Alanna McIntyre had almost given up. After seven years working as a paramedic in Saskatchewan, the stress was taking its toll — mentally and physically.
In 2019, she suffered a bad fall and had to undergo multiple surgeries on her knee.
McIntyre was in excruciating pain while also struggling with depression and anxiety. She lost trust in her body and couldn’t move like she used to.
She confronted her fears in a swimming pool and realized she could cope with her pain in the water.
“I could move without fear again, which was so healing,” McIntyre said. “It was super good for my knee too, but it was good for my spirit.”
That revelation, of how being in the water helped, led her to scuba diving.
After discovering what McIntyre describes as “bubble therapy,” she left her career as a paramedic behind for good and works at the Diving Centre in Saskatoon.
Read and watch more of her story by clicking the link in our bio.
(Video by: Jenalene Antony) | #Healing #Diving #Scubadiving #Paramedic #YQR #Saskatoon #CBC #Saskatchewan
A group of Canadian women who spend their time chasing severe storms, while most people are running for cover, has grown to more than 100.
They say they’re finally getting some buzz for their success at the male-dominated activity.
(Reporting: Ethan Williams/CBC, Video editing: Dan Plaster/CBC) | #yqr #yxe #sask #stormchasing #stormchaser #skstorm #skwx #tornado #storm #lightning
An internationally-trained chocolatier and pastry chef is showcasing his flavour-building skills in the Queen City.
Crème Café and Pâtisserie opened in March and is located at 376 University Park Drive in Regina.
The inspirations behind it date back to Martin Nguyen’s childhood growing up on a tea and coffee plantation in the central Vietnamese highlands – where Arabica beans flourish.
“At Crème Café we try to balance between the coffee and the pastry,” Nguyen said.
The business is known for its croissants, with the most popular lunch item being its banh mi, with a croissant in lieu of a baguette.
Crème Café’s star pastry, however, is the choux or cream puff. These are often finished with two types of cream filling, a mousse, a jelly, sometimes chocolate.
When creating something new, Nguyen begins with one main flavour. Next, he considers how to physically incorporate it into the pastry without it falling apart.
“You build a dominant flavour and then a secondary flavour. So you experiment with texture and flavour and you keep learning,” he said.
Nguyen is entertaining the idea of not just roasting coffee for the business, but also developing a bean-to-bar line of chocolates.
For more, click on the link in our bio.
(Story by: Allen Pulga for CBC Saskatchewan, Photos by: Dwight Lugay) | #CremeCafe #Patisserie #Pastries #Vietnam #France #Regina #Saskatchewan #Food #Restaurants #YQR #CBC
A new lab in Saskatoon is studying agricultural pests before they arrive on the Prairies.
The Insect Research Facility, inside the University of Saskatchewan agriculture building, opened in April 2023. It’s the only facility of its kind in Western Canada.
A big part of the research there involves understanding how to prevent invasive pests from reaching Canada.
“If something starts showing up in, say, North Dakota or Montana or the Great Plains of the U.S., often that’s a harbinger of what’s going to be here,” said Sean Prager, an entomologist who heads the lab.
Prager and his research team seek out those outside pests and bring them into their quarantined space.
They then pair the insects with different crops to see how the bugs interact with them.
“Will this insect from Morocco or … from the United States, that’s a problem on lentils, be a problem on the varieties we grow?” he said.
Prager said other insect research facilities like his are usually government-run.
Having one in a university allows better access for students wanting to learn.
For the full story, click the link in our bio.
(Story by Ethan Williams/CBC, Video by Don Somers/CBC, Editing by Dan Plaster/CBC) | #Insects #Lab #UniversityofSaskatchewan #Saskatoon #YXE #Agriculture #Pests #ClimateChange #Research #Canada #CBC
A tree in downtown Regina, believed to be one of the oldest in the city, will be cut down Sunday, August 20.
The tree is estimated to be at least 123 years old.
"We are sad to see a part of Regina's history and urban forest be removed," said Russell Eirich, manager of open space services, in a news release from the city.
The American Elm tree, planted on the north side of Victoria Park, would have witnessed Regina become the province's capital in 1906, and everything since.
Veronica Schroder is the co-ordinator of forestry, horticulture and integrated pest management. At a news conference in the park Thursday, she said the tree's flailing branches pose a potential hazard to other trees as well as patrons of the park.
"I think we've done exceptionally well, having her last this long,” Schroder said.
The city also wants to remove the tree so it doesn't catch Dutch elm disease, which could spread to other elms in the area.
The tree's wood will be donated to a local Indigenous community to be used for ceremony. The city says the trunk will be saved as a potential medium for a future community-based art project.
While this is the oldest tree in Victoria Park, Schroder said there are likely other old ones in Cathedral and in North Central neighbourhoods.
(Story by Shlok Talati/CBC, Photos by Germain Wilson/CBC) | #OldestTree #Trees #Regina #YQR #VictoriaPark #Horiculture #Forestry #history #CBC #Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan’s handbook for new drivers will soon be available in American Sign Language (ASL).
Adam Stratychuk was contracted by Saskatchewan Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services (SDHHS) to translate SGI’s full driver training handbook from English to ASL.
“As a first-language user in ASL, I try to do it in a way that makes it understandable for anyone who is reading or watching the ASL version,” he said.
Stratychuk was born profoundly deaf. He took his driver’s training in high school and had an ASL interpreter in the classroom. He later worked as a tow truck driver for 11 years.
Filming himself with a green screen backdrop, Stratychuk edited the videos to include the page being translated.
“Accessibility for driving is really important. (There are) about 55 per cent more jobs you can apply for if you have a driver’s licence,” said Nairn Gillis, SDHHS executive director.
The SGI handbook teaches driving basics including traffic signs, signals and rules of the road, along with how to drive in different weather conditions and share the road.
The ASL translation will be available on YouTube and updated with new information as it is added to the written handbook. This first iteration is expected to be complete by the end of August.
(Story by Theresa Kliem/CBC, Video by Chanss Lagaden/CBC, Editing by Dan Plaster/CBC) | #ASL #Deaf #HardofHearing #DriversEd #Handbook #SGI #Language #Translation #AmericanSignLanguage #CBC #Saskatchewan
Team Saskatchewan’s under-13 girls box lacrosse team is breaking new ground at a national championship tournament.
The team hit the ground running at the Canadian minor box lacrosse championships starting off on a winning note with a 4-2 victory against Nova Scotia.
It is the first time girls aged 11 and 12 are getting a chance to compete in the sport.
Team member Maedy Moen, 12, said it felt extra special to compete in front of a home crowd in Regina.
“I think it’s pretty awesome making history and I think we gotta make our province proud,” she said.
Moen said her team is relishing the opportunity to be the first in this age group to compete for a national title.
There are more than 1,200 athletes competing for 14 trophies at the 2023 national tournament.
For more, click the link in our bio.
(Reporting: Adam Hunter/CBC, Editing: Dan Plaster/CBC) | #yqr #lacrosse #Saskatchewan #under13 #sports #tournament
Worried that your plants are suffering from the intense heat combined with the drought?🪴
Soil specialist Ashley Esakin gives five tips to help your plants beat the heat — even those that are indoors.
#gardening #plants #summer #heatwave #hotweather #flowers #flowergarden #vegetablegarden #yqr #yxe #yeg #yyc #sask
Four city councillors want Regina to declare a 'houselessness emergency.'
Councillors Dan LeBlanc, Andrew Stevens, Cheryl Stadnichuk and Shanon Zachidniak are behind two notices of motion that demand a plan to address homelessness in next year's city budget.
They also want safety guidelines for any new homeless encampments.
"We're also wanting to ensure that conversations are happening with folks who've been houseless and also community stakeholders, including organizations that work with folks who have mental health issues and addictions," Ward 8 Coun. Zachidniak said.
Former city hall encampment volunteer and community activist Mandla Mthembu said he is encouraged by these efforts.
However, homelessness in Regina continues to impact the most vulnerable.
"I've had a really tough time. We had more deaths in two weeks amongst the people that we knew from camp than we did for the entire 40 plus days we were there," Mthembu said.
The notices of motion are on Wednesday's council agenda, but will only be discussed if council votes unanimously to move up the debate.
The council meeting is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. CST.
Read more by clicking the link in our bio.
(Reporting: Laura Sciarpelletti/CBC, Photos: Laura Sciarpelletti, Alexander Quon and Raphaële Frigon/CBC) | #citycounil #Regina #yqr #homelessness #community #sask #CBCNews #Canada
A Saskatchewan city councillor says small changes to parking signs in her community are making a big impact.
Earlier this year, Tracy Johnson convinced her fellow councillors to pass a bylaw that would remove the word "handicapped" from parking signs in Warman, a city located about 20 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon.
The signs will soon display a symbol of a person in a wheelchair or use the word "accessible."
Johnson has been an advocate for people with disabilities and equal access since her leg was amputated in 1993 following a basketball injury. She said the word handicapped is limiting and shouldn't define people.
"It doesn't empower and it doesn't make one feel very good. I have a physical disability, but I'm more than able to do what others can do," she said.
Saskatoon accessibility advocate John Loeppky said many people with disabilities still face barriers, but Johnson's work is helping.
"I would say it's a positive move forward. I would just ask: where do we go from here and how does it impact further municipal policy when it comes to disabled folks in these centres like Warman?" Loeppky said.
Johnson said she hopes other communities will adopt Warman's approach. She plans to talk with local and provincial government leaders in the coming weeks to advocate for more change.
(Reporting: Jason Warick/CBC; Photo: Chanss Lagaden/CBC) | #accessibility #inclusion #warman #sask #cbc #cbcnews
When John Robinson was a kid, he used to sit and stare at a picture of an old sod house his grandfather built more than a century ago.
Robinson and his twin brother, Frank, believe their grandfather also would have built a homestead shack, had he not died soon after the home was finished.
With years of planning, the brothers decided to complete what their grandfather started.
"It's just going to be a chance to forget about 2023 and concentrate on 1910," John told CBC News before the build.
The Robinson’s were dedicated to working within similar constraints as those more than 100 years ago.
“You forget how long it takes to handsaw every board and nail every board and I'm used to living in a world with chop saws and air nailers," John said.
While John designs buildings in Regina, the blueprints for the 11-foot by 16-foot homestead shack were much different — including the lack of an electrical plan.
About 20 volunteers, from relatives to co-workers, helped over several days to build the homestead shack on Frank's land in Lamont County, Alberta.
Click the link in our bio for the full story.
(Story by Dayne Patterson/CBC, Photos by John Robinson, Brenda Garbut) | #Homestead #HistoricConstruction #DIY #Construction #SodHouse #Saskatchewan #CBC
The Community Living Association of Saskatoon hosted a summer camp for teens with varying intellectual disabilities this month.
At the camp, 13 to 19-year-olds have the opportunity to engage in pottery, swimming, lawn games, pet animals and other fun activities.
Organizers said friendships have blossomed between teens in the group, allowing them to feel more independent and confident.
“Everybody is just really kind and they look out for one another,” said program coordinator Sarah Killen.
Killen said the camp was a safe space for them to have fun and explore their capabilities.
To listen to the full interview, click the link in our bio.
(Reporting and photos by Theresa Kliem/CBC Saskatoon Morning) | #Saskatoon #Summercamp #community #Saskatchewan #CBC
