It’s not easy being a transit rider in Saskatoon lately. Decades of underinvestment combined with increasing city size, both in population and geographical area, have put strain on the bus system. This is compounded by labour relations issues between the city management and the transit workers’ union. Missing from this equation however, is an organized…
Earlier today Sean Shaw and I interviewed Victoria based developer Chris Le Fevre of the Le Fevre & Company. Le Fevre is the man behind The Edge and The Banks as well as the developer behind several of Victoria’s most significant developments (from a perspective of both urban renewal and historical restoration). He was kind enough to host Sean and…
We could do this in Saskatoon. We really could. Public transit, cars, pedestrians, and cyclists all on one street.
A bunch of decommissioned Fokker F-28 airplanes that used to belong to Canadian Regional Airlines were parked and abandoned outside a hanger in Saskatoon back in 2007. Wendy and I took some shots of them before they deteriorate any more. The logos and markings had been painted over but several years in the elements have faded…
We continue the OurYXE Neighborhood Guides with the beautiful Caswell Hill. Just located to the north and west of Downtown Saskatoon, Caswell has come alive in recent years with a variety of homes being restored and new ones being rebuilt. It features excellent food, wonderful architecture, a rich history, and probably the best park in all of Saskatoon. If…
As someone who uses the bus on an occasional basis – I used to be a daily rider, but am now able to carpool – I’ve witnessed changes to the transit system in Saskatoon over the last twelve years. While things have improved, it’s not by very much compared with other metropoli, and I fear…
OurYXE profiles the historic neighbourhood of City Park. Once home to the Saskatoon Exhibition, one of Saskatoon’s first golf courses, and now two of the finest coffeehouses in Saskatoon, City Park is one of Saskatoon’s most interesting and well designed neighbourhoods.
Here’s a bit of Friday city fun that incorporates the Olympics. The New York Times has visualized several winter sports venues plunked down in the centre of New York City. I’m amazed by the size of the downhill run.
Edmonton can relate to our cold climate and miserable winters but they aren’t taking it anymore. Here is a tip on winterizing your deck, something I wish some Saskatoon restaurants would try. It’s January in Edmonton, and a quick glance outside your window may find a once-lush and lively deck now slumbering peacefully under a…
A great ebook that demonstrates how protected bike lanes can bring economic gain and vibrancy into neighbourhood businesses. FUELING REDEVELOPMENT TO BOOST REAL ESTATE VALUE As city populations grow, motor vehicle congestion increases. New roads are rarely an option in mature cities. Protected bike lanes bring order and predictability to streets and provide transportation choices while…
There are exciting residential areas to write about and then there is the North Downtown (or what used to be called the Central Industrial Area). Only a few hundred residents, it is nestled east of Idylwyld, west or Warman Road and 2nd Avenue and bordered in the north by 33rd Street. Most of us drive by it…
Well our trip to Nutana didn’t work out so well. Some Temperance Colonists saw Sean crack a beer at the Yard and Flagon and chased us back across the river. After a brief stop downtown, I headed back to my home neighbourhood of Mayfair where I had a long look around at what one of Saskatoon’s oldest neighbourhoods has to…
Does Saskatoon have an obligation to help smaller surrounding centres that may be struggling? Struggling places that surround prosperous communities may not be interested in seeing those successful towns improve any further. That’s not necessarily out of malice, nor may it even be explicitly considered. It’s simply an implicit incentive, and has a certain amount…
One of the things we discuss often is how Saskatoon can be a good, interesting, well-rounded medium-sized city in the face of current pressures from federal and provincial governments. It’s not a challenge unique to Saskatoon, and I came across the other day a really good introduction to what a medium-sized city in Britain is…
OurYXE tried to cross the river earlier to profile Nutana but we crossed using the Traffic Bridge and didn’t quite make it. We eventually portaged across the South Saskatchewan River and landed at the site of the original Temperance Colony where my Methodist roots helped me navigate the neighbourhood and find some of Saskatoon’s best…
