Zoning

• Saskatoon Airport Zoning Regulations are a Federal Regulation made pursuant to the Aeronautics Act. The purpose of these regulations is to protect the ongoing viability of airspace adjacent to the airport for arrivals and departures to be conducted in a safe manner. Obstacle Limitations Surfaces as defined by Saskatoon Airport Zoning Regulations restrict the height of objects (both natural and man-made) in and around the airport in order to achieve this level of safety.

The following definitions describe the major components of the Saskatoon Airport Zoning Regulations;

Airport Reference Point: a point in the approximate geometric centre of the aerodrome which defines the centre of the Outer Surface and which has an assigned elevation equal to the lowest point on the runway surfaces.

The following describes the 3 obstacle limitation surfaces (as shown in yellow on the diagram found here) which restrict both natural and man-made objects surrounding the airport:

Outer Surface: an irregular shaped surface which surrounds the airport to an approximate distance of 4km from the centre of the Airport Reference Point. This surface restricts building heights to 45m above the assigned elevation of the Airport Reference Point. The elevation of the Aerodrome Reference Point is set at 500.23 msl.

Take-Off/Approach Surface: is an imaginary trapezoidal surface with 1:50 slope which extends out 15,000m from the ends of each runway strip. The elevation of the beginning of the Take-Off/Approach surface is equal to the elevation of the runway threshold which it serves.

Transition Surface: is an imaginary complex shaped surface with 1:7 slope which extends out from the edge of each runway strip and along side of the associated Take-Off/Approach Surface (perpendicular to the centerline and extended centerline of the runway) and extends upwards to a point 45m above the assigned elevation of the Airport Reference Point.

For further information regarding the interpretation and application of Saskatoon Airport Zoning Regulations, please contact Regulatory Compliance at 306-975-6465.

Airport Zoning Regulation Update

Airport zoning is controlled by Transport Canada through site specific Airport Zoning Regulations (AZRs) made pursuant to the Aeronautics Act Section 5.4. The purpose of these regulations is to ensure land use adjacent to the airport remains compatible with the safe operation of an airport over the long term. More specifically, AZRs regulate the use of lands in the vicinity of an airport by

• ensuring critical airspace in the vicinity of an airport remains free from obstacles which would impact runway operations
• restricting the development of lands in the vicinity of an airport from activities which may be attractive to wildlife – especially birds – that may create a hazard for aviation safety
• ensuring that the use or development of land in the vicinity of an airport does not cause interference with navigation or communications signals to or from any facility used to provide services relating to aeronautics
  The current Saskatoon Airport Zoning Regulations date back to 1987 and need to be updated to align with Transport Canada’s current standards and our airport master plan.

Transport Canada and the Saskatoon Airport Authority have been actively collaborating to define the requirements of the new AZRs. The next steps in the process to finalize and update the Saskatoon AZRs are as follows:

• Public consultation period (Winter 2024-25):
  • To learn more about the proposed Saskatoon AZRs under review and to provide feedback, please visit Transport Canada’s website here or email Transport Canada at [email protected], and include ‘Update to Saskatoon International Airport Zoning Regulations’ in the subject line.
• Publication of the proposed regulation in Canada Gazette Part I (Spring 2026)
• 60 Day public comment period
• Publication of the final regulation in Canada Gazette Part II (Spring 2027)
• Deposit of the regulation and zoning plans in the Saskatchewan Lands Titles Office and coming into force of the regulations