Housing and homelessness, the Downtown Event and Entertainment District (DEED), and the downtown library were among the topics raised by voters on election day.
As voters headed to the polls in Saskatoon to choose their next civic leaders, many of them echoed the same concerns raised by candidates on this year’s campaign trail.
Housing and homelessness, the Downtown Event and Entertainment District (DEED), and the downtown library were among the topics seemingly front of mind as voters on Wednesday cast ballots in the 2024 civic election.
Many feel the most pressing issue in the city right now is homelessness.
“My concern is about the west side. I think they put too many (services) over there. You know, spread it around,” Lois Fowler said outside a polling station in a bustling Ward 6, which encompasses the Buena Vista, Brevoort Park, Varsity View, downtown, Nutana, Grosvenor Park, Haultain and Holliston neighbourhoods.
Sharon and Paul Benson, condo owners who live close to Eighth Street, said it’s become common to find people sleeping in their parking garage or under their stairwell.
“People, I think, lots of times are afraid to go into a shelter because they’re afraid the few little things that they own could be taken,” Sharon said.
Paul feels Saskatoon needs more affordable housing, which, “to me, is helping people who have next to nothing to have a place to live that they can afford and build a life and allow the rest of us to sleep in peace,” he said.
“It’s terrible to think about people sleeping in all kinds of outdoor places that are not meant for sleeping,” he added.
Susan Fowler said there’s also a lot of scrutiny over a potential downtown arena.
“Whether we can afford it, whether we really need it, what portion of the population does it appeal to?” she said.
“You need things in order to keep people attracted to coming to the city and the young people here. So it is a balancing act. I do think you may need to look at city hall and make sure you’re spending appropriately,” Susan added.
No matter the issues that are driving voters to the polls, simply casting a ballot is vital, Sharon Benson said. It wasn’t too long before she was born that women were chaining themselves to fences so that they could vote, she noted.
“I just have always felt that it was my right but also my duty to vote,” she said. “It isn’t so much the issues as, it just feels like a responsibility.”
The thousands of votes on Wednesday were added to those cast at advance polls earlier this month. According to Elections Saskatoon, during four days of advance polls, from Nov. 1 to 4, more than 19,400 voters cast their ballots at 10 polling stations in the city.
“Based on the number of eligible voters, this volume translates to approximately 10 per cent overall turnout,” Elections Saskatoon said in a statement.
That compares to the 19,666 total advance voters in 2020.
That year, overall voter turnout was 27.4 per cent, or 58,734 ballots cast. It was the lowest turnout since the 2000 election, which saw 26.4 per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot, though the 2020 election took place under COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and after 35 centimetres of snow blanketed Saskatoon the day before and the day of the election. It was the largest snowfall in the city since January 2007 and led to the election being postponed for four days.
Weather conditions in Saskatoon on Wednesday were mainly sunny, with a high reaching around 6C.
Elections were being held for mayor; city councillor in wards 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8; public school board trustees in wards 1, 5, 6, 8 and 9; and Catholic school board trustees.
Two-term city councillor Cynthia Block made history by becoming the first woman mayor ever in Saskatoon. She finished comfortably ahead in the voting of former Saskatchewan Party MLA Gord Wyant, former mayor Don Atchison and previous prior mayoral contender Cary Tarasoff. A fifth candidate, Mike Harder, was also entered in the race.
– with files from The StarPhoenix’s Bre McAdam
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