YXE Underground

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, Dennis Johnson. Dennis, who was a highly regarded professor at the University of Saskatchewan, became a CARG member in 2005 after a series of heart incidents including open-heart surgery. 

Al and Dennis share their personal stories in the episode and explain how CARG continues to benefit hundreds of people in Saskatoon. They are honest, sincere and I think are amazing ambassadors for the organization. 

Follow and listen to YXE Underground on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the website or wherever you find your favourite podcasts. Don't forget to leave a 5 star review if you like what you hear. 

Thank you so much for listening and support a local, independent podcast and thanks again to Al, Dennis and my Uncle George for their help in making this episode such a success!

Cheers...Eric 

• Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
• Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
• Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com
• Recorded: On Treaty 6 Territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis

“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, Anjeanette Corbeil, a program called Healing to the Max. 

Healing to the Max offers a 12-week intensive group session for adults where a facilitator works with participants to understand and work through their grief in a variety of ways including journaling and art therapy. There are also sessions available for teens ages 11-19.

Jill, who is also a group facilitator, opens up in our conversation about why she co-created the program and explains how families come together in the group sessions. She also touches on her grieving for Max and how that empathy allows her to truly connect with families in the program.

Jill also has big plans for growing Healing to the Max that I think you will find inspiring. 

I am very grateful to Jill for putting me at ease during our conversation. As you'll hear in the episode, Jill went to extraordinary lengths to make me feel comfortable and I think that really helped to set the tone for a wonderful conversation. 

You can find YXE Underground on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the website or wherever you find your podcasts. Don't forget to leave a 5-star review if you like what you hear!

You can also follow the podcast on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

Thank you so much for supporting a local, independent podcast and I hope you enjoy this episode.

Cheers...Eric

• Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
• Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
• Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com
• Recorded: On Treaty 6 Territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis

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 through the cracks.

I learned so much from Yvonne and Morgan during our conversation and have a greater appreciation for the work being done by the Saskatoon Fire Department in our community. I hope you feel the same after listening to this episode. 

Follow and listen to YXE Underground wherever you find your podcasts including Apple Podcasts, Spotify or the website. Don't forget to leave a five-star review if you like what you hear!

Thank you so much to Yvonne and Morgan for taking the time to speak with me on the podcast and for the work they are doing in our community.

Thank you again for listening and supporting a local, independent podcast. I hope you have a safe and wonderful holiday season and we'll talk with you again in 2022!

Cheers...Eric 

• Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
• Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
• Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com
• Recorded: On Treaty 6 Territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis

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 have such a positive impact on their students and as you'll discover in this episode, Nahanni has left her mark on many students in Saskatoon.

Nahanni is someone who has been on my radar for the podcast for the past few years thanks to my wife, Jen. She taught with Nahanni at Mount Royal for years and cannot say enough amazing things about her. I have to admit that I was slightly nervous when I first met Nahanni on a very warm November afternoon on the UofS campus. This was THE Nahanni Olson I had heard so much about that I was speaking with and I didn't want to mess it up.

Honestly, I don't think I could have messed up a conversation with Nahanni because she is so easy and wonderful to speak with. She is an excellent listener and passionate in her beliefs. She wants Indigenous youth to think beyond what is expected of them and see that they can make a difference in the world. 

Thank you for supporting a local, independent podcast! I know you are going to love listening to Nahanni (I sure did) and hopefully you'll learn as much as I did from her. 

You can listen to YXE Underground on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the website or wherever you find your podcasts. Don't forget to leave a 5-star review if you like what you hear!

Best of luck to Nahanni and all the students in the BIRM program! 

Cheers...Eric

 

• Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
• Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
• Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com
• Recorded: On Treaty 6 Territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis

"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 way. 

What I love about Katie's story is that she is encouraging people to come visit her home; to visit Restoring 71; to learn about conservation and simply enjoy a space that nature has reclaimed after generations of farming. 

I feel very lucky to have spent a beautiful August evening with Katie and her husband, Aaron, exploring the trails of Restoring 71 and hearing their passion for this unique project. I think what they are doing with Restoring 71 makes them community leaders when it comes to understanding our relationship with nature, and I hope you are able to experience their 71 acres and soak in its beauty. 

A big thank youto Saskatoon's Escape Sports for supporting this episode of the podcast! If you're looking for outdoor gear in Saskatoon, be sure to check out Escape Sports. 

Thank you for supporting a local, independent podcast. If you like what you hear, don't forget to tell a friend and leave a 5-star podcast review. 

Follow and listen to YXE Underground on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the website or wherever you find your podcasts. 

Thank you so much for listening and I hope you enjoy your time at Restoring 71.

Cheers...Eric 

• Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
• Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
• Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com
• Recorded: On Treaty 6 Territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis

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 the podcast and could bring unique perspectives to the issue. I am thrilled they all said yes to being on the podcast.

Priscilla Johnstone is the Homelessness Action Plan Manager with Saskatoon Housing Initiatives Partnership. She works with community organizations to deliver funding for various housing projects. Priscilla also works directly with Saskatoon's homeless population and does so through an Indigenous lens. 

Jordan Mills is the Director of Clinical Services at Saskatoon Crisis Intervention Services. He helped to start an innovative housing program in 2014 called Housing First. It is a unique program and one that Jordan passionately discusses in this episode.

Chelsie Fulton is the Pride Home Manager for OUT Saskatoon. Pride Home is a house that provides 2SLGBTQ youth between the ages of 16 and 21 a safe place to live open and free lives. It opened five years ago and is serving an important role in Saskatoon.
 

All three guests bring passion, empathy and years of experience to their roles, and it was a real pleasure speaking with them for this episode.
 

You can follow and listen to YXE Underground on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you find your podcasts. You can also listen to every episode on the website. Don't forget to follow to YXE Underground on social media and feel free to leave a review if you like what you hear. 

Thank you so much for supporting this local, independent podcast and I hope you enjoy this episode. 
Cheers...Eric 

• Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
• Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
• Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com
• Recorded: On Treaty 6 Territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis

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 health and wellness and I wanted to know more about how she’s able to spark so much interest and discussion in our community through her podcast and Instagram account.

We met at Sparrow Coffee shop on 2nd Avenue and sat down outside to talk. It was the day after Saskatchewan’s public health orders were lifted and you’ll hear that mentioned a few times in our conversation. You’ll also hear Lisa discuss why she wants to connect with people in our community, how wellness has become so commodified in recent years, and if she ever feels like she shares too much on social media.

I loved speaking with Lisa and I hope you find the time to find her podcast and Instagram accounts as they are both worth your time. 

Don't forget that Season Four of YXE Underground drops on September 9th. Follow and listen to YXE Underground wherever you find your podcasts or the website. Thank you for all of your support and talk with you soon! 

Cheers...Eric

• Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
• Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
• Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com
• Recorded: On Treaty 6 Territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis

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 impact Canadian society for generations to come. 

It’s something John and I discuss in the episode and how his book can further that conversation. 

John is a joy to speak with. He is charismatic, kind, passionate and determined to bring about change in so many different. You will hear him laugh lots in our conversation, but as he explains, don’t let that fool you in thinking he is not serious about his role as a leader in his community. It’s simply a way he manages the trauma and pain he encounters and feels. 

John and I met for coffee here in Saskatoon on a Sunday morning and covered a lot of ground in just a half-hour. That's probably because he’s so easy to speak with. We talk about why he wanted to write a memoir now and what he hopes to accomplish with his book. We also discuss how it connects to the tragic news coming out of Kamloops and Cowesssess.

I want to warn you that we bring up some very difficult subjects and John shares some deeply personal and heartbreaking stories.

If any of these stories are triggering for you, please know that supports are available for anyone affected by the lingering effects of residential schools and those are who are triggered by what is happening in Canada right now. The Indian Residential School Survivors Society can be contacted toll free at 1-800-721-0066. 

A national Indian Residential School Crisis Line has been set up to provide support for former students and those affected. You can access emotional and crisis referred services by calling the 24-hour national crisis line at 1-866-925-4419.

Finally, I would like to acknowledge that this interview was done on Treaty 6 territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis.

Please feel free to follow and like YXE Underground on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts. You can also listen to episodes on the YXE Underground website. 

Thank you again to John for sharing his story on the podcast. 

• Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
• Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
• Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com
• Recorded: On Treaty 6 Territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis

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 wife teaches high school in Saskatoon. I know how hard the profession is and the insane amount of work that good teachers put in for their students. Mindy Macdonald is one of those teachers.

In this episode, you'll discover how Mindy has done an incredible job of creating a sense of community with her students and their parents despite the fact that Covid-19 prevented so many of those little interactions between teachers and students. Hearing Mindy describe how she has taught proper speech even though she couldn't see the mouths of her students due to masks was so interesting. There are plenty of WOW moments in our conversation and I think you will really connect with Mindy's passion. 

This is the final episode of Season Three of YXE Underground and I want to thank you, the listener, for all of your support! The podcast reached a new level of listenership and engagement this season and I am grateful for it. I also want to thank all of the guests who appeared on the podcast this season. It takes courage to share your story in such a public way and all of my guests did an amazing job. 

I also want to thank all of the local businesses who supported the podcast this season. For this episode, the great team at Ivy Yoga House offered their support and I am so grateful. The community that Jen Rondeau and her teachers have created is something special. I have been practicing there for almost a year now and I am getting closer to getting my heels to the ground in downward dog!!

I'll be spending the summer gathering interviews for Season Four which will drop in September, but I'll be dropping some bonus episodes in July and August so be sure to subscribe to the podcast so that you don't miss an episode.

I hope you have a safe and wonderful summer and thank you again for all of your support this season!!

Cheers...Eric

• Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
• Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
• Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com
• Recorded: On Treaty 6 Territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis

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 pandemic and Jordan seemed like the perfect person to feature on the podcast. I am grateful he said yes and I am also grateful the local and national managers at Sobeys felt the same way! It can sometimes be tricky navigating the corporate structure of a big company to get an interview request answered, but Sobeys was great to work with and I think listeners are really going to love this episode.

Jordan talks about the challenges posed by the pandemic and just how crazy the first few weeks were when Covid-19 arrived in Saskatoon. "Every day felt like December 23rd which was our busiest day. It was like that for two straight weeks," explains Jordan in the episode. 

He talks about how the pandemic has brought his colleagues together in some ways but he also discusses the things Covid-19 has robbed him of. Jordan might give off a rough and tough vibe when you first meet him but he's a really sweet and kind person with a big heart who cares for those around him.

Saskatoon photographer Rona Andreas and I were able to spend a Saturday morning in mid-April with Jordan just as the store was opening up. You'll hear people shuffling up and down the aisles, busy checkout stations and Jordan smiling as he cuts halibut steaks for customers to enjoy. It was so much fun spending time with Jordan and seeing how much he truly cares about his job. 

A big thank you to Ivy Yoga House for supporting this episode of YXE Underground. I think it's the best yoga studio in Saskatoon and I hope you get the chance to check it out!

Don't forget to follow and listen to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts. Stream episodes on the website as well. Please rate and review YXE Underground if you like what you hear. 

Thank you for supporting this local, independent podcast. I really do appreciate all of your support and I hope you're all staying well and healthy. 

Cheers...Eric 

 

• Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
• Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
• Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com
• Recorded: On Treaty 6 Territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis