All posts by VVCA

VV Community Clean Up 2019

VVCA ANNUAL NEIGHBOURHOOD CLEAN UP

WHEN: Saturday June 8, 2019, 8:30am
WHERE: Brunskill School Parking lot (101 Wiggins Avenue)
WHAT: empty out your garage, basement, storage room, or backyard; or shed! Bring your items to the large garbage bins that will be in the Brunskill school parking lot for disposal!


This is the event at which each year the same half dozen committed volunteers donate their Saturday morning to removing trash (think sodden couches), fire hazards (tree and bush clippings piled against wooden garages) and junk (the odd stove or three) from our neighbourhood back alleys. 

You can help in two ways:
1) Bring your own junk to the dumpsters that will be parked at the back of Brunskill school on the morning of June 8th, 8:30 to 11:30 am (please do not use the small school dumpsters – you will get me in trouble) or,
2) join us as a volunteer – just show up at the parking lot behind Brunskill by 9 am. You get an extra donut if you bring your own truck.

MVA: College & Clarence Condo Meeting

MEEWASIN VALLEY AUTHORITY Public Meeting
Friday May 3, 2019

NOTE CHANGE OF DATE!
NOON

At this public meeting, MVA will review the proposed College Drive & Clarence Avenue Condo development.

The public is welcome to attend and make a presentation related to the proposal, limited to 5 minutes. Registration for public presentations must be made by NOON, Wednesday, May 1, 2019. Written submissions will also be accepted if received prior to the deadline.

The meeting will be held at the MVA offices, 402 – 3rd Avenue South, MVA Boardroom.

For more information, please contact the Manager of Planning & Construction at 306.665.6887.

SREDA Growth Strategy Survey

Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Authority (SREDA) is working to create Saskatoon’s first-ever economic growth strategy in collaboration with the City of Saskatoon and other organizations in the city. They would like to gain insights from a wide variety of leaders and community members alike on what they envision for the economic future of Saskatoon.

Your survey response will help shape the strategy and ultimately the economic future of Saskatoon! This survey should take you approximately 10 minutes and your responses will be completely anonymous.

The more feedback we get, the more well-rounded this strategy can be! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/growingyxe

What park project next?

What park project do we tackle next?

VVCA is asking for community feedback and ideas on parks and facilities in the Varsity View and Grosvenor Park neighbourhoods. With the Raoul Wallenberg park enhancement nearly complete and Albert Rec Unit hopefully beginning construction in fall of 2019, our major initiatives are wrapping up.

So, what’s next? We have been thinking about Albert Oulton Park (corner of Cumberland Avenue and 12th Street/Garrison Crescent), or Cumberland Park (Cumberland Avenue and 8th Street), or continue to further enhance Raoul Wallenberg Park (Munroe Avenue and 10th Street).

Google map of neighbourhood

Are there other parks or areas that need some love and attention? What should we accomplish in these (or other) areas? More benches? Bicycle racks? Games tables? Exercise equipment? Public art? Something else?

Feel free to email your ideas to the VVCA President, or find us at any community function to discuss your thoughts. Come out to the VVCA Summer BBQ on June 2 2019 in Raoul Wallenberg Park and chat with us. We’d love to get your input!

Big Shred 2019

On Saturday, May 4, 2019 from 9 am – 12 noon, bring your old paper to the ‘Big Shred’ in the parking lot of McClure United Church at 4025 Taylor St. (at McKercher)!

Protect against personal identity theft as your old documents go into the Shred-It company truck’s shredders! Quickly destroy old bank and utility statements, tax returns (2012 and earlier), old files, outdated documents, etc. The service is by donation (suggested $10 per paper box, or $5 per shopping bag) to assist the McClure Place Foundation in paying off the new therapeutic tub for residents at Amy McClure House, a licensed intermediate care assisted living facility at McClure.

Protect your family by removing that unwanted … yet personal paper! (Note: In 2018, more than 16,300 pounds of paper was safely shredded in three hours!)

Gutsy Walk 2019

Sunday, June 2nd, 2019

Gutsy Walk is Canada’s largest community fundraiser for Crohn’s and colitis. Every walk is fun-filled, family-friendly, and non-competitive. Participants can walk any distance they’re comfortable with. In Saskatoon; we walk approximately 5 km at Meewasin Park. We’ve got live entertainment on stage by some great local bands, and a fantastic BBQ in addition to the camaraderie of about 500 fellow Gutsy Walkers along the walk route.

If you can’t make it to the Gutsy Walk, you can still support the cause by making a donation to the event, a team,or an individual walker. With your support, cures are only steps away. We hope to see you on June 2, 2019 at Meewasin Park! Time and details are at www.gutsywalk.ca.

NatureCity Festival 2019

May 21 – 26 2019
Spring is coming and we are looking forward to growing wild things with you this NatureCity Festival – with over 50 event hosts last year, it’s time to begin planning our celebration – with the launch of a new website!

Submissions Now Open!
What can grow wild this May in Saskatoon? Celebrate citizen science, wild places and our furry, feathered and finned neighbours – we are here early this spring to help you organize and run your event for NatureCity Festival 2019 with our new Event Host Guide. Be part of the growing excitement!

Submit Your Event Now

This year’s festival theme is “I Spy With My Wild Eye”. How can you be a citizen scientist?

Spring 2019 Outdoor Soccer

SEASON LENGTH: May 1st to June 27th
DIVISIONS and GAME DATES: 

KINDER Soccer (born 2015 & 2016) 
• 1 session per week (night & time TBD, led by volunteer VVCA parents)
• All sessions held at President Murray Park

UNDER-5 (born 2014 only) – CO-ED 
• 3 vs. 3 format; no goaltenders
• 1 regular game per week (Monday or Tuesday at 6 or 7 pm – to be decided)
• 8 games plus Mini FOS Tournament (June 7-9)
• Practices: TBD (at discretion of coach)

UNDER-7 (born 2012 & 2013) – CO-ED 
• 4 vs. 4 format, includes goalkeeper
• 1 regular game per week (Wednesdays or Thursdays – to be decided)
• 8 games plus Mini FOS Tournament (June 7-9)
• Practices: TBD (at discretion of coach)

UNDER-9 (born 2010 & 2011) – COED (separate girls or boys teams with sufficient demand only)
• 5 vs. 5 format, includes goalkeeper 
• 1 regular game per week (Mondays or Tuesdays – to be decided)
• 8 games plus Mini FOS Tournament (June 7-9)
• Practices: TBD (at discretion of coach)

Register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/vvca-soccer-registration-spring-2019-tickets-58395050167

Become a Blood Donor Today!

1 in 2 Canadians will need or know someone who needs blood in their lifetime. Consider taking about an hour to give the gift of life.

Saskatoon Blood Donor Centre
1206 Emerson Avenue (Behind the A&W on 8th St)
Tuesday 8:00 am to 12:00 noon
Wednesday 9:00 am to 1:00 pm & 3:30 pm to 7:30 pm
Thursday 9:00 am to 1:00 pm & 3:30 pm to 7:30 pm
Friday 8:00 am to 12:00 noon
Saturday 8:00 am to 1:00pm

Book your first, or your next appointment at blood.ca

Saskatoon Police & Fire Academy

The Saskatoon Police Service and the Saskatoon Fire Department, in partnership with the Saskatoon Council on Aging are pleased to present the first ever Saskatoon Police and Fire Academy.

DATES: Each Wednesday between April 17th and June 5th, 2019
TIME:  9:30 a.m. until noon
LOCATION:  the Community Room of the Saskatoon Police Service (76 25th Street East) OR the Community Room of Fire Station No. 3 (2613 Clarence Avenue South)
TOPICS:  Home and Personal Security, Fraud Prevention, Internet Safety, Traffic Safety, Elder Abuse, K-9 Policing, Emergency Preparedness, Fire Safety, Fall Prevention, the 911 system and how to report a crime
AGE:  65 or over
COST:  Free
COMMITMENT: To attend all eight sessions and share the knowledge gained with the community

Enrollment is limited to 25 participants and is free to attend. Anyone interested in attending should complete an application form and submit it to the Saskatoon Police Service no later than March 15, 2019.

Application forms are available at the SCOA office (2020 College Drive) or online at https://saskatoonpolice.ca and https://Saskatoon.ca/CPFAapplication Applicants must be 65 years or over, live in the Saskatoon area, commit to attending all sessions and have an interest in learning more about the police and fire services here in Saskatoon. Applicants are encouraged to fill out the application completely, including why they would like to attend and how they will be able to share the knowledge they gain with our community.

For more information, please contact either:
Cst Dawn Epp; 306-975-8032; dawn.epp@police.saskatoon.sk.ca
Dori Krahn; 306- 975-7715; dori.krahn@saskatoon.ca

Winter Play Program

Drop in for winter games and activities!
FREE!
Saturdays and Sundays
February 9 to March 9, 2019
10:30 AM – 4:00 PM

Greystone Heights Rec Unit, 2711 Main Street
Holliston Rec Unit, 1511 Louise Avenue
Westmount Rec Unit, 306 Avenue L North
Massey Place Rec Unit, 3110 Massey Place
Heated warm-up recreation unit at each location.


Learn to Skate
FREE!
Participants must bring their own sites and CSA approved winter helmets. Children under the age of six must be accompanied by an adult or responsible care giver.

Lawson Heights, 748 Redberry Road, Saturdays 10:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Holliston, 1151 Louise Avenue, Saturdays 1:30 PM – 4:00 PM
Montgomery, 3229 Caen Street, Sundays 10:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Greystone Heights, 2711 Main Street, Sundays 1:30 PM – 4:00 PM
Massey, 3110 Massey Place, Sundays 1:30 PM – 4:00 PM


For more information, call 306-975-3378
Activities will be cancelled if the temperature reaches -25 degrees C or below with the the windchill or due to adverse ice conditions.

Family Day Skate

Monday, February 18 2019
2:00 – 4:00 PM
Clarence Downey Speed Skating Oval (Dudley Street and Avenue R South)
Cosmo Civic Centre (3130 Laurier Drive)

Bring your skates and safety gear and come down for an afternoon of skating and winter fun!
Stay warm inside the Cosmo gym with tipi teachings and indigenous hand games presented by the Saskatoon Indian and Metis Friendship Centre.

Skating at the Speed Skating Oval will be cancelled if the temperature reaches -25 degrees C or below with windchill, or above -5 degrees C.

Are you a Jane’s Walks leader?

You may already be familiar with this world-wide Spring event, May 3rd to 5th, now in 212 cities, inspired by the life of Jane Jacobs, a writer, urbanite and activist.  Jane insisted the voices of everyday people were heard in neighbourhood planning and city-building.   This 2019,  Jane’s Walk’s 10th anniversary in Saskatoon expects to match the record turn out last year of over 600 participants.

The only catch is the Varsity View/Grosvenor Park  walk needs a volunteer leader.  Organization and promotion is looked after by our Saskatoon planning group. 

Jane’s Walks can be led by anyone who wants to share with others what they believe makes their new or old neighbourhood a special place to live. A typical walk takes an hour.

 The volunteer planning committeeprovides a website for anyone who wants to lead a walk, or join one or more walks being offered free of charge.   The committee also looks after the Saskatoon publicity for all the walks.

The process to register your neighbourhood hosting of a walk this year is easy. 

A user-friendly form is on our new website: http://janeswalksaskatoon.ca/index.php/about/. Check out our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/JanesWalkSaskatoon/

Committee members also respond to email inquiries, promote the walks to encourage participation, and act as co-hosts with walk leaders.

We look forward to seeing you at a walk in 2018!

Aboriginal Storytelling Month

February is Aboriginal Storytelling Month
The Saskatoon Public Library is hosting a variety of events for all ages throughout the month of February. See link below for details, times and locations for the following events:

 

STORYTELLING PROGRAMS

Drumming & Stories with Carol Rose Daniels
Traditional drumming and storytelling.
Carol is a novelist, poet, artist, musician, and storyteller.
Storytelling with Joseph Naytowhow
Joseph Naytowhow is renowned for his unique style of Cree/English storytelling, combined with original contemporary music and traditional First Nations drum and rattle songs.
Storytelling with Dickie Yuzicapi
Dickie Yuzicapi recalls the stories impressed on him as a child, which featured creation, historic and comedic stories for all ages. He sings to honour his Indigenous cultures and the people from within them. 


PUPPET SHOWS

Rabbit & Bear Paws
Join Chad Solomon for a comical, educational and interactive puppet show that shares Indigenous wisdom with universal audiences. 


SONGS & MOVEMENT

Red River Jig Dance Party
Dallas and Phil Boyer are joining us to provide the music for a special Family Dance Party.
Anyone and everyone can come learn the Red River Jig, a
traditional Métis dance, with teachers from the Creeland Dancers.


MOVIES & FILMS

Wide Awake Film Series
Join us as we screen films by Indigenous filmmakers throughout February.
Films presented in partnership with the National Film Board (NFB).
The Road Forward / Feb 6
This musical documentary connects a pivotal moment in Canada’s civil rights history — the beginnings of Indian nationalism in the 1930s —  with the powerful momentum of First Nations activism today.
Birth of a Family / Feb 13
In this deeply moving documentary, three sisters and a brother meet for the first time. Removed from their young Dene mother during the infamous Sixties Scoop, they were separated as infants and adopted into families across North America.
Trick or Treaty / Feb 20
This feature documentary profiles Indigenous leaders in their quest for justice as they seek to establish dialogue with the Canadian government.
This River & This Land / Feb 27
This River offers an Indigenous perspective on the devastating experience of searching for a loved one who has disappeared. This Land recounts a 2,000-km expedition undertaken by seven rangers (both Inuit and non-Native) and a female filmmaker to raise a flag on the northernmost tip of Canadian soil, 412 km from the North Pole.


WRAP-UP EVENT

Saskatchewan Aboriginal Storytelling Wrap-up Workshop
A day-long mentorship workshop for experienced and emerging oral storytellers, facilitated by Joseph Naytowhow and co-facilitated by Maureen Belanger and Kevin MacKenzie. Register by phoning 306.381.5836.

Saskatoon Public Library

‘Indian Horse’ showing

Saskatoon Food Bank & Learning Centre TRC Committee has partnered with The Roxy Theatre to offer a FREE viewing of Indian Horse on February 6th.

6:15 PM Doors Open
6:45 PM Opening Remarks & Smudge Ceremony

There will be a Smudge Ceremony before screening and Indian Residential School Survivors will be recognized.
Seating reserved for survivors and elders, and trauma counselors available on site.

Have you seen this incredible movie?
If you haven’t seen the movie, Indian Horse follows the life of Canadian First Nations boy, Saul Indian Horse, as he survives residential school and life amongst the racism of the 1970s. A talented hockey player, Saul must find his own path as he battles stereotypes and alcoholism.

Watch the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02cyFlnvA4s&fbclid=IwAR0f8n4DQ8_H5RhAirKU2D3hmTsjYTANczEV4P6AexPv37zd7mhv8B7NSJ4