 

The Boulevard Tree Maintenance Program follows a regular pruning cycle to help preserve the health of the City's tree inventory, eliminate hazards and provide clearance from buildings, signs, streetlights and utility wires. 

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

For more information, visit saskatoon.ca/treemaintenance. 

Public Skating will open for the season on Tuesday, September 3. It will be available at ACT Arena (107 105 Street) on Tuesdays from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Sundays from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.  Parent & Tot skating will begin Thursday, September 5 and runs at ACT Arena on Mondays and Thursdays from 2:30 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.

Lions, Cosmo and Archibald Arenas will open for public and parent & tot skating the week of October 1, 2024.  Visit saskatoon.ca/leisureonline for drop-in schedules.

2024-2025 admission rates are as follows: 

• Adult (19 and over) - $6.50
• Youth (6 to 18) - $4.50
• Preschool (5 and under) - Free
• Family - $13.00
• Parent & Tot – Free

LeisureCards, which provide unlimited access to the six Leisure Centres, Terry Fox Track and four outdoor pools are also accepted as a payment option at the indoor rinks. Cash and Leisure gift cards are also accepted at the rinks.

Children, 6 years of age and younger, must be accompanied by a responsible person 16 years of age or older.  A maximum of two preschoolers per adult is allowed.

Visit saskatoon.ca/indoorrinks for more information, including ice rental opportunities.  

Cumberland Avenue will be closed between 12th and 13th streets on Friday, August 30 starting at 8:00 a.m. for a connection replacement. Detours will be in place guiding motorists around the work zone. This project is expected to take one day 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.

Saskatoon City Council today approved a report outlining a funding strategy to continue to advance the Downtown Event and Entertainment District. The funding strategy does not require an increase to the property tax rate, rather it relies on a mix of funding sources, including public and private contributions, grants, user fees and other funding tools. 

“This is not about deciding to proceed with construction, but to get the project ‘shelf ready.’ It is direction by Council to pursue financial opportunities to support the potential Downtown Event and Entertainment District,” says Dan Willems, Director of Technical Services, Transportation and Construction. “It’s also noteworthy while this is approval of the overall strategy, the project still requires ongoing discussions with affected stakeholders and the other orders of government.” 

Willems says the Administration will now begin working through the details of the funding strategy and continuing to work with key stakeholders to create a fiscally responsible opportunity, with no impact on property taxes. Provincial and federal funding contributions will be necessary to bring this project to life and is a fundamental component of the funding strategy.  

He stresses the intended outcome is to have a shelf-ready project so when federal and provincial funding programs are available, Saskatoon will be ready to go.   

“There is no question, this project will have a broad provincial benefit, far greater than just the Saskatoon area,” Willems says. “Having a modern event and entertainment district in the heart of Saskatchewan’s largest city will be essential in maintaining, and enhancing, both Saskatoon and Saskatchewan’s competitive advantage. Today marks another important milestone in the journey to the District but there is still much more work to be done.”  

As work on the funding strategy goes forward Administration will bring progress reports back to Council. 

For more information on the Downtown Event and Entertainment District, including detailed information on the funding strategy, please visit saskatoon.ca/eventdistrict. 

Each year, the City of Saskatoon’s Administration provides mid-year, third-quarter and year-end reports to the Standing Policy Committee on Finance (SPC Finance) on the fiscal performance of the City’s Business Plan and Budgets. The goal of this reporting is to keep City Council and residents informed on the expenditure and revenue variances from the business plan and budget estimates as the fiscal year progresses.

The 2024 Mid-Year Financial Performance Administrative Report will be presented to the Standing Policy Committee on Finance on September 4, 2024.

“It’s anticipated that the Snow and Ice Management Program will deliver a $5.3 million deficit due to the costs associated with the March 2024 snow event where the City activated the Roadways Emergency Response Plan and performed city-wide residential clearing,” says Kari Smith, Director of Finance” “The City currently has $6.9 million in its Snow and Ice Management Contingency Reserve and we would use this to offset any deficit through a transfer at year-end.”

The remaining Civic operating budget is forecast to be balanced at 2024 year-end with little change from the overall budget. However, it is important to note that the Administration faces several challenges that could impact achieving this result. Examples include:

• To find $3.75 million in budgeted/targeted savings as included in the 2024 approved budget, the City must commit to finding new efficiencies, revenue sources and possible expenditure deferrals to balance the budget;
• Parking revenue and Parking violations continue to trend behind budgeted targets and forecast a $548,800 and $415,200 shortfall, respectively;
• Franchise Fees are expected to have a shortfall of approximately $525,000 due to a larger impact than expected because of the October 1, 2023, SaskEnergy rate adjustments; and
• The Grant-in-Lieu from Saskatoon Light and Power is expected to be $1.1 million less than budget due to a budgeted utility rate increase that did not occur. 

“Administration will tightly monitor discretionary spending and work hard to offset these challenges. We plan to gain $3.5 million in savings by not filling staff vacancies and will defer expenses related to training, materials and supplies,” says Smith. “We also forecast $1.7 million in fuel savings, and a $779,000 positive variance for our Transit revenues due to increased ridership.”

“Administration based the preparation of the City’s mid-year forecast on the most current information we know, our June 2024 actual revenues and expenditures and our professional judgement,” adds Smith. “We note that future unforeseen events or challenges could impact several areas and the delivery of a balanced operating budget at the end of this year.”

Examples of unforeseen events could include items such as higher fuel prices than anticipated and/or weather fluctuations which could impact several areas such as the Snow and Ice Program, Utility usage, the City’s Franchise Fees and Grants-in-Lieu revenue sources. By legislation, municipalities must balance their budgets and cannot operate with a deficit.

The 2024 Mid-Year Financial Forecast Report’s Appendix 1 provides 2024 year-end projections for each of the City’s Business Lines.

The City’s Utilities forecast an overall net $157,100 (0.0% variance) projected deficit. Any utility variance realized at the end of 2024 for the City’s utilities will be offset through transfers to or from the Utility Stabilization Reserves. 

City Administration will provide financial performance reporting for its third-quarter projections in late fall. As the City Administration closely monitors the 2024 budgetary forecasts, it will, as much as possible, continue to seek and expand on additional cost-saving measures to mitigate any potential year-end deficit.

Visit saskatoon.ca/budget