City Council will vote on whether non-medical face masks will be required on public transit, in city operated facilities and for indoor city services Monday.
A recent report put in front of the Governance and Priorities committee stated that public health guidelines recommend face masks when appropriate physical distancing cannot be maintained.
The report also explained this requirement would be more about education then enforcement, saying the goal of the measure would be to support users of transit services, city facilities and services rather than penalize then for occasionally not having a mask.
If implemented the cost of covering masks for 2 weeks was also on the table with an estimated cost around $19,000 – $22,000.
While face mask bylaws are rare the report says cities like Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary and Edmonton have implemented them, and Quebec and Nova Scotia have instituted province wide requirements.
If passed the mask requirement would come into effect on September 1st.
The cost of acquiring a cannabis business licence in the city could be reduced drastically Monday.
City council will meet this evening to discuss the potential change which would see licensing fees drop from $20,000 to $4,500. The change would apply to both cannabis production facilities and retail stores.
At a June meeting, council reviewed a report that said when legalization first occurred the licensing fees were associated to preparing for cannabis regulation, and the anticipated costs of administering, regulating and enforcing the cannabis business. Now with provincial limits on the number of stores allowed to operate in Saskatoon being lifted, the city wants to make amendments to the fees.
The last change occurred last year, in August, when council established a renewal fee of $85 for cannabis related businesses.
Other agenda items council will review Monday, among others, include the increase of taxi fees, and proposed regulations for short term accommodations.















