pride of place: outsaskatoon reopens in new downtown location
3 minute read
analu alvarez gives a tour of the new out saskatoon location at 201-245 3rd avenue south.
michelle berg
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saskatoon starphoenix
at outsaskatoon’s new home at 201-245 3rd avenue south, rainbow murals, stacks of tall bookshelves and handmade art projects festoon the walls, while popular community programs that have been on pause since late 2024 are once again on offer.
in june, shortly after outsaskatoon’s grand reopening, education manager analu alvarez took starphoenix reporter julia peterson and photographer michelle berg on a tour of the space …
analu alvarez gives a tour of the new out saskatoon location at 201-245 3rd avenue south.
michelle berg
/
saskatoon starphoenix
“we are so excited to have the community back,” said alvarez. “we stopped doing group programming at the end of november last year because we needed to pack and get ready for the move — it has been a long time. so now, we are excited to bring back the community, bring people back and have them excited about this great space.”
with only a few more boxes to unpack and posters and art pieces to put up on the walls, outsaskatoon was able to welcome the city’s 2slgbtq+ community to the organization’s grand reopening earlier this month, which coincided with pride month celebrations.
art projects on display at outsaskatoon.
michelle berg
/
saskatoon starphoenix
“we moved in on march 1st,” alvarez explained. “we’ve been here for about three months settling in, but now we are completely moved in and we’re ready to open programming back.”
starting in 2019, outsaskatoon had rented a building on avenue c south, sharing the space with saskatoon sexual health.
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but at the end of 2024, the landlord informed the two organizations that the building was being sold and the new owners intended to take occupancy.
“it was very stressful,” said alvarez. “we had a little bit of time to move out from there and to find a new space, but we found it very challenging, especially to find a space that was accessible for the community: with gender-neutral washrooms; with spaces we could use for programming; for our library; for offices; for everything.
“that was intense, and it took us a few months, but when we found this space, we said ‘this is perfect. we love it.’ ”
perhaps most importantly, alvarez joked, outsaskatoon cat cleo approves of her new digs.
outsaskatoon cat cleo supervises from her perch at out saskatoon’s new location at 201-245 3rd avenue south.
michelle berg
/
saskatoon starphoenix
the new location has enough room for the organization’s education office, two counselling offices, a library, a community kitchen, a boardroom and a big community programming space with glittery curtains, lots of plants and framed photographs of historical icons of the queer community.
“we like to put colourful, nice things around,” said alvarez.
iris akbar shows off his new office during a tour of the new out saskatoon location at 201-245 3rd avenue south.
michelle berg
/
saskatoon starphoenix
the outsaskatoon library has grown so much that it now spreads across two rooms: one highlighting community recommendations, the other serving as more of a general archive.
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“it’s full of books, which we love,” said alvarez. “we also have movies and a bunch of dvds.”
outsaskatoon’s new location features two libraries with an ever-expanding selection of books and dvds.
michelle berg
/
saskatoon starphoenix
“this is a little smaller [than the old location] — but also not, because this is all ours,” said alvarez. “in the other space, we shared the space. also, this has windows and tall ceilings, and that creates a more inviting environment. that makes a lot of difference; the other building didn’t have windows at all.”
some of the outsaskatoon programs featured on the whiteboard have already resumed, while others are scheduled to begin again in august.
michelle berg
/
saskatoon starphoenix
many of the community groups that had been on hiatus since november 2024 are now getting started again.
“we are slowly but surely coming back to programming,” said alvarez. “in august, we’ll reopen the youth groups.”
the organization is also launching some new programs, like a newcomer support group.
outsaskatoon’s new location is full of art supplies and community resources.
michelle berg
/
saskatoon starphoenix
outsaskatoon staff worked remotely during the winter months to continue providing services like counselling while the search for a new location was in progress, but alvarez says it remains important to have a physical space like this for people to gather and spend time in person.
“first of all, this is a safe space,” she said. “what we hear from the community is that they come here looking for a place where they belong, where they can be who they are, where they can be free.”
the new community programming space at outsaskatoon.
michelle berg
/
saskatoon starphoenix
art projects on display at outsaskatoon.
michelle berg
/
saskatoon starphoenix
iris akbar (left), analu alvarez and lanelle big eagle stand for a photo in the new out saskatoon location at 201-245 3rd avenue south.
michelle berg
/
saskatoon starphoenix
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