A request to remove more than two dozen benches in downtown Saskatoon has been denied by a city committee. The request from Downtown Saskatoon, the city’s downtown business improvement district, to remove 25 benches it identified as a magnet of problematic activity, was deferred as the city explores other alternatives. “They’re covered in graffiti, vulgarity, tagging, and they’ve been urinated on, defecated on, vomited on, and bled on,” Sara Wheelwright, the board chair of Downtown Saskatoon, said during Wednesday’s planning development and community services committee meeting. Businesses advocated to have 25 of 34 benches, many of which are found on 21st Street and Second Avenue, be removed because of the problems they attract. “Beyond the physical condition, these benches have become established persistent gathering points for illegal and unsafe activity. There are locations with the highest frequency of police, ambulance and fire calls in the district,” Wheelwright said. However, as Wheelwright argued for the removal of these benches, city councillors eventually looked at the larger context of homelessness and social disorder affecting the downtown. Administration found in its work preparing the report, there were no jurisdictions it reviewed where moving benches solved the social disorder Downtown Saskatoon was concerned about. Administration suggested removing the benches would simply move those people elsewhere. Councillors then considered what impact the removal of benches would have on those who are shopping, having a rest, or waiting for the bus. “You’re supposed to consider how will this impact the next neighbourhood or how will this impact the next street? And also, is this going to solve the issue that we’re talking about?” Ward 6 Coun. Jasmin Parker, who represents downtown, said. Despite the greater consideration, Wheelwright said moving people away from businesses to other locations was necessary. “That different place might be to the places that have been set up for people to be safe and to be cared for,” she said. “At the end of the day, it was six per cent of all downtown benches that we were talking about in those key locations.” Downtown Saskatoon said the benches are aging where the wood is beyond repair. Downtown street cleaning teams clean up when complaints are made, but they often can’t keep up with the demand for cleaning. Ultimately, the committee voted to defer any bench removals until September 2027, while asking Saskatoon police and the fire department to identify and report concerning areas, or even help the city redesign or redevelop these areas if necessary. Wheelwright said that news will be disappointing to business owners staring out their front window seeing people sleeping on benches or using drugs or alcohol for another year. “Big wheels turn slow, don’t they?” Wheelwright said. “And the city [is] a big wheel.” As part of Wednesday’s decision, city administration will also explore creating a direct line or online portal for businesses to report issues as they happen.
