Four Saskatoon neighbourhoods switching wards
Changes used to limit differences in population between existing areas
Saskatoon’s largest ward is getting bigger and jumping across the South Saskatchewan River.
In proposed changes to Saskatoon’s wards that would see four existing neighbourhoods switch wards, Ward 5 would expand its sprawling northern territory to the east side of the river.
The proposed move by four neighbourhoods represented the least disruption of three proposed changes to even out population between the 10 wards.
The three-person municipal wards commission’s proposed changes will be presented to Saskatoon city council on Monday.
The wards were required to change under provincial law mandating a limited variance between the populations of the 10 wards in the city.
Ward populations can only be 10-per-cent higher or lower than one-tenth of the city’s population.
For the 2020 election, Saskatoon’s population has been estimated at 270,790 using 2018 Saskatchewan Health information, so wards must include about 27,090 people.
This population estimate found that wards 5 and 8 contained too few people, and wards 7 and 10 contained too many.
Ward 7 is being downsized for the second straight election, largely due to the growth in the Stonebridge neighbourhood. Ward 10’s growth is driven by the Evergreen neighbourhood.
In one of the 2020 proposals to even out the wards, all 10 would have been affected.
In the selected plan, the Silverspring neighbourhood moves from Ward 10 to Ward 5, Wildwood moves from Ward 9 to Ward 8, Eastview moves from Ward 7 to Ward 9 and Brevoort Park moves from Ward 8 to Ward 6.
“The option chosen has the least amount of change,” the report says. The wards are used for both city council and school board elections.
Ward 5 would also be expanded to include two undeveloped areas on the east side of the river within city limits: The University Heights development area and the University of Saskatchewan lands, north management area.
The commission received 138 submissions about the proposed changes. The input was “varied and contradictory,” but themes were identified, such as moving the fewest number of neighbourhoods, the report says.
Only one person attended the first public engagement event on the proposed changes in June.
The commission includes city clerk Joanne Sproule and U of S Prof. Joe Garcea and is chaired by Justice Richard Danyliuk.