Vol. 5 Issue 12 by The Runner

Apr

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EDITORIAL

The Runner

Apr / 10 / 2013

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The Runner is student owned and operated by Kwantlen Polytechnic University students, published under Polytechnic Ink Publishing Society Arbutus 3710/3720 12666 72 Ave. Surrey, B.C, V3W 2MB 778.565.3801

www.runnermag.ca Vol. 05, Issue no. 12 April 10, 2013 ISSN# 1916 8241

EDITORIAL DIVISON Coordinating Editor / Jeff Groat editor@runnermag.ca / 778.565.3803

Culture Editor / Max Hirtz culture@runnermag.ca / 778.565.3804 News Editor / Matt DiMera news@runnermag.ca / 778.565.3805 Production Editor / Roland Nguyen production@runnermag.ca / 778.565.3806

Media Editor / Kimiya Shokoohi media@runnermag.ca / 778.565.3806

Associate News Editors / Sarah Schuchard / Sasha Mann / Chloe Smith Associate Culture Editor / Tabitha Swanson Associate Opinion Editor / Hannah Ackeral Associate Sports Editor / Brian Jones Associate Copy Editor / Elizabeth Hann

CONTRIBUTORS Becca Pattison, Chris Yee, Jon Turner

Cover Art. Roland Nguyen

BUSINESS DIVISION Operation Manager / Victoria Almond office@runnermag.ca / 778.565.3801

KSA opts for more secrecy Transparency should be more than a buzz word.

THE RUNNER EDITORIAL

At their last council meeting on April, the Kwantlen Student Association (KSA) continued its steady path towards unaccountability and secrecy. Students and The Runner were barred from the portion of the meeting where new executive members were chosen. The four executive members wield a large amount of power, and are elected from within the existing KSA council, not by students. This marks the first time in Kwantlen history that the discussions and recommendations for executive appointments have been made in secret. Large portions of meetings held in camera (in secret) are no longer an anomaly. This is regression. It echoes the mistakes of past councils. Every council meeting this calendar year has had segments in camera. Some of these are undoubtedly necessary. Legal advice and certain human resource issues need to be discussed in private, as was the case for two hours during a recent meeting. More often though the council uses these as excuses to hide discussions that are politically unpopular or embarrassing. After a November 2011 referendum toppled a controversial regime at the KSA, the new board promised accountability. There has certainly been more openness since, but the slow creep towards secrecy is worrying. Controversial decisions are being made in secret for not other reason than to control the board’s public image. In February of last year, an out-of-court settlement was reached between the interim KSA, and an impeached board member. Members of the previous board had been placed in bad standing, meaning they couldn’t run for a position in the KSA again. The decision to put the former KSA in bad standing was voted on unanimously at a special general meeting on Nov. 30, 2011. The out-of-court settlement removed the restriction from running again. Beyond that, the KSA agreed to pay for former board member Balninna “Nina” Sandhu and student Gary Dhaliwal’s legal costs. This was done in secret, and students still don’t know how much was spent. On Dec. 5 of last year, the KSA board of directors agreed to grant club status to anti-abortion group Protectores Vitae. The decision went against an internal KSA pro-choice policy, and another policy banning clubs with overt religious or political causes. The entire portion of the meeting regarding the decision was made in camera. It’s unclear what was said at that particular meeting that swayed the KSA to disregard their own rules. We at The Runner would very much like to know and we think students ought to know too.

Transparency and accountability are nice election buzzwords. Stephen Harper uses both terms frequently every time he runs for office. It must work for him. That hasn’t stopped the Conservative Party from running the most secretive government in Canadian history, where information and image are tightly controlled. The new (post-2011) KSA can’t campaign on accountability and then shut out students from every controversial decision. Or rather, they can, but then they look like they’re taking a page out of Stephen Harper’s big book of political marketing strategies. Anyone who’s followed Kwantlen student politics can’t help but be cynical. They’ve had money mismanaged. They’ve had conflicts of interest. They’ve had back-to-back corrupt student governments. And as students, we’ve learned our lesson. We don’t naturally trust student politicians, especially those who’ve received their seats uncontested. The latest Kwantlen election wasn’t much of an election. Only one council position contested, like a real democracy. The rest got in more-orless automatically. In this climate, it’s good to have a healthy distrust of student politicians. For the April 3 meeting, Christopher Girodat, chairperson of the executive committee, prepared a motion on behalf of the KSA’s standing committee on governance suggesting all “confidential or sensitive documents” only be distributed in hard copy, and in camera. Such documents can only be shown once all electronic devices are turned off and “placed on the table.” In 2011, Girodat heavily criticized an attempt by the then-KSA-council to ban electronic recordings of council meetings, saying “If you don’t want it to be recorded don’t say it.” The circumstances are different between that motion and his, but the distrusting attitude towards board members, students, and reporters is the same. Even though we can’t know the process that led to the appointment of the four executive members, we know who they are. Girodat is returning as director of student services. The other three members, Melinda Bige, Richard Hosein, and Gaurav Kumar, are new to the executive. The three new executive members should not continue down the path of secrecy. As much as possible, they should let students be privy to decisions that concern them. And don’t lock out reporters. It looks bad. Hoesin and Bige have openly questioned secrecy, during the anti-abortion club issue. Here’s hoping that they keep firm to their convictions. A new executive committee could steer the student association towards genuine transparency. If the KSA ever wants to put any faith back into Kwantlen politics, transparency is desperately needed.

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NEWS

Apr / 10 / 2013

Student politics

KSA Women’s collective hopes to appoint rep to KSA

KSA discusses executive appointments in secret session

Kwantlen Student Association spokesperson Christopher Girodat. Runner File Photo

MATT DIMERA NEWS EDITOR

The Kwantlen Student Association (KSA) set a new precedent this week, when they voted to select their new executive members in a secret in camera session, barring The Runner and the student body from observing the discussion. At the April 2 council meeting, – the first of the new term – the board voted to discuss their choices for the four executive positions in secret. Last year’s council selected executives on three occasions. At all three, both the discussion and votes were conducted publicly. Jared Penland, the chair of the KSA’s appointments committee and a student senate representative, moved the motion this year to consider the candidates in private. According to KSA spokesperson Christopher Girodat, the committee chair asked that the discussions be held in camera because council would be having candid conversations about the candidates resumes and qualifications.

“I think there needs to be a careful balance struck between protecting the privacy of individuals when it comes to something that is essentially a job interview and the right of our membership to access our proceedings,” Girodat told The Runner in an April 5 interview. Girodat acknowledged that resumes and candidate qualifications were also discussed on several occasions in 2012 at council, without going behind closed doors, but was unable to explain the difference this year. “I wouldn’t say it wasn’t a human resources issue [last year], I would say no one had asked that we move in camera. This year the appointments committee did,” he said. According to Penland, council was required this year to keep the proceedings secret because his committee had also conducted the candidate interviews in secret. He further explained that he did not make that decision by himself. “Chris [Girodat] and I discussed it. It was a collective decision,” Penland told The Runner. Penland’s term as a KSA councillor and chair of the appointments committee will end in August, but he suggested that in fu-

ture years the process for selecting executives could be kept more transparent to students. “Next year, it could be probably be done in a way where students could observe and the process could stay open,” he said. Each year, the KSA selects four members from the council to serve on the executive committee as the directors of student life, external affairs, student services and finance. The four executive members have more responsibilities than ordinary councillors and also receive higher pay. Each executive is paid approximately $1,400 monthly. In the end, Gaurav (Bhulla) Kumar was selected as director of finance, Melinda Bige as director of student life, Richard Hosein as director of external affairs, and Christopher Girodat as director of student services. Council members who wish to serve on the executive must apply to the KSA’s appointments committee. That committee then makes recommendations to the larger council. The council then has the option of accepting the committee’s recommendations or overruling them and choosing someone else.

MATT DIMERA NEWS EDITOR

A group of students has asked the Kwantlen Student Association (KSA) to hold a special general meeting in order to add another member to this year’s elected council. Arzo Ansary was the KSA’s women’s representative and the director of external affairs during the last term of council. Ansary had intended to run again, but filed her nomination papers late and was disqualified from running in the last election. Since no one else put their name forward, the KSA’s women’s representative position is currently vacant. Members of the Kwantlen women’s collective, Women Organizing Opportunities for Women (WooW), were unhappy that women’s interests would no longer be specifically represented on the council, so they had hoped to have Ansary appointed at last month’s annual general meeting. However, only 55 students showed up by the meeting’s start time, five less than the required minimum of 60. Because the minimum was not met, a motion to have Ansary join the council could not be considered. After the meeting, WooW collected 178 signatures from Kwantlen students in one afternoon on the Surrey campus, calling for a special meeting to be held so that Ansary could continue to represent the women’s constituency at council meetings. KSA spokesperson Christopher Girodat said the student isn’t opposing or supporting the bid to add Ansary as a representative to the board of directors. “The KSA takes no position on the SGM, we’re waiting to see the will of our members,” said Girodat. However, he explained this would not be the first time that council members have been appointed at a general meeting. “Our membership did appoint five directors near the end of 2011, in the wake of the impeachment of most of our board.” The meeting is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 11 in Fir 128 on the Surrey campus.

FEATURE

The Runner

Apr / 10 / 2013

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My Persuasion Can Build A Nation With looming election, B.C. still lacks gender equality in politics

SAMANTHA THOMPSON SPECIAL TO THE RUNNER

In 1991, Linda Reid, newly-elected Richmond East MLA, had to fight for more women’s washrooms in the legislature. As preposterous as that sounds today, B.C. is still far from achieving gender equality in its political system. When it comes to provincial politics, Canada is in an unprecedented scenario. As it stands right now, six women are premiers of a Canadian province or territory. Five of them are the first female premiers of their respective provinces/territories, and all, save for two, have now successfully won a general election and have been elected by the citizens they are meant to lead. The remaining two, Christy Clark in B.C. and Kathleen Wynne in Ontario, have not yet had the opportunity to run in a general election. Wynne will not face the polls until Oct. 1, 2015, but Clark’s date with the B.C. electorate is fast approaching: the general election for B.C. will be held on May 14, 2013. “That’s a wonderful, wonderful breakthrough,” says Dr. Tim Schouls, a political

studies professor at Capilano University, of the six female leaders. However, he acknowledges that it is still premature to know the impact that this situation will have on the Canadian political climate as a whole. “I think it’s awfully early to know, it’s unprecedented ... in fact, most of the time when we’ve had female premiers or prime ministers, they’ve come in as a result of having been elected by their party and assuming office, but not being successful in the first provincial or federal election that they’ve faced.” In B.C., there are diverse problems facing women interested in becoming politicians: including the amount of time spent away from families, as a result of long treks to Victoria or Ottawa; the adversarial nature of the political debate system; and even just the nomination process to stand for election in the party — which becomes an all-consuming preoccupation, says Schouls. “You put all of that together, and it’s not surprising that women are present in political life at rates of 25 to 30 per cent. It seems to be that we have to recalibrate the whole system in some way that invites women into the dialogue about how we structure the relationships within politics and the institutions associated with them, before we’re go-

ing to see significant shift or change.” With a lack of women in the legislature comes an under-representation of women’s issues in policy as well. According to an article in the Vancouver Sun by Cathy Huth, Carolyn Jack, et al., the United Nations states that at least one-third of representatives need to be women in a government body in order to produce public policy in tune with concerns that are key to women. In a province where there is not even a ministry for women’s issues, it is uncertain where B.C.’s priorities lie in terms of gender equality. Its history suggests that British Columbians are not the biggest fans of female leaders — after all, they have had five opportunities to do so and have yet to elect a female premier in a general election. When it comes down to it, maybe they’re not ready to place a woman in a position of power. MISS INDEPENDENT When Christy Clark was elected leader of the B.C. Liberal party, and consequently the premier of B.C., the reaction was similar to when the Americans first elected President Barack Obama. “Look at us,” people would say, “We are so forward thinking because we

have an African-American president! Racism no longer exists!” With Clark, many British Columbians were overjoyed with how progressive they were, having a female premier for only the second time in the province’s history. The general agreement was that this was evidence gender equality had been achieved. Schouls acknowledges that Clark being elected leader of the B.C. Liberals has had some positive impact on the political climate in B.C. “I think that from the perspective of optics ... and from the perspective of indicating to girls and young women that women can assume the leadership of parties, and ... provinces, this is a wonderful moment in our own political history.” When discussing gender equality in politics, it is very easy to write it off as making a big deal about something that no longer exists. Perhaps it is simply a coincidence that female party leaders have never won in a B.C. election, but it is still a situation that warrants discussion. “If we consider ‘equality’ to being half of the legislature as women, then we definitely haven’t [achieved it],” says Ashley Fehr, political organizer and member of the NDP. Currently, only 31 per cent of MLAs are women.

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“For the time being, because we live in a patriarchal culture, I do think that men monopolize power in our society, there’s no question in my mind. Women have, through their own persistence over the course of centuries, begun to break that monopoly down,” says Schouls. “[The] thing that concerns me is the structural barriers that exist, that women have to overcome to be successful in political life,” he says. “The game ... of politics is set up according to the rules that men have generated, that they have traditionally felt more comfortable in.” B.C.’s history towards female party leaders is short but telling. There have been 10 women as party leaders since 1903. The Social Credit party had Rita Johnston (1991-92) and Grace McCarthy (1993-94). The B.C. NDP had Joy MacPhail (2001-03), Carole James (2003-11) and Dawn Black (Jan. to Apr. 2011). The B.C. Liberals had Shirley McLoughlin (1981-1988) and now Christy Clark (2011-). It is worth noting that the B.C. Green party, although never forming government, had both Adriane Carr (1983-85 and 2000-06) and Jane Sterk (2007-). There were also other women who ran in leadership races, but lost — often by a significant margin. In 1993, for example, Linda Reid was a candidate for Liberal leadership, but lost with 166 votes to victor Gordon Campbell’s 4141. “When I worked on the federal leadership campaign for a female candidate, I was told by many longtime members of the NDP that Canada isn’t ready for a female leader,” says Fehr. “If NDP members think that Canada isn’t ready, then I can certainly guarantee that voters in B.C. have felt the same way.” There have been five B.C. elections in which female leaders were candidates. In 2003, the B.C. NDP had a female leader for the first time in history (MacPhail was an interim leader), Carole James, and it came after a 2001 election where they had lost for the first time in 10 years. It would be ignorant to suppose that gender was the only factor at play; it is well recognized that the NDP had been on the decline leading up to that general election. However, when Rita Johnston ran for the Socreds in 1991, her party lost to the NDP for the first time in 16 years. “It’s just bad luck,” Schouls says of the losses. “But having said that, if I could speculate, it might be that parties are more inclined to elect female leaders when there’s this sort of downward drag in the party’s fortunes, than when there seems to be an upward climb that would put them in a position of power. Whether that is self-conscious and transparent and an actual motivation of the party membership … I can’t think that it would be. But it’s conceivable.” “On the other hand, in politics the time

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between elections is still relatively short. And presumably you would want as a party the best person in the position of leader to begin to re-establish your credibility so as to make you a viable alternative government in waiting, as quickly as possible.” Christy Clark is now up for a similar battle as the one Carole James faced more than a decade ago. The B.C. Liberals have been struggling recently, particularly in light of their “ethnic vote” scandal, where the NDP leaked a memo detailing the Liberals’ plans to make a series of apologies for historical wrongs to assist in some “easy wins.” Clark is also up against a particularly strong candidate in her riding, David Eby. Eby was previously executive director for the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, and lost to Clark in the by-election by less than 100 votes. TAKE THIS PINK RIBBON OFF MY EYES Although election history can provide insight when it comes to gender and politics, it alone is not enough to demonstrate the inequality that exists in B.C.’s Legislature — and the opinions presented by some B.C. voters. It is nicely complemented by websites like Madam Premier, a blog dedicated to exposing the sexist discourse and comments

Apr / 10 / 2013

directed at Canada’s female premiers. The blog is run by Diamond Isinger, a communications and online strategy consultant who has worked on B.C. Liberal and Vision Vancouver campaigns. What becomes evident through the posts, is that the comments female premiers are receiving are much more explicit, violent, and personal than those made to male premiers. Included amongst them are comments like, “Christy hasn’t got me convinsed [sic]!!! Other than her big tits, she just hasn’t got it going for her !!!! [sic],” and “Send her on a date with me I’ll fuck her up real good.” “Women are so often viewed as objects, that even women in positions of power are torn down based on their appearance or the sexist notion that women don’t belong in politics for many reasons, including hormones,” says Fehr. “You’ll never hear

FEATURE

someone say, ‘Men have so much testosterone, what if Stephen Harper is just filled with rage one day and declares war on Obama?’ That sounds ridiculous, yet it’s one of the most common criticisms for women in positions of leadership.” While Clark is far from the only politician at the receiving end of sexist comments, other concerns have been raised about how

FEATURE

she reacts to them. In January, Clark was interviewed by Drex, a DJ on Courtenay’s JetFM. He asked her if she enjoyed being a MILF (Mommy I’d Like to Fuck). Despite Clark’s reportedly initially being “taken aback” by the question, Alex Tsakumis, creator of political blog Rebel With a Clause, reported that the DJ had received a phone call from Clark, thanking him for his apologetic letter and wishing him luck in his new job. Clark was criticized for responding to the question at all, with suggestions that she should’ve refused to answer (in her response, she said she’d prefer to be called a MILF than a cougar). “Her retort was in keeping with the questions, which was almost as though to say, ‘if you’re going to play this silly game, I’m going to play it too,’” says Schouls. The fight for gender equality in politics can become difficult when the victims themselves are laughing off the comments, and thereby seemingly validating them. Granted, Clark is not the first female politician to face discrimination on the basis of her gender. “Female candidates are told to make sure they have their hair kept up and preferably pulled back if it’s long,” says Fehr. “They’re told to avoid bright colours and avoid certain types of jewellery — essentially they’re

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told to avoid looking ‘too feminine’ or ‘too much like a woman,’ if they want to be taken seriously — and if they want to win.” “Like the rest of life, women are judged on their looks, their hair, their wardrobe and how they act,” says Jane Thornthwaite, B.C. Liberal MLA for North Vancouver-Seymour. “I am sure you have heard that if a man is assertive he is a good leader, but a woman may be deemed aggressive with the same behaviour. We have come a long way, but we still have a long way to go.” Thornthwaite notes that she has seen an increase in personal attacks since Clark was elected, including sexist comments on social media and from the mainstream media. “Rarely do people make comment on men’s clothes — or if they are overweight or not — but they certainly do make comments on what the Premier wears, and how she looks,” says Thornthwaite. “Also, all politicians make announcements and have photographers reporting, recording and photographing what they do. However, the Premier is accused of doing ‘photoops’ when she is simply doing what all other politicians do during their jobs. Perhaps being ‘photogenic’ is a disadvantage if you are a woman.”

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YOU OUGHTA KNOW One of the biggest problems currently facing female politicians, says Fehr, is that, “We are viewing gender equality as a ‘women’s issue.’” At some levels of government, cross-party women’s caucuses have been established for elected representatives to gather and discuss issues particularly pertaining to women. “It’s like the fact that they share that fundamental attribute, namely being women first, is what motivates them to do the work that they do,” says Schouls. “The fact that they are divided politically, by virtue of their party allegiance, is very much secondary to their initiative. It suggests that women don’t have to be of a particular political ideology in order to be validated as women in political office.” There are other projects similarly working to increase the amount of women in the province’s politics. A project out of B.C., the Women’s Campaign School, worked to get more women involved in the political process. With its participants, instructors go over what it takes to be elected, and issues that are specific to women. Thornthwaite, a graduate of the school (along with politi-

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cians like Joyce Murray, Jane Sterk and Ellen Woodsworth), points out that there are many factors that come into play when a woman is deciding whether or not to run for office. “The difference I noted was that men do not have a problem being confident that they can win. Women do,” she says. “They question whether they even have the time to serve in elected office.” One of the first things she asked MLA Linda Reid, a director of the Campaign School, was about running for office while still having time for her children and family. Reid was lucky in that her husband and mother were able to support her, but unfortunately not all potential candidates have this support network. The nomination period, when potential candidates have to collect signatures of support to show enough people would vote for them if they ran for office, is “a very good test as to whether you can handle the time and commitment required,” says Thornthwaite. In addition to the Women’s Campaign School, there are also organizations that are advocating for greater representation of women in politics. Equal Voice BC, for example, calls on political parties to put forward more women as candidates.

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THANKS FOR MAKING ME A FIGHTER Going into the 2013 provincial election, the B.C. Liberals and B.C. NDP are each running approximately 25 to 30 female candidates, so far. The Green party is running around 10, the Conservatives, one, and there are two independent female candidates as well. However, having female candidates in the election race can only go so far. We live in a province where, sadly, gender equality is not always a priority. B.C. is a province without a Minister for Women’s Affairs. Yes, the NDP has a critic for women’s issues (Sue Hammell), but there is no one assigned to a portfolio where actual money is being spent to explore and advance issues that are unique to women. “In one respect, we might say, yes it’s important that you have someone responsible for looking at all issues through a woman’s perspective,” says Schouls. “But on the other hand we might say, that if you have someone specifically designated for that, it suggests that women’s issues are separate from every other issue that has been identified as worthy of cabinet attention.” He suggests that the way to go may be to have each minister equally sensitized to different gender perspectives for their portfolio.

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There have been many suggestions regarding potential methods to get more women involved in politics, although the effectiveness of each is heavily debated. Schouls suggests one approach, which is guaranteeing representation for women, through a system restructuring to proportional representation, establishing party quotas for nominating women, or trying the Nunavut proposal of having one female and one male representing each riding. “I think that there is general acceptance that women can do what is required, and certainly have the education and business experience that men do,” says Thornthwaite. “I don’t believe in quotas because women need to get elected on their own terms — not just because they are women. However, there is still a gender inequality regarding how women are judged once they are elected.” The solution for gender inequality in the province’s politics is not going to come easily – but it won’t come at all unless we acknowledge that there is in fact a problem. SO TAKE ME AS I AM “We think we have equality,” says Fehr. “We have a few strong female voices in provincial politics so we think we have an equal representation, but when we actually take a

Apr / 10 / 2013

moment to consider who is doing the talking, it’s the same few women.” She points out that unless voters are realizing this and making it an issue, it won’t become part of political discourse. “Because our politicians aren’t talking about the social infrastructure needed for these issues, women are staying out of politics,” she adds. “Until we talk about these issues [that matter to women] and create a society where we value these issues, the political arena will be unwelcoming to women.” With the provincial election coming up quickly, B.C. voters have the chance to create change in the political sphere. They can demand respect for all candidates, regardless of gender, and they can vote for someone based off of their qualifications, not because they are a man or a woman. In the end, it is everyone’s job to fight for gender equality. “The point we ultimately want to arrive at,” says Schouls, “[is] that the fact that one is male or female is utterly and completely irrelevant — that what one is concerned about, is that the credentials of the candidate are strong and solid, and that he or she will be an excellent MLA.” “But I think we’ve got a long ways to go on this one, still.”

FEATURE

CULTURE

The Runner

Fashion with a function

TABITHA SWANSON ASSOCIATE CULTURE EDITOR

Fourth-year fashion design student Taylor Byrom is aiming to start a new trend at this year’s Kwantlen Fashion Show. The bornand-raised British Columbian is in the midst of finishing her line Jolie Hart, a collection of clothing for young girls who have special physical needs as they battle illnesses. When her grandmother — whom she refers to as her “Nana” — fell ill, Byrom’s life changed forever. This inspired her to reach out and help others in similar situations. She started by volunteering for the BC Children’s Hospital’s Miracle Weekend — a two-day fundraising event held at the hospital. While there, she started to understand the role that clothing plays with sick people, in particular children, because of her experiences with them and the concurrent ones with her grandmother. Their clothes start to fit differently, and it can be hard to find clothing that hides needle marks while not impeding hospital machinery. She noticed that the apparel market had a lot of clothing for sick adults, but there weren’t nearly enough options for sick children; it’s an area that gets overlooked, especially when it comes to finding something that looks good. She wants to make clothes that are not only functional, but fashionable, and says that while kids “just want to fit in, other kids can be mean ... [Custom clothing] helps with that child’s selfesteem, and makes school a bit easier and helps hide what’s going on.” Q: What inspired you to use the name Jolie Hart for your line? A: The name all comes back to my Nana and my family; my Nana’s last name was Hart and the women in our family call ourselves the “Hart Women.” And “jolie” is “pretty” in French, so basically it means “pretty Hart.” It’s a tribute to my Nana and the women in my family. Q: How are the clothes constructed differently from other children’s clothes? A: They’re pretty much constructed the same; it’s just that it’s softer fabric. So the fabric quality is definitely different, and

Apr / 10 / 2013

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Kwantlen

the general placement of things is different. It’s really just adding things, but the general construction is the same as pretty much everything else. The pieces are made out of soft organic cotton and bamboo that is easy to care for and machine-wash warm… the point of this clothing is to make it last as long as possible; it is not throw-away or fast-fashion. They are meant to be worn and loved, but they still need to be taken care of. Q: Has anything like this been done in the show in the past? A: No, there was one girl a few years ago, and I think she did clothing for girls with eczema, but not really. I would say it’s the first medical care line for kids. I think there’s been a senior’s line that was kind of similar, but for children, it’s one of the first, which is exciting. Q: What are some highlights you’re looking forward to at the fashion show, for yourself and as a whole event? A : I’m looking forward to actually being that person. I’ve been going to the show for about six years, and seen these graduates and thought about how glamorous they look and watching them on stage thinking, “Oh, I want to be that.” So, I think to finally be that is going to be amazing. I’m going to have to remember to take a breath during the day and just soak it all in because I know it’s going to be a fast day. This year, there are two shows and not three, so I’ll have to really savour these two shows. Byrom has been teaming up with both BC Children’s Hospital and Canuck Place to create a product that will have the biggest impact. Byrom shared that she has had feedback from parents all over the world, and says that she would like to launch her line sooner rather than later because “I’ll have the show, I’ll have the launch, and the press that follows that. And right now, I have the interest from these people and these organizations that I’ve worked with. I think it’s important to go while it’s hot; I don’t want them to forget me.”

Two samples of Jolie Hart’s new clothing line for sick children. Photos by Jas Rai

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CULTURE

Apr / 10 / 2013

Kwantlen

Courtesy Shit Harper Did

Shit Shit Harper Did did at Kwantlen

CHRIS YEE CONTRIBUTOR

The online sensation that swept the nation during the last federal election is back. Shit Harper Did, which gained national notoriety and millions of hits 72 hours after going online with its scathing factoids and droll commentary on the Harper government, relaunched its website April 1. To promote it, the Vancouver-based crew of creative activists toured the Lower Mainland, turning up in nearly every university in Metro Vancouver, making appearances at Capilano University, UBC, SFU, Emily Carr University of Art and Design, Douglas College, and Kwantlen. Featuring improv troupe The Sunday Service (which was composed of comics Taz VanRassel, Ryan Beil, Kevin Lee and Caitlin Howden that night), and hosted by standup comic Graham Clark, Shit Harper Did’s March 14 appearance at Kwantlen was set to be an amazing evening — a milestone, even. But despite all the award-winning talent – at the 2012 Canadian Comedy Awards,

the Sunday Service was named Best Improv Troupe, while Graham Clark’s podcast, Stop Podcasting Yourself, was deemed Canada’s best comedy podcast — it seemed that the bigger draw that night was the free popcorn. But by the time The Sunday Service came on stage, the trickle of people coming and leaving just for free snacks petered out, and the remaining audience was in for a treat. With every suggestion, a skit about tanning partners quickly became weirder and weirder, and eventually someone ended up having a whole car stuck in his eye while his buddy called out the absurdity of the situation. A dry, academic quote on civil war (in general) from a political science textbook became a story about John Wilkes Booth’s childhood. A creepy suggestion from an audience member became something farcical, in spite of the cast’s consternation. The Sunday Service’s brand of improv is fast-moving, surreal, and smart; their audience handling skills top-notch. Little wonder, then, that The Sunday Service won that Canadian Comedy Award for Best Improv Troupe. Sandwiched between the evening’s comedy routines were presentations by Shit Harper Did mastermind Sean Devlin and

Winnipeg-born, Vancouver-based activist Brigette DePape - best known as the “Rogue Page” who staged a one-woman protest against Stephen Harper while on duty as a Senate page. Devlin, himself a comedian and activist, has been collaborating with Depape since he contributed to her 2012 book, The Power of Youth. Devlin and DePape’s presentations were a sharp contrast to the largely apolitical comedic interludes, though Devlin salted his bits with droll yet bleak commentary on such matters as the Conservatives’ running of political ads on the taxpayer’s dime and the ills and evils of the tar sands. For the most part, though, DePape’s presentation set the tone for the evening. Talking about her experiences, the tone she set was inspirational; just as she overcame her apprehension to stage her protest after seeing her roommate do something similar on Parliament Hill, she sees herself as a catalyst for other aspiring young activists. “I was and am really moved to meet so many people, a lot of people who said they had been moved by [my] action... to see classmates who had written ‘Harper’ on stop signs, to meet a young woman who

told me that she organized a rally for the first time, to meet a young man who said he didn’t realize how bad Harper was until he saw [it]... since then he’s been speaking out with Idle No More,” Depape told The Runner. Still, even the relatively apolitical humour of The Sunday Service’s routine had a political point, with Devlin using its ending to make a point about the electoral system. Much like how some of that creepy suggestion made by an audience member went unchallenged, so it is with the skeevy things governments do — unless enough people vote against it, naïve as that may sound. Of course, Devlin would disagree with that point. Shit Harper Did exists to fight that perception, one that drives voter apathy, especially among the young. Whether it’s live events like the one on March 14, or the social network connectivity of the revamped Shit Harper Did website, Devlin hopes to unite young people against Stephen Harper in time for the 2015 federal election. “Shit is still happening, and Harper’s the one doing it,” Devlin told The Runner. “It’s a lot of work to take people from online action to doing something in the real world... [it’s]

CULTURE

The Runner

Apr / 10 / 2013

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Local music

Harping on the blues at SXSW

JON TURNER

For Shaun Hall, the “Harpoonist” half of Vancouver-based blues-rock duo Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer, touring is bittersweet. “You’d be amazed at how many bands you don’t get to see when you’re out on the road performing,” Hall told The Runner. But when you’re seeing some of the best groups in the world at the South By Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas, it’s worth a few missed shows to play in such a creatively inspiring environment. “You’re meeting all the best people in the world at the peak of their game, it’s incredible. It’s awe-inspiring, the whole thing. We saw a guy called Michael Kiwanuka, he’s a Ugandan-born, UK-based folk-soul singer. He was just incredible. Everybody else has got these big, loud bands, including us, and he went up there with just an acoustic guitar and a bass player and that was it.” Yet despite the band’s deference to their inspirational idols, their own guttural blend of punchy, bare-bone riffs (courtesy of lead guitarist Matthew Rogers) and Hall’s soul-

ful vocals helped ably represent Canadian roots rock at the festival. In fact, in an unexpectedly ambassadorial role, they found themselves the sole purveyors of Vancouver’s local blues talent. “When you go to SXSW and you see all the bands that are representing Vancouver, there are no blues bands. We were most definitely the only ones.” However, Hall wasn’t always sure he’d end up playing the blues. While he showed an early aptitude for the harmonica, he eventually wound up exploring other genres. “My big thing for a while was soul and reggae and hip-hop,” said Hall, “and for many, many years I was into electronic. I’ve got another alias called Corduroy Kid, and I’ve got a whole bunch of albums under that title, and some more electro-soul stuff.” Such diverse influences are more noticeable in the densely layered sounds on their studio albums, but unusually, the band plays live without a dedicated bass player or even a drummer. “Matt is the rhythm section, basically. He plays the kick drum with his right foot, and the snare drum with his left, and he also plays rhythm and bass guitar two-in-one, on the same guitar. And I sing and I play foot

percussion with my feet, and tambourine, acoustic, and harmonica as well.” That’s no easy feat to consistently manage in front of hundreds of screaming festival attendees night after night, and Hall admits duos have to work much harder than a full band would to get the same effect. “It takes a lot longer to tell whether you’re going to cut the mustard doing music as a duo, and it weeds people out, I think.” said Hall. However, the recent mainstream success of artists like Jack White, the Black Keys, and the Wood Brothers has proven that there’s plenty more room for back-to-basics bluesrock bands to flourish. “They’ve definitely opened doors for other bands, especially for the whole festival circuit.” Hall knows that audiences tend to appreciate simplicity on the stage, and the band wants to bring more of their no-frills identity next record. But, he admits, infusing a tight, studio production with the raw energy of a live performance can be a tough balancing act. “If we were to record just us playing, Matt on drums and me on guitar, harp and vocals, I’m not sure in that context that it would carry as far as a live show would. You don’t know listening to it that it would just be two people, as opposed to watching and feeling it.”

Shawn Hall (left) and Matthew Rogers formed The Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer in 2007.

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The Runner

Apr / 10 / 2013

PROCRASTINATION

Horoscope

Sagittarius Nov. 23 - Dec 21

Capricorn Dec. 22 - Jan 20

The spirit world says you’re going to start dreaming about dolphins again.

The dolphins say you’re going to start dreaming about the spirit world again.

“Today is a gift. Tomorrow will be a blessing. Yesterday was a zebra with three nipples.” Martha Stewart

Aries Mar 21 - Apr 19

Taurus Apr 20 - May 20

Gemini May 21 - Jun 20

Don’t forget to breathe. Stop worrying about being killed by a rabid armadillo and start living your life.

“Bash your head against a wall. If it makes a hole, water is likely to pour out. Free water!” Brad Pitt

This month, you’re going to find out you were adopted. Next month, you’re going to find out you’ve got leprosy.

One of your idols is going to track you down and kill you with a machete.

Virgo Aug 24 - Sept 23

Libra Sept 24 - Oct 23

Scorpio Oct 24 - Nov 22

April is typically a good month for you guys and girls. Not this April, though. This April, you’re going to wish you’d never been born.

Light your car on fire and buy a bike. Drive your bike into a swamp and practise swimming.

“Horoscoopes are the best because they are always true.” - Robert Plant

Leo Jul 24 - Aug 23

There’s a computer in your head that wants to tell you something if you’d only listen.

Aquarius Jan 21 - Feb 19

Pisces Feb 20 - Mar 20

Wash your hair with olive oil twice a day if you want to improve your love life.

Cancer Jun 21 - Jul 23

The Runner

Apr / 10 / 2013

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