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Community developments and a stress on city safety highlighted Saskatoon’s 2019, according to Mayor Charlie Clark.
Clark gave his rundown on the past year with the city, along with a look-ahead into Saskatoon’s future in a year end interview with 650 CKOM.
Clark said shaping the city’s future and growing the economic state was top of mind these past 365 days.
The mayor highlighted openings of the Nutrien Wonderhub, along with the Gordie Howe track, and two new city overpasses as large moments this past year.
Additionally, he said capitalizing on provincial and federal funding for the Gordie Howe Sports Complex and Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan were also highlights for city growth.
These highlights, along with the commitment to a future downtown entertainment district culminated the biggest story in Clark’s eyes this year — “Positioning Saskatoon as a forward-thinking city, that’s open for business.”
Regardless of all the development in 2019 though, Clark was candid in saying economically they’re in “a challenging time.”
He said there’s a lot of uncertainty on what the next few years will look like, especially in sectors such as the resource and construction industries.
“I believe that that is going to be one of the most important challenges that we take on, to ensure that we’re creating the conditions in our province and our city, where people see us as a forward-thinking city,” he said.
A city first to save “thousands of hours,” potential of “millions of dollars”
Saskatoon City Council finalized their multi-year budget on November 27, 2019. (Brady Lang/650 CKOM)
Clark’s council and city staff also took on a major task in 2019.
They unveiled the city’s first multi-year budget and business plan, which will span from 2020 to 2021.
In the end, Clark said he believes the budget works for the city, and that council worked together to get a plan solidified.
“We were able to make decisions, and allocate some of the priorities, and projects, and planning into a two-year cycle,” he said.
“The most significant impact will definitely be the efficiency it creates for our city, the time saving for staff, who typically, would have already gotten together weeks after finishing the last budget, to start planning and preparing and building towards the next budget. Now they won’t have to do that.”
Clark said the multi-year budget will “save thousands of hours” and “potentially millions of dollars of staff time”.
Budget deliberations solidify downtown library future
Saskatoon Public Library’s CEO Carol Cooley and Board Chair Lisa Erickson plead their case for the Saskatoon Public Library budget at deliberations on November 25, 2019. (Brady Lang/650 CKOM)
Budget deliberations in November also had a deeper meaning in terms of what the future holds for Saskatoon’s downtown, and council’s green light for Saskatoon Public Library’s (SPL) new downtown location.
Council allowed SPL to borrow $67.5 million for the new library, down from the original ask of $87.5 million.
The go-ahead gives SPL the ability to begin to plan, design, and get ready to build the new library.
Clark said the decision to replace the 53-year-old Frances Morrison Library in Saskatoon didn’t happen overnight.
“This has been a 30 year conversation in the city. The library, for 10 years, has been putting money away as part of a financial planning process. It’s a conversation that’s been building for a long time.”
Clark said council’s choice was a “critical decision,” and one that will strengthen the city’s core.
“(Libraries) can become those sights that drive investment, and put cities on the map.”
He said SPL will need to find the right balance of offering the city great amenities, along with building an up-to-date library that will be accessible for years to come.
Also at budget, council closed the door on a long-standing debate on the city-wide curbside organics program.
Debate was re-opened on the file, and that’s something Clark wants to see less of moving forward.
“It’s not a pattern that I want to repeat as a council,” he said.
“When council makes decisions, we need to be able to make a decision and to move forward and move on. If we end up re-debating and re-considering decisions over and over again, it creates a lot of uncertainty for staff, who plan based on decisions we make, and also for the market.”
“You see that it grips people, and doesn’t let go:” Clark addresses impacts of addiction crisis
Saskatoon Mayor, Charlie Clark, speaks about the city’s plan to address the crystal meth crisis during a press conference at the Indian and Metis Friendship Centre on Friday Oct. 11, 2019. (Harrison Brooks/650 CKOM)
Safety in Saskatoon’s community was also brought up by Clark in the year-end interview.
Clark said the complex issue of addictions will need a co-ordinated approach from both the federal and provincial governments, alongside police, frontline agencies and leisure sector services.
“This has been an issue that has tested our community, its tested our emergency service workers, and it’s testing cities right across Canada right now,” he said.
“People are getting hooked on these terrible drugs like crystal meth and fentanyl, and get in a downward spiral that is leading to violence, to property crime, to family breakdown, and in too many cases, people dying of overdoses.”
Recently, Clark was able to be the first on-scene to an overdose death. He said the 31-year-old man passed away due to a fentanyl overdose.
Clark said seeing the immediate impacts of the emotional trauma and the sadness in the family put a face to the ongoing crisis.
“You just see the deep impacts it has,” he said. “You see that it grips people, and doesn’t let go.”
On top of the ongoing addiction crisis in the city, Saskatoon also struggled with policing in 2019.
Saskatoon Police activated a rarely used “emergency clause” during 2019, allowing members to be more readily available.
Sixteen murders in 2019 set a record for the city, following 13 deaths in 2018.
During November’s budget deliberations, the city committed funding to eight new members for 2020, creating the Crime Mobilization Unit that will patrol the front lines and area of the Safe Consumption Site on 19th Street.
Looking ahead to 2020: planning the downtown, municipal elections
One potential landing spot for Saskatoon’s future downtown arena is just south of 19th street in Riversdale. (Google Maps)
Clark said looking to the future, they face a once-in-a-generation look at shaping Saskatoon’s downtown.
With the commitment to a future entertainment district downtown, the library, Midtown Plaza’s ongoing renovations, along with the future downtown arena and convention centre, 2020 and beyond will be busy for city council.
Clark said council’s key decisions will shape Saskatoon’s future.
“In a way that will create vibrancy, that will create investment opportunities, that will have people come to our city and say, ‘Wow, what a place.’ This place on the prairies that has this thriving downtown, where there’s lots of things to do, lots of restaurants to eat at, and shops to shop at, and new companies are moving in.”
Moving into 2020 also signals possible changes for Clark’s council.
The municipal elections will be held in November of 2020.
Regardless, Clark says there’s still word to be done.
“I’m the mayor right now and I’m focused on being the mayor. There’s a lot of work that’s underway that feels very important to me. That I went out and campaigned on, that I want to be able to deliver on before the end of this term,” he said.
“My intention is to do the best job I can as mayor, and then as the election unfolds, that will be the next step to do, and do it with as much integrity as I can.”
