Sutherland, Saskatoon

Sutherland is a mostly residential neighbourhood located in east central Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. It is an older suburban subdivision, composed of a near even mix of single family detached houses and multiple unit apartment and semi detached dwellings. As of 2006, the area was home to 5,206 residents. The neighbourhood is a middle income area, with an average family income of $51,857, an average dwelling value of $204,213 and a home ownership rate of 43.8%. According to MLS data, the average sale price of a home as of 2013 was $288,651. Sutherland was administered as a separate town outside of Saskatoon before being annexed by the city in 1956.

James Powe and his family arrived in Saskatoon from Ontario in 1884. The Powe family homesteaded in the area which is now Sutherland in 1893. Their grand house, which stands on the present day corner of Central Avenue and 115th Street, was built between 1912 and 1914. The foundation was made from local fieldstone, making the basement walls as thick as
Albert Hanson, a noted Saskatoon real estate agent, bought land in the Sutherland area beginning in 1905. He then sold some of it to the Canadian Pacific Railway, whose branch line between Regina and Edmonton reached Saskatoon in 1907. This was in keeping with the railway's practice of bypassing existing communities and building its own town sites on land it owned, thus sharing the real estate profits with no one. Hanson subdivided the rest of his land as residential and commercial properties, laid out on a typical north–south grid pattern. The railway's town site was on a grid parallel to the tracks, resulting in a triangular gap between the two areas. This became built up as an industrial area (later the separate Sutherland Industrial subdivision). Most of the subsequent population growth occurred on Hanson's land west of the tracks, due in part to the lack of schools or parks on the east side. The first post office was also established that year, with W. G. Clark as its first postmaster. The first school, a temporary one room structure, was opened in November 1908 on a site on 109th Street. On February 2, 1909, a newer one room school was opened at the present day Sutherland School site on Egbert Avenue and 111th Street. By the spring of 1909 the settlement had a population of 102, and the residents applied for incorporation as a village. The village of Sutherland was created on August 30, 1909. It was named after William Charles Sutherland, a politician who served on Saskatoon's town council before it became a city in 1906. The Sutherland Curling Club was founded and built its first rink in 1910. By 1912, Sutherland's population had grown to 1000, enabling it to incorporate as a town. A new town hall was completed in January 1912, at the corner of Egbert Avenue and 108th Street. Also, some named streets were eventually renamed in order to remove conflict with existing Saskatoon streets. Examples include Fraser Street, which was named Fitzgerald Street (because Saskatoon had a Fraser Crescent), and Railway Avenue, which became Gray Avenue in deference to Saskatoon's version (which itself was closed in the 1960s). However, Sutherland's main street, Central Avenue, retained its name, even though once Sutherland became part of Saskatoon, the name was no longer accurate in a technical sense. In addition, while Lorne Avenue was generally used to demarcate "East" and "West" addressing within Saskatoon east of the river, in order to avoid having to renumber housing, a separate east–west demarcation remained in place for Sutherland (and its later adjacent communities), with Central remaining the boundary. In 1960, a new one storey Sutherland School was opened beside the 1913 school. By 1963, additional classrooms and an auditorium were added. The "castle" school also received some cosmetic upgrades in 1960–61, but the building had fallen into disrepair. The weakened structure was condemned in July 1967 and demolished the next month. The 1912 cornerstone was the only item preserved. By the 1980s, neighbourhoods had developed east of Sutherland, no longer making it the city's eastern edge. At that time, Sutherland also expanded with the Dutch Growers (Reid/Adolph) subdivision north of 117th Street and west of Central Avenue. The garden centre of the same name at the corner of Central Avenue and Attridge Drive served as the focal point of the development. Further development in the neighbourhood occurred in 2003 when the Rutherford subdivision was built along undeveloped land north of Rita Crescent and south of the Canadian Pacific Railway line along a vacant stretch of 115th Street West. 115th between Egbert and Lanyon Avenues was permanently closed in order to accommodate it, although a small portion west of Egbert remained to access Rutherford Crescent, while Lanyon was extended to meet up with the new intersection of Rutherford Crescent & Rutherford Way. In 1984, the Sutherland Forest Grove Community Association was founded, with its stated goal of promoting and assisting in the educational, recreational and social programs for families in the two adjacent neighbourhoods. In the 1990s, neighbourhood boundaries were redrawn, and the residential area of the former railway townsite along Gray Avenue was transferred to the Forest Grove neighbourhood. On June 29, 2006, workers digging out fuel tanks at the Mac's convenience store on 108th Street and Central Avenue (now Circle K) unearthed human remains. Investigators determined that it was a woman who had been murdered sometime between 1910 and 1920 and thrown down a well. Her body had been preserved in a mixture of gasoline and water, enabling forensic archeologists to extract a DNA sample. The crime is still unsolved, and as yet, no living descendants of the woman have been found. In 2009, Saskatoon police released a 3 D facial reconstruction and several composite sketches of the victim, in the hope of solving the case.

Sutherland is located within the federal electoral district of Saskatoon—University. It is currently represented by Corey Tochor of the Conservative Party of Canada, who was first elected in 2019. Provincially, the area is located within the constituency of Saskatoon Silverspring Sutherland. It is currently represented by Paul Merriman of the Saskatchewan Party, first elected in 2011 and re elected in 2016. Municipally, Sutherland lies within Ward 1, currently represented by Darren Hill who was first elected in 2006.

Fire Station #5 provides service to the east side of Saskatoon including Sutherland, Forest Grove and Erindale.

Hilliard Gardner Park (1.0 acres)
C. F. Patterson Park (1.4 acres)
Kopko Park (1.6 acres)
Anna McIntosh Park (2.2 acres)
C. F. Patterson Park North (2.3 acres)
Father Basil Markle Park (3.9 acres)
Herbert Stewart Park (4.8 acres)
Sutherland Park (9.1 acres)

The ACT Arena is a city owned indoor ice rink, home to hockey, ringette, figure skating and speedskating clubs, as well as public skating and Learn to Skate programs. The Sutherland Forest Grove Community Association was incorporated in 1984 and is run by volunteers. It plans, coordinates, and administers seasonal programs for all age groups, from adult fitness to teen programs, children's sports and toddler activities. It also works with local schools and the City to maintain and operate neighbourhood parks and outdoor rinks.

Since Sutherland's founding, almost all commercial activity has been located on its main street, Central Avenue. The vast majority of businesses are found between 108th and 115th Streets. Technically, all businesses located on the east side of Central Avenue north of 108th Street actually lie within the Sutherland Industrial subdivision, but most locals do not make this distinction. There is also a large greenhouse located within Sutherland, on the corner of Central Avenue and Attridge Drive. 62 home based business exist in the area.

Sutherland is located within the University Heights Suburban Development Area. It is bounded by Attridge Drive to the north, College Drive to the south, Central Avenue to the east, and Circle Drive to the west. In addition, Sutherland includes a small section of residential development east of Central Avenue (including multi family dwellings on Central Place) that otherwise would be part of Sutherland Industrial.