The City of Saskatoon could be looking at developing a new fiscal framework in the coming years.
At her State of the City address on Wednesday, Mayor Cynthia Block explained that with inflation, it is becoming unsustainable for Saskatoon to pay for the things that residents rely on via property tax increases.
“We would like some stability, some more proactive funding to fund the things that cities do that are within the federal government’s jurisdiction. I would say a more permanent infrastructure plan that doesn’t require us to apply.”
In the meantime, Block says she wouldn’t be surprised if this year’s budget deliberations resulted in a property tax increase that was “not small.” She attributes this to inflation, the current homelessness crisis, and current opportunities that are in store for Saskatoon. She says this will make deliberations this November quite difficult.
‘The priority has to stay squarely on the homelessness and community safety issues that we face, and we are going to need resources. What does that mean? Well, I think some very strong conversations with other orders of government, and some infectiously amazing ideas from the business community.”
Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce CEO Jason Aebig says he wishes City Council went into the budget process with a target goal and working backwards. He adds that the minute Saskatoon gets branded as a high-tax jurisdiction, it will hurt the city’s ability to attract businesses.
Block looks forward to hosting a forum where business representatives can gather to share ideas on how to solve local challenges. At the forum, she encouraged business owners to take a survey that will determine how the forum is ran and what the biggest challenges are.
The address also had an underlying theme of housing and homelessness, and the need to address the current crisis.
The event opened with video that detailed the milestones and progress the City has made leading up to today but also addressed the need for more affordable housing units. She says work on 757 new units is underway, many of which will offer wraparound supports.
She adds that the city is working alongside the province to create a new drop-in centre to connect people with recovery services.
