Fall has arrived! 

Next Friday is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day. I hope you'll consider joining an event and taking time to advance your personal reconciliation commitments on the 30th. The Rock your Roots Walk is taking place and the BeAConnectR site has ideas of what to do leading up to September 30th and how to deepen your commitment. 

For City Council, fall means budget deliberations around the corner (late November) and a busy set of Council meetings leading up. Monday's agenda highlights and a summary list are below. As always, if you have feedback on any issues on the Council agenda please reach out. I commit to reading all emails I receive before Monday's 1pm meeting. To have all of Council read your feedback, correspondence needs to be received by the Clerk before 10am Monday.

Ward 2

Mountbatten St. Care Home
A Discretionary Use application to expand the capacity of a residential care home on Mountbatten Street in Montgomery is being presented to City Council for decision on Monday during the public hearing meeting. There was a public meeting held to hear information and have questions answered earlier this summer. The link to the video recording of the meeting is under the 'meeting info' section on the engage page. I urge you to take a look if this project is of interest. I found it very helpful to hear directly from the care home's owner/operators about their intentions. 

Circle Drive West - 11th Street exit
The recommended long term plan for Circle Drive West will be brought to Transportation Committee and then City Council for consideration this winter, likely in November. I have spoken and emailed with many of you about this plan and the concern about access around 11th Street. I agree that the new exit is a reduced level of access to Montgomery and shouldn't be accepted as-is. My proposal is to request that City Council pair the 11th Street overpass project with the Circle West project so that when these move ahead in a couple decades the new exit leads onto an overpass instead of to an at-grade intersection with three rail lines. So far, I have heard a lot of support for this. If you'd like to learn more, please check out the video or blog I've made to outline the plans. I'm keen to hear your feedback.

Engagement opportunities

Apply to serve on a committee!
Interested in helping out and having a say? The city is looking for citizen volunteers for several vacant positions on our Boards, Commissions and Committees. We rely on citizen volunteers to bring their diverse backgrounds and expertise to these committees to help make Saskatoon a better city. If you have interest in Arts, Heritage, Events, Inclusion, Business, and more there may be a fit for you. 

Deadline to apply is 5:00 pm Monday, October 3rd, 2022.

Have your say in the future home of the Downtown Entertainment District
Voice your opinion on the Downtown event centre/arena potential locations. We want your thoughts on the opportunities and challenges of the two potential sites under consideration -- Midtown Shopping Centre North Parking Lot (Site A) and the North Downtown/City Yards (Site B). The survey is now open, and you have until Monday October 3rd, 2022.

Shared E-Scooter Program
City admin is looking for your feedback on the proposed framework for a shared e-scooter program in Saskatoon. Login in to any one of your Disqus, Facebook, Twitter, or Google account when clicking this link to provide your feedback in the comment section.

For other engagement opportunities visit www.saskatoon.ca/engage

Updates and Decisions

Variable Black Cart Garbage - Utility Model Options
With the target of diverting 70% of waste from the landfill, we have directed that the City institute a variable rate utility for residential curbside garbage collection starting in 2024. On Monday, Council will be considering committee's recommendation that three different garbage cart sizes be made available to residents for more customizability and control. Each bin would be charged a different rate, and this model is projected to increase waste diversion, extend the life of the landfill, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Item 9.1.1

Saskatoon Transit changes
Last winter was a hard year on public transit with above normal service disruptions. Saskatoon Transit is actively working on improvements to meet service levels this winter. Read more here.

Effective earlier this month, a number of changes to routes were made. These including the consolidation of Routes 2 and 10 and Routes 62 and 9. This change impacts frequency by 5 minutes, but is intended to ease scheduling pressures that were resulting in low reliability (meaning buses were frequently off-schedule). I am keen on feedback from riders who make use of these routes, so please send a message my way if you have any feedback to share.

Infrastructure applications
City Council will confirm plans to submit a number of Bus Rapid Transit projects, alongside the East Leisure Center project to the Governments of Canada and Saskatchewan for funding under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP). These projects would total 290M and their approval will mark a huge milestone in the journey to building the next generation of Transit in Saskatoon. Item 10.5.1 

United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
The City is looking to adopt the United Nations Declaration of Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP) as an additional lens through which to see and chart the path of Reconciliation in Saskatoon. Item 8.1.1 

Bi-weekly Garbage
Residential garbage collection returns to a bi-weekly schedule on Monday, October 3rd. There is no change to collection day, but I encourage you to visit saskatoon.ca/collectioncalendar or download the Saskatoon Waste Wizard app to confirm how bi-weekly collection will impact your schedule and to ensure you don’t miss collection day. More information and updates can also be found here.  

Community Safety & Wellbeing

City Role in Housing
- City Council has been receiving a series of reports on Housing to better understand the challenges in our community and the role of various stakeholders in solutions. We received a report this month outlining some of the potential areas of work that the City could expand into and that will be explored in the development of the next housing plan. I am encouraged by some of what could be explored and eager to get to work. If you'd like to check out that report, it can be viewed here (item 7.2.1) and the minutes include the feedback that committee provided on the areas of focus. 

Community Updates

Community Associations
It's AGM (Annual General Meeting) season! Check in with your neighbourhood Community Association about when they're holding theirs, and consider joining the meeting to get updates, help in decision-making and priority-setting and consider new ways to get involved! 

City Council | September 26th

City Council meets virtually on Monday. Brief highlights are outlined below. Click here to find the full agenda. Council continues to meet virtually. Correspondence on Council items can be made in writing or as a request to speak (accommodated by phone). Meetings will continue to be live streamed.

Regular Business Meeting  |  1:00 PM
  - UNDRIP adoption
  - SL&P Capital reallocation
  - Flashing Beacons on School signs
  - Traffic Calming Policy - technical warrant criteria
  - Residential Parking Program expansion
  - Free parking holidays in lieu
  - Speed limit changes
  - Discover Saskatoon - Contract
  - Civic Hospitality Fund Policy review
  - Appointments - Deputy Mayor & Standing Policy Committees
  - Variable Black Cart Garbage Utility Model options
  - ICIP - application intake
  - Bylaw: Traffic amendment 9842
  - Street name change : Shakamohtaa to taskamanwa
  - Motion: Block: Snow load requirements - existing properties
 

Public Hearing Meeting |  6:00 PM
  - Discretionary Use - care home - 3230 Mountbatten (Ward 2)
  - Discretionary Use - tavern - 334 20th St (Ward 2)
  - Concept Plan & Rezoning - Stonebridge - 250 Hunter
  - Proclamations & Flag Raisings