First Impressions

I thought of writing my first impressions on a regular basis as soon as I had arrived. Then I decided that wasn’t fair since I had arrived alone without family, faced with a new job, new life etc. and didn’t feel I could objectively assess Regina without everything else getting in the way…

So 3 months in, settled in my job with half of my family here I think my perspective is better. Considering that this has been one of the coldest winters in recent memory I think it’s quite an endorsement that I have no regrets!

I really like Regina. It is quite well planned so it is easy to get around. I’m sure it really starts sounding cliche and I mentioned it when I first arrived,  but the people are great. Whether residents realize it or not, when you live in cities like Toronto, Vancouver or Calgary an arrogance sets in - whether it’s in respect to wealth generation, oil, mountains or oceans it permeates. Although Saskatchewan has been enjoying their place in the spotlight recently, their humility is still intact.

I would say the friendliness and sincerity of the people is the most noticeable difference but at the end of the day it’s a typical Canadian city - Tim Horton’s, Hockey and Canadian TIre.

Geographically Saskatchewan is far more fabulous then the perception; the skies are amazing. Sunsets and sunrises that are breathtaking and even at midday the vast blue sky is awesome. And the sky generally is blue. Perhaps that is why people are so happy because the sun is always shining. And much to my surprise if you travel 10 miles north of Regina there are fantastic hills, valleys - and beaches. I haven’t been the beach yet obviously, but the valley’s are great.

But yes, it gets damn cold when a -35 temperature gets support from a prairie wind.

People here are quite curious as to how I compare Regina to Toronto i.e. what do I miss? I would say for the most part I don’t miss anything - certainly not the traffic! I’ll admit it would be nice to have an Ikea, and a larger Bay store (I’ve always done most of my shopping at the Bay and there is a small one here, so all is not lost), but I honestly don’t miss anything. That being said I’m not a big socialite - where days in TO were spent working and at hockey arenas, not clubbing or theater going, my weeks are much the same here.

In general lifestyle here (for a family) is better then TO - you are downtown in 15 minutes no matter where you live so your workday with commute is much shorter, eating out options are endless, hockey arenas and other kids activities are all within 20 minutes and the parkland and outdoor activities are plentiful. And perhaps surprisingly the arts and entertainment scene is quite active.

Now that I’m settled I’ll start to write about more of the day to day experiences to share what it’s life is like in the prairies - the good and the bad,  (and no, it’s not at all like Corner Gas!).

Blogging from Saskatchewan…

Regina is where I now call home so the focus of this neighbourhood blog will be on Saskatchewan - at least for as long as I’m the sole blogger. I’ve only lived in Saskatchewan for all of 4 days now, but I look forward to sharing my experience both here, and on neighbourknowledge.com.

Quite honestly, I hadn’t really given Regina much thought before I was presented with the opportunity to work here, but I know the reaction both in Toronto and here was shock as to why anyone would move from TO to Regina. I’m sure if I would have decided to uproot and move my family to Calgary, Vancouver, Montreal or even Halifax I wouldn’t have received the same reaction.

Personally, I was ready for a change, and as corny as it sounds I was really impressed with the general upbeat disposition of the Saskatchewan people I met during my decision process - there’s a lot to be said for being around happy people. Looking for a lifestyle change for quite awhile, the move to me doesn’t feel as dramatic as it apparently does to the outside world: the province is one of the few economically sound places in North America right now, the people still lack the arrogance of the (former) “have” provinces, the sun shines a lot, there is no road rage, and despite a surge in prices over the past couple of years housing is still relatively cheap.

Ok, so it is land-locked, flat, cold, lacking a large urban core, and relatively treeless (I believe I will forever appreciate trees not only for their foliage but for their role as barrier to the wind!). That being said, I think the positives have more of an impact on day to day living then the negatives. I lived in a community on one of the Great Lakes in Ontario and I didn’t find myself going for a dip very often, and let’s face it cold is cold  - in the winter we had to start our car 20 minutes before pulling out of the driveway in Toronto too. I’m not sure whether -15 degrees, is much better then -40…but we’ll see.

Mine is only one perspective, but for those that are interested in what life is like in our boom province, I will keep this blog and neighbourknowledge.com updated from the windy, chilly prairies to share my adventure.

At the end of the day I’ve lived in a number of places in Ontario other then Toronto, and my sense of loyalty is as a Canadian, not necessarily an Ontarian, Torontonian or Saskatchewanian. So, as a proud Canadian if I can shed a different light on an unsung city - indeed province, than it makes the journey all that more worthwhile.

An apple a day

“People who work in the financial district tend to get most of their food from the fast food restaurants located in the concourse,” said Meghan Telpner, stationed at the south east corner of King and Bay. “I’m convinced if healthy options were readily available, they might take them. So I’m here to see if that’s correct.”

Meghan had pedalled her bicycle down from Parkdale, where she’s a nutritionist. And where it’s easy to get a healthy, cheap, lunch. In the financial district, the foodcourts are filled with plenty of fast food outlets, but healthy food options aren’t easy to find. Meghan handed out free apples and advice on nutrition.

“Cheap ingredients make cheap food,” said Meghan. “People want quick things. They want their energy to spike back up, so they get refined foods. You end up with a 3 o’clock crash without fail. That’s when people reach for another coffee, or reach for donuts or candy.”

Donuts and candy bars are more expensive and unhealthy. “An apple is a more effective way to boost your energy levels,” Meghan said. An apple costs much less than a dollar.

How did Meghan do after an hour?

“I gave out 100 apples,” said Meghan. “Most of the people who stopped to chat were from out of town. I couldn’t give an apple to anyone in a suit. People become a little more receptive towards the end of the lunch hour. But there was definitely a lack of smiles and eye contact.”

Would Meghan be willing to try it again?

“For sure!”

Larchaud Dance Project

“It’s accessible, it’s high action, it’s fun, and it’s good for the whole family,” says Jennifer Robichaud, trying to describe the dance she and her dance troupe, the Larchaud Dance Project, will perform at this weekend’s Junction Arts Festival. It’s not that Jennifer isn’t sure what they will perform. She and her dancers have spent many hours practising their moves. But she doesn’t want to spoil the surprise.

Look for the Larchaud Dance Project at Dundas Street West and Pacific, on the north side next to Hakim Optical.

Latitude 44 and Reid English

This weekend, as part of the Junction Arts Festival, Latitude 44 will host Reid English, a sculptor, as he invites the public to help him put together a new sculpture.

“It’s a 7′ foot tall statue,” says MaryAnn DiBernardo, who together with her sister, Janet, runs the Latitude 44 Gallery. “We’re encouraging the community to bring any found objects, something they might think worthless, and help build the statue. If you happen to be walking by and you don’t have anything, we’ll have a box of objects you can use.”

She isn’t sure what will happen to the statue at the end of the Festival. Janet says we’ll have to drop by on Sunday evening to find out.

Heather Michele Yelland

Heather has roughly a dozen new paintings up as part of a group show at Latitude 44. “My newest figurative paintings explore the luminous possibilities of working with brass and aluminium sheets, using the warmth and depth of the metal to encircle and embellish the figures,” says Heather.

While Heather has participated in several shows, including last year’s Junction Arts Festival, she says she still gets nervous before each show.

Tia Gillespie

The Junction Arts Festival takes place this weekend up in the Junction. (It’s one of the best neighbourhood festivals in the city, so if you’ve never been, you should go.)

Tia is a painter and student at OCAD, but the work she’s got up at Latitude 44 suggests a mature artist, not a student.

“I started off doing my monoprinting as an expression of self-purification and kind of like a therapy, taking problems friends were experiencing and using the psychology of colour to create the works,” says Tia.

“I’ve sold three of them, two of my smaller prints, and one of my larger ones, which was part of the Local Option Arts Awards. I hope to sell more, if people are interested. I have one big one up, and I have three smaller ones. During the Junction Arts Festival on Saturday and Sunday I’ll be demonstrating my technique. Saturday from 3 to 6, on Sunday from 4 to 7.”

Rickard’s Griller of Glory

Bob Jenkins won the Rickard’s Griller of Glory contest at Dundas Square today. His prizes included a trophy and a Napoleon BBQ grill. Court Bethune took second place and James DiFiore came third. Though judging by the smells, any one of their meals would have made for a delicious lunch.

Backyard BBQers were invited to submit their recipes using Rickard’s Red and White beers. Bob, Court, and James were then selected to participate in a cook-off at Dundas Square. They had about 30 minutes to prepare their meals. Judging the contest were Mirella Amato, Alexa Clark, Councillor Kyle Ray, and Phil Nyman.

While everyone wanted to try the meals, Rickard’s wouldn’t let anyone beyond the judges sample the food and beers (liability insurance). If members of the audience weren’t hungry when they turned up, they were by the time the BBQers handed their plates over to the judges.

Yonge and Dundas gets scrambled

Yonge and Dundas today saw the introduction of a scramble intersection. Pedestrians, on their signal, can now cross diagonally. The City had helpers and police on hand in case there were problems, but everything seemed to go well.

There are painted markings on the road with which you can orient yourself, and there is a walk/don’t walk signal. But the scramble signal doesn’t last very long. If you’re in a wheelchair or elderly, you’ll have trouble making it across before the signal changes, although it’s not as bad as the Queen and University interesection – there even if you walk fast you’ll have trouble crossing University Avenue with one attempt.

If the Yonge and Dundas scramble experiment works out, the City plans to expand the idea to other busy intersections. Yonge and Bloor, Bay and Bloor, and Queen and John are several intersections that deserve the scramble treatment.

Supporting Locals

There is so much talk about local these days, but I have to wonder if it
is simply talk or if people are putting the sentiment into action.

At neighbourknowledge.com we spent much of our summer talking to local
merchants. I didn’t hear a strong message that the cash registers are
ringing louder now then years gone by - in fact it seems the majority of
local merchants are struggling now, perhaps more so then ever.

Regardless of whether the stories were coming from urban Toronto, the
suburbs, small towns in Alberta or BC the themes were the same - big box
and chains are moving in and driving the rents up. Higher rents combined
with aggressive pricing by the chains means margins are being reduced to
the breaking point for many independent businesses.

This affects everyone - not just local merchants. If each community has
the same mix of chain drug store, chain coffee shops, and big box store,
then what differentiates them? Where does the character come from? This
trend towards generic neighbourhoods will affect everyone when
neighbourhoods all start to blend and lose their individual charm.

Two of my favourite haunts fell victim this summer. Both of these places
had been around for decades and had the decor to prove it. The Stem Open
Kitchen on Queen West. It has been on this once eclectic strip for 40
years, but has apparently fallen victim to the area trend toward chain
stores and much higher rents. Whether or not you are a fan of diner food
you must admit the neighbourhood has lost some character that it will
never get back when the Stem is replaced by yet another clothing store
chain or cafe.

In my own neighbourhood of “Upper” Beaches, Michaelangelos, a classic
old Italian restaurant on Gerrard St. closed this summer as well. My
husband and I really liked that there was a restaurant that we could
walk to and enjoy a great meal. When the dreaded “under renovation” sign
was posted, along with the disconnected phone number, I felt a real
loss. Our only option for dining out in the neighbourhood was gone
overnight. So for us the neighbourhood had changed for the worse.

These businesses had built a loyal clientele and reputations that any
start-up would envy. Yet for whatever reason they couldn’t make it. I’m
not suggesting that there isn’t a place in every neighbourhood for a mix
of independent and chain businesses, but after spending time out in many
neighbourhoods I think we are losing the right balance.

With all of the media attention focused on local why are these
businesses not enjoying the fruit of all of this attention?

Why is there such a gap between people talking local versus actually
shopping local? I for one am motivated to try to look further into the
questions, and I’m inspired to help make neighbourknowledge.com part of
the solution.