Saskatoon Minute: Battleground City, Transit Naloxone, and Downtown Arena Paused

Saskatoon Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Saskatoon politics

This Week In Saskatoon:

• The Governance and Priorities Committee will meet on Wednesday at 9:30 am. The agenda includes a proposal to increase the Communications and Constituency Relations Allowance by $150,000, with each Councillor receiving an additional $15,000. The individual travel and training budget will be increased by $23,000, or $2,300 for each Councillor. Also on the agenda is a proposal to rescind a March 26th, 2025, decision to set the non-residential to residential tax ratio at 1.88 for the 2025-2029 period. Instead, a 1.71 ratio is suggested to maintain the original 68% to 32% property tax revenue split.
  
  
• The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee will meet on Thursday at 12:00 pm to discuss several sponsorship requests. Meetings of the Saskatoon Accessibility Advisory Committee and Public Art Advisory Committee, originally scheduled for Thursday, are cancelled due to a lack of agenda items.
  
  
• The union representing Saskatoon transit workers is advocating for naloxone kits to be added to City buses due to an increasing number of unresponsive passengers. In 2023, the City denied a request to equip buses with naloxone despite growing concerns over the drug poisoning crisis. In 2025, the number of suspected drug overdoses in the city has significantly increased, with the fire department responding to 837 calls in the first three months, compared to just 324 the previous year.

Last Week In Saskatoon:

• Plans for Saskatoon’s $1.2 billion downtown arena have been paused for up to six months due to mounting economic and political instability. City officials say the delay allows time to reassess the situation, particularly in light of looming US tariffs and the upcoming federal election. The City had secured a 25-year revenue deal with the American-based Oakview Group, but provincial directives now encourage prioritizing Canadian vendors. Uncertainty surrounding international trade, especially tariffs on Saskatchewan exports like canola, has added further strain.
  
  
• A new temporary shelter has been opened at 210 Pacific Ave. as the city’s two warming shelters close for the season. The Winter Emergency Response Plan aimed to provide safe spaces during the colder months but was limited by available funding. Despite temperatures remaining in the minus teens, the warming shelters, funded by a $1.2 million emergency plan, could only operate from December 1st, 2024, to March 31st, 2025. The new shelter, operated by the Mustard Seed, offers 40 beds and is open 24 hours a day on a first-come, first-served basis.
  
  
• Polling suggested that Saskatoon could become a key battleground in the upcoming federal election, with close competition between the Conservatives and Liberals. According to the Liaison poll, the Conservatives lead at 43% support, while the Liberals are not far behind at 39%, with the NDP at 10%. This shift in support is notable since Saskatoon has traditionally been a stronghold for the Conservatives.