Saskatoon city council not ready to endorse second phase of freeway study

Saskatoon city council is asking formore information about the environmental impacts of a proposed freeway that will wrap around much of the city.

At its meeting on Wednesday, council considered whether to endorse Phase 2 of the functional planning study for the project, which covers the area east of the city, including the northeast swale and the small swale ecologically sensitive areas that environmental groups want to see protected.

However, councillors voted to defer the decision on endorsement to a later date.

Ward 7 Coun. Mairin Loewen said in an interview on Thursday that it was a "very difficult decision," as council wants to be clear about the alignment of the road, for future planning purposes, but also has been hearing from residents about the importance of protecting the environment in that area.

"Trying to strike a balance between those competing interests was really difficult, but what we, I think, landed on, is what we're really looking for is trying to get some insurance from the province to be confident that when this project eventually goes ahead, there will be protections built into that plan for those areas," she said.

Council previously endorsed Phase 1 of the planning study, which covers the area where the highway would run north of the city. Phase 3 of the planning study, which covers the area west of the city, is currently underway.

The planned freeway would be a "four-lane, 55-kilometre stretch of divided highway that begins at Highway 11 south of Saskatoon and connects with Highway 7 west of the city," according to the government's project website. While the province has asked for the city's endorsements during planning, the ultimate decision on moving forward will be up to the provincial government.

There is no timetable for a final decision and construction is possibly a couple decades down the road.

One of the speakers at council on Wednesday was Candace Savage, on behalf of the Swale Watchers group. She said the Ministry of Highways has acted like a "bully" during planning and asked council not to endorse the study.

"For those of you seeking certainty from today's decision, do you really want to be certain of this plan and its consequences?" she said. "Please do not rubber stamp this flawed report."

Some councillors, including Ward 9 Coun. Bev Dubois, spoke in favour of endorsing the report. She noted that city administration has been working with the government since planning began in 1999.

"We know that there will be an environmental study done prior to construction, and we've heard anywhere from 15 to 25 years, and that's why we can't do an environmental study now," she said. "That does make sense."

Dubois moved a motion to endorse the report, but council did not vote on that motion after Ward 6 Coun. Cynthia Block moved a deferral motion asking Mayor Charlie Clark to send a letter to the provincial government requesting information on how the future environmental impact assessment will be implemented. Block's motion passed.