YXE Underground

"I never really interview people. I converse with them."

Hossein Martin Fazeli is an award-winning filmmaker who calls Vancouver home. His latest documentary, 'I Am Gitxsam,' has led him to Saskatoon for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. 

Hossein's documentary is screening at Wanuskewin Heritage Park at 4pm on September 30th as part of the day's events at the park, and he explains in our conversation why he felt compelled to be in the room for this special screening. 

'I Am Gitxsan' has won 33 international film awards, and Hossein shares in th...

I love Nuit Blanche! I think it is a wonderful opportunity for our community to explore the city, interact with thought-provoking and unique works of art, all under the stars on a Saturday night. 

The festival also gives local and national artists a chance to create under a theme chosen by the Xiao Han, Nuit Blanche's curator. 

I was lucky to have Xiao on the podcast last year, and we had a great discussion about festival and why it means so much to her. This year, we met at River Landing to talked about this ye...

Welcome to the Season Nine debut of YXE Underground. My name is Eric Anderson, and I am so excited to begin this season of the podcast with the CHAMPS Summer Camp.

CHAMPS is pretty incredible. It is an annual week-long day camp held in July primarily for children between the ages of seven and 17 with congenital or acquired heart disease. For 11 years, CHAMPS (which stands for Children’s Healthy-Heart Activity Monitoring Program in Saskatchewan), has been a safe and welcoming space for children to not only learn about their heart conditions and overall health, but a place to...

Anita Smith is wearing purple work gloves and has a walkie talkie clipped to shirt when I meet her at W.E. Graham Park a few days before the Saskatoon Fringe Festival  is set to begin. She and her team of staff and volunteers are setting up for the festival and are not letting city construction get in the way of hosting another wonderful festival. 

It has been another busy year for Anita. As Artistic and Executive Director of Saskatoon's 25th Street Theatre Company, she has overseen a year of innovative and engaging theatre productions. She also fo...

There is always something happening in Saskatoon during the summertime. From Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan and the Fringe Festival, to the Saskatoon Ex and Rock the River, there is something for everyone to enjoy in our community. 

Last week, my wife and I went for a walk on the Train Bridge on a beautiful afternoon. We don't often walk in that area of the city, and reminded me of how beautiful the views are of the South Saskatchewan River standing on the Train Bridge. It also gave me an idea for a summer bonus episode of the p...

When was the last time you felt free to be creative? To just let loose and tap into your creativity in an inviting and supportive space?

I was thinking about these points when I took in the Something Sketchy – Bad Drawing Only event in January. 

This gathering comes from the wonderful mind of Jaymie Raefta, a Saskatoon illustrator and artist who has become one of my favourite people in the past few years. 

Once every few months in a warehouse space in Riversdale, Jaymie hosts a gathering of people who love to draw, no m...

Hello and welcome to Season 8, Episode 9 of YXE Underground. I’m Eric Anderson, and welcome to OUT Saskatoon’s Newcomer Support Group.

It is a snowy, bitterly cold Thursday night in April, but in the OUT Saskatoon’s headquarters, their main gathering space is packed with people from across the world.

This support group started last May and offers LGBTQ newcomers and refugees a safe space to not only learn about Saskatoon and Canada, but as you will hear in this episode, the group is providing community and friendship to those who come. 

Once a...

"Every day is a new, exciting challenge. I am having a great time doing it, but it is a challenge."

Anita Smith has been creating live theatre for nearly 30 years. She is the Executive and Artistic Director of the 25th Street Theatre Company and loves providing Saskatchewan artists the opportunity to tell their stories and showcase their skills. 

The company's latest production, however, is pushing Anita and her team to their limits. 

Behind Closed Doors takes people to six different sites across Saskatoon to explore unseen conversations and gives them a chance to ex...

Welcome to the YWCA Saskatoon's Hopeful Hearts Home program.

The program takes place in a four-story building that opened last year and is a transitional housing wing attached to the main YWCA building. 

The Hopeful Hearts Home program provides women and their families with a safe home in a nurturing environment to heal from experiences of interpersonal violence. There are 35 suites in the building that can house up to 75 people, and it is truly making a difference in the lives of the women and children who call it home. 

Mirna Funes-Klaasen is the Ma...

Growing up in Swift Current, I never saw the infamous Great Buffet of China television ad that aired all the time from 1996 to 1998, but Craig Silliphant and Don Sparrow sure did. 

They remember seeing it in the mornings before university, at supper during the news, and into the wee hours of the night. 

The story of how this advertisement came to be, the impact it had on those involved in the production of the advertisement, and why it became a viral hit in China, are all touched on in Craig's new documentary film, 'How Chee.' ...

It’s a Tuesday afternoon and the commercial kitchen at Mount Royal Collegiate is filled with grade 11 and 12 students preparing a restaurant quality meal under the careful and encouraging eye of Wayne Pilon. 

Wayne teaches the commercial cooking program, along with the high school’s food skills and sewing classes (he is also the school's Athletic Director), and today he is dividing up the students into three stations: protein, vegetables, and sauces. 

The kitchen has everything students would expect to see in a restaurant kitchen. Stoves and ovens are turned on and ready for use, knives...

I am very excited to share a conversation with you featuring two wonderful people who you met a few years ago.

Tennille and Lydia Corbett are mother and daughter who wrote a best-selling memoir in 2024 entitled, ‘(Un)Remarkable: How Cancer and Depression Intertwined Our Stories of Grief and Hope.’

Their 2024 episode focused on Tennille’s cancer journey, Lydia’s mental health challenges, and how they worked together to tell their stories in the memoir. It was a really powerful conversation, and I’ve had many listeners ask me how Tennille and Lydia are doing.

So here...

I remember being a kid in Swift Current being glued to the television when the Kinsmen Telemiracle fundraiser was on across the province. I would get my parents' permission to call and make a donation to the fundraiser and then wait for hours for my name to slowly crawl across the bottom of the screen. It was such a big deal to see my name on television, even it lasted for just a few seconds and was quickly followed by someone else donating from Moose Jaw, Enfold or Frontier. 

Telemiracle is woven into the fabric of our p...

For the past three years, Wanuskewin’s Artist-in-Residence program has welcomed emerging and established Indigenous artists to not only create within its beautiful space, but to share their inspiration and process with visitors to the park. This program is helping our community connect with Wanuskewin in new ways, and you’ll meet some of the people behind the program in this episode of YXE Underground.

Last year, I was at an art opening for Saskatoon’s Brody Burns, an amazing Indigenous artist, hosted by The 525, and I ran into Andrew McDonald. He is the Co-Executive Director of Wanusk...

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 wonderful Lisa Greig is once again joining us in Season Eight for Walking With Lisa episodes. We've done several episodes focusing on mental health and they have become some of the most listened to episodes i...

Empathy and compassion are qualities Brynn Service has in spades, and they are enabling her to make a difference the lives of Saskatoon’s homeless population and those who are at risk of homelessness. Brynn is the Saskatoon supervisor of a national program called Coordinated Access, and she shares why this work means so much to her in this episode of YXE Underground.

Saskatoon continues to face the challenges of a growing homelessness population. A point-in-time count conducted on October 16th of last year found that 1,931 individuals were experiencing homelessness. That number is up by 29 percent from 2024. 

Hello and welcome to a special bonus episode of YXE Underground. I’m Eric Anderson and I hope you had a great holiday season.

For 13 years, Swinging with the Stars has paired community leaders with professional dancers for a night of entertainment and raising money for the Saskatoon City Hospital Foundation. 

This year’s event is on Saturday, January 31st at TCU Place, the theme is Broadway, and Chris Sikorsky cannot wait. 

Chris is the Co-Owner of Sikpics Productions and a Swinging with the Stars Alumni. He is also a Swinging with the Stars C...

In this bonus episode, we are going to learn about a new and innovative project from Elmwood Residences that will make a real difference in Saskatoon’s disability community.

It’s called the Elmwood Community Hub, and you might remember it being discussed in our last episode that highlighted the work being done at Elmwood’s Community Homes throughout Saskatoon. 

The Community Hub, which if everything goes well will open in 2030, will sit on the grounds of the current Elmwood Manor on Arlington Avenue and will feature a variety of amenities including a performance theatre, life sk...

Kyle Danylyshen is one of four residents living in one of Elmwood Residences' community homes for people with intellectual disabilities. For 56 years, Elmwood has supported individuals experiencing intellectual disabilities with the care and services they need to live full and meaningful lives. 

The organization operates 15 community homes in Saskatoon. These homes have care staff providing 24-hour care, and as you will hear in this episode, the homes are empowering residents with the skills and opportunities to live independently within the greater community.

Kyle’s home is on Preston Avenue near Market Mall. It is a one...

Welcome to Saskatoon Fire and Flood. It’s a Friday afternoon and Brennen Mills is showing me and my photographer, Rona Andreas, around the building. It’s a really impressive space full of tools and equipment designed to help people recover from an incident such as a house fire. 

I feel lucky to say I have never had to call on Brennen and his team for their help. In fact, Brennen was not on my radar for podcast guests until his colleague, Candace Chickowski nominated him through the YXE Underground website. Her email was compelling and it reall...

Welcome to a special bonus episode of YXE Underground. My name is Eric Anderson and it has been a busy week for the podcast.

Last Monday, I dropped an episode that took listeners to Beaver Creek Conservation Area to enjoy a Dark Skies event put on by the Meewasin Valley Authority.

On Thursday, I spoke with Katayoon Navabi about the Diaspora Film Festival she was helping organize at the Remai Modern. I saw a great documentary yesterday as part of the film festival called Allihopa: The Dalkurd Story. My congrats to Katayoon and her team...

Hello and welcome to a special bonus episode of YXE Underground. I am  excited to share with you an interview with Katayoon Navabi. 

Katayoon is the Program Director for the Paivand Society, which is a non-profit organization in Saskatoon that promotes cultural dialogue, and is on the organizing committee of the Saskatoon Diaspora Film Festival. 

This film festival, now in its third year, shows movies that tell stories of migration, immigration, and of people settling into their new homes while trying to create community. 

It’s taking place this weekend (October 24th-26th) at the...

Hello and welcome to a special bonus episode of YXE Underground. I’m Eric Anderson, and if you are listener of the podcast, you probably know I am a big fan of the Meewasin Valley Authority.

The organization does an incredible job of protecting and enhancing our beautiful river valley, and its conversation efforts are always worth celebrating.

Meewasin also puts on really great events, and in this episode, we are highlighting one that takes place at Beaver Creek Conservation Area.

Dark Skies at Beaver Creek gives people the chance to explore the wo...

Welcome to Christy Morrissey's acreage.

We're about 15 minutes west of Saskatoon on a gorgeous Friday fall morning. The sun is rising and the grass is wet as Christy points a Hairy Woodpecker on an Aspen Tree.

Christy Morrissey is an ecotoxicologist and professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Saskatchewan who loves prairie grasslands and wetlands. She is doing important research to protect and preserve these beautiful but fragile ecosystems in Western Canada, which she talks about in this episode.

Christy also discusses why is hopeful to see more women in...

Nuit Blanche is one of my favourite nights of the year in Saskatoon. The festival brings together talented artists from all walks of life to showcase their talents and express themselves under the darkness of a prairie night. There's something about seeing public art in the dark that makes the works unique and special.

Xiao Han expresses the uniqueness of Nuit Blanche Saskatoon way better than I can. She is an artist and photographer here in Saskatoon, and  is this year's curator of Nuit Blanche. She sees our community through a special lens, and I think that c...

Hello and welcome to Season Eight debut of YXE Underground. I’m Eric Anderson and welcome to the University of Saskatchewan’s Physical Activity for Active Living, or PAAL, program.

It’s a Wednesday night in late August. I’m in the gymnasium room of the Physical Activity Complex on the UofS campus. There are children and teenagers running and jumping on different obstacles set up throughout the space, and they’re joined by high school and university student volunteers who are helping them make the most of their time tonight.

PAAL is a program for indivi...

Hello and welcome to a special summer bonus episode of YXE Underground. I hope you are having a wonderful summer! 

One of the highlights of my summer is always enjoying the Saskatoon Fringe Festival. It is put on by Saskatoon's 25th Street Theatre and features artists not only from Saskatoon and Canada, but from around the world as well. The Fringe Festival attracts amazing live theatre productions to our community and brings people together in very unique ways that Philippa Williams explains in this episode of the podcast. 

Philippa Williams has been with 25th Street Th...

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 wonderful Lisa Greig is once again joining us in Season Seven for Walking With Lisa episodes. We've done several episodes focusing on mental health and they have become some of the most listened to episodes i...

It’s a Saturday night and emerging Saskatoon artist Rowen Dinsmore is hosting her exhibition entitled, “What Gave You That Impression (?)”

Friends, family and art enthusiasts are here to check out Rowen’s stunning paintings, which she has been working on in this space for the past two months thanks to the Bridges Art Movement artist collective, also known as BAM.

BAM was formed 11 years ago by a group of University of Saskatchewan Fine Arts graduates who were looking for a space to work and showcase their art. Dave Stonhouse was one of those graduates and toda...

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 wonderful Lisa Greig is once again joining us in Season Seven for Walking With Lisa episodes. We've done several episodes focusing on mental health and they have become some of the most listened to episodes i...

For more than 50 years, Saskatchewan’s Occupational Therapy and Speech Language Pathologist communities have advocated for a university program in our province that would educate and train students in these professions.

That dream will soon become a reality at the University of Saskatchewan.

You will meet Kara Broks and Tami Turner in this episode of YXE Underground. They are designing the province’s first Master’s program in Occupational Therapy and Speech Language Pathology and share with listeners why this work means so much to them. 

For decades, if you were interested in becomin...

It’s an overcast Saturday morning in late March and Station 20 West, located on 20th Street West and Avenue L South, is buzzing with activity.

People have gathered to learn more about Naloxone, how to safely administer it to someone overdosing from opioids, and to talk about what can be done to help our community get through this difficult point in time.

Saskatoon’s drug and overdose crisis has been all over the news. A CBC story notes the Saskatoon Fire Department has responded to 935 overdose incidents or suspected opioid poisonings since the start of the...

Welcome to a special bonus episode of YXE Underground featuring a really wonderful person named Kyle Zurevinski. He is the Digital Media Program Assistant at the Remai Modern Museum and one of his largest responsibilities is curating and facilitating the film program at the museum. I have had the pleasure of working with Kyle on a few community projects in my role at Sherbrooke Community Centre over the past few years and he's just really great guy who loves his community and loves bringing people together. 

Kyle brings people together by selecting thought-provoking, interesting and compelling films t...

Welcome to Valerie Veillard’s sitting room. There’s tea and snacks on the coffee table in front us and she’s flanked on her couch by Nathalie Baudais and Twyla Yobb. Between the three of them, they have decades of experience in sponsoring refugees and helping them settle in Saskatoon. 

Valerie, Nathalie and Twyla are part of a sponsorship group working with the Mennonite Central Committee to bring a refugee family from Afghanistan to our city. The Jamili family has been waiting for months to learn if they will begin a new life in Saskatoon, while Valerie...

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 wonderful Lisa Greig is once again joining us in Season Seven for Walking With Lisa episodes. 

We've done several episodes focusing on mental health and they have become some of the mo...

A cancer diagnosis at any age is scary and life changing, but receiving this news the you are at a point in your life where having children, starting a family or growing your family is on your mind, raises a different set of challenges. Saskatoon's Prairie Cancer Fertility Preservation charity supports cancer patients when it comes to fertility challenges. 

Helping patients navigate fertility issues during a cancer diagnosis is something Dominique Paulgaard and Lierin Baerg do in their roles as nurses at Royal University Hospital and with their charity, Prairie Cancer Fertility Preservation. The charity was started t...

Hello and welcome to a special bonus episode of YXE underground. I first met Tammy Forrester four years ago when we did an episode focusing on the work being done at the Ronald McDonald House in Saskatoon. 

Tammy is the CEO of Ronald McDonald House Charities in Saskatchewan and leads a wonderful team that provides a safe, secure and welcoming environment for families whose children are undergoing medical challenges. I would highly recommend you listen to our Season Three episode if you would like to learn more about the Ronald McDonald House in Saskatoon.

The S...

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 wonderful Lisa Greig is once again joining us in Season Seven for Walking With Lisa episodes. 

We've done several episodes focusing on mental health and they have become some of the mo...

For students arriving in Saskatoon with very little knowledge of the English language, one of the first people they will meet in school is an English as an Additional Language teacher. These teachers not only guide students on their journey through the language, but as I discover in this episode, they provide a safe and nurturing space for students who have been through a lot in their young lives. 

You are going to meet two incredible EAL teachers in this episode of YXE Underground. 

Megan Chan and Laura Jorgenson share many qualities. They are passionate ab...

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 wonderful Lisa Greig is once again joining us every month for Walking With Lisa episodes. 

We've done many several episodes focusing on mental health and they have become some of the mo...