The Runner Vol 11, Issue 5

OCTOBER 30, 2018 VOLUME 11, ISSUE 5 KPU’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER

NEWS

Most Canadians Can’t Name the Accomplishments of Historic Women

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CULTURE

Kissing Taboo Goodbye with Sylvia Grace Borda

OPINIONS › 08

Run-Down: What Legalization Means for You

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

STAFF Editor in Chief

Aly Laube editor@runnermag.ca

Managing Editor

Connor Doyle managing@runnermag.ca

Staff Writer

Braden Klassen staff@runnermag.ca

Production Manager

Sarah Kraft production@runnermag.ca

04 06

08 09

NEWS

Most Canadians Are Uninformed About Historic Women Historica Canada published an article which states that approximately 55 per cent of Canadians are uninformed about the accomplishments of Canadian women.

FEATURE

Redrawing B.C.'s Political Landscape To help students make informed choices about electoral reform, the KSA is handing out educational materials on all KPU campuses during the referendum period.

CULTURE

Kissing Taboo Goodbye with Sylvia Grace Borda Borda says that “the kiss is never neutral,” and that the evolution of kissing always seems to hold hands with some form of social progress.

OPINIONS

Run-Down: What Legalization Means for You

Gabriel Bélanger, a professor for Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Cannabis Professional Series and the operations manager at Benchmark Botanicals, says that legalization is “a great step forward,” but adds that “there is still a lot to be done.”

Graphics Editor

Kristen Frier photos@runnermag.ca

Web Manager

Alex Rodriguez web@runnermag.ca

Operations Manager Scott Boux office@runnermag.ca 778-565-3801

CONTRIBUTORS Breanne Carmichael Kyler Emerson Lisa Hedmark Tristan Johnston Nic Laube Leah Rosehill Andre Gress Kayci Roy Lincoln Saugstad Amanda Smith-Weston

COVER BY @RESLUS

Arbutus 3710/3720 12666 72 Ave. Surrey, B.C, V3W 2M8 778-565-3801 www.runnermag.ca Vol. 11, Issue no. 5 October 30// 2018 ISSN# 1916 8241

All submissions to The Runner are subject to editing for style, quality, length, and legality. The Runner will not publish material which the editors deem to be harmful or discriminatory. The views expressed within the publication are not necessarily those of The Runner staff or of the Polytechnic Ink Publishing Society.

The Runner is student-owned and operated by Kwantlen Polytechnic University students, published under the Polytechnic Ink Publishing Society. The Runner recognizes that our work, both in and out of the office, takes place on unceded Coast and Strait Salish territories, specifically the shared traditional territories of the Kwantlen, Katzie, Semiahmoo, Sto:lo and Tsawwassen First Nations. Our name is inspired by the hun’qumi’num meaning of Kwantlen, which is tireless hunters or tireless runners. Just as KPU is adaptable and changing, so is The Runner.

EDITORIAL

FROM THE EDITOR

D.O.A’s Joey Shithead isn’t just a local punk; he’s Burnaby’s newest city councillor Aly Laube | Editor in Chief Burnaby has a punk in office.

Joey “Shithead” Keithley is the city's newest councillor, marking the first successful campaign of all his past attempts to get elected—in 1996, 2001, 2015, and 2017 for the Green Party and again as an NDP provincial candidate in 2013.

Above all else, the guy is resilient, and that determination has finally won him a seat at the legislative table. In typical punk fashion, he’s breaking the Burnaby Citizens Association monopoly by being the only member of the Greens among seven BCA councillors.

Those familiar with D.O.A.—a notorious Vancouver punk band fronted by Keithley that was most popular (and, in some circles, rather unpopular) in the eighties—might find the image of him grinning demurely in a campaign tee hilarious. That’s reasonable. As a public figure, Keithley has long been associated with raucous shows, spilled beer, and unabashed anti-authoritarianism. Such is the punk mentality, and D.O.A has done it well for almost 40 years.

When he announced his plans to run in this year’s election, Keithley wrote: "I am going to fight for grassroots democracy where everybody's voice is heard! I will put a stop to the heartless Demovictions that are a disgrace to Burnaby, B.C. and Canada. The Burnaby Greens will work towards making Burnaby a greener and more sustainable city. We will also do whatever it takes to stop the Kinder Morgan Pipeline expansion."

Though these promises are lofty and largely unexplained, Keithley’s statements fall in line with his punk image and past ideals. In an article by Van Mag, a younger Keithley

NEVR CONFERENCE

The Network to Eliminate Violence in Relationships is holding its 8th annual event at KPU. This year their theme is Health Families: Services and Solutions.

8:00 am (Nov. 1) - 4:30 pm (Nov. 2),

KPU Surrey Conference Centre 1205, free.

NOV. 3

OUT OF THE CHRYSALIS ART EXHIBIT Recently-elected city councillor Joey "Shithead" Keithley is the frontman of local punk band D.O.A. (flickr/Steve Louie) was quoted as saying, “D.O.A.’s about causing trouble, being shit disturbers, fomenting revolution. You have to kick the giant—even if it’s only in the toe. If you don’t, the authorities will take advantage of you. That leads to musicians being more concerned with bling than ideas. Kicking the giant helps keep the powerful from feeling too secure.”

Then in 2010, as a father and husband, he said: “You turn on the TV today and you see that all the things wrong are still there. The companies are bigger, the police more out of control, the proximity of fascism nearer. The whole Orwellian thing. I don’t get plastered anymore—the angry young man is gone—but I like to think I can still change things.”

Joey “Shithead” Keithley is still in one of the most political bands to break out of the Metro Vancouver area. People got into fights at their shows. Riot cops came to shut them down. They played at protests and to politi-

cally oppressed demographics all over the world. As long as they were together—taking into account their two hiatuses—they haven’t let up, and are still recognized as one of the founders of their genre.

Back then he was an anarcho-punk. Today, he’s living in the same city he was raised in and serves as a city councillor. He stays home with his kids, runs his record label with his wife, and still writes songs about the injustices that earned D.O.A. its reputation as a group of chaotic, angry radicals with too-loud guitars.

My theory is that this is what happens when longtime ragers-against-the-machine get older and more weary of trying to change the system from the outside. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em—or at least get elected so you can support the policies that you believe have the power to incite change.

The first film screened was Gladys by filmmakers Jessica Jones and Diana DiBattista.

Its protagonist and narrator explains how she left her home country and her husband, and how she avoided seeking help from others due to her fear of the cultural stigma surrounding depression.

The second film that was screened, Fine., is an abstract animated short created by Vancouver Film School graduate Saida Saetgareeva which depicts the anxiety felt by the narrator as she struggles to answer the question, “How are you?”

The third film shown was Purpose by Nigerian director Victor O’Frank, which follows a young man as he works to find happiness and a sense of purpose in the stressful day-to-day realities of living and working in New York City.

Daley says that creating and watching films can be an especially effective way to explore important topics like mental health.

“I think it’s really the medium of our gener-

A cadre of KPU fine arts graduates known as the Surreyalists will be displaying their artwork at the Turnbull Gallery in South Surrey. The exhibit will run throughout early November, but don’t miss the opening reception!

1:00 - 3:00 pm,

South Surrey Recreation & Arts Centre, free.

NOV. 5

FIELD SCHOOL INFO SESSION

Have you ever wanted to visit London or Venice? Here’s your chance to learn all about the upcoming field school to those cities being offered in May and June of next year.

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm,

KPU Surrey Fir 326, free.

NOV. 6

ARTS SPEAKER SERIES

The Arts Speaker Series offers students the opportunity to learn about a variety of interesting topics. This one will explore how writers of textbooks in Iran represent Indigenous people.

Art With Impact Screens Movies for Mental Health at KPU As part of its ongoing outreach efforts, the KPU Peer Support counselling and mental health program partnered with Art With Impact to host a movie night and group discussion. The event took place in the Surrey campus’ Birch building on Oct. 16 and consisted of three short film screenings followed by a discussion led by a panel of students and community mental health support workers.

Art With Impact is a national non-profit organization that hosts events on university campuses, often screening films and facilitating discussions about mental health with students and young people.

“It’s a great way to support young artists who really want to combat some of the misconceptions [about mental health] in the media and we can use their art in this type of platform,” says Natalie Daley, the program director for Art With Impact Canada.

WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS MONTH

NOV. 1-2

NEWS BRIEF

Braden Klassen | Staff Writer

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ation,” she says. “It’s super accessible. You can really see yourself in a film, but [don’t] have to talk about that explicitly. So, on a college campus, it’s a really good way to start conversations that don’t have to get overly personal.”

One of the panelists was Jonathan Lau, a third-year psychology student and member of KSA Peer Support. Lau spoke about his own experiences with trying to overcome feelings of depression in high school, and how he came to realize the significance of paying attention to his own mental wellbeing.

“Coming from that place myself, I realize and recognize the importance of having a social support network,” he says. “Sometimes you have to take that step to put yourself out there and try to find where those resources are. I applaud the students who came in, quite a lot of whom I don’t recognize from past events, and I’m happy because they’re taking the initiative to try something that may be different for them.”

11:30 am - 12:30 pm,

KPU Surrey Cedar Boardroom 2110, free.

NOV. 9 FALL FORMAL

KPU Pause for a Cause is holding the first school dance at KPU in three whole years! There will be a photo booth and a prize draw, and proceeds will dedicated to the ALS Society of B.C. 6:00 pm - 11:00 pm,

Bollywood Banquet Hall &

Convention Centre, $25-$30.

NOV. 10 DIWALI FEST

Diwali Fest is always one of the best celebrations at KPU, and this year will be no different. Make sure to buy tickets ahead of time, as they will not be available at the door.

3:00 pm - 8:00 pm,

KPU Surrey Gymnasium, $10.

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NEWS

The Canadian Federation of University Women Celebrates 100 Years of Female Empowerment The organization’s North Delta/Surrey chapter has a small but dedicated membership Lisa Hedmark The Canadian Federation of University Women is a group of over 8,400 Canadians dedicated to improving the lives of women through the pursuit of higher education.

“CFUW is the largest affiliate of the International Federation of University Women (IFUW), the leading girls’ and women’s global organization run by and for women, advocating for women’s rights, equality, and empowerment through access to quality education and training up to the highest levels,” reads the biography on their Facebook page.

The latest meeting of their North Delta/ Surrey chapter on Oct. 17 started with members getting settled in Kelsey Pakerek’s living room. Soft jazz filled the room while the group of friendly, soft-spoken women caught up with one another and talked about their budgets and bursaries.

The group spent most of the meeting deciding where to allocate their funds, some of which go towards bursaries for KPU students. In addition to regular donations from most of the members, the CFUW also holds fundraisers such as book sales and luncheons.

The 15-member North Delta/Surrey chapter of the organization, which established their charter in August of 1982, is among the CFUW’s smallest groups. Cheryl-Ann Johansen, the president of the chapter, proudly says that although the group may be small, it has a very high attendance rate of 90 per cent. Larger groups, such as the Vancouver chapter, can have up to 400 members, while Coquitlam has 39 members and West Vancouver has about 70.

The Canadian Federation of University

Members of the Canadian Federation of University Women North Delta/Surrey chapter proudly pose for a photo. (Lisa Hedmark) Women was founded in 1919 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Their national annual general meeting, as well as their 100th anniversary celebration, will take place there next year, with many projects and awards currently being planned for the event.

The CFUW is part of a larger network of university women which used to be referred to as The International Federation of University Women but now is known as Graduate Women International, based in Switzerland. Johansen had the pleasure of attending one of the international group’s annual general meetings in Manchester, England. These meetings are held

every year all around the globe.

“It was just amazing to see these women who were from India and Nigeria and very difficult countries to have doctorates and be qualified for this level,” she says. “To see these women have worked their way through and become amazing leaders in countries where that just doesn’t happen—it was pretty exciting.”

The next gathering of the CFUW’s North Delta/Surrey chapter will be an installment of its “Lunch ‘N Learn Speaker Series” at the Guildford Golf & Country Club on Oct. 27. Members purchase tickets for $35, which goes towards their fundraising efforts. At the

event, speakers from Public House and Vancouver Crime Stoppers will make presentations about ways to combat youth homelessness in the Lower Mainland.

Visit the CFUW website to see the list of fellowships and awards offered by the organization. In addition to the funding they provide for women in post-secondary education, they also offer many bursaries for high school students and charity for local women in need.

They are also always looking for new members.

You do not need a post-secondary degree to join the CFUW. Membership is open to all like-minded, female-identifying individuals.

New Poll Finds that Most Canadians Don’t Know About the Women Who Shaped their History Fifty-five per cent of those surveyed could not name the accomplishments of Canadian women Kayci Roy | Contributor As part of women’s history month, Historica Canada published an article which states that approximately 55 per cent of Canadians are uninformed about the accomplishments of Canadian women.

Of the roughly 1,000 Canadians aged 18 or over who were surveyed, many were unable to pass a test about the role of women in Canadian politics, arts, culture, and military history. A majority of both men and women failed the 12-question true-or-false quiz, and only three per cent received an “A” grade.

Eryk Martin, an instructor in Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s department of history, is disappointed but unsurprised by these results.

“Before the 1960s, there just really wasn’t a lot of emphasis on women as important historical actors,” explains Martin. “For a long time … historians had mostly been interested in telling the stories of a small number of elite white men, particularly in the context of Canada.”

The project manager of Historica Canada, Davida Aronovitch, says that the report can and should be used to encourage a greater emphasis on the accomplishments of women in Canadian society.

“Knowledge [in the poll] was lower than expected, but we also found there was considerable interest in the subject matter,” she says. “And that, I think, is a really important takeaway.”

Earlier this year, Historica Canada released a similar report for International Women’s Day. It found that no more than three in 10 Canadians say that the country “is doing ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ in informing Canadian youth about women’s history.” This report also found that only a minority of Canadians were able to name the specific accomplishments of Canadian women such as Emily Carr, Lucy Maud Montgomery, and Nellie McClung.

Martin believes that this lack of knowledge stems from the same historical misogyny which the women mentioned in the report

struggled against throughout their lives.

“Canada is still profoundly sexist. It’s still profoundly misogynistic,” he says. “I think that definitely has a role to play in the fact that people might not be paying attention to women historically because they don’t like listening to them now.”

In her position with Historica Canada, Aronovitch has worked on programming for the long-running Heritage Minute series, which consists of short, educational films about important moments in Canadian history. She says that, while it can be difficult to fit everything worth remembering from history into a course, Historica Canada is doing what it can to educate Canadians on the historic accomplishments of women.

“We’re eager to see curriculum expanded to incorporate more diverse narratives, more women’s narratives and women’s history,” she says. “Gradually, we do see changes taking place there.”

Nellie McClung, a Canadian suffragette, politician, author, and social activist.

(Flickr/BiblioArchives / LibraryArchives)

NEWS

Efforts to Preserve Indigenous Languages are Growing in Canada Revitalization methods for preserving the languages in B.C. are being widely supported Breanne Carmichael Of the roughly 70 Indigenous languages spoken in Canada, all 34 found in British Columbia are currently endangered.

Recently, however, a movement to preserve these languages has been gaining significant momentum, inspiring the B.C. government to commit $50 million towards that effort over the next three years.

Although this has been recognized by the First Peoples’ Cultural Council as a step in the right direction, the council is quick to remind British Columbians that the fight for preserving these languages is nowhere near over. Many Indigenous activists and allies are currently fighting to make these languages official in Canada.

Dr. Heather Bliss, a linguistics lecturer at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, says that Canada should commit to making more Indigenous languages official despite concerns about the complexity of doing so.

“We can just declare these languages as official languages for recognitional purposes, but that’s not necessarily going to do anything towards revitalizing the languages and creating new generations of young speakers,” she says. “There might not be any impact of the act if it is simply recognitional.”

Bliss says that, in order to preserve endangered languages, they will need to be taught and spoken more commonly in modern Canadian society.

“There are a lot of systemic barriers still to this day. There’s this lack of recognition

for these languages, for instance. There’s no official status for these languages and there’s a lack of education, so it’s hard for people to understand the importance of them,” she says.

“It’s not just about one’s ability speak the language but one’s ability to use the language.”

Six Nations Polytechnic, an advocacy group that focuses on Indigenous knowledge and learning, is offering the first Indigenous-run degree for Indigenous languages in Canada.

The First Peoples’ Cultural Council is actively working with communities and developing strategies for getting more Canadians to speak endangered languages as well.

Bliss says that creating “language nests,” or culturally immersive environments for children becoming fluent in their First Nations languages, is one revitalization method that is often effective.

“We know kids are super learners of languages. They learn this without any effort,” she says. “So, if you can develop programs like language nests … then the idea is that they are going to pick it up really quickly.”

In order for these programs to be successful, they must be taught by people already fluent in the languages. The same applies to the Mentorship-Apprentice Program by the First Peoples’ Cultural Council.

“The goal of the Mentor-Apprentice Program is to facilitate the development of fluent speakers of B.C. First Nations languages, where fluent speakers are partnered with committed learners in an immersion environment in the home and on the land,” reads the FPCC’s official website.

Dr. Heather Bliss, a linguistics lecturer at KPU. (Submitted) For this program, a mentor and apprentice spend a total of 300 hours per year together.

In the immersion process, the two of them go about regular day-to-day activities in an unstructured environment, speaking only in the language they are learning.

Another revitalization effort is found through media and music. For instance, Bliss points out that the Maori language in New Zealand is making a comeback through exposure in pop culture, which influences youth to consider using it again.

“Language is connected to everything,” she says. “Once we take care of the language problem, then it can solve a lot of other problems as well.”

Dr. Valérie Vézina examines how geography affects culture on non-state islands

The relationship between geography and civilization has long been fascinating to anthropologists, historians, and political scientists.

Dr. Valérie Vézina, KPU political science instructor, examines this link in her new book, Une île, une nation? or One island, one nation?

Through developing frameworks to study non-state islands, Vézina focuses on nationalism which, in this context, doesn’t necessarily refer to fully-recognized nation-states.

The term could also be applied to any strong identity group, and has been used to describe Quebec, Catalonia, Kosovo, and more. Groups with these characteristics may want to be in control of their political destiny, which could warrant independence, autonomy, recognition, and anything in between.

Vézina references Great Britain, which she describes as “one of the greatest island nations we know,” as an example in her work. A primary concept she uses in her framework is how, historically, nationalism studies have failed to recognize how territory affects an area.

“Certain forms of territories might matter if you’re an island, if you’re an enclave, if you’re surrounded by mountains—that might matter in how you feel different,” she says.

In her book, Vézina could have examined greatly powerful island states such as Japan, but she instead decided to look at island

communities that reside in the territories of larger states. For Vézina, those choices were Newfoundland and Puerto Rico.

“In Puerto Rico, everybody feels that they live on an island because they can see the sea no matter where they are. In Newfoundland, if you’re in the middle of the island, you … see rocks. It’s too big of an island,” she says.

“That’s important to develop unity as a social group, because Newfoundland has a small population on a big island, while Puerto Rico is a small island with a lot of people.”

Vézina notes that, after Quebec, Newfoundland has the second-highest proportion of Canadians who identify with their province before their country. She also explains that, “usually the prairies are near the bottom.”

She also notes that the U.S. attempted to assimilate the Puerto Rican population through the education system, but many on the island still speak Spanish everyday, especially outside of the larger cities.

“Puerto Ricans identify, like, 90 per cent as Puerto Ricans first, or only. That’s definitely interesting,” she says.

Using her model, Vézina found that politics was the most influential factor of those she studied in Puerto Rico.

“They had five plebiscites on their status,” she says. “But ultimately, politically, it’s the U.S. Congress that decides the fate of Puerto Rico’s status. So all of those are non-binding

LGBTQ+ Students Have Higher Student Loan Debt than Average Lisa Hedmark

KPU Professor Explores Island Identities in New Book Tristan Johnston | Contributor

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Dr. Valérie Vézina, a political science instructor at KPU, holds a copy of her new book, Une île, une nation?

(Tristan Johnston) plebiscites. But it’s interesting to see how they’re used, and the cultural component is quite high.”

Vézina adds that she still has a great deal of questions to answer about island identities.

“There’s a part of me that wants to, now that this is out, take the same model, the same tool, and apply it to more islands. That’s a work in progress for the next few years.”

A recent poll conducted by Forum Research shows that 48 per cent of LGBTQ+ students left post-secondary education with up to $10,000 in debt. This means that their debt is on average more than 15 per cent higher than the rest of the student and recent graduate population.

“It’s interesting to note that almost half (46 per cent) of respondents who are members of the LGBTQ2SIAP+ community said they left school in the 2010s, compared to only a quarter (24 per cent) of non-members,” says Gary Milakovic, an analyst with Forum Research. “It may suggest that a larger proportion of the community members that are younger haven’t had as much time to pay off their loans because they left school more recently.”

The 1,163 students who participated in the survey were randomly chosen from a selection of Canadians 16 and older who had attended a post-secondary institution.

One in five of these people took eight or more years to pay off their student debt and one in 10 will be debt-free within a year, according to Forum Research.

This poll is believed to be the first one in Canada to ask about sexual orientation in a survey on student debt, according to Isabel Teotonio of The Star. Unfortunately, many students are still ostracized for being a part of the LGBTQ+ community. This, too, can affect the debt that they accumulate.

“This is even more prevalent in cultures where being LGBTQ+ is still taboo or looked down upon, and causes higher debt from student loans or causes them to withdraw from post-secondary altogether,” says Joseph Thorpe, the Kwantlen Student Association Queer Representative. “I think this is even worse for our transgender members who suffer from barriers to employment due to discrimination.”

Finding time to balance school and work can be difficult, but being denied work due to your sexual orientation makes it even harder. Still, the survey found that LGBTQ+ students were more likely to find a second job to pay off their debt than their heterosexual counterparts.

Students currently enrolled in KPU who are struggling with debt can take advantage of workshops and scholarships offered on campus in addition to considering taking paid positions within KPU. “Understanding how to save money and budget what you have, if you work, is a great way to help reduce debt,” says Thorpe, who is also the KSA Vice President Finance and Operations. “Bursaries and scholarships are also a way to help reduce debt as you do not have to pay back the money given to you.”

Student Snapshot The Kwantlen Gaming Guild, or KGG, hosted their annual “Night Of The Gaming Dead” event on Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Surrey Campus, Oct. 23, in the Cedar Building Conference Centre.

At the event, like-minded students banded together to game in good spirits.

(Kristen Frier)

Want to make friends? Like to play video, card, board, or mind games?

Consider the KGG. (Kristen Frier)

Students sit around the light of their computer screen and bond over the shared experience.

(Kristen Frier)

These two pals are very focused on their game.

(Kristen Frier)

In a tug of war battle between KPU (left) and the KSA (right), KPU came out victorious. (Aly Laube)

FEATURE

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Redrawing B.C.'s Political Landscape The Kwantlen Student Association will be distributing information about electoral reform prior to the referendum Braden Klassen | Staff Writer

B.C. residents of legal voting age will be able to participate in a referendum to decide whether the province should keep its current electoral system or adopt a new one from Oct. 22 to Nov. 30.

The referendum will be decided via mailin ballots, which Elections BC is distributing to registered voters until Nov. 2. Starting on Nov. 3, people who are not registered can ask for a voting package by calling Elections BC, using their website, or by visiting a Referendum Service Office, which will be open across the province starting Nov. 5. Voters will have until the end of the month to complete their package and send in their ballots.

The packages will ask whether B.C. should keep its single member plurality electoral system, also known as first-past-the-post, or switch to a system of proportional representation. If the recipient votes in support of the switch to PR, they can move on to the second question, which will ask voters to rank their preference out of three styles of proportional representation: dual member, mixed member, or rural urban proportional.

“A proportional representation system in its purest form says that the percentage of the popular vote is translated into the same percentage of seats in the legislative assembly,” explains KPU political science instructor Dr. Valérie Vézina.

Educating voters about the differences between these systems and how they work is a challenge, she says, because PR voting ballots are more complicated than FPTP. “It’s not as easy as marking an X next to somebody, as we currently do in our single-member plurality system,” she adds.

To help students make informed choices, the Kwantlen Student Association is handing out educational materials on all KPU campuses during the referendum period.

“We will be letting students know that they can vote, letting them know about the three different systems, and registering students to vote,” says KSA President and VP External Caitlin McCutchen. “I hope everyone—not just students, but everyone—votes.”

The KSA itself does not have an official position on which electoral style is preferable, but McCutchen says that the majority of the KSA Council favours proportional representation over the current system. The Alliance of BC Students, an organization which McCutchen was the chair of until earlier this year, publicly endorses proportional representation.

McCutchen says that she supports PR because she believes a government that reflects a higher diversity of interests might benefit students by granting them more representation in policy making decisions. How-

KSA Indigenous Students Rep. Sarah Strachan, President and VP External Caitlin McCutchen, and VP Student Life David Piraquive.

(Braden Klassen) ever, she also admits that, when it comes to specifics, “it’s going to be hard to see until the system changes.”

So what might these changes look like?

Depending on the outcome of the referendum, one of the three proposed electoral systems could be implemented, with the details being worked out afterward by a legislative committee.

Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) Under this kind of proportional representation, British Columbians would be represented by two types of MLAs: district and regional. The district MLAs function the same way as current MLAs do, representing a politically-defined local area. Regional MLAs represent larger geographical areas that contain multiple districts. Under this system, an independent commission would re-draw the electoral boundaries between current ridings, making them larger, and would decide where to designate the regional boundaries.

Ballots would prompt voters to choose one of their preferred district candidates. Depending on the legislative committee’s decision, they may also be given an additional vote towards their preferred party. This would give voters some flexibility to be more discerning in both local and provincial politics.

For example, if a voter supports the Liberal Party’s platform, but likes their district’s Green party candidate more than the Liberal candidate, they could have the option to vote for both without having to compromise.

Once the votes are counted and district MLAs are elected, regional MLAs are chosen

based on a separate list of party candidates.

They would then be assigned to the number of seats that the party received, making it proportional to the total number of votes cast in its favor.

Scotland, New Zealand, and Germany all use a form of MMP, either nationally or on a sub-national level.

Dual Member Proportional (DMP) DMP works similarly to our current system, except that most ridings are combined with neighbouring ridings to form larger districts, and each of these new districts is represented by two MLAs instead of one.

On the ballot, people vote for their preferred party, which includes either one or two candidates. These districts have first and second seats: the first is filled with the lead candidate from the party that received the most votes in that district; the second seat is filled with either a candidate chosen to represent one of the other parties—or the lead party’s second candidate—if they did particularly well in that district.

DMP was invented in Canada, though it has not been implemented anywhere as of yet.

Rural-Urban Proportional (RUP) Under RUP, rural electoral districts use MMP and urban electoral districts use the Single Transferable Vote system, or STV. Parties can run as many candidates in a district as they wish.

Voters rank them in terms of their preference, and after the votes are tallied, the

candidates who most frequently rank first on people’s ballots are elected to a seat, as long as the amount of votes they receive passes the minimum quota.

Once the elected candidate passes the quota, all of their extra votes are transferred to the candidates that ranked next on the voters’ lists. Likewise, the candidates who are ranked first the least frequently are dropped from the race, and their votes are transferred to their voters’ next choice. This continues until all of the district’s seats are full.

The idea behind giving urban districts a different electoral system is to better reflect the range of political opinions that can exist in densely populated communities.

Even though PR is designed to make the Legislative Assembly of B.C. more representative of the popular vote, critics note that it can have a number of drawbacks.

Vézina says that, in countries that use PR systems like Belgium or Germany, the government typically works more slowly to pass laws or policies because of the increased diversity and subsequent need to compromise. This can also enable parties with extreme views to gain more representation than they would under FPTP. According to Vézina, a big challenge for those who support student representation in government is increasing voter turnout and participation, especially among younger people.

“I think it’s getting young people to vote that is important,” she says. “A lot of people say, ‘I’m interested in politics. I don’t like Trump, or I don’t like this, or I do this.’ But to make them interested in voting? That is the challenge.”

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CULTURE

Peer Support Team Hosts Pieces of Mind Conference This year’s conference examines how culture intersects with mental health Braden Klassen | Staff Writer While many factors that influence mental health—such as physical health, social life, spirituality, and work-life balance—are commonly acknowledged, rarely do we consider how our mental well-being is impacted by the ideas and values we are exposed to everyday.

This year’s Pieces of Mind mental health conference, organized by the Peer Support team and held on the KPU Surrey campus on Oct. 24, focused on this cultural impact as well as techniques for staying happy and healthy.

Peer Support, the student mental health counselling service partnership between KPU and the Kwantlen Student Association, is mostly run by student volunteers who offer one-onone counselling to other KPU students.

“It’s a super timely theme, and is really applicable to the KPU community,” says Peer Support Coordinator Jennifer Lingbaoan, who was involved with organizing this event and past Pieces of Mind conferences.

“Now more than ever, we have more international students on our campuses and our communities are increasingly more diverse,” she says. “We wanted to make sure that we had a theme that would be relevant to as much of our community as possible.”

During the first half of the day, there was a bhangra dance and a belly dance performance, and volunteers served food from different countries. Afterwards, KPU alumna Jue Wang spoke to the audience about her experiences with having an eating disorder, and KPU student and Peer Support volunteer Jonathan Lau talked about reconciling his par-

ents’ cultural stigmas with recognizing and seeking help for his depression.

“We have to acknowledge that sometimes there are barriers—even the ones we grow up with, our culture—that can make it hard to have those conversations,” says Lingbaoan.

“But there are also a lot of really good protective factors that culture can bring to the table when it comes to mental health.”

After the student-speakers made their addresses, there was a panel discussion and keynote speech. The panelists spoke about supporting others in improving their mental health while dealing with cultural barriers.

“The ideas and values that we all carry are different,” says panelist Dr. Tigerson Young, a registered psychologist and adjunct faculty member at KPU, UBC, and TRU. “I think one of the challenges we have here is that we’re not allowing this diversity of values in the community, and as a result it can be really hard to access services.”

As an example, he says that, when the former king of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyadej, passed away in 2016, the mourning period for the country lasted a year. However, in Canada, if someone close to you dies, the culture is less conducive to the mourning process. You are most likely expected to return to work after a much shorter period of time.

“Mental health is this large, broader concept that applies to all of us,” says Lingbaoan. “In the same way [that] we all have physical health, we have our mental health as well, and it needs to be cared for and it needs to be talked about.”

For the past three years, Peer Support Coordinator Jennifer Lingbaoan has been involved in organizing the Pieces of Mind Conference at KPU. (Braden Klassen)

Kissing Taboo Goodbye with Sylvia Grace Borda KPU’s inaugural artist in residence discussing the political history of the kiss Kristen Frier | Graphics Editor Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s inaugural artist in residence, Sylvia Grace Borda, spoke on Oct. 24 about an exhibition of hers entitled The Kissing Project. During the first half of the event, she provided context for attendees about how kissing appears in art.

Kissing first emerges in historical depictions as familial and non-romantic in Madonna and Child, or in “Virgin Eleousa” as pecks on the cheek from mother to son.

Gradually, it becomes more passionate and romanticized as shown through Rodin’s famous sculpture, The Kiss.

Early film also played a role in defining how kisses were viewed, as well as the average duration of kisses, the amount of “lust” able to be shown through a kiss, and the physical position of the actors.

Post-WWII, the Paris government hired photographers to help create social propaganda to “re-brand” the city as one full of joy and love. Actors were hired to kiss in the streets for photo-ops to lift spirits and encourage a baby boom to rebuild the population.

“It was really the Americans who made Paris ‘The City of Love’,” says Borda. Vogue magazine published some of these photos taken in Paris with English captions that encouraged the notion that kissing in the streets of Paris was something that people really did in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Borda says that “the kiss is never neutral,” and that the evolution of kissing always seems to hold hands with some form of social progress.

The Kissing Project examines the kiss as a political symbol. The original inspiration for her work, a modest black and white photo of two people kissing, is called Doukhobor Couple Kissing by an unknown photographer. It can be found in Touchstones Nelson Museum of Art and History located in Nelson, B.C. The photo, according to Borda, is of two Doukhobors, Russian dissenters known for radical pacifism, standing outside of the Nelson courthouse. The man and woman are cousins and the woman is about to be convicted for some kind of political activism.

This particular project has been kept within the heart of Nelson, the Kootenay town with a reputation for its rich arts and culture scene due to its history of protests and activism. It also celebrates the Doukhobor culture which thrives there.

For the project, Borda took out an ad in the local paper calling for people who want photos of them kissing. They could be kissing others, pets, objects, or whatever else they wanted. Participants explain where they want the photo to be taken, why, what, and who they want to kiss, and when they are free to meet.

Borda then takes 360-degree images of the kiss and uploads them on Google Maps. It took five years of negotiating with Google to

Sylvia Grace Borda, KPU's inaugural artist in residence. (Kristen Frier) have her images implemented as part of the map, but for now it is there—that is until Google Maps has to update its photos.

In addition to being KPU’s artist in residence until December, Borda has also been

trying to establish a “kissing trail” in Nelson for people to take selfies on.

“Screw Paris,” she says. “Nelson can be the new kissing capital!”

OPINIONS

Attend a Ceremony this Remembrance Day, 100 Years After the End of WWI Take some time to recognize those who served in the First World War Kyler Emerson A century ago, on Nov. 11, 1918 at 11:00 am, the war to end all wars came to an end. At home, the idea of fighting for one’s country was glorified, but being on the battlefield was something no one could prepare for.

In WWI, soldiers suffered from trench foot (now known as athlete's foot), a condition diagnosable by blackened skin and caused by long periods of exposure in cold water. Mustard gas was a chemical weapon used to kill soldiers by suffocating them. Many of those men were only boys—the same age, or even younger than, most university students.

So why does this history matter today?

Well, when we go on vacations for a break from our busy lives, what tracks the plane and determines when it is safe to land? Air traffic control was invented in WWI so pilots were not totally alone as they flew out to battle.

During WWI, absorbent sanitary pads were invented, and primarily used as surgical dressings, until nurses realized that women could use them as a menstrual product.

I'm not saying that every time you go on a plane you should remember the horrors that people went through which, eventually, guaranteed the safety of air traffic. I'm not saying that every time a woman's period comes around they need to think of WWI and the soldiers who fought in it. I'm giving this brief history lesson to remind us that everything we use today, even small things we take for granted like aircraft technology and pads, exist as a result of world history. It is

easy to forget this, just as it is easy to forget the sacrifices that soldiers made to ensure our country's future.

This year, especially because it has been 100 years since the First World War ended, do something different in honour of those men and women. If you do not usually attend a ceremony on Remembrance Day, get up that Saturday morning and attend one.

If you attend a ceremony, thank a veteran for their sacrifice and shake their hand. If they want to share their story, then take the time to listen, but respect that many do not want to relive that time in their lives. Acknowledge that they risked their lives for us and carry that memory with you to pass on so that the men and women who suffered or passed away in wartime are not forgotten.

It is not easy to do this, but they deserve recognition for their service.

I haven’t always attended ceremonies.

Although I watched the one in Vancouver and gave my moment of silence at 11:00 am, it was not until three years ago, when I met my partner—who feels strongly about Remembrance Day—that I started attending the one in Fort Langley every year.

Only now, after attending a ceremony in person, can I grasp the importance of remembering. During that moment of silence in the cemetery, there are no distractions or comforts of home. I can only think of the people who gave their lives so I could be there. I will not miss a ceremony again.

This year I will make sure to thank a veteran. Let them be remembered and honoured.

(Nic Laube)

Although recreational cannabis use is legal now, you still aren’t allowed to smoke on school grounds

Canada is the second country after Uruguay to legalize marijuana for both medical and recreational use. Medicinal marijuana was legalized in Canada in 2001, but now, thanks to the 2018 Cannabis Act, every adult citizen here can take part in purchasing the green leaf.

Gabriel Bélanger, a professor for Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Cannabis Professional Series and the operations manager at Benchmark Botanicals, says that legalization is “a great step forward,” but adds that “there is still a lot to be done.”

“The current regulation is still imperfect,” says Bélanger. “For example, concentrates and edibles are still illegal. The regulations in different provinces are very different and it can be really confusing. Even if cannabis is legal, many things are still illegal.”

Steven Sun, a KPU student enrolled in KPU’s Cannabis Professional Series, reminds students that they shouldn’t use the substance before coming to class because he doubts that they “will be able to focus or study due to the psychoactive ingredients in marijuana, the main one being THC.” By contrast, Cannabidiol or CBD—another naturally occurring chemical in cannabis— should be fine for consumption before class.

“CBD is a non-psychoactive component

of marijuana, and students could potentially benefit from taking it if they are suffering from symptoms such as stress and physical pain,” he says. “CBD comes in many forms, capsules being the easiest to consume.”

As per KPU’s recent smoking policy, using marijuana on school grounds, just like smoking cigarettes, will not be permitted. Off campus, students may smoke marijuana wherever smoking cigarettes is allowed. There are also lounges around Metro Vancouver which allow you to smoke for a few dollars per hour in a facility with munchies available for purchase.

The government of Canada will be taxing marijuana at $1 per gram, meaning that buying cannabis legally will be much more expensive than buying it from non-governmental vendors. The taxes collected from marijuana will benefit the Canadian economy, though will not likely obliterate the black market any time soon.

Landlords have less power over tenants who use cannabis under the new act. Tenants may not be evicted due to marijuana consumption, as consumption on your property—just like cigarettes—is legal. Students should always be aware of their rights and legalities before consuming marijuana, no matter the circumstance.

In terms of how the government will be approaching legalization, it will still be treated as an intoxicating substance, and users will

B.C. Should Be More Ambitious in Tackling Poverty Lincoln Saugstad | Contributor

Run-Down: What Legalization Means for You Lisa Hedmark

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KPU student Steven Sun displays his textbook from the Cannabis Professional Series. (Lisa Hedmark) not be permitted to drive or operate machinery while under its influence. It is legal to carry up to one ounce, or 28.35 grams, of cannabis in B.C. Still, it’s important to know that possessing, growing, or transporting more than the legal amount could get you fined or land you up to 14 years in prison.

Whether you’re getting ready to smoke up for the first time or you’re a seasoned stoner, don’t drive high, go slow and start low, and stay safe out there.

At the beginning of October, the provincial government tabled legislation that is intended to reduce child poverty by 50 per cent and overall poverty by 25 per cent within the next five years.

Although these targets are bold, they could stand to be more ambitious.

B.C. currently has the second highest rate of overall poverty among all provinces in Canada and the highest rate of poverty among children. It also has one of the highest rates of income inequality in the country, meaning that there is still a lot the government can do to address these issues.

The B.C. Poverty Reduction Coalition, an umbrella group representing a number of organizations fighting poverty and income inequality across the province, has been one of the driving forces behind putting these targets in place. Under the Liberal government, the coalition fought hard on a variety of initiatives, including increasing the minimum wage and creating a poverty reduction strategy.

Their requests, however, were often unmet or significantly watered down.

Today, B.C. is still the only province without a provincially mandated poverty reduction plan.

Although the new legislation does not yet state how the government is to meet its targets, it is already clear that the current government has done a lot more to reduce poverty than their predecessors.

Some of these initiatives include getting rid of MSP premiums, increasing the minimum wage, and reducing the cost of childcare. The Green caucus has also pushed for looking into basic income as an alternative to reducing income inequality, as well as addressing the issue of liveable wages with the new Fair Wages Commission.

Although the government would ideally set targets that completely eradicate poverty, the existing ones will still result in a lower cost and greater quality of life for a large number of people.

With the newly-introduced goals, B.C. has become the first province to have poverty reduction built into its legislation. This means that it will be mandatory, by law, to reduce poverty, and that will still hold true for successive governments. This could set an example for other provinces also wanting to implement greater levels of commitment in their poverty reduction plans.

Although the government has not released an official strategy, it has held public consultations across the province, receiving input from 885 individuals on better ways to reduce and meaningfully address income inequality.

The new legislation requires the government to have a poverty reduction strategy in place by the end of March 2019, at which point it will become possible to tell what the strengths in their plan are and which improvements can be made for them to successfully meet their targets.

10 OPINIONS

KPU Students Could Benefit from Filmmaking Courses Andre Gress British Columbia has quickly grown into an ideal site for the ever-expanding film industry. BCIT, Capilano University, the Art Institute of Canada, Emily Carr, In Focus Film School, Langara College, and Vancouver Film School all already offer programs in this field.

Although Kwantlen Polytechnic University doesn’t currently offer any filmmaking courses, students here and in the surrounding areas could certainly benefit from taking them. Right now there are a few film theory classes at KPU, but the nearest school to offer a course in film production is BCIT. That’s a long way off if you live south of the Fraser.

One of the benefits of having a film program—or at least a few practical courses in camera operating, acting, directing, or editing—is that it would provide students with skills useful for working within a variety of businesses and professions. Many companies use videos as a form of advertizing or community outreach, and if a student starting their own business already possessed the skills necessary to create a video ad, they would be able to save a significant amount of money by doing the work themselves.

It is critical for young people to adapt to new technologies and evolving ways of getting messages out to the public, and that’s more true for this generation than any that came before. A filmmaking course would not only give students skills in video production, it would also teach them about branding, messaging, and connecting with external communities.

Oftentimes, acting and directing go hand-in-hand. Acting requires confidence, public speaking, and patience. By being in front of a camera, actors learn to carry themselves naturally, to show different aspects of their personality, and to look and sound professional. A director, in turn, learns how to convey a message to their audience, and how to get the most out of a project that they’re working on. Students can take these skills with them to job interviews, marketing campaigns, and careers that focus on team management in addition to potentially pursuing work in film.

While I think there would be undeniable benefit to offering a filmmaking program here, everything costs money and every business has a budget. In order help generate funding and excitement for a KPUbased filmmaking program, the university could partner with a production company as it has with several corporations for its cannabis career training programs.

In short, either a few courses or a full program in filmmaking would benefit both the school and the students. KPU could communicate with the instructors about establishing community-based assignments, and students could acquire skills that would give them a financial and professional advantage.

Reach Out to Your Campus Community

Taking initiative can be rewarding for students who want to get the most of their university experience Amanda Smith-Weston

My journey to engaging with KPU’s on-campus community was not an easy one. I was filled with anxiety about meeting new people and always worried about how I would look to others if I reached out.

Would they accept me? Would someone tell me that I didn’t belong there? Maybe it was better if I just kept my head down, went to class, and then back home.

I had family and work responsibilities and figured that I just didn’t have the time for extracurriculars. I knew that I wanted more out of my education, and I knew that I wasn’t the only one to feel that way, but I wasn’t sure how to get more engaged at KPU. I started out slowly, by attending the events held in the courtyard on the Surrey campus.

Always full of students coming and going from class, these events were a great opportunity to get involved without committing to a specific group or timeframe.

The Kwantlen Student Association and its clubs regularly provide food, access to volunteer opportunities, and activities to students, especially during Welcome Week. I would take flyers and sign up for email blasts at events like this to stay in touch with what was going on.

From there, I began to recognize faces.

Other students started to recognize me. I read

message boards for on-campus activities that took place between my morning and evening classes. I was already on campus and had paid for parking, so I started attending free lectures from guest speakers that gave me extra credit for class. I was able to use these lectures in my own presentations and essays, allowing me to conduct research in a way that was more meaningful to me.

University engagement is important for your resume, scholarship or grad school applications, mental health, and sense of belonging. You can use the experience of joining a club or a team, participating in field school, or actively working to improve student life in other aspects of your life as well.

It was important for me to find out where I fit in and to help others who were struggling to find their place. I noticed that I wasn’t the only one who had difficulty navigating some of KPU’s systems or didn’t know where to go to get help. Engaging with others allowed me to not only learn where to go for support, but also to pass that information on to the other students I met.

Most academic circles are small. The professionals you are quoting in your essays may one day be your peers, so start interacting with them now by volunteering and speaking at conferences or working in your department as an assistant. Someone that you meet there

A student examines a school bulletin board in the Cedar building. (Kristen Frier) could help you get a job, be your reference, or point you in the right direction for your research. You never know who you will meet, so show up and be kind!

Getting more involved on campus helped me build a solid network that I still use to this day. I know that networking and engagement can seem overwhelming, so start out where you are comfortable and go from there. It really can make for a better university experience and set you up for success after you graduate.

They’re Sexy, They’re Sweet—But They’re Also Your Instructor KPU doesn’t technically ban student-instructor relationships, but if you’re catching feelings for faculty there are some things to keep in mind Kayci Roy | Contributor Most students have been attracted to a teacher at some point in their lives, but relationships between the two have been a controversial topic for a long time.

In most of Canada, student-instructor relationships are not banned, but the age of consent does prohibit younger students from being involved in romantic or sexual relationships with their teachers. Most university students are 18 or older, so there is still debate about the morality of sexual relationships between teachers and their students in post-secondary school.

Some universities are taking a stand against this by introducing new sexual assault policies that prohibit student-instructor relationships. Université Laval in Ontario did just that, and the entire province is now requiring every school to create and put sexual violence policies in effect by Sept. 2019.

At the University of British Columbia, a former student issued an open letter calling on the university to “enact a policy that better addresses the inherent risks of sexual misconduct when faculty engage in sex with students.” This student’s lawyer wrote the letter after she accused the chairman of the creative writing program, Steven Galloway, of sexual misconduct. This was later investigated and he was fired.

Currently, Kwantlen Polytechnic University doesn’t have any policies specifically banning student-instructor relationships, but there are policies preventing instruc-

(Leah Rosehill) tors from participating in any behaviors that could be deemed a conflict of interest.

Anything that would put specific students at an academic advantage—for instance, having personal ties to your teacher outside of class—would qualify as such.

Other students may also start asking questions whether students dating their instructors receive special treatment; a higher grade than average, lack of discipline for bad behavior, and being overly friendly or flirting, for example. Relationships in an educational or professional environment can be distracting for others around them. The student’s relationships with other classmates and the instructor’s reputation could easily be damaged if rumors begin to spread.

Instructors should be aware of how their status can impact their interactions with their student partners. Instructors who fail to realize that power imbalances are common with these types of relationships could be exploitative without realizing it. For this reason, undergraduate and younger students in general should avoid dating their instructors.

If you’re developing feelings for an instructor as a graduate student or someone who is enrolled at the same institution but doesn’t take their class, remember that they’re there to do their job. It’s a different story for alumni, but on campus, your relationship with your instructor should stay friendly, but professional.

COLUMNS

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Artist Spotlight: Mind Offline

Childhood friends and two brothers came together to form this emerging group Aly Laube | Editor in Chief A classical guitar major, a jazzy singer-songwriter, and two twins with a shared passion for Latin music are the members of Mind Offline, a local group that made it into the Roxy launch project this year.

That project, which will see five finalists face off on Nov. 8, ends with a cash prize and bragging rights being awarded to the victor.

While there are usually four groups in the last round, this year’s event will include five, with Mind Offline on the bill after spending only one year together as a band.

“We were not expecting that at all and we’re super stoked to be a part of that,” says vocalist Derya Gwynneth. “Normally it’s only top four, but they were like, ‘There are too many good bands this year. We have to make it top five.’

It was super, super cool to get that message.”

Julian and Joaquin Borderas play drums and bass, respectively, and Gabriel Diaz plays guitar in Mind Offline. Diaz is a classical guitar major at Douglas and both of the Borderas boys have studied music in their own areas of interest over the years. Gwynneth, who is currently studying environmental sciences at Langara, is a longtime poet who writes the lyrics for the band. She and Diaz have been playing music together for eight years.

“I think the reason why we sound different from other bands is that we didn’t really start playing music based on music that we mutually liked,” says Julian. “We get a little bit of jazz from Gabe and then a Latin side for the percussion from us, the twins, and then we get soulful, grand vocals from Derya. I think

Twins Joaquin and Julian Borderas and old friends Derya Gwynneth and Gabriel Diaz are the members of Mind Offline. (Submitted) that’s kind of what gives it a different vibe compared to other bands. We don’t really sound like Mac Demarco. That’s kind of what shapes everything.”

On working with his brother, Joaquin adds, “Since seventh grade we’ve been on and off with musical projects. It’s probably the fourth band we’ve been in, so we already have a decent amount of experience. With how long Gabe and Derya have been working together, it’s almost a coalition of two different songwriting groups into one, so it’s interesting.”

Before their place in the Roxy launch proj-

ect had been confirmed, the group’s most significant milestone was performing alongside Los Angeles rock group Cherry Glazerr at Van Pop Fest. Historically most likely to be seen playing at Stylus Records, Mind Offline is planning on branching out into other scenes in the near future, and is playing a mid-November show in Gibsons on the Sunshine Coast. Their next local show will be at Red Gate Arts Society on Nov. 30 with Club Sofa and Kai Bravewood.

Still, live performances will be taking a backseat as they record their next EP, which is being

laid down at Nimbus and will be preceded by the release of a series of singles. With this fivetrack record, the group plans to “put their best foot forward” according to Gwynneth, with “bright songs” and “dance-y tunes.”

“The EP is more of our chill stuff. We have a couple of songs we’ve been writing recently which are more grunge and a little bit louder, more rock kind of stuff, but the EP is softer,” she says. “People will dance to it. It’s not our hardest stuff or our softest stuff either. We’re trying to fit in our favorite songs, basically.”

Afterthought: McCallum Promises Big Changes for Surrey

The mayor-elect faces an uphill battle to reform the Surrey police and replace the LRT with a SkyTrain Braden Klassen | Staff Writer Doug McCallum, Surrey’s newly elected mayor, has a lot of work to do.

First, there’s the task of reforming the police. Over the last two years, community advocates have been supporting the notion of converting Surrey’s RCMP police force into a municipal force. This would take the responsibility out of the hands of the federal organization, whose detachment in Surrey is the largest in Canada, consisting of over 1,000 officers, workers, and volunteers.

McCallum’s platform indicates that he believes the benefits of a municipal police force in Surrey would outweigh the costs. It would allow the city to designate a police chief and have control over who is hired into the force— ostensibly making it easier to add and retain officers with more developed knowledge of the local community. The city also would not have to share funding with other RCMP-contracted cities like Burnaby and Langley.

But this works both ways. Cutting off Surrey’s access to RCMP funding means that a larger portion of the funding will have to come from within the municipality, and the benefits of being able to coordinate with the RCMP detachments outside the city could be lost.

The practicality of actually accomplishing this feat is also questionable.

Surrey’s 20-year Municipal Police Unit

Agreement is set to expire in 2032, and the opt-out provision takes two years to come into effect. This means that, even if McCallum began the process right now, he would already be halfway through his term by the time the ball really got rolling on the project.

The hope is that the changeover would address what many see as a shortage of resources and officers in Surrey’s police force.

Current Surrey RCMP officers would likely be given the option of switching over to the municipal force, so it’s not like the entire force would be replaced, though it’s not yet known how much money and time would be needed to train additional officers.

Also, unless the city creates a comprehensive “safety plan” for this transition, they won’t be able to secure funding from the provincial or federal governments, leaving Surrey to pay for everything.

As arduous as this undertaking might be, accomplishing it still seems easier than fulfilling McCallum’s other big promise: scrapping the LRT project and extending the SkyTrain from King George to Langley, and afterwards, to Newton.

The previous municipal government all but guaranteed that the construction of the LRT would be carried out. They spent years surveying, strategizing, and consulting within the city and securing support and funding from TransLink and provincial and federal

Doug McCallum, the once and future Mayor of Surrey. (Surrey.ca) governments. TransLink says that $50-million has already been effectively spent on the project to date.

They also garnered support from the TransLink Mayors’ Council, which appoints members to the Board of Directors and has the power to vote to approve or reject regional transit plans. It is within this political arena that McCallum will have to contend with the mayors from the other municipali-

ties across the metro Vancouver area—a few of whom are already committed to opposing the SkyTrain expansion—in order to see this plan come to fruition.

McCallum has repeatedly said that both of these issues will be brought forward at the first council meeting of the term on Nov. 19, so stay tuned if you’re interested to see how the new mayor plans to work toward creating these huge changes over the next four years.