The City of Saskatoon has sparked public anger by spending C$297,490 (US$211,942) on three large sculptures made from over 10,000 pounds of recycled plastic. The artwork, titled 'Modern Erratics,' is intended by the artists to encourage reflection on recycling and sustainability, but critics argue the cost is an unjustified use of taxpayer funds.
Gage Haubrich, prairie director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF), stated that the expenditure is equivalent to the combined annual municipal property tax bills of more than 100 homeowners. "So 118 families, their entire property tax bills went to building large plastic rocks instead of providing services that people want in the city," Haubrich told CTV News. He added, "It's ridiculous and disrespectful to taxpayers that anyone at city hall thought this was a good idea."
The sculptures, created by Calgary-based artist duo Sans façon, are located in Forestry Farm Park, Diefenbaker Park, and the city's landfill. Each sculpture is crafted from different types of plastic waste collected from the city: grain bags for the Forestry Farm Park piece, bottle caps for the Diefenbaker Park installation, and shredded recycling bins for the landfill sculpture. The artists noted their surprise at discovering that 87 percent of plastic waste in Canada ends up in landfills or the environment.
City officials defended the project, with Community Services General Manager Celene Anger asserting that the sculptures were completed under budget and contribute to a more "vibrant and welcoming" city. She explained that the funding was allocated through the city's Public Art Policy, which earmolds up to one percent of eligible capital project budgets for public art, with a cap of $500,000. "This funding does not reduce operating budgets for core civic services," Anger stated.
However, the CTF and some city councilors have raised concerns about a pattern of perceived wasteful spending. City Councilor Randy Donauer, who only became aware of the project after resident complaints, expressed sympathy with the public's frustration. "I think the frustration and the response from the community is valid," Donauer said, adding that he believes the funding allocated to the art program warrants closer examination. He noted that the council often faces difficult decisions over much smaller sums for essential services like park maintenance and road repairs.
The controversy comes as Saskatoon residents experienced a 6.7 percent property tax hike this year. The CTF has called for the cancellation of the one percent public art policy to prevent similar expenditures in the future. Donauer plans to introduce a motion at the upcoming August 26 council meeting to review the allocation of taxpayer funds for public art projects. The artwork joins Saskatoon's collection of over 80 public art pieces. The sculptures were modeled after glacial erratics, rocks carried by ancient ice sheets, as a way to prompt reflection on landscape shaping and the lasting impact of current materials and systems.