Capilano Courier // Volume 48 // Issue 21 by Capilano Courier

VOL UME

NORTH VANCOUVER, MARCH 16TH 2015

ISSUE

N O . 21

CAPILANO Courier

@capilanocourier

VOLUME 48 I SSUE N O . 21

@capilanocourier capilanocourier.com

News

A+C

CaleNdar

Features

OpiNiONs

COlumNs

CabOOse

Toilet Talks

Mind Over Matter

BPM's Burgers Per Month

Gettin' Petty Wit' It

The Police Files

The Conservative Conundrum

CSI: Capilano

ON the Cover J.r. piNtO

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS:

Sabrina Kuhn, Kevin Kapenda, Christine Beyleveldt, Keara Farnan, Taelore Keyana, Jasper Grau, Joe Louis, James Martin, Sarah Unger, Elena Boycheva

Javier R. Pinto is a young artist from Madrid, Spain. JR has contributed to our pages since day one of Volume 48. Now that he's been a part of our lives, we don't want to live without him. His artwork and colour bring so much vibrance to our pages. To see more of his work, visit Jrpinto.co or email jrpinto.me@gmail.com.

CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS:

J.R. Pinto, Olliemoonsta, Sydney Parent, Vivian Liu, Cristian Fowlie, Crystal Lee, Ekaterina Aristova, Jackson Butchart, Ksenia Kozhevnikova. THANK YOU

To everyone who's assisted, stayed late, missed us when we stayed late, brought beer, sent love and supportive texts, and of yours all you who have picked up the Courier. Hi Mom!

THE CAPILANO COURIER.

VOLUME 48 I SSUE N O . 21

To advertise in the Courierâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pages, please contact our Advertising Director, Andy Rice, at 778-855-9942 or advertising.capcourier@gmail.com. We are proud to offer discounts to non-profit organizations and North Shore customers. A full media kit with sizes, rates and deadlines is available on our website, CapilanoCourier.com.

The Staff

Leah Scheitel Editor-in-Chief

Therese Guieb News Editor

The Capilano Courier is an autonomous, democratically run student newspaper. Literary and visual submissions are welcomed. All submissions are subject to editing for brevity, taste, and legality. The Capilano Courier will not publish material deemed by the collective to exhibit sexism, racism or homophobia. The views expressed by the contributing writers are not necessarily those of the Capilano Courier Publishing Society.

of this heart-breaking, news-making, mermaid-taking university newspaper

Andy Rice Managing Editor

Alva Tee Arts + Culture Editor

Andrew Palmquist Production Manager

Faye Alexander Features Editor

Gabriel Scorgie Opinions Editor

Cheryl Swan Art Director

Carlo Javier Lifestyle Editor

Ricky Bao Business Manager

Brandon Kostinuk Web Editor

Letter From The Editor Leah Scheitel, Editor-in-Chief

Cheating on the criminal system “The day you take complete responsibility for yourself, the day you stop making any excuses, that’s the day you start to the top.” – O.J. Simpson I sat in yet another marketing class on Monday afternoon, writing yet another marketing midterm. My disposition was more than bitter – it’s my last semester, and the more midterms, essays or even emails I write for school, the less enthused I am. I was also astonishingly underprepared for this midterm, as I spent the weekend in Banff at my cousin’s wedding, and left myself the four hours before the exam to cram for it. Needless to say, I was doing terribly at the questions and was very angry about it. As I shifted in my seat, trying to conjure up answers to the questions unknown, I saw that one of the people next to me was cheating. There was no doubt about it – she hid her iPhone under the exams pages, and had the textbook available to her on the screen. She was looking up every answer, unabashedly, only hiding it from the professor, who is known for his leniency. And this made my bad mood even worse. I was struggling with the midterm, and obviously, so was my classmate. Her cheating was an advantage, and whether I thought it was unfair or I was jealous of it, it didn’t really matter. I was pissed. Instead of concentrating on the exam, I was infatuated with the cheating, and the question of what to do about it. I could say nothing, allow the cheating to flourish, simply out of solidarity to another student, but this didn’t sit well. I didn’t want to be a nark, but I didn’t see that I had much choice. So when I handed in my paper, I whispered to the professor that the girl on my right was cheating. It should be noted at this point that I am terrible with deciphering my right side from my left side. I was one of those kids that always had their shoes on the wrong feet simply because I was too stupid to know the difference. I still have to hold out my hands in front of to me to see which makes an L-shape to know that’s my left side. It’s one of my weird things – get over it. As mentioned, I told the professor it was the girl to my right, but just to make sure I identified the right culprit and the right direction, I whispered, “the one in the purple.” I turned around to

the VOiCe bOx

discover that the girls on either side of me are wearing similar purple hoodies. There was nothing I could do, I had already told on the wrong person, and the instructor didn’t want me to say anything more. As I left the room, I caught a glimpse of him sternly looking at the wrong person. I made a huge mistake. There were reasons for and against telling on another student, but what it ultimately came down to was my own appreciation for rules. I have always been a rule follower. Sure, I have bent some, and maybe disregarded one or two of them throughout my life. I would never have the guts to cheat on an exam, jaywalking makes me so nervous that it’s never worth it, vandalism seems like the ultimate waste of time and the only things I’ve ever stolen was a couple of boys hearts. I lead a squeaky-clean, crime-free life. But just because I hold rules and authority to a higher regard doesn’t mean that everyone does, or even has to. Headlines flood news feeds with tales of crimes, in varying degrees of seriousness. Each story is different, and most are a symptom of a bigger problem: inadequate social services, the desperate need for basic life necessities or the ‘Fuck the Tax Man’ mentality. These are easier to sympathize with than the ones that are committed out of sheer boredom or petty vengeance or just a straight up disregard for the rules. But the worst, in my opinion, are the ones caused to make money or to dupe others into taking their money, such as big business deceits and Ponzi schemes. The constant strive to make more wealth by cheating others out of theirs is so trivial and needless. Cheating on an exam and evading taxes are very different things, and I’m not trying to paint my classmate as a complete villain. And by no means are convicted criminals all deplorable assholes. Many of them are victims of shitty circumstances that are out of their control and a highly political and bureaucratic justice system. I’m merely illustrating an example of how easy it is for some people to cheat and get away with it because of bad information, and how common crimes are, even the small ones. Welcome to the Crime Issue, we hope it steals your heart and interest.

The Voicebox is back, ready to humbly respond to your questions, concerns, and comments about anything. To inquire, just send a text to 778.855.9942 to anonymously "express" and "voice" your "opinion" and "thoughts" on any "subject" or "issue." And, as long as it's not offensive, we will publish it here, right in the Voicebox. It's a win - win, or whine - whine whatever way you look at it.

If Miley Cyrus can ride a giant hot dog and come out "on top", we have some serious problems. Kids these days wouldn't know real music if it smacked ‘em in the head with a sledgehammer. Take some time to study some Jimi Hendrix, Curtis Mayfield, hell, have a Led Zeppelin phase. Anything but this, anything but this. Pop culture is "special". God save the children. Preach. Enough about Gabe the Babe. I wanna know if Andy is single!!!

Bro I read your edible plants article and ate like half a Hellebore and a mouthful of holly berries and had this amazing hallucinogenic experience where I was driving a purple Car2Go around the cemetery visiting dead people. In reality, I was just laying on the pavement next to the Daycare until security gave me a muffin and a glass of water. Can you write another plant story? That was a freakin’ awesome Tuesday night bro! Free muffin and everything. Woah. I don’t even know… I’m pretty sure I didn’t advise you to eat either of those plants, and especially not in that combination, but hey, thanks for reading

CBC Q GETS A NEW HOST! — even if you were reading between the lines! Stay safe, and be wary of free muffins. Everything at CapU comes with a price. I’ve never been up to the 3rd floor of Arbutus, who’s up there? What kind of shenanigans go on up there? Are you serious right now? It’s the IDEA program, that’s where we get most of our awesome artists. You should maybe explore the campus a little bit more. It’s a pretty dope floor really, there’s a printing room, a photography room. Why do you guys always make fun of your Editor-inChief? You guys should be fired for treating her with such disrespect. You should see her when she’s on her period. Or when she’s hungover. Or when she didn’t get her seven hours of sleep. The Lifestyle Editor is full of it and only talks to hot girls. What’s up with that? We’re not really sure, either. Don’t worry, they don’t usually talk back.

National Post @nationalpost Jian Ghomeshi's replacement as host of Q named by CBC: rapper Shad CBC @CBC #Shad's @cbcradioq's new host AND 1 of @cbcmusic's all-time best rappers. Essential tracks: candace carnahan @candacecarnahan Big Congrats to @shadkmusic & @CBCRadioQ #TheNewQ . Exciting Times Ahead!! Shan @goodbooksandtea I didn’t listen to Q with its first host, but I’m very excited for #TheNewQ, especially after listening today. Ryan Ellis @MovieFiend51 #TheNewQ Don't know the guy at all, but his credentials are tremendous. Matthew McEwan @mattmcewan It's nice to see that @CBC and Q understand that they are lucky to get @shadkmusic and not vice versa #TheNewQ WebsterMC @websterMC We can confirm Shad is the new host of Q, we & the CBC are thrilled about the choice. They will be formally introducing him on Thurs show. Sarah Gadon @SarahGadon Finally! #TheNewQ, excited for future listening :) @shadkmusic Peter Mansbridge @petermansbridge So I'm getting lots of requests for P-Manny -- you"ll find him about seven minutes into this welcome for Shad shadkmusic @shadkmusic Oh. And I'll still be rapping... Next stop: Massey Hall! Maclean's Magazine @MacleansMag Shad, a quintessentially Canadian rapper, is a perfect pick to host CBC's Q. But will it work?

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Who’s Andy? Oh, right, me. Nah, I’m taken. I was wondering if anybody was going to ask. But Palmquist it fair game. Come at him gals!

tweets OF the week

NEWS

THERESE GUIEB NEWS EDITOR

NEWS@CAPILANOCOURIER.COM

A Urinal For all GENDER NEUTRAL WASHROOM DEBUTS ON CAMPUS Sabrina Kuhn × Writer

is looking at every angle before they make a decision about whether to change the infrastructure. “If [getting multi-stalled genderneutral washrooms] is going to happen, it won’t happen for maybe two years,” notes Fryer. He says that more education about the importance of the washrooms and lack of funding are the main factors why it will take that long to be approved. The Queer Collective is doing their part in trying to educate students. Pamphlets explaining the purpose behind gender-neutral washrooms can be found in the Queer Collective’s resource centre located at LB 141. The pamphlets show where most of the gender-neutral washrooms on campus are exactly located. Some of the information that is included in the pamphlet is: the importance of understanding that gender segregation is a social construct, untidy washrooms are more to the fault of poor maintenance than users, and that any potentially inappropriate or criminal acts would remain criminal and inappropriate. There is also a survey conducted by the Queer Collective in order to gauge student’s ideas and opinions on gender-neutral, multi-stalled washrooms at Csu.bc.ca/campaigns/washrooms, and the answers for the questionnaire will contribute to the educational and activist efforts.

"While single stalled gender-neutral washrooms are understood to be more of a 'band-aid' solution and less of a total fix, it is seen as a step in the right direction."

× Olliemoonsta

Capilano University changed the signage of single stall washrooms on campus during Pride Week on Feb. 23. These bathrooms were designated as gender inclusive washrooms and a space for people with all sorts of reason for wanting a genderless, private washroom facility. This change was made due to SFU’s push for gender-neutral washrooms. CapU joins the ranks of over 20 post-secondary institutions that have gender-neutral facilities across Canada. Gender-neutral washrooms provide safe spaces for gender non-conforming and trans* individuals where they do not have to be concerned about harassment for being in the “wrong” washroom. People are encouraged to use the washroom that corresponds most closely to the identity that they present as, but this isn’t always feasible for people who have had negative experiences in public washrooms before and may be wary of putting themselves in that situation again. There are 21 single stalled washrooms across campus, with the largest concentration of them found in the Nat and Flora Bosa building. In fact, the only buildings on campus that do not have gender-neutral washrooms are the Children’s Centre, Dogwood, Fir, and the Sportsplex. While single stalled gender-neutral washrooms are understood to be more of a “band-aid” solution and less of a total fix, it is seen as a step in the right direction. “A big part of it is educating students on the change before we go ahead and make bigger changes,” says David Fryer, CapU’s acting Queer Collective Student Liaison. While single stalled washrooms were largely genderless before, there are more steps to go through before getting multi-stalled genderneutral washrooms built on campus. CapU

IT's TIME TO GET TAXED BUSINESS STUDENTS TO PROVIDE PEERS WITH TAX FILLING SERVICE Kevin Kapenda

THE CAPILANO COURIER.

VOLUME 48 I SSUE N O . 21

× Writer

The last two weeks of March and beginning of April are the time of year when Canadians receive their income slips and donation receipts for filing taxes. For students, deciding where and how to file their taxes can become quite overwhelming, because of the cost and wide variety of accounting options available to them. Fortunately for Capilano University students, they’ll be able to receive free income tax filing on campus for the remainder of March. The Capilano Accounting Association (CAA) will be providing students with free income tax filing this month for those who register on their website to receive the service. The income-tax filing program is being administered by the CAA, which is a junior organization within the Capilano University Business Enterprise of Students (CUBES) umbrella. CAA President Zach Renwick is excited to be organizing this program for

CapU students, as it’s been offered by other universities’ accounting associations, but never before by the CAA. “I also communicate with some of the other accounting clubs at other universities, including the ones at UBC and SFU. This is something those accounting clubs have done before, and something I wanted to do at Capilano,” says Renwick. Renwick believes that the CAA’s tax filing service will greatly assist students at CapU who don’t have accountant family members or parents who assist them with their taxes. Renwick also feels that the program will be good for accounting students at CapU as well, who will be volunteering with the CAA to file returns in the coming weeks. “We’ll be helping students file their income taxes, while also conducting training for accounting students through the CAA,” explains Renwick. Practical experience is often what students need these days to land jobs, and Renwick believes this initiative is going to provide his volunteers with hands-

on accounting training. “[The program] is benefiting the accounting students as much as it’s benefiting the students receiving the service,” says Renwick. Due to the limited resources at their disposal, Renwick explains that the CAA will only be filing simpler tax returns this year for students who don’t earn above average incomes and have large investments. “There are certain requirements students have to meet to qualify for the service,” says Renwick. “For example, prospective students cannot earn over a certain amount, have income from businesses or have any major investments.” Students who earn over $30,000, have any Registered Saving Plans (RRSP or RESP), stocks or mutual funds will be unable to have their taxes filed by the CAA. Renwick believes that the requirements students have to meet for free tax filing aren’t that restrictive because most young people attending university only work parttime, and don’t have the income necessary to fund large investments.

Students interested in getting their tax returns filed must apply for the service by contacting the CAA on their website at Capuaccounting.com, and clicking on the “Volunteer Income Tax Program” tab. Once students have done that, Renwick adds that those students will be matched with a volunteer accountant from the CAA, who will then help them file their taxes. The CAA will be offering the service until the end of March. So far, the CAA has already provided roughly two dozen students with free income tax filing, which Renwick describes as a great first step for the program’s inaugural year. Through word of mouth, Renwick is optimistic that his organization will help a lot more students file their taxes this month and for years to come.

news

Damaged library

CAMPUS BREAK-IN LEADS TO FURTHER RENOVATIONS

Carlo Javier × Lifestyle Editor

More than two months after a break-in at Capilano University’s library, the area which was subjected to water and smoke damage remains closed off. According to CapU Director of Facilities, Susan Doig, the ongoing repairs are substantially complete, but the Facilities department is still waiting on the replacement of some items that were damaged such as desks and other inventories that were harmed by the flood. The area rests behind the library’s service desk and adjacent to the print and pay station. Surveillance footage released by the RCMP after the incident revealed the yet-to-be-apprehended suspect lingering in the same area. As a result of the damages, CapU has opted to try and make the most out of the incident. For now, the space remains blocked off by a large wall of plastic, but its awaited re-opening will mark a new feature of the library. “What we’ve done is we’ve taken this opportunity to rearrange the space that the staff occupied in the back, and we’ve been able to condense all of the staff into one space instead of occupying two,” says Doig, “The space at the front, directly behind where the checkout desk is, the service counter, that’s being converted into more student space with couches and things like

that.” The furniture for the revamped space has been ordered and once it’s received the new area will be opened to the public. “This time it’ll be opened up for students instead of staff,” says Doig. The total costs of the damages and renovations have yet to be tallied as the university is still waiting on the arrival of all ordered replacements before the costs are finalized. Doig was one of the first people to be on the scene after the incident. On the morning of Jan. 2, the library was kept closed to nearly every member of the campus for safety precautions. “It was very wet, there was some minor fire damage right at the site where the fire was lit. The majority of the damage was from the fire systems letting go, so the sprinkler system did exactly what it should do,” she says, “It looked like a place that was flooded.” The break-in and the fire are rare occurrences in CapU. According to Doig, this marks the first time that she has heard of a fire that was deliberately set on campus. As for water damages, the university has seen several floods in the past, but nearly all of them were due to mechanical failures. Despite the incident, CapU’s campus security will stand pat with its protocols. Over the past six months to a year, Doig has held meetings with the RCMP to assess the school’s late night security. Some of the changes that the RCMP has recommended is

to change the school’s lighting. By the end of March, students, faculty and members of the staff should see some new building signage and some updates to the campus lamplights. “I’m always looking at the security on the campus because our priority is the safety of our students and our campus community in general – so our faculty and employees,” says Doig. Overall, the RCMP commended the university for its excellent lighting on campus and only pushed for minor tweaks to further improve the safety of certain areas. The break-in remains under investigation and the police and the university will be releasing request for people to come forward for more information. The RCMP has also requested for CapU to call out to the community and are hopeful that somebody will recognize the suspect and come forward. Anyone with information can inform the police, Crimestoppers or they can also send an anonymous email to whistleblower@capilanou.ca.

RENOVATIONS SETBACK UPGRADE TO CSU MAPLE LOUNGE RUNNING BEHIND SCHEDULE Kevin Kapenda × Writer

students to enjoy as well. “The couches in the building were infested with spiders and webs, while the walls had mold on them,” recalls Fabry. “Upon ripping out the decades old dirty carpet in Maple, our contractors also found asbestos under it as well.” Fabry believes that the new space will be much more open and provide students with a larger and inclusive space to study and relax. Furthermore, he insists that the renovations were unavoidable if the CSU wanted to continue using that building, while ensuring it was a clean and healthy environment for people to be in. New furniture will be added to the Maple Lounge, as well as new pool and foosball tables for students to enjoy once it is reopened.

First year Acting for Stage and Screen student Aliya Boulanger was disappointed when she heard that the Maple Lounge would be temporarily shut down for renovations, because it’s far more spacious than the CSU Library Lounge. “Since the renovations, I’ve been spending much more leisure time in the Library Lounge or at the Birch Building couches where there isn’t always a lot of space,” she says. Boulanger is excited to see the construction come to end, and enjoy the Maple Lounge again. “I’m super excited to see the new renovations once they’re finished. I have a feeling the building will look newer and a little less dark,” she says, “It’ll be nice to have a cool and somewhat secluded place to relax again.”

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If you’re a student missing the Capilano Students’ Union (CSU) Maple Lounge, you won’t have to wait much longer, as renovations are expected to be completed within the next week or so. After almost three months of renovations to the student space, CSU vice-president of university relations, Sacha Fabry, confirms that the Maple Lounge will reopen on March 23. Fabry insists that it was never the CSU’s intention to keep the building out of use for two thirds of the spring semester, but stresses that the Maple facility was in desperate need of upgrades to extend its usability for years to come. Even though construction didn’t start until late December, Fabry says that the renovations were actually supposed to have commenced and been completed last year, during the summer semester when fewer students were on campus. There were complications in receiving the various permits from Capilano University as well as the District of North Vancouver, which delayed the renovation timeline of the Maple Lounge from being finished in the summer, to starting construction in December. During the pre-construction stage, the CSU’s contractors also discovered many structural issues with the Maple building, including a damaged exterior. “The wood on the outside of the Maple Building was rotting. Because the CSU leases the Maple Building from the University, we aren’t responsible for the outside,” explains Fabry. This issue of the rotting wood on the outside

of the building delayed renovations because contractors weren’t allowed to do anything inside the facility before it’s exterior was up to municipal code. While Fabry states that the renovation setback caused by delays in obtaining construction permission from the District and CapU didn’t run up the CSU’s budget for the project. The Maple Lounge’s makeover still cost students $65,000. Despite the large figure, Fabry insists that it was money well spent because students will have access to a clean, safe and leisurely space to eat their lunch, play table games and study. Fabry also adds that the old Maple Lounge had not only become cramped and muddled, but was becoming unsafe and too dirty for

arts + Culture

ALVA TEE ARTS + CULTURE EDITOR

ARTS@CAPILANOCOURIER.COM

Keeping you sane USING CREATIVITY AS A MEANS FOR RESPONSIBILITY Alva Tee × Arts + Culture Editor

Art is often used as a gateway to express creativity, feelings or emotions of any kind. Though that has often proved to be a meaningful release, art can be used as a strategy for teaching responsibilities as well. In mental health institutions, there are programs through art and other forms of creativity that exist to help patients better themselves and gain life skills. Only individuals that have been deemed as unfit to stand trial or not criminally responsible due to mental illness (NCRMD) are transferred temporarily from correctional facilities to receive treatment or assessment for a mental illness under the Mental Health Act. “We’re dealing with people who have committed crimes and we deal with mental health,” says David Jones*, staff member of a mental health institution in BC, “So you have to have a pre-existing or some sort of mental illness and you’re in conflict with the law.” The BC Review Board is an independent tribunal established under the Criminal Code of Canada that holds hearings to make and review orders for these individuals, making decisions such as how long and under what terms should a patient be admitted into an institution. To enter a program, a patient has to apply for it through their treatment team. “The treatment team is made up of several professionals from different areas in the hospital,” says Jones, “They sit down and they have bi-weekly meetings.” Working with another committee, together they discuss the progress of patients, what they believe would be best for them and which privileges they should receive. One of the programs available is the woodworking program, where each patient needs to pass a safety exam and practical on each machine before they are allowed to begin

× Vivian Liu

work in the shop. Even after a practical is done, patients are observed to ensure that they are comfortable with the machines they are working with. Most often start with sanding and staining to ease into the work. Some medications can create physical disabilities as well, such as hand tremors, so staff members do their best to accommodate. Though patients mostly create outdoor furniture, they are able to build projects of their own once they have proved that they have the required skills. “The whole point of the program is to make them independent,” says Jones. It also fosters the idea of commitment, a vital step toward getting back out into the community. A variety of incentives are used to encour-

age participation in programs. One example is a small monetary amount given to patients for the work that they do. Jones says, “Sometimes, that’s the only thing that they want and they don’t want the responsibility that comes with having to earn that gratuity.” At first, these incentives are why they participate, but over time, many begin to go simply because they enjoy attending the programs. Currently, all the furniture being built gets donated to different charities. In the future, there is hope that even more programs will be created that help patients to experience a real working environment as well and eventually use in a community. Other programs that have existed and do

still exist include a writing program, a recycling program, a cooking program that teaches healthy lifestyles and grocery responsibilities and many others. “Bringing them down to these, even if it’s for an hour or two, helps to reduce the potential tension up on the units too,” says Jones. Every day, people are learning to be more compassionate with patients. “You’re a person first and you’re a patient second,” says Jones, “You’re not mentally ill Bob, you’re Bob with a mental illness. There’s a definite distinction between the two things. I built a lot of connections and a kind word and a little smile doesn’t hurt anybody.” *Name has been changed to protect identity.

towards the camera, effectively blocking the audience’s view of their fist supposedly making contact with another actor’s jaw. But on stage, this loud clap could simply be a hidden high-five followed by the actor feigning pain where they were supposedly struck. “For stage, you have to hit things and create the sounds for the audience,” says Masters. Throughout each scene, safety is the most important factor. “How do you stay safe? With a couple of key elements,” says Masters, “Balance is the first. When you get into choreography you naturally get excited and your adrenaline kicks in.” Keeping energy levels high is crucial, but it has to be kept under control. To avoid injuries during rehearsals, actors learn every step and every movement until it is second nature to them. Once a scene has been written, the actors learn their footwork step-by-step and how to handle any weapons they may use. “You need to train or practice like you would for a martial art,” says Masters. As actors rehearse, the intensity and speed at which they perform increases until it is dramatically plausible. Before any performance takes place, actors take

part in a fight call, a practice of the routine moments before it must be performed on stage. It trains muscle to remember the sequence of steps. It's vital for actors to know the choreography of a fight scene very well. “You never, under any circumstance, execute a move without your partner knowing what is going to happen,” says Masters. If one actor is to be tossed to the ground, it is his partner’s responsibility to guide him towards the floor in a controlled manner that can still appear violent to an onlooker. This is where silent cues, forms of body language that indicate an upcoming stunt, become important. “It reminds your partner of the next move,” he adds. “For stage and screen, you might have to do a fight sequence all day, to rehearse it for a live audience or to get the right takes for a cameraman. You have to look like it’s the first time every time and you can't hurt one another,” says Masters. It takes a lot to perfect a stunt, but when it is perfected, it is bound to have audiences caught up in it at the edge of their seats.

Fights, camera, action EXPLORING COMBAT IN PERFORMANCE Christine Beyleveldt

THE CAPILANO COURIER.

VOLUME 48 I SSUE N O . 21

× Writer

Two well-trained actors circle each other, fencing rapiers in hand and sweat pouring from their foreheads. The director signals for the camera to roll, and these two combatants lunge at each other, wielding their weapons as they come together with a mighty clash. One swings violently around the other, avoiding a harsh blow only to deliver one of his or her own. To someone in the audience, these combat scenes provide the existential action that composes the thrill of theatre. Stage combat has existed since Shakespeare’s time, and it has carried through to the film industry of the 21st century. However, this perfectly sharp fight scene requires much more correspondence than one would think. It takes weeks of choreography and conditioning training to perfect one of these split-second action sequences. Fight scenes draw from a broad range of combat techniques, some of the most commonly employed being fencing and martial

arts. “Combat for stage and screen does resemble real life fighting,” says Malcolm Masters, a professional fight instructor and graduate of Capilano University’s Acting for Stage and Screen program, “You need the same discipline.” But if a duel were to follow the exact steps and speed of an actual fight, audiences would not be able to follow the rapid sequential action. Spins, jumps and tumbles are all choreographed into a typical scene so that the actor’s movements are slowed down and easier for the audience to follow. Duelling is very strategic, and will be made out to be more sensational than it actually is. However, hand-to-hand combat is often more difficult to choreograph. Punches, slaps and kicks can be administered safely in a typical fistfight sequence. The camera’s angle allows for actors to mimic the aspect of physical violence, but for the audience to never see the actual contact. “You can always cheat angles with a camera, and never have to come anywhere near your partner to have it look real,” says Masters. If one actor administers a hard slap to another, they will always have their back turned

arts + Culture

PLAYING IT FORWARD STUDENTS USING THEIR TALENT TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY Keara Farnan × Writer

“Play It Forward has just passed its two year anniversary of incorporation, so we are two years old and growing each day,” says Brittany Ayton, an Arts and Entertainment Management student at Capilano University and the vice president and music director of Play it Forward Productions Society (PIF). PIF is a non-profit organization that involves a passion for music and a desire to do good. “Our hope is that by combining the two in collaborative concerts benefiting various charities, we will – in ways big and small – contribute to a better world for people to live,” says Ayton, “We believe every action matters, and that the world is shaped by measures as simple as a C-sharp or a kind ‘hello’.” She hopes that their events inspire their audience to share their passion in the world in any way, shape or form. “This is our way of giving back and we just hope that people will acknowledge and want to be part of the movement,” she adds. PIF has produced five concerts in the past two years, including ones for cancer, hunger, child safety, agriculture and female survival sex workers. Altogether, they have raised $26,000 for these charities. “We couldn’t be more proud of that accomplishment,” says Ayton. “To achieve this goal, we have a specific research committee that examines all aspects of potential charities,” she explains.

This selection process is a lengthy and thorough one, and consists of looking into whether or not the charity has been registered through the Canadian Income Tax Act, researching past and present T3010 Information Returns through the Canadian Revenue Agency and meeting with representatives from the charities. “We are also determined to support causes that we can understand, even if on a very basic level,” says Ayton, explaining that this principle gives them reason to support primarily local charities. “Though our hearts still go out to some excellent charitable work being done overseas, we feel that our dollars and efforts are needed just as much here at home. Plus, the proximity of local charities enables us to build strong and lasting partnerships through visiting, even volunteering for them and witnessing the incredible impact they make in their domain.” The WISH Drop-In Centre Society is a registered non-profit society for the exclusive use of female survival sex workers in Vancouver, and was the beneficiary to PIF’s efforts in December 2014. “We were approached weeks ahead of the performance so we fully understood what they would be doing and why,” says Kate Gibson, the executive director at WISH Drop-In Centre Society, “I think student-run initiatives that benefit charities such as WISH are important for the awareness-raising that takes place, especially through social media as well as for the actual performance… Their dedication is palpable.”

Non-profit organizations like PIF are a great place for students to use and share their talent for a great cause. “This isn’t exclusive to music,” says Ayton, “We have student photographers and film students who help out by taking pictures at our events, and our entire board of directors is made up of students that are using what they are studying to further our organizations.” Ayton is studying Arts and Entertainment Management and is therefore in charge of managing the artists. PIF's treasurer, Michael Beck, is studying Business and taking many classes in financial management and accounting and therefore handles all of their banking and financial statements. TerryDayne Beasley is studying Photography at the Emily Carr University of Art and Design and is their creative director. All of PIF’s performers study music privately, either in high school or university. “There are many reasons I enjoy being a PIF musician,” says Sasha Ilnyckyj, who has been performing for PIF for two years, “Foremost is the strong sense of community that exists between the organizers and performers. The atmosphere is creative rather than competitive and we all celebrate each other’s successes as artists.” He says that it has been satisfying to see his friends and collaborators develop as singers, speakers and composers, “This wouldn’t be possible without the mutual support we all give and receive.” Ilnyckyj enjoys performing music under any circumstances, but performing for a good cause is a real bonus. “So much of a

musician’s journey is composed of solitary hours spent in quiet rooms to the tick of a metronome,” he says, “I have no illusions about how egotistical a pursuit this is. A musician is always trying to make themselves better, faster and tighter in their craft. All this inward focus needs something to balance it. “The fact that PIF shows raise money for causes and promote social agendas helps offset what I see as a somewhat selfish wayof-life,” he continues, “Music is a powerful tool for shaping the minds and emotions of listeners and should absolutely be used to promote altruism and generosity.” “It’s a nice feeling knowing that the money raised at concerts goes to charity, and there is always a large crowd so the exposure is great for new musicians,” adds Devon Webber, another PIF musician. Ayton says that by working at PIF, she has become more connected to her community and the issues that are faced. “I'm able to express myself and share my creativity with my peers as well as the community,” she says, “I love seeing the musicians interact with each other and the audience and seeing the joy and success they feel from the opportunities we’ve been able to present them with.” She adds, “In the future, we hope to keep the audience growing, give many more performance opportunities to new and existing musicians, watch existing musicians continue to grow and to continue to make a difference in our community.”

DANCING HORSES THE MUSICAL RIDE IS AN ICONIC SYMBOL OF CANADIAN HERITAGE Alva Tee × Arts + Culture Editor

× North Vancouver RCMP

performance with music and the horses doing what we call ‘cavalry maneuvers,’ the cavalry were drills that were regular foot patrols, and foot maneuvers but were now done on the horses,” he explains. The cavalry drills used were based on those that began to take place in the 18th century when it was also in Europe. “When many drills were done on horseback and to show their movement, just like men would march, horses would have a certain regimental way of walking single-file, half section, three in a row,” he says, “And since 1887, the Musical Ride instructors develop and elaborate on the basic movements. Every year, they alter it a little bit and increase it to a place where it’s an actual performance that appeals to the public.” Though there are variations in formations and the drills each year, there is one part of

the ride that has become a staple move and is therefore significant to the Musical Ride. It's called the “last charge” or “the charge”, where the officers line up and lower their lances, pointing them forwards as they charge at full speed across the field. “To this day, if you see the performance, you will see them thundering across the field riding 32 horses abreast,” says De Jong, “It’s tradition, quite a sight and it’s quite a sound.” To apply to be part of the Musical Ride, members of the RCMP have to have been active in police work for at least two years and after proper training, only 12 to 15 riders are chosen to replace those officers on tour who have finished their three-year contract. “It’s quite difficult to actually become part of the ride,” says De Jong, “But obviously the instructor knows what they’re looking for.” When the Musical Ride arrives at each of

For more information on where the Musical Ride is touring, visit Rcmp-grc.gc.ca

T H E C A P I L A N O C O U R I E R . VOLUME 48 I SSUE N O . 21

A Mountie in a red tunic with a broadbrimmed Stetson hat is unique to Canada and is recognized worldwide as the identifier of the honourable officers of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Often associated with the RCMP is the image of a Mountie on a black horse even though the usage of horses for regular duties was discontinued in the Police field in the late 1930s, with the last patrol occurring around 1936. Today, the specially bred horses are still a big part of the RCMP, but in a different way. They now move together powerfully in formations and choreographed drills to music, a practice that began as provided relief for officers during daily routines was officially named “The Musical Ride” in 1887 and it has now become a great part in the traditions of the RCMP. “The Musical Ride originated from the North West Mounted Police, otherwise known as NWMP, as they made the great march west across Canada in 1874,” says Corporal Richard De Jong of the North Vancouver RCMP, “Although the original NWMP were scattered in groups all over the prairies, it was the horses that brought them together for purposes of patrols.” De Jong says that the horses played a big role in helping the RCMP do their job as mountain police officers. “They became really good being on horses and it was in Fort McLeod, Alberta in 1876, that they did a

the host cities they are touring to, RCMP officers from each local detachment are able to lend a hand in caring for the horses. “You get to bring them to temporary stables, you have to get feed for them because these are animals which need care all the time and it’s interesting to see everything get set up.” Additional to showing hospitality to the animals, the local RCMP officers are able to help plan the event as well. The Musical Ride became an annual performance and a permanent part of the RCMP in 1961. “It has a great significance because you have a police force that is recognized by their black horses and by the officers on them with the red tunic. This gives a great opportunity for everyone from kids to seniors and anyone else to speak to police officers and have a positive experience with the police officer, albeit on a horse.” Giving the opportunity for the community to see the RCMP in a more exciting and fun light, the performance of The Musical Ride will be filled with music and an amazingly vibrant atmosphere. “It certainly brings the RCMP together,” says De Jong, “They’ve done performances to the Queen, they’ve done it to the White House, they’ve done performances in small communities, it just allows public relations to go beyond the policeman in his car to now on a horse… It’s very appealing.”

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Bob Seger Mar. 7, Rogers Arena written by Andy Rice

Clare Maguire Don't Mess Me Around written by Faye Alexander / Future Wife Clare Maguire has one of those velvet voices that hits you like a chiming wall clock, and her new EP, Don’t Mess Me Around, rings out through your ear buds from the prowess of her larynx. Following the death of Amy Winehouse, there has been an empty void across the UK, and the country is still yearning for a bluesinspired songstresses, and perhaps Maguire is the answer. Her tiny frame and plump, husky voice combined lay Don’t Mess Me Around thick with 60s vibes and moody lady moments. On the album’s title track, Maguire demands your attention from the jump, fusing doo-wop over the quick procession of the snare drum. On “Boomerang”, Maguire spits distorted into the mic, growling and fist-fighting straight through to the end of the track, over the echo

of 808s, and a reminder that her album is not all throwback despite the fact her voice may be. Slowing down on “Dream Big”, Maguire’s voice soars sultry over acoustic guitars and keys, a reminder that although her sound is evolving, she is still the vocalist her audience came to love on her debut, Light and Dark. The EP is an up tempo strut through Maguire’s punchy story-telling – so if you are equipped with a vagina, you’ll certainly relate. It’s the perfect musical companion to get you inspired to pour yourself a large overdue glass of Pinot Grigio and send some feisty text messages to jilted past lovers. Truth be told, Maguire sounds a lot like our News Editor, Therese – so if you’d like the album for free, get yourself down to the next Courier Karaoke night.

Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band last touched down in Vancouver two years ago, bringing with them an abundance of youthful energy and a deep catalogue of sturdy hits. On Mar. 7, they were back once again, and aside from two newer songs and some re-arranging of the setlist, this year’s show was much the same. The only tangible difference was Seger’s frontof-house audio technician, who has apparently and inexplicably lost all capacity to remember how to do his job since the last time they were in town. Cues were missed, Seger’s vocals were buried and the bass guitar was non-existent for more than half of the concert. It was painful to watch Chris Campbell, a faithful staple of the Silver Bullet Band since 1974, move his fingers up and down the frets without so much as a peep from the subwoofers. Legendary drummer Don Brewer of Grand Funk Railroad fame was getting plenty of kick drum, longtime keyboardist Craig Frost was cutting through just fine with his left hand, but Campbell had no real estate in the line array whatsoever. It wasn’t until “Travelin Man/Beautiful Loser” when the mix finally evened out, but by then it was too late. Earlier songs like “Main Street” and “Like A Rock” had

been cheated by a sonic void that had nothing to do with the 13-piece band on stage. Audio issues aside, for a man of nearly 70, Seger is still a force to be reckoned with and his husky voice remains as iconic as ever. Lines like “You smoke the day’s last cigarette, remembering what you said” are made all the more convincing by an in-breath that only the consumption of two packs a day since the early 60s will give you. Other standouts included “We’ve Got Tonight”, “Hollywood Nights” and “Against the Wind”, performed to perfection with the help of three backup singers, multiple keyboardists and Nashville session guitarist Rob McNelley. Seger’s haunting ballad, “Turn The Page” was on point as well, with inimitable sax man Alto Reed standing atop a podium wailing away on a silver-plated Selmer horn. Though not officially billed as a farewell tour, it’s not hard not to draw inferences between Seger’s age and the title he chose for this 23-city jaunt: Ride Out. If this is indeed the curtain call for the Detroit native’s long career, it’s a damned good way to say goodbye. And if it isn’t, then Seger's audio crew should definitely be given an early retirement package before any more dates are booked.

BECOME

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VOLUME 48 I SSUE N O . 21

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

ANYONE IS ELIGIBLE TO LEAD CAPILANO UNIVERSITY’S

AWARD-WINNING STUDENT NEWSPAPER

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PEOPLE

EAT PIZZA MARCH 24TH, 2015 Maple Building 122 @ 12PM

PIZZA PROVIDED!

Calendar Mo 16

We 18

FREE CONE DAY Dairy Queen All day $ - Free (it says so in the title)

ACCESS PRO BONO LEGAL CLINIC M 16

Treehouse – Library 131 7 pm to 9 pm $ - education

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M 16

VANCOUVER POETRY SLAM Café Deux Soleils 7 pm $6

Movie Mondays M 16

My couch and my cat Noon $ - YouTube

M 16

Alva is really excited about this one. She has told me about it three times already. Once, I saw Alva and Therese eat two boxes of macaroni and cheese like it ain’t no thing, and then go for ice cream at 3 am. It happened, I swear. So take her to go get some ice cream. I’ll bet she will take more than one offer.

Every time that Andy Rice hears the term “pro bono”, he automatically thinks of Chaz Bono and bursts into a fit of happy giggles. I’m going to send him to report on this just so he can laugh throughout the entire thing. Bono part aside, this is legal advice for those who are looking for it. Don’t get sued, y’all.

Slam poetry has become a trend in Vancouver of the past years. Café Deux Soleils (or the café of two suns, if you didn’t know), hosts weekly poetry performances from locals who have more balls than I do intelligence. It’s an open slam, so it works on a firstcome, first-serve basis. They also offer healthy food and beer. Skip the food, drink the beer, and enjoy some spoken word works.

Since the beginning of the semester, one of my assignments was to watch the original 12 Angry Men. Made in 1957, the movie is about 12 men, who are angry, as they have to make a collective decision about whether a kid is guilty of murder or not. I’ve seen snippets and it’s amazing how relaxed these guys are about putting a young boy in jail. It’s basically 12 white men yelling at each other. It’s like what happens in Parliament today.

ST. PADDY'S DAY

ELECTRIC SIX

U2: RATTLE AND HUM

TYCHO

Irish Pubs Everywhere Early $ - one massive hangover

T 17

The Imperial 8 pm $20

T 17

Rio Theatre 9:30 pm $6 - $8

T 17

Commodore Ballroom 8 pm $25

T 17

Irish people rejoice, it’s the day to drink all the beer, kiss all the people and then barf up all that beer. People really like this day, as it’s another great excuse to drink too much and let the inhibitions come out to play. For everyone else, they call it St. Paddy’s Day. For me, I call it a Tuesday.

These guys have been around since 1996 and I thought they were pretty big. But I guess they are only big enough to fill the Imperial. They even have 10 studio albums and have toured all over the world. Surely, they are at least deserving of the Pacific Coliseum. But they are touring because they have a new album out called Human Zoo. That’s essentially what the Courier office becomes every Friday.

Last summer, I was driving a random guy to planting camp, and he asked me to name my favourite and least favourite band. I took the opportunity to shit all over U2, describing in detail how Bono’s pretensions voice makes me want to plug my own years with skid-marked underwear. When I returned the question, he told me that U2 was his favourite band ever, and we spent the rest of the 10-hour drive in pure silence...

Tycho is from San Francisco, home to all this tech and Mrs. Doubtfire. He plays ambient music and apparently produces some of his own work too. He’s touring to support his latest release Awake. If I go, I will probably fall asleep, which is the exact opposite of what he wants. Ambient music is my adult lullaby.

AMANDA PALMER

DJEMBA DJEMBA

ACCESSIBILITY JUSTICE COLLECTIVE

BURGER LUNCH

Birch Cafeteria 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm $ - interest

Storm Crow Tavern 11 am $5

Vogue Theatre 8 pm $39

We 18

Fortune Sound Club 9 pm $14

We 18

Amanda Palmer is famous for growing her armpit hair out and then writing songs about it. She is also known for being outspoken on many issues, including women’s rights and the feminist movement. She’s even done some TED Talks, and that is what this evening is all about. It’s Amanda Palmer and her Friends from TED – that’s the actual title of the show.

Apparently, this guy is quite the name in his music genre. He has worked with the likes of Diplo (whose name I recognize), Major Lazer, Katy Perry and Justin Beiber among many others. After his experience with the Beebs, I wonder if he is a Beilber. I think I would be.

Everyone deserves access to everywhere on campus, and that’s what this meeting is all about. If you’ve even had trouble huffing your way up those Fir steps, or getting to class on time, these guys would want to hear your opinions. It’s a relaxed atmosphere, and it’s pretty important. Hey guys, the more you care about your campus, the more it will care about you in return.

For an entire year, Andy Rice has wanted to write a guide to hamburgers, and I have squashed it at every attempt. He really likes hamburgers – actually he just likes good food in general. If you follow him on Instagram, you’ll see nicely framed photos of plates of food. There is also one of him in Harper’s office, which would only be enhanced by him eating a greasy hamburger on the desk.

THE SECRET GARDEN

AUDIO BASH

LIMPLIFTER

GASLIGHT ANTHEM

BlueShore Centre 8 pm $10 - $22

Th 19

Library 195 5:30 pm to 9 pm $ - free

Th 19

Biltmore Cabaret 8 pm $15

Th 19

Commodore Ballroom 8 pm $32.50

Th 19

Isn’t this a classic children’s story, about a garden that comes alive? I think they made a movie out of it when I was still a kid, and I saw it once in the movie theatre. The event page tells me that this is nice story, set in England in 1906, and is based on a story written by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Man, they had some cool names back then.

The CSU is hosting this event, which is an acoustic music performances by Capilano bands. And there are a lot of Capilano bands. It’s fitting, as this is a music school and all. Apparently some of these bands are pretty good, but if we have learned anything over the course of these calendars, it’s that I’m shitty at music. There will be alcohol served at the event too. I’m good at alcohol.

If I had a band – not that I ever would, when I sing it sounds like a squirrel is getting ran over – but if I did, I would never name it Limplifter. I do like the alliteration it has and the sound of it, but it spurs images of one giant Viagra ad. This says nothing about their musical ability, as I’m sure they are stellar musicians, but more of their ability to when the lights go down. They are touring in support of their new album Pacific Milk.

The first assignment I ever got for music writing was to review a Gaslight Anthem album in the spring of 2009. I detailed how these guys were like American boys that your mom would love, and that your dad would listen to in an attempt to hold onto the dying days of his youth and think he was still cool. Six years later, I still stand by this. Worth seeing – they are total babes too.

JOHN STRETCH

LYNARD SKYNARD

THE CAVE SINGERS

TURQUOISE JEEP

Fir 113 12 pm $ - guess its free

Fr 20

Hard Rock Casino 8 pm $52

Fr 20

Rickshaw Theatre 8 pm $22.50

Fr 20

Fortune Sound Club 8 pm $15

Fr 20

John Stetch is a composer, pianist and educator and I know all of this because it says so in his bio for the event. His most recent album, Off with the Cuffs, is Juno-nominated, and while that’s no Grammy, its still better than anything I’ve ever done. He’s also playing at CapU for free, so that’s cool. I can guarantee it will be a more rewarding experience than Full House reruns on Netflix.

I never would have guessed that Lynyrd Skynrd would be playing at the Hard Rock Casino. I mean, this guy used to be somebody, baby, and now to subjected to playing for a crowd of aunts drunk on white wine. It’s like thinking that the Foo Fighters are going to have to do this in 30 years, and that’s not a nice thought. Everyone needs to make that money, eh. Not such a free bird, are you now, Lynard?

Seattle-rockers the Cave Singers are in town to serenade the Vancouver crowd. Thinking about it, I have fallen in love on three different occasions with Cave Singer songs as the soundtrack to the love affair. It’s just beautiful music to let your heart flow with. And I can tell you that I am going to get mocked for writing this. Still worth it.

Turquoise Jeep Records are a group based out of Michigan. From the 15-second video I’ve seen they are very upbeat and fun, and look like they put on a really good show. Granted, I saw that from only a small clip, but take a chance on it. I mean, it’s $15, at Fortune, which is rad, and you’ll likely meet the love of your life at the show. Make sure to thank me afterwards.

RAPP BATTLEZ

THE FUNK HUNTERS

JESSE LEBOURDAIS

HURRAY FOR THE RIFF RAFF

Fox Cabaret 7:30 pm to 10:30 pm $10

Sa 21

Commodore Ballroom 9 pm $28.50

Sa 21

SBC Restaurant 8 pm $15

Sa 21

Electric Owl 8:30 pm $16

Sa 21

Comedy and rap don’t really sound like things that would go together too well, kind of like cats and water. But people be combining the two in this event, which features some of Vancouver’s funniest battling each other in rap verses. My bet is that one of them is just so terrible at it that they say screw it and just start literally spitting on the competition. I’d go if that were a guarantee.

I have a good friend who has written a few articles for this publication, and she has gone a few dates with one of the guys from the Funk Hunters. I know very little about the band itself, but can tell you that one of them – who shall remain nameless – is pretty good between the sheets. If you go and stand at the front and make enough flirty eyes at the band, maybe you will get to experience it too.

This guy is from Horsefly, BC, which is in the middle of the Cariboo reigion, which is why most of you have probably never heard of it. He also makes music, that is self described as “acoustic punk”. I dunno what that really means, but if you want to know more before deciding to go to this show or not, check out JesseLebourdais.bandcamp.com.

Alynda Lee Segarra is the driving force behind Hurray for the Riff Raff, and naturally, all I want to know is how she came up with that name. But I’m going to push past that, and find out more. She is 26, came to fame with her 2012 release of Look Out Mama. She’s of Puerto Rican decent, but I don’t know if she’s ever stepped into that country. I’ll get back to you on that one.

ECHOSMITH

WALK THE MOON

GIRLS

WOMEN's FUNDRAISER

The Rio Theatre 6 pm $18.50

Su 22

Ecosmith is a group of four siblings that create emo and 80’s dance-inspired music. That’s interesting because the only thing I make with my siblings are arguments and hangovers. They’re from California, so I bet they all smoke weed to chill them out. Maybe that’s the issue – my siblings and I aren’t big enough stoners. I’ll make sure they know that.

Commodore Ballroom 8 pm $25

Su 22

I don’t know anything about these guys. I thought they were teeny-booper music, judging them solely on their name, but then Faye was excited to know that they are coming to town and wants to see them. Faye knows music, and therefore I think you should go to this. Trust Faye’s opinion over mine. Maybe she should write these Calendars.

HBO – Your House 8 pm $ - HBO

Su 22

Another season of sniffling Girls comes to an end, and even though I didn’t want to watch it, I totally did. Although the season isn’t finished, I’m convinced I never want to get married and that there is a possibility that my father might be gay. Also, the last episode is apparently called “Home Birth”, which is both intriguing and disgusting.

Café Deux Soleils 8 pm $ - generosity

Su 22

The proper name of this is “Women Against Violence Against Women” fundraiser, but that really confused me, so I took the liberty to shorten it. Also, they spelled “violence” as “Volience” which was also confusing, so I hope that I got the facts right and it’s a fundraiser for something different. Anyways, violence against women – or anyone for that matter – isn’t cool. Go help fundraise efforts against it.

T H E C A P I L A N O C O U R I E R . VOLUME 48 I SSUE N O . 21

@capilanocourier

FEATURES

FAYE ALEXANDER FEATURES EDITOR

S P E C I A L F E AT U R E S @ C A P I L A N O C O U R I E R . C O M

TOUGH CROWD WAREHOUSE PRISONS IN THE CANADIAN PRAIRIES FAYE ALEXANDER WORDS

On the White Fox Plain of the prairies, just skirting the bend of the North Saskatchewan River, rests the province’s third largest city, Prince Albert. The city’s main economy was once the Prince Albert Pulp Company, the largest employer in the area, but in 2014 their doors closed indefinitely, leaving a large void in the community and over 250 residents without jobs. The other major employer in the area, accountable for 11 per cent of the city’s workforce, is its government service sector – more specifically, prisons. Prince Albert is home to the slogan “Gateway to the North” but it's notably home to three major prisons, the Prince Albert Correctional Centre, the Saskatchewan Federal Penitentiary and the Pine Grove Correctional Centre for women. The penal system is a constant presence looming over the community. With over 35,000 people living in Prince Albert, nearly 4,000 people employed by the prisons and thousands of people living behind the bars of the three facilities with most over capacity, prison life and life on the outside walk hand in hand. All across Canada, cities flourish and centre around their economy, whether it’s a mining town, pulp mill, logging or tourism. At the heart of every small town is the industry that has allowed its population to grow. Major employers are the life force that fuels the rest of the small businesses in the area, offering livelihood to residents and sustaining the community. Yet, the community of Prince Albert relies on the prison system. Their first prison, the Saskatchewan Federal Penitentiary, was erected in 1911 and for the foreseeable future, the city will continued to be defined and influenced by the correctional facilities that surround it.

THE CAPILANO COURIER.

VOLUME 48 I SSUE N O . 21

CRIME DOWN,

CRIMINALS UP Prison populations have been on the rise both in Canada and the US since the 1980s, and the demand for prison expansions has been a catalyst for economic growth, as is the case in Prince Albert. “Currently, there is an average of 35 jobs created for every 100 inmates behind bars which means that the presence of prisons in rural areas combat the potential of poverty given the lack of other industries fuelling the local economy,” says Councillor Lee Atkinson of Prince Albert. As of 2014, Canada’s prison population is at an all-time high, despite the fact that the national crime rate has been on a decline over the past decade. Therein lies the thread that exposes a moral flaw – some Canadians are reliant on the punishment of criminals for their own livelihood. Since the Conservative government took power in 2006, federal prison system costs

have risen by an alarming 86 per cent. Canada’s corrections system, which once rung in at nearly $1.6 billion annually, is now resting at an estimated $3.147 billion per year. Accordingly, staffing numbers have grown exponentially and millions of dollars more have been poured into the expansions of existing correctional facilities and new prison constructions. In BC, Premier Christy Clark has also put forth a $128 million prison building campaign, the largest correctional investment in the province’s brief history. Both provincial and federal governments have increased their spending on criminal justice as an answer to the Harper government’s tough-on-crime stance. Now, with new bills in effect to prevent inmates from receiving shortened sentences if they have been incarcerated prior to going to trail, overall harsher sentences for more heinous crimes and with more mandatory minimum sentences for a growing number of offences, Canada’s prison system is in transition. Braced only for the drastic changes to the corrections system with increased spending, the jury is still out on what exactly the long-term effects of these harsher bills and regulations will mean to both inmates and taxpayers.

PRAIRIE CRISIS Right now, prisons in Canada are suffering from overcrowding in spite of the massive spending. Back in Prince Albert, prisons are facing the crisis and are currently noted among the most highly strained in the country. Now with correctional facilities housing nearly double the amount of prisoners they were designed to hold, prisons are double bunking — and tripe bunking is becoming a very real possibility in the near future. “We don’t feel that prisoners are entitled to their own cell,” stated Saskatchewan Minister of Public Safety, Steven Blaney, in a news conference last year. To help ease the pressure off the prisons themselves, classrooms, gymnasiums and chapels are being converted into makeshift holding cells meaning that corrections facilities are beginning to seep out into the communities. The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, an independent non-partisan research institute, reported that some inmates had no washroom facilities in their cells and that prisoners would have to wait hours to be escorted to use the washroom or turn to urinating in garbage cans. “The increase of inmates over the past decade has led to a decrease in the amount of food provided as well as a decrease in the quality of health care offered in the correctional facilities,” explains Shaun Dyer, executive director of the John Howard Society, “Programs put in place by the prisons such as substance abuse support and anger management have taken a back seat as overcrowding has converted rehabilitation space into dormitories for the inmates entering into the prison system.”

J.R. PINTO IMAGES

While the US has gained a bad reputation for “warehouse prisons”, wherein prisoners are treated more so like livestock than people and are being stored to serve out their sentences, Canada is now not far behind. “The Saskatchewan Federal prison has been over its maximum capacity for over five years now, and this type of strain on the system poses threats to both the inmates, the staff and the public in the neighbouring communities,” says Atkinson. With the tough-on-crime legislation passed on a system that was already feeling the swell of overcrowding, what is exposed is a lack of infrastructure and the issue of over-incarceration. In 2013, the Commissioner of the Correctional Service of Canada had begun to address the prevalent issue of overcrowding by rewriting some of the definitions and procedures to skirt the issue, not address it. The principle that “single occupancy accommodation” is the most appropriate manner to house offenders was deleted. In lieu, the double bunking cap in prisons was raised from 10 to 20 per cent, although it’s estimated that as many as 50 per cent of cells including those used for solitary confinement are currently double bunked.

CONSEQUENTIAL CROWDING “In three years, we have seen a 70 per cent increase in violent incidents in Saskatchewan,” says Atkinson, “Right now, all that we can plan for is what’s right before our noses. Overcrowding and double bunking isn’t something you can just fix long-term, it’s the system that is flawed.” Despite the cited data supporting Atkinson’s concerns, Blaney has stated that double bunking has a minimal impact on the rates of violence in correctional facilities. The price of overcrowding in prisons is not solely monetary, the extreme consequence of double bunking in prisons is violence. In 2010 at BC’s own Mountain Institution, a double-bunked inmate, Jeremy Phillips, was killed by his cellmate. In 2012, 28-year-old Elvis Lachance was killed within hours of being double-bunked at the Saskatoon Correctional Facility and this trend is only projected to grow. The main issue is that once incarcerated, the correctional service is responsible for the safety of the inmate and by placing inmates in dangerous situations that could lead to violence, and in the case of Phillips and Lachance, death — part of the blame does land on the system and the issue of over-crowding. “There is a reason there are laws in place stating that double bunking must only be considered a temporary accommodation measure. The risks go beyond just the prisoners themselves, there is also staff to consider,” explains Dyer. Double bunking increases threats to

guards and with the prevalence of violence, makes it more difficult to rehabilitate offenders. Yet with so many prisoners competing for space, overcrowding is not just affecting where inmates sleep but the entire facility feels the effects as well. As a result, programs are cut, including family visits and vocational opportunities. “Without access to programs, prisoners won’t make progress and that ends up costing society more and harming society. That creates the downward spiral we’re seeing right now,” explains Dyer. “The situation is dire and it is only going to get worse. It’s a direct impact of Bill C-10, the Conservative’s omnibus crime bill. You can actually feel the impact of the new mandatory minimum prison sentences within prison walls.”

EXPANDING BARS Construction is currently underway at the Prince Albert Correctional Centre, which looks to expand its facility by 144 new beds for inmates. Completion is slated for later this year. However, the issue of overcrowding has long been weighing down on the correctional facilities and some of the damage is too late to be undone. Some male inmates within 45 days of their release are being housed in the nearby women’s prison facility, Pine Grove Provincial Correctional Centre. This has caused an outcry from the women’s rights movement who claim that by having male inmates temporarily housed in the women’s facility gymnasium poses threats to the female prison population. Pine Grove Provincial Correctional Centre was given a budget for a new wing in 2013, with over 70 new beds being made available. However, even the expansion has not garnered much relief as new spaces are filled just as quickly as they are made available. According to a report of Correctional Service Canada (CSC) by Auditor General Michael Ferguson, “Although recent construction will resolve the over-crowding in the ‘short term’, CSC has failed to develop expansion plans for its penitentiaries to properly take into account the growing number of inmates.” Ferguson’s report revealed the serious implications of double bunking, such as increased levels of tension, aggression and violence. CSC has failed to meet the requirement of sufficient segregation cells and add healthcare facilities. Further south at the Regina Provincial Correctional Centre, 15 inmates recently went on a hunger strike in protest of their lack of access to physical exercise. With no gym available, inmates are left without an opportunity to exercise outdoors or use any exercise equipment. There is a “fresh air room” available to inmates which boasts a window that opens, but

humane corrections in Canada, demanding that the prison system complies with Human Rights standards, reduces crowding, limits solitary confinement and ensures the physical and mental health needs of prisoners are met.

NO QUICK FIX “You need to think about what happens when these men and women come out of the prison system, considering overcrowding and the lack of programs in place,” says Dyer, “We’re actually creating a public safety issue by placing inmates under these conditions and not taking their treatment more seriously. There is this false impression we get that by keeping them inside,

we’re safer. We need programs in place to make sure that these men and women are having their needs met and are being rehabilitated so their chances of reoffending once they are released decrease – that is what ultimately makes the community safer.” While prisons in the Saskatchewan are lacking in space, prisons in both BC and the Atlantic provinces do not share the same burden, but the transfer of prisoners is surprisingly costly. In 2010, 529 inmates were transferred to prisons notwithstanding the same strains as those in Saskatchewan, and it cost roughly $1.5 million to cover the moves compared to 908 prisoners moved in 2013 with a $3.4 million price tag. While the Conservative government made a bold attempt to keep Canadian families safe and

create more serious punishment for “heinous” crimes, Canada’s prison system is suffering. In Saskatchewan, even a remote city like Prince Albert is feeling the effects of the overcrowding and longer sentences of inmates, losing many of its community hubs to the panicked grasps of an ill-equipped prison system. More prisoners are projected to be calling one of these makeshift facilities ‘home’ over the next few years, and the long-term effects of overcrowding and program cuts look bleak.

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the gymnasium is currently moonlighting as a holding cell to withstand prison populations. “How people are treated while they’re in a prison situation directly impacts how they live when they’re outside,” says Dyer, “It’s best to ensure that everybody, regardless of their circumstances and threat have the most effective and humane treatment that’s available to them.” The hunger strike ended a mere 24 hours after it began with no changes to the prison policies. The John Howard Society of Canada is a federation of local and provincial societies with a mission of “effective, just and humane responses to the causes and consequences of crime”, and has been a strong voice nation-wide in advocating for prison conditions and inmate welfare. One of their main focuses is seeking

INFOGRAPHICS: CHERYL SWAN

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FEATURES

FAYE ALEXANDER FEATURES EDITOR

S P E C I A L F E AT U R E S @ C A P I L A N O C O U R I E R . C O M

NOT SO PETTY ALVA TEE

ZOE SOFIANOS

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Crimes are crimes. What is considered a petty crime is actually just as important as any other. What is considered petty is subjective to every individual. A negative connotation comes associated with the word petty in that it implies these crimes don’t mean as much. “I don’t want to call it a petty offence because everything impacts people differently,” says Randy Fincham, officer at the Vancouver Police Department (VPD), “It’s tough to say what would be petty and what wouldn’t. We have smaller offenses or we would classify them as violent or non-violent offenses or in the legal definition it’s from theft for under $5,000 kind of thing.” He says that adjustments in the society’s everyday lifestyle can prevent a lot of these offences taking place. “I would call them ‘smaller’, not ‘small’ but ‘smaller’,” he adds.

WHAT IS A “PETTY” CRIME?

THE CONSEQUENCES “We, as police, on a whole have done a bad job of communicating just how important it is to report all crimes, no matter how insignificant they might seem,” says Walker, “When I was younger, I didn’t report it when my locker was broken into

WHY THEY HAPPEN AND WHY IT’S STILL IMPORTANT Something seemingly insignificant can be a vital piece of information needed in a greater file. “Sometimes that ‘petty’ incident may be part of a bigger picture, a bigger investigation,” says De Jong, “We do have a crime analyst and what they do is they look at crime trends. Crime analysts working for the police are people who are professionally trained. The analyst plots out certain areas in neighborhoods where crime rates seem a little bit higher and when police officers meet, they look at a geographical map and pay attention to these trends and then decide that something needs to be addressed.” Even without formal charges, a file is created. Now in police records, the name and the circumstances in which a minor offence was committed have been recorded. “When you go to apply for a job, or you want a position of security, security clearance and whatnot all that can be pulled up,” says De Jong, “You have to explain to your boss why you were doing this, why you were doing that and not to mention social media.” Often, records have shown that those who are now committing more major crimes started with minor offences. Police officers are trying to come up with different ways to encourage change in behavior before it even gets to that point. “There’s different remedies to do with offence,” says Fincham, “The evolution in policing has gone to find other ways to deal with stuff without putting people in jail so ticketing is another example of how we can sort of modify behavior without having to arrest

somebody and put them in jail. They can issue a violation ticket, they can carry on their way but it does have some deterrent to encourage people to behave themselves.” “When I submit reports for more minor offences, I look at the offender’s history and what causes them to commit their crime,” says Walker, “Sometimes I ask the court to consider releasing the person on a condition that keeps them away from the crime location or to seek treatment.”

THE IMPACT ON SOCIETY “The public getting involved motives changed behavior in society. These petty issues become social issues with social change, which makes everybody safer,” says De Jong. The police cannot be everywhere at once, so they will have no knowledge on what isn’t reported. “The police are in the community and the community are the police in the sense of reporting suspicious appearances, suspicious vehicles, something that just doesn’t seem right,” De Jong says, “Call us and we could be there in minutes to perhaps prevent something from happening.” At some level, minor crimes probably have

very little impact other than the cost of policing. “Every call, every minor offense, whether it be a store that has somebody in custody as a shoplifter to garbage cans getting kicked around, it requires a police officer to drive a police car to go out there and spend time, to write up a report, so this all costs money and tax payers pay for police services,” he says. In the end, it’s well worth it because these services are ones we need to protect ourselves because we don’t have those resources by ourselves. “Minor offences are more common, so they are more likely to be the only or a few times a person talks to the police,” says Walker, “It’s important to make a good impression on those minor interactions. Then when something more serious happens, we already have a trusting relationship with the public and those serious incidents are less likely to happen.” It is fact that a lot of effort is put into analyzing the smaller crimes as well; just not as much attention is drawn to it. “At the end of the day, it’s the taxpayers in Vancouver or any given area that are paying the price of policing,” says Fincham, “So it’s in everybody’s best interest to sort of pitch in and lower crime rates by looking after each other, looking out for each other, and again, not making us a target, not creating a situation where we could be a victim of an offense.”

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“The Criminal Code defines offences as either summary or indictable,” says Transit police officer Graham Walker, “A summary charge must be laid within six months of the incident occurring, an indictment means the trial would be with a jury.” Minor offenses are different with each municipality’s bylaws. It's subjective to the public deciding what is considered important. “A lot of it comes from public perception,” says Fincham, “We’re so in tune from watching the news that a big event for us is a violent assault, the homicide or stuff like that.” Though they do prioritize based on what is happening at the time and the other crimes there are to consider, it doesn’t mean that the smaller crimes go unnoticed. From being publically drunk resulting in disturbance, jaywalking or theft, these are all crimes. “Maybe two people are walking down the street, they’re under the influence of alcohol, they’re under the influence of alcohol, they get into a loud argument and all of a sudden they’re pushing and shoving and one guy pushes the other against some garbage cans, and there’s a lot of noise, we call that a disturbance,” says Corporal Richard De Jong of the North Vancouver Royal Canadian Mounted Police, explaining that there is no major offense. “They’re two friends, no one’s gotten beaten up but there’s a disturbance aspect to it.” Some incidents may be a one-off, but when it’s recurring over a period of time, it becomes a trend. De Jong gives the example of a tire being slashed just once over a couple of months versus over 160 tires slashed in the last couple of months, because then that’s a trend. “That’s no longer a petty crime, it now becomes actually a serious criminal offense in that hundreds of people have been inconvenienced,” he says.

at secondary school, not to the school nor the police. Now I know that the police can’t help prosecute or prevent crimes unless they know what is happening. Those crimes that don’t get reported are obviously overlooked.” Reporting can be especially useful for the authorities. “Everything is accumulative. If you ignore the small things, eventually, they’re going to grow into big things and we deal with them.” says De Jong, “We want to target those people who are breaking your car, we want to target those people who might be panhandling, causing a disturbance, all sorts of things so you can’t wait until things become huge issues before you address them.” “The last couple of years, we’ve seen crime rates starting to drop,” says Fincham, questioning if that is a result of police tactics, different strategies and if they are working or if it’s less people that are reporting. “It’s important that people let us know what’s going on so we can use or get the right resources or at least try and fight the problem.” Graham and De Jong would agree that it would help add to crime prevention strategies. “We have an obligation to look after each other and recognize that when something’s in our neighborhood, we got to stick up for what’s going on in our neighborhood and look after each other,” says Fincham, “Accurate crime reporting will put police officers back in those neighborhoods, back in those communities where they can make a difference.”

opinions

GABRIEL SCORGIE OPINIONS EDITOR

INFORMATIVE MURDER PORN WHY WE LOVE CRIME SHOWS Taelore Keyana × Writer Everyone has a guilty pleasure. Some people are closet One Direction fans, others secretly love Glee, and there are those who love The Real Housewives more than their own families. Then there are the people who love the darker side of television; those people are the crime junkies. From classics like Law and Order: Special Victims Unit to the more comedic ones like Orange is the New Black, society just can’t get enough. There is something sick and twisted, yet completely enjoyable about watching someone solve a murder, be murdered, or get locked up for something. Lucky for those mystery lovers, and unlucky for some, our televisions are saturated in crime-style programs with one for every age, fetish and style people could ask for. Watching crime shows is a guilty, but harmless pleasure. People aren’t going to start murdering their mother’s in law because of an episode of Dateline, just like someone isn’t going to punch

a hooker because of Grand Theft Auto. With 20 seasons under its belt, Law and Order has become a staple in many households. With fans of all ages, it opened for the door for modern crime shows such as Criminal Minds ans CSI to mesmerise a whole new generation. Criminal Minds has prided itself on being a ‘based on a true story’ type of show. Every episode is loosely based off of crime that took place somewhere in North America and draws over six million viewers for every episode. While there are programs that are scripted, and are aiming to entertain more than anything; there are a few programs out there that show the real-life happenings of murders. Programs like NBC’s Dateline and The First 48 walk its viewers through the entire investigation. Dateline has gained a steady following over the past 13 years, with new episodes airing every week. On average 2.2 million individuals will tune in to watch the cast recreate current open cases. Dateline is also one of the few shows that don’t just focus on murder. They also recreate more

OPINIONS@CAPILANOCOURIER.COM

serious, non-fatal crimes such as kidnapping, rape and grand theft auto. What is it that makes people want to watch these shows? More than likely it’s not because people are harvesting ways to commit our own crimes. Sara Kozak is the head of programing at Investigation Discovery (ID), a television network with the tagline ‘Your Guilty Pleasure’. This network dedicates 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year to programs with a crime theme. In an interview with TIME, Kozak touched on why she believes people watch these types of programs, “It gives people a certain reassurance. Like, whew, my family is normal, my relationship is normal. I’m good.” Or, at least its normal compared to a family where a man killed his brother because he wanted to continue his affair with his sister-in-law. Crime shows have been called the new soap opera for women by many researchers, as well as people involved directly in the making of these shows. Many people would argue that their obsession with crime stems from the emotional connection they find not only with the victims and their families; but the criminals themselves. In addition to emotions being a

key factor in crime popularity, president of ID, Henry Schleiff argues that storytelling is another important aspect. “What we learned there and certainly what you see here is that women really love not just the crime and justice genre but the storytelling and puzzle-solving all around it. I think you see this across the board” he said in an interview for Time. Schleiff took the helm of ID in August 2009, has been credited for zeroing in on the female viewers. That’s when the network adopted the “Your Guilty Pleasure,” moniker and began branding different nights of programming with specific crime themes. ID launched “Femme Fatale Fridays” and “Saturday Night Seduction.” Murder on television is an instant paycheck for the network because society loves to watch bad things happen to people. Some watch it to be the big hero at the end, who saves the last damsel in distress from murder. Others however, enjoy being the villain, by analyzing what the criminal being directed could have done better. Whatever the case may be, murder and crime themed programing are a large part of today’s pop culture. Yes it’s sick, and some would even call it disturbed, but its human nature to find pleasure in someone else’s misfortune.

to serve, protect and record BODY CAMERAS WON'T LEAD TO MORE POLICE CONVICTIONS Kevin Kapenda

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× Writer

News coverage surrounding police brutality and excessive use of force in North America isn’t anything new. Whether it’s the 1991 beating of Rodney King in Los Angeles by four white LAPD officers, or the tasing death of Robert Dziekanski in YVR Airport by four members of the RCMP, police brutality has been a mainstay of North American news for decades. Because the King and Dziekanski incidents were caught on film, many activists have been asking for increased police surveillance to ensure that members of law enforcement are being held accountable for excessive force all the time, and not just whenever civilians or CCTV cameras happen to capture their misconduct. Dash cams are already used in most North American police forces to ensure individuals who are pulled over are treated fairly. Now other critics of police brutality are calling for cops in their cities to wear body cameras, so all interactions police have, violent or controlled, will be recorded and possibly used against law-breaking officers in court. While filming police interactions through body cameras may appear to equal increased accountability, recording every step they take and everything they say could only make their jobs more dangerous without guaranteeing that more officers will be convicted or charged by the courts. The only group of people in America who had worse public relations in 2014 than the NFL and Democrats were US Police Departments. Eric Garner’s asphyxiation in New York, 12-year-old Tamir Rice’s death by gunshot in Cleveland and the killing of Michael Brown, again by gunshot in Ferguson, Missouri, were all events that shook the continent and raised large questions about police accountability and patterns of excessive force directed towards Black men. Garner’s death was captured by cell phone, while Rice’s death by CCTV. Brown’s death wasn’t recorded, but charges were never laid in any of those cases. Even if Officer Darren Wil-

× Jackson Butchart

son was wearing a body camera, his story, in which he told authorities that Brown was bear-rushing him at full speed, thus forcing him to fire his weapon in self-defence, would have not led to charges against him, if his story is indeed true. Garner’s choking was captured by video, and while it is illegal for police in New York to perform choke-holds, the NYPD officers claimed they weren’t choking him, but rather trying to pull the large man down. Rice was shot after appearing to point an automatic pistol at the police, which turned out to be nothing more than a bb-gun. The notion that slapping GoPros on police officers’ chests would lead to more convictions and accountability is a flawed argument because when the public and justice

system are given video evidence, the justice system often seems to conclude that the cops involved acted within the law. An amateur recording of a questionable use of force by police officers hit close to home in Oct. 2007, when four RCMP officers were involved in a fatal tasing incident with Dziekanski at Vancouver International Airport. Dziekanski was killed after being tased five times by former RCMP officer Kwesi Millington, on the command of his supervisor, former Mountie, Corporal Benjamin Robinson. No criminal charges were laid after the incident, but a public inquiry was launched in 2009, to investigate the safety of tasers, as well as if there was any police misconduct. After the inquiry, three of the four

officers involved in the incident were charged with perjuring themselves under oath. One of the three was acquitted, while one more is still on trial. In late February though, Millington, the Mountie who fired the taser, was convicted of perjuring himself during the inquiry and is awaiting sentencing. While calls for body cameras are being heard loudest in the US, some Canadian politicians have voiced their support for them as well. A special bi-partisan committee led by BC Liberal MLA Mike Morris suggested in late February that the provincial government do everything in their power to equip police officers with body cameras as soon as possible. In the midst of the committee’s announcement, Victoria Police Department chief, Frank Elsner, told reporters that he thinks that the implementation of police body cameras in BC is inescapable whether his colleagues like it or not. Though he was talking about cops, other barriers and critics of body cameras exist, from civil libertarians to fiscal conservatives. If BC or any other province were to implement the use of body cameras, there would have to be strict and expensive oversight of said program, including how the cameras are stored, where their footage and data is stored and who has access to it. With the amount of CCTV cameras recording human activity on our major intersections, as well as in our malls, stores, universities, arenas and restaurants, the need for police body cameras is questionable at best, because there is already so much surveillance. Furthermore, the costs associated with body cameras, as well as concerns surrounding the monitoring, oversight and public access to their records are all questions the Clark government shouldn’t waste millions of dollars on. If body cameras do come to BC though, don’t expect them to lead to more accountability or police convictions for excessive force. As we later saw in the inquiry for the Dziekanski incident, an officer is more likely to go to jail for lying in under oath than killing someone with their taser.

opinions

a stand against stigma IT'S TIME TO TALK ABOUT MENTAL ILLNESS Jasper Grau × Writer Mental illness affects nearly 20 per cent of Canadians at some point in their lives, and the largest group of those victims are within the ages of 15 and 24. Despite the widespread nature of these illnesses, there is still a surprisingly large stigma attached to them. Even in the medical fields there is still much research to be done to help scientists and doctors to understand it, while misrepresentation in media and culture has cemented taboos around the subject. It’s easy for episodes of anxiety and bouts of depression to be swept under the misbranded carpet of laziness or weakness. While physical illnesses often have more visible symptoms, mental illnesses rear their heads as an extension of the victim’s behaviours, and are harder to detect as a result. While some disorders have more data readily available there are still plenty of others that leave doctors scratching their heads. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is one of those diseases. As the name suggests, it's a disease where persistent tiredness and reduced cognitive and motor skills are primary symptoms. Not even rest and dietary changes will help to reduce it. Many patients are often misdiagnosed or brushed aside as hypochondriacs. Ben Di Pasquale, a young man and resident of Chili, New York, knows what being misunderstood feels like. Having lived with CFS for over four years, Di Pasquale has watched his high school friends pursue their dreams as his own life came to a tentative standby. Once a healthy boy who engaged in sports, he has been reduced to his bed and, if he has enough energy to stand, the use of a cane. “It’s way more than tired, it’s a complete exhaustion and

when you talk to him and you listen to him he sounds normal, he sounds fine,” said Ben’s father, Jim Di Pasquale during an interview with ABC Rochester. Because of Di Pasquale’s appearance many doctors told him to simply take more vitamins and exercise, but this has only exacerbated his condition. CFS faces serious stigma, largely in part because it has been highly under-researched and is relatively unheard of. Many young adults, however, are exposed to a broad range of other illnesses. These include anxiety disorders, obsessive compulsive disorders and depression, illnesses that are all large categories that take many different forms. People like to categorize things; life is made easier when everything fits into nice boxes. Bi-Polar disorders, anxiety, depression and OCD are broad terms meant to help define ailments that have large grey areas and are often interconnected. For example, different forms of depression can often be found alongside anxiety disorders, sometimes as a cause, other times as an effect. There is no clear cut treatment since every person is different. For a lot of people, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is the solution. For others, interpersonal therapy works better. This ambiguity can mean a different diagnosis by different doctors. A lot of times it can be up to the patient to find what works best for him or her. A growing trend in the medical practice is the widespread application of pharmaceutical drugs. These can be looked at under two lights. On one hand they have marvellous potential that can help mitigate terrible diseases like schizophrenia and dementia and allow patients to live a fairly stable life. On the other hand, side effects such as addiction and cognitive dulling can be insidious, and in the possession of someone who is seriously troubled, can also be a tool to self-harm. Understand-

× Ksenia Kozhevnikova

ably, it’s easy for a doctor to hand over a bottle of Lorazepam to cull panic attacks instead of subjecting a patient to six or more sessions of cognitive therapy. But can that patient be responsible enough to use those downers only when they absolutely need them? Is that patient fully prepared to deal with the possibility of crippling withdrawal? Does drugging ever truly cure illness or does it just mask and compound the issue? For these reasons, pharmaceuticals have been heavily criticized. When your own brain is not functioning the way it should, it can be highly debilitating. Sometimes, it seems best to just keep silent and let the storm pass. But waiting for mental

illness to pass is not the solution. Too often, talking about the issue is seen as an embarrassment or a sign of weakness when, in fact, speaking up and facing the problem is the real challenge. I’ve been there, from CBT, to the earth-rocking panic attacks, to the overkill prescriptions — even the one doctor who tells me I have depression while another says I have anxiety, while another tells me it’s all in my head. If there is one thing that held me back it was all those months I was too proud to discuss it with anyone. So talk to friends, classmates, use the professor’s office hours. It's time the doors of stigma are blown wide open and a new dialogue about mental health is started.

DEATH BY EXILE SOLITARY CONFINEMENT IS OVERDUE FOR CHANGE Carlo Javier × Lifestyle Editor

ferring Smith from one facility to another. Moreover, guards instructed to watch Smith did not attempt to try and prevent her suicide attemp, and did not attend to her cell for nearly 45 minutes after her death. Despite being one of the more prominent instances of severe self -harm committed within solitary confinement, Smith’s death was only the tip of the iceberg. Since 2007, the number of prisoners under isolation that have resorted to inflicting self-harm has more than tripled. While the number of prisoners falling into solitary confinement have ramped up by six per cent over the past five years. Public outcry for change has been prominent. Michael Jackson, prison expert of the BCCLA told the Toronto Star that solitary confinement is, “The most individually destructive, psychologically crippling and socially alienating experience that could conceivably exist within the borders of the country.” Howard Sapers, the correctional investigator for Canada has routinely called for restricting isolation from inmates with suicidal tendencies. Even the United Nations has sent a special committee to pressure Canada to significantly decrease its use of solitary confinement. The primary responsibilities of the CSC are built upon two pillars, incarceration and rehabilitation. Solitary confinement, on the other hand, completely neglects a significant

element of reform, the addressing of possible mental illness. It’s an ineffective and pricey route, costing about two or three times more than a regular prison setting. Canada has been accustomed to praise and adoration from the rest of the world. It has been lauded for its diversity, its stable economy and its resistance from “Americanizing” its identity. However, the state of the nation’s federal prisons is an embarrassing blemish to the country’s reputation. For comparisons sake, numerous institutions across the United States have dramatically decreased the use of solitary confinement. Last year, the New York State Department of Corrections announced that it will no longer place prisoners under the age of 18 into isolated treatment, and this month, the conversation to raise that age to 21 began at the Rikers Island jail complex. In 2006, Mississippi transferred much of its isolated prisoners into a regular setting and two years later, the state’s prisoner-on-prisoner violence rate dropped by 70 per cent. Decreasing reliance on solitary confinement has been sweeping the US for much of the past decade, while it’s only starting to materialize in Canada now. The challenge to change the status quo of federal prisons is long overdue, but despite the delay, this is welcome news.

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For up to 23 hours a day, prisoners subjected to solitary confinement are kept in deep isolation. They’re secluded from interaction with their inmates, from knowledge of the passage of time and only experience a minimal amount of daylight. As much as it is physically tasking, solitary confinement offers a psychologically destructive environment that borders on inhumane. Here, prisoners are trapped in the congesting small quarters of concrete, where the silence is deafening and the voices are never certain. Solitary confinement is not uncommon in Canada. One out of every four prisoners experiences segregation, and up to 1800 prisoners across the country are kept segregated on any given day. It’s cruel and has been proven to be becoming increasingly ineffective. It’s a debate that has been prolonged and delayed for too long and as the rest of the world continues to rapidly lessen the use of solitary confinement, its prominence in Canada stands as an appalling black mark on the country’s identity. As of the past month, the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) and the John Howard Society of Canada have joined forces to put forward an extensive legal challenge that aims to limit the use of solitary confinement in federal prisons across Canada.

In a report published by the National Post, Carmen Cheung, senior counsel for the BCCLA revealed that the fight for amending the laws around solitary confinement in the country has been going for nearly 20 years, and only now has the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) shown the slightest sign of making way for new reforms. Canadian federal prisons and the CSC have had a rocky and controversial history. In 2007, despite being under suicide watch, 19-year-old Ashley Smith infamously took her own life via asphyxiation. Smith spent nearly her entire four-year imprisonment in solitary confinement, which all started after she was held in a youth facility for throwing crabapples at a mailman at the age of 14. Despite being diagnosed with ADHD, a learning disorder and a borderline personality disorder, Smith’s behaviour still resulted in several runins with the law, multiple transfers of facilities and over 1000 days under solitary confinement. This is an individual, who was indeed troubled, but also was medically proven to have multiple types of mental illness. Smith’s death made national headlines and drew mass public outcry after several reports regarding her mental condition and the nuances of her sentencing became public. It was revealed that CSC officials hindered the establishment of a required mandatory review of isolated prisoners by frequently trans-

columns

LEAH SCHEITEL COLUMNS EDITOR

a tale of two cities IT'S A BUSINESS, BABY

Joe Louis × Columnist Joe Louis has gotten around. Born in Toronto, bred in Seattle, and living in the city, he has weaved through many cities and experiences. Because of this, he is a fan of long walks and hip-hop music, and has a slight penchant for challenging authority. His column will explore how life can transfer into the classroom, and with any luck, how the classroom can relate back to daily life. × Crystal Lee I have been a fan of social entrepreneurship for a long time, but I only recently discovered the term. I got my first taste taking part in a semesterlong course that supported youth education and family businesses in Guatemala by empowering high-school aged kids across Seattle to learn to fundraise and throw events and educational workshops. The program offered sponsorship for kids whose families could not pay the full tuition, engaging youth from all backgrounds and lifestyles. Chris, the director of the program, was a genuine and big-hearted fellow who mentored me to think and act with intention and integrity.

After fundraising for several months to pay for our flight down to Guatemala, we spent two weeks in home-stays in the town of Antigua, learning Spanish, interacting with our host families, and taking on projects devoted to construction, education and health care. This was my first construction job, and for a week we carried concrete and cinderblocks up a near vertical hill to construct a small school so the local children could attend two more years of elementary classes, up to grade five. It was a humbling experience to realize I had been taking my education for granted, while some people could only attend as

EDITOR@CAPILANOCOURIER.COM

long as their circumstances provided. I was inspired by my experience with Chris and the other young students in Guatemala and understand that it has fueled my desire to live and act in the pursuit of making the world a better place. My next experience with social entrepreneurship occurred through an internship with a business startup accelerator in Vancouver. For a summer I worked in the office with creative business leaders, who all stood for providing positive societal value while delivering profit for companies and stakeholders. I learned much in my short time with these inspiring characters, understanding a new/old concept of how business should function for people and the planet, not just profit. These businesses challenged themselves to take on issues of sustainable urban food security, innovative and sustainable construction practices and supporting local mountain bike culture and athletes through an innovative clothing brand. My time with these people taught me to understand the ‘why?’ of business, to measure progress through the contribution to society, not only the profit margin. I continue to process the lessons I have learned through the mentorship of the good people I have crossed paths with in my life. Recently I listened to an inspiring talk by a educational leader of social entrepreneurship in Vancouver, he told us his commitment to the world was continuing to understand people as inherently good, and to act accordingly. He encouraged us to think about how we measure progress in the world, to understand the need, or the ‘why?’ of your organization, to

behave with integrity in the world of business for the benefit of all. His speech reminded me of the power of storytelling. Stories have been with us since the dawn of our species, we use them to relate to one another through shared experiences. Heuristically, one might conceive of the entrepreneur as a storyteller. They begin with a plot in mind, and in this case, the plot is essential. It’s the business structure - the base one starts from. It ought to have strong definition as it is a powerfully defining force. The structure informs, maneuvers the story and those who reside within it (the superstructure). Despite the importance of plot definition, by and large the story the entrepreneur tells is improvised and remains flexible and open to the incorporation of the ideas of others. It acknowledges social interdependency. The entrepreneur encourages others to weave themselves into their story… It’s important for the social entrepreneur to tell a powerful story through their venture. I'm aware of this now, more than ever. Recently I have been exploring the viability of using business to tackle issues of sustainability and waste in Vancouver’s construction industry. I bring with me my experiences over the years, but every day I am creating, improvising and enrolling others to engage with the world proactively. It is rewarding to be working with good people, staying open minded to discover the ‘why?’ for ourselves, everyday. Statistically entrepreneurs are fighting against the odds, but I cannot think of a more worthwhile story to tell.

Staff editorial THE CURIOUS CASE OF ALAIN PHILIPPON Brandon Kostinuk

× Ekaterina Aristova

THE CAPILANO COURIER.

VOLUME 48 I SSUE N O . 21

× Web Editor

Quebecer Alain Philippon really stepped in it, a constitutional pile of shit, that is. The 38-year-old Philippon was charged under the Customs Act after failing to acquiesce to demands of Canada Border Services Agency officials during a customs check on Mar. 2. The demand in particular: his cellphone password. This scenario is common; Philippon’s adamancy is not, and it has rung about a constitutional quandary. The problem arises out of border officials’ ability to rifle through electronic devices, be it a computer, cellphone, tablet or your PS Vita, because these powers have yet to be constitutionally tested. This type of seizure and search happens at entry points across the country, ever since CBSA officials had their powers enhanced in 2009. Philippon is just an example of where a Canadian citizen felt no obligation to provide what he perceived unwarranted access to his personal device. Last year the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that police are able to search a suspect’s cellphone with good reason. However, citizens are by no means obligated to provide their password if the phone is indeed password-protected, not unless a warrant has been obtained. Further greying the boundaries is that legal consideration that courts have long accepted the act of trying to enter or exit the country is a complicit agreement in the reduced capacity for privacy. In other words, by trying to cross state lines you are knowingly subjecting yourself to the potential for search and seizure of personal goods and items. But therein lies the constitutional conundrum when it comes to personal electronic devices such as cellphones, smartphones or tablets. Security of the person, along with the right against any search and seizure without proper grounds, are

two principles bound to the Constitution of Canada through our Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Pivotal questions, as manifested in Philippon’s case, are where cellphones sit in the equation of “the person,” and how many constitutional rights do ordinary citizens relinquish at Canadian entry/exit points? Personally, I’ve never encountered my cellphone being seized and searched by border security. I have, however, been a part of a short but frank and invasive dialogue following a recent vacation from Mexico. I can say, as an ordinary and honest citizen, it felt extreme, far-reaching, over-the-top — all the words you would associate with anything even semi-confrontational. But on reexamination, and from an objective point-of-view, I considered the circumstances and shrugged it off as duty and diligence. I mean, consider it: As a CBSA officer, looking over returnees from Mexico no less, the likely suspect to stop and question would be the young

adult coming through the gates rather than the families and seniors in company — though I’m sure the cartels are aware of this too. But can we always rest on human judgment? How can we be sure power is always exercised rationally, and not just in the case of Philippon? The point isn’t that border security is too powerful, but rather how they exercise that power and the need for checks and balances to protect all parties. If looking through digital equipment can render a crime useless or prevent entry of unscrupulous individuals into Canada, then so be it. But CBSA can’t simply be acting on unexplainable whims and expect access to such personal information any smartphone or computer device could possess. Canadian law and security must catch up to advancements in technology. This case also signifies the need for an objective legal test, similar to Wigmore (Google it), which can help CBSA of-

ficials identify, then and there, if there’s cause for the pursuing of the search and seizure of personal digital equipment. I don’t know Philippon, what he did, said or was perceived as by CBSA in order for them to want to pursue the seizure and search of his cellphone. But this is the underlying problem — transparency. CBSA and other enforcement agencies need investigative teeth certainly. But it is impractical — and unconstitutional — to grant automatic power to pore over my or anyone else’s digital devices. Rendered unsafe then is the storing on your smartphone of anything sensitive or subject to a confidentiality or non-disclosure agreement. Furthermore, today’s smartphone users have access to their email, personal photographs, banking information, even the ability to control appliances and other devices in one’s home. A cellphone or computer is very much a personal item connected to personal and public material. Obtaining on-the-spot warrants is, of course, impractical, but the goal is balance. Balancing the right to privacy and to unreasonable search and seizure, with necessary measures of security. Whether Philippon is constitutionally justified to refuse handing over his cellphone password is just as important here as identifying why and the reasoning thereof of the CBSA to desire access to his phone. But there must be a general notion on what can or cannot warrant access to someone’s personal digital device. And regardless of any speculation, I’m sure CBSA officials could come up with a point or two just by detailing why Philippon, and others in the past, present and future would be subject to such intrusions of personal privacy. Or Canada, it would seem, is content with security meaning guilty unless innocence is proven.

columns

house of common sense CONSERVATIVE SYNDROME Kevin Kapenda × Columnist

Kevin Kapenda has been the Courier’s unofficial political correspondent for the past two years. This year, we just made it a bit more official. Through his column, he will be delving into the world of politics and highlight what students should pay closer attention to. He’s doing the hard political work so you don’t have to.

Unlike love, voters don’t necessarily choose a political party because their crazy about them. Instead, people often vote for leaders or candidates they hate the least, who often have the best chance of winning as well. For example, if you support party A, but really hate party B, you may vote for party C because that is the only party with similar views to your own that can topple party B. That example is often referred to strategic voting, but it’s also how most political parties and ideologies organize themselves as well. Similarities between party A and B may also influence them to merge their parties and support groups, like Harper’s Canadian Alli-

× Cristian Fowlie

the future of things LIVE LONG AND PROSPER? James Martin × Columnist

Long life has always been a common goal for people throughout history. The desire to postpone death or even achieve immortality has spawned countless quests for elixirs of life and fountains of youth. Modern nutrition and medicine have already made incredible advances in the length and quality of human life for those fortunate enough to have access, and it seems likely that the further advances of the near future will continue to improve on these gains. While this all sounds like a great thing for everybody involved, there are many issues posed by drastically longer lifespans

of those policies, but would like to see more serious discussions around issues like post-secondary education, youth unemployment, and entitlement reform. The Harper government has flirted with entitlements since 2011, but has presented no innovative policies for our university system and unemployment crisis for recent graduates. Both the New Zealand National Party and the Australian Liberal Party are Conservative factions whose leaders are heavily associated with International Democrat Union, which is an international organization for centre-right parties to develop policy and strengthen relationships between their nations. What Australia’s and New Zealand’s Conservative governments are doing right is diversifying their energy industry, which is opening their doors to foreign investment. Like Dana Carvey’s lampooning of George H.W. Bush during the 1988 Presidential Elections, having no new ideas to present is a stereotype the Conservative movement should be very afraid to be associated with. Fresh ideas are what gave birth to Harper’s Reform Party career in 1987. If he wants to lead the party for the next four years, he’s going to have start pushing policy again, rather constantly reiterating old policies and exchanging rhetoric with the opposition. Events like the Manning Networking Conference and the creation of the now extinct, Sun News Network, shows that there is still a lot support and money running through the Conservative movement. However, Sun News’ death and political commentator Andrew Coyne’s assessment of this year’s conference, in which he described it as “vapid” and “empty” in the National Post, is proof that the Harper government, and Conservative premiers must find it in themselves to present fresh ideas, if they still wish to be remembered as change makers and reformers, rather than savvy fundraisers and attack ad gurus. The Conservative Party is a great organization with clever fundraising strategies, talented politicians, and committed volunteers. Now it’s time for Stephen Harper to prove that he still is a conservative, and willing to face what historian and recently retired Conservative Senator Hugh Segal says are, “the political costs of necessary political innovation at the hands of the losing power to the Liberals.” If they can put policies before power, Harper’s supporters may once again become engaged and excited about our democracy, rather than out-fundraising the Liberals or NDP in ridings across Canada.

although a factor in longevity, is not the primary focus of research in this pursuit. Instead, the longer lives we already enjoy today are the result of research into the prevention and treatment of countless different illnesses and conditions, some of which are age-related and others simply more likely to be picked up eventually the longer one lives. A cure for heart disease or a common type of cancer would certainly extend a lot of lives, but if those same people go on to develop dementia or debilitating joint and bone conditions then the promise of a long, quality life has not yet been fulfilled. Gradually, as more of these individual ailments are cured or made manageable, the overall picture of longer healthier lives will shift closer into focus. Assuming that great leaps forward in longevity are indeed made, there will still be significant challenges faced by those who expect to see many birthdays past their 100th. Imagine the current typical differences in attitudes and options between young people and their elders, and multiply that by however many times longer those elders will be living. Living for an extra 50 years beyond the current average life expectancy is bound to not only imbue one with new insights and opinions, but will also further emphasize differences between the spirit of the time they

grew up in and the present. The new super-old of tomorrow may well take issue with the ways of the “young” 70-year-olds half their age, who will in turn probably not get along with teenagers any better than they ever have. Not to say that increased intergenerational interaction can’t also be productive and meaningful, but the increased potential for age-based conflict definitely cannot be ignored. Imagining a more extreme and scifi-esque scenario in which people might be able to live several hundred years, it is hard to even imagine the mind of someone who would have seen the world change so much over the course of their lifetime. Finally, extended life won’t just affect the old. It will affect the lives of those who plan to one day become old, too. Would we live our lives differently if we knew we could expect to live to 180 instead of 80? Would we take our days for granted, or take time to live life to the fullest knowing that there will always be time to work off debts later? These are questions that will not have to be suddenly answered one day, but slowly pieced together over time as the average life expectancy continues its slow crawl upward. Perhaps we’ll live long enough to one day find out.

T H E C A P I L A N O C O U R I E R . VOLUME 48 I SSUE N O . 21

As a long time Courier contributor, we like to think that we know James Martin. He is talented with instruments, and likes any coffee that is right in front of him. His primary hobby is building spaceships for little green men, and dreaming of the world they would live in. It’s because of this hobby that he is able to write about the future of technology, which is what his column is dedicated to.

that we are already starting to encounter today. One of the biggest issues to address in the face of extended longevity is economic in nature. As people continue to stick around for extended periods of time after retirement, the gap between the working-age people producing resources and the total population consuming them grows. This is especially true if the average duration of life continues to increase without a corresponding improvement in the average quality of life for these advanced ages. Economically speaking, there’s a very big difference between a set of the population who doesn’t work, and a set of the population who doesn’t work and also requires extensive personal care. The ideal goal, both for the economy and for the aging people themselves, should be a focus on the quality rather than quantity of one’s older years, with the expectation that longer and healthier lives should also lend themselves to later retirement ages. It’s a shift that we are already seeing the beginnings of, and a trend we can expect to continue as average lifespan continues to lengthen. Of course, there are still many hurdles to overcome before the promise of long life is regularly matched by its quality. The road to extreme longevity and quality of life will not lie in a single miracle breakthrough. The aging process itself,

ance and MacKay’s Progressive Conservatives did in 2003, to draw votes from a larger pool of Canadians and stand a better shot at forming government. The issue is though, when two parties merge, as has been the case for many centre-right parties in Canada, you get dumbed down conservative rhetoric that is afraid to explore new ideas and challenge the status quo. Power has become more important to the parties I tend to support in Canada, and new ideas, are quickly stifled to ensure that winning elections is more important than developing policy. Earlier this month in Ottawa, Former Reform Party leader and Calgary MP Preston Manning put on his annual party that brings Conservatives of all walks of life together to discuss the health of the movement, and what can be done to strengthen it. This year’s Manning Networking Conference took place between Mar. 5 and 7 and featured many Conservative guest speakers from across Canada. BC Liberal Premier, Christie Clark spoke, as well as Alberta Premier, Jim Prentice and Yukon Premier Darrell Pasloski. Though those three were the only Conservative premiers who attended the conference, there are other centre-right premiers governing in Canada, including Brad Wall of Saskatchewan and Paul Davis, of Newfoundland and Labrador. All of those premiers have relatively safe levels of support and are in no real danger of being replaced by their opposition. At a time in which all of those premiers have majority governments and a responsibility to lead their residents through tough economic times, they are all choosing to do very little of that, by staying the course with boring budgets and an over-reliance on traditional forms of energy. Oil, natural gas and mining are great for Canada, but so are being able to pay for services and create jobs in the face of nose-diving prices for those commodities. The need for discussion around the development of renewable alternatives to traditional energy in Alberta, BC and Saskatchewan has never been stronger, and it’s bewildering why those governments aren’t finding new ways to do things, because their generation-old policies aren’t working. Canadian Tories are beginning to be in desperate need for an innovative Australian Liberal Party or New Zealand National Party, because our Conservative Party is demonstrating to be effective at only four things: not spending money, fighting crime, bombing terrorists and winning elections. I personally agree with all

CAp you

CARLO JAVIER LIFESTYLE EDITOR

CARLO.CAPCOURIER@GMAIL.COM

CREATING CONNECTIONS FASHION SHOW Milan, Paris and New York have a new competitor on their hands. On Thursday Mar. 12, Capilano University’s Library Lounge was transformed into the school’s very own fashion runway. Organized by fourth year Business Administration students Rebecca Seldon and Gillian Dent, the Creating Connections “What Not to Wear” Fashion Show was put together as a preview for the bigger Creating Connections Networking Event on Thursday, Mar. 26 at the Pinnacle Hotel at the Pier. This year’s Creating Connections is centered on the theme of “growth,” and the fashion show made sure to illustrate that by depicting each models in a less than ideal business outfit and a more stylish and professional ensemble. “We started the students out in their casual attire and have them come out in the second way in their business attire just to show that growth,” says Dent. The fashion show also involved the participation of three celebrity guest judges, CapU business professors Mitra Kiamanesh, David Amos and Alan Fraser. “We really encourage any student who’s looking to meet people in the industry and expand their network and grow and develop their soft skills of networking, it’s definitely the event for them to go to,” says Seldon.

× Photos by Carlo Javier

THE CAPILANO COURIER.

VOLUME 48 I SSUE N O . 21

U WHO / Julian Kolstee

Jullian Kolstee is a second year Communications student who is serving as the Capilano Students’ Union (CSU) Liaison for Accessibility Justice. Like most students, Kolstee enrolled in university to help him pursue his dreams, which are, for him, anything in the public or non-profit sector where he’s making a difference in peoples’ lives. Kolstee came to CapU in the spring of 2013, five years after graduating high school. Initially, he was unsure if he’d be able to succeed in university after being diagnosed with a learning disability. “I came to Cap as a mature student after three years of being out of high school,” explains Kolstee, “I have dyslexia and I hadn’t done anything academic since high school, so I was concerned about if I could do well in school.” Though Kolstee attributes much of his success to his character and passion for learning, he says he wouldn’t have been able to become the student he is today without the help of Disabilities Services office. “I owe a huge debt to the people in the Disability Services office. Through their help, I’ve been able to apply for grants and scholarships, as well as disabilities grants for technical learning support,” says Kolstee. Before getting elected to the CSU, Kolstee says he developed an interest for public service early on his life. “As a kid, I was drawn to the theatre of politics and its characters,” he explains. Kolstee later got involved in youth leadership programs and student government while attending Carson Graham Secondary School. One of his proudest accomplishments in student politics included lobbying the government back in 2006 to get them to scrap their proposed changes to the provincewide requirements students had to meet to graduate from high school. The public service that Kolstee is proudest of though, is the work he does with high school kids teaching improvisation. “Improvisation to the world, is what soccer is to the world. It’s the art

to the sport. Like soccer, you don’t need a whole lot to do improvisation, either than the ability to verbalize and a setting,” explains Kolstee. For the last eight years, Kolstee has been teaching improv to students at Carson Graham Secondary, which he describes as a great honour, because the art form has had such a large impact in his own life. “Improvisation allows me to be myself and be confident in situations that people with disabilities like dyslexia, wouldn’t necessarily feel comfortable in.” While Kolstee enjoys trying out new things, learning how to think fast on his feet wasn’t what drew him into improvisation. In fact, he attended his high school improvisation tryout without any intention or desire to make the team. “I was dating this girl in the eighth grade who was very artsy. I was more of a jock back then. One Friday, she took me to the tryouts for the improvisation team,” recalls Kolstee. “I basically spent the audition trying to make her laugh which helped me make the team. During the audition, I improvised by singing “Rock Your Body” by Justin Timberlake,” explains Kolstee, “She didn’t end up making the team, and we broke up soon after”. Performing and teaching improvisation to youth has allowed Kolstee to travel across the province

An exclusive by Kevin Kapenda and the country with his students, as well as on a tour with different improvisation groups. These days, Kolstee is taking his talents from the stage to the screen, by taking up minor roles in commercials and working as an extra in films or shows. While Kolstee doesn’t mind acting on the side, he has no plans to transition to full-time acting, as his main focus is to one day work with lowincome youth to better their lives through community programs. “My main interest is in politics and governance, as well as arts and culture with a focus on youth. I’m not wired to work in the film or business environment. I definitely want to get into the non-profit or government sectors, because I feel that I’m doing good work and making a difference when working in them,” he says.

WRITE IS RIGHT SO RIGHT WITH US LAST MEETING THIS TUESDAY AT NOON

Sports you’ve played?

Favourite instructor?

“Basketball and rugby in my high school years, and soccer when I was a kid.”

“Communications Co-Chair, Dr. Ted Hamilton. He’s a brilliant intellect, and very approachable. Were lucky to have his leadership and vision in communications.”

Beer or wine? “I like wine because I’m a very mellow person and drink it when I’m relaxing.”

What do you listen to on the bus?

DC or Marvel character movies?

“I’d say I listen to a lot of Cyril Hahn, Giraffage, RL Grime, Kastle, etc. Anything sample based pop/R&B and trap.”

“Neither. I’m not on that superhero film bandwagon. When my friends would go out to see them, I usually would tag along.”

As an improv, who are your favourite comedians?

What are your favourite movies then? “My favourite movies are the works of Japanese Director Akira Kurosawa, particularly his films set in feudal Japan.”

“Some of my favourite Canadian improvisors include Dave Morris, Ryan Beil, Matt Folliot, Nicole Passmore and Kayla Lorette. There were the first I wrote down in a list that went on and on in my head from coast to coast.”

caboose

CARLO JAVIER LIFESTYLE EDITOR

CSI : CAPILANO

CABOOSE@CAPILANOCOURIER.COM

Note to readers (if there are any): this is a satirical piece and should not be taken seriously. Unless you want to take it seriously, and in that case, it’s on you.

BECAUSE THERE IS NO LAW AND ORDER written by Carlo Javier / illustrated by Andrew Palmquist

About two months ago, a small area in Capilano University’s library became subject to a break-in and what investigators ultimately described as an “arson attempt.” Fortunately, nobody was hurt. The even better news was that damage cost was minimal. So if you are working for the university, rest easy as your job is safe – for now. The fire did not end up burning down anything and damages were attributed to the sprinklers, instead of the actual fire. It was also reported that a safe from the library was opened by force, but clearly the suspect didn’t know any better because obviously there was nothing there to begin with. In the days that followed the event, local police released photos and surveillance footage of a suspect. The man in the video was wearing a baseball hat, a jacket that is way too big and some god-awful boot cut pants that viewers cannot unsee. However, as crimes often go, this man remains but a suspect, and the true perpetrator of this crime towards some stacks of papers is still on the loose. Over the past two months, the Capilano subsection of Crime Scene Investigation worked tirelessly in identifying the suspect shown in the surveillance footage. In the course of our work, I, as the high quality investigative journalist that I am, have also identified several other suspects that may have been responsible for setting off the sprinklers that caused small water damage and increased the University’s water bill.

1. 4.

SUSPECT 1. North Vancouver Garbage Truck Driver Height: Tall - probably, I can’t tell he sat in his truck.

SUSPECT 2. Ex Studio Arts Personnel

SUSPECT 3. Someone from the Capilano Students' Union

SUSPECT 4. The Capilano Courier

Height: I have no idea; they’re never around campus,

Height: Definitely taller than me.

Height: Varies

Features: Plaid shirt, leather jacket and full beard.

Features: Really good looking (potentially Filipino)

I don’t know why.

Features: Had a trendy beard. Probably had a bun under his cap. Definitely a “Schei Guy” (meaning the

Features: Think hipster/artsy/angry

he would be welcome to eat chips in my Editor’s bed).

Another group that spends a lot of time on campus are

spend more hours on campus than your average

members of the school’s favourite and least favourite

According to some members of the university’s student

bers of the studio arts community are a peaceful folk.

student. They are seemingly a jolly group of people

student newspaper, the Capilano Courier. All of the

newspaper the Capilano Courier, a certain garbage

However, as I have learned from TV shows such as

and from the looks of it, they are both excited for the

entire staff is on campus on Fridays, and for long hours

truck driver from the City of North Vancouver used to

Sherlock, Criminal Minds and NCIS, you always have to

renovations outside their office to finish, and are fed

too. Plus, on the morning of Jan. 2, two members of

attend to the campus’ dumpster by the Maple building

question everything, even if it might seem too obvious.

up with the sawdust that keep seeping through the

the Courier had been reported to have publicly com-

every Tuesdays at noon. Members of the staff said that

The fire in the library can easily be the long-awaited

cracks under their doors. Any member of the CSU has

plained about the cafeteria being closed, thus ruining

it only took a few Tuesdays before the driver became

counterattack for the destruction of then-professor

no business in breaking into the library. These guys

their Friday morning breakfast. The Courier also stands

the apple of editor-in-chief, Leah Schei’s eyes. Initially,

George Rammell’s controversial effigy. Or it could

get paid a lot – they have no reason to be borrowing

to gain a lot from the library fire. First of all, it would

the interaction between the driver and Schei were play-

also be because of the cuts themselves. However, un-

books. However, it’s not out of the question, the motive

give their News and Lifestyle Editors a major story to

ful, but several accounts say that the driver might’ve

like the idiots from CSI: Miami, I can see through the

behind the break-in and the fire is an act of power play.

cover – which neither of them ultimately did. Second,

been intimidated by Schei. Eventually, the driver mys-

smokescreen. The crime scene clearly revealed that a

Unbeknownst to most of the CapU community, the CSU

it would provide material for the humour section, which

teriously vanished and wound up being replaced by an

safe in the library was pried open. The contents of this

generates and uses a lot of money. Think of the CSU

hasn’t happened, and it’s been two months since the

older man who, by all accounts, looked like garbage.

safe are unknown, and whether something was taken

as the Lannisters and their office is the Casterly Rock

incident. If I had to pick one from the Courier, my

Could this nameless and mysterious man of the City of

remains to be seen. Unfortunately for this suspect, I

of CapU, this is where the money comes from. Having

gut says their News Editor, Therese Guieb. Out of the

North Vancouver’s garbage collecting squad have been

have skimmed Christopher Nolan’s Inception several

said that, I believe that it is entirely possible that the

staff members who spend extended hours on campus,

the perpetrator of the library break-in? I don’t yet know.

times, and I know that sometimes, it’s not about what

perpetrator had intended for the fire to cause a much

Guieb seems to be the most likely suspect. Word on the

However, he does have a possible motive for the arson

you take out, but what you plant. When the fire de-

bigger damage, to the point that administration will

street says that Schei couldn’t care less about things

attempt. Maybe, just maybe, the small ember in the

partment arrived on the scene, the safe was left with

have to cut something in order to afford repairs. Then,

that don’t involve Saturday Night Live, cats or men,

library was a symbol of the fiery looks and flirtatious

nothing. Let that sink in for a bit. Inception!

swooping in like Tywinn Lannister at the end of the

eliminating her from the list. As for the Lifestyle Editor,

smiles he shared with the Courier’s Editor-in-Chief by

Battle of Blackwater, the CSU comes in and “saves

if he had done it, we all would’ve known by now, he

day and damsel-in-distress by night.

the day,” by offering to take on the costs of the dam-

would’ve told the world. We’re after you, Guieb.

ages. Boom! Power play. Of course any member of the CSU wouldn’t have actually physically gone down the library to break-in and start the fire, they had to have paid someone to that. In front of every conspiracy is Walder Frey.

T H E C A P I L A N O C O U R I E R . VOLUME 48 I SSUE N O . 19 21

The CSU is one of the few groups on campus that A possible red herring, but the motives line up. Mem-

19 * Despite the considerable advances made in the investigation of the case, none of the aforementioned lead suspects have been put under questioning. We are still currently comparing timetables so that we can conduct proper interrogations.

shotgun reviews CELEBRITY CONVICTS

BOY GEORGE

AMANDA BYNES

TIM ALLEN

GUCCI MANE

With 50 Shades of Grey being as popular as it is, I think it’s only appropriate that we talk about a celebrity who did hard time for his kinky exploits. And I’m not just talking about some bondage for beginners type shit. The oh-so-glamorous Boy George got 15 months in the big house for handcuffing a male escort to the wall and whipping him. Unlike Christian Grey, Boy George didn’t use a riding crop or a flogger. His tool of choice was a thick, long, hard strip of metal chain, like the kind you use to lock up a bike. While he only did four of the 15 months, he was sentenced to do the rest of his time under house arrest. The Norwegian escort was paid £300 for ‘undisclosed acts of sexual kink’ and went on his merry way. By the sounds of it, the Norwegian escort couldn’t remember the safe word when he was locked up. He must not have liked being the submissive type if he went on to report it to the authorities. Boy George should have asked Mr. Grey for a copy of his contract to save his ass in this kind of situation. And as for the escort - if you can’t handle the heat get out of the Red Room.

Amanda Bynes is known as one of America’s most beloved former child actresses. Well at least that’s what people used to think of her. Since quitting acting back in 2010, Ms. Bynes has fallen off the deep end and has had her share of DUIs and other run-ins with the law. It’s refreshing to see that she has picked up the pieces years after her epic meltdown and at least her crimes did not end in a prison sentence for life. Ms. Bynes is a beautiful and talented woman, but she is almost 30 years old and let’s face it, she’s isn’t getting any younger. If Ms. Bynes does not stick to the plan, then her psychologist and psychiatrist may take off, leaving her a doomed lost soul once again. If you’re reading this Ms. Bynes, congrats on your progress, and please stick to the schedule and listen to your doctors, they know best. Ms. Bynes may be a former actress, but off the screen, she may be faking her recovery. Let’s sure hope not. Raising an only child was probably hard enough for her poor parents who appear to be in their 60s. I think they’ve had their fair share of drama already. We should all keep our fingers crossed for Ms. Bynes, another meltdown isn’t what a girl wants.

Remember when Tim Allen almost got a life sentence for dealing coke? I mean, I don’t because I wasn’t born yet at that point, but we can backtrack. He was caught by drug sniffing dogs at Kalamazoo International Airport trying to transport over 650 grams of cocaine, which equals to about 1.4 lbs. That’s a lot of fucking blow. If you were looking to pick up a few grams of coke in Kalamazoo, Michigan in the mid 70’s, Tim Allen was probably your friendly neighborhood drug dealer - I’m sure he made bank. He served two and a half years in prison at the age of 25. I guess he was breathing in more than just sawdust on Home Improvement. Homedawg was probably wired more than half the time. After finding it difficult to find work upon his release at 29, he decided to go back to stand up comedy, and casually turned himself into an A-list celebrity raking in over 1.25 million per episode for Home Improvement. What a recipe for success – sell coke, go to jail then make millions. Wonder how his nasal cavities are doing these days.

Radic Davis, more commonly known as Gucci Mane, began his glorious rap career in 2005. That same year, he served one month in jail for aggravated assault and was charged with the murder of Henry Lee Clark III. Six months after the indictment, Gucci was let off on self-defence. He was defending himself and a lady friend from three men who apparently attacked them. In true act of chivalry, he shot one of them. Four years later, he served a year in a county jail for violating his probation from his 2005 assault case. Apart from his growing rap sheet – which includes convictions of battery, assault, numerous parole and probation violations, an increasingly appalling discography and his appearance in Spring Breakers, Gucci has also upped his tattoo game. In 2011, Gucci added an interesting tattoo to his face, to his face. Gucci plastered an ice cream tattoo on his face to remind people of the “cool as ice” life that he leads. Speaking of cool, when a judge asked him if he was guilty of assault, Gucci infamously said, “Bitch, I might be.” Gucci Mane ya’ll.

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