10/02/2026
What happens when you bring together over 1000 downtown leaders from across the world? You get an incredible exchange of ideas, experiences and practical solutions for the challenges being faced by urban centers today.
This week, Executive Director Shawna Nelson, Program and Partnership Coordinator Bailey Fawcett, Chair Sara Wheelwright, Vice Chair Steve Sieferling and Councillor Bev Dubois joined downtown leaders from across Canada, the United States and the world at the 72nd Annual International Downtown Association Conference in Toronto.
They spent their time in tours, workshops, sessions and conversations all exploring one common question: How do we create downtowns where businesses can succeed, where people want to be and where investment can thrive? And, perhaps most importantly, how do we bring those lessons home and apply them to Downtown Saskatoon?
There is no single playbook for a successful downtown. Every city has its own geography, economy, history and challenges. But there is tremendous value in learning from one another; what worked, what didn’t, and what can we adapt to serve our community. We’re proud of our strong Advocacy and Partnership work with the city, business community and community organizations and other key partners to ensure Downtown Saskatoon does more than just clean sidewalks. We are proud to foster an interconnected business district and community that serves as the voice of downtown.
All that to say, we came home with new ideas, new connections and a lot of notes!
But most importantly, we came home reminded that Downtown Saskatoon is part of a global network of downtowns working through many of the same challenges and we don't have to solve them alone.
