Downtown: Where We Belong

Downtown Saskatoon, Tourism Saskatoon, the Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Authority, and the City of Saskatoon are teaming up to build on a wave of renewal taking place in our downtown core.

Business owners, shoppers, cyclists, bus riders, developers, youth, downtown residents and would-be residents have all been part of our initiative to help us identify what the real users of downtown want to see. We’ve been tackling the thorny, complex problems that we know are barriers—such as safety, a grocery store, parking and transportation—and making the downtown a destination and a neighbourhood where everyone feels a sense of belonging.  

In early 2019, a group of Saskatoon businesses, groups, institutions and individuals came together in a three-day workshop to examine what strategies were needed to stimulate development in Downtown Saskatoon. Many ideas were developed and are contained in a 2019 document called “Inquiry Toward a Downtown Stimulus Strategy for Saskatoon.” One of the goals that came out of the workshop was to articulate a Downtown narrative that would tell the story of how Downtown was established and to create a vision for the future Downtown built on its many strengths.

The Downtown Narrative Guide, titled “Downtown Saskatoon: Urban with a Prairie Heart” was produced by a partnership expanded to include City of Saskatoon, Downtown Saskatoon, Tourism Saskatoon and SREDA. Using the stories of Saskatoon residents, it promotes Saskatoon’s Downtown as a place to live work, play, and invest.