The City of Saskatoon transportation committee voted to send a report, which recommends the city consider building three road overpasses over train lines, straight to city council.
The typical legislative procedure has city committees accept reports “as information,” meaning the documents are passed on to the administration.
The committee unanimously voted to send the report to city council because, according to Coun. Randy Donauer, all previous decisions about the important issue were dealt with there and not in committee.
“I’m actually a little bit uncomfortable just receiving it as information,” he said to the committee, “because after all the previous reports and directions of council, for committee to just say ‘OK, we’re deciding, by receiving (the) information, that we’re done with it. That’s a pretty big decision for committee.”
“If we do not make a motion here… this will be the last report on this item,” councillor and committee chair Bev Dubois stated later in the meeting, summarizing the legislative process.
For years, the city has struggled with what to do with the Canadian Pacific and Canadian National rail lines. Trains passing through Saskatoon can cause traffic delays and, as Ward 2 representative Hilary Gough told the committee, could completely cut off the Montgomery Place neighbourhood.
The city hired engineering firm HDR Inc. to explore options. A previously submitted document proposed moving the CP lines out of the centre of the city and for the train companies to share rail tracks. Both companies dismissed the ideas.
- Suspect in killing of temple leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar got student visa in ‘days’
- ‘Summer of discontent’ coming over public service in-office order: unions
- Panera to remove ‘Charged Sips’ drink from Canada amid wrongful death lawsuits
- Minister Boissonnault to testify before ethics committee over ties to lobbyist, PPE company
The report discussed on Monday proposes road overpasses at Preston Avenue, Marquis Drive and 11th Street West.
Mayor Charlie Clark said the resolution of the track management issue is important as the city grows.
“As they’re adapting to the future we also can show more and more what our land use plans are for the future for a region up to 700,000 to a million.”
Comments