Saskatoon Minute: Issue 119

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

• he only item on the City's meeting calendar this week is a Saskatoon Appeal Board hearing on Wednesday at 1:30 pm. The next City Council meeting will take place at the end of July.
  
  
• City Council voted unanimously at its June 24th meeting to open talks with the YMCA about operating Saskatoon's planned east-side recreation centre, which would include the city's first new indoor pool since 2009. The facility's estimated cost has climbed from $65 million in 2023 to at least $95 million, and the more ambitious version Council agreed to explore - featuring an eight-lane, 25-meter pool and a fitness area more than twice the size originally planned - would cost from $102.7 million to $107.7 million. Ward 10 Councillor Zach Jeffries questioned how the price rose so sharply when Administration assured him less than 18 months ago that the original estimate remained valid. A City report blames construction cost inflation and American tariffs on steel, though Jeffries argued most of those factors were already apparent a year and a half ago. The increase will be covered by $15 million from a neighbourhood land development fund and another $17 million in borrowing, pushing the project's total debt to $29 million - borrowing that would cost about $45 million at 4.5% over 20 years. Council also directed Administration to work with the YMCA and fundraising partners on the possibility of a 10-lane pool, with the roughly $2.5-million cost of the two extra lanes covered by fundraising. 
  
  
• Saskatoon bus riders are describing ongoing safety problems on City buses as the City moves ahead with its newly passed transit bylaw, which covers issues ranging from sleeping on buses to transporting pets and gives police more power to remove problem passengers. A regular rider told City Council that disruptive incidents happen "most days", describing one that delayed a bus by almost half an hour, and said drivers are hired to drive, not to manage disorder on board. The bylaw comes ahead of a new transit police program that will put officers on buses and at terminals, partially funded in November and set to be fully funded in 2027. Robert Clipperton of Bus Riders of Saskatoon welcomed the new rules, arguing the old ones were not adequate and that the ability to ban people from buses is a much-needed option, since many of the problems may come from a small number of chronic offenders. He cautioned, though, that parts of the bylaw are intentionally vague, and that safety and the perception of safety are not the same thing. Ward 5 Councillor Randy Donauer pointed to the transit police program as the City's response to riders' concerns.
  
  
• The City of Saskatoon and Muskeg Lake Cree Nation signed a memorandum of understanding, formally opening discussions about a potential partnership on the proposed Downtown Event and Entertainment District. Muskeg Lake Chief Kelly Wolfe said he sees the project as an opportunity to create "generational wealth" and wants an equal partnership with the City, with decisions made together. The signing comes after Council voted in March against moving forward with US-based Oak View Group operating the potential downtown arena, ending a private partnership agreement that had been years in the making. The City's 2024 strategy report put the estimated cost of the district at $1.22 billion, with the City planning to pay about one-third and seek the remaining two-thirds from the provincial and federal governments. Saskatchewan Party MLA Ken Cheveldayoff said the Province will want to be a partner, noting provincial investment in similar facilities has been around 30%, while Mayor Cynthia Block said it is too early to know what any federal commitment could look like. There are no timelines yet for the project or the talks, and the City is expected to report back on the discussions at least once every two months.
  
  
• The City of Saskatoon is transferring responsibility for cleaning up encampments on public land from the Saskatoon Fire Department to other municipal departments as part of an effort to restore the fire service's core operations. Fire officials say encampment responses have become increasingly resource-intensive, often requiring multiple days, specialized equipment, and coordination with social service agencies to offer supports before sites are cleared. While reported encampments have declined this year, officials believe homelessness has not decreased and warn the trend may reflect more hidden homelessness or fewer reports from the public. City officials say homelessness affects nearly every municipal department and that a long-term approach will be needed to manage encampments while balancing public safety, cleanup efforts, and support for people experiencing homelessness..

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