Saskatoon Minute: Issue 122

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

📅 This Week In Saskatoon: 📅

• Saskatoon City Council meets on Wednesday at 9:30 am, followed by a public hearing at 6:00 pm. Among the items on the agenda is a request to approve borrowing of up to $31,700,000 to help finance the Indoor Recreation Facilities Project. Of that amount, $29.7 million is for the East Side Leisure Centre and $2 million is for the White Buffalo Youth Lodge, and the figure is an increase of $21.95 million over the $9.75 million previously approved for the project. Council raised the total cost of the East Side Leisure Centre to $95 million at its June 24th meeting, with Administration citing construction cost escalation, updated facility requirements, and accessibility and sustainability considerations. The centre would offer aquatic, fitness, gymnasium, and multi-purpose spaces in one of the city's fastest-growing areas, and the City is separately negotiating a possible operating agreement with the YMCA. Administration says the additional borrowing can be accommodated within the City's approved debt limit, which the Saskatchewan Municipal Board raised from $558 million to $973 million last November, with peak debt projected at about $814 million in 2031. 
  
  
• Also on Wednesday's agenda, City Council will consider a $2,550,000 budget adjustment for the construction of Fire Stations No. 10 and No. 11, which would raise the total project budget from $18,712,000 to $21,262,000. The lowest compliant construction bid for Fire Station No. 11 came in at $8.37 million, about $1.17 million above its $7.2 million budget, while the current estimate for Fire Station No. 10 is roughly $1.38 million over its approved budget. Administration attributes the overruns to labour shortages, rising material costs, and higher mechanical and electrical costs, and says design changes had already trimmed the stations' size and cut about $325,000 through a value engineering review. The increase would be funded through the Major Capital Prioritization Funding Plan, which held an unallocated balance of $25.18 million at the end of 2025, and the City plans to apply for $16.7 million from the federal Build Canada Strong Community Fund. Administration warns that because Fire Station No. 10 has not yet been tendered, further budget adjustments may be needed if future bids differ from the current estimate. The two stations are intended to help the Saskatoon Fire Department meet a four-minute response-time benchmark in the planned service areas.
  
  
• City Council will also receive the City of Saskatoon's 2025 audited financial statements on Wednesday, which report consolidated operating revenues of $1.3 billion, operating expenses of $1 billion, and a net surplus of $281.6 million. Taxation revenue rose 6.6% to $370.8 million, driven by a Council-approved 2025 property tax increase of 4.96% and growth in the number of taxable properties. Investment income jumped 25% to $31.9 million on higher bond yields and interest rates, while contributions from developers and land sales fell from $181.6 million to $170.2 million. The City's long-term debt decreased 4% to $285.6 million, and its accumulated surplus grew 5.1% to $5.7 billion. The Fiscal Stabilization Reserve ended the year at $16.8 million, down slightly from $17 million, and the report notes the City began investing in equity and alternative investments in 2025, which carried an unrealized loss of $256,000 at year-end.
  
  
• Meanwhile, the Anglican Diocese of Saskatoon is asking the City to remove heritage protection from St. Mark's Anglican Church, a distinctive white wood-frame chapel built in the North Park neighbourhood in 1939. Bishop Chad McCharles told Councillors last month that the diocese no longer has the resources to maintain the building and that any historical significance attached to it has been depleted. The church is covered by a holding bylaw that imposes a 60-day holding period if a demolition permit is sought, giving City Council time to consider a formal heritage designation. Removing the designation would let the diocese market the corner property, made up of four 25-foot lots, to developers. The Planning, Development and Community Services Committee voted to have Administration study the request, while the Saskatoon Heritage Society urged the City to explore adaptive reuse before any irreversible decision. The church has not housed a congregation since 2012, and the City's website still cites its Celtic cross and English-church design as key elements of its heritage value.
  
  
• Finally, a recommendation to advocate for rent control, included in Saskatoon's new Homelessness Action Plan, has drawn sharp criticism from the Province's housing industry ahead of a City Council vote on Wednesday. The Governance and Priorities Committee endorsed the roughly 50-action plan on July 21st, but two items calling for a renters advocate and advocacy for a rent control policy caught key housing groups off guard. Chris Guerette, Chief Executive of the Saskatchewan Realtors Association, said several players were blindsided and that failing to warn partners named in the plan undermines the collaboration the strategy is meant to build. Landon Field, Chief Executive of Rental Housing Saskatchewan, argued that rent control discourages investment, worsens affordability, and lengthens waitlists, and noted it falls outside the City's jurisdiction. City manager Jeff Jorgenson stressed that the City is only being asked to confirm its own narrow role in the plan.

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

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