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Ending Homelessness in Saskatoon
Calgary Homeless Foundation executive, Tim Richter, believes Saskatoon’s homelessness could end within 5 years. He is the head of an innovative housing program that has helped 2600 homeless people off the streets in Calgary and the idea is moving to Saskatoon as well as other major centres across Canada. His belief and approach is that by finding people a permanent residence as opposed to shelters and transition housing that taxpayers will be saved a lot of money. There are many social services that are there to help the homeless such as shelters, emergency services, etc but all of those cost taxpayers money. Richter’s foundation estimates that one chronically homeless person costs taxpayers up to $100,000 per year which includes the cost of shelters, police services, emergency room visits, and other medical costs. The foundation believes that if they can get the same person into a permanent residence and into social programming for $15,000 to $33,000 a year this will save taxpayers. Getting them off the streets and into homes is the goal.
Getting a Housing First plan going in Saskatoon requires a lot of support from the community as it takes a lot of coordination from service delivery agencies and other organizations to make it successful.
Our booming economy in Saskatoon has led to an increase in rents and housing prices and this affects the boom in homelessness. Our homeless population is smaller than Calgary therefore the organization believes we only need a 5 year plan but, if left unattended, we could end up with a huge problem. Here in Saskatoon we have the Lighthouse Support Living Inc group who uses some of the Housing First principals. They run a combination of emergency shelter and transitional housing (but with a SIX MONTH waiting list!) Once people have a safe place to live it is easier to work on their different issues such as mental health and addictions.
The Alberta government helped establish the foundation’s Housing First plan in Calgary and it is a non-profit organization that acts as a subcontractor for the province. The foundation’s success hinges largely on the provincial and federal governments as well as private and corporate donations. In Calgary the foundation estimates it will have built a total of 590 affordable housing units by the end of next year.
Don Allen, president of the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation, has incorporated a lot of the principles of Housing First into our housing strategy. The provincial government has committed $309 million over 5 years for increasing Saskatchewan housing supply and home ownership programs. The Lighthouse has also received provincial and civic funding for its current expansion project. The community has to be ready for Housing First and I would like to think Saskatoon is ready. Let’s get these people off the streets and into housing where they can break social cycles and get them paying rent and building self esteem and self worth as well as becoming self reliant.
As a Saskatoon real estate agent I deal with people who are able to purchase houses for sale in Saskatoon so, unless I am downtown, I rarely see the homeless population and I know that I am not alone in not knowing the full extent of how our community is affected but more so how many people are affected in their day to day lives. Obviously there are more people out there who are homeless than the average Saskatoon resident would ever see or know about so it is a huge problem and I hope that our city can pull together to get these programs up and going.
Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
Century 21 Fusion
kari@saskatoonrealestate.net
Saskatoon River Landing Project Update
For a few years Saskatoon was talking about River Landing which was the project that was meant to take off in downtown Saskatoon with condos and office space and some people still aren’t quite aware that Calgary’s Lake Placid developments failed to get the project off the ground therefore it was purchased by Karim Nasser’s Victory Majors Investments Corp and is now a $200 Million megaproject with could potentially be the tallest development in Saskatchewan at 27 storeys high.
This includes more Saskatoon condos, offices and a larger public plaza than previously planned for and on Monday city council unanimously approved a series of zoning changes to allow for this large showpiece in Saskatoon’s south downtown. This approval will hopefully see the dirt start to move this summer after such long delays and speculation. The new project will be home to more condos in Saskatoon, more office space, and a hotel which will help make it viable with the income.
Things have changed a lot since the guidelines were initially set in 2004 and the Saskatoon real estate market has been one of the major changes since then so it is great to see our city council allowed these changes. The owner of the Sherator Cavalier is working on the hotel development side of things so it appears they are going in the right direction.
The development will also feature a public plaza which currently has plans for a shallow pond in the summer and a skating rink in the winter plus grassed terraces and patios and will all be at street level. This public plaza could also become a nice place for concerts and festivals which will be great during the summer months.
As a Saskatoon REALTOR® I often get people in buying condos for sale in Saskatoon and if the clients have done their research they do often ask about Lake Placid or River Landing so it will be so great to actually see some development taking place and have some solid answers for when the condos associated with the development will actually be for sale.
For more information on this story check out the Star Phoenix article.
Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
Century 21 Fusion
kari@saskatoonrealestate.net
Operations Hands Free in Saskatchewan
This story hits home with me as I have been one of the offenders who got my $280 ticket and 4 points off my otherwise perfect driving record. As a real estate agent in Saskatoon I spend a lot of time on my smart phone. Whether I am emailing Saskatoon real estate clients, responding to texts from other Saskatoon REALTORS® who want to show properties of mine etc or I am calling clients or other agents I spend a good portion of my day and night with technology. Combined with technology I do have to drive to show houses for sale in Saskatoon or to meet with clients so the need to be connected all of the time plus the necessity of driving means I do multitask a lot.
The frustrating thing about when I got my ticket is that I wasn’t actually using my phone! In my vehicle I have a built in bluetooth. I had a loaner vehicle and when I went to make a call I realized I didn’t automatically have hands free so I aborted the call. I still got a ticket even after I gave the officer my phone to review. But I am guilty of using my phone other times so I had to suck it up and pay my fine.
So beginning today SGI and the Police are kicking off “Operation Hands Free”. It is a 2 day blitz. CKOM has reported it starts Thursday in the title of their article however then say it starts Friday. Regardless of when it starts I think most of us will be a bit more careful. According to the police they can give you a ticket for simply checking the time on your phone! And they have! This blitz is coordinated across the province and the aim is to have a coordinated traffic safety blitz across the province each month to raise awareness.
Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
Century 21 Fusion
kari@saskatoonrealestate.net
Saskatoon Airport Expansion Approved
Our airport is getting bigger! With Saskatoon being one of the fastest growing cities in the world it is great to hear that our infrastructure is attempting to keep up. We will be getting a $53-million airport expansion which will increase retail and restaurant space and that will hopefully help attract more international flights to our city. We should even see construction starting early next year and hopefully be finished by the summer of 2014. They have been working on plans for two years and have the final design approved now.
This expansion almost doubles the size of the Saskatoon airport with a lot of that expansion occurring in the post-security waiting area where they hope to have more food, beverage and retails services as well as a VIP lounge. This is great news to anyone who has ever picked up their Timmies just to realize it can’t be taken into the post-security waiting area and the options on that side are next to nothing.
Over the past five years the number of passengers has already increased 30 per cent and this year alone the monthly numbers have broken passenger records so the year is expected to turn out a new overall record of number of passengers. In 2010 there was 1.2 million people and this expansion will comfortably allow an annual capacity of 2.2 million. This also makes our airport more attractive to international markets and hopefully more direct flights. The UK and Germany are two of the spots that they are trying to secure.
Did anyone notice we do have a $15 fee that is charged to each passenger flying from Saskatoon? This is how the expansion is paid for.
I do think it is long overdue for the expansion as I know when I pick up Saskatoon real estate clients who are flying in from larger centres they are generally surprised by our small airport with the lack of services. I also know for my own flying experience that I am excited for a better post-security area as that may help alleviate long lines shortly before flights as those of us who know the airport in Saskatoon know that we don’t want to get trapped on the other side if we need anything! This is a great thing for our growing city.
Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
Century 21 Fusion
kari@saskatoonrealestate.net
Saskatchewan Weekly Average Third Highest In Canada
Did you know that the average weekly wage in Saskatchewan was the third highest in Canada? In August the average weekly wage increased 3.5% to $878.07 which is above the national average. The employment force also grew by 2.5 per cent which is also above the national average of 1.6%. This means an increase of 1900 jobs from July to August and the gains were seen in areas such as health, retail, food services, etc. There were declines in construction, administration and manufacturing. The average is just slightly above national average but is the third highest among the provinces yet our cost of living is still well below some of the competition. This means that, even though our Saskatchewan real estate prices have gone up we are not out of synch with the rest of Canada. But remember that the law of averages comes into effect and if just one person out of ten makes a half a million dollars or more (as some of our big CEO’s probably do) this may drive up the ‘average’. It is all relative though so the same is true for everywhere else in Canada.
Our economy in Saskatoon is booming and there are thousands of people flocking to our city each year so that creates more jobs and should hopefully keep our average competitive. With an increased weekly earning though we are seeing increases in gas prices and food prices across Canada.
To read more about this story click here to visit the Saskatoon Star Phoenix article.
Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
Century 21 Fusion
kari@saskatoonrealestate.net
Another Reason Not To Buy Real Estate Privately
There are many reasons it can be dangerous to buy a house for sale in Saskatoon from a for sale by owner but this headline illustrates yet another. Sometimes people think it is easy to go it alone and buy a house without a Saskatoon real estate agent but why would they want to? Do you know that the person who is showing you the house is actually the owner? Is there any verification of ownership? Does that person owe taxes or other? How much do you trust Kijiji? While I buy and sell small items on there it can be a scary place when you are looking at the largest investment of your life.
Your Saskatoon REALTOR® is there to ensure that you are looked after. Often, if a seller is not willing to speak to a professional about the sale of their home, they may be hiding something. If you have a good REALTOR® in Saskatoon asking the right questions it can eliminate a lot of headache and money wasted.
This particular guy, the Star Phoenix reports, “sold” his landlord’s property to pay for drugs. Great! Luckily the owner of the property, who lives in Calgary, became aware that his tenant started selling sheds, grain bins and other items that were on the property and alerted the police. He also attempted to “sublet” the property and was asking for deposits as there were many people interested. One more step and he would have “sold” the house to an unsuspecting buyer who may have possibly given him a large deposit, signed some paperwork, and then found out when it was too late.
This is why Saskatoon REALTORS® help as I have heard of other stories of people fraudulently trying to sell property that they are renting and we are here to help protect our clients.
Moral of the story? Let the professionals in your life do what they are trained to do. Let your dentist be the only one to drill in your mouth. Let your doctor be the only one to cut you open. Let your lawyer be the only one to represent you in court and let your Saskatoon real estate agent be the one to help you in the largest transaction you will make.
Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
Century 21 Fusion
kari@saskatoonrealestate.net
Another Reason To Go To Full Serve Pumps
I consider myself a mild germaphobe. I keep a bottle of hand sanitizer in my car so that I can, at least once a week, sanitize everything I touch in my car as well as my hands whenever I am in a house that makes me squirm. When showing houses for sale in Saskatoon I come across some pretty disgusting things from time to time but you cannot judge a book by its cover. Even when I am with Saskatoon home buyers and we are looking at homes that appear to be clean you just never know.
This article has pretty much made me vow to either always go to a full serve station or to, at the very least, ensure I am sanitizing as soon as I am done. Before I touch my purse, wallet or credit card I am going to make sure I make it a 100% followed habit to sanitize first as sometimes I forget until I get back to my car. We all knew and think about the handrail on escalators, shopping carts, door handles, ATM buttons etc but I think people do overlook gas pumps.
As a Saskatoon real estate agent I am at the pumps several times a month. Often once a week depending on how many houses for sale in Saskatoon and area I am out showing. I also often have to grab a bite to eat in my car as I am often pressed for time so my car needs to be my safe, germ free zone. While it is counter-productive to over sanitize and people who do often end up sicker than the average person I am conscious of mine, and other Saskatoon REALTORS, unique situation of cross contamination and overall exposure to germy surfaces.
So just another reason for me to always let someone else fill my tank. At about $70 a pop I think someone SHOULD be filling my tank for me!
Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
Century 21 Fusion
kari@saskatoonrealestate.net
Hole in the Wall Restaurant
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[/custom_frame_left]Over the past few years I have heard about the Hole in the Wall and always with good reviews so I was anxious for an opportunity to eventually go out there. I was pleasantly surprised by friends and family on my birthday this year when a group of us headed out to Blackstrap Shields for a birthday supper. First off, for those of you who may not be familiar with Blackstrap or how far it is outside of Saskatoon, it is approximately a 30 minute drive from the edge of the city. If you are considering going be prepared and if you are deciding on having anything to drink be sure to arrange a designated driver. Luckily on my birthday one of my close friends offered to be our designated driver which was great.
Warning though, if you just want a quick bite to eat, the Hole in the Wall is not your best choice. If you are looking to make an evening out of your dining experience then read on! One thing to note when driving out to the restaurant itself is that the signs aren’t very well marked so if you are not familiar with this area south of Saskatoon be sure to get the detailed driving instructions off the website below. After a bit of a trek we rolled up to a building that looked like an old gas station and that is exactly what it is! The Hole in the Wall is located in a very old Texaco gas station (just tells you how old since we haven’t had Texaco gas stations in a very long time). Upon entering the building I was pleasantly surprised with the unique decor and very cozy feeling.
Our night out was on a Sunday which meant that it wasn’t nearly as busy. Note: the Hole in the Wall is only open from Wednesday to Sunday from 6:00pm on and only with a reservation. We were immediately greeted by our server at the front door and shown our table in the back area. In total we had about 12 people in our group so we had plenty of room and almost the entire restaurant to ourselves. The great thing about the Hole in the Wall is that they don’t re-book tables in the evening so they encourage people to stay as long as they want and take in the whole experience.
The wine list had a great selection of wines ranging from entry level bottles all of the way up to higher end bottles. Our group decided to get a mixture of reds and whites to go with all of the assortments of meals. At first glance of the menu I know I was in for a treat. The menu definitely has a Peruvian influence. There are two options when ordering meals. The first is the “Menu de Fiesta” which allows you to really determine what you want. It provides a great way to sample a lot of different items on the menu. The only catch is that everyone at your table must select this option and it is a flat fee for everyone. There are 3 or 4 options with this meal choice. Our group opted out for this (although next time we go we will probably try it) and decided to instead order a traditional meal with appetizers and main courses. The appetizer menu provides a great selection and between our entire group probably covered off ¾ of the appetizer menu. Personally I tried the Bolsa de Plata (money bags), Empenadas, Mariscos and the Campecinos (we all shared). All appetizers were excellent and the reviews around the table were excellent.
The next course was a fresh garden salad and a bowl of carrot soup. The carrot soup was excellent and perhaps the best I’ve ever had. Following the soup and salad came the mains. My fiance’ selected the El Conquistador which provided him a selection of ribs and shrimp and was recommended as one of the top items on their menu. I opted for the Salmon which was an excellent choice. It was interesting as the first few minutes of the meal was actually quiet around the table which very rarely happens with our group of friends. After a short bit of silence everyone started talking about how incredible their food was. My salmon was cooked perfectly and was absolutely delicious. By the time everyone finished their meal there wasn’t a single person around our table who didn’t thoroughly enjoy their meal and, in many cases, said it may be one of their best meals they have had. The portions were excellent sizes (not too big and not too small) and everyone was definitely full by the time we were done.
All in all I have to say that the Hole in the Wall Restaurant may be the best restaurant I’ve been to in Saskatoon to date. I highly recommend it to anyone that is looking for a great night but make sure you have the time to really enjoy the entire experience. We were there from 7 until about 11. I honestly couldn’t think of a better name for the Hole in the Wall Restaurant located out by Blackstrap but again recommend everyone to go if you haven’t!
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Contact Details
Reservations: (306) 492-4804
Shields, SK
Email: web37@holeinthewallrestaurant.ca
Website: http://holeinthewallrestaurant.ca
Century 21 Wins Lawsuit Over Zoocasa
I am proud to say that, not only are Century 21 industry leaders in technology, but we are also industry leaders in ensuring our real estate data is used only when appropriate. Zoocasa, a subsidiary of Rogers Communications, breached contract and this led to copyright infringement for collecting and reproducing data from our Century 21 Canada website without consent. This is also known as “scraping“. While Century 21 Canada wasn’t looking for much money we were granted a permanent injunction which further prevents Zoocasa from posting data from our site. Don Lawby, president and CEO of Century 21 Canada is pleased with the decision and as a Century 21 Saskatoon real estate agent I am proud of our company for standing up for what is right.
Century 21 made the decision not to participate in Zoocasa’s plans for the site yet Zoocasa decided to access our information anyways and this is illegal. Century 21 began with a letter to Rogers but Zoocasa continued. After a second letter Zoocasa changed their approach and, instead of removing the data, they started using scaled down versions and snippets of information.
As Don Lawby states in an interview with REM Magazine, “We came away feeling very good-that you can’t just go out and take whatever you want from the Internet and create a for-profit business, so to speak”. I think it is pretty remarkable that our Century 21 company took charge where no other real estate company in Canada probably even noticed.
Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
Century 21 Fusion
kari@saskatoonrealestate.net
Saboroso Brazilian Steakhouse
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[/custom_frame_left]Recently I had the opportunity to visit the new Saboroso Brazilian Steakhouse in Saskatoon that opened in September, 2011 and I can say the name is very fitting. Saboroso – In Brazil, saboroso (adj.) meaning: alluring, attractive, enticing, inviting, luscious, mouth-watering, palatable, savory, savoury, tasteful, tasty, tempting, toothsome. Normally going to a “steakhouse” isn’t my first choice as I don’t eat red meat or pork but had heard good things about it, and it was an opportunity to catch up with my clients and see how they are enjoying their new Saskatoon home.
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[/custom_frame_right]Saboroso is located at 2600 8th Street East which is the old Kelsey’s restaurant building. One of my two clients that we were dining with had previously been there and luckily knew to get reservations ahead of time. Upon arriving there was a long wait of people at the door. Many of the people waiting didn’t have reservations and most were being told they were full for the entire night and were being turned away. Even with a reservation it took us about 5 – 10 minutes to be seated. The first lesson is that if you are interested in going make sure you make a reservation as this place is popular and I don’t foresee that changing anytime soon. Once entering into the restaurant I was very impressed with the decor. For anyone who had been to Kelsey’s that was previously in this location wouldn’t even recognize the interior. They have completely remodelled the interior and have modernized it and have a clean and modern decor. The seating arrangements provide two options for groups. The first being a traditional table for larger groups with the second being a U shaped table for 4 or less people. We were seated at on the U shape tables which were a bit different but once we started eating made sense. Within a few minutes of being seated our waiter came over and provided menus and the wine list and inquired if we had been there previously. As most of us hadn’t he provided us an overview of how everything worked. You basically have two options for dining. The first option is the traditional menu where you can order a main dish with the second option being the “Rodizio” which I will get into in a second. Not being a red meat eater I opted to order a main dish off the menu which was the Rio Tiger Shrimp. The other people in my group were red meat eaters and all opted for the Rodizio.
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[/custom_frame_right]The Rodizio option basically provides you access to a self service side bar that consists of salads, vegetables and starches. You have the option to visit this as many times throughout your meal. Now for the real part of the Rodizio which is the meat and when I say meat I am talking tons of meat! Basically what happens is that there are Gaucho’s (basically waiters) walking throughout the restaurant all of the time each with a different type of meat. The meat is on long skewers and the Gaucho’s stop at your table and cut off a piece and continue on. Combined there is 9 kinds of meat and 1 pineapple on the menu that are included and circulating which include: Picanhacut, Bacon wrapped Filet Mignon Medallions, Beef Tenderloin, Ribeye Steak, Garlic Parmesan Striploin , Chicken Drumsticks, Linguica Sausage Garlic, Pork Loin, Leg of Lamb, and Pineapple. As a result you have an ongoing amount of Gaucho’s stopping at your table offering you more meat which rotates and provides lots of options. The amount of meat is unlimited and basically until you tell them to stop. They have cleverly located wooden cubes on each table with one side green and one side red. If you want the Gaucho’s to continue to walk by you leave the green side up and if you are full or need a break you can put the red side up and they will bypass your table. For those people in my group that opted for the Rodizio they were immediately able to start eating. My dish took about 15 minutes to come out so one thing to consider if you have a mixture of people.
Now for the review of the food… as I mentioned I opted for the Rio Tiger Shrimp which was excellent. The portion was generous and the food was prepared very well. As far as the Rodizio, I may have sampled the chicken and can say that it was absolutely delicious. Based on the reviews from everyone else all indications are that the meat was excellent. From our group the favourites were the lamb, chicken, and ribeye steak. Everyone agreed that there wasn’t a bad option as everyone tried each kind of meat but some stood out more than others.
I definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting or living in Saskatoon. It is a unique and great addition to the Saskatoon restaurant scene. The atmosphere is energetic, and a lot of fun with a group of people. The cost is reasonable for the quality and the portion of food. Even as a non-red meat eater I had a very enjoyable time and enjoyed my meal. Be sure to make reservations prior and note that the restaurant is only open for supper. The doors open at door but they don’t start serving Rodizio until 5pm. When you decide to go make sure you bring your appetite!
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Contact Details
Reservations: 249-4454
2600 8th Street East
Saskatoon, SK
Email: info@saboroso.ca
