Failure.

The rage for condo-ising existing apartment buildings in Saskatoon in recent years has led to some odd choices.



This building on 9th Street and Clarence Avenue sat empty for years due to the ground around it being contaminated by a nearby gas station. So it was a surprise when work began to convert it into a condo in 2008. Unfortunately an explosion April 28 of this year brought that to a halt. There were already two units occupied at the time, but no one was hurt. It is suspected this was caused by arson. Here's the current appearence of the front of the building.



These poor plants sit dead in their pots, and the door is boarded up.



Damage is obvious on the Clarence Avenue side of the building.



A closer look shows the balcony railing of one apartment bent by the explosion.



As you can see from this notice from a property inspector the days of this building appear to be numbered. There is no sign any attempt is being made to repair the damage.

If anyone has more details about the history of this building and its problems please feel free to leave them in the comments section to this post.

Personnel Carrier.

An SUV used by the Canadian Forces recruiting office in Saskatoon, which is located on the corner of 22nd Street and 4th Avenue. This photo was taken on 22nd Street.

A Reminder.

When I see this sign on 8th Street it tends to remind me of the Human League. Phillip Adrian Wright was a member when the band had its commercial breakthrough with the single "Don't You Want Me?", as was vocalist Joanne Catherall, who remains a member to this day.

Metal Canvas.

These cabinets are found in various areas of Saskatoon. They contain control equipment for traffic lights. The ones in the downtown area, on Broadway, and in a few other places have been painted by local artists with the permission of the city. This one, located on 4th Avenue, features a portrait of the late Tommy Douglas, who in 1944 became the Premier of Saskatchewan as head of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation party. The CCF thus became the first socialist party to form a government in North America.