Saskatoon Transit is upholding the annual tradition of celebrating kindness. Even the smallest acts can change a life. Random Acts of Kindness Week is February 14 – 20, 2021. It is a time to celebrate the kindness in our community. 

Saskatoon Transit, in partnership with the Saskatoon Media Group, has created a background in the downtown transit terminal to remind people to Be the “I” in KIND. People are encouraged to share their pictures from in front of the background with the hashtag #RAKYXE and tag @stoontransit on Twitter. 

If you can’t get downtown to see the background, get creative and make your own and share with the hashtag #RAKYXE.  For more ideas on how to spread kindness go to RandomActsOfKindness.org. 

Please join the community and participate in Random Acts of Kindness Week! When we tune into the kindness happening around us, the day seems a little bit brighter. 

Saskatoon Transit runs every day, no matter the weather. At temperatures of -20°C and below, buses do not kneel, however the ramp at the front can still be deployed.  

Saskatoon Transit continues its ongoing commitment to the safety of all citizens with the Safe Bus Program. As this period of extreme cold continues, remember that all Transit operators have a direct line to emergency services.  

If you need immediate shelter or emergency services, flag down a bus or go to a parked bus and the operator will give you a safe place to wait. There is no fee for using the Safe Bus. 

To safely flag down a bus, stand at a stop or on a sidewalk and hold your hand in the air, palm facing out. Never step into a roadway to flag down a bus.  

Saskatoon Transit is there for citizens 365 days a year. Stay safe all year long with Safe Bus. 

Saskatoon Transit will be donating unclaimed lost and found clothing to Village Green Thrift Shop, a non-profit shop who will make them available to those in need. Village Green puts out clothes on certain evenings when the weather is cold for those in need to help themselves. Due to COVID-19 they follow the guidelines and quarantine everything for 24 hours before items are sold or given away. 

Saskatoon Transit Customer Service holds items in the lost and found for 90 days. To inquire about a lost item, call the Transit Customer Service Centre at 306.975.3100 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to see if your lost item was found. Proof of ownership will be required to obtain lost items.  

If passengers find something of value on the bus, they are encouraged to give it to the operator who will take it to the Customer Service Office otherwise the utility staff will get it at the end of the day. For more information on Saskatoon Transit’s Lost and Found Policy please visit: SaskatoonTransit.ca/lost-found. 

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.