Information About Saskatoon

Saskatoon is the most populous city in the province of
Saskatchewan, and has been since the mid-1980s when it surpassed the provincial capital of Regina. The city had a population of 202,340 in the Canada 2006 Census, with a civic estimate of 231,900 in 2010. The city’s census metropolitan area had a population of 211,504 in the 2006 Census. Statistics Canada estimated Saskatoon’s CMA population as 265,000 as of July 1, 2010.  This commercial centre and region serves over 300,000 people, and it  has one of the most diversified economies in the country – producing outstanding products and services that are in demand throughout the world. With a solid infrastructure,
natural resources, research and development facilities, and a well educated workforce – the Saskatoon region is continually creating exciting opportunities for business and individuals. Saskatoon’s history is rich with stories of growth and
prosperity and is also known for its resilience and ingenuity in times of hardship.  People have been living in the Saskatoon area for more than 8,000 years. In 1882, the Toronto-based Temperance Colonization Society was granted
21 sections of land straddling the South Saskatchewan River, between what is now Warman and Dundurn. The aim of the group was to escape the liquor trade in that city and set up a “dry” community in the Prairie region. The following year settlers, led by John Neilson Lake, arrived on the site of what is now Saskatoon and established the first permanent settlement. At that time, there were a few houses, a store, a sawmill and some 80 optimistic souls living in Saskatoon.

A town charter for the west side of the river was obtained in 1903 (Nutana became a village in that year). Named for the Cree word for “indigenous berry”, Saskatoon was formally incorporated as a city on May 26, 1906 with a population of 4500, which included the communities of Saskatoon, Riversdale and Nutana.  In the early days of being a city, Saskatoon was one of Canada’s fastest growing cities. In 1955 Montgomery Place and in 1956 the neighbouring town of Sutherland were annexed by the fast growing City of Saskatoon.

The Saskatoon area was inhabited long before any permanent
settlement was established, to which the ongoing archaeological work at Wanuskewin Heritage Park and other locations bears witness. Canada’s First Nations population has been increasingly urbanized, and nowhere is that more apparent than in Saskatoon, where the First Nations population increased by 382% from 1981 to 2001; however, a portion of this increase, possibly as much as half, is believed to be due to more people identifying themselves as Aboriginal in the census rather than migration or birth rate. Saskatoon has a higher percentage of First Nations population than any other major Canadian city at nearly 9%, although Winnipeg and Regina both exceed 8%; in certain neighbourhoods such as Pleasant Hill, this percentage exceeds 40%. Most First
Nations residents are of Cree or Dakota cultural background although to a lesser extent Saulteaux, Assiniboine, and Dene communities also exist.

The economy of Saskatoon has been associated with potash,
oil and agriculture (specifically wheat), resulting in the moniker POW. Various grains, livestock, oil and gas, potash, uranium, gold, diamond, coal and their spin off industries fuel the economy. The world’s largest publicly traded uranium company, Cameco, and the world’s largest potash producer, PotashCorp, have corporate headquarters in Saskatoon. Nearly two-thirds of the world’s recoverable potash reserves are located in the Saskatoon region. Innovation Place founded in 1980 brings together almost 150 agriculture, information technology, and environmental, life sciences and agricultural biotechnology industries in a science park or technology park setting.

Saskatoon’s other nickname, Hub city refers its ideal
central location for distribution and logistics. Saskatoon John G. DiefenbakerInternational Airport with 105,620 aircraft movements in 2008 was listed as the 19th busiest airport in Canada.

Saskatoon is developing the South Central Business District,
or block 146, which is called the River Landing Project. Long range planning is underway for an expected population of 350,000 by 2030 (2011 estimate).

Saskatoon is expected to see a 1.7 percent growth in gross
domestic product for the year 2009. The city saw a 3.4% growth in 2004, 5.1% increase in 2005 and a 2.8% increase in 2006. Saskatoon held Canada’s No. 1 economic growth spot for Canada in 2005 according to the Conference Board of Canada. The Conference Board again predicted the city would rate first for economic increase in 2008, showing a growth rate of 5.2%. The Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Authority (SREDA) has also been ranked amongst Canada’s top ten economic growth groups by Site Selection magazine.

Saskatoon lies on a long belt of rich, potassic chernozem in
middle-southern Saskatchewan and is found in the Aspen parkland biome. The lack of surrounding mountainous topography gives the city a relatively flat grid, though the city does sprawl over a few hills and into a few valleys. The lowest
point in the city is the river, while the highest point is disputed between the suburb of Sutherland in the east side and the Silverwood-River Heights areas in the city’s north end. Saskatoon, on a cross-section from west to east, has a
general decline in elevation above sea level heading towards the river, and on the east bank of the river, the terrain is mostly level until outside the city, where it begins to decrease in elevation again.

Saskatoon is divided into east and west sides by the South
Saskatchewan River. It is then divided into Suburban Development Areas (SDA) which are composed of neighbourhoods.

Saskatoon is in the aspen parkland biome and experiences
warm summers and very cold winters (plant hardiness zone 2B). Its climatic zone is humid continental  The city has four distinct seasons. Average temperatures range from −17°C (-1°F) in January to 19°C (66°F) in July. Saskatoon is fairly dry, with the summer being the wettest season. A positive aspect of the low precipitation is that Saskatoon is sunnier than average in Canada as a result, averaging 2,380.8 hours of bright sunshine annually. The extreme temperatures are also more tolerable on account of the typically low humidity. The summer months can get hot at times, but the average summer high is 24°C (75°F). Thunderstorms are common in the summer months and can be severe with torrential rain, hail, high winds, intense lightning and, on rare occasion, tornados. The frost-free growing season generally lasts from mid-May to mid-September, but due to Saskatoon’s northerly location, damaging frosts have occurred as late as June 14 and again as early as August. The lowest temperature ever recorded in Saskatoon was −50°C (-58°F) in 1893. The lowest wind chill ever recorded was −62°C (-80°F). The highest temperature ever recorded in Saskatoon was 40.6°C (105.1°F) on 5 June
1988.

More than a century after Saskatoon was incorporated  Saskatoon is again hailed as one of Canada’s leading economies in terms of gross domestic product and population growth.