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Dear Listeners,

Thanks for tuning in and supporting community radio. Grab your 2026 2027 membership for cfcr.ca and get in on some good deals.

Regrets from Christina, and so I geek out. This episode leans in on a favourite topic of mine - the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

During July 2026, the United Nations will conduct an in-depth review of Sustainable Development Goal 11 — Sustainable Cities and Communities. That review asks a simple but powerful question: Are cities actually becoming more inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable… or are we still working in fragments?

I leverage that question and the latest Spring 2026 issue of Plan Canada from the Canadian Institute of Planners that brings a Canadian planning lens to that global moment. The issue emphasizes that sustainable communities are not built through isolated decisions, but through alignment across systems — housing, infrastructure, mobility, climate, and equity.

In Part 1, I explore what SDG 11 really demands, and why 2026 is a critical checkpoint as we move toward the 2030 targets.

In Part 2, I bring that lens home to the Prairies and look at what has actually happened in April 2026:

• Edmonton grappling with affordability and tax tolerance following a 6.9% property tax increase
• Calgary navigating climate risk through floodplain development debates and new wildfire planning
• Regina investing $147 million in infrastructure while managing regional growth pressures with the RM of Sherwood and White City
• Saskatoon and region balancing outward growth, downtown intensification, transit transformation, and infrastructure capacity
• Moose Jaw and Prince Albert advancing critical infrastructure renewal and downtown rebuilding
• RMs of Edenwold and other rural municipalities managing growth at the edges of urban systems.

Across all of these, one question emerges: are we building systems that work together… or are we still layering decisions that don’t quite align?

This episode is not about whether cities...communites are trying — they are.
It’s about whether those efforts are beginning to add up.

Civically Speaking,
Lenore Swystun

Civically Speaking- Saskatoon Saskatchewan's #1 show about civic issues.

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Dear Listeners…

This week’s Civically Speaking stays close to home… and to some of the most important shifts happening right around us.

Regrets from Christina. I geeked out with this episode and spent time discussing the evolving role of the RM of Corman Park and what it could mean now that it is an approved planning authority. The RM is poised to shift and reposition itself across the region. And as a post note to the episode, Council Planning committee recommende Option 2, to leave the partnership. Formal vote to take place in June.

I also touch on RM of Sherwood's decision with some new recent provincial appointed members joining Council to move forward with a major Bell AI data centre that faces strong public concern.

These are not small stories… they speak to how decisions are being made, who gets heard, and how quickly our landscapes… rural, urban and rurban… are changing.

I also turn briefly to Saskatoon’s core areas, where the realities of addiction and overdoses, unhoused populations, and safety continue to shape the conversation. These are not separate issues… they are deeply connected to how we plan, invest, and care for one another as a community.

Thank you for listening, for thinking alongside me, and for staying engaged in the work of understanding what is unfolding around us.

Civically speaking,

Lenore

Civically Speaking- Saskatoon Saskatchewan's #1 show about civic issues.

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Dear Listeners,

In this episode Christina and I unpack a bit of the relief that may be rippling through all federal political parties via post federal by-election results. The At Issue Panel on CBC had similar musings last night.

We then go around the world ...let's just say...Trump, a Pope, and a Canal... and learnings from outer Space...

We then hit home near the end of Pt 2 in a discussion about why exercising our democratic muscles is so important.

Have a listen. Be sure to support local radio and podcasts like this. And for CFCR listeners 90.5 FM in Saskatoon, don't forget to renew or take out a membership. cfcr.ca

Civically speaking,

Lenore Swystun with Christina Cherneskey

Civically Speaking- Saskatoon Saskatchewan's #1 show about civic issues.