SASKATOONEXPRESS - June 9-15, 2014 - Page 9
Call the police if you see untarped loads
Question: I have noticed cil that the addition of actual litter in medians on South noise limits to the bylaw will Circle Drive. It appears as give his officers more tools it as though much of it is when it comes to enforcing coming off vehicles heading the excessive noise bylaw. I to the landfill. Do we have a should also say this is about bylaw on tarping loads? If all noisy vehicles: trucks, cars so, is it being enforced? and motorcycles. The actual Mayor Atchison: Yes, we decibel levels referred to in do have a bylaw and I am told the bylaw are for motorcycles police are working that area. because so far that is the only There is a fine and we do ennoise limit that other jurisdicforce it. If people see vehicles Ask the Mayor tions have been able to use in where garbage is falling off, order to take action against they should call the police excessive noise. service so tickets can be issued. Please pull over to make the call. Question: I asked a question a few months ago: how we went from a very Question: I have to say the mayor affordable city before you were mayor has been very good at responding to being one of the least affordable to questions previously asked in the in Canada, sixth to be exact, accordcolumn, and that is much appreciated. ing to published data and literature? With the recent 7.26-per-cent city tax Your answer was something like “no, increase, I’m curious as to how it was we’re not” and then you changed the implemented? Was the increase apsubject. Do you have anything more to plied to all properties equally: resiadd to that? dential, corporate and commercial? Mayor Atchison: I’m not sure what The reason I’m asking is that, in 2013, published data and literature you are the Greater Saskatoon Chamber of referring to. Saskatoon is a terrific place Commerce was asking for a reduction to live and work and thousands of people in taxes by shifting more of the tax are moving here every year to join our ration from commercial to residential, success. There are always challenges even though further discussion on this for fast-growing communities. I would was postponed to 2017. encourage you to go to the City website Mayor Atchison: Yes, the 7.26-per- and see all we have done in the area of cent property-tax increase was applied attainable housing. The program has evenly across all taxable property types, been very successful. There are many whether they were residential or comfactors that influence what you call afmercial. I also want to mention we have fordability. Many of those are out of the gone through two recent revaluation pe- control of city government. riods that impact property assessments. The 2009 revaluation impact on taxes Question: Now that we are close to was phased in over four years and com- a year into our recycling program, are pleted last year. The 2013 revaluation there any plans to cut back on garbage results are also being phased in over four pickups? If not, why? With recycling years and began this year. You are also we have less garbage and should be correct that the chamber came to council able to cut back on pickups. and asked for a reduction in the business Mayor Atchison: My goal is to tax ratio. That was deferred until 2017. never build another landfill. With the city’s recycling program, Cosmo and Question: Why would the city go SARCAN, we should be able reduce the out of its way to make something more amount of material going to the landfill. hazardous and dangerous by putting The administration is still assessing the noise restrictions on motorcycles? first year of the operation of the singleWasn’t there a noise bylaw in place family home recycling program. I am already? hopeful — as you are — that we can get Mayor Atchison: We are talking folks to recycle as much material as posabout excessive noise here. This is not sible. Eventually I hope we can reduce about the rumble of a motorcycle going the number of times trucks have to pick down the street, but rather those that up garbage. By the way, you don’t have impact the quality of life of citizens. to put your bin out every week. You can Yes, there is a noise bylaw in place, but wait until it is full and then put it at the this adds some specifics to it. Police curb. We do that at our home. We put Chief Clive Weighill reported to counour bin out every three weeks. The truck
DON ATCHISON
TURF THE BOWL AT GORDON HOWE PARK
still comes by, but doesn’t have to stop. I think there is still some education to do here, and we need to see how the roll out of the multi-unit recycling program works before the administration can assess a reduced garbage collection schedule. Question: How does the North Downtown project fit in with the downtown as a whole? How do you envision financing it? Mayor Atchison: When you think of the North Downtown Master Plan, think of it as one end of a book shelf. The other end will be River Landing. In the North Downtown area, we still need to have high density. But we still need to have amenities. One of the components is the concept bridge that would cross over the CP rail tracks at about 29th Street. There was some discussion about how we would pay for that. It is way too early in the process to get into that discussion. This is an overall master plan that is still evolving. There is no financing in place. There are many options,
including private developers or publicprivate partnerships. I don’t know what the answers are at this time. Many of our other new neighbourhoods have terrific features and this area will have them as well. But the number of 7,600 citizens living down there isn’t enough. It needs to be a minimum of 10,000 to 15,000. And when they talk about a grocery store being down there, we need to talk about a net gain of one grocery store in the area. Moving a grocery store from one location to another may benefit some, but others certainly suffer. The idea of doing this is so everyone benefits from it. Those are things we are going to continue to work on. I also really like the dedicated pedestrian cycling path from 33rd Street all the way down to 25th Street and beyond. That is great idea, too. (Have a question for Mayor Atchison? Send it to editorial@saskatoonexpress.com. Please put “mayor” in the subject line, and try to limit your questions to approximately 50 words.)
We had an email asking how to barbecue beer can chicken. A few of our men love this recipe, so it has become a summer favourite. Please visit breastfriends.ca for information on our spring sale.
BEER CAN CHICKEN
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin For the Rub: 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1 teaspoon dry mustard Combine all rub ingredients in small 1 teaspoon onion powder bowl. 1 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 whole chicken (4-5 pounds) 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 2 teaspoons canola oil 1/2 teaspoon ground 1 12-ounce can beer coriander excess fat from chicken. Rinse Remove and discard neck, giblet and any r and pat dry with paper towels. chicken inside and out under cold wate oil and season inside and out with Lightly brush the chicken all over with of beer (or drink it). Set half-full the rub. Open beer can and pour off half r the top, so the can fits inside can on flat surface and slide chicken ove the can upright. Carefully balance the cavity. Transfer bird to grill, keeping l over indirect medium heat until the bird on its two legs and the can. Gril reaches 170F in breast and 180F juices run clear and internal temperature rs). Wearing barbecue mitts, carein thickest part of thigh (1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hou grill. Let chicken sit for about fully remove the chicken and the can from ard beer. Cut the chicken into 10 minutes before lifting it off can. Disc serving pieces and serve warm. Bad things happen in bad places - so stay out of bad places!