Saskatoon mayor Cynthia Block delivers State of the City address to Chamber crowd

Saskatoon Mayor Cynthia Block says the city needs to be “bold” in its vision and actions for the future.

Speaking at the annual Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce State of the City luncheon Thursday, block told the crowd in her address that despite council rejecting Oakview Group 360 as the potential venue manager for a new arena and conference centre in late March, the project is not “dead,” and the funding plan created two years ago is still “solid.

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“I think we should be very bullish and be prepared to act boldly,” she told CEO Jason Aebig.

While she said she hoped there would be news in the near future about another potential financial partner or funding, she acknowledged that there are some “bumps” along the way, for both the Downtown Event and Entertainment District plans and a portion of the Bus Rapid Transit project. She reasoned that people “care deeply” and “fear” loss when it comes to those projects.

Council recently put the brakes on Bus Rapid Transit project plans on 1st Avenue between 19th Street and 25th Street, as well, to review the accessibility plan and to “report back with broader operational considerations, including emergency response planning, emergency access and snow removal plans.”

“And so, when we’re talking about these really huge changes, how can we de-risk it for folks? How can we communicate better on it,” Block wondered.

She said decisions at city hall can’t be made when people are fearful, because partnerships with business groups, builders and other companies can suffer.

“So I view DEED and the Bus Rapid Transit Project as unbelievably healthy and really, the way that we move forward as a city,” she said, adding that she was not aware of any modern city that is successful without a modern transportation system.

Block also touched on community safety, the city’s relationship with the federal government and her hope for less “prescriptive” funding that must be directed towards a specific project.

She outlined her hope to also have “no drop in centres” and just one smaller homeless shelter in the not-so-distant future, because enough interim housing is being built for anyone that needs a home while also giving a nod to the provincial government for its funding.

“If we do our jobs, if we work together and follow what the data is telling us to do, we simply won’t need them,” she said.

“Homelessness is supposed to be rare, brief, and not repeated.”

There are “consequences” to waiting, says Chamber CEO

In response to Block’s presentation and answers to his questions, Jason Aebig, CEO of the Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce, said the world will “not wait for Saskatoon to get its act together.”

Aebig said that goes for Regina, whose council and businesses will not wait for what Saskatoon may or may not want to do in the future.

He believes there’s a sense of urgency to get some of the big projects like a new arena and BRT completed.

“We can talk about these bold projects. We should,” he said. “But we also have to follow it up pretty quickly with an urgent plan to get them done.”

Aebig said had Saskatoon acted on the arena project five years ago, it would be hundreds of millions of dollars cheaper and the city would be ahead of other cities.

“There are consequences to waiting … at the end of the day these are just plans, just priorities until there’s actually shovels in the ground, money’s mobilized, partners are sought and found,” he said.

He called Saskatoon the “belle of the ball,” when it comes to economic growth, development and forecasts, but wondered whether the city was ready to embrace the title.

“Measurable progress” and “remarkable outcomes” in final year of strategic plan report: City

A report that “demonstrates the City’s deliberate choices to support affordability, environmental responsibility and reliable services,” has been released, in the words of the City of Saskatoon’s chief strategy and transformation officer, Richard Phillips.

“The City of Saskatoon’s 2025 strategic plan progress report marks the final year of the City’s 2022–2025 Strategic Plan and reflects a year of remarkable outcomes and important transitions as Saskatoon continues to grow,” the city stated in a release shared on Thursday.

Phillips said the 2025 results show “measurable progress” and “important investments behind the scenes” by the city, despite more work ahead.

The city will now enter its next cycle with its strategic plan for 2026-2029.

Phillips said the city moves into this new plan with “strong momentum, building on the value and results delivered over the past four years for everyone who lives, works, learns and plays in Saskatoon.”

Last year, the city said it continued work on “25 key strategic initiatives.” Seven were completed fully and ongoing work for for 17 others was completed according to schedule, with planned work continuing this year.

“One initiative was flagged for caution due to its scale and complexity, with timelines adjusted to ensure long‑term success,” the city noted in its release. “This represents a 96 per cent delivery rate on our key strategic initiatives.”

The city claimed to remain focused on areas still needing attention, like strengthening emergency response times, transit performance and perceptions of inclusion, according to residents.

“These areas of focus, alongside ongoing improvements in workforce diversity, will continue to receive attention,” the release stated, noting that city administration has identified ways to make progress in those areas in the coming years.