Charlie Clark: Young people now choose to stay in Saskatoon

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I think I won my first election campaign because of a photo. In my 2006 city councillor campaign, we put a photo of me, Sarah and our 18-month-old son, Simon, on our pamphlets.

This picture of a young family choosing to stay in Saskatoon ran counter to the overwhelming narrative in our city at the time, when the majority of post-secondary graduates were moving away to other cities to build their future.

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Now 18 years later, Simon has graduated from high school. He and most of his friends have stayed. The statistics show this too. Together, we have turned that old narrative on its head. Today, over 70 per cent of graduates are staying here and see a future for themselves.

A city’s greatest goal is to become a place that people love and want to stay.

In my time as mayor, I have often heard that a city should just focus on basic services — fixing potholes, picking up garbage, hiring police officers and firefighters. Anything else is ‘fringe.’

Yes, we absolutely need to do a good job with our core services. But I also know that people don’t choose to live in a city solely because of smoother roads and competitive property taxes.

Cities, and the ambitions of a city, must be more than that. I believe a city needs to do three things well:

1) to deliver services and programs that people are confident in;

2) to create ambitious gathering places that residents feel proud of;

3) to build pathways that support diversity, so that all people feel a sense of belonging and opportunity.

This is what we have been doing in Saskatoon. And now we are seeing a growing momentum that is attracting and keeping people here.

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Saskatoon is not perfect. We have our challenges — addictions, homelessness, affordability and safety being among the top ones. These same challenges are being experienced in every major city around the world.

But we are not a broken city, as some people have been saying.

Our city is the main engine of the provincial economy. We are seeing record growth in jobs and population, with people from around the world wanting to be part of our city.

We have completely refurbished streets and sidewalks. We’ve made improvements in our waste management and snow-clearing processes, and continued our investments in police and fire.

And while I know this last six per cent property tax increase was tough, since I have been mayor, we have delivered lower property tax increases on average than the previous three councils, while we have continued to grow.

But these aren’t enough to explain our city’s momentum.

A great city needs ambitious gathering places. Together we have created those. From River Landing and the Remai Modern to Optimist Hill and Gordie Howe Sports Complex. And we have also maintained our community feel with improved neighbourhood playgrounds and walking paths.

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And, finally, a great city needs to find ways to embrace and support the diversity of its residents. We are stronger when everyone can contribute their talents and passions. We are leaning into the hard work of truth and reconciliation. We are working to be a safe and supportive city for the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

We have been building pathways to connect newcomers into our community to find opportunity. And we have been improving how we make the city more accessible for those living with disabilities.

As we enter into an election that will determine the next leaders of our city, I encourage citizens and voters to ask candidates about their vision for keeping our city’s momentum strong. Do not let our city be dragged backwards with defeatist thinking and the politics of blame.

The next generation is relying on all of us to build on this momentum, to come together, to be bold and courageous about building a city that, yes, is well run, but is also a city that people love.

This is a city where our kids will stay. This is the real return on investment.

Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark is stepping aside after eight years as mayor.

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