The saga of the barricade located at the end of 9th Street East in the city’s Nutana neighbourhood may finally come to an end.
City Council voted 9-2 Monday in favour having city administration prepare a report to permanently close the right turn lane onto Lorne Avenue which then connects to the Idylwyld Freeway.
City Council first shot down a proposal for a permanent barricade in 2007, then in 2015 a barrier was installed. Shortly after that, Council reversed its decision to remove the barrier.
The pilot-project which includes a temporary barrier will stay in place until a public hearing is held.
Selling naming and sponsorship rights has added $24.8 million into the City of Saskatoon’s bank account over the last 20 years.
The topic came up in Council Chambers Monday where Councillors discussed a report which provided an update on sponsorship deals with the City of Saskatoon.
Councillor Troy Davies who in the past has brought up the idea of selling the naming rights of bridges in the city suggested that the City of Saskatoon could look into placing small ads on the sides of golf carts at City operated golf courses.
He said the money could then be used to improve the experience of golfers, such adding GPS systems in the carts.
Davies, who first suggested selling naming rights of bridges nearly four years ago has since said suggesting naming rights for bridges was “extreme”.
The report by city administration says their intentions are to focus on the most lucrative opportunities for sustained revenue, that includes pursuing the existing naming rights such as the Shaw Centre which is set to expire in 2022.
Renewing the more lucrative sponsorship deals such as the Shaw Centre could generate approximately $750 thousand dollars over 5 years according to the city report.
The report was received as information.
If you’re an owner of an accessible taxi in Saskatoon, you’ll be getting a Christmas bonus this holiday season.Saskatoon City Council voted in favour of providing wheelchair accessible cab owners with an incentive during Monday’s regular meeting.The incentive is to help cover the costs of converting their vehicle to make it wheelchair accessible. There are currently 26 accessible cabs in Saskatoon.It’s estimated that the incentive will be around $940 dollars, although that number may change depending on the number of trips taken with a transportation network company like UBER. Since ride-sharing was introduced in Saskatoon earlier this year, the City has been collecting 7 cents off every TNC ride.

The funds have since been added to a reserve and will be distributed amongst wheelchair accessible taxi owners.
(dg dec16/19)