The McGill Tribune Vol. 42 Issue 20

The McGill Tribune

TUESDAY, MARCH 7 2023 | VOL. 42 | ISSUE 20

STUDENT LIFE EDITORIAL OPINION

Parliament Hill must address the root causes of the migrant crisis

PG. 5

PG. 11 By

How

PG.

Feature:

Students suffer from “food desert” at Macdonald campus

Recent closure has left Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue with no grocery stores

Shani Laskin Staff Writer

the closure of McGill’s Barton and Macdonald-Stewart buildings due to asbestos on Jan. 31, students at the Macdonald campus have been left with few options to access food.

The Twigs Café on campus has also closed, leaving

Don’t buy into the myth of selling out

Yash Zodgekar Staff Writer

The accusation of “selling out” cuts deep within independent music. “Indie” fans often pride themselves on the genre’s self-positioning against the mainstream music industry’s commercialism. Selling out is hence

defined by an artist’s relationship to the profit motive. Artists perceived to court sales by pursuing a more popular sound, heavily marketing their music, or licensing it for corporate advertising are accused of prioritizing financial interests over the creative integrity of their work.

By displaying a greed that contravenes a romanti-

cized notion of what and who music serves, these artists are purported to have betrayed the very fans who made them successful. Yet, in an age in which the dominance of music streaming makes earning a living as an artist extremely difficult, seeking alternative commercial revenue seems characterized less by greed than necessity.

only one on-campus eatery: The Ceilidh. Any students hoping to buy groceries now have to either order them online through a delivery service or use the bus service that takes students to the nearest grocery store once a week.

PG. 2

Think twice before taking a drag from your friend’s vape

Raymond Tu Contributor

Most students at McGill have encountered a vape pen: Whether they’ve taken a hit from someone’s JUUL at a party, walked through a cloud of grape-scented vapour in front of McLennan, or bought one from the depanneur on the

corner. In Canada in 2021, 13 per cent of youth aged 15 to 19 and 17 per cent of young adults aged 20 to 24 reported vaping at least once in the past 30 days. Among these people, 55 per cent said that they vape on a daily basis.

The side effects of ecigarettes—colloquially called vapes—are largely unknown

despite their widespread usage. Alarmingly, chronic and highvolume usage of vape pens has resulted in hospitalizations of many otherwise healthy individuals, with some cases ending in death.

But, what about the effects of infrequent vaping? Researchers at McGill are asking themselves this very same question.

(Drea Garcia / The McGill Tribune)

With the closure of Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue’s sole grocery store, Marché Richelieu, in early January and

New McGill study shows that even low-level “JUULing” harms your lungs

Demonizing independent artists for “selling out” does more harm than good

Students suffer from “food desert” at Macdonald campus

Recent closure has left

Shani Laskin Staff Writer

Continued from page 1.

Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue with no grocery stores

The bus service, provided by the administration, ran one bus before Marché Richelieu’s closure but was expanded to run two in late January to meet students’ increased need to commute for groceries. Every Monday night at 6:30 p.m., two buses shuttle students from Laird Hall to a Walmart about 10 kilometres away in Vaudreuil. The bus then returns students to campus at 8:30 p.m. The service is available to all students, including graduate students, but is first-come first-serve. According to McGill media relations officer Frédérique Mazerolle, the plaza in Vaudreuil also includes a Metro, Dollarama, and Bulk Barn that students can access during their two hours.

The Macdonald Campus Student Society (MCSS) has been working to adjust existing services by liaising with the McGill administration. In an interview with The McGill Tribune , MCSS vicepresident (VP) External Zell Song said that MCSS is creating surveys to gather student opinions. Using the information provided in the survey, MCSS hopes to create a report to present to the Student Housing and Hospitality Services (SHHS) and the administration to adjust the existing services to better fit student food needs.

“For students who live in SainteAnne, it’s kind of hard for them to be dropped off at school and then have to walk back to the place where they live,” Song said. “So [we can see] if it’s possible

to stop at a bus stop so they can walk less [....] If there’s a lot of students who think another time instead of Monday evening works better, based on the majority of responses, the housing office [might be] willing to change the time.”

MCSS VP Equity Affairs, Sara Kosumi, told the Tribune that while the bus service has been helpful, there are still issues surrounding access that McGill needs to address.

“It’s great that they are taking action and providing another grocery bus, but I wish they could reflect students’ voices more,” Kosumi said. “I hear that students cannot take the shuttle because of the time it would take—students would have to wait on the returning bus for at most one and a half hours before the bus leaves the store, no matter how fast they shop [....] Maybe McGill wanted to act quickly, and we appreciate that. However, I believe now is the time to hear students’ voices and adjust.”

As a student living in the Macdonald campus residences, Kosumi shared that with the limited space in residence kitchens, getting food for the entire week with the bus service is not feasible.

“I used to use Marché Richelieu to buy things in the middle of the week when there was no shuttle bus,” Kosumi said. “With the limited space in the shared fridge in residence, getting [the] food I needed for a week from a grocery shuttle wasn’t feasible [....] However, now that Marché Richelieu has closed down, I rely less on fresh vegetables or meat and live off plain rice or cereals.”

According to Jamie*, the closures have only exacerbated an existing

problem, not created a new one. Using the @maccornhub meme page on Instagram, which they run, Jamie has been able to gauge the attitudes of Macdonald campus students through a Google Form linked in their bio.

“Mac campus has been a food desert for as long as it’s been around,” Jamie told the Tribune . “I think many students are kind of feeling cheated of their university experience at this point. Firstly with COVID, and now with the asbestos closures. It’s also really hard for student societies to encourage people to come to campus.”

Jamie also pointed out that some Macdonald campus students felt neglected. As the Macdonald campus is over 30 minutes away from downtown and has a significantly smaller student population, some students feel that the McGill administration fails to provide adequate support to its students.

“As a Mac campus student myself, I’m honestly not surprised with how things are going,” Jamie said. “It doesn’t take long as a Mac student to realize that McGill admin doesn’t really care for us [....] Students on the campus already have to make up for so much that is lacking since the McGill community kind of ignores us—I wouldn’t blame them, we are like 35 minutes away, it just sucks that they wouldn’t at least try a little harder.”

Zahur Ashrafuzzaman, U3 Arts and Science, told the Tribune that the problem of food insecurity at Macdonald campus is compounded by the fact that the MCSS has no voting power on the Board of Governors, unlike the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU).

“The issue with food accessibility has deep roots at McGill, reaching up to the Board of Governors who refuse to allocate

sufficient funding to subsidize food services or student-run food security-focused groups on campus,” Ashrafuzzaman said. “It becomes much more difficult for Mac students to advocate for McGill to take action to address this food insecurity when they don’t have any voting power on the Board.”

While the options are more limited than before, the MCSS and other student groups are working to provide accessible and healthy food for students. With Happy Belly, an organization that provides free vegan meals every Thursday and Buy your Own Bulk, which buys food in bulk to sell at affordable prices to students, those outside the McGill administration are trying to mitigate the issue. In addition, the Macdonald campus’ Horticulture Research Centre grows produce year-round. The center has provided over 40,000 kilograms of produce to McGill Food and Dining Services in the past three years. In July through November, the produce is also sold to students and community members at the Mac Market.

MCSS also runs The Ceilidh, the only on-campus restaurant currently open to students while three buildings remain closed. The Ceilidh is open from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., after which it operates as a bar, on weekdays. To Jamie, The Ceilidh is essential.

“This has honestly been a saving grace, especially since the restaurant is located in one of the buildings that is not closed,” Jamie said. “I think the major issue is if you are on campus not during peak times [...] if you’re on campus for any 6 p.m. classes or whatnot, there are no options available for you.”

*Jamie’s name has been changed to preserve their anonymity.

Prices for meals at The Ceilidh range from about $3 to $14. (Cam-Ly Nguyen / The McGill Tribune)

The Board of Governors has one student vote, a representative from SSMU, but no representative from MCSS. (Cam-Ly Nguyen / The McGill Tribune)

Along Party Lines: In conversation with the Honourable Marc Miller

Member of Parliament representing McGill riding talks politics, students, and more

Harry North & Madison Edward-Wright Staff Writer & Managing Editor

When Marc Miller started helping high-school friend and current Prime Minister of Canada

Justin Trudeau fundraise in 2008, he was a practicing lawyer, not particularly involved in politics.

Fifteen years later, Miller has now been the Member of Parliament (MP) representing McGill’s riding for eight years and became the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations in 2021. He also became the first MP to give a speech in the House of Commons entirely in Kanien’kéha (Mohawk).

Miller, 49, graduated from McGill Law in 2001, after completing his bachelor’s and master’s in political science at the University of Montreal. Though his father was the Dean of Arts at McGill and his mother an archivist, he did not want to become an academic.

“I’m mildly introverted at times, but not introverted enough to do a PhD,” he said, chuckling.

Miller said he was probably older than the average law student during his time at McGill, but still enjoyed meeting people from different backgrounds.

“Some of my best memories are the kind of silly ones with my roommates [...] participating in law games, stuff sometimes involving alcohol,” Miller said. “Probably not the most distinguished way for a minister [...] to remember their [time] but you know, it was a memorable occasion.”

After university, Miller became a mergers and acquisitions lawyer for Stikeman Elliot, working in Montreal, New York, and Stockholm. But after being inspired by Trudeau’s movement, he swapped his time as a lawyer for helping Trudeau’s campaign. In 2015, Miller was elected MP for Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs.

Miller’s mandate as Minister is to build government

relationships with Indigenous communities, which he does by settling treaty disputes and funding Indigenous support programs. Miller is conscious of Indigenous communities’ significant socio-economic disadvantages, such as insufficient access to health care and low water quality, and says the government is committed to tackling these problems.

“Putting in sort of historic sums to try and close it, whether it’s education, health care, infrastructure, clean water, [...] has been a [...] highly profiled topic across the country, but something that’s still ongoing,” he said.

McGill is currently involved in its own dispute with the Kanien’kehá:ka Kahnistensera (Mohawk Mothers) over the New Vic Project, which the group says is the site of unmarked graves of Indigenous children. In October 2022, the Superior Court of Quebec ordered McGill to halt construction on the site for approximately four months until a final decision on the lawsuit had been made.

“I am concerned,” Miller said regarding the dispute. “It’s important to make sure that you are very respectful of timing and pace, and protocols, […] often, you know, in our haste to develop, or even in the best of faith, it’s important sometimes to take a pause and to listen.”

Since Miller became an MP, the political landscape in Canada has changed significantly. He mentioned how in 2015, the Liberals had been out of power for almost a decade, but now, most young people have grown up with a Liberal government. While contending with the expectations of young voters, Miller has also had to navigate challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the rising cost of living, and the highest food inflation since 1981.

“What we know from a pure data perspective is that [...] students, women, and racialized groups are the most affected [....] Failure to recognize that has terrible consequences.”

One government program Miller said provides relief is the one-time top-up to the Canada Housing Benefit, a

payment of $500 to low-income renters. To qualify, you must be a permanent resident or citizen of Canada and have a family income of less than $35,000.

Modes of communicating with young constituents have also changed since 2015. The rise of social media has led to shorter attention spans and an increased risk of exposure to disinformation. Miller believes politicians still need to learn how to use the media effectively and that it is important they do because young people are driving new priorities in the political agenda.

“Youthful segments of the population are very interested in seeing the government have a position,” he said. “There is a will to see politicians taking care of [longterm] issues that are dealing with the environment and Indigenous matters.”

Open letter urges McGill to make statement about devastating earthquake in Türkiye and Syria

publishes story instead

Sabrina Nelson Contributor

A7.8 magnitude earthquake hit northern and western Syria and south central Türkiye on Feb. 6, claiming an estimated 50,000 lives, injuring an estimated 100,000, and causing tremendous damage in a region already struggling through the more than a decade-long Syrian civil war and subsequent refugee crisis. Millions of people have been displaced, humanitarian aid has been limited in Syria, and health-care services are scarce as several hospitals and clinics collapsed following the quake.

In light of the devastating earthquake and aftershocks, students and professors in the McGill community have rallied to support those affected.

On Feb. 15, an open letter calling on the university to issue an official statement of support for people in Türkiye and Syria was sent to Interim Principal and Vice-Chancellor Christopher Manfredi. Initiated by Aslihan Gürbüzel, assistant professor at the Institute of Islamic Studies, and Ipek Türeli, associate professor at the Peter Guo-hua Fu School of Architecture, the letter urges the university to raise awareness within its community by sharing information about the main organizations trying to provide relief. The letter has since collected over 300 signatures from current students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

Türeli explained that she and Gürbüzel did not receive any response from the Principal

about the initial letter, so a follow-up was sent on Feb. 22. They then received a response from Associate Provost (Equity and Academic Policies) Angela Campbell, explaining that the administration would not be issuing such a statement. Instead, Campbell wrote that the McGill Reporter would publish an article as it would have “further reach.”

Türeli explained that she was disappointed in the administration’s response in an email to The McGill Tribune

“The university has sent many MROs of the nature we are seeking, [...] for example, in the case of the war in Ukraine, both the Principal and the Provost sent out MROs,” Türeli wrote. “The McGill Reporter article that eventually came out on [Feb.] 15 celebrates what McGillians are doing to help, and it is not about the humanitarian disaster that is unfolding [....] Why is McGill not standing in solidarity with the Turkish and Syrian universities in the affected region?”

McGill media relations officer Frédérique Mazerolle informed the Tribune that following the Feb. 6 earthquake and aftershocks, the Office of the Dean of Students reached out to all Turkish and Syrian students to offer support and share resources that they can turn to in case they require help.

“The health and well-being of our community remain our top priority,” Mazerolle wrote. “The University continues to amplify the efforts made by members of our community to collect donations for survivors in the area by

sharing them through our channels.”

Berfin Simsek, a Turkish U2 Arts student, explained that she felt “let down” and “uncared for” by McGill because she had expected a statement of solidarity addressing the situation.

“It makes me feel like people from my background, from where I’m from, are not worthy of their attention or time,” Simsek wrote in an email to the Tribune. “We have been struggling so much mentally and emotionally [...] we needed to hear that they were there for us. We needed to feel like school was one thing we did not need to worry about. But they failed to do that.”

Gürbüzel explained that it would not be too late for McGill to issue a statement of solidarity as the crisis is still unfolding and it will take time for the region to fully recover. She thinks that an acknowledgment of support would mean a lot to affected students and members of the McGill community.

“I believe that a statement of support that emphasizes the long-term nature of the destruction and recovery processes is going to make a strong impact now as we observe the attention and solidarity to the Turkey-Syria earthquake slowly dwindle,” Gürbüzel wrote.

Miller married his college girlfriend, Elin Sandberg, with whom he has three children, Marius, Lukas, and Eva. (Sean Kilpatrick_Canadian Press)

No official statement has been issued, McGill Reporter

Other North American universities, like Queen’s and New York University, have released statements of solidarity in the wake of the earthquake and subsequent humanitarian crisis. (politico.eu)

Arts students elect new AUS executive team, vote down motion to raise AUS fees

Matthew Boyle will be 2023-2024 President

Lily Cason News Editor

Undergraduate students in the Faculty of Arts, the university’s largest of 11, voted in next year’s Arts Undergraduate Society of McGill University (AUS) executives and representatives in a ballot that ran from Feb. 20 to 24. A referendum also took place during the same period, where students decided to continue funding the McGill Journal of Human Behaviour (MJHB) but struck down a proposed AUS fee increase.

According to AUS, 1,102 people—13.1 per cent of the electorate—voted in the 2023-2024 elections. Those who did vote decided that Matthew O’Boyle, who is currently an Arts representative to the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU), will be the next AUS President.

“Working between SSMU and AUS this year, I’ve developed a pretty good understanding of what powers each institution holds and how these powers can be enacted to serve the interests of students,” O’Boyle wrote by email to The McGill Tribune . “I look forward to overseeing the various portfolios of the AUS and offer my institutional knowledge to help get things done efficiently and effectively. I worked under both Adin Chan and Ghania Javed, the AUS presidents these past two years, and [...] I learned a lot from both of them and am eager to carry this knowledge forward in my new role.”

Julia Widing was elected as the vice-president (VP) Finance, Suzanne Levandier as VP Internal, Sophia Weiqi Li as VP External, Lauren Hicken as VP Communications, Sarah Jiang as VP Social, and Nick Rieck as VP Academic.

Three Arts representatives to SSMU, who will sit

on the SSMU Legislative Council, were elected: Keith Baybayon, Quinn Porter, and Aishwarya Rajan. Two Arts Senators, who will represent students in the faculty at the McGill Senate, the university’s highest democratic governing body, were also elected: Sophia Garofalo and Juliet Morrison*.

In addition to elections, Arts students voted on two referendum questions. According to AUS, 877 students— or 10.4 per cent of the electorate—participated in the

Winter 2023 referendum.

A question regarding raising the AUS fee from $16.50 to $17.50 for full-time Bachelor of Arts (BA) students, and from $8.25 to $8.75 for part-time BA students failed, with 60.9 per cent of students voting against it. Current AUS President Javed found it “a bit disappointing” that the fee increase did not pass, explaining that the additional funds would have gone toward higher wages for AUS employees.

“The most important reason behind the fee change, or fee increase, was because of the minimum wage increase,” Javed explained in an interview with the //Tribune//. “So it went from $13.[50] last year to $14.25 this year. That’s what we’re operating with, and it’s going to change again in May to $15.25 [....] The fee has not been increased for years.”

“So the meaning of this fee increase was so we could pay our staff adequately. We do have a lot of stipend and hourly wage staff [...], a lot of them work anywhere from 10 to 20 hours a week.”

The MJHB fee, which was also up for a vote, was approved with 59.1 per cent of voters in favour. The student-run Journal publishes a wide array of “exemplary” work by Arts students twice a year.

“Our goal is to foster conversations that transcend disciplinary boundaries to better understand why we act the way we do,” MJHB Editor-in-Chief Sophie Cleff wrote in an email to the Tribune . “The implementation of the MJHB fee as decided by the AUS referendum will not only allow us to continue running our publication, research fellowship, and speaker series, but also expand our operations with even more ambitious projects.”

*Morrison is currently a News Editor at the Tribune and was not involved in the publication of this article.

Ghania Javed was pleased that voter turnout, which has generally been on the decline, was slightly higher this year than the last and hopes that it will continue to increase.

( AUS McGill)

TUESDAY, MARCH

2023

EDITORIAL BOARD

Editor-in-Chief Madison McLauchlan editor@mcgilltribune.com

Creative Director Anoushka Oke aoke@mcgilltribune.com

Managing Editors Sepideh Afshar safshar@mcgilltribune.com Matthew Molinaro mmolinaro@mcgilltribune.com Madison Edward-Wright medwardwright@mcgilltribune.com

News Editors Lily Cason, Juliet Morrison & Ghazal Azizi news@mcgilltribune.com

Opinion Editors Kareem Abuali, Leo Larman Brown & Chloé Kichenane opinion@mcgilltribune.com

Science & Technology Editors Ella Paulin & Russel Ismael scitech@mcgilltribune.com

Student Life Editors Abby McCormick & Mahnoor Chaudhry studentlife@mcgilltribune.com

Features Editor Wendy Zhao features@mcgilltribune.com

Arts & Entertainment Editors Arian Kamel & Michelle Siegel arts@mcgilltribune.com

Sports Editors Tillie Burlock & Sarah Farnand sports@mcgilltribune.com

Design Editors Drea Garcia & Shireen Aamir design@mcgilltribune.com

Photo Editor Cameron Flanagan photo@mcgilltribune.com

Multimedia Editors Noor Saeed & Alyssa Razavi Mastali multimedia@mcgilltribune.com

Web Developers Jiajia Li & Oliver Warne webdev@mcgilltribune.com

Copy Editor Sarina Macleod copy@mcgilltribune.com

Social Media Editor Taneeshaa Pradhan socialmedia@mcgilltribune.com

Business Manager Joseph Abounohra business@mcgilltribune.com

Parliament Hill must address the root causes of the migrant crisis

The McGill Tribune Editorial Board

Last year, around 39,000 refugees entered Canada through Roxham Road, an illegal border-crossing site between New York and Quebec, which requires an extremely dangerous journey on foot. This past January, almost 5,000 were reported to have crossed the site into the province. The situation has sparked heated debate at Parliament Hill in recent weeks about Quebec’s capacity to manage the refugee influx, and the federal government’s responsibility toward those who seek asylum and Canadian immigration policy more broadly.

The Third Safe Country Agreement (STCA), implemented in 2004, has led to the increased usage of illegal and unregulated bordercrossing sites, such as Roxham Road. The bilateral agreement between Canada and the United States requires asylum seekers to make a claim in the first safe country they arrive in. This means that if an asylum seeker arrives in the United States first, they cannot make a claim in Canada under the STCA, and vice versa. In July of 2020, a Canadian federal court judge deemed the STCA unconstitutional, stating that Canada’s treatment of

OFF THE BOARD

Chloé Kichenane Opinion Editor

asylum seekers under the agreement is in direct violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. In response to political pressure, Trudeau plans to “renegotiate” the STCA with U.S. President Biden later this month. However, the Canadian government must immediately and completely suspend the agreement if it intends to welcome migrants safely and equitably.

In late December 2022, Fritznel Richard, a 44-year-old Haitian man, died of hypothermia while trying to cross Roxham Road into the U.S. from Montreal. Richard had heard that Canada was more welcoming toward Haitian immigrants than its southern neighbour. After a year of living in the country, he and his wife had not been granted work permits, and instead were forced to return throughRoxham Road, where he first entered Canada with his family. Along his route into the woods near the crossing, Richard, disoriented and freezing, called his wife who pleaded with him to call 911. Fearing his arrest and deportation to Haiti, Richard refused.

Last week, two months after Richard’s death, Jose Cervantes, a 45-year-old Mexican man, collapsed and died after crossing from Quebec to Vermont. Cervantes and Richard’s deaths expose the inhumanity of

colonial immigration policies in both Canada and the United States. Asylum seekers entering each country often face lengthy processing times, detention, and deportation under the current immigration systems. The STCA only exacerbates exclusion across the Americas, creating confusion and uncertainty for refugees who must try to navigate complex,often closed systems by taking extremely dangerous and preventable risks.

The government’s refusal to address the STCA’s role at Roxham Road further manufactures this humanitarian crisis that is a symptom of inefficient, austere, and dehumanizing immigration policies. For several months, New York City has been paying the bus fares of asylum seekers hoping to enter Canada through upstate New York in order to discourage them from claiming refugee protection in the city. The exploitation of legal loopholes within the STCA to defend the interests of state and provincial leadership points to the disgraceful implications and dysfunctional framework that underlie the bilateral policy. Closing Roxham Road without addressing root causes would not solve the crisis, but would rather further alienate and endanger migrants in its attempt to

Two minutes till dawn

deflect accountability.

Instead of offering tangible solutions, Conservative politicians have touted that closing Roxham Road would alleviate the problem of illegal immigration. The nature of the dialogue at Parliament Hill employs Roxham Road as the be-all and endall of the migrant crisis, failing to assess the xenophobic policy that creates its danger. Yet, Quebec not only has the capacity to care for more refugees, but also has the need for more people. Legault’s government has long weaponized its relationship with the federal government in order to fulfill its xenophobic and racist agenda, as exemplified by its refusal to abide by federal standards for immigration intakes. The relationship between the federal and provincial governments, outlined by their respective responsibilities, has a history riddled with negligence.

Canada must abolish the STCA immediately, and Legault’s government must shed itself of its racist and unjustified immigration policy. The deaths of Cervantes and Richard are among many tragedies that underscore the urgency of addressing the migrant crisis and ensuring that the safety of asylum seekers are protected, as outlined by Canada’s very constitution.

Joseph Abounohra, Kareem Abuali, Yasmine El Dukar, Ella Gomes, Sequoia Kim, Shani Laskin, Kennedy McKee-Braide, Madison McLauchlan, Michelle Siegel, Sophie Smith

STAFF

Ali Baghirov, Margo Berthier, Ella Buckingham, Melissa Carter, Ella Deacon, Julie Ferreyra, Adeline Fisher, Suzanna Graham, Jasjot Grewal, Charlotte Hayes, Jasmine Jing, Monique Kasonga, Shani Laskin, Eliza Lee, Oscar Macquet, Zoé Mineret, Harry North, Simi Ogunsola, Atticus O’Rourke Rusin, Ella Paulin, Dana Prather, Maeve Reilly, Maia Salhofer, Sofia Stankovic, Caroline Sun, Harrison Yamada, Yash Zodgekar

CONTRIBUTORS

Charlotte Bawol, Gillian Cameron, Peter James Cocks, Aimee DeLong, Naomi Gupta, Lauren Huff, Oscar Johnson, Lauren Mosley, Priscilla Perfetti, Ilia Shareghi, Julian Tabbitt, Raymond Tu, Benjamin Wexler, K Coco Zhang

TPS BOARD OF DIRECTORS TRIBUNE OFFICE

Shatner University Centre, 3480 McTavish, Suite 110 Montreal, QC H3A 0E7 - T: 519.546.8263

The McGill Tribune is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the Société de Publication de la Tribune, a student society of McGill University. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of The McGill Tribune and the Société de Publication de la Tribune, and does not necessarily represent the views of McGill University. Letters to the editor may be sent to editor@mcgilltribune.com and must include the contributor’s name, program and year and contact information. Letters should be kept under 300 words and submitted only to the Tribune. Submissions judged by the Tribune Publication Society to be libellous, sexist, racist, homophobic or solely promotional in nature will not be published. The Tribune reserves the right to edit all contributions. Editorials are decided upon and written by the editorial board. All other opinions are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the McGill Tribune, its editors or its staff.

day will go by, dragging along the sun, until yet another semester comes to an end. Before I know it, days will turn into years, and I will, hopefully, hold my diploma in front of the all-knowing camera, with a proud yet bittersweet smile on my face. Why did it have to go by so fast?

Every morning, my phone tells me the sun is setting two minutes later than the day before. Most students would be warmed by the thought of another winter ending and brighter days coming soon to wash away the snow. Yet, every morning, I cannot help but feel a slight anxiety sliding through the cracks of my blinds. Tomorrow, the sun will also set two minutes later than today. Each

I vividly remember graduating high school, as if it was just yesterday when we all threw our exam papers down the wooden staircase and ran through the streets of Paris under the rainbow of smoke flares. Although hope and nostalgia streamed through the air on that sunny day, I mostly remember the exhilarating euphoria of it all— the excitement of opening a new chapter in our lives. Mine was over 5,000 kilometres away.

Leaving France, the few tears I shed were for the downright incompetence of Canadian immigration services. But once I acquired my long-desired study permit, nothing could stop me. Montreal was waiting for me, and I was more than ready to dive into the unknown across the ocean.

I will always romanticize my way through life, but I have to

admit that everything was far from perfect. As memories of my first year at McGill already start to fade into the hazy corners of my brain, I can still recall the quiet life I led in my new city amidst a worldchanging global pandemic. But between the restrictions and the silent dinners in my empty residence room, I somehow found myself. I fell in love with the city and its people, laughed a lot, and cried a bit as well. I turned the unknown into a safe place, and even a home. These tribulations of uncertainty became much more than just a place of passage or a single chapter of my life. And as the weeks go by and the sand in the hourglass seems to only be falling faster, leaving this place seems unimaginable.

While moving so far from home was never scary to me, the idea of going back fills me with a sense of dread that I cannot escape. The thought invades me, and I sometimes find myself living in the third-person, watching myself from above, already nostalgic for the present and for the moments that glimmer swiftly in an existence. As my friends play cards, make dinner in the kitchen—mundane scenes

of everyday life—I try to inhale it all before it gets buried in the hourglass.

Unlike high school, leaving college feels like a ticking bomb. As I already see myself sitting on my final flight back to Paris, I’m afraid of going back to reality, of returning to the streets I’ve known my entire life without enough stories to tell. My pre-emptive fear of missing out might very well be a product of every single coming-ofage movie overselling the college experience as the “best years of your life.” But the truth is, these have been the best years of my life, and it takes a lot to imagine a future better than this. As I’ve turned 20, I feel as if my free trial for life is about to expire soon and it’s now time to be an adult, get a real job, and then what?

But I find comfort in reminding myself of the chance I have of being here at all. I feel lucky to experience even this simple fear of growing up, and I know, deep down, that graduating doesn’t have to be sad.

Today the sun will set two minutes later than yesterday, melting the prints I left in the snow, but I’ll always know I was there.

How (not) to leave home

Benjamin Wexler Contributor

Ajoke of history: North America is the centre of the modern world, so it can never truly feel international. Inane metaphors––melting pot, mosaic, salad bowl––only distract from the inexorable crush of the market and the English language. Even Quebec’s vaguely nationalist slogan, “ Je me souviens, ” today feels without content, as separatist dreams dissipate into a cultural project with little imagination beyond its own borders.

But in the decrepit cradle of empire, something stirs with life. Europe, hoary and fossilized, its immortal meaning shaped by primordial violence. I return to it like a worm to mulch.

I’m going to Berlin. I’ve been “going to Berlin” for several months now; my semester abroad begins in the middle of McGill’s winter semester. My home, classmates, and partner returned to their routine after the Christmas break, but I could not––I am elsewhere, almost. I pass the time watching German television and practicing the language online. Babylon Berlin and Kleo are both fun watches set during pivotal

moments: The fall of Weimar Germany and the Berlin Wall, respectively. Both are crime thrillers, and I wonder sometimes if this will shape my grasp of the language, breathing wit and intrigue into those harsh words.

In my desire to be anywhere but here, I’ve assiduously avoided the Western hemisphere in my studies at McGill. But my German is still shaky, so I’m enrolled in the Free University of Berlin’s only department offering reliable English courses: The John F. Kennedy School of North American Studies. Of course, “North American Studies” refers to the U.S. of A. Should I be offended that Canada has yet to enter history, or comforted? Here I prepare, I read Karl Marx and listen to The Threepenny Opera. In Berlin, I will study Hemingway and the New Deal at a conspicuous remnant of the Cold War.

graves. Like any good empire, Germany exported its violence.

Students travel across the world each year through McGill’s study abroad program to dozens of partner universities. (Andrea De Santis / Behance).

COMMENTARY

Priscilla Perfetti Contributor

If you’re a student in Montreal, you know how difficult it is to find affordable housing. According to the Association des Professionnels de la Construction et de l’Habitation du Québec (APCHQ), the vacancy rate has fallen below the three per cent equilibrium threshold, where supply and demand are equally matched. In Montreal, this means a shortage of 100,000 housing units. The housing shortage has caused soaring rent prices and interest rates, disproportionately harming the city’s most economically precarious groups.

Walter Benjamin wrote: “The past can be seized only as an image which flashes up at the instant when it can be recognized and is never seen again.” The philosopher died later that year fleeing the Gestapo. What to make of these flashes of memory? My mother visited Poland as a young woman. She was warned to never, ever mention the trip to her grandparents. They are gone now, along with most of their generation, and their fear and fury hide in the debris. Am I a disloyal son, seeking rebirth on the graves of my ancestors? But I forget: Berlin is a city of memorials and museums, not of

I leave soon. I am preoccupied with the petty business of preparation, with baggage, clothes, face creams, antidepressants, and the opaque mysticism of McGill’s transfercredit system. It’s exhausting, of course, but what a miracle of bureaucracy! I travel across the globe and a 20-year-old paper trail follows me, all for the sake of something new. Then I will go through the same steps as I return, and McGill will snatch me back up, richer by 15 credits and half a language. My partner and I walked through Jeanne Mance in the snow. We had said goodbye before, and have said it many times since, but we did not speak as we walked. Our hoods were up, and the snow swallowed every noise. No cars. No music. The world seemed shapeless and made new. We struggled through it with our heads down and our feet scrabbling for purchase.

A truth hides in the crime thriller: Whatever last episode’s revelation, the mystery only deepens, the cloud of cigarette smoke only grows thicker. No one really gets over anything. There will be no rebirth, no spark of newness buried with the dead, only accretion, only sediment. History collects like dandruff. When the page is saturated with ink, we continue in another colour. I leave Montreal with love and anger packed between my molecules, so I can never really leave Montreal.

Converting office buildings is worth the gamble

On the other hand, 16 per cent of the office buildings in downtown Montreal sit vacant, partially due to an uptick in remote work. Turning these offices into residential units alongside multilevel governmental intervention, though a difficult and expensive undertaking, ultimately holds great potential to alleviate the housing crisis.

Montreal is in desperate need of affordable housing. According to a 2022 survey, 86 per cent of Montrealers feel that the homes in their neighbourhood are unaffordable. Meanwhile, rental costs have increased everywhere due to high demand and insufficient supply. High interest rates are preventing young people from buying property

and encouraging real estate developers to charge sky-high rents. These higher rents contribute to housing insecurity, as research shows that a $100 USD increase in median rent directly correlates to an increase in housing insecurity.

The biggest advantage of converting office buildings into residential spaces is the quickness of implementation. Demolition is time-consuming; converting offices into apartments is much faster. In parallel, construction costs are also rising due to inflation, and restructuring a building is often cheaper than completely re-building it. According to the architecture and design firm Gensler, around 25 per cent of the downtown offices in major North American cities could be converted into housing units. Adaptive reuse of buildings can also drastically cut construction’s contribution to global carbon emissions.

This would not be the first time cities have converted office buildings into residential units. In New York City, for example, 13 per cent of Lower Manhattan’s office buildings were converted into residential apartments between 1995 and 2006. In Philadelphia, 5.5 per cent of all apartment units were previously office buildings, resulting in a 55 percent increase in the number of people living downtown.

But the creation of apartment complexes out of office spaces has been historically unaffordable. The conversion of office buildings in Manhattan, for example, led to the creation of primarily expensive, luxury apartments that only worsened gentrification. That certainly would not serve Montreal or low-income and racialized renters most affected by the housing crisis.

Converting offices into residential spaces may eventually end up costing more than building new apartment buildings, particularly when taking into consideration space layout, structural features, and the anticipated cost. Developers like Altus Groups in Toronto, therefore, feel discouraged from converting office buildings into housing, instead preferring to demolish and start from scratch. But why might this change be worth it?

Just as the Quebec government should complete its promise of building 14,000 affordable units, our municipal, provincial, and federal governments should not only coordinate with each other, but also create incentives for architecture firms to create such apartments at lower costs. Physical conversions are difficult for several reasons: The shape of office buildings, their lack of extensive plumbing, and the absence of openable windows would all need to be reassessed in order to create liveable apartments. This is particularly troubling given the lack of affordable housing. If developers encounter high costs during construction, they will likely want to offset them by charging higher prices for the units. Taking a two-pronged approach of reinvestment and incentivization will ensure they get made and include affordable units.

Ultimately, converting downtown buildings into housing may prove to be a sustainable solution to Montreal’s housing crisis. In the short term, however, the government should step in through measures like rent control or a rent registry. In 2019, Canada declared that affordable housing was a human right; amid the housing crisis, our governments must set an example by subsidizing affordable housing for everyone.

Montrealers are spending larger proportions of their income on rent than ever before, as rent prices grow faster than wage increases. (Curbed)

Think twice before taking a drag from your friend’s vape

New McGill study shows that even low-level “JUULing” harms your lungs

Raymond Tu Contributor

Continued from page 1.

In an interview with The McGill Tribune , Carolyn Baglole, associate professor in the Departments of Experimental Medicine and Pharmacology & Therapeutics and director of the McGill Research Centre for Cannabis, explained her rationale behind studying vaping.

“There is such little information on the health effects, particularly in the lungs, of these products,” Baglole said. “I do this work in the hope of filling in a major knowledge gap, given how common e-cigarette use is now.”

In a recent study published in The FASEB Journal , Baglole’s lab comprehensively profiled what happens in the lungs in response to low, but prolonged exposure to e-cigarettes. The study used eight to 12-week-old mice as test subjects. The control group was exposed to typical room air, while the test group was exposed to low levels of commercially available mango-flavoured JUUL vapour every day for four weeks.

The researchers found that there was an increased number of inflammation-related immune cells called neutrophils and lymphocytes present in the lungs of test mice. There were also a number of changes in mRNA and protein expression, especially those related to immune function and

Ball

python

smoking-related diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD).

“These findings suggested that these products are certainly not inert and could cause widespread changes before the onset of disease,” Baglole said.

So, what is actually in the ‘vape juice’ within each of these JUUL pods?

“What is provided by the manufacturer is the solvent, the carrier if you will. The most common one is a mixture of [...] propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin,” Baglole explained. “Most e-liquids contain nicotine and a variety of chemicals that make up the flavourings.”

When the vape pen is activated, the atomizer, also known as the heating coil, is switched on, and the e-liquid in the cartridge is heated and turned into a vapour to be inhaled.

“Some metals are used in the heating coils of e-cigarettes,” Baglole said. “Metals such as nickel, chromium, arsenic, as well as lead have been detected in the aerosols. There have been some studies that have found higher levels of these metals in [blood and urine samples] of e-cigarette users as well.”

Though the effects of inhaling these chemicals and metals are not well-researched because of the relative novelty of e-cigarettes, some data suggest that they might

induce an inflammatory response in the lungs.

“Chronic inflammation, if left unchecked and unbalanced for a long time, can lead to cardiopulmonary diseases,” Baglole added.

While e-cigarettes might have the potential for harm, Baglole believes that we must find a balance in regulating these products because giving “active smok -

ers access to products like e-cigarettes, in order to quit smoking, is a worthy goal.” But, she adds, “we don’t want to make access so easy that youth are particularly inclined to pick up these e-cigarettes.”

When asked for her takeaways from studying vaping, Baglole said, “Our results and others have shown that these products are not inert. My advice would be if you don’t smoke, don’t vape.”

pigmentation research coloured in by crowdsourced data

Snake breeders consulted in hope of shedding new light on genetic causes of piebaldism

Gillian Cameron Contributor

When you think of genetics research, what animals first come to mind? Fruit flies? Mice? Our understanding of genetics is defined by a small number of model organisms—the ones used to study a particular biological phenomenon because of how similar their genes are to humans.

Mice are the most common model animal, while reptile species have been largely ignored in genetics research. . Because our slithery friends have been left by the wayside, researchers needed to get creative with their data collection. In a recent study, McGill scientists turned to hobby breeders to help fill the knowledge gaps in understanding the genetic basis for the distinctive colour patterns in ball pythons.

In the field of genetics, the ultimate goal is to connect a genetic profile, a genotype, to a specific physical characteristic, a phenotype. The genetics of colouration, the variation in colour and pattern between animals, are a popular target for genetic studies because of how easy it is to observe changes caused by mutations.

“[Colour variance is a] trait of ecological evolutionary relevance, and one that’s relatively easy to study,” said professor Rowan Barrett, interim director of McGill’s Redpath Museum and one of the authors on the paper, in an interview with The McGill

Tribune

Barrett, who is also the Canada Research Chair in Biodiversity Science, and his team were specifically interested in the genetic origins of piebaldism in ball pythons, a colour pattern where snakes have large blotches of white scales offset by browngreen hue.

In animals, colour is determined by a cell type called a chromatophore. Mammals and birds have one type of chromatophore called melanocytes, which produce the brown and black pigment melanin. Reptiles, however, have multiple types of chromatophores: Melanocytes, xanthophores, which make yellow to orange pigments, and iridophores, which have crystals that determine colour via structural correlation—when the microscopic structure of a crystal changes how light reflects off a surface to determine its colour.

However, studying pythons presented a problem: There just isn’t as much data on snakes as there is on mice. So the researchers turned to a group that did collect that kind of data: Private breeders of ball pythons.

Commercial ball python breeders keep extensive records of the lineages of their snakes to breed for rarer, more valuable colour patterns.

“The colour morphs the pet hobbyists have created are an amazing catalogue of variation,” Barrett said. “[It] would have taken decades [for us] to develop all the different morphs used in the study.”

Python breeders provided samples of snakeskin, which were sequenced and analyzed by the Barrett lab. By analyzing the sequences and the data from the breeders, the researchers found that piebaldism was correlated with a mutation that renders the TFEC gene, a transcription factor involved in gene expression, non-functional.

Determining whether the TFEC mutation directly caused piebaldism would require the deletion of TFEC from pythons to see what effect its knock-out would have. Unfortunately, the technology required to edit genes in snakes does not yet exist. Instead, the researchers used brown anole

lizards, the only reptiles to be successfully modified using the CRISPR system.

The modified lizards showed reduced pigmentation in their skin and black eyes, suggesting they lacked iridophores but retained melanophores. Meanwhile, the eyes of unmodified lizards had iridophores but not melanophores, indicating that TFEC could be required for iridophore development.

Because of the huge potential for variation in non-traditional model animals, working with breeders and enthusiasts could be key to filling the gap between genotype and phenotype and unlocking the genetic secrets of nature.

The Quebec government has recently implemented a “vape tax” of $2 for every 2 ml of e-liquid on the first 10 ml. (FUJIFILM / Unsplash)

Piebald ball pythons sold for up to $25,000 when the phenotype was first introduced. (Full Circle Animals)

As far back as I can recall, music has been capable of evoking incredible emotion and overwhelming comfort unlike anything else. It has protected me from tough-to-swallow, unnamable feelings, and even made me aware of ones I didn’t know were possible to experience.

My parents were my earliest introduction to music. I would watch my mother dance and clean while she played salsa and Mexican baladas on the speaker, and catch my father falling asleep at the end of a long workday to nueva trova cubana and the occasional alternative rock seeping through his headphones. As I progressed through my early childhood, my taste diverged from their individual influences. I gravitated to bubbly pop and electronic dance music (EDM), always noting how starkly its electric, neon brightness contrasted with my mother’s warm, swaying, romantic melodies, and my father’s soft, political folk favourites.

During my adolescence, I found solace in vastly different genres. The emotional edge of 2000s emo and late 20th-century rock helped soothe the flurry of anger and distress I felt during this period. As I grew older, I wished to step out of the narrow genre I had enclosed myself in to determine which style of music felt most authentic to me. It would turn out that I still loved the early 2000s’ head-banging hits, but I discovered many more of its different flavours and families: Midwest emo, pop-punk, new

To strike a

Tuning in to music’s shared in Montreal

Written

and designed

wave, experimental, and so many others.

All these different genres, despite their diverse array of affect, pacing, and melody, shared something else in common: They allowed me to close my eyes, tune out to the melodies, each with a different vibe, and envision I could be somewhere else, past or future. Across beats, music revealed sentiments that couldn’t be surfaced by anything else. Whether it reminded me of years gone by and people I would never see again, or held the promise of memories to come and experiences not yet lived, I found music to be a tether to the nostalgic past, ever-moving present, and dreamy future. Music could articulate what words were unable to, process experiences and move forward, whilst simultaneously being an anchor to return to the past through different lenses.

Jess Rosa, lead singer and ukulele player for their New York-based punk band, JessX, can relate to the complex affective response that music evokes.

“Even without lyrics […] being able to express a feeling through […] a chord and even just strumming is so beautiful,” Jess told me.

by: Drea Garcia

to certain songs. Sonder, melancholy, nostalgia? But no matter how much I search in any language, I can never seem to find the right word to describe what I’m experiencing.

It’s the feeling under your left rib and in the middle of your sternum when you hear road trip music, the stereo playing songs that feel like fleece and firewood smoke with campfire warmth against your blankets. Akin to taking photos of your friends, you click the shutter button and come to recognize that good things are finite. Like a fleeting memory or a photograph, a song engulfs you wholly and completely for an instant in an enigma of potent, bursting emotion. But, unlike viewing a photograph from a distance, listening to music is more of an embodied means of reaching through to the past. I’d venture that music is perhaps the nearest embodiment of memory that exists.

[…] and I think that’s […] the beautiful thing about music.”

During the most difficult days, I found that the experiences most worth living for were simple, mundane even, but always involved music in one way or another: A sunset walk with headphones on, a sunrise car ride with music on the AUX, or even the drunk walks home from friends’ places, during which I would hear a different rhythm emanating from each passing nightlife venue.

While language attempts to reduce emotions to singular notes, music can capture their full nuance and complexity. I have tried to identify obscure synonyms for the feelings that arise when listening

My experience in Montreal mirrors the feeling of listening to music. These years coming of age in university feel both eternal yet transient, like both an era and an instant. The endless Canadian winter and the monotonous daily ritual of university encapsulate the majority of the time I’ve had, but I realize I’ll see this time differently upon reflection. The scattered, sparkling moments of seeing magic in mundanity, the ephemeral hours spent with friends, and the exhilarating headrush of running past loud venues: These are the moments that will prevail in my recollection.

I found I was not alone in being drawn to the city. I felt a tug to the art, the culture, self-discovery, along with the promise of new experiences. I yearned to acquaint myself with my own individuality, while making space to discover my own community.

Drawn by the siren song of open door bar concerts and music-lovers moshing, alt-indie rock band, NERiMA from Toronto, also followed this creative calling to Montreal. Last year in July, they played a show at Blue Dog, a bar on St. Laurent that frequently hosts local musicians.

said Vee Nicole, drummer for NERiMA.

They found the process of booking venues and playing shows to be more accessible here than in Toronto, where the music scene can be next to impenetrable for newer artists.

“It’s hard to break your way in,”

“You hear a song, and even without lyrics you can already feel things

“[It’s] the type of scene where people just walk in to listen to live m usic,”

chord shared resonances

Garcia Avila,

Design Editor

NERiMA’s singer and guitarist Lexi Oriaf said. “The Toronto music scene is already so established and has so many expectations. But Montreal is very welcoming to emerging acts.”

Iconic Montreal-born acts like Arcade Fire, The 222s, and The Normals have seen their lineage continue in the city’s bustling punk scene. Last April, Jess drove in on tour from New York along with Television Overdose, another heavy punk rock band, to perform at Bar L’Escogriffe. They too felt called upon by Montreal’s creative spirit and enthusiastic crowds.

“Montreal [was] the best show out of the whole tour because those fucking kids […] don’t fuck around,” Jess said. “They came for fucking punk music. The crowds they pulled [were] insane.”

Montreal’s music-lovers’ enthusiastic energy has inspired them to return to tour their future music, which follows a more mature, but still “baby-faced” petty sound authentic to the band.

“That one show we had in Montreal [...] made me immediately want to go back,” Jess said.

The art, community, history, and spirit that are at the heart of Montreal’s creative presence allows emerging artists and independent creatives to flourish. Indie concert venues such as Turbo Häus, Bar L’Escogriffe, and L’Hémisphère Gauche nourish the city’s artistic scene by offering musicians and creatives their own, individual spaces to build and captivate an audience. In recent years, though, such venues have struggled to survive under pandemic losses and forced closures. Even as the pandemic individualized our practices of consuming music, we can’t forget the necessity of the collective and community music scenes we forge and share in together. But as I’ve learned, nothing in life is permanent, and as we did with the pandemic, the collective music scene will continue to change and evolve as time progresses.

The universal lyric

Though my time in Montreal is fleeting, I know that I’ll always be able to return to these transient moments by using music as a tool to map out the city. Various artists bring different seasons to mind. Hearing Sløtface’s punkrock, political sound in my headphones transports me back to spring-time walks in the Plateau, the smell of sidewalk cherry blossoms and cool spring breeze encompassing my senses. Playing Willow

Smith in Mont-Royal reminds me of the precarious time it took to find myself during my first semester at McGill. Lorde brings flashbacks of B.C. mountains and ancient trees that have witnessed (and will continue to witness) more life than I will ever experience.

But music brings more than reminders— it makes tangible the inexplicable complexities of our emotions. I feel the sharp stab of hurt when I listen to heavy metal, and find euphoric excitement in EDM. Laying in bed, I draw my heart out to alternative-indie, and dwell in the dull ache of midwest emo nostalgia. I love words, but they so often fail me when it comes to naming emotions: Where I fall short, music rises to the occasion.

As a songwriter, Jess relates to using music as a timeless, personal language. They are continually inspired by songs they’ve written about the past, and how their perspective on it evolves over time.

“When I listen to that song, it still brings me a present feeling,” Jess said. “It might not necessarily be about the person I wrote it about, but it’s definitely a recurring feeling and I think that’s the beautiful part of it, too. You write for what it is at that time but you hear it a year or two later and you’re like, ‘Whoa, I resonate this to [my] present self.’”

“Music has made me so much more comfortable with who I am becoming…[it] changed everything [....]

Music is so infinite.”

Lexi from NERiMA shared how music has shaped her, not only as an individual, but as an active creative in sonic communities.

“I would not be the same person, and I already know who I would be,” Lexi said. “[I] would be so

lame without music.”

In the end, there is no definitive conclusion to the argument I make, nor can there be. Music itself is and will always be bigger than any words I have, and the collective emotions it draws from a crowd are greater than my individual feelings.

But my hope is that you, the reader, walk away from this piece looking at seemingly quotidian things a little differently, knowing that music can bring ordinary moments, such as chores or homework, to life. And perhaps you might discover music to be more than what you originally thought it to be, or find comfort in knowing that others share in this feeling—the pleasure of hearing music as more than mere sound, but as a compendium of emotion and the embodiment of experience. Maybe the only language we might ever have in common is the feeling of music.

Data scraping reveals Montreal’s hidden property owners

Large companies hide property ownership while practicing predatory rental practices

Atticus O’Rourke Rusin Staff Writer

With the school year closing fast, one thing on returning students’ minds is finding a new apartment. However, many students will struggle throughout the process, facing high competition and prices, adding to the already stressful experience of moving into a new place.

In the 1990s, Montreal, and Canada as a whole, began leaning into policies that would simplify a process called financialization for real estate companies, including legalizing real estate investment trusts (REITs). Financialization is when financial companies, such as Metcap Living, buy residential properties with the hope of increasing the payout for company shareholders.

A variety of factors contributed to more instances of financialization in the housing rental market, like REITs—large financial institutions that specialize in buying up residential properties—higher demand for rental housing following the 2008 global financial crisis, and the deregulation of rent control and tenant protections.

Since businesses are not inclined to share financialization data with the public, University of Waterloo PhD student Cloé St-Hilaire and McGill PhD student Mikael Brunila decided to wade through the financial muck to find it. In a recent article supervised by David Wachsmuth, associate professor of urban planning at McGill, the two graduate students tracked the ownership

data of a number of financial companies in Montreal, including the top 600, who altogether own around 32 percent of Montreal’s apartment units.

“One of the points we want to bring home most forcefully is that this is the type of information that should be available for everyone living in a city so that they can encounter landlords on equal footing,” Brunila said in an interview with The McGill Tribune

Brunila had the difficult task of figuring out how exactly he and St-Hilaire would collect the data they were looking for. Montreal maintains a public database detailing the owner of every building in the city. But individuals must look up each building one at a time to see who owns it. This time-consuming task prevents the average city-dweller from tracking all the buildings owned by any single entity of interest.

Brunila used a method called data scraping, where a computer program collects and copies large quantities of data from the internet, to find the names of the firms that own real estate in Montreal.

“After we had this data, it gives kind of a starting point,” Brunila said. “If you go and look up in the registry of companies in Quebec, […] you’ll find that that company is not owned by people, it’s owned by other companies.”

This led to another round of data scraping, this time to track the breadcrumbs left by each company leading to their parent companies. Once the researchers had both sets of data, they were able to draw several

conclusions about financialization in Montreal.

The team arranged data into clusters, grouping similar data points into collections and analyzing them according to similarity. For this study, people were grouped together according to how they are affected by financialized apartments.

“When we did a clustering analysis, it gave five clusters total, but there were two clusters that were more prone to have financialized landlords in them,” St-Hilaire said in an interview with the Tribune . “The first cluster is called financialized precarious students.”

This means that students are particularly likely to find themselves living in financialized apartments, which explains the increased difficulty of finding affordable

student housing: Financialized apartments are more prone to rent increases and predatory landlord practices such as harassment and eviction.

The second largest financialized cluster was renters willing to pay higher prices for newer units. New buildings are often funded by financial firms and funds as Montreal does not enforce rent controls for the first five years following the completion of a building’s construction.

Since companies are wary of this data getting out, they have already taken action against this research. After Brunila scraped the data from the website, a CAPTCHA was installed, which is a test to separate humans from computers, to prevent similar techniques from taking advantage of the same vulnerability that he found.

K. Coco Zhang

Contributor

Pulmonary infections— such as COVID-19 and the flu—in which bacteria or viruses enter and damage the lungs, are among the leading causes of death in older adults. Elderly people’s increased susceptibility to pulmonary infections is attributed mostly to immune systems that weaken over time.

The initiation of immune responses to protect against lung damage involves a key group of players known as alveolar macrophages (AMs). Recently, McGill researchers discerned previously unknown mechanisms behind AM growth and longevity. Their recently published study provides important insights into the processes that affect the selfproliferation of AMs and the intricate connections between neonatal neutrophils—white blood cells found in newborns—and AMs.

AMs are a type of tissueresident macrophage, an immune cell that takes on diverse roles,

including blood vessel formation, bone degradation, and activation of immune cells. Tissueresident macrophages are found in the tissues of various organs, such as the brain and intestines, and perform tissue-specific functions. Alveoli, the tiny air sacs in the lungs where gas exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide occurs, contain AMs.

“AMs are critical for pulmonary homeostasis and immunosurveillance, and they can both initiate the immune response and the resolution of inflammation,” Maziar Divangahi, a professor of medicine at McGill whose lab led the study, wrote in an email to The McGill Tribune . “For example, AMs are the first immune cells encountered in the airways by respiratory viruses, such as SARS-CoV-2, and contribute to viral clearance, limiting lung damage and promoting tissue healing.”

AMs also help remove excess surfactant, thereby maintaining lung homeostasis—the proper functioning of the lungs. Lung surfactants are materials produced by alveolar cells that prevent the collapse of alveolar

walls when exhaling; they are essential to normal lung function. But, when an excessive amount of surfactant is produced by alveolar cells or when AMs fail to remove the surfactant, the gas exchange that takes place in alveolar walls can be significantly hindered, making breathing more difficult.

“AMs are crucial for many aspects of lung immunity, and they represent an excellent target for promoting healthy lungs,” Divangahi wrote. During embryonic development, AMs develop from fetal monocytes, which are white blood cells derived from the bone marrow and precursors to macrophages. Upon maturation, AMs self-renew throughout their lifespan, contributing to their remarkable longevity in the lungs.

In the new paper, Divangahi and his team found that the absence of 12-HETE, a derivative of fat molecules, led to a significant reduction in AMs in the lungs. This reduction was attributed to elevated levels of prostaglandin E2—a ubiquitous lipid mediator.

The paper also explored variations in immune cell func -

Alveolar macrophages represent around three to five per cent of all cells in the lungs of healthy individuals. (Elena Dantes / ResearchGate)

tions in different stages of life.

“While adult neutrophils, [a type of white blood cell that fights infection], don’t express 12-HETE, our study shows that the neonatal neutrophils do,” Divangahi wrote. “This highlights the fact that the function of immune cells in neonates versus in adults is diverse, which is incompletely understood.”

In other words, excess prostaglandin E2 production acts as a brake on the proliferative self-

renewal of AMs, impairing immune function. The impaired immune function characterized by reduced numbers of AMs could increase the risk of acute lung injuries and lung infections, such as influenza A virus and SARSCoV-2.

As researchers delve deeper into understanding AM mechanisms, Divangahi envisions these cells to be a revolutionary panacea in lung health and medical intervention.

McGill researchers unravel the mechanisms of “dust cell” proliferation

Alveolar macrophages, the lungs’ safeguard

Montreal housing demand is increasing, as are rents, leaving few affordable housing options for students. (Christinne Muschi / Bloomberg)

Montreal en Lumière makes its long-awaited post-pandemic return

City-goers swarm Place des Arts at one of the city’s biggest cultural events

Naomi Gupta Contributor

The long, gloomy days of February aren’t for the faint of heart. But, amid the neverending winter, Montreal brought some life and light—quite literally—back to the city. On Feb. 16, Montreal’s Quartier des Spectacles opened its doors to Montréal en Lumière, welcoming teenagers, students, and parents looking to keep themselves busy over spring break.

Located steps away from the Place-des-Arts metro station, this 18-day-long festival included an array of events catered to foodies, concert lovers, and outdoor-activity fanatics. Skating rinks, concerts, shows, DJ booths, food trucks, and outdoor exhibits lined the intersections of Jeanne-Mance, Balmoral, St. Catherine, and de Maisonneuve Ouest. Most of the outdoor activities were free and open for hours on end, making the festival accessible to those with varying schedules. And, for students like myself, with a small budget and some extra time to kill during Reading Week, this was the

perfect occasion to ditch the books and get a taste of Montreal’s cultural scene.

Establishing an action plan prior to my arrival would’ve been appropriate considering the festival’s popularity, but, alas, it had completely slipped my mind. As I wandered into Place des Arts at 9 p.m., skates in hand, my friend and I were baffled to see how the length of the queue for the skating rink—or skating “loop,” as it was described—rivalled that of McGill’s Activities Night and how, by 10 p.m., it seemed to be primarily composed of eight to 12-year-olds. After much shivering and endless back-and-forths between the rink and the central fire pit to warm up, we finally made it onto the main rink.

Most of the fun had less to do with the actual skating—or participating in any given activity—and more to do with simply enjoying the ambiance. MingXi Gu, U1 Science (and firsttimer at Montréal en Lumière) quickly came to realize this.

“I’ve never seen the city so lit up,” he said. “The energy was amazing—the lights and music truly made the city feel magical.”

Braving the cold and the interminable lines called for a mustneeded wintery treat—good thing for Beaver Tails, Tim Hortons, and the event’s signature maple taffy. Although $9 for a Beaver Tail seemed a little bit pricey, nothing beats the feeling of wolfing down a piece of Nutella-coated fried dough after shivering in the -13-degree-Celsius weather for a few hours.

Beyond the radiating energy of the festival, what was most enjoyable was getting outside in the wintertime, which can otherwise be very difficult. Colder temperatures are often an excuse to stay indoors, but Montréal en Lumière’s objective was to make spending time outdoors more appealing to all, despite the colder temperatures of the season. The festival’s various activities and creative ways of keeping participants warm was its way of doing just that.

“Despite people’s general lack of motivation and the season being so dreadful, everyone really came together to make Montreal feel alive again,” Gu shared.

For locals, Montréal en Lumière is an excellent reminder of all the city

has to offer and the benefits of getting outside and enjoying the wintertime, even when it seems impossible to do so. But, for international students, it can provide even more—an understanding and appreciation of the city and its culture beyond the few neighbourhoods surrounding McGill’s downtown campus. Conveniently located and low-cost, Montréal en Lumière is a pit stop for those looking to combine fun, accessible, affordable, and creative pastimes.

Unfortunately, the festival— with all of its shimmery lights and loud music—came to an end on Sunday. But, for those who missed out or who are looking for a similar taste of Montréal en Lumière, the city has similar—albeit warmer—events lined up in the upcoming months, including Quebec’s International Film Festival, starting in April, the Jazz Fest, which kicks off on June 29, along with its comedy-centred Just for Laughs festival, which takes place in July.

Matthew Molinaro Managing Editor

In a now-viral, nine-minute introduction speech in praise of Michael B. Jordan’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, actor Jonathan Majors expressed his love for his friend, Creed III co-star, and brother. Embracing one another, the pair displayed an intimacy and affection uncommon in an era that has proclaimed a decline in men’s friendships. In industries and public economies that pit and structure Black performers against others, particularly their fellow workers of colour, mutual recognition and support not only uplifts us, but wills us to change.

When you think of your friends— the drinking buddies, the hiking pals, the running bros, the Scrabble mates, the lacrosse lads, or even the trivia tyrants— you just know they have to be different than women’s friendships. You know it’s not as simple as it might seem. You might think: Even if I don’t say I love Cyrus or Donovan or Stephen, they’re always around and we’ve got a great rapport. We can and must do better than passive presence for our shared survival. Why do studies alone receive the mantle of “work hard”? How do we prevent social alienation for men and promote love, community, and growth instead? To demonstrate the advice-giving your good friend should offer, The McGill Tribune came together to rethink the possibility and potential of men’s kinship.

The Bluest Times

Friendship grows from intentional reciprocity. We play a game of give and take: You scratch my back, I scratch yours. For men who grew up told to suppress their emotions and were demanded or encouraged to turn to anger, fury, or silent discontent at the world and themselves, intention feels vulnerable. Naturalized, yet unrealistic, masculinity strips you of your ability to express yourself and articulate what you need and why you need it. Displacing care as a “feminine” action not only continuously genders existing labours, emotional and intimate, but creates a wall for any kind of relationship across the differences you leave uncritical. Thick skin doesn’t grow without original harm—to overcome it, you

need an antidote.

You seek your friend out because you cannot control your own isolation and you cannot move forward alone. Your turn to selfcare (even if you don’t call it that) in the things that bring you pleasure: That comfort show, that beer, that sport, shouldn’t close the door. You can bring each other up. When we struggle to share the part of us that hurts to touch, we close off the care of another. Stoicism or body-building might make you strong, but pushing past internal struggles makes you stronger collectively.

None to Accompany Me

Sure, we enter university to grasp our fantasies: Your parents’ approval, your upward mobility, your eventual autonomy. But actively committing to and working on your friendships

destabilizes what we see as male individual talent. Moving beyond the self and the “fruitful” friendships of convenience, we enter into a form of unproud, radical dependence. Are you weaker because you communicate clearly? Are you less of a man because you ask for help when you need it? Consider whether friends who judge you on your manliness or weakness should be the ones you keep.

Friendship suffers when we treat it as an alliance. You’ve sold out a connection when you forget about his soul. Using each other’s resources to get into medical school, to find that finance internship, to talk to his mom’s hyperpop violinist circle will leave you unsatisfied. Think about what connecting friendship to these goals does. Finding value only in the end result, you assimilate into a lonely system that will sever you from the good of others. That greed and that wanting will be reproduced by your group, a pyrrhic reciprocity that won’t actually hold you accountable, uplift you, and push you to be the person you can be.

Gathering Together in our Names

Take a mental picture of your friends. You affirm one another, see them for who they are and where they’re at, talk candidly, joke around, and leave these spaces warm. This doesn’t have to be some distant dream. The simple gestures, the fistbump, the wave, the meme or tweet shared, the reassuring comment, the shared laughter, the meaningful time makes leaps. Don’t maledict yourself by not getting real. The light of a smile can push you out of the dark.

By the light of a brother’s smile

What we talk about when we talk about men’s friendships

The festival’s 16th edition brings chefs, comedians, and artists to the heart of downtown Montreal. (quartierdesspectacles.com)

Just as friendship contributes to emotional improvement for men, it re-negotiates what collectivity and our relationships to the forces keeping us apart can look like. (shadowandact)

No more wasted groceries

Tips to transform leftovers into quick and easy meals

Margo Berthier Staff Writer

As college students, we have a lot on our plates. When we’re balancing attending classes and completing assignments to working part-time jobs and managing our social lives, we can’t always prioritize grocery shopping. As a result, you might tend to make quick grocery runs once or twice a week, only buying enough ingredients to make a couple of meals. However, this habit hurts our wallets and often lets unused ingredients go to waste. Here are some innovative ways to minimize food waste, use leftover food, and maximize your meal-prepping potential.

In the aisles

A well-balanced diet includes fruits and vegetables, fibre-rich carbohydrates, proteins, and fats; we must include all of these in our groceries. When going food shopping, think ahead and select versatile ingredients that will fit into many different recipes. Start by stocking up on staple carbs with a longer shelf life, such as rice, pasta, and potatoes. These ingredients can be used in many different meals, making them a great choice for any student on a budget.

When it comes to vegetables, consider buying frozen. Vegetables tend to spoil quickly, and frozen veggies can last much longer, ensuring that you always have your dose of greens on hand. For proteins and fats, such as meat, dairy, and fish, don’t buy them too far in advance, as they don’t last very long. If you do end up buying them ahead of time, store meat or fish in the freezer.

Some commonly leftover ingredients that hide at the back of our fridges include fresh vegetables like onions or tomatoes, as well as herbs like basil or parsley, eggs, meat, and

pasta sauce. If any of these are left over and you’re thinking of throwing them down the chute, don’t! Instead, consider using them in some of these quick and easy recipes.

Veggie Omelet

Grab two leftover eggs, a tomato, an onion, basil, and a cup of frozen spinach, or any veggies kicking around. Dice up your onion and mix all your ingredients in a large bowl. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Sprinkle some oil or a teaspoon

Behind the Montreal Deli beef Stacking up two of Montreal’s most popular smoked meat shops

Charlotte Bawol Contributor

As an avid, please forgive my use of the word, foodie, I managed to live in Montreal for two whole years without trying the fare on offer at Schwartz’s. Being one to root for the underdog, I took the comments by seasoned smoked meat enthusiasts—that Le Main is actually where it’s at—very seriously. So, using my French culinary expertise, I decided I had to go and find out which is better, once and for all.

I started with Le Main to avoid the snowy wait at Schwartz’s across the street. Immediately upon entering the restaurant, the vibe was immaculate. Walking into the diner feels a bit like stepping back in time, and the warmth of the staff caught me off guard as someone born and raised in Paris. The attitude at Le Main felt genuine. When I told the waitress who seated me that I’d never tried smoked meat, she brought me a plate of freshly cut meat to try. The meat itself was smooth and easily pulled apart, with a nice peppery crust. Very tasty, but not particularly as smoky as I had been promised.

I ordered a smoked meat sandwich, for $13.25, along with a side of fries, three latkes and an order of potato pierogies served with fried onions and sour cream. The sandwich itself was tasty, but with

a 10:1 meat-to-bread ratio, I would recommend ordering an extra slice on the side. The trio of flavours from the rye bread, smoked meat, and yellow dye no. 2 American mustard was incredible. The first bite made me regret the two years I’ve missed out on this culinary delicacy. The fries were fries, but the latkes and vareniki really stole the show.

After conversing with my waitress, Anastasia Xenos, for a bit, I found out that she was Leonard Cohen’s favourite waitress and she showed us the booth where he liked to sit. Cohen was famously a big fan of Le Main’s smoked meat sandwich combo.

“I served him […] almost 400 times,” Xenos said.

Among other famous patrons, Xenos also served Justin Trudeau many times when he lived in Montreal. Like a true Canadian, his favourite dish on the menu was the poutine, although he also liked the latkes.

I was satisfied with my first experience of Montreal smoked meat but knew I had to go across the street to check out the competition. Luckily, by 5 p.m. on this snowy Sunday, there was no line and was able to walk right in and order at the bar. I ordered a smoked meat sandwich for $13.75, with a side of fries.

The food came in about a minute and 30 seconds, so I cannot lament about the waiting time. The culinary experience

of butter in a pan, and set on very low heat. Add your egg mixture to the pan, and let it cook any way you prefer— Western, French, or American! And there you have it, the perfect well-rounded omelet you can eat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Remember that minced meat you bought and never ended up using? Now is your chance to recreate your favourite childhood meal, in just under 20 minutes. Start by bringing a pot of water to boil and cook about a handful of spaghetti. Then grab your minced meat, a leftover egg, fresh parsley, ½ an onion (diced), some garlic powder, salt, pepper, and Montreal steak spice. My secret ingredient is a dollop of ketchup, and some bread crumbs if you have them. Mix everything in a large bowl and form meatballs. In a large pan, add some butter or oil, and set the heat on low. Pan-fry your meatballs for 7-10 minutes (or until they brown), add the cooked spaghetti and canned tomato sauce (as desired), and voilà: Dinner is served!

Gnocchi & Vegetable Tomato Soup

Try getting rid of your tomato sauce with some gnocchi instead of the typical long noodle. In a bowl, mix ⅔ cup of your favourite tomato sauce with ½ cup of frozen spinach or broccoli. Sautée half a chopped onion in a pan, and add the sauce mixture. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil, and add ½ cup of gnocchi—homemade or prepackaged. When the gnocchis rise to the surface of the pot, they are cooked! Finally, add the sauce to the gnocchi and serve. When in doubt, turn to these well-balanced, nutrientrich recipes that will help you clean out your fridge!

of the sandwich was almost identical, and that holy trinity of rye, mustard, and meat really satisfied. But again, the name smoked meat feels misleading because no smoky flavour could be detected past the first millimetre of crust.

When asked if he had ever tried out the competition, my waiter assured me: “No I’ve never been, but I’ll go if they pay me better!”

When it comes down to it, the quality of the meat and sandwich was essentially identical, and I would argue that any preference between the two likely stems

from differences in which cut of meat you got served on that particular day, not any sweeping distinction between the meat itself.

If you are in search of the Montreal smoked meat experience ask yourself the following question: What is more of an authentic Montreal experience––waiting in line in the snow for Schwartz’s, or going across the street to sit down for the same sandwich and be served by the same person who served Leonard Cohen and Justin Trudeau? If you can answer that, then you know where to eat!

Roughly one-third of the food produced that is intended for human consumption every year, around 1.3 billion tons, is wasted or lost. (5minutecrafts.site)

When Anastasia Xenos started working at Le Main 32 years ago, a smoked meat sandwich cost only $4.25. (dailyhive.com)

Don’t buy into the myth of selling out

Demonizing independent artists for “selling out” does more harm than good

Yash Zodgekar Staff Writer

Continued from page 1.

The career trajectory of the beloved indie musician Mitski aptly displays how this phenomenon plays out. Having established a solid fanbase over her first four lo-fi indie rock records, Mitski gained a large swath of new fans following the release of Be The Cowboy , as the new, 80s-inspired synth-pop sound she adopted became popular on TikTok. This propelled Mitski to new commercial heights, performing in arenas, opening for Harry Styles’ U.S. tour, and releasing the Billboard 200 top 10 record Laurel Hell

Predictably, accusations of “selling out” closely followed. A subset of long-term diehard fans derided her poppier sound and new, younger audience, while Mitski herself expressed discomfort with the demands of a fanbase whose idolization of her approaches worship. Yet, while her reoriented sound may be more palatable to mainstream audiences, it maintains the hallmarks of Mitski’s artistic approach, planting moments of intense emotional catharsis amongst snappy riffs and hooks. Fans resenting others for appreciating Mitski’s music for the same reasons they do appears counter-intuitive.

The expectation that indie musicians ought to avoid anything resembling commercial success is pervasive enough to have been internalized by independent artists.

MGMT’s debut record Oracular Spectacular satirized the excesses of mainstream popstars, with songs like “Time to Pretend” riffing on cliched mottos like “ live fast and die young ” and the “ cocaine ” and “ elegant cars ” of their fame-seeking peers. In a musical manifestation of Poe’s Law, most listeners still missed this satire as the record achieved massive commercial success and “Kids” and “Time to Pretend” became certified 2000s dance anthems played by DJs for years to come—with few traces of irony.

Amidst this success, a sense that, despite containing music they genuinely enjoyed writing, Oracular Spectacular ’s mainstream success was incompatible with their artistic vision, led MGMT to pursue a deliberately more esoteric psych-rock direction on their sophomore album Congratulations . Though Congratulations arguably contained some of their best work, the broader attitude permeating the independent scene—viewing commercial success as antithetical to artistic integrity—seems stifling, constraining artists to aim for the obscure rather than write freely.

Accusing an artist of selling out can be a thinlyveiled excuse for just disliking their new sound. Sebastian Cowan, the founder of the independent Montrealbased record label Arbutus Records, said in an interview with The McGill Tribune that this critique fails to recognize artists’ own creative agency.

“The sound that ‘sells more’ is one that artists often genuinely enjoy and pursue out of their own interests,” Cowan said. “So for a fan on the sidelines who might have the audacity to think that an artist was selling out, the chances are that artist just genuinely wants to make that music [....] If the fan can’t get on board with that, then I guess the fan doesn’t like that artist.”

The sellout critique infantilizes artists, outlandishly asserting that their independent musical choices are in fact profit-centred ones. Commercial and artistic success are not mutually exclusive; an artist’s new sound gaining more traction is little reason to assume they are not passionate about it or no longer care about their craft beyond the profits it generates.

Professor David Brackett, the Canada Research Chair in Popular Music Studies at McGill, pointed out this dichotomy in an interview with the Tribune

“You have the strange phenomenon in the 60s of artists like the Beatles being celebrated as independent artists while they were the most popular artists at the same time [...] even critically celebrated popular artists are

often very popular in commercial terms,” Brackett said.

If fans are wrong to criticize artists who change their sound, is it more legitimate to criticize those directly aligned with corporate interests, for example, licensing their music for advertising? Admittedly, there is a hypocrisy which stings when artists whose identities are built around counter-culturalism cozy up to powerful corporations; that an artist as rebellious as Iggy Pop also appeared in car insurance advertisements is plainly ludicrous. But this critique fails to recognize the modern music industry’s material conditions.

Streaming platforms’ dominance has eliminated record sales as a viable sole income source for artists. Spotify pays between $0.0033-$0.0054 per stream to artists on average, meaning all but a select few artists can survive on releasing music alone. Though a stable income was hardly guaranteed to artists prior to streaming, Brackett noted that, even if artists weren’t always fairly compensated during the CD era, streaming has worsened this situation.

“The sale of recordings wasn’t transparent to begin with and many artists were famously ripped off, but it’s much less transparent with streaming because of how it’s paid for,” Brackett said. “People aren’t paying by the stream, they’re paying usually for a monthly service or they’re not paying and it’s just being paid for by advertising.”

Low royalties necessitate that artists undertake lengthy tours to boost their income. However, the margins of touring have dried up following the pandemic, with struggling venues taking a bigger cut of ticket and merch sales and inflation causing transportation and housing costs to skyrocket, preventing fans from attending gigs. Established artists have not been spared: Little Simz and Animal Collective both recently cancelled foreign tours as they were financially inviable.

This financial setup threatens to make music the preserve of the privately wealthy. Amidst this hostile environment, who can blame independent artists for looking to alternative commercial revenue streams? Artists need to make a living, which is already more challenging for those lacking big label backing—berating artists for using the means available to them feels like punching down rather than up. This is particularly true when the industry’s power dynamics are already stacked against an artist. Working-class musicians for whom musical success entails becoming more wealthy frequently become placed in a double bind whereby their wealth attracts

criticism that they have lost touch with their roots.

Meanwhile, musicians emerging from genre scenes created by racialized or marginalized communities can be subjected to heightened scrutiny upon gaining wider popularity. The term “sellout” emerged in the 1950s, levelled against Black musicians when jazz music began to enter the mainstream. White musicians’ co-opting of Black music was and is extremely exploitative, often failing to appropriately credit the Black musicians from whom jazz originated.

However, the music community’s accusation of selling out dangerously misplaces the blame on individuals whose agency becomes constricted by their industry and reception. Focusing on the systemic inequities which enabled this musical theft and co-opting is, in fact, the point.

Hence, since the sellout critique punches down, fans ought to refocus their attention on calling out the music industry’s manufactured precarity and inequities forcing artists to explore alternative commercial avenues. Lobbying streaming services to pay fairer royalty rates would be a good start.

“Streaming should cost more than the 10 or 12 bucks a month that we’re paying [...] you could probably charge 20 and everyone [consumers] would still do it, just based upon that you would double the amount of money,” Cowan said. He also pointed out the role large record labels have to play in this process.

“The way in which the major labels agreed to sign their catalog on Spotify was in exchange for an ownership in the company. And what the major labels negotiated was they agreed to a lower royalty in exchange for a larger percentage of ownership of the company [...] they sold out their own artists.”

Public institutions also must be lobbied to commit arts funding to ensure music careers are financially viable and reduce barriers to entry. Scottish indie-pop band Belle and Sebastian are a testament to this kind of institutional power, having formed through a government social welfare program called Beatbox which provides funding and practice spaces to unemployed musicians.

By directly lobbying streaming services and public bodies to actively improve the conditions artists operate within, fans can target their attention to those who actually hold the power to change things for the better. That is, rather than criticizing so-called “sellouts,” criticize those responsible for denying artists a fair reward for their craft.

By the 1980s, so-called “sellout behaviour” had become common, with artists like Lou Reed and Iggy Pop both appearing in car commercials. (theringer.com)

Where

do I begin: Beyoncé

Unpacking the phenomenon: The many reasons why Queen

Aimee DeLong

Contributor

On Feb. 5, 2023, history was made at the 65th annual Grammy awards. However, one accomplishment in particular stole the show—legendary singer Beyoncé won her 32nd Grammy award, earning her the title of artist with the most Grammy wins of all time. At present, it’s rare to find someone who doesn’t know her name. But how exactly did Queen Bey rise to the level of acclaim she holds today?

Long before the days of “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)”, Beyoncé Giselle Knowles started her career at nine years old by forming the group Destiny’s Child along with LaTavia Roberson, LeToya Luckett, and Kelly Rowland in Houston, Texas. While they initially formed the group in 1990, it wasn’t until their release of the single “No, No, No” in 1997 that they became a prominent name in the R&B scene. Destiny’s Child’s unique sound was influential in the genre—their sound incorporated the double-time vocal style, something scarcely seen in the music industry before they brought it into the limelight. The women in the group became a mainstream inspiration for young Black women and women of colour everywhere. As role models for younger women, Destiny’s Child also were the back-

ing vocals for the iconic theme song of The Proud Family, that was performed by Solange Knowles, Beyoncé’s sister. While the group’s success had the Oxford Dictionary adding “bootylicious” to its vocabulary, nothing comparedes to the release of Knowles’ debut solo album in 2003, Dangerously In Love. This album boasted collaborations with famous artists, namely Sean Paul, Missy Elliott, and her now-husband, Jay-Z.

Although her musical contributions are nothing if not impressive, her raw talent is not the only thing that has captured the hearts of the masses. Beyoncé uses her enormous platform to stand up for what she believes in. For instance, her song “Flawless” has

become a feminist anthem, all the while samplingincorporating a sample of Chimamanda Ngozi

Adichie’s TED talk on gender equality. All the more clear, Knowles has proclaimed her stance on empowering women through her hit song “Run the World (Girls).” Not only this, but she has spoken out against racism by vocalizing her support for and donating $1.6 million dollars to the Black Lives Matter movement. Asfter all, Beyoncé is a Black woman herself, Beyoncéand has described numerous obstacles she has faced due to systemic racism and sexism.

Even if she does hold the record for most Grammys won, the awards ceremony has repeatedly snubbed her from one category—Album of the Yearthe album of the year award. The singer has been nominated many times for albums like I am… Sasha Fierce and, perhaps most notably, Lemonade. Only three Black women have won the award: Natalie Cole, Whitney Houston, and Lauryn

Hill. Lemonade, which was simultaneously released as an album and film produced by Knowles herself, could have and should have easily won if not for the Grammys’ racist bias and history.

Despite the majority of her fame coming from her career as a singer-songwriter, Knowles has dipped her toe into Hollywood as well. Her first major acting role came in 2002 when she co-starred with Mike Myers in Austin Powers in Goldmember. Since then, she has taken part in The Fighting Temptations in 2003, The Pink Panther and Dreamgirls in 2006, and the live-action adaptation of The Lion King in 2019 as well. Admittedly, her abilities as a singer are far more noteworthy than her theatrical performance. Even if her movie roles have not been groundbreaking, she does make up for it in pure showmanship.

There’s no denying that Beyoncé is famous for good reason: Her singles and albums have been topping the Billboard music charts for over two decades, and even with the calibre of her recorded music aside, her live performances exhilarate her audiences. After all, tickets for her upcoming world tour for her most recent album RENAISSANCE are going for an average of $500. With her laundry list of achievements, she has surely earned her title—all hail Queen Bey.

Black Theatre Workshop presents play about Trayvon Martin’s journey into the afterlife

Dana Prather Staff Writer

Content Warning: Discussion of antiBlack racism, police brutality, and murder

While Our Fathers, Sons, Lovers and Little Brothers arrived in Montreal at the end of Black History Month, this solo theatrical work serves as a striking affirmation that Black lives matter year round. Created and performed by Makambe K Simamba, this co-production between Black Theatre Workshop and Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre ran from Feb. 22 to 26 at the Segal Centre.

The play invites audience members into the final moments of Slimm’s life, a 17-year old from Miami who is murdered in an incident of anti-Black violence. Stuck in a mysterious liminal space, he must follow the steps his ancestors set out for him to prepare for his journey into the afterlife.

Portraying the story of the real-life teen Trayvon “Slimm” Martin almost 11 years to the day after his tragic death, the play offers audiences a fictionalized look into Slimm’s life—a defiant opposition to the media’s tendency to focus on his infamous murder. On Feb. 26, 2012, Martin was walking back from a convenience store to his father’s fiancée’s house in a gated community when he was shot and killed by George Zimmerman. The captain of the local neighbourhood watch, Zimmerman claimed that Martin appeared suspicious and that he had been forced to shoot the teenager in self-defence after a dan-

gerous physical altercation. Though charged with second-degree murder, Zimmerman was acquitted by the jury. Zimmerman’s acquittal sparked outrage across America as people fought to gain justice for Martin. This wave of protests against police brutality and antiBlack racism led to the eventual formation of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2013.

To bring Martin to life, Simamba spent much of the creation and rehearsal process developing a movement style and vocabulary that felt representative of Black American youth at the time.

“I wanted to explore 17-year-old hip hop culture, [...] what that physicality and culture might have been,” Simamba said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “In 2012, a lot of Black boys and teenagers were trending, and seeing the way in which young Black bodies were setting trends, dance moves, language [....] I leaned into it pretty naturally.”

In developing this physicality and vocal quality, Simamba expertly captured Martin’s energy and provided the audience with a clear-cut way of distinguishing between the various characters she plays throughout the story; Martin’s low, relaxed voice and slouched body contrasted with his mother’s higher, reedy voice and upright posture. Simamba shifted between characters swiftly and effortlessly, demonstrating an impressive command of her physical and vocal abilities.

Now a nearly 90-minute play, Our Fathers, Sons, Lovers and Little Brothers was originally developed as a 10-minute solo piece while Simamba was participating in the Cal-

gary theatre company One Yellow Rabbit’s Summer Lab Intensive in 2016. Simamba then continued to develop and refine the work for several years before its world premiere in Toronto at b current Performing Arts in 2019. The current production, directed by three-time Governor General’s Award nominee Donna Michelle St. Bernard, will continue to tour across Canada after its run at Black Theatre Workshop.

Although it is distressing that the play continues to reflect the ongoing police brutality experienced by Black people in North America in 2023, Simamba recognized the importance of showcasing her play in a coun-

try where many continue to believe that antiBlack racism is a problem reserved for our neighbours south of the border.

“That division does not exist in the way people think it does,” Simamba said. “There are Canadian names on the list [of victims of police brutality]. It’s not just one group or one country that’s doing this.”

The play’s ending made the passage of time since 2012 feel even more striking. Simamba ended the performance by reciting a list of names—police brutality victims from the 1800s to the present. The devastating list went on for 10 minutes and ended with five names from 2023.

‘Our Fathers, Sons, Lovers, and Little Brothers’ powerfully tackles anti-Black racism

Beyoncé currently holds the record for the most-liked picture on Instagram. (variety.com)

Performer-creator Makambe K Simamba calls the play “a prayer for Black life.” (Tylla von Tiedmann)

The World Baseball Classic: What you need to know

WBC back after six years with promising Team Canada and daunting Team Japan

Tillie Burlock Sports Editor

Flashback to 2017: The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is underway in Los Angeles. Javy Báez and Marcus Stroman are the stars of the show as the United States defeats Puerto Rico in the gold medal game. Six years and one pandemic later, the most electrifying baseball tournament in the world is back.

Tournament Format

While the top four teams from each pool in 2017 earned automatic berths into this year’s tournament, Panama, Czechia (Czech Republic), Great Britain, and Nicaragua had to earn their spots by competing in a qualifying tournament in 2022. Each team is composed of the best baseball players their country has to offer, with some exceptions for injuries, insurance issues, and personal reasons.

The 2023 WBC is set to open on March 8 with Pool A match-ups taking place between Taiwan (Chinese Taipei), Cuba, Italy, the Netherlands, and Panama in Taichung. Pool B, comprising Australia, China, Japan, Korea, and the Czech Republic, will begin game play on March 9 in Tokyo.

Pool C will open on March 11 with Canada, Colombia, Mexico, the United States, and Great Britain playing in Phoenix, while Pool D, comprising the Dominican Republic, Israel, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and Nicaragua, will hash things out on the same day in Miami.

During pool play, each team will face off against the other four teams in its pool once and the two teams with the best records will advance to the quarterfinal round. The advancing teams will be placed in a single-elimination eight-team bracket, where the last two teams standing will play in a championship game in Miami. Most importantly, the tournament will not include pitch clocks, bigger bases, limited pick-offs, limited timeouts, or a shift ban—all new rules adopted for the 2023 MLB season.

Where to watch?

Games will be available on Sportsnet in English and TVA Sports in French.

Team Canada

While missing some of the country’s top stars such as Joey Votto and Josh Naylor, Canada’s WBC roster has no shortage of talent. Finishing 15th overall in 2017, Canada is ranked 12th overall heading into this year’s competition.

The team is filled with young talent. Montreal’s very own Otto Lopez will likely be the Canadians’ starting shortstop. Owen Caissie, a second-round draft pick in the Chicago Cubs system, hopes to be the team’s designated hitter, while Texas Rangers prospect Mitch Bratt hopes to find himself as the number two in the starting rotation after the Cleveland Guardians’ stud, Cal Quantrill.

As for players with greater accolades, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman, a sixtime all-star and former Most Valuable Player, will serve as the team’s first-baseman. Tyler O’Neill, the St. Louis Cardinals’ two-time gold-glover, will prowl the centrefield while Matt Brash, a cheeky lefty with the Seattle Mariners, slices up hitters on the mound. Along with Quantrill, the Cleveland Guardians will lend rookie catcher Bo Naylor, the second of three baseball-playing Naylor brothers, for the tournament as well.

While not in the running to win it all, the plethora of young talent leaves plenty of hope

for the future of Canadian baseball.

Who else to watch?

Team Japan

With a mix of superstars from MLB and the Nippon Professional Baseball Organization (NPB)—Japan’s professional baseball league—the team is overflowing with talent. From MLB stars Shohei Ohtani and Yu Darvish, we know what we’re going to get: Five pitch mixes, dirty strikeouts, and remarkable two-way play from the unicorn, Ohtani. It doesn’t end there. The batting lineup is supported by reigning NPB Most Valuable Player, Munetaka Murakami—a 23-year-old lefty slugger who slashed .318/.458/.711 with 56 home runs last season. Other names to follow are NPB pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the winner of back-to-back Sawamura Awards (NPB’s Cy Young equivalent) and Rōki Sasaki who pitched a 19-strikeout perfect game in April 2022.

Team Dominican Republic

As the favourite for many heading into the tournament, the Dominican Republic may have put together the best WBC roster ever. Rafael Devers. Manny Machado. Juan Soto. Jeremy Peña. Wander Franco. The list goes on and on, and that’s just the bats. The pitching staff hosts reigning National League Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara along with World Series champion Cristian Javier. Needless to say, the Dominican Republic is a must-watch when they take the field this year.

Bontis steps down after silencing women’s team strike and boycott attempts Canada Soccer president resignation must be a force for progress

Peter James Cocks Contributor

After more than two years in the position, Nick Bontis—the president of Canada Soccer—resigned following an escalation in the ongoing labour dispute between the organization and the Canadian Women’s National Team (WNT). Bontis’ resignation is certainly a step in the right direction towards a more productive relationship between Canada Soccer and both the WNT and Men’s National Team, who had their own dispute with the organization in 2022. However, Canada Soccer’s internal fractures and their potential effects on the WNT’s preparations for the upcoming 2023 Australia-New Zealand World Cup cannot be left unaddressed. If these issues continue to fester, the future of the sport in Canada is at stake.

In an ambiguous resignation statement released on Feb. 27, Bontis failed to clarify his position on equal pay and resources. He cited the numerous achievements made by the association, including the successful bid to co-host the 2026 World Cup, though these feats occurred before his election in November 2020.

The announcement comes amid ongoing hostilities between Canada Soccer and the Canadian Soccer Players’ Association (CSPA)––the union that represents the WNT––over differences in expenditures and facilities between the men’s and women’s teams. While the CSPA expressed relief at Bontis’ resignation, they emphasized that more needs to be done.

One of the WNT’s central demands is to be granted similar resources for their 2023 AustraliaNew Zealand World Cup preparations as the men’s team was provided in the run-up to their historic 2022 Qatar World Cup campaign.

The CSPA’s demands are crucial to feeding the growing momentum for soccer in Canada. Since 1998, soccer has been the most played sport among Canadian children, resulting in the unprecedented developed talent available to both the men’s and women’s teams currently. Adequate funding and pay is vital in ensuring this momentum grows, and that the beautiful game continues to flourish across the country.

The U.S. Women’s National Team achieved equalized pay, resources, and prize money in May 2022 following highly publicized disputes and lockouts over several years. While many regarded the Americans’ dispute as a model for Canada, plans for a similar strike were stifled in late February after Canada Soccer threatened to sue the CSPA.

Instead, the Canadian WNT still routinely sports purple bands to promote their fight for equality in opportunity and pay.

With the Women’s World Cup coming up this summer, the WNT has expressed deep concern regarding the lack of resources provided to them by Canada Soccer. The team has been forced to shorten training camps, cut medical and coaching staff, and even reduce the size of their playing squad. Despite the WNT’s 2020 Olympic gold medal, Canada Soccer continues to disrespect their accolades.

The lack of resources not only harms their

chances of success in the tournament, it impedes the dreams of young women and girls hoping to pursue a viable professional career in soccer— careers that are not currently possible without equitable opportunity at the national level.

Although players’ pay is disclosed for neither the men’s nor women’s national teams, insiders and journalists believe that there is a disparity. Some have pointed to the vast gap in World Cup prize pools to explain this. With 5.4 billion cumulative viewers, the 2022 Men’s World Cup distributed a record $440 million USD to national organizations for participation, an astronomical figure compared to the $30 million USD up for grabs at the 2019 Women’s World Cup.

Football administrators have historically argued that equal resource distribution is unsustainable in such a landscape of prize

inequality. However, the women’s sport is rapidly catching up to its male equivalent: Viewership increased by 106 per cent between the 2015 and 2019 World Cups. Over one billion people watched the 2019 Women’s World Cup, with the number expected to increase for this year’s edition.

Perhaps this chaos and obfuscation across the board demonstrates Canada Soccer’s institutional incompetence, though in recent days the CSPA announced an interim agreement to settle the WNT’s pay through 2022, complete with per-game incentives and performance bonuses mirroring the structure of the men’s agreement.

Progress on this impasse is vital if Canada Soccer wishes to transform its recent momentum into long-term prosperity. Meaningful reform could launch the beautiful game to blossom as Canada’s biggest sport. Watch out, hockey.

Former Toronto Blue Jay Russell Martin will join the Team Canada coaching staff while Ernie Whitt will return as manager. (TSN.ca)

Canada will kick off their World Cup campaign against Nigeria on July 21 in Melbourne. (Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images).

Varsity Round-Up: Feb. 24 to March 5

The Tribune Sports Section sums up varsity action you may have missed over Reading Week

Julian Tabbit, Anoushka Oke, & Julie Ferreyra

McGill men’s hockey fails to conquer Concordia in semi-finals

Julian Tabbitt Contributor

After a dominant quarterfinal series against the Ottawa Gee-Gees (13–11–2), the McGill Redbirds hockey team (14–8–3) headed across town for the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East semi-final series against the Concordia Stingers (19–7–0). With a 6-3 loss in the opening game of the best-ofthree series, the Redbirds suited up for a win-or-go-home game at McConnell Arena on Feb. 24.

The Redbirds got out to a hot start, dominating possession throughout the first period, but couldn’t find the back of the net. Despite two power plays in the same period, the Redbirds struggled to find their flow. With just under two minutes to go in the first, Concordia tucked their first of the game via a beautiful bar-down goal from Charles Tremblay, carrying a 1-0 lead into the second.

As tensions rose in the second period, McGill’s Eric Uba took back-to-back penalties, giving Concordia room to net their second goal with just under eight minutes to go in the period.

Down 2-0 heading into the third, the Redbirds hoped to swing the game in their favour.

Outshooting Concordia 32-25 over the course of the game, the Stingers’ goaltender, Jonathan Lemieux, stifled the Redbirds, giving his team the opportunity to solidify the win. Despite their best efforts, the Redbirds’ season came to a close in a whimpering 4-0 final.

But, after finishing the 2021-22 season 6–11–0, this

year’s 14–8–3 record indicates a new beginning for the young team. Reflecting on the season, Captain Taylor Ford highlighted the camaraderie in the locker room.

“We have a really good group and I think next year’s our year,” Ford told The McGill Tribune

Rookie forward and McGill’s leading scorer of the playoffs, William Rouleau, echoed his captain’s message.

“We have a really special group and we have all the pieces in the locker room to get back next year and win it all,” he said in an interview with the Tribune

Next season, McGill is retaining their 10 leading scorers and adding former NHL draft pick Zach Gallant from the San Jose Barracuda of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Despite the excitement surrounding the future of Redbirds hockey, the loss to Concordia marked the last stand for two players: Goaltender Emanuel Vella and winger Jordan-Ty Fournier.

“[Vella and Fournier] are as good people as you’re going to get, and they are going to have great careers. These young men would do anything for the other members of the team, on and off the ice,” head coach David Urquhart said about the two graduating players.

McGill Track and Field shines at home in RSEQ Championships

Anoushka Oke Creative Director

On Feb. 24 and 25, the McGill track and field team rounded out their season by hosting and participating in the RSEQ Championships at the Tomlinson Fieldhouse. The Martlets and Redbirds took on athletes from universities around

Quebec and eastern Ontario.

Friday’s schedule started with the 60-metre dash, where Donna Ntambue snatched a gold medal with a time of 7.47 seconds. Also bringing home gold on Friday was pole vaulter Rosalie Lupien and distance runner Matthew Beaudet in the 1,500-metre. The day wrapped up with the highly-anticipated 4x800-metre relay races—the men’s relay team, composed of Beaudet, Sebastian Danson, Markus Geiger, and Jules Gueguen, was able to secure first place with a time of 7:40.03.

Long jump, high jump, triple jump, the 600-metre run, the 4x200-metre relay, and shot put also took place on Friday; the men’s 4x200m relay team of Ricardo Percopo, Alexander Crooks, Paul Mandelos, and Jules Barrieu secured a silver medal with their 1:30.72 finish.

Saturday opened with finals of the high jump and the weight throw where Ella Villeneuve threw a distance of 12.78 metres to win gold. The 60-metre hurdles followed. After winning her preliminary heat, Vanessa LuLangley’s time of 9.09 seconds in the finals won her a silver medal.

Later in the day, an intense 3,000-metre race ended with Beaudet winning his third gold medal of the weekend. He was later named the RSEQ’s male athlete of the year and was also awarded male track performance of the year.

The 4x400 metre relay was the last event––a Redbirds team of Geiger, Percopo, Barrieu, and Crooks ran a time of 3:22.23 to take home a silver medal.

The Redbirds and Martlets both placed third overall in the meet, behind Laval and Université de Montréal. McGill collected a total of 16 medals, with the women’s team accumulating 103 points and the men’s scoring 118.

Martlets captain Makayla Mitchell, who placed second in the pentathlon, discussed the season in an interview with the Tribune

“It was so nice to finally have a full season of competition after COVID,” she said. “I feel like the support from the team was definitely at a high this year. Personally, I am super happy with how my season went. There is always room for improvement, and I’m excited to see what’s next.”

Athletes who placed first in their event at the RSEQ Championships, as well as those who met a qualification standard, will compete in the national USports Championships in Saskatchewan from March 9 to

March 11.

Martlets volleyball victorious in semi-final against UdeM but fall to UQÀM in RSEQ final

Julie Ferreyra Staff Writer

After closing out the regular season with a victory against UQÀM (20–13–7), Martlets volleyball (20–10–10) kicked off their best-of-three semi-final series on Feb. 24 against the Université de Montréal (UdeM) Carabins (20–13–7).

The opening set started off with a bang for the Martlets, who quickly grabbed a 6-4 lead over the Carabins. From her first serve, power-hitter Victoria Iannotti attacked the Carabins, carrying the Martlets lead to 10-7 before the first player rotations. As UdeM was desperate to swing the game in their favour, the Carabins took several timeouts and eventually equalized the score at 18 points apiece. With the score tied, a back-and-forth battle ensued for the final point of the set. Right side hitter Clara Poire and middle blocker Charlène Robitaille secured the last point, successfully closing the first set 25-21.

Taking the second set 2519, UdeM opened the third set with two successive points. However, after several Carabin outs, the Martlets came back with a successful block from Poire to even the score at 10-10. Despite their best efforts, the Martlets were unable to catch the Carabins in the third and fourth sets with UdeM winning both 25-23 and 25-20 respectively.

“The game goes by momentum, we’re gonna be prepared, we’re gonna push hard, we’re gonna be ready,” said Martlets head coach Rachèle Béliveau to the Tribune

when explaining the difference in performance between sets. “We’re taking it one set at a time.”

The fifth and final set saw a boost of energy for the Martlets, with four unanswered points for an early 8-1 lead. McGill failed to maintain their upper hand, but first-year right-side Rachel Leduc equalized the score at 14 apiece before the Martlets pulled ahead for a 16-14 victory and their 10th consecutive win against UdeM.

“We knew that they were gonna show up [....] We had to stay calm,” libero Catherine Vercheval told the Tribune . “We have a tendency, usually it’s the opposite: We don’t start strong and then we end up really strong, but [tonight] it was the other way around [....] We’re still working on that, just to be consistent throughout the whole time.”

After dropping the second game of the series 3-1, the final match-up on Feb. 26 saw the stands roaring with support for both teams.

The Martlets lost the first set of the last semi-final game, but found a new level of intensity, winning the second and third sets. After a rocky start to the fifth set, the Martlets managed to recover, with second-year setter Charlotte Chouinard-Laliberté assisting on the final point for a 3-2 victory, advancing McGill to the RSEQ finals.

On March 3, McGill looked to defend their first-ever RSEQ Championship title against UQÀM. Sadly, the Martlets were unable to repeat last year’s magic, losing the best-of-three series two games to none.

Despite the RSEQ loss, the Martlets secured a spot at the USports Nationals, which will take place in Vancouver, British Columbia from March 17-19.

After winning their last nine match-ups against Université de Montréal, the Martlets were determined to triumph in their face-off against the Carabins.

(Maia Salhofer / The McGill Tribune).

Other silver medallists included Olivier Gregoire in pole vault and Kilty McGonigal in the heptathlon. A handful of McGill athletes also won bronze medals. (Matt Garies / McGill Athletics)