The Cascade Vol. 29 Iss. 23

NOVEMBER 10, 2021

VOLUME 29 ISSUE 23

Drinking the bong water since 1993

10 Oh Cannabis: three years post-legalization

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THE STRUGGLES OF CANADIAN VETERANS

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Q&A WITH SHANNON PAHLADSINGH

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DUNE FAILS IN ALL THE RIGHT WAYS

VOL. 29 // ISSUE 23

Copy Editor Maecyn Klassen maecyn@ufvcascade.ca

Sports Editor Teryn Midzain teryn@ufvcascade.ca

Opinion Editor Sydney Marchand sydney@ufvcascade.ca

Culture & Events Editor Steve Hartwig steve@ufvcascade.ca

Arts in Review Editor Vriti Sehgal vriti@ufvcascade.ca

Feature Editor Darien Johnsen darien@ufvcascade.ca

Production Assistant Niusha Naderi

Illustrator Brielle Quon Staff Writer Kathleen Clingwall Staff Writer Rachel Tait

Illustrator Iryna Presley Illustrator Danyka Van Santen Staff Writer Krystina Spracklin Staff Writer Danaye Reinhardt

CONTRIBUTORS Caleb Campbell Duncan Herd

WWW.UFVCASCADE.CA

@UFVCASCADE FACEBOOK.COM/UFVCASCADE INSTAGRAM.COM/UFVCASCADE Volume 29 · Issue 23 Room S2111 33844 King Road Abbotsford, BC V2S 7M8 604.854.4529

The Cascade is UFV’s autonomous student newspaper. It originated under its current name in 1993, and achieved autonomy from the university and the Student Union Society in 2002. This means that The Cascade is a forum for UFV students to have their journalism published in an entirely student-run setting. It also acts as an alternative press for the Fraser Valley. The Cascade is funded with UFV student funds, and is overseen by the Cascade Journalism Society Board, a body run by a student majority. The Cascade is published every Wednesday with a print circulation of 800 and is distributed at Abbotsford, Chilliwack (CEP), Clearbrook, and Mission UFV campuses and throughout the surrounding communities.

The Cascade is open to written, photo, and design work from all students; these can come in the form of a pitch to an editor, or an assignment from an editor. Pitch meetings will be digital for the remainder of the semester. Please email managing@ufvcascade.ca to be put on the assignment email list.

In order to be published in the newspaper, all work must first be approved by The Cascade’s editor-in-chief, copy editor, and corresponding section editor. The Cascade reserves the right to edit submissions for clarity and length. The Cascade will not print any articles that contain racist, sexist, homophobic, or libellous content. Letters to the editor, while held to the same standard, are unedited, and should be under 200 words. As The Cascade is an autonomous student publication, opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of UFV, The Cascade’s staff and collective, or associated members.

The Cascade is published on the traditional, unceded territory of the Stó:lō peoples. We are grateful to be able to work and learn on this beautiful land.

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The Shuffler Aaron Levy

Distributor Gurtaj Dhami

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ARTS

Digital Media Manager Jeff Mijo-Burch jeff@ufvcascade.ca

OPINION

Production Manager Elyssa English elyssa@ufvcascade.ca

NEWS

Creative Director Elyssa English elyssa@ufvcascade.ca

CONTENTS

FEATURE

Business Manager Tarini Sandhu tarini@ufvcascade.ca

Managing Editor Chandy Dancey chandy@ufvcascade.ca

CULTURE

Executive Editor Andrea Sadowski andrea@ufvcascade.ca

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14 Snapshots.......9

20.......Study Break

NEWS WUSC and SUS team up......3

4...... Dr. Mariano Mapili

OPINION Struggle of Canadian veterans.......5

5.......The Conscious Consumer

Canada-U.S.A. border opening.......6

7......Sex and Relationships

Editorial.......8

7......Free birth control

CULTURE Cascade Kitchen......14 UFV author Julia Dovey.......15 Students for Indigenization.......17

14.......Campus Fashion 16.......Shannon Pahladsingh Q&A 17.......Dig deeper with Isabella Dagnino

SPORTS Our hometown Canucks......18

19.......Cascades weekend recap

Weighing in on The Summit.......18 ARTS Healthy Gamer......22

23......Dune

VOL. 29 // ISSUE 23

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2021

news@ufvcascade.ca

NEWS

SUS //

WUSC and SUS team up to sponsor refugee students How two student-led organizations are giving opportunities for refugee students ANDREA SADOWSKI The SUS WUSC Student Refugee Program has sponsored their second refugee student this Fall. Each UFV student pays a $2 levy in student fees a semester to sponsor a refugee student to study at UFV. WUSC and SUS have formed a partnership that will allow them to sponsor two refugee students in Fall 2022, including one from war-torn Afghanistan. WUSC sponsors a refugee student for their first year in Canada, paying for all housing, living, and schooling expenses, while getting them established into the community and connecting them with employment opportunities to allow them to live sustainably after that first year. The costs for sponsoring a student is approximately $25,000 a year per student.

UFV welcomed their first refugee student in January 2020, two years after first forming the committee. The fundraising process to bring this first student to Canada was unsustainable, according to the co-chair of WUSC in 2020, Catherine Taekema. So, WUSC proposed a referendum to SUS during their board meeting in February 2020 to add a $2 levy onto

student fees, which is how 75 per cent of WUSC chapters across Canada are funded.

The referendum was passed in April 2020, with 675 students voting. The fee increase allows for a more sustainable source of funding for this student-led committee to continue providing post-secondary education to refugees.

The referendum also ushered in a partnership between WUSC and SUS. Holly Janzen, current co-chair and campus engagement coordinator of WUSC, said in an interview that SUS supports WUSC in managing their finances, their budgeting, and their sustainability efforts. However, the two still remain independent from each other.

“Something exciting recently that has happened in the last meeting we had with them is that we’re going to be able to sponsor two students next Fall, and the reason we’re able to do that is because they’re providing 50 per cent of the costs for the second student,” said Janzen.

Duncan Herd, Vice-President of SUS, clarified that in WUSC’s original referendum to SUS, they were a bit mistaken in their numbers based on the information available to them, so what they budgeted for was only enough to cover the expenses

of roughly 1.5 refugee students to come to Canada. This means they could only bring one student a year, and were left with a bit more of a surplus than a non-profit organization would like to have.

“The situation in Afghanistan is obviously an outlier,” said Herd. “The national WUSC committee had asked our chapter and all the other university chapters to see if they could bring an additional student in this time of need … so we had the idea of utilizing some of the funds from our student referendum, in regards to our CO-

VID-19 credit that was given back to us by Studentcare … taking some of these funds and putting it toward this.”

Herd said that this “top-off” was an extraordinary measure in one specific instance and SUS is not planning to give this kind of money to WUSC annually. However, Herd said there are ongoing conversations about raising the levy slightly so that WUSC is able to bring two refugee students a semester. Herd has done his research with other Student Unions in schools with WUSC chapters, and students at UFV pay an under-average levy, with the average being somewhere around $6.

The UFV chapter of World University Service of Canada (WUSC) is one of many committees all over Canada committed to providing access to post-secondary education to refugee students. WUSC is a nonprofit organization based in Ottawa that strives to create inclusive educational and economic opportunities for youth around the world, regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender, or sexual identity. The Student Refugee Program sponsors over 150 refugee students to study at more than 100 post-secondary institutions across Canada every year.

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2021

NEWS Column //

Professor Profile: Dr. Mariano Mapili on the intersect of geography and information systems How Usher and Filipino food made him the professor he is today CHANDY DANCEY Dr. Mariano Mapili is an associate professor of Physical Geography/Biogeography and Agriculture at UFV’s School of Land Use and Environmental Change. Mapili conducts research as part of the team at the Food and Agriculture Institute, combining his training in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) from BCIT and Resource Management and Environmental Studies from his PhD at UBC. This semester Mapili teaches BIO/GEOG 357: Conservation GIS and GEOG 103: The Physical Environment.

Since you’re teaching Conservation GIS, could you explain it to someone who’s [not a science student]? What is GIS? GIS [means] geographic information system. It’s just a series of maps that you will use to answer a question. Let us say you are answering the question, “Where will I extend the habitat of this fox?”

That’s location. Now we can use different maps — map of the vegetation, map of the human activity, map of the latitude, etc. Because you know that each animal has its own range of physical and biological processes wherein it will be limited to [grow], to function, or to reproduce.

If somebody wanted to succeed in your class or do well in ecology classes, what would you recommend?

I had in the past students who … say, “I read the whole chapter. How can I fail that quiz?” I said, “You failed because you failed to transfer your knowledge. Yes, you have all of this. But will you transfer it into a new situation?” That is what I’m looking for. … I tell them, in order to be successful in my class, number one is to be engaged.

Anything, everywhere that you see, hear, that I do in this class is fair game for the test … Usher has the song “Without You” with David Guetta, and then the conti-

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nents are moving away from each other [in the music video]. But that’s plate tectonics. It’s perfect for my class. Then all of a sudden in the test, “10 marks?! How is 10 marks for Usher?” If they did not attend that course, if they were not engaged, they forget this. … Sometimes they second guess themselves — especially with true or false. Everything will be false if you are too picky.

Each and everything will be false … After probably the first two classes they know how to make notes. They know to write everything. They know when I repeat something I say, write something [about it].

How did you make your way to Canada from the Philippines?

When I came to Canada, Dalhousie University had a big multimillion dollar project with the Canadian International Development Agency. Their project is in the Philippines, and one part of their project is … for capacity building. For the universities in the Philippines, they will have a call for a competition — competition to come and do a PhD in Canada.

It wasn’t really for me because I was teaching in a small agricultural college at the time. So when the posting came to our small school, everybody was saying, “Oh, what are the chances?” We have so many hundreds of universities in the Philippines and you will compete for three positions to go to Canada? … I said, “Oh, I’ll take it!” That’s what I am. I am so adventurous. I don’t care. That’s why I tell students, “Be like me. Look at me. I’m short; I’m whatever, but you know, I go places.” I didn’t know because I was also taking master’s courses in another school.

I didn’t know that I was chosen for the top eight.

So, now we have a top eight. Top eight, and I was the last one to be interviewed.

The Canadians, … they came and they said, “So, you’ll be the last one. I know you’re tired, but we only have a few min-

Photo courtesy of Dr. Mariano Mapili

utes before we leave ....” One of the questions they asked was, “Okay, so when you come to Canada … you’re Filipino, you like cooking, what dish would you like to teach [Canadians]?”

I had to think because I was the last one to be interviewed. The first to be interviewed I knew that if the same question was asked they would have mentioned already the good food of the Philippines — all the beautiful food. So I said, “I would rather shock this guy.”

I said, “Okay, you know what. I come from the North, and in the North we have a dish called killing me softly.” Once I say that, do you think they will forget what I said? No. They will not forget. Oh my god, what is that? What is killing me softly? … That’s how I think I got one of the three [spots].

Can you tell me more about the projects you’ve been involved with?

I finished a project with CHASI. I finished work with them and that project was about all of these problems [faced by]

the Indigenous communities, all of these children who were killed [in the residential school program]. That is also about location. They came to me and they said, “We want you to find origin centres in Canada.” I had a whole Canada wide data set and all of the different demographics of the First Nations — how many per cent are young, how many per cent are old, etc.

Then I created it. I submitted that and they said, “Okay, that is very good. We’d like to have another GIS project with you.”

[This next project] is about the LGBTQ+ [community]. I am mapping the locations where they are safe — safe locations for them. [Martha, the director of CHASI] said, “This is very close to what you’ve done anyway with the First Nations [data], but for this we want them to know how far they are from these safe environments if they have to walk, if they have to take the bus, if they have a car.”

This interview was edited for length and clarity.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2021

VOL. 29 // ISSUE 23

opinion@ufvcascade.ca Sydney Marchand — Opinion Editor

OPINION

Canada //

Are Canadian veterans still asking for too much?

Veteran wellness in Canada continues to be an unresolved problem STEVE HARTWIG Remembrance Day in Canada marks the day we, as a country, honour those that have served and sacrificed. The reality is that injured and disabled veterans require the Government of Canada to honour its commitments of recognition and support every other day of the year as well.

Regardless of what people think about the armed forces and its efficacy, Canada requires a military to meet its domestic and international security needs. The Canadian Armed Forces currently has 71,500 regular members, 30,000 reserves and 5,200 rangers that patrol the North, coastal, and isolated areas of our nation. As of March 31, 2020, Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) estimated the total veteran population in Canada to be over 600,000 veterans.

Since the end of World War II, VAC, our nation's governing body for military veterans, has been segregating veteran groups based on their service. VAC considers those who served in the two world wars to be war service veterans, offering them more benefits and money compared to other veteran demographics.

All other veterans, including those who served in the Cold War, Afghanistan, or on other peacekeeping missions are sepa-

rated from the war service veterans by the New Veterans Charter (NVC), the current Pension for Life program (PFL), and have considerable restrictions on what they can receive. Often, a single, severely discounted cash payout is offered with no future government obligations available. Many veterans are seduced by the buyout and are not informed that they will no longer be covered by VAC. Veterans have fought legal battles against the NVC and PFL because they believe these fall short of veteran needs and severely cut back on the support and services promised by the government. To defend itself, the government has dished out more than $38 million in a two year period for legal battles when that money could be spent on veterans and their support and services.

Military services often carry a heavy price, requiring the individual, their families, and, in some cases, their communities to help shoulder the burden of their injuries. The Canadian government offers juicy lip service espousing assistance and services, but the reality is that thousands of veterans are left waiting more than double the promised time to have their claims reviewed — with no guarantee that they will be accepted or approved for benefits.

There are few options when claims are

denied. The appeal process to VAC’s Veterans Review and Appeal Board (VRAB) requires another lengthy process that draws complaints from veterans because wait times can be extreme, causing veterans and their families to suffer unnecessarily. The conflict between the federal government, VAC, and veteran communities has continued to evolve based on an understanding that Canada supports its veterans. The Veterans Affairs website publishes their commitment to veterans as: “To support the well-being of Veterans and their families, and to promote recognition and remembrance of the achievements and sacrifices of those who served Canada in times of war, military conflict, and peace.”

Yet, veterans of the modern era have received more dishonour than honour from Canada. Most can remember the fury that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau received when he answered a question from Brock Blaszczyk, a Canadian veteran who lost his leg in an explosion in Afghanistan.

When asked, “Why are we still fighting against certain veterans’ groups in court?”

Trudeau answered, “Because they are asking for more than we are able to give right now.” However, he left out the fact that his government reneged on more than $372 million allocated for veterans and their

families.

Of Canada’s 629,300 military veterans, only 19 per cent (119,567 veterans) are being serviced by Veterans Affairs Canada.

Many of those veterans struggle with a variety of service-related physical and mental health conditions and social issues such as PTSD, addictions, domestic violence, homelessness, suicide, and military civilian transition (MCT).

Occupational stress injuries (OSI) contribute to chronic medical and mental health conditions. According to the Canadian Armed Forces Morale and Welfare Services, OSI are “any persistent psychological difficulty resulting from operations in the military. Those operational duties can include training incidents, domestic operations and international operations.”

If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a country to transition a veteran back into civilian life. Military service members volunteer to do a job few want to do with the understanding that the Canadian government pledges to look after those that serve and sacrifice. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Please take some time to consider the sacrifice veterans have made this Remembrance Day.

Column //

The Conscious Consumer: the greenwashing trap Conversations about sustainability in an unsustainable world SYDNEY MARCHAND As I was aimlessing scrolling through social media the other day, I found myself getting angry at the various product ads in my feed. I wasn’t angry because they disrupted my dashboard; rather, I was angry because many of them were using the same technique to sway my decision as a consumer: greenwashing.

Greenwashing is essentially a marketing tool that companies use to misinterpret a product's environmental footprint by suggesting or implying that a product is “eco-friendly” or “environmentally conscious.” It is a term used when a product conveys a false impression of its environmental impact or “green efforts” and misleads consumers. This is especially prevalent in today’s consumer market when topics of sustainability and climate change are at the forefront of global issues and influence what products people choose to spend money on.

So, how can we avoid it? Truth is, I don’t think we will ever truly be able to avoid it entirely. Rather, it will always be something we will need to be aware of. But by being aware of some of the marketing tools companies use, we can make more environmentally conscious decisions and avoid falling victim to the greenwashing

trap.

1. Pay attention to the visuals: I know that this seems like an obvious one, but you would be surprised how influential the colour green or an image of a tree can be on your ability to make decisions.

Without even thinking about it, you may be more drawn to the big plastic bottle of bleach that has a green label on it because subconsciously it suggests that it is more environmentally friendly than the bottle next to it. But an image that suggests that a product is eco-conscious doesn’t mean it actually is. Don’t fall for the visuals that affect your perception of a product’s environmental footprint. It’s a trap.

2. “All-natural” nonsense: Terms such as all-natural, sustainable, green, clean, and eco-friendly are all just marketing terms. Canadian companies can freely use these phrases on their products if they submit a self-declaration outlining that their products will create a marketdemand for products that stimulate environmental improvement. Basically, any company can use these terms even if they make products that do not directly improve the environment. With that being said, studies have shown that consumers have a more positive attitude toward products that use terms linked to being more environmentally conscious and so companies have simply used this as a

tool to make a larger profit. Don’t fall for how products are worded or phrased. It’s a trap.

3. Optimistic vagueness: Fact-check, fact-check, fact-check. Although companies in Canada are required to follow guidelines that explain that businesses must be truthful when stating blatant environmental claims and figures, many of them may use vague company promises alluding to their sustainability efforts yet do not provide the public with clear timelines or action plans. For example, Nestlé released a statement that expressed their ambition of making their products 100 per cent recyclable or reusable by 2025.

Many critics, however, quickly pointed out that they failed the tell the public how they would accomplish this besides outlining that they would be “promoting a market for recycled plastics” in their statement. Nestlé, and many other major companies, strategically do not outwardly state that they are going to make a positive environmental impact, rather they imply that their products allow the consumer to make more environmentally conscious choices like recycling. Because these companies don’t make strict plans to change their own practices, they do not face any law-related repercussions if they fail to follow through with their alleged goals. Don’t fall for these vague claims.

It’s a trap.

4. The truth on mixed-material products: It’s becoming more and more common for companies to promote their products as using a percentage of “plant packaging” in order to imply that they are reducing their plastic production. However, mixed-material products are extremely difficult to recycle because you cannot isolate each component. For example, if you have a single-use cup that is made of 50 per cent plastic and 50 per cent paper, it would be nearly impossible to recycle because the two materials are treated differently. If you need to purchase a singleuse product, then it would be more environmentally friendly to find a product made up of only one material and recycle it appropriately. Don’t fall for the mixedmaterial products; they just land up in the landfill and create more waste. It’s a trap.

The problem is that companies are swaying our decisions by marketing to our desire to be more environmentally sound and eco-friendly. While Canada has some basic guidelines for companies to follow, the use of greenwashed strategies in the consumer market is only increasing. So be on the lookout and understand the telling signs of the scam that is greenwashing in order to be a more conscious consumer.

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2021

OPINION Canada //

Canada-USA border opening will still be a hurdle Border closure reveals wealth inequality and guaranteed headaches DANAYE REINHARDT The Canada-U.S.A. border will finally be open on both sides to vaccinated visitors on Nov. 8.

For many, this means visiting friends and family, more access to ski mountains, and getting cheese at a cheaper price. I certainly sighed a breath of relief when I learned that it was re-opening. I haven’t seen my grandparents, aunts, uncles, or cousins since 2019. Despite what I say about our neighbours to the South, I was glad to hear that it was opening.

But before I pack my bags and hand the border guard my passport, I think it’s worth talking about what the border closure meant for Canadians and Americans.

Since its initial closure in March 2020, it became the longest border closure between the countries until Canada opened its doors for Americans this summer.

I remember being surprised to learn that although the land border was closed, air travel was still an option. It just feels elitist to shut down the Canada-U.S.A. land border, but then allow those with the means to buy a plane ticket to travel. For the two

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thirds of Canadians who live within 100 kilometers of the American border, driving across the border is often cheaper and more convenient than flying. In my opinion, if the border is closed, then it should be closed regardless of how you get across.

And if the border is open, it should be open for everyone regardless of wealth.

It’s not just the cost of crossing the border. It’s the hassle, too.

My mom, who has American citizenship, had a heck of a time getting down to the United States to visit her parents and siblings two weeks ago. It had been almost two years since she had seen them because of COVID-19. Finally, she’d had enough.

She researched the COVID-19 protocols, grabbed her (expired) American passport, and drove across the border.

Except it wasn’t that simple getting back into Canada. The Canadian border requires a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours. Determined to spend as little as possible, she opted for a free COVID-19 test. Her research had promised results within one to three days, but at the test site she was told it would take three to five days before results. How are travellers supposed to adjust as they wait for results? She had to book a hotel near the

Illustration by Danyka Van Santen

border — less than an hour away from her Chilliwack home.

Paid tests are more efficient at getting results back. It seems visitors have two choices when it comes to crossing the Canadian land border: paying over $100 on average for a test to guarantee crossing the border at the right time, or getting a free test and risk paying for a hotel room or readjusting their travel schedule if the results don’t come back in time.

Again, something about the cost doesn’t add up. If it’s the difference between free and costly tests, does it really matter if results are five days old instead of three days old? Because of the 72 hour rule, a five day old negative result won’t allow you to cross the border.

Canada will still require negative test results to enter the country after Nov. 9. This isn’t exactly a bad thing — I want people to be healthy and protected — but if visitors have to be vaccinated, it doesn’t seem necessary for them to go through the hassle and cost of a COVID-19 test as well. The American border, after all, won’t require test results. I just hope the governments will clarify the test protocols and, ideally, make all tests free.

I am grateful that the border has opened

for vaccinated visitors, but the hoops my mom had to jump through, and the general confusion of COVID-19 protocols, leaves me distrustful.

If you’ve looked into crossing the border, tried to plan events amidst changing protocols, or just existed in this pandemic, you’ll know what I mean. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve combed through multiple news stories and scoured the government website trying to find relevant, updated information. A few times, I had thought I found the information I needed, only to realize the article came out in 2020 and is now outdated.

All of this may seem like I’m entitled for not being able to visit the United States with ease. I know I’m fortunate. But Canada has had a strong relationship with the United States, and many people depend on both countries. Americans have Canadian clients, and vice versa. Families are split between Canada and the United States. It makes sense that we would mourn the loss of relationships between our two countries.

Sure, I want Canadians and Americans to be healthy and protected. But I also want the border regulations to make sense and be equal for all.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2021

VOL. 29 // ISSUE 23

OPINION Column //

Sex & Relationships: Define the relationship Asking that all-important question of “what are we?”

ANDREA SADOWSKI Let me set the scene, you’ve been seeing someone for a month or two now — you’ve gone on some stellar dates, had some deep conversations, and had some mindblowing sex. Things started off casually, you were just getting to know each other and having fun, but now you’re starting to catch feelings. So, in order to avoid confusion and potential future heartbreak, you want to ask them for a greater level of commitment and intimacy.

Defining the relationship doesn’t have to be an awkward or scary conversation to

have, but it is a necessary one to get on the same page about what your relationship is and where it is going. Asking the question of “what are we?” is so important in order to define boundaries and set expectations for the relationship and each other.

It can be as simple as saying, “Hey, I like you. And I know we started by just ‘having fun,’ but I’m starting to develop some strong feelings for you, and I’m wondering how you feel about me or where you see this potentially going in the future?”

These are very basic questions to ask somebody and it is well within your right to ask them. If you’re worried about “scaring them off” or potentially damaging the

Illustration by Brielle Quon

relationship you currently have with each other, then you have your answer right there.

Go into the conversation knowing what you want. Maybe you don’t want a relationship necessarily, but you want to set the boundary that you are exclusively seeing each other. Perhaps you want to move from a casual relationship to something more committed. What does this commitment look like to you? How would things change from how they are to what you want them to be? Maybe you want to make it clear that you are dating with the intention of eventually getting married. Make your expectations for the relationship clear and listen to what they want as well.

Expectations only exist when they’re discussed and mutually agreed upon.

Commitment is not necessarily a change in behaviour. If your current beau is not texting you as much as you would like them to now, don’t expect this behaviour to change just because you’ve added a label to it. A commitment is more of shared values and visions for the future. It’s making clear what your intentions are for one another in order to avoid more hurt in the future.

This conversation could go one of two ways: They could want the same things as you do. This leaves you with no doubts in your mind about what this relationship is and how they feel about you. It’s an intoxicating feeling, and I hope this is your experience.

Or, they may not want the same things you want. The unfortunate reality is that this conversation could lead to a feeling of

rejection and a parting of ways. Move on, and find someone who is looking for the same things you are. Trust me, they’re out there.

What may happen is that they don’t want a relationship with you, but they still want to keep you in their life. Because what they’re getting from you — be it good conversation, sex, an adventure partner, someone to run errands with — whatever it is that you are giving them, they don’t want to lose that. This is when you have to realize that you need to look after yourself and your own needs first. Yes, they could one of the nicest/sweetest/hottest/smartest/handiest/funniest person you’ve ever met and they could be filling some gaps in your life, but if you’re not getting what you need from them and they’ve made it clear they don’t want to match the level of commitment that you want, you’re doing yourself a disservice by staying with them.

My greatest piece of advice to you is this: you should be with someone who is just as into you as you are into them. If someone has made it clear to you that they are not interested in a relationship with you, believe them, and look for someone who is.

Don’t wait around hoping that one day they may change their mind, or that one day they might wake up and realize just how amazing you are and how much they need you in their life. You may be waiting a very long time for something that may never happen.

Don’t keep giving your love to people who don’t love you back.

Canada //

A hard pill to swallow: contraception should be free Why universal birth control should be free for Canadians CHANDY DANCEY UFV students are no strangers to the wide selection of safe sex options in free vending machines around campus or the PRLC lounge — dental dams, lube, and condoms galore. It’s not uncommon to see free condoms or menstrual products being handed out at Canadian universities, and yet some forget that these are resources still being fought for in many countries and institutions. While condoms are a more popular option to hand out en masse, another form of birth control is often overlooked in the dialogue of free resources: universal access to contraceptives.

Starting 2022, France will begin offering free birth control to all women until age 25, a move which will bring it in line with Britain, Spain, and several other European countries. This begs the question: should Canada be next? Arguably, yes.

Why give access to contraceptives, you might ask? The easy answer is that access to contraceptives is a universal human

right, backed by the UN. Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, executive director of the UN Population Fund explained, “Not only does the ability for a couple to choose when and how many children to have help lift nations out of poverty, but it is also one of the most effective means of empowering women.”

Making contraceptives free increases accessibility to family planning, giving people the choice to decide when and if they have children, regardless of their lifestyle or financial situation. But wouldn’t that be an economic strain and a burden on taxpayers? As Dr. Osotimehin alluded to, giving everyone access to birth control can also be seen as a way to increase productivity and boost the economy by increasing the labor-force participation — less babies or abortions means more time that can be spent churning the capitalist machine and generating more income tax dollars. In other words, a small investment by countries into free contraception could equal a larger output of labor and return on investment.

Illustration by Danyka Van Santen

Okay, so maybe it’s a smart move investment wise, but what about ethically? Afterall, the Roman Catholic Church has long been opposed to “artificial” means of birth control, since it’s seen as interfering with God’s will. Unfortunately for this idea, it’s

sinking into public irrelevance. The National Catholic Reporter wrote in 2018 that a “2016 Pew Research Center study reported

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VOL. 29 // ISSUE 23

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2021

OPINION Editorial //

Weed is good, racism is whack How Black and Indigenous people aren’t experiencing the same benefits of legalization ANDREA SADOWSKI This week’s feature article explores many of the challenges faced by professionals in the cannabis industry three years after legalization. The feature doesn’t mention how Black and Indigenous people in Canada have not been able to reap the rewards of this multi-billion dollar industry and are still being disproportionately arrested for cannabis-related charges throughout Canada.

There have been a handful of studies within the past decade that reveal that Canada’s racist, colonial roots are still alive and well today. Despite Indigenous people making up just 2.5 per cent of the population in Vancouver, they account for 17 per cent of people arrested for cannabis possession in 2015. Between 2015 to 2017, Indigenous people living in Regina were almost nine times more likely to get arrested for cannabis possession than white people. A 2017 study in Toronto found that Black people are three times more likely to get arrested for minor possession charges than white people.

You might be thinking that this racial divide existed before legalization, and now that we can all smoke weed freely, these racialized arrests are no longer as prevalent. A 2020 study revealed that Black and Indigenous people are disproportionately arrested for cannabis possession in the five major Canadian cities studied — Vancouver, Calgary, Regina, Halifax, and Ottawa.

In fact, there are now more laws than ever before that can criminalize cannabis users.

Keep in mind that in order to become a licensed cannabis cultivator, producer, or retailer, one of the hoops you must jump through is obtaining a cannabis security clearance. Those with criminal records are unlikely to get approved for this clearance.

This means that many more Black and Indigenous Canadians are unable to enter this extremely lucrative industry than white Canadians who were less likely to be arrested before and after prohibition.

There are an estimated 500,000 Canadi-

Illustration by Brielle Quon

ans charged with cannabis possession, yet as of 2020, only 341 people have successfully erased their records. This is because the six layers of documentation needed to clear these charges is prohibitive to those with low income and who live far away from their city of arrest for these charges.

The government puts enough hoops in place to make it nearly impossible for those charged with cannabis possession to ever own a cannabis business.

Black and Indigenous people are vastly underrepresented in leadership roles within the Canadian cannabis industry. A 2020 study showed that three out of every four people in leadership roles of licensed processors and their parent companies were white men. Non-white women made up a dismal 2 per cent of those studied.

The 2018 Cannabis Act was made with

three goals in mind: “keep cannabis out of the hands of youth, keep profits out of the pockets of criminals, and protect public health and safety by allowing adults access to legal cannabis.” There is nothing within the Act that addresses racial reconciliation for communities who have been disproportionately affected by the “War on Drugs” and drug prohibition.

Canada should invest some of the hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue they have received from cannabis legalization into the BIPOC community that disproportionately suffered under the thumb of prohibition. Trudeau promised in 2015 that this revenue would be used to address public health and addictions issues.

Indigenous people bear a heavier burden of social and health inequalities connected to drug-related policies, and this is partly

due to the systemic racism of the RCMP. Yet it seems there are no funds being allocated into this community from cannabis taxation, and public health and addiction issues are worse than they have ever been, with overdose fatalities being at an all-time high. Although Indigenous people make up just 3.3 per cent of B.C.’s population, they accounted for 15 per cent of all toxic drug deaths in 2020. So tell me, where is this money going?

While our legendary B.C. bud is thriving in the legal marketplace and the cannabis industry is growing stronger every day, these benefits have yet to be felt by Black and Indigenous people. We still have a long way to go when it comes to making the cannabis industry a diverse and inclusive space for all.

A hard pill to swallow: contraception should be free CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 that 89 per cent of American Catholics believe that contraception is either morally acceptable or not a moral issue at all.” It’s also arguable that oral contraceptives are “artificial,” as they use natural hormones the body already produces to create the desired effect of non-permanently lowered fertility. Not to mention that according to a Washington University study, abortion rates can be reduced by up to 78 per cent the national average by giving people access to birth control, another hot debate amongst religious circles. Not everyone will follow a religion like Catholicism, and therefore it doesn’t make sense to push

8

non-believers to adopt religious concepts like not using oral contraceptives — especially when most Catholics don’t seem to believe in it themselves.

What about the fact that giving away birth control for free could promote promiscuous or risky sexual behavior? Researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine studied just that by giving women aged 14-45 no-cost contraception and tracking their sexual partners and intercourse frequency for a year. The results? 70 per cent of participants had no change in the number of partners, and the frequency of intercourse only slightly increased.

But shouldn’t sex have consequences if

you’re being frivolous? It’s easy to forget that family planning isn’t just an issue that affects carefree 20-something year olds who are being “promiscuous.” In 2013, nearly 25 per cent of immigrant women in Canada said they encountered issues in getting birth control because of language barriers, lack of private insurance, and trouble navigating the system. Birth control users are married parents who don’t want to expand their family, individuals who can’t afford to have children, youths who don’t understand the consequences of their actions, people who don’t have sex but use it to treat health conditions, students that can’t afford to drop out of school for an unplanned pregnancy, and more. To

expect everyone to remain abstinent or otherwise face harsh and life-altering consequences is unrealistic — we have modern medicine that can help us with this issue, so why not make it freely available?

Canada should highly consider making birth control free for all its citizens. This concept is being fought for by provincial, national, and governmental groups like AccessBC, the B.C. NDP party, and the Canadian Paediatric Society. While condoms can be easily found in stores and at a low cost, birth control can carry a hefty weight in the lifetime of a user — a cost that should be absorbed by governments if it’s a universal human right rather than a luxury for only those who can afford it.

BRIEF BITS OF BITE-SIZED BREVITY

SN S AP HO TS

CURTAILED COMMENTARY ON CURRENT CONDITIONS

Illustrations by Iryna Presley

Dream on, Spotify The downside of homemade brews When we were all in lockdown, my boyfriend decided to take his sudden unemployment as an opportunity to start home brewing wine and cider. I mean, we had to pass the time somehow, right?

After some experimenting with recipes and techniques (some good, and some quite terrible), fruit wines seemed to be his niche. This is when you ferment a variety of fruits instead of just the classic grapes and apples. The summer was great because we foraged wild blackberries and picked blueberries for dirtcheap in order to make dozens and dozens of winter backstock.

Everything was going great; we had a variety of flavours, alcohol levels, and it felt like it was starting to really pay off.

That was until this past week when I received a phone call explaining that he accidentally made sparkling wine. Now, at first I was ecstatic. Mimosas? Yes, please. A fruity sangria? Oh, hell yeah.

But no. He hesitantly informed me that because of this spontaneous carbonation, each bottle promptly decided to de-cork, spewing litres (yes, litres) of red blueberry wine all over the beige carpets. All over the CARPET! Yes, it is true. All good things must come to an end as our months of foraging fruit now have nothing to show for it expect the stained murder scene of a dozen bottles in the spare room.

Most people probably can’t relate to my issue with the free-to-use Spotify — I imagine most of the app users justify shelling out their hard-earned cash monthly to this music conglomerate for the “premium” features. And that’s cool. I get why anyone would want to give in, but I think the big brains at Spotify headquarters didn’t anticipate the stubbornness of a Taurus like me.

Whenever I get those three to four ads in a row (and what a joy it is when the exact same ad plays for all four), I grit my teeth and refuse to give in. I will not conform to your incessant reminders to

give you money that border on harassment. I may not be able to use your app at parties or on car rides with others because of the endless torrent of advertisements, but joke’s on you, because I have crappy taste in music anyway. At the same time, I can understand that Spotify has some business model going on, and annoying users into paying for the ads to stop is likely part of it. Just know, Spotify, that your unstoppable force has met an immovable object — me.

Chandy Dancey

Sydney Marchand

Give me something to believe in

The season of decomposition

I grew up in the 1980’s when heavy metal, punk, and new wave music battled for number one on charts. Poison emerged as a glam metal band and produced some great hits that are still played today. The popular “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” is a love ballad my grad class danced to at prom. Cheesy but fond memories, right?

My son recently played another of Poison’s songs, “Something to Believe In.” I hadn’t heard the song in a long, long time and was surprised at how “current” it was.

The song contains messages about social change, trauma, and corruption that are very relevant today. We still see religious leaders ripping people off and, unfortunately, raping and murdering, too.

The Vietnam War has been replaced by the war in Afghanistan and veteran populations are still in crisis. Intersectionality,

I appreciate the tree’s changing colours just as much as the next person. Seeing the leaves change from green to yellow to orange to red to brown is truly one of nature’s greatest spectacles and something to be appreciated. One thing I don’t love about pumpkin-spice-season, though, is how messy it is. Blankets of dead leaves cover the ground and begin their decomposition, and this is only pretty if you are not the one who has to clean that shit up. I love to see it on my nature walks, but when it comes to the little patch of patio/yard I have staked out as my own in front of my basement-suite door, it has got to go.

I am a clean person. I take pride in

poverty, homelessness, addiction, and divorce have become more visible than they were in the 1980’s and yet, politicians, governments, religious institutions, and corporate leaders are looking after themselves before those in need.

As Poison ends their song, “Yeah, sometimes I wish I didn't know now / The things I didn't know then, yeah / And give me something to believe in.”

40 years later, I’m left knowing society still can’t rely on its religious, political, or corporate leadership to offer more than lip service and a financial pittance to address critical social issues. I need something to believe in, and I just hope and pray it’s not Zuckerberg’s Metaverse.

Yikes.

Steve Hartwig

having a tidy and organized home, and the piles of leaves that are lining the driveway, slowly turning into mush, are driving me nuts. The other day, I spent an hour painstakingly raking up each leaf and composting it, and was left with an immaculate front yard. The very next morning, leaves littered the ground again and all my hard work was reversed. Let’s not forget about those pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns that have a way of rotting the second you put them outside. Not such a cute look.

Fall, I love you, but can you please be a little cleaner?

Andrea Sadowski

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VOL. 29 // ISSUE 23

Feature //

Oh Cannabis: Three years post-legalization The pitfalls, triumphs, and future of the cannabis industry in Canada Andrea Sadowski On Oct. 17, 2018, Canada legalized recreational cannabis; stoners everywhere rejoiced. Canada was the second country in the world to legalize its recreational use after Uruguay first legalized it in 2013.

Market regulation, red-tape, and bureaucratic loopholes have plagued cannabis cultivators, producers, vendors, and consumers alike, but the steep learning curve is slowly flattening as legalization has taken its third rotation around the sun.

Let’s look at some of the ways the cannabis industry in Canada has grown and prospered over the last three years, what hurdles still need to be overcome, and what the future may look like for all who enjoy the jazz cabbage.

From the legacy market to regulation The federal government knew that over 4.2 million people around the country consumed cannabis recreationally within a three month period (according to Health Canada in 2017), and they wanted their share of the profits. In the first six months of legalization alone, national and provincial governments made $186 million from tax revenues on cannabis sales.

However, these initial sales were not as high as they could’ve been due to wrinkles in policies and procedures that stippled the legal market.

The first year of legal cannabis sales proved to be rough for everyone.

Consumers were hesitant to make the switch from purchasing their weed from the illicit market to buying from licensed dispensaries, which can be hard to distinguish between unlicensed stores. The regulated distribution system created tight bottlenecks from producer to retailer, causing a huge rift between cannabis produced and cannabis sold. Due to all of these roadblocks, the government lost potential revenue and the illicit market continued to thrive.

Currently, B.C.’s cannabis industry pumps $2 billion a year into the economy and in a 2020 government survey, 27 per cent of survey participants aged 25+ used marijuana in the past year. Cannabis Benchmarks estimates that the illicit market accounts for 39 per cent of cannabis sales, way down from the original 91 per cent the illicit market held near the beginning of legalization. Things are looking up, as prices from the illicit market and regulated market are starting to match.

Dispensaries were named an “essential service” during the pandemic in most provinces, with half of existing cannabis users increasing their consumption. The industry is only going to keep growing — creating hundreds of thousands of jobs, millions in tax revenue for communities, and billions in overall economic growth.

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Dylan King, founder and CEO of cannabis brand Pistol and Paris, has been growing weed himself since he was a teenager. He remembers when not too long ago he had to peek out the blinds to see who was driving past his home, as the Lower Mainland was known for being bad for “rips,” ie. home invasions by the police on suspected grow-ops. He expressed the relief he feels of now being able to freely conduct business meetings in public, talking freely with buyers about shipping a hundred kilograms of weed somewhere, and looking at bud while sitting at a restaurant table.

Legal dispensaries didn’t see as many sales as they anticipated within the first year or two of legalization because the illicit market was still thriving. While the illicit market is still alive and well today, statistics show that it is shrinking. Those who bought cannabis before legalization were still going to their regular sources, as it is a commonly believed myth among cannabis consumers that illicit market weed is cheaper and of better quality than what you get from a legal storefront.

“I think the illicit market has done a very good job of saying their product is better,” says Jeff Prete, owner of local cannabis dispensary, Jima Cannabis. Prete said the difference between products on the illicit market versus products on the regulated market were very different in the early days of legalization because of kinks in the supply chain.

“One of the biggest things was the time between when the product was ready and when the consumer got it. There was a bunch of delay there,” said Prete. “So, it wasn’t the ‘freshest’ product in the early days. Today, I think it’s a different story.”

Buying cannabis at your local dispensary is a totally different experience than buying from the illicit market. What you see on the store shelves of a licensed retailer has a complete breakdown of the THC, CBD, cannabinoids, terpenes, and more. You won’t get that when buying on the illicit market.

Buying from licensed retailers guarantees that the product is safely made; you know that what you are buying from dispensaries has gone through rigorous quality control testing, was grown in an impeccably clean environment, and was developed and researched by industry chemists and growers.

As well, storefronts have a greater variety of cannabis products everything from topical creams to vape cartridges to bath bombs to pre-rolled joints to edibles to concentrates to flower.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2021 Those licensed producers didn’t just come from nowhere; the majority have been growing in the unregulated market for decades already. Their growing practises have only gotten better and safer under the new model of regulation because of the environment they are able to grow in.

“The genetics that are being used to grow cannabis in the regulated space are genetics from labs and are strains that have been around forever,” said Christina Michael, founder of The Entourage Collective, a cannabis collaborative services company. “Their genetics are deeply rooted in the history of cannabis; that hasn’t changed. The environments in which we are growing them have changed.”

Many of the initial fears in legalizing cannabis have not materialized. Research done by Dr. Russ Callaghan, UBC Northern Medical Program Professor, revealed that cannabisrelated crimes for youth dropped by 55 to 65 per cent immediately following legalization. Another study by Dr. Callaghan concluded that there hasn’t been an increase in impaired driving after legalization in Ontario or Alberta. However, much of this data and research came out after the early stages of legalization, and further research still needs to be done to reflect our current situation.

“You gotta love the colour red in this regulated industry:” challenges legalization still faces While The Cannabis Act (Bill C-45), was passed on the federal level, each province gets to govern how cannabis is distributed and sold, so different mechanisms exist province to province.

Cannabis cultivators and processors need a licence from Health Canada to be able to grow and make cannabis plants and products, and they need an additional license with the Canadian Revenue Agency to be able to sell their products.

Licensed cultivators can sell their product in bulk to licensed processors, who can enter into a supply agreement with the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch (BCLDB) to get their products into the market. The BCLDB is the regulatory body that approves which cannabis products can be sold to licensed storefronts. A separate branch, the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch, controls the licenses and regulations of cannabis retailers.

While the provincial government’s agencies approve distribution and sales, the municipality has a great deal of control over the number of stores and placement of those stores. The municipality also regulates zoning for cannabis cultivators and processors.

There are still many challenges to overcome for cultivators, producers, and retailers, especially for smaller, craft growers.

If you are a cannabis business of any kind, you cannot get a bank account or bank services like loans and insurance, from a large financial institution because of the stigma the industry still faces, despite it being legal. This makes it extremely difficult for small business owners to get off the ground as there is a massive investment required upfront for producers and retailers who need to build their growing facility first or have the lease for a storefront before they can even apply for a license. Because of these restrictions, small businesses are sometimes forced into private or predatory lending scenarios.

“Between the combination of navigating through this complex regulatory environment, and not having access to capital, space, or licences, there are only 791 license holders throughout Canada three years into legalization. Yet, probably tens of thousands more illicit growers throughout the country.

“I’m over a year into this now, and I still don’t have a company bank account,” says King. “I feel like I’m a criminal or something.”

“There are a lot of hoops to jump through,” said Prete, who lost the first location he was trying to get approved to become a cannabis retailer, losing with it nine months worth of rent while he was trying to get it off the ground.

“Unfortunately, a lot of regulations tend to favour a lot of publicly traded companies and larger organizations. The economic partnership between small growers has yet to be realized in a meaningful way,” said Andrew Gordon, Vice President of the B.C. Craft Farmers Co-operative.

Gordon identified the 15 per cent provincial mark-up applied by the Liquor Distribution Branch on cannabis products as a detriment to cultivators, processors, retailers, and consumers alike. The Cannabis Council of Canada has theorized that the illicit market is still thriving because of the heavy taxes imposed upon cannabis licence holders, who are paying almost 30 per cent of their revenue to taxes and fees to the government without getting adequate services from them in return. There is a demand from the Cannabis Council of Canada for the federal government to revise these fees, as they were based on dated research of what cannabis cost in a pre-legalization market.

“It pushes consumers to make purchases in the unregulated market that don’t meet the public health and safety aims of legalization, and [the policies and regulations] continue to hamstring retailers and producers that want to get access to that customer base but are forced to pay high taxation and high fees to get their products to market,” said Gordon.

Issues around zoning are still very apparent, as it’s difficult to find a municipality that will support cannabis cultivation, processing, and sales. King expressed his struggles with trying to license his facility in Agassiz through the district of Kent. Fraser Valley residents have expressed concern with cannabis production in their neighbourhoods, which makes it very challenging for both small and large scale producers who still face a lot of stigma in the community.

Each municipality also decides the number and location of cannabis storefronts. In Kelowna, cannabis retail owners are struggling because their municipality has approved too many licenses downtown, creating a highly-competitive market.

Abbotsford, however, is currently allowing only 4 stores in the city, which makes owning a retail store a very lucrative endeavour, especially in the Valley where the population growth rate is huge.

There are other municipalities such as Whistler, West Vancouver, Burnaby, and Richmond that don’t have any licensed cannabis retailers at all, creating what has been called an “access desert.”

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VOL. 29 // ISSUE 23 Between the combination of navigating through this complex regulatory environment, and not having access to capital, space, or licences, there are only 791 license holders throughout Canada three years into legalization, yet probably tens of thousands more illicit growers throughout the country.

Better policy development is needed in the political realm. More cannabis advocates, consumers, and industry professionals should be embedded within the political space federally, provincially, and municipally. This will develop better policies and reduce the complexity of this highlyregulated environment to create more sustainable business opportunities for craft growers.

Producers and retailers are also limited when it comes to marketing and promoting their brands and products, as The Cannabis Act prohibits the promotion of cannabis of any kind.

However, this just means that cannabis brand owners need to get creative when it comes to marketing their stores and products.

Greater research and development is needed around how cannabis can be beneficial for people’s health and wellbeing.

The results of a study done by Washington State University revealed the inhalation of cannabis reduced feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression amongst participants in the short term, however chronic cannabis usage may increase symptoms of depression in the long-term. More studies suggest the effectiveness of cannabis treating symptoms of PTSD. Cannabidiol (CBD) has shown numerous benefits to treat people with different forms of epilepsy. This research only scratches the surface of what is to be discovered in how the cannabis plant can heal our minds and bodies. There is still so much research left to do.

King markets his Pistol and Paris brand as an illicit market brand that has pivoted into the legal market, which is appealing to customers who would normally buy their weed from the illicit market, also called the “legacy market” by those in the industry.

This marketing strategy is part of the reason why his brand is on store shelves in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba — an incredible feat considering he has been in business for less than a year. These provinces welcome him with open arms as they want to capture the patrons of the legacy market.

Vikram Sachdeva, owner of Chilliwack cannabis dispensary Seed & Stone, marketed his cannabis store as one rooted in the community, with a dedicated clientele who consider this their go-to shop. Sachdeva has been a local entrepreneur since 2001, sponsoring local sports teams and being an active member in his community. When he started to apply for his licensing to open up his cannabis store in 2020, he collected more than 200 signatures from within the Chilliwack community in support of his store. Sachdeva would even stand outside of his store with a sign, dancing with headphones on, to get the attention of cars passing by or stopped waiting for the train to pass, in order to rally customers into his storefront.

“In any new industry, any trailblazer will tell you there will be good days and bad days, wins and losses,” said Michael, “we just have to keep moving forward.”

So, what does the future hold for the cannabis industry in Canada and B.C.?

The future of Canadian cannabis Farm-gate sales programs are opportunities for small-scale licensed producers to have a retail space to sell their product on their site and deliver cannabis to licensed retailers themselves.

This direct sales model will eliminate some of the complexities for craft cannabis producers and allow consumers to buy local in a tangible way. The B.C. government has plans to roll this out in 2022. This may also provide opportunities for craft growers to offer tours of their facilities and custom tasting menus, similar to the type of experience you would get at a craft winery or brewery.

Consumption lounges, spaces for patrons to consume cannabis similar to a bar where patrons consume alcohol, is another project B.C. Municipalities are still considering and may move toward in 2022. While currently no provinces or territories have allowed consumption lounges yet, the New Amsterdam Cafe in Vancouver has been in operation since 1998, where you can sip on an americano while responsibly enjoying the cannabis you have purchased elsewhere.

More sustainable packaging is another thing of the future that Gordon looks forward to. The packaging for cannabis products you buy in legal storefronts is so excessive because of all the warning labels and requirements that need to be added according to Health Canada. This creates a lot of waste and adds to the industry’s overall economic footprint in resource use.

A reduction in complexities involved in international export, allowing the trade of cannabis for recreational usage, is another thing of the future. Right now, cannabis is only authorized for import and export if it is for medical or scientific purposes or for starting materials (seeds) to a new license holder, and each shipment requires a permit from Health Canada. Even with these restrictions, Canada is one of the largest cannabis exporters in the world, with producers exporting 15.6 tons of dried cannabis flower and approximately 7.3 kilolitres of cannabis oils and extracts in 2020, a value of $53 million. However, according to Health Canada data, less than 40 kilograms of cannabis was imported into the country, instigating some to accuse Canada of protectionist trade policies. This creates an unfair market that only allows consumers to buy Canadian products without giving way to cannabis produced in places like Jamaica, Colombia, and Australia.

A greater partnership between educational institutions and the cannabis industry is needed for the upcoming generation to receive the proper training in understanding prohibition, bylaw policy, laws, and the logistical and practical side of the industry. Different post-secondary programs in the cannabis field exist already throughout Canada: a cannabis retail specialist program through College of the Rockies, a variety of elective cannabis courses through Okanagan College, a graduate certificate on commercial cannabis production through Niagara College, and a diploma in commercial cannabis through McGill University. Will UFV join these thought leaders in developing courses and programs studying the various aspects of the cannabis industry?

As Canada has been a trailblazer in the cannabis industry, we can look to do the same for more plant medicine, such as legalized psilocybin mushrooms and ayahuasca. Psychedelic psychotherapy has been proven effective in treating patients with terminal cancer, as well as many mental illnesses such as addiction, anxiety, depression, and PTSD. While a handful of mushroom dispensaries have already opened up in Vancouver, psilocybin still remains a Schedule III controlled substance federally, with only a handful of exemptions offered for those on end-of-life care.

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2021 There needs to be more education on how to use cannabis products safely and beneficially. People need to have enough practical knowledge about cannabis to be able to speak freely about it in order to take the fear away from cannabis and to encourage more people who would benefit from it to try it.

Also, there needs to be greater education around the dangers of consuming products from the illicit market.

Michael is looking forward to one day having medical cannabis dispensed at pharmacies, like any other pharmaceutical, as well as pharmacies dispensing CBD and hemp derived products.

Pharmacies like Shoppers Drug Mart are now selling cannabis for medical purposes, but online only. Right now, one can claim cannabis as an eligible medical expense under Health Canada if you purchase from a licensed medical cannabis producer you are registered with and have documented medical authorization.

Hopefully in the future there will be less hoops to jump through to get medical cannabis covered or subsidized by Health Canada and extended health insurance policies.

Cannabis may one day be used more in the harm reduction space, through organizations such as Cannabis for Harm Reduction, which is focused on getting cannabis into the hands of the people who need it most for self-guided treatment options.

They partnered with the Dr. Peter Centre in Vancouver, an internationally recognized HIV/AIDS clinic, last year for a clothing drive with further collaborations coming in 2022.

“Our long-range goal is … to be able to purchase cannabis in the recreational space and share with people who qualify with our nonprofit and in the medical community to subsidize or perhaps purchase cannabis for people for their own medical treatment,” said Michael, who’s also the founder of Cannabis for Harm Reduction.

We may soon see a higher volume of cannabis stores in our communities. Similar to having a liquor store in every neighbourhood, there will be a cannabis store within walking distance. This will only come when communities and landlords embrace the fact that these businesses are responsibly owned and well-run. For this to happen, we must break the rampant stigma that still exists around cannabis in general.

“I don’t really care for ‘breaking the stigma,’” said Michael.

“The more we perpetuate the stigma, the more the stigma stays around. What I do believe in is people actually seeing this as a plant. We get plant medicines from various things, you know like turmeric, functional mushrooms (chaga and reishi). Cannabis is a plant and the derivatives we get from this plant have a lot of efficacy to them to be very positive … We should be looking at this as an opportunity for us to embrace something that has grown for centuries in our world, and what we can extract from that to optimize people’s lives, health, and enjoyment.”

“We should be looking at this as an opportunity for us to embrace something that has grown for centuries in our world, and what we can extract from that to optimize people’s lives, health, and enjoyment.”

How can you stake your claim in the industry as a student or recent graduate?

Cannabis industry professionals encourage students looking to break into the industry to start with positions that are directly available to them. A quick search on Indeed at the time of this writing revealed entry-level positions within production, sales, and research and development.

“There are shift manager and store manager positions within retail that get you lots of experience, not only with customer service and how to sell, but a lot of professional development with product knowledge,” said Prete. “Also, look for licensed producers, whether you’re on cultivation or harvesting. Start at ground level and learn the different aspects of this business … really understand the product.”

You don’t even need to touch a single gram of cannabis flower in order to work in the industry.

The cannabis field requires talent on many different levels, said Michael. Whether it’s accounting, human resources, brand development, marketing, or graphic design, your intelligence and education could be applied in this industry in some way.

“If you want to get into this space, be really passionate. Love what you do. You have to love anything to be successful,” says King. “Look at me: I was a poor kid that grew up with a single mother on Quadra Island, and I put the work, passion, and drive in to get to the level that I want.

If I can do it then anyone can do it.”

A paradigm shift in how we view cannabis “There is no finish line here,” said Michael. “Who knows what opportunities that can come about to save lives and to have a more mindful and thoughtful environment we can operate in.”

Michael suggests thinking of cannabis legalization in terms of a three-year-old child. While they have learned some essential skills such as how to walk and talk, they’re still an infant and their world is still very small. Just imagine what the world of cannabis will look like for our children and grandchildren.

“I think that cannabis really is a revelation for the world, an inspirational force that has led to the development of world religions, and I think the paradigm shift is here,” said Chris Bennet, cannabis activist, author, and ethogen historian.

Celebrate the three-year anniversary of legalization by smoking some dank weed you bought from a local dispensary, or herb that you grew yourself.

If you don’t currently partake in cannabis consumption, you can still celebrate legalization by supporting local cannabis dispensaries by buying CBD products, or just give a thumbs-up to the next person you see enjoying a joint. As Bennet says, “there is no better cannabis than the cannabis you grew yourself and shared with the people you love.”

“There is no better cannabis than the cannabis you grew yourself and shared with the people you love” 13

VOL. 29 // ISSUE 23

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2021

CULTURE

culture@ufvcascade.ca Steve Hartwig — Culture Editor

Column //

Column //

Cascade Kitchen: Creamy tomato soup

Creamy tomato soup. 2021. (Danaye Reinhardt/The Cascade)

DANAYE REINHARDT The Cascade Kitchen is a student-run food column that brings you budgetfriendly recipes and cooking tips. Check back bi-weekly for something new to try in the kitchen, or if you want to see your own recipe featured next, get started by reaching out to culture@ufvcascade.ca.

Cook Time: 30 minutes. Serves: 2-3 Ingredients:

1 can diced tomatoes (796 mL) 1 can tomato soup (284 mL) 2 tbsp sugar 1/2 tsp baking soda 2 tbsp diced onion 2 tbsp margarine As the air turns colder and the rainy 3 tbsp flour season continues, there’s nothing 2 cups cold milk better than sitting down with a bowl 1 tsp each: basil, thyme, oregano, and of classic tomato soup. This recipe is salt (or to taste) quick to make and uses common in- 1/8 tsp pepper gredients. Depending on preference, you can use less sugar or try blend- Method: ing the diced tomatoes in a food pro- 1. Pour the canned tomatoes, tomato soup, and sugar into a large cessor for a less chunky soup. pot and bring to a boil. Take off the stovetop immediately after Tomato soup is great for meal prep it has boiled and add the baking and it freezes well — I would recsoda. ommend doubling (or tripling) the recipe. I use empty sour cream con- 2. Meanwhile, in another pan melt margarine in a pan and sauté tainers to store single servings in onions until tender. Add flour the freezer. Need a quick lunch on and stir to create a roux. Cook campus? Microwave some soup and for one minute. you’re good to go..

3. Turn heat to low and gradually add milk, stirring constantly.

This recipe from my grandma was Then add basil, thyme, oregaonce “sold” at a church fundraiser for no, salt, and pepper to the pan. $100, but I’m giving it to you for free.

Whisk to create a cream sauce.

Tomato soup goes well with saltine crackers or croutons, or pair it with a 4. Mix the cream sauce into the tomato mixture and reheat on low. grilled cheese sandwich. It’s the ulti5. Ready to serve! mate comfort food.

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Campus Fashion: Come thrifting with me RACHEL TAIT A student budget may not always allow for the purchases of on-trend styles, at least at retail prices. Going to thrift stores is a more sustainable way of finding rare treasures and finds that can build a wardrobe on a budget.

Located at 33933 Gladys Ave., the MCC Centre Thrift Shop is an affordable place that students can go to find awesome deals on items that are still in good condition. The shop is peaceful and spacious, with good lighting and an inviting atmosphere. They carry everything from furniture, to books, to clothing, and everything in between. I sat down with the retail manager, Karen Heisler, and the backroom supervisor, Corin Boersma, who were both very gracious to take time out of their busy schedule to accommodate a quick interview.

They both concur that a lot of students come into their store and tend to gravitate toward the vintage and the gently used clothing department, especially the Threads section.

Heisler says, “We have a fairly new department called Threads. And the students seem to love those clothes. Those fashions were clothing that I wore as a young woman and now they look to me to be old fashioned, but the students realize that there is a lot of good wear still left in those clothing, and they love to shop in the Threads department. And I think those young people will be the ones that will change our world. That’s what we can look forward to.”

Boersma agrees that many young people come to MCC Centre Thrift Shop to find fun, inexpensive things and to shop in a more sustainable, ethical way.

When asked why they think more young

people are gravitating toward sustainable choices, like thrifting, than they did 20 years ago, Heisler believes that young people are worried about the environment and want to “make some changes.”

She goes on to say that, “when they start at that level, that gives me hope as an older person that things can change, and I think that they want to do that. And thrift is a very good starting place.”

Heisler noticed that more young people are aware of what social justice is, and they are more informed about fast fashion and how that affects their world. She thinks that “people don’t want to support the things that go against social justice, and so shopping thrift, shopping reused, or making your own are all ways that they can kind of take action in their own way.”

At the end of the interview, Heisler also shared that two colours of tags are always discounted in the store, one being 50 per cent off and the other 75 per cent off. There is also a student discount program on Fridays, with a 20 per cent discount on everything else that is not already on sale if you present your student card to the cashier.

After thanking them for their time, I looked at the clothing racks and saw some nice, trendy, affordable pieces, some of them starting at only a few dollars. I found a very nice TNA denim hooded jacket that looked almost brand new for $10 and a brand-new journal and calendar gift set that I ended up purchasing.

I encourage students to go and check out MCC Centre Thrift Shop, located near the historic downtown area — especially on a Friday, so they can get the extra discount. I know where I will be spending my free time on Fridays from now on.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2021

VOL. 29 // ISSUE 23

CULTURE Community Spotlight //

UFV author Julia Dovey signs her first book deal STEVE HARTWIG University of the Fraser Valley graduate Julia Dovey signed her first book deal last month and looks to her future as a writer and, one day, a professor of creative writing. This book, an LGBTQ+ romantic fiction titled Lipstick Tattoo, is due to be released in the Spring of 2022.

Lipstick Tattoo is a story about a romance writer at the crossroads of staying in a safe, colourless relationship or leaving for a twisting, vibrant trail into the dangerous unknown.

After an intense period of writing, editing, and revision, Dovey completed her manuscript and was extremely pleased to have it accepted by the Canadian publisher Books We Love.

Dovey graduated from UFV in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Creative Writing. At 16 years old, Dovey completed her first attempt at writing a novel, but says she started writing when she received her first journal at 11 years old. Through journaling over 400,000 words, Dovey found writing to be a means of expression allowing her to unlock her mind.

As an aspiring writer, Dovey explored writing different genres. Early on, she preferred magical realism or the inclusion of some kind of magical or supernatural element in her stories. Popular examples of magical realism include Gabriel García

Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude and Isabel Allende’s The House of the Spirits.

“I just write because it’s fun. [Writing is] a form of expression I choose that allows me to bring what’s in my head onto paper for others to appreciate,” Dovey says.

She found a lot of support and inspira-

“[Writing is] a form of expression I choose that allows me to bring what’s in my head onto paper for others to appreciate.” tion from within the UFV writing community. As a founding member of UFV’s Creative Writing Club (CreWri), Dovey found a place to share her work with other students. During her time with UFV’s CreWri, she wrote several full-length manuscripts and explored playwriting for theatre.

The mentoring relationships Dovey created as a student have been instrumental in the successful submission of her manuscript to a publisher. Professors John Carroll, Rajnish Dhawan, and Michelle Super-

le have all contributed in helping develop her skills as a writer.

Dovey also credits her friend and fellow UFV writer, Jay Lang, with helping get her a book deal by following her example of a dedicated writing schedule and hard work. Lang has found success as a writer and has published six books in the past couple of years. This kind of success set a precedent of sorts and Dovey hopes to find similar success.

“I learned from my friend [Lang] how to prepare my writing for publishers. It was very intense, and I wrote for hours and hours every day.”

Dovey grew up watching her parents pursue their artistic interests. Her father is a writer and a painter, and she has memories of her father writing on an older word processor. Dovey explains the joys of reading her father’s many manuscripts.

“My dad has been writing my entire life — he’s always been a writer — and encouraged us [kids] to write and paint or do art because he’s very into the arts.”

Dovey’s mother is also very artistic, and is a musician and performer.

Learning the business of writing started early for Dovey, as she helped organize, package, and mail her father’s manuscripts and query letters to agents and publishers.

She believes this is a key element in her desire to be a writer and editor.

Dovey also looks to some well-known authors like Nora Roberts and Kenneth Oppel for examples. Roberts, because she

takes a strong position on work ethic and a “shut up and write” approach (Roberts has written more than 200 books, and clearly her approach works); Oppel, for his vivid plots and relatable characters, but also his committed work-ethic.

“I like to write in a free environment, but deadlines really help with the completion of my projects. With shorter deadlines — I’ve written a manuscript in three weeks —I find Roberts’ and Oppel’s examples of putting everything aside and writing really motivates me. Also, sometimes writing out of fear of missing a deadline can push me to get it done.”

Dovey is currently working on her next novel. In the future, Dovey wants to continue writing, tutoring, and developing her teaching skills through a Chilliwackbased writing workshop she co-created with fellow author and friend Abrianna Leaming.

Dovey is also currently completing her Master of Fine Arts degree application and would like to focus on creative writing.

Her long-term goal is becoming a professor, and she ponders the idea of a PhD in Creative Writing with a chuckle.

“I’d like to help other aspiring writers and be a positive influence for those writing and who may feel they won’t get published. Becoming a university professor teaching creative writing is a long-term goal.”

Julia Dovey. 2021. (Photo courtesy of Julia Dovey)

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VOL. 29 // ISSUE 23

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2021

CULTURE Artist Q&A //

UFV alumna is the B.C. regional winner of the BMO First Art Award

Shannon Pahladsingh. 2021. (Photo courtesy of Shannon Pahladsingh)

RACHEL TAIT Recent UFV graduate Shannon Pahladsingh graciously set aside some time this week to talk with The Cascade about her experience winning the BMO First Art Award and creative process behind her iconic spoken word poem, “Oh, Thank Goodness.”

How does it feel to be selected as the B.C. regional winner of the nineteeth annual BMO First Art competition?

It feels amazing, first and foremost, but it also feels kind of surreal because I wasn’t expecting to win ... because it was the first time I went into poetry. I am usually a dry media kind of artist. You never think that your little project is going to win this huge competition with a monetary prize ... I just feel so lucky.

How does it feel to have your artwork showcased in the virtual art museum at the University of Toronto?

It feels so good ... Having that platform to say my message and share my experience, especially with other Indigenous, Black, and people of colour. It feels so heartwarming., I am just so happy that [this] poem can exist for my community.

In terms of your art, do you have any plans for the [$7,500] prize money that you received?

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Other than squirreling it away for my student loan, I am thinking of donating some of the money to a local Indigenous group ...

I just figured this poem wouldn’t be what it is if I wasn’t here, a settler in Canada and recognizing that positionality that I hold.

Can you elaborate on the process of the competition and how you were nominated for this award?

This poem was actually my grad project for my senior year at UFV ... one of the other art professors saw it, her name was Davida Kidd. She let me know that [she] really thinks this is a strong project … [and that I] should submit it to BMO. I followed all of the steps to submitting and ... a few weeks later, I got the call from someone at BMO… and she [said] it was almost unanimously decided, and that really touched my heart.

She told me I was the first person to win out of UFV ... She was telling me that the middle of the poem where it changes direction from “oh, thank goodness you are so diverse’’ to “oh, thank goodness you are so adverse” was the moment that hooked everyone and ... that’s the moment that I wanted to hook my listeners. I was very happy to hear the prestigious judges were in that moment of feeling my story with me.

Could you elaborate on your artistic choice of filming outside in a field. What was your artistic decision to do that?

I was gonna perform the poem in an of-

fice because [it] was about covert racism in the workplace. But then, as I tried it, it just wasn’t feeling right. And I was thinking, why am I performing this poem in a setting that has harmed me? So, I took it in a different direction. The land that I am on is actually a place that I go to a lot, and I first discovered it when I was having an anxiety attack because of something my boss had said at the time … it just holds a really special meaning to me. There are little hawks that fly around and you can hear them singing. I thought, this poem is supposed to be healing; let me go to a place of healing for me … It just fit better than an office space because … the poem is not really supposed to be emphasizing the pain.

It’s supposed to be emphasizing the healing and empowering that can come from it.

How long did it take for you to write the poem?

Good question. This poem was actually in the works for three years. It started as a political science essay and then morphed into a philosophy essay on feminism ... because this incident happened the same time I was taking political science and ... I was wrestling with why did this line hurt me so much? Why did I keep thinking about it? ... And slowly one night, I was just in the shower venting at myself [chuckles] and [I realized that] this was a poem. And so, I quickly got out of the shower and wrote down what I was venting.

What are your plans moving forward as an artist?

What I am working on with a group of other folks is a non-profit that is geared only towards Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour, offering them a space where they can echo out. When I am in a space where there are white people, I put on a mask and make sure … [I] don’t act too Brown. We wanted to create a space, especially in Abbotsford where we don’t really have this conversation as a community. We wanted to create that space of come in, take off that mask, and come vent or come participate in your culture ... and this will be a [place] where hopefully you feel empowered and supported. That is kind of the premise for this non-profit. It is for folks who have experienced racialized harm in academic institutions where we don’t talk enough about or more so, take action against it.

Racism is treated like a dirty r-word, and it’s not… It’s something that we need to talk about and acknowledge if we want to move past it and not participate in it.

Check out Pahladsingh’s work from Nov. 16 to Dec. 8 at artmuseum.utoronto.ca This interview has been edited for length and clarity

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2021

VOL. 29 // ISSUE 23

CULTURE UFV //

Dig deeper with Isabella Dagnino Isabella Dagnino talks about her struggles with COVID-19 and her time as a student KATHLEEN CLINGWALL UFV alumna Isabella Dagnino’s latest exhibit, “They Only Love Us When We Are Starving,” was on display in the S’eliyemetaxwtexw Art Gallery between Oct. 5 and Oct. 29.

Dagnino is a photographer and member of the Indigineous and Latinx punk community. She specializes in black and white photography and, before COVID-19, had mostly been using the darkroom to develop her photos. Her exhibition is centred around the “interconnection of land, body, and sense of belonging.” Dagnino finishes her artist’s statement with the line “​This project is a story about living through something, and coming out on the other end,” a perfect sentiment to describe what she has gone through and what the Indigenous community has faced.

The photos in Dagnino’s exhibitions have a soft aura to them, and with the black and white filter, it gives the exact emotion that is intended. Just like in her artist’s statement, the photos make the viewer feel connected to the land. The solitary subjects of each photo make me feel secluded from society, but rooted to the land. The colourless photos and the composition of the subjects make them feel lonely, but still bound to the earth. Overall, the photos feel mel-

ancholic and sentimental while also giving viewers a wistful feeling.

Dagnino’s inspiration behind her most recent exhibition is “based on personal experiences and [is meant] to address decolonization and intergenerational trauma in the Indigenous community.”

Like most students, COVID-19 made the university experience challenging for Dagnino, with online Zoom lectures and scheduled times to use equipment and the darkroom. Dagnino had been using the darkroom to develop her photos, but had to make the switch to digital when COVID-19 restrictions became stringent. It was also challenging for her to come to the Abbotsford campus to use the darkroom because she was living in Hope.

Dagnino expressed how amazing some of her professors were, in particular Grace Tsurumaru and Melanie Jones.

“Grace is an angel and always pushing me forward,” said Dagnino. “Everyone is just always challenging you to do your best.”

Dagnino’s advice for aspiring and upand-coming artists is to “just believe in yourself and your art practice. Keep going and don’t get discouraged. It can definitely be hard and daunting at first, but don’t give up.”

2021. (Isabella Dagnino)

Column //

Club Spotlight: Students for Indigenization New club hopes to spark conversation and indigenize the campus DANAYE REINHARDT Students for Indigenization is a new student club that focuses on conversation and action surrounding indigenization on campus.

For president Amanda James, it all started with a conversation. After guest lecturer Dr. Lolehawk Laura Buker spoke in her Peace and Conflict Studies course, James and fellow classmate Philippa Chapman began talking about decolonization and reconciliation. They asked themselves the question: what does decolonization look like locally?

“We’ve done all this learning … How do we then put those into action?” secretary Chapman said.

James and Chapman, along with treasurer Calista Thirsk, met regularly in the Winter and Summer semesters to discuss their vision for a club and “set the groundwork.” They registered Students for Indigenization as a UFV club at the beginning of the Fall 2021 semester.

The club focuses on Indigenous peoples and allyship. The club’s vision is to see Indigenous and non-Indigenous people

share the knowledge, passion, and burden tional distrust between Indigenous people and ... schools, hospitals, or whatever it of decolonization.

“The burden of indigenization so often might look like,” she said. Institutions like falls on Indigenous people,” Chapman UFV can make Indigenous students feel restless and unsaid. easy, even to the While they recpoint where they ognize that UFV has moved towon’t self-identify or openly share ward indigenizthat they are Indiging the campus, enous. they don’t believe “We can write it will ever be about these things, enough. Through the club, they we can talk about these things, but hope to let student how do we actuvoices be central ally put that into to the work. action?”

James “[How does] the asked. “What can personal experiwe do about it to ence of being an create change?”

[Indigenous] stuShe hopes that fudent inform the 2021. (Students for Indigenization) ture Indigenous changes that need students will feel to be made rather like they belong at than it being a top UFV. down process?” Chapman said.

James sees Students for Indigenization For James personally, she worried about discrimination and racism when she first as a chance for people to contribute their began attending UFV. “There’s this institu- ideas and share what reconciliation means

to them. It’s about being creative, adaptable, and using respectful dialogue.

“It starts with listening and a lot of learning,” Chapman added.

Students for Indigenization has plans for several “peace building projects to indigenize the university,” James said, including a mural project dedicated to residential school victims and survivors. They hope to complete the mural on the Abbotsford campus before the end of the year.

James credits the many people who helped Students for Indigenization get started. “We’ve had a ton of support from Lolehawk, Wenona Hall, and Carol Dickson. It’s a very long list of members that have attended our meetings and that are in full support of [our] peace building projects,” she said.

“Indigenizing [the] campus is not just for Indigenous students, but it’s a framework and a way of being that can benefit all of us,” Chapman said. “We often speak about this club being an embodiment of reconciliation.”

Readers can find Students for Indigenization on myCampusLife or you can email them at studentsforindigenization@ gmail.com.

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VOL. 29 // ISSUE 23

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2021

SPORTS

sports@ufvcascade.ca Teryn Midzain— Sports Editor

Campus Recreation //

The Summit: not the peak, but on the trail to a good gym TERYN MIDZAIN My class finishes, and seconds later, Baby Keem’s “Cocoa” starts to play in my ears, and I begin sipping the pre-workout I have been saving throughout my class. The pregym walk from Buildings A to E is quick and easy. The simple, cloudy day is a blessing from the downpour of rain I’ve dealt with all weekend. The opening verse of “Cocoa” is barely finished before I have to pause my music to ask the employee behind the athletic building’s front desk how

to get a RecPass.

Registering for a RecPass is easy and free for any UFV student, staff, faculty member, and alumnus. I simply fill in the blanks on a white piece of paper with my name, student number, phone number, and provide proof of vaccination, then sign an Assumption of Risk waiver. With the paperwork done, I am free to guzzle back the rest of my pre-workout, feeling the special tingle up my spine telling me that the beta-alanine and taurine in my pre-workout are coursing through my veins, and time my entrance so that “Family Ties” by Baby

The Summit. 2021. (Andrea Sadowski/The Cascade)

Keem and Kendrick Lamar starts playing as soon as I walk through the doors into the gym.

I admit that as someone who finds the gym essential for my weekly routine and wellness, I am used to more commercial gyms such as Anytime and Snap Fitness.

So, when walking in and finding out that the “Fitness Centre’’ is half of a gymnasium with blue tarps on the floors and bleachers to serve as replacements for cubbies to put my belongings, with the other half of the gym still being used for recreation, I was a little put off. I chose to trust the bleachers and started my routine.

My initial gripes went away as I got the feel for The Summit, and found it has enough weight lifting equipment to build and perform solid and basic gym routines.

The dumbbells range from 10 pounds to 100, which is more than enough of a range to get a good free weight routine.

The squat racks and Smith machine have enough plates that I didn’t have to wait and snag any unused plates for heavier sets, and I was able to have my post-workout cooldown on one of the multiple spin bikes. There were resistance bands and kettlebells that I did not need to use this gym day, but there was enough room to use them safely. Even with the majority of the men’s basketball team doing their weight training, I was easily able to ma-

noeuvre around while keeping an eye on my bag throughout my lift and pump session.

Even with my initial disappointment in not having a proper gym facility, The Summit is well on the path to becoming one if it continues to grow. I only saw a few additions needed for the fitness centre to get into top shape. First, cubby holes are a must. Second, a multi-station with a weighted row and lat pulldown machines attached are needed. When I went in, there was only one of the latter, and one rowing machine for those who, like me, mistook one rower for the other. Having multiple will be great for when multiple gym-goers go in for “pull day,” as well as adding another option to do back rows that will not take up a squat rack, barbell, or extra bench. Finally, The Summit needs an eventual addition of a large wall mirror for all the post-session selfie progression pics and Instagram.

The Summit is a good start to a fitness centre with all the equipment needed to start one’s fitness journey. I can only hope that with enough use and traction within the community, it can hike the path until it reaches its peak for the campus and offers the students a fully decked out fitness centre.

Rating: 7/10.

Community Sports //

Our hometown Canucks TERYN MIDZAIN The Abbotsford Canucks, the new rebranding of the Vancouver Canucks junior hockey club, played their inaugural home game on Oct. 22 against the Henderson Silver Knights. The game showed Fraser Valley fans a new face of professional hockey and Vancouver’s new affiliated farm team.

A “farm team” is the name of a junior level sports team or club that is owned by a higher-level parent team. Farm teams house and train the young drafted players, as well as rehabilitate players coming off of serious injuries. These teams give players experience in the professional atmosphere that comes with sports while they wait to be called up to the parent leagues.

Every team in the National Hockey League (NHL) has a farm team. The majority of these teams play in the American Hockey League (AHL).

Abbotsford is only an hour’s drive away from Rogers Arena, and is perfect for both faces of the affiliation. Abbotsford’s close proximity to Vancouver means that both the junior and NHL clubs will be able to interact and practice together more often, and the Juniors will be fresher when they get called up for a game. In case of an injury during a Vancouver game, Abbotsford’s close proximity means that a player no longer has to travel across an entire continent when called up to play in an emergency.

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Previously, the Vancouver Canucks’ farm team was the New York-based Utica Comets, with one of the longest distances between a parent and their farm team — over 4,500 kilometres. If the Canucks had an unexpected injury before a 7:00 p.m. game on home ice, the junior player had to catch a seven-hour or longer flight between Vancouver and their nearest international airport in Syracuse, N.Y. Now, unexpected and immediate call-ups for junior players can be handled in an hour during a home game. Abbotsford’s international airport will also help speed up the travel times for away games. The Abbotsford and Vancouver Canucks’ respective head coaches, Trent Cull and Travis Green, and the training and medical staff will have hands-on experience training both teams and be able to provide immediate assistance and updates on rehabilitating players. Having the teams be next-door neighbours will help keep Vancouver healthier to match the competition in their NHL division.

The Fraser Valley could also play a crucial role, and potentially be a player, in the growing professional hockey community of the Pacific Northwest. Seattle just got a new NHL team, the Seattle Kraken, and the debut of their own farm team in Palm Springs is being delayed until 2022. Vancouver’s new rivals in the Pacific Division are currently sharing the Charlotte Checkers with the Florida Panthers. If the organization still has trouble finding land, or

Palm Springs proves not to be as profitable a location for hockey, Abbotsford’s ability to show the continuous benefits of having a farm team close by, as well as be a profitable organization, could lead to more AHL teams looking to make their homes nearby.

As the NHL looks to expand, choosing locations for professional teams will come down to profitable regions and successful teams. Abbotsford could spearhead expansions of NHL and affiliated farm teams into the Pacific Northwest.

More professional teams within the NHL and AHL Pacific Divisions allow the youth minor hockey leagues the chance to parallel the juniors. Youth can watch and learn from the junior professionals and see how they skate, handle the puck, and grow on and off the ice. The affordable general admission seats start at

$25 each for the Abbotsford Canucks and provide amazing value; parents can take their kids to games, and students at UFV can catch games after classes. The Fraser Valley will easily fill the stands of the Abbotsford Centre to be able to condition the junior players for their most important job: playing to the best of their abilities in front of sold-out crowds filled with thunderous fans. There are few places in the Fraser Valley that can do it as Abbotsford can.

Abbotsford Canucks logo. 2021. (Wikipedia commons)

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2021

VOL. 29 // ISSUE 23

SPORTS Recap //

Cascades weekend recap TERYN MIDZAIN The brisk winds and rain washed over our UFV Cascades men’s and women’s teams this weekend. The Cascades suffered tough losses. The men’s basketball team were dealt two losses against UBC that saw their tie for first in Canada West division turn into a three-way scrap for third place. Our volleyball teams took two losses for their season openers, and our men’s soccer team had a tragic loss to their end of the season and semi-final run in Victoria. Our sole win this last weekend came from the Cascades women’s basketball team on Saturday, scoring 71-64 over UBC in double overtime.

Deanna Tuchscherer led the Cascades basketball team with 30 points and 10 rebounds, and the second year guard Nikki Cabuco dropped a new season-high score of 22 points and shot 50 percent from threepoint range. Rounding out the top 4 scorers were Julia Tuchscherer and Alexis Worrell, who scored 8 and 6 points respectively.

Google Sidhu, the first year rookie from Abbotsford, stepped into Maddy Gobeil’s shoes (who sat out due to injury) by playing 42 minutes of the game, scoring 5 points on all of her field goal attempts, and catching 6 rebounds — all while facing a UBC team coming out of a home game win the previous night. With their win, the team’s 3-1 win:loss record keeps them tied for first with UNBC in their division standings. On Nov. 12 and 13, the women’s team takes on Thompson Rivers here on our home court.

The men’s basketball team were wounded with a 64-70 loss on Nov. 5 and another loss on Nov. 6 with a 72-80 final. The double losses saw the UBC Thunderbirds fly into first and drop the UFV Cascades into a three-way tie with the Thompson Rivers Wolfpack and the UNBC Timberwolves for third in the West Division. The battle for

bronze starts at home this Friday when our boys play Thompson Rivers.

Our volleyball teams started their UBC Tour in Kelowna this past weekend against the UBCO Heat. Unfortunately, both our men’s and women’s teams lost their sets.

The women lost a 0-3 set on Friday, and managed to score one set Saturday, but ended with a 1-3 final. The men’s team held off the Heat wave in a 2-3 loss in their first game on Friday, but got burned on Saturday, losing 0-3. The Cascades volleyball teams finish their UBC campuses tour in Vancouver this upcoming weekend, hoping to shake off their losses with a pair of wins.

The games will be held in UBC’s War Memorial Gymnasium.

Tragedy struck our UFV Cascades men’s soccer team Saturday, as they were dealt a 0-5 loss from the UVic Vikes. The Vikes scored twice early, then the Cascades were dealt a red card that took Jun Won Choi out of the game, all within the first 30 minutes of play. Sunday, the men lost out on a podium finish, taking a 0-2 loss the next day against Mount Royal, bringing a sad end to their season.

This weekend, our Cascades basketball teams are playing in the UFV Athletics Centre. On Friday, the women’s team opens the evening at 6:00 p.m, and the men close the nightly events at 8:00 p.m. Counter the Thompson River’s black and orange fall jersey colours with your green clothes when you come to UFV Athletic Centre in Building E to cheer on our teams. Volleyball fans can raid UBC’s War Memorial Gymnasium on Friday, Nov. 12 at 6:00 p.m to cheer on the women’s team, and again for the men at 7:30 p.m. They will also be playing there on Saturday, Nov. 13, at 5:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., respectively. Game schedules, start times, and more stats can be found on the UFV Cascades website.

Zubair Seyed. 2021. (Gibi Saini/UFV Athletics)

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VOL. 29 // ISSUE 23

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2021

STUDY BREAK Crossword //

Made by Steve Hartwig

ACROSS

DOWN

2. Military members all look the same when they wear these clothes

1. Items carried or worn during ceremonies

4. Where people go during conflicts

3. Spit is used to do this to boots

5. Where to go on Remembrance Day

7. Solemn day for veterans

6. Paying the ultimate price

9. This is played to conclude funeral and remembrance ceremonies

8. This instrument plays “The Last Post”

10. John McRae said they grow “row on row”

11. “In the _ _ _ _of peace.” Inscribed on the back of United Nations medals 12. Structured march accompanied by a band

Puzzle 1 (Medium, difficulty rating 0.56) Sudoku //

3

2

7

2

9

1

8

5 2

9

5

1

2

1

ANSWERS: Across: 3. Vampire 5. Pumpkin 7. Cornmaze 9. Fireworks 10. Ghosts

Horoscopes //

Your weekly life predictions as told by Shiva the Sage

Taurus — Apr 20 to May 20 The time for transition in your life is coming, and you’ll need to open yourself to change to work through it. For a stubborn sign like yourself, this will require accepting the ending of opportunities or relationships that don’t serve you. Take comfort in knowing better times are ahead.

Gemini — May 21 to Jun 20 You’re undergoing a rebirth where you’re making realizations. You’ve worked through emotional wounds and challenging times and are beginning to understand what serves you and what doesn’t. The way forward is becoming clearer, but now it’s your responsibility to take the first step.

Cancer —Jun 21 to Jul 22 Try licking your elbow for good luck this week.

This was, uh, definitely in the cards and totally not for my own amusement.

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6

Down: 1. Pirate 2. Cauldron 4. Candy 5. Princess 6. Haunted 8. Spider

Aries — Mar 21 to Apr 19 You’re entering into a period of clarity and intellectual power, so take advantage of it while you can to power through those study sessions or projects. Navigate your week with your usual determination and you’ll find you have more time in your life for other passions and pursuits.

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Generated by http://www.opensky.ca/sudoku on Thu Sep 9 16:58:33 2021 GMT. Enjoy!

Leo — Jul 23 to Aug 22 You love being around people and forging new connections, and this will be the perfect week to do more of what you love. Open yourself up to the opportunity of friendship, romance, and mentorship, and allow your generous spirit to share your abundance of love with others.

Sagittarius — Nov 22 to Dec 21 This is the time to allow yourself to purge your negative emotions and work through them. You’ll want to do this by channeling the idea of nurturing your mind, body, and soul.

Recognize the abundance in your life, open up to a friend, or get in touch with your creative side by finding a unique way to express yourself.

Virgo —Aug 23 to Sep 22 You’re no stranger to making concrete plans and following through with them, and this week you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment from your work. Celebrate your success with others before jumping to the next goal, and, most importantly, try to share this wealth and security while it’s in your life.

Capricorn — Dec 22 to Jan 19 You have high standards, Capricorn, and you hold yourself to them as much as you do others. This week though you’ll feel an increasing sense of self-imposed restriction and imprisonment. You need to shake things up and gain new perspectives, but just know that there is a way out of your predicament.

Libra — Sep 23 to Oct 22 You have a way of bringing people together, finding common ground, and discovering solutions, Libra. This week will present a unique challenge where you serve as a mediator, and you’ll need to carefully consider how to proceed. Remember to remain impartial, objective, and truthful while navigating this.

Aquarius — Jan 20 to Feb 18 This week will challenge your intellect, as you will need to carefully discern reality from fantasy. Carefully consider opportunities that come your way that are too good to be true, or reconsider your own plans in terms of if they’re grounded and realistic. If you’re implementing something, put in the effort to make it happen rather than just talk about it.

Scorpio — Oct 23 to Nov 21 This week is time to acknowledge your abundance and give back. While you’re usually a private sign, this will help you connect with others and deepen relationships.

Lend a hand to those in need, consider donating to worthy causes, or even offer your time to help a classmate.

Pisces — Feb 19 to Mar 20 This week you’ll encounter disappointment — something not meeting your expectations, realizing something’s missing from your life, or avoiding a situation you know will hurt.

You’re a water-based sign, so rather than get caught up in your feelings or delay the inevitable, it’s time to confront and accept it.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2021

VOL. 29 // ISSUE 23

LOCAL PHOTOGRAPHY

JUVENILE BALD EAGLE. VEDDER ROTARY TRAIL. 2021. (RYAN KEEPING)

If you would like to see your photo featured in the pages of The Cascade email them to culture@ufvcascade.ca

AURORA BOREALIS. HARRISON LAKE. 2021. (RYAN KEEPING)

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VOL. 29 // ISSUE 23

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2021

ARTS

arts@ufvcascade.ca Vriti Sehgal — Arts Editor

Youtube //

Self-actualize by watching YouTube CHARTS

SHUFFLE

1

The Halluci Nation One More Saturday Night

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Ada Lea one hand on the steering wheel the other sewing a garden

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Jada Klein Always, Forever

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DijahSB Head Above The Waters

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Mauve Shining Gold (single)

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OK Vancouver OK Never Perfect

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Arooj Aftab Vulture Prince

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Missy D Delete My Number (sin- Not a song that really touches on the travails of war or gle)

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Lex Leosis Terracotta

AARON LEVY AGGRESSIVE PACIFIST

CIVL Station Manager Aaron Levy has a shuffle composed of half Canadian content on deck in honour of Remembrance Day. He’s a pacifist, but the world sure ain’t. This is why Bob Dylan exists.

Lucero — “The War” This song is a slow, open chord waltz, bemoaning the challenges facing youth at war through the eyes of countrypunk pioneer Ben Nichols’ grandfather, who “got drafted at 19 / Me and a bunch of boys from home.” It’s the somber, soul searching affair that made me fall in love with Lucero.

Wilco — “Ashes of American Flags”

combat, save for the very last line that follows its final sourstrummed chorus. It represents a basic concept: “I would like to salute / The ashes of American flags / And all the fallen leaves / Filling up shopping bags.” This is Jeff Tweedy’s finest.

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Parlour Panther Retrograde

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Henry Nozuka From the Echo of a Dream

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Erez Zobary In Bloom

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Lone Pine Radio Boys niche, and overshadowed by (That's How to Get to) the “single” from this educational acapella group, it’d be Memphis (Single)

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V1nce Black I'm Lost (Single)

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Etiblancko Symbiphonia

widely cancelled. It’s as unfortunate as its relationship to one of its disgraced former CBC star performers. The message, poetry, composition, and lament all typify 1990s Canadians, like it or not.

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Tei Shi Die 4 Ur Love

Matthew Good Band — “The War Is Over”

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A song I grew up with, not redeformatory Inversion of the Unseen ally understanding the context of the Cold War and the fall of Horizon

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The Smallest one Seasons EP

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Bob Stetson Brand New Personality (single)

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The Fretless Open House

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Moxy Früvous — “Gulf War Song” If this song wasn’t so old,

the USSR that informs its writing. “Well she got married and she had kids / And they fear sex and not the bomb / And the rest is just ad libbed.” No truer words were ever spoken.

Dr. K offers mental health insight geared toward gamers CHANDY DANCEY It’s a well-known joke online that gamers are one of the most oppressed minorities, facing endless persecution on a daily basis. While it’s obviously a humorous ruse, it is true that the newer generation needs a different approach to mental health.

Enter Healthy Gamer — a YouTube channel led by Harvard-trained psychiatrist, Dr. Alok Kanojia, otherwise known as Dr. K. Healthy Gamer is composed of resources that aim to help people take control of their mental health: coaching, video content, and community. What that looks like in execution is regular livestreams on Twitch.tv and a huge library of YouTube videos covering a diverse range of mental health struggles. Dr. K also manages to carefully blend the holistic values of Eastern medicine (for example meditation and Eastern beliefs like samskaras) with conventional intervention tools from Western medicine like therapy. Who it’s geared toward is the internet generation; this is evident in the fact that Dr. K uses the Twitch website as a platform and tailors his content to issues that affect those who heavily use the internet. While Healthy Gamer targets this niche, its content can be transformative no matter the age demographic. Everyone is plugged into the internet today, and everyone can be susceptible to mental health issues that meld with this digital realm.

What is the broad range of topics Dr. K covers? The topics that come up again and again are how to overcome social anxiety, depression, and addiction to porn, gaming, or substances like weed or alcohol. He also touches on finding your life’s purpose, being a burnt out student, hacking your motivation, breaking parasocial relationships, and overcoming the loneliness that seems to plague gen Z and millennials disproportionately. The Healthy Gamer channel frequently features longer interviews with well-known streamers like Mizkif, LilyPichu, and Reckful, and individuals with more niche problems like being an incel (someone who’s involuntarily celi-

bate) or forming a strong attachment to a fictional girlfriend.

What I love is that Dr. K knows his audience — his website explains he’s a recovered gaming addict and lifelong gamer. In fact, he almost failed out of college and graduated with 2.5 GPA before tackling his issues. He knows internet and video game terms and incorporates them into his metaphors and analogies, like how he describes Healthy Gamer as AoE (area of effect) healing to describe how it’s able to help heal multiple people at once. Knowing his audience also manifests in his content being more geared toward a male audience, like in his group interview video on toxic masculinity — and I’m actually a big fan of this. Mental health issues can heavily affect men, resulting in a tragic 3.6 times higher suicide rate over women. And as a female viewer, I appreciate being able to gain a perspective on male psychology without feeling alienated, because Dr. K offers so much other content.

While I can’t say that the Healthy Gamer channel changed my life, it’s definitely had a lasting effect on me. Dr. K is extremely perceptive, wellspoken, empathetic, non-judgmental with his clients, and just the right mix of Eastern and Western philosophies. His videos are full of insights that make you hit pause, sit back, and reconsider your life. Dr. K makes it easy to sympathize with his patients: everyone is trying their best, seeking intimacy and connection, and likely battling with trauma.

Dr. K may be a Harvard-trained professional offering genuinely educational content, but he also provides amazing entertainment in the form of not knowing common internet jokes — asking his Twitch chat who “Segondese” is (the answer naturally being “suck on these nuts”), then later falling for another one by asking, “Ligma?” Dr. K may be amazingly perceptive, but the times when things fall through the cracks are hilarious.

The Healthy Gamer platform offers affordable coaching by Dr. K-trained and -supervised mentors — available in one-on-one or group sessions.

The coaches take the same approach to mental health as Dr. K himself, but with more personal connection and ability to move at your own pace. They can’t replace mental health providers, but they can be an effective nonclinical support tool. The Discord community is also active, serving as a safe and supportive space to connect with others, make friends, and virtually hang out.

If you’re struggling with the qualms of being a modern student, like feeling burnt out, finding out your purpose, or figuring out sexuality and dating, I highly recommend the Healthy Gamer Twitch and YouTube channel. This unique platform that Dr. K’s created is curated for the internet generation and geared toward a male demographic in a way that could genuinely change lives. Give it a try and find out what the deal is with gamers (or maybe yourself).

VOL. 29 // ISSUE 23

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2021

ARTS Movie//

A reality to experience: Denis Villeneuve’s Dune DUNCAN HERD Long hailed as a book that could not be translated to film, I can find myself only in greater agreement after watching Denis Villeneuve's latest masterpiece. It is ironic that in sacrificing so much of the book's core political intrigue, character development, and philosophical teachings, Villeneuve’s Dune has come closer to Frank Herbert's vision than a detail-by-detail adaptation could have ever come.

One does not “understand” Villeneuve’s Dune as much as one feels it. The movie — in shedding so much of its source material’s inner dialogues (a serious LYNCHpin [no pun intended] for previous adaptations of Dune) — embraces a kind of vision-like experience, where one feels as if they are walking through one of the protagonist’s (young ruler Paul Atreides) dreams right alongside him. The sheer perfection of the visuals and the predictable (yet always valuable) presence of Hans Zimmer as composer for the film’s score makes 2021 Dune one of the most expressive films I’ve had the pleasure of seeing.

What is most fascinating to me after watching Dune is its portrayal of the conflict between the political houses and the suffering of the natives of the desert planet Arrakis — the Fremen. While at first glance Dune seems to appear as a creative reframing of Herbert's politically realist novel as a post-colonial commentary, the nuances of where power lies in the world of Dune make all the difference. Unlike the political landscape of the Middle East directly following the Sykes-Picot Agreement of the early twentieth century, Dune is far from a cut and dry story of imperialist houses gobbling up “undeveloped” worlds, but rather a cosmic, neo-medievalist nightmare in which all parties are held prisoner by the complex, overlapping, and shared sovereignties of the different players involved. The Great Houses Harkonnen and Atreides (Houses meaning important political families) evoke images of unshackled European rule. But, in reality, they are hamstrung by the religious and political omnipresence of the secretive matriarchal order of the Bene Gesserit, the exorbitantly wealthy and powerful Spacing Guild (which holds a total monopoly over faster-than-light space travel), and the Machiavellian Imperial court, which finds itself in a constant game of cloak and

dagger with the other houses to maintain its control over the political system of the galaxy.

Some have also pointed to Atreides as a case of the common “white saviour” trope in fiction, but this is a misjudgment that can easily be attributed to the film’s sacrifices of key scenes and dialogue. Paul Atreides is a man who is being pulled by destiny into the role not of a saviour, but of a genocidal Emperor — a theocrat of untold proportions who would lead a religious conquest with tens of billions of casualties. Herbert’s novel is a sharp criticism of the very idea of messiahs, and Atreides is his magnum opus of the danger of believing in them.

Dune thus represents a simultaneous regression and acceleration of human technological, sociological, and political

advancement, and this is represented in the visuals of the movie. The oppressively large warships used by the Houses are juxtaposed next to the intimate violence found in the ancient and medieval tactics of swordsmanship and battle formations.

The Da Vincian designs of the helicopterlike ornithopters buzz and zip, while the brutalist blocks and spheres of the transport ships speak to a human race that has shrugged off the necessity of art in design for the sake of pure pragmatism. The grotesque and dystopian debauchery of Giedi Prime, the home planet of House Harkonnen, stands in stark contrast to the idyllic and naturalistic planet of Caladan, the planet ruled by the benevolent Atreides family.

The movie does stumble at times, especially when compared to the near-perfect

pacing of its source material. Key plotdriving scenes and moments of pinnacle character development are left aside, leading viewers who may not have read the books to be left confused and wanting more. The themes mentioned above may be lost for many without either a keen eye or supplementary knowledge, but to appreciate Dune, one must watch it not as a direct adaptation of the book, but as one might an adaptation of Shakespeare into a film. When every line feels like a poem unto itself, the sacrifice of a single quip or scene may be seen as an unnecessarily brutal compromise, but in the end, the incredible emotional, visual, and thematic results of Dune speaks to Villeneuve’s masterful balance between accessibility and integrity in his filmmaking.

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Note:

Some of these events require tickets, and most are online. If something catches your eye, take to the internet for more details, including those about social distancing measures for in-person events.

Community Event UFV Event Clubs

november Remembrance Day - No Classes at UFV

Cascades Women’s Basketball vs. Thompson Rivers @ Building E, South Gym, 6:00 p.m.

Cascades Men’s Basketball vs. Thompson Rivers @ Building E, South Gym, 8:00 p.m.

Abbotsford Canucks vs. San Jose Barracuda @ The Abbotsford Centre, 7:00 p.m.

Strive to Thrive Fitness Challenge: Elk Mountain Hike @ Elk Mountain Trailhead, 10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Abby Drive-Thru Food Truck Festival @ Tradex Exhibition Parking Lot, 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Cascades Women’s Basketball vs. Thompson Rivers @ Building E, South Gym, 3:00 p.m.

Cascades Men’s Basketball vs. Thompson Rivers @ Building E, South Gym, 5:00 p.m.

Satinder Sartaaj Live Performance @ Abbotsford Centre, 8:00 p.m.

Abby Drive-Thru Food Truck Festival @ Tradex Exhibition Parking Lot, 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Abbotsford Canucks vs. San Jose Barracuda @ The Abbotsford Centre, 4:00 p.m.

Spin Class @ The Cave, E182, 8:45 - 9:30 a.m.

Yoga 4 Self-Care @ The Cave, E182, 12:00 - 12:45 p.m.

Stress and Anxiety Mindfulness Mini-Series @ Online, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.

Career month: Networking strategies for international students to find jobs in Canada: A panel discussion @ Online, 2:30 - 3:30 p.m.

Spin Class @ The Cave, E182, 4:35 - 5:15 p.m.

Portfolio management @ UFV Abbotsford, C1015, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Futsal League Night @ Building E, South Gym, 8:00 - 10:00 p.m.

Yoga 4 Self-Care @ The Cave, E182, 8:45 - 9:25 a.m.

French Language Exchange @ Online, 10:30 - 11:00 a.m.

Belly Dance @ The Cave, E182, 12:05 - 12:45 p.m.

Stress and Anxiety Mindfulness Mini-Series @ Online, 3:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Friends without Borders @ UFV Abbotsford, B121, 3:00 - 4:30 p.m.

WUSC Committee Meeting @ UFV Abbotsford, C1422, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Volleyball League Night @ Building E, South Gym, 8:00 - 10:00 p.m.

Arts Event Campus Rec

STEP Cafe: Online Support for International Students @ Online, 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.

Spin Class @ The Cave, E182, 12:05 - 12:45 p.m.

Yoga 4 Fitness @ The Cave, E182, 6:00 - 6:50 p.m.

Abbotsford TedX @ UFV Evered Hall, 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.

UFV Blood Drive @ UFV Evered Hall, 1:00 - 7:45 p.m.

Career month: Career Possibilities for English majors @ Online, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.

Yoga 4 Self-Care @ The Cave, E182, 1:10 - 1:50 p.m.

Games Night in the Global Lounge @ UFV Abbotsford, B223, 4:00 7:00 p.m.

Spin Class @ The Cave, E182, 4:15 - 5:05 p.m.

UFV Circle K Weekly Meeting @ UFV Abbotsford, S3103, 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.

UCM Thursday Gathering @ UFV Abbotsford, C1422, 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.

Nietzsche Reading Group @ Online, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

WUSC Committee Meeting @ UFV Abbotsford, C1422, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Basketball League Night @ Building E - South Gym, 8:00 - 10:00 p.m.

SASI 5th Annual Symposium: “Building a diasporic roadmap through inquiry and engagement” @ UFV Abbotsford, South Asian Studies Institute, F125, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Senate Public Meeting @ UFV Abbotsford, A225, 1:30 - 3:00 p.m.

Abbotsford Canucks vs. Bakersfield Condors @ The Abbotsford Centre, 7:00 p.m.

Skating @ Abbotsford Recreation Centre, 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.

Abbotsford Canucks vs. Bakersfield Condors @ The Abbotsford Centre, 4:00 p.m.