Saskatoon Construction

[EarlyByrdProductions]

Anyone know if all that crap floating down the river is from the in take getting put in up stream?

[Jerry]

Originally Posted by EarlyByrdProductions

Anyone know if all that crap floating down the river is from the in take getting put in up stream?

Not at all. If you're referring to the foam, apparently it's all natural and due to protein content in the water. It's caused by fast flowing water, which puts air bubbles into the water and then the protein binds to the air bubbles to create a foam. You usually see it here in the spring when they increase the water flow from Gardiner Dam and plants are dropping their buds. It will eventually clear up.


^ Brown foam in our river system.

[kgc087]

Commuters take long road

Growing traffic means city must think 'regionally': planner

Read more: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/Commuters+take+long+road/3180846/story.html#ixzz0raHkqo8c

Kathy Schaan's 2008 Chevy Impala is like her second home, she jokes.

The Watrous resident wakes as early as 5:30 a.m. and drives one hour to Saskatoon daily for work at an Eighth Street insurance broker, running up 1,100-plus kilometres on her vehicle each week.

"My husband jokes that I should have been a truck driver," said Schaan, 49. "An hour really is nothing when you think about it and if I did start thinking about it then I probably wouldn't do it."

Schaan is part of a growing legion of commuters from bedroom communities around Saskatoon who make the drive to work each day.

The latest employment profile from the City of Saskatoon shows it's a trend that's not going away. More than 15 per cent of the Saskatoon workforce -- or 12,500 people -- is made up of those commuting from other communities. On the flip side, 4,500 outbound commuters leave Saskatoon for work elsewhere each day, the report says.

Any numbers in the study are likely 25 per cent below the current reality because of the growth the region has experienced during the last four years, said Randy Grauer, manager of planning and development for the city.

While the bulk of drivers make the short trip from nearby towns, the distance people travel is staggering, the data shows, with some commutes in excess of 21/2 hours.

The commuter trend has only increased in the growing Saskatoon region, which recently crossed the 250,000 population mark, Grauer said.

While the city has long had a working plan with the RM of Corman Park, which directly encircles the city proper, there's a need now to formalize Saskatoon's relationship with towns and cities in the region such as Warman and Martensville, Grauer said.

The future plan must include a better understanding of the transportation network, focused around how to more efficiently move commuters in the region and how to pay for major road expansions on the horizon. The city has long discussed offering transit services to towns such as Osler, Dalmeny, Warman, Langham and Martensville, a plan that has yet to come to fruition because of cost.

"If we don't have any relationship we're leaving to chance how (the region) turns out," Grauer said.

Belinda Fitzsimmons, 41, is one of more than 100 people who make the regular 45-minute commute from Allan, population 650. With the potash mine expansion, more spouses are commuting to the city for work out of necessity. The pace of life and the low cost of living helps the family financially, she said.

"It just makes sense," Fitzsimmons said. "You can't always find that kind of job in a smaller centre."

For Schaan, working in the city was only made possible when her sons and daughters left home. The long drives are a trade off. When she worked in Watrous she found it was tough to get away from her job. Now, she says, the long distance allows her to leave work behind and means she's not running into clients on the street.

"I think it's going to be a way of the world in Saskatchewan," Schaan says. "It's just a whole lot nicer to live outside the city, a whole lot safer and a whole lot less stress."

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© Copyright (c) The StarPhoenix

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This is really concerning. The last thing Saskatoon needs to be doing is widening it's roadways. I think the city should focus on promoting urban living. I remember reading a study a few years ago that said young families are more successful in larger urban centers, as well that children have a much more well rounded perspective of life growing up in an urban centre. These ideas should be promoted to the small town dwellers that always knock down the urban lifestyle.

This is also a huge cause of concern in relation to suburbia. More often then not, when an urban centre has a major outlying population they will expand the cities limits with low density development to where that population is. Lets all swear on our lives that NEVER EVER happens! Up not out!

Also, think of the carbon emissions coming from these commutes. Ignorance about green living at its finest. I'm sure these are the people that also buy organics at walmart and think they are doing their part.

[EarlyByrdProductions]

[QUOTE=Jerry;4886424]Not at all. If you're referring to the foam, apparently it's all natural and due to protein content in the water. It's caused by fast flowing water, which puts air bubbles into the water and then the protein binds to the air bubbles to create a foam. You usually see it here in the spring when they increase the water flow from Gardiner Dam and plants are dropping their buds. It will eventually clear up.

Good to know!
Great pic! wow.
Where was it taken?

[TheCricket]

I wish I could see The Olive Garden through the vineyards behind your walkout basement Jerry.

Originally Posted by Jerry

^ I'm getting a vision of rows of vineyards behind the walkout basements.

[socialisthorde]

Originally Posted by TheCricket

I wish I could see The Olive Garden through the vineyards behind your walkout basement Jerry.

The Walmart sign will probably be blocking it

KGC, I share your feelings about the commuter article. The parts that particularly horrified me was where she said something to the effect that "this is the future of saskatchewan" and the Crime bit. I say go for it and charge tolls covering the full cost (including city infrastructure such as interchanges and lights) and a higher parking fee for nonresidents and we'll see how attractive that "small town lifestyle" is.

[circle33]

It would appear that the Uptown Market has bitten the big one, or is the brown paper covering the windows just to shield the scorching summer sun?

Poor management or lack of market? Either way it's a shame.

[Devon]

Originally Posted by circle33

It would appear that the Uptown Market has bitten the big one, or is the brown paper covering the windows just to shield the scorching summer sun?

Poor management or lack of market? Either way it's a shame.

It's just some minor renovations.

[brithgob]

Originally Posted by Devon

It's just some minor renovations.

CTV just said the owner is looking for new investors, and hopes to reopen a "rejuvenated" market next month.

[Devon]

Originally Posted by brithgob

CTV just said the owner is looking for new investors, and hopes to reopen a "rejuvenated" market next month.

The small sign on the door said it would be closed for the 21st and 22nd if i remember correctly...who knows!?

[circle33]

Good to hear. I just kinda zipped by on a bike and didn't notice any signs.

[kgc087]

Originally Posted by socialisthorde

The Walmart sign will probably be blocking it

KGC, I share your feelings about the commuter article. The parts that particularly horrified me was where she said something to the effect that "this is the future of saskatchewan" and the Crime bit. I say go for it and charge tolls covering the full cost (including city infrastructure such as interchanges and lights) and a higher parking fee for nonresidents and we'll see how attractive that "small town lifestyle" is.

I missed that line. Over my dead body will the future of SK succumb to the horrific nightmare called suburbia. As future mayor and large scale developer I plan on turning this place around

[Crisis]

Originally Posted by kgc087

I missed that line. Over my dead body will the future of SK succumb to the horrific nightmare called suburbia. As future mayor and large scale developer I plan on turning this place around

I'd like to think you're just kidding with "the horrific nightmare called suburbia" comment, but I fear that is not the case. The reason people are flocking to the suburbs & bedroom communities is that they appreciate having their own homes where one doesn't have to listen to their neighbours' music in the apartment next door. The fact that you can simply open the door to your own grassed yard in which your children can play is much preferred to taking them to an elusive urban park and watching them like a hawk to ensure their safety.

While I have no quarrel with those who desire an urban lifestyle, it is not the choice of the majority of Saskatchewan residents, or we simply wouldn't be living here. Face it, most of us could easily find work in a large urban centre somewhere else in this nation but have chosen to live here for the advantages that Saskatchewan presents, one of which is an abundance of suburban homes within a short commute to work.

I, for one, have lived in a highrise in Toronto for a couple of years, but as westerners who grew up playing outside, my spouse and I quickly determined it was not the place we wanted to raise our family and were happy to come back west and settle in a bedroom community for many of the reasons Ms. Schann states in the article.

While you are certainly entitled to your opinion regarding what consitutes an ideal lifestyle, your elitist attitude of knowing better than the unwashed masses is irritating to say the least.

[jrm857]

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This is really concerning. The last thing Saskatoon needs to be doing is widening it's roadways. I think the city should focus on promoting urban living. I remember reading a study a few years ago that said young families are more successful in larger urban centers, as well that children have a much more well rounded perspective of life growing up in an urban centre. These ideas should be promoted to the small town dwellers that always knock down the urban lifestyle.

This is also a huge cause of concern in relation to suburbia. More often then not, when an urban centre has a major outlying population they will expand the cities limits with low density development to where that population is. Lets all swear on our lives that NEVER EVER happens! Up not out!

Also, think of the carbon emissions coming from these commutes. Ignorance about green living at its finest. I'm sure these are the people that also buy organics at walmart and think they are doing their part.[/QUOTE]

I don't recall the article saying it was widening roadways. As a planning student, and having grown up near watrous i understand what they are going through. Not everyone wants to live in the city, and the city cannot promote urban living to those living in a small town. And as a urban resident knocking small town living how is that different than them knocking small town living? Small town living offers things that the city can't. I agree that more urban living should be promoted but it should be promoted for those living in arbour creek, briarwood and stonebridge that are forcing city limits out. Let those people that live in a small town choose that lifestyle. The province, the city, and those bedroom communities surrounding Saskatoon should instead be looking at ways to create effective mass transit. Railways for example once were widespread across this province, and could be feasible again.

Planning should not be about forcing people into a lifestyle, or an area they do not want to be in, but more enabling people to make environmentally smart choices, for the area they live.

[Temperance]

I know this will be unpopular but I think planning is partly about forcing people to make lifestyle choices. When any proposal is ever made in Saskatoon which would impact on drivers (i.e. bike lanes, narrowing roads, pedestrian areas, etc.) the refrain is always "how will we handle the traffic?" Here in Amsterdam the city has consciously decided to make the centre of the city somewhat car unfriendly (difficult and expensive to park, many pedestrian areas, tram/transit only lanes and streets, bicycle lanes, narrow roads, etc.). The effect this has is...wait for it...far less people drive into the city and more people take public transit or bicycle. So a conscious decision has been made to not build everything around the car and the commuter culture. And people here accept that. If everything in saskatoon is built around the ideal of easy car access then we will end up with a city which is geared (pun intended) entirely towards cars. In other words, we will have a city of sprawling suburbia, a dead downtown, poor public transit, a sedentary lifestyle, and environmental destruction.

[kgc087]

Originally Posted by Crisis

I'd like to think you're just kidding with "the horrific nightmare called suburbia" comment, but I fear that is not the case. The reason people are flocking to the suburbs & bedroom communities is that they appreciate having their own homes where one doesn't have to listen to their neighbours' music in the apartment next door. The fact that you can simply open the door to your own grassed yard in which your children can play is much preferred to taking them to an elusive urban park and watching them like a hawk to ensure their safety.

While I have no quarrel with those who desire an urban lifestyle, it is not the choice of the majority of Saskatchewan residents, or we simply wouldn't be living here. Face it, most of us could easily find work in a large urban centre somewhere else in this nation but have chosen to live here for the advantages that Saskatchewan presents, one of which is an abundance of suburban homes within a short commute to work.

I, for one, have lived in a highrise in Toronto for a couple of years, but as westerners who grew up playing outside, my spouse and I quickly determined it was not the place we wanted to raise our family and were happy to come back west and settle in a bedroom community for many of the reasons Ms. Schann states in the article.

While you are certainly entitled to your opinion regarding what consitutes an ideal lifestyle, your elitist attitude of knowing better than the unwashed masses is irritating to say the least.

A modern, responsible, conscious person of today understands that suburbia, the auto and grass are the falls of society. These three things combined in any way produce more green house emissions, waste more water and displace people from their built environment then any other elements. Density does NOT have to be a cramped apartment separated by drywall from unit to unit. Pretty much in every other part of the world besides North America, high density family oriented condos are being built. Large 2-4 bedroom units with concrete walls, floors and ceilings so they are essentially sound proof. Innovative architects are now terracing buildings and adding green space to make it more accessible for children.

There is not one city model in the world that has proven suburbia works. The sheer cost of building mass transit to outlying areas such as those would be astronomical! That would be just the beginning, the operating costs would run the transit into the ground. Not enough people would ever use a train here to make it viable. Our city needs to reform the transit system to show that it is for ALL people, just not students and "poor" people. Once that happens rapid transit will be a viable option in Saskatoon. But yet again it does not work with low density outlying neighbourhoods. It needs mid-high density neighbourhoods to sustainably function.

The way of the future is not small towns around a dying urban centre. It is density, density and more density. Not to the point of Vancouver but enough to make a vibrant, mixed use environment throughout the entire city that relies on public transit and public green space where everyone can enjoy city amenities as well interact more with their neighbours to build a stronger community (ie. community gardens etc).

[kgc087]

Originally Posted by Temperance

I know this will be unpopular but I think planning is partly about forcing people to make lifestyle choices. When any proposal is ever made in Saskatoon which would impact on drivers (i.e. bike lanes, narrowing roads, pedestrian areas, etc.) the refrain is always "how will we handle the traffic?" Here in Amsterdam the city has consciously decided to make the centre of the city somewhat car unfriendly (difficult and expensive to park, many pedestrian areas, tram/transit only lanes and streets, bicycle lanes, narrow roads, etc.). The effect this has is...wait for it...far less people drive into the city and more people take public transit or bicycle. So a conscious decision has been made to not build everything around the car and the commuter culture. And people here accept that. If everything in saskatoon is built around the ideal of easy car access then we will end up with a city which is geared (pun intended) entirely towards cars. In other words, we will have a city of sprawling suburbia, a dead downtown, poor public transit, a sedentary lifestyle, and environmental destruction.

I 100% agree that people almost need to be "forced". The general public is completely ignorant about proper urban planning as well as how effective and ineffective some planning techniques are. The last thing any city wants to become is a spread out disaster like any major American city. The dream of a home and vehicle just isn't an option that is suitable to a sustainable lifestyle anymore. It just doesn't make sense to want to sit in traffic on a ten lane freeway for an hour or more. The health risks of just inhaling the pollution and stress from driving are enough to turn most people off from this idea. So I say make roads unfriendly in higher density areas to promote transit, biking and walking. Discourage low density development with family friendly mid-high density development!

[Morogolus]

It's all about balance, you don't want a city that's nothing but skyscrapers that block out the sun and give you vertigo when you walk down the street but you don't want just endless urban sprawl either. All the major centres in North America have all achieved a good balance between the two and I think that's what Saskatoon should be going for.

Saskatoon is never going to become the next Amsterdam with nothing but bikers and trams riding around though.

[kgc087]

Originally Posted by Morogolus

It's all about balance, you don't want a city that's nothing but skyscrapers that block out the sun and give you vertigo when you walk down the street but you don't want just endless urban sprawl either. All the major centres in North America have all achieved a good balance between the two and I think that's what Saskatoon should be going for.

Saskatoon is never going to become the next Amsterdam with nothing but bikers and trams riding around though.

I think you perhaps meant Canadian cities have achieved a good balance. Most American cities are having terrible issues with suburban sprawl, dying downtown's etc. I remember watching a good CBC documentary about a year ago about how Canadian urban centers are the balance between American suburbia and European density.

[ninipanini]

For the record I'm definitely in favour of creating a more urban environment for a bunch of reasons which have already been mentioned. One thing I would say though, it that people do have choice. I don't think it's appropriate to talk about the city "FORCING" people to do anything, and I don't really think that's what kcg meant either; what we need is a political environment that "DOESN'T ENCOURAGE" suburbia. Instead of falling over ourselves to sprawl, why not focus that energy on re-development and infill... if people want to live in the burbs, go right ahead, lots are available but the city shouldn't go out of it's way to make those developments more attractive than in the core of the city (ie. cheaper, more convenient, access to parks/schools...). Having said that, as the city grows there will be the need for development at the periphery, it would just be nice if this wasn't the primary focus. Think of how much easier it would be to provide services to a city with more density? Transit, utilities, SNOW REMOVAL! It all comes down to more money in a smaller area.

On the transit/bike lanes note... I couldn't agree more! As you can tell from my avatar, I spent a few months in Amsterdam and am so envious of their infrastructure. Think of the cost savings of maintaining smaller roads, and the decreased health care expenses associated with obesity (I bet the average Saskatonian is 20-25% bigger than the average Amsterdammer - you'd better bet an active lifestyle plays a BIG role in that!)?