YXE Underground

You can’t help but be in awe when you walk into Child Life Zone at the Jim Pattison Children's Hospital .  First of all, it’s really big. There’s plenty of space for kids to simply play which is a concept Dominique Rust touches on several times in our conversation. There are large windows that encompass the room and allow plenty of sunlight in, the ceiling is high and the space has one of the cool...

Andrew Baenziger is in his dream job. As the Adaptive Technologist for SaskAbilities , he is helping people overcome barriers they are facing due to disability or injury through his passion for technology and empathy to help others in need. Andrew invited us to his workshop to show us how he uses technology, and perhaps a piece or two from his aquarium, to make a difference in lives of people here...

Welcome to a special bonus episode of YXE Underground. This episode is a continuation of last week’s episode where we featured an incredible nonprofit organization called Empty Arms . It is a perinatal support group that provides supports to individuals and families who have experienced the loss of a child during pregnancy or up to the age of six. Jasmin Herchak and Briana Koop co-founded Empty Ar...

Jasmin Herchak and Briana Koop took traumatic and devastating experiences with loss and turned them into something that is helping so many people and families in Saskatoon. I think that deserves to be celebrated. In 2015, Jasmin and Bri created Empty Arms . It is a nonprofit organization that provides support to individuals and families that experience grief and bereavement due to the loss of a ch...

If you ever get a chance to talk with Adrianne Vangool, take it. Jump at the opportunity to talk with her because you will find yourself talking with someone who is wonderfully honest and I think truly wise about the world around her. She comes by her wisdom through hard work, curiosity and reflection and its reflected in her debut book, 'The Journey of Self-Care to We-Care.' Adrianne is a physiot...

Danielle Hoffart's determination and compassion is ensuring kids at St. Mary's Wellness and Education Centre in Saskatoon are getting the supports they need when it comes to food security. She is St. Mary's Aboriginal Student Achievement Coordinator and is a true liaison between her school and the greater Pleasant Hill community. St. Mary's is home to 300 students with more than 90 percent being I...

Take a walk through downtown Saskatoon, River Landing, Riversdale or the University of Saskatchewan campus and you will see public works of art. These pieces reflect our community’s history, they tell important stories and some even become landmarks. Alejandro Romero is passionate about the many positive impacts public art brings to Saskatoon and he shares his convictions in this episode of YXE Un...

Spend some time with Charmaine Panko and you will quickly realize how important meaningful and empathetic discussion is to her.  Charmaine is a Saskatoon lawyer who takes a lot of pride in helping couples and families who are going through the divorce process. She worked in a corporate law firm for 10 years after graduating from the University of Saskatchewan's law program but was always intrigued...

Every superhero has an origin story. For hydrologist Phillip Harder, who I consider a water superhero, his origin story traces back to when he first saw a culvert sticking straight up in the air near his farm at the age of seven. Phillip wanted to know why there was fresh water at the bottom of that odd-looking culvert when there was an alkali body of water nearby. To a seven year-old kid growing...

Anita Smith is one of my favourite people and it was wonderful to have her back on the podcast for this special summer bonus episode.  Anita is the Artistic and Executive Director of Saskatoon's 25th Street Theatre and a fierce advocate for the arts in our community. When she's not directing and acting in plays, Anita empowers local artists from all backgrounds to tell their stories on local stage...

It's easy to spot a Science Trek student in Saskatoon. Just look for their bright yellow backpack cover! To be a member of the Science Trek means you are a part of a family. This is one of the many things I learned about the program after spending a beautiful June day with the class as it prepared for an upcoming canoe trip. It makes a lot of sense.  Students apply to be a part of this unique Sask...

Megen Olfert smiles thinking about the backyard treehouse her father designed for her when she was a kid.  It was wide enough for a motorised wheelchair to manoeuvre inside, and a cement path wound its way through the backyard up to the treehouse instead of stairs or a ladder.  “I felt like I was on equal ground as a kid,” said Megen, “because sometimes when you’re disabled it means you have to do...

Knowing where your next hot meal is coming from is a luxury most of us take for granted, but there are people in our community from all backgrounds who struggle to find their next breakfast or lunch. The Friendship Inn has spent the past 50 years helping vulnerable people in our community struggling with food security get the supports they need.  Every morning and lunch, 365 days a year, the Frien...

"Everybody in the pandemic has seems more friendly and more open. I've seen so many more people during the pandemic actually engaging in eye-contact and actually stopping and saying hello." I love this statement from Frances Sreedhar! If anyone knows how people are acting on the Meewasin trails, it's Frances.  Frances has walked more than one million steps on the Meewasin Valley trails since the p...

Two years ago, Saskatoon was preparing to host the Juno Awards. Covid-19 was definitely in the news, but it had not reached our community yet. All systems were ready to go celebrate the best in Canadian music.  For myself, I was excited to release a pair of YXE Underground episodes highlighting the behind the scenes work it took to bring the Juno Awards to Saskatoon and to host the JunoFest concer...

It's 9:30 on a cold January morning at the Saskatoon Field House and 85 year-old George Parchomchuk is right where he wants to be. He is walking on the track! For the past 20 years, George has been a member of the Coronary Artery Rehabilitation Group . He suffered his first cardiac event in 2001 and is grateful for the education and support he has received in the group. I know this because George...

“It’s the hardest thing for them to walk through the door because nobody wants to be in that position. It’s their reality now. They are a bereaved by suicide person. So when they rip off that first Band-Aid and they come in, they’re just met with such warmth, caring and a level of understanding. It sort of gives them a place where they now belong. That community of belonging is so special.” This i...

When I think of a fire department, I think of red fire trucks with ladders reaching towards the sky and fire fighters who are willing to sacrifice themselves to save the lives of others.  All that is true with the Saskatoon Fire Department , but there is another side to this department that is making a difference in our community through empathy, dignity and respect.  This episode looks at the wor...

For Nahanni Olson, the best way of reaching Indigenous youth in our community is through meaningful relationships, and that’s why I think she is the perfect person to lead this new University of Saskatchewan mentorship program called BIRM . She is all about relationships! BIRM stands for Building Intercultural Resilience Mentorship. The program is in the pilot stage and is partnering with two loca...

"In rural-speak: head out of the city on 22nd Street and stay on Highway 14 for about 10km." This is how Katie Suek started an email this summer when we were coordinating this podcast episode. Despite the fact that it's a short drive from Saskatoon to the Suek acreage, as soon as you step foot on Restoring 71, you do feel like you are light years away from the city. In 2015, the Suek family purcha...

Welcome to Season Four of YXE Underground. I am very grateful for your support of this local, independent podcast and I am excited to be sharing another season of stories with you.  We begin Season Four with an in-depth look at safe and affordable housing in Saskatoon. This is an issue that has come up time and time again throughout the podcast. Whether it is looking at mental health issues in our...

I’m very excited to share with you a conversation I had last month with a really insightful and caring person named Lisa Grieg. Lisa is a social worker by trade and has worked as a therapist in the past. Currently, she works as a Student Affairs Professional at the College of Dentistry at the University of Saskatchewan and is about to have her second child.  Lisa also has a wonderful podcast calle...

Welcome to a special summer bonus episode of YXE Underground. I hope you are having a great summer so far and are managing to stay cool in what has been a sweltering summer here in Saskatoon.  I want to share with you a conversation I had a few weeks ago with a really amazing young man named John Langan .  John is a member of the Canadian Military and the Saskatoon Police Service, and on July 21st...

When you walk into Saskatoon's Prince Philip School, a wave of hospitality and community hits you. It's a small elementary school tucked away in the city's south end and it holds a special place in Mindy's Macdonald's heart.  Mindy attended Prince Philip as a child and now teaches kindergarten in a carefully classroom to ensure her students are kept safe during the pandemic. Seriously, I just stoo...

Jordan Stovra's character cannot be contained behind a mask and a hairnet.  For the past eight years, the 24 year-old former football player has worked pretty much every job you can imagine at the Varsity Common Sobeys on 8th Street and Cumberland in Saskatoon. Whether it's cutting halibut steaks in the seafood department, collecting carts in the parking lot, checking lottery tickets or even tryin...