Carbon charge dropped, changes to recycling collection on the way

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From carbon tax to recycling to bus safety, a wide array of discussions took place this week at a special city council meeting and two committee meetings. Here are some of the highlights …

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SL&P CARBON CHARGE DROPPED

A bylaw was passed Tuesday to pause the carbon charge levied by Saskatoon Light and Power.

Saskatchewan paused the industrial carbon charge on electricity, prompting SL&P to stop billing customers for the carbon charge, director Trevor Bell said.

He said the average household bill will go down by 6.79 per cent, or $10.46 per month.

The net impact for SL&P is expected to be a positive one of $254,000, as long as this change stays in place to the end of 2025.

Bell said Saskatoon Water is expected to see a positive impact of $475,000, but mill-rate funded programs will see a negative impact of $1,067,000.

“An overall corporate impact of negative $337,000. And that’s for the next nine months,” Bell said.

Clae Hack, the city’s chief financial officer, said a report on the total impact of the carbon charge is expected next year.

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“We do expect that to have an overall positive impact,” Hack said.

SK RECYCLES TO TAKE OVER CITY RECYCLING

SK Recycles is one step closer to taking over Saskatoon’s recycling collection.

During the environment, utilities and corporate services committee meeting, city administration said a plan from the province puts more operational and financial responsibility on the producer, resulting in less autonomy for the city.

The city needs to decide whether it pursues a city-led collection model, or an SK Recycles-led collection model.

Recommendations from administration were passed, asking the city to pursue an SK Recycles-led program. They noted that significant resources would be needed to meet SK Recycles targeted contamination rate of six per cent.

Current contamination rates in Saskatoon sit at 15.2 per cent for curbside pickup, and 21.9 per cent for multi-unit.

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SK Recycles takes over processing across the province at the end of 2027.

ROAD MAINTENANCE AND INCREASED POTHOLES

A report to the transportation committee says there was a 52 per cent increase in the number of potholes reported in 2024, resulting in roughly 3,300 potholes repaired.

The city said it faced challenges in meeting pothole-repair service levels due to the significant increase in numbers.

Through budget discussions in December, additional funding was provided for pothole repairs in 2025. The city said more private contractors have been secured to help in the work.

SASKATOON TRANSIT EMPLOYEE SAFETY

Another report to the transportation committee discussed work being done to address transit safety in Saskatoon.

The report said the number of negative interactions in 2024 were higher than 2023, with incidents peaking in April and May. After a new safety plan was implemented, the city says negative interactions involving operators or passengers began to decline in July, and the second half of 2024 showed improvements.

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At the same time, a survey found employees equally feel more safe and less safe since June of last year. Many reported feeling no change since the safety plan launched. It was noted that some initiatives began in January, so that impact might not have been visible.

Darcy Pederson, president of ATU Local 616, the union that represents bus operators, submitted a letter acknowledging the success of the safety plan, but also highlighting other areas of concern. He listed growing incidents of non-destination riders causing disruptions, unresponsive passengers requiring emergency services, abuse of the no-fare collection policy, increased passenger-on-passenger violence, and bear spray attacks at buses and terminals.

“These incidents not only compromise the safety of our members but also the well-being of the riding public,” Pederson said.

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BUS ROUTE REDESIGN

The transportation committee received a report about changing routing for city buses. The redesign stems from city growth, with a focus on frequency, directness and all-day operation.

The report said the current bus strategy is focused on broad coverage to all communities, but noted that overlapping bus routes can duplicate services and confuse riders.

The redesign of Saskatoon’s routes would see buses with shorter routing, meaning they would come more frequently. It was noted that transfers may be required for some trips, but there would be less service duplication.

Coun. Bev Dubois asked about the possibility of more transfers with this new model. Saskatoon Transit director Mike Moellenbeck said a coverage network is very complex, whereas the new network would be more simplistic to use.

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