It’s a Thursday night in late March and I am surrounded by people in orange shirts and sweaters, as well as people who are working hard to earn the right to wear these orange shirts and sweaters, in an old Fire Hall near Aden Bowman Collegiate. Specifically, I’m in a meeting room where large maps are spread out on tables and new Saskatoon Search an…

Hello, I'm Eric Anderson and welcome to YXE Underground. If you are a long time listener of the podcast, thank you! If this is your first time listening, welcome. YXE Underground is a local, independent podcast here in Saskatoon that shines a light on people who are doing incredible things but are flying under the radar. I am so excited that this s…

Music plays so many roles in our lives. It brings us together through live concerts… It can help us change our mood or amplify how we are feeling in a certain moment… And as you will hear in this episode, music has the power to form meaningful relationships and spark joy in people with physical and cognitive challenges. Candace Ukrainetz shares her…

For the past 48 years, the Kinsmen Foundation and Telemiracle has been raising money to improve the quality of life and independence of Saskatchewan residents. Their generosity is huge and the province rallies every year to support the Telemiracle fundraising event on television, but you might not know about all the work that goes on behind the sce…

Hello, I'm Eric Anderson and welcome to YXE Underground. If you are a long time listener of the podcast, thank you! If this is your first time listening, welcome. YXE Underground is a local, independent podcast here in Saskatoon that shines a light on people who are doing incredible things but are flying under the radar. I am so excited that this s…

The final days and moments of a person’s life can be uncomfortable subjects for people to think about, let alone discuss with others. But what I discovered by spending a morning at the Hospice at Glengarda, Saskatchewan’s first stand-alone hospice, is that there is so much room for light, laughter and gratitude when the end is near. What I also dis…

Hello and welcome to a special bonus episode of YXE Underground. I’m your host, Eric Anderson. Happy New Year to all of you and I hope you had a wonderful holiday season. I am really excited to begin 2024 with a bonus episode featuring a really kind and passionate person in our community. Her name is Lecina Hicke and she is the CEO of the St. Paul’…

Finding your voice as a young artist can be challenging, especially if you can't find the right space to express yourself creatively. Luckily for young people in Saskatoon, Jody Lerat and her team of students have created a safe and inviting space where young artists are free and encouraged to discover their voice. It's called Future Artistic Minds…

Hello, I'm Eric Anderson and welcome to YXE Underground. If you are a long time listener of the podcast, thank you! If this is your first time listening, welcome. YXE Underground is a local, independent podcast here in Saskatoon that shines a light on people who are doing incredible things but are flying under the radar. I am so excited that this s…

For more than 20 years, Kim Fisher has worked at the Saskatoon YWCA helping women and their families receive the supports they need and doing it with kindness and compassion. The YWCA is many things to many people in our community. There is an employment and learning centre that helps people learn the skills to reach their employment goals. The chi…

Hello, I'm Eric Anderson and welcome to YXE Underground. If you are a long time listener of the podcast, thank you! If this is your first time listening, welcome! YXE Underground is local, independent podcast here in Saskatoon that shines a light on people who are doing incredible things but are flying under the radar. I am so excited that this sea…

Literacy is something many of us take for granted, and yet one in three people in Saskatchewan struggle when it comes to things like reading, writing, comprehension numeracy skills. At Foundations Learning and Skills Saskatchewan, a dedicated group of staff and volunteers is helping adults who want to improve their literacy skills for free. Charlen…

This month, the Broadway Theatre is celebrating 30 years as a community owned and operated theatre in Saskatoon which is an achievement worth celebrating. The Broadway is many things to many people. For music lovers, it’s a place where they can see their favourite artists and bands in an intimate setting and discover new and emerging talent from ac…

Hello, I'm Eric Anderson and welcome to YXE Underground. If you are a long time listener of the podcast, thank you! If this is your first time listening, welcome! YXE Underground is local, independent podcast here in Saskatoon that shines a light on people who are doing incredible things but are flying under the radar. I am so excited that this sea…

Welcome to Season Six of YXE Underground. Thank you so much for your continued support and I am thrilled to be back sharing stories of people who are making a difference in Saskatoon but are flying under the radar. This season's first episode focuses on the Animal Safekeeping Program. It is a partnership between New Hope Dog Rescue and the Saskatch…

Hello and welcome to a special summer bonus episode of YXE Underground. My name is Eric Anderson and I hope you are having a wonderful summer so far. I spent the first two weeks of July on a trip to Scandinavia with my Dad and had a really great time there. We spent time in Norway, specifically Oslo and a city called Narvik within the Arctic Circle…

Educating people of all ages and cultures is what drives Elaine Sutherland. For nearly 25 years, she taught in schools, mostly as a kindergarten teacher, and helped her peers incorporate Indigenous history and teachings education into their classrooms. Today, you can find Elaine at the Office of the Treaty Commissioner where she is the Director of …

It’s a Thursday night and four people are sparring under the careful watch of Haven Seto. For years, Haven has worked with athletes of all ages to help them develop their boxing, kickboxing and wushu skills. Wushu is also known as kung-fu, and it’s played an important role in Haven’s life. I am so excited to introduce you to Haven Seto. He is the e…

It has been just over a year since Ukrainians began arriving in Saskatoon, fleeing from war with Russia, and arriving with very little to start their new lives in our community. There have been many stories chronicling the efforts of people and organizations to help Ukrainians not only arrive safely but to set them up for success in Saskatoon and a…

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 c…

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 aquar…

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. J…

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 experie…

Dj yXeS December 2022 - for fun

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 Journ…

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…

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 h…

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 Sa…

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…

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…

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…

Mixed directly with Iphone without preparing any song before :-)

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 someti…

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. Ev…

"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 millio…

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 Aw…

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 r…

“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. …

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, dig…

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 i…

"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 a…

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. Whe…

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 seco…

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…

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…

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 pa…

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 …

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 …

March 20th was the first day of spring and it felt like a day to be outside. I woke up early to go for a haircut and run a few errands, including picking up lunch for my wife who was at home participating in an all day zoom conference. I think seeing her sitting in front of her laptop inspired me to make the most of the afternoon and headed out for…

"If I allow praise to be why I do this job or get wrapped up in that life-saving mentality, I would worry about the job I'm doing. You have to keep some humility." Jen Rondeau is a very humble and wise woman. As a Critical Care Paramedic, her job is to help those who need immediate medical help. She works with Air Ambulance and Road Ambulance based…