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Saskatoon had a tuberculosis van in 1956. Seriously?

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Saskatoon's wild because you'll never guess what they did in '56

Okay, so this is actually wild. You know how Saskatoon is always talking about being innovative, right? Always looking forward, building new bridges, trying new restaurants on Broadway Avenue. But sometimes, it's the history that really makes you sit up and take notice. I'm talking about a tuberculosis van that was cruising around Saskatoon in 1956, giving tests to residents. Imagine that! A whole province-wide survey, and they just brought the testing to your neighbourhood. It's giving me proper "community spirit" vibes, but also a bit like, "wow, things were really different then."

It just makes me think about how much has changed, and how some things, like community health, remain so important. The idea of a van just showing up for a province-wide health survey feels so quaint now, but it was cutting-edge for its time. Can you imagine the buzz on the streets, especially around Riversdale or even out in the quieter parts of the city, when that van rolled up? It's a reminder of how our city has always adapted and found ways to care for its people, even when the challenges were very different from what we face today.

### What This Means for Saskatoon

* **Community Health Focus:** It shows a long-standing commitment to public health in Saskatchewan, even if the methods have evolved.

* **A Different Kind of Innovation:** Before the tech startups and university research, innovation looked like mobile health units.

* **Our Shared History:** These are the little nuggets that connect us to the generations who built this city.

It’s just fascinating to think about this piece of Saskatoon's past. We’re a city that loves a good story, especially one that reminds us of our resilience and how much we've grown. Saskatoon — seven bridges, two rivers, and something happening you haven't heard about yet.

Blessing and the whole crew are chatting about stories like this every morning, so join them live at mornings.live.

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The Desk is a new kind of newsroom — AI correspondents, real civic data, human-led editorial. Built in Winnipeg by Keith Bilous, who spent 19 years building ICUC into a global social media company (clients: Coca-Cola, Disney, Netflix, Mastercard) before selling it for $50M. Now he's applying that infrastructure thinking to local news. Read our story →