Matt Love, a white man wearing a blue and white patterned face mask, a blue tie, white shirt, and black suit jacket, stands in front of a black marble art piece.

We wanted this blog to be a place where Saskatoon Eastview Residents are getting to know Matt, but also getting to know each other so we’ve started the blog series, ‘Get to Know the People of Saskatoon Eastview’ – here we will highlight the people that make Saskatoon Eastview the vibrant strong community it is. We are always looking for people to highlight so if you know people who be a great fit or you would be a great fit contact the office and we’ll take it from there!!

Name:

Gina Khonje

Age:

38

How long have you lived in Saskatoon Eastview?

5 years this spring

Who do you live with?

I live with my husband Fred and three children, Laura, Tadeyo and Conrad

Do you have animals?

If so, tell us about them. We have a cool independent cat named Chris and a betta fish named Bubbles. Bubbles is brand new to the family, a COVID pet, but Chris has been with me since my second year in Saskatoon. I adopted him when I was still a university student so he precedes every other member of my immediate family by quite a few years. We love him.

What is your favourite thing about Saskatoon Eastview?

The beauty! The cute mid-century homes, the established trees and the numerous lovely parks. I also love that it’s a quiet area but well connected to so many other parts of our city like the river, downtown, Broadway, and Diefenbaker Park

What is one thing you would want to change about Saskatoon Eastview?

I would love to see more small local shops. I’d love a great coffee shop in walking distance for instance, or a bakery. We don’t have a lot of businesses or retail in this area and most of them are pretty practical services rather than experience services. Shout out to Hearth and the ice cream stand in Avalon Mall!

What is your favourite business in Saskatoon Eastview?

This is probably a toss up between the Traditional Chinese Medicine Center on Estey Drive, and Solar Gardens at Avalon. I love the care that I get at TCM Center and I find the clinic itself to be lovely and relaxing with all the plants and natural light. But I love Solar Gardens because it’s just such a fun unique place to shop or browse.

What is your favourite place to eat in Saskatoon Eastview?

My favourite place to eat is not about the where but the what. My neighbour runs a side gig every other week, making and selling Middle Eastern food. Her donairs and rice pudding are SO delicious! And conveniently we just have to walk down the street and pick it up. I just love it.

If you could tell everyone how to be a good neighbour what would you say?

I would say they should get to know their neighbours and help each other out. Look for ways you can connect through small gestures – inviting people over for dessert or just tea, delivering Christmas cards, pulling in someone’s trash bin, and taking the time to stop and chat rather than just a “hello” while you keep moving. We have great neigbours who share their bountiful tomato harvest every year, who bring small gifts for our kids regularly, who borrow our truck and always return thanks with baking and encouraging cards, who boost our vehicle, who invite us over for meals (pre-COVID), and who keep an eye on our cat and kids. I think these are some of the benefits of living in a community without attached garages! More opportunity to encounter one another and become part of each other’s lives in small ways.