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

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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 1 of this episode, I dive deep into the changing urban realities of Saskatoon and Regina through the lenses of planning theory, sociology, and civic identity. We explored Saskatoon’s downtown transformation, including the proposed redevelopment of the former StarPhoenix site, transit and entertainment district debates, and the tension between metropolitan ambition and prairie-scale belonging, before turning to Regina’s REAL District, Brandt, and the rise of entrepreneurial urbanism shaping public space and civic identity.

 In Part 2, we will 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. 

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Dear Listeners,

Thanks for tuning in and supporting community radio. Grab your 2026 2027 membership for cfcr.ca and get in on some good deals.

Regrets from Christina, and so I geek out.  This episode leans in on a favourite topic of mine - the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

During July 2026, the United Nations will conduct an in-depth review of Sustainable Development Goal 11 — Sustainable Cities and Communities. That review asks a simple but powerful question: Are cities actually becoming more inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable… or are we still working in fragments?

I leverage that question and the latest Spring 2026 issue of Plan Canada from the Canadian Institute of Planners that brings a Canadian planning lens to that global moment. The issue emphasizes that sustainable communities are not built through isolated decisions, but through alignment across systems — housing, infrastructure, mobility, climate, and equity. 

In Part 1, I explore what SDG 11 really demands, and why 2026 is a critical checkpoint as we move toward the 2030 targets. 

In Part 2, I bring that lens home to the Prairies and look at what has actually happened in April 2026:

• Edmonton grappling with affordability and tax tolerance following a 6.9% property tax increase 
• Calgary navigating climate risk through floodplain development debates and new wildfire planning 
• Regina investing $147 million in infrastructure while managing regional growth pressures with the RM of Sherwood and White City 
• Saskatoon and region balancing outward growth, downtown intensification, transit transformation, and infrastructure capacity 
• Moose Jaw and Prince Albert advancing critical infrastructure renewal and downtown rebuilding 
• RMs of Edenwold and other rural municipalities managing growth at the edges of urban systems. 

Across all of these, one question emerges: are we building systems that work together… or are we still layering decisions that don’t quite align?

This episode is not about whether cities...communites are trying — they are.
 It’s about whether those efforts are beginning to add up.

Civically Speaking,
 Lenore Swystun

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

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Dear Listeners…

This week’s Civically Speaking stays close to home… and to some of the most important shifts happening right around us. 

Regrets from Christina. I geeked out with this episode and spent time discussing the evolving role of the RM of Corman Park and what it could mean now that it is an approved planning authority. The RM is poised to shift and reposition itself across the region. And as a post note to the episode, Council Planning committee recommende Option 2, to leave the partnership. Formal vote to take place in June. 

I also touch on RM of Sherwood's decision with some new recent provincial appointed members joining Council to move forward with a major Bell AI data centre that faces strong public concern. 

These are not small stories… they speak to how decisions are being made, who gets heard, and how quickly our landscapes… rural, urban and rurban… are changing.

I also turn briefly to Saskatoon’s core areas, where the realities of addiction and overdoses, unhoused populations, and safety continue to shape the conversation. These are not separate issues… they are deeply connected to how we plan, invest, and care for one another as a community. 

Thank you for listening, for thinking alongside me, and for staying engaged in the work of understanding what is unfolding around us.

Civically speaking,

Lenore

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

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Dear Listeners,

In this episode Christina and I unpack a bit of the relief that may be rippling through all federal political parties via post federal by-election results.  The At Issue Panel on CBC had similar musings last night. 

We then go around the world ...let's just say...Trump, a Pope, and a Canal... and learnings from outer Space...

We then hit home near the end of Pt 2 in a discussion about why exercising our democratic muscles is so important. 

Have a listen. Be sure to support local radio and podcasts like this. And for CFCR listeners 90.5 FM in Saskatoon, don't forget to renew or take out a membership. cfcr.ca 

Civically speaking,

Lenore Swystun with Christina Cherneskey

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

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Dear Listeners,

Thanks for tuning in to podcasts like this and community radio stations like CFCR where shows like this first air in CFCR lands.

With returning panel members, Dr. Tom Wolf and Gordon Androsoff, we begin today’s conversation in the fields… with fertilizer costs and the very real impacts of global conflict on supply chains, pricing, and decision-making on the ground. What’s happening internationally is not abstract… it’s shaping choices being made right now across the Prairies.

From there, we weave our way back home. Through conversation with voices in Saskatoon and Nelson, BC, we explore how these global pressures are landing locally… in our communities, our cities, and our everyday lives. We talk about downtowns in transition, questions of safety and belonging, and how infrastructure and public systems are being stretched in new ways.

We dig into what feels out of alignment…  From overpass strikes and infrastructure stress, to the ongoing recalibration of major city-building projects like Saskatoon's recent switch up re its downtown arean project.

This episode, threads global conflict… to fertilizer costs… to farms… to cities… to the way we live together.

Have a listen.

Support community radio wherever you are… and here in Saskatoon, that’s CFCR 90.5 FM.

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,

It is a day of news around all things transportation and transit.

We begin with a sad story involving an Air Canada plane that made contact with a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport.

We then come closer to home with stories involving, yet again, an overpass and collision with a semi-truck… then round over to a story about the bus rapid transit system in the making, known as LINK… and wrap up with a few other speedy items.

Have a listen. And support community radio stations in your community… in Saskatoon, that means CFCR 90.5 FM.

Civically Speaking,
 Lenore Swystun with Christina Cherneskey

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

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Dear Listeners, 

Thanks for tuning in.

This week, we spent time looking ahead to what we might expect in the upcoming provincial budget. Budgets are ultimately about priorities, and we talked about the pressures shaping this year’s decisions and what communities across Saskatchewan may be watching for.

We also explored the role of media in interpreting and presenting budgets to the public, and the important role of the opposition in scrutinizing government spending and holding decision-makers accountable.

From there, we turned to a few current civic news stories, including discussion around the repeated oops of overhead ramps being damaged on highways around the province and what this means. 

Thanks again for listening and for staying engaged in the civic conversations shaping our communities. Be sure to support community radio stations like CFCR and shows like this.

Civically Speaking,

Lenore Swystun with Christina Cherneskey

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

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Dear Listeners,

Thank you for tuning in. Much appreciation.

In today's episode, Christina and I begin with a check in on classic prairie March weather and then head into a chat about the current status of the USA, Israel, Iran, Middle East Cluster something - as it is difficult to unpack what is what - as the messages coming change it seems minute by minute - one minute a war - the next - we are almost done - to something else.

We then come right back in closer to home, bike lanes, libraries, fire again under a bridge, National Park options in our City. And then we wind around to election seasons upcoming - Leadership NDP, By-elections- Federal.

Have a listen. Be good to yourself and treat yourself to daily doses of CFCR.ca and community radio stations throughout the world.

Civically speaking,

Lenore Swystun with Christina Cherneskey

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

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Hello Listeners,

It has been a tough couple of weeks. Losing a brother is never easy. Losing an extra special brother like Gordon is unbearable. He made my partner and I better people.  Truly. Gone way too soon. 

In his spirit, trying to move on. He loved this show, and being in the background as I recorded, most often in recent years, from the dining room of the farm house. His home.

In this episode. Christina and I chat about the most recent news stories near and far.

Have a listen. And in the spirit of Gordon. To good good good. 

Civicically speaking,

Lenore with Christina

Gordon Perry Swystun | Obituary | Sharing Memories https://share.google/u6Fee5EeIA0NMZEtK

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

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Dear Friends and Colleagues,

This week I sit down with James Yachyshen to unpack a pivotal moment in Canadian federal politics. 

We discuss the Conservative Leadership Review and Convention, the upcoming NDP leadership race, and what these parallel transitions could mean for the Federal Liberals... including the possibility of an election later this year. Leadership contests are never just internal party matters… they signal direction, discipline, and readiness for what comes next.

We explore how conventions shape party identity, how leadership races redefine policy positioning, and whether this moment creates strategic opportunity or heightened risk for those currently governing. With so much in motion at once, the national landscape feels fluid — and Saskatchewan’s perspective remains an important part of that conversation.

Check it out… and as always, support community radio.  

Civically speaking,

Lenore Swystun with regrets from Christina Cherneskey

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