There is an organization in Saskatoon that works to strengthen the economic and social conditions of our city’s core neighbourhoods. It’s called Quint Development Corporation and it’s an organization full of amazing leaders like Kristen Thoms and Julia McCormick. Kristen is Quint’s Executive Director and has been with the organization for 18 years.…

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 the wo…

The ability to slow down, take a deep breath and be present in the moment in something I think most of us take for granted. For Brandon Wicks, developing and growing this ability through yoga has helped him overcome his mental health issues. Now, he and Jen Rondeau are working with the Royal University Hospital’s Adult Mental Health Short Stay Unit…

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 the wo…

Hello and welcome to Season 7 of YXE Underground. I’m your host, Eric Anderson and in this episode, we take listeners to the TCU Stage where the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra is preparing for a show! It’s a celebration of Fleetwood Mac’s career and so the symphony will be performing alongside a rock and roll musicians playing all of Fleetwood Mac’s …

"It's not enough to have a great Fringe show...You have to sell your show!" The world of Fringe Festivals is truly fascinating. Artists from around the world work hard all year round writing, performing and promoting their shows at festivals across the world. It's a labour of love and a world that many local artists learn about at the Saskatoon Fri…

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 the wo…

I think it takes a lot of courage for anyone to share the challenges, traumas and uncertainties in their life with the rest of the world. What Tennille and Lydia are doing with their mother-daughter memoir, '(Un)Remarkable: How Cancer and Depression Intertwined Our Stories of Grief and Hope' is worth celebrating. The first time I met Tennille Corbe…

Welcome to Beaver Creek Conservation Area. This area, which is about 15 minutes south of Saskatoon, is home to beautiful prairie landscapes, rare and threatened species at risk, and it’s where you’ll find Saskatoon’s Kelton Braun most days. Since 2020, Kelton has been an Environmental Educator for the Meewasin Valley Authority out at Beaver Creek. …

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…

It has been a weird week. Last Thursday, I received an email in my YXE Underground inbox from a gentleman named Mohammad Hussain. He said he was the Lead Press Secretary for the Prime Minister of Canada and wondered if I would be interested in having Prime Minister Trudeau on my podcast to talk about the importance of community leaders and why cele…

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…