Saskatoon’s transportation committee will decide Tuesday whether to move toward expropriating small pieces of private land administrators say are needed for a handful of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) stations after negotiations with six property owners stalled.
A report from city administration recommends the city move ahead with taking over six parcels of land near sites set aside for concrete BRT platforms on 22nd Street West and 8th Street East.
Each site requires around 30 to 57 square metres of land, according to the report.
The city says it began talks with landowners in 2024, has since purchased 10 properties for stations and expects to buy five more. For the six remaining sites, administration says some owners do not want to sell, while others have stopped responding to the city.
Business group says owners were caught off guard
But the leader of an association representing businesses in Saskatoon’s west end says the agenda item before the city’s transportation committee surprised landowners.
“The ones I’ve spoken to have received emails on Friday, just basically saying consult your lawyer and here’s the meeting notice,” said Karen Kobussen, CEO of Saskatoon West Business Association. “And so we’ve all been scrambling since Friday to try to put some thoughts together.”
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Kobussen says owners are raising concerns about potential land loss and how it will affect their businesses’ operations — including reduced parking spaces, with others potentially having to reconfigure their drive-thru setups.
“Why now? Why so much land? Have you consulted on other impacts to the business community that this could have?” she said.
In the report, administrators say they explored moving the stations up or down the street but found those options were not feasible as they would block access to businesses, require changes to parking lots or cause transit users to walk more.
Administrators are also presenting the committee with another option of building the stations on land the city already own. But the report refers to this option as “substandard,” saying the stops would not have shelter or transit user information and could lead to expropriation down the line if there is negative public feedback.
Expropriation of land is covered under Saskatchewan’s Municipal Expropriation Act and is considered a “last resort” that requires reasonable attempts to purchase the land and the passing of a bylaw. Owners must also be formally notified and the province must approve it.
Kobussen says owners have also raised safety concerns about the stations.
“General traffic safety, general pedestrian safety and the fact that perhaps the bus shelters, from a community safety perspective, might be cause for concern,” Kobussen said.
Councillor expects many speakers
Coun. Bev Dubois, who is the chair of the transportation committee, says she expects many people to speak at Tuesday’s meeting. She says some owners had been working with the city on adjustments to their land before communication stopped.
“There were some that were having some adjustments made already to that piece of land with the city, or discussions about possible adjustments, and then the conversation with the business just stopped,” Dubois said. “They stopped responding to the City of Saskatoon employees.”
She says the outcome is not certain, with the possibility of additional meetings with landowners before the item goes to council at the end of November.
“You never know with negotiations and deliberations on anything, there’s always a chance something could happen,” Dubois said.
Kobussen says she supports BRT but hopes the city will keep talking with owners before expropriating and consider smaller platforms instead.
“We absolutely agree that BRT and transit in general is very important for Saskatoon,” she said. “But what can we look at so that both sides can say, yes, I can live with that and this is a great, happy medium.”
The committee’s recommendation will go to city council for a final decision.
