Mayor Charlie Clark told members of The Chamber during his State of the City address that it’s the toughest he has had to make, because there is tremendous opportunity, but there is also the other side of the coin with vulnerable people falling through the cracks and ending up living on the streets downtown. He talked about the tremendous opportunities in Saskatoon and the province, because we can meet the demands of a growing world with our resources.
Clark noted the Saskatchewan Industrial Mining Supply Association tracked $23-billion worth of confirmed and potential projects, and if there were all to come to fruition, it would mean 70,000 jobs. The Mayor also pointed to investments from First Nation and Metis partners. There are 20 First Nations in Saskatoon and area who have reserves and land holdings, investing in companies, developing jobs, and creating opportunities for the whole community.
Clark says in the past five years, 53 per cent of all the province’s population growth has been in the Saskatoon region, which includes Warman, Martensville and Corman Park, and in the past year, 83 per cent of Saskatchewan’s job growth has been in this same region.
Mayor Clark’s address also included the proposed downtown event and entertainment district. He says site options and the preferred site will be released in a few weeks. it would be anchored by an arena and events centre, convention centre, public plaza and Bus Rapid Transit. From what Council and the Event & Entertainment District Advisory Group has learned, Clark says a giant parking lot isn’t in the picture, and that’s where the BRT comes in. Clark says if you have been to big games or concerts elsewhere, you will have noticed how transit is crucial in getting people in and out quickly, and there is federal funding available for it. He adds that as the whole province benefits from Mosaic Stadium, he expects the same will hold true for Saskatoon’s downtown event and entertainment district, with something for everyone.
Clark told The Chamber crowd that for this project to be successful and for the downtown area to grow, the area needs to feel safe, and that’s where the work to find help for the city’s most vulnerable comes in. He believes the Saskatoon Tribal Council’s emergency shelter has been successful, helping people in their journey, and no one froze over the winter and no tent city like other cities have seen. Plus, the STC’s emergency shelter has culturally appropriate care.
Clark says Indigenous-led initiatives are becoming catalysts for changing the way homelessness is being dealt with in Saskatoon. He describes it as a shift from managing people to supporting them, with a coordinated continuum of care. The Tribal Council is on the search for a new site outside of the downtown area. Clark notes that at the SUMA convention, the then Social Services Minister Lori Carr, stated the province is looking at the Tribal Council’s model to see how to support people with complex needs.
