Editorial 3 Out in the Cold
Table of ConTenTs
• Rise of Podcasts
Fine Words & Buttered Parsnips
BookTok
IglooFest
Weather
• Qubec Liberal Party Elections
TikTok Ban Commentary 10
12 Meet the Editors!
• Loss of Floor Fellows
Language Barrier to Music
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contributors
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HOut In The Cold
omelessness is a systemic issue that spans across Canada and the world. Like the rest of Canada, homelessness has continued to rise in Quebec.
In 2023, a report found that homelessness had increased by 44 per cent since 2018, with Montreal being the most affected. People are unhoused due to a variety of reasons, many of which are out of their control, such as abusive partners, financial challenges, or heritage.
Indigenous households are three times as likely to have experienced some form of homelessness when compared with the total population. As reported by The McGill Daily, while Indigenous people only make up 0.6 per cent of Montreal’s population, they make up 12 per cent of the visibly unhoused people in the city. This overrepresentation in Montreal’s unhoused population is a direct result of the perpetual displacement and marginalization of Indigenous people by the Canadian government. Despite being a reason behind the high number of unhoused Indigenous people, the government’s actions have been insufficient in quelling this crisis.
The government has dedicated millions of dollars to help all unhoused people in Montreal during both the winter and summer months. Most recently, the Quebec government secured nearly 50 million dollars to aid homelessness in the province. Still, these efforts aren’t being reflected in the day-to-day experience of many unhoused people here. A report from the Quebec government in 2022 found that there were approximately 4,690 visibly unhoused people in Montreal. However, it is almost certain that this number has risen since then. Seemingly contradictory to their financial efforts, agencies of the Quebec government, such as the Transport Ministry, have been brutally dismantling encampments of unhoused people across Montreal throughout the winter. When encampments are disassembled, there is often a large police presence, creating an environment that is deeply distressing.
A bystander who witnessed a particular dismantling near Atwater Market reported seeing authorities “rip tents out of people’s hands.” Encampments have been disassembled across Montreal with a complete disregard for occupants’ wellbeing by the same government that claims they are “committed to ending homelessness.”
In addition, many people who become displaced by the dismantling of the encampments are left without a place to go, since many shelters are fully occupied.
Despite limited resources, local shelters in Montreal have continued to aid unhoused people as best they can.
unhoused is even more dangerous. Since temperatures aren’t expected to rise until March, it’s imperative that we aid unhoused people as much as we can. With the Arctic blast this past week, it puts unhoused people who have to be outside for extended periods of time at risk for conditions like hypothermia or frostbite. Just this past December, a man passed away outside in the cold, a death which Mayor Plante cited as “avoidable.” However, though the death of this man and many other people experiencing homelessness this winter are avoidable, they are not being prevented. With many shelters constantly operating at full capacity, it means that many people do not have access to a safe, warm place to sleep.
Despite government and community efforts to combat homelessness, if attitudes around homelessness don’t change, we will continue to turn our heads while our fellow community members suffer. Though the visible nature of homelessness can lead us to believe that it’s caused by the individual, it’s important that we examine the wider systems in place. Taking a people-first approach is a necessary step to changing the way that we talk about those who are unhoused. This approach encourages us to be mindful of the language used when discussing homelessness to make it more inclusive, positive, and empowering. As our language changes, our mindset and actions will follow. Evidence of our collective mindset about homelessness is shown by the lack of accurate figures available for unhoused people in Montreal and across Canada. Furthermore, there is also a lack of coverage around the deaths of unhoused people, which are only investigated if they “occur under violent or obscure circumstances.”
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Shelters like CAP St-Barnabé struggle to accommodate the large number of unhoused people who need somewhere warm and safe to stay during the cold winter months. During the coldest time of year, being
Homelessness in Montreal and Canada is a result of many different failing systems. Even if we don’t have the ability to change laws, we can still support organizations and shelters that work towards uplifting those vulnerable in our communities, and educate ourselves. If you want to get involved, consider volunteering or donating to organizations like Resilience Montreal, Dans la Rue, Mission Old Brewery, Angels of Mercy, Chez Doris, and CAP St-Baranbe. If you want to know more about homelessness in Montreal and beyond, The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness has many different initiatives, such as The Homeless Hub (homelesshub.ca), which has a database of studies and statistics, while The Homelessness Learning Hub (homelessnesslearninghub.ca) provides free courses that train and educate about homelessness in Canada. It’s extremely important not to underestimate how much change you can make as an individual.
Electing the New Leader of Quebec’s Liberal Party
Beginning to prepare for the 2026 provincial election
Mara Gibea
Contributor
Similar to the Liberal Party of Canada, the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ) is voting for a new party leader. The provincial leadership race began on Monday, January 13 and will last five months, culminating at the Leadership Convention in Quebec City on June 14. The PLQ is one of Quebec’s oldest political parties; however, they have not had a fixed party leader since 2022, highlighting the importance of this election.
As of now, four candidates are running for party leadership. The current list of candidates includes Pablo Rodriguez, an MP who has worked under the Trudeau government but is now independent; Denis Coderre, the former mayor of Montréal; Charles Milliard, the former president of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce of Quebec (FCCQ), a federation of provincial businesses; and Marc Bélanger, a tax lawyer who has previously run for federal office.
Discourse concerning whether
the PLQ should maintain a traditional platform similar to its opponents or reinvent itself is particularly relevant considering the Liberal Party of Canada’s decline. The PLQ’s support has been diminishing among the francophone population outside of Montréal, a bilingual city with an anglophone minority. As a result, Maura Forrest from CBC News stresses that the provincial party’s success depends on its ability to distinguish itself from the federal party.
The PLQ’s interim leader Marc Tanguay holds a positive outlook on revitalizing the party’s political position: “The challenges are many,” he said, “but as you are aware…the Quebec Liberal Party has always been able to reinvent itself.” Some of the candidates have expressed this same rhetoric onfdistinguishing the PLQ from its political opponents, while others have adopted other positions to gain popularity. Millard’s campaign avoids nationalist and language rights discourse used by the Coalition for the Future of Quebec (CAQ), yet Coderre
has adopted this discourse to counter the Quebec Party (PQ)’s popularity by advocating against the centralization of
The PLQ is one of Quebec’s oldest political parties; however, they have not had a fixed party leader since 2022, highlighting the importance of this election.
federalism at the expense of provincial autonomy.
Sylvia Martin-Laforge, the Director General of the Quebec
Community Groups Network (QCGN), stresses that the party’s provincial success is dependent on the discourse of language rights and that a “traditional image of economic stewardship” should be maintained. Millard is in solidarity with both francophones and anglophones in Quebec, emphasizing that “the Quebec Liberal Party is the only political party in Quebec that can talk to all Quebecers” in an interview with CBC.
While both Rodriguez and Millard’s campaigns focus on public welfare programs, such as healthcare and education, Coderre and Bélanger have targeted the economy with a focus on developing natural resource programs.
In terms of the voting process, party members of the PLQ will gather on June 14 to select their party leader for the next four years. At the provincial level, parties use direct elections, encouraging more participation as one’s vote is not mediated by a convention delegate, a method first implemented by the PQ in 1985. While voting is limited to
party members, there may be voting fees and a requirement regarding the length of time one has been a member of the party. On their website, the PLQ explained that “members in good standing will be able to vote by telephone or Internet,” reducing issues of lower vote turnout due to mobility issues during the voting period from June 9 to 14. Rather than counting up votes, the PLQ is using a points system where the votes are weighted by age group and riding. Each riding has an equal say, as all constituencies are given 250,000 points, while 125,000 points are given to party members 25 years of age or under. Candidates are then assigned points based on the share of votes given in each riding.
Voter participation will be a key deciding factor in this election. One of the PLQ’s greatest concerns is consolidating a strong voting base outside of Montréal, as the electorate is composed of whichever party members choose to vote. Thus, levels of participation may vary
News
By Cephas. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. License at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
regionally, reflecting political cleavages. This is why the party has employed a points system instead of rounding up the votes, where instead of a vote per member, different amounts of points are allocated based on the members in different ridings. Both Rodriguez and Millard are supported by the Liberal caucus, Millard having also consolidated a youth voter base. This is particularly important considering that the PLQ voter base had little support among younger demographics, as reported by The Montréal Gazette . Lower youth participation is also noted at the provincial level among the age groups of 18
to 24 and 25 to 34, and at the federal level among those 18 to 24 years of age.
Moreover, the newly elected leader of the PLQ will inform the party’s success in the provincial elections on October 5, 2026. In the provincial general election, voters from each constituency or riding vote for the candidate that they would like to represent them in Parliament, known as a Member of Parliament (MP) or, in the case of Quebec, a member of the National Assembly (MNA). According to the first-past-thepost system, the constituent that accumulates more votes than other candidates first wins. Unlike an absolute majority, in a simple majority, an MP/MNA
can be elected with less than half of the votes as long as they
[T]he
economy, immigration, and language policies remain contested issues in Quebec.
garner more votes than their competitors. Each riding has a seat in Parliament/National
mcgilldaily.com | The McGill Daily
Assembly; thus the elected MP/ MNA of each riding has a seat in Parliament where they can vote on legislation on behalf of the people. As of 2022, the Liberals have 19 out of the 125 seats in the Quebec National Assembly, while the governing CAQ party has 86 and the PQ has 4. Despite this, CBC reports that the PQ has been rising in polls, particularly due to their “young, charismatic leader,” Paul StPierre Plamondon.
While it is early in terms of establishing a party campaign for the 2026 elections, the economy, immigration, and language policies remain contested issues in Quebec, as they were in the last provincial
5 January 27, 2025
election in 2022. Electing a new party leader will determine the PLQ’s party platform in the 2026 general election and whether they will keep pursuing a traditionalist platform or reinvent themselves.
Tiktok’s Uncertain Future: Social Media at a Crossroads
As Tiktok’s fate hangs in the balance, the world watches to see what comes next for social media
Lisa Banti News Contributor
TikTok’s future in the United States is in limbo. After months of legal battles and political debates, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on January 20, 2025 granting ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, a 75day extension to restructure its US operations. The proposed solution includes the potential for the US government to acquire a 50 per cent ownership stake in TikTok, a move aimed at addressing national security concerns while preserving the app for its 170 million American users.
TikTok has been at the center of debates about data privacy, national security, and digital sovereignty. US lawmakers have long expressed concerns that ByteDance’s ties to the Chinese government could enable unauthorized access to American user data. While ByteDance has repeatedly denied these allegations,
TikTok has been at the center of debates about data privacy, national security, and digital sovereignty.
the platform’s rapid growth and cultural influence have made it a target of bipartisan scrutiny. The extension granted by Trump provides a brief reprieve, but it also raises questions about what’s next for TikTok and the broader implications for social media platforms operating globally.
The uncertainty surrounding TikTok’s fate has already triggered shifts in the social media landscape. Competitors like Instagram, YouTube Shorts, and Snapchat Spotlight are scrambling to attract TikTok’s displaced user base. Instagram, for instance, has introduced features like “Edits,” a video-editing app inspired by TikTok’s CapCut,
and has expanded its video grid format to support longer videos — a clear attempt to capture the short-form video market. Meanwhile, platforms like RedNote (known as Xiaohongshu in China) have positioned themselves as key alternatives. By emphasizing creativity and international cultural exchanges, RedNote has seen a surge in downloads, bolstered by its recruitment of American influencers to promote the app’s versatility.
TikTok’s challenges extend beyond business; they’ve become a symbol of the growing tension between the US and China. President Trump’s proposal for the US to hold a significant stake in
TikTok highlights the app’s role in digital diplomacy. The platform’s uncertain future has even sparked renewed dialogue between the two nations, as Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasized the importance of cultural and technological exchanges. This unprecedented intersection of social media and geopolitics underscores how deeply intertwined these platforms have become with global relations.
While TikTok’s 75-day extension offers temporary relief, its future remains unclear. Whether through a partial divestment, a merger, or a complete shutdown, the next steps will have lasting
consequences for users, creators, and the social media landscape at large. The TikTok saga also highlights the need for clearer global regulations around data privacy, as well as the challenges of balancing innovation with security.
Social media, like its users, is at a crossroads. TikTok’s fate will not only shape the future of short-form content but also serve as a case study in how nations navigate the complexities of technology, culture, and power in an increasingly connected world. For now, all eyes remain on the clock — and on what happens when those 75 days are up.
Nikhila Shanker | Visuals Editor
Extreme Weather in Canada: Financial Burden and Environmental Challenge
Raising the alert on climate change and the necessity of action
Aurélien Lechantre News Contributor
2024 was a record year for insured losses related to extreme weather and natural hazards in Canada, amounting up to $8.55 billion. This number marks an all-time high, especially when compared to the cost of insured damage in 2023, totalling $3.1 billion, only confirming a trend in the domain. Extreme weather-insured damage has drastically increased over the past decade: out of the ten most costly years for extremeweather induced damage, nine have occurred after 2011, with a total cost of over $27 billion. Furthermore, 2024 is not an exceptional annus horribilis: already, in 2016, insured losses had amounted to over $6.2 billion due to the devastating Fort McMurray wildfire that summer. The
escalation of weather-related insured losses all over Canada pressures the insurance sector and has a disproportionate effect on home insurance prices. Craig Stewart, Vice President of the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), confirms that “[a]s insurers price for risk, this increased risk is now impacting insurance affordability and availability.” While these effects have certainly impacted people with insurance, they are even more devastating for those who are not covered by insurance, including vulnerable communities.
The Quebec government is also feeling the repercussions of extreme weather events and the economic consequences they have provoked. The province witnessed an increase overall in extreme weather phenomena ranging from droughts, heat waves, and storms with heavy rains and violent winds, to drastic drops and rises in temperature leading to freeze-thaw – all of which affect the stability and durability of buildings, roads, and runways. Quebec is not an isolated case: Canada as a whole is experiencing this.
The summer of 2024 alone led to $7.1 billion in insured losses, mostly due to floods in Southern Quebec and Southern Ontario, wildfires in Alberta, and a hailstorm in Calgary. This catastrophic summer led to 228,000
insurance claims, a 406 per cent increase compared to the average over the past 20 years, according to Celyeste Power, President of the IBC.
Due to climate change, both the frequency and intensity of weather-induced catastrophes increased, as can be observed through the augmentation of insured damage. If the increased cost of insured damage is a problem in itself, it also undeniably serves as an alert signal to remind us of the many risks these extreme weather phenomena pose. This increase in extreme weather phenomena also threatens energy production, transportation, and, most of all, agriculture, where productivity is directly altered by climate change and extreme weather. The question of our health and safety is also important: extreme weather affects everyone, as seen through the availability and quality of drinking water. However, it unequally threatens weaker or more exposed populations, such as the higher mortality of elderly populations seen during heatwaves.
The US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) has established a causal link between poverty and exposure to risk. Communities with less resources are feeling the burden of damages caused by extreme weather; they are
shown to be more exposed and susceptible to suffering from mental and physical health issues, injury, and even death due to environmental disasters.
Those that don’t have home insurance aren’t accounted for in these figures, implying that the situation is even worse than what the insurance sector is warning us about.
Climate change operates on such a broad scale that it is almost impossible to grasp the full extent of extreme weather-related damages and the damages that are slowly occurring as time progresses.
To help us track estimates of costs, the Canadian Climate Institute developed a tool accessible to all at the website ClimateChangeCosts.ca.
This situation is not bound to get any better. Power ominously recalls that “what we have to remember is this isn’t an anomaly. It’s not bad luck. This is our new normal.” Philippe Gachon, hydroclimatology professor at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), predicted that the flood risk would only increase in Quebec due to high intensity downpours and storms. The increased frequency and intensity of natural disasters will make Canada, as Jason Clarke, national director of climate change at the IBC, says, a “riskier place to live, work, and insure” if no action is taken against climate change.
To limit the risks of both extreme weather phenomena and the damage they cause, the NIEHS explains a government may take action in three ways. First: preparation, or building infrastructure in advance, as well as informing and educating the population on the issue. Second: adaptation, which means changing the way we manage our forests and build our cities. Third: mitigation, where the objective is to limit climate change itself by reducing greenhouse gas emissions through sustainable development programs, engaging governments and states in the long-term. Solutions have been proposed along these lines. Montreal, for example, took the effects of long-term climate change into account and planned to halve its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. They have also proposed creating underwater reservoirs and greenspaces for draining excess rainwater to avoid overloading the sewer system – as what happened in 2023 and 2024 summer floods. Even if the Canadian government has invested $6.6 billion in climate adaptation initiatives since 2015, it is not sufficient, and Power urgently calls for governments to “take action to reduce the risk,” as climate change effects will only worsen if nothing is done to prevent it further.
“Effects of Wildfire Smoke on Air Quality” by Rod Raglin Liscened under CC BY-SA 2.0 Liscence
I Want to Hear Your Voice
We have long been enamoured with the human voice. Podcasts’ surging popularity reflects this.
Enid Kohler Staff Writer
Ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas!” Alex Cooper croons on an episode of her famed podcast, Call Her Daddy, released in December 2024. “Hi, hello, I see you, I love you,” Cooper continues at the opening of the episode.
Cooper’s warm, conspiratorial, and familial tone masks the fact that rather than her speaking to a close friend over the phone, she is addressing an audience of millions. Cooper’s podcast, the mostlistened-to podcast by women and Spotify’s second largest podcast in 2023, reflects a growing infatuation with podcasts around the world.
Over the past decade, podcast listening has steadily increased in popularity. Today, there are over 400 million podcast listeners globally, with more than two million independent podcasts.
What explains this increasing obsession with podcasts? For Dr. Mark Lloyd, associate professor in the Department of Art History and Communication Studies at McGill University, podcasts are nothing new. Dr. Lloyd, who has worked as a journalist with platforms like NBC and CNN, told the Daily in an interview over Zoom: “There is nothing particularly unusual or unique about podcasts.” He added that “oral forms of communication as distinct from video and text have been around for centuries.”
Dr. Lloyd pointed to ancient texts from the likes of Homer and Aristotle as stories that were originally transmitted orally well before they became written narratives. Dr. Lloyd noted that “we are extraordinarily drawn to the human voice and the human voice that tells stories.”
Before there were podcasts, this
innate attachment to the human voice manifested through radio.
“I’ve always loved the radio,” Dr. Lloyd told the Daily. “I’ve always been interested in why radio was so powerful.”
Like any form of communication, radio can be “extraordinarily valuable” but also “extraordinarily harmful to societies,” Dr. Lloyd cautioned. In the 1930s, priest Charles E. Coughlin used the radio to broadcast extreme antiSemitic rhetoric in the United States. Today, podcasts are used for similar ends. As Dr. Lloyd commented in reference to The Joe Rogan Experience podcast: “What Joe Rogan is doing is really no different than what Charles Coughlin was doing in the 1930s and 1940s. There is no real difference between them in terms of [how they] incite people to believe in conspiracies.” Dr. Lloyd added, “It’s given a different name – ‘podcast’ – but it is essentially a radio form.”
To be sure, there are some differences between current podcasting and the mainstream radio of several decades ago.
Malcolm Sanger, PhD student in Communication Studies at McGill University, told the Daily in an email that podcasts are both “a new medium and an old medium.”
Sanger added, “[Podcasts] are very similar to radio, obviously, but are accessed in a different way.”
Dr. Lloyd also acknowledged that podcasts are more accessible than producing radio or video content. It is less expensive for people to create podcasts, especially regarding the ease of editing, storing, and transmitting oral content.
That said, despite the distinctions between podcasting and older forms of oral communication, the “fundamentals haven’t changed,”
Fine Words and Buttered Parsnips 2025: A Taster
Luxe Palmer Copy Editor
Welcome to Fine Words and Buttered Parsnips, a column of meandering culinary sensibilities, investigating the world of food and fare from a plethora of perspectives.
Dr. Lloyd told the Daily Aristotle’s early cautions about speech and rhetoric illuminated the power of oral communication to drive large crowds to action within their communities.
Today, the significance of oral modes of communication as a medium to influence large groups of people is more relevant than ever. We are specifically seeing major politicians utilize podcasting to reach voters, like US President Donald Trump’s appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience and Kamala Harris’s interview on Call Her Daddy. As Sanger explained to the Daily, “politicians and their advisors know that podcasts attract larger and larger audiences, and so it is important for politicians to appear on them, just as they once went on radio and TV.”
Lewis Goodall, former policy editor of Newsnight and presenter on the popular podcast The News Agents, discussed a hunger for political podcasts with Elle UK. “There is a real desire from younger people for news and politics content that’s not being well-served by more traditional outlets,” he said. “People like the immediacy of just sitting down, listening, and feeling like they’re part of a podcast.”
No matter the genre, it is evident that podcasts fulfill the strong human demand to interact with information through oral means of communication. With a rich history of audio communication through media like radio, our draw to podcasts is nothing new, but rather reflects an innate attachment to the human voice. As Sanger stated, “I think people have never lost their attention for a welltold, exciting story, [...] and it would seem lots of podcasts provide that for lots of people.”
In 2024, social media played a tremendous role in popularizing the trends and tendencies in food, from diets to viral (and questionable) ingredient combinations (re: balsamic vinegar and seltzer). Flavours including pistachio, hojicha, and miso dominated recipes. Social media was overrun by Dubai chocolate bars, the sentfrom-heaven Olympics chocolate muffin, Crumbl cookies, and the astounding discovery of cucumbers. “Girl Dinner” fought against high-protein cottage cheese-laced everything, while “sweet treat culture” kept everyone sane. Apparently, one can put anything in a martini: tomatoes, pickles, apples, parmesan, or cotton candy. Frankly, I am afraid for 2025, though I have my eye on a few rising food fashions: Quince: The culinary world loves a hyperfixation flavour, and quince deserves its due. The unassuming fruit is a mildly citrus-y take on an apple or pear. Its subtle floral nature lends itself well to pairings in both sweet and savoury dishes.
Fermented Seaweed: The wellness world is currently dominated by the likes of bone broth, sea moss gel, and Coconut Cult yogurt. Gut health has been a primary focus, and probiotic-rich fermented foods such as kefir and kimchi have been lauded as your stomach’s saviour. Recently, while perusing the shelves at Whole Foods, I discovered a new subject
of fermentation: seaweed (by “new,” I mean “not yet pervasive on social media platforms”). Though I immensely enjoyed it myself, the seaweed does have a distinctly fishy taste that will inevitably bisect audiences; however, as seen by the aforementioned sea moss trend, the Wellness Girls are not easily dissuaded by otherwisepolarizing taste profiles.
Cow’s Milk : Gone are the days of alternative milk: soy, almond, and even oat milk have been the victims of cancel culture, as their supposed environmental- and health-friendly claims to fame having been disproven in one way or another. We are on the precipice of a Dairy Milk Renaissance, with a few pioneering content creators proclaiming their preference for the bovine beverage, prompting others to make the switch (myself included). While cow’s milk was initially crucified for its environmental impact (the devastating effects of cow farts) and digestive distress (it’s not the cow’s fault that you’re lactoseintolerant!), the narrative has begun to flip, pointing out its superior protein and vitamin content. Some advocates have taken it further with the highly controversial rise of raw milk, for better or worse.
All Things Retro: Every industry dances with nostalgia in one way or another, and the food world is no exception. With Lana Del Rey’s help, Americana diners became an Instagram hot spot, while Taylor Swift (and a slew of other celebrities) brought fame to New York’s The Corner Store, whose menu cuts a highand-low balance of haute cuisine (filet mignon, tuna tartare, compressed melon – whatever that is) and reworked standards (fivecheese pizza rolls, their take on a McDonald’s fry sauce, and a Girl Scouts-inspired Samoa sundae). I believe the trend towards the good ‘ol days shall continue; I’d like to see if Aspic will make a return.
Marriott-Fabre | Visuals Editor
BookTok and the
Commodification of
Reading
Rifling through the literary trends of today’s Internet
Anahi Pellathy Culture Contributor
“BookTok,” a play on words combining TikTok (the community’s host app) with the word “book,” has come to colloquially refer to a subcommunity on TikTok in which creators post about what they read and offer recommendations to other users. The central genres of these TikTok recommendations seem to be young adult fiction, with an unabashed focus on fantasy
of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Many books have become bestsellers through the generative power of TikTok’s ripple-effectstyle spread of information.
The formula is simple: one person reads a book and posts a review or recommendation, causing others to read it and do the same. Soon, the book is trending, with posts constantly springing up reacting to content in the novel and encouraging others to read it as well.
The influence of BookTok on young adult reading patterns
BookTok itself has become a distinct and identifiable social media subgroup, a community of like-minded individuals who have either recently come to love or have always loved reading.
and romance YA novels, which have often been regarded as lowbrow due to a general literary stigma surrounding them.
High-profile BookTok titles include A Court of Rose and Thorns by Sarah J. Maas and past viral novels such as The Seven Husbands
is unmistakable. Indigo, Canada’s largest bookstore company, boasts a “Trending on BookTok” website section. Barnes and Noble, Indigo’s US counterpart, has a “BookTok Favorites” section online and in stores. Even an Amazon search for “BookTok books” will generate a list of
and fantasy novels like The Cruel Prince by Holly Black and Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, a certain subgroup proclaims books like My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh and Didion & Babitz by Lili Anolik, signalling membership to a more specific group.
BookTok culture online is complicated and differentiated, but there is an unmistakable subsect of Orion Carlottofollowing, Reformationwearing, Sally Rooney-reading,
pushed by the internet. On a visual platform like TikTok, the actual quality or content of a novel is inconsequential – it is quite literally the phenomenon of judging a book by its cover, prioritizing style over substance. A video displaying a collection of books with a certain style of cover art allows a reader to intuit not only the content of the suggested novels, but the aesthetic orientation of the creator.
As internet culture develops and becomes more specific,
On a visual platform like TikTok, the actual quality or content of a novel is inconsequential – it is quite literally the phenomenon of judging a book by its cover, prioritizing style over substance.
pink cursive font-using self proclaimed “cool girls.”
recognizable YA fantasy and romance titles. The largest North American book retailers have recognized and organized around the unquestionable market force of BookTok.
According to BookNet Canada, a 2023 Canadian Book Consumer Report found that 62 per cent of books purchased by Canadian book buyers were fiction, with the top genres being fantasy, suspense or thriller, and romance – categories which align with the top genres of BookTok recommendations. It is evident that the TikTok culture surrounding reading that developed in the past few years has had direct realworld manifestations.
BookTok itself has become a distinct and identifiable social media subgroup, a community of like-minded individuals who have either recently come to love or have always loved reading. BookTok is candles, fairy lights, glasses, and bookshelves: a certain, broader aesthetic that social media users can tap into at any point (literally).
Yet, in today’s internet landscape of increasingly niche aesthetic subgroups, there are pockets underneath the umbrella of BookTok in which certain books act as subcultural identity signifiers. Where BookTok on the whole sings the praises of romance
In carefully styled book recommendation videos (“books about female rage,” “books about Hollywood in the ‘60s,” “books about motherhood”), they signal to their audiences exactly which online aesthetic they align with. The words “intellectual,” “fashion-oriented,” and “third-wave feminist” are not explicitly stated but implied, intuited by the keen eye of the viewer who subconsciously
The categorizing, flattening gaze of the internet can quickly become transposed to the world of literature with detrimental and limiting consequences.
understands how to decode social media messaging. This paragraph could be replicated with countless other specific sects – the key is that books have come to function as tokens online, identity signifiers which gesture towards different aesthetic groups in the same way certain clothes or haircuts do. To equate ownership of a certain item to participation in a broader aesthetic social category is a consumerist conception of identity that is
distinct, and intricately organized, it is important to recognize the way everyday objects can be co-opted to serve as signifiers towards pre-packaged aesthetic groups, not by the fault of any individual, but through the invisible guiding hand of the internet that pushes for commodification and categorization. There is nothing wrong with reading what the internet recommends or having genre preferences, but we should seek to read a differentiated, nuanced range of stories rather than according to a certain aesthetic – always reaching for diversification and depth rather than neat aesthetic cohesion, resisting the urge to judge a book (or a person) by its cover. Online culture has realworld consequences, as evidenced in current book sales mirroring TikTok trends. The categorizing, flattening gaze of the internet can quickly become transposed to the world of literature with detrimental and limiting consequences.
Eva
Igloofest 2025: Montreal’s Winter Celebration
Montreal turns icy nights into unforgettable experiences, proving that winter is just another season to celebrate
Lisa Banti Culture Contributor
Montreal is gearing up for Igloofest, its signature outdoor electronic music festival, set to run from January 16 to February 8, 2025, in the Old Port’s Jacques-Cartier Pier. Known as the world’s coldest music festival, Igloofest has become a winter staple for locals and tourists alike. Over 16 years it has evolved into more than just a concert series — it’s a statement on how Montrealers embrace winter on their own terms.
This year’s lineup solidifies Igloofest’s reputation as a global music destination. Heavy-hitters like Michael Bibi, Claptone, Apashe, Zeds Dead, Skepta (Más Tiempo), Bon Entendeur, Steve Angello, Adriatique, and Four Tet will take to the stage, bringing an eclectic mix of beats that range from house to bass-heavy anthems. For four weekends, the frozen expanse of the Old Port will transform into a high-energy playground for music lovers bundled up against the cold. For families looking to join the fun, Igloofête offers a kidfriendly version of Igloofest on Saturday afternoons — January 18 and 25 and February 18, 2025 — at the Jacques-Cartier Pier. With free entrance, this magical winter playground features snow games, mini dance floors, and interactive performances perfect for children and parents alike. Families can enjoy snacks from the onsite snack bar, participate in friendly competitions, and enjoy amenities like lockers and
indoor play areas to stay warm and comfortable.
The Igloovillage adds another layer to the festivities, offering art installations, warming stations, and a curated selection of local food vendors. This year, the festival has upped the ante with enhanced light displays and new interactive elements, giving attendees more reasons to explore between sets. These touches, alongside the immersive stage designs, show how Igloofest isn’t content to rest on its reputation — it keeps evolving to surprise its audience. And of course, the iconic Tackiest Snowsuit/Iglooswag Contest adds a dose of humor and creativity, with participants vying for prizes (and glory) in their boldest, most outrageous winter wear.
Montreal’s relationship with winter is what makes an event like Igloofest thrive. Instead of avoiding the season’s challenges, locals have turned them into a backdrop for creativity and community. Igloofest exemplifies this mindset, proving that even the harshest weather can’t dampen the city’s love for collective experiences. It’s no surprise that the festival draws visitors from across Canada and beyond, eager to see how Montreal transforms icy nights into a cultural event.
When it comes to enjoying Igloofest, dressing smartly is key to staying warm and embracing the fun. Start with a moisture-wicking base layer, add a fleece or wool mid-layer for insulation, and finish with a waterproof, windproof jacket to tackle the elements. Protect your extremities with a thermal
hat, insulated gloves, and warm socks, and opt for waterproof boots with good traction to navigate icy grounds.
For those planning to attend, Igloofest offers ticket options ranging from General Admission to VIP packages, which include heated lounges and premium viewing spots. The festival’s accessibility and diverse programming make it appealing to a wide audience, whether they’re die-hard electronic music fans or simply curious about what it’s like to embrace the cold, Montreal-style.
As Montreal braces for another round of winter’s worst, Igloofest reminds us why the city stands out. It’s not just the music, the lights, or even the quirky snowsuits — it’s the attitude. In Montreal, winter isn’t endured; it’s celebrated. And that’s the kind of energy that keeps people coming back, year after year.
In Montreal, winter isn’t endured; it’s celebrated. And that’s the kind of energy that keeps people coming back, year after year.
Youmna El Halabi | Visuals Contributor
Evelyn Logan | Visuals Contributor
Émile Stuart Commentary Contributor
AWalking a Tightrope
How the removal of Floor Fellows has left first years stranded
student died recently in La Citadelle. I do not know the circumstances of their death. I will not speculate on what happened. This is not the first death to have occurred in residences this year, though the first was a sudden emergency that could not have been prevented. A death, no matter how it occurred, changes the environment which surrounds it.
A student residence, meant to house students who, perhaps for the first time, are living on their own, is altered — especially for those close to the deceased or even those who were in proximity to the events.
I know what it is like to experience such changes. When I was in high school, someone I knew committed suicide. I was not close with him, but some of my closest friends were. I knew him as an exceptionally kind, funny, intelligent person and most of all an incredible friend. After his passing, the atmosphere shifted. I could feel it in the air; it was in the back of everyone’s mind. The lives of those closest to him were profoundly changed by what had occurred. At the same time, however, the community was strengthened — especially in the face of a callous school administration. People came to rely on each other more than ever for support. The compassion and empathy people
revealing the basic human bonds that keep us moving even in the most trying times of our lives.
But this community solidarity could only exist thanks to a pre-existing community at the school — something first years at McGill do not necessarily have.
It may be their first time away from home. It may be the first time they have to speak entirely in a language they’re not fully comfortable with. It may be the first time they’re exposed to alcohol or drugs, and, while trying to finally fit into their new home, they may push themselves beyond their limits. And who is there to catch them when they fall? Who is there, at three in the morning, to comfort an isolated, grieving first year; to be there for them when no one else will? No one. And this is entirely McGill’s fault.
Last year, McGill announced that they would be doing away with Floor Fellows in their dorms. These were upper year students who would live in residence with first years and support them through this time, be it by organizing community-building events or by providing direct support to students in need at all hours. Effectively, they were like the RAs you would find at any other university in North America. When McGill announced the elimination of Floor Fellows, they also announced that they would be replaced by so-called “Residence Life Facilitators” or RLFs, who would perform similar tasks without actually living in residence.
It may be the first time they’re exposed to alcohol or drugs, and, while trying to finally fit into their new home, they may push themselves beyond their limits. And who is there to catch them when they fall? Who is there, at three in the morning, to comfort an isolated, grieving first year; to be there for them when no one else will? No one. And this is entirely McGill’s fault.
had for one another in light of this loss was something so profoundly moving to me,
While this topic produced extremely vibrant debate on campus, it was largely forgotten
about going into the new year. It was something that, as an incoming first year, nearly pushed me away from attending McGill. And while the presence or absence of Floor Fellows has not personally impacted my first year, I can still acutely feel their absence and the effect this has had.
While I firmly believe that RLFs, as individuals, are caring and dedicated people who want to help us through our first year, I also believe that, as an institution, they are effectively useless — a band-aid solution, a way for the university to check off their obligation to support first years when, in reality, they are doing as little as they possibly can.
In my experience, RLFs are practically nonexistent. They are rarely brought up, and I do not know a single person who has ever gone to them or knows where to reach out to them for support. The first and one of the only times I saw my RLFs was during Frosh, when they appeared almost without introduction one morning and herded us like kindergarteners into Tomlinson Fieldhouse when it was unbearably hot and humid so that we could play games to “foster community.” Beyond that, there has been little in the way of “fostering community.” Events are sparse and advertised in inconspicuous ways, with certain residences having barely
any events, beyond the RLFs occasionally standing in the lobby to hand out random snacks or advertise some event like nonprofit volunteers in the metro trying to get you to sign some petition when you have places to be. They stand completely aloof from us, accessible only via office hours, as if a mental health crisis were at the same level as a question about the syllabus.
Besides, when these people are so uninvolved in our daily lives, why would any one of us go to them for help? What reason do we have to trust these people with extremely personal and private information we may struggle to open up to others about? The point of Floor Fellows was that they had a connection simply through their daily presence and interactions with students, alongside the knowledge that they could always be accessed. We are human beings. We need connection; we do not thrive on our own. When a student dies, when students may be grieving the absence of someone so dearly close to them, they need community. They need connection with someone they can trust, to whom they can let all their feelings out to, someone that can be there not as a bureaucrat working a nine-tofive but as another human being. And yet all that was provided for the students of La Citadelle
was a Residence Life Manager accessible from the hours of ten to four on a Sunday and a link to an anonymous helpline. While some may argue the Floor Fellows may have been just as distant, the point is that they were there . We practically have no one. The security guards are friendly and helpful, but the person at the front desk is never consistent, and not every security guard is capable or willing to help people when they need it. It is simply not their job.
McGill is playing an exceptionally dangerous game with the removal of the Floor Fellows. The administration has passed the responsibility for the well-being of students at such a pivotal moment of their lives onto the students themselves, solely to save themselves a few dollars. I am calling on the university here to reinstate Floor Fellows and to invest in the safety and well-being of first year students. We have been effectively made to walk a tightrope with no support or guidance. Many of us will make it across just fine on our own, but many others will lose their balance and fall. No student should have to fall, and McGill has the ability to prevent this, but they don’t. And we are falling through the cracks.
Meredith Cloutier | Visuals Contributor
CW: mental health, suicide.
commentary
Do We All
Experience Music in the Same Way?
Analyzing Bad Bunny’s Debí Tirar Más Fotos through the lens of the “experience” barrier
Sofia Ugarte Restrepo Commentary
Contributor
Debí Tirar Más Fotos: sovereignty, gentrification, lost cultural identity, tradition, classic salsa — wait — are you sure this is about Bad Bunny’s new album?
The incorporation of plena rhythms, samples of classic salsa songs, and música jíbara in Bad Bunny’s Debí Tirar Más Fotos display the album’s purpose clearly. By welding the island’s different musical identities into one, Debí Tirar Más Fotos is dedicated to Puerto Rico; it’s a tribute to his country. The album is a testament to the desire for traditionality and the preservation of culture in the face of gentrification — a theme many Latinos hold close and feel deeply. Though the themes of this album are specific to the Latino experience, it hasn’t kept non-Latino or nonSpanish speaking audiences from enjoying the album, as it reached No. 1 on Billboard 200. Regardless of the language and even cultural barrier, it is widely loved and appreciated throughout the world. While Debí Tirar Más Fotos’s rapid success proves that language doesn’t necessarily pose a major barrier in music, it does bring up the question of an “experience
to speak, plays a much bigger role in how we interpret music than any kind of language barrier. Through our personal lived experiences, we can peel back the complex layers in the music we listen to and relate it to our own feelings and stories. While not sharing a lived experience with the subject doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy or appreciate music, it does mean that we can’t experience the music in the way it was intended to be experienced — or as strongly. For example, while many Latinos resonated with the themes of tradition, cultural identity, and gentrification in Debí Tirar Más Fotos, we as nonSpanish-speaking listeners are less likely to experience the album in the same way as Puerto Ricans. We may not necessarily understand the specific references to Puerto Rican culture.
The album’s cultural specificity exemplifies how personal and collective experiences shape the way we interpret music. One of the major examples of this is the recurring use of English words written in Spanish phonetic spelling: “ Nuevayol ” instead of Nueva York (New York), and “ KlouFrens ” instead of close friends — reminiscent of how our Spanish-speaking family and friends adopt English
While Debí Tirar Más Fotos’s rapid success proves that the language doesn’t necessarily pose a major barrier in music, it does bring up the question of an “experience barrier.”
barrier.” Though anyone can intrinsically recognize the value and mastery in a musical album, are we all able to feel and experience music in the same way?
This “experience” barrier, so
Spanish language, commonly known as “Spanglish”. Other examples of specific cultural references include the borrowed samples of classic
establish Debí Tirar Más Fotos as a tribute to Puerto Rico, by paying homage to its many musical styles in addition to speaking out about the
While tourism can positively affect the economy, it also goes hand in hand with the commodification of culture, dispossession of land, and an overall decline in the local quality of life. In Puerto Rico especially, this has been a growing issue.
words into their Spanish diction. The average English speaker likely wouldn’t understand the meaning of “ KlouFrens ,” or that it represents a greater practice of English loanwords into the
salsa rhythms in “ Nuevayol ”, a rendition of “ Un Verano en Nueva York ” by El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico in 1975. “ Nuevayol ” also refers to several artists like Willie Colón and Frida Kahlo, as well as more niche characters like Toñita, the owner of one of the only Caribbean clubs in a historically Puerto Rican neighborhood of Brooklyn that is now highly gentrified. Similarly, “ Café Con Ron ” does the same as “ Nuevayol ” but with plena rhythms. Other songs like “ Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii ” have more political takes, providing commentary on the impact of rising tourism in Puerto Rico. It calls out the gentrification and privatization of natural resources and, by extension, the loss of the island’s cultural identity. All of these factors clearly
grievances shared by Puerto Ricans. Yet, many of the social critiques expressed by the album come into question in light of Bad Bunny’s recent concert announcement. He will be playing a 30-show residency at the Coliseo of Puerto Rico, also known as “ El Choli ,” with the first nine shows reserved for residents of Puerto Rico and the other twenty-one being open to anyone. This residency stands in complete contradiction to the themes expressed in Bad Bunny’s album, as he is actively inviting new tourism into Puerto Rico. While he argues that Puerto Rico is losing its rich cultural identity and history because of gentrifiers moving into the island with no regard for its language or culture, his new residency actively works towards bringing in the very people he claims are
perpetuating cultural loss. While tourism can positively affect the economy, it also goes hand in hand with the commodification of culture, dispossession of land, and an overall decline in the local quality of life. In Puerto Rico especially, this has been a growing issue. The government has placed the needs of wealthy foreigners above those of its own people by providing tax breaks to Americans who move to Puerto Rico and destroying affordable housing in order to sell the land to Americans. The residency brings into question how legitimate the album’s social commentary is. Do his indictments against tourism still stand if Bad Bunny himself is inviting more tourists into Puerto Rico? Moreover, what message does this send to Bad Bunny’s listeners who cannot fully understand the impact of gentrification and touristification — those stuck behind the “experience” barrier?
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