Sarah Mills: Critics don't define whether or not a movie is good
Filmmaker Taika Waititi has thrown a hissy fit on social media because critics don't like his movie, and neither do movi...
The City of Saskatoon will continue negotiating with several property owners for the next 30 days rather than forcing them to sell portions of their properties to make way for new BRT stations.
During Tuesday’s Transportation Committee meeting, Terry Schmidt, general manager of transportation and construction, said negotiations had recently stalled with six property owners: four along 22nd Street West and two on 8th Street East.
Read more:
- New Saskatoon BRT stations and platforms expected to be completed by October
- Saskatoon city council decides on rapid transit design for First Avenue corridor
- City of Saskatoon invites feedback on bus network redesign
The assessed land value for each property ranges from just under $18,000 to about $59,000.
Schmidt said that during discussions with the owners, station platform layouts, sizes and locations were adjusted where possible in an effort to address their concerns, but those efforts were unsuccessful.
That left the city with a couple of options. The first was to build bus stops without the standard BRT platform, CCTV cameras, shelter or passenger information system.
“The second option would be to expropriate the land required so the stations can be built to a LINK standard,” Schmidt told the committee.
A total of 94 BRT stations will be built across the city. Forty-one were completed in 2024-25, another 14 are scheduled for completion in 2026, and the remainder will be finished in 2027.
Schmidt said expropriation was the recommended option.
“The owners of all six properties were provided notice on Oct. 28,” Schmidt said, noting that two property owners have since contacted the city to restart negotiations on a sale price.
While none of the property owners appeared at the committee meeting, Karen Kobussen, CEO of the Saskatoon West Business Association, spoke on behalf of some of them. She said that, based on correspondence with the city, many of their concerns had not been addressed.
“There were emails sent with specific concerns … about loitering, littering, safety concerns, pedestrian safety … the proximity of two of the stations for sure to the adjacent corner,” she said.
The new BRT stations will each have CCTV cameras, benches, shatterproof glass and an on-demand, time-limited heater for people waiting at the stations.
Ward 3 Coun. Robert Pierce asked whether there were concerns that the shelters would become “hangout” areas.
Schmidt said the new transit bylaw and the addition of transit police officers would help mitigate potential social issues by the time BRT launches.
“We are seeing improvements already to that program as far as safety and perceived safety and the reported incidents,” he said.
According to a letter sent to the city by Village Auto Sales and FFUN Group CEO Mark Leoppky, “even a relatively small reduction in property area could affect the overall functionality of the site,” referring to the property at 221 22nd St. W.
Leoppky added that FFUN Group was not prepared to voluntarily provide the land required along 22nd Street but that he was “committed to constructive engagement” to find a “reasonable solution.”
Pierce, who expressed concern that property owners had not been given enough time to respond to the city’s requests regarding negotiations and land requirements, put forward a motion to defer any land expropriation for 30 days to allow for a final attempt at negotiations with affected property owners.
“I want to make sure we make every effort possible to show that we want to work with people. They got a notice Oct. 28 saying this was coming today. That’s less than a week. If you’re a business, sometimes businesses aren’t as adaptable,” he said.
The motion passed, with Ward 9 Coun. Bev Dubois as the lone vote against it. The matter will return to the Transportation Committee for an update in December.
