Saskatoon·NewCity council approves a project to extend sewage pipeline to Wanuskewin Heritage Park despite concerns about odour at a waste depot in an industrial area, and gets an update on a proposed warming centre in Riversdale.Meanwhile, a clear answer on Riversdale warming centre remains elusivePhil Tank · CBC News · Posted: Nov 19, 2025 3:00 PM EST | Last Updated: 10 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Saskatoon’s wastewater treatment plant is seen on May 3, 2021, in Saskatoon, Sask. (CBC)New sewer pipelines pumping human waste from the surrounding region into Saskatoon will increase the flow through a depot that is already emitting a foul stench, city council heard.But Saskatoon Water director Russ Munro told council on Wednesday that the extra sewage is not expected to worsen the smell at a liquid waste depot in the Marquis Industrial area.Council approved part of a project to replace two existing pipelines, built in 1984 and 2005, that take sewage from the wastewater treatment plant next to the Silverwood Heights neighbourhood to lagoons located in the Rural Municipality of Corman Park. The project will also establish service to Wanuskewin Heritage Park northeast of the city and, eventually, to the city of Martensville.“We have a depot in the North Industrial area right now where liquid waste is being brought across and I’m getting a lot of complaints about odour up there,” Ward 5 Coun. Randy Donauer said.Munro gave a technical explanation about why he thinks increased sewage flow will not make the smell worse. The sewage from Martensville will be partly treated, which Munro called a “fresher wastewater.”He also assured Donauer that a remedy for the problem at the Marquis waste hauler disposal station is included in the capital portion of the two-year budget that council will debate next week.However, Munro acknowledged it could take three years for the problem to be rectified.He said design work to replace the malfunctioning device that is supposed to eliminate the odour could take place next year and construction could happen in 2027 and 2028.“Oh boy,” Donauer said of the time estimate.Munro also said the city will need a partner for the project. In the meantime, the city will continue to try to reduce the odour, he said.“It’s an issue in the community and it’s an issue we need to deal with,” Donauer said. “And I’m serious.”He expressed skepticism about expanding sewage service beyond Saskatoon until the smell is eliminated.The entire project to replace existing sewage pipelines and to extend pipes to Martensville and Wanuskewin is part of a $93.4-million plan known as the “biosolids pipeline corridor,” which is funded partly by the federal government. The extension of pipeline to Wanuskewin, which council approved Wednesday, costs about $400,000.Construction is expected to take place in a way that does not disturb the bison herd at Wanuskewin.Getting warmerA clear answer remains elusive on when a warming centre for homeless people in the Riversdale neighbourhood will open.Mayor Cynthia Block asked about the status of the former restaurant at 325 Avenue C South that is supposed to be converted into a drop-in warming centre.The city’s director of planning and development, Lesley Anderson, told council that the city is “pushing for that to be open as soon as possible.”Block asked for more clarity and Anderson assured her it will be weeks, not months.The city purchased the building with the intent to lease it to the province. The province is then expected to sublease the building to an unnamed agency to operate the warming space.An item regarding the lease for the building was withdrawn from Wednesday’s council agenda. Council was told in early November when the purchase of the building was approved and that renovations would take four weeks.Meanwhile, the city is working through some logistical issues at a temporary warming centre at the former Saskatchewan Transportation Company bus depot on 23rd Street downtown, Anderson said. That space is run by the Saskatoon Tribal Council.“I think it’s going well,” Anderson said.ABOUT THE AUTHORPhil Tank is a journalist in Saskatoon.
Sewage pipelines will increase flow, not smell, Saskatoon council hears
