July 2022 Newsletter

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I hope you have been enjoying your summer. With many local festivals, the Meewasin Trail and parks, and nearby lakes I hope you are making the most of this heat. For those extreme heat events, don't forget to share the list of cool down locations.

Don't forget about all the local Summer Play Programming in our neighbourhoods. Check it out here: Briarwood, College Park (weekend), East College Park, Greystone (weekend) and Wildwood. This free programming runs until August 25. 

As always, don't hesitate to reach out with any questions or comments.

Sarina

Ward 8 Updates

Rezoning Applications

109 Secord Way rezoning application - a public information meeting was held virtually on July 20. I understand that there were technical difficulties for some folks trying to participate. Please reach out to Anthony Andre to let them know if this impacted your participation. Administration is currently exploring the best way to connect with those who were unable to participate in Wednesday's meeting. You can contact Anthony by email or phone.

A copy of Wednesday's recording is available here.

Brighton Boulevard South rezoning application is on the Public Hearing agenda for Monday, July 25. Learn more about the application here. The area in question is on the west side of the new alignment of Brighton Boulevard, south of the Brighton Common traffic circle. If you would like to submit comments or speak to this item, you can do so here before July 25 at 10:00 AM.

On Demand Transit in Brighton

The City has been working to enhance the On Demand Transit (ODT) currently offered in Brighton. On August 2 new changes are coming!

  • Brighton and Rosewood now have dedicated ODT buses. 
  • The ODT buses will focus on a hub system, where Brighton and Rosewood (on the east part of the city) will each be hubs. These hubs connect to four other hubs, which are better integrated into the existing Saskatoon Transit system.  
  • Hubs accessible from Brighton are Place Riel/College Drive, Centre Mall/8th Street, Nelson/Lowe and Preston Crossing. 

Read more about other enhancements at SaskatoonTransit.ca/OnDemand.

Since the integration of ODT, I have been working with Saskatoon Transit to share your feedback. This has centered around reliability and ease of use for the system. Please continue to keep in touch with me about your experience with the new changes.

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Speed Limits

This is a reminder that changes to school zones and playground zones do not come into effect until September 1, 2022. 

New signs and updates to existing signs are being installed throughout June to August to reflect these changes:

  1. New playground zones with reduced speed limits of 30 km/h;
  2. Year-round reduced speed limits in both school and playground zones 7 days a week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  3. Adjustments to posted signs and length of current school zones; and
  4. Removal of reduced speed school zones from high schools, designating them a “school area” where u-turns are still restricted. 

Learn more about what to expect at saskatoon.ca/speedlimit.

New Parking App

Updates are coming for the new parking app!

Due to a change from our parking vendor, ParkedIn is the new parking app for the City of Saskatoon.

We have been gathering feedback from neighbours and working with the vendor to update the functionality of the app. The following features will be updated in July:

  • In-app notification for expiring parking time
  • Credit Card storage without completing an initial transaction with the app
  • In-app extension of parking time
  • Parkedin is also working on some additional improvements which include implementation of a mapping feature and/or pre-loaded parking zone information that will be coming in a future app update.

Find more information about parking changes here.

City Council Meetings

Provincial Disaster Assistance Program

Administration is seeking approval to apply to the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program (PDAP) for the significant rainfall event that occurred on June 20, 2022. 

PDAP covers uninsurable damage to individual properties caused by severe weather events. Once the City of Saskatoon is designated, the Province of Saskatchewan will arrange for the claims to be adjusted and make payments where appropriate. The required application forms will be available online through the Province and will be available at City Hall.

Animal Cruelty Investigations in Saskatoon

Last week I moved a motion that instructed the Administration to reach out to the Province to explore options to provide enforcement beyond the current level of service for the Animal Protection Act for after-hours and weekend service.

With the changes in scope at the SPCA, the Province has taken over animal cruelty investigations. These investigations result from Provincial legislation and Provincial scope of responsibility. The scope of work is consistent with other Saskatchewan municipalities receiving Provincial enforcement, which only includes service from Monday to Friday between 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. 

There have been multiple challenges highlighted in the current approach and my motion looks to explore if there is an option to provide after-hours and weekend service to ensure that animal cruelty work takes place when needed.

Amendments to Regional P4G Plan 

The P4G Planning District Official Community Plan (District OCP) is jointly adopted by the Rural Municipality of Corman Park, the cities of Warman, Martensville, Saskatoon and the Town of Osler, to manage land use and development in the Planning District.

Text amendments to the District OCP are proposed in order to facilitate consistent development standards across land use designations. The amendments will also enable additional development opportunities in existing country residential and hamlet multiparcel subdivisions that was not previously contemplated in the Bylaw.

Learn more about the proposed changes here.

Zoning Bylaw Review  

A Comprehensive Review of the Zoning Bylaw Project (Project) is being undertaken to align the Zoning Bylaw with identified strategic priorities, current trends, changes to provincial legislation and to make minor amendments. This report is the fourth package of proposed amendments being undertaken as part of the Project.

The amendments include the areas of Definitions, General Administration, General Provisions, Landscaping and Residential and Institutional Zoning Districts. A summary is as follows:

  1. Update to the section for developments not requiring a development permit including the addition of pergolas and gazebos;
  2. Definitions and regulations for attached covered patios or decks, three season rooms and pergolas and gazebos;
  3. Clarification of how rear yard corner cut-offs are measured when adjacent to Municipal Reserve;
  4. Allow for flexible tree planting locations to manage utility constraints, while supporting the City’s targets for the urban tree canopy, as well as other clarifications to the existing landscaping provisions;
  5. Remove a duplicated use from the M3 and M4 permitted use tables; and
  6. Housekeeping amendment to the R2 District.

Learn more about the changes here.

Additional reports of interest 

Find the full agenda for July 25 at: regular business meeting and the public hearing.


COFFEE WITH YOUR COUNCILLOR will be on pause throughout the months of July and August. Don't hesitate to be in touch if you'd like to connect.


What's happening in Ward 8!

Here are some other great things happening in Ward 8 soon or put on by members of our community.

  • The Briarwood Community Association is hosting a movie in the park on July 30th at 8:30 PM. Come watch Encanto for free! Learn more here.
  • Until the end of July, the City is seeking feedback on the Renewable Energy Strategy. Participate here.
  • Public discussions on the College Corridor Plan have been compiled into one YouTube playlist. Find it here.
  • Keep up to date with planned construction projects here. Curious about future projects? Check them out here.
  • Household Hazardous Waste Days are back. Find a calendar of times here. The next date is August 7!
  • Keep up to date with City engagement events by visiting saskatoon.ca/engage.


Sarina Gersher
- Ward 8 Councillor
www.wardeight.ca