Saskatoon Construction III

[Echoes]

AllSask reporting that Werkliv, a student housing developer from Montreal has bought up College Drive land between Wiggins and Munroe, and is planning a 9 storey apartment building.

Werkliv has stated that the city's corridor zoning changes and transit plans for College Drive were major factors in going ahead with the project.

Yoou can see their past projects here: https://www.werkliv.com/en/

[Saskabusher]

So that's next to the 6 story apartment going up now? Very cool! The fact that a Montreal developer is checking out our turf is nothing to dismiss. Good times ahead.

[reddo]

Originally Posted by Saskabusher

So that's next to the 6 story apartment going up now? Very cool! The fact that a Montreal developer is checking out our turf is nothing to dismiss. Good times ahead.

Close to it at least, it could be a few houses away. I read in the minutes from a meeting that the current 6 story owner was hoping to buy the lots next to them and continue their development. That might not be an option anymore

[Echoes]

AllSask reports that it's 1224, 1226, and 1236 College Dr.

[Stormer]

Originally Posted by Echoes

AllSask reports that it's 1224, 1226, and 1236 College Dr.

So they are demolishing the College and Wiggins Residence?

[Echoes]

It sounds that way.

[YXE]

Nice to see money from out-of-province roll in while certain local developers are sitting on their hands. You snooze, you lose.

[jreid3]

Originally Posted by Brutopian

Couldn't agree more!

Here we have this picturesque river and river valley, and we have no real elevated vantage points in the Meewasin Valley from which to enjoy a (coffeehouse) coffee or restaurant meal while taking in the vista.

Maybe, just maybe, someone will consider incorporating such an experience into their riverside development going forward. Such a coffeehouse or restaurant would be a great place to take out-of-town guests, too, to show off the river valley.

Great point Brutopian. With the on-going construction of the first and now 2nd Baydo building the skyline is slowly growing. It's a shame the "The Spiral" has yet or never will come to fruition. Hopefully the phase 2 plot in River landing will be used for something tall and aesthetically pleasing.

[Brutopian]

Originally Posted by jreid3

Great point Brutopian. With the on-going construction of the first and now 2nd Baydo building the skyline is slowly growing. It's a shame the "The Spiral" has yet or never will come to fruition. Hopefully the phase 2 plot in River landing will be used for something tall and aesthetically pleasing.

Agreed! Here's hoping that there's been good interest from developers in Parcel G. I think Parcel G would be an ideal location for a coffeehouse or restaurant to be located a few stories up (within a condo or office tower) with a good view of the river. An open air restaurant or coffeehouse patio a few stories up (for use in the spring-summer-fall months) would be ideal, too, imo.

[Brutopian]

Stage is set for Saskatoon’s downtown arena partnership with Denver-based OVG360

By Lara Fominoff
CKOM
Oct 22, 2025

After the city of Saskatoon temporarily put the brakes on its downtown arena project six months ago, it appears as though it’s “game on” once again.

Last year, the city proposed a partnership with Denver-based Oakview Group 360 (OVG360), after it successfully bid for the $1.22 billion project.

[........]

Read more:
https://www.ckom.com/2025/10/22/the-stag...tm_content=386540875&utm_source=hs_email

[Brutopian]

Martensville apartment will help fill market need for rental units

By TERRY PUGH
Clark's Crossing Gazette
Oct 22, 2025

A $25 million four-storey, 87-unit apartment building currently under construction on Main Street in Martensville is expected to help meet the need for rental accommodation in the growing city.

The project, expected to be completed in the fall of 2026, is one of about three dozen multi-family residential projects being built by Winnipeg-based Ironclad Developments in Ontario, BC, Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan communities.

[........]

Read more:
https://ccgazette.ca/2025/10/22/martensv...tm_content=386540875&utm_source=hs_email

[Brutopian]

National Urban Park designation may help pay for expanded parking at Fred Heal Canoe Launch

Clark's Crossing Gazette
Oct 22, 2025

If the RM of Corman Park and Meewasin Valley Authority (MVA) follow roughly the same plan for expanding a parking lot at the Fred Heal Canoe Launch, it will cost the municipality and the authority an estimated $440,000, with the RM bearing $280,000 of that cost.

However, the designation of a National Urban Park (NUP) within the Saskatoon region may provide funding opportunities for that project, though the timeline for accessing that money is unknown.

That was the upshot of a report delivered to the RM of Corman Park planning committee on October 14, which the committee members accepted for information.

[........]

Read more:
https://ccgazette.ca/2025/10/22/national...tm_content=386540875&utm_source=hs_email

[Brutopian]

Five things to know about Saskatoon's bus rapid transit line

By Brody Langager
Saskatoon Star Phoenix
Oct 23, 2025

Changes are coming to Saskatoon’s downtown core in the form of dedicated bus lanes.

Information sessions and a survey are now available for Saskatoon’s Link bus rapid transit (BRT) route along First Avenue.

Here’s a rundown of changes people can expect once city council is presented with the final plan.

[........]

Read more:
https://thestarphoenix.com/news/local-ne...-about-saskatoons-bus-rapid-transit-line

[Brutopian]

‘Traffic is already really bad’: Drivers question logic of rapid transit changes

By Carla Shynkaruk
CTV News
October 22, 2025

As new transit platforms surface around Saskatoon for the city’s bus rapid transit system (BRT), residents are raising concerns and confusion.

Many fear the changes will hinder instead of help traffic flow.

Cory Kingsfield drives the stretch of Warman Road at Assiniboine Drive daily, and says the new BRT station just added there is perplexing.

“The traffic is already really bad on Warman Road here during those peak hours,” he explained.

[........]

Read more:
https://www.ctvnews.ca/saskatoon/article...ies-around-logic-of-brt-traffic-changes/

[Brutopian]

Originally Posted by Brutopian

‘Traffic is already really bad’: Drivers question logic of rapid transit changes

By Carla Shynkaruk
CTV News
October 22, 2025

As new transit platforms surface around Saskatoon for the city’s bus rapid transit system (BRT), residents are raising concerns and confusion.

Many fear the changes will hinder instead of help traffic flow.

Cory Kingsfield drives the stretch of Warman Road at Assiniboine Drive daily, and says the new BRT station just added there is perplexing.

“The traffic is already really bad on Warman Road here during those peak hours,” he explained.

[........]

Read more:
https://www.ctvnews.ca/saskatoon/article...ies-around-logic-of-brt-traffic-changes/

I am trying to understand how this new system will be rapid transit if there are few lanes in the route network dedicated just for buses. Also, if buses are stopped at a transit station in the right lane of, say, Warman Road to pick up and drop off passengers, it is inevitably going to back up car traffic behind the bus in the right lane until the bus continues on its route. This is going to negatively impact traffic flow. If I am misunderstanding how this new BRT system is supposed to work, can someone please enlighten me?

[Precision]

Originally Posted by Brutopian

I am trying to understand how this new system will be rapid transit if there are few lanes in the route network dedicated just for buses. Also, if buses are stopped at a transit station in the right lane of, say, Warman Road to pick up and drop off passengers, it is inevitably going to back up car traffic behind the bus in the right lane until the bus continues on its route. This is going to negatively impact traffic flow. If I am misunderstanding how this new BRT system is supposed to work, can someone please enlighten me?

This is the the Big plan to make it Rapid - Are you Ready - Slow down all other traffic - make them wait and choke the traffic behind the bus to allow the Bus to continue to move forward - yes this is the plan your city council want and approved.

PS. Have you seen the quality of the concrete work around these shelter's along 8th st near the wild wood golf course entry brand new side walk will need to be ripped out -severely cracked -at the very least if we have to pay for it - should it not be warrantied?

[skeet1991]

Originally Posted by Brutopian

I am trying to understand how this new system will be rapid transit if there are few lanes in the route network dedicated just for buses. Also, if buses are stopped at a transit station in the right lane of, say, Warman Road to pick up and drop off passengers, it is inevitably going to back up car traffic behind the bus in the right lane until the bus continues on its route. This is going to negatively impact traffic flow. If I am misunderstanding how this new BRT system is supposed to work, can someone please enlighten me?

A ton of people complain about not having reliable bus service, or having to wait for an hour for a bus in the winter. These lines should improve that, with a goal of ten minute peak frequency on these main lines.

I think the reality of our growing city (60,000+ new residents in the CMA since I moved back from abroad in 2016, and potentially hitting 400,000 people in the CMA in the next five years or so) means that, as we already see, many more cars will be and already are on the roads. Traffic is slowing down already. In my experience, 95% of those cars have one occupant at rush hour.

While this system probably won't make travel on our streets more 'rapid,' a more frequent bus service should take some of those extra cars off the road, slowing the inevitable increase in traffic a bit, while also making these corridors more friendly to infill and pedestrians.

I think it's been explained that having busses pull out of traffic to stop causes issues when it's time for them to pull back into traffic and nobody lets them in. Besides, people have lost their minds over bus-only lanes on College and 1st, so it seems that it's a lose-lose-lose situation when it comes to pleasing everyone.

It might be annoying to stop behind a bus for a minute or two on Warman. I commute on that road every day (and just wait to see that the plans for both of the Link stations on Warman at 7th and Hazen both will have pedestrian-activated crossings!! Haha), but I am also aware that in ten years this city will have transformed significantly, and I'll spend a lot more time sitting in traffic than I did growing up here.

There are upsides and downsides of a growing city. I think we'd be a lot worse off if the city did nothing to improve our transit system. And if a city the size of Vancouver can transform most of their downtown streets to accommodate better transit, bike lanes, and make room for pedestrians, I think we can manage.

[Brutopian]

Originally Posted by Precision

This is the the Big plan to make it Rapid - Are you Ready - Slow down all other traffic - make them wait and choke the traffic behind the bus to allow the Bus to continue to move forward - yes this is the plan your city council want and approved.

PS. Have you seen the quality of the concrete work around these shelter's along 8th st near the wild wood golf course entry brand new side walk will need to be ripped out -severely cracked -at the very least if we have to pay for it - should it not be warrantied?

If it's contractors doing the cement work, I would hope that they would be required to warranty their work. You would think that the work would also be inspected to ensure it meets standards.

[Brutopian]

Originally Posted by skeet1991

A ton of people complain about not having reliable bus service, or having to wait for an hour for a bus in the winter. These lines should improve that, with a goal of ten minute peak frequency on these main lines.

I think the reality of our growing city (60,000+ new residents in the CMA since I moved back from abroad in 2016, and potentially hitting 400,000 people in the CMA in the next five years or so) means that, as we already see, many more cars will be and already are on the roads. Traffic is slowing down already. In my experience, 95% of those cars have one occupant at rush hour.

While this system probably won't make travel on our streets more 'rapid,' a more frequent bus service should take some of those extra cars off the road, slowing the inevitable increase in traffic a bit, while also making these corridors more friendly to infill and pedestrians.

I think it's been explained that having busses pull out of traffic to stop causes issues when it's time for them to pull back into traffic and nobody lets them in. Besides, people have lost their minds over bus-only lanes on College and 1st, so it seems that it's a lose-lose-lose situation when it comes to pleasing everyone.

It might be annoying to stop behind a bus for a minute or two on Warman. I commute on that road every day (and just wait to see that the plans for both of the Link stations on Warman at 7th and Hazen both will have pedestrian-activated crossings!! Haha), but I am also aware that in ten years this city will have transformed significantly, and I'll spend a lot more time sitting in traffic than I did growing up here.

There are upsides and downsides of a growing city. I think we'd be a lot worse off if the city did nothing to improve our transit system. And if a city the size of Vancouver can transform most of their downtown streets to accommodate better transit, bike lanes, and make room for pedestrians, I think we can manage.

You make great points. The city is growing fast, and I realize that there are going to be growing pains as we try and find solutions to a myriad of issues that face this fast-growing city -- including improving transit.

I want the new BRT to be wildly successful. And it is heartening to see great effort go into improving the system. I have seen and used transit systems in various parts of the world and know how important these systems are to helping urban areas create a better quality of life for its residents.

I'm hoping that the frequency of the bus service on Saskatoon's BRT lines will entice more people to take transit and fewer people to drive their cars. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out in the coming years, but I am cheering on the new BRT to significantly increase ridership and surpass its goals for success.

[skeet1991]

Originally Posted by Brutopian

You make great points. The city is growing fast, and I realize that there are going to be growing pains as we try and find solutions to a myriad of issues that face this fast-growing city -- including improving transit.

I want the new BRT to be wildly successful. And it is heartening to see great effort go into improving the system. I have seen and used transit systems in various parts of the world and know how important these systems are to helping urban areas create a better quality of life for its residents.

I'm hoping that the frequency of the bus service on Saskatoon's BRT lines will entice more people to take transit and fewer people to drive their cars. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out in the coming years, but I am cheering on the new BRT to significantly increase ridership and surpass its goals for success.

I completely agree-- and I think it's hopeful that a lot of newcomers to our city seem more keen to take transit than those who grew up here and are a bit more used to vehicle use only. Of course, I'm generalizing. But hopeful!


Also, about the concrete quality in the other posts-- I have to agree as well. Driving to work each day it seems like the concrete pads poured just last year are bumpier than the surrounding asphalt and haven't aged well. They didn't seem to hold up great over the winter. Hard to see how they'll be in excellent condition for a 2028 launch.