The Runner: Vol. 7 Issue 15 by The Runner

STRUGGLING TO GET TO CAMPUS SINCE 2009. VOLUME-07-ISSUE-15 / MARCH-24-2015

RUSH HOUR Transit plebiscite’s impact South of the Fraser Featuring Canadian Racism

Kanye West

Shootin’ Hoops

Bill C-51

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Masthead

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#BestPhoto featuring Kwantlen’s finest

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March 24 / 2015

from @kpirg on Instagram (Kwantlen Public Interest Research Group) Each week we’ll pick our favourite photo from the Kwantlen social media community. To submit your photo, use the hashtag #runnermag.

IN THIS ISSUE You don’t want to miss out on . . . News.................................................. 04 Weed starts campaigning against Harps.

Features.............................................. 10 “There’s a transit referendum?” you ask. “Please read this,” we beg.

Culture................................................ 13 The club that can say “Back in the day” with some certainty.

Columns.............................................. 15 Alan Davis on meeting Stephen Harper.

Opinions.............................................. 16 “Fossil Free Kwantlen March 19-20th, 10am-6pm #Divest! Come down to the Surrey KPU conference center and attend Fossil Free Kwantlen’s FREE all day workshop event! Workshops topics include: Renewable energy, green economics, what is divestment, and how you can get involved.”

Imma let you finish, etc.

The Runner is always on the lookout for talented photographers, reporters, artists and designers. If you have an interest in joining our team please visit:

Website: www.runnermag.ca Twitter: www.twitter.com/runnermag Facebook: www.facebook.com/runnerpaper EDITORIAL DIVISION The Runner is student-owned and operated by Kwantlen Polytechnic University students, published under the Polytechnic Ink Publishing Society. Arbutus 3710/3720 12666 72 Ave. Surrey, B.C, V3W 2M8 778.565.3801

Corrections In the Feb. 24 issue of The Runner, we meant to report that Michael Brown allegedly stole cigarettes. The Runner regrets the error.

www.runnermag.ca Vol. 07, Issue no. 15 March 24, 2015 ISSN# 1916 8241

Cover Art: Back in Grade 4, all Kenny Chui wanted was to become a drawer. However, the teacher told him he couldn’t be one and little Kenny’s feeling was hurt. She told Kenny he can be something else; so Kenny tried other things and ultimately became a paper boy. chuikenny1@gmail.com

chuikenny.com

Coordinating Editor / Kier-Christer Junos editor@runnermag.ca @kierjunos

Social Media Specialist / Yaunna Sommersby @yaunnarae

Executive Editor / Samantha Thompson deputy@runnermag.ca @sampthompson

Associate Editor / Connor Doyle

Production Editor / Roland Nguyen production@runnermag.ca

Staff Writer / Tristan Johnston

CONTRIBUTORS Joseph Keller, Awais Mushtaq, Amanda Paananen, Kyle Prince, Torin Slik, Chris Yee, Renee McMillen, Ajdin Dautovic, Kenny Chui, Hira Matharoo, Danielle George, Cody Lecoy, Pifanida, Scott McLelland.

Co-Art Director / Mark Stewart photos@runnermag.ca @markstewart

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 Kwantlen is adaptable and changing so is The Runner.

Co-Art Director / Charis Au

BUSINESS DIVISION Operations Manager / Scott Boux oﬃce@runnermag.ca / 778.565.3801

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The Runner

Editorial

March 24 / 2015

From the editors Transit referendum: pinch your nose.

Kier-Christer Junos Coordinating Editor

On the tax boost for the sake of all-around better transit in Metro Vancouver, being a proponent of the “yes” side seemed like a no-brainer three months ago. But people have begun using their brains, and now it’s looking like “Ahhhhh no.” This new information perplexed me, for it seems logical to upgrade the system at long last. This would mean more trains, light rail, another Seabus, more busses, a new Patullo bridge and less cars to help Metro Vancouverites move faster. It’ll be a dream come true. Once the Mayors’ Council and “yes” campaigners convince people to give TransLink their money via extra sales tax, we’ll be at Waterfront in no time, sippin’ on that Granville Island Brew, or something. “My blood started boiling at ‘give,’ ‘TransLink,’ ‘money,’” says a fiscal conservative. If you were implicated in that 2014 summer day when the Expo Line just said “no,” you could probably attest that TransLink has been abhorrent enough that most people shouldn’t trust them with the project and the

money—oh, god, especially not the money. In fact, 55 per cent of participants in a March 9 Insights West poll concerning the transit referendum were convinced that TransLink could go fuck themselves. And rightfully so. They don’t deliver, and they don’t Delissio. Their fancy Compass Card system is way overdue, for example, and The Province reported that it’s $23-million over budget. TransLink used hundreds of thousands of dollars on public art, and while that’s great, there were probably some infrastructure upgrades that were a little more pertinent than a giant porcelain poodle. I’m sure they thought it would be a big hit, but they clearly barked up the wrong tree. Insights West says the Jim Pattison group offered to run a committee to oversee the money, and though it swayed some, the majority currently remains no-no-no, unconvinced that one of the world’s most renown business groups could possibly reel TransLink in with the holy lasso of fiscal austerity. Hell, even the “yes” people aren’t confident in TransLink to get this done smoothly. Insights West showed that only 11 per cent of “yes” people are convinced that TransLink is the prodigal son who will indeed get the peo-

ple to Waterfront. If you’re not up on your Bible, do note that the prodigal son took a shitload of his dad’s money, got wasted in some city with some hookers and then came back broke to say “Sorry dad.” Ironically, dad threw him a kickass welcome home party. But I digress. If the tax is approved, my hope is that this upgrade is extensive enough to be effective for more than two, three decades. Population growth, while a factor in the upgrade’s sustainability questions, is a factor that can’t be mitigated forever by upgrading transit. I’m not really Malthusian by any means, but as the KSA’s Eric Wirsching told The Runner last issue: “People generally have sex.” Look, TransLink is truly something that needs fixing. The bad press certainly doesn’t help their case, and it’s a factor going into this referendum that’s really about yes-orno to tax-for-transit. But if people vote yes in the upcoming referendum, Metro Vancouverites will at least enjoy what appears to be a dramatic increase of mobility capacity, even if TransLink continues to run with impunity. If people vote no, then the region gets the worst of both evils: no increased capacity, and TransLink. Do the math, guys. Anna Phan

What’s up this week! with Yaunna sommersby! March 25th - April 12th Wednesday Mar. 25 International Day against Racial Discrimination Kwantlen Public Interest Research Group (KPIRG) will host this event for students to explore the importance of combating racism. This event will also allow students to talk and learn more about discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance. 2:30 p.m.-10:00 p.m., KPU Surrey Campus – Fir Building Room 128. Free

Thursday Mar. 26-28 Ballet B.C.: Trace Choreographers William Forsythe, Walter Matteni, and Medhi Walerski all have their work featured in this upcoming Ballet B.C. celebration of modern dance. If you love dance, it’s definitely an event you do not want to miss. 8 p.m., Queen Elizabeth Theatre, 630 Hamilton Street at Georgia. Tickets: $30-$80

Friday Mar. 27 Music on Fridays – Jazz Band Spend your Friday afternoons listening to jazz music? Come out to Music on Fridays, listen to some live music and support Kwantlen’s Jazz Band. 12 p.m., KPU Surrey Main Atrium. Free

Tuesday Mar. 31 Health Unit Coordinator (HAUC) Information Session If you are thinking about a career in the health or medical fields and want to learn more about the Health Unit Coordinator program, going to an information session is a good start. Register online now for this upcoming session! 7 p.m.-9 p.m., Langley Campus South Building Room 1805. Free

Wednesday Apr. 1 Music@Midweek – KPU Piano and String Students We admit it, jazz is not for everybody, but it is still important to support Kwantlen’s music students. If jazz is not your thing, then this piano and string student performance is another chance for you to show that support! 12 p.m., KPU Langley Auditorium. Free

Thursday Apr. 2 TALK’s Philosophers’ Cafés, Spring 2015 Fascinated by the philosophical world or just want a unique learning opportunity? This month, the Philosophers’ Café will be talking about the controversial issue of end-of-life decisions. Share your thoughts or just listen in to the conversations and enjoy some snacks. 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m., Steveston Hotel 12111 Third Ave. Richmond. Minimum $2 donation

Thursday Apr. 9 Friday Apr. 3 Vancouver Chamber Choir: Fauré Requiem The Vancouver Chamber choir will be performing Gabriel Fauré’s classic composition for their annual Good Friday concert. Jon Washburn will be conducting and the performance also will feature Pacifica Singers, the Vancouver Youth Choir and solos. 8 p.m.-10:30 p.m., Orpheum, 601 Smithe Street at Seymour. $15-$65

Tuesday Apr. 7 + Apr. 12 The Book of Mormon Hello Elder Price, Vancouver is looking forward to meeting you. The recent Broadway hit is making its debut in the rainy city and ready to delight, or slightly offend, audiences. Gentlemen, just do us a favour and make sure you don’t have any maggots in your scrotum. 8 p.m.-10:30 p.m., Queen Elizabeth Theatre, 630 Hamilton Street at Georgia. 18+ age restriction. Tickets $51-$118.

2015 Fashion Show Have an interest in fashion or have a friend graduating from the fashion and design program? Students graduating from the fashion design and technology program will have a chance to showcase their work at this major Vancouver fashion industry event. Who knows, maybe the next Vera Wang is in our midst. Matinee: 1 p.m. (doors open 12:30 p.m.), Evening: 7 p.m. (doors open 6:30 p.m.). River Rock Show Theatre 8811 River Road Richmond, BC. Tickets $18 (Matinee), $38 (Evening)

Monday Apr. 12 Bachelor of Psychiatric Nursing Information Session Wanting to learn more about what it takes to become a psychiatric nurse? This information session will give students a chance to learn all about Kwanlten’s Bachelor of Psychiatric Nursing program. 4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m., Langley Campus East Building Room 1650. Free.

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March 24 / 2015

Tristan Johnston

Student Candidates Vie for Highest Office KPU releases list of nominees for board of governors, senate.

Kier-Christer Junos Coordinating Editor

The university has released the list of eligible candidates for student representatives in the university’s highest legislative factions. Four student seats are available for the university senate, which dictates academic mandates for the university. These are uncontested for the 2015 race. The contested seats are the two available for the university’s board of governors—the highest legislative body in a university. The board of governors

consists of two-thirds government appointees, and typically review and approve the university’s budget, among other things. BoG and senate elections are held online, with polls opening at 8 a.m. on Apr. 9, and closing on Apr. 12 at 4 p.m. Kayla England and Adnan Hifzur Rahuman are the two senate candidates. As they are running uncontested, the two will assume their seats Sept. 1, 2015. Unlike the recent Kwantlen Student Association general election, students can’t vote no for uncontested candidates— they’re simply acclaimed to the position. The candidates for the two contested BoG

seats include England, Upinder Chahal, Steven Button and Jessica Lar-Son. Their candidate statements are available on the MyKwantlen website. Button and Lar-Son are running as a slate, according to their candidate statements. They were part of the KSA’s executive committee in their last term. Button’s experience includes serving on Senate and as the vice-president of student services on the KSA. Lar-Son has served as the women’s constituency representative, the KSA president and vice-president of external affairs. Chahal has held a seat on the BoG before, and elaborates on that experience in his state-

ment. He has volunteered with KSA’s START program and worked as a student assistant with the recreation department at Kwantlen. In England’s last KSA term, she chaired the KSA academic affairs committee. She adds in her statement that she was a legal assistant to the BoG, and that she has leanings towards social justice and sustainability issues. Eligible student voters must be enrolled in at least one course, in a recognized program, and have paid all their tuition fees in full at election time. Because they could not be reached for photos, Steven Button, Jessica Lar-Son and Upinder Chahal provided their own photos

talks, but with a decidedly historical slant. “We want to pull from what people are talking about, or what’s happening out in society,” explains Hargraves, citing that a potential upcoming talk would be about the application process for grad school, a topic that plenty of people in the History department will have experience in. The History Students’ Society was formed in the late 2000s and has grown to include over 150 members in that time. In addition to their initiative with the PODtalk, they’ve held history-pertaining movie nights on the KPU campus and have taken a

field trip to Seattle to visit the local museums there. The society says that they’re always looking for new members, and aim to bring people together to overcome the “transient experience in university” that has plagued KPU in particular. One of the recent events they’ve held to help accomplish this goal was a silent auction in the Grassroots Cafe, which boasted some impressive prizes. All the money raised at their events goes towards a scholarship provided to students at the university. “It’s nice to know we get to give back to the students,” says Hargraves. “We’re not just sitting around in our tweed jackets, smoking a pipe, talking about history.” The PODtalks, along with their other recent activities, have fulfilled a club mandate to make the history society more current, more exciting, and to allow for more connections with the students at KPU. “You don’t have to be some history whiz to come out and chat with us or be a part of our events,” Hargraves says. “It’s not just talking about hundreds and hundreds of years ago. We really want to get out there that [the society] is open to everybody, and that we’re not just exclusive to the history program. It’s more about a club getting together, having really cool conversations and having fun.” Those interested can follow the Society’s twitter account, @KwantlenHistory, or their Facebook page, History at Kwantlen Polytechnic University.

Roland Nguyen

In Da Club A look back in KPU.

Kyle Prince Contributor

In response to a national discussion centring on domestic security and the spread of terrorist groups, in part fed by the controversial Bill C-51, the Kwantlen History Students’ Society is introducing a new monthly PODtalk called “Narratives of Terrorism.” On it, Clea Hargraves will “look globally at the structure of terrorism,” as well as the “media that factor into it.” “It should be really interesting to catch up to

/ Monica Mah Contributor

where we are now [with these issues] and how things aren’t getting any better,” says Hargraves. Hargraves also states that their PODtalk will include an element where they “ask faculty, or interesting people in the community, or even students, to submit an idea about something that’s related to history,” and then discuss these issues on the PODtalk. These conversations are modeled after TED-

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March 24 / 2015

KSA executives accused of leaving private information online Matter settled in-camera.

Tristan Johnston Staff Writer

Members of the Kwantlen Student Association (KSA) were asked several times to remove club information from the KSA website, which included private and identifiable information about students. This information has since been removed. Whether or not any sort of disciplinary action took place is unknown to The Runner, as any such decisions were decided at an in-camera meeting. A meeting can be moved to in-camera for issues pertaining to property, human resources or legal reasons. Steven Button, vice-president of student services at the KSA, says that they had changed their regulations with regard to private information. “We wanted to make sure that student information was not being shared,” says Button.

“It changed the way we had to create our executive agendas. We’re no longer allowed to include club constitutions or most planning tools as public information. That kind of conflicted with our desire to ensure that we are providing all of the information we can to anyone who’s interested in the executive committee.” “By the time this got to governance, the issue had been resolved,” he says. “It’s a non-issue, because it has been taken care of.” Leah Godin, Langley campus representative, brought the complaint to council. “I brought the issue up to council in September,” says Godin, mentioning that the KSA has an obligation to students to keep their information confidential. It came to Godin’s attention that private information from club constitutions was online. “It includes their full name, their personal cell phone number, their email address as well as their student number, which is confi-

dential information,” says Godin. In the agenda from the Jan. 23 meeting of the Standing Committee on Governance, Godin lists the KPBru Club Constitution Package, Emerging Green Builders Club Constitution Package and the Enactus Club Constitution Package as documents that wrongfully contained personally identifiable information. “In October at council, it passed, to include student numbers under the freedom of information act,” says Godin. At the Oct. 17 council meeting, Godin had recommended a motion that a KSA regulation be amended to define what “confidential documents” consisted of. It was changed to include matters of human resources, legal, property sales and purchases, and in-camera meetings. Also included was personal information, as further defined by the Personal Information Privacy Act, a B.C. law. “Within the next executive meeting, which

Garden Plots coming to Surrey Campus

News

Roland Nguyen

was a week later, they did the same thing and put a constitution up, for a new club,” says Godin. “So I told them about it. I [said], ‘You guys have to really take that down, because you’re not being accountable to the students, and they didn’t sign to have their personal information and student numbers online.’” Godin says that similar postings happened in November and December. In January, Godin wrote up a full, detailed complaint and brought it to council, after issuing several verbal warnings. However, the ultimate outcome was decided in camera, meaning proceedings were private and unknowable to the public. Neither Steven Button, nor Leah Godin, were legally allowed to comment on these proceedings. “Neither myself, nor the executive committee, has ever been reprimanded by council,” says Button. “Nor are there any pending recommendations for any such reprimand.”

Tristan Johnston

KSA brings green options for green thumbs.

Chris Yee Contributor

Slowly but surely, spring is coming. And like many a gardener getting ready for growing season, the Kwantlen Student Association (KSA) is mulling the idea of putting garden boxes on the Surrey campus. They held an open house on Feb. 12 to gauge interest in the idea. If all goes according to plan, students could soon see the first of what the KSA hopes will be several garden plots on the Surrey campus. Eric Wirshing, Science and Horticulture representative and member of the KSA’s special committee on environmental sustainability, says the response to the project so far has been positive. “I’ve had a few requests by email for plots, some people were asking me for more than one plot,” he says. The garden boxes will be located in the Cedar building courtyard, across from the lounge on the east side of the building, a location Wirshing says will increase the visibility of the project to the campus community. Wirshing says the idea for the project came

from a July 2014 visit to Simon Fraser University’s Burnaby campus by delegates from the KSA, who met with the Sustainable SFU student group. One project caught the KSA’s eye in particular: temporary garden boxes on the future site of a new student union building. “It’s easier for the university to say yes to something like that, as opposed to a permanent installation, so that idea resonated with us, so we decided to try it out here,” he says. Shifting Growth will be providing garden boxes the KSA plans to install on the Surrey campus. The charity previously supplied garden boxes for the SFU project, and has established over a thousand temporary community gardens on vacant lots and other locations since its inception in 2011.

Community agriculture on campus The garden boxes are but one of several community agriculture initiatives being undertaken at KPU. According to Wirshing, the Langley campus, home to KPU’s Horticulture program, has community garden space — with room to grow. “There’s been a move within the Urban

Ecosystems program to have another large space, on the campus side of the highway, dedicated to a community garden,” he says. Currently, there are garden plots located near the greenhouses across the Langley Bypass from the main Langley campus buildings. The planned expansion will see garden plots tilled between the West Building and the Brewing building, currently under construction. Wirshing also says that a research farm is also planned for the Garden City lands —“a largely untouched, 55-hectare (136-acres) parcel of open space on the edge of Richmond City Centre,” according to a June 2014 press release released by the City of Richmond after it had adopted a master plan for the site — adjacent to the Richmond campus. The Garden City lands, located along Garden City Road between Alderbridge Way and Westminster Highway is located within the Agricultural Land Reserve.

Reaching out The KSA is also reaching out to the community at large to promote community ag-

riculture more generally, with plans for a farmers’ market on Surrey campus, jointly organized with KPU, which also holds the Langley Community Farmers Market on Langley campus — something the university has done since 2009. The KSA is also hosting discussions on the topic with community groups such as the Surrey/White Rock Food Action Coalition, as part of the KSA Ideas speaker series. One such discussion, “Food Matters: An Imperative Dialogue”, was held on Surrey campus on March 10. Wirshing says the discussion broached upon a number of challenges facing food production both locally and globally, such as climate change, the unsustainability of the “industrial food paradigm” and the threat to agricultural land by speculators. But more importantly, Wirshing says it was a forum for discussing solutions to these challenges, and alternatives to the current food system. “It’s meant to be a dialogue around [where] our food systems are right now and how we can act to change things, how we can encourage policymakers to change things for the better,” he says.

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March 24 / 2015

KSA aims to remove ombudsperson clause from bylaws

Danielle George

Button: Ombudsperson should exist, but not as detailed in bylaws.

Tristan Johnston Staff Writer

The Kwantlen Student Association is attempting to remove the ombudsperson clause from their bylaws. An ombudsperson is a third party who resolves disputes, typically legal in nature, between other parties without bias. They’re also expected to make sure that organizations operate lawfully. In the hypothetical case of Kwantlen Polytechnic University,

they would take complaints of maladministration, and make sure that both the university and the student association would operate within the public interest. “So, let me just start by saying that the ombudsperson is a position that I think should exist,” says Steven Button, vicepresident of student services for the KSA. “Many of my colleagues believe this position should exist. However, an ombudsperson needs to be a joint venture between the association—the KSA—and the university.” The bylaw changes were recommended

unanimously by the governance committee to council. Council recommended the bylaw revisions unanimously to the annual general meeting. “That position needs to be somebody who’s not solely hired by the KSA or the university,” says Button, further elaborating that an ombudsperson hired by only one of the two parties is counterintuitive to its purpose. Button says that he was halfway through negotiating with the university, and that they were on board with the idea. However, cuts came potentially as a result of budget shortfalls KPU is currently facing.

“Now the university simply does not have money to provide for that position at this time. This is really unfortunate,” says Button. “So, that particular position had to be put on hold, because in practice, there’s no way the KSA could just pay for that position itself, we can’t do it, that defeats the purpose.” Button estimates that an ombudsperson would cost around $70,000 per year. That person would not necessarily be a lawyer, but someone with policy experience. Both sides would need to respect their opinion. The university and the KSA would also have to discuss things like oﬃce space and hiring details. Button mentions that there are various clauses in the bylaws that aren’t realistic, even though he believes that they were wellintentioned. He cites that the ombudsperson must be appointed by the KSA, and that it answers to the KSA and has to give reports. “When the bylaws were written, they were done before any negotiations with the university took place,” says Button. Button believes that the position as it’s written in the bylaws is unrealistic, and doesn’t make sense. “It requires that the KSA board hires the ombudsperson,” he says. “It requires that the ombudsperson answers to the KSA board and has to give reports to the board. These are things which would simply be unacceptable in any kind of negotiation in an agreement that we would have with the university.” “Good governance suggests that you shouldn’t introduce rules that you cannot uphold,” he says. “We’re going to continue to push for an ombudsperson with the university, but it won’t be the one detailed in the bylaws, nor should it be.” Button hopes that the incoming KSA council will continue to push for an ombudsperson, while being realistic of the ﬁnancial constraints of the university.

Sensible B.C.’s Budding Influence Cannabis advocacy group shifts focus federally for 2015 election.

Joseph Keller Contributor

The meeting is held in a housing co-op in East Vancouver on a sunny mid-February afternoon. People of all types crowd into the makeshift meeting room where, for a few of the latecomers, it’s standing room only. A humble beginning to a campaign with big ambitions. The room is packed with people young and old, left-wing and right-leaning, students and business owners, lifelong activists and people who have never been to a protest before. A clipboard is passed around for attendees to pledge support and to volunteer their time to Sensible B.C.’s next big campaign. It’s the first of many volunteer orientations to be held by the group as Sensible BC gears up to keep cannabis prohibition on the minds of British Columbians in 2015 as they head to the polls. The first person to speak at the meeting is, of course, Dana Larsen, who founded the organization in 2012 with a campaign to force a referendum in BC to decriminalize cannabis provincially. “Our goal is going to be to change the government,” said Larsen to attendees. “To help get rid of the Conservatives because the Conservatives have made themselves the party against cannabis.” The 2012 provincial campaign fell short of the signatures from 10 per cent of B.C. registered voters needed to force a referendum. The final result was 202,085 signatures over 90 days, high enough to force a referendum in most provinces, but not B.C. Sensible B.C. organisers are hoping to use the support

gained, as well as lessons learned from that campaign to influence the upcoming election. Also at the meeting was Nick Whitehead, director of organizers for Sensible B.C. and a member since they first announced the referendum campaign in the fall of 2012. “When you build an organization that large, that quickly, you learn an immense amount,” says Whitehead. “I think [one of] the biggest things is just really having very in-depth skill development training as early on as possible. Getting your core organizers trained up and making sure they know what their role is, what the systems and processes you have in place are.” “What really came out of that campaign was an organized movement, and people who want to see more happen,” says Larsen Sensible B.C. is continuing to seek out volunteers to canvass, fundraise, run events and more. Membership grew fast as the organization was in the spotlight in 2012, peaking at approximately 2,000 to 3,000 volunteers and 4,500 registered canvassers. In the years since then, numbers have declined somewhat, though with a 2015 election on the horizon, numbers are on their way back up. “Finding [volunteers] can be difficult,but it’s one of those things where people believe in this issue. It’s 2015, people are absolutely tired of these laws,” says Larsen. Justin Trudeau announced the Liberal party’s support for legalisation over a year ago and Tom Mulcair’s NDP favors decriminalisation with the possibility of legislation pending further study. Sensible B.C.’s strategy is not to simply throw their hat into the ring for one party but to identify the stron-

gest non-Conservative candidate in each riding and advocate accordingly. This approach minimizes the risk of splitting the vote in the Tories’ favor and allows Sensible B.C. to focus their resources on ridings that can potentially be swung away from the Conservatives. One thing that hasn’t changed is the message, as talking points and canvassing strategies will remain much the same as they were in 2012. “This is a little bit more targeted. We’ve got certain ridings that are higher priority than others. In a ballot initiative with Elections B.C., if you have 84 ridings and miss one, you lose . . . whereas [a federal election] allows us to pick and choose our battles a little more,” explains Whitehead. “Obviously, we want a conversation everywhere but we want to control the conversation in certain areas.” Organizers for Sensible B.C. have been busy working out their strategies for this election since the provincial referendum failed in 2012. Part of the reason for the early start to the campaigning phase is due to speculation that Stephen Harper may choose to call a snap election in the summer. This possibility is considered unlikely, but Sensible B.C. doesn’t want to be caught unprepared.

Charis Au

“It’s 2015, people are absolutely tired of these laws.”

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March 24 / 2015

A dv erti s ement

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March 24 / 2015

Anti-extremism organization educates on Islam

Torin Slik

Mufti Aasim Rashid explains the core teachings of Islam as non-violent.

Torin Slik Contributor

The audience sat in silence while listening intently to a man who spoke warm words about his religion. Campaign Against Violent Extremism (C.A.V.E.) is an organization dedicated to educating people about the true meaning of Islam. One of their goals is to help people to see that not all Muslims are violent, and Muslims are just like everyone else. On Feb. 14, C.A.V.E. hosted an event at Kwantlen Polytechnic University entitled “Peace, War, and Islam.” Leading the session was Mufti Aasim Rashid. Rashid is the director and spokesperson of the B.C. Muslim Association and is regarded as a renowned scholar and speaker for the Islamic faith. He believes that education and knowledge are the keys to building a better world. Rashid acknowledged that the threat of Islamic extremist groups, such as ISIS, seem to be on the rise. As such, there is a growing fear of the Islamic religion as a whole. This fear, according to Rashid, is born out of ignorance.

“When the light of knowledge enters one’s mind and heart, the darkness of confusion and suspicion, and animosity that arises from [ignorance] begins to dissipate,” he said. Rashid explains that the core teachings of Islam are the farthest thing away from violence as could be. He compared Islam to our own country of Canada. “Is Canada a peaceful country, or a warmongering country?” he asked. “Most people would say it’s peaceful. However, we have weapons, and armies, and missiles, and an air force and a navy.” With this comparison, Rashid explains that Islam is seen the same way. He said that groups, such as ISIS, are just that: a group. They don’t represent the whole religion. Rashid did not deny the violent writings that can be seen in the Islamic holy text, the Qur’an. He admitted they were there, but defended them by reminding the audience about violence that has occurred with all nations. “Everyone has the right to protect themselves,” he said. “The system of Jihad and Islam is your ministry of defence.” C.A.V.E. has directly associated them-

selves with the RCMP in order to bring awareness to the public. Derrick Gravelle, a representative of the RCMP spoke about the concept of prevention. In order to identify people at risk, Gravelle urged people to look for changed behaviors. He specifically suggested to look at people who have had a change in friends or people spending lots of time on extremist type websites. MP Jinny Sims also spoke at the event. She asked for people to forgo judging people based on religious beliefs. “Don’t blame Muslims for acts of extremism,” she said. “It’s like when five teenagesrs get in trouble, all teenagers are bad.” Sims argued that a major factor in negative labels for Muslims is media representation. She said that that media is constantly asking the mainstream Muslim community what they are doing about it. However, she said when Muslims speak out against the extremists, the media doesn’t cover it. Sims also commented on the allocation of the governmental budget, and how it should focus more on youth aid. She argued that if communities and governments spend

Soaring Higher

more effort on youth, the result will be a more positive change in society. Each speaker, though talking from different perspectives, presented a similar message. They all talked about the necessity to see past stereotypes. “We definitely need to learn more about one another,” Rashid said. “That applies to Muslims as well as non-Muslims.” Rashid’s statement was met with loud applause from the audience. Another moment of loud applause happened when Sims pointed out to a young father and his two boys in the audience. “Look at this young man and his beautiful two boys,” said Sims. “All he wants is for his children to grow up being treated like everyone else in this country.” Not everyone was caught up in the hype. Pat O’Connor, a member of the audience, said “The whole event was a whitewash,” and that “Nothing really important was said.” C.A.V.E. plans on holding several similar events in the next few months. They will be held at various university campuses and public libraries.

Tree Frog Imaging

Kwantlen’s own Eagles are reaching new heights.

Kyle Prince Contributor

The PacWest Basketball award is given out once a year to exceptional players throughout the national Pacific Western region, and this year two of KPU’s very own brought fame and recognition to the university. Shilpa Khanna and Matt Cooley flew the highest amongst an all-star Eagles team this year and were recognized by coaches from multiple teams for both their skills on the court and the impressions they made on their fellow teammates. Shilpa Khanna is a second year biology student at KPU. She’s been an avid basketball player since she was young, but didn’t truly get into the sport until the eighth grade, when her basketball training began. “Basketball has been a large part of my life for a good part of seven years,” she says. “It’s been the foundation for my life, and it’s been where I meet most of my friends. Most of my life revolved around basketball and it’s important to

/ Monica Mah Contributor

me because it puts so many things in perspective for me. It teaches me so much about life, like how to be disciplined and value hard work.” The switch from high school to university isn’t an easy one, and since most players are signed from high school the team becomes something like another class. There are film sessions, gym days, and practices several times a week, which can put a lot of pressure on the players. Film sessions are where they prepare for future games: “It’s kind of like taking a course where you have to memorize numbers from each what their go to thing is and their weakness is,” Khanna describes. It seems her hard work paid off too, now that she’s been recognized for her efforts. Her sentiments shed a little light on why she won the PACWEST award. “It’s an amazing feeling, it shows that hard work does pay off. But I know that this is from my team-

mates constantly pushing me to get better and my coaches helping me succeed. It may be an award given to me, but it’s a group effort and there are so many people behind it. Just having the gym availability and working out, it means a lot. It’s a lot of work.” Matt Cooley is the other award recipient and a first year student at KPU. He won the award because of how fast he’s managed to make himself known in basketball. Fresh out of high school, Matt has been competing against fourth year students and 26-yearolds, while still leading the conference in rebounds. Basketball is important to Cooley because, “It helps me with building overall life skills and team building.” “To win an award you must do something extraordinary,” says Vladimir Nikic, Cooley’s coach. It’s more than just the individual efforts that go into these awards. The team experience provided by the coaches and other players really bring together the Eagles, which allows for players to really excel in their respective areas. Going to conferences and re-

turning with these types of awards shows the level at which our players are performing at. “It’s fascinating, I enjoy every day of it because you’re surrounded by players that have this kinesthetic intelligence and really work for it,” says Nikic. “They possess a large amount of talent when it comes to basketball.” For any potential Eagles out there, the two award recipients are leaving you with a few words of wisdom. “Just be open minded when it comes to everything [and] when you play, give it all you got,” says Cooley. Khanna has a similar approach: “Stick with it. It takes a lot of hard work to get into it. I sucked, but I would go to the gym every morning at 7 a.m. before school just to get better,” she says. “You have to be dedicated to improving when it comes to basketball. It’s the little things that make the difference.” A bit of natural talent can’t hurt, but with enough dedication and a love of the game, everyone can become an Eagle and soar.

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The Runner

March 24 / 2015

Campus Life

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The Runner

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March 24 / 2015

TRANSIT +YOU What happens if we vote “no”? Impact of transit plebiscite South of the Fraser.

Tristan Johnston Staff Writer

The last few months of dialogue regarding the TransLink plebiscite have shown that “no” voters are taking the lead by a wide margin. A March 16 Angus-Reid poll suggested that 27 per cent are voting “yes,” while 61 per cent are voting “no.” Sixty-nine per cent of “no” voters said that the proposed transit improvements are a good idea, but that they should come from existing taxes. This is despite the vast majority of voters appearing to support more transit in Metro Vancouver. However, there seems to be a distrust of the transit operator: TransLink. According to Angus-Reid, 61 per cent of “no” voters don’t believe that Translink can be trusted with extra funding. The Mayors’ Council has promised 27 kilometres of light rail in Surrey and Langley, an extension of the Expo line out to Arbutus along Broadway, numerous new B-lines and all around service improvements, such as added Skytrain cars and buses. Also promised is improved road quality, a new Pattullo bridge and an 80 per cent increase in night bus service. Currently, Vancouver’s transit system is considered one of the best in North America. Many quality-of-life surveys have placed Vancouver high on their lists, partially due to TransLink. Vancouver was number 15 by Monocle in 2014, number three by the Economist Intelligence Unit, and number five on Mercer’s. It’s the best

in North America, according to all three. The only cities that beat Vancouver in regards to transit are much smaller and older cities, in countries with different taxation, like Vienna, Copenhagen and Zurich. Malcolm Brodie, mayor of Richmond, thinks that a “no” vote would be problematic. “I think that it will be a complete and utter disaster,” says Brodie. “Without the added transportation and transit detailed in the vision, if we don’t have that, our situation is going to very rapidly deteriorate.” “It [would be a] huge cost to the congestion that we already have, and with another million people coming in the next couple of decades, it’s just going to get worse. A very compelling reason to why we’re supporting it, in my mind, is because we have some air quality targets, and motor vehicles are one of the largest polluters of our air shaft. We’re going to do further damage to our environment.” “The transit services South of the Fraser are the most marginal, and because of the way the region has been developing. So if you’re in Vancouver, it’s not such a bad situation, but South of the Fraser it’s really very challenging, so we need the added bus service.” Jessica Lar-Son, president and vice-president external of the Kwantlen Student Association (KSA), believes that a “yes” vote is imperative to students who depend on transit to get to school and work. She has lived in Surrey her whole life and is familiar with the needs of the municipality. “We did a transportation survey, which

HOW WILL

YOU VOTE? Let us know @runnermag Kenny Chui

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The Runner

On Friday, March 20, The Runner conducted a very informal survey on Surrey campus. 45 students were asked “how are you going to vote in the TransLink referendum?” showed that a lot of our students rely on transit,” she says. “With the passing of the transit referendum, we’re looking at a 20 per cent reduction in congestion.” According to GPS maker TomTom, in 2014 Vancouver had the worst traffic in North America, with travel times taking 35 per cent longer during heavy periods. “Our congestion rates are already ridiculously high,” says Lar-Son. “Anyone who tries to commute from Surrey to Vancouver [or vice-versa] knows that during rush hour, that can mean a serious problem. If we don’t improve our transit system, that problem is just going to expand. We need better bridges, better bike lanes.” However, many of those against the plebiscite perceive that the tax increase goes straight into the pockets of TransLink executives, and that TransLink is poorly run. Jordan Bateman, B.C. director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, believes that voters should choose “no.” “A few things will happen, if the vote fails. The mayor of Surrey said that she has a plan for light rail in Surrey. So, she’ll go forward with her plan, which is developer contributions and federal funding. The Pattullo toll bridge shouldn’t even be in this vote. It’s not being funded by the tax, it’s being funded by toll. It’s only in there to trick drivers into supporting the ‘yes’ side,” he says. According to Bateman, the two major items they’re promising for the South of the Fraser region will go forward. “As for the rest of it, look, it’s going to force a major shake-up at TransLink where they’re going to have to look at how they’re governed,” he says. “And the decisions they’ve made, and find some efficiencies and prove that they can run an organization that doesn’t waste money, and prove that to the public.” Furthermore, Bateman believes that there are methods for TransLink to get money outside of a sales tax. “There’s dozens of ways that

Yes

Maybe/ undecided

March 24 / 2015

people have pitched,” says Bateman. “Lower Mainland cities have enjoyed about a six per cent annual revenue growth rate over the last 10 years. So every year they get six per cent more money, and that makes sense, because people move here, buy houses and become taxpayers. What we’re saying is, you could fund this entire plan just by earmarking 0.5 per cent of that growth rate going forward.” Bateman believes that the new tax simply gives municipalities access to more funding, and that Translink isn’t to be trusted in projects opening on time. He further cites the Evergreen line being built late, and the Compass card project being millions of dollars over budget. Bateman thinks that 0.5 per cent is too high, and that it will hurt impoverished people the most. “What I’m saying is, fix TransLink first. And then, once you actually know the need, you know, there’s a better plan to fund it. Earmark future growth instead of relying on current taxpayers.” Bateman also thinks that, “Students need to remember that none of this stuff that is promised will be built in their time at school. Maybe, if you’re in your first year and you’re planning to be a doctor or something.” He believes that the tax would hurt students, citing the Retail Council of Canada’s opposition to it. Since goods would cost more, it could be more difficult for stores, which often hire students, to pay their wages. The organization also has concerns with “the propensity of consumption taxes to increase from their initial rate,” and that it would set a precedent for other municipalities in Canada to introduce similar taxes. Voting for the plebiscite has now begun via mail-in ballot. Only time will tell what’s really on the voters’ minds. The transit voting period is from March 16 to May 29, 2015 via mail-in ballot. To register to vote or to update your voter registration, call 1-800-6618683 or register online at elections.bc.ca.

Gurvir Sandhawalia Science: Biology

Nicholas Stanley Business: Marketing Management

“I’m actually not sure yet, but, I haven’t really read anything, but I’m trying to figure out if I want to. Because I just want it to benefit students, and other people as well. It is a big deal at this point.”

“No. I don’t have enough faith in TransLink, and I feel that they need to get a message that people don’t have the trust, and then they might redo the same vote later, and I might change my opinion.”

Feature

According to AngusReid, these are the three primary reasons people have chosen their side in the transit debate:

Voting Yes: 1. Public transit needs improvement 2. Traffic congestion is bad/will get worse 3. Vancouver’s future needs

Voting No: 1.Translink cannot be trusted with extra funds 2. I don’t want a tax increase 3. There is no benefit for me at all

Trevor Dorflinger Science “Don’t have [an opinion], because I don’t know much about it.”

Inderpal Brar Arts: Political Science/Criminology “I’m going to vote yes. And the reason why is that as a student of a university, that doesn’t have a car, that can’t pay sometimes, but I have a free UPass, so I gotta take transit. Sometimes I need transit for late night classes, and it’s just not there. That’s why I’m voting yes for it.” Kenny Chui

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The Runner

March 24 / 2015

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Cody Lecoy. Resurgence. Acrylic on canvas. 2’ x 4’

Canada’s Subverted Racism Against Aboriginals Ingrained racism needs to be addressed.

Tristan Johnston Staff Writer

Forgiveness for residential schools, disrespect of traditional lands and racism: These are a handful of the many issues facing aboriginal people in Canada today. While we hear a lot about the racism issues in America, we don’t hear as much about the problems faced by aboriginal people in Canada. “The problem with Canadian racism is that, because of the Canadian system’s covertness, all the attention is drawn to the American system, and Canada gets a pass as it were,” says Dr. Charles Quist-Adade, a sociology professor at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. “Canadians tend to think that their racism is much better than the racism in the USA, but I think that is wrong,” he says. “Racism, no matter where, no matter how, no matter what its shape, is still racism, and at the end of the day, people are hurt.” The covertness that Quist-Adade refers to is the fact that almost half of the aboriginal population live on reserves, according to Statistics Canada in 2011. It’s easy for us to believe that Canada is one of the best countries in the world in regards to social progress. In fact, the Social Progress Imperative has ranked Canada second in the world, just behind Iceland, for tolerance and inclusion. According to the 2011 Census, there are about 1,400,685 aboriginal people in Canada, or 4.3 per cent of the population. In B.C., there are about 232,290, or 5.4 per cent of the population. When considering statistics, aboriginal people are in a different situation compared to the rest of Canadians. Fewer are educated, healthy

or safe. Fourteen per cent are unemployed, their incarceration rate is 10 times higher than the national average, and their school dropout rate is 2.7 times greater than average.

“The Indian Act of Canada has served as the Apartheid model which other countries have adopted as their own.” Much of this is due to their isolation, away from services that many Canadians take for granted. According to StatsCan, only two per cent living in the Greater Vancouver area (not including Abbotsford) are self-identified aboriginal. In 2011, only 17.2 per cent of aboriginal people were able to communicate in an aboriginal language. While there have been many changes in the United States regarding black civil rights, Brandon Gabriel, an artist and educator with the Kwantlen First Nation, says that little has changed for aboriginal people in Canada. “I think progress is really slow moving, and I think that anything that’s deemed progressive in this society has to come from the people,” he says. “I don’t think the government is going to be an agent of change. The government is more interested in keeping things the way they’ve always been, because they benefit from it. And that benefit really comes down to the land and its usage.” Gabriel refers to the way aboriginal land is approached by the government. Generally, the idea of land belonging to First Na-

tions people is meaningless, according to Gabriel, simply due to the way Canada was originally founded and colonized. He says many of the attitudes and policies developed in Canada, regarding the separation of First Nations people from the rest of society, began in the early formation of the country. He cites the Indian Act of Canada as one of the most important pieces of legislation still in power. “Basically, the Indian Act of Canada has served as the Apartheid model which other countries have adopted as their own. It outlines what’s in it, [including] land proprietorship, which First Nations people don’t have, to this day, who are living on reserve. Taxation issues, as well as healthcare and education with fall in line with it.”

“Racism, no matter where, no matter how, no matter what its shape, is still racism, and at the end of the day, people are hurt.” Many of the problems experienced by Aboriginal people today stem from our early colonial history. Phil Fontaine, a former national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, argued in a letter to the United Nations in 2013 that what early European colonialists did to indigenous Canadians would be considered genocide. The UN drafted regulations regarding this in 1948 in response to the Holocaust. Canada signed these regulations in 1949, and it passed through the House of Commons in 1952. In the 1800s, colonialists encouraged Ab-

originals to integrate into their own culture, using residential schools. Aboriginal children were taken from their families, and brought to Christian boarding schools where they would be forbidden from speaking their native languages, and taught a different religion. Roughly 150,000 people passed through these schools, and about 3,000 people died in them, namely from physical abuse and lack of proper medical care. Aboriginal people experience many stereotypes. There are misconceptions that they have special rights due to their heritage. Many Canadians mistakenly believe that they get many things for free. “One of the big misconceptions is that the Indian Act of Canada has provided a citizenplus policy towards aboriginal people, which it hasn’t,” says Gabriel. “We do not own the land that we live on, it’s held in trust by the Queen of England. We cannot buy or sell it. So therefore, the rest of the country is abiding by this fee-simple land ownership system, which has benefited greatly from it, whereas the First Nations people have not been able to tax their own lands or put money into taxation which helps raise infrastructure development.” “The racism towards Aboriginals is horrendous,” says Quist-Adade. “Lack of proper housing, lack of proper health care, many of them are on the streets, many of them are deprived of their basic amenities. They have the highest incarceration rates as a percentage of the Canadian population . . . Canada has a form of racism and indeed we should not be gloating that our racism is better than the one in the USA. It should be tackled head-on.”

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The Runner

Culture

March 24 / 2015

Summoning: Walk into the Light

Awais Mushtaq

KPU professor examines women’s voices in latest installment.

Awais Mushtaq Contributor

“Beams of light.” That’s how creative writing professor Nicola Harwood describes her latest art installment, currently scheduled to open a year from now, in August 2016. Entitled Summoning, the idea for the installation began as a conversation with the project’s event producer, friend and previous collaborator of Harwood’s, Rosemary Georgeson, about the lack of safety for aboriginal women. “It just stuck in my head and it started to transform from a theatre show into a installation. I began to see it and hear it not with human bodies in a space, but with sound,” says Harwood. An audio-based installation that will also utilize a fog machine and motion sensors, “Summoning” will consist of five-minute compositions from eight female Canadian singers. These compositions will be paired with crowdsourced audio from around the world which are currently being accepted anonymously

through the project’s website: Summoning.ca. “The theme of the exhibition is about violence against women, so the idea is summoning women’s voices in an invocation of peace, prayer, power or however people would like to interpret it,” explains Harwood. As an interdisciplinary artist who’s worked primarily as a theatre artist and playwright, Harwood’s exploration of such subject matter stems from the early 1980s and ‘90s, where she first began to look at different forms of violence against women. “It’s like the more things change, the more the stay the same. I wish I didn’t feel so compelled to have to do this still but . . . it just keeps coming back, and I guess it has been one of my central concerns.” Harwood’s work has always been grounded in community engagement, to “speak to the people, in a sense, rather than just to artists. It’s always been important to me that my work communicates with people who are not necessarily going to walk into an art gallery or walk into a theatre, people who don’t necessarily live an arts life. I would still like them to

be able to see, feel and hear my work.” For Harwood, the exhibition will be a response to certain gender-based tragedies, in order to “somehow create healing.” The goal is that people’s experiences “will never be the same twice, it will always be subject to the movement in the space,” leading them up to a light source sculpture, envisioned by Harwood, triggering the audio to an ever-changing climax. As of now, outreach is being conducted within classes and all over the world in order to build an international vocal presence by asking women to contribute short pieces of spoken audio online, either “a poem, prayer or story.” While exclusively for women, Harwood notes that “if people identify as a woman then that’s fine too . . . transgender individuals are completely welcome. I’m not going to turn away men’s voices but they may not get programmed into the installation.” The inclusivity of people for whom this is an issue that “creates tension in them” is important for Harwood, as she hopes to acknowledge where all the pieces of audio, used in the

inFlux Brings Artists Together

installment or not, originated from. She will accomplish this by creating an interactive map on the site in order to connect women across continents. At this stage, the project is still raising money and awareness, with the ultimate intention of premiering at the Oxygen Art Centre in Nelson B.C., then touring across other venues in downtown Vancouver, and quite possibly Kwantlen in the enclosed gallery of the Surrey campus, if space becomes available. Summoning itself is just a single part within a three-part installation series known as the Temple of Our Madness, all about women, animals and girls. “The underlying theme is that the planet, biosphere, species and women are all often subjected to the same dominance, violence and mistreatment. These things create a strong tension inside of me and that’s what comes out of my art. I want to create a response to that . . . to provide a counterbalance or fight a counter narrative,” says Harwood. This is where the summoning of women’s voices originates from—as a source of power and beauty that is in opposition to stories about victimization. The creation of such a technically complex installation necessitates a team of vocalists, programmers and composers, including KPU student and project assistant Mikayla Fawcett. Fawcett was one of the early advocates for the installation, moving the project from the purely idea stage to the current reality of development. An emerging artist and writer herself, for Fawcett this is not only a great learning experience but also a passion project she is excited to be a part of. Her excitement stems, in part, from the discovery that the project would have an inherently inclusive to examining women’s voices. “I feel like that’s the core aspect of proper feminism. It has to include transwomen and has to include the interests of women of color and of all castes,” says Fawcett. “I hope to record something with my voice as well, and have been trying to reach out to all my friends and get them involved.” “I really would like people to be affected,” Harwood explains of her project. “That they might have an opportunity to grieve or just feel safe, if that’s what they need.”

Mark Stewart

A night of music, spoken word, and art celebrates Surrey.

Connor Doyle Associate Editor

Surrey has never been known as a cultural capital. It’s long battled the twin stigmas of crime and crippling suburbanisation, traits that seem antithetical to a community doing its very best to nurture artists and their endeavours. But for more than forty years now, the Surrey Art Gallery has opposed the idea that art belongs only in metropolitan centres like Vancouver. It has both provided a platform for the city’s burgeoning artistic minds to promote themselves as well as given the citizens of Surrey a chance to experience the art that’s being created in their own neighbourhoods. Now, with their most recent exhibit, Views from the Southbank I: Histories, Memories, Myths, the SAG has chosen to celebrate the City of Surrey itself. As an extension of the exhibit, the Gallery held an evening of music, spoken word and

art that they titled “inFlux.” The event, which took place on Feb. 27, was an attempt to reach out to the young artists occupying the streets of Surrey so that they could gather in one place to meet, exchange ideas and experience the exhibit that’s championing their fellow Surrey artists. “We wanted to do something specifically for the youth,” says Zerlinda Chau, a member of the youth advisory committee for the SAG and s a student at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. “[inFlux] helps young artists to see that there is an arts culture in Surrey, and lets them know that there’s a place for them in art galleries.” Along with the spoken word/hip-hop duo The Rupe and Puma Busking Experiment and local band The Star Captains, a number of recent and upcoming KPU art graduates were in attendance for the event, many of whom already have their work hanging from the walls of the gallery for the exhibit. One such Kwantlen student was 2014 Fine Arts graduate currently working towards her minor in cultural anthropol-

ogy, Roxanne Charles. Charles is a Semiamoo artist is also a member of the recently formed and soon-to-be-incorporated South Of Fraser Inter-Arts (SOFIA) collective. “[My piece] is looking at urbanization and exploring a disconnect, exploring a language,” says Charles, whose work entitled Surrey Urban Sprawl, is made up entirely of materials she gathered from the city, including cedar bark, construction paper, copper, polyethylene, vinyl siding, nylon and synthetic fiber. These materials are woven together in a crossing pattern that feels reminiscent of a city plan, and in the top righthand corner of the work sits a mask which commands the viewer’s attention. “The mask stands for ancestral knowledge, the traditional knowledge keeper,” the artist explains. In addition to having her work featured in the gallery, Charles—an artist as much renowned for her performances as her traditional work—was also invited to perform a piece for the inFlux event that commu-

nicated in some way with the work in the exhibit. During her performance she danced through the gallery space, singing in the Sencoten language and directly thanking people who were there in attendance. “The singing translates to ‘Are you all right? We are not okay. Please take my hand,’” Charles says, explaining that she was communicating to the ancestral knowledge represented in her art. “If the piece represents consumption and urbanization, then my performance represents me, and all of us. Our path and our affects, what role we play in our environment. When I went around thanking people, it was a symbolic way for people to witness what they see here. “This is the third such event that we’ve done,” says Chau, “And it’s been our most successful.” She went on to explain that she believes the gallery will continue to promote the work of Surrey artists and will keep holding events such as inFlux so that artistic youths, who typically work in such solitary spaces, can go on sharing their talents and their passions with one another.

Culture

The Runner

March 24 / 2015

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Power, Unemployment, and the Pursuit of Happiness Three recent discoveries in the world of science.

Amanda Paananen

Scientific innovation moves at the speed of light. It would move faster, but science hasn’t invented anything faster than light . . . yet. So what’s new in the real world of science? Read on for our favourites.

The Power Paradox “Power is always dangerous. Power attracts the worst and corrupts the best,” said Edward Abbey, American author and essayist. In support of this idea, Dacher Keltner, a professor of psychology at University of California, Berkeley, and director of the Greater Good Science Center, has found that those with power tend to behave like individuals with brain damage; specifically within the orbitofrontal lobes (located in the frontal lobes, directly behind the eye sockets). This condition has been associated with extreme impulsive and uncaring behavior. Essentially, Keltner’s research suggests that the experience of social power interferes with empathy and general social skills. This isn’t entirely surprising, as previous studies have discovered that participants in positions of power often rely on stereotypes and pay little attention to individual characteristics—in effect, perceiving

others as objects. Hence, the power paradox. Ideally, power is given to leaders in order to advance the social well-being of a given group. Unfortunately, it is likely these same leaders will experience impaired social intelligence, caused by the acquisition power. Ain’t life funny?

Unemployment and Personality According to Statistics Canada, the country’s unemployment rate hovered around 6.6 per cent in January 2015. These statistics are especially frightening as unemployment has recently been correlated with unpleasant, yet significant, personality changes. In a longitudinal study involving over 6,000 participants, researchers from the University of Stirling in the United Kingdom examined the role of joblessness on the “Big Five” personality traits—conscientiousness, neuroticism, agreeableness, extraversion and openness. The results suggest that unemployment can negatively impact our basic personality, particularly in terms of agreeableness. In the words of Christopher J. Boyce, PhD, “[T]his indicates that unemployment has wider psychological implications than previously thought.” In addition, the results work to dispel the common belief that personalities traits are fixed, “And show that the effects of external factors such as unemployment can have large

Video Game Logic

Danielle George

First impressions of Darkest Dungeon.

Joseph Keller Contributor

Genre: Turn based dungeon crawler Release: February 2015 (Early Access) Platforms: Windows, PS4 (on completion) Writer’s note: Darkest Dungeon is an early access title and as such its content is continually being tweaked, fixed and expanded upon. What follows are my thoughts on the game in its current state as of March 4, 2015 and shouldn’t be taken as a formal review. Details mentioned may change by press time.

“The body may heal but the mind is not always so resilient”—That’s a quote from 2011’s Deus Ex: Human Revolution, but it seems to better sum up the essence of Darkest Dungeon. Currently in development from Vancouver-based indie developer Red Hook Studios, Darkest Dungeon is definitely one of the more playable early access games on the Steam storefront. It’s a game all about the frailty of the human mind when confronted

with unimaginable horror. What’s been presented so far is an addictive and clever new spin on turn-based combat with a delightfully grim Lovecraftian horror aesthetic. Darkest Dungeon is a dungeon crawler with roguelike elements. Your family manor has been decimated and overrun with otherworldly monstrosities in the aftermath of an obsessed family member’s experiments. Now you must lead teams of hired adventurers through the various randomly generated dungeons beneath your home to purge the evil and reclaim your birthright. Characters currently come in 10 classes (more to come), each with their own set of moves, although not every character within a particular class will have the same move set. Combat is your standard turn-based fare with two distinct twists: First, in addition to a health bar, characters have a stress meter—when stressful things happen to a character (both in and out of combat) the stress level rises. When things become too much to handle, the character is likely to go batshit bonkers, making the character unpredictable and unreliable. The mental scars of combat will also manifest themselves in the form of “quirks”

Hira Matharoo

impacts on our basic personality,” he said. If only someone would look into the long-term effects of underpaid part-time/ temporary positions, says my generation.

Living in a Material World Humans are notorious for not knowing what makes us happy. In fact, it could be said that the pursuit of happiness is the human equivalent of chasing your tail—often biting it off in the process. Well, science is beginning to estimate the price tag of our misguided hedonism. Researchers from the University of Essex have shown that U.K. lifestyles are costing the economy £180-billion annually. In order to

which will stay with the character and affect the way they behave. The second major twist is that the game adds an element of character positioning to the mix, making for more strategic and dynamic combat. Between expeditions, adventurers can be upgraded, participate in various activities to relieve stress or be locked away in the sanitarium to remove negative quirks. Darkest Dungeon really nails the atmosphere of Lovecraft-style horror. The artwork is beautifully detailed in its hand-drawn gothic style. Character designs for both adventurers and enemies are distinctive, varied and interesting. The throaty, baritone narration sets the tone for the game with its grim explanations for each action the player takes, as well as the general goings-on in the game world. However, some more voiceover would be a nice addition as currently the player is apt to hear the same comments over and over. Animation is left very basic and while it works with the hand-drawn art style one can’t help but think some more detail in that department would make the game look much more alive. One thing that’s great about Darkest Dungeon is the way the game encourages the player to be a little bit of a bastard. When characters die, they die permanently—but that’s okay because the stagecoach is constantly bringing a supply of new ones. Evidently, adventurers-for-hire have a terrible union. This allows the player to send their team deeper into the dungeon for greater

come up with this figure, the team calculated the direct cost of modern ailments such as: “mental ill-health, dementias, obesity, physical inactivity, diabetes, loneliness and cardiovascular disease (including strokes),” in addition to environmental factors. Well-being, as it turns out, has not been increasing--even in prosperous countries. More so, it appears happiness and the GDP are negatively correlated. The same scientists have thankfully provided solutions. There are six (painfully obvious) factors which can benefit our overall health and happiness: healthy food, physical activity, mental wellness, strong community and family ties, time spent in nature, and meaningful possessions. Dear humans: we’ve been doing it all wrong.

rewards, even when it means some of them likely won’t make it back. This is also something to keep in mind once the mental scars start piling up and that loyal soldier is no longer useful. Why waste resources on rehabilitation when you can just kick that burned-out, shell-of-a-man out the door and hire a fresh-faced new recruit? Admittedly this becomes less true once you’ve invested time and money into upgrading your characters, but at that point it becomes a matter of weighing risk and reward. Darkest Dungeon can seem daunting at first, with somewhat complex systems and a strong element of chance, but the game is very well balanced and the mechanics don’t take too long to learn. The game relies heavily on internal dice rolls, but this can be managed by the player by weighing the risk and reward for potential actions. Death is permanent, which adds weight to the player’s decisions and makes for some very tense moments. Fortunately, the penalty for abandoning an expedition is minimal so the player usually has the option to save that ace character when things go south. It’s always a gamble to buy an early access game, often one that’s not worth it compared to just buying a completed game. Even in its partially completed state, however, Darkest Dungeon has some very strong content and is definitely worth a look. Looked at on PC using a Steam key provided by the developer. Darkest Dungeon

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The Runner

Fireside Chats with Alan Davis Hanging out with Harper.

Samantha Thompson Executive Editor

“I just heard the Prime Minister of Canada say your name. This is weird,” read a text message from Alan Davis’ daughter, when Kwantlen Polytechnic University played host to Stephen Harper on Feb. 19. She’d been home sick watching the television broadcast of the day’s events. After all, it’s not everyday your dad’s name is said by Harper himself. It was just another one of those unique situations that Davis, the president of KPU, had found himself in. Harper was there to make an announcement regarding government support for liquified natural gas. But behind the scenes, Davis experienced the security, mystery and tight schedules that occur when someone of such importance comes to visit. He says that as president of a university, he must relinquish himself of the luxury of having personal politics. His job, he says, is to look out for KPU’s best interests, to see that KPU puts on a good face for external

Going Global

parties and that those parties have an understanding and respect for KPU. “I put on a suit that was too tight, wasn’t very comfortable, you know—I suffered,” he jokes. “But it’s the Prime Minister of Canada, and [with] the duly-elected Prime Minister of Canada coming to KPU, I’m going to show up and welcome him.” KPU didn’t know what the announcement was going to be until the last minute, and as they set up for the event Davis says there were more and more security guards appearing throughout the space. “Essentially, he couldn’t go to the bathroom without a crew of people walking down the corridor with him,” says Davis. “So it was kind of complicated to isolate the space [for the event].”

GUEST LIST Davis says that the government had an invitation list of about a hundred people, and he was allowed to invite a few people, the assumption being that he would invite his senior group. KPU

Danielle George

“Israel is America’s aircraft carrier in the Middle East.”

Tristan Johnston Columnist

Israel recently had a national election, with incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party securing 30 out of 120 seats in the Knesset, more than any other party. Netanyahu’s major foreign policy goal is to nullify Iran as a threat to their national security. However, Netanyahu has been testing the tight U.S.-Israeli relationship, especially after comments regarding Palestinian statehood and Iranian nuclear power. How did the Israeli-U.S. relationship get so strong in the first place? Researching Israel on the internet is extremely diﬃcult. Merely typing in the countries name into Google yields a large series of conspiracy theories. Many, many people have sharply contrasting views regarding the country, even if they don’t personally know anyone from the area. It’s extremely diﬃcult to write “objectively” about the Israel-Palestine con-

ﬂict. However, we can discuss why the United States has such an interest in Israel. Alexander Haig, a then-former U.S. Army general, and U.S. secretary of state under president Richard Nixon once said that, “Israel is the largest American aircraft carrier in the world that cannot be sunk, does not carry even one American soldier, and is located in a critical region for American national security.” Not only this, but Mossad--the Israeli equivalent to the American C.I.A.--has provided extremely useful information to the Americans. Major General George J. Keegan Jr., a former air force intelligence chief, was quoted as saying that, “America’s military defense capability owes more to the Israeli intelligence input than it does to any other single source of intelligence . . . its value is worth more than five C.I.A.s.” When Israel’s geographic position and the geopolitical goals of the United States come together, it’s clear that they would benefit greatly from each other. The U.S. has tried to find allies in the region in the past;

March 24 / 2015

Columns

also attempted to make it so that Cloverdale employees and students would feel that they could attend. A number of students formed the “human backdrop” behind the announcement. In retrospect, Davis concedes that he “Probably should’ve reached out to the KSA and the KFA and the GEU and said, ‘Please send a representative.’” “You learn from it, and if we were going to do this again I think I would put that higher on the list, and make sure that that happened.” Controversy also surrounded the event because the Kwantlen First Nation (KFN) were not invited. Davis says the university made it clear to the government that doing things at KPU always involves acknowledging the lands they’re on and a blessing from the KFN. “. . . But that wasn’t on their agenda,” says Davis. “It was their show, and they said, ‘No we don’t want to do that.’ They were just very focused on the specific announcement.” Davis intends to set up a meeting with the KFN to discuss what happened. “I’ll be following up with the Kwantlen First Nation . . . I’ve already been approached by the KSA and I’ve explained the situation, and I think they understand that it wasn’t actually my show, that we were there to welcome the Prime Minister, and to not really participate.” However, he explains, with a lot of these types of events, reﬂecting and debriefing is key in order to improve the next time.

Davis says it wasn’t the university’s place to invite them, but he thinks KPU could have pushed harder or indicated that there would be a federal announcement.

Iran only worked when the U.S. and U.K. orchestrated a coup to install a friendly dictator in the ‘50s. Saddam Hussein in Iraq was troublesome and didn’t always listen to the Americans, and there is some lingering distrust of Saudi Arabia, especially given family connections of Osama bin Laden. The Americans don’t want any one country in the Middle East to be too powerful, unless it’s a strong ally. In this case, it would be Israel, who gets a few billion dollars each year to spend on military hardware from the U.S.. Even without these funds, Israel would still be formidable as a military presence. In 2013, Israel spent $16-billion on its military, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. In 2014, the United States provided $3.6-billion, 74 per cent of which is to be spent buying American military hardware. There is a large pro-Israel lobby in the U.S. While there are many groups, the most well-known would be the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), who had a budget of $67-million in 2010. Many Christians in America support Israel, as the return of the Jews to Israel is consistent with biblical prophecy. The U.S. hasn’t always been a close ally of Israel. When the country was founded in 1948, the country had very little in terms of benefactors, and actually purchased many of their weapons from former Czechoslovakia. The U.S. did send some aid, but no amount that would be seen as preferential. Many countries were broken in the post-war period.

During the Cold War, Israel made sense as an ally. While revolutions--potentially communist ones--were taking place throughout a variety of Middle Eastern countries, Israel stood out for its staunch anti-communist stance. Neighbouring Egypt, Iraq and Syria in particular were very close allies of the U.S.S.R. Saudi Arabia and Jordan were monarchies that allied with the U.S. As for geography, Israel has a host of geopolitical concerns. The Straits of Tiran, which gave access to Israel’s only Red Sea port, has been blocked in the past by Egypt, being a strong contributing factor to both the Suez Crisis and the Six-Day War. In addition, Israel is surrounded by many countries who have attacked them in the past, such as Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon, who they last battled in 2006. Iran is further to the east, which some in Israel consider to be an existential threat, should they ever gain nuclear weapons. Israel’s relationship with these various countries has strongly inﬂuenced American foreign policy, especially and most recently in the case of Iran. Ultimately, the U.S. relationship with Israel remains controversial, especially outside of the United States, even more so when considering its relationship with Palestine. Former U.S. defense secretary Robert M. Gates is quoted as saying that, “Israel lives at the focal point of some of the biggest security challenges facing the free world.”

SAY CHEESE “Part of my job is very interesting, because it seems like every week I stumble across a situation that I’ve never encountered before,” says Davis. “And who would know what to do? The best you can do is to try and do the right thing, go with the ﬂow to some degree, and then learn from it and know for the next time.” He emphasizes the importance of knowing, “If you want to come to KPU this is what it means, this is how we do it.” Following the announcement, Harper stayed to have his photo taken with multiple attendees, including Davis. Unfortunately, Davis lost the card they give you that lets you retrieve the photo afterwards. “I’m sure there were lots of people who shook his hand, had their picture taken and would never vote for him, or worse,” says Davis. “But he is the Prime Minister of Canada, and one feels to some degree, honoured and pleased to be able to host him. Whether you like the announcement, his politics or not, it doesn’t matter—he is the Prime Minister.”

Charis Au

Opinion

The Runner

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March 24 / 2015

THE RUNNER DEBATE

Kanye West is misunderstood Waste your “hate energy” on someone else.

Tristan Johnston Staff Writer

Kanye West has become the undeserved punching bag of popular music. He has never hurt anyone, and merely interrupted a handful of “awards shows” that would be long forgotten if it weren’t for his interference. However, it would be difficult to argue against assertions that West has a difficult time expressing himself in interviews. Musicians are not educated in PR, their sole occupation is to create art. In this regard, it’s sometimes easier to understand rappers though their lyrics. Eminem, Jay-Z and Kanye West often refer to themselves in their music, in the sense that it can be autobiographical. In the 2010 full length film/music video by West, Runaway, it becomes clear what West’s views are regarding his portrayal in the media. In Runaway, Griffin, played by West, witnesses a half-human phoenix—played by model Selita Ebanks—fall from the sky in the form of a meteor. Early on in the film, he tells the phoenix, “First rule in this world, baby: don’t pay attention to anything you see in the news.” It could be argued that the phoenix represents West’s creativity. He’s completely and utterly aware of how people perceive him. It would be extremely surprising if he indeed did see himself as a

modern day Da Vinci. If he had said that in the context of a rap song, no one would take any notice, it would be merely a metaphor. Jay-Z, Eminem and plenty of other rappers have referred to themselves as elevated figures numerous times in their music. In fact, both Eminem and Kanye West have referred to themselves as “gods” in their music, Eminem in “Rap God” and West in “I Am A God.” However, Eminem has received almost no accusations of being arrogant.

Though West may occasionally refer to himself as a genius, there are actually plenty of people who consider him to be one. He began producing music back in 2002 for the likes of Jay-Z. Many musicians and hip-hop listeners find that his ability to find a good sample to stick onto a beat is only paralleled by the late J Dilla. College Dropout is believed to be one of the best rap albums of the last 15 years. While “Bound 2” got utterly spammed with dislikes on YouTube, West is perfectly ca-

pable of making fun of himself. Did you know he invited Seth Rogen and James Franco to perform their parody at his wedding? Even if the song wasn’t well-received, West is willing to experiment and leave his comfort zone. Evidence of this would be 808’s and Heartbreak, which was a complete departure from the rest of his music. To discuss the way he dresses himself, especially compared to other rappers, would make this article much too long. In a 2007 interview, back when he had only released three full albums, West was aware of his reputation as an arrogant rapper: “Somebody’s supposed to come in and be like, ‘Awww man that is just the best shit I’ve heard in my life!’ and I’m supposed to say, ‘Aw do you think so? For real?’ That’s ignorant. That’s playin’—Actually that’s disrespectful to the person who said it. That’s me acting stupid, like I didn’t know it was good.” “When someone comes up to you and says ‘You got a good outfit.’ My grandfather told me to say, ‘You got good taste!’” When West talks about fashion and design, some think he’s pretentiously name-dropping, but if you paid a little bit of attention, he simply cares a lot about something and wants you to open up your mind. In some interviews where his public behaviour is confronted—namely his famous Jimmy Kimmel interview—he said that when he compares himself to the likes of Da Vinci, Steve Jobs and Jesus, he means that he’s inspired by these figures. “I’m saying that these are my heroes. These are people I look up to. This is the type of impact I want to make on this Earth. If I can make this type of impact up to this point, what can I do if you call Bob Iger and say ‘Yo, give him a shot!’ If you call Oprah and say, ‘Back this kid.’” Ultimately, Kanye West is frustrated with being belittled, despite the numerous accomplishments that he has worked for. He wants to be taken seriously when he talks about racism in America, but understands that people just want his shutter shade glasses.

Pifanida

Hey, Kanye, you’re outdated and misinformed Controversial musician doesn’t know his limits.

Ajdin Dautovic‘ Contributor

Kanye West has long been the target of comedy sketches, and often criticized for his over-the-top personality. He’s also made large statements like “George Bush hates black people,” and infamously interrupted Taylor Swift at the MTV Video Music Awards. He’s a big character, and he’s often polarizing. Despite this, the first six of his albums have gone platinum. He certainly does overstep his celebrity status and speaks on issues which he isn’t knowledgeable about. In 2013, as reported by Pitchfork, he made anti-Semitic comments that insinuated Barack Obama wasn’t able to push through legislation or “he’s not executing” because he lacked money, unlike Jews. What he fails to realize is that following the Holocaust, many Jews were left in various regions in Europe

with nowhere to go. Some of them decided to move to Argentina, Brazil, Italy, the United States, and other countries. These refugees, who ﬂed persecution to save their families lives, came to these foreign lands with college educations, some even doctors, and yet some worked as labourers in their new countries. In 2005, when West infamously said “George Bush hates black people,” he stunned a majority of people within the United States. Race relations in the United States are still poor in 2015 as we’ve entered a new age of racism denial. Nonetheless, his assertion could have been directed at any president really. Not enough has been done to alleviate poverty in African-American communities that face hardships, both in economic terms and social terms. Saying that a certain president hates black people is a powerful statement from a global music icon. His words carry weight, and he’d be better off educating himself on the struggle of African-Americans since their enslave-

ment in the United States, and also on how to best break down these tense barriers between white and black Americans. West can often be self-righteous, and has a tendency to claim he’s a genius. He once was the inspiration of a Jimmy Kimmel skit where Kimmel had recreated an interview Kanye had with Zane Lowe. The skit involved the use of two children re-enacting the interview of Kanye and Lowe which resulted in a “twitter feud” between Kimmel and West in 2013. West later went to apologize for the reaction, and said that was he misunderstood. West has the potential to change lives, create musical programs or initiatives for young kids, and inspire the new generation to strive for something greater. However, he’s often caught in controversy as he speaks out on issues with a lack of sophistication. Becoming a public figure, whether it be in a political capacity as a politician or a creative capacity as a musician, means that one has to take responsibility for their actions and recognize the im-

plications of them. If West truly feels that Bush hates black people, or if he’s correct in saying Obama is less successful than predecessors because he lacks money, then he needs to establish some credible legitimacy on these issues. In addition, he cannot simply become a controversial figure and brush off all the criticism directed towards him as personal or bigoted. There’s little point in disputing his musical talents, but West’s approach towards the media, as well as his knack for creating controversial comments which he fails to back up with rhetoric or hard evidence, make him an enigma. West is a unique individual, and a talent in his industry, but he needs to critically evaluate his priorities in life. More specifically, he should seek to help low income communities that struggle to provide youth with the opportunities and tools to succeed musically. Or, you know, just actually help society out, in ways he sees fit, instead of objectifying his wife by posting her on the front of Paper Mag.

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The Runner

Opinion

March 24 / 2015

Should tuition be free? Absolutely ... kind of. Faculty and students of Cape Breton University advocate for free education.

Ajdin Dautovic‘ Contributor

Imagine a world where you get free postsecondary education, and can focus on improving yourself through educational means and improving chances for employment post graduation. Well, this world does exist. In Europe and South America, for example. Many nations within Europe have abolished tuition payments for students, as they believe a more educated population will only benefit their economies rather than hinder it, by straddling young students with debt. There’s a good amount of logic within this, but the federal government of Canada, regardless of which party rules, won’t tackle education reform for fear they might be branded as socialists or because, you know, education reform is a huge task. The task is massive. Those who remember the health care reform that Canada underwent in the late 20th century can attest to this. For example, it would require political will from the parties, and a complete reinvention of the post-secondary education system. In particular, education reform would be increasingly difficult because postsecondary education is a provincial issue rather than a federal one (e.g. we have no centralized federal ministry of higher education). However, despite the task, free post-

secondary education should be an essential component of our nation, to an extent. Certainly, post-secondary education reform would be a contentious issue and could be a full out liberal versus conservative politicized debate. However, there has been little discourse from these parties regarding post-secondary reform since the declaration and statement from Cape Breton University to make tuition free. Much of the issue would also be related to taxes, and certainly some Canadians, myself included, hate taxes. A commitment to universal healthcare and post-secondary education would require a complete rethinking of our current economy as we geared ourselves more towards heavy taxation—something which many fiscal conservatives are against. As we are currently seeing the Tories pushing their “balanced budget” rhetoric, it would be hard to envision a change in their philosophy where they want to take on more social programs and federal spending. Even if we made post-secondary education free, many issues could arise. Firstly, our brightest Canadian academic minds would seek to leave Canada for other universities abroad which are willing to compensate them more for their work. According a study done by the European University Institute, a full professor in Canada makes $8,235.58 a month compared to a professor in Sweden who makes $5,133.73 a month. With free postsecondary education, there is a real possibility that Canada’s salaries would also decrease.

Secondly, an increase in the percentage of educated populace would benefit us intellectually, but an economy cannot survive solely on a bunch of academics sitting around a table pondering the questions of death. An economy has to be diverse and this requires different parts of the population doing different sorts of work. Thirdly, if we gave everyone free university, it could lead to students taking forever to graduate. According to an article from Forbes, German students take longer to finish their post-secondary programs. Additionally, providing free tuition isn’t as simple as saying “Hey, here’s free education.” Depending on which discipline you want to study in, it requires more funding. Someone studying English or History only requires books and a professor, but someone studying bio-mechanical engineering (or science heavy disciplines in general) require sophisticated educational spaces and technology. To get our nation to buy into a mentality of “free tuition is essential” would be another ordeal. Many people don’t see the need in being taxed more for something they may never use. The Swedes, Danes, and Nordic countries in general, have a socialist economy and pride themselves on their welfare states, but not every state can provide every service like them and remain economically competitive in an expanding global market economy. Free tuition has its benefits, but it should not be 100 per cent free. Rather, it should be further subsidized by federal grants to

the provincial ministries that handle higher education in their provinces. An educated populace is extremely important, but an extreme and radical shift to make post-secondary education free is not a responsible move and lacks considerable thought.

Pifanida

Vancouver marine life is important in emergency measures Humans got away from the Port Vancouver fire, but what about the fishies?

Renee McMillen

If you were in Vancouver in the afternoon on March 4, chances are you witnessed or heard about a chemical fire that swept across the eastern part of the city from the Port of Vancouver. While emergency response authorities were able to quickly resolve the situation, it is more of an issue of too little, too late. We have no estimate on how much of the toxic chemicals spilled into the air, and perhaps even into the water. In essence, we continue to live our life on land without sufficient thought to life in the water. Since there isn’t much we can do following this incident, the biggest action we should be taking is in prevention. Safety measures applying to the transportation of containers containing dangerous goods, especially to the environment, should have their own standard of regulations. Officials should, of course, focus on the immediate threat to the lives of the public first and foremost, but in an area where our water is so instrumental to our everyday lives, there should also be emergency respondents that focus first and foremost on the environment’s care as well. When we forget to think of our life on land affecting life in the water, we’re bound to forget that it goes both ways. Life in the water will equally affect life on land. According to News 1130, the Vancouver Fire Department said the fire originated from a single shipping container. It took officials several hours to gain access to the fire because the container was buried deep with-

in a large stack of other containers. As of now, the exact cause of the fire is unknown, only that it spread quickly to another three containers and the chemicals within burned for over an hour. The fire itself was not fully extinguished until the following night. The fire prompted a hazmat response, the evacuation of hundreds of people from the area and forced the Port of Vancouver to close. A portion of the downtown core, as well as the transit system, was closed off as well due to the heavy, toxic smoke that made its way into the air. These same evacuations obviously cannot apply to water life. Although the risks would be short-term to a person with minimal exposure to the chemicals, the risks to animal life would be quite the opposite. As stated in a concluding article following the fire in The Gastown Gazette, the research of Dr. Peter Ross, a toxicologist from the Vancouver Aquarium, says if we were to hypothetically deposit one litre of the substance into a 40-litre aquarium, none of the marine life inside would survive. Vancouver Coastal Health recommended residents and anyone in the Downtown Eastside at the time of the fire to remain indoors. The stay-in order was not lifted until 6 p.m. that same afternoon. In that time, there was plenty of support made available, as stated on the City of Vancouver website, for Vancouverites in the area. Anyone that had to go outside was instructed to do so with extreme caution. Officials did well to prepare and protect the general public, but it was in the continued safety and welfare of the environment

and wildlife that they ultimately failed. According to The Gazette, all of the facts regarding damage to the water and surrounding habitats will come from Environment Canada and the Department Fisheries and Oceans Canada. They should be responding to this, but it’s hard to say how much data they are collecting. A project of this magni-

Charis Au

tude to calculate the damage is not only costly, but at this point, almost impossible. Once a chemical spill has entered our waterways, it’s no longer in a contained area. The casualties due to the fire will not fully be known for some time. Vancouverites should expect to see fish coming to shore “belly-up” after something like this has happened.

Opinion

The Runner

March 24 / 2015

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Tristan Johnston

How to turn yourself into a Bill-Fighting Superhero Let’s get rid of C-51 once and for all.

Joseph Keller Contributor

Bill C-51 is a terrible piece of legislation. It was drawn up in a ridiculously short time in a moment of national tragedy and fear, without the reflection or consideration required for legislation that seeks to provide a means of exemption to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This will give unprecedented surveillance power to a government body for which oversight is practically nonexistent. Its wording is so vague that it effectively leaves the qualifications for a “terrorist” up to the interpretation of the reader. That’s not what this article is about, though. I could run through all of the obvious flaws and red flags in Bill C-51, but those have been covered elsewhere in this publication. I myself made my feelings about enhanced surveillance measures clear back in November when C-51 was still just a twinkle in Stephen Harper’s eye. What follows is what the average Canadian can do to help fight bad legislation like C-51.

Email your Member of Parliament Your MP is supposed to represent you in Ottawa. Let them know that your vote hangs in the balance. While it’s true that MPs are more likely to toe the party line, a barrage of emails about a particular issue does send a message that will hopefully make its way to the policy makers. Even if your MP is a Conservative or Liberal who has received a directive on this issue, pressure from the people who put an MP in oﬃce will certainly make the MP think twice about going along with it. Those concerns will ideally make their way up the ladder. Should you have an NDP MP, then these letters will let them know that this is not a ﬁght to sit out.

Talk about it I’m still encountering people in my dayto-day life that have no idea what C-51 is or what its implications are. There are also

those who feel that the perceived security aﬀorded by this bill outweighs the infringement of rights. Often the best way to get through to these people is a simple (and respectful) conversation about the issue. Engage your friends, family, classmates and co-workers in an informed, persuasive and respectful manner and you might just add a few voices to the ﬁght to keep our rights.

Protest On March 14, Canadians across the country turned up by the thousands to make opposition to C-51 clear and, more importantly, visible. This was a great start, but it can’t end there. Protests don’t always seem effective, but they keep the issue visible and thus on the minds of people who see the protests on the street or in the media. We gained a lot of momentum with the Day of Action but we can’t afford to fade into the background now. More protests are being planned continuously. Check social media to find the ones near you. One thing to keep in mind is not to protest like a jerk. At the Vancouver protest,

people had the bright idea to block traﬃc after the protest proper. Behaviour like this only serves to weaken our arguments and cause people to ignore and disregard us. Be visible, but also respectful.

VOTE! For the love of all that is good and holy, when the day comes make damn sure that you take the time to cast your ballot. Should the bill pass, (and there’s a good chance it will) we will still have the opportunity to prove that passing it was a mistake by removing the government that passed it with one that will repeal it. Unfortunately, the demographic that supports this legislation is also the one that’s most reliable to turn up to the polls. We can remedy this by making sure this is the election where Canada turns around its abysmal voting turnout. The problem is that for the most part, Canadians are not utilizing the tools that they have. Measures like Bill C-51 come to exist because politicians expect us not to speak up about it. It’s time to show them otherwise.

The makings of an authoritative regime Proposed Bill C-51 will give CSIS and Feds more power in combatting terrorism.

Ajdin Dautovic‘ Contributor

This bill is terrifying. Really terrifying. Yet it garnered support from Canadians. In fact, according to an Angust Reid poll in February 82 per cent of Canadians that were surveyed support the bill, with 25 per cent of that group saying they “strongly” support C-51. That’s a majority of people surveyed, despite the ongoing criticism coming from the media, and opposing politicians within parliament. Such viewpoints, which see Bill C-51 as justified or as not going far enough, are anathema to the very liberties which the founders of our nation envisioned we should have. This bill indirectly opposes many aspects of our constitutional document: the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. However, Canadians rallied together earlier this month against C-51, and a new poll released by Angus Reid on March 17 reported that now only 45 per cent of Canadians surveyed support the bill. The criticism of Bill C-51 is also coming from academics who feel this bill lacks over-

sight. Such academics are professors of law Craig Forcese, and Kent Roach, from the University of Ottawa, and the University of Toronto, respectively. They have established a website at Antiterrowlaw.ca and have started a “crowdsourcing” paper which takes a legal approach to breaking down the bill and its ﬂaws. In particular, their research has concluded that the bill will give the government powers to jail people who promote or advocate (in any form) terrorism, and the scope of this new oﬀense is too sweeping and broad. Certainly these are some of the concerns that have to be considered. Any bill that seeks to restrict our liberties--something which we value within our democracy—should be rigorously scrutinized. And that’s the issue of with this bill. It’s rushed, and it lacks oversight to prevent government, and CSIS particularly, from abuse of power. In an age of increased spying and societal surveillance, these sort of bills need to be thought through and all implications should be assessed within a risk management framework. But within assessing the risk of implementing such a bill lies the problem: this bill is viewed as essential to combating terrorism, and thus

needs to be implemented as quickly as possible. There are also significant events which have been used as justifications. These events include the tragic Ottawa and Paris shootings, and the various sectarian wars being waged in Syria and Iraq. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has also identified this bill as something that would help stop radicalization here in Canada, and thus either stop altogether or slow down foreign fighters traveling from Canada to the Middle East. Certainly there are credible concerns from liberal minds and conservative ones. However, the issue with this bill is the unchecked power it will give to the government. In the Middle East, we are increasingly seeing the strengthening of police oriented regimes that reinforce their will and arrest dissidents without warrants. This could also happen here within Canada. With this new bill, one could be arrested for up to seven days without a formal warrant, as long as they feel your constitutional rights have been breached. But think about this for a minute. Our legal system allows for due process, and a fair trial, but if you’re arrested without sufficient grounds, it’s infringing on basic rights.

There’s little disagreement regarding the issue of combating terrorism. It’s an issue, and we need to take steps. But we cannot take steps which seek to limit our fundamental rights in our democracy. If we don’t have these rights protected, we risk transforming our democracy into authoritative regimes which we often demonize as the pinnacle and birthplace of radical terrorism.

Scott McLelland

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SUDOKU SUDOKU 6 7 8

1 2

No. No. 117 117

8 8 1 5 5 2 3 3

Previous Previous solutionsolution - Medium - Medium Tough Tough

7 7 2 1 2 4 4 9 3 2 3 7 7 8 8 4 4 2 5 2 9 5 5 3 8 3 4 4

7 8 9 3 4 6 3 9 2 1 7 2 6 8 5 4 1

6 65 2 9 2

5 5

38 29 54 73 12 67 96 45 81

46 71 92 24 85 58 17 63 39

13 62 85 97 41 36 59 24 78

54 87 69 12 78 45 31 96 23

21 36 18 89 64 93 45 72 57

95 48 76 51 37 24 83 19 62

2 3 1 8 6 9 4 7 5

9 4 7 5 3 2 8 1 6

Sagittarius Nov. 23 - Dec 21

Capricorn Dec. 22 - Jan 20

Whenever forced to ask yourself the deep, moral questions in life, just picture a little Ellie Kemper over your right shoulder and a little Aubrey Plaza over your left.

You may want to delay the opening of your latest instalment, a sculpture of your ex made entirely of discarded condom wrappers. The early reviews have been . . . not great.

Don’t even think about it.

Pisces Feb 20 - Mar 20

Aries Mar 21 - Apr 19

Taurus Apr 20 - May 20

Tired of sexting your bromance? All fed up of mansplaining infotainment videos? Why not take a staycation with that adorkable frenemy of yours?

Slay the dragon that’s been terrorising our village and win yourself immortal glory! Also, if you could pick up some milk, eggs, bread, we’re almost out of jam...

[A few of this week’s entries got drunk and forgot to write themselves. Please see 90’s musical opus “I’ll Be There For You” by The Rembrandts for all your astro-divinational needs.]

Aquarius Jan 21 - Feb 19

Cancer Jun 21 - Jul 23

Leo Jul 24 - Aug 23

So no one told you life was gonna be There was that first one, all fresh and glowing this way [clap-clap clap-clap clap]. with a post-life energy that reminded you of your older brother’s nightlight.

much more our on store. muchon more our store.

Virgo Aug 24 - Sept 23

That shouldn’t have worked. Consider yourself extremely lucky.

Scorpio Oct 24 - Nov 22

Libra Sept 24 - Oct 23

For he himself has said it / and it’s This week your spirit animal is a very greatly to his credits / that he is an large dog that’s deathly afraid of a creature much smaller than it. English grad!

When someone tries to force you to exercise, just tell them you have QWOP’s disease and go limp.

CROSSWORD Across

1. Medicinal amount 5. Former French currency 10. Throw 14. Thames town 15. Artist's support 16. Buck follower 17. ___ extra cost 18. Minneapolis suburb 19. Places to sleep 20. Containing fossils 23. The fifth sign of the zodiac 24. Sick 25. Comprehensible 33. Hair net 34. "Hard ___!" (sailor's yell) 35. ___ Lobos 36. Structure for storing grain 37. Ready to hit 39. Civil disturbance 40. RR stop 41. Currency unit of France and Germany, among others 42. 1980 Dom DeLuise film 43. Make lurid 47. Barcelona bear 48. Vane dir. 49. Treat by psychoanalysis 56. 100 centavos 58. ___-car 59. Bring forth young 60. Canadian gas brand 61. Staggering 62. Tirade 63. Env. notation 64. Eye drops 65. Son of Zeus in Greek mythology

Down

1. Unhearing 2. Director Preminger 3. Juniors, perhaps 4. Slaughter of baseball 5. Tentacle 6. Wirelesses 7. "Clueless" catchphrase 8. Hawaiian goose

34 37

39 42

Brain Thought Word Say ( www.brainthoughtwordsay.com )

49 57

33 36

23 26

9. Woodwind instrument 10. ___ rasa 11. Mine finds 12. Lay down the lawn 13. Distress call 21. ___ Three Lives 22. Shoppe sign word 25. Join forces 26. Atari founder Bushnell 27. Scooby-___ 28. Off-limits 29. ___ carte 30. Vigorous attack 31. Unfettered 32. This, in Tijuana 33. Flat sound 37. Absolute ruler 38. Part of TNT 39. Thor Heyerdahl craft 41. New Orleans is The Big ___ 42. Bloodsucking insect 44. Already? 45. Less cluttered 46. Historical records 49. Hey, you!

50. Roll call call 51. Draft classification 52. Vega's constellation 53. 365 days 54. Writer Grey 55. Tolkien tree creatures 56. Seed of a legume 57. Cornerstone abbr.

Horoscopes

Gemini May 21 - Jun 20

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67 15 23 46 59 81 72 38 94

Procrastination

March 24 / 2015

Payment Decline By Matt Loeb & Ryan Marshall

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The Runner

March 24 / 2015

A dv erti s ement