Two online panel surveys last spring suggest 84 per cent of residents are satisfied with living in Saskatoon.  That’s down two percentage points from the 2023 survey. Twenty-nine per cent believe the City is on the right path towards making downtown an appealing destination, while the same percentage say the opposite.

The highest agreement from residents surveyed at 87 per cent is that the City provides a mix of recreation, sport and cultural facilities year-round, but only 40 per cent believe the City is an open and transparent government. Those surveyed suggest homelessness is the single most important issue at 23 per cent, followed by crime/public safety and policing at 21 per cent and affordable and available housing at 8 per cent.
The two reports are being presented at the Governance and Priorities Committee meeting today (Tues).

Thirty-one civic services were evaluated by respondents with 75 per cent saying they are satisfied and 78 per cent responding that they receive good or very good value from the services provided.  The key strengths are the quality of the drinking water, fire protection, reliability of electrical service, the speed of water main break repairs and garbage collection. Policing is the priority for service improvement, which is a change from the 2023 survey when it was identified as a strength.

The survey results suggest the top four areas where the City could improve include affordable housing, road maintenance, snow and ice management and policing. Director of Communications and Public Engagement, Carla Blumers says, “The City will use the results to inform decisions related to strategic priorities, budgeting, and service delivery, as well as to highlight opportunities for continuous improvement.