Saskatoon Minute: Issue 64

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

📅 This Week In Saskatoon: 📅

• The Saskatoon Board of Police Commissioners will meet on Thursday at 1:00 pm. The Commissioners will hear the results of a recent community consultation. The Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) gathered feedback from over 750 residents through surveys, community meetings, and advisory consultations to inform its Strategic Plan. Residents highlighted social issues such as homelessness, poverty, and mental health as central concerns impacting community safety, emphasizing the need for collaboration with community partners. Positive feedback focused on SPS’s community engagement, visibility, and professionalism, with programs like Alternative Response Officers and Police and Crisis Teams praised for their balanced approach. However, worries were raised about rising crime, public safety in spaces like malls and transit, and challenges around vulnerable populations and SPS service quality, including slow response times and trust issues. Residents prioritized enhanced community engagement, improved response and enforcement strategies, and better-trained, diverse personnel with a focus on wellness and cultural competency. Suggestions included expanding programs like AROs and school resource officers, increasing patrols in high-risk areas, improving communication and transparency, and advocating for funding and policy changes to address social root causes. SPS has begun implementing some initiatives aligned with these priorities in its 2025 Business Plan.
  
  
• The Saskatoon Environmental Advisory Committee will meet on Friday at 11:30 am. The agenda includes the “Natural and Naturalized Areas Portfolios: 2026-27 Capital Project Plan”. The City is advancing two interconnected portfolios to enhance and support its natural and naturalized areas, recognizing their importance for stormwater management, flood prevention, carbon storage, recreation, and public access to nature. Building on previous plans and policies, the initiative aims to protect and restore ecosystems through management plans, policy updates, Indigenous partnerships, and expanded naturalized parks. Key ongoing projects include Natural Area Management Plans, updates to the Wetland Policy, and Indigenous land use studies. The plan will focus on improving planning and maintenance processes, on-the-ground restoration, community stewardship, and nature-friendly policies like bird-friendly design and dark sky measures. The initiative comes with a $6 million budget spread over 2026 and 2027. Implementation will involve multiple City departments working collaboratively to increase ecological health, community benefits, and operational efficiencies across approximately 14% of the City’s footprint currently classified as natural areas.
  
  
• Councillors are seeking ways to reduce a proposed 9.9% property tax increase for 2026 by up to 4%, aiming to ease the financial burden on residents. During a Governance and Priorities Committee meeting, they directed City Administration to find additional savings across departments and encouraged organizations receiving City funding, such as business improvement districts, to submit leaner budgets. The City’s Chief Financial Officer noted that about 70% of spending goes toward police, fire, transportation, transit, and corporate services, indicating that cuts would likely focus on these areas. However, Mayor Cynthia Block made clear she will not support any reductions to the police budget, which accounts for a significant portion of the tax increase. The Committee will receive another update in August before final budget discussions in November.
  
  
• Saskatoon is opening two new seasonal drop-in shelters to support its homeless community during the summer months. The daytime shelter at Station 20 West will operate from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm, offering space for up to 40 people and access to various support services, including housing and mental health programs. An overnight drop-in centre at White Buffalo will accommodate about 20 people, focusing especially on youth aged 16 and older who need a safe place. These initiatives are led by the Saskatoon Tribal Council in partnership with the City and Province, aiming to provide temporary relief while a permanent shelter location is still being sought. Despite searching over 100 sites, no permanent shelter has been finalized yet, though other cities like Regina and Prince Albert are moving forward with theirs. City and provincial officials acknowledge the importance of these temporary hubs to help individuals connect with services tailored to their unique needs. The shelters will operate for the next four months, addressing a gap left after winter warming centres closed in March.
  
  
• Business owners in Saskatoon voiced strong frustrations at a City Council meeting over increasing safety concerns linked to homelessness, drug use, and crime in downtown and Riversdale areas. Many described daily issues such as theft, vandalism, violence, and public disturbances, with some sharing personal stories of trauma. Several business owners argued that funds currently spent on housing should instead support lockdown or detox facilities to remove disruptive individuals from the streets. The Downtown Business Improvement District highlighted that while City efforts to address homelessness exist, they are insufficient, seasonal, and underfunded, causing reputational and financial damage to businesses. Councillors acknowledged the problem, with some calling for increased police presence and recognizing that many challenges require provincial and federal government action. The mayor emphasized that policing alone won’t solve the crisis and stressed the need for multi-level government cooperation. Fire and community support officials indicated resource limitations but promised to propose additional funding options to Council.

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