Yxe Underground

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 by family law.She started a niche practice in our community focusing on conflict resolution and uses collaborative law and mediation when working in family law. Charmaine explains how collaborative law and mediation can help couples going through a divorce make sure their priorities are in the right place while being kind and respectful to one-another in this episode. She also shares her motivation for helping others and why getting people in a room to talk through their concerns is often the best way to reach a solution.You will also hear from Colleen Mpofu-McBride in this episode. Colleen is a clinical social worke

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 up on a farm southeast of Saskatoon, this question needed an answer.The answer to this question, and the great story that surrounds it, is in this episode of YXE Underground.Season 5 of YXE Underground begins with Phillip Harder. He is a hydrologist and a Research Associate for the Centre for Hydrology at the University of Saskatchewan. He is also a member of a national team called the Global Water Futures research project. Phillip is helping communities on the prairies, and especially farmers, learn to best use their fresh water resources. He’s doing this through careful research, flying expensive drones and engaging

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 stages. That's one of the many reasons why she is so excited for the Saskatoon Fringe Festival.25th Street Theatre puts on the Fringe Festival which means Anita and her team are busy all year preparing for the 10 day festival in Saskatoon's Broadway District. This year's festival  features the return of international theatre companies to Saskatoon as well as some fantastic local and national companies. Anita was kind enough to swing by my house on a Sunday morning to offer a preview of this year's Fringe Festival for the podcast. We also discuss the importance of getting kids interested in the arts at a young age and why s

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 Saskatoon Public Schools program from across the city and then are chosen from a lottery. Most of the students didn't know each-other on their first day of school, but through a variety of experiences (both inside the classroom and out in the community) they come together to form a family. And this family loves science!Science Trek teaches students to view the world around them through the lens of science. It is taught by two amazing teachers: Brian Gurney and Ashley Son. Together, they empower their students to discover how science impacts our community in places the northeast swale and the South Saskatchewan River. How t

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 things differently even though you can do the same thing. It made me feel included.”Megen was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at nine months old. It became clear to her parents, Charles and Leila Olfert, that their daughter would need a wheelchair and their house would not meet Megen’s needs. So, Charles began designing a new home for the family.This is an excerpt from a story I wrote for the CBC Saskatchewan website based on this episode. I love the story of Megan's treehouse!Charles and Leila have been living in this fully accessible home for the past 36 years. Charles is an architect with AODBT architecture and inter

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 Friendship Inn serves a free breakfast and lunch to people who need it. What's really amazing to me is that the organization never missed a meal in the pandemic. I was able to spend a morning at the Friendship Inn on a sunny Thursday in late March. I feel very lucky to have met a wonderful group of people who care for our community's most vulnerable with compassion and empathy. In this episode you'll meet Sandra Kary (Executive Director), Laura Herman (Development and Engagement Manager), Jenna Gull (Chef) and Tracy Block (Staff Member) and they do a fantastic job of sharing how the Friendship Inn is able to support so man

"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 pandemic started back in March of 2020 here in Saskatoon. She started walking for many different reason, which she explains eloquently in this bonus episode of the podcast, and realized that she had the opportunity to help two organizations close to her heart through her daily walks on the trails. In 2021, Frances raised thousands of dollars for the Meewasin Valley Authority and the Canadian Mental Health Association and is at it again in 2022. She has done a marvellous job of sharing her story with the local media (CTV Saskatoon, CBC Saskatchewan, Global Saskatoon) and I feel very lucky that she is appearing on the pod

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 concert series.All of that changed when the first case of Covid-19 was confirmed in Saskatchewan. The Junos were cancelled. School was quickly moved to online learning at home, and my job as Communications Leader at Sherbrooke Community Centre, a long term care home in Saskatoon, quickly focused on crisis communications. We are now two years into the pandemic and I wanted to tell that story through the lens of registered nurses in this episode. Every day, I see the incredible work performed by nurses and I know the positive impact they are having on residents, patients and families in our community and across the province. 

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 Parchomchuk is my uncle and he sparked the idea to do this episode.CARG is a non-profit, peer support group for people who have experienced a cardiac event. It offers supervised exercise and educational programs to its members and does an excellent job of creating community here in Saskatoon. Members are easy to spot on the Field House track thanks to their bright red shirts. The significance of these red shirts is explained by Al Sather in the episode. Al, who was a member of the Saskatoon Police Service, became a CARG member in 2016 after undergoing open-heart surgery. Al is joined in the episode by CARG President, D

“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 is one of the many quotes from Jill Cowan that stuck with me after our conversation. She is compassionate, full of empathy and not afraid to talk about a subject that many, myself included, feel uneasy to discuss.In 2015, Jill's 16 year-old son Max died by suicide. It was a devastating loss for Jill and her family and they looked for support to help them with their grieving. This proved to be very difficult. Jill experienced a gap in services many families in Saskatchewan have experienced when looking for support after a death by suicide. This experience sparked her to co-create, along with her friend and social worker

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 work of the Saskatoon Fire Department's Community Risk Reduction Team. This group is lead by Assistant Chief Yvonne Raymer and supported by Chief Morgan Hackl. They are the featured guests in this episode and do an outstanding job of articulating how important this team's work is in Saskatoon.The Community Risk Reduction Team focuses on issues such as homelessness, addictions and mental health challenges. It engages our most vulnerable population through meaningful conversations and then works with other community groups such as CUMFI to ensure people who need help finding safe housing or mental health supports do not fall

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 local high schools, Mount Royal Collegiate and Bedford Road Collegiate, to connect Indigenous high school students with university students. I think it's a wonderful program with so much potential to make a meaningful difference not only in the lives of high school students but in the university mentors as well.Nahanni has been making a difference in our community for years. She has been a teacher in the Saskatoon Public School Division since 2008 and spent the past four years as Bedford Road Collegiate's first Indigenous Student Advocate before taking on this new role with the University of Saskatchewan. Educators can hav

"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 purchased an 80-acre acreage west of Saskatoon as a way to reconnect with nature and offer their children the opportunity to spark a love for the natural world. They used nine of those acres to build a home and left the remaining 71 in the hands of mother nature. Today, those 71 acres have become an incredible conservation and restoration project, and the really cool thing is that Katie wants you to come visit her backyard for free! Since the Covid-19 pandemic started in March of 2020, Restoring 71 has hosted hundreds of visitors, including elementary and high school students, seeking to connect with nature in a meaningful w

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 community or focusing on addictions, the lack of safe and affordable housing in our community comes up as a root cause of these issues. I have been looking for a way to approach the issue on the podcast for over a year now but was struggling with finding a way into the story. Luckily, I received an email from Sheri Benson this past summer. Sheri is the CEO of the United Way Saskatoon and a YXE Underground listener. She told me I should do an episode on safe and affordable housing and I said, "sure...but I will need your help!" We met for lunch and came up with three people who we thought would make great guests on th

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 called Highlighting Real as well as a great Instagram Page with the handle Lisa Grieg Wellness. Through her Instagram account and podcast, Lisa shares stories and sparks conversations centering on mental health and wellness, but what I love about Lisa is she does this in a very authentic and genuine way. In no way does Lisa try and tell people how to feel or sell them something as a quick fix to mental health challenges. Instead, she shares what is going on in her busy life...Lisa has a husband with great musical tastes named Ross and a son, Holden…and the challenges they all face. I really admire how Lisa discusses mental

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, he will make his debut as an author. John has written a memoir entitled Iskoces Tipiskak. It is a remarkable look at his life, the role indigenous spirituality and culture plays in everything he does, the impact of residential schools on his family and the role indigenous peoples will play in our country’s future. In the last few months, we have all been reminded of the terrible atrocities committed on Indigenous peoples across Canada. The discoveries of unmarked graves on the grounds of residential schools in Kamloops, BC and Cowessess First Nation in Saskatchewan are a terrible legacy of colonization that will impac

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 stood in amazement at the amount of empathy and creativity Mindy put into her classroom this year. She does a wonderful job of explaining why she had to organize the space in this way during the first few minutes of the episode.My nephew, Everett, was the first person to tell me about Mindy Macdonald. He is six years-old and is in her class. He loves how enthusiastic Mrs. Macdonald is and the fact that she allows animals and plants in the classroom. After spending an hour with Mindy, I can see why my nephew thinks so highly of her.I am biased in my support of teachers. I had a brief two year career as a teacher and my wif

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 trying his hand in the produce section, there's nothing Jordan can't do in his store. He loves his job and is a joy to be around.I've seen Jordan every weekend for the past year. My wife gives me a shopping list and off I go to the Sobeys to purchase groceries. I love doing it. It gives me purpose and makes me feel like I am in control of at least one part of my life when so many other things are no longer within my grasp. I wouldn't be able to do this without essential workers like Jordan coming into work every day to make sure the shelves are stocked. I wanted to recognize the work of grocery store workers in this pandem

On a December evening in 2017, Andrea Schick's life was thrown into chaos. The health of her four and a half year-old son, Sebastian, quickly took a turn for the worse. Doctors in Regina didn't know what was wrong and because Saskatchewan didn't have a children's hospital at the time, Andrea and her family were forced to travel to Edmonton so that Sebastian could receive care. It was in Edmonton that Andrea and her family relied on the Ronald McDonald House organization to provide the structure and support they desperately needed during Sebastian's time in the hospital.Sadly, Sebastian's story did not have a happy ending. He passed away and as you'll hear in this episode, the loss will forever stay in Andrea's heart.What will also stay in her heart is her support of the organization that helped her family through such difficult circumstances.In this bonus episode of the podcast, Andrea shares her son's story and explains how the Ronald McDonald House supported her and her family when they needed it most. She

Spend some time in the Ronald McDonald House here in Saskatoon and you will feel a lot of things.You will feel the kindness of staff as they work to serve the families that are calling the house home while going through extremely challenging times.You will feel creativity as you discover all the big and little things within the house designed to make a family's stay as pleasant as possible.And I think you will feel the strength of an organization that has people pulling in the same direction to serve families.I feel fortunate to have spent a morning back in February in the Ronald McDonald House and that I get to share that experience with you in this episode.The Covid-19 pandemic, as you will hear, has made the mission of the Ronald McDonald House (which is to provide programs for families with sick children that positively impact the health and wellbeing of the entire family) a bit more challenging to fulfill. What you will also hear are people who love what they do at the house and are working together to e