July 2018

218 219 doughnut effect of urban sprawl that a lot of cities have. In the prairies, that can be a challenge be- cause there are no physical barriers to growth.And so our urban design, our transportation design, and everything we move forward on, needs to have this focus.” Saskatoon is a very car-dependent city. It also has the notorious record of having the highest greenhouse gas emissions per capita in the world because of a combination of factors. Saskatchewan primarily uses coal as its energy source, but it is also a low-density city that is very spread out so that requires a lot of driving. Lastly,many of the build- ings were constructed before energy efficiency was a factor.This is all something that Clark would like to change, even if he is realistic that the change will not happen overnight. But change it must.A decade ago the city boast- ed 200,000 people.Over the last ten years, 70,000 people have moved in.Not only has that created a global city with people emigrating from all over the world, but it has also meant a lot of movement within the First Nations and Indigenous community which is now the fastest growing population.“Our goal has to be building a community where every- one has shared opportunities,” says Clark,“where we work and have a sense of unity as opposed to being polarized and divided.We are trying to tackle racism and ensure that all different parties have the same opportunity.This means that whether you have just arrived as a refugee from Syria or are coming from a First Nations reserve or have just moved here from a small town or are someone that has been here for a long time, that you have opportunities within the SASKATOON, SASKATCHEWAN economy and a sense of belonging.” He goes on to point out that this sense of unity and inclusiveness has been part of Saskatoon for a long time. In 1988, it became the first city in Canada to establish an urban reserve by creating an agreement with Muskeg Lake Cree First Nation.The reserve now has land holdings of 48 acres in the city area and a population of over 2,000 people.This is also one of five reserves within city limits. Property reserve status allows the First Nations community to operate it as part of its reserve with benefits such as employment and trade within the city. A key focus of our development is the economy,” Clark continues.“We are trying to position ourselves to make sure that as the economy changes and moves into a technologically-based economy that