Saskatoon Minute: Issue 114

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

📅 This Week In Saskatoon: 📅

• We're hosting a Pints & Politics event, in conjunction with our friends at the Saskatchewan Institute! We're going to keep things simple and just have some casual drinks, with no formal agenda, as an opportunity for everyone to get together with like-minded people, meet some of the team, and chat about politics. There's a lot going on, so there will be plenty of conversation topics. The event takes place on Thursday, June 11th. It’s free, but you’ll need to RSVP here.
  
  
• A review of Saskatoon's taxi bylaw was delayed after Councillors raised concerns about driver safety and proposed changes to fares for larger vehicles. The discussion was influenced by a recent incident in which a taxi driver was shot in the face with a BB gun after a dispute with a passenger, prompting calls for stronger safety measures for drivers. Councillors also debated a proposal to replace the current van taxi surcharge with a fixed large-vehicle fee, with some arguing the new system does not fully account for the higher operating costs of larger vehicles. Questions were also raised about how much the City should regulate the operations of private taxi companies. Other proposed updates included requirements for security cameras, payment terminals, fare decals, and revised cleaning fees. Council ultimately voted to send the matter back to administration for further study, with recommendations on driver safety and large-vehicle costs expected before September.
  
  
• The Prairie Lily, Saskatoon's 119-passenger riverboat, has suspended cruises and ticket sales after the Water Security Agency reduced flows from Lake Diefenbaker into the South Saskatchewan River without notifying the boat's new owners. Stephanie Simonot, who took over ownership this year, said she was not warned of the reduction and would have delayed the season's launch had she known. Senior Captain Mike Steckhan, who continues operating the vessel, said customers were aboard when he noticed the water drop - had levels fallen further, the boat could have been stranded mid-river with silt potentially entering the engines. Ticket sales are suspended until at least June 18th. This is the second consecutive year the Prairie Lily has been sidelined by low water, and Steckhan is again calling on the agency to flush more water from Lake Diefenbaker; the agency declined a similar request last year, saying it was not the best use of the resource. The Water Security Agency's website indicates inflows into Lake Diefenbaker are expected to increase from mountain snowmelt in the coming week.
  
  
• City Council cut $50,000 from a bottled water distribution program for vulnerable people earlier this year - a decision that is colliding with Saskatoon's first significant heat wave of 2026. Last summer, approximately 100 people a day visited Station 20 West in the core neighbourhood looking for water, and the Saskatoon Poverty Reduction Partnership distributed around 2,000 bottles per week. This year, the number of daily visitors to the centre has risen to between 400 and 450, with temperatures already exceeding 30 degrees. Colleen Christopherson-Cote, the partnership's co-ordinator, said she only learned of the cut about a month ago after it was eliminated as part of a larger budget item. City Administration pointed to public fountains, water filling stations, and cooling locations as alternatives, but Christopherson-Cote noted all of those existed last summer and the bottled water distribution was still necessary - many vulnerable people lack refillable bottles and may not know where specific filling stations are. Two filling stations operate near Station 20 West, but she noted they are not necessarily located where the need is greatest. Councillor Senos Timon, who represents the area, said the issue warrants more study. Christopherson-Cote warned that skipping basic services like water access could ultimately drive up police costs by removing a low-cost de-escalation tool.
  
  
• At its May 27th meeting, City Council approved tax abatements totalling $1,206,680 for groups eligible under recreation, social services, and culture grant programs. Council also approved a package of incentives for properties at 410 to 420 3rd Avenue North, including a 5-year abatement of 100% of incremental municipal and library property taxes from the date of project completion, and an application to the Province for a matching education property tax abatement. A separate one-time grant was approved for the adaptive reuse of 324 24th Street West, capped at one year's assessed municipal and library taxes if the project is completed within three years. These incentives are part of the City's program aimed at encouraging downtown infill development by reducing the tax burden on new construction and conversions. 

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

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