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2 September 12, 2022 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily Table of ConTenTs table of Contents 12Compendium! Horoscopes • Comic7 Commentary Bill 96 Fuels Fears of “Louisianization” Bad Dope Alert? 9Culture Interview with a Zine Artist • Love on the Spectrum Review4 News Grade SSMUnionInflationNegotiations 3Editorial Afghanistan Evacuation One Year Later DEPUIS 1967 Join the DPS Board of Directors! Check our Facebook page: facebook.com/DailyPublicationsSociety/ Apply on our website: dailypublications.org/how-to-apply/ The Daily Publications Society (DPS) is looking for: · one (1) RepresentativeCommunity;·one(1)AlumniDirector; and · three (3) Student Directors. to sit on its DP S Board of Director s. Join the DPS Board to contribute to the continuity and improvement of campus press at McGill! To apply, submit a letter of intent of no more than 250 words before September 18 to chair@ dailypublications.org. Questions?Email c h ai r @ d ai l yp u bl ications.org for more info!
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Canada’s Broken Promise: Afghanistan Evacuation One Year Later
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half of the Afghan refugees Canada has committed to resettle have arrived in the country. Facing the end of government support, one former employee was told to move into a shelter in Toronto.Afghan immigrants who have been resettled for years report the strain that comes with trying to reunite with fam ily members through Canada’s slow immigration process. Stories of families stuck abroad in a bureaucratic web and children with no clear path of being reunited with their par ents illustrate the mental toll the system takes on applicants. Global Affairs and National Defense have also been accused of devaluing foreign employees elsewhere. In Ukraine, local diplomatic staff were allegedly not informed that they were high risk targets given the Russian invasion, and were not moved along with other Canadian diplomats. Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly denied the allegations and announced a “Future of Diplomacy” review process to address the incon sistent application of safety measures for locally engaged staff in areas in Canada’scrisis.response to the war in Ukraine has also revealed inequities between the special measures afforded to Ukrainian refugees and refugees in other regions. Janet Dench, the executive director of the Canadian Council for Refugees, told CBC that people are asking “why [accept] Ukrainians, but not people from Ethiopia, or from Afghanistan, or many other situations in crisis that people are fleeing?” The CanadaUkraine Authorization for Emergency Travel, which offers short-term visas to fleeing Ukrainians, demonstrates the double-standard by which refugees are treated. Four months after the Russian invasion, 136,877 Temporary Resident Visas (TRVs) had been approved for Ukrainian refugees. In the last year, however, only 17,300 Afghan refugees have been reset tled – less than half the government’s stated goal. Instead of taking into consideration the special situation in Afghanistan and prioritizing family reunification, the IRCC have denied the applications of Afghan refugees for the same reason as applicants who are not in immediate danger: fear that they will not leave when their visas expire. Without an objective refugee acceptance criteria, the government seems to rely on “media coverage and political connections” when deciding who is Overprioritized.thesummer, a number of resettled Afghans orga nized protests in Canada, including a hunger strike, to call attention to the government’s failure to prioritize Afghan family reunification. Supporting such efforts can be the first step to helping evacuate Afghans in danger and holding the Canadian government accountable. You can also help with a Resettlement Assistance Program in your area to help refugees find housing, get involved in their community, and find community programs for newcomers, and call on the Canadian government to extend the special programs and create a deadline to reach their goal of resettled Afghans. Organizations like Aman Lara and the Afghan Women’s Organization focus on evacuation and resettlement, and organizations like Canadian Women 4 Women in Afghanistan and Learn Afghanistan focus on helping those in the country.
Cheung,SaylorscienceYehiaMeenaWilleditorsBarryThakurcultureeditorAnasSabaafeatureseditorZachCheung+technologyeditorVacantsportseditorVacantvideoeditorVacantphotoseditorVacantillustrationseditorVacantcopyeditorCateyFifielddesign+productioneditorHyeyoonChosocialmediaeditorVacantradioeditorVacantcoverdesignHyeyoonChocontributorsCatlin,HyeyoonCho,ZachKateEllis,CateyFifield,ZoeLister,LizSingh,OliviaShan,AnnaZavelskyled élit
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Anna Zavelsky
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During Canada’s thirteen-year presence in Afghanistan, which ended in 2014, the Global Affairs and National Defense departments employed locals in many capacities, including as interpreters, intelligence-gatherers, chefs, drivers, and guides. When the Taliban overtook the national government in the summer of 2021, Canadian forces returned to airlift some 3,700 people. But not everyone was evacuated, and an unknown number were left completely vulnerable and unprotected. Despite assurances otherwise, the Taliban has reportedly been seizing property and tracking down former employees of international organizations. Those left behind in Afghanistan have reported seeing their neighbourhoods and offices searched by the Taliban. A former advisor to the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) stated that a colleague was beheaded for working for the Canadian military. Others have simply gone missing.
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n August 14, one year after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban, Ministers Mélanie Joly, Sean Fraser, Harjit S. Sajjan, and Anita Anand issued a statement regarding the end of Canadian involvement in Afghanistan. Their statement reiterated commitments to support the Afghan people, and also celebrated last year’s evacuation of “Canadians, permanent residents, and vulnerable Afghans, including those who supported Canada’s work.” The statement comes as thousands of Afghans employed by the Canadian government have been left behind and remain in life-threatening danger.
The Canadian government initially announced plans to resettle 40,000 Afghan refugees through three special immigration programs with no end date to reach that goal. Applying for resettlement through these programs has prov en an excruciating process for many. The eligibility criteria is unclear, and citizens must apply for a passport through the Taliban. Even with all the relevant paperwork, the time it takes to hear back from appeals to the Canadian government is unpredictable. Afghan families who have fled to neighbour ing countries with hopes of seeking asylum in Canada fear running out of funds before their applications are processed. Some applications are lost or receive no response at all; four former language and cultural advisers filed a complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission after Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada delayed their applications, but their meeting was canceled at the last minute with no settlement reached.
September 12, 2022
On the anniversary of the allied retreat from Kabul, the NDP released a report that uncovered further failures of the special resettlement programs. They found that of those who assisted Canadian missions, “at least 2,900 applications referred by the Department of National Defence are lost between departments.” Through pure bureaucratic negli gence, Global Affairs and National Defense reveal their cal lous and irresponsible stance on duty of care to their former employees and their families.
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In July, CBC reported that the government was planning to quietly end their special immigration programs after only one year with no plans of reinstatement. To date, less than
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Higher grades – but at what cost?
Grade Inflation at McGill is Not a Myth
Olivia Shan | Managing Editor
ising average grades, a phenomenon commonly referred to as grade inflation, has been a prominent subject of discussion across North American universities since the early 1960s. The McGill Enhanced Crowdsourced Averages data, an unofficial collection of class averages across all McGill faculties that has been compiled since 2013, confirms that grade averages have been climbing steadily (as observed in Figures 1 and 2).
The original grading system in Canada – modelled after the British system – was structured where no more than five per cent of students were awarded As and where 30 per cent were given Bs. However, Canadian universities have been seeing a steady increase in these letter grades. In the 2019–2020 school year at Western University, a significant increase in the percentage of students receiving As and Bs compared to previous years was found. Other universities experiencing grade inflation include
The Desautels School of Management has made an attempt to combat grade inflation through its bell curve grading policy. Additionally, the faculty only permits a change in the distributed grading scheme if there is “unanimous consent of all students registered in the course,” decreasing the likelihood of an adjustment. However, the faculty saw a change in this policy in 2019 that increased the required class average grade of between 65 and 74.9 per cent to 65 and 77.5 per cent.
the University of Toronto and the University of Waterloo.
At McGill, between the Fall 2021 and Summer 2022 terms, 14.7 per cent of grades distributed were a 4.0 – an A, according to McGill’s undergraduate grading system. Another 37.4 per cent of grades distributed were a 3.7 or A-. This means that 52 per cent, or over half, of all undergraduate courses had average grades of A or A-.
Grades distributed during the prepandemic terms of Fall 2018 and Fall 2020 averaged to a 3.41 on McGill’s GPA scale, according to the crowdsourced data. In the following time between the Fall 2021 and Summer 2022 terms, the distribution average rose to 3.64. It is unclear whether this rise in grade averages was caused by pandemicrelated factors or a continuation of the grade inflation trend.
Next year, there will be new changes made to the Desautels grading policy in accordance with the newly instated Policy on the Assessment of Student Learning (PASL), according to Vice Dean and Desautels professor Genevieve Bassellier. Past students have complained about the fairness of the current grading curve at Desautels, while some have argued for its importance in stabilizing averages. When asked about the goal of changing the grading policy, Professor Bassellier says, “providing a new policy is a step toward encouraging instructors and the Desautels community to reinforce
NEWS4 September 12, 2022 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily
Zoe Lister News Editor
In December 2020, the McGill Senate approved an additional S/U (satisfactory/unsatisfactory) option for the Fall 2020 and Winter 2021 terms to accommodate students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The option allowed for students to choose up to six credits (over the Fall and Winter terms) to be graded as S/U, if in accordance with faculty policies. As for the school year class averages, the University notes that “class averages showing on transcripts for Fall 2020 and Winter 2021 may not be reflective of true class averages in those terms.” The crowdsourced averages do not include S/U grades, but if students during this time opted to forego a letter grade, there would be fewer grade letter averages to look at from thoseMcGill’sclasses.grade distribution can differ depending on the faculty. In the Faculty of Engineering, letter grades do not automatically correspond with McGill’s undergraduate numerical grading scale and are instead up to the professor’s discretion.
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“At McGill, between the Fall 2021 and Summer 2022 terms, 14.7 per cent of grades distributed were a 4.0, or A according to McGill’s undergraduate grading system. 37.4 per cent of grades distributed were a 3.7 or A-.”
A particular problem associated with grade inflation is the subjectivity of grading. According to the Charter of Students’ Rights, Articles 12-14, “the evaluation of a student’s performance
both GPA inflation and GPA range requirement. In the ideal situation, all students should be graded fairly and consistently, without any restrictions and concerns. That said, I do notice GPA inflation happens everywhere in North America. The only benefit of raising class average I could imagine is that McGill students (in the short run) won’t have the low GPA disadvantage when they apply to graduate schools or jobs. However, in the long run GPA inflation does hurt the reputation of McGill so I’m still not a fan of it.”
According to Professor Miao, “for more subjective grading such as course projects, I will try to maintain a similar standard as previous years. As a result, the GPA should objectively reflect the performance of students in my class.”
The possibility of removing barriers against grade inflation creates a unique discussion to what effects it will have on both students and universities. One concern relating to grade inflation is the “dilution of attaining a degree”, meaning that the value of achieving a degree decreases as it becomes easier to accomplish. However, labeling degrees as easy to attain can be harmful to the achievements of first-generation and marginalised students.
Another concern about inflated grades is that it will decrease students’ motivation to work hard in school. Though it is difficult to prove that A’s are distributed for the same work that in the past would have received a lower grade. Another view is that attaining higher grades could also be seen as boosting confidence in new fields. For example, female students are more likely than male students to switch their fields of study if they earn low grades in introductory courses, but with higher grades, there could be a higher retention rate in male-dominated fields such as science and engineering.
GPA information is likely to be used during a hiring process when candidate pools are large. More than half of employers eliminate applicants from the hiring process if their GPA falls below a 3.0. However, there are issues with GPA when it comes to equity in hiring; higher GPA cut scores correlate with a greater risk of a negative impact on employment equity groups. Additionally, GPA’s do not reveal the rigour of the grading system of the university the degree was received from. This can eliminate candidates qualified for the job but under qualified based on their GPA.
No McGill faculties – with the exception of Desautels – have introduced measures to protect against grade inflation. Since it is unclear the exact root causes of rising grades, it may be difficult for the University to combat or stabilize grade inflation. However, if there is no change in the upward trend of class averages, the topic of grade inflation will be an ongoing debate in the McGill community.
Figure 2 Figure 1
When asked if these possible changes to Desautels’s grading policy would have an effect on the level of course difficulty, Desautels Assistant Professor Sentao Miao says that “personally I will be consistent with previous years. I think the current range of GPA is reasonable, and I do like to maintain the difficulty within this range. Of course if the students are particularly good, I see no problem giving them a higher overall GPA.”
in a course shall be fair and reasonable, and shall reflect the content of the course.” However, this can be difficult when assignments are subjective.
“personally I’m against both GPA inflation and GPA andbestudentsrequirement.rangeIntheidealsituation,allshouldgradedfairlyconsistently,withoutanyrestrictionsandconcerns.”
NEWS 5September 12, 2022 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily
When asked their opinion on the grading system at Desautels and the school-wide grade inflation, Professor Miao says, “personally I’m against
principles and objectives that promote learning and pedagogical excellence in the classroom.”
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“They had been notified, I believe, three weeks in advance of the collective agreement ratification being when it happened, and they chose until then to finally respond to us,” says Courtney.
n August 19, the labour union representing SSMU employees (SSMUnion) released a press release announcing its intention to present and ratify a collective agreement (CA) on August 29. SSMU management and the union had come to an agreement in principle on May 27, yet according to the press release, SSMU has attempted to reopen negotiations since. As such, SSMUnion will be lodging a formal complaint with the Tribunal administratif du travail against SSMU on the grounds of bargaining in bad faith.
Instead of honouring the agreement in principle and recommending it for ratification, SSMU moved to reopen negotiations on July 14. To the knowledge of SSMUnion management, no vote was held on July 14 – the day SSMU said they would hold it – because the organization wanted to send the CA to their attorneys first. Thus, between May 27 and July 14, SSMU never sent the agreement to the attorneys and did not obtain their input until July 14, Courtney says. “They have had 18 months to get the attorneys involved, and they haven’t,” they commented, “And then when they brought back the attorneys’ comments, it was almost entirely renegotiation.”
Saylor Catlin Coordinating News Editor
Instead of discussing the renegotiated terms in a meeting, on July 21, SSMUnion management received an email from SSMU containing an 11-page document with 50 amendments.
News6 September 12, 2022 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily
cited might now be outdated. “The attorneys on the other side [...] might say, this phrasing isn’t quite clear,” they continued, “We can make this better phrasing or we can make this align better with our obligations by doing this.”
Both Courtney and Tali Ioselevich, Vice-President of SSMUnion, explained that one of SSMUnion’s biggest goals in the CA is to get
SSMUnion to Present New Collective Agreement
“The longer SSMU waits to sign this agreement, the longer the workers of SSMU have to go without [...] basic protections that we’ve been bargaining for for two years,” writes Ioselevich. “The execs have a responsibility to do their jobs while they’re here and ratify this Collective Agreement.”
“An agreement in principle is essentially where you say, okay, we’ve gotten through everything we need to negotiate,” explains Mo Rajji Courtney, president of SSMUnion. The bargaining parties reached this agreement through verbal understanding on May 27, and they later followed up via email to discuss ratification by the union’s members.
Consequently, SSMUnion management intends to file a complaint with the Quebec government, specifically the Tribunal administratif du travail. The complaint will be filed in accordance with Article 53 of the Quebec Labour Code, according to Courtney, on the grounds of bargaining in bad faith.
“What the failure to consult their legal team on this shows is that no one bothered to do their homework by reading minutes or leaving exit reports, which points to SSMU’s lack of institutional memory,” wrote Ioselevich in an email to the Daily
Ioselevich added that this CA has now seen three separate student executive committees and at least two different HR directors negotiating on SSMU management’s side. “What the failure to consult their legal team on this shows is that no one bothered to do their homework by reading minutes or leaving exit reports, which points to SSMU’s lack of institutional memory,” wrote Ioselevich in an email to the Daily. “Only after the agreement in principle was reached did they think to consult legal counsel, after which point reopening negotiations was no longer on the table.”
The agreement was reached after a year and a half of negotiations, which began in summer 2020 when SSMUnion sent SSMU a notice of presentation. That summer, SSMUnion worked toward presenting SSMU with a draft collective agreement. “Typically, you go in with a bunch of demands, and you talk about those demands, and then you draft things afterwards,” explains Courtney. “But we knew that SSMU has a lot of issues with turnover, that they are slow on things, [...] so we decided to draft up a collective agreement based on similar collective agreements from similar unions.” SSMUnion management studied other unions in the university sector and student unions. Management worked with their parent union, CUPE, which also represents the Concordia Student Union, which has what Courtney cited as “the Lamborghini of collective agreements” and has been quite successful.
Courtney suggested that it was clearly a document that SSMU had received directly from its attorneys. According to them, it was apparent that SSMU management had not reviewed the document, as it was not reformatted to make it more understandable, and there was no indication of which items were of higher priority. “[The attorneys] weren’t in the room when we were negotiating, so we actually disagree with their proposed amendments,”
Courtney commented. SSMUnion management responded to the email that they were opposed to reopening negotiations after reaching the agreement in principle, and that in principle the proposed amendments were unacceptable. In response, SSMU management promised they would send back a revised document.
rid of the casual staff designation on SSMU contracts. Most SSMU employees are currently designated as casual staff –meaning they don’t have access to health insurance, paid time off, and other basic protections. Furthermore, many of these employees have been working for years at SSMU, but the casual position makes it very difficult to accumulate seniority and qualify for EI and other benefits. “All of these problems made for very precarious employment,” says Courtney. They added that there are currently between 100 and 150 employees under the casual staff designation versus about a dozen permanent employees. When presented with the draft collective agreement, SSMU told SSMUnion management that they wanted their attorneys to look over the draft before they voted on it. “That is okay, that is your right,” comments Courtney, “But the problem is that [...] it took us two years to negotiate. In that time the laws have changed.” They explained that, for example, a section of the law or an article
Courtney explained that SSMUnion did not receive the revised document until hours before ratification on August 29.
Both Courtney and Tali Ioselevich, Vice-President of SSMUnion, explained that one of SSMUnion’s biggest goals in the CA is to get rid of the casual staff designation on SSMU contracts.
SSMU Accused of Bargaining in Bad Faith
For incoming allophone immi grants, this new restriction of ten means that they must learn French within six months of en tering the province. Otherwise, non-French-speaking immigrants will not possess the right to ac cess important government re sources in their native language. Additionally, since the vast major ity of businesses in Quebec are also being compelled to communicate exclusively in French, immigrants will now face greater hurdles within the realm of employment. Meanwhile, the ease of access to other government services, from judicial administrations to simply receiving a new recycling bin, will become increasingly exclusive for this same reason.
commentary 7September 12, 2022 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily
Zach Cheung Features Editor
of survival. If Quebec becomes a bilingual state, it’s a matter of time before we lose the presence of French in Quebec,” Legault said at a press conference in May.
The fueledrhetoricimmigrationanti-thathasBill96hascommunicatedthatimmigrationposestotheFrenchlanguageanimminentandurgentthreat
However, bilingual immigrants who speak fluently in both French and their mother tongue have largely been overlooked in conver sations that seek to link the decline of “francophones” to the decline of French. The definition of “franco phone” used by the OQLF excludes groups of allophones who speak French as well as their first lan guage at home. The CAQ has used this statistic to create an illusory fear that a falling percentage of monolingual francophone house holds entails the decline of the use of French at large. In reality, this insular attitude toward French pro tectionism implies that the health of the French language is solely de pendent on the percentage of Que becois who exclusively speak it. To attribute the extinction of French as a common language to the de cline of French-speaking house holds exemplifies how the CAQ’s fear of Louisianization is founded upon a bias toward upholding the use of French spoken by a particu lar type of person. This, paired with the CAQ’s resentment for a multi lingual Quebec, makes Legault’s anxiety towards Louisianization seem to be rooted in nothing more than the belief that immigrants are not Quebecois “enough.” In this way, Bill 96 erects barriers, not only to government services but also be tween linguistic groups. By impos ing the use of French and stigma tizing the use of other languages at home, the CAQ has constructed a coercive brand of nationalism that is fueled on the idea of a “one-cul tureImmigrantsstate.” are not the only marginalized group to be affected by Bill 96. The bill presents nonQuebecois and anglophones with numerous hurdles by restricting their access to many parts of soci ety. The law has a double-effect on Indigenous circles, who fear that the bill’s restriction to government services may contribute to the ex tinction of Indigenous languages in the province. Bill 96’s mandate for CEGEP students to attend at least three courses in French detracts from the possibility for Indigenous languages to be taught.
Premier François Legault stood firm on the fear of linguistic ex tinction by drawing comparisons between the apparent decline of the French language in Quebec to that of its decline in Louisiana. To Legault, the threat of “Louisianiza tion” is tied largely to the yearly percentage of French-speaking im migrants who enter the province. In 2021, 14,000 people immigrated to Quebec under Canada’s family reunification program, with 51 per cent of these people being able to speak French. Early last month, at the Coalition Avenir Quebec’s (CAQ) policy convention, Legault announced his intention to boost the number of French-speaking immigrants entering Quebec by pressuring Ottawa to yield more powers concerning immigration to Quebec. The anti-immigration rhetoric that has fueled Bill 96 has communicated that immigration poses to the French language an
The Quebec government’s new law – officially titled Bill 96, An Act Respecting French, the Of ficial and Common Language of Quebec – is intended to protect and conserve the vitality of the French language. Under Bill 96, communication with government services (except for health care) may only take place in French.
Originally published online on July 18, 2022
cation. It additionally serves to indicate that monitoring which languages spoken in Quebecois homes may not be an effective way of protecting French. In stead, a more important measure relevant to the health of French as Quebec’s common language is the percentage of first and sec ond generation immigrants who choose to integrate in French, rather than English.
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anguage and immigration politics have occupied a significant portion of Que bec’s political limelight ahead of the October provincial election.
By framing the vitality of French in Quebec as a matter of “the lan guage at home, […] the language at work, [and] the language in the public sector,” the CAQ has made linguistic preservation a matter of exclusion rather than protection.
Bill 96 Uses Immigration to Fuel Fears of “Louisianization”
Hyeyoon Cho | Design Editor
One indicator that Legault has claimed poses a serious threat to Quebec’s possible Louisian ization is a decline in the use of French at home: “Everyone has to concede there is a decline in French. When we look at the statistics, the language most used [French] in the home is in decline.” Indeed, data compiled by Statistics Canada shows a de cline in the number of Quebecois who use French at home. The statistic is projected to fall from 82 per cent in 2011 to around 75 per cent in 2036. Immigration is reasoned to be a large fac tor behind this decline, where the percentage of monolingual mother-tongue francophones has declined from 78 per cent in 2011 to 77 per cent 2016. However, a decline in the number of Frenchspeaking homes does not appear to contribute to what the CAQ has identified as the extinction of French as the “common lan guage” of Quebec. There is a dis connect between the declining number of francophone homes and a high percentage of people in Quebec that can speak French. In fact, 94 per cent of people in Quebec can speak French well enough to have a conversa tion, with the same being said for 80.5 per cent of immigrants. This means that Quebec is gain ing more multilingual speakers, rather than losing French as its primary language of communi
imminent and urgent threat: “If we continue with a system where Ot tawa picks these immigrants and only half speak French, in a matter of time we could become a Louisi ana,” Legault said at the convention in TheJune.CAQ’s fixation on cultural issues has corresponded with leg islation that rejects the inclusion of non-Quebecois peoples in Quebec society. The CAQ has presented the influx of anglophone and allo phone immigrants as “diluting” the integrity of the French language in Quebec. This is apparent with Bill 96 when examining the way the CAQ deploys anti-immigration rhetoric as a means to frame the issue of French extinction as a matter of urgency. Legault has warned that Quebec may suc cumb to the same fate as Louisi ana in as much as 60 years: “From the moment there is a decline [in speaking French], we can make a projection. Will it take 25 years, 50 years, 60 years?” Using im migration to fuel the fear of language extinction frames the issue of French protection as a zero-sum game. By connecting the dots between immigration and a decline in the amount of native French speakers, Legault positions non-French-speaking immigrants as detrimental to the health of the French language. As a result, stoking the fear of an immigration-caused Louisian ization serves as ammunition for the CAQ to justify the adop tion of a bill that seeks to protect French by overshadowing other languages: “[Anglophones] have to understand that it is a matter
The macro – Canada’s refusal to make the policy changes necessary to significantly reduce overdose deaths –and the micro – the DRSP’s misleading email – illustrate an important fault line in Canadian society: how can a government both provide effective public health care and criminalize substance use? People who use drugs should always exercise discernment and caution when choosing a source, but we should be equally considerate about where we source our science and health information and, therefore, our bad dope alerts.
tolerance if they consumed a similar dose of fentanyl instead. Although fentanyl has been found in a variety of other drugs consumed as pills and powders, there has yet to be a confirmed case of fentanyl tainted marijuana in Canada.
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The latter half of the email, where the DRSP offers the SQDC as a safer alternative to marijuana purchased by unlicensed sellers, is also troubling. Since consuming the non-SQDC marijuana is unlikely to result in a fentanyl overdose, the DRSP is promoting the government store based on an unproven premise.
experienced an opioid overdose. These details are important to establishing the presence of fentanyl on the sample and that said fentanyl led to the individual’s experiencing respiratory arrest.
n May 6, the Montreal Department of Public Health (DRSP) sent out an alert about a recent overdose. The alert stated that the DRSP had received word from the Montreal Police Department (SPVM) that an individual had experienced “signs and symptoms of opioid overdose with respiratory arrest” after smoking marijuana “bought on the street” (from an unlicensed seller). The alert included a photo of the marijuana in question. The email went on to warn of the possibility that Montreal’s “street cannabis” may be contaminated with fentanyl and therefore recommended purchasing marijuana safely and legally from the government store (SQDC).
Many overdoses during the crisis were linked to fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid. The degree of a substance’s effects on an individual are influenced, among other things, by its percentage concentration in the blood at a given time and by a person’s tolerance. The level of concentration itself is determined partly by the amount of fentanyl consumed and the ingestion method employed. Consuming an excessive dose can lead to respiratory arrest.
The email was a version of a “bad dope alert.” Bad dope alerts are a harm reduction practice in which people who use drugs share messages alerting community members when a batch of drugs is contaminated or especially dangerous. They contain identifying details to let people know what to look for, such as any distinguishing marks or colours. In theory, the email from the DRSP was an attempt to protect the public from a dangerous batch of marijuana. However, the information contained in the email was incomplete and its central claim unlikely.
There are a number of limitations to Quebec’s approach to marijuana legalization: excessive packaging, inconvenient locations, underpaid staff and the creation of a government monopoly among them. Unlike in other provinces, marijuana in Quebec is exclusively purchased from the provincial government, whereas unlicensed sellers risk a million dollar fine. Perpetuating the myth of dangerous fentanyl-laced weed also demonizes unlicensed sellers, putting them, or anyone suspected, at risk
The Montreal Public Health Department’s contamination alert about Montreal’s “street cannabis” was missing crucial details.
content warning: drug use, mentions of overdose
of violent interactions with the police.
This story may be an example of fentanyl panic. Ever since the increase in public awareness of opioid overdoses, there has been a rise in the amount of false reports in the media relating to fentanyl-tainted marijuana as well as fentanyl “touch overdoses.” You cannot overdose by touching fentanyl. Despite the fact that doctors and scientists have repeatedly taken to social media or the press to explain why these things are not possible, the stories persist.
One of the driving factors in the overdose crisis has been contamination of other substances – mostly other opioids – with fentanyl. Fentanyl’s potency means that even a habitual user of other opioids, such as morphine or heroin, would risk exceeding their
The different temperatures at which marijuana and fentanyl begin to degrade make it unlikely that someone could overdose from trace amounts of fentanyl in a joint. Smoking marijuana consists of burning the substance (combustion) and inhaling the resulting smoke. Fentanyl and marijuana have different combustion points. At the intense heat
necessary to burn marijuana and create smoke, all of the fentanyl would already have decomposed or been destroyed. It is highly implausible, therefore, that someone could overdose on opioids by unintentionally consuming them in a joint. Dr. Ryan Marino, a harm reduction activist and physician devoted to combating misinformation about fentanyl, compared the likelihood of overdosing by smoking fentanyl-laced weed to the likelihood of “a piano falling on your head.”
There is an ongoing public health crisis related to fentanyl which has ended many people’s lives. In some areas of Canada during the height of the COVID19 pandemic, there were more people dying from opioid overdoses than from COVID. This crisis was created in part by “bad dope,” but it was mostly created by bad policy. As a plethora of scientists, activists, and scientist-activists have pointed out, there are a wide range of actionable options on the table when it comes to reducing the number of fatal overdoses in Canada. These include, but are not limited to, expanded access to safe supply programs and supervised consumption sites, accessible housing programs, and, of course, the decriminalization of substance use.
One of the driving factors in the overdose crisis has been contamination of other substances - mostly other opioids - with fentanyl. Fentanyl’s potency means that even a habitual user of other opioids, such as morphine or heroin, would risk exceeding their tolerance if they consumed a similar dose of fentanyl instead.
The alert stated that naloxone had been administered, but it did not specify whether the seized marijuana sample had been tested or whether test results confirmed that the individual had, in fact,
If you live in Montreal and would like to get your substances tested, you can bring them to GRIP Montréal or Checkpoint. You can also order your own testing supplies from Dance Safe. Naloxone, an opioid antagonist that can be useful in responding to opioid overdoses is available at the pharmacy without a prescription or at community organizations like Cactus or Head & Hands.
Bad Bad Dope Alert? Public Alert’s Ambiguity Contributes to False Fentanyl Panic
The DRSP, which deals with public health concerns, is responsible for mounting Montreal’s response to the opioid overdose crisis. The overdose crisis refers to the rapid increase in opioid-related fatal overdoses that began across North America in the mid-2010s.
Liz Singh | ContributorCommentary
Anna Zavelsky | Coordinating Editor
commentary8 September 12, 2022 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily
case, borders on making fun of James’sGivendisability.theconsiderable presence of a wide array of sexual orientations and gender identities among autistic people, it is surprising that there are no queer couples on Love on the Spectrum (US). One of my favourite parts of the Australian version was watching Chloe and Teo discuss their queer identities and go on dates with people of different genders. I hope that if the US version is renewed for a second season, we will have the opportunity to see some queer folks. The Australian version also shows us two long-term couples: Jimmy and Sharnae, who get married in the second season, and Thomas and Ruth, who get engaged in the first season. It was refreshing to see autistic couples that had stayed together and were building their lives together – which was missing in the American version – especially as an autistic person in a long-term relationship. One bonus of Love on the Spectrum (US), however, is that the “autism expert” and dating coach, Jennifer Cook, is actually on the spectrum herself. The same cannot be said about the Australian version.
I want to make something clear: I am one autistic1 person. I have certain opinions about this show, but that does not mean they are the opinions of the “autistic community.” Rather, they are myLoveopinions.on the Spectrum (US) follows six single autistic adults: Dani, Abbey, James, Kaelynn, Subodh, and Steve. Each of these individuals has a different life story, and this variety illustrates how many diverse experiences there are on the autism spectrum. Throughout the course of the show, we get to learn about each of these people’s families, jobs, interests, and dating history, including how each of these things are impacted by their autism and/or other disabilities. The confessional-style interviews give us the ability to connect with the participants on a deeper level and are perhaps my favourite part of the show.
my own experiences reflected in participants was a breath of fresh air, and even the ones I didn’t necessarily relate to were likeable and fun. But the show is not without itsSo,faults.should you watch Love on the Spectrum? Yes, but not without a critical eye. The show is a great chance to watch autistic people fall in love, but don’t expect anything more profound than your standard reality TV show.
of animation. As an autistic person with an autistic partner whom I met online through one of our shared special interests, it was cool to see these people forgoing traditional dates for a special autistic date. That being said, the way that the showrunners portray the autistic participants is not ideal. Much of the show is focused on the opinions of the caregivers of the autistic participants regarding the lives of the participants and their dating choices. While I think it is interesting to hear about the lives of the participants in the show, I’d rather hear from the participants themselves than from the parents.
Hyeyoon Cho | Design Editor
Seeing my aparticipantsexperiencesownreflectedinwasbreathoffreshair.
Overall, what I loved about Love on the Spectrum was the people – not the show. Seeing
ike many people, I watched Netflix’s new release Love on the Spectrum (US) shortly after it came out in May. After gobbling up the whole season in a couple of days, I moved on to the original Australian version. And to be honest, I loved it. But I had a perspective that not all viewers did: I’m autistic.
It’s not very often that autistic people see ourselves portrayed in romantic relationships in th media.
I felt particularly uncomfortable watching a scene where Abbey’s mom cried while remembering how she felt when Abbey was first diagnosed with autism –something that felt particularly out of place in a show that generally celebrates autism. The editing is also infantilizing at times – mainly the bouncy, playful scores that play over dates between two grown adults. This infantilization has translated to fan communities as well. For example, an “annoyed James compilation” that stitches together James in moments of distress for entertainment has over 60,000 views on YouTube. An infantilization that, in this
L
I saw my experiences of socializing, dating, and even everyday life portrayed in each of the stories. In one standout moment for me, Kaelynn, a 24-year-old autism therapist who lives with multiple disabilities, shows the way that she and her roommate have labelled each of their kitchen cupboards to show what was inside. I laughed as I paused the show and texted my
And I didn’t just relate to Kaelynn. Abbey, a 23-year-old from Los Angeles who runs an online hat shop, spent many of her interviews (and dates!) talking about her love for The Lion King and Disney princesses. As a 22-year-old who sometimes feels ashamed about my intense interest in the Descendants series due to online shaming of so-called “Disney adults,” it was refreshing to see another person my age who had a passion for kids’ media.
I had a great time watching Love on the Spectrum. For one, it’s not very often that autistic people see ourselves portrayed in romantic relationships in the media. TV often relies on a tired stereotype of autistic people as either asexual or unable to get a date. Some autistic people do fit into these boxes, but it definitely is not all of us. The representation of real, diverse autistic stories was almost enough to forget anything I disliked about the show.
Of course, the dates the participants go on are the show’s main focus. The participants are matched up with a person that shares some things in common with them, and they spend their dates doing things that match their unique interests. Abbey and David, who both love lions, spend their first date at the zoo looking at lions together, and Dani and Adan are matched over their love
Kate Ellis Culture Contributor
A refreshing, yet not perfect, portrayal of dating as an autistic person
1 When speaking about the autistic community in this article, I have used identity-first language (“autistic person” rather than “person with autism”). While this contradicts the language often used in professional and clinical contexts, it corresponds with the preference of much of the autistic community, including myself.
culture 9September 12, 2022 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily
former roommate, with whom I had done the exact same thing.
Why I (Mostly) Loved Love on Spectrum (US)
Cloé Murphy (CM): My fami ly has always been involved in the arts. My dad worked in art direc tion, and my mom was a producer for a long time. I always had a lot of art influences growing up, and my parents really encouraged me to in volve myself in the arts.
Cloé Murphy on making and sharing zines for the masses
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ast month, I journeyed to Concordialand to chat with Cloé Murphy, a fourth-year fine arts student with a knack for making zines. This summer, with support from Concordia’s Elspeth McConnell Fine Arts Award and the non-profit ARCMTL, Murphy organized and hosted eight zinemaking workshops across Montreal. The workshops were free to attend, and they brought Montrealers of all ages and experience levels together to cut, paste, draw, paint, read, write, and learn about zines. For this interview, Cloé and I sat cross-legged on the floor of an empty hallway in the Henry F. Hall Building, discussing this littleknown medium and exploring the possibilities it presents to artists and activists on a budget.
MD: What can you tell me about the relationship between zines and activism? How have you seen activists use zines to spread their message?
CM: I didn’t know much about the small press or zine-making until a couple of years ago. That’s when I met my friend Deb – she’s such a cool artist. She was always really into making zines, and she always teaches herself everything. We became pen pals, and she start ed sending me all these crazy things she was making, just at home or with her printer. She wasn’t spend ing any money on these things. And I really appreciated her approach to art because I find that at Concordia, or at any art institution, there isn’t an expectation voiced to you that you spend a lot of money, but it does feel that way sometimes.
There’s a lot of ground to cov er, and I don’t know everything, so it was really important for me to reach out to others and get help from them. For example, I invited my friend Holly to collaborate with me on a poetry zine workshop. That was great because I was able to ap peal to a whole other group of peo ple that I probably wouldn’t have been able to reach otherwise.
later than most people. I didn’t go to a fine arts school until my final year of high school, and I had al ways thought I would go into a very “corporate” profession. Howev er, I found art to be very comfort ing in my early high school years. I was going to an all-girls private school, and I had a hard time mak ing friends. I’d often spend lunch drawing by myself in the art room.
In Grade 11, I ended up switching to an art school in Toronto: Rosedale Heights School of the Arts. And it was good. It was what I needed.
MD: What got you interested in making zines? Did any particular person or people inspire you?
I did my best to give each work shop a focus. I didn’t want them all to be the same, and there are just so many different kinds of zines. You’ve got political zines, art zines, zines that tell personal stories, po etry zines, photography zines.
Deb kind of introduced me to zine-making. They would come and do random pop-ups in parks where they would have a blanket and all of their shit in front of them and sell it to strangers. They actually own their own small business. At 17 or 18, they were reprinting zines for people and mailing them around the world. It was a really small community of people who were in volved, but it was awesome.
Cloé Murphy | Illustrations Contributor
Behind the Zines: Interview with Montreal-Based Artist Cloé Murphy
From there, of course, I decid ed to go to Concordia. I felt that moving to Montreal would give me more than staying in Toronto. I’ve focused mainly on drawing and painting for the past three years, but I’d like to experiment with oth er mediums. Recently, for instance, I joined a ceramics studio. I still enjoy drawing and painting, but I think they can be limiting, and I’ve found that I feel more satisfied with three-dimensional objects. That’s part of what drew me to zines.
MD: Finally, I would like to start making zines, but I don’t know where to start. What advice can you offer me?
CM: There are a lot of real ly great resources online. If you want to follow along with some one, there are so many cool You Tube videos you can watch to learn quick and simple steps. I would definitely just do some quick Google searches if you’re feeling a bit lost.
Catey Fifield Copy Editor
interested in zines or in attending a zine-making work shop in Montreal, follow @zi nerecipe on Instagram!
If***start.you’re
MD: You yourself had the oppor tunity to host a series of zine-mak ing workshops across Montreal this summer. Tell me about these workshops and about your role as organizer.
CM: Earlier this year, I applied to Concordia’s Elspeth McCon nell Fine Arts Award, which offers $5,000 for students to work on a project with a non-profit. I thought of doing the zine-making work shops back in January, prepared the application, and got the award. I’ve been working since then with ARCMTL, a non-profit that runs Expozine, among other things.
CM: Zines are inherently polit ical, inherently energized. It’s so easy for an activist or activist or ganization to type something up, put together a zine, and spread
culture10 September 12, 2022 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily
The McGill Daily (MD): First, tell me about your background in fine arts.
Mostly, however, I wanted the workshops to be a space for people to gather and meet one another and relate to one another. It’s been so amazing meeting all these new peo ple and making all these new friends. I had a few people who came to almost every work
shop – they just always made an ef fort to come, and it was really sweet. Because I know that communi ty-building is important, and things like this just couldn’t happen during the pandemic. I don’t mean to sug gest that I started this, but I do think there’s been a lack of random little drawing events for people to show up to recently.
their message around the world. Another advantage to activists is that, with zines, you don’t have to go through a publisher. This gives individuals full autonomy and power over their words – nothing has to be censored.
MD: For those unfamiliar with the medium, what exactly is a zine?
CM: I like that zines are a physical thing to hold. I like that they’re cost-effective. And I like that, for most zines, it’s per fectly okay to scan them, reprint them, and share them. It’s not an issue of stealing or copyright infringement if I reprint a zine, and I think that’s how informa tion should be. A lot of the zines I brought for the Anarchist Book Fair were political; some were re lated to feminism, some to harm reduction. This stuff is meant to beWhatshared.are its limitations? There aren’t a ton. You can make a zine in so many different ways. I sup pose it can be time-consuming, maybe a little intimidating – you don’t want to mess up.
Still, I feel like I came to the arts
CM: For me, a zine is a self-pub lished booklet. The word “zine” comes from “magazine,” but where as magazines are products of the corporate world, zines are intended as DIY projects, and they aren’t fo cused on making money. Making a zine is about spreading a message –
Cloé Murphy | Illustrations Contributor
MD: What do you like about zines? What are the benefits of this medium? What are its limitations?
In terms of materials, plain printer paper is super easy to find. You can write or draw by hand, or you can use a computer. There are plenty of free programs available – you definitely don’t have to use InDesign. Pens, pencils, and col lage material are also helpful. If you have magazines or newspa pers to cut, you’ll want some scis sors, glue or tape, and perhaps an Exacto knife. But it doesn’t have to feel like you’re creating a book. I own a few zines that are just col lections of people’s drawings and doodles. That can be a good place to
or images or opinions or news – as fast as possible. There’s a rawness to it. You can really sense a person behind a zine.
Cloé Murphy | Illustrations Contributor
It’s so easy for an activist or activist organization to type something up, put together a zine, and spread their message around the world.
Cloé Murphy
culture 11September 12, 2022 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily
Cloé Murphy | Illustrations Contributor
– Clo é Murphy
They aren’t focused on making money. Making a zine is about spreading a message – or images or opinions or news –as fast as possible.
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Zines are inherently political, enherently energized.
Cloé Murphy Illustrations Contributor
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(JulLeo 23 - Aug 22)
Randa Mohamed | Illustrations Contributor
it is a grape time to purchase a bike.
(MarAries21 - Apr 19)
compendium! 12September 12, 2022 mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily
(NovSagittarius22-Dec 21)
now is a good time to unpack your emotional cabbage.
(JunCancer21- JUL 22)
you should be the one to tell them “olive you.”
you’ve been through a lot. seek peas and quiet.
(OctScorpio23-Nov 21)
(FebPisces19 - Mar 20)
you don’t know it, but you are a big dill on third level of redpath.
sun opposite neptune makes you berry unstable. good luck.
(JanAquarius20-Feb 18)
HOROSCOPES
(AugVirgo23 - Sept 22)
(AprTaurus20- May)
(SeptLibra23 - Oct 22)
(DecCapricorn22-Jan 19)
romaine still this week. avoid mcgill gym at all costs.
dump them. it just wasn’t mint to be.
moon-pluto trine: time for you to wreak havoc and not carrot all.
evil is in the air this weekend. dress accordingly and lie in wheat.
its the fennel days of adddrop. saturn tells you to add. you should drop.
(MayGemini21 - Jun 20)
you will have a corntastic day. what? it’s just a pun about corn, okay?