But home prices are also on the rise to the point where even moderate-income families — with household earnings of between $44,500 and $70,000 — are being squeezed out of the housing market.

“The cost of housing has risen dramatically and we now have levels that are approaching, or have exceeded at times, the city of Edmonton. And Alberta’s average family incomes are much, much higher than they are in Saskatchewan,” said Alan Wallace, Saskatoon’s neighbourhood planning manager.

“Prices rose so quickly that even somebody who was … able to save a down payment on a $190,000 home, now has to save much more for a $300,000 home. Even some of the entry-level product in Saskatoon starts at $270,000, so it’s a much more difficult thing to do.”

The city has decided to help with the down payment in a move it says is the first of its kind in Canada.

Council recently voted unanimously in favour of an equity building program — a five-year plan to provide low-interest loans to help people switch from rental accommodations to home ownership. The plan will allow eligible households to get about $12,000 for a down payment on a home ranging in value from $220,000 to $280,000. The aim is to help some 250 households over the life of the program.

Wallace said there are provincial programs, such as subsidized housing, to help lower income people. But there was nothing to help people in the middle.

“So a picture starts to form that people are struggling. And if they struggle long enough with inadequate, insufficient, unaffordable housing, a number of things happen which are negative,” said Wallace.

“They’ll maybe move away from the community or they will live in substandard housing — housing that is inadequate for their needs. It could be a large family that is in a two-bedroom apartment.

“The negative consequences are that people just don’t succeed in life. They don’t succeed educationally. They don’t succeed in a healthy way.”

It’s also hoped the program will free up units for lower-income renters.

Wallace said the program won’t cost the city any money if all goes according to plan. Cash for the down payments is coming from the city’s investment portfolio, not from operating revenue, and the loans will have to be repaid over five years.

“It’s not a handout. It’s not a subsidy program whatsoever.” The program will be done in partnership with the Affinity Credit Union.

Credit Union vice-president Serese Selanders said interest has “far exceeded” expectations. There were more than 150 calls in the first few days after the announcement.

“It’s kind of bittersweet,” said Selanders.

“On the one hand, we’re very excited because … this confirms that we’ve done the right thing, that we’re going to be able to meet people’s needs. On the other hand, it is somewhat sobering in that there is a huge need out there.”

The Association of Saskatchewan Realtors calls the initiative a step in the right direction for Saskatoon.

“It’s always good to be able to assist some folks in moving from rental to purchase because of the long-term benefits of home ownership, increases in net worth and those types of things,” said Bill Madder, the association’s executive vice-president. “I think it’s been shown very clearly that home ownership, if it’s attainable, is a very good step in long-term financial health for people.”

Economists and others, however, are skeptical. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation says there’s a risk that the public could be on the hook for the money.

“Our concern would be if the people don’t pay the loans back,” said Colin Craig, the federation’s Prairies director. “There have been many instances in government history where the governments have generously loaned individuals and companies money but haven’t seen it all paid back.

“The city should stick to focusing on pipes, pavement and policing.”

Eric Howe, an economics professor at the University of Saskatchewan, suggests making more homes affordable in a tight housing market will increase demand and, in the end, the program will have “no consequence whatsoever.”

“There’s a certain supply of housing in Saskatoon, a certain supply of housing you can buy, and all it will do is drive up the price of that until the mortgage program doesn’t make any difference at all,” said Howe.

“I understand that politicians want desperately to look like they’re doing good things, but I wish they wouldn’t do this sort of thing. It’s just going to somewhat distort the market.”

Howe also said it’s probable that a fraction of the loans won’t be paid back.

“If you couldn’t afford to save the down payment in five years, then why would anybody suppose you could afford to pay the down payment back in five years?

“If you can afford to save the down payment in five years, then just get your house five years from now.”

And the conclusion is that anywhere is a good place to be if you’re a kid on Christmas morning — but some places are clearly better than others.

“We thought we’d have some fun and check out what are the cities in North America that are the best place to be a kid on Christmas,” said researcher Jim Millway. “Saskatoon is one of the top 10 places in North America — and dare I say, the world — to enjoy Christmas or be a kid at Christmas.”

Saskatoon ranked eighth among all North American cities. Regina ranked 60th, but was still considered the second best Canadian city to be a kid at this time of year. The community with the highest percentage of youngsters under 14 was Laredo, Texas, at 38 per cent.

Ocean City, N.J., turns out to be the sweetest place in North America with 23 candy stores for every 100,000 residents.

Not surprisingly Canadian cities dominate the top 10 places most likely to see snow — with six cities having more than a 95 per cent chance of a white Christmas. Sadly, there were 110 cities across the U.S. and Canada with only a 2.5 per cent chance of having white stuff at Christmas.

When the researchers pulled together all the data, with two candy stores, six toy stores, 26 per cent of the 125,000 residents under 14, and an 82 per cent chance of having a white Christmas, Logan, Utah, ends up being crowned the best place to be a kid at Christmas, followed by Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, Fairbanks, Alaska, Billings, Mont., and Ogden, Utah.

While reluctant to tag any one city the “worst place to be a kid on Christmas morning,” researchers suggested kids might want to stock up on goodies and snowballs before being dragged to visit grandparents in places such as Bradenton, Fla., Pine Bluff, Ark., or Johnson City, Tenn.

Winnipeg, MB, self-dubbed the “Christmas Capital of Canada” for its passion for night lights

Downtown streets and the Manitoba Legislature are always lavishly lit up, but they’re just the tip of a sparkling iceberg. The drive-through, 2.5-km (1.6-mi)-long Canad Inns Winter Wonderland at the city’s Red River Exhibition Park sports more than a million lights and 29 themed areas; it’s so bright that according to its organizers, pilots claim they can see it as far as 32 km (20 mi) from the city. Horse-drawn sleigh rides on weekends are free, as is family skating all week long.

The Festival of Trees & Lights, running from late November to mid-December to raise money for local charities, is staged in the Manitoba Hydro Gallery in the energy-efficient Hydro headquarters on Portage Ave., and includes a roster of live performances from dancers to choirs, plus special Christmas readings.

At the Electrical Museum, the seasonal “All That Glows: Then & Now” display covers holiday light bulbs and styles from as far back as the 1880s. One suburb in particular goes lights-crazy—Linden Woods, where hundreds of cars crawl along the streets to ogle Candy Cane Lane (Foxmeadow Drive) and Polar Bear Lane (Hennessey Drive), as well as dozens of other glowing, stand-out house decorations. One family in the Tuxedo area (by the city’s Assiniboine Forest) runs a delightful miniature-train excursion nightly for two weeks during the holiday season. The 1/8th-scale train’s six-minute route carries passengers through the family’s Christmas-lights display, spread over seven acres of forest. Last year, visitors walking in from Roblin Blvd. used a 300-m (984-ft) lit pathway, or detoured along a 600-m (1,969-ft) path and wound up at a Gingerbread Village.

Saskatchewan is no slouch lights-wise, either. Regina locals brave the cold in early December to kick off the season with the lighting of City Hall and the Legislature Building, and then enjoy the 70th Rotary Christmas Carol Festival with over 80 local choral groups.

Saskatoon boasts one of Canada’s longest-running drive-through displays, the Enchanted Forest Holiday Light Tour, staged at the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park every evening from Nov. 19, 2010 to Jan. 9, 2011. Some 60,000 visitors drop by to admire more than 900 images, displays and huge trees, including whimsical hens coming home to roost in the Eiffel Tower (“Three French Hens”), a gigantic Eddie the Elf, and strutting peacocks. Horse-drawn wagon rides for up to 16 people can be booked, and tour buses are welcome at a nominal charge per head.

With all this to light up the nights, it’s no wonder Prairie folks don’t much mind shorter days; the nights are even prettier than bright sunshine on sparkling snow.

www.travelmanitoba.com
www.sasktourism.com

Article courtesy of the Canadian Tourism Commission Media Centre:

Writers Bio: Veteran Canadian writer, journalist, and broadcaster, Judy Waytiuk is based in Winnipeg, MB. She loves “soft adventure,” history, nature and cultural travel, has written hundreds of features for dozens of newspapers and magazines, and holds five major national and international awards for her travel writing. Her heart is happiest when she’s writing about Canada. www.wordsink.ca

A young vibrant, and entrepreneurial demographic is energizing the city with exciting new things to see and do.  Well supported by a history of know-how and innovation, Saskatoon celebrates throughout the year its rich culture, through a continuous line-up of festivals, events, performing arts, and a fine selection of crafts and fine art.”

The History of Saskatoon

During 1882, a group of 35 people from an Ontario temperance movement, settled on lands that had been inhabited by the Cree. Legend has it, that John Lake, the leader of the settlers, was handed some local berries by a member of this First Nations tribe. Lake was suitably impressed, and asked what the name of the berries was. In the Cree language the berries were called the misaskwatomin – this somehow became ‘saskatoon’ and Lake decided to name the settlement Saskatoon in honour of these berries. The jams and pies made from them are a still a local specialty.

With the arrival of the railway in 1890 a town started to grow on the other side of the river from the original settlement, this was also named Saskatoon. In 1906 the town was given its charter, and all communities were united to become the town of Saskatoon. Local businessmen lobbied to get more railways, and the town soon became a railway hub. Growth and development was steady until the Depression, when Saskatchewan suffered greatly from the downturn in farming. Since that time, Saskatoon’s economy has diversified, and today the largest employer is the University of Saskatchewan. Relatively near to Saskatoon are large uranium and potash deposits, so the city is also a centre for the mining industry. Meatpacking and agricultural processing are also important industries here.

Saskatoon’s Climate

Saskatoon’s climate is typical of the Canadian Prairies. Winters can be very cold, and summers can get fairly hot. Saskatoon has facilities for all seasons, and so a visit here at any time of year can be enjoyable. The Meewasin Valley Trail is groomed as a cross country ski trail in the winter, and ice skating is also available. In the summer the trail is a great hiking and biking path. The river offers various opportunities for water sports. Many of Saskatoon’s noteworthy places can be seen from the river, so a river cruise is a great way to view these. There are many pleasant parks for picnics, barbecues and other leisure activities. The fall is a particularly beautiful time in Saskatoon. The area is full of trees, many of which change to magnificent shades of red and gold. Take an autumn stroll down trendy Broadway Avenue, with its lovely restored homes, arts and craft stores and classic theatre.

Transportation Links

Saskatoon is located on the Yellowhead Highway, and this connects to other major North American routes. There is bus service to major centres that allows for easy connections from all over Canada and the U.S. Saskatoon is served by VIA Rail train service. Saskatoon’s airport has flights from all major cities in Western Canada and to Toronto, and so worldwide connections are easy. The airport is at most 20 minutes drive from the downtown.

Featured Attractions

Wanuskewin Heritage Park is set on 290 acres along the South Saskatchewan River, and is located 17 km (10.5 mi)northeast of downtown Saskatoon, in the very scenic Opamihaw Valley. Wanuskew is a National Historic Site, and the area was home to Aboriginals at least 6000 years ago. The park focuses on the rich native heritage of the area, through cultural, archaeological, historical, and geographical interpretation. Twenty-one archaeological sites have been uncovered, and these are of great significance to scholars from all over the world. The sites include tipi (teepee) rings, and a medicine wheel. There are self-guided trails around the grounds of the park that take in the archaeological sites, as well as allowing visitors to appreciate the unspoiled beauty of the park, the wildflowers and shrubs, and the many songbirds and other wildlife. The interpretation centre is perched on the edge of a buffalo jump, and here the history of the local First Nations is covered with audio-visual presentations, and hands-on computerized displays and exhibits. One of the highlights of the park is the 500-seat amphitheatre where Aboriginal dances and songs are performed, and enthralling stories are told. The outdoor activity area enables visitor to learn such things as constructing a tipi, tanning a hide, or how to cook bannock and other First Nations cuisine. There is also a restaurant specializing in Aboriginal cuisine. It is even possible to spend the night in the park – in a tipi of course. Arrive early to get the full benefit of a day here.

Throughout Canada there are many museums with a pioneer and heritage theme. One of the best is Saskatoon’s Western Development Museum, and while it is not on the same scale as many of the large outdoor heritage museums and parks, a visit here is well worth a few hours of your time. As you walk through the entrance here you will be amazed to find that you are on Main St, Prairie Town, in the year 1910. It seems like an indoor movie set, and is incredibly authentic. It is fascinating to stroll for a few hours and look at the stores and businesses, a hotel, a printing shop and various transportation artifacts and agricultural machinery. The relics and memorabilia all around, add greatly to the atmosphere of the museum, and help to set the Western Development Museum apart from similar places.

An annual event in Saskatoon is the Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan Festival. This is becoming a much-celebrated event, and runs for two months every summer. The festival is held in tents, on the west bank of the river in downtown Saskatoon, just north of the Bessborough Hotel. The works of the Bard are conducted in a variety of settings, ranging from traditional Elizabethan to the highly contemporary and even futuristic. It is advisable to book early as this is a very popular event. There are daily evening performances with additional afternoon matinees on weekends.

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