SaskatoonThe increases ended up significantly lower than the original numbers released in June: 9.9 per cent and 7.34 per cent. Yet two councillors, veteran Bev Dubois and rookie Robert Pearce, voted against the budget, saying the increases were too high and lamenting an insufficient effort to reduce spending. Council settles on increases of 6.7 per cent next year, 5.81 per cent in 2027Phil Tank · CBC News · Posted: Nov 28, 2025 5:49 PM EST | Last Updated: 4 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 5 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Saskatoon Mayor Cynthia Block speaks to reporters after the city’s two-year budget passed at city hall on Friday. (Don Somers/CBC)Saskatoon Mayor Cynthia Block says she’s proud of the city’s budget, despite unusually high property tax increases.City council added to the spending bill on the fourth day of budget talks by opting to hire nine dedicated transit police Friday, which helped inflate the property tax increases.Council settled on jumps of 6.7 per cent next year and 5.81 per cent in 2027 — the highest two-year rise in more than a decade since increases of 7.43 per cent in 2014 and 5.34 per cent in 2015.The 2014 increase is regarded as the highest in history for city services in Saskatoon. “I’ll just say that I’m proud of the budget that we have created together and I think that it would be fair to say that we’ve all contributed to the numbers where they are at this moment,” Block said to wrap 26 and a half hours of budget debate.“I didn’t win every vote either. And that’s the reality of our democracy.”The increases ended up significantly lower than the original numbers released in June, which were 9.9 per cent and 7.34 per cent.Yet two councillors, veteran Bev Dubois and rookie Robert Pearce, voted against the budget, saying the increases were too high and there was insufficient effort to reduce spending.Council began Friday, which tied the record from 2023 by extending into a fourth day, with property tax increases at 6.17 per cent and 5.39 per cent. But council opted to add 11 new options to the operating budget, including the transit police, a new zookeeper and the cheapest of three options to enhance affordable housing incentives.All those contributed to the inflated increases. For a median assessed single-family home worth $394,200, the budget amounts to $158.19 more next year and $146.45 extra in 2027.In a new twist this year, council was presented with 108 options to trim back the tax increases through either reduced spending or services and increased revenue. But council only supported 45 of the measures; many were dismissed without even a debate.As a result, Saskatoon bus fares will rise for the first time in more than a decade, as will fees at indoor rinks, golf courses and to license pets.Veteran Coun. Randy Donauer, one of several councillors who announced he was dedicated to “core services,” said he was “saddened” to be discussing police for buses.Donauer said if the incidents occurring on buses were happening at city hall, council would have taken action sooner.“When you’re seeing weapons, pepper spray, knives, assaults — I’m sorry to be so blunt, but that’s what we’re talking about here,” Donauer said.“These are no longer behavioural issues and convenience issues. We’re now dealing with crime on buses, and that requires a police presence to do that.”The spending on transit police will be introduced over two years and include nine officers and two vehicles. Police Chief Cam McBride fielded questions about it from council on Friday.A city report suggests Saskatoon would be the first Canadian city with fewer than one million residents to add transit police. But Block told reporters that other cities the size of Saskatoon are moving in the same direction.Saskatoon Coun. Bev Dubois praised the budget process, but said she wanted council to get the property tax increases below six per cent. (Don Somers/CBC)New to the zooCoun. Zach Jeffries convinced his colleagues to support a new zookeeper so the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park and Zoo can maintain national standards for animal care. Otherwise, council heard, the zoo could be forced to reduce its animal collection.Jeffries stressed the zoo has been making more revenue and relying less on property taxes.Dubois praised the budget process, but said she wanted council to get the property tax increases below six per cent. Jeffries countered that he tracked the votes and did not think there was sufficient support to reduce the tax hikes to get below six per cent.The zookeeper got unanimous support, as did adding fire department dispatchers. But three councillors voted against the transit police: Holly Kelleher, Kathryn MacDonald and Jasmin Parker.MacDonald and Parker also broke ranks and voted against the police budget, a rare move in Saskatoon politics.Homelessness and social disorder punctuated the budget debate at times, as did downloading from higher levels of government. The talks happened in the shadow of the release this week of the city’s latest homeless count, which identified 1,931 people.Donauer got support for a comprehensive report on all money and resources spent by the city on the homelessness crisis.ABOUT THE AUTHORPhil Tank is an award-winning journalist based in Saskatoon. He can be reached at phil.tank@cbc.ca.
Saskatoon mayor proud of budget with high property tax hikes
