The Dialog, city election issue. Oct. 14-Nov.2, 2014

Oct. 14 –Nov. 2, 2014

MAYORAL CHAOS AT WATERFRONT TOWN HALL GBC’s Waterfront campus hosted a rowdy mayoral debate on Oct. 8 where all three leading candidates answered students’ questions

P.8

Umbrella Revolution: Hong Kong students protest for democracy P.4 Wi-Fi connections at GBC are an on-going problem P.12 GBC Student Newspaper • Founded 1982

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DAILY CHECK UP Oct. 14 –Nov. 2, 2014

October 13–31, 2014 MONDAY

TUESDAY

13 Thanksgiving: College Closed.

14

WEDNESDAY 15

Sukkahville 2014 Free. Nathan Phillips Sq., 100 Queen W. sukkahville.com

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

16

In Conversation with Alain Ducasse hosted by Chuck Hughes 6 p.m.–9 p.m.

Theatre 406, 290 Adelaide St. East Tickets $25 and can be purchased online.

17

Culinary Cities of the World 5:30 p.m.–9 p.m.

Grand Atrium, 300 Adelaide St. East Tickets $75 and can be purchased online.

Boobyball Toronto: Big Top Booby 8 p.m.

Kool Haus, 1 Jarvis Street. $115, $85 under 25. Circus-style event benefitting Rethink Breast Cancer.

Intersession Week

27 Classes for Session 2 (7 week courses) begin

28

29

Toronto International Piano Competition Oct. 25–30 Chinese Cultural Centre, PC Ho Theatre, 5183 Sheppard East

30

Career Services workshop: St. James Campus 3 p.m.–5 p.m.

Career Centre, Room 155B, 200 King Street East

31

Queering the Waterfront Noon—1 p.m.

Waterfront Campus, 51 Dockside Dr., Room 225. Queering the Waterfront is a monthly meet-up for George Brown LGBTQ students. bit.ly/QWaterfront

Last day to add a course to your schedule for Session 2 (7 week courses)

International centre can’t provide immigration help Changes to citizenship laws have restricted what the centre can do for students TINA TODARO ASSISTANT EDITOR

Changes to the Canadian Citizenship and Immigration (CIC) laws are leaving postsecondary international centres with little information for students.

George Brown College’s (GBC) international centre will no longer be able to give students information on temporary resident visas, study, or work permits.

“As of right now all we’re able to provide students with, is to direct students to the CIC website or the CIC call centre,” said Ashley Sullivan, manager of international student integration and support at the GBC international centre.

According to the GBC’s “Notice to International Students Regarding Change to Provision of CIC Information”, the CIC has determined that employees at educational institutions that are paid to provide services to students are now prohibited from providing advice to students and faculty with regards to their immigration applications, visas or student and work permits.

“If we need to call and ask the CIC every time, then I cannot see the purpose of the front desk staff being there at the international centre,” said Rahul Borthakur, an international student in the strategic relationship marketing program. “Most of the international students’ queries revolve around work permits, permanent residency, and study permits.”

According to the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC), “federal law requires that immigration consultants, in Canada or abroad, who provide Canadian immigration services for a fee, must be registered with the ICCRC and accredited as a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant.” Although GBC provides services, they are not accredited as an RCCIC. “There is some confusion, definitely, it is a confusing process but a lot of it is, from my experience, is the students not knowing where to go to find the information,” said Sullivan.

“We are able to direct students to the appropriate website, and once they’re able to find that, I find there’s less confusion.”

With the importance stressed by current students on the international centre, Sullivan preferred not to answer whether this was a disappointment to the centre, but is hoping to be able to provide students with

information in the future.

Students like Gustavo Möller say that now “even the small things give students a hard time,” with regards to checking for proper documentation.

“It’s really important for us to provide services to our international students, so one thing that the college is doing is it’s supporting myself and another member

of the international centre to actually do the certification, so that eventually we will be able to provide that service again,” said Sullivan.

For now, international students will have to deal with the confusion this situation may have caused, but rely on the CIC for important and required information.

?

PHOTO: BRITTANY BARBER/THE DIALOG

The Dialog • dialog.studentassociation.ca

3

NEWS Oct. 14 –Nov. 2, 2014

What have students learned under the Yellow Umbrella?

Protestors demanding democractic reform have been gathering and taking to the streets in huge numbers in Hong Kong.

Tear gas and pepper spray haven’t stopped Hong Kong students DORA LIU STAFF REPORTER

To fight for real democracy, Hong Kong has undergone the most turbulent period of mass protests since 1967. Hong Kong students are playing the decisive role in this pro-democracy movement.

On Aug. 31, China announced that all citizens of Hong Kong will be able to elect their Chief Executive in 2017 as a promised democratic reform. However, China also said that the candidates must be the two or three people selected by a nomination committee—which is seen as friendly to Beijing.

This tricky reform triggered the Hong Kong Federation of Students (HKFS) to call for a week-long class boycott on Sept. 22 of all Hong Kong tertiary education institutions.

The Hong Kong government gave no response to the class boycott and sit-down strike that brought the students to besiege the government headquarters.

Then, pepper-spray was shot at the students.

On Sept. 28, police fired 87 tear gas canisters, powerful pepper spray and an unknown number of plastic bullets at the protesters. In response, over 100,000 citizens took to the streets, occupying Hong Kong’s main business areas as their bargaining chip to force the government to withdraw the election restriction.

That kicked off the unprecedented prodemocracy movement. Some foreign media called it the “Umbrella Revolution.”

The movement is still going on, even as groups of thugs continue to intimidate the protesters. At times they have even punched and beat the demonstrators.

However, the HKFS announced that they will not withdraw.

The Hong Kong government said that they will not even offer a conversation with the students as they refused to go home.

No one knows the result; most believe the movement will fail. However, in this unending demonstration, what have the students learned? We interviewed three students from Hong Kong and Toronto.

Timothy Chan, 20, is a second-year student at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. He suffered tear gas and pepper spray while protesting several times. He has still gone to the street every day since Sept. 22.

“What have I learned from this movePHOTO: PASU AU YEUNG VIA FLICKR (CC BY 2.0)

4

The Dialog • dialog.studentassociation.ca

ment? I think it’s the importance of knowledge, only knowledge can make change of our world,” said Chan.

“While we were having a sit-down strike in front of the government headquarters, HKFS organized some professors from different universities and colleges to give talks to us. In that, professor Chow Po Chung talked about the freedom and democracy in political philosophy, and another professor David Lloyd Smith gave a talk named ‘Totalitarianism and George Orwell.” Those inspired me the most. They made me realize what can change our future,” said Chan.

“I know it (occupying business areas) is not the only way to achieve our goal, but if we don’t go, then who?” asked Chan.

“My friend said, ‘persistence is victory.’ I do believe it is true.”

Ethan Han, 27, is a first-year student in financial planning at George Brown College who was born in mainland China.

“I can understand and fully support what the Hong Kong people have done,” said Han. “For this year I am living in Toronto. I enjoy that all my human rights have been respected by everyone; I enjoy that all the chances I came across can be gained by fair competition. I know they are all about democracy.”

“Looking as people in Hong Kong strive for their good future, I can relate,” said Han. “I hope one day my kids and my family will live in a fair and just world where we don’t need to strive for freedom or for democracy.”

Han said, “I don’t think everybody should vote, but as a Chinese, a mainland Chinese, if one day I can vote but I give up this privilege, that would be an unforgivable mistake.”

Andrew Leung, 20, is a third-year student in political science at University of Toronto (U of T). He was born in Hong Kong but has lived in Toronto for four years. He is one of the leaders of the Ontario United Front of Hong Kong Students (OUFS), and organized a demonstration at U of T to support the Umbrella Revolution, in which had over a thousand people participate.

“I felt interested in politics since I was in high school. I found it’s only being involved in politics that can make change in the world,” said Leung. “But these years, seeing what the politicians did, I already have no expectations for them.”

“I always believe that good things only can be done by persistence. It was proven by this movement,” said Leung. “I am so proud of what the Hong Kong students have done.

They made me feel that Hong Kong still has hope. I definitely believe that.”

NEWS

Oct. 14 –Nov. 2, 2014

Food bank visits connected to high rents in Toronto Chronically high costs of urban living are normalizing the need for food banks MAVERICK SMITH STAFF REPORTER

“The face of hunger looks like the face of Toronto.” That was the alarming finding uncovered in the report Who’s Hungry: 2014 Profile of Hunger in the GTA from the Daily Bread Food Bank released on Sept. 25.

This “face” includes not only newcomers to Canada, but also those who are Canadianborn and with higher levels of education: 17 per cent of food bank users have some college or university education, 16 per cent had a college diploma, while 13 per cent had a bachelors degree. These are sobering statistics.

But instead of being startling, these statistics represent how food insecurity has become normalized in the GTA. This includes at postsecondary institutions such as George Brown

College, which has three student food banks.

Located at St. James, Casa Loma and the Waterfront campuses, these student food banks are open on most days from Monday to Friday.

This is troubling, because as this report illustrates, food bank clients share a commonality that reveals a deeper societal problem.

“What they (food bank clients) all have in common is that they pay a high portion of their income on rent,” explains Gail Nyberg, executive director for the Daily Bread Food Bank.

According to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CHMC), “affordable housing costs less than 30 per cent of beforetax household income.”

The CHMC also includes shelter costs for renters, which include, “rent and any payments for electricity, fuel, water and other municipal services”; and for owners, which include, “mortgage payments (principal and interest), property taxes, and any condominium fees, along with payments for electricity, fuel, water and other municipal services.”

While conducting the 1,000 interviews in

37 food banks for the Who’s Hungry report, researchers found that the average food bank client spent approximately 71 per cent of their monthly income on shelter costs.

This situation explains why The Daily Bread Food Bank is hoping to raise $300,000 and 200,000 pounds of food by Oct. 18 for their Thanksgiving Drive so that people can have something on the table for Thanksgiving dinner.

“Alleviating hunger plays a major role in the reduction of poverty,” according to Ontario’s Poverty Reduction Strategy: An Opportunity for an Integrated Approach to Food Security, and is addressing hunger through long-term programs “for the collaborative creation of effective and positive change.”

Hopefully, the Poverty Reduction Strategy being rolled out by the provincial government will deal with this issue of food security.

Otherwise, the skyrocketing utility bills and soaring food costs associated with the dropping temperatures of winter will only exacerbate the problem.

PHOTO: USDAGOV VIA FLICKR (CC BY 2.0)

The Dialog • dialog.studentassociation.ca

5

SPORTS Oct. 14 –Nov. 2, 2014

Wolfpack Ticker Men’s Baseball Jessica Janicki, a student in the ASL–English interpreting program, has been fighting hard to put together a women’s hockey team at GBC.

Sept. 24 George Brown 9—Seneca 3­ Sept. 27 Seneca 7—George Brown 2 George Brown 12—Seneca 1 Sept. 28 Durham 5— George Brown 3 Durham 6 —George Brown 1 Oct. 4 Fanshawe 10 —George Brown 2 Fanshawe 12 —George Brown 3 Oct. 5 St. Clair 12—George Brown 2 St. Clair 8—George Brown 3 Men’s Soccer Sept. 25 Durham 4—George Brown 0 Sept. 27 George Brown 2—St. Lawrence 2 Oct. 5 Algonquin 2—George Brown 1 Oct. 6 Centennial 6—George Brown 1

This dirt pit at Casa Loma will one day host vastly improved athletic facilities, though at the moment it’s a bit of an eyesore.

Women’s Soccer Sept. 25 Durham 3—George Brown 0

New gym coming to Casa Loma campus Casa Loma gym will be undergoing renovations at the end of October BRITTANY BARBER STAFF REPORTER

George Brown College’s (GBC) Casa Loma campus will begin construction on a brand new student gym on Oct. 24.

“I am thrilled to finally see this begin and I am thrilled for the students at Casa Loma,” said Gerard Hayes, director of student experience at GBC. This $5 million project will make the space very “impressive,” and “aesthetically, we will put a lot of effort into making it really nice, and function as well,” said Hayes.

Originally constructed in 1972 and officially opening the following year, stu-

dents have been complaining that their high school gym was better than the one at Casa Loma campus.

So, in order to make these changes to the gym, the first phase of the renovations will be to fix the leaks coming down from the patio.

During this time, students will be guided through blue fences, stepping over exposed grates, and walking on wooden boards, however, the patio will not be closed down.

The second phase will be the gym’s demolition, taking place during intersession week. The construction will destroy the existing structure and leave only the bare walls exposed.

Becoming much bigger, with expansions going into the building, the Casa Loma gym will be a full-sized gymnasium much like the one at St. James campus.

The expansion will not only allow for varsity games to be played but will allow for full regulation games as well, with seating on

6 The Dialog • dialog.studentassociation.ca

pull-out bleachers for about 200 people.

Not only will the overall layout of the gym be significantly bigger, but there are also plans to make the dressing rooms, washrooms and lockers larger, as well as the therapy rooms, and two rooms for yoga and pilates.

“At Casa Loma, we actually have more room for classroom space, washrooms and dressing rooms,” said Hayes.

The overhead second level of the gym with fitness bikes and treadmills, will be “the best part,” said Hayes. This area will have an all glass front over-looking the gym, and “as you’re riding your bike or running on the treadmill, you can look into the gym.”

Although the short-term pitfall will be the loss of the gym until August 2015, according to George Brown’s press release on the Casa Loma renovations, students are more than welcome to visit the Alex Barbier gym for all of their workout needs.

Oct. 1 Seneca 8—George Brown 0

PHOTO: BRITTANY BARBER/THE DIALOG

Sept. 27 St. Lawrence 5—George Brown 1

CITY ELECTION Oct. 14 –Nov. 2, 2014

Generation Vote asks students to vote The Canadian Federation of Students is dedicated to increasing voter turnout MARC RAGUSA SPECIAL TO THE DIALOG

Generation Vote is an active campaign, dedicated to getting people out to vote on a municipal level by asking them about key issues. Run by the Canadian Federation of Students–Ontario (CFS-O), of which George Brown is a member, is dedicated to fostering democracy among Ontario’s student population.

They routinely engage the government on all three levels, and the public in order to create an education system that is accessible to all. The organization represents more than 300,000 members in Ontario, with over 80 chapters consisting of colleges and universities.

Their Generation Vote campaign has PHOTO: PROVIDED BY MICHELLE PETTIS

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been active since the end of this past summer, and has asked people about key issues such as: living wages, public transit, expanding city services, affordable housing and better childcare.

The point is to get students engaged in the democratic process, while also informing users on the candidates and locations of polling stations.

“Our goals are twofold: to ensure student issues are front and centre in the minds of candidates and voters and to encourage our members to head to the polls on election day and cast a ballot,” said Alastair Woods, chairperson for the CFS-O. “Obviously we would like to see an increased voter turnout from students and youth, and also see candidates taking our issues seriously on the campaign trail and post election.”

With students being active across the province, Woods says they have been “engaging with their peers,” talking about the importance of municipal elections and why it is important to vote.

At George Brown College (GBC), Michelle Pettis, the community action centre (CAC) co-ordinator says students on the campaigns team at the CAC are taking initiative, hoping to get 500-1000 GBC students committed to taking the generationvote.ca pledge.

Student unions have held forums and town halls for the election, as well as candidate debates and meet and greets. They have been heading out into the community to discuss our issues such as affordable housing and public transit with voters.

“The campaigns team is planning a series of ‘Municipal Elections 101’ workshops to break down election lingo and explain the voting process and why it matters,” said Pettis.

On top of putting up posters, leafleting, creating displays, and using social media, the campaigns team is also getting together with other Toronto schools for coalition meetings.

Pettis says, “the campaigns team sends GBC representatives to mayoral debates for example, the ProudTOVote LGBTQ issues debate, the great transit debate, accessibility debate, and the ‘We all care about childcare’ panel.”

While George Brown and the CFSO look to turn the tide of voter apathy in our school, it’s up to us to follow through. So check out generationvote. ca and don’t forget to cast your ballot on Oct. 27.

2014 TDSB candidates hope to restore lost integrity TINA TODARO ASSISTANT EDITOR

With issues surrounding misappropriation of funds by current Toronto District School Board (TDSB) trustees, this year’s candidates are hoping to restore integrity within the organization, and rebuild lost trust.

Being one of the main focuses for the election, five candidates for this year’s TDSB elections are putting students first with the creation of the “Student’s First Pledge,” already signed by 30 candidates who are committed to making a change.

“The public’s confidence in the TDSB had been shaken by scandal and controversy,” said Jennifer Story, candidate for TDSB trustee for Ward 30 Toronto-Danforth. “My goal with the pledge was to get candidates to commit publicly to a higher standard of conduct, so we can hold each other accountable after election day.”

Robert Cerjanec, who works as the operations manager for the Student Association of George Brown College, has also been campaigning this year to be the next TDSB trustee for Ward 17 Don Valley East and was one of the first candidates to sign the Students First Pledge.

“It fit perfectly with the campaign, that we’ve actually been running thus far, about running to restore integrity at the Toronto District School Board,” said Cerjanec. “The organizational culture between trustees has become toxic and distracts from the effective operation of the board of trustees.”

Cerjanec also supports the creation of an ombudsman for the TDSB “to enhance accountability and transparency,” which may be what the TDSB needs due to a previous lack of accountability for misused funds.

“I have signed and am actively promoting the Student’s First Pledge,” said Surwanamala Buty, another candidate for Ward 17 Don Valley East, and mother of two sons attending schools within the TDSB. “As you are aware, people are embarrassed and ashamed about what’s happening at the board. TDSB trustees have been criticized for not disclosing expenses on-line.”

While candidates are actively campaigning, many of them are promising the public and their supporters that they will publicly post all their expenses and receipts on-line.

Incumbent Ward 17 Trustee Harout Manougian did not respond to repeated emails and phone calls from The Dialog.

The Dialog • dialog.studentassociation.ca

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CITY ELECTION Oct. 14 –Nov. 2, 2014

MAYORAL CHAOS AT WATERFRONT TOWN HALL GBC’s Waterfront campus hosted a rowdy mayoral debate on Oct. 8 where all three leading candidates answered students’ questions

ILLUSTRATION: SAMANTHA BULLIS/THE DIALOG

TINA TODARO ASSISTANT EDITOR

In a sometimes chaotic town hall debate, mayoral candidates John Tory, Doug Ford and Olivia Chow answered students’ questions at George Brown College’s (GBC) Waterfront campus on Oct. 8.

“I think any opportunity like this exposes our students to different ideas, different forms for debates. So I think as a college, as the largest college, we need to do more of these things,” said Gerard Hayes, director of student experience at GBC. The debate gave students the chance to submit questions regarding their concerns; Hayes commented that the quality of the questions was amazing.

The candidates were pressed on hot topics such as transit, affordable housing, employment, and childcare: issues that students felt were most important to them.

While the debate gave candidates the chance to respond, it also gave them a chance to criticize one another, as when Ford commented on Tory’s “lack of experience” when talking about the TTC. During a heated moment in the debate, Tory told moderator Tony Keller, editorial page editor for the Globe and Mail, that “when 8

we have two minutes of open debate, I think respectfully it is your job to make sure there a division of time rather than us shouting over each other.”

Keller responded, saying, “you guys have usually been able to manage it somehow yourselves.”

Commenting on the boisterous show, Meagan Quigley, a student in the activation co-ordinator program said, “co-operation is key. I think the way they communicate with each other is important.”

It seemed co-operation was not a strong suit for any of the candidates, as the candidates talked over each other. At one point Chow stood up to try and make herself heard over Ford and Tory.

Later Chow jerked her thumb toward Tory and Ford and said, “listen to them! If you want four more years of this type of bickering this is the way to go. These two guys like to bicker, they like to talk over each other, that’s not how my mom taught me.”

GBC’s students do not just consist of youth or dependant students, but also students with children who require childcare while they take full-time studies.

Chow believes “it is our first duty” to raise children well, and that “it takes a village to raise a child.” Chow said she would create

The Dialog • dialog.studentassociation.ca

3,000 childcare spaces, half of them subsidized, targeted to infants and toddlers.

What tugged at Ford’s heart are “single moms,” who want to get out and work but can’t afford the expenses of childcare. Ford said he plans to build another new childcare facility if he’s elected.

Tory said he had to be honest about the ability of municipal, commercial and property taxpayers to fund the expansion of childcare in Toronto.

“Job one is going to the other levels of government, especially the province who has made some additional contributions in recent years—I give them credit for that—and get them to step up to the plate and give us more help as the City of Toronto to expand the availability of childcare,” said Tory.

“They do have the money for childcare, for transit, for housing—the real money— and that will be key to doing anything meaningful,” said Tory.

Shana Kealey, who is campaigns staff for the Student Association and co-ordinator of the GBC parent’s association, commented on Tory’s position on childcare, “I think it’s fairly in line with him being a progressive conservative. He claims that he goes against what his party has done, but it’s just not a priority for him.”

Strong questions, along with a turnout of about 500 people, not only made for a strong debate but recognized the strength and intelligence of GBC students.

Final comments from each of the candidates summed up their plans if elected as mayor of Toronto and gave them a final shot at convincing students that they were the right choice.

“Well friends, we are either going to go forward with making sure we have the lowest tax rate in the world, or we’re going to go backwards with the retail taxes Mr. Tory said, the gas tax, the tolls,” said Ford.

Tory closed by saying, “you’ve seen no real co-operation most of the time at City Hall. One of the reasons people laugh when it’s referred to either as a church picnic or a circus is because people know that however you describe it, it’s not working to produce results for people, which is why you’re there.”

Chow says she “took action” on low-income families, childcare, and transit, and will continue to through investment, saying that Tory and Ford are failing to address these issues.

On Oct. 27 citizens of Toronto will take to the polls to select who they feel is best suited as Toronto’s next mayor.

CITY ELECTION Oct. 14 –Nov. 2, 2014

Mayoral hopefuls on jobs, transit, and housing MICK SWEETMAN MANAGING EDITOR

Jobs Olivia Chow proposes that companies with city contracts should be required to hire and train young people. Chow’s target is 5,000 new apprenticeships and jobs for youth in four years.

John Tory says he would double the number of companies in the Partnership to Advance Youth Employment, which he claims will result in thousands of new jobs.

Rob Ford’s stand on jobs is thin, but he claims that the Rob Ford administration created 58,000 jobs. Ford promises to cut taxes and “red tape” as his job creation strategy.

Transit Toronto’s public transit system remains a political hot potato. All of the candidates have various transit platforms which range from increased bus service and Light Rail Transportation in Scarborough and along Finch Ave. West for Chow, to Doug Ford’s mantra of “subways, subways, subways” and Tory’s regional “Smart Track” plan of electrification of the GO train lines. Both Ford and Chow say that the building of a downtown relief subway line is a priority while Tory argues that the electrification of the GO tracks with frequent commuter service and 22 new stations would relieve the strain on the Yonge line.

City council: why does it matter?

Rob Ford’s mayoral chaos shows that city council has the power to govern itself MAVERICK SMITH STAFF REPORTER

Housing Chow promises to create 15,000 affordable rental units in four years through a target of 20 per cent of new residential towers being designated as affordable units.

Ford has pledged to reduce the land transfer tax, which generates over $300 million a year for the city, by 15 per cent.

He claims that this would put money back in the pocket of home-owners.

Ford says he would also try to re-hire Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC)CEO Glen Jones who resigned after a scathing ombudsman’s report that outlined complaints over raises for managers and unfair firing of employees.

Tory says that the real money for projects like housing has to come from the provincial and federal governments and that he would work with other levels of government.

PHOTO: HIMY SYED VIA FLICKR (CC BY 2.0)

The City of Toronto is divided into 44 wards, and in the upcoming election each of these wards will select an individual to sit on the city council.

Citizens living in these wards should care who represents them. If nothing else, the reign of Mayor Rob Ford showed the people of Toronto that these elected officials do more than simply abide by the decisions of the mayor.

During the time that Ford was in office, the city council increasingly tightened their grip on the reins of power. Using their role as a decision making body, the city council stepped in to clean up the chaos Ford generated when attempting seemingly simple tasks like drawing up a budget for Toronto.

When doing so, these elected officials were speaking on “behalf of the people who live in their ward,” according the city council website.

Regardless of who is elected as the next mayor, the citizens of Toronto should hope that the new city council remains similarly engaged with the daily politics of life in our sprawling metropolis.

One way the public can ensure this is by researching the platforms of the candidates who are running for the city council in their ward, which will allow Toronto voters to make a more informed decision than if they cast their ballot based only on the mayoral debates.

As a result, it is more likely that the public will elect a representative from their ward who shares the issues that they feel are important.

Once elected to city council, these elected councillors will work with the newly sworn-in mayor as well as a number of different committees which contain a mix of councillors and unelected members of the public.

According to the city council website, every four weeks these various elements of city hall will come together to hold council meetings.

Citizens can watch democracy in action as their issues are made into agenda items, presented, debated, and voted upon.

There are five possible outcomes for this process outlined by city council.

Despite its cheery-sounding name, being “received” is the worst outcome an agenda item can have. It is described bluntly on the council website as meaning that “council has received the recommendations for information only, and will take no further action.”

Similarly, “deferred” is a term which describes when the council has postponed consideration of the item to a future meeting.

Another outcome which yields no immediate change is when an item is “referred,” which means that the council has passed the item on to a committee or staff for further study or action rather than discussing it.

The second-best outcome is if the council votes that the item should be “amended.” This means that city council has made some changes to the recommendations attached to the item before agreeing on them.

The best outcome for an item before the council is that it is “adopted.” The use of this term means the council has agreed to the recommendations about the item without altering the proposed changes. Once the council has adopted an item, this positive result is then confirmed by the passage of a by-law.

With this passage of legislation, the formal job of the city councillors is concluded since it is the employees of the City of the Toronto, not the individual councillors who are responsible for implementing these by-laws.

However, it is important that the people of Toronto not stand back and watch once politics unfold, once the ballots are counted, in this upcoming election.

The public can play an active role in ensuring our elected representatives are accountable to the voters—the people on whose behalf they are supposed to be speaking.

The Dialog • dialog.studentassociation.ca

9

EDITORIAL

NEWS Oct. 14 –Nov. 2, 2014

Voting age should be lowered in Canada THE DIALOG’S EDITORIAL BOARD

Ed Sackaney is a Knowledge and Wisdom keeper at Casa Loma campus.

GBC’s Wisdom and Knowledge Keepers ED SACKANEY AND PAULINE SHIRT George Brown College has two Knowledge and Wisdom Keepers. Pauline Shirt was hired over 10 years ago for the Aboriginal Student Initiatives at St. James Campus. Ed Sackaney has recently been hired to work out of our new student space “Wi Chi Hito Win” at Casa Loma campus in Room 335D. They are traditional counsellors and mentors to the students. They also spend time one on one with students during sit downs.

They organize cultural and traditional teachings and workshops. The elders also help the faculty members and students understand our cultural traditions and way of life.

Pauline is known as “Nokomis” or “Grandmother” in the Anishnawbe language. Ed is called “Mishomis” or “Grandfather” In the Anishnawbe language. They are available for class room presentations and opening prayers and smudging ceremonies. It is customary to offer tobacco when you request the Knowledge and Wisdom Keepers’ assistance.

George Brown College first hired and provided the services of Knowledge & Wisdom Keepers over 15 years ago.

Shirt is located at the St. James campus and currently works out of the Aboriginal Student Centre “Sahkitcheway” in room 562D on the fifth floor. The term “Sahkicheway” means “turning the corner and taking a leap of faith.” As a continued post-second-

ary leader, George Brown College recognizes the importance of having the cultural and traditional supports, thus during the spring season of 2014 a second Knowledge & Wisdom Keeper was added at the Casa Loma campus.

Ed Sackaney works out of the “Wi Chi Hito Win” office which was officially opened with a naming ceremony last June 2104. “Wi Chi Hito Win” means the “helping oneself ” or a place of where students, college staff and overall community members can “come to seek assistance.”

As the Knowledge & Wisdom Keepers, both Pauline Shirt and Ed Sackaney have earned their respected place in the community through their lifetimes of learning and then living the traditional teachings to their best of their abilities. They are well versed in practicing and leading in ceremonies, using their original language and encouraging the usage of the sacred four medicines.

They also counsel the aboriginal students when the spiritual, cultural, or academic need arises. Students are encouraged through holistic means to seek solutions for themselves, whether they are found using sacred medicines, cultural teachings, healing circles or at the annual college Pow Wow. Aboriginal students are encouraged to be proud of who they are, knowing they are contributing and are making a difference with their educational achievements. Our aboriginal student centres are a place where culture and education come together.

PHOTO: GEORGE BROWN COLLEGE ABORIGINAL STUDENT SERVICES FACEBOOK PAGE

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Voter turnout is at an all-time low. Citizens are staying away from the ballot boxes on voting day, seemingly uninterested in who will represent their interests at the municipal, provincial and federal levels of government.

In the context of the upcoming municipal election in the City of Toronto, The Dialog newspaper has an innovative idea designed to halt and even reverse this trend of decreasing voter turnout.

We take the stance that the voting age should be lowered to 17 and our reasons for this are practical.

With the elimination of Grade 13, also known as OAC, from the Ontario high school curriculum, depending on their birthdate, students can graduate from high school at the age of 17; this means they are are entering the workforce or post-secondary environment without being able to vote.

The act of voting is the primary way which people in Canada affect policy, so being denied the vote while political decisions shape their futures, is unfair.

In Austria, where the voting age has been lowered, an Austrian National Election Study found that younger voters tend to continue to vote as they grew older. The study also found that beyond the question of the level of turnout among voters under 18, the political interest of citizens younger than 18

increased after the voting age was lowered, as did their knowledge, trust and satisfaction with democracy.

These findings from Austria reinforce a paper published by Yosef Bhatti and Kasper M. Hansen in the Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties which theorized that because the “social act of voting has strong habitudinal properties, failure to mobilize youth can therefore possibly have long-term consequences for political participation.”

In Canada, the idea of facilitating greater youth involvement is not a new idea. As far back as 2005, then-Ontario Liberal MP Mark Holland told the Canadian Parliament that the “the disengagement of our youth from our political process” was a “serious problem for our country.”

He attempted to resolve this problem by introducing Bill C-261 which would have lowered the voting age for federal elections in Canada to 16 while keeping the age for candidates at 18. Unfortunately for the members of the Bloc Quebecois, the Liberals and the NDP which supported this Bill—it did not pass.

Here at The Dialog, we are not so ambitious as to voice an opinion on the federal voting age, but we do think that the municipal voting age should be lowered to 17—if for no other reason than that it will make politicians address the issues that affect this age group.

SAM BULLIS ART DIRECTOR

Don’t Worry, some of my best friends are vile, racist caricatures.

Mayoral hopeful Doug Ford performs damage control after his latest Gaffe.

BUSINESS Oct. 14 –Nov. 2, 2014

Students still can’t get jobs they want Wage gaps are shrinking, but underemployment and skills mismatches persist MAVERICK SMITH STAFF REPORTER

A recent report entitled “The Bucks Stop Here: Trends in Income Inequality Between Generations,” cited alarming income disparities and outlined a potential future where these inter-generational inequalities would result in “social stability” and “economic growth” being “severely challenged.”

George Brown students should be interested because the instigators in this doomsday scenario are people between the ages of 25 and 29.

Despite the alarmist pictures, this report by the Conference Board of Canada (CBoC) paints for the future of this nation, Robert Luke, the vice-president of research and innovation at George Brown college, remains optimistic.

“There is some good news in this report,” said Luke, pointing out that the CBoC report discovered “increased labour market participation and a narrowing of the wage gap for women.”

He also notes that the report inferred that “the rise in average incomes does suggest that younger workers still have opportunities to advance.”

As for “underemployment” and “skills mismatches,” which the report names as the assumed causes of these disparities, Luke believes these problems are real and important to address.

According to the report, this mismatch in skills creates a workforce populated by bitter, frustrated employees, labouring at jobs which have little or nothing to do with the advanced, specialized degrees they hold.

Luke believes by having “a tight linkage to industry need in our (George Brown College) programs,” this scenario can be defused.

Because of Luke’s role at the college, he believes that working closely with industry partners will benefit students. Graduates from the college will have an advantage in the job market due to the college’s focus on what he describes as “experiential learning” and “soft skills.’’

He defines experiential learning as providing the capacity to apply skills through courses, applied research projects and internships, and the end goal of this type of learning is to help students seeking employment, demonstrate what they have learned

in their programs and how they have applied this learning to real world contexts.

Luke feels confident that focusing on these elements will help graduates show employers proof of the skills they have gained, and that this is part of the college’s commitment to helping students gain employment.

The CBoC, which defines itself as being “dedicated to building a better future for Canadians by making our economy and society more dynamic and competitive,” is in complete agreement with this, stating: “The critical issue that emerges (from the findings of this report) is how to ensure that younger workers are able to put their knowledge and skills to use in ways that will drive their incomes up faster than we have seen over the past three decades.”

However, the current report outlines that a follow-up report is needed. This follow-up report will allow the CBoC to take one of their much-publicized “holistic” views of Canadian society, and allow this influential organization to debate the necessity of these “younger workers” to secure permanent, not precarious, employment. This will allow for them to “drive their incomes up” in a way that will matter over the long-term.

New hub will support student innovation COTY ZACHARIAH SPECIAL TO THE DIALOG

George Brown College (GBC) has announced that they will be launching an entrepreneurial hub focusing on awareness, education, training and hands-on learning opportunities for students, according to a press release by GBC. The program was established through a partnership between GBC, Ryerson University, MaRS Discovery District, AcceleratorU as well as the Government of Ontario, who made $200,000 available for the project.

The funding is expected to support and ignite the entrepreneurial process for students by providing the resources, knowledge and programming needed to get past the initial starting point of an idea.

“Listening to a lecture or book only takes it to a certain level, but getting to apply theories and developing your ideas is the best way,” said Professor Rob Goode.

Goode has lived these experiences firsthand, and has also taught business and entrepreneurial studies at several post-secondary institutions including Centennial College, Ryerson University and GBC. “There is only so much you can learn from books, the rest is trial and error; the school of hard knocks,” said Goode.

“These investments are fantastic because they give low risk, low cost opportunities for students to go establish businesses and have a chance to grow something.”

Campus-Linked Accelerators (CLA) and On-Campus Entrepreneurship Activities (OCEA) believe the funding they provide will increase the likelihood that students will invest more in their own ideas because of the resources available.

Also, the youth entrepreneurship would also make sense economically and have an impact for Canada with the new ideas and innovations created by students.

“We should be out there promoting these programs, we are the people that need to make greater awareness and get the students and faculty involved,” said Goode. “Everyone’s level of commitment can be different but we should know what is going on. Going through this process increases the chances that student-generated projects will have success.”

PHOTO: HOLLY LAY VIA FLICKR (CC BY 2.0)

The Dialog • dialog.studentassociation.ca 11

TECHNOLOGY Oct. 14 –Nov. 2, 2014

Wi-Fi connections at GBC are an on-going problem George Brown is adding access points to increase wireless accessibility TINA TODARO ASSISTANT EDITOR

Wi-Fi connections at George Brown College (GBC) have continued to be a problem among students. The college has recognized the problems and is working hard to make adjustments at all campuses that are beneficial to all students.

“What we’ve done over the last two years is really invest heavily in that entire chain of connection points so that we didn’t have any one point of failure,” said Paul Ruppert, chief information officer at GBC. “So what we’ve done (in the last two years) we’ve doubled, we’ve gone to 732 access points, added about 250, so almost doubled the number access point so that provides the availability of the wireless signal in more places across all of our campuses.”

Having been able to manage the current coverage with the addition of access points as the first phase, Ruppert says the next step is to infill areas with higher density, and where there is a higher population of students and devices.

After coming to GBC about “a year and a quarter ago,” Ruppert established the idea of a dashboard to monitor and analyze current trends and traffic within the college.

With students carrying multiple devices at school: laptops, tablets, cellphones and more, the college has seen a major increase in live-streaming, as mentioned by Ruppert in the Sept. 24 Student Association board of directors meeting. Trends indicated that the college was typically seeing 10,000 connections per day this past spring, peaking to about 12,000 connections.

“Starting in September, now we have about 14,000 devices on the network and peaks at about 15,000,” said Ruppert. “So, just from March of this year to September (of this year) what we’re seeing is an increase of between 20 and 40 per cent of the number of devices

KNOW YOUR

RIGHTS!

on the network, and that’s OK because we’ve actually designed the network to handle about 22,000 devices.”

The student population at GBC is increasing each year, and with that comes more devices. Technology advances and so must George Brown.

This fall start-up, Ruppert says students weren’t really complaining about Stu-View because of its quickness and responsiveness compared to last year. Currently the college is also making changes to Blackboard and to the email systems to make them more useful to students.

“It’s not just about adding more access points, if we don’t have everything else in the chain behind it, it really doesn’t make much of a difference in terms of user experience,” said Ruppert. “It’s the quality of student life we’re trying to achieve here, it’s not just the academic part of a student experience, it’s also the other surrounding student experience that we’re trying to enhance, with a robust wireless network.”

For IT help and support, Ruppert says he’s

Your English teacher says you ask silly and someemes confusing quessons, what should you do?

ILLUSTRATION: SAM BULLIS/THE DIALOG

“certainly happy to respond directly to students because I understand what they’re going through,” providing his email cio@georgebrown.ca, and stating that they can also contact the contact centres as well as the library.

a. Stop asking quessons b. Transfer to another English class c. Take your issue to the Academic Advocacy program to get guidance on what you can do

! p l e h o t e r We’re he

Students have rights and responsibilities. George Brown College has policies in place to help you understand them. If you are experiencing problems with instructors or anything related to academics you can take issues to the Student Association’s Academic Advocacy program.

A trained staff member can help you understand what steps you can take to better handle the academic problem you are having.

1. Get in touch by email (preferred): academicadvocacy@sagbc.ca 2. Leave a message on our conndential hotline: 416-415-6320 3. Fill out an Academic Advocacy intake form at any Student Association office

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The Dialog • dialog.studentassociation.ca

ARTS & LIFE

Oct. 14 –Nov. 2, 2014

Food Court Social a perfect experience $150,000 raised for augmented education programs at GBC DORA LIU STAFF REPORTER

What is perfect? One explanation could be doing something creative and meaningful that helps others and that makes everyone happy. By this definition, the fundraising event, The Food Court Social, was perfect!

The event was held by the Young

Leaders Council in support of the augmented education programs at George Brown College (GBC). Since one of the augmented education programs is the assistant cook extended training (ACET) program, using a food court concept as the event’s format, made this charity party

Chef David Wolfman led the George Brown team preparing a seasonal game meat elk bannock

more fun and purposeful.

Of course, this food court was not ordinary. It gathered nine great chefs from nine great restaurants in Toronto and only let them serve one type of cocktail food from their booths. This triggered a very interesting competition between them and gave the guests a chance to enjoy many of the most delicate cocktail dishes at one time.

The event had a seasonal game meat elk bannock served by George Brown’s team, lead by Chef David Wolfman.

There was also an aromatic braised rabbit ravioli with foie gras mousse by George Brown’s alumni, and also celebrity great chef Mark McEwan.

George Brown’s graduate Nuha Hameed from the ACET program, was smiling as she worked as a preparation cook on Chef Wolfman’s team.

“Yes, I am so happy. It’s a great job in a great event,” said Hameed about her participation.

Hameed also said, “the program sent me to Ritz-Carlton for a six-month work placement. After that, I got a job in a retirement home.”

Therese Lane, also a graduate from the ACET program, was dressed up with an elegant hair cut that night. She said that she has suffered from bipolar disorder for most of her life, but the ACET program helped her regain confidence, and that “a lot of training made it easier for me to concentrate, and no time to think too much.”

Among other chefs participating was Chef Donner Dooher from Mildred’s Temple Kitchen, who made a savoury pancake topped with extremely tender grilled beef; Chef Rob Gentile from Buca Restaurant who prepared a lovely mini scallop with caviar and cream sauce; and Chef Michael Stadtlander who served a skillful hot-smoked fish fillet with pumpkin soup.

Chef Hiro Yoshida from Hiro Sushi Japanese Restaurant hugged Chef Tom Riley from Oliver & Bonacini Restaurant, talking happily about their first Food Court Social experiences.

In addition to the unlimited good wine and custom cocktails by award-winning mixologists, funky music and gorgeous lighting in the historic Artscape Wychwood Barns building made this the perfect event.

“That’s cool! Fantastic! It’s more than I expected. We definitely will come again,” said Katherine Marseu and her friend Juhan Laur. These were common comments from the guests I met that evening.

James Ricci, the chair of the Young Leaders Council, and his team announced $150,000 in net proceeds at the event for the two ACET programs at GBC. Lane said she was appreciative of what Ricci’s organization did as he put a friendly arm around her shoulder.

While helping others, this amazing event came together perfectly.

PHOTOS: DORA LIU/THE DIALOG

The Dialog • dialog.studentassociation.ca 13

LOVE & SEX Looking for info on sex?

The CAC is on top of it The community action centre is helping to promote safer sex BRITTANY BARBER At George Brown College (GBC), there are services where sexually active students can go for guidance, support, and different types of contraception.

“Its sex! It’s everywhere. Why not be safe about it?” said Coty Zachariah, campaigns staff member who helped build the community action centre (CAC).

The CAC is located at St. James in room 165B, and Casa Loma in room E130, where students are able to visit anonymously if they wish.

“The biggest thing we offer to students is information. We don’t shame people,” said Zachariah.

The information is not only about safe sex, but also about how your body works, where you can be tested, and how to deal with situations such as condoms breaking.

The CAC carries different types of pamphlets that will answer any questions you may have when it comes to sex.

There is a plethora of free condoms,

lubes, dental dams and further information regarding safe sex, as safe sex is encouraged to help prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unwanted pregnancies. In the CAC students will also be able to find pamphlets that will answer any questions you may have about sex.

“The CAC will be looking into workshops revolving around safe sex,” according to Siva Sivarajah, community action centre assistant, but until then GBC will continue to collaborate with other colleges and universities to attend their sex workshops.

The CAC has been designed as a comfortable place for students, where they can visit judgment-free and with complete confidentiality; it is also an alternative safe place to hang out.

GBC’s insurance—Green Shield can also help students financially when it comes to oral contraceptives as it covers 90 per cent of women’s contraceptive costs per refill, leaving the payee with a small 10 per cent cost.

Educating yourself on sexual health will be beneficial to you and any of your partners in the long run. Each time you sleep with someone, you’re also sleeping with everyone they have slept with.

ARTS & LIFE Oct. 14 –Nov. 2, 2014

Aboriginal students awaken drum at Fall Harvest event COTY ZACHARIAH SPECIAL TO THE DIALOG

The Fall Harvest event took place on Sept. 23 in the main lobby of 341 King Street East.

The celebration brought in the new season and to said goodbye to summer.

Elders Pauline Shirt and Ed Sackaney opened the ceremony with a smudge, and I circulated the room to push away the negative energy.

There was a honorary guest named Kim from the Mississaugas of New Credit, the territory on which Toronto and George Brown College was built.

Ceremonial foods that are used to awaken the drum were prepared and placed on the main table along the side of it; consisting of berries, wild rice, moose meat and corn as our ancestors would have used for such a ceremony.

The drum was made by myself, Thunder Jack and Joshua Smoke at the Council Fire Native Cultural Centre located on Dundas St. East at Parliament St., minutes from St. James campus back in March.

The wood is the sacred cedar and the hide is made from an elk originating from the Alder-

ville area. It took about a week for preparation and completion of the instrument.

Thunder Jack and I were the only two creators present at the ceremony, and we sat with Elder Ed to smoke a pipe and drum the first beats ever played on it.

The big or “Grandfather” drum gets its name from the size and spirit that is associated with the tribal music, generated when a group of indigenous men sit down around it.

During my first year of college I started learning how to drum at the local Native Canadian Centre, which made me feel a closer connection to the community—the same feeling I wanted other students at GBC to have. I decided to create a big drum because of the unity that it brings my people.

Our music and traditions were nearly wiped out during the assimilation attempts, including that of residential schools that took place over the last century. This struck a huge blow to generations of history and tradition that should have been passed down from parents to their children.

Despite this cultural trauma, the teachings were preserved and are increasing as is the indigenous population.

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WOULD YOU LIKE TO WORK BEHIND THE SCENES DURING THE ELECTION PERIOD? APPLICATION DEADLINE: 4 P.M. - FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31 E-MAIL RESUME TO: SACRO@SAGBC.CA

PHOTO: BRITTANY BARBER/THE DIALOG

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PUZZLES & FUN Oct. 14 –Nov. 2, 2014

Comics L.A. BONTÉ CARLETON UNIVERSITY

Puzzle

Sudoku

SOLUTION

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2014 BY-ELECTIONS N O M I N AT I O N P E R I O D : MONDAY, OCTOBER 27–FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7 VOTING PERIOD: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 17–FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27 “get involve & take charge”

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