Saskatoon city council to approve second phase of controversial freeway project
A local environmental group is rallying support against a proposed freeway around Saskatoon that would pass through two sensitive natural wetlands.
On Wednesday, city councillors are being asked to approve the second phase of the Ministry of Highways project, running from Highway 11 south of Saskatoon around the east side of the city up to the South Saskatchewan River.
While the ministry doesn't require city council's endorsement, administration says it will provide certainty to landowners and developers.
The development received criticism as it passed through committee in February, and this week councillors will be presented with close to 200 emails and letters in opposition to the roadway, which local group Swale Watchers says will cause “irreversible harm” to the Northeast and Small Swales — natural low-lying wetlands that support a diverse range of sensitive species.
Many of the emails contain the Swale Watchers’ advice for the project. They ask councillors not to endorse this draft, to call on the Saskatchewan government to find a route for the freeway that does not intrude on the swales, and to require the ministry to guarantee the project will be subject to a thorough environmental impact assessment.
In a letter to council dated March 12, Margaret Corbett describes the swales as “refuges for nature and for the people of Saskatoon.”
“These ribbons of native grassland and natural wetlands support an astonishing abundance of life, including at least 49 species so rare that they are listed as species of conservation concern. In a time of ever worsening biodiversity losses, natural areas of this diversity and importance should be protected from development,” Corbett writes.
“The damage and degradation this development would cause is well documented.”
Corbett says she’s not opposed to a freeway being built, but she wants to see a route that doesn’t go through the swales.
In its final design draft report to the city, the Ministry of Highways acknowledges the potential impact on the swales.
“Project designs should consider minimizing direct impacts to these features where possible,” the ministry says.
Should those impacts be “unavoidable,” the ministry proposes to mitigate them by taking measures to preserve drainage patterns, building fences to restrict wildlife access to the road, and adding wildlife crossings.
Since the swale would form a part of the road drainage network, the ministry says it would use forebay systems to pre-treat potentially toxic road runoff to “ensure that surface water inputs into the swale do not cause adverse impacts to the ecological function.”
The Saskatchewan Government has been working with the city on the proposed ring road since 1999. It’s intended to connect Highways 11 and 14 while bypassing the city.
(Source: Sask. Ministry of Highways)
In April 2022, council endorsed phase one of the plan which focused on the route from Highway 16 northwest of Saskatoon east to the South Saskatchewan River.
A few months before that vote, the province said it would postpone planning for phase three of the project, which would connect Highway 7 west of Saskatoon to Highway 16 northwest of the city.
However, Tuesday's city administration report to the committee said the province reversed course last September and said phase three planning would move forward.
The report noted this planning work is underway and should wrap up by the end of this year.
-With files from Hayatullah Amanat
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Chants of 'shame on you' greet guests arriving for the annual White House correspondents' dinner
An election-year roast of U.S. President Joe Biden before journalists, celebrities and politicians at the annual White House correspondents' dinner Saturday.
What is a 'halal mortgage'? Does it make housing more accessible?
The 2024 federal budget announced on April 16 included plans to introduce “halal mortgages” as a way to increase access to home ownership.
Here's where Canadians are living abroad: report
A recent report sheds light on Canadians living abroad--estimated at around four million people in 2016—and the public policies that impact them.
Deadly six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 sparked by road rage incident
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Harvey Weinstein hospitalized after return to New York from upstate prison
Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer said Saturday that the onetime movie mogul has been hospitalized for a battery of tests after his return to New York City following an appeals court ruling nullifying his 2020 rape conviction.
'We are declaring our readiness': No decision made yet as Poland declares it's ready to host nuclear weapons
Polish President Andrzej Duda says while no decision has been made around whether Poland will host nuclear weapons as part of an expansion of the NATO alliance’s nuclear sharing program, his country is willing and prepared to do so.
Central Alberta queer groups react to request from Red Deer-South to reinstate Jennifer Johnson to UCP caucus
A number of LGBQT+2s groups in Central Alberta are pushing back against a request from the Red Deer South UCP constituency to reinstate MLA Jennifer Johnson into the UCP caucus.