Despite being the longest month of the year, January has flown by. A new year brings new ideas and new challenges. I look forward to tackling them with you and continuing the work started in 2017.

Ward 2 updates:  

- I've been engaging with residents in Holiday Park about the expansion plans at the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. The Council report can be read here with a model of the proposed complex here and additional documents relating to the project available under item 8.1.7 here. Thank you to everyone who came to learn more about the project and provide feedback at the community association meetings and project-specific engagement. I will be discussing the concerns raised by community at Council.

- Over 30 residents from King George and Holiday Park attended a meeting to discuss the future of the security fence to surround the water treatment plant. Thank you to everyone who attended to share their feedback on the preliminary plans. I look forward to providing updates about this project when they are available. 

- The Winter Festival in Meadowgreen is just around the corner. Residents can look forward to winter activities, warm treats, and an outdoor fire. Come on by Jan 31 from 6-8pm at Meadowgreen Park and the House for All Nations (501C Ave W S)

Consultations to participate in:

- Public come-and-go on BRT & Transit System Plans: February 7th, 5:30pm-8:00pm @ TCU Place, Gallery C

- Public come-and-go on Growth Plan: March 7th, 5:30pm-8:00pm @ Western Development Museum

- Cannabis Regulations survey open til February 7th. Have your say now.

- Provide some input on the development of a Climate Change Action Plan. Surveys are live for residents, businesses, and non-profits/institutions, etc. All can be found here

**To learn about ALL upcoming engagement opportunities, visit our new, site: saskatoon.ca/engage **

Winter has returned!  

- Snow grading after a snow fall. What to expect:

• De-icing and grading occurs based on the following Priority Street System:
  • Priority 1: Highest traffic streets - will be plowed within 12 hours after a snowstorm ends.
  • Priority 2: Rapid transit bus routes and busy streets - will be graded within 36 hours.
  • Priority 3: Main streets, school zones and residential pathways - will be graded within 72 hours
• If another snowfall or blowing snow occurs within the 72-hour timeframe, crews may be required to return to Priority 1 streets, causing clearing to take longer. [This was the case with this latest snow event]
• Our snow grading map shows the status of cleared streets after a snow event.

- Neighbourhood grading will be initiated after snow pack is a minimum of 15cm. This is done to reduce the impact of windrows on parking.

- A new way of removing snow from Circle Drive has crews blocking the road a little more, but getting more done in less time with greater efficiency and effectiveness. This work will be limited to off-hours, and we thank all road users for their patience as this work and other snow clearing efforts take place.

- Consider being or recognizing a snow angel! 

FYI

- The Waste/Recycling collection calendar you received recently will be the last one. Go online now to see where this information is available anytime, and search your address to begin signing up for reminders - choose from direct messages, calendar reminders, and more. 

Policy Updates 

Community Safety & Wellness
As noted previously, Council has assigned strategic priority areas for leadership by individual Councillors. The strategic priority area that I am leading is Community Safety and Wellness.

I meet again tomorrow with a large stakeholder group about how to promote a safe community by working differently together across sectors: non-profit, law enforcement, education, government and more. 

As an update to earlier reports, Council has supported preliminary exploration of new regulations around rental properties. This work is substantial and will take some time, and I hope to see a report back within a year. 

The Smart Cities challenge presented by the Federal Government has been accepted by Saskatoon, and we plan to put together a proposal around Community Wellbeing. The 'problem statement' is yet to be identified, and there may be opportunities to help shape it. I look forward to reporting more. 

I will be attending a training in Edmonton later this winter to learn more about developing community-wide safety strategies. I look forward to learning from the experience of other municipalities, and folks with expertise in the area.

You can find the full set of priority area updates from Nov. 14 here.


City Council

City Council meets Monday (Jan. 29) at City Hall in City Council chambers. As always, Council meetings are open to the public.  
Brief highlights are outlined below. For full agenda, visit https://www.saskatoon.ca/city-hall/city-council-boards-committees/council/minutes-and-agendas

Special Council Meeting  | 12:00 PM  
  - Thunderchild Urban Reserve Designation

Regular Business Meeting  | 1:00 PM  
  - Exploration of a Municipal Development Corporation [& further study of transparent operations of Saskatoon Land]
  - Gordie Howe sports complex - Funding contribution plan, Master Plan, Fundraising model, Governance model, etc.
  - Naming processes - Inclusion
  - Funding contribution plans - Children's Discovery Museum
  - Cannabis legalization & regulation - overview of City's preliminary considerations
  - Revision of City's procurement Policy
  - High Performance Civic Building Policy - principles
  - Dust Mitigation pilot study
  - Council travel & training expenses + car allowance reporting
  - Street sweeping - program pilot report
 

Public Hearing Meeting  |  6:00 PM
  - Discretionary uses & rezoning - none in Ward 2
  - Intent to borrow - already budgeted borrowing
  - Proclamations & flag raisings
  
As always, if you'd like to speak to Council as a whole about something on the agenda, please get in touch with the Clerk's office before the meeting. More info here: https://www.saskatoon.ca/write-letter-councilcommittees