A Saskatoon Access Transit bus and a Canadian Pacific Train collided around 7:45 a.m. this morning at a crossing on 20^th Street West; Access Transit is grateful there are no reported injuries.

The operator had parked near Station 20 West to help a passenger off. Another passenger remained on the bus.

Saskatoon Fire dispatched two engines to the scene and upon arrival firefighter paramedics helped to assist transferring the remaining passenger to hospital as a precaution. While the internal investigation is underway by Transit supervisors, it appears the bus had been parked too close to the railroad tracks.

Shortly after 9:00 a.m. rail officials reported the train was assessed and was safe to continue its trip.

The City is preparing to adjust its winter maintenance operations in the coming days in response to a weather advisory issued for Saskatoon. Strong to severe winds are forecast for Wednesday and Thursday along with mixed precipitation that might include rain showers, freezing rain and snow. 

If Saskatoon receives this weather, road crews will respond as follows: 

• As usual, the initial response will focus on treating priority (highest traffic) streets and access to emergency services. Intersections, bridges and school zones are also high priority. 
• Sanding and salting will be carried out as needed. Crews are prepared with 15 graders, 10 front plows with sanders, 4 underbelly plows, 20 sanders and 11 sidewalk plows and numerous other pieces of equipment such as loaders, dozers and snow blowers. 
• Liquid de-icer will also be applied, which helps melt ice and keep sand and salt from blowing off roads.  
• Snowplows and graders will be out to move snow off roadways if accumulation or drifting becomes an issue. 
• City crews that are currently assigned to residential and priority street snow removal will be redirected as needed. 

Saskatoon residents should note the following during this weather event: 

• If possible, stay off the roads when poor conditions are forecast or underway. 
• Drivers that do venture out should be prepared for icy roads, snow accumulation and reduced visibility due to blowing snow and drifting. A reminder to keep an eye out for snow equipment – stay at least 2-3 vehicle lengths behind and be prepared to stop quickly. 
• Wet and blowing snow can cover traffic signals and road signs. Stay aware at intersections and, when safe to do so, covered traffic lights and road signs should be reported to the City’s 24/7 Customer Care Centre at 306-975-2476 or customercare@saskatoon.ca. 

Saskatoon Light & Power  

Freezing rain and snow may also affect electrical service. Saskatoon Light & Power staff are ready and prepared for any service interruptions and will deal with any issues as they arise. Service Alerts with regular updates will be issued if outages occur.  

Saskatoon Transit  

Transit service will be operating as regularly scheduled. Customers may experience delays due to winter driving conditions. Transit service alerts, real-time bus locations, and arrivals are available on third party apps like Transit or Google Maps Transit on desktop.  

Parks & Urban Forestry  

A combination of freezing rain, snow, and strong winds can result in tree branch failure.  To report storm damaged trees please call Urban Forestry at 306-975-2890 (Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.) or the 24-hour Customer Service Centre at 306-975-2476 (after hours and weekends). For more information, visit saskatoon.ca/treeinspections 

For more information on the City’s winter operations visit saskatoon.ca/snow. 

Please continue to monitor alerts and forecasts issued by Environment Canada. To report severe weather send an email to SKstorm@canada.ca. On Twitter follow #skstorm 

Saskatoon Transit encourages shoppers to hop on board Route 1225, the Jingle Bell Express and experience the convenience of shopping via transit. 

The Jingle Bell Express is Saskatoon Transit’s annual holiday shopping bus route. It runs from December 5th to the 23rd and again with free service on Boxing Day. This route stops at Midtown, Centre, Market, Confederation, and Lawson Heights malls every half hour, providing riders with a great shopping experience! 

“The Jingle Bell Express removes the hassle of driving, while providing riders with access to malls they may not otherwise visit,” says Jim McDonald, Director of Saskatoon Transit. “Regular fares apply except on Boxing Day when the Jingle Bell Express is free.” 

The Jingle Bell Express will be available weekdays from 5:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. and weekends from 10:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. On Boxing Day, the Jingle Bell Express will operate as a free service between 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. For a virtual walk-through of the Jingle Bell bus, visit: https://youtu.be/X6FrrW3Uvfk.    

Everyone is reminded that masks are required on all transit buses and are encouraged to use the Transit App or Google Maps Transit to plan their trip, or consult the route schedule on Transit’s website. 

Jingle Bell Express riders can complete a short survey for a chance to win one of five $100 gift cards sponsored by the participating malls. 

Get your ‘shop on’ and hop on the Jingle Bell Express!  

With a significant reduction in charter requests over the last several years being further exacerbated by the effects and restrictions of COVID-19, Saskatoon Transit will no longer be providing charter services as of Tuesday, December 1.

As of Tuesday, December 1, Saskatoon Transit will not be accepting charter inquiries by phone, email or online.

Saskatoon Transit appreciates the support from charter customers over the years and thanks them for their understanding.

Contact Saskatoon Transit Customer Service at 306-975-3100 with any questions.

The City has recently been informed that two Saskatoon Transit Operators have tested positive for COVID-19. The first individual received a positive diagnosis on Friday, November 13 and the second individual received their diagnosis on Monday, November 16.  

"Neither of these cases are related and unlikely to be linked to transmission within the workplace. Both individuals have relayed that they were exposed to the virus in settings outside of the workplace," says Mike Moellenbeck, Operations Manager for Saskatoon Transit. "Due to the need to protect the privacy of the individuals, we cannot provide further details about the positive cases."

The City has implemented health and safety protocols and precautions to protect both employees and the public. This includes mandatory masks for all riders, proper hygiene and vinyl barriers for drivers 

"We understand this may cause concern for bus riders. This situation stresses the importance of the layers of protection the City has put in place to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 on Saskatoon Transit." 

Below are the affected routes and time periods. If you were riding the bus during these time periods, it is always a good idea to self-monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 and stay home and call HealthLine 811 to arrange for testing if symptoms occur. 

**UPDATED LIST DUE TO SASKATCHEWAN HEALTH AUTHORITY (SHA) CONTACT TRACING PROCESS**

• Nov 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14: Route 15 Civic Operations Centre
• Nov 7, 4:45 pm to 11:45 pm: Route 2 Meadowgreen
• Nov 8, 3:00 pm to 10:00 pm: Route 50 Lakeview/University
• Nov 10, 5:00 pm to 11:45 pm: Route 1 Exhibition and Route 7 Dundonald 
• Nov 11, 4:45 to 10:30 pm: Route 12 River Heights and Route 19 Centre Mall  
• Nov 14, 4:00 pm to 1:30 am: Route 2 Meadowgreen
• Nov 15, 3:00 pm to 10:00 pm: Route 50 Lakeview/University 

Enhanced cleaning and disinfecting have taken place in all impacted busses and areas since the positive cases were identified.

"It is our understanding that SHA will be following up and contacting individuals identified as close contacts as per their contact tracing process and providing information to them on the next steps. The City will support SHA in their contact tracing process as necessary," says Moellenbeck. 

The City also has processes in place so supervisors can be aware of which employees need to be sent home if necessary or contact Health Line at 811 for further instruction. 

Moellenbeck emphasizes that, "this positive case reminds us that we all have a shared responsibility to limit the transmission risk of COVID-19 in our community. Stay home if you are feeling unwell, follow all Public Health Orders and take the necessary precautions to protect yourself and others."

Crews continue working around the clock to get everyone moving again, following a severe blizzard that brought high amounts of snowfall and strong winds, creating drifting on roads and sidewalks.

“Great gains are being made on restoring mobility in residential streets and we continue to bring on additional contractors for this work”, says Terry Schmidt, General Manager of Transportation and Construction. “Crews continue to work simultaneously throughout the entire City. We are focused on beginning with the streets worst affected and clearing residential streets in all neighborhoods. This will be done in a sequence where the streets carrying the most traffic, or strategically located streets are addressed first.”

As of Friday morning, the City reports residential street snow clearing is now complete in Kensington, Stonebridge, Eastview, Holiday Park and Brighton. Snow clearing is underway in an additional six neighbourhoods, including Dundonald, Rosewood, Hampton Village, Lakeridge, Arbor Creek and Evergreen. Today, work is scheduled to start in Wildwood, Buena Vista, Mayfair, Silverwood Heights, Erindale and Montgomery.

“With nearly 300 crew members clearing snow, and counting, this schedule may change, so we encourage you to keep checking online for updates,” says Schmidt. “As much as we can, we’re coordinating the clearing schedule with waste and recycling collections; however, there will be some instances they overlap. In those cases, crews will move bins onto driveways, then move them back onto the street.”

Schmidt also encourages children to stay away from playing in the snow piles. The huge accumulations of snow present a dangerous situation if climbing on the snow piles or building tunnels through them.

“Once again, thank you for helping your neighbours, remaining patient during the city-wide snow clean-up, and for staying safe around the snow removal equipment on our streets,” Schmidt adds. “Please remember that road conditions are still considered hazardous due to snow accumulation and the layer of ice underneath the snow. Our crews are sanding and salting to treat ice as snow is being cleared from roads.”

There may be piles of snow left by the graders (windrows); crews will come back afterwards to remove those that are impacting residents.

Please do not push snow out onto the street when clearing snow from sidewalks and driveways, as this can clog up streets with even more snow and continue to create accessibility issues.

More information on our process for snow clearing can be found at saskatoon.ca/snow

We’re coming to residential streets and the City will be today releasing a schedule of what residential streets will be plowed.  

Back lanes will also be prioritized along with the residential snow clearing 

It’s our objective to restore mobility to key streets in every neighbourhood, city wide - get everyone moving around again. 
 
This amount of snowfall has presented an incredible challenge - we are doing everything we can to get Saskatoon back to a daily routine. 
 
The plan is to put as many resources as possible in as many neighbourhoods as possible all at the same time across the City.  This work will be done night and day, in all neighbourhoods. 

The focus will be on beginning with the streets worst affected and clearing residential streets in all neighborhoods in a sequence where the streets carrying the most traffic, or are strategically located, are addressed first. 

We want you to know we’ve heard your calls and we’re throwing everything we’ve got at this to help you and your family get where you need to go, safely. 
 
Every minute of every day there has been equipment working on Saskatoon’s streets.   

• All priority streets were made passable -- about 1800 km of lanes -- by punching through with a grader or a plow and not doing a full clean-up of the street. 
• Crews returned to priority streets to do a proper grading to ensure all lanes are available for traffic. This has been completed on about 90% of the P1s, 20% of P2s and 10% of P3s.  
• 100% of residential streets in Kensington have been cleared and 50% of residential streets in Stonebridge 

• 50% of our total of 150 km of priority sidewalks have been cleared 
• Transit is moving again on a modified schedule by opening the downtown bus terminal and clearing key routes for buses to travel on 

When the plows arrive, residents are not required to move their vehicle, but if able, crews will appreciate more space to complete the work and the ability to clear streets more fully. So, if you can move your vehicle -- please do -- if not, we’ll plow around it.  
 
There may be piles of snow left by the graders (windrows); we’ll come back afterwards to clear these out. 

We have also revamped our saskatoon.ca/snow webpages to make it easier to: 

• Find information about the Residential Snow Clearing Schedule 
• Access links to our news releases which provide valuable information on our progress and other service updates 
• View news conferences on our YouTube Channel  
• And find general information on our Priority Road system.   

​And as another reminder, please do not push snow out onto the street when clearing snow from sidewalks and driveways, as this can clog up streets with even more snow and continue to create accessibility issues. 

We will be continuously working on updating and adding information on this webpage as it becomes available.  Again, the residents can visit saskatoon.ca/snow. 

City snow crews continue to clean up the streets after a severe winter storm that brought high amounts of snowfall and strong winds, creating drifting on roads and sidewalks. Freezing rain has also created a layer of ice underneath the snow. As of today (Nov. 10), crews have been able to open at least one traffic lane on all major and secondary roads. 

While efforts continue to be focused on the highest traffic streets – first making them all passable, then returning to plow curb-to-curb, sand, salt and de-ice – the City recognizes that residential roads continue to be a challenge.

“The City’s snow clearing service does not extend to residential neighbourhoods, but we recognize that this is an unusually large amount of snowfall, all at once, for our city,” says Terry Schmidt, General Manager of Transportation & Construction. “For this reason, we’ve decided to proceed with a plan to restore mobility on all roads, including residential streets.”

“We recognize the challenges people are facing, and we want to help fix the problem,” continues Schmidt. “We’re going to throw everything we have at this effort to clear away the snow and get people moving around again.”

The residential snow clearing will begin after the higher traffic streets are complete. Crews will work through residential streets, beginning with the most impacted. If Saskatoon experiences more snowfall, as is forecast for tomorrow (Nov. 11), crews will need to prioritize higher traffic streets as usual. 

The City wants to thank residents for staying safe around snow equipment, helping out neighbours, and remaining patient during the city clean-up. Drivers are reminded that road conditions are still considered dangerous due to snow accumulation, drifting, and hidden ice. 

As the City continues to respond to the effects of this severe winter storm, civic facilities and services have been affected as follows: 

School Zone Snow Removal 

Crews are planning to remove piles of snow left by graders (windrows) from all school zones next week. This will provide space for vehicles parking or dropping off and picking up children.  

City Hall 

Where possible, residents are asked to use available online services at saskatoon.ca. For property taxes, assessment, and utility related matters, they can contact the City by e-mail at revenue@saskatoon.ca or phone at 306-975-2400. 

Residents that need to attend City Hall should be advised that the roads are plowed but there is minimal street parking due to the windrows. Windrows will be cleared away at a later date. 

Election 

Due to the snow, an additional day to vote in the municipal election has been added this Friday (Nov. 13). Residents who plan to vote are urged to make a plan for travel. Consider Saskatoon Transit which is resuming normal operations as the snow is cleared. 

Garbage and Recycling Collection 

Collection calendars have been updated to reflect the following changes: 

• Monday, November 9 collections rescheduled to Saturday, November 14. 
• Tuesday, November 10 collections rescheduled to Sunday, November 15. 
• Please check saskatoon.ca/collectioncalendar or download the Saskatoon Recycle & Waste app to confirm and sign-up for reminders so you don’t miss pick-up day. 

Attempts will be made to resume collections on Wednesday, November 11 and for the remainder of the week for garbage and recycling. 

• City and Loraas collection crews will do their best to access carts, although accessibility will be a determining factor on some streets and back lanes. 
• Please roll out carts by 7:00 a.m. and ensure that carts are placed in front of or 4 feet to the side of all snowbanks, not on top of or behind. This is to ensure that collection truck arms can access carts for effective collection. 

Saskatoon Transit 

Transit has resumed modified service on most routes. Fixed route service will continue to expand as streets are cleared. Access Transit continues to provide essential trips only. 

Transit users should consult the real-time app Transit or Google Maps Transit on desktop or SaskatoonTransit.ca for real time route information and service alerts. 

Leisure Services 

City indoor arenas reopened for scheduled rentals at 4:00 p.m. today (Nov. 10). Parking is limited at Cosmo Arena. 

Leisure Centres remain closed on Tuesday, November 10, and will reopen to the public on Wednesday, November 11, at 12:00 p.m. (excluding Cosmo Civic Centre and Terry Fox Track which are closed on statutory holidays). 

The Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo remains closed on Tuesday, November 10.

Due to COVID-19 physical distancing requirements and the current phase of the Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan, the City of Saskatoon already has a number of adjusted services in place. 

On Remembrance Day, Wednesday, November 11, 2020, there are several statutory holiday service adjustments. See full details on the City’s website.

Please visit saskatoon.ca/covid-19 for timely updates from the City of Saskatoon on everything you need to know to stay safe.

Saskatoon Transit is recognizing veterans and current members of the Canadian Armed Forces with free transit service on Remembrance Day.

The free bus service will be offered to armed forces veterans and current serving personnel, including cadets and reservists. Free bus service will also be provided to their one companion.

Eligible transit users can identify themselves by wearing a military uniform or presenting military ID or a CF1 card when they board.

Providing free transit to veterans and current members of the Canadian Armed Forces is a way to recognize the tremendous commitment they have made, and continue to make, to the community and country.

Saskatoon Transit buses will also display a “Lest We Forget” message on November 11.