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UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER
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Mlynarz and Guthrie race for
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CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR PLINKO DRAW WINNERS! Winner of our $50 gift card Karlee Adams Winner of our $20 gift card Jenna Pearce Winner of our $10 gift card Breanna Sturmey Thanks for playing plinko with The Ontarion during Orientation Week! To pick up your gift card, drop by The Ontarion office in UC264 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday to Friday by Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018 to claim your prize. Email Patrick Sutherland at onsales@uoguelph.ca if you have any questions or can’t make it to the office.
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ON the Radar COMPILED BY MATTEO CIMELLARO
CRISTIANO RONALDO ACCUSED OF RAPE Juventus striker and captain of the Portuguese national team has been accused of sexual assault dating back to 2009 in Las Vegas. Ronaldo allegedly paid the victim $375,000 to sign a nondisclosure agreement to stay silent. The German magazine Der Spiegel published the allegation in a series of articles with the alleged victim Katherine Mayorga. Las Vegas Police have reopened the sexual assault case against Ronaldo. US, MEXICO, AND CANADA REACH TRADE AGREEMENT What was formerly known as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has been renegotiated and renamed as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) trade agreement. Canada’s concessions mainly revolve around America’s access to Canadian supply management policies regarding dairy, egg, and poultry markets. Canadians, however, did not concede on cultural exemptions surrounding TV and cultural capital, as well as avoided the costly auto tariffs that Trump was threatening if a deal was not agreed upon.
QUÉBEC ELECTIONS GIVE CAQ VICTORY T he L ib e r a l s h a v e b e e n knocked out of power by the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) — a centre-right party that has never held power — when they won a majority government on Monday, Oct. 1 in Québec’s elections. The incoming Premier François Legault said that the province finally set aside the decisive battle over sovereignty in his victory speech. The Parti Québecois (PQ) also saw historic losses to the emerging leftist pro-independence party Québec Solidaire causing the PQ leader, Pierre Karl Péladeau to resign. FBI INVESTIGATION OF SUPREME COURT NOMINEE KAVANAUGH CNN reports that it is still unclear what the FBI is investigating. There is confusion around whether the FBI will be investigating Brett Kavanaugh’s allegations of perjury or sexual assault accusations. Tr u mp limit e d t he s c op e of the FBI investigation to one week and only centered around accusers Christine Blasey Ford and Deborah Ramirez, while ignoring the allegations of Julie Swetnick.
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Unprecedented power for Greens faces rise in populism THE NOTWITHSTANDING CLAUSE, THE F-WORD, AND PIPELINES E L L A H A RV E Y
I DIDN’T THINK I would ever say this, but the big news this week is New Brunswick. For almost 100 years, New Brunswick (N.B.) has functionally been a two-party province, with the majority government swinging back and forth between the Liberals and the Conservatives. However, on Monday, Sept. 24, N.B. entered “uncharted territory,” according to Huffington Post. The Green Party gained two more seats, making a total of three (that’s a lot for the Greens, people!) and the People’s Alliance — a far-right party that before last Monday held no seats at all — also won three seats. On the other hand, the Liberals won 21 seats and the Conservatives won 22, so no party won a majority (a party needs to hold 25 seats to have the majority). Therefore, as of election night, it was uncertain which party will form government. I won’t get too into the weeds about what this means for the future of the N.B. Legislative Assembly, but this turn of events could easily place the Greens (and the People’s Alliance) in an unprecedented position of power. I won’t lie, I’m slightly alarmed about the relatively meteoric rise of the People’s Alliance. But the recent surge in populism in Canada (and North America) is not news — just take Doug Ford’s
willingness to associate with fringe journalist and white nationalist Faith Goldy at last week’s Ford Fest barbecue. Not that Ford seems to pay much mind to decorum. He has shown no remorse for calling the infamous “notwithstanding clause” to his aid in order to pass a controversial bill. I’ll remind everyone that this clause allows the passage of legislation that overrides the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. That means your fundamental freedoms as a citizen of Canada (e.g. expression, religion, association) can be legally overruled with the proverbial wave of a hand.
DOUG FORD AND FAITH GOLDY
I was equally alarmed at the L iberals’ seemingly nonchalant attitude towards Ford ’s irreverent usage of the notwithstanding clause. For example, when Murray Rankin, the wellrespected New Democratic Party
(NDP) MP from B.C., tabled a motion last Tuesday to have the federal Justice and Human Rights Committee study potential issues with the routine use of the notwithstanding clause, the Liberals unanimously voted against the motion. Call me a cynic, but my first thought was that maybe the Liberals aren’t causing a stink because they themselves hope to use the clause in the future.
appear dead-set on building the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion regardless of significant pushback from Indigenous and environmental groups, not to mention from the Federal Court of Appeal.
anyone swear, including a seasoned politician like Mr. Saganash. In the spirit of contextualizing Canadian politics in the fearsome and hardly believable goings-on south of the border, I may as well follow suit with my fellow cynics and use the United States as my punchline: at least we don’t have to deal with Kavanaugh!
ROMEO SAGANASH
MURRAY RANKIN
Another notable moment from last week’s House of Commons (HoC) proceedings was NDP MP and reconciliation critic Romeo Saganash’s impassioned criticism of the prime minister’s (mis)handling of the Kinder Morgan fiasco. During question period last Tuesday, Saganash demanded, “Why doesn’t the prime minister just say the truth and tell Indigenous Peoples that he doesn’t give a fuck about their rights?” This sort of language is, of course, not permitted in Parliament, so the House Speaker immediately insisted on an apology. But Mr. Saganash has every right to be angry — the Liberals
Mr. Saganash is well known for his private member’s bill (C-262) that, if passed into law, would require Canadian laws to be compliant with the United Nations Declaration of Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP). C-262 passed in the HoC in May of this year with strong Liberal support, and is waiting to be voted on in the Senate. Ironically, UNDRIP would also require the government to obtain the informed consent of Indigenous peoples with respect to projects that affect their land. This includes the Kinder Morgan pipeline project, which passes through 518 kilometres of Secwepemc territory. So, passing C-262 and then immediately barging ahead with the pipeline expansion despite a distinct lack of Indigenous consent seems like mixed signals from the Liberals — which is enough to make
BRETT KAVANAUGH
Writer’s note and disclaimer: My name is Ella; I’m a U of G alumna, and I intern for Elizabeth May — MP for Saanich-Gulf Islands and the leader of the Green Party of Canada (GPC). As Ms. May’s intern, I attend parliamentary committees, correspond with constituents, attend legislative affairs, and work closely with her legislative assistants. The catch is, I have no prior experience with or knowledge of politics. This column details my experiences learning about the political culture and proceedings on Parliament Hill. My views are my own, and do not represent those of the GPC or of The Honourable Elizabeth May, MP.
Why doesn’t the prime minister just say the truth and tell Indigenous Peoples that he doesn’t give a fuck about their rights?
The Kinder Morgan pipeline project, which passes through 518 kilometres of Secwepemc territory. | Photos obtained via Wikimedia Commons.
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Students’ guide to voting in the 2018 municipal elections HOW TO QUALIFY, REGISTER, AND VOTE IN GUELPH ON OCT. 22 A R T I C L E BY B R E Z S H I A A S H C R O F T & M A P BY J U D E K E E F E
MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS will be held across the province of Ontario, allowing residents to vote for their town or city’s mayor, councillors, and school board trustees. All residents of Ontario who are Canadian citizens and 18 years of age or older on election day are eligible to vote. Before casting a ballot, every voter must qualify in their municipality and then register their name for the voters’ list. Ontario’s elections will take place on Oct. 22, 2018, between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. To qualify for your municipality, such as the city of Guelph, you must either own property, rent a place, live in shared accommodation where you do not pay rent, or live in the municipality with no fixed address.
If you’re a student at the University of Guelph, but live elsewhere while not attending school, a special rule applies to you. If your “home” town or city is not Guelph, and you either live there when you are not at school, or plan on returning there after school, you are eligible to register to vote in both places. Remember that you will still need to properly register to vote in both municipal elections using addresses of residency that apply to each location. Once you have qualified for your municipality, or municipalities, you then need to register to be placed on the voters’ list in order to cast a ballot on election day. To check if your name is already on the list, or to add your name to the voters’ list in Guelph: • Visit https://vote.guelph.ca/
voters/voter-registration/ • Email the municipal clerk’s office at guelphvotes@guelph.ca • Call the municipal clerk’s office 519-837-5625 Make sure to do this before Oct. 22. On election day, to know exactly which voting locations are available to you, you need to find out which ward your local address belongs to. Under the “What ward am I in?” tab on the homepage of vote.guelph.ca, the website will generate your Ward number after you type in the street number and name where you reside. There is also a “ward map” of the city of Guelph on the same webpage if you would prefer to locate your address’ ward independently. The “voting locations” tab on the same webpage will bring up a list of voting locations and addresses organized by ward. Each ward has five or more voting locations open on Oct. 22, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. On this date, you can vote at any of the locations in your ward. Remember that your employer is
obligated to give you up to three hours to go vote. If you are unable to vote on the 22, there are three advanced voting days for the Guelph municipality. The dates and times of these advanced voting days are: • Oct. 12, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. • Oct. 13, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. • Oct. 14, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. On these advanced dates, you may attend any of the given locations to cast your ballot regardless of which ward you live in. The locations are the Guelph City Hall, the Clair Road Emergency Services Centre, the Evergreen Seniors Community Centre, or the University of Guelph Athletics Centre (only on Oct. 12). If you need an accessible voting location, each of the four locations during the advanced voting period are equipped with Audio Tactile Interface (ATI) Handheld Touch Pads, Paddles and Sip and Puff devices. On voting day, Oct. 22, each ward is equipped with one voting location that has all three
accessible ballot marking devices. Once you have qualified, registered, found your ward, and preferred location to vote, you just need to arrive on election day with all the necessary identification. You will need to show identification that proves you are on the voters’ list, and will need identification that shows both your name and your municipal address. If your driver’s license, health card, or other photo ID does not show your Guelph address, you can show your lease or rental agreement or even a bill for hydro, telephone, Internet, water, or gas. As voting day approaches, all you need to do is qualify, register, and find your ward and preferred location. Remember that you can contribute to how the city of Guelph is led by casting your vote on Oct. 12, 13, 14, or 22.
The following map shows guelph’s wards, polling station locations, and names of councillors running in each ward
PET OF THE WEEK Sheeba @dogsanddegrees Foster Human: Samantha Casey Pet’s Age: 11 months Fun Fact: Sheeba is Samantha’s ninth foster dog with Fetch & Releash, a volunteer-run dog rescue organization. Sheeba was rescued from Bahrain and has the best head tilts! Photo by Samantha Casey
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EST. 1951
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The Begging Bear enters Guelph mayoral race this October ROYAL CITY TO VOTE BEAR IN FALL MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS? A DA M M AU E
AS MANY IN GUELPH know the municipal elections are to be held on Monday, Oct. 22 and with campaigning season comes the frenzy of any mudslinging political event. “It’s so hard to choose,” said Sal Monlove, an indecisive voter. “There’s so much to consider, but I do know we need change, now.” Well, perhaps change is here. In an unprecedented move, Guelph icon, fashionista, and salmon connoisseur, The Begging Bear is running for mayor of Guelph. Bear (with a mighty roar) challenges fellow candidates Cam Guthrie and Agnieszka Mlynarz in what promises to be an upstream race for the ages. Two Guelphites have given their initial opinions on the controversial Bear for mayor campaign. Honey B. Hives said, “We need a candidate with their claws out and nose to the ground.” While, Willbie Hunter said, “Once a bear, always a bear. Nothing but cottage-thieving crooks.” Details about this wildcard candidate have been greatly speculated, but little has been officially put on the record — until now. The Contrarion is the first major news outlet to cover this rising star with an exclusive interview. While some Guelphites have expressed surprise over The Begging Bear throwing their hat into the political ring, others feel that this has been a long time coming. Regardless of political
alignment, everyone can agree that this is without a doubt (bear) history in the making. The Begging Bear has been a Guelph icon for years. Each and every day Bear can be found standing sentinel outside the Art Gallery of Guelph; stoically persisting, regardless of sun, rain, wind, and snow (and often dressed in a unique outfit). Bear is a symbol of strength in good times and bad. “I’ve seen more than anybody,” said Bear. “I’ve been here every day, faithfully. I think I’m right for the mayor of Guelph because I’m an every-bear. I’m for the daily-doers. And, I like being connected to the people of Guelph in their day-to-day lives. It’s very important to me.” Some citizens have expressed concern over Bear (as more traditional times fade away) being the first bear in office. To which Bear replied: “At times we’re depicted as violent animals, when actually we’re quite gentle. It’s the movies that get us wrong. If we’re ever hostile, it’s for the protection of our cubs. I can guarantee that any person who’s waited for the city bus with me would say I’m very friendly.” The Begging Bear has asked people not to take pity on them just because they identify as a “ begging” bear. W hen asked where the “begging” tag came from, Bear shrugged and said, “No idea, but I’d prefer to be
The Begging Bear has been a Guelph icon for years. Each and every day Bear can be found standing sentinel outside the Art Gallery of Guelph. | Photo courtesy of The Game Warden.
likened to an Inviting Bear or Welcoming Bear or Giving Bear.” And perhaps when a person takes a closer look, it’s easy to imagine — with paw extended — one of those alternatives instead. Bear’s mayoral policy can be best described as pro-environment. Bear’s official declaration states that: “As mayor I will serve honourably, responsibly, and fairly. Thus, I plan to foster wildlife conservation, increase honey production, and integrate wild bears into the city.” As for particulars such as the economy, Bear said, “I have no idea — I’m a bear! Where I come from, we have no economic concerns — it’s all just fish, honey, and berries.” When asked what that means for Guelph (with a look of genuine innocence on their face), Bear said, “Just that — fish, honey, and berries.” The Contrarion also had the opportunity to ask Bear about the other mayoral candidates: Cam Guthrie (the incumbent) and Aggie Mlynarz. “Unlike them I have no faculty for clever explanations and prefer to answer questions with downto-earth talk,” said Bear. “I come from the woods, and my humble beginnings reflect that. Growing
up, talk was on a one-to-one basis or within a close-knit family. We had to listen carefully, respond clearly, work together, and at times even disagree. This meant that we respected each other. We could disagree, but work together, and not try to undo everything that some bear had done before. With that being said, I hope the other candidates run their campaigns as humanely as possible.” On the topic of personal philosophy, Bear told The Contrarion that equality is the name of the game. “I want all walks of nature to come together,” said Bear. “I feel that we are all fundamentally the same and should make Guelph the best we possibly can. If I’m elected mayor, I’d like to start by bridging the gap between humans and animals, and perhaps the gaps within each side themselves. I’d like us all to reach across to each other, despite differences. For example, I’d like so-called ‘annoying’ animals like skunks and racoons to be treated with respect by humans. And in turn, I’d like those same animals to treat humans with respect by not spraying [humans and] their dog best friends [or going through humans’] trash cans. I think the biggest problem
we face today is a refusal to listen to or even acknowledge what the other side is going through. If there’s no talk, there’s no moving forward towards understanding.” In an effort to relate to human voters Bear mentioned some of their general interests: “I enjoy hiking, traveling, scavenging for food, sleeping outside, winter camping, fording rivers, gazing at the stars, cliff diving, helping lost hikers, music, chess, acting, sushi restaurants, farmers’ markets, bee farms, and art galleries.” In a closing statement, Bear said, “I know I’m probably the underdog-bear candidate. I know I don’t have the major support that most candidates have, but I won’t let that hold me back.” And rightly so. With heart like that, an undeniable following may very well carry this beloved bear into office.
Get Contrarion with The Ontarion! Our special satirical issue hits stands on Thursday, Nov. 22. If you want to write a funny story for this issue come to our volunteer meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 14 at 5:30 p.m. in UC264. Our special satirical issue hits stands on Thursday, Nov. 22. If you want to write a funny story for this issue come to our volunteer meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 14 at 5:30 p.m. in UC264.
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GRYPHONS READ U of G prof Lawrence Hill interviews David Chariandy at the Gryphons Read event. | Photo by Karen K. Tran
AN INTERVIEW WITH DAVID CHARIANDY K I E R A H A L F YA R D & K A R E N K . T R A N
Author speaks about the writing process of Brother ON SEPT. 25 the Gryphons Read program invited author David Chariandy to the U of G campus to talk about his novel Brother. After reading an excerpt from Brother, Chariandy sat down with U of G professor and fellow author Lawrence Hill to answer questions about the process of writing Brother, a potential Brother film adaption, and his latest book, I’ve Been Meaning To Tell You: A Letter to My Daughter. After this, Chariandy took questions from the audience, and then signed copies of his novel. Chariandy was warm, funny, and spoke eloquently and carefully about his writing, and his future endeavours. Earlier in the day, Karen K. Tran and I met with Chariandy to ask him a few questions about his work.
Kiera Halfyard: There was a 10-year gap between your first book and Brother. Did you spend those years working on perfecting the novel? David Chariandy: I was certainly working hard during those 10 years. I think I’m a slow writer, and I think I’m also a careful writer. The novel itself presented subject matter that I considered quite challenging, and also important. I think I needed 10 years in order to write the best novel I was able to write. KH: There are many intersections in this novel — race, class, sexuality, gender. With one of the main characters, Francis, being a part of a visual minority and most of the novel having focused on that, did you also intend for him to have a romantic relationship with the character Jelly, making him a part of a sexual minority as well? DC: I don’t think I intend characters to be one way or the other. Somehow, they develop out of the story I’m writing. Sometimes they’re based upon real-life people that I know, and the fact that there are gay people in the black community is a simple but very important fact to recognize. It encouraged me, in a very humble way, to represent that fact. KH: How do you feel about Brother being selected for the Gryphons Read program? DC: I’m really honoured and surprised. It’s truly a special honour knowing that so many people attending Guelph and who belong to the Guelph community are reading this book.
Karen K. Tran: Your recent book, I’ve Been Meaning To Tell You: Letters To My Daughter, is a non-fiction one. Did you find that writing those personal essays was a very different experience than writing fiction? DC: Yes. In fiction there’s a certain licence, but in writing nonfiction, I actually felt a lot more nervous, most of all because I was writing about someone who is a real-life individual, and of course someone who I care deeply about — my daughter. KT: Did you plan for these essays to become a book? DC: I honestly just wanted it to be a casual letter at first, and then when my editor asked me what I was working on, and I said this project, she pushed me to consider writing it as a book. KT: Did you find that writing it down was easier than telling her in person? DC: Yes, most definitely. I personally believe that in the act of writing, you’re actually thinking. At least for me, I think writing is an act of clarifying, and even finding, what you think. I’m not sure if I have thoughts outside the practice of writing. Even now, I’m very nervous in this interview because I honestly don’t trust what I say verbally. I trust more what I write. So even with my daughter, when I wanted to communicate something important to her, I wanted to write it down, and then allow her to either read it or throw it out, if she wanted to. KH: What’s next for you? DC: I have an idea for a novel. In fact, I have two ideas for a
novel, and I’m trying to decide between the two. One is perhaps a father-son relationship, and both of them needing each other to survive; both of them facing challenges just moving through the world. I like the intimacy and tenderness that can be explored in that father-son relationship. The other story I’m thinking about writing is a love story between people of different backgrounds. I identify as black, but my mother is black and my father is South Asian. I like the idea of the love that they found for each other across racial boundaries, and how they were able to have a dialogue and live a beautiful life together. I’d like to explore that sort of a relationship in different time periods, and somehow have a novel that connects these three different spaces and time periods, all focusing on this type of interracial love. KH: Is there anything else you would like to add? DC: I’m really incredibly honoured to be a part of this program, and I’m honoured that you took the time to interview me, so thank you for that. My first published piece of writing was for a university newspaper — the newspaper was called The Charlatan — and it was a short story entitled “Soucouyant.” Many years later that became the title for my first book. I know how important student newspapers are for writers and for journalists.
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Inaugural HOLY SMOKES MUSIC FESTIVAL celebrates female and non-binary talent Co-founders Charlotte Moore (left) and Alanna Gurr (right) created Holy Smokes Music Festival to put women-identifying and non-binary performers, organizers, promoters, tech crew members, and venue owners at the forefront. | Photo by Karen K. Tran
LOCAL MUSICIANS, BUSINESSES, AND VOLUNTEERS BAND TOGETHER FOR A WEEKEND OF MUSIC K A R E N K . T R A N | @ K A R E N K . P H OTO S
WHERE DO YOU hold a music festival in downtown Guelph? How about at a café, bar, or some local clothing stores? Charlotte Moore and Alanna Gurr, cofounders of Holy Smokes Music Festival, decided to break from the
traditional music venue by holding their weekend-long event at several local businesses, including The Common Café, Take Time Vintage, Kennedy Park, and Outpost Vintage. “We knew we wanted women
and non-binary identifying musicians, but we also wanted to look at it with more of a holistic view,” Moore told The Ontarion. “Just from being in the music industry, we know that women tech crew members, bookers, promoters, and women-owned venues are very underrepresented.” As friends, Moore and Gurr often spoke about the lack of female representation in the music industry. However, they didn’t know that their conversations would eventually lead to the creation of Holy Smokes Music Festival.
“[Starting our own music festival] was never something that I didn’t think I could do, but maybe something I never thought about making space in my life to do,” said Gurr. “Those feelings from our own [experiences as musicians in the industry] have spurred this want to create space for other people as well,” continued Moore. “We talked about that for a long time, but not specifically as a festival. The festival kind of happened pretty quick.” The festival boasts 17 artistic performers over two days
— including Guelph locals Annie Sumi, Frosted Pits, VERSA, TransStar, DJ Junglecat, and DJ M’Damn D — as well as a comedy show at The Making-Box and an after party fundraiser for Guelph Girls Rock Camp. Ho ly Sm o kews M u si c Festi va l ru ns fro m Oc t. 12 to 13 — m u c h of the pro gra m m i ng i s free o r pay-what-yo u -c a n. G u rr a nd Mo o re ho pe that by m a ki ng the shows a ccessi bl e, they c a n enco u ra ge stu d ents a s wel l a s fa m i l i es to co m e o u t to the festi va l .
TOP TEN ALBUMS
ANNIE SUMI
DJ M’DAMN D
DJ JUNGLECAT FROSTED PITS
VERSA
TRANSSTAR
PHOTOS OBTAINED VIA HOLY SMOKES MUSIC FESTIVAL
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10
RAE SPOON* bodiesofwater (Coax)
TORONTO TABLA ENSEMBLE* Bhumika (Self-Released)
DUMB* Seeing Green (Mint)
INNES WILSON** Seaview EP (Out of Sound)
ELISAPIE* The Ballad of the Runaway Girl (Bonsound)
BOYHOOD* Bad Mantras (Shuffling Feet)
JANKOWSKII* Jankowskii (Self-Released)
TRAGEDY ANN** Matches (Seld-Released)
JOCK TEARS* Bad Boys (Inky Records)
HUBERT LENOIR* Darlène (Simone) *Canadian Artist **Local Artist
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Guelph Studio Tour: A weekend of art and inspiration GET AN INSIDE LOOK AT GUELPH’S VERY OWN ARTISTS’ COMMUNITY BARBARA SALSBERG MATHEWS | @MADDYSMOM_4U
THE GUELPH STUDIO TOUR is coming up on Oct. 13 and 14. It is an event that connects our community with 40 local artists and artisans in their studios and exhibition spaces where guests have a wonderful opportunity to meet the artists and see their work. This juried show started 32 years ago and is still going strong. It’s a non-profit, volunteer-driven event, featuring quality work in a variety of media including painting, pottery, printmaking, sculpture, photography, jewellery, woodworking, metal work, collage, and fibre arts. Every year, new artists join to add fresh faces to the tour.
Artists open their studio doors to the public to view and, if you’d like, purchase their creations. One of the best things about this tour is being able to go inside artists’ studios to see where their artworks are created. You are encouraged to ask questions and learn more about these unique works of art. Many of the artists have connections to the University of Guelph, including graduates: Deborah Dryden, Michelle Miller, Kiel Wilson-Ciocci, and Amanda Wilson-Ciocci. Helen Hoy is a retired U of G literature professor. I recently had the pleasure of interviewing them about what they get
out of inviting the public to visit them in their studios. Deborah Dryden encourages visitors to touch some of her encaustic artworks. These are made with pigmented hot beeswax and layered images. Deborah explains that the warmth of the hands change the wax layers, making the art appear more translucent. “Because artists are so alone in the studio much of the time, it’s invigorating to connect with others through this tour,” Dryden says. “It gives artists an opportunity to share what we do, sell our work and get inspired by our visitors.” “I created a ballot for visitors to vote on their favourite painting in my studio,” Helen Hoy, an oil painter, says. “The winner [of the draw] gets a gift certificate. This got people looking [more deeply] at the art and gave me lots of
feedback about what they liked.” “I get a lot from the public coming to see me,” explains Michelle Miller, a jewelry artist. “I love to hear people’s reactions to my work. Jewellery is very personal and I have had many amazing interactions with people just through trying the jewellery on. I love how the work is a catalyst to real connection. It makes me feel like the larger world is made a little smaller.” K iel and A manda WilsonCiocci of KIAM Studio — mixed media artists — describe the studio tour as a chance to be part of a well-established and growing art community in Guelph. “We thoroughly enjoy the weekend because it’s a great opportunity to open the studio and invite the public to our working space. We love talking to people about the art, and having
visitors to the studio.” Long time fans of the tour, Joan Mathieu and Jackson Mathieu, add: “We like the chance to see the great variety and skill of exhibiting artists. We enjoy the way we can also see artists in their workplaces, get a better feel for who they are and what they are trying to do.” “You can learn much more about an artist if one visits their studio,” says Miller. “You can hear stories about what inspires them, how they made their work and how they started doing what they do. Their art can become that much richer by making the trek to their studio. The Studio Tour helps build a stronger community. Art brings people together!” A m a p to the exhi bi t l o cati o ns i s ava i l a bl e at https://www. gu el phstu d i oto u r. c a /
PHOTO COURTESY OF HELEN HOY
PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHELLE MILLER
PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHELLE MILLER
PHOTO COURTESY OF GRAEME SHEFFIELD
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Guelph artist wins national RBC painting competition AMANDA BOULOS ON WORK INSPIRED BY ORAL NARRATIVES OF THE PALESTINIAN EXPERIENCE IYESS SASSI
PHOTOS COURTESY OF KIAM STUDIO
PHOTO COURTESY OF MARY KARAVOS
ON SEPT. 16, U of G MFA grad Amanda Boulos was announced as the winner of the 20th annual RBC Canadian painting competition for her work titled “In the Morning.” According to the artist, the piece’s title is a play on the word “mourning,” as it looks at death as “a way of renewal instead of something unfortunate” and the “transformative and metamorphic” aspects of tragedy. Furthermore, this oil on panel work looks at how death changes those close to the deceased. In an interview with The Ontarion, Boulos described her work as “intuitive and natural” and making use of “surreal imagery” and cultural symbols of death. Her painting uses “devils as a symbol for colonialism.” Boulos’s most recent work is centered around a fictional story titled “In Memory of Mabid,” which focuses on the death of a Palestinian boy at the hands of rebels amidst the Lebanese civil war. In many of her pieces, Boulos takes inspiration from the oral narratives of the Palestinian experience. Rather than focusing on death and struggle, Boulos chooses to focus on the “positive and transformative elements” of the Palestinian experience. Boulos, speaking on her work in the Toronto Palestine Film Festival, said: “People come in expecting or wanting to see a Palestinian struggle…and as soon as we show a different kind of narrative they’re jarred and don’t understand it.”
As an artist she chooses to challenge the typical historical narrative of death and struggle and present a story that looks at the Palestinian experience with more humour as well as touching on topics like love and lust. Although presenting an unconventional narrative, her works have been very well received. Boulos stated that the community “is the best part of being in the arts field” going so far as to say that “we [artists] survive off our community.” It seems a strong community is necessary because despite her work being well-received in the arts world she stated that Palestinian focused art “gets a lot of abuse, online trolling … people who show up to our events and protest our existence.” “It doesn’t debilitate me,” Boulos continued. “I’m still able to make [art] because I do have an amazing community that supports me.” In addition to the support she receives from her community Boulos was incredibly thankful to win the RBC painting competition. “It’s unreal,” she said. “You rarely get this opportunity to win a national award.” Along with the award, Boulos’s work will be featured in the RBC Canadian Painting Competition exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada, located in Ottawa. Following her award-winning work, Boulos is already working on her next project, which she said would be coming soon.
PHOTO COURTESY OF MARILYN CLARKE
Amanda Boulos stands with her award winning artwork “In the Morning.” | Photo courtesy of University of Guelph’s School of Fine Arts and Music. PHOTO COURTESY OF DEBORAH DRYDEN
Mlynarz and Guthrie race for
THE ROYAL CIT Who will win your vote on Oct. 22? | Matteo Cimellaro AGGIE MLYNARZ IT IS THURSDAY, Sept. 27 and I prepare to interview Aggie Mlynarz at The Ontarion office on campus. Walking in, she asks for a charger and plugs herself in to send off some emails — she seems busy but not frazzled. During the interview she tells me that she picked up three students on the way to campus who were left behind in the glow of a “sorry bus full.” She is sympathetic, she remembers the feeling from completing her BA and MA in Theatre Studies at U of G. Mlynarz is a young, wideeyed, idealist, yet carries herself like a seasoned politician. This is her second campaign of the year ON PRIVATIZATION OF TRANSIT AND TRANSIT POLICY
Aggie Mlynarz: No. That’s the line in the sand between me and [Guthrie]. Keep transit public. We need to aggressively invest into transit and that is going to be a very important conversation to have with front line workers. The fact that we have done this high frequency transit along Gordon to help with the student population, and yet what we’re ignoring is that there are people that live here all year long that need to take transit to get to work and the service is unreliable — to me [that] is devastating. I think what has happened is that transit has been so starved that this is the result. I just feel we are a city that is way too mature, and we have way too much industry to afford to let this happen. One of the key factors for new industry coming is how reliable is the transit. When you hear time and again it’s not, and people have gotten to the point where they snapped and bought cars, we have a big issue on our hands. It just feels like bandaids have been put on for the last four years. In 2016 a more aggressive plan was put forward and maybe one recommendation was taken from that. ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING
AM: What we can implement is inclusionary zoning. I think the best practice right now is 20 per cent, internationally. Of course we would have to review if that would work for Guelph. And that would be units both to buy and to rent that would be 20 per cent [of housing and rentals] below market value. From my understanding with
conversation with the [Guelph & Wellington Task Force for Poverty Elimination], having the financial support of $325,000 a year would be helpful, but it would have to be consistent funding. They would also like to see consistent funding in terms of $500,000 a year into our affordable housing reserve. The current mayor likes to say he’s put in a million dollars, but by 2018 zero dollars has been put into the fund. I think these are funds that we need to make sure are stable and consistent. Also, buckling down and raising that vacancy rate to a healthy three per cent so there’s more competition on the market. There’s many ways we can do that: more accessory apartments sure, the mayor likes to talk a lot about tiny homes, but again, that’s ownership, that’s complicated, not everybody has the resources to start to build houses out of a container. [Tiny homes] is one option, but I think we need to think bigger picture [and] more aggressive in terms of getting those rental properties up and available and making sure they are meeting our needs. ON THE POLICE FORCE, OPIOID CRISIS, AND MENTAL HEALTH INITIATIVES
AM: [Cam Guthrie] said up to $750,000, so I’m finding the numbers are shifting around this and this is why I am not comfortable with promising figures. I have spoken to members of the police in my research, and they’re relying more on overtime. If you look at the numbers from police officers to residents it’s growing. One police officer is almost responsible for 741 people in Guelph — there is a staffing concern. We need to address the staffing concern immediately. Over the last four years, how there has been a reliance on overtime from police to transit, really perturbs me, how has that happened under the current administration’s watch? I have also been very clear, I want to be addressing the staffing concern, but why I am not putting a figure on that is because: A) I want to hear it from them, and B) I’m concerned about how the role of police has started to grow [and] the pressure we are putting on police to be the frontline on mental health crises. Impact is an amazing program, but it’s not 24 hours and it’s a provincial pilot program, so expanding that is definitely a conversation. If we give the police all this
money we are growing their role exponentially. In a few years we are going to have the same problem: they’re overworked, they’re tired, and now a mental health worker [as well]. Even our chief of police, Jeff DeRuyter, has said that the police have a role to play in what’s going on in the opioid crisis, but again, they have a role to play. If we have a surplus of some money then maybe it’s better to put it somewhere else. That’s where we need a mental health strategy. It’s a decision that needs to be made with more consultation all around because the opioid crisis impacts so many organizations and community stakeholders, not just police. ON CAM GUTHRIE’S CANDIDATE CONTROVERSY
AM: We have 35 candidates running. We don’t know who the population of Guelph is going to elect as new members. I think the action of consolidating power before that decision is made is one that is harmful to the future council. It is already a divisive tactic and I don’t think it shows strong leadership and collaboration. For me it reads like it’s the mayor trying to turn his vote into six or seven. If we don’t have these party-like politics on Toronto’s council, why are we bringing them onto the council in Guelph? It’s a big question, it’s a ballot box issue, and it’ll be up to the voters to decide on that. I thank Mlynarz for her interview, she thanks me and goes into the hallway with our photographer for a photo shoot.
CAM GUTHRIE I MEET CAM Guthrie on Friday, Sept. 28 at his office in a small strip mall on Victoria Road. I am early. A man is picking up a sign; there is an air of confidence in Guthrie’s interactions. In the movement of laughing goodbyes and opened doors Guthrie tells the man he can keep the sign in his garage until the next election four years from now, that is, following this campaign. The office is a pop-up: there are a number of foldable tables parallel against the wall, a desk by the door, old coffee machine, Guthrie signs, Guthrie t-shirts, Guthrie pamphlets, Guthrie postcards. Guthrie himself is drinking an ice cap, I say he must be busy, he says that’s why
Q & A W ITH G U E LPH :
TY
No 29%
Will you be voting in the upcoming Guelph municipal election? Yes, I’m voting: 71% No, I’m not voting: 29%
he’s on his second ice cap of the day. Candidate Guthrie simultaneously works, emails, and ribbon-cuts as Mayor Guthrie. The office itself seems like a n old dayca re. T he wa lls are green and yellow and the rooms are labelled in multicoloured, alphabet letters. ON TRANSIT PRIVATIZATION AND TRANSIT POLICIES
Cam Guthrie: When I talk about looking for other delivery service options, that dovetails into what has been implemented under my leadership over the last four years: service reviews. Service reviews are a deep dive into the departments at city hall to make sure that services that are funded by tax dollars are being done in the most effective and efficient way possible. If we can find a better way to be able to deliver a better service in a different manner than that’s something we should be willing to explore and that is exactly what the service review is doing with transit. Privatization doesn’t mean drivers for example, there are different parts in a department: scheduling, maintenance, clean up, route evaluation, and mobility service, which is already partly privatized. Matteo Cimellaro: If your service review says privatization then you would implement it? I take the full recommendations from staff, but I also want to hear from the public, and the debate around council. I like to have those three things before I make a decision. But any recommendations that come out of the service review shouldn’t be dismissed outright. OTHER TRANSIT POLICIES
CG: The next stage is looking at the accordion buses. We need to be looking at different types of transportation when we look at the actual vehicles we have to look down the spine — which is Woolwich, Norfolk, Gordon, where the 99 goes — we need to look at bump outs or bump ins so loading in and out is easier. We also need to be looking at implementing timed lights through the intersections. ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING
CG: We have updated our affordable housing policies; that includes home ownership and the rental market. We have been trying to get more land available, so more supply can come on stream, so that will lessen the demand.
We [also] need to really start looking at the different housing types. As much as some people might want to be in the market for traditional types of homes, and there’s a big demand for that, we need to start looking at things like tiny homes and container homes. Next year we are going to be doing comprehensive zoning bylaw across the whole city that will help define how some of these tiny homes can be developed [and] to allow these other ty pes of housing options for people, so they can either have ownership or a place to rent. [Further], if we can get more people living in higher density in walkable and sustainable communities along transit corridors, then the overall household overhead gets greatly reduced. ON THE POLICE FORCE, OPIOID CRISIS, AND MENTAL HEALTH INITIATIVES
CG : Number one we need more officers, and [number two] we need more proactive policing. We need to make sure we are having boots on the ground in order to see police presence in our city and especially in our downtown core where most of our complaints are coming from. [For] the prevention methods, let me give you an example, we have several stakeholders who have gotten together and pooled some money together to fund [something] like a social worker. This individual walks around downtown all day helping people, finding a way to move them to recovery, so that type of funding is only a pilot project. A pilot project that is receiving those type of results — we need to be dedicated to fund things like that. I also mentioned technology, so red light cameras around school zones is an example. If we pay for that, that might free up an officer to go somewhere else. Lastly, under the police services we have a group of individuals with a program called Impact and they are workers from the Canadian Mental Health Association that are embedded with our police officers to go and help with mental health problems. [Impact] drastically reduces the calls that are constantly coming into the police that are not really police related, [but are] mental health related. So this [$750,00] it’s important for people to understand it’s for officers, it’s for prevention and relationship building, mental
Yes 71%
health programs, it’s for technology, but all and all it has to go towards the issues of theft, crime, increase drug use that is on the rise in our community. ON CAM GUTHRIE’S CANDIDATE CONTROVERSY
CG: The reason why I have been transparent about this issue is because in the last election, and in this election already, there have been candidates who have misrepresented themselves at the door indicating that they are supportive of my platform [and] supportive of the direction I’d like to take the city, but then they get elected and do something completely different. I’m putting a stop to that and being completely transparent with the community saying: “Here are some candidates that are aligned with some of the common platform issues that I am presenting to the community.” It does not mean that they have to vote for them and it does not mean that they have to vote in the same manner as me. But in these common issues we have that common thread in regards to my platform. The roots of this issue come back to candidates misrepresenting themselves at the doors and I don’t think that’s right. MC: Did you know these candidates prior to campaigning or did you speak to them prior to them running for councillors? CG: No, some of them I didn’t. MC: Most of them or some of them? CG: No, well they’ve been reaching out to me, because some of them didn’t know my platform either, so they came out and reached out and said: “Oh I really liked what you did over the last four years on your term and I’d like to meet some of the people at their doorsteps with you.” MC: And those conversations happened after they announced their candidacy? CG: It could’ve been a bit both. I’m sorry, I can’t remember, but it could’ve been a bit of both. After the interview Guthrie walks me outside, and asks if I have a ride home, I said I’m okay to walk, but thank you. Guthrie picks a screw off the ground in the parking lot . Don’t want anyone to pop a tire, he says with a smile. Editor’s Note: These interviews have been condensed and edited for brevity and clarity.
Results from The Ontarion’s weekly social media poll.
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SPORTS & HEALTH THE ONTARION
1 5 | U FC 2 9 9
1 6 | LGBT HISTORY MONTH
@theontarion OUA ATHLETE OF THE WEEK, MARK PATTON, LED THE TEAM WITH A FOURTH PLACE FINISH IN THE MEN’S GOLD 8KM RACE. | PHOTO BY SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN
Gryphons cross-country team stays on path to Nationals GUELPH CONTINUES STRONG PERFORMANCE AT 45TH ANNUAL PAUL SHORT INVITATIONAL GRYPHON SCOREBOARD Compiled by Matteo Cimellaro BASEBALL
Gryphons 8, McMaster Marauders 9 Gryphons 9, McMaster Marauders 4 Gryphons 7, Brock Badgers 3 Gryphons 2, Brock Badgers 3 MEN’S BASKETBALL
Gryphons 101, Memorial Sea-Hawks 89 FIELD HOCKEY
Gryphons 6, McGill Martlets 0 Gryphons 0, York Lions 2 Gryphons 10, McGill Martlets 0 FOOTBALL
Gryphons 27, Laurier Golden Hawks 24 MEN’S HOCKEY
Gryphons 3, Windsor Lancers 2 Gryphons 2, Windsor Lancers 5
T he Gu elph G r y pho ns crossco u ntr y team traveled to Leh igh Univer s i ty in B ethlehem, Pa. to co m pete in three eve nts of the 4 5th A n n ual Paul Short I nv itatio n a l : Gol d Me n’s 8 K , Open Me n’s 8 K , a nd Gol d Wo m e n’s 6K.
Team captain Connor Black pushes through the finish line, finishing fifth out of 360 runners. | Photo by Scott McLaughlin
Gryphons 2, Carleton Ravens 1 Gryphons 3, Laurentian Voyageurs 4
COMING OFF A HIGHLY successful 2017 campaign where Guelph’s men’s team earned a national title, as well as a fifth place for the women’s team, the Gryphons thus far have managed to carry that success into this year. Now, nationally ranked first and second in 2018, the team looked to continue its dominance in its first NCAA race of the season.
MEN’S LACROSSE
MEN’S TEAM
Gryphons 6, Western Mustangs 11
The Guelph men’s team came into the race with the momentum of a first-place finish at the Western International Invitational the previous week. At Lehigh University, the men had another strong race, just missing the podium in the Gold Men’s 8K with a fourth-place team finish. Leading the Gryphons was Mark Patton who finished fourth, as well as team captain Connor Black, who came in just behind him in fifth. Patton has had a very successful start to his season, as he was named the OUA Male Athlete of the Week for the week ending Sept. 23. His solid first place performance at Western not only helped to sustain the men’s national ranking as a team, but also set a course record in doing so. Teammates Mostafa Elkurdy, Andrew Shepherd, Ben Workman, Logan Martineau, and Mitch Ubene all finished in the top 100 out of the 360 runners at Lehigh. In the Open Men’s 8K race the Guelph men’s team continued its success with another fourth-place finish. Guelph’s top runner in this event was Noah Tinives, who came in seventh and led all Canadians in the race. Closely behind Tinives were Nicholas Bannon, Brady Graves, Jack Cooper, David Poloni, John Perrier, and Cameron Bates, all representing the Gryphons proudly with top-100 finishes of their own.
WOMEN’S HOCKEY
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
Gryphons 9, Laurier Golden Hawks 11 Gryphons 4, Western Mustangs 6 MEN’S RUGBY
Gryphons 13, Queen’s Gaels 40 WOMEN’S RUGBY
Gryphons 41, McMaster Marauders 7 MEN’S SOCCER
Gryphons 2, Brock Badgers 0 Gryphons 1, McMaster Marauders 3 WOMEN’S SOCCER
Gryphons 0, Brock Badgers 0 Gryphons 0, McMaster Marauders 1 WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
Gryphons 2, Sherbrooke Vert et Or 1 Gryphons 0, Toronto Varsity Blues 2 Gryphons 2, Montreal Carabins 1
44th respectively. Following these two, Dana Earhart, Emma Hubbard, Sadie-Jane Hickson, Sarah Wismer, and Charlotte Ward put on strong performances of their own, amassing enough points for an eighth-place finish for the women’s team. Following the race, team captain Charlotte Ward commented on the progress of the team going into the new season: “We’ve gotten some more experience under our belts in the past year and after a strong 2018 indoor season, the women’s team has really improved and we had some strong performances in Lehigh this past weekend. In particular, Danielle Jossinet, Hannah Woodhouse, and Dana Earhart all had some standout performances.” When asked about what she hoped for this season, Ward responded, “My goal this season is just to help my team come away with a national title and to support the women’s team in any way I can.” Following the successful weekend in Pennsylvania, the Gryphons will try to maintain their forward momentum in two weeks at the Texas A&M Arturo Barrios Invitational. With less than a month until the OUA Championships, the Gryphons hope to have some solid finishes behind them to propel them to gold and another national title.
WOMEN’S TEAM
In the Gold Women’s 6K race, the Gryphons put together a strong team effort against tough Division 1 competition. The team was anchored by Danielle Jossinet and Hannah Woodhouse, who finished 41st and
Danielle Jossinet led all her teammates with a 41st place result. | Photo courtesy of Guelph Gryphons Facebook.
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UFC 229 preview: the biggest MMA fight of the year is here CONOR MCGREGOR TO CHALLENGE KHABIB NURMAGOMEDOV FOR UFC LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE JA N A N S H OJA D O O S T
THE WORLD OF Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) has been on a path to improvement since it became mainstream about 20 years ago. There have been many super athletes that have pushed the boundary of what humans can be capable of in combat. Young prospects have come and gone, but when Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov entered the scene, they clearly stood out from the rest. Having distinctive styles of their own, they have dominated their opponents left and right, letting the world know that they are not to be messed with.
And now, the MMA gods have finally answered our prayers. These two warriors will be fighting for the UFC lightweight title on Oct. 6 in Las Vegas, headlining UFC 229. Some may remember McGregor from the high-profile boxing match that he had last year against the boxing legend Floyd Mayweather, but let’s not forget how he came about in the world of fighting. Coming from a boxing background, McGregor’s striking game is what led him to capture two different weight division titles for himself. His perfect hand-eye
coordination is what allows him to measure up his upcoming punches and throw them with great accuracy towards his opponent’s temple. His wide and sharply diagonal stance, too, can be a potential factor to his success — this allows him to stay outside of his opponent’s range while putting his lead arm in proper position to throw shots at a better angle. This is why he has won 18 of his 21 wins through vicious knockouts. While McGregor is a striking master, Nurmagomedov is a wrestling genius. A former world Sambo champion, Nurmagomedov has been wrestling ever since he was a young boy — there is actually footage of him wrestling with a grizzly bear cub when he was a kid! Nurmagomedov’s decision to pick up MMA as his main sport has so far proven to be a very wise
CONNOR McGREGOR PHOTO OBTAINED VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
one. Because of his unbeatable wrestling skills, Nurmagomedov’s main strategy of taking down opponents and pounding them on the ground has been his best way of maintaining an undefeated professional record and capturing the UFC lightweight title for himself. Nurmagomedov can take down his opponents at will whenever he sees things going south in a fight, but still, he is not afraid of conducting a stand-up fight if need be, as evident in his recent fight against lightweight contender Al Iaquinta This is going to be a classic clash-of-styles type of match, as it will be logical for the fighters to go back to their roots and do what they usually do best. McGregor might have a potential chance of knocking out Nurmagomedov if he acts fast and gets his shots in early in the fight. If Nurmagomedov’s chin can actually resist those
slick shots of McGregor’s, however, it would be highly probable that Nurmagomedov takes the fight to the full distance by turning it into a full-on wrestling match. Either way, the best thing about MMA is that the math of it doesn’t always work out — there can be sudden, unpredictable instances that steer the fight in a totally different direction. Regardless of who wins this fight, a night filled with violence and entertainment is doubtlessly guaranteed. The wait is almost over.
KHABIB NURMAGOMEDOV PHOTO OBTAINED VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Why you should eat your water and stop drinking sugar FOUR EASY WAYS TO STAY HYDRATED WILLIAM DURAI
MANY PEOPLE CONSUME far too many unhealthy drinks (such as sodas, energy drinks, and alcoholic beverages) throughout the day. Typically these drinks are high in addictive substances like caffeine and sugar, which keeps people drinking them despite the fact that they’re not really good for you and made up of empty calories. Also, these types of liquids don’t fill people up and provide that “I’m full” sensation. Consuming too many of these kinds of drinks can easily lead to weight gain, which can increase a person’s chances of many serious illnesses. The following list has four healthy alternatives to sugary drinks. Often, not only will switching to these hydrating options make you feel healthier,
you’ll also end up saving money, having a healthier overall diet, and producing less trash. 1. WATER
Simply carrying a water bottle is a great idea. It will keep you hydrated all day, and it’s super cheap. Water bottles are not just for athletes, or for beating the summer heat. I recommend carrying a water bottle all year round, even in winter, and even if you don’t plan on doing any strenuous exercise.
two-litre bottle can cost anywhere from one to two dollars. It does often have a slight amount of sodium, but some people require sodium and others can get versions without sodium or with lower amounts of sodium content.
snack. If you’re not into eating raw fruits and vegetables, try them in a smoothie or try having soup for lunch of dinner once in a while. 4. BLACK COFFEE OR TEA
3. FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
2. CARBONATED WATER
Yes, just water. Although the “Drink eight glasses of water per day” is a myth — the amount actually depends on a number of factors such as age, height, weight, level of exercise, and more — people should try to consume more water. There are fountains all over the university campus.
Also called “sparkling water” or “seltzer,” this water has carbon dioxide added to it. So it has the fizziness of sodas, but not the caffeine and high amounts of added sugar. Carbonated water is often a good substitute drink at social functions where others are consuming soda or alcohol. A typical
Yes, I’m recommending to “eat your water.” It may be counterintuitive, but most food is going to contain some moisture. Many vegetables and fruit are very are high in water content. Foods like watermelon (it’s in the name!), tomatoes, grapefruit, celery, and grapefruit, are all around 90 per cent water. It’s a good idea to incorporate these into your diet, especially as a
What do many people start their days with? A coffee or an espresso laden with sugar and milk. A typical “Double Double” coffee can range from 150 to 340 calories depending on its size. And since caffeine is rather addictive, people often drink several of these a day. That adds up. Instead, drink tea or coffee with no milk, cream, or sugar added and consider switching to decaffeinated after a certain point of the day.
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TH E O NTA R I O N
Navigating the feasting food frenzy of the holiday season SATISFY YOUR BELLY AND YOUR MIND A LO R A G R I F F I T H S
THE FIRST STOP on the holiday train is Thanksgiving. We all know the temptations that surround the never-ending food lists during the holiday. Is it possible to enjoy yourself without falling into a food coma? Yes, and here are some helpful tips to get you through those tempting holiday situations. 1. BE CHOOSY
There are days that qualify as “special,” and a Thursday afternoon is not one of them. There’s no rule that you have to sample every food that your coworkers bring in or your family members bring home. Do you really even enjoy those store bought
sugar cookies? Save the special occasions for the foods that you really enjoy and don’t get to have often. Have the foods that you normally don’t eat every day, like your grandma’s apple pie. 2. MINDFUL EATING
Before sampling every dish that is in front of you, ask yourself, “Am I really that hungry?” or, “Do I really want to be eating this right now?” If the answer is “No,” then only take what you really want. When you’re eating or serving yourself stay mindful of how you feel, and what your body is telling you. This doesn’t just include during special holiday dinners,
practicing mindful eating is a skill on its own and should be practiced every day. A helpful app that guides you through this is Headspace. 3. BEING HUNGRY, AND STAYING FULL
If you’re planning on having a large family meal for dinner, sometimes the worst thing you can do is “save your calories for that meal.” The easiest way to sabotage yourself is to go into a meal with many choices and being hungry. Instead, a couple of hours before the holiday meal, eat a high-protein lunch or snack such as chicken with a few veggies or even a scoop of protein powder. Protein will keep you feeling full for longer, tricking your stomach into thinking it’s
not “starving” when you get to that special event. 4. FOOD PUSHERS, A.K.A. YOUR GRANDMA
It wouldn’t be the holidays without at least one food pusher. Your grandma or aunt are really just trying to be good hosts or looking for validation on their cooking skills. But sometimes the pressure leaves you with a plate full of food that you don’t even like, or you end up overeating. To beat a food pusher, start with a compliment and end with a deflection. Such as: “That looks so delicious. I’m not hungry right now, but I’ll come back for seconds.” Or, “This food was all so delicious, I literally could not take another bite.”
The holiday season can be stressful, but also fun. At the end of the day, one special dinner won’t make or break your diet. This is a great time to practice your emotional coping skills. Food should be about pleasure and socializing, not a coping mechanism for stress.
TALK N E R DY TO M E
October is LGBT History Month LEARN ABOUT GAY RIGHTS AND RELATED CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENTS | STORY & PHOTO BY TASHA FALCONER DURING OCTOBER, I encourage you to learn more about the history and experiences of the LGBTQ+ community and not just throughout this month, but throughout the rest of the year as well. Canada is often seen as a leader for LGBTQ+ rights. While we have come a long way, there is still a long way to go, both in societal attitudes and laws. Those in the LGBTQ+ community are still discriminated against. Some examples of systematic discrimination include the fact that men who have sex with men cannot donate blood, Canadian customs seize LGBT material, and the age of consent for anal sex is 18 while the age of consent for penile-vaginal sex is only 16. In an effort to learn more I did some research and created a timeline of LGBT legal history in Canada. 1760s — During the colonization
of Canada policies of the colonizers were followed. Under British rule, homosexuality (known then as sodomy) was punishable by death. 1861 — British law changed
the punishment for sodomy to be imprisonment ranging from 10 years to a life sentence. The laws regarding homosexual acts became stricter over the next century and tended to target men. There were various charges for people found to be homosexual, such as gross indecency, criminal sexual psychopath, and dangerous sexual offender.
JUNE 1969 — Canada decriminalized gay sex. AUGUST 1971 — The first gay
rights protests took place in Ottawa and Vancouver. NOVEMBER 1971 — The Body Politic, one of Canada’s first significant gay publications, was released as a magazine. 1973 — The Canadian Lesbian
and Gay Archives was founded.
DECEMBER 1977 — Quebec
amended their Human Rights Code to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. This impacted housing, public accommodation, and employment. 1978 — The Canadian
Immigration Act was amended to allow gay men to immigrate to Canada. FEBRUARY 1981 — Raids on bathhouses became commonplace. These raids continued for the next 20 years. The charges during these raids were often dismissed, but the raids made safe spaces unsafe and created issues with police.
protection was understood to include sexual orientation. Also in 1995 Ontario allowed samesex couples to adopt children. 1996 — Canadian Human Rights
Act, which covers federallyregulated activities, added sexual orientation.
APRIL 2000 — Same-sex couples
ruled that their definition of marriage violates the rights of gay people should they be denied this right.
developed to teach Toronto Police how to interact with the LGBTQ+ community. Also in 2000, it was ruled that gay publications (even sexually explicit ones) are protected under freedom of speech. This ruling was needed due to seizures of LGBT material at Canadian customs. MAY 2002 — The Superior Court ruled that a gay student has the right to take his boyfriend to prom.
JULY 2003 — British Columbia
and Yukon legalize same-sex marriage.
NOVEMBER 1992 — Those who
MARCH 2004 — The Quebec Court of Appeal ruled to legally allow same-sex marriages.
1994 — Those who are gay or lesbian could apply for refugee status due to facing persecution in their country.
SEPTEMBER 2004 — Nova Scotia
1995 — In the charter of Rights and Freedoms, the right to equal
changed. Men could donate blood if they hadn’t had sex with another man in the last five years. The prior rules, which had been in place since some time in the mid-1980s, prohibited men who had had sex with another man even once since 1977 from donating blood.
Newfoundland and Labrador become the seventh province to legalize same-sex marriage.
2000 — Training programs were
1987 — Manitoba and Yukon
are gay or lesbian could join the military.
DECEMBER 2004 —
JUNE 2004 — The first same-sex
added sexual orientation to their Human Rights Code. added sexual orientation to their Human Rights Code.
2012 — Ontario stated that all publicly funded schools must allow students to organize gaystraight alliances.
were given the same rights as opposite-sex couples in commonlaw relationships.
JUNE 2003 — The Ontario Court of Appeals upheld a ruling that legally allowed same-sex marriages.
DECEMBER 1986 — Ontario
NOVEMBER 2004 — Ontario entitled gays and lesbians to survivor benefits under the Canada Pension Plan dating back to 1985 (previously had a 1998 cut-off).
and Manitoba ruled that the definition of marriage is made denying it to same-sex couples unconstitutional. This led to the legalization of same-sex marriage.
divorce was filed and granted.
JUNE 2005 — New Brunswick
JULY 2005 — Canada became the fourth country to legalize samesex marriage.
2013 — The blood donor rules
2016 — The blood donor rules
changed again. Now, men were allowed to donate blood if they hadn’t had sex with another man in the last year.
OPINION
17
THE ONTARION
@theontarion
Thanksgiving should be celebrated, not protested MY PERSPECTIVE ON THE TURKEY DAY DIVIDE C AT C O O P E R
IN RECENT YEARS, Thanksgiving has become quite the controversial topic. On one hand, it is the same old wholesome holiday that is both cherished for the delicious food and dreaded for the extended family. On the other hand, Thanksgiving has become a symbol of white colonial imperialism, to be protested and disavowed. That is an extreme of course, but it speaks a lot to the changing attitudes and politics of the university campus. Before I left my small rural Ontario town for Guelph, I had no idea that Thanksgiving was anything more than an excuse to eat a lot of food and see family you try to avoid, and since being here
at U of G I don’t think it should be anything else. Thanksgiving, at its root, is North America’s version of a harvest festival, something that people across the globe have been celebrating for millennia. In the wider historical context, the holiday came out of colonists being thankful that they even survived, which they could never have done without the help of Indigenous people. To me, that doesn’t sound like a malicious motive for a holiday. Thanksgiving is a secular event to be celebrated by anyone, no matter your race, religion, or background. It’s for sharing a fattening meal with friends, family, or both, so
that in the old days without central heating we might survive the lean winter ahead. For those who are still convinced Thanksgiving is a malicious affair, I would like to know why. In my view, protesting Thanksgiving seems to be a broader protest against colonization and the damage that has been done to so many through its implementation. That is absolutely valid, colonization is a terrible thing, but it still happened and I’m not sure what preventing people from participating in a feast that forces them to be thankful for what they have in their lives is going to accomplish. Protesting Thanksgiving for the excess waste we produce during it is one thing, but subverting the meaning of Thanksgiving and attacking it for historical wrongs that aren’t directly connected with it is something different entirely.
Protest the continuing mistreatment of Indigenous people, but don’t do it through the holiday that’s supposed to be celebrating them and their kindness. The national narrative has positioned Thanksgiving as an innocent, family holiday for decades, so the recent outrage thrown at it is difficult to understand. It seems that neither side understands the other, and no one gets anywhere. Instead, everyone just seems to get angrier. This is not the way that we will
fix this problem. Only with understanding and compassion for each other will we begin to heal, and come together as the nation we should be. There is no right way to celebrate Thanksgiving. It can be with friends, family, or strangers, with a turkey or tofurkey, and whether you’ve lived in Canada your whole life or have only just arrived. Thanksgiving should be just that, for giving thanks.
A student’s opinion on why students don’t vote EXERCISE YOUR RIGHTS L AU R A VAU TO U R
WE JUST HAD A provincial election this past May, where the residents of Guelph elected Mike Schreiner, making him the first ever Green MPP elected to the Ontario Legislature. This was a huge step forward for both Guelph and the Green Party. I was very excited to vote in that election because finally the Green Party had some push and were strong enough to win Guelph’s vote. I was a part of making history, how exciting! As exciting as that was for me personally, all I hear about around the city is how students don’t vote. Now we are entering Guelph’s municipal elections. In addition to the race for mayor between the incumbent mayor, Cam Guthrie, and former provincial NDP candidate, Aggie Mlynarz, are the countless candidates for councillors across the wards of Guelph. University students will have the opportunity to vote on Oct. 22 — but I’m wondering whether they will. I have been brow sing the Internet and asking individuals to find out why students do not participate in voting whether it’s federal, provincial, municipal, or even CSA elections. I think a predominant reason why individuals don’t vote is a lack of education. Do we know the history of politics? The danger of complacency? Do we see the value
of democracy? There is also research showing that one of the most significant predictors, when people vote, is whether they have a university or college degree. It’s clear that more time needs to be dedicated to educating students about the basics of how our government functions and why they should vote in high school, but since that didn’t happen, we need to educate ourselves. Another reason students don’t vote is indifference. As humans, we tend to group ourselves and then make decisions in our collec tive g roups. T his can be dangerous if people in the group deter the rest of the group from contributing their own individual opinions and thoughts. As students enter university, the clique mentality that is popular in high school can still have an effect. When a few individuals express a lack of interest, the rest of the group may compromise their views to avoid conflict or looking “stupid.” Encourage yourself and your group of friends to vote! Finally, it takes work to vote, and we tend to be busy or downright tired at times. If we can avoid unnecessary work or research, we do. It is a question of whether you believe your vote to be necessary. I think if students are not residents of Guelph, that also deters their decision to vote. With the exception of international students and students who will vote in their
hometowns instead, your vote does matter to Guelph! For students who are registered to vote in their hometown, I understand your hesitancy, but I am hoping to convince you to cast your ballot in Guelph. You can be registered to vote in both your hometown and your university town. You can cast a ballot in both locations in certain cases (e.g. if you are a student). I know it is more effort to register and look up both the candidates. But, for however many years you are on this campus and studying in this city, you will most likely take public transit, walk on sidewalks, drive on the roads, need healthcare or social services outside of what the university offers, rent a house or room, and throw out the garbage. Your vote matters to your life here in Guelph! Perhaps even more than at home where you may only return for summer and holidays. Whether you believe your vote will make a difference or even if you are not 100 per cent knowledgeable about the candidates, exercise your right to vote, either in Guelph or your hometown. Busyness or a lack of interest are poor excuses not to vote. It was something that was a matter of life and death for countless individuals who fought for us younger generations to have this right that many of us take for granted. To continue the legacy of those individuals who fought so relentlessly for freedom, I think we need to respect them by casting a vote.
W he t her y ou a r e ne w t o Guelph, a new voter, or had a name or address change, you might need to check if you are
registered to vote or register vote at https://vote.guelph.ca/voters/ voter-registration/.
Get back to reality and educate yourself on who to vote for and where. | Photo by Alora Griffiths
18
O PI N I O N |
O CTO B ER 4, 2018
TH E O NTA R I O N
D IARY O F A V E T S TU D E NT
Keeping platform promises – made to myself 3. I WILL CONTINUE TO SPEAK ENTHUSIASTICALLY ABOUT DONKEYS TO WHOMEVER WILL LISTEN
NOW THAT’S A CAMPAIGN I CAN GET BEHIND
This isn’t really an area that needed any improvement. However, for the sake of transparency, I wanted it to be clear that my mild obsession won’t be going anywhere. Sorry (not sorry).
S TO RY BY C A R L E I G H C AT H C A R T
IT’S BEEN A BUSY year for politics. Between the summer provincial election, the upcoming municipal races, and the chaos south of the border and beyond, constituents everywhere are likely feeling a sense of electoral fatigue. To combat the constant disappointment of broken promises and backdoor dealings, I decided now would be an appropriate time to challenge the changemaker most influential to my own life — me. Being in vet school, it’s not hard to quickly find yourself within a sort of bubble. Spending eight hours a day, five days a week, with the same relatively small group of people allows for more than just flu viruses to fester. It also lends itself to a form of isolation, where almost everything you read, learn, or discuss relates to the health of animals. It’s important to be aware of this tendency, so that one can remain an active participant in the
‘outside world’ (even when it feels like there may not be one). Though I’m not sure the word “matured” is most fitting, I would certainly say that surviving the first year of OVC strengthened my skills of introspection and provided a sound idea of what all veterinary professionals should keep in mind when it all feels like too much. In keeping with that, here are five pledges of my own that I am vowing to do my best to uphold throughout this coming year and beyond — perhaps you’ll see something here that you find useful for yourself. 1. I WILL ENGAGE IN ACTIVITIES I ENJOY THAT ARE COMPLETELY UNRELATED TO VETERINARY MEDICINE
Work-life balance is important, and that includes doing the things you love — even the things that won’t advance your career in any way.
4. I WILL NOT REDUCE MY WORTH AS A PERSON OR FUTURE VET TO THE NUMBERS RECEIVED ON A TEST
This is a very easy but dangerous trap to fall into. There are so many skills and qualities that cannot be quantified, and when we enter practice, we’re not going to have someone associating our work with a grade. Carleigh and her long-eared friend Gus from the Donkey Sanctuary of Canada. | Photo courtesy of Carleigh Cathcart.
2. I WILL NOT READ THAT EXTRA LECTURE WHEN I AM ALREADY 20 MINUTES LATE FOR BED
Oh don’t get me wrong, it’s tempting! But the notion that
30 more slides when I’m already brain dead is actually going to improve my grades is a bit outlandish coming from someone who subsequently falls asleep in class the next morning.
5. I WILL CUT MYSELF SOME SLACK
While we all need to hold ourselves accountable, we are humans who get tired, make mistakes, and sometimes, don’t know the answer. This is perhaps the most important reality to accept — and the one we have most difficulty in accepting.
I’m fed up with self-care marketing and here’s why WHAT IT TRULY MEANS TO CARE FOR YOURSELF DA N N A E L L N E R
THE NEW SCHOOL year brings with it an array of feelings and emotions. Enter excitement , anticipation, joy, and with them — perhaps just as predominantly — nervousness, stress, anxiety, depression, and more. It is important to take time for yourself, listen to your body, and seek out help if you need it. But we have a problem here in 2018. The term ‘self-care’ has become synonymous with taking a bubble bath and treating yourself to ice cream or a manicure. While these are all great activities that may work as a stress reliever for many people, this exploitive marketing trend is simply another manifestation of modern-day capitalism. Big corporations target vulnerable spots in our society to
maximize their profit margins. This is a part of our reality that will not change in the near future, so we need to individually bring awareness to this important issue. We need to recognize that the self-care that is sold in stores is just another marketing strategy, and re-evaluate what self-care really means to us. Self-care is incredibly important, and because of this we should be consciously and actively incorporating it into our everyday lives. The purpose of self-care is to keep a happy and healthy mindset, and make our mental health our primary priority. We must repeatedly remind ourselves that our mental health matters. When our mental health isn’t in check, everything else in our lives becomes much harder.
The purpose of self-care is to keep a happy and healthy mindset, and make our mental health our primary priority.
Self-care can manifest itself as a shopping spree, but it can also mean taking a nap, watching a show, booking an appointment with a therapist, or saying no to an outing with friends. It can mean so many different things, but it always means doing what works best for you, and not what corporations try and sell you to help you ‘relax.’
It is also important to understand that other people don’t have to agree with or understand your methods of self-care. What might be unhelpful for someone else, may be exactly what you need to keep a healthy headspace. Take time to think about what self-care means to you, and then implement it in your daily schedule. It’ll make a world of a difference.
Have a happy and healthy school year, Gryphons — and remember to be kind to yourselves. Ca l l a nd Text Hel p Li nes: Here 2 4 / 7 1-84 4-4 37-32 47 o r 1-84 4-HERE2 47 Cri si s Text Li ne Text UofG to 686868
There’s more to self care than laying in a bathtub filled with bubbles. | Photo courtesy of Bruce Mars (Unsplash)
I S SU E 18 5.5
TH E O NTA R I O N .CO M
| O PI N I O N
19
Anatomy of a leader EIGHT QUALITIES THAT MAKE A GOOD LEADER THE WORLD IS FULL of some amazing leaders and some notso-amazing leaders. We look up to incredible youth activists like Malala Yousafzai and visionary entrepreneurs like Bill Gates, but we also rely on people in our daily lives to empower and lead us. But what are the qualities that make a leader good or not? Here’s my non-comprehensive take on what makes a good leader. 1. GOOD LEADERS ARE PASSIONATE “Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”
lot of hard work and dedication. Dedication comes from passion, but productivity and work ethic require time management and self-awareness. To maximize your productivity, you need to know how you work and learn best. This means finding out what routines help you to be the most efficient and what way of organizing your life helps you to stay focused. 3. LEADERS KNOW THE POWER OF THE PERSONAL NETWORK “If you want to go somewhere, it is best to find someone who has already been there.”
—Robert Kiyosaki, American businessman and author
–Harriet Tubman, American abolitionist & political activist
One quality that all leaders have in common is their passion for their cause. However, finding something that you are truly passionate about is not necessarily an easy task. One way to find things that you are passionate about is to explore a wide variety of causes and organizations through volunteering. Volunteering can also expose you to leadership roles and teach you how to handle challenging situations and manage relationships.
Every leader needs a good support network and at least one mentor. Build your support network by connecting with a diverse network of friends and acquaintances, as you never know when you’ll need someone or what you’ll be able to do for someone. Find mentors that empower you to act by reaching out to other leaders in your sphere, and observe what makes them great leaders. 4. A LEADER IS NEVER DONE LEARNING “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
2. LEADERS KNOW HOW TO WORK
all forms. Learn from your peers and mentors, stay up to date with current events and technologies, attend leadership conferences and take online courses on diverse topics, pick up a new language or instrument, learn to dance, and never stop challenging yourself intellectually. 5. EFFECTIVE LEADERS HAVE A HIGH EQ “The mark of a good conversationalist, is not that you can talk a lot. The mark is that you can get others to talk a lot. Thus, good schmoozers are good listeners, not good talkers.”
—Guy Kawasaki, American marketing specialist, author, and Silicon Valley venture capitalist
Having strong communication skills is essential for being a strong leader, and having a high Emotional Quotient (EQ) can contribute to having strong communication skills. Having a high EQ usually means that you can communicate well nonverbally and can interpret body language well. In fact, UCLA professor Albert Mehrabian claims that at least 55 per cent of communication is through body language, while 38 per cent is through tone of voice, and only 7 per cent is through actual word choice. Communication skills are critical for leadership because you need to have strong interpersonal relationships with colleagues, superiors, and employees in order for them to respect you and engage with you. 6. GOOD LEADERS LEAD BY EXAMPLE
“Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.”
“You reinforce the behaviors that you reward. If you reward candor, you’ll get it.”
8. LEADERS KNOW HOW TO CHILL
In order to reinforce a culture of mutual respect and productivity, leaders tend to embody the traits they promote. Leaders take the initiative, they accept the consequences of their decisions, and they put the needs of their team above their own. Good leaders also don’t let their egos get in the way of their decision-making. As a result, they expect the same of the people around them.
“You will never find time for anything. If you want time you must make it.”
7. GOOD LEADERS ARE CONFIDENT, AMBITIOUS, AND OPTIMISTIC “He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”
—Charles Buxton, English brewer, philanthropist, and member of Parliament
Finally, good leaders usually have that thing we all know of as “work-life balance,” but this balance looks different for everyone. People who schedule time for personal activities may actually be more productive and happier, which will make everything easier in the long-run. There will always be time to build an incredible career and to enjoy the moment you’re in. When it comes down to it, good leaders are those who have spent the time building respect and credibility in their sphere. To be a good leader, speak your mind respectfully and lead with confidence and empathy. And remember, if you don’t get a chance to speak or lead, create opportunities for yourself.
—Muhammad Ali, American professional boxer, activist, and philanthropist
It takes a lot of confidence to follow through on your goals, and it takes a lot of ambition to aim high enough to make a difference. And of course, having a healthy sense of optimism is essential for seeing obstacles as opportunities to learn.
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
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—Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of the United States of America
Being good at anything takes a
Curiosity is a wonderful tool for causing change. Educate yourself on everything you can, all the time. This doesn’t mean you should sit inside and read the classics all day — education comes in
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20
O PI N I O N
|
O CTO B ER 4, 2018
TH E O NTA R I O N
Ghomeshi, Hockenberry, and the unapologetic apology #METOO APOLOGY BLUNDERS, SILENCES VICTIMS AND PUTS ACCUSED IN SPOTLIGHT S T E FA N I A P E R R E L L A
WITH A POLITICAL and social climate fraught with sexual assault awareness and survivor support emerges the antithetical essays of John Hockenberry and Jian Ghomeshi. These men’s essays contain accounts of their struggles, their victimization, and as Hockenberry puts it, their “exile” and “public shame.” One very important narrative is missing — that of the victim. Even with reference to the #MeToo movement, Ghomeshi
absents the very core of the movement by calling himself a “#MeToo pioneer,” completely removing the victim from a discourse that is and should be their own. In response to these essays, Meaghan Morris, senior training officer at the Office of Diversity and Human Rights at the University of Guelph, told me that “as a society facing how we move forward in the era of #MeToo, we are called to give space and voice to survivors, recognizing that these abusers have been using their voice, privilege, and platforms as a tool for abusing women for years. To continue to give them a platform to speak without accountability is to support their abuse and support them in maintaining a position of power that will allow them to continue to abuse women.” If forgiveness was the purpose of these essays, it is completely lost in claiming their own defence and the justification of their own actions with discussion of “the sexual norms of the Seventies, Eighties, and Nineties” from Hockenberry and the mention that “sex became another measure of
status” for Ghomeshi, while continuously absenting that neither norms nor status forced them to perpetrate their actions nor does it justify them. Rather, it seems that Hockenberry and Ghomeshi are grappling with the absence of a socio-political sphere that no longer revolves around them and gives voices to those victimized. In response they have tried to re-inject themselves into the culture with these inappropriate and transparent pieces of work.
In his discussion on The Current, Harper’s Magazine publisher R ick Mac A r thur echoed the complete silence of the victims’ struggles in his defence of Hockenberry. He did this through his repeated mention of Hockenberry’s
paraplegia, in his suggestion that this somehow provides evidence that Hockenberry could not have perpetrated enough harm to warrant this public outcry, and in his apparent ignorance of the fact that degrees of sexual misconduct do not result in different degrees of harm or trauma. This control of the impact of harm and trauma should solely be left in the control of the victim, not the perpetrator. There is certainly the ability for the reintegration of perpetrators into our society as the gains of retributive justice are extensive, however as detailed by Morris, this must include “accountability, responsibility, repairing harms, and rebuilding trust with survivors and communities. And it is certainly not done in a way that is directed by the perpetrator and continues to shame, humiliate, and deny experiences of survivors.” The ultimate issue with these essays is the blatant disregard of victims and their struggles, rather eclipsing it with their own victimization, framing it as a “two sides to every story” situation even while they simultaneously silence the other side, who are at last being heard. After reading their essays, the idiom that best fits these two seems to be: “Sorry, not sorry.”
Ghomeshi absents the very core of the movement by calling himself a ‘#MeToo pioneer’.
David Suzuki endorses divestment at the University of Guelph CELEBRITY SUPPORT SHINES SPOTLIGHT ON ETHICS OF FOSSIL FUEL INVESTMENTS SPENCER MCGREGOR
A WELL-KNOWN name in the Canadian environmental movement has recently made a statement supporting Fossil Free Guelph and their goal of fossil fuel divestment at the U of G. This statement comes as administrators are currently planning how to move forward on the issue. “There’s the moral imperative: we cannot in good faith continue to invest in industries which we know harm our planet beyond repair,” reads David Suzuki’s statement to the student activist group Fossil Free Guelph. “In a modern democratic society, academic institutions are considered thought-leaders; they are perfectly positioned to lead us toward new ways of thinking and acting.” “The University of Guelph has a wonderful opportunity on its doorstep — to join the ranks of leaders the likes of New York City,
the World Bank, Laval University, countries like Norway and others and divest from fossil fuels,” Suzuki continues. “It’s the right thing to do for the economy and the environment. This movement is growing, and it will prevail. It’s time for U of G to either help lead the charge or watch from the sidelines.” He also argued that oil should “stay in the ground ” and we should completely switch to renewable energy. In January 2018, a decision was delayed after U of G’s Board of Governors made a motion to postpone the final vote on the topic of divestment. At this meeting, an official recommendation from the finance committee was brought forward suggesting that the U of G take no action on the issue and instead continues to invest $38 million in the fossil fuel industry. Many students and community
members didn’t like this plan, so they rallied together and over 100 people attended the meeting to voice their disagreement. In the end, the Board chose not to give a definitive answer and instead will make the final decision on Jan. 23, 2019. Delays, deflection, and diversion have been a recurring strategy for U of G decision-makers so far and they have largely avoided making any conclusive promises about fossil fuel divestment. Now, an endorsement by David Suzuki shows how this movement goes beyond just our school; people across the nation and around the globe have their eyes on U of G. This is the perfect opportunity for the university to distinguish itself as an environmental leader and show other institutions what it means to take climate change seriously by committing to divest from fossil fuels.
PHOTO OBTAINED VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Protesting students on the day of the Board of Governors meeting in January 2018. | Photo by Danielle Scepanovic
EDITORIAL
21
THE ONTARION
@theontarion
Don’t take the bait: beware of scams that target students PROTECT YOURSELF FROM SCAMS, ONLINE AND OFF K AREN K . TRAN
SCAMS THESE DAYS are a little more sophisticated than receiving an email from someone claiming to be a Nigerian prince. It’s more difficult than ever to avoid potential scams, on the Internet and in person. Just last week I was approached by a scammer in the University Centre, claiming to be soliciting donations on behalf of a charity for Asian children. What immediately alerted me to the fact that he was a scammer was that he had already approached me on campus twice in the last two years. The first time, I stopped to hear his pitch. He instantly made me feel uncomfortable when he asked me what ethnicity I am, and tried to speak to me in Mandarin (I speak Cantonese). I left without donating. Since then, I’ve seen reports of scammers claiming to be part of this organization targeting East Asian women on campus. On Facebook groups like Overheard at Guelph, community members warn potential victims of these scammers who appear yearly. “It’s almost like an annual tradition,” commented Duo Cheng, a member of Overheard at Guelph. I spoke to my friends and coworkers to see if they’d experienced anything similar. Recently, one of my friends, Linda Ebeid (name changed to protect privacy), fell victim to a Canada Revenue
Agency (CRA) phone scam, losing $5,000. She detailed the events of the five-hour phone call in which the first scammer posed as a CRA agent and the other scammer was added to the line midway through the call to pose as her accountant’s assistant. She noted that she could hear ambient noise from their end of the phone call that sounded like they were located in a call centre. The caller ID of the scammer posing as her accountant’s assistant matched her actual accountant office’s phone number, and at the time, he earned her trust by arguing with the first scammer that she should be given a chance to pay the taxes properly and not be arrested. It’s unclear whether the scammers hacked into her email account to access her personal information or if they made dozens of cold calls before finding their victim. In their call with her, the first scammer addressed her by name and stated that he had four arrest warrants on her for tax evasion and threatened to deport her from the country. Having just filed her taxes due to studying abroad during the last few months, and being a Canadian permanent resident, but not yet an official citizen, my coworker became fearful that the threats were real. The scammers took advantage of her fear, giving her strict deadlines and asking her to withdraw as much
cash as possible and transfer it to them by purchasing bitcoin at an ATM in Guelph. She eventually went to the police when the scammer tried to convince her to pawn her laptop for more cash, threatened to revoke her student visa (she didn’t have one or need one), addressed her as “honey” to try to get her to calm down, and even threatened that a “surprise would be waiting at home” if she tried to get help. “I panicked in the moment,” she said. “I would advise people to take a breath and reassess the situation.” I also spoke to one of my other colleagues, Connor Watson, about a time that he almost fell victim to a scam. In his case, he paid an $80 fee to someone claiming to be a representative of Microsoft when his laptop suddenly froze and a pop-up window advised him to call the provided number. When
he realized it was a scam, he called his bank to freeze his accounts and requested a refund from VISA after providing proof of the transaction and evidence as to why it was part of a scam. He encourages others to report phone scammers by blocking their number immediately after you end the call; some phones have features to report a phone number as a known scammer, which means that when that scammer calls someone else, their caller ID will indicate that the phone number belongs to a scammer. You can also report scams on the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre’s website. You can recognize a potential phone or email scam if the scammer claims that they require your personal information such as your banking information or social insurance number (SIN), in addition to an urgent deadline with
vicious consequences or a loss of a too-good-to-be-true prize. Always check the sender’s email address — often, a scam will originate from an email address with a slightly misspelled domain name that is designed to fool you. Currently, the University of Guelph’s email system is serviced by Office 365 by Microsoft, and any spam or phishing is filtered by their service. Resources
CCS (Computing & Communication Services) have a number of blog posts to help recognize popular scams and how to protect yourself from them: https://www.uoguelph.ca/ ccs/infosec You can report scams at the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: http://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/index-eng.htm
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Contest ends at midnight Nov. 4, 2018 Winner will be announced in our Nov. 8 issue.
OCT. 4
OCT. 13
Wellness Eating for Mental Well-Being 12 p.m. Alexander Hall, RM 168
Serena Ryder An acoustic performance by the Juno awardwinning musician 8 p.m. River Run Centre
OCT. 5
Wellness Establishing Work-Life Harmony 12 p.m. Alexander Hall, RM 168
Gryphon Football Game Vs. Toronto Varsity Blues 1 p.m. Alumni Stadium
OCT. 8
OCT. 14
Happy Thanksgiving Classes rescheduled to Friday, Dec. 1 No classes today
Rural History Roundtable Using family photographs to create cultural memoirs Lecture with Melody Graulich 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Robert Whitelaw Room (246B), McLaughlin Library
OCT. 9
Fall Study Break Day Classes rescheduled to Thursday, Nov. 30 No classes today OCT. 10
Cirque Éloize: Saloon Journey to the wild west with this acrobatic comedy show 7 p.m. River Run Centre
World Mental Health Day Mental Health in the Workplace Workshop OCT. 18 12 p.m. UC442 Lúnasa OCT. 11-21 Internationally-acclaimed modern Celtic band Ordinary People 8 p.m. River Run Centre Play written by Judith Guest Various times, Guelph Little Theatre New issue of The Ontarion on stands Pick up your free copy of our special HalOCT. 12-13 loween issue: The Hauntarion Holy Smokes Music Festival Female and non-binary Canadian music festival Various times, various venues located in downtown Guelph
october
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F U N PAG E THE ONTARION
SUDOKU
COMMUNITY CHALKBOARD
Fill in the empty squares so that each of the digits 1 through 9 appear once in each row, column, and 3-by-3 block.
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1. Cossack chief
1. Sighs of relief
7. Thor Heyerdahl craft
2. Chinese “Way”
10. Dynamic opening?
3. Sheet music abbr.
14. Zimbabwe’s capital
4. Cooking wine
15. Frozen Wasser
5. Neighborhoods
16. Tell all
6. 1994 Jodie Foster film
17. Light reddish brown
7. ‘It’s true!’
18. Doctors’ org.
8. Shoot for
19. That’s ___!
9. Author Dinesen
20. Capital of Utah
10. Calculating device
23. Kett and James
11. “Dallas” matriarch
26. Cockpit abbr.
12. Singer Bonnie
27. Songs for two
13. Follows orders
28. Lively dance
21. Spuds
29. Dirty digs
22. Prolific inventor
30. ___ the season...
23. Author Jong
31. Rashly
24. Dovetail part
33. Loser to DDE
25. Little laugh
34. That guy
29. Wild guesses
37. Runner Sebastian
30. Dogma
38. Teen’s desire
32. Shrimp dish
39. ___-Cone
33. Suppose
40. French article
34. ___-burly
41. “Wheel of Fortune” buy
35. Absurd
42. Stomach muscles, for
36. Rat-topped hills
short
44. Make obsolete
43. Ladies of Spain
45. Turkey’s highest peak
45. Early hrs.
46. Acrid taste
46. Except
48. Doorkeeper
47. Humerus neighbor
49. Ripped off
48. Take by force
50. Russian range
51. Russert of “Meet the
51. Melts
Press”
52. Have a feeling
52. Eye sores
54. Mardi. ___
53. Removed bends
55. Seasonal song
56. Rime
59. Needlefish
57. Squealer
60. Zeta follower
58. Endangered equine
61. Not emp.
63. Wow 64. Fancy home 65. Take a break 66. Ukr. or Lith., once 67. Ogle
Kara Atkinson Alli Lull Julia Solonenka
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Across
62. Scat queen
BETTER LUCK ON THE DRAW NEXT TIME :)
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Listings should be under 30 words and include a title. Text only. $15 per spot.
CONGRATS ON GETTING THE CROSSWORD RIGHT!
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To be featured, send your listing to Patrick at onsales@uoguelph.ca
HAVE YOUR LISTING FEATURED HERE!
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For your chance to win TWO FREE BOB’S DOGS, submit a completed crossword to The Ontarion office, UC 264, by October 16, 2018 at 3 P.M. Winners are announced in the paper each week and should collect their voucher from The Ontarion office.
CROSSWORD WINNER FROM 185.4 VICTORIA PERRY
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20%
GUELPH STUDENT CARD DISCOUNT OFF ALL HALLOWEEN PURCHASES Not valid on balloons.