APRIL 10, 2018 VOLUME 10, ISSUE 14 KPU’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER
KPIRG Sues Founder for Fraud Details on the Hossein lawsuit were revealed following the research group's annual general meeting
NEWS
Board of Governors Raises International Tuition by 15 Per Cent
page 4
CULTURE
KPU Music Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary
OPINION page 15
Canada’s Senate is Nothing but Dead Weight
page 17
2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
STAFF 04
NEWS | Board of Governors Raises International Tuition by 15 Per Cent
The decision has been met with anger by international students, and representatives in the Kwantlen Student Association have expressed concern about a perceived lack of notice and consultation with KPU students.
Editor in Chief
Aly Laube editor@runnermag.ca
Managing Editor
Connor Doyle managing@runnermag.ca
Production Manager
Melanie Tan production@runnermag.ca
Art Director
08
FEATURES | KPIRG Sues Founder and Former Employee for Fraud
According to a notice of civil claim filed in the Supreme Court of British Columbia on March 23, the Kwantlen Public Interest Research Group is suing one of its founders and former administrative coordinator, Richard Hossein, for fraud.
15
CULTURE | KPU Music Celebrates 25th Anniversary
“These music students can just blow your mind with what they’re doing, not just in a narrow field of being a performer, but how they’ve used these talents and branched out into so many different areas,” says the chair of the music department, Jane Hayes.
Nicola Kwit art@runnermag.ca
Photo Editor
Braden Klassen photos@runnermag.ca
17
OPINIONS | Canada’s Senate is Nothing but Dead Weight
The Senate is designed to be a chamber of “sober second thought.” Unfortunately, when I was watching CBC on March 22, as time began running out, all I could think about was how I could probably do a better job while I’m high on Purple Kush.
Staff Writer
Joseph Keller staff@runnermag.ca
Hashtag KPU Web Editor
Post on Twitter or Instagram about or around KPU and you could be featured!
Mel Pomerleau web@runnermag.ca
Community Reporter
Ashley Hyshka community@runnermag.ca
Operations Manager Scott Boux office@runnermag.ca 778-565-3801
CONTRIBUTORS Tristan Johnston @RESLUS Lincoln Saugstad
COVER BY Tristan Johnston
Arbutus 3710/3720 12666 72 Ave. Surrey, B.C, V3W 2M8 778-565-3801 www.runnermag.ca Vol. 10, Issue no. 14 April 10 // 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 recognises 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
Why the Pope won’t apologize for residential schools
(Nicola Kwit)
Aly Laube | Editor in Chief Many were shocked to hear that Pope Francis—widely celebrated as one of history’s most progressive pontiffs—refused to apologize to victims of Canadian residential schools when asked to do so by Justin Trudeau on behalf of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Little explanation for this decision was offered to the public despite the debate that now enshrouds it. According to Bishop Lionel Gendron, president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Pope carefully considered the request, and discussed it with the Catholic Bishops of Canada, before figuring that “he could not personally respond.” National Chief Perry Bellegarde of the Assembly of First Nations has personally written to the Pope to invite him to Canada for a meeting with Indigenous people here. So far, the Pope hasn’t responded, and while it
can be safely assumed that he won’t be knocking down our door anytime soon, there’s no better time than the present to evaluate the implications of this curious move by the Catholic Church. It is curious because, in recent years, the church hasn’t shied away from apologizing for similar wrongdoings it was involved in. In 2010, Pope Benedict offered an apology to Irish victims of sexual abuse perpetrated by members of the church, and in 2015, Pope Francis himself apologized to Indigenous Americans for the harm caused by its part in colonialism. Even stranger is that, of all things, the Pope refuses to say sorry for Canada’s residential schools, two-thirds of which were actively operated and overseen by the Catholic Church at the time. That’s about 85 schools designed to assimilate Indigenous children at whatever cost. That cost, as proven by countless records
and first-hand accounts, was the unspeakable abuse of those children. Without any solid reason for Francis’ refusal to apologize, it’s nearly impossible not to wonder why the church won’t accept responsibility. If he feels he cannot atone for an effort he did not individually partake in, why apologize for the victims of colonialism in the United States? As the head of a faith rooted so firmly in tradition, it seems illogical for the Pope to separate himself from history and his church’s place in it. Canada, as a nation, provided a direct apology for residential schools in 2008. The Truth and Reconciliation Committee was born out of this effort to stand in solidarity with the First Nations of Canada, and while progress has still been slow on matters like the Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, these apologies do have significance for the communities to which they are addressed. Chief Perry Bellegarde told Global News that “hearing an apology directly from Pope Francis would be an important act of healing and reconciliation, much like his apology delivered to the Indigenous peoples of the Americas in 2015.” The sadness in this story is that, according to those in power—and Forbes lists Pope Francis as the fifth most powerful person in the world—the simple gesture of saying “I’m sorry” is too much effort, or humiliation, to bear. All while Indigenous Canadians have spent decades struggling to recover from the intergenerational trauma thrust upon them by colonial powers, one of which remains the ever-rich and ever-influential Catholic Church.
Voices of Muslim Women to be Heard in Surrey
NEWS BRIEF
Aly Laube | Editor in Chief
The first-ever awards gala dedicated to recognizing the achievements of Muslim women in the Lower Mainland will be taking place at the Bell Performing Arts Centre on April 22. Founder of Voices of Muslim Women and digital storytelling instructor at KPU, Aisha Amijee, has organized the gala. While the event is the first of its kind, it is set to be the signature recurring event for Voices of Muslim Women. Throughout the evening, short films by Muslim women and girls will be screened, awards will be given out, and there will be live entertainment for attendees to enjoy. The hosts chosen for the gala are Canada Research Chair and UBC professor Dr. Ayesha Chaudhry and Little Mosque on the Prairie actress Aliza Vellani. Amijee was nominated for a Muslim Achievement Award in 2016, and although she didn’t win, she says that the event inspired her to create something similar in British Columbia. With the help of KPU Dean of Arts Diane Purvey and journalism instructor Katie Warfield, amongst others, she has succeeded in that goal. “Most of my professional work has been in bringing marginalized voices to the table in
the academic world,” she says. “It was time to bring that theory in action and lead by realizing a platform that celebrated Muslim feminine excellence right here in B.C.” Amijee and her colleagues held a similar event last year, when they gave out five awards following a film festival that highlighted the works of Muslim women and girls. “There was a contagious energy and momentum built up from the KPU event and it led to a number of young Muslim women in Vancouver reaching out to ask me how we could make the platform larger,” says Amijee. “Hence, in October 2017, we organized ourselves and formed an official non-profit called Voices of Muslim Women.” According to Amijee, the films that will be screened revolve around subjects such as identity construction and sexual violence against women and children. There are eight categories of awards that women, with professions in fields ranging from business to athletics, have been nominated for. Tickets for the gala—priced at $30.00 for students and $40.00 for non-students—can be purchased online. Voices of Muslim Women is looking for volunteers who will be able to attend free of charge.
3
WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS MONTH
APRIL 10 PIPE UP MEETING
The PIPE UP Network has worked to halt the Kinder Morgan Pipeline for years. Now they’re looking for more citizens in Surrey to join them and help them plan their future initiatives. 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm, City Centre Library, free.
APRIL 13 VAISAKHI EVENT
Vaisakhi is a cultural, religious, and historical celebration for Sikh and Hindu people around the world. It actually takes place on the 14th, but there are tentative plans from the KSA to hold an event the day before. All day, Surrey campus, free.
APRIL 13 BFA GRAD SHOW
A cohort of students graduating from KPU’s Bachelor of Fine Arts program are holding an opening gala for an exhibition of their work. Stop by to find out what KPU’s finest artists have to offer. 7:00 pm - 11:00 pm, Hill’s Native Art Gallery, free.
APRIL 18
GREEN WEDNESDAYS FINALE
After 10 years of screening films that provoke thought and action on how we can contribute to the sustainability of the earth’s resources, the final showing for Green Wednesday will be Plastic Paradise: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch. 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm, Langley auditorium, free.
APRIL 20 TULIP FESTIVAL
KPU International is taking a trip to Abbotsford for the annual Tulip Festival. Join them for a day of serenity and stunning photo opportunities. There will be return buses to the Richmond and Surrey campuses. 10:00 am - 4:00 pm, 36737 North Parallel Road, $5.
APRIL 21 JUG ISLAND HIKE
Active KSA wants you to take a hike—to a tiny, gorgeous island located just off the northern tip of Belcarra Regional Park. This is a “beginner-intermediate” hike that will offer a view of some beautiful scenery. 11:00 am - 2:00 pm, Belcarra Regional Park, free.
4
NEWS
KPU Board of Governors Votes to Raise International Tuition by 15 Per Cent The decision was met with anger by international students and KSA representatives Joseph Keller | Staff Writer Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Board of Governors has voted to approve a 15 per cent increase to the price of tuition for incoming international students. University President Alan Davis says that the price increase is a necessary measure to maintain the university’s quality of service to international students. However, the decision has been met with anger by international students, and representatives in the Kwantlen Student Association have expressed concern about a perceived lack of notice and consultation with KPU students. As written on the university’s website, Canadian Citizens or Permanent Residents pay $139.00 per credit for most undergraduate and preparatory courses, with the price varying from program-to-program. For any program admitting international students, the price per credit is $572.20—over four times more. The vote to increase international student tuition by a further 15 per cent took place at a Board of Governors meeting on March 28. The open portion of the meeting was attended by be several concerned students and faculty members. Kwantlen Student Association President Tanvir Singh spoke before the vote to express concern about the cost increase and to ask what kind of consultation was done with students before the decision. Members of the board acknowledged that students were not involved in this process. “Myself and a lot of international students in the room were absolutely blindsided by fact that the Board of Governors was discussing a 15 per cent increase in international student tuition,” says Singh. “One of the things that was a little disappointing was that the only way for us to have known about this was to take a look at the Board of Governors agenda, and that’s not the appropriate place for students to hear about increases in tution.” According to Davis, who sits on the Board of Governors, the increase in fees is a matter of financial necessity.
He points out that the province does not provide a grant to the university for international seats, and that the grant for domestic students has remained flat for years despite institutional growth and cost increases. “It’s just a simple numbers issue,” says Davis. “When you look at what it’s going to take to support the international students that we already have and predict we will have … and in order to be able to meet the priorities that we already have for our budget for the university … we have to raise the fees.” He further explains that domestic tuition will be raised by two per cent this year as well, as it has annually for the past several years. “[Raising tuition is] the only way we can generate the revenue that we need to run the university, meet our obligations, and meet our strategic priorities,” says Davis. As has been the case for universities across the country, 2017 saw a massive increase in international student enrolment at KPU. A talking point during the Board of Governors meeting was that, as the number of international students has increased, many of them have been taking fewer classes per semester, lowering the net revenue the university gets from international seats. The reason that international students at KPU have been taking fewer classes is partially due to classes filling up and students not getting into the courses that they need. Davis says this means that the university needs to hire more instructors to offer more classes. “We kind of got caught by surprise by the large increase this year and we were not prepared to meet that demand in a better way. We want to be able to do that,” he says. “If we don’t raise the fees, there’s a danger that we won’t be able to provide the quality service that we want to provide and we’re going to start going into a deficit.” According to Davis, international students require more complex and diverse services than domestic students. Academic advisement is often more complex in international situations, and the international office provides a range of necessary services
The KPU International Students' office, located in the Cedar Building on Surrey Campus. (Braden Klassen) to students as they cope with and settle into their new surroundings. By Singh’s calculations, the increase could mean that international students will be paying about $100 more per credit than they already are. He believes that this decision could cause some international students to be unable to complete their studies and could cause others to second guess their decision to attend KPU. “There’s this myth in higher education that international students come here with pockets full of cash and they’re able to sustain
KPU President Alan Davis pictured in front of the KPU Surrey Campus Main building. (KPU Media and Communications)
themselves here and live lavish lifestyles and really be able to afford tuition no matter how expensive it is,” says Singh. “But the truth of the matter is that a lot of these students really have to make ends meet to be able to come out to Canada and access education.” Singh is disappointed that the student body wasn’t actively informed of the decision. Historically, the university has let the KSA know in advance about decisions that will affect students. In this case, KSA councilors only found out about the impending vote when the agenda for the board meeting was posted a week before it was held. Davis says he is surprised that the KSA didn’t know more about the increase earlier and says he will “circle back to find out why that notification wasn’t given.” He says that he suspects wires were crossed between the university administration and the student association somewhere in the communication process. The international students office was well aware of the decision, he says. The Kwantlen Student Association put out a press release on April 5 in protest of the Board of Governors’ decision to raise international tuition. “The Kwantlen Student Association (KSA) is disappointed with the recent decision by the Board of Governors to increase international student tuition by 15%. The decision was made abruptly, without consulting or notifying students. Both student representatives on the Board of Governors voted against the decision,” the release reads.
NEWS
5
New KSA Executive Team Elected
Caitlin McCutchen was re-elected VP External and replaces Tanvir Singh as KSA President Joseph Keller | Staff Writer It’s the start of a new era at the Kwantlen Student Association. A freshly-elected executive team took the reigns at the start of April and will be leading the KSA for the next yearlong term. The association’s Womens Representative and Vice President External Caitlin McCutchen is succeeding Tanvir Singh as KSA President. Arts Representative David Piraquive is taking over for Jay Reedy as Vice President Student Life, while Queer Representative Joseph Thorpe takes Rawan Ramini’s place as Vice President Finance. Finally, former Arts Representative Murdoch de Mooy follows Singh as Vice President University Affairs. Members of the KSA executive team are the leaders and faces of the Kwantlen Student Association. KSA Council is made of candidates chosen via a university-wide student election in February. The Council then elects the four members of the executive team who hold a meeting to appoint a new president from amongst themselves. Interestingly, de Mooy was elected to an executive position by Council despite not being reelected by the student body as an Arts Representative in the February election. De Mooy still holds a position on Council, however, as a student representative on KPU’s Senate. This arrangement, while unusual, is not without precedent, as previous student senators in 2011 and 2013 have also served on the executive committee while not holding Council positions. As VP University Affairs, de Mooy wants to bring more transparency to the KSA and to KPU. He says that he wants students to be more aware of how the university and student
association work behind the scenes. To that end, de Mooy’s first few days as an executive have been dedicated to setting up meetings with university administration and faculty. “I want to be able to try and make it so that people know how things are done. For example, how many students really know how class registration dates are selected and determined?” says de Mooy. “That’s just one of the small examples. We can help relay things and make sure students know what the university’s doing.” McCutchen is the only member of the team that is returning to her position as Vice President. Her plans for the coming term include getting started on negotiations relating to student health, student dental plans, and the upcoming tri-annual KSA Upass referendum. She also plans to be heavily involved in the university’s early planning for student residences now that the province has pledged
funds for on-campus student housing. McCutchen has been passionate about advocating for this in her various roles in the KSA and the Alliance of BC Students. McCutchen says that her biggest challenge in stepping into the role of President is how different it will be compared to her role as VP External. In that position, McCutchen became familiar with looking outward from the KSA at its relations with other groups, while being the President is more focused on the internal systems of the KSA. This should be a smooth transition for the new President, however, as her experience as a councilor gives her an institutional background with the association. “It’s really exciting, but also kind of challenging because it’s definitely wearing two hats that are quite opposite,” says McCutchen. “I’m looking forward to representing KPU students on a different level and being more internally involved this year.”
As VP Finance, Thorpe says that he’s most looking forward to creating new awards to offer students, particularly aimed at minority groups that don’t yet have dedicated awards. He is also interested in creating new initiatives to give students financial support, such as emergency funding, and planning the construction of the KSA’s future student union building. Thorpe has spent his first few days as VP Finance familiarizing himself with the budget and learning the KSA’s computer and internal systems. He says that the outgoing VP Finance, Rawan Ramini, has been there every step of the way to guide him in this process. Piraquive says that he wants to use his position as VP Student Life to help students at KPU become more engaged with on-campus culture. He wants students to be more aware of the services that the KSA offers, adding that, under his tenure, events will be happening more frequently on campus.
From left: VP University Affairs Murdoch de Mooy, VP Student Life David Piraquive, President and VP External Caitlin McCutchen, and VP Finance & Operations Joseph Thorpe. (Joseph Keller)
Celebrating the Ninth International Transgender Day of Visibility
Local advocates say the event is important to both acknowledge trans people and show community support Ashley Hyshka | Community Reporter Members of the trans community recently marked the ninth annual International Transgender Day of Visibility. Celebrated on March 31, the day encourages people to recognize the lives of transgender people and speak up about discrimination still endured by the community. For Morgane Oger, executive director of the Morgane Oger Foundation and a vice-president of the B.C. NDP, the day is both “multifaceted” and “two faced.” She explains that one of its purposes is to show others that transgender people have the right to live their lives without fear. “It’s to give hope and to give strength to members of our community who may not see a positive future in their lives because they’re transgender,” she says. In addition, Oger says that it’s to show the non-transgender community how many trans people there are, and that decision makers and policy makers must acknowledge their presence in society. “It’s a bad idea to actively discriminate or advocate for our discrimination because we’re around you,” she adds. Kwantlen Student Association Queer Rep-
resentative Joseph Thorpe says the day is also significant as it sheds light on a marginalized community and calls for allyship and support. While neither Oger nor Thorpe have specific events planned for this year’s International Transgender Day of Visibility, they are busy brainstorming for future campaigns. As part of her work with the Morgane Oger Foundation, Oger says that she will be “advocating for the respect of the rights of students everywhere in Canada in accordance with the law.” Whether the issue is a coworker who espouses hate speech or an individual who commits a violent hate crime, Oger says she is trying to encourage taking legal recourse against people who violate Canadian law through targeting specific demographics. “I’m not advocating for anything new. I’m simply advocating for the law [to be] obeyed,” she says. “One has freedom of belief, but one doesn’t have any right to stop a protected class from being protected.” Thorpe says the KSA did not plan an event for the International Trans Day of Visibility as it occurred during the Easter long weekend, but he hopes to hold one in the future. He feels that it’s important for KPU to “really showcase our willingness to be inclusive and create a positive environment on cam-
Morgane Oger, transgender rights advocate and executive director for the Morgane Oger Foundation. (Submitted) pus.” During this year’s Pride Week, Thorpe wants to organize more awareness-based events for students. “If you see that your school is inclusive, you’re more willing to feel comfortable on campus, and I think that’s so important and I think we need to work towards doing those steps,” he says. Both Thorpe and Oger assert that being an activist isn’t the only way to show support for
the trans community. Oger says that people should look at social issues with a critical lens and urge others to speak out against hatred and discrimination. Thorpe reminds non-transgender people to educate themselves about what it means to be trans in Canada. “Open your hearts,” says Oger. “Open your minds. Look for the positive instead of only looking for the negatives, and stay away from damaging stereotypes that hurt everybody.”
6
NEWS
KSA Fails to Meet Quorum Necessary to Change Bylaws at 2018 AGM The association plans to hold another meeting in September to try again Joseph Keller | Staff Writer Despite making a significant effort to draw in students, the Kwantlen Student Association did not reach the quorum of 200 student voters necessary to update the association’s bylaws at its annual general meeting on March 27. “I think this is a lesson to the KSA that we need all hands on deck and we need better strategies,” says KSA President Tanvir Singh. “We need better ways to leverage the students that we have.” The meeting was held in the Surrey conference centre and was accessible through a teleconference on each of the other KPU campuses. The KSA worked hard to increase their chances of reaching quorum for this meeting. Singh says that the strategy they employed was to engage international students in particular, due to the recent surge in international enrolment at KPU. To that end, the KSA held a turban-tying contest in the Surrey courtyard before the meeting, as well as a bhangra performance in the conference centre immediately prior to the start of the AGM. Snacks including samosas and spring rolls were also provided throughout the two-hour meeting. In total, the KSA was able to to attract approximately 350 students to register throughout the day. Unfortunately, many attendees left after the opening bhangra performance and attendance fluctuated as students filtered in and out of the conference centre. By the time that the voting portion of the meeting was starting, fewer than the required 200 students were in the room. “What we found was that students came by, loved the turban-tying event, came to the AGM, saw the performance, and then saw a boring meeting afterwards,” says Singh. “At the end of the day, we got a lot of students engaged, but not in the right way.” The failure to make quorum meant that the KSA was unable to adopt the proposed changes to its bylaws. Among those changes was a measure to amend the definition of a current student from someone who has registered for classes within the last semester to within the past three semesters. The proposed bylaws would have also changed the number of students required to make quorum at future meetings from 200 to 150. Perhaps most importantly, the KSA were hoping to add a provision to the bylaws that would allow members of its council to to receive an honorarium for their work. While KSA councillors currently receive pay for attending meetings, and members of the executive committee are paid a regular salary, recent changes to B.C. Societies Act require that payment for directors be explicitly outlined in a society’s bylaws. As the KSA’s current bylaws do not make mention of payment, councillors will have to work without remuneration if the bylaws are not changed by the time the changes come into effect in November. Had the meeting made quorum, the KSA would have also passed a measure to wave student association fees for students who were formerly in foster care. This would have put the KSA in line with the provincial government, which passed a measure waving tuition fees for former youth in care last year.
Students put on a Bhangra dance performance before the start of the 2018 KSA AGM. (Joseph Keller)
From left: KSA Executive Director Jeremy McElroy, VP External Affairs Caitlin McCutchen, then-VP Finance & Operations Rawan Ramini, then-VP University Affairs and President Tanvir Singh, Speaker Titus Gregory, and RCA Kelsey Silk. (Joseph Keller) This measure by the KSA would have annually saved former foster children around $250$300 in fees. This is not the first time that the KSA has failed to make quorum at their annual general meeting. In fact, this has happened every year for the past several years. As the KSA—and other student organizations at the university—have found, it is extremely difficult to get a large number of KPU students into one room. Despite this, the KSA was still able to accomplish other business at the meeting. A vote was passed to renew the debenture authorization that allows the KSA to take out a loan for constructing its student union building. Singh says that the next step for this will be to hire a manager to oversee the project. The KSA also received and approved its
audited financial statements for 2017 and appointed an auditor for 2018. Additionally, the association announced the release of the 2015 and 2016 Student Rights Centre reports, which detail student complaints with the institution and make recommendations for improvement. The KSA also recognized honorary memberships for three former presidents of the association: Christopher Girodat, Jessica Lar-son, and Allison Gonzalez. Finally, the KSA used the meeting to introduce the 2018-19 Council, the members of which were elected in February. Singh points out that many of the councillors are new this year. He is hopeful that they will represent a new era for the KSA. “I’m hoping that the next executive [committee] has the ability to really change the
culture of KSA Council and get people more engaged,” says Singh. “An engaged Council means an engaged organization. Staff are happier. Students are happier. Students are more satisfied with what happens in associations when councillors are more engaged.” Singh says that the KSA will be holding a special general meeting in September to try to change the bylaws once more. He believes that the association needs to put more focus on getting students at other campuses to the event. Most importantly, he says that all KSA councillors need to be engaged with the event and KPU community in order for the meeting to be successful.
NEWS
7
Giants Fall to Royals in First Round A close series brings a devastating end to the team’s breakout season Joseph Keller | Staff Writer The Vancouver Giants’ first playoff run in four years came to a heartbreaking early end in round one against the Victoria Royals. The series was as close as they come, with both teams’ goal totals tied at 25 at the end of seven hard fought games. “We played well. We could easily be on the other side of this,” says Giants coach Jason McKee. “This was really hard, especially for staff and players, because sometimes when you’re a little outgunned and the better team wins you can understand it. But this time we played extremely well and I think that’s what makes it so hard for everyone.” The Giants and Royals met 10 times in the regular season before their playoff matchup and the history between the two teams manifested as mutual animosity from the getgo. Post-whistle scrums occured more often than not and continued throughout the seven games. The series opened with a pair of close contests in Victoria, with the series heading back to Vancouver tied one-one. Game three saw Vancouver’s most dominant performance. McKee credits a timely 2-0 power play goal by Tyler Benson, handing the momentum to the Giants at the end of the second period. The team would not lose that momentum all night as they scored three more in the third for a decisive 5-1 victory. The Royals would return the favor in game four, however, as the Giants found themselves out of sync in a 7-3 defeat. It was the only game of the series that the Giants did not deserve to win, in McKee’s opinion. “We weren't skating that night. We were watching the game and hoping for something good to happen instead of skating and mak-
Victoria Royals centre Matthew Phillips attempts a deke on Vancouver Giants goaltender David Tendeck in game three of the first round of the 2018 WHL playoffs. (Joseph Keller) ing something good happen,” says McKee. “There are no do-overs, but if there were, that would be one we’d like to have back for sure.” Game six was perhaps the most nail-bitingly tense game of the series. After losing an early lead in the second and going down by two early in the third, a pair of third period goals by Ty Ronning and Tyler Benson took the game to the only overtime of the series before Victoria’s Noah Gregor sent the matchup back to Victoria for game seven. It was Victoria who carried the momentum for most of game seven. They took the lead with a powerplay goal late in the first and scored three more in the second period. Going into the third period, down four to one, the Giants didn’t let up. They dominated play in the third, scoring a pair of goals by Matt Barberis and Brennan Riddle, but despite a strong push in the last five minutes, the Giants couldn’t beat Victoria goalie Griffen Outhouse.
A razor sharp performance by Outhouse throughout the seven games was a big part of Victoria’s edge over Vancouver. As was the play of Victoria Centre Matt Phillips who had six goals and 10 assists in the series. McKee says that keeping Phillips in check was a key focus for Vancouver’s defence, but Phillips was “elusive” and Vancouver’s young defence just never got a handle on him. Despite a disappointing first-round exit, the 2017-18 season can only be looked at as a success for a team that finished near the bottom of the standings in their previous campaign. This had a lot to do with the Giants’ younger core coming into its own, but the leadership of veterans like Ronning and Benson was also essential. Their presence will be missed next year, as Ronning is set to join New York Rangers affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack this week and Benson is expected to play in the Edmonton Oilers organization next season.
“You learn from the people that were there before you and these young guys will learn from the older guys,” says McKee. “I think both those guys have done a good job of doing that this year with their on-ice and office. They’ve been tremendous for the Giants organization for a number of years and to cap it off with the season they had was great.” Still, McKee says he’s optimistic that they will have a more-experienced d-core next season, and is excited that goaltender David Tendeck is coming off of a phenomonal rookie season. “The thing we have to guard against is that, just because you’re a year older doesn’t automatically make you a year better,” says McKee. “As long as our group stays hungry we’ll be just fine.”
UNBC Student Publishes Open Letter Urging Engagement with Student Politics The similarities between UNBC and KPU show a trend of student apathy in smaller B.C. institutions Tristan Johnston | Contributor It turns out that the University of Northern British Columbia, like KPU, has a hard time fostering student engagement. Last month, outgoing member of the Northern Undergraduate Student Society, Seth Jex, published an open letter critiquing his university’s student body—a student body that is willing to campaign for divestment, or with unions, or against the appointment of a former Conservative MP to become chancellor, but not willing to run in student elections. “We’re choosing to go about that advocacy and making a change through avenues that exist outside of our political systems,” says Jex, who is completing his fifth year at UNBC. “Students are, in some cases, electing to [make change] through traditional advocacy, through protests and papers, more grassroots style things that exist outside of the bureaucracy.” Jex says that, this year, all of the elected positions for the UNBC senate, the board of governors, and the student union were decided by acclimation, or else the positions remain vacant. This was one of the key reasons Jex cites for writing the letter.
While UNBC does have student housing for about 420 students, Jex says that the university is very much like a commuter campus— similar to KPU—with many students spending as little time on campus as possible when they’re not in a class. “The fact that we have a residence building has not, thus far, proven to increase any sort of student engagement,” he says. “Students … are failing to understand the power that we have within the bureaucracy. The Universities Act within B.C. enshrines advocacy and student representation-based positions in very important settings.” Jex notes that, through the senate and board of governors, students can have an impact on which classes are taught and which instructors are hired. Despite this, they do not seem to engage with these bodies to influence the direction of the university. “We’ve seen this year, a few times, students choosing at UNBC to protest rather than get engaged in the process early,” he says. “Students are not engaging in committees and open-house forums—instead, we’re engaging at the very end when we’re unhappy with the final product. That’s not only ineffective, but it teaches the administration that they should
go around students.” KPU has historically faced similar issues, especially in regards to a lack of candidates running for election in student government. With the exception of the Surrey and Arts representatives, most prospective KSA councillors run unopposed and are elected via “yes/no” boxes on their ballots. KSA elections are typically decided by only a few hundred students. Comparatively, our most recent UPass renewal vote saw more than a thousand participants. “I disagree with the fact that running for elected positions is the only way to get involved,” says Tanvir Singh, outgoing KSA President. “I think it’s up to students to run for those positions, and it’s important, but just because you run unopposed doesn’t necessarily mean that your position isn’t as worthy as someone else's.” Singh says that there’s a wide range of engagement levels that are available to students at KPU. That could mean running in an election, conventional protesting, or showing up to committee meetings. He adds, however, that while councillors are able to regularly have their voices heard, students who aren’t involved in politics don’t always get that opportunity.
“They deserve to protest when they want to. They deserve to have equitable treatment on campus, have access to education in the same way,” he says. “Just because they don’t run for these positions doesn’t take away from their ability to get involved on campus.”
Seth Jex, fifth year student at the University of Northern British Columbia. (Submitted)
8
FEATURES
KPIRG Sues Founder and Former Employee for Fraud
Richard Hossein is being sued in the Supreme Court of B.C. for allegedly paying over $100,000 to himself in 2017
Richard Hossein, former administrative coordinator of KPIRG, in front of the Surrey Conference Centre. (Kier Junos)
Aly Laube | Editor in Chief According to a notice of civil claim filed in the Supreme Court of British Columbia on March 23, the Kwantlen Public Interest Research Group is suing one of its founders and former administrative coordinator, Richard Hossein, for fraud. Last year, Hossein allegedly made a series of false claims to KPIRG about the organization’s expenses, indicating the need to make nearly a dozen payments to companies that either did not exist or of which Hossein was the sole proprietor. In addition, Hossein allegedly altered official documents and made misleading statements to KPIRG in order to provide himself with a considerable severance payment and a contribution to his registered retirement savings plan. Together, the total value of these alleged payments is $111,521.33. Through the claim, KPIRG is seeking relief for the funds lost as well as for general, aggravated, and/or punitive damages. Special costs—or costs at the highest allowable scale—and such further relief as the court finds just are also being sought. Background The Kwantlen Public Interest Research Group is a not-for-profit, student-directed society. It advocates for social and environmental justice through research initiatives. KPIRG is funded almost entirely by Kwantlen Polytechnic University students, receiving $0.80 per each credit that they earn through their classes. The society and its accompanying fee were established via a Kwantlen Student Association referendum held in February 2013. At the time, Hossein was a director of the KSA and was the first to propose the creation of a Public Interest Research Group at KPU. With Hossein as a founding member of the board, KPIRG was
officially incorporated in December 2013. In mid-2014, Hossein resigned from the board and was hired as KPIRG’s administrative coordinator. As written in the notice of civil claim, he was chosen to fill this position because the society regularly experiences turnover and it was believed that, as a founding member, Hossein could provide institutional memory for new directors who lacked managerial experience. In his role as administrative coordinator, Hossein was paid a salary in accordance with an employment agreement for the day-to-day administration of KPIRG’s affairs. His duties included record keeping, overseeing the society’s bookkeeping and accounting matters, and recording the minutes from meetings of KPIRG’s board of directors. Payments to CPGA Consulting The first of the allegedly illegitimate transactions overseen by Hossein was a series of payments made in mid-2017 to CPGA Consulting. Although he was the sole proprietor of CPGA, he asserted that it was a legal entity which KPIRG owed consulting fees to. According to the notice of civil claim, Hossein told KPIRG’s board of directors that the previous board had authorized him to enter into an agreement with CPGA, an “experienced accounting firm” able to provide the services he needed as the administrative coordinator. Hossein is recorded in the court document as saying that CPGA had provided their services but had not yet been paid. He also stressed that there was an urgency to pay the firm as CPGA was threatening legal action. Due to this urgency, Hossein reported that the firm “would only accept payment in cash and that cheques should be written to the defendant who would cash them and that he intended to then remit payment to CPGA on behalf of the plaintiff.”
Between May 9 and July 17, five separate payments of $1,050.00, three separate payments of $770.00, one payment of $8,600.00, and one payment of $6,300.00 were made to Hossein for a total of $22,460.00. The notice of civil claim alleges that CPGA was not a professional consultancy, but an entity which was “one and the same” with Hossein. It states that KPIRG never entered into an agreement with CPGA for consulting services and no such services were provided to the organization. As such, KPIRG never owed fees to CPGA. Furthermore, and also according to the notice of civil claim, Hossein “altered previous meeting minutes of the board of directors to indicate or suggest that an agreement had been entered with CPGA and/or that the board of directors previously had authorized or approved payments to the CPGA” at least once during his time with KPIRG. Payment to Sunny Dhillon Ltd. A month before the first CPGA transaction was completed, Hossein allegedly told KPIRG’s board of directors that shelving was needed in the organization’s office. For this, he had retained Sunny Dhillon Ltd. to install the shelving and had either paid or planned to pay for the work out-of-pocket. However, as written in the court document, he still owed Sunny Dhillon outstanding fees. He claimed that, for covering the expense on KPIRG’s behalf, the society should cut him a cheque. They did, and Hossein received $7,070.53. According to the notice of claim, no shelving was needed on the KPIRG premises, nor was any installed. This would mean that KPIRG owed no fees to Sunny Dhillon Ltd. and Hossein never remitted payment to it. The notice further states that “no such company exists under the name ‘Sunny Dhillon Ltd.’”
Payments for Severance In or around mid-2017, Hossein informed KPIRG’s board of directors that he planned to resign as administrative coordinator. He then allegedly told the KPIRG bookkeeper that the board had approved severance pay for him in recognition of his service to the society, and presented a memorandum resembling minutes from a board meeting which authorized the payments. However, the notice states that Hossein drafted the memorandum without the knowledge of the board, and that a board motion to officially authorize the severance payments was never passed. In July of that year, KPIRG paid a total of $56,381.22 to Hossein in severance, as well as $17,209.58 to the Receiver General for associated tax remittances. RRSP Contributions Around the same time that he was receiving his severance payment, Hossein purportedly asserted to the board of directors that he was entitled to a contribution to his registered retirement savings plan, pursuant to the terms of his employment agreement. However, the copy of the agreement that he presented to the board was altered to support his assertion, according to the notice of civil claim. As a result, KPIRG made a payment of $8,400 to Hossein on or around July 15, 2017. Hossein also allegedly “improperly prepared or caused to be prepared and submitted to the Canada Revenue Agency on the plaintiff’s behalf a record of employment indicating that his employment had been discontinued due to a lack of work.” In addition, it is written that the record sent to the CRA overstated his insurable earnings.
FEATURES What Comes Next The payments to CPGA Consulting and Sunny Dhillon Ltd., as well as Hossein’s severance and RRSP payments, were all allegedly made between annual audits. As a result, KPIRG claims to have become aware of Hossein’s actions only after he had ended his employment with the group. The notice asserts that, because Hossein knowingly made false and misleading representations to KPIRG, and because his conduct caused damage and loss to the society, his actions constitute fraud. It further states that Hossein committed the “tort of deceit” by concealing or omitting facts which led to payments being made to him. Finally, the notice of civil claim accuses Hossein of breaching the fiduciary responsibilities he owed to KPIRG and enriching his own life by doing so. Both Hossein and KPIRG are required to prepare a list of documents that could prove or disprove the material facts of the case. They also need to provide their lists to each other in preparation of a trial. If Hossein intends to respond to the action or make a counterclaim, he will need to file it to the Supreme Court of B.C. and the Kwantlen Public Interest Research Group within an allotted time period. According to the notice of claim, Hossein has 21 days to respond to the action if it is served to him while he is in Canada, 35 days if it is served to him in the United States, and 49 days if it is served while he is elsewhere in the world. Until this morning, Hossein’s Facebook pro-
file as “Richard Hosein” listed him as residing in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. As of press time he has deleted his Facebook account. Hossein is commonly listed on social media as “Richard Hosein” and has been referred to using this name by The Runner in the past. In
the notice of civil claim, however, he is listed as “Richard Hossein”. On Tuesday, March 27, KPIRG posted an open letter regarding this issue on its website. It opens, “In the fall of last year, KPIRG became aware of some accounting issues for
9
the 2017 calendar year. This is a matter we take extremely seriously. We immediately began a full investigation and sought the advice of lawyer. From that investigation, we believe that an amount of money, totaling approximately $111,000, was involved.”
Richard Hossein stands in one of KPIRG's rented office rooms on Sept. 30, 2016. (Braden Klassen)
Questions of Lost Money, Alleged Fraud Dominate KPIRG AGM The research group’s motion to adopt audited financial statements fails to pass Tristan Johnston | Contributor Though the primary aim of the Kwantlen Public Interest Research Group’s annual general meeting was for the society to review their year, vote in new board members, and update members on future plans, questions relating to recent fraud allegations against founder and former administrative coordinator Richard Hossein dominated the meeting. The AGM, held in the Surrey conference centre on March 28, opened with a small concert by JB the First Lady, an Indigenous spoken-word and hip-hop artist. Voting and registration took place in the back of the room during the performance. Directors Simon Massey, Jagdeep Mangat, and Raqiya Khan were present to discuss KPIRG’s previous and upcoming years. Massey opened with an acknowledgement of territories before walking those in attendance through many of the events that KPIRG has hosted throughout the past year. Some highlights included the Refuge in Surrey panel, Dis/Orientation week, Mixolos Mitchtape Live, and a series of events held for Black History Month. Massey also spoke about KPIRG’s campaign to secure office space on campus, noting that, due to turnovers, events, and a generally busy year, it hasn’t been the organization’s highest priority. The meeting’s focus, however, quickly turned towards KPIRG’s budget. While the audit conducted by Manning Elliott LLP indi-
KPIRG Board of Directors Jagdeep Mangat, Simon Massey, and Raqiya Khan at the KPIRG AGM. (Tristan Johnston) cated good financial health, in part due to KPIRG being reliably funded through a levy off of the student body, questions from the audience were asked for nearly 45 minutes about the “non-operational loss” of approximately $111,000. Massey clarified at the beginning of this question period that, due to the ongoing civil
claim, they would need to be careful with how they answered questions. “There’s no fraud or error in terms of this report,” said Mangat at the beginning of the question period. “With that said, we do have a forensic auditor, besides this auditing firm, who is looking at our accounts … Unfortunately, because it’s before the courts, we can’t
really go into the details.” Mangat directed members to read the notice of civil claim posted on the KPIRG website for more information about the ongoing legal case. Although Mangat is a lawyer, he has made continued on next page...
10
FEATURES
it clear that he doesn’t represent KPIRG in a consular manner. “Certain things are going to clarify themselves in the time that’s coming, but we found it incumbent to take legal action as soon as possible,” he said. Massey and Mangat have stated that a special general meeting will be held upon completion of the forensic audit, and that they will provide updates as necessary. Massey has also said that the forensic audit will cover KPIRG’s entire operational history, not just the previous year. One member in attendance at the AGM asked the directors about which internal controls KPIRG has and which ones failed. “As an auditing firm, we do audit the internal controls,” said Subash Chand, representing Manning Elliott LLP. “But we don’t rely on the internal controls when we issue our audit report, so when we do a controlled analysis, everything that they do that is put in place is great. There are two signing authorities on cheques. There’s a board member that signs off on cheques. There’s a formal approval processes.” He also said that any financial risk wouldn’t be in regards to the money coming in, but money going out of KPIRG. Massey suggested that before he was at KPIRG last year, many board members and staff had signing authority, but he wasn’t able to elaborate on who signed specific cheques, citing liability and legal advice. “The last thing we want to do is to open up KPIRG to further litigation,” said Mangat. “These would be allegations on our part, allegations which we believe to be true, but they’re still before the court.” Tanvir Singh, who clarified that he was at the meeting as a student and not in his capac-
Jagdeep Mangat reacts to questions asked during the annual general meeting. (Braden Klassen) ity as president of the Kwantlen Student Association, moved a motion that the meeting go in-camera to discuss the matter in further detail, though the motion failed. After this, Mangat emphasized that more details would materialize as investigations take place, and that the staff present for the lost funds are no longer with the organization, or were asked to resign by the current board. Currently, at least one director needs to sign each cheque, and a single cheque can not be signed only by two staff members. When the discussion finally led to a vote,
the motion to adopt the audited financial statements failed to pass, with only four votes in favour and no votes against. A minimum of 15 votes, with most of those being in the affirmative, was needed for the motion to be successful. “I believe, according to the Societies Act, KPIRG bylaws, and the KPIRG-KSA autonomy agreement, the membership not accepting the audited financial statements—while still a significant action—will not prevent KPIRG from continuing its operations and its social and environmental justice work,” says Massey.
As of March 29, Massey and Mangat were re-elected as board members, with Yasmin Ullah also being voted in. Raqiya Khan did not run for re-election. According to Massey, KPIRG will be looking into whether it’s appropriate to put the same financial statements to vote at their next general meeting.
Details on Hossein Lawsuit Revealed Following KPIRG AGM Past and present members of KPIRG, as well as representatives from the KSA, discuss the alleged fraud Aly Laube | Editor in Chief While the case between the Kwantlen Public Interest Research Group and Richard Hossein remains in its earliest stages, some affiliated with KPIRG are opening up about what happened with approximately $112,000 in allegedly misappropriated funds collected from its membership. They have also divulged what they are doing now to address the issue. When KPIRG first began to suspect that their former administrative coordinator had allegedly committed fraud against them, one of the society’s directors, Simon Massey, phoned the police about the incident and later met with them to give a statement. The RCMP are currently investigating the case. Response from KPIRG Following the society’s annual general meeting on March 28, the directors of KPIRG are Jagdeep Mangat, Simon Massey, and the newly elected Yasmin Ullah. KPIRG’s staff members are Outreach & Communications Coordinator Idil Isse, Research & CARPP Coordinator PJ Lilley, and Administrative Coordinator Dana Kagis. The only member of this team who worked alongside Hossein during his time at KPIRG is Massey, though he only did so as a
volunteer while officially working with the Kwantlen Student Association. By the time that he was signed on as a director in June 2017, the alleged misappropriation of funds had already begun. Massey says he was not aware of how the funds were allegedly removed from the society until after the investigation began. He explains that KPIRG has a legal obligation not to disclose confidential information related to the case. “We should not disclose the parts of a potential litigation before they’re made public,” he says. “We wish so strongly that we were able to, but it’s our fiduciary duty that prevents us from doing that.” Two of KPIRG’s directors who were on the board during Hossein’s time as administrative coordinator, Russel Liu and Lincey Amora, were asked to resign after an in-camera session during a meeting on Feb. 15, 2018. Both Liu and Amora were signing authorities while the alleged fraud took place. The most recent bookkeeper for KPIRG, Monita Naicker, gave her two-weeks notice within a few days of the organization’s AGM. In her email alerting Massey of her resignation, she wrote that she is unable “to give the full attention that someone needs to provide to the organization." As a result, the group is currently seeking
Clockwise from top-left: Then-KPIRG directors Kim McMartin, Russell Liu, Simon Massey, Zafreen Jaffer, and Lincey Amora. (Joseph Keller) a new bookkeeper. Massey says that KPIRG is “looking for someone to provide more frequent updates and tighter controls to keep the board more informed of what’s going on all the time.” When asked who signed the cheques for the expenses listed on the notice of civil claim,
Massey replied, “As the legal proceedings go on, all of our documents will become public record, so all of the information will be available to the public.” After his departure from KPIRG in the fall of 2017, Hossein was replaced as administrative coordinator by Dana Kagis, a long-time
FEATURES activist with an undergraduate degree in cultural anthropology and several years of administrative experience. Kagis had no involvement with KPIRG until she was hired last September. She says that she spends a typical work day taking minutes, coordinating with other staff, providing office supplies and event support, and filing paperwork for processing and signing cheques, timesheets, payroll, bills, and rent payments. “Everything that I’ve done in terms of my work with cheque-signing and writing has been clear and transparent,” says Kagis. “When I present cheques, I’m recording paperwork to directors for signatures. I take the time to let them look everything over very thoroughly and ask me any questions they need to. I ensure that everybody understands which cheque is being signed for what and that the appropriate amount is being signed.” She feels that, because of what allegedly took place last year, having her work heavily overseen by directors is important. “I want to put that legacy behind us. I want to move forward with a new and positive face for this organization,” she says. “I care deeply about social and environmental justice and I don’t want to put that at risk. I think it’s important to be accountable because that’s part of what being an activist is.” Former Colleague, Kim McMartin Kimberley McMartin, a former outreach coordinator for KPIRG, was one of the few people involved in the organization with Hossein during 2017. She remains a KPU student, though is leaving the university after she completes her final semester this summer. In her time with the university, McMartin has occupied several roles in KPIRG, the Kwantlen Student Association, and the KPU Senate. McMartin first became involved with KPIRG as its board organizer in 2016 and resigned during the summertime of 2017 due to mental health issues. She was also a signing officer for the organization. While she only learned about the notice of civil claim between KPIRG and Hossein on
March 27, she was made aware of the “questioning of where things went” during the early stages of the research group’s investigation into the issue. “The last I heard, they were looking into some of the claims … that was a few months ago that they were looking into it,” she says. “They were doing their due diligence. They were working together, as any good board should.” When McMartin was KPIRG’s board organizer, she spent a majority of her time creating the society’s strategic plans, reviewing the activities of other directors, planning events, conducting outreach and communication, and tracking grants and spending. She was performing these duties—as well as managing the organization’s policy committee—while Hossein was the administrative coordinator. McMartin says that, during this time, she “may have signed one or two” cheques that were stated in KPIRG’s notice of civil claim against Hossein. Still, she believes that she “didn’t sign anything without associated paperwork and minutes involved within that.” “I know that they were not, like, the $8,000 [cheque]. It may have been $1,000 to $2,000, but it was with associated paperwork at all times,” she says. The associated paperwork, according to McMartin, includes minutes from board meetings that were approved by directors, as well as all associated bills and cheques. When asked how she and the other signing authorities in KPIRG could have overseen the alleged misallocation of funds, McMartin responds that the members of the board, “didn’t really get the entire history of the [society]” while they were working there. “At that point we thought it was only a few missed deadlines. We thought it was only a few missed other things,” she says. “It was very much [that] I felt guarded. It was in [Hossein’s] sort of area. We weren’t really privy to a lot of stuff. It was on his hard drive.” McMartin says that, had she known the cheques were being written to Hossein allegedly as a result of fraudulent misrepresentation, she “never would have signed them.”
11
Former KPIRG Outreach Coordinator Kim McMartin worked alongside Hossein while the alleged fraud took place. (Aly Laube) “I would have called the cops within the first second,” she says. “That should never have happened. It is incredibly saddening that a person who built such an organization as KPIRG would take advantage of KPIRG’s generosity and its love of inclusion, and just become the thing that KPIRG is fighting against.” When she was working with research group, McMartin says that she saw Hossein as “a person in trust” and “a person who people looked up to, not [just] within KPIRG but within the KPU community.”
Now, according to McMartin, Hossein is in Vietnam and no one is able to make contact with him. Addressing her former colleague directly, McMartin tells Hossein to return to KPU in order to tell his side of the story. “Just come back,” she says. “This can all be fixed if we work together to fix it. This whole thing can bring down KPIRG when this isn’t what KPIRG stands for.”
continued on next page...
From left: Jagdeep Mangat, Simon Massey, and Raqiya Khan at the KPIRG AGM on March 28. (Tristan Johnston)
12
FEATURES Comments from the Kwantlen Student Association
The Kwantlen Student Association collects the fee that funds KPIRG on its behalf. KSA President Tanvir Singh says he was concerned to hear about the allegedly misappropriated funds during a meeting with Simon Massey and Jagdeep Mangat in midMarch 2018. Although he says that he is “disappointed in them for not coming to [the KSA] sooner,” and feels that “a week before filing civil notice isn’t necessarily the most appropriate thing to do,” Singh also acknowledges that their decision to inform the KSA was an act of good faith. In his capacity as KSA President, Singh has been reviewing KPIRG’s minutes for years. Throughout the last year, he says that he felt “concerned about how their money has been going,” but didn’t have the evidence to support an investigation into the group’s finances. Still, the executive director of the KSA, Jeremy McElroy, maintains that “the KSA as an entity doesn’t actively engage with KPIRG’s governance.” He adds that the student association will be having a discussion with the research group’s new board in the near future to discuss how to move forward. Singh claims that, despite asking members of KPIRG to meet with him and the KSA VP Finance to discuss the research group’s spending, the two parties were unable to collaboratively examine KPIRG’s financial operations. The notice of civil claim filed by KPIRG against Hossein alleges that Hossein forged documents in order to secure funds. Singh says that, if this is true, it is “deceit of the highest level, especially when you’re deceiving young individuals who might be inexperienced on a board.” “I think it’s absolutely disgusting for an individual like that to do that,” says Singh. “There aren’t a lot of safety measures you can put in place in that regard, other than to
ensure that everybody is super informed of what they’re signing.” Singh encourages students at KPU to “take a hard look and decide whether they want to continue funding KPIRG or not” now that the lawsuit has gone public. “We have an agreement with them where, as long as they abide by their own rules, their own constitution, and the Societies Act, we will continue funding them,” he says. “If they happen to break any of those parts, we have the ability to go into a meeting and have a discussion about their funding.” According to McElroy, the process of the KSA defunding another student organization is complicated and should be avoided if possible. “There’s a process with all contracts. Usually there’s some level of arbitration, so there’s a notice requirement of an infraction, and depending on the severity of that infraction, we can either jump straight to the end or work in good faith on trying to remedy the situation,” he says. “If we notice that something was going awry we would write a letter and then move forward from there.” According to Singh, the KSA executive committee and the executive director have met to discuss the issue, and are currently awaiting the advice of their legal counsel on what to do next. McElroy says that it will be discussed further at an executive committee meeting next week. “On a personal level, I’m always disappointed to hear when student funds are used improperly, and when the allegations are of a high level of deceit,” says McElroy. “That’s something that the KSA dealt with a long time ago, and something we really hoped to keep KPU out of the news for, so it’s always disappointing when these things happens. Nobody wins when these situations come up.”
put in place by KPIRG in order to ensure that its funds are not misallocated in the future. According to Massey, one of these changes is that the administrative coordinator will no longer be the only point of contact for—nor the only person able to access documents pertaining to—financial matters of the society. Closely following the organization’s policies and contracts regarding necessary oversight is another standard being set by the current members of KPIRG. A forensic audit is also being conducted to “go back and examine everything,” says Massey. While KPIRG has stated it plans to recover the funds it allegedly lost via the case against Hossein, there is a possibility that pursuing legal action could be more costly than the total dollars allegedly misappropriated. It may have been this situation that led the KSA, in 2011, to drop a highly publicized lawsuit against several of its former directors. “I think it’s a lose-lose [scenario],” says Singh. “If you go after him for the funds, you’re wasting a lot of money. You might even spend more money [than was lost] to get that money back. If you let the case go, you let someone go with defrauding you, allegedly.” Massey says that KPIRG will continually be in consultation with its lawyers about how to effectively navigate taking legal action against Hossein. “We don’t have a plan to just run wild and spend all of our students’ money chasing, potentially, less money than we spend doing it,” he says. “But since this is early on in the claim process, it’s going to be through careful consultation with our legal counsel.” As of March 29, Hossein has stated to The Runner that he has “no comment” on the civil claim against him.
The Future of KPIRG’s Financial Transparency and Spending A series of preventative measures are being
KSA Executive Director Jeremy McElroy and then-KSA President Tanvir Singh at the KPIRG AGM on March 28, 2018. Singh specified that he was attending the meeting as a concerned student. (Braden Klassen)
KSA Discusses Possibility of Defunding KPIRG
Braden Klassen | Photo Editor Following a Kwantlen Student Association Council meeting on April 6, newly elected President Caitlin McCutchen said that she is currently unable to confirm if the KSA is planning to defund KPIRG in response to the alleged fraud committed by the research group's founder and former staff member Richard Hossein. “We have the autonomy agreement, and this mismanagement of funds, essentially, is in breach of a few different parts of this autonomy agreement,” says McCutchen. “If there are breaches or violations, we have the option to stop remitting funds to them, which would not mean that we’re shutting down KPIRG. It would just mean we’re not giving them the funding." Kim McMartin, a current student senate representative and former KPIRG board member who worked closely with Hossein, voluntarily excluded herself from an in-camera discussion that took place during the meeting. This was due to a conflict of interest, and she declined to give any other comment on the record. Former KSA President Tanvir Singh attended the meeting as a “concerned student” and was included in the in-camera portion of the meeting. “Through all of my roles, I’ve never had a good relationship with KPIRG,” says Singh. “I’ve talked to multiple students and most people don’t know what they do. I think that this situation [with the Hossein lawsuit] in and of itself is the nail in the coffin. I think it’s time for students at KPU to seriously consider defunding KPIRG.” Hossein was one of three original KPIRG signatories on the autonomy agreement, which includes provisions that allow the KSA to terminate it for breach of contract or by referendum. The actions alleged in KPIRG’s notice of civil claim against Hossein may have constituted a fundamental breach of article 7 of the autonomy agreement, which states that KPIRG’s KSA-sourced funds must be used “exclusively towards accomplishing those purposes set out under the KPIRG constitution and for no other purpose.” They may also breach article 8, which states that “all transactions that KPIRG enters into with third parties must be commercially reasonable and comply with KPIRG’s constitution, bylaws, and the Society Act or any successor Act.” Article 33 of the agreement states that, in the event of the termination of the autonomy agreement, “any funds or property in possession of the KSA, at the time of the termination of this Agreement, shall remain in the possession of the KSA, and deemed to be the lawful property of the KSA. All unremitted fees shall be transferred into bursaries for KPU Students with criteria relating to social and environmental justice oriented individuals in financial need.” Students at KPU currently pay 80 cents per credit to fund KPIRG, a fee that is levied by the KSA on behalf of the research group.
STUDENT SNAPSHOT
A woman holds a sign in support of ending gun violence in the U.S. during the March for Our Lives rally in Vancouver, March 24. (Yaunna Sommersby)
The Kwantlen Chorus sings during the celebration of the KPU Music Faculty’s 25th anniversary, March 24. (Joseph Keller)
Vancouver Giants’ Ty Ronning takes a shot on net against the Victoria Royals during the 2018 WHL playoffs, March 27. (Joseph Keller)
Hundreds of people gather at Jack Poole Plaza in Vancouver for the March for Our Lives rally against gun violence, March 24. (Yaunna Sommersby)
JB The First Lady performs songs and spoken word poetry before the start of the KPIRG AGM, March 28. (Braden Klassen)
14
CULTURE
Fine Arts Graduates Prepare for Year-End Exhibition Students from the Bachelor of Fine Arts program have raised around $2,000 for the gallery Braden Klassen | Photo Editor With the spring semester nearly over, Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s art aficionados should be happy to learn that the upcoming BFA graduates will soon be exhibiting some of their best works. The exhibit, titled Until Now, will be made up of art pieces in a variety of mediums such as paintings, sculptures, ceramic works, photography, and digital art, and will be held at 120 E Broadway throughout April. “For all the artists involved, it’s an opportunity to present their significance or their artistic ability to the art world,” says Stephane Dufault, a KPU Fine Arts student in his final year. “It’s not just about making a name for themselves. It’s about initializing a creative style that could possibly impact future artists who want to go into this career as well.” Dufault spearheaded an online crowdfunding campaign for hosting the showcase which raised $300 between February and March. The crowdsourced money will be added to the $2,000 that the BFA students already received from other sources. According to Dufault, the majority of the money will be spent on renting and insuring the gallery space, as well as on an initial reception that the students have planned for April 13. “The space we have is quite huge and we want to make that to our best advantage,” says Dufault, whose illustrations will be exhibited alongside the works of other students. “We want to make sure that all of our unique personalities and representations are brought into this overall scope of art-making and are presented from the students in turn.” In addition to Dufault, Until Now will include the works from several other upcoming BFA
A still from Gurleen Virk's digital video, "Bindi." (Submitted) graduates, including Kimberly Ateah, Eric Berg, Alanna Edwards, Sara Grieve, Cameron Palfreyman, Kenneth Yuen, and Gurleen Virk. “It’s like our entrance into the art world,” says Virk, who creates paintings, installations and photography inspired by her Indian cultural background. “Vancouver has clearly got a really big art scene going on, so for us to be having this show in Vancouver downtown, it’s a pretty big deal.”
Aside from the important exposure that the event will provide for the soon-to-be graduate students, Virk and Dufault hope that the gallery will offer a source of creative inspiration for all of the people who can attend. “We’re not making art for the sake of just making art,” says Dufault. “We hope to make art as an inspiration—what we can make can also influence other artists that are like us who want to be going into a study like ours. It’s an
opportunity to show what artists from Surrey can present to the world in Vancouver.” The opening reception for the exhibition will be held in a gallery on the second floor of 120 E Broadway from 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm on April 13. The exhibit itself will be open Tuesdays through Sundays from 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm until April 28.
Chelsey Wong’s “Textilier” Collection Combines Futuristic and Victorian Styles Her graduate thesis collection is set to debut this month at the 2018 fashion show Ashley Hyshka | Community Reporter In KPU’s newly-built Wilson School of Design, fourth-year fashion student Chelsea Wong created a seamless blend of Victorian and futuristic styles with her upcoming collection, “Textilier.” Wong is slated to unveil her graduation collection alongside 31 of her peers on April 19 and 20 at the School of Design’s year-end fashion show. She says that she feels “both excited and stressed out” to finally let the world see her work. “I kind of wanted to end my career here at KPU with a bang,” she says. “That was my intention—to be a bit more out of the box.” According to Wong, her collection is “high-quality steampunk wear for the woman who’s fully immersed in the culture and the lifestyle of steampunk.” The name of the collection comes from a forum for online role playing games, and is used to refer to someone who makes clothing in the steampunk genre. “I would love to see someone walk down the street wearing my jacket or my pants,” she says. Much of the inspiration for Wong’s work comes from combining different types of clothing and researching styles that aren’t well-represented in the fashion industry. She says that, aside from certain Halloween costumes, the industry doesn’t really tailor to ste-
ampunk’s elaborate fashions or everyday garb. Wong “fell in love with sewing” as a little girl, back when she would sew by hand because the sewing machine frightened her. As she studied textiles in high school, her love of fashion and design grew. Eventually, her teachers at Kwantlen Polytechnic University suggested that she try the fashion design and technology program, which she says she had previously never considered as a career choice. Wong says her journey thus far has been “exciting, but stressful, but also really rewarding.” Through the program, she has learned a lot about both fashion design and business, and says that she now understands the entire process of creating a line of clothing, from drafting an idea to bringing it to life. The Wilson School of Design prides itself on mirroring the actual fashion industry, so whether a student wants to be a fashion designer or an entrepreneur, they gain realworld experience while taking classes there, according to Wong. “For me personally, it’s really gratifying when you’re able to see all the pieces of the puzzle coming together—the little bits of your design process and then your research, colours, and then drafting, and then sewing it all up. Then you’ve got this beautiful garment at the very end,” she says.
The year-end fashion show is for students to showcase their work to the community, and to put their talents on display for the fashion industry. It also helps promote KPU as a leading-edge institution in the world of design. This will be the first year that the show will be held at the Wilson School of Design. Following graduation, Wong wants to remain
in the industry as a junior technical designer. The job entails taking a designer’s sketches and working out the practical problems before creating a prototype to send to production. “We do an internship in third-year, so we’ve all kind of had a taste of what it’s like in the industry,” says Wong. “Now that I’ve had that taste in my mouth, I’m ready.”
Fourth year fashion design and technology student Chelsey Wong poses alongside one of her latest clothing designs. (Ashley Hyshka)
CULTURE
15
World Junior Championship Curlers Bring Gold Home to Canada and KPU It’s the first gold medal victory for KPU students Tyler and Jordan Tardi Ashley Hyshka | Community Reporter Brothers Tyler and Jordan Tardi, along with the rest of the Canadian Men’s Curling Team, won gold in Aberdeen, Scotland on March 10. They defeated the Scottish team in a nail-bitingly close 6-5 game in the final round of the World Junior Curling Championship. “Ever since I can remember, I’ve always dreamt … of winning a world [championship],” says Jordan. “Even just representing Canada was a dream come true.” In addition to being world-class curlers, the Tardi brothers are also students at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. Tyler is in his second year of studying business entrepreneurship and Jordan is in his fourth year of studying drafting and design. This year’s victory is even more remarkable due to the events of last year’s World Junior Championship competition, when the Canadian Men’s Team failed to qualify for the playoffs. “To come back and kind of redeem ourselves … was a little extra special. It was probably the top moment of my life so far,” says Tyler. The competition this year was fierce as the team from Scotland was undefeated in the previous nine-game round robin tournament leading into the playoffs. There were 10 teams in the final pool, which led to the Canadian Men’s Team competing in nine separate games. Tyler says that there was no clear front-runner leading into the semifinals, as all the teams were capable of winning. “We knew it was going to be tough,” says Tyler. “All the teams there deserved to be there.” The familial bond on their team extends beyond the Tardi brothers. Their parents,
KPU student Tyler Tardi won gold at the World Junior's Curling Championship in Aberdeen, Scotland. (Submitted) Paul and Anita Tardi, are also the coach and the team manager, respectively. Tyler says that, growing up, his father curled the most in the family. As a child, he and his brother would sometimes watch their dad play the game, which piqued their curiosity. Jordan adds that, when they were finally old enough, he and Tyler entered a junior curling league program as soon as they could. According to Tyler, their father is less strict than many other coaches and likes to take a “relaxed approach” towards his teaching. Paul Tardi has been coaching his sons for the last 10 years, and his athletic skills, knowledge of the sport, and relationships with professional
curlers has given the team a competitive edge. “He’s definitely been one of the reasons why we’ve made it so far,” says Tyler. “I wouldn’t take anyone else.” The Tardi family is overjoyed to have won gold together. Even though one of his teammates is his brother and his parents are his coaches, Tyler says that his entire team still feels like his family. For both brothers, merely representing Canada was an incredible honour. Tyler says it’s always a positive experience for a curler to wear the maple leaf, as Canada is one of the most prominent nations in the sport. “There’s a whole lot more that you’re rep-
resenting, not just Canada, but you’re representing yourself, your school, your friends, everything,” he says. A few weeks after the competition, Tyler says the emotions from the World Junior Curling Championship are still fresh. “It’s one of those feelings where you don’t really know how to put it into words [because] it’s just so many emotions running through your head—sadness that it’s over, happiness that you finally achieved that, [and] disbelief [because] it’s been your biggest dream for all these years,” says Tyler.
KPU Music Celebrates its 25th Anniversary The university’s music program has grown in concert with the institution Joseph Keller | Staff Writer Kwantlen Polytechnic University celebrated 25 years of music-making March 24. The school’s music program was established in 1993 on the same day that the Langley campus opened for business, back when it was still Kwantlen College. In celebration of the milestone, the department held a gala and performance in the Langley campus auditorium attended by faculty, current students, and some of the department’s most accomplished alumni. The chair of the music department, Jane Hayes, has been a part of the community for every one of its 25 years. “I can honestly say that, as a student body, these music students can just blow your mind with what they’re doing, not just in a narrow field of being a performer, but how they’ve used these talents and branched out into so many different areas,” says Hayes. The evening began with appetizers and drinks as members of the music program played jazz in the Langley campus atrium. Later that night, there were performances from the Kwantlen Chorus and the Kwantlen Wind Symphony, as well as from KPU music students and alumni. The department also took the opportunity to honor its 25 most distinguished alumni.
“It’s so encouraging [to see KPU alumni succeed], especially when you take a look at other music schools in B.C. They’re so big that you don’t tend to assume that Kwantlen has that same caliber,” says KPU Music Students Association President Emma Dotto. “It’s really neat to see what [the department] has accomplished.” As KPU has grown, so too has its music programs. Hayes recalls that the Wind Symphony was formed in 1997 with just 20 people and has grown greatly since. Similarly, the Kwantlen Chorus, which began with just nine members, today consists of over 60 people. Hayes also says that, in the early years of the department, students typically gravitated to the one-year certificate program, seeing the institution as a way to dip their toes into music education. Later, after Kwantlen College became a university college, students largely enrolled in the two-year program before continuing their studies at other institutions. Today, Hayes is proud to report that more music students than ever are staying to complete their undergraduate degrees at KPU. “[The music program has] grown and developed the way that Kwantlen has,” says Hayes. “When I came here, Kwantlen was a college. Two years later, it was a university college, and now it’s polytechnic university, so the program itself actually really kind of
KPU music alumni Anna Vavilova performs Argentinian Dance Opus 2 at the KPU Music's 25th anniversary celebration on March 24. (Joseph Keller) went along with each change.” Part of the appeal of KPU’s music department, according to Hayes and Dotto, is the community that has developed within it over its 25 years. Hayes says that she’s still in contact with students who were in the first program that the department offered back in ’93. Dotto says that she appreciates the relatively small size of the program. “[The community] is so strong. We know our profs so well and our profs know us so well, so that creates a really good learning environment,” says Dotto. “I know some schools
that—because there are so many music students—voice majors and instrumentalists don’t get to talk to each other as much, but at Kwantlen it’s just everyone knows everyone.” During a break in the musical portion of the evening, the microphone was passed around the audience and the KPU music alumni were given the opportunity to share their favorite moments from their time in the program. The stories they told spoke to the collaborative power formed by 25 years of friendship, community, and music.
16
OPINIONS
The U.K. was Right to Deny Lauren Southern Entry By expressing discriminatory views, Southern had her privilege of travelling internationally revoked Ashley Hyshka | Community Reporter It seems as if Surrey-born “alt-right” political personality Lauren Southern has finally angered the wrong group—in this case, the government of a very powerful nation. While trying to gain entry into the United Kingdom on March 12, Southern was detained in France by border officials. According to the BBC, Southern had “displayed flyers saying, ‘Allah is a gay god’ outside a restaurant in the town centre” a month earlier in the English town of Luton. They say that this is the reason for her not only being denied entry into the U.K., but also being permanently banned. A spokesman for the U.K. Home Office told the media that the reason she was denied entry was that “Southern’s presence in the U.K. was not conducive to the public good.” I’ll admit; I am a huge fan of the show Border Security. Be it the Canadian, American, or Australian version, border agents always say that they have the right to refuse entry to anyone who may pose a threat to the nation’s security. Another thing they say is that being allowed entry to a foreign country is a privilege, not a right. Whether Southern was genuinely trying to enter the U.K to peacefully discuss Islam or spread hatred is unknown, but it seems as if she forgot that travelling across borders is a luxury when she presumed that the U.K. would welcome her with open arms. This isn’t the first time that she has incited controversy. Southern has made inflammatory remarks against Black Lives Matter and said that rape culture is not a problem in the West. Yet, for some reason, she is referred to by multiple media outlets as a “right wing
activist.” I view this as an insult to actual activists who advocate for social causes and human rights issues. Why? Because, in May 2017, Southern “was detained by the Italian Coast Guard for trying to block a ship that rescues stranded refugees,” according to The Langley Advance. No activist would be okay with refugees being left alone in the middle of the sea to die. Her “activism” is anything but. Amira Elghawaby of the National Council of Canadian Muslims said in an interview with Vice News that “Southern’s commentaries and coverage have attempted to evoke fear in Canadian audiences about the presence of Muslims in Western nations.” Southern claims that people should be able to freely question other religions, including Islam. But when asked by Slate’s video editor, Aymann Ismail, if she knew which percentage of Muslims are terrorists, she said no. Then, she added, “But I know there’s a large percentage that are quite radical.” There’s only one problem with Southern’s comment: There’s zero factual evidence to support it. No matter how you twist it, as soon as you denounce a person because of their race, religion, sexuality, or gender, you are a bigot. If Southern wants the freedom to question Islam, as she claims, then she must be willing to listen to both sides of the argument and must adhere to the facts. Anyone spreading hatred is a viable threat to national security, rational thought, and peace. This is a threat that effects everyone. I am a staunch believer in free speech, but hate speech should not be protected. That’s something that people conveniently forget when they wish to
espouse their racist or hateful views. Ultimately, this boils down to our individual choice—the choice to oppress others or not. While Southern does have the right to express her ideologies, she is not immune from how
people who disagree with her will respond. In this case, the United Kingdom chose to respond by banning her from their nation. The U.K. made their decision, and that is a consequence that she will have to accept.
(Nicola Kwit)
OPINIONS
17
Canada’s Senate is Nothing but Dead Weight Although its membership isn't elected, the body nearly failed Canada on the federal Cannabis Act Tristan Johnston | Contributor The “Senate Question” has an answer, but it will surely go unanswered in our lifetimes. Last month’s near failing of the Cannabis Act, however, has reminded us that this institution is a dead weight on our political system. The Senate is designed to be a chamber of “sober second thought.” Unfortunately, when I was watching CBC on March 22, as time began running out, all I could think about was how I could probably do a better job while I’m high on Purple Kush. I saw Betty Unger, a Harper-appointed senator, arguing against the bill. Her criticisms weren’t very logical, mostly falling along the lines of since-debunked marijuana stereotypes, calling the substance“very dangerous” and noting that THC is fat-soluble, but not explaining why this was a bad thing. She also attempted to argue that legal producers were going to exploit children financially, even though 18 is going to be the minimum age across the country. This person was never voted into authority, never granted powers through a mandate from the people, and that in itself is troubling. This recent exercise has shown that, especially with nearly all Conservative senators voting against the advancement of the bill, the Senate is still partisan despite Trudeau’s efforts to make it more neutral. At the end of that day, enough “independent” senators showed up to vote the bill to its next stage, but for a few hours, the chances of un-elected people getting in the way of
government was far too high. The only things that have kept the Senate from being a bigger issue is the fact that by tradition, legislation has almost never stopped there, and at the very least, an elected person gets to choose who sits in the red chamber. Harper, like most recent Canadian party leaders, wished to either abolish or reform the Senate. He tried in 2014, and the Supreme Court ruled that no party can make these changes with an act of parliament, but must instead reopen the constitution and get several provinces to agree on the same amendment. One of his other attempts was in 2006 when the Senate proposed a constitutional amendment to limit terms to eight years, and his party also tabled legislation in the house to get provinces to hold their own elections for senators. Obviously, none of this came to pass. Trudeau’s attempts are a little different. He started a committee to select new senators to appoint them on their merits, as opposed to party affiliation. He also decreed in 2014 that all Liberal-appointed senators were no longer partisan, though they continue to call themselves “Senate Liberals.” The real test of this change will be in observing the way Trudeau appointees vote, should the Liberals lose government in 2019. But any real change to this institution will be a massive undertaking. Abolishment would require all provinces and both chambers to agree, whereas reform items like term limits and electoral legitimacy would “only” require 7 provinces representing 50 per cent of the population.
(@RESLUS) There are only two viable ways to deal with the Senate, and most political parties agree with this regardless of ideology: abolish the whole thing, reform it to make it more legitimate electorally, or find a way to make it
non-partisan. In the meantime, we’re stuck with this silly chamber, and as long as they don’t defy the people of Canada, or keep me from smoking weed, they’ll simply remain dead weight.
The B.C. Speculation Tax Shouldn’t Impact Non-Speculators Better definitions and protections should be created to prevent non-speculators from paying additional taxes Lincoln Saugstad | Contributor The B.C. government has recently decided to make much-needed changes to the speculation tax it announced in February. These changes reflect concerns raised by several Canadians both in and outside of the province who would have been unfairly affected by it. Yet, in some ways, the changes don’t go far enough. The speculation tax is part of a broader set of initiatives by the provincial government to deal with the ongoing housing crisis. It comes at a time when the average price for housing has increased dramatically and affordable rentals are in short supply. It was created to encourage those with vacant homes to rent them out while deterring investors from buying homes for speculative purposes. The tax will, however, also have unintended consequences for many non-speculators that might be forced to sell their property as a result. In a recent article in The Globe and Mail, Justine Hunter wrote of a retired couple in Parksville who have been living part-time in Ontario for the past 12 years. The couple would have had to pay an additional $9,400 per year on their property taxes, making it unaffordable for them to continue living there. With changes to the original provisions, the couple will now avoid the tax. Still, others—like those who own and occupy homes in both the United States and Canada—will not. In addition to targeting foreign speculators, the tax is designed to affect Canadians from
In February, the B.C. NDP introduced a tax meant to curb speculation on housing. However, some worry that it will also affect those who own vacation homes outside of the Lower Mainland. (Flickr/Gus Macleod) outside of the province, who are thought to be having a significant impact on B.C. housing prices. It will also impact B.C. residents who own homes that are empty for over six months of the year in certain cities. This will have consequences for those unable to afford the significant increase in property and speculation taxes on homes with ever-increasing values, unless they continuously live there. As the tax is still in its infancy, there is room for further changes, and the govern-
ment has said that it is making exemptions in an attempt to protect regular homeowners. At its core, the tax is necessary for dealing with the affordability crisis in cities such as Greater Vancouver, Chilliwack, Mission, Abbotsford, the Capital Regional District, Nanaimo-Lantzville, and Kelowna. It is a sign that more radical steps need to be taken in order to protect the access that Canadians have to stable and affordable homes. But homeowners who are lucky enough to own a second
property in B.C. should not be made to suffer the consequences of speculators’ actions. Better definitions and protections should be put in place to help regular homeowners avoid the tax, especially if they have spent time living in both of their properties, and to target speculators more clearly.
18
COLUMN
After Thought: All Eyes on David Eby as B.C. Reviews Money Laundering Report
The attorney general is poised to create policies that will deter money laundering in B.C. casinos Braden Klassen | Photo Editor B.C.’s Attorney General and MLA for Point Grey, David Eby, travelled to Ottawa to speak with the House of Commons finance committee about the province’s problem with money laundering on March 27. Casinos in B.C. like the River Rock in Richmond have been identified as channels for obscuring the origins of money that may have been obtained illegally, and the government has made it a priority to introduce new anti-money laundering policies as soon as possible. Eby has explained that there are numerous problems with current regulations to prevent this kind of illegal activity, saying that Canada’s policies focus too much on identifying and reporting suspicious transactions in the casinos without actually having measures in place to take action against it. Right now, Canada’s financial intelligence organization, the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre, bears the responsibility of detecting and deterring money laundering in Canada, and Eby has been critical of the organization’s inability to enforce the law. According to him, their focus on reporting problems and little else is like putting “a sheep’s mask on a wolf’s face.” The fact that federal regulation falls short doesn’t mean that provinces can’t take the matter into their own hands, which is what B.C. did in September 2017 by appointing Peter German to investigate and report on money laundering in casinos. German is a former RCMP deputy commissioner for Western and Northern Canada, a
lawyer, and the author of Money Laundering and Corporate Governance From a Canadian Perspective. His report, which was delivered to the provincial government on April 3, consists of 250 pages containing 48 recommendations that he believes the provincial government should implement in order to deter money laundering. The details of the report and the recommendations are still under review from the government and have not been released publicly. Still, given the urgency that the B.C. NDP has been treating this issue with, it’s likely that the details will be published sooner rather than later if they are planning on making the information public. Until that happens, though, the question remains as to how many of the recommendations will be applied to the new policies, and what this will mean for casinos in the province. In December, B.C. implemented two interim recommendations that German made: increasing the number and availability of government regulators at busy casinos in the Lower Mainland and requiring gamblers to justify cash or bearer bond deposits over $10,000 by filling out a “source of funds declaration.” In March, The Vancouver Sun reported that the B.C. Lottery Corp. issued a report saying that casinos could lose up to $88 million of annual revenue if they prevent VIP players from betting with more than $10,000 cash without filling out the declaration every day. Even though the interim policies have made a difference in lowering the rate of suspicious transactions made in casinos, it’s possible that the government might decide
B.C. Attorney General, David Eby. (Flickr/BCNDP) to ban cash deposits of more than $10,000 entirely, just to nip the issue in the bud. To the average student, spending more than $10,000 at a casino probably sounds downright obscene, but implementing a restriction this severe would likely take out a large portion of casino profits. Despite this, casinos in the Lower Mainland and the BCLC have been very compliant, even voicing their support for heavier regulations that target
money laundering. Ultimately, Eby’s performance on this file will reflect on the B.C. NDP’s ability to deal with a crime problem that has plagued the province for years. But until they publish German’s report or unveil any new policies, we won’t know for sure what kind of changes will be made.
Artist Spotlight: Dilemma Season Long-term solo artist Scott Hardy recently released his first full-band record Aly Laube | Editor in Chief Between finding the right session artists to work with, planning out a record alone, and constantly cranking out content, chasing success as a solo musician can be taxing. This is the lifestyle that Scott Hardy, a Vancouver singer-songwriter who has been contributing to the scene for years, has been living since he first stepped foot on a stage. And while he admits that it’s a challenge, he still feels that it's rewarding. With only a classical guitar and his voice, Hardy was long trapped in the "folk singer" box, and only recently has his clambering to escape that label been successful. On his new record, Epidemic Suggestion, he experiments with styles in his writing and production that listeners had never heard from him before. Rock, country, and indie influences are sprinkled throughout the eclectic record, with the only audible constants being his voice and the warmth and quality of its production. “When I first started, I had no gear at all. I had no amps, no cables, no pedals, nothing. I was a travelling folk singer type, just with an acoustic guitar, and I was doing the open mic circuit around town,” he says. “You can’t really communicate a rock n’ roll song so much with an acoustic guitar, so after a few years I just decided to step back [from that style].” He says that he spent a sizable portion of
his life saving money for the record in order to hire the session musicians he needed, choose a producer, pay for studio time, and get the entire album ready to be sold. When it came to actually working in a professional studio, however, Hardy was a first-timer. Because of this, he says that recording was “definitely a steep learning curve.” “Because I’m a solo artist, I’ve developed this very percussive style of playing guitar. I do a lot of palm muting and I’m integrating the percussion and the bass with the guitar,” he says. “Once you’re doing that in the studio where you already have the drums and you already have the bass, it gets a little conflicting.” He thanks his producer, Andy Schichter, for urging him to fix this issue, adding, “It sounded a lot cleaner once I started to separate the parts.” Schichter is in a band called Echo Nebraska and has worked as an assistant engineer with popular folk band The Decemberists. The drummer on Hardy’s record, Jarret Plett, is in a well-known busking group called Sons of Granville that plays on Granville Street downtown. Despite having to quickly adapt to being in a studio environment for the first time, Hardy is proud of his record and himself for being able to “let it go” and release it to the public. “I’m an unhealthy perfectionist and for me to get to a point where I actually felt that the song was perfect, it might have never hap-
pened. There’s always something else you want to redo,” he says. “But it’s a whole. It’s not a collection of 10 singles. It’s not a greatest hits collection. It’s not a concept album, but it’s tied together in the sense that there’s purpose to listening to the whole thing beginning to end.” Hardy hasn’t played any shows since releasing Epidemic Suggestion as he’s focus-
ing on promoting the record and working as a chef, but wants to start performing on stage again soon. “What I’m hoping is that, if the music starts to get more press attention and other musicians recognize it as a serious effort, they might want to come on as backing musicians,” he says, noting that he’s looking for “dreamers” to join his project in the near future.
Scott Hardy, the artist behind Dilemma Season, has been writing as a solo musician for years. (Alyssa Laube)
PROCRASTINATION
HOROSCOPES Sagittarius Nov. 23 - Dec 21
Hark, over yon encampment, the Jacobites!
Pisces Feb 20 - Mar 20 You share many notable qualities with the early Roman kings. An affinity for the invigorating power of wolf milk is only one of them.
Gemini May 21 - Jun 20 You've got the moon. You've got the cheese. You've got the whole damn Nation on it's knees.
Virgo Aug 24 - Sept 23 Now, when you catch the leprechaun, he’s going to try to convince you that he’s just a regular guy wearing a “kiss me, I’m Irish” T-shirt. Do not fall for this. Leprechauns are notorious liars.
Aquarius Jan 21 - Feb 19
Capricorn Dec. 22 - Jan 20
You are cosmically arbitrary.
Inside you is the best. Let it out. Let it feast.
Taurus Apr 20 - May 20
Aries Mar 21 - Apr 19 Never get off your horse to fight a pig.
You can steal seven items from any grocery store on Earth without consequence. You try to steal an eighth and homeland security will blow you up from the sky.
Leo Jul 24 - Aug 23
Cancer Jun 21 - Jul 23 A sick and wounded raccoon falls asleep beneath the porch rot of your chest.
Libra Sept 24 - Oct 23 Dance like the government isn't watching.
SUDOKU
Have you considered a vocation in Zoroastrianism?
Scorpio Oct 24 - Nov 22 On the day of your coronation, all the weeping angels will place a Rat King crown upon your head.
THE DOODLE BOX Last issue’s answers.
Look for the answers in the next issue of The Runner.
We’ve merely started the creation, you get to finish it! Tweet a photo of your drawing with #runnerdoodles and you could be featured in the next issue!
in r p S
8 1 0 g2