All posts by qexca

COVID-19 Resources

Your Community

Check this post frequently. These sites are updated as new information is available.

Saskatoon
The latest from City Hall: The City has activated its Emergency Operations Centre to coordinate its planning efforts.
Saskatoon’s Guide to Re-opening
The City supports and will fully comply with both the guidelines and restrictions under the current Public Health Order, as required by the Chief Medical Health Officer and regulated under the Re-open Saskatchewan Plan.
Saskatoon Transit will resume loading passengers and collecting fares at the front doors
June 8.

Updates from Cynthia Block, Councilor, Ward 6: “Offers to pick up groceries, prescriptions, shovel walks or reach out via phone to strangers who may be lonely remind me again how lucky we are to live in this city. “

Updates from Mairin Loewen, Councilor, Ward 7: “I want to …  sincerely thank residents for everything they are doing to minimize the impact of COVID-19 on our community – by staying home, practicing physical distancing, and by continuing to stay connected with your neighbours.”

Effective March 25, City-owned playground structures and those in school yards at all schools (Saskatoon Public, Greater Saskatoon Catholic, and Canadienne Ecole Francais) will close until further notice. This action was necessary because the shared surfaces people touch – especially playground equipment – should not be used right now for the health and safety of your family, and to eliminate the potential for gatherings at play. For more information go to saskatoon.ca/covid-19.

Saskatchewan
The latest from the Provincial Government: a range of information, including a self-assessment tool.
Provincial Government Resources: Tips for parents and more.
Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan

Canada
The latest from Public Health Canada: Prevention and treatment information from our Federal government.

Resources for Seniors
The Saskatoon Council on Aging has cancelled programs and activities until June.  Its phone lines remain open and staff are working remotely.  Any senior, who needs help to get groceries or needs a friendly volunteer caller, may contact the YXE Community Response to COVID-19.  The email is yxecovid19help@gmail.com.  The hotline is 306-361-4357.  There are also many other organizations that are helping.  To keep updated, visit the website. 

Maintain Physical Distance
The Meewasin Valley Authority has advice for when you do get out for some fresh air and exercise.

Bus Rapid Transit Stakeholder Committee Update

City of Saskatoon

The first meeting of the Nutana Stakeholder Committee will be on November 23, 2019. Updates from these meetings will be posted on the Transit Plan Engage Page as soon as they are publicly available.

You can find summaries of the reports, including engagement activities and route information, at saskatoon.ca/transit-plan, and find details of the Downtown Active Transportation Network Plan at saskatoon.ca/moving-around/cycling/cycling-plans-projects.

Find out more about Plan for Growth initiatives at saskatoon.ca/engage.  Information will be added to the Growth Plan website as it becomes available at saskatoon.ca/growth.

If you have any questions about BRT, or would like to participate in future engagement activities, please contact BRT@saskatoon.ca.  If you have any questions about the Plan for Growth in general, please contact the Growth Plan Implementation Team at growth@saskatoon.ca.

For more information, or to find schedules and other trip planning tools, visit saskatoontransit.ca or download Transit App to plan your trip using real-time bus tracking.

Exhibition Area LAP: What’s Next?

City of Saskatoon, Your Community

Neighbourhood Planning is now drafting the LAP and working collaboratively with various stakeholders and City Departments to establish actionable recommendations based on the feedback received through the process to date.  Once they have investigated potential action items they will share them with the community and ask for further feedback to ensure the final plan represents the desires of area stakeholders.

As always, if you have any questions, concerns or ideas, please contact them.  They will be in touch in the coming months to discuss the next steps for the LAP.

The Presentation slides and Notes from the previous meetings are available to bring you up to date, if you missed any of them.

What is a Local Area Plan

Local Area Planning is a community-based approach to developing comprehensive neighbourhood plans that enable residents, business owners, property owners, community groups, and other stakeholders to have direct input into the future of their neighbourhood.

Once completed, a LAP establishes the vision and goals to guide the growth and development of a neighbourhood.  It also identifies specific recommendations for improvements within a neighbourhood.

The study area boundary for the Exhibition LAP is Taylor Street to the North, Broadway Avenue to the East, Ruth Street (East of Lorne Avenue) and Circle Drive (West of Lorne Avenue) to the South, and the riverbank to the West (see attached study area map).

A picture is worth a thousand words! The City is asking residents to show what you love about living in the area.
See some of the photos that have been shared.
Submit photos of the sights and activities you enjoy.

If you have any questions about the LAP, the LAP Process, or the meetings, please contact: Keith Folkersen, Senior Planner
Neighbourhood Planning Section
City of Saskatoon
Phone: 306 986-1690
E-mail: keith.folkersen@saskatoon.ca

Forsake the rake!

Your Community

October 17, 2019

Conservation group encourages people to leave their leaves on the ground.
One of the most beautiful aspects of fall, the changing colour of leaves, comes with an onerous task: raking them all up. The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), however, has some green advice for people wishing to avoid back-breaking yard work: leave the rake in the shed and the leaves on the ground.

The main front entrance.

Hospice at Glengarda

Your Community

St. Paul’s Hospital is opening a 15-bed community-based hospice, located at 301 Hilliard Street East, under the ownership of Emmanuel Health and with the support of St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation. The facility will operate in partnership with the Saskatchewan Health Authority with support from the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health.

Here’s the latest update.

Over the weeks ahead, we’ll see walls going up as the crews work to enclose the building before the cold weather hits.

Construction is expected to take about a year, with the goal of opening the 15-bed hospice in Fall 2020.

St. Paul’s Hospital is thankful to the community for your patience throughout the demolition phase and renovation/construction of the hospice.

  • Basement walls of the addition on the west
  • Looking south through the main foyer.

The Hospital Foundation is progressing well with their fundraising for the $20 million Close to Home campaign – this is a comprehensive campaign that includes not only the money needed to build the hospice, but also targets other important advancements for end-of-life care in Saskatoon and area.

There will be many opportunities for volunteering at the hospice once it is open – more information about how to volunteer will be shared in the months ahead.

Further updates will be shared in the weeks and months ahead as the project progresses.

For more information, please contact Tara Delainey, Hospice Operational Readiness and Transition Lead, St. Paul’s Hospital: 306-655-5867.

Riverbank Development

City of Saskatoon, Your Community

In 2015, in response to the slope failure in the Nutana Slope area, City Council approved the continued monitoring and reporting on slope activity.  Since that time, the City Administration and its consultants continue to monitor the riverbank of the South Saskatchewan River with a focus on maintaining public safety.  City Administration also began reviewing options for regulations to support safe and sustainable development on riverbank properties.

The City of Saskatoon is proposing new regulations for development on properties adjacent to the South Saskatchewan River.  Impacted landowners and key stakeholders are invited to information sessions to obtain details.

Engagement on the proposed Riverbank Development Regulations will gather input from impacted residential and commercial landowners, as well as key stakeholder groups in advance of submission to City Council.

W. W. Ashley Park Redesign

City of Saskatoon, Your Community

Many residents and businesses in low lying, older areas have been devastated multiple times by flooding where the storm water system does not have the capacity to adequately manage flash flooding.  Streets in these higher-risk flood areas were not designed to convey storm water like they are now in newer neighbourhoods.

The City of Saskatoon is upgrading the storm water system to improve flood protection to residential and business properties near the 1st Street/ Dufferin Avenue and Taylor Street/ Broadway Avenue intersections. This will impact the multi-purpose sport field at W.W. Ashely District Park and some local roads during construction.

Coming soon to the area:

  1. A new underground pipe system will drain water more quickly from the streets (construction in 2020).
  2. A new storm water dry pond will be constructed in the W.W. Ashley District Park sport field to temporarily hold rain water during a major storm (construction in 2020).
  3. The sport field at Aden Bowman Collegiate will be reconstructed with a full-size soccer field to allow for uninterrupted student and community access to sports programming (construction in 2019).
  4. New angle parking will be considered on Albert Avenue from 1st Street E to 2nd Street E.

Lead Water Pipes

City of Saskatoon, Your Community

Saskatoon’s water supply is one of the safest in the world.  Test results are reported to the Saskatchewan Water Security Agency as part of the City’s Permit to Operate.

Saskatoon’s water supply is virtually lead-free.  The lead level content in the City’s drinking water when it enters the water distribution system is 100 times lower than the Health Canada limit.  Health Canada recently updated its directive for exposure to lead and advises that people should not be exposed to lead, as it can cause adverse health effects even at very low levels and recommends reducing lead exposure as much as possible.

Treated City water flows from the Water Treatment Plant to water mains (or pipes) located underground throughout the City.  Water enters individual properties through a water service connection. If your home was built before 1950 there could be lead within its plumbing system.  As a precaution, homeowners and occupants should be aware of how to reduce the risk of lead exposure from drinking water.