The McGill Tribune Vol. 40 Issue 3

The McGill Tribune TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 2020 | VOL. #40 | ISSUE #3

Published by the SPT, a student society of McGill University

McGILLTRIBUNE.COM | @McGILLTRIBUNE

EDITORIAL

FEATURE

TRIBUNE EXPLAINS

PEQ reforms highlight the CAQ’s xenophobia

My big, fat online identity crisis

Association of Graduate Students Employed at McGill

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(Brian Schatteman / The McGill Tribune)

The best places to socially distance and escape from COVID-19

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In conversation with Rikki Bowles

Former McGill basketball player and assistant coach takes the reins as head coach Shaun Lahani Contributor In July 2020, McGill appointed Rikki Bowles as the new interim head coach for the women’s

basketball team, ushering in a new era following the departure of long-time coach Ryan Thorne. An alumna of the Martlet basketball program, Bowles will be spearheading this transition with the knowledge and insight she has gained from over 13 years at McGill.

“It’s the institution I played for, where I developed as an assistant coach,” Bowles said in an interview with The McGill Tribune.

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Sage Montreal creates unique Asian-inspired street fashion

Fact or Fiction: The truth behind multivitamins

Montreal-based brand talks inspiration and transitioning online

Existing research challenges claims that multivitamins are beneficial to health Cassia Attard Contributor Most people are familiar with the satisfying feeling of taking a multivitamin gummy. It’s a guilt-free treat that many assume to be beneficial to their overall health.

Yet, from marketing

schemes to conflicting scientific studies, there is no shortage of controversy surrounding the health benefits of multivitamin supplements.

Vitamins are micronutrients, essential chemical compounds to human health obtained primarily through food.

Most micronutrients are acquired through diet, with the exception of vitamin D, which can only be obtained through exposure to sunlight.

PG. 12

Elinor Rosenberg Contributor Clothing is, for many, an essential part of self-expression. Street fashion, in particular, is able to convey significant meaning in a casual manner. Sage Montreal, a streetwear brand started by a group of students from

McGill, Concordia, and the University of Waterloo, aims to represent east Asian culture within a western reality.

Jian Qiao He, U3 Management and one of four founders of Sage Montreal, explained how his brand explored the cultural backgrounds of its creators for inspiration. “[There were] not re-

ally any brands that reflected [my Asian] lifestyle and upbringing,” He said. “[Sage was created to] represent us authentically.”

One afternoon in 2017, after a day of CEGEP, He and three friends were chatting in a bubble tea shop, as they often did.

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

NEWS

Concordia activists highlight challenges of human rights activism in 2020 Speakers discussed the link between police brutality, climate change, and COVID-19 Ella Fitzhugh Contributor On Sept. 13, the Concordia Student Union hosted an online seminar featuring Montreal activists discussing a wide range of subjects, such as systemic oppression against Indigenous Peoples, police brutality against Black people, and the Canadian government’s negligence towards marginalized people during the COVID-19 pandemic. The event was called “Police, Climate and COVID-19” and featured speakers Ellen Gabriel, Harsha Walia, and Sandy Hudson, activists who highlighted injustices plaguing Canada and the world today.

Gabriel, Walia, and Hudson spoke candidly about the state of human rights around the world in 2020, arguing that though there is still a long way to go, the situation is not hopeless. The speakers agreed that systemic injustices are inevitably intertwined, and they stressed the importance of seeing the link between movements such as Black Lives Matter (BLM) and Indigenous rights movements.

Ellen Gabriel, a human rights activist from Kanien’kehá:ka who has advocated for Indigenous

peoples’ rights for nearly 30 years, emphasized the exhausting but necessary nature of the fight against colonization.

“For Indigenous people, [activism is] not a hobby, it’s what we have to do because we’re fighting colonization,” Gabriel said. “What I can’t stand are bullies, and that’s what the Canadian government is.”

Harsha Walia, a migrants’ rights activist, author, and lawyer based in Vancouver, BC, asserted that the Canadian government has left many groups behind when

addressing the COVID-19 crisis, particularly those of the middle and working classes.

“You’re supposed to believe in the government,” Walia said.

“Those who believe in that kind of myth, who think that the state and the government will take care of them, particularly in a health emergency, [suddenly these] middle class or even working class white workers […] realize [that they are] paying into this state structure that actually isn’t [beneficial].”

Sandy Hudson, founder of

Ellen Gabriel says that today’s inspired younger generation is ready to dismantle a history of corrupt systems in North America and the world. (Amanda Northrop / Vox)

the Canadian wing of the BLM movement, noted that despite the ebb and flow of public support that typically characterizes activism, her organization has nevertheless been gaining momentum for years.

Currently, the movement’s success has resulted in the cultivation of a new chapter with the goal of rallying to defund the police.

“We were seeing on the news a lot of discussion [in] Canadian media about Michael Brown and [the officer who killed him,] Darren Wilson, but not much about Jermaine Carby, [who was a Toronto man murdered by police], and nobody even knew the name of the officer who killed him at the time, Ryan Reid,” Hudson said. “I was upset about it. Many people in the Black community were upset about it.”

Hudson believes that the recent surge in anti-racist activism will not dwindle anytime soon.

“I do think that people truly do care [about civic engagement] [...],” Hudson said. “I think that what’s happened this summer is that there’s been so much attention paid to the particular issue of police violence [...] against Black people [and] [...] Indigenous people. We’ve actually shifted culture significantly

through our movement work, and you can’t really go back to a place of ignorance once you’ve gained the knowledge.”

Hudson also argued that what connects these movements are the injustices perpetrated by local police forces.

“Policing in our communities [...] really targets our communities in ways that they don’t target people who aren’t Indigenous, people who aren’t migrants, [and] people who aren’t Black,” Hudson said. “The way that the state cracks down on particular communities and tries to keep us at the margins through the use of policing, I mean that’s a thorough line through all of our movements. This is a topic that really is just a human issue.”

In their concluding remarks, the speakers all agreed on the interconnectedness of today’s social justice movements. Gabriel explained that no injustice exists in a vacuum; one cannot discuss the police violence against Black people without also mentioning the exploitation of Indigenous lands.

“In human rights, we say all rights are interdependent [and] interrelated,” Gabriel said. “One right that is violated prevents you from enjoying all of your rights.

Renaming of men’s varsity teams delayed indefinitely

Students express disappointment over stalling re-naming process Margaret Askey Contributor Following the McGill administration’s decision to change the name of the varsity mens’ teams in April 2019, the Steering Committee assigned to find a new name for the teams by August 2020 has seen their work delayed due to COVID-19. Following Indigenous-led student activism, McGill Principal and Vice-Chancellor Suzanne Fortier announced in an email on Apr. 12, 2019 that a Steering Committee would be formed to select a new name.

Deputy Provost (Student Life & Learning) Fabrice Labeau and Mr. Hubert T. Lacroix, a former McGill varsity head coach, are the co-chairs of the committee. Labeau attributed the delay in part to the magnitude of the process.

“There was [an] excellent response to the open call for name ideas, [and] the Steering Committee received more than 500 submissions,” Labeau wrote in an email. “[We take] seriously the responsibility of choosing a name that honours McGill’s long history of athletic achievement, and expresses the university’s values and principles. The Committee plans to conclude its work in the coming weeks. Part of this work includes doing the necessary due

(mcgill.ca)

diligence before we publicly announce a new name.”

Tomas Jirousek, former Indigenous Affairs Commissioner of the Student’s Society of McGill University (SSMU) and leader of the #changethename campaign, highlighted the larger implications of the renaming process when it comes to Indigenous students and reconciliation.

“The McGill administration has a moral obligation to deliver a new name in a timely, and respectful manner, one which recognizes the impact and history of the Redmen name,” Jirousek wrote in an email to the Tribune. “A delay in moving forward with a new name acts as a barrier in moving towards that place of reconciliation.”

Jirousek understands the issue of the men’s team name as a significant decision, one of the many hurdles that need to be addressed by the McGill community.

“There are pressing issues facing Indigenous students at McGill, and the university cannot genuinely confront those issues while we are still grappling with the legacy of the Redmen name,” Jirousek wrote. “I am disappointed but not surprised in the length of time that it takes McGill to meaningfully address issues of colonialism on campus.”

While Labeau focused on the scale of the decision-making process, Jirousek feels that the process of renaming is in fact a simple one that is a matter of two choices.

“Choose the McGill Martlet name, a name which our varsity women’s teams have championed, or open a process for choosing a name which actually honours Indigenous nations,” Jirousek wrote. “The administration should have been in contact with the SSMU Indigenous Affairs Commissioner during this process to properly explain how this issue [...] has been impacted by [COVID-19].”

Jo Roy, an Abenaki U2 social work student, shared Jirousek’s concerns about a lack of transparency and communication between the Steering Committee and the student body.

“I only remember the call for name submissions going out last year [and] I have yet to see any information [or] updates from this committee,” Roy wrote to the Tribune. “Committees are usually struck by institutions as a means to signal that they’re doing something about an issue without actually doing anything [....]”

Regarding the impact that COVID-19 may have had on the process of selecting a new name, Roy expressed dissatisfaction. “[It] feels like the committee meant nothing to the administration to begin with, [and] that the pandemic was just a convenient way for them to forget about [...] the promise made to Indigenous students,” Roy wrote.“Everyday that a new name has not been chosen to replace that racist nomenclature is another day that [McGill is] unwelcoming to Indigenous students.”

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

NEWS

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McGill launches reimagined study spaces for COVID-19

New Study Hubs give students chance to study on campus while following social distancing guidelines Respina Rostamifar Contributor On Sept. 8, McGill launched Study Hubs, a safe-study alternative to the traditional library experience. The Study Hubs are individual study spaces that are set up in compliance with the university’s COVID-19 safety measures that include the mandatory use of masks and socially distanced study areas.

These study spaces are available at the Mclennan-Redpath complex, the Nahum Gelber Law Library, and the Macdonald Campus Library.

Students can gain access to the Study Hubs by booking one three-hour time slot per day. Upon arrival, which can be at any time during the allotted time slot, students must check in with Student Navigators using their McGill IDs. Although the online booking system tracks seat numbers, seating is assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis as students arrive at the library.

Arielle Rosenthal, a Student Navigator at the Redpath Library, explained the Study Hub’s safety procedures.

“Masks are to be worn at all times in the library, except in your chosen seating place,” Rosenthal said. “There is no food allowed, but drinks are allowed in a sealed drink container, and cleaning will occur between each study period.”

U-Print printing services are also available in the McLennan-Redpath complex and the Nahum Gelber Law library to students who book a Study Hub time slot. Power sources are available at 85 per cent of the seats, though library resources recommend having fully charged devices upon arrival. While the new Study Hubs grant students access to library resources, they do not allow students to socialize as circulation in common areas is not permitted.

Lindsay Nissinoff, U3 Arts, who frequented McGill’s

While social distancing regulations and contact tracing are prioritized in the process, some students are still reluctant to take advantage of the new study spaces. (Respina Rostamifar / The McGill Tribune) libraries before the COVID-19 pandemic, spoke about her reluctance to visit the Study Hubs.

“I am personally apprehensive about trying these new spaces, mainly due to the three-hour time limit and the rising number of COVID-19 cases in Montreal,” Nissinoff said.

“While I praise the university for attempting to resume inperson activities, I personally would prefer to study outside while the weather permits.”

Mathilde Genest, U3 Arts and Science, has a different outlook on the Study Hubs.

“I was a little uncertain about the Study Hubs. However, after actually coming to the library and seeing all the measures that were put in place, I am looking forward to coming back,” Genest said. “I will say the limited time slots will pose a challenge, but I felt safe and the library was pretty transparent about the procedure. I feel like I need to be able to study somewhere else than home from time to time, and the Study Hubs seem to be the safest option.”

Katherine Hanz, liaison librarian at McGill, explained that the health of students and staff was prioritized during the creation of the Study Hubs which presented the best solution for staff and students.

“Creating a safe space for study was a top priority with both the set-up and running of the Hubs,” Hanz said. “A number of measures have been put in place to keep students and library personnel safe. While the Hubs may not feel exactly like the pre-COVID library, we are so happy to be able to welcome students back in this capacity and to be able to provide a safe place for study.”

The new Study Hubs gives students a chance to use library resources while being able to study in a quiet environment.

Additionally, the Study Hubs strictly follow the directives from the Quebec Ministry and McGill’s protocols for COVID-19. Nonetheless, there is still apprehension to use the shared spaces, especially as on Sept. 20 when Montreal rose from Level 1 to Level 2 under the progressive regional alert and intervention system for COVID-19.

The interview with Genest took place in French and was translated by the author.

McGill residences fail to uphold pandemic safety guidelines Despite promises of strict regulations, McGills residences pose a risk to students Lis Riveros Contributor As COVID-19 cases rise throughout the province and outbreaks occur at multiple Canadian post-secondary schools, McGill University has by comparison appeared to weather the pandemic relatively well. However, the loss of the social aspects typical of the first-year university experience have impacted incoming students’ decision to live in residence this Fall semester, raising the question of how health and students’ safety can be balanced with Montreal nightlife.

Deputy Provost (Student Life & Learning) Fabrice Labeau sent an email to the student body on Sept. 9 that disclosed McGill’s “whistleblowing policy” and encouraged students to report unsafe activities happening on campus. Despite this measure, students in residence appear not to be complying with the regulations being put forward for their safety.

Andrea Bloom, U0 Arts, who lives in New Residence Hall, believes that the university has failed to punish those who violate the health standards that they committed to uphold.

“I was once in an elevator interacting with a fellow student when I asked them where they were from, only to [have them] tell me [that] they were still in quarantine,” Bloom said. “[The student] said he was forced to go down to the cafeteria since the residence attendees failed to deliver the meals to his dorm. There is no logistical process to confirm whether quarantine rules are being met [....]

Breaking rules within the residence [...] is not even the most outstanding issue. It is mainly students going out in large groups to bars [...] and then returning to the dorms.”

Western University has reported 39 COVID-positive students since Sept. 13, while McGill has only reported two positive cases. Emme Smith, U0 Science and resident of La Citadelle, noted the discrepancies between the safety policies between different student residences.

“Security has been rather intense in my building compared to the other residence halls, specifically concerning the number of people in a given room and sanitizing,” Smith said. “They watch over us at the front desk [of La Citadelle] and have confronted students, which

is rare in New Residence [Hall].

Washing hands and sanitizing can only work for so long. I think McGill should require every student living in residence to get tested weekly to eliminate the possibility of asymptomatic students spreading COVID-19.”

Monique Lauzon, marketing and communications manager of McGill’s Student and Hospitality Services (SHHS), disagreed that students in residences are being placed in unsafe environments.

“Our self-isolation/quarantine protocol is in place,” Lauzon wrote in an email to the //Tribune//. “Allin-all, students have respected and followed this protocol. Staff is on site to monitor. Please note that under the protocol, students are permitted to leave their room to pick up food deliveries from the lobby as long as they wear their mask and sanitize their hands prior to taking the elevators.”

She pointed to the increased measures taken by SHHS to prevent COVID-19 cases in residences.

“The safety of our students and staff is our foremost guiding principle,” Lauzon wrote. “Since the start of the pandemic, our residences staff have been working

New rules include mandatory masks in common spaces and restricted numbers of guests per room. (Laurie-Anne Benoit / The McGill Tribune) diligently to ensure spaces are cleaned and sanitized to the highest possible standards and that physical distancing measures are in place.

Extra staff is deployed on-site to provide extra support and security for students.”

Students like Bloom attested to the lack of concrete enforcement measures, though Lauzon denied

that those living in residence were violating rules without being punished.

“Extra staff is on site to monitor the situation,” Lauzon wrote. “[They will] intervene if or when necessary.”

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NEWS

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

Tribune Explains: Association of Graduate Students Employed at McGill AGSEM represented TAs, invigilators, and other graduate student staff Kate Addison, Sequoia Kim News Editor What is AGSEM? The Association of Graduate Students Employed at McGill (AGSEM) is the union to which teaching assistants (TA) and invigilators for McGill university belong. Founded in 1974 as the McGill Teaching Assistant Association (MTAA) and certified in 1993 as a union to represent Teaching Assistants, AGSEM is the oldest Teaching Assistant Union in Quebec and currently the largest labour union at McGill University.

Comprising several branches, AGSEM operations are

run by an executive committee, a bargaining committee, a Delegates council, and several other peripheral committees. In 2010, McGill’s student invigilators were similarly accredited as a union after receiving a 94 per cent majority vote in favour of unionizing.

AGSEM represents TAs and exam invigilators through its Collective Agreements, which are signed by the organization’s representatives and McGill’s Board of Governors. The Agreements define employees’ labour rights, which include freedom from harassment and unfair dismissal, as well as limits to hours worked.

The most recent Collective Agreement for TAs expired in 2018, and a new one is expected to be voted on later this month.

AGSEM and COVID-19

AGSEM will hold a bargaining ratification vote on the upcoming TA general assembly on Sept. 30 (Sabrina Girard-Lamas / The McGill Tribune)

AGSEM recently criticized and annotated a draft of McGill’s “Directives for Teaching Staff Regarding InPerson Activities: Fall 2020” for failing to adequately address the rights of teaching staff. The union called for a more concrete plan to communicate the directives with its employees and demanded that TAs not be forced to assist students in-person and through Zoom simultaneously.

In April 2020, the McGill administration announced its decision to hire non-union graders for some summer 2020 online courses. This move sparked outrage among McGill’s graduate TAs and invigilators who saw the decision as explicitly anti-union, enacted solely to cutback on costs. In addition to anger over McGill’s choice to hire graders outside of AGSEM, the union felt that the decision to raise online course capacity levels over the summer placed an additional burden on already overworked and underpaid TAs. As McGill adjusts to learning online with some in-

person options, AGSEM has expressed that McGill’s employed graduate students deserve to be better compensated for working in virus-prone conditions. For those TAs and invigilators expected to assist with inperson learning opportunities, there is now an increased risk associated with their position.

Unionization Drive for Teaching Support While graduate TAs have been protected by a collective agreement signed in 1993, McGill has added many non-unionized teaching support positions in recent years. Teaching support positions include markers, graders, tutors, and many others. AGSEM’s bargaining unit has been actively engaged in an effort to unionize teaching support positions so that workers in these positions can profit from union benefits like negotiated fair wages, paid breaks, job security, access to office space and teaching resources, access to grievance procedures, and protections against workplace harassment and discrimination.

On Apr. 30, AGSEM petitioned to unionize teaching support staff. AGSEM and the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN) are currently initiating legal challenges against McGill to ensure that the university is following the proper unionization process.

The upcoming TA assembly AGSEM is holding a bargaining ratification vote on the upcoming TA general assembly on Sept. 30. Occuring after two years of collective negotiations, graduate TAs will have a chance to discuss and ratify their new tentative contract. Starting on Sept. 22, AGSEM will be hosting a series of online presentations outlining the tentative agreement in preparation for the assembly.

Canadian biotech start-up to begin Phase 3 COVID-19 oral treatment trials Start-up Pulmonem Inc. partnered with the McGill University Health Centre to develop the medication Michelle Marcus Contributor

(Group CNW / Pulmonem) On Sept. 2, Pulmonem Inc., a Canadian biotechnology start-up, received Health Canada’s approval to begin Phase 3 clinical trials to test an oral medication to treat COVID-19. The treatment, also called Pulmonem, does not eliminate the need for a vaccine, but can potentially reduce the number of COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalization by diminishing the severity of their immune responses to the virus.

To raise funds and find assistance to conduct trials, the start-up has partnered with the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC).

Pulmonem Inc. announced that, if the trial is successful, the medication can be ready for distribution by the end of 2020.

Pulmonem Inc. was founded in March

2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pulmonem is only the second Canadian drug trial to receive approval from Health Canada to begin Phase 3 trials, which involves testing the drug against the current standard of care in a limited number of patients. Dr. Houfar Sekhavat, founder and CEO of Pulmonem Inc., sees the approval as progress for those most vulnerable to the virus.

The new oral medication was developed by repurposing Dapsone, an existing anti-inflammatory drug used to treat malaria, lupus, and long-term infection in HIV patients. The Phase 3 trial, sponsored by the RI-MUHC, will test the medication on 2,000 patients located across Canada and the United States. The randomized trial process was designed by Dr. Jean Bourbeau, professor and a member of the Transnational Research in Respiratory Diseases Program at McGill University.

For patients, the reformulation of the pre-existing drug Dapsone could mean reduced costs and greater accessibility to treatment. Pulmonem Inc.’s contract with one of the biggest Dapsone producers means that the entire course of treatment with the drug would cost patients $52. When clinical trials begin, the safety risks of prescribing Pulmonem will also potentially be minimal,

as it is a reformulation of a well-known drug.

“When you start with a new medicine, [...] it takes millions of patients to find out about the adverse effects,” Bourbeau said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “But when we already know the safety profile, we know which patients are safe to use the medication.”

While Pulmonem has approval to begin Phase 3 testing, organizing a clinical trial amidst a pandemic remains challenging.

Conducting the study remotely to minimize contact with patients requires advanced technology, peer reviewers, and additional funding.

“It’s important that the ideas are not always coming from big pharmaceutical companies, [...] especially when we [...] have [start-up] projects [...] led by experts such as Dr. Bourbeau,” Sekhavat said.

The opportunity for pharmaceutical companies to invest in COVID-19 treatments and vaccine research for profit has raised concerns regarding the quality of their findings and discoveries. Bourbeau, however, sees the partnership with academic institutions as one way of ensuring that the research conducted retains its rigorous standards.

“The quality of research has been a

problem before in emergency situations,” Bourbeau said. “But I think [that] the academic centre being separate from the industry can bring this quality to ensure that people do not compromise the safety and the efficacy of new treatments.”

For students like McGill Medical Direction member Lintao Hu, U3 Science, the RI-MUHC’s commitment to high quality COVID-19 research is both encouraging and necessary.

“It’s important to know that McGill is taking steps to support the development of treatments, especially because there’s a lot of misinformation in the community around the coronavirus,” Hu said.

Although additional funding is still needed before trials can begin, Sakhavat explained that McGill’s support for the Pulmonem Inc. start-up will have significant implications for McGill and Canadian healthcare research as a whole, regardless of the trial’s outcomes.

“RI-MUHC and Dr. Bourbeau were visionary to support a small Canadian startup,” Sakhavat said. “Being associated with one of the most prestigious universities in the world is a big starter for our company, but it also puts RI-MUHC as top leaders in the industry.”

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 2020

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EDITORIAL BOARD Editor-in-Chief Helen Wu editor@mcgilltribune.com Creative Director Aidan Martin amartin@mcgilltribune.com Managing Editors Katia Lo Innes kinnes@mcgilltribune.com Nina Russell nrussell@mcgilltribune.com Kaja Surborg ksurborg@mcgilltribune.com

News Editors Kate Addison, Pascal Hogue & Sequoia Kim news@mcgilltribune.com Opinion Editors Jonah Fried & Kennedy McKee-Braide opinion@mcgilltribune.com Science & Technology Editors Sophia Gorbounov & Ronny Litvack-Katzman scitech@mcgilltribune.com Student Life Editors Alaana Kumar & Leyla Moy studentlife@mcgilltribune.com Features Editor Kevin Vogel features@mcgilltribune.com Arts & Entertainment Editors Vanessa Barron & Jonathan Giammaria arts@mcgilltribune.com Sports Editor Adam Burton sports@mcgilltribune.com Design Editors Ruobing Chen & Chloe Rodriguez design@mcgilltribune.com Photo Editor Caroline Shelton photo@mcgilltribune.com Multimedia Editors Sarah Ford & Alexandre Hinton multimedia@mcgilltribune.com Web Developer Benjamin Alexandor webdev@mcgilltribune.com Copy Editor Jackie Lee copy@mcgilltribune.com

OPINION

OFF THE BOARD

Social Media Editor Marie Saadeh socialmedia@mcgilltribune.com Business Manager Marilie Pilon business@mcgilltribune.com

TPS BOARD OF DIRECTORS Helen Wu, Caitlin Kindig, McEan Taylor,Tara Alami,Yara Shaheen-Abuelreish, Deana Korsunsky, Sequoia Kim, Kennedy McKee-Braide, Shreya Rastogi, Marilie Pilon, Heela Achakzai Sepideh Afshar, Margaret Askey, Cassia Attard, Ella Fitzhugh, Signy Harnad, Lucy Keller, Deana Korsunsky, Shaun Lalani , Erika MacKenzie, Beatrice Mackie, Michelle Marcus, Ender McDuff, Jhalak Narang, Sara Chiarotto O’Brien, Zoe Babad-Palmer, Elinor Rosenberg, Respina Rostamifar, Lis Riveros, Brian Schatteman, Krishiv Shah, Angelica Voutsinas, Margaret Wdowiak

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EDITORIAL

PEQ reforms highlight the CAQ’s xenophobia On Sept. 12, activist group Le Quebec c’est nous aussi held a protest against proposed reforms to the Programme experience Quebecoise (PEQ), a fasttrack immigration program for international students who wish to permanently reside in Quebec after graduation. While similar reforms proposed (and later suspended) last November sought to impose new French language requirements, these new changes target employment: Those seeking the certification must now have at least 12 months of work experience of a suitable “skill level.” This caveat creates significant barriers to eligibility, especially during a pandemic that makes it difficult to find stable employment. At their core, the changes are yet another example of the Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ)’s disgracefully xenophobic anti-immigrant sentiment. The burden should not fall solely on international students to oppose this policy.

Rather, McGill’s administration must do better to protect them, and other students must meaningfully oppose these changes.

Immigration reform was one of the CAQ’s core campaign promises in 2018. At the time, now-premier Francois Legault vowed to reduce the number of immigrants allowed into Quebec

(Wendy Yan / mcmun.org)

Caroline Shelton Photo Editor For as long as I can remember, I have been described with juxtapositions: Short yet bold; quiet yet opinionated; Southern yet Democrat; young yet informed; petite yet strong. Once you add feminist and atheist to the list, I become even more of an enigma. Growing up in the southern United States, I had been told either explicitly by family or implicitly through societal standards that I was too outspoken in my differences. My words and beliefs do not match my petite, 5’0 appearance, but to the closed-minded, they are supposed to. “You should be seen

from 50,000 to 40,000 per year and impose a French-language test and a xenophobic “values test” after three years of living in the province. These policies play into anti-immigrant attitudes in Quebec, which have grown substantially in recent years.

The current PEQ reforms are not the first example of the party attempting to limit newcomers, and there is little chance they will be the last. Even beyond immigration, other legislation such as Bill 21, which prohibits public workers from wearing religious garments on the job, propagates xenophobia and hate.

Under the new PEQ guidelines, students would have to work for 12 months in a type 0 (managerial), A (professional) or B (technical) job upon graduation.

A student who is unable to find this kind of employment and ends up working as a restaurant server, for example, will be ineligible for the program. Students who have spent years studying in the province while completing internships and volunteer work will nevertheless be considered ‘unskilled’ by the CAQ’s standards. These classist changes undermine the value of this equally valuable labour and favour those with the privilege often necessary to solidify a “professional” job after graduation.

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While finding stable employment in a field the CAQ government deems desirable is difficult at the best of times, the pandemic has made it even more challenging. As many companies have not even rehired furloughed employees who were laid off earlier this year, they are less likely to consider new candidates until the economic situation improves. Even more shameful is that these changes come after the province spent months touting the importance of essential workers, including grocery store cashiers and restaurant workers, who would not be eligible for immigration under the revisions to the PEQ. The CAQ considers it acceptable to jeopardize these workers’ safety, yet refuses to see them as valuable enough to remain here permanently. In this context, an emphasis on skill and experience is all the more dehumanizing.

As in November 2019, when the last reform package was proposed, McGill has taken a relatively quiet stance against the reforms compared to other Montreal universities. After all, such programs are not nearly as stringent in provinces like Ontario, and the university wants to retain its international student base. McGill relies heavily on funding from international student

tuition; the very least they can do is stand up for them. However, a statement in opposition does little to change the situation in a tangible way. McGill has a responsibility to use its influence to fight against these reforms and provide sufficient funding for services like the Legal Information Clinic and International Student Services, which help international students navigating information and seeking guidance on these issues. Simultaneously, it must avoid implementing changes, like its recent international tuition hike, that serve as additional barriers to students’ ability to study and live in Quebec.

Students also have a role to play in opposing the reforms.

As a result of public outcry and student activisam following the changes proposed to the PEQ last November, the CAQ eventually abandoned the revisions. The same must happen now. Those currently in Montreal need to use their voices and attend demonstrations in support of international students who may not be able to show up physically due to COVID-19 and support organizations like Le Quebec c’est nous aussi.

The student body would be nothing without its international population, and it’s vital that they get the support they deserve.

Life as an atheist liberal feminist in the American South and not heard.” “Just humour him,” or “put your private school pride in your pocket,” were common as well.

Little did the naysayers know, putting me down only strengthened my views and my confidence in myself. Not everyone is motivated by the rude words of others, and I understand why. It hurts when people expect you to fall into line at the cost of expressing yourself. Sometimes, it can be easier to keep the peace. Most people choose not to rock the boat with family.

That’s where I have to disagree.

I remember a simpler time, back in 2010, when I created my Facebook account. One of the first things I posted was a meme about why a blank Bible is better than a written one. I quickly learned the typical response from my family members that was to come every time I posted about one of my radical beliefs: “HOW DARE SHE?!” An atheist does not simply joke about the Bible in a family full of Catholics—what heresy! God forbid I go to Hell for a sense of humor, but I digress. This was just the beginning, and the mildest, of my family’s reactions to my burgeoning, atypical beliefs, and my identity as what I deem myself to be now: An “atheist socialist liberal feminist”— the most dangerous combination

to

any southern Republican.

Then came the 2016 election. I was five days shy of being able to cast a vote, but nothing at the time was more important to me than electing our first female President, who could have been Hillary Clinton. I was informed on policy, current events, and what I wanted for our country: Inclusion, tolerance, racial justice, and female representation in government.

But none of that mattered. To my family, I was a teenager unqualified to vote and therefore unqualified to have such opinions. Discussions about politics devolved into personal attacks. I was now not just an atheist, but an unpatriotic anti-American as well. Those close to me told me to move to Canada if I was unhappy at home, and I told them to watch me.

It’s been three years since I moved to Montreal, and here I am again facing the same dilemma.

It’s groundhog day: I can hold my

tongue for the sake of family, or I can voice my opinions, disregarding the consequences. Though it may be difficult, I will always choose the latter. Coming to McGill has helped me find my voice, without being afraid to use it out of fear of familial strife. It took me 18 years and immigration to Canada, but I am now finally able to surround myself with like-minded people.

McGill and Montreal’s international and diverse community has taught me that I need to speak up not only for myself, but also for our futures, whether on a local, national, or global level. I will take whatever comes my way; I can handle it. That’s because the current issues of racial justice, climate change, sexual harassment, misogyny, and unequal pay, to name a few, are no longer issues we can watch from the sidelines. So from here on out, I’ll be at every march, every rally, and every demonstration.

ERRATUM An article published in the September 14th issue titled “McGill Max Bell graduate student bridges borders with comparative policy tool” incorrectly stated that Sai Rajagopal is a graduate student at the Max Bell School of Public Policy. In fact, only Henna Hundal is a student at Max Bell. The Tribune regrets this error.

6

OPINION

COMMENTARY Sepideh Afshar Contributor The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) recently announced a partnership deal with Amazon, which included a promotional code for students, in a nowdeleted post on their Instagram.

The student union faced backlash from students, with many questioning the ethics of a collaboration with a corporation known for exploiting

TUEDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 2020

SSMU’s partnership with Amazon disregards student concerns its workers and contributing to the climate crisis. Though SSMU has since issued an apology, their actions highlight the importance of properly vetting all decisions made within their organization, especially when its mandate is to represent students.

Amazon is becoming increasingly known for its problematic unethical practices. One of the company’s most prominent problems is its terrible working conditions. In February 2019, workers at a New York warehouse

were given two 15-minute breaks, despite that length of time constituting the walk from the warehouse to the break room. Additionally, many have claimed that managers often ignore workers’ disabilities and accessibility issues, upholding an unsafe work environment. The brutal work conditions can also include 60-hour weeks due to mandatory overtime.

Beyond its shameful treatment of its employees, Amazon has a disastrous environmental record. While

SSMU has continuously made careless mistakes, resulting in student backlash.

(Amanda Fiore / The McGill Tribune)

COMMENTARY Beatrice Mackie Contributor Studying law as a woman can be daunting. Despite that women are pursuing careers in law more now than ever before, we are still studying institutions created by powerful men, with the original purpose of serving those powerful men. Landmark Supreme Court of Canada decisions that promoted feminist ideals—such as R v Morgentaler, which legalized abortions—are not very far back in our rearview mirror.

Even today, sexism runs rampant in our courtrooms. For instance, Robin Camp, a former Federal Court judge, told a rape survivor in 2014 that she should have kept her “knees together.”

Legal education itself often contributes to this cycle. In law classes, women are not always valued by their male peers.

As a law student at McGill, there have been times in class discussion groups where I was the only woman, and I felt invisible at best and disregarded at worst.

Although more women now have a seat at the table, much work remains to be done in order to secure gender equality in legal institutions. Contemplating this can be frustratingly sad. At other times, it inspires me to push forward

other major tech companies such as Google manage to use 100 per cent renewable energy sources, Amazon powers 50 per cent of their servers with fossil fuels, demonstrating blatant neglect and indifference on their part in climate change. Even worse, the company’s lack of concern for the environment is sometimes more explicit: Amazon advertises its AWS machine learning as a tool for expediting oil drilling and production.

As the third-richest company in the world, Amazon has the means to pay its employees better and to commit to more environmentally safe practices, but chooses instead to ignore valid concerns in favour of pursuing profit.

As the backlash facing Amazon is widespread, it is unlikely that SSMU simply did not know about it. This mistake appears to be a case of SSMU seeking monetary gain from a sponsorship with a major company and hoping that nobody would notice the problematic nature of the agreement. Even if they truly did not understand the implications of working with a company facing calls for boycott, SSMU is clearly missing a vetting process for their social media posts. Clearly, SSMU can benefit from somebody tasked with researching the implications of their decision to avoid another blunder. As representatives of McGill students, SSMU should be doing the bare minimum of vetting their partnerships.

SSMU should advocate for and represent the interests of McGill stu-

dents. While the society holds progressive values, they need to be consistent in doing so. Their sponsorship with Amazon was not representative of the values of the student body. It is ironic that SSMU has tried to partner with Amazon while preaching accountability and sustainability on their website.

This is not the first time SSMU has been in trouble for the lack of research going into their decisions. Just last year, inaccurate French translations were noticed in their newsletters, creating difficulties for Francophone students. The similarity between the two instances is that both cases are mistakes that are easy to catch and should never have been made in the first place. In a bilingual province there is no reason to have improper French translations the same way somebody within SSMU should have caught the ethical implications of partnering with Amazon.

Sharing the promotional code was a complete failure by SSMU and violates many of the values that they claim to hold. It should not be up to students to remind SSMU to do the right thing, as the Society should be the ones holding themselves accountable. SSMU has said that they will be coming out with formalized steps to combat this, but this should have been done long ago. An apology is meaningless when Amazon’s issues are so widespread. While they have acknowledged their mistake, we still await the concrete steps SSMU will take to ensure that this does not happen again.

Justice Ginsberg will continue to inspire women to study law

Ruth Bader Ginsberg worked tirelessly as a Supreme Court Justice for 27 years. (The US National Archives) and use my degree for good. Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, who passed away on Friday, Sept. 19, will live on in my memory as a motivation to pursue my legal education.

When I accepted my McGill Law offer in 2018, I had aspirations for the education I was embarking on and my subsequent career. These ambitions came from women before me—lawyers and judges—that paved the way for women in law. Justice Ginsburg was the epitome of this. She fought relent-

lessly for gender equality and worked tirelessly to serve the American people until the day she died. As the secondever female U.S. Supreme Court justice, RBG was a trailblazer. Strong women like her have inspired me to seek leadership positions and to advocate fearlessly for the issues in our community.

Ginsburg is best known for her dissents. Diverging from the majority is often frowned upon within legal circles, given that we dislike confusion from the highest court. Yet, RBG spoke up when

she disagreed, and did so with vigour. In this sense, Ginsburg inspires me to be, as she has been described, “tough as nails.”

In the hours following the announcement of RBG’s passing, I felt sick to my stomach. Someone who I saw as a role model and as a champion for gender equality had become a political pawn within minutes of the announcement. It reminded me of a POLI 348: Gender and Canadian Politics reading from this semester—The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir. De Beauvoir argues that,

through a process known as “othering,” the value of a woman is defined by her relationship to man. She becomes the “woman behind the man” instead of just being herself. In the context of Ginsburg’s passing, I found this to be especially true.

Her personal achievements are being overshadowed by the effects her death has had on men, such as President Donald Trump and former Vice-President Joe Biden. Instead of being remembered for tenaciously working until the age of 87—at times battling bouts of cancer—to advance gender equality in the U.S., the media has focused on the implications her passing may have on the presidential election. Her legacy is being defined by her relationship to men and politics.

This absolute disregard of an accomplished woman’s life disappoints me, but it is nothing new.

Yet, Ginsburg made us feel like we deserve a seat at the table—because we do. In many ways, she actually gave us that seat. It is important to remember her for the profound effect she has had on women studying law and the progress she made for women in the U.S. In a world where women do not always get the praise that they deserve, let us not forget to give Ginsburg the applause that she merits.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 7

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

‘Tenet’ is an emotionally hollow puzzle

Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi–spy drama lacks his signature pathos Signy Harnad Contributor Leave it to Christopher Nolan to spurn moviegoers into returning to multiplexes after months of living-room movie nights— only this time, at a limited capacity, donning masks and safely distancing from one another.

Released in Canada on Aug. 26, Tenet has been tasked with the responsibility of carrying an ailing theatre industry on its back. Despite all the hype building up to Tenet’s release, the thriller punches below its weight. However, it is neither the technical nor the conceptual elements that hold the blockbuster back; rather, Tenet’s ultimate disappointment is its emotional elusiveness.

Without delving into the specifics of the film’s intricate plot, Tenet follows a CIA operative, known only as The Protagonist (John David Washington—in a confident and cool performance), who works for a clandestine international organization called Tenet. The palindromic name underscores the film’s theme of reversal. His mission is to prevent Russian oligarch Andrei Sator (Kenneth Branagh) from raining destruction on the world with a device called The Algorithm.

In doing so, the Protagonist acquaints himself with “inversion,” a process by which the entropy of both people and of objects can be

Tenet has been tasked with carrying an ailing theatre industry on its back.

(Warner Bros. Pictures) reversed, resulting in the appearance of time running backwards.

“Don’t try to understand it. Feel it,” a scientist (Clémence Poésy) advises The Protagonist early in the thriller. This is sound advice for viewers trying to work out its dizzying plot. Between the time-inversion and paradoxes, Tenet emerges as a visually arresting, but a rationally inaccessible spectacle. By the time the audience figures out what is going on, another logical knot pops up, and the cycle restarts. Worse still, Richard King’s grinding sound design often overpowers the film’s expository dialogue,

adding another unwelcome chore in addition to understanding the already confusing plot.

What is most disappointing about the film is that it may signal the end of an era, a driftingaway from Nolan’s earlier films and the pathos that made them so enjoyable. Indeed, Nolan’s best films can each be stripped down to their rich emotional core: 2010’s Inception portrayed a father’s resolve to reunite with his children; 2006’s The Prestige examined the cost of obsession; 2000’s Memento depicted an amnesiac’s relentless pursuit of vengeance.

These heart-wrenching films highlight just how unfeeling Tenet is in comparison.

The sole emotional resonance of the film is conveyed through Kat (Elizabeth Debicki), a mother trapped in an abusive relationship, who wants nothing more than to rescue her son from the onslaught of nuclear war. But this plot line remains underdeveloped, and Tenet withholds the brutal emotional arc that makes viewing Nolan films worth all of their brain-racking.

However, what the film lacks in heart, it makes up for in technique. The sheer massiveness of Tenet strikes the viewer every step of the way, from the terrorist siege of a grand Kievan opera house to the hijacked jumbo jet crash. The film is packed with exciting action sequences, including a kitchen fight that features a well-placed cheese grater, and a reverse highway chase sure to keep viewers on edge. Hoyte van Hoytema’s dazzling widescreen cinematography and Ludwig Goransson’s score, which harbours a reversed quality paralleling the film’s plot, are what make Tenet worth the watch.

Tenet gets lost in its own labyrinthine plot, sacrificing its emotional core in the process. The blockbuster is visually and technically striking, plunging its viewers into the world of quantum physics, paradoxes, and parallel realities. But this only eclipses the humanity of the film—and ultimately, Tenet offers little more than a hollow spectacle.

Dancing with the starring suspect Carole Baskin’s ‘DWTS’ appearance raises ethical concerns of platforming Deana Korsunsky Contributor “Dancing the Paso Doble with her partner, Pasha, it’s Carole Baskin!” boomed the faceless announcer of Dancing With The Stars.

Cheers and literal roars erupt as the camera pans to a man in a cage, then, to a woman opening it.

As the opening chords of Survivor’s “Eye Of The Tiger” play, bigcat activist Carole Baskin begins to dance. This occurs only moments after the commercial break, when an ad aired that implicated Baskin in the disappearance of her thenhusband, Don Lewis. The ad, paid

by Lewis’ family, asked the public for any information they could provide to confirm Baskin’s guilt.

Propelled to infamy this past March, Baskin is best known as the main antagonist of the Netflix docu-series, Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness. Centered around Joe Exotic, former zoo operator and “Tiger King,” the show anchors its narrative on his feud with Baskin. When Baskin accuses Exotic of animal abuse, he retaliates, accusing her of murdering her husband, Don Lewis, in 1997. Although Baskin was never convicted, the arguably biased docu-series offers evidence framing her as a murderer.

Carole Baskin’s dance number on Dancing With The Stars followed an advert for a missing persons case that called her out by name.

(People.com) Insidiously, it is likely due to an apparent public consensus that Baskin murdered her husband that the controversial animal rights ac-

tivist secured a spot on Dancing With The Stars. During her debut on the show, Baskin overtly capitalized on her big-cat-enthusiast

persona by dressing in tiger print and dancing to “Eye Of The Tiger.”

Judge Derek Hough even referenced her position in pop culture to compliment her dance moves.

“Carole Baskin: Ya danced that paso, ya smashed it,” Hough applauded.

This was in reference to an online trend that perpetuated the image of Baskin as a murderer.

The original words, as written

by TikTok user @calebjaxin, are “Carole Baskin: Killed her husband, whacked him.” Hough acknowledged that Baskin is a suspected murderer, yet made light of this supposition. This calls into question why a major television network such as ABC would allow an informally suspected—albeit, not formally convicted—murderer to have such a prominent platform.

One could argue that the evidence presented in Tiger King is not enough to merit a conviction.

Yet, it is important to consider a key perspective in the informal case of Baskin v. Lewis: That of Don Lewis’ family, who continue to grieve Lewis’ disappearance. In the advert, Lewis’ three daughters, former assistant, and family attorney plead for closure.

“We are a real family,” Gale Lewis says, looking straight at the camera.

This statement shatters pop culture’s macabre vision of Carole

Baskin as merely a comedic villain residing in our television screen, revealing the decades-long grief of a real family. “[Don Lewis’] family deserves answers. They deserve justice. Do you know who did this, or if Carole Baskin was involved?” asks family attorney John M. Phillips.

Ultimately, it is not the job of television networks, video apps, or their consumers to pass judgement on this case. It is important, however, to remain mindful of whether a network should drive viewership by giving a reality TV show spot to an individual with Baskin’s reputation—especially at the expense of a distressed family. Offering a platform to someone whose public persona is almost entirely based upon a suspected murder dismisses the gravity of a missing persons case.

Viewers must consider all perspectives in a story and challenge the mediums allotted to individuals. It is imperative, for instance, to examine whether Baskin would be on Dancing With The Stars if she were a man meme-ed for murdering a woman, or if it is ever ethical to profit off of someone’s grief.

Regardless of which answers resonate the most, one must remember: We can laugh at the absurdity of big-cat drama, but not at the disappearance of a real person.

my big, fat online identity crisis

managing editor

growing up and getting over the internet kaja_surborg managing editor

kaja_surborg

I was 11 years old when I created my Facebook account. That was over 10 years ago, and since then, I have been broadcasting a highlight reel of my life for the world to see. Undoubtedly, beginning the moment that I clicked the green ‘Sign Up’ button, being constantly plugged into social media for nearly half my life has shaped who I am today. Social media—and its influences on me—have evolved through time and place, manifesting on new platforms, but always remaining a constant presence. My time and attention was, and still is, a product being sold to the companies behind advertisements on these platforms. The more user data that the algorithms of these sites collect, the more revenue they can generate by accurately predicting what content will keep users engaged. My social media use has become a habit, a natural part of everyday life, and I barely remember a time without it.

The early chaos years: My early Facebook years were not particularly exciting, and consisted mostly of me posting rage comics in my class Facebook group.

Facebook, however, led me to create a slew of subsequent accounts on Tumblr, Instagram, Twitter, and other sites. This domino effect is by far the biggest influence that a Harvard dropout has had on my life. Social media platforms have truly altered the way I interact with the world, changing my self-perception along the way.

Tumblr was the next stepping stone in my journey across the internet.

This microblogging and social networking website has a dashboard that centralizes all the posts from the blogs that one follows. Tumblr offered the anonymity that Facebook did not, and with an incredibly young user base, the website was raw chaos. When I created my account at the beginning of grade 8, I found fandoms for shows like Doctor Who and Sherlock that I’d been watching for years, and discovered site-wide discourses I’d never even thought of. But fandom culture on Tumblr was entirely unhinged—I found myself believing that I was a bad person or fake fan for liking particular characters or storylines that were deemed problematic.

Because of Tumblr’s anonymity, there was a culture of constant arguments and internet beef between users. Wild stories of users lying about their lives to gain followers and engagements taught me to not believe everything that I read on the internet. It was also on Tumblr that I solidified my early political views and found the language to express them. One of my clearest memories from my time on Tumblr is scrolling through my dashboard after school one day and coming across a post explaining intersectionality. My opinions and views have since evolved, thankfully, but Tumblr remains the key starting point.

At its height, many other users were also teenagers experiencing this platform in their formative years; when I went to university, one of the first things that my

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roommate and I bonded over was growing up in Tumblr’s early-2010 fandom culture.

“A lot of my closest friendships feel as though they are informed by the common denominator of us all having been on Tumblr at such a formative age,” Madison Palmer, U3 Arts, said in response to a survey put out by The McGill Tribune*. “[T]here's this coming-of-age aspect to it that I don't really know how to describe. When my friends and I talk about [Tumblr], it's always with a sense that it was something we lived through, instead of just a social media platform we used as kids.”

The teenage insecurity era: The fandom side of Tumblr rarely made its way into my real life. It was an online community that felt like a secret club, and thus needed to remain in that virtual space. There was another side to Tumblr, however, that did creep into my real-world experience of early high school: The indie-pop-soft-grunge aesthetic of the early-mid 2010s. This aesthetic was largely aspirational. As young teenagers reblogged photos of girls in American Apparel tennis skirts and meaningless, fake-deep quotes over blurry sunset pictures, my peers and I did not have the means to implement that aesthetic in our real lives. However, we continued to reblog film photos of Doc Martens on cobblestones, hoping that that could be our real lives one day. My earliest memories of feeling inadequate because of social media came from looking at these perfectly curated blogs. Before, I may have been jealous of a friend who had clothes that I wanted, but social media was no longer just a matter of jealousy. I now felt inadequate for not having a perfect life, or at least one that looked like it had been shot on 35mm film. That is, of course, an outrageous thing to expect of a 14-year-old, or anyone, to be able to achieve.

In a lecture during the winter of my second year of university, I happened to be sitting next to a girl wearing a white tennis skirt, which I complimented because I thought it was a cute outfit. She replied, telling me with a laugh that she was finally living out her “2014 Tumblr dreams.” I was taken aback by her response; I had not thought about Tumblr in years, but here she was, making a reference to something that I still understood so perfectly.

The pressure to present a visually appealing life was compounded by Instagram, a platform of photos and short videos posted by friends, brands, and celebrities. I created an Instagram account during the summer before grade 9, about a year after I set up my first Tumblr account. I remember my first post: A low-resolution photo of my wristband for the 2013 Vancouver Folk Music Festival. I had taken the photo on my fourth generation iPod touch. When I went to a new school in a new city at the beginning of that year, I was painfully awkward and without friends. Still, I was able to exchange Instagram handles with my classmates.

I spent an overwhelming portion of my first year of high school trying to make myself appear cool and interesting on Instagram. I only posted pictures that fit into the aesthetic of my feed, presenting a visually cohesive grid to anyone looking at my profile. I needed to give my followers

kaja_surborg

something to admire about me, I thought, and I was not alone in tying my popularity to my online presence as a high-schooler.

“Amassing likes on your [profile picture] on Facebook or your most recent post on Instagram was a demonstration of social clout, which is something I think most high schoolers think about a lot,” Erin Smith, U2 Arts, wrote in response to the Tribune’s survey. “I used to be super self-conscious about people disliking me so I was hyper-conscious of how I portrayed myself online (mostly FB and Instagram), and it really got to me. Losing a sense of self is incredibly dangerous.”

Social media magnified teenage insecurity. Likes, comments, and posts are visible to all our peers, making comparison not just easy, but second nature. And the perpetual urge to compare ourselves to others keeps us glued to our screens for extended periods of time.

It is horrifying to think that anyone could do something as insidious as profit off of that, but that is the business model at Facebook, Instagram, and most other free, algorithm-based sites.

The shitposting years: Later in high school, Instagram moved toward the back of my mind. After making friends in my class, I no longer felt like my social media presence had to speak for me. I still posted and scrolled, collecting screenshots of people’s posts to send to my friends and gossip about, but I was no longer trying to appear perfect online.

As I finished high school, my use of Instagram had drastically changed. Instagram had always been a platform focussed on very mainstream visuals and aesthetics, but alternative online youth cultures still thrive on it. As such, Instagram meme pages were my first introduction to McGill’s student culture. A @spicy_martlet_ memes post appeared on my Instagram explore page and I fell down the proverbial social media rabbit hole, unearthing references to elusive samosa sales and someone called Big Suze.

At the time, these names meant nothing to me as a high school senior, but slowly, these accounts shaped my preconceptions of McGill’s student life.

During my first two years at McGill, I would see my own disdain for the administration’s actions reflected in the posts of McGill meme account, no longer just peering into this drama as an eager outsider. Occasionally, when a post was particularly relatable, I would send it to a friend and we would chuckle, commiserating in shared experiences with people on campus who we had probably never met. While I am no longer particularly invested in my own image on Instagram, the app remains a way to stay tuned in to what is happening with my student body.

Towards the end of high school, I had also started using Twitter more. By the time I was at university, it was the website that I spent the most time on. Twitter’s brand of bizarrely nihilistic and selfreferential humour easily found its way into my everyday vocabulary and interactions.

“The use of language on social media becomes colloquial,” Leela Riddle-Merrite, U3 Science, the Tribune’s survey.

“Because of how it's evolved, North American ‘meme

ruobing_chen, design editor

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culture’ has a strangely hyperbolic, dry sarcasm that shouldn't make any sense, but does. It's sometimes so immersive that the mundane becomes entertainment beyond the boundaries of purely ‘social media’: Someone trips and someone else says ‘same’ and we all know exactly what they mean.”

While online culture and language has permeated many people’s offline interactions, there often remains a disconnect between how people present themselves online and in-person.

“I definitely changed how I acted online after my first viral [Tweet,] since it was the jumping point into having a larger account,” Johanna Desjardins, U3 Arts, wrote in an email to the Tribune. “I didn't really know how to handle all the attention, so my online actions turned into a lot of ‘thirst trapping’ and basing my account around my appearance and sexuality [....] I used to have an online persona which was really just based around my appearance. My online persona was a super confident and unattainable girl. I attracted a very intense crowd [...] and this was not at all how I act in real life.”

Being online can make you feel privy to one big inside joke; my own time on Twitter has only compounded this feeling. I began creating an online personality, leading me to interact with other McGill students who, had I met them in person first, would have had a very different perception of me. It is easy to be funny and confident online where I cannot stutter. I have found myself trying desperately to live up to my online persona because, frankly, I think she’s funnier and smarter than my actual self. As I spent more time on Twitter curating a new personality for myself, I generate more revenue for some far-away companies profiting from my time spent online.

Realizing the extent that social media has shaped me, especially on platforms that I no longer use and barely cross my mind on a dayto-day basis, is jarring. This experience is not uncommon within my generation and extends beyond just the way we talk and make jokes.

“Today, my political beliefs are primarily dependent on what I see on either Facebook or Twitter, which I believe have strongly influenced the political discourse, especially amidst large-scale movements like the ongoing [Black Lives Matter] protests,” Robin Vochelet, U4 Arts, wrote in response to a survey put out by the Tribune. “I don't doubt that I would be leaning on the left of the political compass regardless of social media, but my involvements [and] presence on these online platforms have for sure strengthened my political convictions.”

Personally, I am struggling to figure out how to go forward.

Who I am today was profoundly affected by my experience on social networks. I am trying to reconcile this fact with the knowledge that algorithms specifically designed to alter my behaviour have kept me online for so long.

To think that all of the experiences that led me to and through university were influenced by these large, faceless companies is unsettling. However, I also appreciate and value the bizarre joy of meeting people who shared similar experiences in those online spaces.

There are no easy answers and there is no guidebook for how to behave online, but I have reached one conclusion: Reflection and a self-critical analysis of how we interact with these platforms is absolutely crucial.

They affect everything from politics, to language, to friendships, and that power should not be taken lightly.

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*About the survey: The student survey referenced in this article does not meet scientific standards.

The author of this article distributed the survey to the McGill student body using an anonymous Google form. The survey included a combination of multiple-choice and open-ended questions about students’ experiences with social media.

During the data-collection period, the author posted the survey link to various McGill community groups on Facebook over the course of three days from Sept. 14 to Sept. 17 In total, 45 students responded to the survey.

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10 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

‘Unpregnant’ is unhelpful queer representation HBO Max film inadequately portrays queerness in a heteronormative world Erika MacKenzie Contributor HBO Max’s new film Unpregnant is not your typical teen comedy: The film explores abortion rights, the subtle casualness of rape culture, and the dominance of Christianity in America. While the plot is structured around a teenage girl’s struggle to have an abortion, Unpregnant is also a story of rekindling a lost friendship. Despite the film’s radical bend, especially in questioning the pervasiveness of heteronormativity in our society, Unpregnant offers poor queer representation.

The film’s shortcomings are indicative of a problem endemic to the film industry, which often reduces representation to virtue signaling.

It sidelines its queer characters, relegating them to subplots riddled with one-dimensional stereotypes and tropes.

Unpregnant is a feminist buddy-action movie that follows the journey of teenagers Veronica (Haley Lu Richardson) and her former friend Bailey (Barbie Ferreira) on a road trip to Albuquerque so that Veronica can have an abortion without her parents’ consent. The girls meet a variety of eccentric characters and encounter many obstacles on their way, giving Unpregnant a hilariously fast-paced and unex-

The one-dimensional LGBTQ+ characters in ‘Unpregnant’ reveal a larger shortcoming of queer representation in Hollywood films (HBO Max) pected twist.

The film challenges heteronormative ideals that are typically omnipresent in most conventional teen movies. In one scene, Veronica’s boyfriend tracks her down to bring her a bouquet of flowers. Instead of taking this gesture to be romantic, Veronica chastises him, explaining that he is a creep for following her.

Later, the girls have a choice between hitching a ride with a lesbian race car driver, Kira (Betty Who), or a seemingly friendly couple with a child.

The girls decide to take the couple’s offer and, to their horror, discover that they are pro-life advocates who have kidnapped them. The heroes of a traditional rom-com become the villains of Unpregnant as the couple attempts to thwart Veronica’s plans.

While Unpregnant subverts normative expectations of heterosexual relationships, it fails to do much else. The film’s narrative is still centered on the struggles of a straight, middle-class, white cis-woman. The LGBTQ+ characters are not granted the same character development as the straight lead and exist solely to prop up Veronica’s personal narrative.

The queer characters in Unpregnant are shallow stereotypes, only serving to reinforce the heteronormativity that the film claims to dismantle. Media scholars have pointed out that the majority of LGBTQ+ characters in film and television are presented as either a villain or a victim. In Unpregnant, the audience is meant to pity the main

queer character, Bailey, who is a social outcast, has a difficult home life, and spends more time online gaming than interacting with her peers. According to Ray Seif’s study on queer representation in the media, this portrayal reinforces the notion that LGBTQ+ members are a deviation from society’s norms and therefore must be outcasts.

Not only is the representation of queer characters limiting, their time on-screen is also restricted in Unpregnant. We only discover that Bailey is gay halfway through the movie, and her romantic interaction with Kira makes up less than 10 minutes of the film’s running time. It appears as though the writers added in queer characters to appeal to a diverse audience without exploring their stories in-depth: The film quickly pushes asides its reveal of Bailey’s sexuality, and subsequently denies her and Kira’s relationship any time to flourish.

While Unpregnant addresses many important social issues more bluntly than its predecessors, the film does not give its viewers adequate queer representation. The LGBTQ+ representation in Unpregnant reflects Hollywood’s all-too-common tendency of tokenizing its diversity for viewership rather than dignifying its audiences with fully-realized, complex characters.

POP Montreal 2020

Annual music fest continues amidst the pandemic, now with socially distanced venues!

Sept. 23-27 Multiple locations Prices vary

Exposition: This Is What Compels Me to Compel Them

Group art exhibit explores unity through dislocation and displacement

Sept 5 - Sept 27 Le Livart Free admission

Never Apart Equinox 2020

One-day music fest merging art, music, ecology and food Sept. 25 Online Free admission

Flohmarkt vintage & streetwear market

Monthly market with 4 floors of vendors to shop from Sept. 26-27 4301 + 4311 St Denis Free

‘En Pointe’ is an optimistic return to in-person theatre Tableau D’Hote Theatre presents new, innovative staging techniques Angelica Voutsinas Contributor For several months, COVID-19 completely halted Montreal’s theatre scene, but as public health measures were slowly being lifted, Tableau D’Hote Theatre emerged as one of the first production companies to offer its patrons a safe theatre-going experience. En Pointe, their current production, is a series of bilingual short plays which follow 16 residents of Montreal’s Pointe-Sainte-Charles neighbourhood as they begin to navigate a postisolation world.

En Pointe features nine short plays which were showcased once per week, at a location in the neighbourhood that was only announced on their social media, just hours before each performance. Each play is written to allow the audience to interact with the larger narrative at any time, so that each vignette presents its own selfcontained story, and may be viewed in any order. This gives audience members the freedom to attend episodes selectively, and out of order.

This series of short plays was staged innovatively, most evident in the decision to host each performance in various outdoor locations in

Pointe-Sainte-Charles. This enabled the episodes to be set in natural environments, highlighting the neighbourhood that the characters inhabit. Local parks, community centres, intersections, and even laundromats were used as backdrops, allowing audiences to safely watch the scenes taking place directly at the locations they are set in.

Its simple, voyeuristic nature brings viewers right into the action, giving the fictive scenes an uncanny feel of realism.

The first episode, titled (Partial)

Reopening Day, sees two neighbours interacting for the first time in months, as Quebec began to lift quarantine rules. Rather than establishing narrative continuity, this episode creates a thematic foundation for the rest of the series: Short performances of community members reintegrating into society, and learning how to co-exist with one another in a time where isolation is encouraged. Various other thematic elements relevant to the pandemic are intertwined throughout each following episode.

En Pointe follows 16 residents of Montreal’s Pointe-Saint-Charles neighbourhood in a series of nine short plays.

(Angelica Voutsinas / The McGill Tribune)

One standout episode was the series’ sixth, titled Lost Cat, which tells the story of neighbours coming together to help someone find his lost cat. Playwright Mathieu MurphyPerron slots anglophone actor Ryan Bommarito in the show to integrate a witty subplot depicting the dynamic between Montreal’s francophone and anglophone populations. The actors communicated using elaborate hand gestures, and grasped onto the few words that they knew in the others’ language. This particular episode felt like a moment of comic relief in comparison to the others, and effectively worked to highlight the dramatic ranges of En Pointe’s actors. Each character was fully developed, with their own unique quirks, though the personalities portrayed sometimes appeared larger-than-life, contrasting the otherwise realistic portrayal of everyday interactions that other aspects of this production were grounded in.

Each location was set up to ensure the safety of all viewers, with social distancing markers placed on the ground, and the obligatory use of masks. Actors were miked, so the background noise of the surroundings would not distract the audience, especially as some performances happened

across the street from the designated seating area. On average, each show attracted 30 viewers, though episodes taking place in less spacious locations had a capped attendance to ensure the safety of all viewers. Tableau D’Hote Theatre worked with Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal’s COVID-19 coordinator, Lindsay Petts, to guarantee regulations were properly followed and ensured a sense of safety amongst audience members.

Tableau D’Hote Theatre used the dreary state of our world as inspiration, and put together a lighthearted series based upon social connection.

Their resiliency in creating a return to in-person theatre amidst a pandemic speaks volumes to the importance of theatre in our communities. Given the right precautions and community solidarity, En Pointe holds true to the saying, “The show must go on!”

The ninth and final installment of En Pointe is set to happen on Sunday, September 27th at 3 pm. To those looking to watch the show as a whole, En Pointe records each of its episodes and makes them available online. Follow @tdhtheatre to find out where it will take place.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 11

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

Climate change takeaways from the 7th Annual Trottier Symposium Stopping climate change will not take a miracle, just political will Sara Chiarotto O’Brien Contributor The COVID-19 pandemic has had an immense impact on people’s lives across the world.

It has also, however, presented a learning opportunity for political leaders tackling global problems, namely climate change. These lessons were the theme of this year’s Trottier Symposium, hosted virtually on Sept. 16 by the Trottier Institute for Sustainability in Engineering and Design (TISED).

The symposium, entitled “Lessons from a Pandemic,” featured guest speakers Michael Mann, professor of atmospheric science at Pennsylvania State University, and Naomi Oreskes, professor of the history of science at Harvard University.

Oreskes opened the symposium with a lecture on why the general population should have faith in scientific findings. In her lecture, she outlined the evolution of scientific methodology and emphasized that while scientific findings are never absolutely certain, it is the best way of accessing the truth. Oreskes explained how science gains its credibility

through repeated testing, the accumulation of evidence, and the consensus of groups of experts.

“The relative risk of believing in science is far [lower] than not believing,” Oreskes said in reference to the United States’ poor response to COVID-19.

“We should not trust scientists, but we should trust science.”

Scientific data has supported the theory of global warming since the 1950s, and there has been broad scientific consensus on the existence of anthropogenic climate change for more than three decades. Yet, special interest groups funded by fossil fuel companies, including ExxonMobil, and private citizens such as the Koch Brothers, still attempt to discredit climate science, usually to their own benefit.

The tactics that climate change deniers use to resist activism range from dismissing the dangers of climate change to outright denial. These deflective and divisive maneuvers are a popular strategy of the fossil fuel industry, pushing the narrative that the responsibility of solving climate change rests on the

shoulders of individuals, rather than governments or corporations.

Mann and Oreskes agreed that the challenge in reducing the impacts of climate change is not the absence of available technological solutions.

“The technology that we need already exists,” Oreskes said. “We don’t need a miracle.”

Oreskes added that it was not enough for academics and policy experts to introduce innovative solutions to solving the climate crisis. Politicians and the public also play an essential part in addressing climate-related issues.

“If you don’t address the politics, it doesn’t matter how good the solution is,” Orekes said.

Both Mann and Oreskes remain optimistic, despite the looming ten year deadline laid out by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The IPCC report stipulates that humans must limit global climate warming to 1.5 degrees celsius or else face the first stages of climate disaster.

Mann commented that the “doomism” of some writers and environmentalists who believe it

The International Energy Agency recently forecasted a long-term plateau in global carbon dioxide emissions, marking a major milestone in the progression of climate change activism. (Grist.org) is too late to save the planet from warming is misleading. Around the world, renewable energy is becoming cheaper and carbon dioxide emissions are projected to plateau. Curbing the effects of climate change will require a twofold reduction in heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions over the next 10 years—a target that Mann believes is still within reach.

Mann is also heartened by the success of grassroots activism, spe-

cifically in pro- testing the construction of nat- ural gas pipelines across Canada and the U.S. “We’re seeing investors unwilling to invest in pipelines because there’s so much opposition [and] because of the threat of litigation,” Mann said.

Simply put, the challenge remaining for many climate activists is tabling climate policies in discussions with politicians.

“We don’t want it to be political, but it is,” Oreskes said.

Searching the stars for supermassive black holes

Physicist Daryl Haggard explains the science behind taking pictures of black holes Jonathan Giammaria Arts & Entertainment Editor Until 2019, no one had ever seen a black hole outside of artistic renditions and theoretical simulations dating back to the 18th century. On Apr. 10, 2019, after years of collaborative work, over 200 researchers from 60 institutions around the globe unveiled the first image of the supermassive blackhole Messier 87 (M87), taken by the Event Horizon Telescope.

Daryl Haggard, a professor in the Department of Physics at McGill, is an expert in the study of supermassive black holes and contributed to the global initiative behind capturing M87’s photo. On Sept.

10, Haggard gave a virtual talk, “Observing Black Holes Large and Small,” discussing the science of black holes and the techniques that the group used to capture their groundbreaking photograph.

A black hole is a mass in space that has a gravity so strong that nothing can escape its pull—not even light. The gravitational force of a black hole is so powerful that it extends to the region of space which surrounds the black hole itself, an area called the “event horizon.” Supermassive black holes often form as a result of stellar explosions. Haggard explained, how-

ever, that the largest black holes can form through other means, such as when neutron stars—collapsed cores of much larger stars—merge together or join with small-

Very-long-baseline interferometry, the technique used to capture the world’s first image of a black hole, involves creating a network of radio telescopes spanning planet Earth’s diameter.

(Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration) er black holes. A black hole’s extreme gravitational pull results from the drastic disparity between the mass and volume that these explosions and mergers create. “[M87] has 6.5 billion times the mass of our sun, packed into something that is the size of our solar system, and that’s

what makes it a supermassive black hole,” Haggard said during her talk. “The volume that [planet Earth] would be packed into to make [it] into a black hole is something like the size of a sugar cube.”

In order to capture M87’s photo, the team behind the Event Horizon Telescope employed a technique called very-longbaseline interferometry (VLBI). In this process, scientists connect radio telescopes positioned over long stretches of land––referred to as a baseline––allowing each installation to work as though it were a single pane of glass in the lens of a broader telescope. In an interview with The McGill Tribune, Haggard explained that VLBI had previously been set up along the West Coast of the United States to capture images of the interstellar areas around black holes.

To focus on the event horizon itself, researchers had to expand their baseline.

“This amazing discovery was [...] all made possible by this truly international suite of observatories,” Haggard said in her talk. “It requires a network of telescopes that span the entire globe to get a kind of a quasi-dish that has the diameter of our whole Earth.”

Given black holes’ preclusion of light itself, the question remains as to how researchers can image them while using light-sensitive instruments.

Even new methods for observing black holes, such as VLBI, record only photons, the elementary particles of light that surround the black hole’s event horizon, and not the black hole itself.

In M87’s photo, the stable orbit of photons surrounding the black hole, or accretion disk, appears as a blurry ring of orange light with a bottom half that is brighter than the top. This variance in brightness is due to a Doppler effectlike phenomenon. When photons in orbit of a black hole move towards Earth’s telescopes, their frequency is at its highest, and the light appears more vibrant.

At the end of her talk, Haggard explained that in future experiments, researchers hope to take images of M87 with greater visual acuity, which has so far been limited by Earth’s baseline.

“We really want better resolutions, we really want to see all those pretty little photons in data, not just in our simulations, we need a longer baseline,” Haggard said. “If we want a really long baseline, [...] going to space might allow [us] to extend that baseline and actually get a more high-resolution image [....] There’s a lot of great food for thought in thinking about next-generation instruments.”

12 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

Fact or Fiction: The truth behind multivitamins

Existing research challenges claims that multivitamins are beneficial to health Cassia Attard Contributor

Most vitamin supplements provide 200-2000 per cent of the daily vitamin intake recommended by physicians. (Xiaotian Wang / The McGill Tribune) Continued from page 1.

Deficiency of essential vitamins can cause numerous health complications. Long-term vitamin B-12 deficiency can lead to vision loss, anemia, and dementia, while inadequate levels of vitamin A, C, or D can lead to heart disease, frail bones, and a weakened immune system.

Despite knowing the vital importance of these micronutrients, many still question whether multivitamin supplements have a positive impact on overall human health. In short, multivitamins do not have any known health benefits and amount to little more than a snack in a fun gummy form.

The McGill Tribune spoke with Dr. Joe Schwarcz, professor of Chemistry at McGill and Director of the Office for Science and Society, on the effectiveness of multivitamins, where he shared suggestions on which daily supplements people should be taking. “[Multivitamins] are unlikely to do any harm, but they are unlikely to do any good either,” Schwarcz said in an interview with the Tribune. “People take multivitamins as nutritional insurance in case they don’t have a healthy diet, but micronutrient gaps in the diet can’t be filled [by multivitamins].”

There are seemingly infinite conflicting studies on the benefits of vitamin supplements—or lack thereof.

In one study, men taking supplements were found to be eight per cent less likely to be diagnosed with cancer.

However, the overwhelming majority of research demonstrates that taking vitamin supplements daily does not decrease users’ risk of developing cancer in the longterm.

Today, most research findings show that supplements have zero impact on lifespan or health. The limited number of studies which suggest otherwise speak broadly to the benefits of supplements, providing evidence relating multivitamins to decreases in heart disease and improved brain function, immune health, and vision.

“The problem with nutritional research is that you can find a study that backs up anything you want to push,” Schwarcz said. “It’s very important to know who has done the research.”

Companies such as Centrum, One a Day, and Vitafusion have leveraged the scarce number of studies that show that vitamins are beneficial to fuel this $123 billion industry.

These corporations have found a clever way to sell

two packs of their nutrient cocktails to the average family, instead of one, through the marketing of gender-based multivitamins. One A Day and Centrum both sell ‘his’ and ‘her’ multivitamin varieties, although there is little that makes these gendered variations different aside from their packaging. Multivitamins supplements marketed to women simply contain slightly more vitamin D, calcium, and iron.

“That’s a marketing move,” Schwarcz said in reference to the branding strategies used by vitamin manufacturers. “There’s no documented evidence that women and men need different amounts of vitamins. The only difference is body weight, and they already have children’s vitamins for that.”

Schwarcz noted a paradox in the fact that those who can afford multivitamin supplements are unlikely to be the ones who need them most.

“The situation here in North America is different than in the developing world,” Schwarcz said. “In some countries, people could be benefiting a lot from vitamin A, [but] in North America, we don’t have vitamin A deficiency.”

Schwarcz argues that there’s one exception to this no-supplement rule: Vitamin D. “Some specific [supplements] make sense, like vitamin D, especially [in Montreal] where it’s cold,” Schwarcz said. “Also, we now see evidence that vitamin D deficiency can increase your risk of COVID-19.”

With the exception of those who tan in the winter, taking a 1000 IU daily vitamin D supplement might be worth considering.

Ultimately, to maintain a healthy lifestyle and proper micronutrient intake, the cash spent on multivitamins is likely better spent in the produce aisle of the grocery store.

A new approach to addressing urban homelessness Study shows that ‘Housing First’ strategies are more effective at helping people experiencing homelessness than conventional methods Margaret Wdowiak Contributor The homelessness epidemic continues to affect over 235,000 Canadians each year, most of them in major cities. Despite some efforts from municipal governments and charitable organizations to address the staggering number of unhoused Canadians, this figure has continued to rise annually since the late 1980s.

However, a new study published by researchers in McGill’s Department of Psychiatry showed that an unconventional, cost-effective strategy could help overcome a number of persistent roadblocks in finding long-term housing for individuals.

The study evaluated the costeffectiveness of the “Housing First” strategy, which consists of finding permanent housing for individuals in addition to providing a rent supplement, prior to addressing other concerns such as physical and mental health problems. McGill researchers sought to test this novel strategy alongside existing programs, such as Assertive Community Treatment (ACT), and compare their outcomes with

these conventional methods. “[The goal is] to really be there tance can follow ACT plans. ACT “The aim […] was basically for them, to help them not only get teams, which are more specialized, to find out to what extent did de- an apartment initially, but to re- cost significantly more than ICM. livering ‘Housing First’ services main housed, and furthermore [...]

Latimer and his colleagues reduce the use of other services,” to progress in their lives and move showed that investing in a “Housing Dr. Eric Latimer, a professor in ahead with goals that are mean- First” approach is cost-effective, the Department of Psychiatry at ingful for them,” Latimer said. particularly when assisting highMcGill, said in a phone interThis continuous support strat- need individuals experiencing acute view with The McGill Tribune. egy can be realized with the aid mental illness. This strategy reducThis study was part of a larger of an Intensive Case Management es the cost of interventions and deongoing research project, At Home/ (ICM) team for people with mod- creases reliance on more costly pubChez Soi that aims to provide prac- erate needs who encounter fewer lic services like emergency shelters. tical, meaningful support to Cana- barriers to rehabilitation. IndividuUnfortunately, despite the dians experiencing homelessness als needing more intensive assis- clear advantages of implementand mental health problems. The four-year national research project found that the “Housing First” approach was more conducive to helping unhoused individuals secure long-term housing in comparison to more conventional housing and support services.

“You help the person get an apartment and you keep on supporting them for as long as necessary so that their lives move forward,” Latimer said.

From Latimer’s perspective, providing ongoing support for unhoused Canadians The average annual cost to support a person struggling with homelessness and sets the “Housing First” model mental illness is $53,144, a reality that the ‘Housing First’ strategy seeks to change. apart from prior initiatives. (K.B. Thors / CBC)

ing the “Housing First” strategy along with existing ACT teams, many cities and provinces are reluctant to adopt the model.

“When the government decided to fund these ‘Housing First’ services, they were only willing to fund it for moderateneeds individuals,” Latimer said.

“ACT teams fall too clearly [within] provincial jurisdiction.”

Though the federal government has left it up to individual provinces to fund the new strategy, it has provided little to no financial incentive for municipalities to do so. According to Latimer, cities and provinces often fail to provide adequate services and funds for high-needs individuals.

“In Montreal, only one team serves people who would be considered high-need [under] the ‘Housing First’ [strategy], but it does so without rent supplements and in a time-limited way, so it is not ideal,” Latimer said.

The results of the At Home/ Chez Soi research project could inject new vigor into the nationwide campaign to end homelessness in Canadian cities.

STUDENT LIFE

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

13

Left behind: The impact of a pandemic on international students

International students doing the online semester from afar face unique challenges

International students have faced a host of challenges, including delays in the study permit process and a lack of access to resources for those unable to be in Montreal. (bized.aacsb.edu)

Jhalak Narang Contributor The beginning of McGill’s remote semester has been especially challenging for international students, who faced the additional barriers of visas, study permits, and border closures. International students will continue to face unique hurdles throughout the rest of the year, as many struggle accessing courses, academic help, and course materials from their homes across the globe.

For starters, it has become increasingly difficult to simply obtain a study permit. Many application and biometrics centres are closed

due to public health restrictions. In response, the Canadian government launched a twostage assessment process for study permits in July. The first stage of approval allows students to start their studies online, while the second stage approval requires students to complete the pending process and present their biometrics and medical documents to the visa officer. While school started three weeks ago, some students have not been granted their first stage approval until now.

Kushagra Chawla, U0 Arts, was one of many students who saw his Québec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ) process delayed due to the pandemic.

“Firstly, I was unable to submit my documents on time due to the closure of the courier services,” Chawla said. “It took me a month to receive my CAQ. After receiving it, I saw the validity dates for the documents were missing. Fortunately, the department that handles these issues was kind enough to reissue me the correct document in two days.”

Chawla added that these encounters often caused him to feel unmotivated and anxious.

Other than obtaining the necessary documents on time, students unable to travel to Montreal face many logistical challenges, from obtaining course materials to clashing time zones and spotty Wi-Fi. Sarman Singh Chandhok, U0 Arts, is an international student who considered moving

to Montreal in the fall. He shared his concerns about finding textbooks and course materials.

He’s still adjusting with this situation with the help of ebooks rather than physical textbooks.

“I am worried about how I will get my textbooks,” Chandhok said. “I have been searching for the books online, as I can’t make it to Le James McGill Bookstore.”

Although professors list required course materials at the beginning of the course, it is difficult to find certain textbooks in different countries, since they are often only available in Montreal.

Sneha Vaishali, first year neuroscience master’s student, was prepared to start her master’s at McGill this fall. However, due to logistical problems, she was unable to enter Canada, which has affected her ability to carry out the research component of her program.

“I was supposed to start working in my lab in May, but being unable to procure travel documents and the lockdown being imposed on many countries [...] made the process very uncertain,” Vaishali said.

As Vaishali is not able to perform experiments in-person, she feels that it might be difficult for her to catch up once she is able to come to Montreal.

Students struggling with accessibility issues can reach out to McGill’s International Student Services (ISS) for support. ISS is offering a number of webinars and

workshops, including rapid advising, to support students navigating immigration issues during the pandemic. Additionally, ISS has a program called The Buddy Program, which pairs new international students with upper-year international students to support their transition to university life.

These are challenging times for all members of the McGill community. To alleviate immigration-related pressures, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced that international students who were approved for a study permit to begin their program in Canada in May or June will be able to begin their program online without affecting their eligibility to eventually apply for a Post Graduate Work Permit. Previously, international students would have had to continuously study full-time in Canada for at least eight months to be eligible, and online study could render them ineligible.

However, this change comes alongside changes to the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ) immigration program, which are poised to make gaining permanent residency more difficult for international students after graduation. Students can lend their support to groups like Le Quebec c’est nous aussi who oppose this legislation, and advocate for their international peers as they face unique challenges this remote semester.

Sage Montreal creates unique Asian-inspired street fashion Montreal-based brand talks inspiration and transitioning online Elinor Rosenberg Contributor Continued from page 1.

These friends, Victoria Kwok, U3 Economics, Rulin Nie, U3 Management, and Yu Tong Lui, an engineering student at Waterloo, were all interested in street fashion and had Asian backgrounds, so together, they decided to create their own brand, which they called Sage Montreal.

Today, the team has grown from the original four founders to a dozen team members. A friendly atmosphere remains, even as the team has grown.

“Since we started as friends, it’s easy to work together,” Kwok said.

The name “Sage” comes from the necklace that a frog wore in popular anime Naruto. This name captures the casual and referential vibe that the brand projects.

Sage Montreal’s attention to small details that evoke broader emotions, like the frog’s necklace, is clear throughout the brand’s launches. Their most recent launch, “In the Heat of the Sun,’’ embodies the brand’s emotional lifeblood.

“Before the profits, we’re really just driven by the vision of Sage, which is to analyze our upbringing and culture under the microscope, [which] drives us to consistently deliver projects,” He said.

“In the Heat of the Sun” is a play on words, referring to both the sun’s warmth, and Sun Wukong, the monkey king from Journey to the West, an

Founded by a group of Asian-Canadian business students, Sage Montreal draws on its founders’ cultural backgrounds to create innovative streetwear. (sagemontreal.com) influential piece of 16th-century Chinese literature. Slyly, this reference appears on the top of the launch pages’ bar.

Sage connects cultural reference points, such as Naruto and Journey to the West, from across history and across Asian traditions as these designs aim to share many stories.

Beyond bridging cultural boundaries, Sage pushes creative boundaries by taking full advantage of their resources at hand. In particular, their interactive and dynamic online presence was created by Liu, who has a background in software engineering and led Sage’s

team in building their innovative website.

The homepage of Sage’s website takes viewers through an interactive gallery that showcases several pieces from the brand. The team collaborates amongst themselves and with Montreal photographers and graphic designers on lookbooks for each launch. This strong online presence helps Sage to achieve their vision and reach a wider audience.

Despite the recent challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the brand is using the hardships as an opportunity for growth. Due to interruptions in supply chains that backed-up their orders,

Sage shifted from relying on third-party manufacturers to produce their clothing to producing their products completely on their own. The brand has its own printing press, adding to the unique, artisanal quality of their clothes. They also plan to make more clothing by hand in Montreal to further Sage’s sustainability mandate.

Sage’s quick adaptation to pandemic conditions, along with its visual branding, have allowed them to continue to grow in the absence of an in-person store. “[Sage had] a seamless transition from [the] physical environment to [the] virtual one,” Nie said.

For their most recent launch, Sage dedicated its resources to revamping the website instead of a physical pop-up shop. They added detailed animations to their online boutique, giving it the look of a rotating storefront, along with a complex 3D virtual gallery.

Sage hopes to expand its partnerships by collaborating with small businesses in Montreal, other groups, and creators.

The company also hopes to develop an inclusive platform for under-represented creators to share their art and experiences. “[Ultimately, Sage is] all about growing our community,” Nie said.

“Community is what keeps Sage alive.”

14 STUDENT LIFE

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

Falling in love with Montreal’s parks

The best places to socially distance and escape from COVID-19 Lucy Keller Contributor Many students are at a loss for places to catch up with friends and maintaining a social life while staying safe during the ongoing pandemic. Parks are the perfect place for students to ensure their health and enjoy the fall in Montreal. While the sun is still radiating and the leaves are changing shades, the many beautiful parks throughout the city allow for easy social distancing, whether used for studying, resting, or simply mingling with friends. The McGill Tribune has comprehensively examined Montreal parks. Here’s our list of no-brainer spots to chill that are close to campus, along with a couple of hidden gems.

1. Mont Royal Park Although this might seem like an obvious first choice, this Montreal namesake is incomparable. Overlooking the city, Mont Royal has both beautiful vistas and sprawling green space. Mont Royal boasts many unique attractions, including Beaver Lake, a sculpture garden, the Montreal Cross, and an observation deck. The hike up the mountain is also a great way for students to exercise, with the added benefit of allowing people to socially distance themselves from their friends. A sunrise hike to the top of Mont Royal is a must before graduating from McGill. Other than the standard Kondiaronk Belvedere and Colline de la Croix lookouts, students can access the CamillienHoude Boulevard lookout by car for a more accessible route with an equally beautiful view.

2. Parc La Fontaine

These Montreal parks are the perfect place for a socially distanced picnic.

(Caroline Shelton / The McGill Tribune)

For those looking to venture into the Plateau or for students who live nearby, Parc La Fontaine is a must-visit. Spanning 84 acres with two connected ponds and, as the name suggests, a fountain, this park is waiting to be explored.

Perfect for socially distanced picnics, walks with friends through the gardens, or as an addition to a running route, Parc La Fontaine is teeming with weekend potential. While the onsite restaurant and chalet are closed due to current public health recommendations, there are still sport courts free to use throughout the park.

3. Rutherford Park This park is ranked third solely on its incredible view. Even without the effort of hiking up a mountain, the view is spectacular.

Located at the top of McTavish Street, this easily-walkable park looks over McGill, downtown Montreal, and if you look carefully enough, Old Port. Additionally, the park has a soccer field free of charge when the field is vacant. For availability, check out the McGill Athletics Calendar.

4. Parc du Portugal This park is small, but mighty. Located off of St. Dominique and St. Laurent Blvd, Parc du Portugal consists of a quaint gazebo surrounded by walkways and several tiled benches. Parc du Portugal was also one of Leonard Cohen’s favorite spots in Montreal. Right off the bustling St. Laurent Blvd, this safe escape is great for enjoying takeout meals with friends or after visiting the nearby stores and restaurants. While the park is lovely in and of itself, the street artwork that adorns the surrounding area is also worth the visit.

5. The Playground at Old Port This park is located in Old Montreal, overlooking the St. Lawrence River and the Montreal Observation Wheel. While there are many lovely squares and parks throughout Old Montreal, The Playground at Old Port made

the list due to its picturesque river view and its vacation-like feel. Located right on the water and often full of tourists, this park can help trick students into thinking they are on vacation for the day. With a playground and ample space to sit along the river, this beautiful location is perfect for socially-distanced gatherings. Additionally, the walk from McGill down to the river is a great escape from the monotony of student life.

6. Jeanne Mance Park While most students have probably either been to or passed by Jeanne Mance Park, this is nonetheless a beautiful spot to visit all year long.

With scenic views of the sunset and trees ready for autumn’s glow, this park is a central meeting spot between the Milton Parc neighbourhood, the Plateau, Outremont, and the Mile End. Additionally, the park has many sports courts that can be reserved by the public.

7. Dorchester Square This downtown park is a short walk off of St. Catherine Street, at the corner of Peel Street and René-Lévesque Boulevard West. Whether students are back-to-school shopping and need an outdoor break, or just looking for green space in downtown Montreal, Dorchester Square is the place. Flanked by renaissance style buildings, including the Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral, this spot is great for catching up with friends or simply enjoying the fresh air.

Trib Explains: Accessing McGill’s remote mental health services Navigating the current resources available for students Margaret Askey Contributor As students find their footing for the Fall semester, many may be wondering how to access mental health support through the university. If you read the emails sent out regularly by Fabrice Labeau, Deputy Provost (Student Life & Learning), you have no doubt heard of Keep.meSAFE, the digital therapy resource that the university recommends for those seeking counselling. Keep.meSAFE is but one of many remote resources available for students. The McGill Tribune breaks down how and where to access Students in Montreal and abroad have a variety of options for remote mental healthcare, including campus mental health resources this semester.

Keep.meSAFE, the Peer Support Centre, and the McGill Wellness Hub. (Eve Cable / The McGill Tribune)

What are my options for mental healthcare outside Quebec?

Keep.meSAFE is a mental health counselling service offered to students in partnership with the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) and the Post-Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS). The service provides 24/7 yearround access to licensed counsellors through telephone and mobile chat in over 60 languages.

For students located out of the province, this may be the most accessible and affordable option for mental health care.

How can I get non-clinical support?

The Peer Support Center (PSC), founded in fall 2013, is a service offered by and for McGill

students. Serina Cole, the PSC’s Promotions and Outreach Coordinator, stressed the group’s commitment to inclusivity. “[We strive] to be a confidential, nonjudgemental support space for all McGill students,” Cole said. “Regardless of [students’] gender, sexuality, or race, we are here to listen.”

For the Fall 2020 semester, the PSC will be offering their services through Zoom. A peer supporter will be in a private room, wearing earphones at all times to ensure full discretion. During the 45-minute appointment, students are welcome to discuss anything and everything on their minds and trained students will be there to listen.

Cole stressed that the PSC’s goal this semester is to be as accessible as possible to McGill students, wherever they may be.

“Although we are known for our drop-in, in-person services, we have moved to an online format so [that] we can broaden our reach regardless of [students] are in the world,” Cole said. “Whether you want some help gathering resources, are feeling stressed out, or just need a listening ear, we are here for you.”

What about the McGill Wellness Hub? The McGill Wellness Hub is touted as the university’s one-stop-shop for student health.

The Wellness Hub offers services such as workshops, support groups, and resources. However, they are not accessible to all students.

In order to receive healthcare through the

Wellness Hub, students must be located in the province of Quebec at the time of the appointment and consent to a telehealth appointment.

For students currently located outside of the province, many professional services at the Hub are unavailable.

Counsellors are booking both first-time and follow-up appointments, and psychiatrists are still available for appointments via video call if you are a pre-existing patient.

Local Wellness Advisors (LWAs) are now offering online booking, and Access Advisors are available to connect students with resources if they are unsure of what support they require.

What other options are there?

If you or anyone you know is experiencing a crisis, you always have the option of calling local emergency services, or going to the nearest hospital.

However, emergency care often isn’t enough. A key aspect of mental health care is preventative care: Providing consistent and long-term care for those with or without mental illnesses to reduce the amount of crisis care.

For students studying from home, whether in Canada or abroad, family—be it chosen or biological—can be an incredibly valuable support.

If you live alone and the isolation is impacting your mental health, go out of your way to connect in-person with your friends and loved ones, whenever and however it is safe to do so.

SPORTS

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

15

In conversation with Rikki Bowles

Former McGill basketball player and assistant coach takes the reins as head coach

Shaun Lahani Contributor Continued from page 1.

“Now to be the head coach of that institution is [definitely] a dream job. I care so much for the program, the players, everybody I’ve had an opportunity to develop relationships with. [....] It was a goal of mine to be the head coach of a university basketball program one day and I really appreciate this new challenge.”

Bowles’s appointment comes through the McGill Women in Sports Initiative. The program aims to address the underrepresentation of female leadership figures in university athletics and promotes women to leadership positions in McGill athletic programs.

“There may have been a time when [the underrepresentation of women in leadership] wasn’t even on the radar, but now it’s becoming each university’s question: Who’s leading our programs?

Who’s inspiring our students?” Bowles said. “It’s one of the reasons McGill started its Women in Sports program. They put in real resources to fund the pathway. I started the program as a full-time assistant coach and am now being appointed head coach.

It’s a great consequence of this program and it is working.”

Bowles’s journey into coaching began after her graduation from McGill in 2010.

Rikki Bowles looks to project strength and resilience to her players (McGill Athletics) She has worked as an assistant coach to the Martlets, and as head coach at Vanier College.

“I came into the McGill coaching program right after graduation, so it was interesting at the start, [coaching] players I used to play with,” Bowles said. “[Back then] I really took under my wing the new, incoming players and [...] learned a lot from the experience. The one year at Vanier, the CEGEP system was very similar to U SPORTS. That experience as a head coach really taught me the [work], and the added pressure [...] that goes into this job.”

As she settles into her new role, Bowles has stressed the importance of caring for athletes as people and students, not just basketball players.

“I think the lessons I’ve learned [from Thorne] are that he’s extremely passionate about basketball, his job, [and] he’s passionate about the student-athlete experience,” Bowles said. “He cares about the student academically. [That has] rubbed off on me and have been my key takeaways from him.”

This year, Bowles will take over a McGill team looking to rebuild after a

tough season in the middle of a pandemic.

“Any team in any sport across the professional down to university level has its ebbs and flows,” Bowles said.

“We’ve got a great group of players, so I think the challenge for this season is the challenge of the unknown. Keeping the players motivated [through the pandemic] is essential [....] We began [meeting on zoom for workouts] months ago. We’ve done sessions with our mental performance coach. We’ve done video learning sessions.

We’ve tried to do what we can and are excited to return.”

Bowles already has an idea of the kind of basketball she wants her team to play when they return.

“I want them to play free basketball where they can play loose, with confidence,” Bowles said. “No team is perfect and you have to be able to play through [mistakes]. I’m hoping to play an up-tempo style of game, get out in transition, and run the flow.”

Having ascended the university athletics system and achieved her goal of coaching the Martlets, Bowles has some words for athletes looking to take a similar route.

“I think if they know early on, if they know this is what they want to do,; just let them know that there is a way,” Bowles said. “It definitely comes with a lot of work and sacrifice, but there is always a way.”

McGill kicks off intramural lawn games tournament Intramural athletes will compete in four lawn sports

Zoe Babad-Palmer Contributor

Sixteen teams will compete in a five week lawn-games tournament (cornholeaddicts.com, kanjam.com, spikeball.com)

It’s time for McGill sports fans to prepare for a new season. It’s not U SPORTS, it’s not the RSEQ, it’s McGill’s Intramural Lawn Games.

While U SPORTS and the RSEQ have cancelled their fall championships and seasons respectively due to COVID-19, McGill Athletics has organized new intramural events to offer students safe recreational activities.

“Originally, we wanted to run a oneday tournament in April, but, given the pandemic, that wasn’t possible,” Ryne Bondy, assistant manager of Intramural Sports, said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “Instead, we realized that lawn games would be a great alternative for some of our programming this semester, as many of these games have natural social distancing built into them.”

McGill’s intramural leagues have four levels of competition: PLAYCOMP Tiers 1-3 and PLAY-FUN, which does not hold playoffs. Games are played weekly, with the season running from Sept. 21 to Oct. 30. Sixteen teams will compete for the championship mugs in the two lower PLAY-COMP levels, with 10 teams in Tier 2 and six in Tier 3. All teams can have a maximum of six players.

The athletes will compete in cornhole, Kan Jam, Mölkky, and roundnet (Spikeball), with teams playing a different game every week.

Cornhole, a classic outdoor game across Canada and the U.S., tests a player’s precision. Players toss beanbags onto a board with a hole in the center and are awarded three points if they successfully get the beanbag into the hole.

Landing the beanbag on the board counts for one point. Play continues with bated breath until one team reaches 21 points.

Kan Jam incorporates Frisbeethrowing skills with an element of risk.

Each team has a thrower and a deflector; the thrower tosses their Frisbee, and the deflector knocks it out of the air and into the Kan. A redirected bounce off of the Kan is worth one point, a direct hit off of the Kan is worth two points, and a successful deflection into the Kan is worth three points. Twenty-one is, once again, the magic number, unless a particularly skilled player throws their Frisbee into the slot in the front of the Kan, resulting in a coveted, yet elusive instant win.

Roundnet, also called Spikeball, is a volleyball-style game played around a circular net. Much like volleyball, each team has three touches, analogous to a bump, set, and spike. Players can rotate around the net to keep the ball in play, with the rally ending when a team cannot return the ball. Twenty-one points is the

goal.

Mölkky, a Finnish throwing game, combines skill and strategy. Players throw a wooden pin into a bowling-like array of 12 numbered pins, or skittles. If one pin is knocked over, the player scores the number of points labeled on the pin.

If multiple skittles are knocked over, they score the total amount of points labeled on the pins knocked over. However, unlike the other games, players must be exact with their scoring: play ends when one team reaches exactly 50 points. If they go over 50 points, their score is reset to 25 and they must climb the Mölkky mountain again.

McGill Athletics is striving to keep players safe as they compete, with numerous protocols in place. The games themselves are played in six separate areas of the 19,800-square-foot Forbes Field. Each team is allowed two players per night, with no players on the bench, substitutions, or spectators.

Staff members in full PPE sanitize all equipment between matches, and players must wear masks for every game except Roundnet. Everyone must also wear a mask in between matches. Finally, contact tracing is facilitated through rigorous tracking of which team members are in attendance each night.

With the precautions in place and players ready, let the games begin!

16

SPORTS

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

Lessons from the bubble

The restart of the 2020 NBA season truly is a ‘whole new game’ out during award season are often not the league’s best. This discrepancy has been regularly demonstrated in the playoffs, as the league MVP and Defensive Player of the Year have not advanced to the finals since 2016 and 2017, respectively. Even Antetokounmpo acknowledged this trend, telling the media not to call him MVP until he wins a championship. Watching Antetokounmpo’s virtual trophy ceremony made it perfectly clear: The NBA awards no longer indicate who the best player is in the league, nor do they predict playoff success.

Ender McDuff Contributor The conclusion to the 2019-20 NBA regular season has been like none other in league history. Confined to a bubble in Orlando, Florida and without fans in attendance due to the ongoing pandemic, the league restart truly does represent “a whole new game.” This unique experience has turned the NBA restart into an experiment, revealing important lessons for players, coaches, and the league.

A coaches league The NBA is commonly hailed as a “star’s league,” yet in nearly every series of the 2020 playoffs, the team with the better coach—and not necessarily the better players—has won. The sterile environment of the bubble means that there is no home court advantage to sway momentum. In this context, the ability to make swift in-game adjustments to player rotations and game plans has proven to be of paramount importance. In the West, both Frank Vogel and Mike Malone of the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets, respectively, have used such adjustments to great effect.

Denver, in particular, overcame consecutive 3-1 deficits for the first time in league history thanks to Malone’s ability to adapt. Similarly, Eric Spoelstra led the underdog fifth-seed Miami Heat past the first-seed Milwaukee Bucks in the East by unleashing a slew of devastating defensive schemes. Meanwhile, the Bucks, led by Mike Budenholzer, as well as the Los Angeles Clippers, helmed by Doc Rivers, each faltered despite being championship favourites.

They were simply outmaneuvered and outcoached. Certainly, star players remain critical to championship aspirations, but the bubble is demonstrating that the NBA is a coaches league too.

This post-season has made the importance of coaches to team success even more obvious.

(Essentiallysports.com)

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The Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo was awarded the 2019-20 MVP and Defensive Player of the Year award, the first player to win both in the same season since Michael Jordan. But Antetokounmpo’s award ceremony was not replete with the normal pageantry. With the Bucks already eliminated from the bubble, Antetokounmpo had to accept his award over video conference.

This strange situation is indicative of the fact that NBA awards truly have become “regular season awards.” Decided through votes cast by members of the media, awards are increasingly driven by storylines and flashy regular season statistics. At the same time, an increasing number of the league’s elite players are taking games off to load manage.

These trends combine to mean that the players who stand

... But the regular season does The Los Angeles Clippers were, by most NBA analysts’ accounts, destined to win the 2019-20 NBA championship. Instead, they were sent home in the second round after blowing a 3-1 series lead to the Denver Nuggets. Following their historic game seven loss, several Clippers players noted the team’s chemistry issues, and All-Star Paul George said that the Clippers simply did not have enough time together. This may be true, but it is not because the Clippers’ core nucleus only came together last offseason. Instead, the lack of chemistry can be blamed on the Clippers’ extensive load management, as All-Stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George alone combined to miss 38 games during the reduced 2019-20 season.

Meanwhile, the Clippers’ cross-town rival Lakers advanced to the Western Conference Finals, despite also forming their nucleus during the 2019 offseason. Unlike the Clippers, the Lakers chose to largely forego load management during the regular season, opting instead to use the time to build chemistry and experiment with different game plans. NBA teams can learn from this dichotomy by taking advantage of the regular season to experiment, learn, and grow. While wins and losses in the regular season may ultimately not matter, the experience absolutely does.

A love letter to Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve A haven for the road-deprived city cyclist Adam Burton Sports Editor Formula One weekend dominates Montreal in June, with groups of tourists wearing team-branded caps meandering around the city, taking in the sights. This year, Formula One weekend was cancelled, along with all the events that surround it. Roaring engines, cheering crowds, and screeching tires have been replaced by the clicking of free-wheeling bikes and rustling trees near the race track.

With Formula One weekend called off, one might expect Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve—the 4.3-kilometre-long track on Île Notre-Dame—to lay idle and gather dust.

Anyone who frequents the island, however, knows that this is not the case. For decades, the race track has been converted to a closed cycling route when not in use. While most public gatherings have been shut down this summer due to COVID-19, the cycling community has thrived.

Every day, Montrealers young and old don their colourful spandex cycling kits, clip in to their pedals, and bike over Pont Jacques-Cartier to the circuit where dozens of cyclists, putting in laps, are waiting for one more person to join their pack.

Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve was constructed in 1978 for the Canadian Grand Prix following growing safety concerns with the previous track, Ontario’s Mosport Park.

Montreal’s track was built on roads constructed earlier for Expo 67, and was ideally located near the city. Since its construction, the track has become an adaptable and versatile venue for sports, the arts, music, and nature preservation.

The Circuit offers a cycling experience that is truly like no other. The closed path is a space for pedestrians and cyclists only, providing a stress-free environment for anything from a promenade to a high-intensity tempo workout. The gently curving roads make for an exceptional riding experience, offering an escape from the city.

Since its inception, the track has developed a

Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve is the perfect get-away from downtown Montreal (Parc Jean Drapaeu) reputation for intense cycling competition and training.

Teams from the national to the university levels, including Cycling Canada, and McGill Cycling, regularly hold training and racing sessions on the circuit. These teams take advantage of the ideal road conditions and high caliber of competitive riders that the circuit attracts. The widely used cycling app Strava has publically available Heatmaps, which visualize the frequency at which a route is used. Strava has made evident that this track is one of the most heavily-used cycling roads in Montreal.

President of McGill Cycling Nick Kleban shares this enthusiasm for the circuit.

“The Circuit-Giles Villeneuve is definitely one of the go-to riding spots in Montreal,” Kleban said in a message to The McGill Tribune. “It provides cyclists with an easily accessible location to ride and train away from the regular city traffic. It also acts as a hub to meet other local cycling enthusiasts [....] Riders flock there for everything from easy spins to fast group rides. Historically [it is] one of McGill Cycling’s staple rides, [and as such] the Team Points Race (TPR) was hosted every Tuesday morning on the track.”

Anyone looking to see the track at its busiest should head over on a Wednesday night. Cyclists from all

around the city congregate at Cafe Le Club, drink espresso, and head across the bridge for a night of cycling. Pace lines form, grow, and kick their bikes into their highest gears, all in an attempt to break coveted speed records on Strava.

So beloved is the circuit that in 2017, when the city attempted to cease bike access to the track, cyclists banded together to preserve their home. The closure came from the Société du Parc Jean-Drapeau, who had safety concerns regarding the construction of a 65,000-seat amphitheater nearby. A Facebook group with nearly 6,000 members banded together to voice their grievances. With the help of groups like Vélo Québec, a non-profit bike promoting group, they succeeded in keeping the track open. Since then, the circuit has remained open every summer.

The circuit has also provided a fantastic place to display outdoor art installations. In the surrounding park there are several sculpture gardens showcasing Indigenous art, modern sculpture, and outdoor photography exhibits.

Many of the exhibitions feature the work of local artists.

So whether you’re a serious cyclist, casual Bixi-er, or just looking for a nice walk, make the journey over to Parc Jean-Drapeau and take advantage of the open road, art installations, and city views before the snow sets in.