Civically Speaking Podcast with Host, Lenore Swystun and Co-Host, Christina Cherneskey

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Hello Dear Listeners,

Christina and I are taking a break this week. Thought it might be interesting to listen to Dr. Kordan's discussion from December 2024.  What remains and what has changed geopolitically?

Have a listen.

Civically Speaking, 

Lenore and Christina

Civically Speaking- Saskatoon Saskatchewan's #1 show about civic issues. 

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Dear listeners, 

Thanks for tuning in.

On today’s Civically Speaking, we bring you another round of news... mostly local... beginning with the weather, then moving through some updates - a bridge, residential parking, downtowns, a hint perhaps re Riversdale, and a chuckle in- between on familiar connections and one degree of connection!

All here on community radio - beginning with this show that airs on 6:30 pm Tuesday evenings on Saskatoon's community radio station, CFCR.

Have a great week. 

Civically Speaking,

Lenore with Christina 

Civically Speaking- Saskatoon Saskatchewan's #1 show about civic issues. 

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Hello Dear Listeners,

Back this week, Christina Cherneskey. We catch up on summer (it seems to finally have arrived) and begin our talk, as most prairie folk do...about the weather and then turn to water and water safety....and then we span out from there.

Fifa Soccer/Football and the Jazz Festival are mentioned and then we turn around the weariness of the world these days war-wise.

Thanks for keepin' on with tuning in to Community Radio and local podcasts in communities you care about and are interested in.

Make CFCR your local community radio station of choice.

Warm summer regards,

Lenore and Christina

Civically Speaking- Saskatoon Saskatchewan's #1 show about civic issues. 

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Dear Listeners...

Happy Canada Day.

This episode of Civically Speaking is a reflective Canada Day teaching piece of sorts. Pondering Canada not as one simple story, but as many stories layered together.

In Part One, begin before Canada was Canada: Indigenous Nations, early European contact, the fur trade, empire, Confederation, and the creation of the Dominion of Canada in 1867.

In Part Two,  ask who Canada is now and who we are becoming. We reflect on the difficult chapters too often left out of national celebration, including residential schools, the reserve system, the pass system, the Chinese Head Tax, the Komagata Maru, Japanese Canadian internment, the Sixties Scoop, and discrimination in immigration and housing.

This is not about diminishing Canada. It is about understanding Canada more fully.

Canada Day can be celebration, reflection, gratitude, grief, responsibility, and hope.

Signed,

Civically Speaking,

Lenore with regrets from Christina

Civically Speaking- Saskatoon Saskatchewan's #1 show about civic issues. 

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Hello Dear Listeners,

My apologies for the delayed upload this week. I'm still in the midst of transferring files, programs, and what seems like an endless collection of digital gremlins from one laptop to another. Technology certainly has a way of keeping us humble!

This week's episode takes us on quite a journey.

In Part One, we stay close to home as we explore some of the stories shaping Saskatoon and Saskatchewan. We discuss the proposed Downtown Event and Entertainment District (DEED), why the Provincial Auditor's work deserves far more attention than it often receives, and several other stories that invite us to think about the future of our communities, our public institutions, and the decisions we're making today that will shape tomorrow.

Then, in Part Two, we widen the lens considerably. Together we'll travel from the Middle East to Europe, from Africa to the Arctic, and from Washington to the FIFA World Cup. Along the way, we'll explore not only what is happening, but why these stories matter here in Saskatchewan. We'll also look at global public health, climate adaptation, food security, critical minerals, the future of agriculture, and some of the scientific discoveries quietly reshaping our world.

One of the things I've always believed is that good citizenship begins with curiosity. The more we understand the forces shaping our communities, our country, and our world, the better equipped we are to participate in the conversations that matter. My hope is that Civically Speaking continues to be a place where we move beyond the headlines, ask thoughtful questions, and explore the stories behind the stories.

Christina is hoping to be back beside the microphone with me sometime next week, and I know many of you will be delighted to hear her voice again.

In the meantime, I hope you're enjoying this first official week of summer in Saskatchewan. Whether you're listening from a city neighbourhood, a small town, the farm, the lake, or somewhere along one of our beautiful highways, thank you for making Civically Speaking part of your week.

Thank you, as always, for your thoughtful emails, questions, and story ideas. They remind me that civic conversation is something we build together.

This has been Civically Speaking. Because informed citizens build stronger communities. Until next time... be kind, be curious, and stay civically engaged 

Lenore

Research Note: The stories discussed in this episode are based on publicly available information from a range of local, provincial, national, and international news organizations, government publications, academic and research institutions, and international agencies. Wherever possible, original and primary sources have been consulted to help ensure the information shared is accurate and current at the time of recording. As with all developing news stories, events may continue to evolve after this episode is published.

Civically Speaking- Saskatoon Saskatchewan's #1 show about civic issues. 

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Dear Listeners,

Thanks for for tuning in. In Episode 1 - I share a bit about the history of the organization that talks about the history of Saskatoon. We celebrate the Saskatoon Heritage Society's 50th anniversary. 

In part 2, I share some news tidbits from around the province and the world. 

Tune in. Support community radio and community-based podcasts just like this. Make cfcr.ca a bookmark and your FM station of choice CFCR. 

Civically Speaking,

Lenore Swystun with regrets from Christina Cherneskey

Civically Speaking- Saskatoon Saskatchewan's #1 show about civic issues. 

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Dear Listeners,

In this episode, apologies, published a week late due to an unknown technical glitch, I take a trip around the province and beyond with recent stories.

Community radio and community podcasts where real life intervenes amongst production of podcasts.

Have a good week. New episode for this week will be released much sooner. 

Civically speaking, 
Lenore

Civically Speaking- Saskatoon Saskatchewan's #1 show about civic issues. 

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Dear Listeners,

On this week's Civically Speaking, I take a current affairs road trip across Saskatchewan and beyond, beginning in Saskatoon and Regina before heading through Prince Albert, North Battleford, Yorkton, Warman, and Martensville.

I unpack some key municipal stories shaping June 2026...housing pressures, shelter systems, transit changes, recreation infrastructure, downtown development, REAL District debates, growth management, and flooding and wildfire concerns impacting rural municipalities. I touch base quickly too, on some summer events officially arrives

I close with a quick federal update ... proposed federal social media restrictions for youth under 16, and note on the installation of Canada’s new Governor General, Louise Arbour.

Thanks for listening and for continuing to care about civic life, local democracy, planning, public spaces, and the future of our communities.

Civically Speaking,
Lenore Swystun with regrets from Christina Cherneskey

Civically Speaking- Saskatoon Saskatchewan's #1 show about civic issues. 

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Dear Listeners,

This week on Civically Speaking, I return from the World Urban Forum in Baku, Azerbaijan with reflections, observations, and questions that travelled home with me.

I had the opportunity to attend and present at one of the world's largest gatherings focused on cities, communities, housing, resilience, and our collective futures. Tens of thousands of planners, researchers, governments, architects, community advocates, students, and leaders from around the world came together to share ideas and ask difficult questions (some 50,000 people).

Baku, where ancient trade routes, oil history, modernization, and global conversations meet. I reflect on my participation in discussions around intergenerational housing and some of the bigger questions I came home carrying: What if housing is not simply shelter? What if loneliness is an infrastructure challenge? What if communities are designed around relationships rather than silos?  What if some of our greatest planning challenges are not engineering challenges at all … but human challenges?

From Baku back to Saskatchewan, I share some of the ideas, stories, and moments that reminded me that while places may differ, many of our hopes and challenges are deeply shared.

Civically speaking,

Lenore with regrets from Christina

Civically Speaking- Saskatoon Saskatchewan's #1 show about civic issues. 

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Dear Listeners, 

Thanks for tuning into Civically Speaking. Be sure to support community radio and stations like cfcr.ca.

In Part 2, I dig deeper into Prince Albert and Moose Jaw before zooming out into broader conversations around global urbanization, climate change, governance, and the pressures reshaping cities and communities around the world… including right here in Saskatchewan.

Thanks for tuning in.

Civically Speaking,

Lenore Swystun with regrets from Christina Cherneskey

Civically Speaking- Saskatoon Saskatchewan's #1 show about civic issues.