Saskatoon Today - Saskatoon StarPhoenix

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Saskatoon Today
Today, Saskatoon occupies almost 200 square kilometres of land and is home to
over 220,000 people from a diversity of backgrounds. A 2009 survey revealed that
Saskatonians place a high value on these aspects of Saskatoon life: a strong sense
of family and friends, easy transportation and short commuting times, community
engagement, plentiful job and educational opportunities, the riverfront and community
events, sports and recreation, and the arts and culture scene.
Saskatoon is a connected city with natural beauty, a
booming economy and a high quality of life. But the city
is not resting on its success.
Socially and culturally
diverse, but not fully
integrated
Saskatoon has grown steadily over the years, attracting
people from across the province and around the world.
Recent economic growth has accelerated immigration. Like
many industrialized countries, Canada’s natural growth
rate is trending downward and the existing population is
aging, making us increasingly dependent on immigration for
population growth and filling the labour force.
The Aboriginal population makes up 9.9% of Saskatoon’s
population and the population is growing faster than the
national average. Both immigrants and Aboriginals are
younger than the average Canadian, which increases the
much needed youth demographic.
courtesy flickr dougblackport
Although the population of Saskatoon is becoming more
diverse, culturally and economically, this diversity tends to
be concentrated in pockets throughout the city. Aboriginals
and low-income families are still largely concentrated in
core neighbourhoods. Seniors are concentrated in specific
communities that provide senior residences and services.
courtesy flickr Jordon
Saskatoon has always been a society composed of people
from many different backgrounds and this diversity will
continue. The participation and contribution of all citizens
in the development of our community is vital to meeting
the challenges of the future. To this end, Saskatoon still
has work to do in ensuring the city is able to offer the
services to properly welcome all people to Saskatoon and
in creating a place where they come and want to stay.
CANDO (Council for the Advancement of
Native Development Officers)
courtesy flickr dougblackport
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courtesy flickr annkriszt
courtesy flickr CreeHawk
Economically strong, but
not everyone is sharing in
the prosperity
Clean and environmentally
aware, but we have a large
ecological footprint
Despite the economic downturn in 2008-2009, Saskatoon
has posted a decade of strong economic growth. Almost
every sector in the City’s diverse economy enjoyed strong
gains in 2008. After several years of growth, all regions in
Canada experienced declines in their housing markets in
January 2009, but Saskatoon is rebounding faster than
other cities.
Saskatoon is surrounded by, and serves, prime agricultural
and resource-rich lands. The South Saskatchewan river
runs through the city providing habitat for wildlife, open
space, recreational facilities and scenic beauty. Residents
of the city enjoy clean air and water.
The median income level in the city rose steadily between
1997 and 2006, and there has been growth in disposable
income in recent years. This is consistent with strong
economic growth and increased employment. Saskatoon
has consistently had higher employment and lower
unemployment rates than the national average.
However, the boom in the economy has not been shared
by everyone. There is also a growing gap between lower
and higher income groups. With the recent sharp increase
in house prices and conversions of rental housing to
condominiums, housing affordability is a widespread
concern.
Among Saskatonians there is a growing understanding
and concern about how their actions impact both the
city of the future and the larger world. Canada has the
third largest per-capita ecological footprint in the world at
7.25 hectares, which also reflects the size of Saskatoon’s
footprint. The ecological footprint is a measure of human’s
demand on the earth’s ecosystem. Contributing factors
include higher energy consumption and use of more
carbon-intensive fuel sources for electricity and heating.
Over half of Saskatoon’s ecological footprint is due to the
large amount of energy used.
courtesy flickr Kenneth Hynek
courtesy flickr StacyK
courtesy flickr uofsadvancement
courtesy flickr daryl_mitchell
courtesy flickr Edward Willett
courtesy flickr sambasupernova
BACKGROUND INFORMATION SASKATOON SPEAKS
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Well connected by rail,
road and air, but still cardependent
Loved by its citizens, but
the high quality of life is not
shared by all
For a mid-sized city, Saskatoon is well-connected by rail,
road and air. Since its earliest days, Saskatoon has been
an important hub in the country’s transportation network.
The inter-provincial highway system and the Canadian
Pacific Railway and the Canadian National Railway along
with the Saskatoon/John G. Diefenbaker International
Airport connect the city nationally and internationally.
One measure of the state of a city is the level of
satisfaction with its quality of life. Quality of life
is influenced by a variety of factors, including the
development of a vibrant local economy, the availability
of appropriate housing, dependable community
infrastructure, and reliable access to clean air and drinking
water.
Within the city, there is a high level of dependency on
the private automobile to move around. While the use of
public transit has increased recently and cycling is popular,
eighty-five percent of commuters in Saskatoon travel
to work by private vehicle. Commuting times and traffic
congestion are increasing.
Overall, two-thirds of Saskatonians rate the quality of life in
Saskatoon as very good or excellent. However, perceptions
of quality of life vary depending on socioeconomic factors.
In 2007, four out of five residents with high socioeconomic
status residents reported an “excellent” or “very good”
quality of life, and three-quarters of those with middle
socioeconomic status felt the same. By contrast, less than
half of residents with low socioeconomic status reported a
high quality of life.
courtesy flickr sambasupernova
courtesy flickr jpontell
courtesy flickr Huy Dang
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courtesy wikipedia_trekphiler
courtesy flickr normfisher
courtesy flickr Jordon
The structure of the city
blairmore
Present day Saskatoon consists of the downtown and
core neighbourhoods; the North Industrial area; and
7 suburban development areas which are generally
made up of 8-10 residential neighbourhoods. These
neighbourhoods are clustered around suburban centres.
Suburban centres are community hubs with a mix of
places to live, work and shop with access to services.
Although the ratio tends to vary depending on the age
of the development, each neighbourhood contains a
mix of single and multi-unit housing (e.g. apartments
and townhouses), as well as a school and a series
of park spaces. The suburban centres are centrally
located to support these residential neighbourhoods by
encouraging higher densities and providing a wide mix of
uses, such as institutional, recreational and commercial.
lawson
north industrial
university heights
blairmore
downtown and
core neighbourhoods
east
confederation
lakewood
nutana
north industrial
airport
lawson heights
university of
saskatchewan
confederation
blairmore
The structure of Saskatoon
river and other water bodies
residential
employment
commercial
mixed use areas
parks and open spaces
future development areas
suburban centres
university heights
downtown
south west
industrial
lakewood
nutana
cn industrial
BACKGROUND INFORMATION SASKATOON SPEAKS
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There are a number of ways to share your vision and
help shape Saskatoon’s future!
For more information please visit saskatoonspeaks.com.
Produced September 2010
Efforts were taken to ensure the accuracy of information. Updates to any of the content will be posted to the website.
We encourage everyone to return the information book for re-use at all Saskatoon Speaks events and activities.
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