City Council Highlights

Below are some of the highlights from the September Council and Committee meetings. The full reports can be found at saskatoon.ca/meeting.

United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

On a historic day for Saskatoon, City Council has adopted the United Nations Declarations on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. This will be a guiding framework for Truth and Reconciliation for the City as we strive for collaborative implementation with the Saskatoon Tribal Council and our Indigenous partners. 

Having municipalities and other orders of government adopt UNDRIP fulfills Call to Action 43 from the Truth and Reconciliation final report. While much of the City’s work in Reconciliation has been guided by the Calls to Action, this will formalize UNDRIP as the framework moving forward in Saskatoon to develop a holistic vision of Reconciliation. 

Saskatoon has shown leadership in the past having established the first urban reserve in Canada with Muskeg Lake Cree First Nation in 1988. Cities have continued to look to Saskatoon as a leader in the work of Truth and Reconciliation. Taking this step will allow the City to continue working with Indigenous partners on implementation and be an example for other municipalities that want to move forward with adopting UNDRIP.

Variable Black Cart Garbage Utility Model Options

A variable cart utility including three cart options for garbage has been approved by City Council. This option will allow residents better control and provide more choice over their waste. 

Research across Canada has shown that many cities in the country have gone to utility charge models and most of those cities have also gone to a variable cart size model, which has shown to be effective in diverting waste. 

With this decision, we won’t have to acquire new trucks, only slight modifications to our existing fleet will be required to collect the three cart sizes. This allows us to continue to modernize our waste management and take steps towards improving our diversion rate and preserving our landfill for additional years. This is just one piece of work that is underway to improve our diversion rate. 

City Council approval will be required throughout 2022 and 2023 on securing a loan for carts, as well as the garbage utility rate. Affordability program considerations will be presented to City Council in October 2022.

Discover Saskatoon Contract

Council approved a new one-year contract for Discover Saskatoon (formerly Tourism Saskatoon) and Administration will work with Discover Saskatoon on a revised contract format that focuses on Key Performance Indicators. 

As our economy continues to recover from the impacts of COVID-19, it is important to be able to offer modern and unique options that are globally competitive and attract visitors, conferences, and events from around the world that showcase our beautiful city and wonderful residents.

And more…

• City staff will be installing touchless accessible pedestrian buttons at 19 intersections throughout the city. These new buttons will help increase accessibility and equity in our community. The project was made possible through funding from the Canada Healthy Communities Initiative. We are thankful for partnerships that help to improve the lives of residents.
• Due to unforeseen circumstances, Shakamohtaa Street will be changed to Taskamanwa Street. Administration will continue to work with Métis partners to find a Michif name to apply to a new street. This will be done independent from the current legacy review and is to be carried out as soon as practical.
• A traffic bylaw was amended to allow all valid SGI Veteran license plates to park for free within posted time restrictions except for in public parking lots. Previously, only Veterans from within Saskatoon were eligible for free parking. This expansion grants Veterans from across Saskatchewan free on-street parking in Saskatoon as long as time limits are followed.