The Dialog, Vol 38, issue 1. September 2019

VOL. 38 ISSUE 1 / SEPTEMBER 2019 GBC Student Newspaper • Founded 1982 $5.85 a semester

This is the droid you’re looking for P. 7

We Are Essential: New SA services P. 4-5

Ticketed for What?

P. 6

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NEWS

The Dialog • dialognews.ca // September 2019

GBC students share their housing tips YEN NGUYEN REPORTER-EDITOR

Starting college seems wonderful but finding accommodation can be challenging.

The residence is filling up quickly, plus it’s tricky to find a good off-campus housing.

George Brown College students struggling to find for a secure place to call home share their stories and tips.

Sara Do, an ESL student from George Brown College, said she was happy to settle down in Toronto after a year.

“When I came here, I lived with my grandparents for around a month, it was not a good idea to live with relatives,” said Do. ”We needed a more personal place. I came here with my husband and I was fourmonths pregnant. It was not easy for me”, Do said she did not have many options because some landlords did not want to rent to a couple. She had to rent a house located in North York which was far from the college.

Her husband had a fulltime job, so they were able to rent an apartment but had to provide many documents showing their income.

“It is not easy for other international students because they don’t have an income to prove,” added Do. Nagisa Ando, a Culinary Management student at George Brown College, shares her concern about finding house on a website.

Ando used a homestay service when she first came here. After that, she found herself a new place, which she shared with a housemate.

Her housemate was easily annoyed when it came to cleaning or noise. She told the landlord and asked Ando to move out. Ando tried to complain to landlord but she ended up moving out.

Ando advised to check the

Sara Do, an ESL student at George Brown College struggled to find housing when she first moved to Canada for school. Photo: Yen Nguyen / The Dialog

pressure of the shower and the rules of the house when looking for a good accommodation.

Additionally, Do recommended that we have to know the rights of tenants and we should consider the location.

The location might be good in the summer, but it might be not in the winter.

A 10-minute walk from your house to the bus stop in the winter could be a nightmare.

Krishndene Samuels, who works at George Brown College’s Student Life & Housing office, believes the loca-

tion close to St. James and Waterfront campuses, amenities, security, and building connection with peers were the benefits staying at George Brown’s residence The George.

“They need to keep in mind the dates. Generally, registration opens in January. You don’t have to register in your program to start the application process. You do have to be accepted though,” said Samuels.

“Also, something else to keep in mind is to have a backup plan because the residence can only hold about

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EDITORIAL Reporters:

FIND US Follow us on Social Media!

Furkan Kucuck Jes Muli Yen Nguyen .

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Publications Co-ordinator:

Contact The Dialog at:

Mick Sweetman, communications@sagbc.ca

Room E122 - Casa Loma 142 Kendal Avenue Toronto, ON M5R 1M3 www.dialognews.ca Tel: 416-415-5000 ext. 2764 editor@dialognews.ca

Ad sales: ads@dialognews.ca Cover photo of Joe Stapleton, Manager, Orientation & Student Life and Georgie the Robot courtesy of George Brown College.

505 students,” Samuels said.

She told students to stay open-minded and to secure other housing if they can’t get in the residence.

In addition to The George, Samuels said the college’s housing office can provide students with information on the Landlord and Tenant Act in Ontario, which is the law regulating rentals in the province, so students know their rights.

Geordie Dent, executive director of the Federation of Metro Tenants’ Associations (FMTA), said the most important thing was to not pay

@dialoggbc

the landlord until you’re sure you want the rental.

“Once you pay the money, it’s very difficult to get it back. It is not impossible, but it’s very difficult,” said Dent. “So, be sure you want the place before you give over that cash.”

Another thing you can do is get organized with other tenants in your building, the FMTA offers workshops on forming tenant associations, and has one specifically geared for newcomers to Canada. They also have a tenant hotline for questions about rental laws.

@thedialog

OPERATION The Dialog newspaper is published with the support of the Student Association of George Brown College.

The Dialog’s staff are responsible for the overall vision and direction of The Dialog newspaper, as it coincides with the larger vision and mission of the Student Association.

The cost of producing a newspaper is in part defrayed

THE DIALOG PARTNERS by advertising revenue and largely subsidized by the student media fee. Occasionally, some advertisers, products and services do not reflect the policies of the Student Association.

Opinions expressed in The Dialog are not necessarily those of The Dialog, the Student Association of George Brown College, or its editorial staff.

The Dialog is a member of CUP, the Canadian University Press

NEWS

The Dialog • dialognews.ca // September 2019

EVENTS LISTING Monday, Sept. 9

Wednesday, Sept. 25

GBC to train healthcare workers in China with new partnerships

New partnership with Changzhou Medical Vocational Institute opens doors for PSWs in China JES MULI REPORTER-EDITOR

Ice Cream Day 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Outside Waterfront campus 51 Dockside Dr. $0.25 ice cream cones. While supplies last.

Tuesday, Sept. 10 Mini Festival 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

GBC Ryerson campus SHE building, 5th Floor 99 Gerrard St. East Free food, henna artist, cartoonist and more Wednesday, Sept. 11 Ice Cream Day 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Outside of the Casa Loma Student Centre 142 Kendal Ave. $0.25 ice cream cones. While supplies last.

Thursday, Sept. 12 Ice Cream Day 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

St James campus, outside of the Kings Lounge Paint Night 5:30 p.m. to 8:30pm Kings Lounge St James A Building Room 150 200 King. St. East. $5 for GBC students / $10 for guests Buy tickets at SA Connect offices.

Instructor will lead group into making their very own masterpieces.

Friday, Sept, 13 Streetball Kings vs.

GBC Select Team 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

St James Gym, 6th floor 200 King. St. East.

Come watch some of the legends in streetball play.

E Sports Video Gaming Tournament: Smash Bro’s 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Kings Lounge St James A Building, Room 150 200 King. St. East.

We will have a Smash Bro’s Tournament as well as other games to play.

Thursday, Sept. 26 E Sports Video Gaming Tournament: Smash Bro’s 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Casa Loma Student Centre E Building, First Floor 142 Kendal Ave. Friday, Sept. 27 19th Annual Back to School Boat Cruise 6:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

Aboard the Enterprise 2000 222 Cherry St, Toronto $20 for GBC student (SA member) / $30 for GBC Student (Non SA member) / $35 for guests.

Buy tickets at SA Connect desks. Price includes meal and transportation Saturday, Sept. 28 Google DevFest Toronto 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Hospitality building 300 Adelaide St East.

Free for GBC students.

A one-day conference aimed to bring students, developers, tech-companies and speakers together to learn about emerging technologies like Google Cloud Platform, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence.

RSVP at: www.meetup. com/GDG-Cloud-Toronto/ events/262981054

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George Brown College has a new partnership with the Changzhou Medical Vocational Institute in China.

According to Cory Ross, George Brown College’s Vice President of Academic, this partnership could help medical professionals in China improve geriatric care.

China has the world’s fastest aging population with over 172 million people over the age of 65 according to the United Nations. This is projected to grow to over 365 million seniors by 2050.

According to Ross the Changzhou Medical Vocational Institute is attached to a hospital and they are planning a training centre for elderly care but the one piece that’s missing is a Personal Support Worker (PSW) program.

“What we find in China is that there is a maid and a nurse, but there is no cadre of people that are going to take care of the elderly,” said Ross.

“There’s not enough people, infrastructure and human

resources, to actually help them, to activate them, to take care of them.”

G eorge Brown College sees opportunities in helping China in three areas: training maids in becoming PSWs; training nurses with gerontological techniques; and providing training for PSWs. The institution can provide assistance in China through in-person training, electronically sending and updating modules, and going into the filed as a field placement.

Students will have the opportunity to study and learn in China, while faculty can teach in the PSW program, Ross said.

Other than the ongoing discussion in Changzhou, Ross has also been working on a massive building project for the elderly just outside of Chongqing.

“The young people are very happy because they know their parents will be well taken care of,” said Ross. “People are in big cities in Shanghai and Beijing and are not be able to come and deal with them because they work very long hours and very

hard. So, they need to know that their parents are well taken care of.”

Ross believes the George Brown College has an advantage in doing multi-site research in Canada and China through the partnership.

“People in China are very hospitable and very appreciative of all the Canadian efforts that have been going on since the time of Doctor Norman Bethune,” said Ross who recently received the laureate status membership with the Bethune Medical Development Association of Canada.

“I think that together, not only will we be teaching the Chinese, but we’re also learning about their culture.”

Other than healthcare, Ross and his team are also planning on expanding in other fields such as hospitality management, construction engineering technologies and culinary.

George Brown College currently has six other partnerships in China including an Early Childhood Centre in Suzhou as well as in the construction, language and tourism sectors.

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NEWS

The Dialog • dialognews.ca // September 2019

We Are E Students can SNAP up nutrition at GBC New Student Nutrition Access Program replaces former student food bank JES MULI REPORTER-EDITOR

George Brown College students can access a new program this fall called the Student Nutrition Access Program (SNAP), where they can get more information regarding their well-being, nutrition, and health.

Replacing the former student food bank, which lost its funding due to new regulations by the provincial government, SNAP aims to provide support on the students’ health and wellness needs, as well as to promote health, emotional and social well-being.

According to Ronnie Cruz, Community Co-ordinator at the Student Association of George Brown College, students should use SNAP as much as they can.

The Dialog is also published by the Student Association.

Students registered in the program have the chance to obtain resources from their services such as the Good Food Market, food pantry and social eats.

The latter is an event that Cruz organizes once a month at an on-campus kitchen.

“The idea behind social eats is to use it as a medium for students to come together and create a sense of community, as well as develop their skills in cooking, budgeting, meal planning, and learn about health and nutrition,” said Cruz.

The participants will gain knowledge on basic safety protocols in the kitchen, safe food handling and techniques.

Past guest chefs have included Miriam Streiman, a professor at the college’s Chef School, and Suzanne Barr who taught the participants easy ways on how to cook

Mireya Forero, SNAP lead staff, says that in the mental health resources available at their offices are appreciated by students.. Photo: Mick Sweetman / The Dialog

Caribbean-inspired cuisines during Black History Month.

“The event was very well received and students have requested the Student Association to continue hosting a supper club event on a monthly basis,” Cruz said.

“I see that they are making friendships and are like ‘oh, you cook this?’ ‘Yes, I do this.’ and they start talking about recipes and how they use the different items that we have at SNAP,” said SNAP lead staff member Mireya Forero.

“Or how they cook that

item back home and sharing recipes. I’m really happy to see that they are making connections around food.”

Cruz said students should know the importance of healthy eating because it affects their health and well-being.

The food that they eat has a direct impact on their sleep, mental health, capacity to study and their ability to cope with stress.

Academically, students will have better concentration and improved alertness at school and at home, as well

as improved brain function when studying for exams.

Nutrition is different from weight loss, and the SNAP Program will not be able to help students with losing weight, according to Cruz.

However, they can guide students to eat healthily, make small changes in their eating habits, and provide food alternatives.

In this way, students will be prevented from their food cravings and, in turn, they can achieve their preferred waistline.

Compared to the former

student food bank, SNAP now focuses on giving students knowledge and resources on nutrition, as well as providing them with nutritious food, meals, and produce.

“We’re no longer operating as a food bank, and they really need to understand that this is more nutrition-focused. We do referrals and more, but really, nutrition, health, and students’ well-being are what we’re focusing on.” Cruz said.

“The food pantry, and giving out meals, is just an extension of our program.”

NEWS

The Dialog • dialognews.ca // September 2019

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Essential From community action to care centre Community Care Centre to focus on health and well being of students FURKAN KUCUK REPORTER-EDITOR

The Community Action Centre is transforming its structure and mission and a whole new service will be beginning in this fall semester for the students of George Brown College.

A new Student Association service called the Community Care Centre will focus on the health and well-being of students while the Community Action Centre (CAC) will focus on campaigns, research, lobbying and advocacy on issues that affect students.

Some examples of the Community Action Centre’s plans are the campaign for free education and highlighting student issues in the upcoming federal election this fall.

Michelle Pettis, left, is the co-ordinator for the the Community Care Centre which has an alternative library focusing on the centre’s equity groups. Photo: CFS-Ontario.

The Dialog is also published by the Student Association.

“The CAC still exists, it remains the same but the

Michelle Pettis, left, and Sasha Galve sit under the mural in the Community Care Centre at St. James campus. Photo: CFS-Ontario.

scale might look different,” said Community Action Centre Co-ordinator Michelle Pettis. “The grand scale of things we might be able to do or the number of campaigns we launch, all that still exists but it will be scaled accordingly to the funding.”

This fall the fee that funds the Community Action Centre is optional due to new regulations from the provincial government.

The Community Care Centre offers peer support, cereal bar parties, book groups and care days which may help students break their social isolation.

The Community Care Centre is also a physical space that helps students see the college in a different way, a place your needs are addressed and your identities are celebrated said Pettis.

“Our space may be the

first space they use their chosen name or pronouns or express their gender in whatever ways they want,” they said. “Those are beautiful moments to know the people can access our spaces in those ways.”

If members of marginalized groups want to seek emotional support, they can access the Community Care Centre at Casa Loma, and St. James campus during the school week. Students can also connect with the staff with a variety of ways to get help or advice.

“If you need a space that’s different from the rest of the college where the walls are vibrating with colour and art, or if you just need a sense of quiet refuge, find our physical spaces,” said Pettis.

They said that students can carry around their struggles before they even get to

the college.

“Students are overburdened with emotional fatigue or burnouts, it’s micro-aggressions and racism that they face every day,” said Pettis. “When they come into our space, they can talk about it, be listened to and believed in their experiences.”

For the fall term, the Community Care Centre is planning workshops focusing on consent, harm reduction, self-care, mutual-care and collective-care. They are also providing suicide intervention training for students.

The centre also has menstrual supplies, pregnancy tests and testosterone kits to make students’ days easier by providing them.

“We are glad that we are a magical spot to for them to tap into,” said Pettis. “Come, tap into the magic early and often!”

ARTS & LIFE

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The Dialog • dialognews.ca // September 2019

Ticketed for being homeless Student creates film about Safe Streets Act YEN NGUYEN REPORTER-EDITOR

It all started when Yvonne Sung was talking with her long-time friend Richel Castaneda and learned that she was working as a law student with homeless people who were ticketed under the Safe Streets Act. Sung, a Digital Media Marketing student at George Brown College, said that Castaneda told her that homeless people could accumulate tens of thousands of dollars in fines from Safe Streets Act tickets.

“When she told me that I said ‘that’s ridiculous,’ normal people we get ticketed for speeding, but they get ticked because they are on the street,” said Sung.

According to the Homeless Hub, The Ontario Safe Streets Act was enacted by the provincial government in 1999.

The Safe Streets Act addresses panhandling, squeegeeing and other forms of solicitation as “aggressive manner(...)that is likely to cause a reasonable person to fear for their safety and security.”

Sung said she knew she had to do something. She contacted Fair Change Community Legal Services, where Castaneda worked, and participated in drop-in info sessions at local shelters every Friday.

Fair Change Community Legal Services launched a lawsuit in 2017 that challenges the law in Ontario Superior Court. That challenge is still working it’s way through the system.

Sung soon launched a crowd-funding campaign on Kickstarter, quickly meeting her target of $7,000, and started co-ordinating filming with homeless people she meet through the agency and gathered a small team to begin production.

All the funds would be used to cover their crew fees, production and post-production, the perks production and shipping, and film festival submissions.

The team consists of Sung as director and co-producer; Sarra Francis as co-producer, Kathryn Lyons as an editor and Monica Que as a designer. Her teammates are her friends from Ryerson and

OCAD, which were her previous schools.

“I did not know about this situation and I believe that not a lot of people know,” said Sung. “I just thought people should know and the government should do about it. At least, some politicians could help to change the issue.”

Ticketed for What? tells details the raw reality of homeless communities in Toronto. The short film is narrated by a person who was formerly homeless and was ticketed under the Safe Streets Act. “The minute you wake up is probably to an officer or security guard or somebody,” said a man identified only as a former client of Fair Change in a clip from the film posted to YouTube. “An hour in, if you’re going start making money, then you’re going to see a cop within 10-20 minutes.”

The man told the filmmakers how he would just toss the tickets because when you’re homeless his life didn’t depend on having a good credit score, but it was a concern when he got an apartment and went back to school.

Digital Marketing student Yvonne Sung decided to make a documentary on the Safe Streets Act after hearing how homeless people get thousands of dollars in tickets.

“These tickets are never going to get paid, nobody is ever going to have the means to pay them,” he said. “It’s obviously not working, it’s been in since the late 90s, it hasn’t eliminated people begging in the streets. The only thing that’s going to prevent homelessness is homes, not police.”

Sung hopes the short documentary will be shown

at film festivals in Toronto and Canada. It will also be available to watch on online streaming channels such as Vimeo, so everybody can watch it.

Sung said she hopes the short documentary will create more awareness that homeless people are being targeted under the law.

Co-ordinator: Mark Couch Tel: 416 415 5000, Ext. 4627 Email: mark.couch@georgebrown.ca

Aug. 16 | 6 p.m.

Aug. 18 | 3 p.m.

Aug. 23 | 6 p.m.

Sept. 8 | 3 p.m.

Esther Shiner Esther Shiner Esther Shiner Esther Shiner

Co-ordinator: Tammy Nopuente Tel: 416 415 5000, Ext. 4068 Email: tnopuent@georgebrown.ca

Sept. 9 | 8p.m.

Sept. 10 | 6 p.m.

Co-ordinator: Mark Couch Tel: 416 415 5000, Ext. 4627 Email: mark.couch@georgebrown.ca

Sept. 9 | 6 p.m.

Sept. 10 | 8 p.m.

X-COUNTRY

Casa Loma Gym Casa Loma Gym

St. James Gym St. James Gym

Co-ordinator: Deanna Oliver Tel: 416 415 5000, Ext. 2177 Email: doliver@georgebrown.ca

M SOCCER

Casa Loma Gym Casa Loma Gym

Aug. 28 | 6 p.m. Wishing Well Park Aug. 30 | 6 p.m. Wishing Well Park Sept. 4 | 7 p.m. Wishing Well Park

Co-ordinator: Deanna Oliver Tel: 416 415 5000, Ext. 2177 Email: doliver@georgebrown.ca

W VOLLEYBALL

Sept. 6 | 6 p.m.

Sept. 9 | 6 p.m.

BASEBALL

Co-ordinator: Wendy Roberts- Simpson Tel: 416 415 5000, Ext. 3335 Email: wroberts@georgebrown.ca

W BASKETBALL

Sept. 12 | 8:30 p.m. St. James Gym Sept. 15 | 4 p.m. St. James Gym Sept. 17 | 8 p.m. Casa Loma Gym Sept. 19 | 8:30 p.m. St. James Gym

M VOLLEYBALL

W SOCCER

MEN’S BASKETBALL

BADMINTON

VARSITY TRYOUTS Aug. 15 | 5 p.m.

Aug. 20 | 5 p.m Sept. 4 | 6 p.m.

Sept. 6 | 6 p.m.

St. James Gym St. James Gym St. James Gym St. James Gym

Co-ordinator: Wendy Roberts- Simpson Tel: 416 415 5000, Ext. 3335 Email: wroberts@georgebrown.ca

Aug. 16 | 7:30 p.m. Esther Shiner Aug. 18 | 12:30 p.m. Esther Shiner Sept. 6 | 6:30 p.m. Esther Shiner Co-ordinator: Tammy Nopuente Tel: 416 415 5000, Ext. 4068 Email: tnopuent@georgebrown.ca

LOCATION ADDRESSES Casa Loma Athletic Centre 160 Kendal Ave. Toronto, ON M5R1M3 Esther Shiner Stadium 5720 Bathurst St, North York, ON St. James Athletic Centre 200 King St East Toronto, ON M5A3W8 Building A, 6th Floor Wishing Well Park 1801 Pharmacy Ave, Toronto, ON

Sept. 9 | 8 p.m.

Sept. 10 | 6 p.m.

St. James Gym St. James Gym

Co-ordinator: Deanna Oliver Tel: 416 415 5000, Ext. 2177 Email: doliver@georgebrown.ca

SCIENCE & TECH

The Dialog • dialognews.ca // September 2019

Say hello to Georgie the Robot!

GBC’s first service robot to engage students FURKAN KUCUK REPORTER-EDITOR

If you see a robot roaming the halls at George Brown College this fall, stop and say hello to Georgie, the college’s first service robot.

GBC has partnered with a robotic solutions provider, GlobalDWS, and Autonetics Universe, a leader in Canadian innovation specializing in service robots.

“This is an opportunity for GBC to experiment with service robots and for us to understand what they are capable of,” said Dr Rick Huijbregts, Vice President, Strategy and Innovation at the college.

The purpose of the college with this partnership is to be a part of the leading edge, shape the market by taking proactive initiative and teach students about this technology to prepare them for the future.

Teaching and educating students for future jobs is one of the priorities of the college.

The industry for service robots will be reaching $30 billion by 2020 and there will be a need for a workforce that knows how to build, service, maintain and teach robots.

This means there is going to be a new demand for jobs in the sector of service robots.

“We think we have an opportunity to create a workforce of the future that works in the service industry market,” said Huijbregts.

The college is also seeking ways to use service robots in its services for instance at the student services centre to enhance students’ experience.

In the near future, it may be possible for students to type their student ID, or swipe their student card and get information about their classes, grades and even get advice for their next steps in their academic career.

Service robots are a combination of artificial intelligence and robotics that help people in service environments by interacting with them.

These kinds of robots are used in a variety of places such as banks, restaurants, coffee shops, airports and schools.

Their biggest difference from industrial robots is that service robots have to interact with people to perform useful tasks.

“I don’t believe service robots replace humans, I think service robots are going to replace mundane, boring tasks of what we do in our jobs but allowing the humans to focus on high-value high-quality more human and high-interactive activities.” said Huijbregts.

“I think we are going to see a future, where people will work with robots rather than that robots, are going to take over our jobs,” he said.

“There is a huge opportunity to really re-imagine how we deliver services on how we make personalized experiences with this technology.”

Georgie the Robot is GBC’s prototype service robot. Photo courtesy of GBC.

// SUDOKU

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Puzzle by websudoku.com

PUZZLE CONTEST Complete a puzzle from this page and drop it off at any Student Association (SA) office* for a chance to win a $10 Tim Hortons gift card!

First Name Last Name Phone # Email *SA OFFICE LOCATIONS Casa Loma Campus 142 Kendal Ave, Room E100

St. James Campus 200 King St. E, Room 147

Waterfront Campus Ryerson Campus 51 Dockside Dr, Room 99 Gerard St. E, 033 Room 614

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Fall back into routine.

Buy a drink and show us your student or staff ID to receive a free mini cookie during the month of September.