Redesigning Curbside Waste

City of Saskatoon, VVCA, VVCA News & Events,

Redesigning Curbside Waste
#yxetalkstrash
To help the City move towards 70% Waste Diversion by 2023, the City is in the process of redesigning Curbside Waste Collection and it needs your input. This work will help design a city-wide organics program, make appropriate modifications to capacity and frequency, and unify costs for waste management under a waste utility.

Saskatoon Talks Trash – Curbside
The City of Saskatoon is reviewing curbside collection for single family homes and we need your input. Beginning on February 12, 2018 there will be a series of public engagement opportunities to look at the priorities, preferences and any barriers that might impact a redesigned curbside waste collection system.

Please note that this phase of engagement is intended for residents with curbside collection (front street or back alley pick-up). Engagement for residents in the multi-unit collection program will take place in Spring 2018 – stay tuned!

Everything is on the table, including curbside organics, recycling, waste, cart sizes, collection frequency, funding model, and depots/other services.

Engagement Webpage: For the most current information throughout the engagement visit www.saskatoon.ca/yxetalkstrash.

Online Survey and Pop-up Engagements: Complete the online survey or attend a pop-up engagement. Both activities cover a parallel series of questions to understand your experiences, explore preferences and generate ideas to help the City reach 70% waste diversion by 2023.

Online Survey: The survey will be available from February 12th to March 4th at www.saskatoon.ca/yxetalkstrash and will take approximately 10 minutes to complete.

Pop-up Engagements: Participate in a 5-10 minute activity facilitated by City staff at one of the following come-and-go style events.

· Tuesday Feb. 13, 4-7pm, Shaw Centre
· Thursday Feb. 15, 10am-1pm, Alice Turner Library
· Saturday Feb 17, 11am-2pm, Lawson Heights Mall
· Thursday Feb 22, 1pm-7pm, Circle Centre Mall
· Saturday Feb 24, 8am-12pm, Saskatoon Farmers Market
· March 1, 12:30-3:30pm, St. Martin’s United Church (lobby)
· March 1, 6:30-9:00pm, St. Martin’s United Church (lobby)

Community Workshops: These 2-hour events give you the chance to dig deeper into the priorities, preferences, and any barriers that will be considered in a redesigned curbside waste collection system. Both workshops will be held at St. Martin’s United Church. Registration is preferred since the number of seats is limited. For more event information and to RSVP, visit Eventbrite.

· Afternoon Workshop: March 1st, 1 – 3pm
· Evening Workshop: March 1st, 7 – 9pm

Accessibility Waste Collection Workshop: This invite-only workshop is for stakeholders or organizations that serve or represent older adults and/or other residents who are physically challenged by the task of managing a waste cart. It will take place on March 6th from 9:30 – 11:30am at the Saskatoon Field House. Please e-mail yxetalkstrash@saskatoon.ca for registration information.

Sensemaking Saturday: This interactive half-day workshop will discuss the engagement results and proposed recommendations. When completing the online survey or attending a pop up event or workshop you will be given the chance to opt-in for a chance to be randomly selected to attend this event.

Social Media: “We’re Talking Trash Saskatoon” ads and posts will be occurring throughout the campaign. Follow the City on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to receive updates. All social media comments will be included in the engagement results.

Join the conversation. For more information visit www.saskatoon.ca/yxetalkstrash

Sign up to be notified of upcoming engagement activities beginning in February 2018.

Read Saskatoon LIT UP!

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LIT UP! is a fun, casual evening that spotlights literacy through great volunteer recognition, great company, tasty eats, sweet treats, and exciting ticket, silent, and live auction items!

Date: Thursday, March 15th, 2018
Time: 6:00 pm cocktails, 7:15 pm program
Location: Sheraton Cavalier Hotel
Tickets: $75/person, $600/table, $800/VIP. A charitable receipt is available for ticket purchases.

LIT UP! sells out early every year! Visit READSaskatoon.com or call 306.652.5448 to get your tickets today!

Jane’s Walk 2018 – volunteers

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Do you have a favorite spot that tells a story about Saskatoon – perhaps about your own neighbourhood?

Jane’s Walk, the 1st weekend in May 2018, is making the call out for walk leaders. A typical walk takes about an hour and is free. This event, now in 212 cities, is inspired by the life of Jane Jacobs, a writer, and urban activist who championed the voices of everyday people in city-building.

A user-friendly form for walk leaders is on our new website and this is also where you will check in late April for the 15 or more walks in Saskatoon that you might join: http://janeswalksaskatoon.ca/index.php/about/. Samples of topics and locations of past walks are on the blog http://saskatoonjaneswalk.blogspot.ca. Visit our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/JanesWalkSaskatoon/.

The Big Shred 2018

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On Saturday, May 5, 2018 from 9 am – 12 noon, bring your old paper to the 5th annual ‘Big Shred’ in the parking lot of McClure United Church at 4025 Taylor St. (at McKercher)!

Protect against personal identity theft as your old documents go into the Shred-It company truck’s shredders! Quickly destroy old bank and utility statements, tax returns (2011 and earlier), old files, outdated documents, etc.

The service is by donation (suggested $10 per paper box, or $5 per shopping bag) to assist the McClure Place Foundation in paying down the mortgage at Amy McClure House. Protect your family by removing that unwanted … yet personal paper!

(Note: In 2017, more than 15,000 pounds of paper was safely shredded in three hours!)

The McClure Place Foundation is a charity and a non-profit organization.

U of S Book Club: Thomas King

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2018 Arts & Science Book Club selection:
The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America by Thomas King

The College of Arts & Science will welcome award-winning author Thomas King at two free public events on Jan. 29, 2018. Alumni, students and the wider college community are invited to read The Inconvenient Indian in anticipation of the author’s visit to campus.

Monday, Jan. 29
Reading and Discussion with Thomas King
2:00–3:30 pm
Gordon Oakes Red Bear Student Centre, 5 Campus Dr.

My Writing Life: An Interview with Thomas King
Join journalist Betty Ann Adam for a conversation with Thomas King about his life and work.
7:00–8:30 pm
Convocation Hall, Peter MacKinnon Building, 107 Administration Pl.

About Thomas King:
Thomas King is an award-winning writer whose fiction includes Green Grass, Running Water; Truth and Bright Water and The Back of the Turtle, which won the Governor General’s Literary Award. His non-fiction book The Truth About Stories won the Trillium Book Award, while The Inconvenient Indian won the B.C. National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction and the RBC Taylor Prize. A member of the Order of Canada and the recipient of an award from the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation, Thomas King has taught at the University of Lethbridge and was chair of American Indian studies at the University of Minnesota before moving to the University of Guelph, where he taught until he retired. He lives in Guelph with his partner, Helen Hoy.

Archives Week

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February 4-10, 2018

Archives Week is celebrated annually during the first full week of February.
Events featured during past Archives Weeks have included phone-ins shows on Radio; celebrity reading events, open houses and evenings of films in archives across Saskatchewan or of archival value to the province, a screening of the 1973 Saskatchewan-made film Paperback Hero was an example.

The “Archives Pavilion” at the Saskatoon Heritage Festival has been a regular feature in Saskatoon, but other events in communities including Cut Knife, Humboldt, LaRonge, Lloydminster, Melfort, North Battleford, Prince Albert, Regina, St. Isidore de Bellevue, Shaunavon, Swift Current, Wilcox and many more across the province.

Archives Week will continue to be an annual event, celebrated during the first full week of February starting on the Sunday.

“Night at the Roxy: Archival Variety Show,”
February 8th, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. at 320 20th Street West, Saskatoon, featuring readings, films, and an interactive display from the Western Development Museum. The fourth film in the Provincial Archives’ video series “From the Prairies to the Trenches” will be shown at the event

The 2018 Saskatoon Heritage Festival, February 4th, afternoon, at the Western Development Museum, 2610 Lorne Avenue, Saskatoon.

To learn more about the many activities taking place throughout the province, please visit: http://www.scaa.sk.ca/public-awareness/archives-week/.

New Police Chief

City of Saskatoon, VVCA, ,

The Saskatoon Board of Police Commissioners announced Wednesday January 17, 2018 that Troy Cooper is the Police Chief-Elect of the Saskatoon Police Service. He commences his duties on February 28, 2018.

Commission Chair Darlene Brander said, “We are extremely pleased to announce the appointment of Troy Cooper as Chief of Police in Saskatoon. He is the candidate who will continue to motivate and engage our highly qualified Police Service while he concurrently engages with groups and residents throughout our city. We found the community leader we wanted.”

The planning process for recruitment, evaluation and selection of the next Chief of Police was launched in the summer of 2017. In early fall, the Commission announced the recruitment process was underway, and updated the public as the process moved ahead, noting that the Commission remained 100% on track with its stated schedule. From the outset, the Commission’s target was to have the new Chief in place by the first Quarter of 2018.

The standard set of responsibilities for a Chief of Police, include: the management, administration and operation of the Police Service; the maintenance of law and order; the prevention of crime within the City of Saskatoon; and the maintenance of discipline within the Police Service.

Chair Brander added, “Our Commission members knew, right from the start, that we were looking for more than the mandatory set of skills. We wanted to find a Chief of Police who was, among other things, a true community leader, who had displayed exemplary skills in his or her interaction with the community. And we wanted to find a Police Chief who has the proven ability to fully engage and motivate an outstanding Police Service.”

The Saskatoon Board of Police Commissioners communicated, on several occasions during the recruitment process, its complete level of satisfaction with the quality of applications received. The Commission can confirm that it received applications that were internal and applications that were external to the Saskatoon Police Service and can also confirm that it received applications from across Canada. Additional information on applicants cannot be provided in the interests of the confidentiality of the applicants.

Contact:
Saskatoon Board of Police Commissioners Chair Darlene Brander through the City Clerk’s Office at 306-975-3240.
Saskatoon Board of Police Commissioners Vice-Chair Carolanne Inglis-McQuay through the City Clerk’s Office at 306-975-3240.
Dwight Percy, Consultant to the Saskatoon Police Commission, 306-222-1361 or dwight@percycomm.ca
Police Commission Website: www.saskatoonpolicecommission.com

January 2018 Registration Night

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Don’t Forget!

Registration is Tuesday, January 9 and Thursday January 11, 2018, from 7:00-8:30 p.m. at Brunskill School (Multi-Purpose Room), 101 Wiggins Avenue North.

A membership fee of $10/individual, $20/family per year is required to participate in programs and must be presented at the time of registration. Varsity View Community Association honours other community association memberships.

In an effort to ensure everyone who wants to particpate can, cost-as-a-barrier assistance is available for those facing hardships. To inquire, please contact Barb (blgiles@sasktel.net) or inquire with any volunteer on registration night. All inquiries are confidential.

Check out the Programs page for information on our offerings this session.

Saskatoon WinterCity

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There is already so much to do in Saskatoon in the winter! From outdoor winter activities like skating and cross country skiing, to PotashCorp Wintershines, one of Canada’s Best Winter Festivals, to attending a winter camp.

Check out the City’s website for listings of Outdoor Winter Recreational Facilities, Outdoor Winter Events, and Outdoor Programs and Activities, and more>

WinterCity YXE

WinterCityYXE supports a number of the City’s Strategic Goals and is an intentional effort by the City and community stakeholders to celebrate what makes Saskatoon unique as a four-season place that is inviting, vibrant and prosperous, even in the coldest months of the year.

Across North America and internationally, city leaders are partnering with community groups to highlight and tackle specific problems that occur in cities in the winter months, with the goal of improving the vitality of their community. Facilitated through the City of Saskatoon’s (City) leadership and engaging the interest and efforts of the entire community, a Winter City Strategy will articulate the changes necessary to help residents, businesses and visitors ‘embrace’ winter with as much enthusiasm as they have for the summer season.

The goals for a Winter City Strategy are to improve broader community accessibility, inclusion, activity and energy, and lead to greater economic vitality (particularly within service, accommodation and retail sectors) as the opportunities of winter are realized and the challenges mitigated. The intent of the Strategy is to be broad, responding to opportunities associated with winter life, winter design and winter economy; as well as addressing perceptions, attitudes and behaviours of citizens to generate a positive winter culture.

Kindergarten 2018

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Children who will be 5 years old by January 31st, 2019 can register for the Fall Kindergarten Program. Call Brunskill School at 306-683-7130 for more information or attend the Parent Information Meeting at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 18th, 2018.

*This year we will start accepting registrations beginning Monday, January 8th, 2018.

All parents/caregivers who will have children eligible to attend Kindergarten during the next school year, are invited to attend our Information Night on January 18, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. in the Brunskill School LRC (library). The meeting provides an opportunity to hear about our fabulous kindergarten program, meet the teachers, visit the classrooms and ask questions. This information evening is just for adults, but childcare in an alternate space within the school will be provided. Please spread the word to your friends and neighbors about this evening if they too have children eligible for Kindergarten.

All registered children will get a chance to meet the teachers and experience the program when they come to a Sneak Peak in May.

January 2018 newsletter

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The December 2017/January 2018 VVCA ‘The View’ newsletter is available to download from our Newsletter page, but a paper copy will be delivered to your home later this month.

Reminder that Program registration will be held, Tuesday, January 9 and Thursday January 11, 2018, from 7:00-8:30 p.m. at Brunskill School (Multi-Purpose Room), 101 Wiggins Avenue North.

Winter 2018 Leisure Guide

City of Saskatoon, VVCA,

Winter 2018 Leisure eGuide … is yours missing?

The Winter Leisure Guides have been delivered to each household in Saskatoon. What happens if you (or a resident in your community) did not receive one?

First, do you have a “No Flyers” sign on your door, or perhaps you called the Star Phoenix and asked them not to deliver flyers? If so, you will not get the Leisure Guide. The StarPhoenix delivers the Leisure Guide and the Leisure Guides are considered the same category as flyers. However, hard copies of the Leisure Guide are available at all Leisure Centres, Public Library locations and City Hall, and you can access an electronic copy on saskatoon.ca/leisureguide.

If you don’t have a “no flyer” sign and have not previously asked to not receive flyers, then please call the StarPhoenix (306-657-6320). It may be that your neighbourhood is missing a delivery person for a particular route, or perhaps the last person who lived in your house asked to not receive flyers (and therefore your address was put on the “no flyer” list). The StarPhoenix will arrange for a Leisure Guide to be delivered to you.

Also, if your address was not on the “no flyer” list – and your Leisure Guide simply did not get delivered – please call the City’s Marketing & Communications Team (306-975- 2882) and give them your address. Marketing & Communications produces the Leisure Guide, and would like to follow up on any issues where residents do not receive a copy.

YAS Basketball Camps

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Next Summer’s Basketball Camps

YAS – Young Athlete Saskatchewan is administered and headed by Saskatchewan professional “A” certified teachers who are highly accomplished basketball coaches.

Next summer’s YAS basketball camps in Saskatoon and Regina will start the week of July 2 to 6 and continue until the week of August 20 to 24, 2018.

Every youth age 8 to 10, 10 to 12, 12 to 14 and 14 to 16 who would like have fun and make new friends while learning and developing basketball skills is most welcome and invited to YAS camps.

Thank you to the Saskatchewan Community Initiatives Fund, Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority, Canadian Tire Jump Start Charity, Hall*Comm Trust, and private citizens for their financial donations to YAS that ensure that every youth can afford to attend YAS.

More information at www.yas.ca