YXE Underground

Season Eight - Episode Four - Elmwood Community Homes

Kyle Danylyshen is one of four residents living in one of Elmwood Residences' community homes [https://www.elmwoodyxe.ca/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-story house that is fully accessible for people in wheelchairs, including a ramp to the front door and into a large backyard. Kyle has lived here since 2021, and one of his best friends is his roommate, Tiernan Huber, who moved in last August. They quickly bonded through their mutual love of the Saskatoon Blades and being active in the community. They are quite the pair and were an absolute joy to speak with.  You will also meet Julien Hendrickson and Linda Boyko from Elmwood in the episode. My thanks to Kyle, Tiernan, Julien, Linda and the entire Elmwood team for making me feel so welcomed during this whole process. This episode was so much fun to produce, and I think you will really enjoy next week’s bonus episode where we learn more about Elmwood's Community Hub Project [https://www.elmwoodhub.com/] and the impact it will have on Saskatoon. That episode drops December 18th. You can follow and listen to YXE Underground wherever you find your favourite podcasts including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or the website [https://yxeunderground.com/]. Don’t forget to leave a 5-star review if you like what you hear.  A big thank you to Rob Rongve and his colleagues at RBC Dominion Securities in North Battleford for supporting this episode of the podcast. Rob is one of the most generous and kind people I know, and it means a lot to have his support. I am also grateful to Rob and his team for their care in managing my investments for the past 12 years. If you are looking for someone to help manage your money, Rob is the person to speak with! I would like to acknowledge that these interviews were gathered on Treaty 6 territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis.    * 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

Season Eight - Episode Three - Brennen Mills

Welcome to Saskatoon Fire and Flood. [https://www.fireandflood.ca/] 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 [https://yxeunderground.com/nominate/]. Her email was compelling and it really got me thinking of how important communication is in Brennen’s line of work.  Here is a portion of Candace’s email that really connected with me and got this episode in motion.  Brennen was born and raised in Saskatchewan’s construction industry. He knows this work inside and out, but what makes him different is his ability to see the human side of it. We deal with people going through some of the hardest days of their lives, fires, floods, and major loss and Brennen never lets us forget that we’re not just fixing buildings; we’re helping people get their lives back.  Helping those in need and giving back to the community are priorities in Brennen’s leadership style and his personal life. He is the Vice-Chair of the Saskatoon Public Schools Foundation and his willingness is volunteer his time and energy led the SPSF to recognize Brennen and Saskatoon Fire and Flood at this month’s National Philanthropy Day.  Here's the thing about Brennen; he would rather talk about anything else than himself, which made for some very funny moments in our conversation when I would press him for a story.  You can listen to YXE Underground wherever you find your favourite podcasts including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or on the website: yxeunderground.com [http://yxeunderground.com/] Please feel free to leave a 5-star review if you like what you hear. You can follow YXE Underground on social media. Simply search YXE Underground on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. That's where you will see some lovely photos of Brennen and his puppy dog taken by Saskatoon photographer, Rona Andreas. My thanks to Rona for her amazing work on this episode.  Thank you to my cousin, Andrew Dickson, for creating the original theme music for the podcast. Thank you to Saskatoon’s Danger Dynamite for creating and maintaining the website. These interviews were gathered on Treaty Six territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis. YXE Underground is a production of the Salthammer Production Company. Thank you so much for listening and we’ll talk to you soon, Saskatoon.  * 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

Bonus Episode - Choc'la Cure Gala Fundraiser

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 for putting on such a wonderful event.  Today, I am sharing a conversation about an upcoming fundraising event that has raised more than three million dollars since 2007. Choc’la Cure [http://www.choclacure.com/]is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds to purchase cancer treatment equipment used at the Saskaoon Cancer Centre. It formed 18 years ago and has impacted the lives of so many people in Saskatoon and throughout our province. Choc’la Cure’s annual gala event [https://www.dutchgrowers.com/events-services/choclacure-gala/]takes place on November 7th at Dutch Growers, and I learned more about the organization and its impact on the Saskatoon Cancer Centre thanks to Kim Swiatecki, Breanne Cooper and Dr. John DeCoteau.  Kim is a volunteer on the Choc’la Cure committee and a previous guest on the podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/yxe-underground/id1434935787?i=1000439964812]way back in season one. Breanne is the Chair of Choc’la Cure, and Dr. DeCoteau is the Medical Director of the Advanced Diagnostic Research Lab at the Saskatoon Cancer Centre.  The goal of this year’s gala is to raise money for a new piece of medical equipment for the Cancer Centre, which Dr. DeCoteau explains in fascinating detail in our conversation.  I met Kim, Breanne and Dr. DeCoteau at Citizen Café a few weeks ago and learned so much from all of them. Best of luck to the entire Choc'la Cure team on their upcoming fundraiser! Listen and follow YXE Underground wherever you find your favourite podcasts including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. Please feel  free to leave a 5-star review if you enjoyed this episode. I would greatly appreciate it. 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

Bonus Episode - Diaspora Film Festival

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 [https://www.paivand-society.ca/], which is a non-profit organization in Saskatoon that promotes cultural dialogue, and is on the organizing committee of the Saskatoon Diaspora Film Festival. [https://www.paivand-society.ca/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 Remai Modern’s beautiful theatre, and you can learn more by visiting paivand-society.ca [https://www.paivand-society.ca/].  I was introduced to Katayoon by our mutual friend and amazing human being, April Sora, and I am so glad she made this interview happen because, as you are about to discover, Katayoon is simply wonderful. She is originally from Iran where she grew up in a family that loved to tell stories. Whether it was reading, listening, or cinema, Katayoon, was surrounded by rich storytellers. She attended university in Edmonton before moving to Saskatoon in 2010, and is passionate about sharing stories of migration and immigration with our community.  I hope you enjoy this conversation and hopefully see you at the film festival! You can follow and listen to YXE Underground wherever you find your favourite podcast including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or the YXE Underground website. Please feel free to leave a 5-star review if you like what you hear! 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

Bonus Episode - Dark Skies at Beaver Creek Conservation Area

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 [https://meewasin.com/]. 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 [https://meewasin.com/experiences/], and in this episode, we are highlighting one that takes place at Beaver Creek Conservation Area [https://meewasin.com/beavercreek/]. Dark Skies at Beaver Creek [https://meewasin.com/darkskies/]gives people the chance to explore the wonders of the night sky along with learning how to photograph constellations, galaxies and if you’re lucky, like I was in this episode, the Northern Lights. These Dark Skies events sell out quickly. I know this because I’ve been trying for a few years to get a ticket. It finally happened in late August on a beautiful and clear Friday night. I wanted to do a bonus episode to share with you the joy and wonder of a Dark Skies event, and I hope that comes through in what you are about to hear.   The next Dark Skies event at Beaver Creek will take place on Saturday, November 1st, starting at 7:30pm.  [https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/halloween-dark-skies-at-beaver-creek-2025-tickets-1766987680719?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm_campaign=f15b155739-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2025_10_14_03_56&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Meewasin+Explorer+eNewsletter+List&utm_term=0_-f15b155739-509603045] A big thank you to the Meewasin team, especially the great Sam Cowan, for making this episode possible. I also want to thank Tim Yaworski, also known as the Living Sky Guy, for sharing his knowledge of the sky and photography with all of us at the event. Be sure to check out Tim's YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSuGU_oE7NEmlgbXzXcssrg]page to learn more about the stars and how to capture them on your camera.  Enjoy the Night Sky, Saskatoon!  * 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