Wednesday’s City Council meeting covered numerous hot topics, including a new top prospect to manage the Downtown Event and Entertainment District, a Transit Bylaw that gives transit officers more authority, and additional patrol services required downtown to mitigate social disorder.

Potential DEED Partner 

After much debate, Saskatoon City Council has unanimously agreed to pursue discussions with Muskeg Lake Cree Nation regarding the Downtown Event and Entertainment District.

Following a fallout with OVG360, the private partner that intended to operate and manage the DEED, the City began looking for an alternative. The City says Muskeg Lake then approached it “with significant interest and financial capacity,” and the decision to explore further was proposed.

However, the lack of traditional process made several council members uncomfortable.

Councilor Robert Pearce says there is already a distrust looming in the community, and selecting a partner without putting out a proper call for interest would not make it better.

“I think when we have conversations with friends, and then we say let’s enter a negotiation directly with them, that doesn’t add trust to the people in the city.”

Councilor Randy Donauer reminded him that the City did put out a request for proposals, but it didn’t go very well.

“We invited literally anybody in the world, or at least North America, to bid on being our partner here. Anybody that’s out there that now says they want in?  Man, we were begging people.”

Because the motion only allows discussions to take place, and no formal decisions will be made, Council voted in favour. Negotiation work is anticipated to include defining the proposed partnership structure, roles and responsibilities, land and development arrangements, operating opportunities, and any financial or legal implications requiring future approval.

Transit Bylaw

City Council has approved a new transit bylaw that will see several changes take place on Saskatoon’s bus system.

The bylaw proposed several recommendations, such as giving officers authority to remove riders from buses for bad behavior, the ability to issue bus bans, allowing fines for certain behaviors such as placing feet on seats or distracting a driver, and enabling drivers to remove riders who refuse to pay.

The bylaw also includes a measure that prohibits animals unless they’re kenneled or a service animal. In addition, children under the age of five are also prohibited from riding without a parent or 16-year-old guardian as a safety measure. Councilor Randy Donauer says expecting a bus driver to look after a young child wouldn’t be unfair.

“We’re putting this child at the responsibility of our operator, and our operators have a lot going on. Unfortunately, everything from driving a bus to dealing with pepper spray and violent incidences on a bus, let alone, now, having to look after an unaccompanied three-year-old.”

Now, the new bylaw will be sent to the July meeting of City Council, with a planned coming into force date of September 1.

Social Disorder Downtown

Security patrols and services are being increased at both the Outdoor Public Washroom Project and the Avenue C Women’s Drop-in Centre following increasing volume and intensity of activity in the last number of months.

A report from City Administration says the Outdoor Public Washroom Project is seeing between 400 and 500 people per day, and the Avenue C Women’s Drop-in Centre was averaging between 150 and 211 women per day in the month of April. Saskatoon Police Service data shows increased social disorder and public intoxication incidents concentrated around service locations.

Council members heard from Randy Pshebyl0, the Executive Director of the Riversdale BID. He says social disorder is pushing businesses out of the downtown.

“When my property taxes, as an owner, have gone from $29,000 to $41,000 a year, and my tenant gets a bill from $5,800 to $6,800 a month, and he’s still getting his windows broken, he’s got questions.”

The City recently agreed to spend $128, 674 to implement both mobile and continual patrols in those two areas until the end of the year.