'Missed opportunity': Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce says city could have saved millions by cutting new hires
The City of Saskatoon could have saved millions of dollars in its 2023 budget by restricting new hires, according to the Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce.
Jason Aebig, CEO of the chamber, said he’s disappointed city councillors didn’t debate employment expenses further.
“Unfortunately, we didn't get there and that's disappointing,” Aebig told CTV News.
The number of city staff, including police, will increase by 77 full-time equivalent employees next year — some of the positions are funded by the province.
Cutting 30 of those positions would save $2.25 million, according to Aebig.
Council found savings in other ways, largely by adjusting its forecasted fuel costs.
Aebig said council’s strategy of finding small savings here and there is inefficient.
“It’s like vacuuming the rug when the house is on fire,” Aebig said, referring to council’s debate of reducing landfill hours.
“When we’re talking about trying to find savings, we need to look at the meatiest part of the operating budget. How come, when it comes to hiring or rehiring positions, that question is untouchable? To avoid having that discussion is a missed opportunity.”
Mayor Charlie Clark says each new employee being added is needed, specifically the new transit workers.
“We need to have some additional transit staff in the mechanic area, so we do not end up in the situation where we don’t have buses,” Clark told reporters after the budget deliberations.
The one councillor who voted against the 2023 budget
The city’s spending choices determined the finalized property tax rate.
Last year, council pre-approved a 3.53 per cent hike. The administration recommended increasing it to 4.38 per cent because of inflationary pressures and new costs. Eventually, council brought the property tax increase down to 3.93 per cent.
The average homeowner will pay $6.53 more per month.
Ward 1 Councillor Darren Hill was the only person who voted against the 2023 budget.
“I wasn't going to support anything above and beyond the 3.53 that we had identified last year in the multi-year budget process,” Hill said.
“We should have done everything within our power to stay at 3.53.”
Hill echoed Aebig’s idea to focus on hiring costs to save.
“I can't remember the last time that we've done a big dive right into every single operating line, and every single full-time equivalent employee that we have, and evaluate their position, their responsibilities and see if it's still warranted,” Hill said.
City hall is continuing with its multi-year budgets. Clark said the administration will soon start crunching numbers for the 2024 and 2025 cycle.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.