Exam and end of term pressure mean taking care of body and mind to stay awake. P2
Early child education heads outdoors in new natural setting to teach kids. P3
HOLIDAY SPECIAL
Donors to the Langley Christmas Bureau get special holiday surprise with Santa. P4-5
By KORALEE NICKARZ
Three departments on campus hope to benefit from a new donation from the company that runs food services at Langara.
The $125,000 donation will go to the Langara College Foundation and will be distributed to the office of equity, diversity and inclusion, department of nutrition and academic success centre.
The donation was announced Tuesday on campus during a ceremony by Denis Salle, regional vice president of operations for Compass Group, which owns Chartwells, the operator of Langara’s cafeteria and food services.
According to Salle, the donation is not just about dollars, but investing in the future.
“It is ensuring that the students have the resources to succeed,” said Salle.
Joy Walcott-Francis, director of equity, diversity, and inclusion, thanked the foundation and Chartwells, and said the gift would continue to allow Langara to foster a sense of belonging for students and staff.
“We want to be known as the institution that is inclusive,” said WalcottFrancis.
According to Gayathri Murthy, department chair of the nutrition department, the fund will help students to gain confidence in both their skills, as well as support students and alumni in their professional growth and success.
“We always wanted to have a networking and mentorship program for all our third-year college students. Finally, with this fund, we can make that happen,” said Murthy.
Joyce Wong, associate director, library and academic success centre, said the funding will enable Langara to create more work and professional opportunities for student leaders.
International student Nneka Mimi Brown Osondu, who is in her second year of studies in the business administration program, said she believes the funding is proof that Langara is committed to ensuring every part of student life is taken care of, as well as a reminder that her dreams are with investing in.
“Let this gift be a reminder that we are capable of great things,” said Osondu.
By MAJENTA
BRAUMBERGER
Taylor Swift’s world dominating Eras Tour stands to inject millions into Vancouver’s economy as it roars into Vancouver for her final stop next month.
Booming prices for accommodations and Swifties eager to find merchandise in local stores will generate an estimated $157 million in economic impact, according to Destination Vancouver and BC Pavilion corporation, the owner of BC Place.
The shows at BC Place on Dec. 6, 7 and 8 are expecting approximately 163,000 fans, many of whom will be seeking short-term accommodations.
Early December is historically slow for Vancouver’s hotels, but with over
82,000 rooms apparently booked by Swifties, short-term rental prices have ballooned.
Booking website Agoda quotes a one-night stay in a room with a double bed and private bathroom at the YWCA Hotel close to BC Place at $241 on Nov. 29.
On Dec. 7, the night of Swift’s second Vancouver show, the same room with a shared bathroom costs
$1,005, about four times the previous price.
Individual residents are also cashing in, listing their rooms on platforms like Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist for thousands of dollars a night.
Even those not looking to profit, like Vancouver resident Jessica Sopher, have noticed the demand.
“I wasn’t trying to rent out my room, and a friend contacted me
asking if I would be willing to rent my room to his friend for $500 U.S.,”
Sopher said.
Vancouver businesses are eagerly taking advantage of the economic boost.
A walk down Main Street, an area of Vancouver popular with tourists and locals alike, reveals multiple clothing retailers with custom Taylor Swift window displays, showcasing clothing and accessories Swifties can purchase for the concerts.
Judy Hanvey, supervisor of the Still Fabulous Thrift Shop, said their Swift-inspired displays clothing and other merchandise have drawn in plenty of shoppers with demand so high that it has been hard to keep up.
“We do the windows and they’re all sparkly and silver and what have you, and then people buy them,” Hanvey
said. “So as fast as we’re decorating the windows, we’re selling the windows.”
The craze goes beyond clothing. Some craft stores have seen a surge in bead purchases, as fans craft their own lettered bracelets as a tribute to Swift.
Melanie Elias, owner of the art materials store Urban Source, said she ordered extra beads to prepare for Swifties, but they’re still selling out.
Akino Gunstone, Urban Source’s creative lead, attributes the trend to concertgoers creating costumes for shows.
“I think more and more women dress up for concerts, which I just think is a really fun thing,” Gunstone said.
“With Taylor Swift, her fans maybe didn’t start it, but they kind of really did it. They just really made it happen.”
Speaking at a rally outside Vancouver City Hall on Tuesday, filmmaker and UBC professor Avi Lewis said the city would be betraying its status as a “beacon of light” if it reversed its policy on gas hookups in new buildings. TUAN TRAN PHOTO
Protesters rallied at Vancouver City Hall Tuesday, saying that a motion before city council to allow gas hookups in new buildings would be a step backward in combatting climate change.
At press time, the vote to overturn the ban, first implemented in 2020, had yet to be decided.
Organizers had expected 20 to 30 people to attend the rally, but three times that number arrived to urge council to look for sustainable energy solutions, like heat pumps, which activists claim are healthier and more efficient alternatives to gas.
Allison Bodine, the event’s host and a member of the environmental group Climate Convergence Metro Vancouver, said she hoped the rally would influence councillors who were still unsure about the vote.
“The time is now,” Bodine said. “Get gas out of buildings. We need to address this climate crisis immediately. This is one small step we can take.”
The original policy came into effect four years ago as part of the
City of Vancouver’s climate emergency action plan. According to the city, building emissions account for 55 per cent of Vancouver’s total emissions, with gas used for heating and hot water being the primary contributors.
The plan states that by 2030, the target is to cut carbon emissions in buildings by half compared to 2007.
While the city’s climate action plan has made some progress, such as a 17 per cent reduction in community-wide carbon emissions despite population and economic growth, it is falling short of the council's target to reduce emissions by 50 per cent by 2030.
municipalities and provinces like Quebec to follow its lead in phasing out fossil fuels in buildings.
“How can we go back when we are
Avi Lewis, an associate professor in the geography department at the University of British Columbia and filmmaker who spoke at the rally, says the city should not be going backwards.
Lewis said Vancouver had inspired the country, influencing multiple
Committee, said overturning the policy would have broader implications.
“We already see climate disasters all around this province. It’s crucial we continue to prioritize climate action to prevent further loss of life.”
— ISABEL SIU-ZMUIDZINAS, CLIMATE CAMPAIGNER
making that kind of progress?” he said. “Here in Vancouver, we can still be a beacon of light, clean air, clean skies and clean buildings.”
Isabel Siu-Zmuidzinas, a climate campaigner with the Wilderness
HILARY ANGUS
By
Julie Beadle a Langara psychology instructor, didn’t initially notice when a student fell asleep in the back of one of her recent classes, but then other students became distracted by the snoring.
As students approach the end of the fall 2024 semester, studies show they are likely not getting enough sleep. A 2018 study by U.S. researchers found fewer than 10 per cent of students get the recommended eight hours of sleep during finals, and a 2023 study found that for every hour of sleep lost, students were likely to see a .07 reduction in their end-of-term GPA.
Beadle said she spends time at the beginning of each semester giving her students advice on time management and general tips that help them take care of their physical and mental wellbeing throughout the semester and setting time aside for sleep. However, she also realizes that her advice can only go so far.
“I recognize, you know, people have a lot on, and schedules are full,” Beadle said. “There can be lots of different reasons why someone might be tired or fall asleep during class.”
In the 2024 Canadian Student Wellbeing Survey, 56 per cent of students said “not having enough time to manage their other commitments” was among their top three reasons for feeling stressed about their studies. Lack of sleep or poor-quality sleep is associated with a multitude of negative health outcomes such as depression, mood swings, increased chance of injury and more according to Statistics Canada.
Sophia Roh, a fourth-year Langara nursing student who helped at this week’s De-Stress Fest on campus, said the compounding effects of endof-semester exams with the short daylight hours are leaving students exhausted.
“This is our third year being here, full time, three semesters per year,” Roh said. “So, we're extremely tired.”
“This is one of the easiest climate action steps we can take,” she said. “We already see climate disasters all around this province. It’s crucial we continue to prioritize climate action to prevent further loss of life.”
According to reports from the City of Vancouver, an extreme heat dome in 2021 led to more than 600 fatalities across B.C., including 117 in Vancouver. That same year, an atmospheric river caused severe flooding in the Fraser Valley, rendering all main highways and rail lines connecting Vancouver with the rest of Canada impassable.
About 100 speakers were scheduled to discuss the vote before council, which was expected to take place late Tuesday.
She said she manages her responsibilities by adhering to a strict sleep schedule, which includes taking melatonin around 7 p.m. so she can be asleep by 10 p.m., and then ready to start her day by 5:30 or 6 a.m.
“I have to get my sleep in or I just, like, won’t be functional the day after,” Roh said.
Patricia Tating, one of the mental health ambassadors who helps to run De-Stress Fest, said good sleep is critical to mental health.
De-Stress included a display board on chronotypes and their impact on sleep. Chronotypes are natural preferences for wakefulness and sleep that vary by genetics, age, and other factors like geographical location. While many people are familiar with the chronotypes of “early bird” and “night owl,” chronotypes exist on a spectrum and most people fall somewhere in between, according to the Sleep Foundation.
Tating is a self-professed night owl, so she said she feels her best and is most productive when she does her work at night, rather than trying to force herself into a morning schedule. “What we want is to work with our chronotype and not against it,” Tating said.
As holiday season approaches, local businesses are overwhelmed by an influx of applicants, but many lack the experience required
B.C. businesses are having problems hiring employees because of a high volume of applicants, many of whom lack the necessary experience, say business owners.
Jose Manuel Torres, a district manager at Call It Spring, a shoe store at Metrotown in Burnaby, said his biggest challenge in hiring is the volume of applications from applicants who are applying for roles that are outside the scope of their experience.
At the manager level, most do not have the right profile, he said.
“I can tell you that 75 per cent of them did not have necessarily the requirements that we needed for that position,” said Torres.
According to a recent Statistics Canada study, Canadian businesses say they will face challenges in recruiting and retaining skilled employees in the business cycle leading into the Christmas and holiday season.
Langara College’s early childhood education program has introduced a new outdoor classroom, offering students hands-on, nature-based learning experience.
The pilot program, part of a national research initiative, emphasizes experiential education, Indigenous knowledge and the benefits of outdoor play for young children.
It is aligned with Okanagan College’s broader research efforts, which include a three-year project funded by the Lawson Foundation, in collaboration with Bow Valley College, Saskatchewan Polytechnic, and New Brunswick Community College.
Located on the front lawn near the security office, the outdoor classroom features big logs arranged in a circle, with smaller logs providing additional seating.
The goal is to incorporate outdoor learning into early childhood education and to develop resources for educators, including podcasts,
videos, and comprehensive guides.
Linda O’Donoghue, teaching and learning adviser at Okanagan College, emphasizes the importance of intentionality in outdoor learning.
“It's the physical space. It's the natural elements in the space. It's the materials you bring to the space. It’s not just ‘let’s build a mud kitchen.’
You might want to have a real garden, and then the muck-about garden, so the children know the difference of these two spaces.” she said.
O’Donoghue also advocates for using the natural terrain and loose materials like bowls and cups to improve the learning experience.
Additionally, the incorporation of Indigenous ways of knowing is a key aspect of Langara’s early childhood education program.
Special adviser Gail Sparrow and
Lauren Mitchell were instrumental in advising on its inclusion in 2019, and today, it remains a central focus of the program. O'Donoghue finds that this is an important way of fostering an appreciation for the land for the children.
Teresa Reyes-Cambronero, assistant head teacher at Langara’s daycare, sees the benefits of outdoor learning firsthand.
“It helps children recognize how special nature is and teaches them about its fragility,” she said.
Exposing children to the outdoors is an enriching way to build resilience and help them understand “what the body is capable of, and their confidence around their ability to manage things.” said Mariana Brussoni, an award-winning development psychologist, whose research focuses on the importance of outdoor play for children.
While the outdoor classroom is primarily intended for the department, other departments are encouraged to use the space, with hopes to expand programs like this across the campus.
Torres has found that some candidates for manager are ghosting him during the hiring process.
“I can tell you easily that half of those interviews they either never showed up, or they never called back after reaching out to them, which is funny because I feel like they just applied just to apply for a new job, not necessarily having the interest of moving forward,” Torres said.
Torres said that he has hired more sales associates who came in with resumes than he has from online job boards.
“It's so difficult to read someone through a resume. It's mostly the first impression that you get when you get someone to drop their resume," Torres said.
"You can see them face to face, you can see their energy, you can feel their energy….Two out of my last three hires were hired like that.”
Victoria Alatabi, who owns a cleaning business based in Abbotsford, struggles with having a high volume of applicants to sort through.
"Another thing is, when you do hire people who aren't qualified, you're likely to get more complaints."
— VICTORIA ALATABI, BUSINESS OWNER
But she said it is difficult to find people with the right skills. She has hired two people recently, both with experience. She said that a majority of applicants do not have experience
at all.
Alatabi has had problems with applicants misrepresenting their qualifications for roles on her team.
She also deals with a number of applicants who do not have the citizenship or residency status required to work in Canada, as her small company is not able to sponsor foreign workers.
Cristian Olea, team lead at Saje Natural Wellness at Metrotown who is responsible for coaching and training sales associates, said the key skills that he is looking for are the ability to be proactive, engagement in duties, and the right attitude.
Olea said the managers at the
store also deal with a high volume of resumes, but that many of the applicants applying for jobs in retail have no experience, and that they may have expectations that do not line up with the reality of work in retail.
“I think they expect to be more quiet, more easy. They kind of expect customers to already know what they're looking for,” said Olea.
Olea explained that the most successful sales associates succeed because of their attitude, not necessarily because of skills or experience. They’re fast learners, optimistic, high energy and you enjoy what they do.
“Most of them excel,” said Olea.
FAR-LEFT: Some of the children are more than a bit excited about the snow machine.
LEFT: The Senior Opus Singers & Opus One Women’s Choir add to the feeling with renditions of classic Christmas carols.
BELOW: The first sign of the Christmas cheer ahead is a cement truck bedecked in Christmas lights and speakers. The truck serves as an entrance marker, and doubles as a snow machine, transporting donors into a winter wonderland on Nov. 26.
On a cold morning in November, before the sun has risen, hundreds gather at Newlands Golf and Country Club in Langley for the annual Christmas Wish Breakfast. The event, created by the Langley Christmas Bureau, is designed to collect toys and funds for families around the Lower Mainland who are experiencing financial hardship. The toys and money raised at the event are distributed by the
bureau throughout December, and many families would not be able to celebrate the holidays without this community support.
As a reward for braving near freezing temperatures and a pre-dawn start time, the donors of the Christmas Wish Breakfast are transported to a morning that features musical performances, actors, Santa Claus and breakfast.
Jessica La, communications specialist for the City of Langley, says that “thousands” of families are reliant on these donations for the holidays.
In 2023 this event raised over 1,200 toys and $4,000 in cash for the families.
The numbers for this year’s event are not in yet, but organizers are confident in the turn out.
The event wouldn’t be possible without the volunteers, many of whom are police or firefighters, giving their time.
Skilled workers in all sectors of Vancouver’s film industry are being forced to seek new careers as economic challenges halt growth.
According to Creative BC, a government organization that works to grow B.C.’s creative industries, spending in film and television was already down 29 per cent from $3.6 billion in 2022 to $2.6 billion in 2023, the most recent year in which data is available.
Creative BC says the downturn is due to long recovery periods from several recent setbacks including pandemic-era restrictions that brought production to a standstill and industry-wide writer and actor strikes.
“Other than the strike year, this is the quietest we’ve seen the industry,” said Jolienne Moore, who
works at a casting agency for background actors in the region.
Moore said productions are down about one-third of what is normal for this time of year. According to her, August to December should be the busiest season, but recently have been more like the slow season.
Moore attributes the downturn to many factors, including the economies of Canada and the United States, which led to layoffs in big studios south of the border.
“If I was in the United States, I could be making more money,” said Michael Rickey, a lighting technician for movie production.
Rickey has worked steadily in film since 2016 but admits because of increased on-set pressures, he is
now looking for work outside the film industry.
Rickey says that working outside of the film industry would allow for greater job security and, with the bonus of benefits, allow him to spend more time at home with his wife and newborn son.
Julian LeBlanc, owner of the LeBlanc School of Acting, described the situation over a text message, “the industry is very slow and not much is happening right now.”
“November and December are very dead months,” said LeBlanc.
“Other than the strike year, this is the quietest we've seen the industry.”
—
“But things are supposed to look up in 2025 with more distance from all the strikes that we had the last couple of years,” said LeBlanc.
Rickey said the slowdown was in part due to a shortage of studio space and equipment rentals, which failed to meet the demand of all the productions filming in Vancouver.
“We aren't getting compensated the same way as in the U.S.,” said Rickey.
There is work out there, he said,
“once you get in with a group, then they kind of keep calling you for reliable work.”
In October, the state of California introduced an expanded tax credit for film production that provides studios with greater financial incentives to produce films and help their film industry recover.
Moore said that productions in Vancouver are waiting to see if B.C. Premier David Eby will follow California with a promised madein-B.C. pledge to increase the tax credit from 28 per cent to 36 per cent.
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Despite climate change being a health emergency, it hasn’t generated a crisis response from governments and community leaders, says the president of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment.
“Health is such a compelling rationale for action on climate,” said Melissa Lem, who is a family physician and teaches at UBC. “And I think we should think about it more and decision makers should use it.”
Lem was one of four speakers who appeared at a Climate Action Dialogues event on Tuesday at the SFU downtown campus as part of the weeklong series of activities. Approximately 100 people attended to listen the speakers talk about regional climate action. The dialogues are taking place at the same time Vancouver City Council is voting on a motion to re-introduce gas water and space heating in newly constructed homes.
“When we get gas out of our homes we both reduce emissions and also make the indoor and outdoor air cleaner,” said Lem in an interview with The Voice.
“When we put more green spaces in our cities, these sequester more carbon and also improves people’s mental and physical health at the same time”.
She said she hoped participants took away an understanding of how important climate change is as a determinant of health.
Lem said the city potentially changing its policy on the use of gas in buildings would set a terrible precedent for a city that once called itself a green city that other cities traditionally looked to as a climate action leader.
Chris Mcleod, another speaker
at the event, focused on the impact of climate change on the health of workers.
“Three weeks ago, we had that atmospheric river and there are a number of people that lost their lives because of the consequences of that extreme weather event. Similarly, when we look at the heat dome and thinking about the hundreds of people that lost their lives because of that,” said Mcleod, head of the
occupational and environmental health division at UBC.
Lucy Duso, one of the event organizers, said collective climate action is important. “We hope that people will walk out of here feeling like they've learned something new, that if they have ideas and they feel like they're taking action in their own networks that recognize they're not alone.”
Ben Dodd, an organizer with
For Our Kids Burnaby said action should be taken at the grassroots level. “Find natural connection points with people in your life and make sure that it's coming up. Finding those natural bridges between things that people care about, they're finding ways to build conversations around.”
The final session of the Climate Action Dialogues takes place Nov. 28 from 12 to 1:15 p.m.
Cyclists are more prone to injury than other athletes
After breaking her neck while mountain biking, Ashley Kelly nearly joined the dozens of people who have suffered a spinal cord injury while practising the sport.
Kelly, 36, said she knew her neck was broken the moment she hit the ground. She was riding in North Vancouver with friends when she missed the landing and was propelled over the handlebars and into the ground.
“I'm so lucky. All I can think about is gratitude. I didn't end up paralyzed, and I lived.”
The University of British Columbia recently released a report showing that between 2008 and 2022 there were 58 spinal cord injuries resulting from mountain bikingrelated accidents. This far outnum-
bers other sports such as hockey and snowboarding. The report cites the sharp rise in popularity of the sport as well as increased access to challenging terrain through lift-equipped bike parks. A whopping 36 per cent of spinal cord injuries recorded in the study occurred at a single location –the Whistler Mountain Bike Park.
Kelly said that the sport has grown and evolved. Riders who traditionally may have only gotten a couple of runs in during their day are able to do dozens of runs at these fastmoving parks. “That bike park is insane. I've been riding it for 20 years now and the jumps have gotten so big,” she said.
Ryan Ju, 25, said he was riding
alone when he flew over his handlebars, smashing his head into the ground. Ju lay moaning in pain, unable to move, wiggling his toes to ensure he wasn’t paralyzed. He was found 15 minutes later by two good samaritans who called 911.
Ju broke his neck, two ribs, fractured his wrist and compression fractured his T8 vertebrae. “I almost
died,” he said. “I have a lot of feelings about what happened to me.”
Ju, who continues to ride and works at Krusty’s Bicycles/Cap's Richmond, says that mountain biking is an extreme sport and should be treated as such. Ju says riders should “know the risks, be prepared, and consider as many factors as you can.”
He says wearing a helmet saved his life, but also says that it can be difficult to wear the right gear all the time. He says it is expensive and uncomfortable and even after his injury he doesn’t wear full gear.
Ju says that he is still very passionate about mountain biking and would recommend it for anyone interested. He says he is able to see the upside of his injury and is now better at evaluating risk.
He says “I tell people crashing is part of the fun, but getting hurt isn't.”
Kelly says she learned from her injury. She says that her relationship with the sport is no longer about ego and competition, but about connecting with nature and friends.
“I'm grateful for it because it's brought me into my body and it's made me deal with injuries that I've put off,” Kelly said.
“But it's emotional. It's definitely life-changing.”