Saskatoon Minute: Mayoral Candidates, New Programs, and a Transit Safety Plan

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

This Week In Saskatoon:

• The Municipal Heritage Advisory Committee will meet on Tuesday at 11:30 am. The Committee will hear an update from the Chair, as well as the City Archivist. Administration will provide an update on the upgrades to the Albert Community Centre, as well as the City Centre and District Plan and the Heritage Conservation Program Strategy.
  
  
• The Street Activity Subcommittee will meet on Wednesday at 12:00 pm. The agenda is light - just a report from the Chair and from the Program Manager. Later in the day, the Downtown Event and Entertainment District Advisory Group will meet at 1:00 pm. This meeting will be held almost entirely in-camera (in secret).
  
  
• On Thursday, the Civic Naming Committee will get the day started at 10:00 am. A resident will request that the Committee support changing the spelling of Pawlychenko Street to Pavlychenko Street. The Committee will also discuss naming Parcel C in the University of Saskatchewan Lands North Management Area the Ellen Remai Natural Area. Later in the day, at 1:00 pm, the Saskatoon Board of Police Commissioners will meet. The Executive Director of the Riversdale Business Improvement District will speak to the degradation of the 20th Street West Commercial Corridor. The NSBA - Saskatoon's Business Association - will make some recommendations regarding crime and safety in the city. Finally, on Friday, at 11:30 am, the Saskatoon Environmental Advisory Committee will meet. On the agenda is a discussion about updating the City Centre Plan to incorporate a potential Downtown Event and Entertainment District.

Last Week In Saskatoon:

• Former provincial cabinet minister Gord Wyant announced his campaign for Saskatoon Mayor, focusing on themes of public safety, affordability, and transparency. He criticized the current Council's tax increases as unsustainable and emphasized the need for rethinking budget processes. Meanwhile, current City Councillor Cynthia Block also declared her candidacy, highlighting her experience on Council and stating that she would form a task force on homelessness early in her mandate. The election is scheduled for November 13th, 2024.
  
  
• New safety measures have been put in place on Saskatoon Transit following a recent spate of violent incidents. New initiatives include enhanced security patrols, a streamlined incident reporting process, and the deployment of Community Support Teams to high-risk areas. Additionally, Saskatoon Transit is exploring security camera installations and developing a process to ban a problem customer from buses and transit facilities.
  
  
• New Occupational Therapy and Speech Language Pathology programs were announced for the University of Saskatchewan to address the increasing demand for the services, especially in communication-related fields. The new two-year Masters programs, starting in fall 2026, aim to place more professionals in the healthcare sector sooner by offering clinical placements from the first year of studies. This initiative is part of the Province's effort to train and retain healthcare professionals locally.