Brody Langager
Saskatoon StarPhoenix
A report is being discussed at Wednesday’s governance and priorities committee about whether Saskatoon should declare itself a sanctuary city to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
An ask came forward in November 2023 from Blake Tait, a member of Saskatoon’s trans community, for the city to consider declaring itself a sanctuary city.
This ask stemmed from some cities in the United States that had declared themselves sanctuary cities, as well as a response to the Saskatchewan Parents’ Bill of Rights that was recently passed at that time.
The report said this isn’t the first time the consideration of declaring Saskatoon a sanctuary city has crossed city hall. In 2017, a committee discussed whether Saskatoon should declare itself a sanctuary city for undocumented refugees and migrants. No action was taken from that discussion.
It said that term “sanctuary city” is usually used in the context of how a municipality treats undocumented immigrants, and usually has the city limiting or denying cooperation with the national government when it comes to enforcing immigration laws.
These cities are more common in the United States, but the report said some cities like Toronto and Hamilton have made a similar declaration.
It added that no Canadian city has declared itself a 2SLGBTQIA+ sanctuary city, and that it is unclear what it means if Saskatoon were to make that declaration. The report said it could be argued that the declaration would be purely symbolic in nature, and that there is limited information in this area.
The report also listed a number of initiatives the city has undertaken to build and support the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
No recommendation was listed in the report, just a note that the city will continue to encourage diversity and inclusion.
