Latest news with #PrairieLily
Global News
2 days ago
- Climate
- Global News
Saskatoon's Canada Day fireworks display is changing locations due to low river water levels
Canada Day celebrations at Saskatoon's River Landing will look a little different this year, with fireworks being launched from Rotary Park. Typically, fireworks are launched off the Broadway Bridge. However, with construction on the bridge, organizers planned to launch fireworks from barges on the river. Shad Ali, the Canada Day celebration director, said the high sediment and low water levels in the South Saskatchewan River make this no longer possible. 'So, what that means is we cannot actually get the barges into place.' Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Rotary Park will be closed to attendees and have road restrictions on Canada Day as a result. This will not affect area residents who will have access passes delivered to their homes. Programming will remain focused around the River Landing area into Market Square and Gather Local Market. Story continues below advertisement The fireworks show will be at 10:30 p.m., with all other activities beginning at noon. All the details will be available on Saskatoon's Canada Day website. The low water levels and high sediment have been a challenge for more than one group this year. The Prairie Lily had to shift to docked events for its final season and the rowing club has also been struggling with the low water levels. The Water Security Agency told Global News last month it wasn't possible to release the amount of water needed to wash out the high sandbars. The WSA said due to the low snowpack in the Alberta Rockies, Lake Diefenbaker water levels have to be maintained.
CBC
14-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Regina daycare looks to community to stay afloat
Prairie Lily Early Learning Centre in Regina is struggling financially, so they are turning to fundraising to stay operating. Its executive director joined The Morning Edition to talk about the uneven government funding model and their fundraising efforts.
CTV News
12-05-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Sask. opposition members join calls to release water for the Prairie Lily
WATCH: Saskatoon's iconic river boat the Prairie Lily is cancelling its final season due to low water levels in the South Saskatchewan River.
CBC
08-05-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Saskatoon's beloved riverboat docked due to low water levels
The Prairie Lily riverboat in Saskatoon cannot set sail, as water levels are too low in the river.
CBC
08-05-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Saskatoon riverboat Prairie Lily docked due to low water levels, sandbars
The Prairie Lily river boat has run aground after over a decade of sailing the South Saskatchewan River. On Wednesday, owners of the Saskatoon riverboat said the water level is so low that they can't cruise the ship. "For the first time in our 13 years of sailing this ship, the sandbars have increased to the point where we no longer have a navigation channel," Mike Steckhan, captain and co-owner of the Prairie Lily, said in an interview. The economic impact will be huge for his business, which has stopped bookings and has been cancelling cruises getting into the season. Unless action is taken to increase the water levels, the Prairie Lily will be forced to cancel its season, he said. "There's no place that's deep enough for this ship. It's so low that there isn't a navigation channel for us to do our cruises safely, so we've had to cancel," said Steckhan. Sandbanks form when the silt carried by the river accumulates, and over the last few years, there hasn't been enough water running through to flush them out, he said. He's calling for the Water Security Agency, which controls the flow of water out of the Gardiner Dam, to increase the flow to remove the sandbars. "We're not asking for all the water in the lake. We're only asking the WSA to provide a volume of flow that allows safe operation on the river," he said. Will release more water if lake levels rise: WSA Water Security Agency president and CEO Shawn Jaques said that as of now, there are no plans to open the spill gates or significantly increase the flow of water out of the Gardiner Dam for now. He said that the current water level of the river flowing through Saskatoon is about 70 cubic centimetres per second (cms), which is equal to the amount of water flowing into Lake Diefenbaker — the reservoir formed by the creation of the Gardiner and Qu'Appelle River dams — from the west. "To put it into perspective, the median or the annual average flow typically is 145 cubic meters per second. So we're sitting at 50 per cent of what we normally would get," Jaques said in an interview. Steckhan said he wants to see 900 cms per second for 72 hours, or 400 cms for a number of days to mitigate the problem. Jaques said there have been dry conditions across Western Canada over the last three years, and the snowpack in the Rocky Mountains is also well below normal right now. "When you have a below normal snowpack, below normal precipitation through the summer months, it has an impact on the amount of water flowing into Lake Diefenbaker, which as a result, you will see less water flowing through by Saskatoon," he said. He said the lake provides 60 per cent of Saskatchewan's population with drinking water, as well as water for potash mines, agricultural uses and ferry crossings to be maintained. "If the lake level gets higher, or we get a large rain event in Alberta or the mountains or something that increases that inflow into Lake Diefenbaker, we will open the spillway gates, and we'll release additional water," Jaques said. Hard 'to not use a bunch of 4-letter words': captain Discover Saskatoon said the Prairie Lily is one of Saskatoon's most iconic experiences, and has helped showcase the riverfront to visitors and locals for over a decade. "It's also a business currently preparing for sale, making this disruption even more significant for its owners and staff," the tourism association said in a statement. It's hopeful that a path forward can be found that allows river-based businesses and users to continue to thrive in Saskatoon, the statement said. But Steckhan said he's frustrated by the situation. "Well, I'm an old sailor, and it's really a lot of hard work right now to not use a bunch of four-letter words. So that's kind of how I feel about it," he said.
