Saskatoon city council agrees to raise budget for sixth snowstorm, increases taxes 4.96%

Saskatoon city councillors have added more money to the city’s snow and ice budget.

The total 2025 snow and ice management budget is set at $18.1 million — a $1.6 million increase from the 2024’s budget.

Clae Hack, the city's chief financial officer, said the increase will account for inflation, rising contract costs for snow removal and a sixth significant snowfall event.

On Monday night, Ward 8 Coun. Scott Ford put forward a motion for the city to increase funding in the event of a sixth significant snowfall.

"The city seems to have been hit a couple times with these additional snow events, and I think it's time to add it to the budget," Ford said.

Currently, the city budgets for five snow events — classified as a snowfall of five or more centimetres. Last weekend's snowfall marked the sixth snow event for 2024.

Funding a sixth snow event would cost and additional $1.5 million.

In the end, councillors agreed to put $500,000 towards an additional snow event — refusing to cover the full $1.5 million, hoping to lessen the property tax increase.

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Ward 6 Coun. Jasmine Parker urged council not to let recent events dominate budget decisions.

Just days after the city's six new councillors were sworn in, Saskatoon was hit with three snowstorms, resulting in more than 20 centimetres of snow.

"This issue came up immediately for us," Parker told journalists after the first day of 2025 budget deliberations.

"I just want to make sure we're not getting tunnel vision, that this is the biggest issue the city faces. It's certainly the biggest issue we're facing right now."

Budget deliberations for 2025 wrapped up on Tuesday, with councillors landing on a 4.96 per cent property tax hike.