HUMBER ET CETERA
‘SYMPTOM OF HOUSING AFFORDABILITY CRISIS’
Ford’splantoinvoketheNotwithstandingClause wouldforcefullyremoveTorontoencampments
WINTER VILLAGE MARKS X-MAS FESTIVITIES
NORTH CAMPUS LAUNCHES FIRSTEVER STUDENT FASHION EXPO P. 8
Ford bullies city encampments
started setting them up wherever they wanted.
Tina has been living on the streets of downtown Toronto for a while now. She said she would rather be in hell than on the streets. She said that one has to be careful who one hangs out with as there are many “messed up things” that occur.
“People are disappearing, a lot of people. You see them one day, the next day they’re gone,” said Tina, who did not want her last name disclosed.
“Everybody robs everybody. It’s a messed-up place to be. It’s a hard place to be, especially when you are homeless or whatever,” Tina said.
The 43-year-old woman, currently living on the streets in the Church and Queen Streets area of Toronto, said she has no friends. Instead, she has acquaintances because no one is to be trusted.
She said people on the streets don’t generally sleep, they only “nod off” because otherwise people will steal their few worldly items and then one has nothing to live off the next day.
She claimed mostly every woman living on the streets has been raped.
“I haven’t. Because I got my husband,” Tina said.
Tina said people were just grabbing tents that were given to them by churches and others and people
She said there are a lot of empty apartment buildings, and yet they still cannot be housed, keeping about 11,000 people in Toronto on the streets, according to city numbers.
The city reported that in 2023, Toronto’s shelter system offered beds to more than 9,000 people nightly in shelters, including about 42 per cent of which are refugee claimants.
“Current demand for shelter space is so high that every night the city is unable to provide shelter to hundreds of people requesting a space. As a result, the city is seeing increasing levels of homelessness on the street, in encampments and on the City’s transit system,” the 2024 Toronto Shelter and Support report stated.
And now people like Tina and her husband do not only have to look over their shoulders for troublemakers, but they may have to watch out for Ontario Premier Doug Ford who has urged big city mayors to ask him to invoke the Notwithstanding Clause of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to remove encampments.
Thirteen Ontario mayors recently formally requested in a letter the Premier to do that.
They include the mayors of Barrie, Brampton, Brantford, Cambridge,
Chatham-Kent, Clarington, Oakville, Oshawa, Pickering, St. Catharines, Sudbury and Windsor.
A stumbling block for municipalities was the similar 2023 Superior Court rulings in Waterloo and Kingston that found it was unconstitutional for a municipality to evict people living in encampments if there were no shelter spaces available for them.
Ford has offered to suspend encampment residents’ Charter-protected rights so that they can be removed from encampments.
The mayors requested the Ford government to “strengthen the existing system of mandatory community-based and residential mental health care and expand service to treat those who have severe and debilitating addictions.”
They said they would want a Drug and Division Court system implemented throughout the province to allow a meaningful focus on “rehabilitation as opposed to incarceration.”
The request to enact legislation that provides clear guidance regarding the open and public use of drugs being prohibited in the same manner as the open consumption of alcohol was also included.
Toronto was not a part of this letter and when questioned about the matter, the city’s Communica-
Humber Et Cetera is the Humber Polytechnic journalism program laboratory newspaper. It is created by journalism students in the Advanced Diploma program. Et Cetera serves to inform the Humber community.
tions Advisor Elise von Scheel said.
“Encampments are a symptom of the housing affordability crisis, shelter demand that exceeds availability and other social crises such as mental health and drug toxicity,” von Scheel said.
She said the City’s approach to encampments seeks to put people’s human rights first.
“Street outreach staff and partners work 24 hours a day, seven days a week to connect with individuals living outside to help address immediate health and safety needs, building trust relationships and work with them toward indoor accommodations,” von Scheel said.
She said removing encampments without providing shelter or housing can displace people to other outdoor locations without addressing the root cause of their homelessness.
“Moving people into shelter spaces and housing achieves the best outcomes for people in encampments and surrounding communities,” von Scheel said.
Thirteen mayors request Doug Ford to enact the Notwithstanding Clause to remove encampments, suspending people’s constitutional rights.
Reet Arora HumberETC News
Rent declines since pandemic
Satwik Kumar Singh HumberETC News
Rents have dropped for the first time in three years across Canada, according to the latest National Rent Report from Rentals.ca.
The average rent across all residential property types has fallen 1.2 per cent every year to $2,152, for its first year-over-year decline since July 2021, the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The biggest declines in rent took place in Ontario and British Columbia. In Ontario, average rent was down 5.7 per cent from a year ago, at $2,350. British Columbia had a more modest decline, 3.4 per cent, to an average of $2,549.
The city of Toronto celebrated the opening of 26 affordable and accessible homes after 685 Queen Street East’s redevelopment.
EXPENSIVE
Cities like Vancouver and Toronto are still expensive, but the rents have come down significantly.
Vancouver remains the most expensive city. However, one-bedroom and two-bedroom rents have dropped 9.1 per cent and 9.2 per cent, respectively, compared to last year.
One-bedroom units in Toronto also fell to 8.7 per cent, while two-bedroom units fell to 9.7 per cent.
Other cities, however, have also seen significant rent drops in the last year, including Burnaby, Mississauga, and Oakville.
Tsuriel Somerville, associate professor at Sauder School of Business at UBC and a housing market expert, said a major reason for the decrease in rent is
that rising costs led to a drop in demand.
“People respond to the increase in rents by reducing their demand. You do have a response. People live at home longer or double up,” he said.
Somerville said an increase in rental construction has helped stabilize prices.
Jason Mercer, Toronto Regional Real Estate Board’s chief market analyst, said GTA’s rental market has been more balanced over the past year.
He said this has led to improved affordability.
“Interest rates have trended lower this year, with more Bank of Canada cuts yet to come. More
“You had a lot of incentives to encourage rental housing going back to, say, the end of the last decade. I think you see a little bit of a play out of that as more of that rental product is completed,” he said.
affordable mortgage payments could prompt some renters to move into homeownership. This could lead to a further increase in rental inventory in the months ahead,” Mercer said.
Somerville said the decline in
international students is impacting rental demand.
“The decline in the international student numbers would be a reduction in demand,” he said.
“We certainly see it in universities where already this year the number of acceptances and enrolments are down compared to where they were in a number of years.”
Most provinces saw a decline, but some, including Alberta, Manitoba, and Atlantic Canada, saw minor increases in rent pricing. They continue to be more reasonable than their larger city counterparts in Ontario and B.C.
By type of property, purpose-built apartments recorded a more modest annual growth of 1.7 per cent to an average of $2,100, while condo rents declined 3.8 per cent to $2,265.
AFFORDABILITY
Nationwide, cities such as Edmonton and Calgary and other places in Quebec and Saskatchewan remained the country’s most affordable places to rent.
Although many cities have seen cuts in rent prices, other cities have experienced rent increases, particularly in those markets where overall rents are lower. Saskatchewan had the highest rent increase across the country at 17.1 per cent growth.
Listings in the shared accommodation rental market are up 58 per cent year-over-year, while demand in the rental market grows stronger for more affordable housing options.
With ever-changing rental prices, an increasing number of Canadians are choosing shared accommodations, reflecting the trend for more affordable living.
SOURCE: RENTALS.CA
From childhood dream to police experience
Shane Ball, a second-year Police Foundations student at the Humber Lakeshore campus, has been telling his mother since he was four that he wanted to be a police officer. Ball now works for York Regional Police as a student cadet, gaining experience and knowledge from highly qualified and experienced supporting staff.
“Working with York Region police is a dream come true. I have enjoyed learning new things every day and seeing behind the scenes of police work,” he said.
“When the email came out from Arun (Dhanota), my program coordinator, it was instantly my goal to pursue this opportunity. It was a four to six intense month process of being hired,” Ball said.
“I’m so grateful to get this opportunity to meet new people and build my resume as well as gain hands-on experience,” he said.
“The next step for me is to start my application in February and hopefully get hired for the May 2025 class. My plan is to go to OCP (Ontario Police College) in May,” Ball said. He participated in the Peel Fit challenge in the past, being one of Humber’s top two males to compete against other schools in front of recruiting teams such as Peel, York and Toronto.
Ball also had the PREP challenge against Sheridan on Nov. 20, where requiting teams will be looking for candidates when they finish school.
This report is by Julia Vellucci, Social Justice Reporter
COURTESY/SHANE BALL
Shane Ball, a Humber Police Foundations student, works for the York Regional Police.
For rent sign outside of a home in Toronto on Tuesday July, 12, 2022.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/COLE BURSTON
Distillery Village lights up the first tree
Reet Arora
Deon Taylor
HumberETC
Santa Claus announced he was making his list of what children wanted for Christmas, of who’s been nice and who’s been naughty.
And he brought his elves to help him as the Distillery District’s Winter Village opened last week with the lighting of a five-storey Christmas tree adorned with thousands of lights and hundreds of perfume bottles featured by Christian Dior.
Meaghan Clark, marketing manager at the Distillery, said more than 3,500 people attended opening night Nov. 13 at the Distillery in east Toronto. She said preparing for the annual event was a lot of work, but she was excited.
The giant 55-foot Christmas tree and the decorations were sponsored by Christian Dior Parfums, said Laurie J. Weir, president and founder of Next Public Relations.
Clark said Dior has been sponsoring the event for the last three years and the opening night’s VIP
night was their party. The tree lighting ceremony is a way of communicating that they are open for business, she said.
But all the lights, work and glitz are really about seeing the kids when Santa comes, she said.
“When we do the countdown, and when the tree is finally lit, like just seeing their little faces, honestly that just kind of moves me,” Clark said.
She said she enjoys watching person after person adoring the tree and having their picture taken in front of the tree.
Clark said that’s when she knows all the work was done right when everyone comes in to capture their tree moment.
Laurie J. Weir, president and founder of Next Public Relations, said the city is in a very festive mood and she can feel that the spirit is alive.
“Although we may not be Taylor Swift, we do promise to put up a magical show for you tonight,” Weir said on opening night. That magic is expected to continue throughout
the season.
She said the tree’s design features a signature golden holiday motif created for Dior by Italian artist Pietro Ruffo and features a myriad of lights and a glowing star centrepiece.
“There are 70,000 lights, there are 1,003 Dior replica fragrance bottles and ornaments on the tree and is estimated to have taken 4,000 hours (since about July) of craftsmanship to create this beautiful tree,” she said.
Weir thanked all the supporters of the Distillery Winter Village, which has been ranked on the international best Christmas list around the world.
“We have also been named in Cathay Pacific and Lufthansa Airline Magazines and have topped the CNN travel list,” she said.
Weir said it has been said that it is not Christmas in Toronto unless one sees the Christmas tree on one’s social feed.
“The event is not only a beautiful gathering for the holidays, it actually employs 500 seasonal workers
and contributes to the local economy, supports crafters and makers and has been a beloved tradition for over a decade,” she said.
Weir said they have more than 30 food options at the Village and nine holiday bars. She said one of her favourite photo sites is at Santa’s sleigh.
She said the vintage sleigh is on Gristmill Lane after staff found it in a barn during the summer and refurbished it.
Brock Wunderlich, a digital marketing creator, was visiting the Distillery Winter Village and making videos for his Instagram page.
“I’ve been coming here pretty much every year for the last like five years. I just like the atmosphere, it is a good vibe,” Wunderlich said.
He said it’s a good time to visit early in the season because it is not too busy because when December comes this place is packed.
“I think every year they do a good job, I love how they put the branding of Dior on the tree like they decorated it, it feels luxury, so overall they do a good job every year,” Wunderlich said.
He said he was there to shoot a couple of things including getting a hyperlapse, a photography technique that creates motion shots of one point at different distances, of the Christmas sign because everyone puts it on their Instagram stories.
“Big photo is the Gooderham sign with the clock tower, grab a couple of shots of that, the Spirit of York building is really cool and then obviously just the people,” he said.
He said he likes to do street photography which is mostly shooting around the place and capturing the essence of Christmas.
But the season is about being nice and Santa said the North Pole was very busy today because there were many gifts to pack. After all, the kids were super good.
He asked a couple of kids what they did nice and one of them said she helped a classmate with speech problems and another one said she hugged her family.
They wanted Santa to bring them a Barbie Lego set and a pet fish.
Canada Post workers continue to strike
Ethan Alcaidinho HumberETC News
A national strike by Canada Post workers, which began Friday, Nov. 15, has disrupted mail and parcel services across Canada, especially as the holiday season begins with more than 55,000 postal workers on strike.
The strike by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) has raised concerns about its impact on the Canadian economy, small businesses and remote communities, as deliveries remain halted and service guarantees are affected.
DEMANDS
The union is pushing for improved wages, better health and safety conditions and the protection of pensions.
CUPW is also fighting against Canada Post’s plan to restructure its workforce and elevate operations, arguing that it would create a second-class workforce.
They are also calling for expanded services to modernize Canada’s postal service, proposing initiatives such as elder
check-ins, low-fee postal banking and electric vehicle deliveries as part of a “postal service of the future.”
In a statement, CUPW emphasized its goal of negotiating fair collective agreements at the bargaining table, stating the best agreements are those reached through dialogue. Government mediators are now assisting negotiators in bargaining.
The union’s vision includes adapting Canada Post’s extensive network to meet the needs of today’s citizens, including providing low-fee banking services in underserved communities.
These proposals, CUPW argues, would not only improve postal services but also help address pressing social issues, including climate change and the need for affordable banking options for Canadians.
Barry Eidlin, an associate professor at McGill University and expert in the labour movement, highlighted the importance of this strike as a pivotal moment in the future of the Crown corporation.
He said the disruption serves as a strategic effort by the union to address long-term issues, despite the immediate economic damage caused to small businesses relying on postal services.
“The strike is supposed to inflict economic damage to push Canada Post to the bargaining table,” Eidlin told Humber Et Cetera. “This is a last-ditch effort by the union after over a year of negotiations.”
In response to the ongoing strike, Canada Post acknowledged the challenges created by the strike, confirming it lost 42 per cent of its parcel volumes compared to last year and is concerned about growing competition from private delivery services.
Despite this, Canada Post remains committed to resolving the dispute through negotiations, with no plans for arbitration.
A special mediator, Peter Simpson, has been appointed by the Minister of Labour Steve MacKinnon, to assist both sides in reaching an agreement.
The mediator’s role is to help identify common ground and create a resolution.
Canada Post and CUPW continue to meet under Simpson’s guidance, with discussions set to resume this week.
While CUPW has expressed its commitment to negotiating, Canada Post has put forward proposals that include wage increases, expanded paid leave and efforts to secure the future of the company by offering seven-day parcel delivery.
IMPROVEMENTS
Canada Post has also proposed competitive pricing and infrastructure improvements to adapt to the growing parcel market, which it views as critical to its financial sustainability.
Eidlin emphasized the shortterm disruption caused by the strike, particularly for small businesses and individuals who rely on Canada Post for shipping.
“Small businesses, especially those using the service for e-commerce, will face higher delivery costs as they turn to pri-
vate couriers,” he said.
However, he said the union’s fight for improved working conditions and job security is in the long-term interest of both postal workers and the public.
While the strike affects Canadians’ trust in postal services, Eidlin believes there is growing public support for workers’ rights.
He said that over recent years, there has been a shift toward greater public sympathy for unions, as many Canadians recognize the importance of defending workers’ rights amid rising corporate power.
As the strike continues, Canadians are being advised that mail and parcels will not be processed or delivered until the dispute is resolved.
With no new parcels being accepted during the strike, service delays are expected to persist long after the action ends.
Eidlin said the pressure of the holiday season might accelerate the pace of talks, as both sides face mounting economic pressures.
Canada Post workers at the South Central sorting centre on Eastern Avenue. Workers walked off the job, demanding better pay and working conditions. Negotiations continue.
Humber must do a better job handling housing
One of the biggest hurdles some post-secondary students face is moving out from their parents’ house and finding a new home.
According to the Rental Market Trends chart by Zumper, rent prices have finally eased from the astronomical levels they reached in the years during and after COVID-19.
The median rent for all bedroom types in Toronto has gone down from $3,000 last year to $2,500 this year, the chart
OPINION
showed.
However, according to a chart by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, the rental price for a one-bedroom apartment continues to increase by $50 to $100 each year.
In addition, units with multiple bedrooms continue to cost around $60 to $150 more annually.
These price increases are making life harder for students, who are already dealing with the heavy cost of tuition fees, school
supplies and food, to focus on their studies.
In fact, 7.7 per cent of food bank users are post-secondary students, according to the Hunger Count 2024 report by Food Banks Canada.
Schools should be held more accountable for ensuring students find an affordable and livable place when entering post-secondary school.
Ideally, these housing options are also near or around students’ campuses so they can save money and time getting to their classes.
The rental listing service website Apartments.com, shows housing near Humber Polytechnic’s North campus goes for around $2,400 per month.
The school also recommends external listing services, such as Places4Students. Yet, most offers for a small bedroom cost $900 per month.
A cost which can still be significant for students who can only afford part-time, minimum wage jobs on top of school.
In a statement released on
National Housing Day, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, “Canada’s housing market just hasn’t been working. Ask anyone you know, and they’ll say it hasn’t worked for decades.”
“Put simply, the cost to build homes is too high, and the time it takes to finish projects is too long,” Trudeau said.
The prime minister also said he plans to use programs like the Housing Accelerator Fund and Affordable Housing Fund to help solve the housing crisis.
While nearly all campuses in Ontario offer on-campus residence to students, the chances of getting housing depend on the available units.
It is not uncommon to get behind a long waiting list, too, forcing others to look for offcampus options, which makes them vulnerable to exploitation, from scams and unfair rent prices to mismanagement by landlords.
A more helpful initiative colleges should adopt with urgency is building more affordable student accommodation on vacant
plots of land within campus grounds.
For example, the University of Guelph plans to transform an empty lot at the intersection of College Avenue West and McGilvray Street into a first-year student residences, housing 1,500 new students by 2030.
Schools, however, should guarantee these options are also affordable for students already paying exorbitant fees.
At Humber Polytechnic North’s Residence, students are expected to pay at least $6,889 and up to $10,250 per semester. They are also required to purchase dining plans that limit their food options, which aren’t always great in quality or quantity.
Safe and secure housing is an important part of a healthy and successful post-secondary life.
Students excited for this new chapter of their lives may be unaware of these challenges. They’ll be in for a big shock unless schools do their job of letting students focus on being students.
PCs pave the way for gaming’s immersive future
In the early days of gaming in 1970, video games were, well, lousy. They’re much better today because the technology is far more advanced.
Much of that shift has been removing the focus on playing consoles to video games played on computers.
We’re most likely on the path of making consoles irrelevant to gaming as personal computer (PC) gaming continues to gain traction, allowing other technologies used for gaming, such as Virtual Reality (VR), to grow as well.
According to a Global Market Insights July report, the value of VR in the game market is expected to grow by 30 per cent between 2024 and 2032 due to continuous
advancements in technology and hardware.
When it came to what device was best for playing video games, people focused on consoles and the variety they provided. While PC games were around back then, they were very early concepts of how a PC could run a video game.
However, the concept of playing video games on a PC has since grown drastically.
The number of consoles to choose from has decreased to three from six different options because lines of consoles have been discontinued from companies such as Sega, Atari and SNK since the early 2000s, according to this year’s chart by computer programmer Hugues Johnson.
An advantage that some PC ports of video games get is a wider variety of optimization settings. A simple PC and some video games that can be purchased on the online gaming store Steam can be affordable.
Steam also offers its own VR program, so you can use a video game’s built-in graphics settings to optimize the video game for your PC and run the game in lightning speed.
There are also various video game genres, such as first-person
shooters like the Call of Duty franchise, which users can control much more smoothly with a keyboard and mouse rather than a controller.
PC users also have access to around 70,000 online game stores sold by Steam or the Epic Games Store, including games exclusively made for VR.
According to Steam sales tracker, these online stores have much to offer between the many different sales.
Between the many different indie game titles, which are usually cheap and first released on Steam before hitting consoles, these video games are being sold at affordable prices. These facts combined allow PCs to offer a much wider variety of gaming experiences that consoles could only wish to offer.
Affordability, accessibility and offering the future of gaming with VR technology, are other advantages PC games have over consoles such as the Nintendo Switch and PS5.
A 2020 chart on the gaming website Imagine Games Network, commonly known as IGN, revealed consoles used to cost $300 on average.
Current console prices continue to creep upward with the PS5 Pro priced at $960 as the most notorious example, making the price gap between PCs and consoles smaller as the average PC setup only costs around $700.
VR headsets are also starting to become more affordable compared to consoles as the lowest price of a high-end VR headset climbs to $600.
According to Statista, the standard price of video games also increased to $90 from $80 since last year.
While consoles have built-in online stores, such as the Nintendo E-Shop or PlayStation store, they typically throw big sales in the 60 to 90 per
cent off range mainly on holidays and company anniversaries, which can be rare to come across.
The more common sales tend to be in the 15 to 30 per cent range.
With all of that in mind, PCs have become an excellent alternative to playing video games.
It is no surprise that the PC has become one of the most popular choices among all gamers, and, if it continues to grow at the same rate, it will become the definitive way to play video games and is poised to adapt to VR technology for gaming.
LuceFurlano,he/him,isthenewsletter editor at Humber Et Cetera coveringtechnologyandesports.
Luca Furlano
With personal computer’s gaming flexibility, consoles are becoming redundant.
J. TROMP
Students struggle trying to find housing near Humber’s North campus.
THE CANADIAN PRESS IMAGES/DON DENTON
High school CPR, first aid training can be life-saver
Alife-changing moment my dad Jaime recently experienced – forcing a man’s heart to restart – underscores the need to make cardiopulmonary resuscitation and first aid a part of every Canadian high school’s curriculum.
He was closing the Mississauga office he manages with another employee in September when the man suddenly collapsed. My dad saw the man fall to his side, bang his head on a wall and again on the back of a desk.
The man had stopped breathing.
I took a CPR and first aid course because it was required at one of my workplaces but wasn’t part of my high school curriculum. I never thought I would use it, and I haven’t.
My dad, however, rushed to where the man was lying on the ground with a large wound on his head. He wasn’t breathing.
Dad told me he immediately started chest compressions and called 911.
“While I was talking to the operator on the phone and giving her details about our location, I noticed he started breathing again and he slowly began to come to,” he said. He later found out that the man had gone into cardiac arrest.
He said some people may think they will never have to perform CPR, but it can happen to anyone.
“Having helped the same person twice I am just happy that he’s alive and well. I wouldn’t have been able to do that if I had never been trained,” he said.
Dad voluntarily signed up for a first-aid course in high school three decades ago, at
the time it wasn’t mandated.
‘I can’t say how much I remember from back then because that goes back many years, but I can say that my instincts just kicked in,” he said.
St. Johns Ambulance Training Manager, Chris Schmied said in most cases CPR can be instinctual during life-threatening situations, even if their training wasn’t recent.
“I had a fire chief tell me, going back now 10 years, he said when somebody’s life is at risk in an accident and they survive, there is an overwhelming possibility that there was somebody trained, doing first aid, and that’s why they survive when they arrive,” he said.
Ontario’s then-Minister of Education, David Johnson, mandated in 1999 that the province’s high schools have CPR training as a part of the physical education curriculum. It’s also required in Alberta, Quebec and Manitoba high schools.
Despite being required, according to a study by the Canadian Cardiovascular Society only 56 per cent of Ontario high schools offer CPR and AED training, apparently because of a lack of funding.
Red Cross program advisor, former paramedic and Toronto district fire chief, Michael Nemeth said first responders are all trained in CPR.
Julia Sequeira, she/her, is a reporter for HumberEtCeteracoveringnewsandmusic.
North campus students need Finch West LRT now
The commute to Humber is a daily trip for me, meaning I experience unexpected schedule complications on a nearly daily basis.
My experience as a student traveling east to west is that buses are often delayed or simply do not show up.
The bus tracking app will go from ‘scheduled’ to ‘departed’ without any vehicle ever driving by, let alone stopping to pick up passengers.
This becomes more of a serious problem as we approach the winter months. Standing out and waiting for the next bus scheduled 20 minutes late is one thing, doing so at the mercy of low temperatures is another.
The TTC has stated its delays are mainly caused by weather conditions and traffic congestion.
This makes the long-awaited Finch West Light Rail Transit (LRT) all the more of a necessity for anyone commuting westbound without the luxury of a personal vehicle, which the majority of students do not have.
I’m certainly not the only student who commutes and would benefit from a more reliable form of transit.
Andrew Joshua Jackson, a first-year prehealth student, said he often sees delays and no-show buses on his trip to Humber North.
“I’ll check earlier when I’m getting ready,
and it’ll say 20 minutes. I’ll plan ahead to get there, and then it ends up taking 40 or 50,” Jackson said.
“If I want to get to my classes at 8:30, I’m leaving the house at 6 a.m.,” he said.
Jackson said he doesn’t expect the relief of the LRT to come soon, given that the completion date has been pushed back multiple times already.
The Finch West LRT was initially projected for an opening date before the end of 2023. The 10.3-kilometre line with 18 stops links Humber College in the west and the Finch West subway station in the east. But that date was then pushed into 2024, with plans to open before the fall semester was underway.
September came and went without any faster transit, and Metrolinx again pushed the date, with officials feeling confident it would open by the end of the year.
The Metrolinx media team said in an email to questions from Et Cetera that major construction is now complete at all stations. However, they are now in the process of final paving, roadwork, landscaping and site restoration.
Metrolinx said they are still also conducting operator-driver training programs, which started in July.
Despite statements of confidence in the LRT’s ability to be up and running by 2025, Metrolinx’s email said the timeline of final testing and training will affect when they can determine an opening date.
Projected dates have been given in the past, and the mark has been missed more than once, so maybe it’s best to take it with a grain of salt.
The lack of hustle to get the new transit system up and running doesn’t mean it isn’t important, however. It remains a necessity for those of us moving east to west.
LiamOliverNeilson,he/him,isasenior reporter and page one editor for Humber Et Cetera
Julia C. Sequeira
Jamie Sequeira has used his CPR skills he learned to save his coworker and his daughter.
HUMBERETC/JULIA SEQUEIRA
Liam Oliver Neilson
StyleCon’s modish North campus debut
Humber Polytechnic held its inaugural StyleCon on Nov. 21 as students from the Fashion Arts and Business program transformed the E-Concourse at the North campus into a hub of creativity and style.
The event showcased autumn and winter trends through live styling demos, curated looks, and dynamic collaborations, attracting students eager to explore fashion’s potential to merge function with flair.
Leading the charge was Kiera Bloch, the project manager and a student in the Fashion Arts and Business program, who worked tirelessly to bring the vision of StyleCon to life.
“StyleCon was about showing our student body that it’s never too cold to be confident. We wanted to show how you can spice up your outfits even in freezing temperatures and celebrate the creativity of our program and students,” Bloch said.
The event’s execution relied on teamwork among stylists, designers, models, and graphic designers.
“We really just had a vision and brought it to life. We wanted chic, we wanted professional, and we brought in amazing vendors who support the LGBTQ+ Resource Centre to enhance the event’s inclusivity,” Bloch said.
Head stylist and graphic design team leader Sofia Ferguson played a pivotal role in shaping the creative vision of StyleCon, working closely with her team to bring the event to life.
“To describe the whole process, it was very fun. Very fun, overwhelming, but in the best way possible,” Ferguson said.
Working with the models, she and her team blended trending looks with personal touches.
“It was very exciting getting all the stylists and using our creativity to create something so amazing today. We wanted to make our models feel comfortable, so we mixed a little of their style with ours to create something really cool and beautiful,” she said.
Ferguson’s goal was to inspire attendees to step outside their comfort zones while keeping practicality in mind.
“We’re all a little extra but we wanted to push boundaries while still making the looks relatable for everyday wear,” she said.
First-time model Rubi Choi shared the challenges and excitement of participating in StyleCon.
“I was very nervous standing in front of so many people but it was such an amazing opportunity, and the most exciting part is seeing the energy and creativity of someone come alive on stage,” Choi said.
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Humber Fashion students promote style, sustainability
bit,” she said.
Humber Fashion Arts and Business students showcased their commitment to sustainability during the annual Eco Closet event at the north campus yesterday.
The initiative began as a way to make clothing for internship interviews accessible to students and has since evolved to embrace eco-conscious fashion further.
Allison Skinner, a second-year fashion student, sold purses and bag charms from her brand Studio ADS at the Eco Closet.
In Grade 7 she began crocheting with her grandmother. With the craft’s surge in popularity in the past few years, she decided to open a business selling her crochet products.
“It started off as a hobby and then a lot of people started buying it, and now I just vendor certain events,” she said. “It’s basically just a hobby I turned into a job.”
Skinner said she was happy to connect with people attending the event and to get exposure from Humber students.
It’s just really nice to see who’s buying your stuff instead of it just being an online shop, she said. While Skinner sold her bags and charms at the event, other fashion students had roles in the fully student-run event.
Cristina Di Sotto, a second-year fashion student, was the event’s project manager. She chose to elect herself in this role, aiming to push herself out of her comfort zone.
“I’ve been in leadership positions at work and things like that ... so I kind of felt led to give it a try and put myself out there a little
Di Sotto feels honoured to manage the event, showing how the fashion program promotes sustainability while simultaneously using knowledge from her courses to curate second-hand clothing and accessories for attendees. The Eco Closet demonstrates Humber fashion students’ commitment to accessible and sustainable style.
Humber Polytechnic’s Office of Sustainability recently announced plans to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2029, accelerating its original Climate Action Plan target of 2050 by 21 years.
At the Eco Closet, Gabi Hentschke, the sustainability communications and engagement coordinator at Humber’s Office of Sustainability, gave out sewing kits to encourage attendees to re-work the existing items in their wardrobe.
“I think it’s really cool to be creative first with what you already have at home,” she said. “You could either slightly change (an) item with ... sewing, mending or just accessorizing it and styling it in a different way.”
Attendees at the event were excited to shop for new clothes that aligned with their values of sustainability.
Cecilia Martins, a first-year GuelphHumber business student, enjoys thrifting because it gives a second chance to clothes.
“Clothing is always in landfills and so I always try to be more environmental when it comes to purchasing clothes,” she said.
Martins bought a sweater and T-shirt at the start of the event and returned with a friend to have another look.
Luis Miguel S. De Castro HumberETC Cuture
Aislinn E. Millette HumberETC Culture
Rubi Choi was donned in a design by head stylist Michelle Boamah for the event.
HUMBERETC/GABRIEL NODA
Humber’s Eco Closet event made interview attire accessible for north campus students.
HUMBERETC/AISLINN E. MILLETTE
Jays haven’t learned their lesson from last year
It’s November, and the Toronto Blue Jays are in pursuit of a star player looking to sign a historic contract and have seemed to go all in on him, with no backup in case Plan A backfires.
Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
That’s been the Jays’ offseason strategy for the past two years. Last season the star player in question was Shohei Ohtani, who after a tumultuous offseason where fans were trying to track his private jet, decided to sign with the now World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
This offseason, the player in question is outfielder Juan Soto, who’s coming off a career year with the New York Yankees, and helped
the team to a World Series finals appearance, the organization’s first since 2009.
While the Blue Jays and general manager Ross Atkins look to replicate the success of their division rivals and return to their former glory of the ’90s when they won back-to-back World Series, they seem to be going in the direction of reaching into their deep pockets to find external help for a team without a postseason win since 2016.
It’s a direction that neglects the already flawed composition of the roster and a lack of depth in the organization despite what their payroll says.
The sports statistics website Spotrac said the Blue Jays ranked ninth with a total payroll of more than $218 million in the 2024 season, while also owning the worst record among those top 10 teams last season.
Entering 2025, the Jays are again expected to be among the top 10 in the MLB payroll, with multiple core players either eligible for arbitration or free agents by next fall.
This offseason is the last where franchise player Vladimir Guerrero
Jr. is available for arbitration and a contract extension is a main topic of concern for Jays’ management this offseason.
Despite this, they want to go after top free agents so they will contend in the here and now.
It’s a choice that, in a vacuum, makes sense. The top players are about to get large paydays, with the potential for more options than just Toronto, so the Jays might as well try to sign them while they have team control.
I fear that if the push for Soto
doesn’t work out, and if Atkins and the Blue Jays brass don’t continue to make moves that improve the depth of the roster, as well as address the team’s struggles with hitting in the first half of the season and their bullpen, it will be more of the same underwhelming on-field play that Jays fans are tired of watching.
More than that, it will shorten their contending window and set the organization up for a long-term rebuild in a market that is desperate for a winner.
Sports statistics website Base-
ball Reference says the Blue Jays’ bullpen ranked dead last among the MLB in wins above replacement, an area that Jays fans have called to be addressed since the 2022 wild-card loss to Seattle.
On top of that, the Jays ranked as the worst team in the MLB in slugging percentage in the first half of the season. While the team’s batting was better after the all-star break, hitting consistency has been an issue that should be looked at to improve this off-season.
There are problems with this roster, and a future that needs to be established that involves a longterm extension for Guerrero Jr., and applying Rogers’ deep pockets to build up prospects rather than signing the top free agent available.
If Atkins and Blue Jays management decide to go after free agents, it will show that they haven’t learned from their Ohtani mistakes, and will set the franchise in the wrong direction.
Scott A. Blain, he/him, is a generalassignmentreporteratHumberETC who mainly covers sports at HumberandacrossToronto.
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Vladimir Guerrero’s future in Toronto is a top priority for the Blue Jays.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/CHRIS YOUNG
Scott A. Blain
Argonauts celebrate 19th Grey Cup win
Ethan Alcaidinho HumberETC Sports
The underdog Toronto Argonauts were doused in champagne, tickled by flying confetti and bowled over by tremendous applause from jubilant fans at Maple Leaf Square as they celebrated their 41-24 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at the 111th Grey Cup last Sunday. Fans and players alike celebrated Nov. 19 the team’s first Grey Cup win since 2022, taking their place as CFL champions once again. It was Argos’ 19th cup in the cup’s 111-year history.
Quarterback Nick Arbuckle, named the Most Valuable Player of the championship game, expressed his pride in the team’s journey.
“It feels amazing,” he said. “So many people sacrificed so much to get here. Everyone has a story, and it’s incredible to see how far we’ve come. From players like Priest (Robert Priester), who started the season on the couch and ended up scoring an intercep-
tion touchdown in the Grey Cup, this victory means a lot to every one of us.”
The Argos faced their fair share of challenges during the season, but they persevered, with a focus on growth and unity.
“We’ve really embraced adversity as an opportunity to learn and grow,” General Manager Michael “Pinball” Clemons said. “The character of these players shone through at every turn. They chose to come together, making each other better and stronger.”
Head coach Ryan Dinwiddie highlighted the team’s togetherness as a key factor in their success.
“The players appreciate each other deeply,” he said. “That respect and enjoyment of each other’s company led to their hard work paying off on game day.”
The victory was celebrated not just by the team but also by devoted fans.
Argos fan Chris Taylor believes the win could help boost the CFL’s future in Toronto.
“With Rogers owning MLSE now, winning the championship right off the bat is a great sign for the future of the CFL here,” Taylor said.
For others like Rebecca Loucks, the victory was a deeply personal achievement.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Loucks said while holding a good luck charm, a lanyard with the Argos’ logo she wore for every game this season. “It’s more than just a win. It’s something for all of us to celebrate after a tough few years. It brings joy to the city and unites everyone.”
The event was full of pride and celebration, with fans like Sherril Best recounting their emotional reactions to the win. “I jumped, I cheered, I hugged my family,” she said. “This win shows that the Argos are a reliable, talented team. We outplayed the Bombers in every way.”
port their local team,” Best added.
“We have a winning team, and it’s time to show up for them.”
For some fans, the win marks the beginning of a new era of success for the Argos. Leland Stewart, who was watching his first season as an Argos fan, was overjoyed by the victory.
“It means a lot,” Stewart said. “I hope this is just the beginning of many more wins.”
sup-
The victory also highlights the growing and needed support for the Argonauts in Toronto. “Football fans in Ontario need to
Toronto Argonauts fans show up to Maple Leaf Square on Nov. 19 to celebrate the team’s 19th ever Grey Cup, defeating the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 41-24 in the 111th Grey Cup.
Argonauts players and fans celebrate the team’s championship victory.
Hawks soccer concludes season, adds
Men’sundefeatedseasoncomesto anend,bringinghomethegold
Samuel D. Brito Salas HumberETC Sports
A dreamlike season for the men’s soccer team ended on Nov. 9 in the best possible way after defeating the Algonquin Wolves by 1-0 in the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) final.
It’s the Hawks’ 10th national title and 16th provincial title.
The team started its way towards the Nationals’ final in the quarterfinals against the UKC Blue Devils from Halifax for a spot in the semifinal.
Humber was the dominant team throughout the game and with goals from players Luca Pinto, Franz Mella and Jacob Ball, defeated the Blue Devils with a 3-0 score.
In the first semifinal, the Hawks faced Alberta Colleges Athletic Association (ACAC) champion NAIT Ooks from Edmonton.
The Hawks showed its best football and didn’t offer any opportunities for the Ooks after Ball’s brace and Humber player Marcus Riviere goal to give Humber a 3-0 win.
In the final, the Hawks faced the Wolves and repeated the 2024 Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) final when Humber defeated Algonquin.
Just as in the provincial final, the outcome was the same thanks to Franz Mella’s goal, and decisive saves by Humber’s goalkeeper Peter Sherberstov to ensure Humber’s 1-0 win.
After losing the 2023 final at the OCAA against the Conestoga Condors, the Hawks were looking for a different outcome this new season.
Humber’s captain Matthew Laic said despite all the stress, the team managed to achieve its main goal.
“It feels great to have a good outcome,” Laic said. “This team feels more like a family than it does a team.”
Laic, who won the provincial championship MVP award, said he felt so honoured to have been chosen as MVP.
He said without the help of the other players, that award would have been impossible to get.
Sheberstov said to be chosen as man of the match in the Nationals final was surprising and unexpected. “It’s huge, honestly, especially as a first year,” Sheberstov said. “I’m really happy playing with this team.”
He said having good relations with players and coaches was the key to getting to his highest level to help the team.
Humber’s midfielder Matias Lescano said the team got to achieve all its goals they had.
“We put in a lot of hard work,” Lescano said. “Everybody on the team did a fantastic job.”
He said keeping the unity and brotherhood on the team will be the most important thing to achieve next year’s goals.
Humber got into the National championship after a magnificent provincial tournament.
The season started for the Hawks on Sept. 6 against Niagara Knights in Welland, Ont., where it got its first win of the season by a 2-1 score.
Its first game at home against Sheridan Bruins ended up with a 2-2 tie, the only game without a win for the team during the regular season.
After that game, the team began to string together win after win, including games against the former champions Condors, which they defeated 2-0, getting revenge from the 2023 final.
Another outstanding game faced the Hawks against Lambton Lions in the season’s fifth game which they defeated by a 13-0 rout.
Not only did the team start its win streak after Sheridan’s game, it also didn’t receive goals and scored a total of 37 goals during the regular season.
Already in the postseason, the Hawks continued to show its supremacy and good football over rivals, defeating the Mohawk Mountaineers and the Centennial Colts to get into the final four.
In the semifinals, the team faced its toughest match against Seneca Sting, a match decided in overtime after a very even match.
Humber overcame the Seneca goal that tied the game near the end of the 90 minutes and scored the definitive goal in the first period of overtime to qualify for the final.
The final match had Humber face Algonquin, who defeated Sheridan 3-2 in the semis. Thanks to Ball’s brace Humber defeated the Wolves and raised its provincial title before moving into the Nationals that mirrored the provincials.
Humber’s men’s soccer team was able to celebrate an OCAA championship after an undefeated
Hawks men’s soccer were able to go 9-0-1 through the season defeating Algonquin in the OCAA Championship Gold Medal Game while the
adds new medals to trophy cabinet
Womenstormbackfrom0-4start,
Samuel D. Brito Salas HumberETC Sports
It was a thrilling conclusion to a challenging season for the Humber Hawks women’s soccer team. They battled through an 0-4 start to win the OCAA silver medal, losing to the undefeated Seneca Sting in the finals. Under coach Jose Caro, the eight-time OCAA champions exhibited remarkable resilience and unity.
Caro expressed pride in the team’s journey and commitment to winning the silver medal.
“I was proud. It wasn’t easy to get here, when the team was able to get the final championship, it showed me, they were committed,” he said.
Preparation and strategy played vital roles in the team’s success, with the coaching staff emphasizing effort as a non-negotiable element of their game. This focus not only bonded the players but also enhanced their performance in critical playoff matches.
Spalla played a crucial role in fostering teamwork.
“I feel that I showed teamwork by being a leader to the rookies this season,” she said. “Playing a different position in the last few crucial games exemplified my versatility. This not only had a positive impact on our games but also helped me contribute offen sively and defensively.”
Players like midfielder Rosie Nichols and forward Chantel Spalla, both fourth-year players, delivered standout performances, including a crucial save from their first-year goalkeeper Angela Volpe.
Reflecting on the tournament, Spalla said in an email interview that scoring the game-winning goal against Redeemer in the semifinal game was her standout moment, saying that cheering with her teammates was an incredible feeling.
Spalla said the emotions she felt immedi lately after realizing the team had won the silver medal were tempered by realizing the team wouldn’t be heading to the nationals.
“I felt many emotions after winning the silver medal. I felt sad at first knowing we’d lost the opportunity to go to the nationals,” she said. “However, that feeling didn’t last long when I thought about all the accomplishments our team made throughout the entire season.
“In that moment, I felt proud of myself and the journey I had with my teammates,” Spalla said.
First-year players such as Alyssa Fraga and Volpe also rose to the occasion, significantly enhancing the team’s success by tackling difficult situations. The team faced challenges in building chemistry due to being largely new, Spalla said.
They addressed this by maintaining high attendance at practices and engaging in group activities during away games.
The support from the school and families also played a vital role in motivating the Hawks.
Caro said the players felt an obligation to perform for their supporters.“A huge fan of the family, they’re like the 12th player,” he said.
“We play for the badge, play for the jersey, but the players play for themselves and their family. Parents have done such a huge job in making sure they’re prepared to face adversity.”
Caro said it’s not about how the season starts, but how it finishes, especially in the face of adversity.
He plans on building from this season’s momentum, with a focus on this winter’s indoor soccer season and nurturing confidence in new players while emphasizing the basics during the offseason will be crucial for continued development.
Spalla said she believes their silver medal is significant for women’s soccer.
“This achievement will change perceptions, demonstrating how competitive and skilled we are. It shows that women’s sports are capable of much more than people think,” she said.
undefeated regular season, which they continued into the national tournament, winning CCAA gold.
women’s team were able recover from a rough start earning a OCAA silver medal against Seneca. All photos taken by Samuel D. Brito Salas.
First-year goalkeeper Angela Volpe.
COURTESY/HUMBER ATHLETICS
HAWKS SOCCER WRAPS UP SEASON WITH HARDWARE P. 12-13
