Today’s meeting of the Governance and Priorities Committee (GPC) provided encouraging signals that City Council is taking Saskatoon’s growing fiscal pressures seriously and is prepared to explore meaningful cost reductions as part of the 2026–27 budget process.

As outlined in our letter submitted today to GPC, the Saskatoon Chamber urged Council to adopt a practical, outcome-focused approach to budgeting by setting reduction targets, evaluating priorities, and making tough but necessary decisions.

We were pleased to see these themes reflected in the Committee’s motions, including:

• Direction to Administration to return with three additional budget scenarios showing how proposed tax increases could be reduced by 1%, 2%, and 5% and any implications to services, staffing, and operations.
• Direction to all controlled corporations, City-funded agencies, and Boards to identify similar cost savings ahead of budget deliberations.

This is an important and welcome step forward. It shows City Council’s willingness to “sharpen pencils” and ensure this year’s process isn’t simply about delaying costs or spreading them out over time.

The Chamber will continue to engage with City leadership throughout the budget process and share input from Chamber members and business leaders who understand how to match ambition with fiscal discipline, and value with affordability.

We commend Council for taking these initial steps and look forward to further discussions in the months ahead.

READ THE FULL LETTER HERE