Saskatoon City Council has approved the first, and most expensive, budget item on a list of many.
The Saskatoon Police Service had requested $142 million in 2026 and $149 million in 2027 to cover the operating budget, as well as $4.6 million to cover the 2026 Capital Budget and $3.8 million in 2027. These capital projects include radio replacement, fleet additions, equipment replacement, and facility renovation.
The SPS says the expenditure increases of 8.6 per cent in 2026 and 6.2 per cent in 2027 are due to staff compensation through collective bargaining agreements, inflationary increases, growing service demands, and increasing crime complexity.
Police Chief Cam McBride says the organization has been running lean for several years despite these funding increases.
“I can say, for sure, that our current workload is bordering on unmanageable, and probably our staff would say is unmanageable.”
The police budget passed with councilors Parker and Macdonald opposed. Budget deliberations will continue over the next several days in an attempt to lower the proposed property tax increases of 8.23 and 5.95 per cent in 2026 and 2027, respectively.
City Council also passed the ask from Saskatoon Public Library. SPL’s budget includes $36,027,300 in expenditures and revenues in 2026, as well as $38,341,000 in expenditures and revenues in 2027, making for a balanced operating budget made possible through the property tax. SPL also asked for a combined $700,000 in capital funding between 2026 and 2027. This will be transferred from the respective reserve for capital expenditures. Library funds made up 6 per cent of the property tax in 2025.
Prior to deliberations getting underway, 21 Saskatoon residents requested to speak, and 67 more submitted comments.
Speakers touched on homelessness, climate change mitigation measures, and general affordability; prompted by the proposed 8.23 and 5.95 per cent property tax increases. Administration says increased spending in 2026-27 accounts for inflationary pressures and population growth. Saskatoon grew by 33,000 people, or the size of Moose Jaw, between 2021 and 2024. The City expects that 9000 new residents moved here in 2025 alone.
Affordability
Saskatoon resident Frank Regier went before Council in tears, urging members to make life more affordable.
“Christmas is supposed to be a joyful time. Not in my household this year. The bills mount up. You think, ‘Am I going to have lights on, food in the house, or pay my tax bill?'”
He explained that a $33.00 fixed charge on his utility bill is costing him more than the $15.00 in power that he uses. He claims to pay $1.81 for water, but the fixed charge on the bill is $15.00.
Regier suggests slashing those fixed charges to drop bill totals for Saskatoon citizens across the city.
Homelessness Outreach
Saskatoon Tribal Council’s Tribal Chief was another of speaker on the lengthy list. Chief Mark Arcand came to advocate for the Indigenous Peacekeepers Pilot Project to be included in the budget.
The idea stemmed from Saskatoon Tribal Council’s Sawēyihtotān program, which had several peacekeepers patrolling the public washrooms and showers located at 315 Avenue M South.
“We’re part of the solution. We don’t want to be part of the problem. So, hopefully working together so that this budget item can be endorsed really will help our city to add to our outreach services.”
The one-year pilot project would require $300,000 for staffing, resourcing and administration costs, and would allow four peacekeepers to be hired 12 hours a day.
Business
To provide prospective from the business sector, Mike Lawton with NSBA: Saskatoon’s Business Association warned about the impact tax increases would have on local businesses.
“When property taxes rise, even modestly, businesses cannot simply absorb them. It is often their fourth, fifth, or sixth cost increase of the year. And unlike some organizations, most small businesses don’t have the ability to pass these costs along without potentially losing customers.”
He provided several solutions that don’t include a boost to the mill rate. They include the implementation of priority-based budgeting, strengthening asset management and preventative maintenance, joint procurement and intermunicipal purchasing, doing value-for-money audits, and integrating AI.
Housing
Several more Saskatoon residents expressed the importance of housing investments. Jasmine Hasselback with the Saskatchewan Health Authority says housing is one of the strongest determinants of health, both physical and mental. She urges City Council to prioritize the affordable housing strategy put forward by administration earlier this year.
“This is a strong evidence-based plan, but even the best design strategies can only succeed with adequate resourcing behind them. Municipal decisions at budget time have real, measurable impacts on population health. You can either reduce health inequities or unintentionally widen them.”
Transit
A member of the Saskatoon Transit Union is asking City Council to enhance security and enforcement efforts on City buses.
Darcy Pederson says Saskatoon’s system is good, but it lacks dedicated transit focused enforcement.
“Right now, no one on the ground has the authority to remove a violent rider, stop a threat, or enforce fare payment. And everyone, the operators, the passengers, and the people causing the problem know it.”
He says only the Saskatoon Police Service can remove belligerent riders. A report will go before Council at some point during the budget process, providing four options for enhanced transit security. Pederson suggests the City spend $1.6 million on hiring one Sergeant and eight officers, as well as two additional patrol cars in 2026.
Over the next few days, administration will present over 100 budget options that could save the city money if implemented. A new, expectantly lower, property tax rate will be revealed at the end of the process.
