The Daily Voice, Nov 29, 2023 • Volume 57 • Issue 4

ARTS & LIFE

Bug Bakers

UBC showcases bugs as a sustainable alternative food source. P7

2023

AW A R E D IA G E ME E K LY OLLE C L E CO -Y E A R W A N P IN TW

SPORTS & SCIENCE

CAMPUS

Diabetes Help

Type 1 diabetes advancements give more patients options when it comes to insulin. P8

Work-Cap Worry

The return of the 20 hour workcap for international students causes concern. P3

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PRODUCED BY LANGARA JOURNALISM STUDENTS | WWW.LANGARAVOICE.CA

NOVEMBER 29, 2023 • VOL. 57 NO. 4 • VANCOUVER, B.C.

Minis make it big P6 A space marine librarian terminator miniature model painted by Jim Vesal. ROY FANG PHOTO

City task force delays key report Budget recommendations pushed back to January  By EMILY BEST

S

ome Vancouver council members are concerned that a city budget task force's final report, expected in early October, is still not available.

Instead, the chair of the task force presented council with a progress update on Tuesday, and promised the final report would be made public in January.

The budget task force was established by Mayor Ken Sim and his party ABC in April, and the terms of reference for the task force were approved by council earlier this year.

“It was clearly outlined that the report would be available to council and to the public by early October,” said OneCity Coun. Christine Boyle, one of three councillors not affiliated with the majority ABC party.

She added that the final report was expected in October to enable transparent public discussion about

recommendations that could affect timelines is concerning.” the city’s budget.

Randy Pratt, a chartered profes“Those dates were blown by,” sional accountant with past expeBoyle said. rience in real estate development, This delay chaired the means the task force. In budget will be his presenta“It was clearly pushed back to tion Tuesday the new year to morning, he outlined that the incorporate the said his team report would be report findings, was surprised or it will move by the amount available to council of spending forward without input from ithin the and to the public by wcity’s the report. budget “The budget that purportearly October.” is the most edly lies — COUN. CHRISTINE BOYLE important decioutside the sion that we city’s mandate make every year,” Boyle said. as well as its overall complexity.

“For an independent committee “Those of us that dive into those that is composed of two members hundreds of documents every year of council from the same political know it’s complicated, so to be party to be doing that work separate surprised at the complexity of this from public involvement and report- is surprising in itself,” Boyle said. “A ing back so late after their promised lot of the themes that came out of

this report are important, but they’re not new. They’re not transformative recommendations.”

Green Party Coun. Adriane Carr said the task force, which is made up predominantly of chartered accountants, hasn’t so far offered anything new that she and her party don’t already know regarding the need for sourcing extra funding to tackle large issues.

“For somebody looking at this city’s budget, to be surprised at the infrastructure deficit, I have to wonder what planet he’s living on,” Carr said.

As the report has not yet been made public, it is unclear what specific methods for increasing revenue and accessing further provincial and federal funding has been proposed.

Pratt noted the possibility of

exploring strategic partnerships to find revenue outside property taxes, consolidating city services to minimize over-spending, and collaborating with other municipalities.

Pratt said he was not recommending that current services should be cut, but he said that the task force believes housing, childcare, and healthcare fall outside the city’s mandate.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday outside council chambers, Sim praised the efforts of the task force.

"This was a heavy lift," Sim said.

Sim said before taking any action, he would rather wait for the report.

"Let's get the report first, and see what it says, and if there's anything that's actionable, we'll make them actionable,” Sim said.

Council to recieve report January 2024

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Atlarge

THE VOICE | WEDNESDAY, NOV. 29, 2023

School support workers seek relief Inclusive education support workers say Surrey school district needs more staffing to meet demand

 By MEHARWAAN MANAK

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nclusive education support workers in the Surrey school district say they are being stretched thin.

Gioia Breda, an integration support teacher and member at large on the Surrey Teachers Association executive, says the support workers are overwhelmedw1a from managing multiple special needs students at the same time. She said resources are not reflective of their workloads and that “support is constantly being pulled and negotiated.”

Surrey is the largest growing school district in B.C. with 80,000 students expected in the 2023-2024 school year. Of these students, 7,215 are designated with diverse abilities and disabilities. This number exempts students who are undiagnosed but still require classroom support.

According to Laura McDonald, administrative assistant with the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 728, Surrey has 2,700 inclusive education support workers tasked with those students.

Students who require additional support go through a series of assessments by a team of specialists to determine the child’s diagnosis.

Breda said the assessment can take up to two years, culminating in the student’s school team developing a unique integrated education plan.

“It’s really imperative that there are enough [support workers] to

Inclusive education support workers in the Surrey school district say they are overstretched in dealing with the district’s thousands of students with special needs. MEHARWAAN MANAK PHOTO

support those kids,” Breda said.

Ritinder Matthew, associate director of communication services for Surrey school district, said, “As a district, the way we approach [educational plans] are to ensure that every child has access to the support that they need.”

Matthew said that although “some districts publicly have said that there is a shortage of [inclusive education support workers] in their district, in our district we do not have a shortage. All our school-based positions are full.”

But many support workers say the

PoCo snow and ice removal goes online GPS equiped plows will allow residents to track progress of snow and ice clearance on city roads  By THEA CATIPON

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ort Coquitlam is letting residents track the city’s snow and ice removal in real time.

The city is attaching GPS systems to its snow clearing vehicles so that they can be tracked online. The goal is to make residents aware of where the nearest plows are located and when they will be available. Similar systems are in place in Richmond and Surrey.

“We like to know what’s going to happen,” said Port Coquitlam Coun.

Darrell Penner, council designate for public works. “People are pretty happy with that.”

Starting this winter, the real-time feed will be open to residents with information such as which roads have been maintained and cleared, Penner said.

Road conditions are a topic of concern with many residents. A recent city survey placed road conditions as the 12th category out of the 13 that city residents are satisfied with. Snow removal was the fifth most mentioned cause of that assessment.

Noelle Davidson, co-owner of resources. The ability to see which Excel Martial Arts Port Coquitlam, roads have been maintained means said road clearance in the city is slow. that trucks can avoid salting and brin“They take a long time to remove ing a road twice. It also allows drivers snow and ice,” she said. to pick the best routes to minimize Davidson said that having a way to mileage and fuel. monitor how the city is clearing the “The efficiency results in a better roads can be “super helpful” espe- bang for your buck,” Penner said. cially for driving after school.

“And if you can improve service then Other residents say snow removal that makes the customers, you know, in Port Coquitlam is not a concern. more happy.”

Port Coquitlam real estate agent Much of the rollout for the new Mark George said that because the system depends on the weather. city doesn’t A snow-free have a lot of winter season “The efficiency elevation, his would leave clients don’t see new equipresults in a better snow clearing ment idle and as a problem. bang for your buck would delay “PoCo has the calibration ... and if you can been pretty of the system good when to the followimprove service it comes to ing year. snow and ice Pe n n e r then that makes removal and noted the rollkeeping the the customers, you out may also streets drivhave to deal know, more happy.” with dead spots able,” George said. “When I in the vehi— DARRELL PENNER pass from one cle routes or PORT COQUITLAM COUN. community to a glitch in the the next, they’re not all as good.” software’s tracking.

Penner said that the city has always “It’s like, you know, installing a aimed to improve it services. new Windows program, and all of “We literally have one of the best a sudden things don’t work,” Penner snow removal policies in Metro said.

Vancouver,” Penner said.

The City of Port Coquitlam did Penner said the live data from the not respond to a request for an estisystem will save the city money as mate of the program’s costs by the it will help monitor equipment and Voice deadline.

district is not doing enough and that staffing should be increased.

Aman Sidhu, an elementary inclusive education school support worker, cited the example of a colleague who must manage four students in addition to another student with diabetes who has critical medical needs.

“Those diabetic students should not get that support pulled because they can drop or get high anytime with their diabetes, that’s a huge safety concern and it’s very disturbing,” Sidhu said. “All across the board there’s more needs and not enough EAs.” Breda, who has been a part of the district for 21 years, s1aid in the past students who had not been diagnosed with an issue but were on track for a diagnosis could receive a provisional designation to allow funding to support them. But that policy ended last year, she said, noting that the policy was informal and possible only because the district budget allowed for it.

Breda said undiagnosed students not specifically attached to a support worker represent the largest strain on their work.

“We need to support those students too regardless of whether or not they have a designation or diagnosis,” she said.

“If the ministry gave the district a bigger funding portfolio for [support workers], it would mean that more students would get the supports that they need.”

The union hopes that in the next round of bargaining the district can provide Surrey schools with more human resources. It argues that an increase in staffing is required to support students with diverse abilities and disabilities.

“We’re just being stretched so thin,” said Sidhu.

A note from the editor

Recently, in pursuing a story, one of our reporters received the following from the LSU in response to questions: I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to express our gratitude for your interest in covering the Langara Students' Union and the efforts made by our team to provide you with information and insights.

However, we have encountered concerns about the accuracy and bias evident in the articles that have been published following our collaborations with various journalism students . It's unfortunate that despite our efforts to provide accurate information, the resulting coverage has portrayed the Langara Students' Union in a manner that doesn't align with the facts.

In light of this, and in commitment to upholding transparency and accuracy in our interactions with the media, we have decided to reassess our approach to providing information. Moving forward, we will ensure compliance with the requirements outlined by the BC Societies Act regarding information provision.

Given the recent issues with accuracy and bias, we regrettably find it necessary to limit our engagement to fulfilling the specific obligations mandated by the Societies Act. Should there be any requests that fall within these requirements, we will honor our obligations to provide the necessary information.

We value journalistic integrity and fair reporting that accurately represents all parties involved. Should there be a demonstrated commitment to unbiased and accurate coverage in the future, we would be open to reconsidering our position.

Thank you for your understanding in this matter. We hope for a more constructive engagement in the future that upholds the principles of fair and accurate journalism.

Sincerely, Media Committee, Langara Students’ Union Association It comes as a surprise to the Voice and the journalism department to hear the LSU accuse the Voice of bias and inaccuracies, particularly at this date when we've published several stories without a hint of complaint.

The faculty managing editor's contact details are in the newspaper, and readers are invited to point out any coverage they might take issue with. Yet neither the paper nor the department has heard from the LSU regarding any concerns.

The Voice is committed to balanced, fair and thorough coverage of all news, activities and financial concerns of Langara College’s student body. The journalism department upholds the strictest journalism ethics and standards. When the Voice makes an error, however minor it might be, we honour the expectation that we be transparent, and immediately issue a correction or retraction.

This is a cornerstone of our profession and something we are committed to.

It is puzzling that the LSU announced it would be limiting its transparency and the information students request to see.

It is the duty of Langara's journalism reporters to seek information, ask questions, and investigate when students come forward with complaints, whether against the LSU, Langara’s administration, or college departments.

Campusnews

EDITOR ERIN CONNERS | WEDNESDAY, NOV. 29, 2023 | THE VOICE

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Sebastian Ipuz Gomez and Antonio Fuentes, both international students, say the work cap reinstatement creates affordability struggles with the high cost of living in Vancouver. EDMUND HAYLEY PHOTO

Students dread return of 20-hour limit

International students say they need more work hours to make ends meet  By EDMUND HAYLEY

T

he federal government should continue allowing international students to work full-time offcampus, say students and student advocates.

As of Jan. 1, 2024, international students will only be able to work off-campus a maximum of 20 hours per week. Last November, the federal government removed the 20-hour weekly limit through a pilot intended to address a Canada-wide labour shortage.

International students say the ending of this temporary policy change will hinder their ability to cover education, housing and

living costs.

Pizza Pzazz employee Sebastian Ipuz Gomez said many international students, like himself, will be unable to pay rent, buy groceries or maintain adequate mental health. Ipuz Gomez is studying for a private pilot licence at Insignia College, based in Delta and Surrey, and said he finds Metro Vancouver expensive.

“I really need to ask for some financial aid sometimes to my parents,” Ipuz Gomez said.

International student Antonio Fuentes, who also works at Pizza Pzazz at Granville Island Public Market, said he needs more than 20 work hours, and that the policy change will hurt students.

“They need to pay the rent, the

school, the groceries, everything,” Fuentes said. “I can barely pay for my food.”

British Columbia Federation of Students chairperson Melissa Chirino is part of a campaign seeking to have the weekly limit removed permanently to allow international students to work full-time offcampus.

“We’re going to continue to ask to make this change,” Chirino said.

In an email to the Voice, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said it is “in the process of assessing the impact that this public policy has had, including how many eligible international students have taken advantage” of the ability to work more hours.

“The temporary lifting of the 20-hour limit for off-campus work is helping to address Canada’s labour shortage, and provides an opportunity for students to have a fuller workplace experience while they study,” the email from the immigration department said.

According to Fuentes, the restriction incentivizes employers to pay employees illegally because it is difficult to find new workers to fill the gap.

“It might be easier to just give them money under the table,” Fuentes said.

Chirino said the restrictions prevent students from being fully available for work and being able to support themselves.

“I think we're all feeling the high cost of living, high rent, high tuition fees,” Chirino said.

Chirino said the limit on hours contributes to an unsafe workplace for everyone involved.

“It really just creates a non-safe work environment for both internationals and employers in the end,” Chirino said. “When you’re paying people under the table, it puts you at risk.”

Chirino is hopeful the restrictions will be lifted permanently.

“The federal government has a chance to make sure that they're making the right decisions and ensuring that they're supporting the students that are being brought into Canada,” Chirino said.

Faculty aghast at proposal to add admin positions Chairs say surplus should be spent on students, not brass  By JAMIE MAH

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aculty at Langara College have expressed concern about the college’s recent proposal to add five new associate dean positions for the fall 2024 semester.

Some faculty believe the new positions will remove work from faculty in favour of administration and that some of the college’s surplus will be used for administration rather than student support such as counselling, food banks and student fees.

Niall Christie, Langara Faculty chairs who represent the faculty, and Association director and history the deans, who represent the admindepartment chair, said he was istration is “not very clear right now,” frustrated by he said. the decision T he LFA “It makes sense for and faculty to add new found out administration us to invest that about the roles without consulting the five new posimoney back into faculty union. tions in early student supports.”

“I find this October, soon quite botherafter they had — MELISA HAMILTON, LANGARA BIOLOGY DEPARTMENT CHAIR some actually,” lear ned of the College Christie said, adding that the college was “going having a budget surplus of funds. to add associate deans who would Melisa Hamilton, LFA board now be figures in the hierarchy … member and the chair of the biolbetween the deans and the division ogy department, said she is skeptichairs.” cal whether the addition of associate Christie said he is unsure exactly deans is the best way to spend surplus what duties these new positions funds. will have. Whether they will act as “To me, it seems like if we have intermediaries between the division such a large surplus on the backs of

international students, or students in general, it makes sense for us to invest that money back into student supports,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton said there are critical ways in which the college could give back to students.

“Increasing access to counselling and accessibility services,” she suggested. “We could start an examwriting centre. I think we need more tuition breaks or scholarships for our students, because it's very difficult for our students to survive in Vancouver with the high cost of living.”

Christie said the college’s decision to add new associate deans is misaligned with what he believes the school’s values should be.

“The question that I have is, how far is adding associate deans something that actually improves the quality of education for the students?”

Christie said. “I worry sometimes that among the senior administration, the basic mission of the college to educate students is sometimes being lost.”

The Voice, producing daily news this week, asked the college for comment but did not receive an answer by its end-of-day deadline.

Students had other ideas for the surplus.

Germanjeet Kaur, second-year associate of arts student, said the college should lower fees for international students.

“Because it's way too much,” Kaur said.

John Ryan Harper Coombs, a second-year political science student, wants more space for students.

“More places to study,” he said.

“We have a pretty decent library… but there's definitely a lack of space.”

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THE VOICE | WEDNESDAY, NOV. 29, 2023 | EDITOR THEA CATIPON

The fine lines between merchandis

Shopping sensations

Expansive decorations do the work to draw in customers

R

etail businesses have traditionally drawn in customers mainly through visual design.

Today, as stores compete for the attention of potential customers, businesses are trying to offer other sensory experiences.

Statistics Canada recorded a 0.6 per cent drop in retail sales from $66 million to $65 million. With this in mind, some visual merchandisers are taking this into account when designing stores’ layout and esthetics.

According to Aviva PhilippMuller, assistant marketing professor at the SFU Beedie School of Business, the design of the outside of the store has a different function than the inside. What consumers see through the windows is intended to draw them in, especially for those who aren’t planning to step inside

and shop.

“Maybe how things are interesting to look at and how different visual elements catch the eye,” PhilippMuller said.

Philipp-Muller said the brain has a visual centre that gets stimulated by certain colours, textures and patterns which can be accommodated to create a higher degree of connection to someone’s past experiences and memories. She said that you can “set things up visually so that it maybe plays into consumers’ emotions in an interesting way and maybe tugs on their heartstrings a little bit.”

Some consumers acknowledge they can be drawn in and influenced.

“I do admit that some stores look a little bit more inviting than others,” said Anastasia Chuvacova, a shopper on Robson Street in Vancouver. “It comes to essentially the first impres-

sion.”

But businesses are trying to appeal to more than customers’ sense of sight these days. Different auditory or olfactory experiences can also change their perception of a product.

Saanvi Chaudhry, a former Aritzia style advisor, said that the Robson branch has different set of music for each section of the store.

“All the music that they play is really associated with the clothing that you’re selling,” Chaudhry said.

The way the store is mapped out is also important in getting the best response from the consumer.

To try and direct customers to their preferred clothing, Aritzia stores are split into three different sections, each tailored to a specific clothing style. One section is more tailored to trendy styles of appear-

ance, while another might be more formal dresswear, and the last one appeals to athletic styles of clothing.

Depending on what the store is selling, Aritzia carefully positions its clothing within the store. For wintertime, Chaudhry said that “the first thing you see when you walk in is those super puffs and the way they organize it is they'll put the pops of colours on the front.”

Planning is key and there has to be a lot of consultation between visual merchandisers and their clients who want the most out of their investment. Each store has different layers that keep the consumer interested and focused on what’s for sale.

Visual merchandiser Kaitlyn Sloan said, “anytime we do change over a display in an area, we always see an increase in sales of that product.”

News&features 5

sing, psychology and art

Bigger is better and merrier

'We built a giant snow globe that customers can take photos in '

W

ith the holidays coming up, visual merchandisers are going for large and over-the-top displays.

Visual merchandiser Kaitlyn Sloan says that she is going for a more exaggerated show of display techniques, colour and lights where customers can take pictures.

“Stuff that kind of connects to the emotional side of the customer,” said Sloan.

Aviva Philipp-Muller said that while displays tends to

Upper left: A set of mannequins in the Sport Chek retail shop on Robson Street in Vancouver, B.C. Upper centre: Christmas decorations in a store fronts on Robson Street in Vancouver, B.C. Centre left: Large letter display of Jordans with a mannequin showcasing Jordans products.

Centre middle: Store front of Urban Outfitters on Fourth Avenue.

Centre bottom: A small wall-hanging decoration of Charlie Brown in Mintage on Commercial Drive, Vancouver, B.C Right: Cutout of shark statue outside a store front on Fourth Avenue. PHOTO BY MATEO MUEGO

Photos and stories

by Louis Bergeron

be larger, a classic esthetic is often woven into store front designs.

Displays use more greenery, pine trees and snowflakes to give the feeling that it’s Christmas.

“It's a very classic esthetic that you see repeated in lots of different display,” Philipp-Muller said.

There is a lack of variation when it comes to winter design. PhilippMuller said that because the Christmas designs follow classic themes, winter displays have fewer differing designs compared t o

summer presentations.

But these designs can only vary based on branding. The creative process involves working closely with various clients and partners to create plans for in store displays and layouts. Sloan said she draws various merchandizing plans from their clients and then creates “carpentry plans, graphics, different layers needed for that media, and fine planning.” Once the plans are put into action, they check on their retail store clients to adjust and change

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Photoessay

THE VOICE | WEDNESDAY, NOV. 29, 2023 | EDITOR ROY FANG

Painting his way toward profit

Photo essay by ROY FANG

J

im Vesal caters to wargamers who prefer gaming or collecting over painting. Vesal, who received the hobby track award for his painted models in the 2019 International Tournament Circuit, paints tabletop miniatures in his Vancouver apartment for a living.

“I'd won quite a few awards that year regarding my painting so a lot of people knew me as both a fast painter and a good painter,” Vesal said.

Tabletop wargames involve players fielding dozens of painted miniature models to simulate combat versus another player’s force. Vesal, who has painted models since he was 12, was able to utilize his reputation to acquire a steady and returning client base for his business, Duplicity Paint Studios.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Jim Vesal and his shelf which houses his supplies and personal painting projects A space marine librarian painted by Vesal for a client Vesal's favourite models, the Avatar of Khaine (back) and Jain Zar (front)

“Generally with my clients, if they liked my work they'll continue to work with me on future projects, different projects, sometimes they'll build on existing projects.”

Stefan Hoff, an employee at Strategies Games and Hobbies, a Vancouver-based store that specializes in board games and tabletop games, said that some people enjoy painting models to relax.

“A lot of people enjoy the hobby just for the painting and not actually the gaming aspect,” Hoff said.

Vesal previously worked in hospitality but painting has become his full-time job for the last six months.

He plans to return to working in hospitality when he finds a role that appeals to him. “[Painting is] a really good counterbalance to the chaos of hospitality,” Vesal said. “I can do it alone in the quiet and it's chill. It’s no one else and it's just me, whereas hospitality is the complete opposite.”

Miniatures from Vesal's personal army A figurine of Y'shtola Rhul from Final Fantasy 14 Vesal giving finishing touches to a client's models Horus Ascended, a model Vesal painted for a customer for $800

Arts&life

EDITOR CHRISTOPHER HARCOURT | WEDNESDAY, NOV. 29, 2023 | THE VOICE

A cricket hummus dish on display at the UBC Bug Bake Off. MAIYA SUZUKI PHOTO

Bugging Out: Eating Insects

A delicacy that might make some squirm proves to be a sustainable food  By MAIYA SUZUKI

U

BC food experts are attempting what might be impossible: making insects seem like an appetizing treat.

UBC professor Yasmin Akhtar teaches the “Insects as Food and Feed” course to reduce the squeamishness around consuming and cooking with insects, which are a surprisingly nutritious alternative food source.

Students of the faculty of land and food systems at UBC were put into four groups to compete in a Bug Bake-Off on Tuesday when they were required to incorporate an insect ingredient to their dish.

Akhtar staged this competition to educate students on why insects should be considered an alternative nutrient source.

“The main objective is that people should know the benefits of insects…as well as the need to know what are the risks associated with eating insects,” Akhtar said.

Akhtar said insects have nutritional benefits because they carry high levels of protein, vitamins, and fatty acids. She said that insect flours and powders are convenient ways to incorporate bugs into food in case people are worried about consuming whole insects.

“The other benefit is environmental. Rearing insects requires much less space, fewer resources like water and much less feed,” said Akhtar. “They produce much lower greenhouse gas emissions than cattle or pigs, for example.”

Deneal Proteau, nutritionist at Root Wellness Nutrition in Vancouver, said that she would consider recommending insects because of their nutritional bene-

fits, but they would need to be presented in an appealing way.

“There's things that I think can be on the same level of like uncertainty that I already recommend, such as beef liver supplements,” Proteau said. “That's something that's quite unusual for people to eat or consume. So like, I don't think insects to be too far off, to be honest.”

Nicole Lee, winner of the Bug Bake-Off, incorporated cricket powder into a pound cake recipe that she normally follows. Lee said throughout the course, she has learned about the “various benefits that it brings in terms of sustainability of the environment and also nutritional benefits.”

She said this helps them consider certain aspects of animal welfare.

David Speight, UBC executive chef and one of the contest judges, said that the students did a great job of incorporating the insects into their dishes without leaving any strong bug taste.

Speight said that it will take a while for society to start accepting insects as a nutrient alternative.

“You know, we are having a hard time shifting people towards a more plant-based diet and plants are sexy, they're grown on farms, they’re photogenic, and insects are not there,” Speight said Although bugs may scare people off, many people are already consuming rare animal products.

“We’re gonna have a real hard time from a society standpoint to shift to eating insects on the regular,” Speight said. “But our food system is broken and we do need to re-envision our food system and insects potentially can play a big role in that.”

Sitting at the table are Bug Bake Off judges Yasmin Akhtar (black jacket), Lui xia Lee (burgandy shirt) and David Speight (white chefs jacket). MAIYA SUZUKI PHOTO

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ScienceNews

EDITOR MILICA ANIC | WEDNESDAY NOV. 29, 2023 | THE VOICE

8

Vancouver General Hospital conducted a clinical trial along with many others worldwide that had participants with detectable insulin production at the start of the study. PHOTO BY MATEO MUEGO

New diabetic device offers hope UBC and Vancouver Coastal Health collaborate on Type 1 diabetes study

 By SARAH AMY LEUNG

gist and a study coordinator, said the researchers are on their way to new B.C.-based study creating a “functional cure,” noting is showing promising that a “true cure” would make an results for people with individuals’ pancreas create the insuType 1 diabetes who are lin it needs. using a prototypical stem cell-based These devices use stem cells that device to reduce reliance on drugs create “immature” pancreas cells in and daily insulin injections. hope that they will grow into “fully As part of the study, conducted out functioning” cells that will help reguof several medical locations includ- late blood sugar levels through insulin creation. ing UBC and VancouA n g e l ver General Alvarado has “ Hopefully this Hospital, a lived with Type turns out to small device 1 diabetes was inserted for a decade. be something Though diabein their abdotes has helped m e n . 1 0 that's extremely the 20-yearpeople to old motorcyhelp produce productive.” cle apprentice insulin.

— ANGEL ALVARADO, MOTORCYCLE connect with Three particAPPRENTICE ipants showed others like him, “significant experiences like markers of insulin production” six being hospitalized and the finanmonths into the study, which they cial toll of the condition remain a maintained for the rest of the one- struggle. year period, according to a UBC “It would just generally make press release. quality of life so much easier,” said People with Type 1 diabetes, an Alvarado, who spends $400 a month autoimmune disease, cannot create “just to stay alive.” insulin, which helps regulate blood He purchases Dexcom glucose sugar levels. Many must take daily transmitters for his diabetes every injections or take immunosuppres- three to four months. sants instead.

Alvarado hopes the device If the study results continue on this becomes widely available to help path, a treatment could eliminate a others in his position. dependence on these methods.

“Hopefully this turns out to be Barbara Allan, an endocrinolo- something that’s extremely produc-

A

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tive, and does come to the common market soon,” said Alvarado.

David Thompson, Clinical Assistant Professor at Vancouver Coastal Health and the study’s principal investigator for its Vancouver site, said that people with Type 1 diabetes still face potential complications even with insulin shots. While insulin still helps individuals, these shots cannot “achieve normal blood sugars.”

People who take immunosuppressants have increased chances of short-term headaches but also more serious impacts such as infections and cancer.

However, due to developments by tech company CRISPR, stem cells can be packaged in a way that limits upsetting the immune system.

Thompson and Allan said they were grateful to the participants, knowing that studies like this don’t guarantee a benefit.

“It’s not a cure, it’s not a treatment, it’s a study,” said Allan. “But it’s a great advance to now have cell packages that require less or no immune suppression.”

Thomas Elliott, medical director and founder of BC Diabetes, said the idea of using stem cells has been “kicked around for 20 years,” but technology has improved greatly.

“It’s just a question of getting enough of these cells in,” Elliot said.

“And doing the necessary scientific experiments to prove to the community of diabetes specialists like me that it’s safe and effective.”

PAGE EDITORS PAGE 1 Ty Lim PAGE 3 Erin Conners PAGE 4 & 5 Thea Catipon PAGE 6 Roy Fang PAGE 7 Christopher Harcourt

PAGE 8 Milica Anic MANAGING EDITOR Cala Ali CITY EDITOR Mateo Muego CITY DESKER Emma Shular

The dose-delivering unit (bottom) is about seven centimetres long and implanted along with a smaller sentinel device (top right). They are shown in comparison to a U.S. quarter. SUBMMITED PHOTO VIACYTE

Dr. David Thompson consults with a patient in his office. SUBMMITED PHOTO BY VANCOUVER COASTAL HEALTH

WEB EDITOR Melbah Grace Jacob REPORTERS Emily Best Jamie Mah Edmund Hayley Louis Bergeron Maiya Suzuki Sarah Amy Leung

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Email: ebulman @langara.ca

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