Wage, utility cost increases lead to Saskatoon leisure card hikes

The city of Saskatoon proposed increasing the cost of leisure cards in order to combat increasing costs.

For one flat rate, pass holders gain unlimited access to the Saskatoon's leisure centres, outdoor pools and Cosmo Skating rink.

Lynne Lacroix, director of recreation and community, said the increase is an attempt to address growing wage and utility costs.

"What we're hoping is to make sure it's not a substantial increase that starts to detract from the number of participants, but is an increase that helps us address some of our growing expenses," Lynne Lacroix said.

Passes for adults will increase five dollars to $50 a month. One month passes for youths increase by three dollars, to $30 and the family rate increases 10 dollars to $100 a month.

Increases follow price rollback

Lacroix said the city studied leisure card prices in 2014 and found it had started to 'price themselves out of the market' and attendance rates were declining.

A price rollback was conducted in 2015 which effectively halved the cost of leisure cards.

"At that time what we said we would do was hold the line on the price of leisure cards for three years," Lacroix said. "Our rollback in prices has indeed, since that time, had us had about 100 to 110,000 new visits to leisure centres on new visits."

With files from Guy Quinneville