Saskatoon·AnalysisThis year’s budget will be remembered for police spending rising to one-quarter of city hall’s entire budget and the addition of officers dedicated to transit. But the actual crime rate decreased significantly last year from 2023. Council’s budget talks marked by lack of conflict, but still end up with major tax hitPhil Tank · CBC News · Posted: Dec 02, 2025 6:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 32 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Saskatoon city council debates the 2026-27 budget last week at city hall. (Phil Tank/CBC)Saskatoon city council got a stark warning about the perils of the pending property tax hike at the start of last week’s budget talks.Frank Regier, who frequently attends council meetings and speaks occasionally to warn of the real-life effects of rising property taxes, cautioned there might be “no Christmas” if the property tax increase remains high.“This is not going to be a good Christmas, “ lamented Regier, decked out in his signature split home-and-away Saskatoon Blades jersey. “Christmas is supposed to be a joyful time. As the bills mount up, you think, ‘Am I going to have lights on, food in the house or pay my tax bill?’”Regier attended the marathon four-day budget debate, where the proposed property tax hike of 7.43 per cent for next year — tied for the highest-ever — was cut to 6.17 per cent and then bounced back up on Day 4 to 6.7 per cent. Or six-seven, as the kids say.Of course, the city’s budget holds more meaning than the infamously cryptic numeric catchphrase.And this budget, more than any in recent memory, drilled down into the details. City council was tasked with rendering thumbs up or down on 108 measures to either cut spending, raise fees or shift money around.In the end, council backed just 45 options, almost all in the low-hanging-fruit category — although you may not agree with that characterization if you’re a golfer, hockey player or skater, pet owner, bus rider or someone who has to haul waste to the landfill.Fees for those activities are all increasing.Yet council steered clear of truly gut-wrenching decisions. Many of the quality-of-life options never even got a debate. So, George Ward Pool will stay open for at least a few years. Bus service will continue on its current schedule instead of ending an hour earlier. And recreation centres retain their opening hours.But the tax increase is truly eye-popping, quite possibly the second-highest in Saskatoon history for city services. Another hit of 5.81 per cent follows in 2027.Uplifting discussionA discussion about enforcing a little-known bylaw to charge people $150 if they need help from firefighters after they’ve fallen was described as “super icky” by Coun. Zach Jeffries.That may well be, but should the city’s taxpayers be paying for so-called lift assists? Council heard that some people abuse the support by failing to follow medical advice.And it’s a growing issue, with 1,728 calls recorded so far this year, already surpassing last year’s total of 1,723.It was suggested the Saskatchewan Health Authority should be helping to fund this service. That point ��— about the effects of downloaded responsibility from higher levels of government, particularly the province — resonated throughout the budget debate.Council opted to cut $108,200 in direct annual funding to the health authority to help run a west-side detox centre.And while there seemed to be, at least in public, less conflict and theatrics than during past budget debates, people will likely care little when they see their inflated tax bills.This budget will be remembered for police spending rising to one-quarter of city hall’s entire budget and the addition of officers dedicated to transit.The trifecta of social disorder issues — homelessness, addiction and mental health — helped define this budget. The actual crime rate decreased significantly last year from 2023.Coincidentally, the city’s point-in-time homelessness count was released amid budget talks, setting a new high of 1,931 people identified in October. Yet council supported the cheapest of three options to provide incentives for affordable housing, with the number of new units expected unclear. That number will land in the dozens, not the hundreds so obviously needed.Prior to the budget, Mayor Cynthia Block expressed the need for a new model for funding cities, noting that relying on property taxes dates back to the “era of horse and buggies.”On Friday, Block said she was “proud” of the budget, which will rub many residents the wrong way.She meant that council dealt with a tough budget as well as it could. Only two councillors voted against this two-year budget, compared to four the last time.But that will provide scant solace to those already struggling to pay their bills.
Saskatoons super icky budget debate yields big tax wallop
