The Cascade Volume 30 Issue 08

MAY 18, 2022

VOLUME 30 ISSUE 08

White settlers writing about Indigenous issues since 1993

Missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada

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UFV PARKING FEE INCREASE

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GLYPHOSATE SPRAYING

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UFV’S WILDLIFE PROTECTION CLUB

VOL. 30 // ISSUE 08

Creative Director Elyssa English elyssa@ufvcascade.ca

News Editor Rachel Tait rachel@ufvcascade.ca

Copy Editor Maecyn Klassen maecyn@ufvcascade.ca

Digital Media Manager Jeff Mijo-Burch jeff@ufvcascade.ca Varsity Writer Esher Sira Photographer Laura Ayres Production Assistant Aayush Bhatia Staff Writer Allison Holcik Distributor Gurtaj Dhami Illustrator Lindsey Roberts

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Opinion Editor Kait Thompson kait@ufvcascade.ca Sports Editor Teryn Midzain teryn@ufvcascade.ca Arts in Review Editor Danaye Reinhardt Danaye@ufvcascade.ca Production Assistant Niusha Naderi Staff Writer Brad Duncan

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Staff Writer Kellyn Kavanagh Illustrator Iryna Presley Illustrator Brielle Quon

The Shuffler Aaron Levy

CONTRIBUTORS Caleb Campbell Megan Johnstone

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ARTS

Culture & Events Editor Anisa Quintyne anisa@ufvcascade.ca

Features Editor Andrea Sadowski andrea@ufvcascade.ca

FEATURE

Jr. News Emmaline Spencer emmaline@ufvcascade.ca

CONTENTS OPINION

Production Manager Elyssa English elyssa@ufvcascade.ca

NEWS

Managing Editor Sydney Marchand sydney@ufvcascade.ca

CULTURE

Executive Editor Andrea Sadowski andrea@ufvcascade.ca

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WWW.UFVCASCADE.CA @UFVCASCADE FACEBOOK.COM/UFVCASCADE INSTAGRAM.COM/UFVCASCADE Volume 30 · Issue 08 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 other 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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Snapshots.......9

20.......Study Break

NEWS UFV parking fee increase......3

4...... Upcoming CIVL AGM

National Teaching Fellowship......4 OPINION Editorial.......5

5.......Reproductive rights

Conscious Consumer.......6

7.......Glyphosate spraying

Thrifting trends.......7

8.......Sex and Relationships

CULTURE Cascade Kitchen.......14 Wildlife Protection Club.......15

14....... Campus Fashion 15....... The Walk for Alzheimer’s

SPORTS 17....... NBA’s Ja Morant

Sukhjot Bains signed for Bandits......16 Formula 1.......16 ARTS Retro: Pocahontas......17 The Ex Hex.....19

18......Multiverse of Madness 19......Thermae Romae Novae

VOL. 30 // ISSUE 08

WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2022

news@ufvcascade.ca News Editor — Rachel Tait

NEWS

UFV //

UFV Parking increases and a new parking app set to launch for fall 2022 A breakdown of the new parking fees for students and staff RACHEL TAIT On May 1, prices for parking at UFV went up for both staff and students. Per semester, students will now pay $180, which is a 12.5 per cent increase from the $160 they used to pay. For monthly parking, students will need to pay $60 instead of $52, which is a 15.38 per cent increase.

For employees, the monthly costs have also gone up by 20 per cent, from $25 to $30. The yearly fees for employees will now be $360.

According to UFV’s 2020/2021 Consolidated Budget Plan, parking fees currently bring in a revenue of $1,220,000 a year for UFV’s Ancillary Services. The expenses of parking services, such as salaries and operating costs, come to $239,000 a year, as well as the $170,000 a year contribution towards “parking lot capital repayment.” This puts the parking fund balance at $811,000.

Students commuting to UFV by car are adjusting to this seemingly unknown rise

in parking fees. From interviewing some students on campus, the general consensus was one of surprise that the fees have gone up and speculation on why.

“Yeah, it has definitely gone up quite a bit,” said UFV student Kaily Clarke. “It definitely gets quite expensive, especially if you don’t have a parking pass.”

“It’s kind of annoying, considering we are already paying for tuition, books,

"parking fees currently bring in a revenue of $1,220,000 a year for UFV’s Ancillary Services." and gas on top of that; it is adding up especially, with gas prices skyrocketing,” said UFV student Serema Storie. “So the

parking [fees] that are increasing is definitely going to be a stress that students don’t need.”

Cameron Roy, director of ancillary services, explained that before the pandemic and the ensuing school closures, there was already an expectation for the prices to go up. Roy explained that over the last few years, the cost for operations have gone up due to different expenses such as parking lot repairs, line painting, snow removal, and new parking management technology.

“These rate changes will supply necessary resources to meet parking needs now and in the future, while offsetting increased operating costs,” said Darren McDonald, the communications specialist at UFV. McDonald said that these increases in fee rates will also provide the means to buy new parking meters, an “added parking capacity at Building 1041 in Chilliwack, and a new online permit registration system replacing physical hang tags with license plate recognition technology.”

Roy said there will be a new app called Offstreet launching in fall 2022 for stu-

"These rate changes will supply necessary resources to meet parking needs now and in the future" dents to easily use to pay for parking by entering in their license plate numbers.

This new app will be posted on the UFV website at https://www.ufv.ca/parking/ for students to find.

Both Roy and McDonald confirmed that this is not going to be an annual increase for students and employees; rather, the increases are to pay for the increasing operating costs for parking.

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VOL. 30 // ISSUE 08

WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2022

NEWS

NEWS BRIEFS

CIVL //

Upcoming CIVL Radio AGM EMMALINE SPENCER

Family of missing Cree woman from Vancouver looking for answers after the VPD closed the case The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) closed the missing person case of 24-yearold Chelsea Poorman after her body was found on April 22, six kilometers away from where she was last seen on September 6, 2022. Despite not being able to determine a cause of death and the fact that the cranium and some of her fingers were missing, the VPD dismissed the case and deemed her death as not suspicious. Her body was found outside a vacant Shaughnessy mansion belonging to an offshore owner and was discovered by contractors doing work on the property. A VPD media liaison told reporters that they will “likely never know” Poorman’s cause of death.

- Andrea Sadowski

Construction project will triple UFV’s student-housing capacity and expand dining options As part of the Homes for B.C. plan to help increase affordable housing options, the province is providing UFV with $70.3 million worth of funding towards an $82.3 million project that will expand the number of beds available for students from 200 to 598 in a six-story dormitory, double the size of the dining hall, and renovate A-East and D buildings on the Abbotsford campus. The expected movein date for these new dorms is fall 2024.

- Andrea Sadowski

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The CIVL Radio Annual General Meeting (AGM) was unable to meet on May 12 due to being under quorum at the appointed time. The second attempt will take place on Thursday, May 19 at 7:00 p.m. All registered students who pay student fees contribute to funding CIVL Radio and are considered valid members of the UFV Campus and Community Radio Society. Students are encouraged and welcome to tune into the upcoming AGM via Zoom.

You can find the link at www.civl.ca/ society-page/. The meeting will go over recent changes within CIVL Radio and the direction it is moving towards, such as the new CIVL website, new transmitter tower, and upcoming documentary.

There will be a discussion on the new transmitter tower that is expected to begin construction this summer. The radio tower has been a long term goal of the station since its founding. Its com-

pletion will be a momentous occasion for CIVL Radio, as they will become the first Canadian campus radio station to broadcast on two separate frequencies.

CIVL Radio expects to be broadcasting on both 101.7 FM in Abbotsford and on 92.3 FM in Chilliwack by May 2023.

There will also be a progress update on the documentary the station is producing, which is a 20-year retrospective video production by the station. The documentary is funded by a $50,000 grant from the Community Radio Fund of Canada and is expected to be completed in September.

CIVL Radio won the number one campus station of the year award from Broadcast Dialogue in 2021. Most recently, the station has been nominated to receive multiple awards at the National Campus Community Radio awards.

CIVL Radio has been UFV’s campus and community radio station for nearly 20 years and began as a passion project

by the students for the students. They are a non-profit society with the mission to “serve and inform the students and staff of UFV and the communities they serve through the mediums of radio and internet broadcasting.”

To date, the station is still primarily volunteer-run by students and community members. Volunteers of the station often produce their own programming, adding to the vibrant array of shows the radio hosts. According to Aaron Levy, CIVL station manager, there is something for everyone at the station.

CIVL Radio offers a wide variety of content and shows, so students from all disciplines and fields of study can get involved.

Tune into 101.7 FM to hear everything from philosophical debates to punk rock to indie-pop and everything in between. To check out the physical station, pop in at any time to the station office on the second floor of the Student Union Building.

UFV //

Recipient Dr. Awneet Sivia talks about 3M National Teaching Fellowship How Dr. Sivia’s teaching methods “see students come alive” RACHEL TAIT Dr. Awneet Sivia was nominated and named one of ten recipients to be bestowed the 3M National Teaching Fellowship for 2022. Sivia is an associate professor who works in the Teacher Education department at UFV. She specializes in teaching future science teachers, and she is passionate about social justice, anti racism, and equity.

The 3M National Teaching Fellowship recognizes individuals who work at post-secondary institutions who have exemplified excellence in teaching and leadership.

According to Sivia, the 3M National Teaching Fellowship focuses on three areas, and they include “educational leadership, teaching excellence, and educational innovation.” She explained how 3M considers individuals who have made contributions within these areas and made a difference in their communities, especially in STEM fields.

When asked about what she feels stands out in educational leadership, Sivia refers to himmat.

“Himmat is a word from my mother tongue of Punjabi, and the word encapsulates the idea of strength, courage, fortitude, and a kind of fearlessness, but humility as well, and heart,” said Sivia. “For me, that word really captures the essence of educational leadership. I feel that really anybody who’s gone to a classroom and worked with

young people or worked with their students is demonstrating leadership.”

For Sivia, leadership is twofold.

“It’s on one hand modeling leadership that is innovative and thinks in different ways, that tries to push the boundaries a little bit of what is known to be effective teaching, and the other part is impacting change beyond the classroom.”

“I see students come alive,” said Sivia when asked what observations she has noticed while utilizing these strategies in the classroom. “I’ve noticed that they have their own epiphany. That they come in and see something that they have never seen before sometimes, or that they have only thought about and never seen modeled.”

Sivia used a soccer analogy to help illustrate her “first touch” experiential learning approach in the classroom.

This analogy was born out of being a soccer mom and her husband’s role as a soccer coach. “First touch” refers to which player comes into contact with the ball first on the field. She emphasizes the importance of putting the soccer ball in the possession of the soccer players and not the coach so they can grow and learn. And in the same way, she said that “for me, first touch is putting the curriculum in the hands of the students, getting them to play with those hands-on experimental modular methods, and from there, construct theoretical ideas and concepts that are central to science.

“One of the outcomes of receiving this fellowship recognition is that I am now part of a cohort of amazing, exceptional scholars and educators across Canada,” said Sivia. “The ten of us are now part of a cohort of 2022 3M Fellowship recipients, and as a group, we will receive an award and a fund that is to be put towards an educational project of our making. I am not sure what that project is going to look like, but I get to work with these amazing people that I never met before and I am going to meet next month in Ottawa when I go there to receive the award. We are going to have dedicated funding, support, and time to work on a national education project.”

When asked about how this honor has affected her, Sivia said she is humbled and grateful for being “recognized for something I love to do.” She adds that, “For me, I am even more grateful to my students and my colleagues because the way I teach involves them so much. I feel like I shared this award with them.”

Sivia said that the award also benefits UFV because “it puts UFV on the map in terms of a national level. It is really a reflection of an institution that they can produce a 3M scholar and a 3M recipient. That they have that level of faith and support for excellence in teaching and learning on an institutional level.”

WEDNESDAY, MAY 18 2022

VOL. 30 // ISSUE 08

opinion@ufvcascade.ca Kait Thompson — Opinion Editor

OPINION

Editorial //

Indigenous women hold the keys to mitigating climate change ANDREA SADOWSKI May 5 marked the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Two-Spirit People. The day is often symbolized by red dresses, similar to how orange shirts or ribbons symbolize the ongoing legacy of the residential school system. The feature will unpack some of the reasons why Indigenous women are 12 times more likely to be murdered than non-Indigenous women, signifying an ongoing genocide against Indigenous women and communities.

This systematic removal of Indigenous women manifests into intergenerational trauma passed onto children who have lost their mothers, as well as the loss of cultural identity and knowledge systems that are passed down by matriarchs to subsequent generations. This traditional knowledge is not only necessary to preserve language, medicines, and technologies, but also cru-

cial to mitigating climate change.

All across the globe, Indigenous knowledge of medicine, plants, animals, agriculture, health services, language, and the sustainable uses of natural resources are preserved through the efforts of women.

The ongoing violence experienced by not only Indigenous women in so-called Canada, but around the world, hinders their ability to mobilize and participate in social and political activities that will be imperative to our survival as a species. Sadly, their knowledge is so often excluded from scientific research, which is a byproduct of colonialism.

Women’s knowledge about the environment is so crucial that when there are more women in a country’s parliament, that country is more likely to set aside protected land areas and uphold international environmental treaties. There is even data that reveals a causal relationship between gender inequality, deforestation, and air pollution.

Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge (ATK) “is about so much more than knowledge about how to live sustainably,” says Canadian environmentalist Deborah McGregor. “Rather, it is living sustainably. It is not just about understanding the relationship with Mother Earth, it is the relationship itself.”

Robin Kimmerer, botanist, professor, and author of Braiding Sweetgrass, emphasizes that “one of the hallmarks of Indigenous ways of knowing is that we are blessed by being surrounded by intelligences other than our own.” She warns us that humans cannot innovate our way out of climate change alone, but we must look to elder plants, who have so much to teach us about survival during this “time of dramatic change and adaptation.”

Indigenous women not only hold a rich knowledge of biodiversity and the natural world, as well as depend upon these resources and this knowledge for their survival, but are directly impacted by the

effects of climate change and the consequences of raping the environment for capitalist gain. One study showed how a hydroelectric development in Winnipeg poisoned traditional food sources for pregnant and nursing mothers. The whitefish in the Winnipeg River, a food that was said to improve the quality of mother’s breast milk, was contaminated with methylmercury.

Indigenous women must regain their positions of leadership within the governmental systems that colonized their nations and attempt to quell their voices and destroy their cultural identities. The violence that is executed on the land by colonizers and the autonomy Indigenous communities have lost over their natural resources is represented in the violence enacted on Indigenous women’s bodies, which hinders their ability to pass on these systems of knowledge that have the potential to save our planet.

World //

You’ve gotta fight!— for your right!— to govern your own uterus The end of U.S. federal abortion protections, and its local impact BRADLEY DUNCAN On May 2, a draft decision from the U.S. Supreme Court was leaked to the press.

The 98-page document overturns the landmark 1973 decision Roe v. Wade, which protects the right to an abortion in the United States. The draft, delivered by Justice Samuel Alito, undoes 49 years of precedent, rolling back federal protections for women’s reproductive rights and sending the issue back to the states, many of which have restrictions that would go into effect as soon as Roe is reversed. The leak caused an immediate backlash in the U.S., but the impact of Roe ’s repeal reverberated north of the border as well, worrying many Canadians about a possible backsliding of their own reproductive freedoms. So what the hell is going on with reproductive rights?

Now I know what you’re thinking: “please, middle-aged white man with no children — tell us what you think about all this,” and that’s fair. I think women should have agency over their own bodies; beyond that, I don’t really have an opinion on abortion — but I have lots of opinions on politics. First, there are important differences between the legal protections surrounding reproductive rights in Canada and the U.S. that are important to consider when evalu-

ating the strength of those protections. To oversimplify, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) bases its rulings on the justices’ interpretations of the U.S. Constitution; some take a more “originalist” view, while others see it as a “living document” that evolves over time. Think of the Constitution like the Bible: some see it as literal truth, while for others, it’s a moral guide. That interpretation of constitutionality forms the basis for the SCOTUS decision. The draft overturning Roe now does so on the grounds that “the Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision....”

Conversely, Canada’s legal protection of a woman’s right to choose is more firmly grounded. Rather than being written with a quill in the shade of a tricorn hat, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms was signed into law in 1982, making it younger than I am. Canada’s Supreme Court struck down its own antiabortion laws in 1988 based on Section 7 of the Charter because it infringed upon a woman’s right to “life, liberty, and security of person.” This makes it easier to claim that abortion is a fundamentally protected right in Canada.

There are additional factors at play. For instance, U.S. states have more autonomy than Canadian provinces. Much has been

made of “states' rights” and their unique freedoms from federal legislation — they had a whole war about it — and many have been methodically chipping away at Roe for decades, testing the limits of its protection in an attempt to undermine it. In contrast, Canadian provinces have generally expanded abortion access, and federally, there hasn’t been any serious challenge to the ruling since the Mulroney era.

The presumed SCOTUS ruling has nonetheless thrust the abortion conversation into the Canadian political spotlight. As a country, Canadians are generally prochoice, and disagreements tend to circulate around what constitutes reasonable restrictions and access, rather than the fundamental right to choose. In a 2020 IPSOS poll, 59 per cent of Canadian respondents submitted that a woman should be able to receive an abortion whenever she wants one, whereas only 35 per cent of Americans felt the same way. There are many reasons why this drastic distinction exists, but one would be remiss not to point out the cultural makeup: America is the more religious country. The evangelical Christian and Hispanic Catholic communities combined account for approximately a third of the total US population, and at the risk of making generalizations, lean pro-life. Many, including myself, argue that the current character of the SCOTUS

is a direct result of decades of systematic political activism and maneuvering.

It’s hard to imagine an issue that Canada’s Conservative Party wants less in the public discourse right now. As the party selects new leadership, any strong stance risks disenfranchising a sizeable faction of its voters; nonetheless, people are asking. Canada’s lack of federal legislation on the issue is often invoked to gin up fears of an epidemic of late-term abortions despite provinces and territories having their own regulations. Additionally, nearly 90 per cent of pregnancies are terminated in the first twelve weeks, and only an estimated 1.29 per cent of abortions occur beyond 21 weeks. This tiny subset of outlier cases is indicative of personal tragedy, not poor family planning.

None of this is to say that Canadians should become complacent on the issue of reproductive freedoms. The road to some semblance of women’s equality was a long, arduous slog through centuries of misogyny, but progress never follows a straight path. Pushback to progress can be swift and brutal, but sometimes it's slow and methodical. The end of Roe represents the latter. What we are witnessing is the culmination of 50 years of focused effort in the face of liberal apathy and disunity. The result? Women in America may have lived to see the height of their bodily autonomy.

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VOL. 30 // ISSUE 08

WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2022

OPINION Column //

The Conscious Consumer: Confessions of the reusable bag Conversations about sustainability in an unsustainable world SYDNEY MARCHAND I think we can all agree that single-use plastics are an environmental hazard.

From ocean pollution to marine life contamination, we know that plastic bottles and bags have significant consequences on our environment. And although we certainly do not live in a zero-waste, plasticfree society, we can certainly make more sustainable swaps like opting for reusable grocery bags over plastic ones.

Admittedly, I sometimes find myself amongst the 40 per cent of consumers who don’t always remember to bring my reusable bags when I go to the store. But with Canadians creating three million tonnes of plastic waste each year, I do think that we each have a responsibility to reduce where we can and it can start with our weekly food shops. As more and more companies shift their efforts towards creating less plastic waste, I can’t help but think about the increased production of cotton or cloth bags. In other words, if stores no longer offer plastic bags, will we all end up with piles of reusable bags that we only use once before storing them away in the back of a closet? How much good are we really doing in ramping up the production of reusable bags?

At the end of 2021, the Government of Canada announced the proposed ban on certain single-use plastics across the country. The plan aims to prevent 23,000 tonnes of plastic pollution from entering the environment over a decade and is projected to be put into legislation in 2022. Although the ban has yet to be formally implemented, many stores, including FreshCo and Sobeys, phased out their plastic bags in 2020 and 2021, with Walmart following suit this past month. Such companies will no longer be carrying single-use bags; therefore, customers are encouraged to bring their own or purchase new reusable ones in the store. As a consumer and self-proclaimed environmental enthusiast, it is no doubt encouraging to see big box brands begin to make the transition away from plastic and toward reusable bags. But apparently, we have some things to consider before jumping on board with these classic totes.

A 2018 study from Denmark ranked the sustainability of reusable bags by assessing their lifecycles and environmental effects. This included considering the effects of each type of bag, such as plastic and pa-

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per, in comparison to textile (or reusable) options like organic cotton and composite.

While there is no debate that single-use plastic bags are heavily linked to fossil fuels, this study outlines that there are also environmental impacts linked to the production of cotton and composite bags.

Mostly, this is due to the production of the bags themselves in connection with how often they are actually used. I, like many people, have dozens of bags, with some only being used a handful of times, and this is apparently an issue.

To offset the environmental impacts of the common reusable bag made of polypropylene, the study suggests that we must use the bag 37 times, while organic cotton bags — a much more labour and production-intensive material — must be used 1700 times. Full Frontal’s Spring ‘22 Fashion Report explains that this means that we would need to use them every day for 54 years to offset their environmental impact.

Furthermore, it’s worth considering what we do with these reusable bags when they have lived out their supposed lifespan. If they aren’t sitting in the trunk of our cars or tucked in the back of a shoe closet, many reusable bags cannot be properly recycled due to them being made up of a mix of materials (think grocery bags that have plastic liners inside of the cloth), while cotton and other composite materials are more difficult to recycle.

To be completely transparent: do I think we should stop using reusable bags? Hell no. In my opinion, using a cloth bag over and over again is way more sustainable than wasting a plastic bag every time we make a purchase — even if you have to use it hundreds of times. In no way is this me bashing reusable bags and promoting plastic. By using reusable bags, I do trust that I am aiding in reducing the amount of plastic pollution crowding our oceans and fighting climate change in ways that plastic does not. What I have learned, however, is that we need to consider how much we actually use these bags and what materials they are made of. Opting for bags that only use a single material, choosing polypropylene-based bags over organiccotton ones, and seeking out facilities that properly discard your bags when they have reached the end of their lifecycles are all steps in the right direction.

Illustration by Lindsey Roberts

WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2022

VOL. 30 // ISSUE 08

OPINION Canada //

Canada continues along war path of violating Indigenous territory Despite concerns and criticisms from First Nations people, Canada continues to approve five-year glyphosate spraying. Because what else would we do post-commitment to reconciliation?

KELLYN KAVANAGH In June 2019, professor Rod Cumberland was fired from the Maritime College of Forest Technology after expressing views against the use of the chemical glyphosate on Canadian forests in a department meet-

ing. Prior to the meeting, Cumberland had discussed the issue with his students in lectures. Former director of the forestry college Gerald Redmond, who still worked at the school in a teaching capacity, told the CBC that he believed the real reason for Cumberland’s dismissal was due to his criticism of glyphosate spray. The college

Illustration by Brielle Quon

fired Redmond the morning after his comments went public. Fast forward to 2022, criticisms and concerns of the glyphosate spray over B.C. forests have risen once again.

The “Integrated Pest Management Plan”

by British Columbia Timber Sales (BCTS) indicates a five-year commitment to spray the herbicide via aerial and ground-based delivery over the forested regions between Squamish and Hope. The intention for spraying the herbicide is to clear out “pests” in order to create room for growth of various tree seedlings that will be harvested for timber sales. This large section of forest is the home to the Stō:ló, St’át’imc, Nlaka’pamux, Squamish, and Tsleil Waututh First Nations people. For thousands of years, these Nations have lived on the land and traditionally harvested numerous plant species, including (but not limited to) blueberry, thimbleberry, salmonberry, devil’s club, raspberry, and salal.

The spraying of herbicide affects a plant's ability to produce the necessary proteins needed for growth, thus effectively killing off the targeted (and neighboring) species to clear land needed for timber growth.

The effects of the spraying render the land obsolete for harvesting for years after the spraying occurs.

In addition to interfering with the harvesting practices of First Nations people,

the killing of these species will remove a major food source for the vast majority of the wildlife that reside in the region.

Sprayed areas will furthermore be replaced with commercially-friendly timber seedlings — which dramatically increases

“What happened to the government’s commitment to reconciliation?” the risk of wildfire. Although the BCTS Pest Management Plan claims to recognize the presence of these native species and their vital importance to the First Nations people, the report maintains the inclusion of such plants in the list of species classified as “pests.”

In a recent gathering of legislative assembly, Adam Olsen, MLA of Saanich North and the Islands, asked Minister of Forests Hon. Katrine Conroy, “Does the Minister believe that the rights of Indigenous peoples to harvest traditional plants are outweighed by the ministry's interests to maximize harvest volumes by the spraying of glyphosate?” The minister re-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

Life //

Thrifting, the way of the future or just a trend?

While thrifting has become popular in the last few years, it is important to keep in mind why it exists and not get lost in the trend ALLISON HOLCIK As someone who grew up in a very middle class family, thrifting has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Value Village, Talize, and Salvation Army were staples of my childhood, but I felt ashamed for not buying clothes from the mall. When I was younger, before thrifting was trendy, I worried about the day my friends found out my clothes were second-hand. In high school, I told my crush my fancy new jeans were from the thrift store, and he was disgusted. Even though my clothes fit in and fit me, it was embarrassing to not buy everything from popular department stores.

When I turned 13, my aunt took me to the mall for the very first time on my birthday, and I was shocked! Who would pay $35 for a plain black t-shirt? It was insane to me that it was “normal” for kids to spend hundreds of dollars on a couple of pairs of jeans. It was then that I realized thrifting wasn’t so bad after all. I still got

a great selection of clothes, but I could actually afford to get more than one pair of pants. Since then, I have been an unapologetic thrifter, and now, going to the thrift store is something to brag about, not hide.

It has really become a trend in recent years, with thrifting going from a 96 billion dollar industry in 2021 to a projected $218 billion by 2026.

But the trendy-ness of thrifting has its downfalls, too. Just because a store claims to be devoted to charity and helping the climate does not mean they are actually doing so. Larger thrift stores like Value Village market themselves as a non-profit, but often only give 17 per cent of their profits made from donations to charities. Only around 25 per cent of donated clothing actually gets sold at thrift stores, and the rest of the donated items get thrown away, recycled, or shipped overseas. However, not all thrift stores do this, and some, like the Salvation Army and the MCC, fund their nonprofits through thrift store sales.

While I love that thrifting has been des-

tigmatized and is promoted for those who can benefit from it, I think that the trend of it has made the original point of secondhand get lost. As it has become more and more trendy, big thrift stores are using the popularity to jack up prices without any true consequences. It seems like the constantly increased profits of the higherups in companies like Goodwill are being funded by the people who can only afford to buy their clothes second-hand.

To me, it seems that thrifting has been popularized mostly by youth who are trying to keep up with constantly changing trends. We buy new clothes all the time only to have to get rid of them soon after once the pieces go out of style. This is causing many people to try reselling to get back some of the money they spent.

Unfortunately, this trend of overconsumption and then reselling at marked up prices is bringing what many people are calling the “gentrification of thrifting.” Even if resellers are only adding a modest markup to pay for the time spent selecting their

items from the store and then adding on the site’s commission and shipping fees, it still is taking items meant for people looking for affordable clothing and turning it into trendy but equally expensive clothing that you can find in a typical store. While reselling can bring accessibility to people who cannot physically access thrift stores, it definitely has some problematic issues in and of itself.

As I have gotten older, I have realized how much better it is for my wallet and the planet to define my own style and then purchase pieces that go with it and that I will wear for many years, instead of trying to keep up with trends that change on a whim. People need to be careful of how much they buy into this thrifting trend and make sure they consider other people by buying only what they will actually use themselves, and by being aware of how trendy-ness affects the longevity of their purchases when trying to utilize secondhand shopping.

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VOL. 30 // ISSUE 08

WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2022

OPINION Column //

Sex & Relationships: Does the carpet match the drapes?

Why you should sport a bush this bikini season ANDREA SADOWSKI Let’s talk about body hair for a hot second; specifically, pubes. I once dated a guy who had the audacity to demand that I shave lest he be repulsed by my hairy genitals and refuse to have sex with me. Don’t worry, we broke up shortly thereafter. While it’s not bad to have a preference over how our partner styles their body hair, it’s something else to insist they remove their body hair entirely and threaten to withhold sex if they don’t.

As a vulva-owner, I’ve never been a fan of shaving. If there is hair there, I trust in my body that it's there for a reason. Pubic hair protects the vulva by providing physical protection by trapping dirt and bacteria and maintaining humidity beneficial to microflora. It may also play a role in sexual pleasure by reducing friction and spreading pheremones. Pubic hair removal, on the other hand, may cause injury, irritation, and an increased risk of contracting certain STIs. Sex, especially oral sex, plays a huge role in people’s decision whether or not to get out the landscaping tools. A 2017 study showed that the preparation for sexual activity was the number one motivator for men to groom their pubes, with half of all men surveyed regularly grooming. In comparison, a 2016 study revealed almost 84 per cent of women regularly removed their pubic hair. Another 2016 study disclosed that 95 per cent of heterosexual males had a preference for shaved gene-

talia for females. Another study by Cosmopolitan revealed that 40 per cent of men have asked their partners to shave, with 30 per cent even reconsidering a relationship with someone who didn’t shave. Unsurprisingly, this entitlement over their partner’s bodies is not shared by the women who were surveyed.

There is just too much hair on my head and my body to all be perfectly manicured and maintained according to the cultural standards of beauty dictated to me by companies and celebrities who just want to sell me stuff or, God forbid, my partner who thinks the pre-pubescent clean-shaven look is attractive. Women are expected to shave (or wax) off their pubic hair, leg hair, and armpit hair; we need to pluck our eyebrows and extend our eyelashes; on top of all that, we need to maintain a full head of styled, split-end-free coiffure. Nuh-uh, no more; I couldn’t care less whether or not you see my bush poking out of my string bikini while I’m at the lake this summer.

Ain’t nobody got time to remove all that body hair, and besides, it’s scientifically proven to be detrimental to your health to get rid of. So let’s just stop already.

But that’s just my opinion on the matter.

I know people who are more comfortable and live their best lives with just a totally naked, hair-free body. My point is, it’s completely your decision whether or not you want hair on your body. Don’t let societal beauty standards and/or your partner decide or influence what you should do with your body. Your body, your choice, baby.

Illustration by Lindsey Roberts

Glyphosate spraying steam rolls ahead despite outcry from First Nations, academics, and general public CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

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sponded by stating that the Pest Management Act recognizes the importance of these plants to Indigenous peoples, and that First Nations communities are consulted when making these decisions. The speaker, however, failed to make note of who was consulted and when.

It's clear to see that the provincial government, with the support of the federal departments, fully intends on steamrolling ahead with the spraying of glyphosate. Consultation with First Nations communities has been minimal, if at all. Academics expressing concerns over the spraying have been fired from their positions in order to maintain healthy relationships with corporate interests.

In April 2022, the government of Canada published a statement renewing its commitment to reconciliation. Since then, the spraying of culturally significant plant species over unceded territory has continued to occur. Decisions are rushed through, voices are suppressed, and big business

continues to line the pockets of our leaders. What happened to the government’s commitment to reconciliation?

As children, we’re taught that apologies mean nothing without corrective action. Yet our elected officials continue smiling for the cameras, twiddling their thumbs, and doubling down on the violent oppression of First Nations communities.

Not only are they trampling over human rights, but seemingly doing as much damage as they possibly can while completely neglecting the health of the environment.

While the time for public discourse has slowed down, Stop The Spray BC is taking multiple actions to fight against the spraying such as contacting parliamentary representatives and forming petitions to bring this issue further into light and re-open public inquiry. You can find out more about how to get involved and show your support on their website.

BRIEF BITS OF BITE-SIZED BREVITY

SN S AP HO TS

CURTAILED COMMENTARY ON CURRENT CONDITIONS

Illustrations by Iryna Presley

Sacrificing sucks— that’s the point I hate paper straws — and so do you! Don’t give me all that B.S. about the turtles and how you feel so much better about paper. There’s a difference between recognizing that something is a necessary net-positive, and viscerally enjoying the experience. Getting your driver’s license is great, but driver’s tests suck. Nobody goes back for a second vasectomy just for the thrill. Paper straws stick to your lips, get soggy and wilt, and are generally unpleasant. Nobody has ever tried to stir a beverage with a limp straw and thought, I prefer this — and that’s okay. We need to break with this notion that addressing our issues can all be done painlessly and without inconveniencing, or even hurting people. Addressing climate

change and pollution will mean higher gas prices and shitty paper straws until we figure out something better. Kibble: those dry pellets we all associate with pet food became the norm during WWII because all the metal for canned goods was rerouted to the war effort. No new cars for you in 1943… they weren’t making them. Now we demand that leaders tackle systemic issues, but vote them out because the solution involves us having to sacrifice something. Paper straws are awful, but suck it up — it’s going to get a lot worse. It actually has to.

Brad Duncan

Clawed penises: a guppy original I recently wrote about my infatuation with an aquarium that I brought into my home. Well, I added a bunch of guppies to the tank, and boy-oh-boy, they are popping out babies like crazy.

Guppies are known for their quick gestation periods: between 25 and 35 days depending on the condition of the tank, and in my experience, are never not pregnant as a guppy. You can tell from their obvious bloated look, but also by a darkened spot near the base of their stomach. And although female guppies are not the most beautiful fish in the sea, they sure do get a lot of action.

Apparently, size does matter. The

larger the male’s gonopodium (a fancy name for guppy penis), the more likely it is to have successful fertilization — even if the female isn’t completely into it. Yes, those sneaky little bastards use their long dicks to their advantage and inseminate females without them even knowing. What’s worse? Their penises have a claw on the end that attaches itself to the female so she can’t swim away. Yes, a claw claw..

I wish I could tell you that the bright side of this story is that now I have a bunch of adorable little baby fish, but no. The big fish like to eat them.

Sydney Marchand

Mosey the Supermodel Shout-out to garage sales It’s garage sale season, people. Time to drag all your unwanted CDs, patio furniture, random assortment of dishes, and old stuffed animals into your driveway for all your neighbors to enjoy snooping through. I love a good garage sale.

Personally, I don’t think there is any better way to spend a Saturday morning than haggling with strangers over how much you’ll pay them for their old board games and candle holders. You can learn so much about a person based around what they sell at their garage sale — a goldfish bowl that signifies the person must've had a scaly friend at one point,

the collection of fairy lights in Mason jars wrapped in burlap that allows you to pinpoint the era that couple must’ve gotten married in, and fishing gear that husband had to sell due to not having enough leisure time now that he has three kids in tow. This is your sign to not pass up a garage sale next time you drive past one; you never know what useless treasures you may find that you’ll enjoy for a moment and then eventually sell at your own garage sale one day.

Andrea Sadowski

Every day, my cat Mosey sits on the windowsill overlooking a lane that runs along the back of my townhouse, and it seems that she has inspired a small fan club of the morning and afternoon walkers that pass by.

I hear the all-too-cheerful “hellos” that the walkers give to Mosey in hopes of getting a glance of the majestic calico. One mother often tells her children, “Oh, wave to the cat, she’s happy to see you,” as Mosey sits comfortably — either as a loaf or perked up tall, showing off her finely groomed coat. She doesn’t ask for the attention and devotion that these people give her; she simply expects it.

Mosey knows how beautiful she is, and like any runway model, she knows ex-

actly how to flaunt her body, capturing people’s attention with her pale green eyes, stretching herself so all her lean curves are shown. This is just what Mosey needs: more enthusiastic cat people boosting her already vain ego.

I used to think of what my reputation would be around my new neighbourhood. I had big ambitions — the guy with the cool car, the house that threw sick parties, the neighbourhood slut, a nice neighbour. Unfortunately, none of these are what I am known as; instead, I have to accept being “the neighbour with the most gorgeous calico.”

Teryn Midzain

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Feature //

Missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada How Canada’s colonial settler ideology continues the cycle of violence against Indigenous women Megan Johnstone

I

t is c urrently est imated t hat t here are roughly 1,200 missing or murdered Indigenous women in Canada, alt hough t he tr ue number is t hought to exeed 4,000. Due to a h istorical lack of police report ing and an unwilling ness by t he RCMP to share in format ion and stat ist ics, it is hard to determine t he tr ue number of missing and murdered Indigenous women and g irls in Canada. The Nat ional Inquir y into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls ident if ied t hat Indigenous women are t welve t imes more likely t han non-Indigenous women to be missing or murdered. These stat ist ics are indicat ive of t he set tler colon ial framework t hat “wh ite” Canadian societ y is built upon, wit h some of t he most prevalent causes of violence against Indigenous women being t he indifference, inact ion, or outright violence of t he police; povert y; lack of mobilit y; vict im blaming; and t he disregard of t he media, to name a few.

These issues have deep roots t hat arise from systemic racism due to set tler colon ial pract ices surrounding t he normalisat ion of wh iteness, wh ilst also being deeply imbedded in misog yny due to Canada being founded and built upon patriarchal principles. As such, t he endemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada must be viewed in a way t hat considers bot h race and gender and how t hese t wo ident it ies intersect in order to ascertain how t hese tragedies cont inue to happen, and why t here are such h igh instances of violence against Indigenous women. Moreover, t he racism and sexism t hat allows violence to cont inue against Indigenous women is not always blatant and easy to dissect, often present ing itself in insidious ways.

All of t hese factors need to be considered as part of a larger pict ure to see how t hey are in herently and intrinsically lin ked to wh ite and male normat ive ideals wit h in societ y.

The h istorical context of how Canada became colon ised is essent ial in understanding violence against Indigenous women. Canada is a set tler colon ial countr y, whereby Indigenous people have been persec uted wit h t he overall hope of eradicat ion or assimilat ion. As such, it is cr ucial to consider t hat Canada is str uct ured around principles t hat were desig ned to allow colon isers t he opport un it y to hold power and ult imately acquire land and keep t hat land for t hemselves. Therefore, many str uct ures wit h in Canadian societ y not on ly exclude t he voices of Indigenous people, but t hey also act ively work against Indigenous people — and t h is is not a sociolog ical coincidence, but instead t he ent ire purpose of how t he societ y was and is str uct ured. Alt hough t he h istor y of set tler colon ialism is important in understanding how wh iteness became normat ive wit h in today’s societ y, set tler colon ialism is in no way a

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“t h ing of t he past.” Wh ile set tler colon ialism may bring about con notat ions of past pract ices, all non-Indigenous people living on stolen land (ot herwise k nown as unceded territor y), even in present day, are colon ial set tlers.

Moreover, it is imperat ive to ack nowledge t hat colon ial set tler ideolog y is st ill prevalent and is st ill c urrently work ing to benef it wh ite people wit h in societ y.

The RCMP’s role in upholding, maintaining, and assuring the continuation of settler colonial rules and ideals One such institution within society that benefits colonial settler rule is the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), whose purpose is to enforce laws made by colonial settlers. The police were not created for or with the safety of Indigenous people in mind. Moreover, the police are inherently necessary in order to uphold, maintain, and assure the continuation of settler colonial rules and ideals, and it can be argued that Indigenous people are often seen as a threat to those ideals.

The judicial system and law enforcement often work against the safety of Indigenous women in a twofold manner: firstly, Indigenous women may not trust the police to help them, as they are often penalised by the legal system and harassed or assaulted by the police. Similarly, while Indigenous women only make up 4.3 per cent of the Canadian population, they account for nearly 50 per cent of the federal female prison population, a vast overrepresentation. Moreover, while the overall number of incarcerations is currently declining, incarceration rates of Indigenous women remain incredibly high and are increasing, further highlighting the rampant inequalities prevalent in the modern Canadian justice system.

Often, the belief that police will be indifferent to crimes committed against Indigenous people can lead to a furthering of violence against Indigenous women by male perpetrators, as they may believe that they will be able to get away with any crimes committed. This dynamic can lead to Indigenous women becoming isolated when a crime has been committed against them, as they may feel like they have no recourse for action. In addition, this can also cause seclusion of families and loved ones of

WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2022

missing and murdered Indigenous women, as they may feel they cannot turn to the police, or that the police may not work as hard to resolve these cases. It is important to remember that the police were not designed to uphold Indigenous norms and values, nor was the government set up by Indigenous people, who do not have control over how either of these systems choose to enforce power over them. Consequently, as these two institutions work in tandem, it may often feel like there is nowhere to turn for help, for change, or for Indigenous voices to be heard, especially if these violent acts are committed by the police or if the police do not give due care to cases involving Indigenous people.

Elisha Corbett, the manager of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) department of the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC), discussed in an interview the invalidation families feel when they report an Indigenous woman as missing and how the RCMP abets this cycle of violence.

“The RCMP won’t actually say that they are missing; they will say that they were a runaway, and that is so problematic for so many reasons,” said Corbett. “For one, it is very invalidating if the family is saying ‘I’d hear from my daughter every week and I haven’t heard from them in a month.’

If police officers have this preconceived notion about Indigenous women, they will say, ‘Oh, she’s a sex worker, she’s a drug addict, and it’s normal for individuals who live this sort of lifestyle to be out of contact,’ and they’re not really listening to what the family is saying.

“Not only is it invalidating, but if they are not categorised as a missing person, no action is done to look for them, and it actually allows the cycle of perpetrators to continue to target Indigenous women, because they know that the RCMP or the Canadian government does not take these cases seriously. It is an all-encompassing issue. This also relates to human trafficking; if an individual is reported as a runaway, yet they have been human trafficked, it allows traffickers to continue to target Indigenous women — because they not only think, but they know, that their disappearance isn’t going to be taken seriously or looked into as much.”

The documentary Finding Dawn illuminates the way Indigenous people often have to strive to make themselves heard by the police regarding the disappearances of loved ones. Ernie Crey, an advocate for missing and murdered women and the brother of Dawn Crey, a missing Indigenous women believed to have been murdered in the Pickton farm case, states in the documentary, “[referring to the Pickton case] If it involved largely white women… the investigation would have been thorough going, it would have been well financed, there would have been a lot of police officers… and we very likely would have had a suspect in jail far earlier than was the case where all of these missing women were concerned.” This sentiment is reinforced by the recent media attention surrounding the murder of a young white woman, Gabby Petito, who was missing for several weeks beforehand. Petito’s disappearance showed a media frenzy that was global in scope, unlike any media attention garnered for missing or murdered Indigenous women. This type of media attention to the Petito murder in the United States still ardently proves that “Missing White Woman Syndrome” is ever present, even globally.

Socio-economic factors directly caused or exacerbated by colonial settler ideologies that cause violence against Indigenous women

In addition, poverty and lack of resources, poor mobility, and the secluded nature of many Indigenous communities are all contributing socioeconomic factors as to why Indigenous women may be more likely to be victims of violence. All of these components have either been directly caused by or exacerbated by colonial settler ideologies, practices, and values. One way in which colonial inequality can be witnessed is through a lack of adequate mobility and poor public transport, most notably along Highway 16, which has resulted in several murders of Indigenous women, leading to the highway being known as the “Highway of Tears.”

In addition to inadequate public transport along the highway, it is also important to consider that public transport is a financial expense that not everyone can afford, and this can result in the need to hitchhike or look for alternative modes of mobility. While not all victims on the Highway of Tears have been Indigenous, nor has every Indigenous woman who has been on the highway ended up missing or murdered, the reasoning surrounding why so many Indigenous women have gone missing is incredibly relevant.

As researcher Katherine Morton succinctly claims, “Without being caught in a trap of essentialising experience, it is clear that something deeply problematic with regard to the intersection of race, gender, and mobility is resulting in a high number of female Indigenous hitchhikers facing violence.”

Morton also discusses how the 2006 Missing and Murdered Women’s Symposium suggested placing billboards along the Highway of Tears with important information and helpful numbers to contact. However, the government did not follow the advice given on how best to construct the signs, and chose to chastise hitchhikers instead. As such, the government showed ineptitude in responding to the root causes that lead to the need for hitchhiking, and ultimately more instances of violence. The government opted to erect billboards advising against this mode of transportation altogether. This not only does nothing to solve the underlying societal problems, but puts the onus on Indigenous women, who may have no other option outside hitchhiking.

“That type of girl” who is less deserving of sympathy, media attention or police time Another facet of victim blaming, which ties together with a lack of media and police interest, is when the victim is deemed to be “deserving” in some way.

Moreover, notions of femininity are socially constructed in order to benefit white women.

As such, women who do not fit into this view of femininity are often depicted as “lesser.” This shows that Indigenous women are at the intersection of both race-based and gender-based inequalities. This constructed view of femininity portrays white women as “passive” while simultaneously depicting all other women of differing racial identities as “aggressive.”

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Journalist Sarah Stillman discusses the lack of media attention around racialised victims of violence, stating, “Each day, the mainstream media provide audiences with a subtle instruction manual for how to empathise with certain endangered women’s bodies, while overlooking others”. The mainstream media upholds narratives surrounding who is deserving of attention, which is often white people, leading to further “othering” and discrimination against already marginalised BIPOC communities.

A common theme of Indigenous representation in the media is that they are often being underrepresented when crimes are committed against them, or they are being represented as inherently violent, leading to apathy. This further compounds the victim blaming that is ever-present against missing or murdered women who worked within the sex trade, with little to no societal concern when violence is committed against them. Discourse surrounding missing Indigenous women and sex workers leads to worrying conclusions that some lives seem to hold more worth than others, or that some people are more “deserving” of being victims. As such, it is essential to change these discourses and systems within society and to be cautious of the content of mainstream media.

“In terms of settler colonialism, since contact, since colonisation began, Indigenous women have been misrepresented in this way that allows the general public and the Canadian government to excuse the violence that they experience,” said Corbett, who alongside working with the NWAC is also doing her PhD in media representations.

“Settlers came in with this very colonial and Christian view of what womanhood is and what motherhood is, and anything that went against that Christian settler colonial view of that was seen as bad. So Indigenous women who didn’t fit into that Christian model of motherhood or womanhood were portrayed as this really terrible slur, essentially this stereotype that they are ‘dirty,’ ‘immoral,’ ‘unworthy,’ and therefore, any violence that they experience can be swept under the rug. We still see that today. If you look at the coverage of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, almost all of it focuses on the fact that they were ‘living a high-risk lifestyle’ and they will say ‘She was a sex worker, she was a drug addict.’ Therefore she was almost deserving of whatever consequences come from that lifestyle, without actually looking at the larger social and economic structures that contribute to some Indigenous women engaging in sex work or having high levels of addiction or poverty.”

“It’s also this colonial mindset of looking at the individual rather than looking at the collective; the way that the current colonial media frames Indigenous women is that it is an individual responsibility, it is an individual who ‘chose’ to engage in a high-risk lifestyle and it was an individual who perpetrated the crime, rather than looking at the larger collective social issue that for a host of reasons have led Indigenous women to be living in higher risk of poverty, drug addiction, etc. It’s not just one individual perpetrator; it is this entire social issue that is a genocide, so that’s one way I think colonialism has really impacted how the media frames and reports on this issue.”

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Make way for Indigenous voices to be not only heard but prioritised, especially in regard to their own safety and wellbeing In order to decolonise and decentre whiteness, the voices of Indigenous women not only need to be amplified, but they need to be represented within the media, politics, and be at the epicentre of societal change.

Indigenous grassroot initiatives, such as Idle No More, and activism and movements much like the annual Women’s Memorial March in Vancouver are integral in impacting change and amplifying voices.

The annual Women’s Memorial March garnered mainstream media attention recently for the pulling down of a famous racist statue in Vancouver’s Gastown district, just blocks away from the city’s epicentre of violence and poverty.

When asked if there were any ways in which nonIndigenous people could help amplify Indigenous voices without overshadowing Indigenous activism, Corbett’s advice was to first read the National Inquiry’s Final Report and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action.

“I think the most important thing an individual can do is really recognise and understand their own biases and their own falsehoods that they’ve created in their minds about Indigenous and non-Indigenous relations, because then that will impact how you walk through the world and then how you interact with everybody,” said Corbett.

“I think too, in terms of doing activism with Indigenous people, it is just that it is ‘with’ and not ‘for;’ it is ‘nothing about us, without us,’ that’s the saying. It’s not speaking on behalf of Indigenous peoples, but it is really amplifying those voices when you have that opportunity, or when you are in a space and you realise there are no Indigenous people there where there really should be — bring Indigenous peoples into the room. If you are able to break a glass ceiling, then don’t just break it and let all the pieces shatter to all the people below you who weren’t able to break through; bring somebody up with you.”

The infrastructure of Canadian society remains problematic, as there is a massive power imbalance between Indigenous groups seeking to have their voices heard and white systems of control, which uphold whiteness as dominant. Additionally, those who are politically in charge are not representative of Indigenous people. Ensuring Indigenous voices are not only heard, but prioritised, especially in regard to their own safety and wellbeing, is paramount. While activism and feminism are necessary in order to overcome the patriarchy, feminism should be inclusive of Indigenous voices, as feminism can often work to protect white women within a colonial framework.

If feminism is too narrow in scope, then it is not truly inclusive, and as such, not advocating for true equality.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2022

When asked in what ways race and gender intersect to contribute to the inequalities felt by Indigenous women, Corbett stated, “You can’t disentangle the two; race and gender go together to create the experiences and the way that Indigenous women walk through the world. You can also look at it in terms of Indigenous women’s reproductive sovereignty and reproductive justice; Indigenous women are far more likely to experience negative birth outcomes, they are far more likely to be targeted for birth alerts for having their children taken away from them, they are still having forced sterilisation through coercion, and that is intimately tied to the fact that they are not only a woman, but they are an Indigenous woman.

“We can also tie this back to media representations; if we continuously portray Indigenous women as unfit mothers within the confines of settler colonialism, then the Canadian government can forcibly remove

When social changes allow for true inclusivity and equity, then missing and murdered Indigenous women will be met with the same level of care and outrage as their white counterparts.

children through the Sixties Scoop, through residential schools, and even now, Indigenous children are significantly overrepresented in child welfare services. Therefore, you can’t really separate the two, because those two parts of identity are really a mesh together to shape the way Indigenous women are viewed by the settler colonial state, how they are treated, and how they are then able to walk through the world.”

All of which highlights the drastic need to work toward decolonisation and the dismantling of the patriarchy in order for social equity to become a reality. If we cease to work towards these goals, then the current social constructs will continue to cause great harm to all those not currently protected by systemic privileges.

Indigenous women are at the intersection of both gendered and racialized inequalities. The high number of missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada is emblematic of socioeconomic factors brought about through settler colonialism and patriarchal norms and values which centralise both whiteness and maleness. This can be seen through the indifference or the outright violence of the police when dealing with Indigenous communities, the lack of media concern, the

societal constructs surrounding femininity, and victim blaming. In addition, social issues such as poverty, lack of resources, and mobility must be looked at as part of the larger picture of systemic racism and as contributing factors in allowing violence to continue to happen by creating conditions that enable it. Therefore, it is essential to work towards the decentring of whiteness, decolonisation, and the abolition of the patriarchy in order to overcome not only white normative, malebased colonial ideals, which allow both “race” and gender-based violence to remain prevalent. When social changes allow for true inclusivity and equity, then missing and murdered Indigenous women will be met with the same level of care and outrage as their white counterparts.

However, while violence is committed against Indigenous women at an alarmingly high rate, Corbett highlights that Indigenous women should not be seen as or portrayed purely as victims, emphasising, “Indigenous women — and this is not to trivialise the fact that they are overrepresented as victims of violence and overrepresented in the prison system, because those are very serious things, but I also do want to emphasise that Indigenous women are resilient, and they are beautiful, and that Indigenous women have a lot to offer the world.

When an Indigenous woman is taken away from their family and their community, that whole community suffers, and that culture suffers. We should not just partially look at this crisis, but view it holistically and see the impact that all of this has around the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.”

The infrastructure of Canadian society remains problematic, as there is a massive power imbalance between Indigenous groups seeking to have their voices heard and white systems of control, which uphold whiteness as dominant

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2022

CULTURE

culture@ufvcascade.ca Anisa Quintyne — Culture Editor

Column //

Column //

Campus Fashion: Cascade Kitchen: Re-addressing the Chocolate chip peanut butter cookies red dress A look at the dual significance of the red dress RACHEL TAIT

Chocolate chip peanut butter cookies. 2022. (Sydney Marchand/The Cascade)

SYDNEY MARCHAND 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.

I have always been a big fan of Reese’s peanut butter cups, and these cookies are the next best thing. The combination of rich chocolate and salty peanut butter is undeniably delicious and a comfort classic. The trick to soft, chewy cookies? Don’t overbake them. The edges should just be slightly golden brown before taking them out to cool. Trust me, these cookies are easy to make and will impress even the toughest critic.

Bake Time: 15 minutes.

Makes: Approximately 2 dozen Ingredients: ½ cup unsalted butter, softened ½ cup brown sugar ½ cup granulated sugar ½ cup smooth peanut butter

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1 egg 1 cup all-purpose flour ¼ tsp salt ¼ tsp baking soda Pinch of ground nutmeg ½ cup chocolate chips Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a cookie sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and both sugars until smooth.

3. Add the peanut butter and egg and mix well.

4. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients and then slowly blend into the wet ingredients. Fold in the chocolate chips.

5. Shape the mixture into 1-inch balls and arrange them on the prepared baking sheet.

6. With the back of a fork, gently flatten each ball of dough.

7. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until the edges are slightly golden. Serve with a cold cup of oat milk and enjoy!

Red is a powerful colour that can turn heads, speak of passion, financial status, and protest. The colour red can also stand for the lives of Indigenous women who have gone missing or were murdered. This season, incorporating a red dress into one’s wardrobe can be stylish and symbolic because of the vibrancy of the colour and what it stands for in the community.

Artist Jaime Black, created what is now known as the REDress Project in 2010. This project consists of red dresses that are displayed to symbolize and represent the Indigenous women and girls who have been murdered or have gone missing in Canada.

This project also now includes the LGBTQ+ community. The incorporation of red dresses as art pieces also align with popular fashion as red pieces are beginning to resurface on mannequins this season.

By ganging red dresses on trees or displaying them in galleries, the REDress Project speaks volumes about the injustices occurring in Canada against Indigenous women.

Therefore, wearing a red dress can help to spread that reminder around campus, in the workplace and on the street.

Currently, dresses that are being displayed

in stores are coming in lighter and brighter shades of red to prepare for the warmer temperatures of spring and summer. Choosing to wear a bright red dress this season is a bold fashion statement to experiment with, however, one can also wear a red dress to help show support towards Indigenous communities.

Red dresses come in many different shades and styles, but they all possess the attributes of drawing attention to the wearer and making a statement in a crowd. A long, off-theshoulder chiffon red dress looks good with heels and a clutch for an evening out. For a more casual event, pairing a playful midlength coral red dress with sandals is ideal for a day at the beach.

While red dresses spring up all year round, we should recognize that they symbolize something greater and more profound than just another fashion statement. No matter what shade or style one wears, the message is clear that having a red dress in your wardrobe is a way people can silently, yet boldly stand up against injustices being done to Indigenous women.

This season, try wearing a red dress and be emboldened to act proactively and fashionably this spring while remembering what a red dress represents for you and the community at large.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2022

VOL. 30 // ISSUE 08

CULTURE Club Spotlight //

Don’t be trashy UFV’s Wildlife Protection Club announces plans to pick up litter and help endangered animals ALLISON HOLCIK UFV’s Wildlife Protection Club, headed by president Molly Tilden, discusses plans for various events in the coming months to help with their ongoing work to protect habitats and help endangered populations of local animals.

Through partnerships with groups such as the Fraser Valley Conservancy, WaterWealth, the Wild Salmon Defender’s Alliance, and The Reptile Room, the Wildlife Protection Club is helping to bring attention to the needs of the many endangered animals who call the Fraser Valley their home. They have worked with the Fraser Valley Conservancy to help with the “Precious Frog” program, which is focused on protecting the habitats of Canada’s most endangered amphibian, the Oregon Spotted Frog. The club has plans to set up an information booth at The Reptile Room’s

World Turtle Day, an educational outreach event happening on May 22 at Salish Park in Chilliwack.

The Wildlife Protection Club is a dedicated group of students with various backgrounds and a shared passion for the wellbeing of all creatures, fuzzy, slimy, or scaly. They focus on animals that do not get much attention — like the Oregon Forestsnail and the Oregon Spotted Frog, two species on the endangered species list for B.C. Tilden explained that these animals have suffered from the building of new infrastructure in and around Abbotsford, which is destroying their habitats.

Through the group’s various events, action is being taken to help these endangered animals. They also help educate the public on conservation efforts, ongoing events, and information about local endangered species.

So far, the Wildlife Protection Club has hosted a 50/50 raffle during the Abbots-

ford floods to help fund the Fraser Valley Conservancy, as many displaced animals were put under their care. This, according to Tilden, was their most successful event to date, raising over $500 from the UFV community to support the Conservancy.

They are now planning monthly litter pick ups to ensure that the trash that is thrown onto local riverbanks will not be washed down into the ocean when the spring ice melt happens. The first pick up occurred at Fishtrap Creek Park on March 27, and another was scheduled for May 15 at the Tamihi staging area in Chilliwack, but was postponed due to rainy weather. Another pick up is scheduled for June 15, with a location still to be decided. Follow them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ WildlifeProtectionClub/ or Instagram at @ufvwildlifeprotectionclub to find out where it will be. These events are a great way for UFV students to get involved in their community, and are open to anyone who is interested.

Tilden also mentioned the upcoming Art for Wildlife event that will be held this September. UFV students and community members are asked to donate their art to the Club for a silent auction on Sept. 23, with all proceeds going towards the Fraser Valley Conservancy. Anyone interested in donating their wildlife- or nature-themed art can contact the club through their Facebook page or email ufvwildlifeprotectionclub@gmail.com. The club is also looking for senior students of the Visual Arts program to donate their time to help appraise these pieces for auction.

For another easy way to help with conservation efforts, the club also suggests being on the lookout for frogs and toads while you are out and about. If you see one, just snap a picture and fill out a Frog Finder form from the Conservancy, and you can help with the data collection about important amphibians in the Abbotsford area.

Community //

The walk for Alzheimer’s to promote awareness and biomedical research The Abbotsford community shows up strong to support those living with Alzheimer’s ANISA QUINTYNE The Walk for Alzheimer’s, sponsored by IG Wealth Management, will take place on Sunday, May 29 at Gardner Park in Abbotsford to promote awareness of those impacted by Alzheimer’s and dementia. Almost every year, 76,000 people are diagnosed with the disease in Canada, resulting in thousands of people living with memory loss, behavioural changes, and problems with communication and reasoning.

The Walk will benefit the Alzheimer’s Society, which aims to fund research that explores the impacts of dementia and to find better treatment and care options so the disease will no longer take the lives of so many people. The Alzheimer’s Society Research Program is one of Canada’s largest organizations that provides opportunities for research grants. They have accumulated nearly $67 million in grants and

awards, and are actively bringing new, innovative discoveries to the scientific community.

Jordan Penner has been organizing the entire committee for planning this year’s event, along with spearheading the logistics, and engaging with members of the community who have experienced or are currently living with Alzheimer’s or dementia. Penner graduated from UFV in 2021 with a bachelor of science. When asked what got him engaged with the organization, Penner explained how his personal experiences became his motivation.

“For me, Alzheimer’s is a cause that is near and dear to my heart. I have family members who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and I’ve seen their progression with the disease going from the early stage periods of it to the more late stage, and then, ultimately, them passing away due to the disease.

“So to me, this is a cause that I think it’s really important to raise more awareness for, and also make those that have experienced living with Alzheimer’s and dementia and their families really feel supported through the entire process.

“I think that the big thing about the Walk is it’s really a time for our entire community … to come together and really just learn from those who have lived with Alzheimer’s and dementia about their experiences, and also learn from the families.

“I’ve found that there are tons of young people — for example, people all the way down to the high school age — that are excited to be involved with the Walk,” said Penner. “Also, much older people, people many years my senior, who are very excited to be involved. So, I’ve really found that there isn’t a single age demographic that is engaged specifically with the Walk, but instead, this seems to be something that transcends all age groups.

“At the Abbotsford Walk, each year we have the Walk dedicated to someone called an honouree: somebody who is either living with Alzheimer’s or dementia, or somebody who is supporting them. For example, this year, our honouree is somebody named Percy Barnes. Their story is really powerful because they communicate not only how Alzheimer’s and dementia affect the individual, but how it affects their families as well.

“I just really want to encourage people to come on Sunday, May 29, from 12:00 till 2:00 pm. The Walk for Alzheimer’s is a great cause. We’re going to try and make it a fun event. We’re going to have some food there, some raffle prizes, and some live music, and it’s a great opportunity where even if you aren’t someone who has been personally affected by Alzheimer’s, it’s a great time to learn and hear other people’s experiences.”

For the readers information: Last issue we covered a story about a group project from ENV 410 spearheading an initiative to make Abbotsford a more bat-friendly community. This group is called the Abbotsford Bat Conservation group.

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2022

SPORTS

VOL. 30 // ISSUE 08

sports@ufvcascade.ca Teryn Midzain— Sports Editor

Community //

Bandit’s sign former Cascades star Sukhjot Bains Delta-born Sukhjot Bains has signed on for the Fraser Valley Bandits’ 2022 CEBL season after a season in Sweden’s Superettan League.

TERYN MIDZAIN Saturday, May 14, the Fraser Valley Bandits announced that they signed Sukhjot Bains, Cascades' former guard, for the professional Fraser Valley team’s upcoming fourth season in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL).

Bains transferred to finish his university basketball career here at UFV from 2018 to 2020 after a fantastic high-school career. Bains started his university basketball career in New Jersey for a short time, before moving on to Northwest College in Wyoming. After a solid season with Northwest, Bains earned himself a position playing at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay in the NCAA Division 1.

Bains transferred and returned home to BC in the 2018/2019 season, and finished his university career at UFV. During his time with the Cascades, Bains played alongside his brother Navjot Bains while his basketball game stats erupted. In the 2018/2019 season, Bains averaged 12.8 points per game and had an overall 32.3 per cent field goal average. His game improved in his senior 2019/2020

season, with an average scoring of 16.1, and jumped his overall field goal shooting percentage to 42.8. Bain’s overall presence was felt on both the offense and defensive ends of the court, getting 36 offensive rebounds and 151 defensive rebounds. Bains earned a Canada West third-team all-star in the 2019/2020 season as well.

Bains initially signed as a U SPORT Development Athlete with the Fraser Valley Bandits in the summer of 2019 between his UFV seasons.

After university, Bains coached in Abbotsford’s AthElite Basketball Academy while he honed aspects of his game that continued his growth as a guard and player before he got the call to play professional basketball in Europe in Sweden’s Superettan basketball league for Helsingborg in 2021.

Bains led Helsingborg’s scoring by keeping his scoring average to 15.8 points per game in his first season with the Swedish team. With Bains, Helsingborg managed to score a lower seed team in this year’s Superettan playoffs with a 10-12 win-loss record but lost in the Quarter Finals to KFUM Kalmarn on Apr 3. A sad ending but a far better result than Helsingborg’s

abysmal 3-22 season in 2020, and their canceled 2021 season due to COVID. "I have spent a lot of time playing basketball in the Fraser Valley and I am looking forward to rejoining the Bandits organization after being part of the team in 2019. Playing professionally in Sweden has helped me develop my skills and I know this summer is a strong opportunity to continue adding to my toolkit and will help me elevate my game to the next level," Bains tells Fraser Valley reporters on his return to playing professionally.

Bains’ return to the Bandits is exactly what the team needs, another familiar face for fans to cheer on and experience another level of professional sports making a home in the Lower Mainland. Bains is a powerful, consistent scorer that sees growth in every department of elite basketball whenever he decides he wants to improve. The Bandits will be a part of the CEBL’s tripleheader to tip off the 2022 season on May 25 against the Ottawa Blackjacks. June 4 is the bandits’ first home game against the Saskatchewan Rattlers at the Langley Event Centre, as well as the first of five theme games the club plans to host for fan enjoyment.

Formula One //

Aston Martin’s trials and tribulations A real ship of Theseus MAECYN KLASSEN Constant readers, I have a convoluted tale to tell you. It really should be simple — Aston Martin is a British luxury car manufacturer, and like many other luxury car manufacturers, they finance an associated Formula One team. However, while the story more or less stops there for other teams like Ferrari, Aston Martin’s is a long tale of swift business deals and name confusion that has only just begun to resolve into a cohesive identity.

A short sidebar: Formula One teams often go through slight name changes depending on majority stakes and brand deals. However, rarely does a team go through this many dramatic changes.

Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team (the extraordinarily descriptive full title) has its roots in the mostly-forgotten Jordan Grand Prix team, which competed under that name between 1991 and 2005.

Jordan was successful at carving out a niche for themselves as being simultaneously easygoing and fiercely competitive.

However, Jordan was sold in 2005 to Mid-

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land Group, who promptly renamed the team. This stint lasted a whole two years, until MF1 was sold to Dutch manufacturer Spyker, who renamed the team again.

Spyker’s ownership only lasted for the 2007 season, at the end of which the team was sold to Force India (a team-up between two businessmen, Vijay Mallya and Michiel Mol) and… well, renamed. Force India struggled, but found a talent in Sergio Pérez, who carried the team to most of its podium finishes between 2014 and 2018.

In dramatic fashion, the story took another twist in 2018. Vijay Mallya became the subject of a fraud investigation serious enough to have him arrested in London and extradited to India, facing creditors he couldn’t pay back. In the wake of this news, Force India F1 was sold yet again to Racing Point UK, another collection of businessmen headed this time by Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll, whose son Lance is now (not at all coincidentally) one of the drivers on the team. Racing Point F1 lasted until 2021, when Lawrence Stroll’s enormous investment into Aston Martin meant the team could rebrand yet again into the name it carries today. Pérez was replaced with Sebastian Vettel, a sweet new green

livery was revealed, and the team seems to be mostly settled on its own two feet.

So what does this lengthy history have to do with anything?

Renaming this team to something recognizable goes a very long way in a sport like F1. Titans of the sport are intrinsically linked to their cars or brands: Mercedes, Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren. Other teams, like Williams, have a history behind their name that evokes their long tenure and

UFV Cascades Sports Scores May 9 May 15, 2022

Baseball UFV Vs. Victoria Collegiate / May 9, 2022 Score: UFV 15 ; VC 13 UFV Vs. Victoria Collegiate / May 9, 2022 Score: UFV 5 ; VC 7 UFV Vs. Victoria Collegiate / May 11, 2022 Score: UFV 8 ; VC 4 UFV Vs. Victoria Collegiate / May 11, 2022 Score: UFV 7 ; VC 8 UFV Vs. Thompson Rivers University / May 14, 2022 Score: UFV 4 ; TRU 7 UFV Vs. Thompson Rivers University / May 14, 2022 Score: UFV 0 ; TRU 5 history with F1. Aston Martin had neither of these prior to their latest name change.

Besides their time as Force India, this team has had a completely unsettled identity since 2005, with name and ownership changes every few years. It’s only a name, but being Aston Martin F1 means something — it’s slick, it’s suave, and it’s pure British racing.

Sebastion Vettel. Astin Martin F1. 2022. (Formula One)

WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2022

VOL. 30 // ISSUE 08

SPORTS World //

The fresh prince of the NBA

Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies has wowed the NBA world in only a short period of time.

ESHER SIRA Ja Morant has been the most exciting player to watch in the NBA this season. After every Memphis Grizzlies game, the NBA social media feeds and sports channels are flooded with highlights of Morant floating through the air as he searches for his next target to humiliate under the rim.

The word “electrifying” was used to describe Morant on draft night and there’s no better word that can describe the guard.

Morant’s high flying dunks and incredible ankle breakers just graze the surface of his potential. In his first NBA season, Morant won the rookie of the year award over Zion Williamson who was the number 1 overall pick in Morant’s draft year, 2019. This was just the beginning of Morants career of accomplishments.

If you've never seen Morant play before, you may be wondering what makes him stand out from the superstars of the NBA. Morant is a player who doesnt let the opinions of others get to him, he is quick to speak his mind and will never back away from an oppotunity to make an impact-

ful play.. Morant has dazzled NBA fans with his ability to score countless times per game, using his peak body control, his small frame, and agility to maneuver himself through and over the bigger defenders.

Morant averaged 16.7 points per game, the most points in the paint this season, a category usually held by much taller players.

This is a true testament to Morants effort as he always makes it a point to get back on defense after driving the full length of the court to score a basket.

The final thing that makes Morant so special, is his impact and support on and for his teammates. Morant brought home the NBA Most Improved player award, which he then gifted to teammate Desmond Bane. Morant was pulling for his teammate to win the award as Bane doubled his scoring from the previous season. Morant is constantly saying good things about his teammates and doesn't put his own success and accomplishments in front of the team's needs. Morant’s gritty work ethic has rubbed off on his teammates as the Grizzlies went 20-5 without Morant in the lineup while injuried.

Team loyalty has always been a hot topic

in the NBA. This era players have more say about where they want to play, and tend to move to more marketable teams and franchises. Morant falls under the category of players who plan to stay and build a franchise with their draft team. Morant has expressed wanting to stay in Memphis, and is eligible for a supermax five-year contact with the Grizzlies for $217 million.

That’s assuming Morant makes an AllNBA Team, which by the way he plays is almost a guarantee. The Grizzlies fools to not offer or sign Morant to the supermax, Morant has proven his worth to the Grizziles the franchise player for Memphis and a player worth the supermax contract.

The Murray State product is currently in his third NBA season with the Memphis Grizzlies and has improved each year. After a rocky first season, where the Grizzlies finished the year with a record of 34-39 and missed the playoffs. At the beginning of the season, if you were to say the Grizzlies were serious contenders for you may get laughed at, but Morant has built a winning culture in Memphis and inspired the Grizzlies to an impressive 56-26 record in the regular season, the second best record

in the western conference. 2022 marked the Grizzilies’ second straight playoff appearance, that unfortunately saw the young team fall 2 games short of the franchise’s first conference finals. with the way that the Grizzlies and Morant have been playing recently that opinion now doesn’t seem so far fetched to believe anymore.

Morant’s ability to score at all 3 scoring levels is indiscribable, he is able to knock down 3 pointers consistently while still being able to beat a defender off the dribble, making one of the hardest players in the NBA right now to guard. You never know what move Morant’s going to make next, you just know when he makes one, he’s going to make it rain. Morant has been a breath of fresh air in the basketball world.

He embodies the attributes an All-Star point guard represents, and has talent coaches can’t teach. At only 22 years of age, Morant has already earned the right to sit amongst NBA royalty such as Stephen Curry, LeBron James, and Allen Iverson, inspiring the next generation of players and the next generation of NBA fans.

arts@ufvcascade.ca Danaye Reinhardt — Arts Editor

Retro //

ARTS

While Disney got a lot of things wrong, Pocahontas is still a feminist icon ANDREA SADOWSKI I am not exaggerating when I tell you I have probably watched Pocahontas over 500 times. I so badly wanted to be Pocahontas — hanging out with her cute animal friends, running in the forest, casually cliff jumping, swimming in lakes with her BFF, all while developing a secret romance with a strange but handsome foreigner; it was truly the dream. Little did I know that this movie, whose heroine I idolized as a kid, was my first exposure to the topic of colonialism.

The movie is based on the real-life character of Pocahontas, the young daughter of the Great Powhatan, who saved the life of colonialist John Smith when she was just 10 years old in 1607. She became a leader, showing extreme courage, cleverness, and brilliance in the face of extraordinarily daunting circumstances that Indigenous people faced.

Pocahontas was a groundbreaking film, as it starred the first woman of color as a Disney princess, and a strong female lead who did not need to be saved by a man, but instead was willing to sacrifice her own life to save his. She was a cross-cultural communicator, diplomat, and peace-maker in her nation. Pocahontas was the first of many subsequent Disney films starring strong,

female leads, such as Mulan, Tangled, and Frozen.

Despite the fact that Disney fudged a lot of the details of the real-life Pocahontas in order to create a forbidden romance situation between her and John Smith, the film actually did a lot (actually the bare minimum, but let’s give them a bit of credit; this is 1995 we’re talking about) when it came to casting and research. They cast Native American actors to play the speaking roles of the Indigenous characters in the film, and Irene Bedard (who voiced Pocahontas) said in an interview that she was involved in making the dialogue less European and more true to Native American expression.

The movie also shows European colonists for who they truly are: bloodthirsty destroyers of natural land and habitats in search of wealth and fame, willing to destroy any “savage” who dared get in their way. Russell Means, who voiced Chief Powhatan, said in an interview that he was shocked to see “the Eurocentric males … admitting why they came here — to kill Indians and to rob and pillage.” Means also remarked that this was the first time “a human face has been put on an Indian female.”

While the film presents Pocahontas with the trope of the “Good Indian” who is here to save the colonizers that are prepared to kill her people in a hundred different

ways, let’s not forget that her character was that of a strong, independent female who showed leadership, strength, and brought a feminist and environmentalist agenda to Disney that had yet to be seen. While Disney may have sexualized her character and gotten many crucial details of her story wrong, she is undoubtedly a powerful female heroine.

The film’s climax ends with Pocahontas stopping a war by throwing herself over John Smith just moments before his execution, exclaiming, “This is where the path

of hatred has brought us. This is the path I choose, father; what will yours be?”

Realistically, it should have ended with the depiction of the genocide of millions of Indigenous people by colonizers who thought the best way to take over their land was to just get rid of them by gifting them with smallpox blankets, and the thousands of slaves whose free labour funded the colonization of the Americas.

But that would make for a bummer of a Disney film.

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VOL. 30 // ISSUE 08

WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2022

ARTS Movie //

CHARTS 1 2

AARON LEVY Pierre Kwenders José Louis & The Paradox HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION Of Love CIVL Station Manager recognizes some of the early songs from some Julie Doiron of the artists that won big at the JuI Thought of You nos this year.

3

Destroyer Labyrinthitis

4

Basia Bulat The Garden

5

Apollo Ghosts Pink Tiger

6

Patrick Watson Better In The Shade

7

Maylee Todd Maloo

8

PUP THE UNRAVELING OF PUPTHEBAND

9

Kendrick Lamar Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers

10

Motto Red Dress (Single)

11

Jordan Klassen Glossolalia

12

Tanya Tahaq Tongues

13 14 15 16

Arkells - “Oh, The Boss Is Coming!”

One of two of the bigger singles on the heralded Hamilton-focused Jackson Square, named after downtown Hammer's “iconic” local shopping centre kitty-corner to the trendy Hess Village — directly beside the former Copps Coliseum, now the FirstOntario Centre. In between it had a Ricoh sponsorship for a minute, too.

Haviah Mighty - “My Love” "Music is the reason that I ever spoke / There's a lot of feelings it evokes / You know I grew up a screw up but I made a change." This song stood out from among thousands of songs on the CIVL playlists back in 2017 when the Juno enchantress visited Abbotsford.

Mustafa - “Stay Alive” After debuting what seems like Mauve just thirty seconds ago, with Dream State EP performances on late-night Erez Zobary talk shows and buzz on “all the Out All Night (Singles) hottest indie blogs” and so on and so forth (can you tell I'm Sally Shapiro not on TikTok?), Mustafa is recSad Cities ognized this year on Canada's biggest musical stage. A rising Fáilte star.

The Saltchuck Set (Single)

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Tymo The Art of a Maniac

18

orion sun Getaway

19

Corb Lund Songs My Friends Wrote

20

Crashdiet Automation

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SHUFFLE

The Beaches - “Fascination” There's a pretty fun interview this downtown Toronto-adjacent “girl group” did with UBC campus radio and Canadian journalism legend Nardwuar the Human Serviette that I encourage anyone to watch if they're interested in student journalism, modern music, or promotional strategies for up and coming young artists.

Good tunes, good attitudes.

Multiverse of Madness moves towards horror The sequel to Doctor Strange isn’t afraid to shift genres and get messy DANAYE REINHARDT “Okay, kid, this is where it gets complicated.”

Marvel has never shied from the complex and the bizarre, but Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (what a mouthful!) is perhaps the most complicated one yet. Released in theatres on May 6, director Sam Raimi’s new superhero film is a mix of horror, action, and beautiful CGI cinematography. As a fan of science fiction like Marvel and Doctor Who, I appreciated the risks taken in this film — some not as successful as others — and the continued character arcs of Stephen Strange and Wanda Maximoff.

In this latest Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movie, the multiverse has begun to spill into Stephen Strange’s world. When Doctor Strange encounters a girl who can travel between different universes, he finds himself traveling between universes, battling other versions of himself, and encountering Wanda after the events of WandaVision — all while trying to combat a surprisingly dark threat.

Although it is technically the sequel to 2016’s Doctor Strange, it also acts as a continuation of the Disney Plus show WandaVision — and it doesn’t hurt to be familiar with Spider-Man: No Way Home, What If…?, and Loki. That alone is 22 hours worth of content, not to mention the movies that set up Wanda’s origins, the events caused by Thanos, and every other Marvel story under the sun.

That’s the problem, and the cash appeal, of Marvel projects these days. (Then again, who hasn’t seen every Marvel project under the sun?) It has generated such a fanbase of viewers who religiously watch each release that it can produce a film like Multiverse of Madness without a ton of context.

The result is a movie that rewards viewers for their Marvel knowledge and doesn’t hesitate to dive into a complicated plot. The fragmented, Marvel-esque plot is perhaps its weaker point, but it does provide an interesting exploration of the multiverse. The multiverse has been a recurring theme of the MCU’s Phase Four, which brilliantly allows endless possibilities and variations of familiar characters.

What has not been explored until now is a pull towards horror. With more horror-inspired scenes — including a reanimated corpse and several violent deaths — I was surprised that the film is only rated PG in Canada (something it has in common with, say, a tame movie like Turning Red). Raimi explained his vision in an interview with the LA Times.

“I think that the level of horror that Marvel had in their heads was about the exact same as [screenwriter] Michael [Waldron] and I had in our heads as far as impact-wise, gore-wise, horror-wise,” he said. “...There was like a mutual understanding that there should be a lot of fun, spooky, and even scary moments, but all under the bigger category of a fun adventure.”

Where Multiverse of Madness succeeds most is

in its character performances. Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays Stephen Strange, maintains his egotistical, sympathetic personality and continues to develop his arc. But it’s Elizabeth Olsen, who plays Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch, who brings the most compelling performance.

Her performance of a grieving mother and selfdeluded superhero hits all the right emotional strings. Because we have seen her characterization expand and shift over five Marvel projects, her behaviour in Multiverse of Madness fits seamlessly into her character arc. It’s deserved.

Doctor Strange and Wanda’s shared trait of selfdelusion is interesting to compare side-by-side as they both face the question of what it means to be good. What makes someone a villain? Is goodness about results, or does it matter how one achieves goodness or one’s goals?

The score, composed by Danny Elfman (also known for The Nightmare Before Christmas and Spider-Man 2), additionally brought the film to new heights. One of the most surprising elements of the score was when two characters fight each other with music rather than weapons, throwing magical piano notes with deadly force at their opponent. It’s a strange movie, after all. I’ll admit that I laughed out loud at that scene, but I can’t decide if it’s admirably creative or just plain weird.

Multiverse of Madness proves that the MCU still has a lot to offer. While it isn’t my favourite Marvel movie, I still respect the risks Raimi and the crew took in this film. The plot is messy, sure. But the decision to lean towards the horror genre and the compelling characterization of Strange and especially Wanda was rewarding, and I look forward to whatever Marvel madness comes next.

VOL. 30 // ISSUE 08

WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2022

ARTS Fiction //

Why cursing your ex is a bad call....

Taking a look at Erin Sterling’s debut novel, The Ex Hex, a paranormal new adult romance with quirky characters that makes the perfect summer afternoon read.

ALLISON HOLCIK In Erin Sterling’s debut novel The Ex Hex, she unpacks some seriously steamy, paranormal, witchy romance. As the first book of a duology, The Ex Hex offers readers a campy new tale of modern witchery, and how it can be waylaid by vodka and Bath and Body Works candles. The second book in the series, The Kiss Curse, is rumoured to come out September of 2022.

During a moment of drunken heartbreak, 19-year-old witch Vivienne Jones accidentally-on-purpose curses fellow witch and ex-summer fling Rhys Penhallow. When she finally crawls out of her hungover state, she forgets the whole thing, which would have been fine if Rhys had not come back to their tiny home town of Graves Glen and noticed that he is most definitely cursed. As Halloween approaches — the most magically significant night of the year — Vivi and Rhys have to work together in all their awkward, memory-filled glory to try and break the curse and save the town, without admitting what that summer eight years before really

meant to them both.

As someone who occasionally finds herself in the kind of reading slump that can only be broken with a frankly embarrassing number of sappy romance novels, The Ex Hex could not have come at a better time. After reading too many other romance novels since the end of the winter semester, I wanted something cute but a little different, and Sterling’s novel certainly delivered. The twist on the common trope of vengeance on one’s ex was funny and made me immediately love the main character, Vivienne. I loved the combination of historical witchcraft elements and a modern setting. The idea of witches living their best spooky lives in the real world was handled well, and was done in a way that made it actually seem possible. With a lot of interesting elements like Greek mythology, paranormal activity, a mid-90s ghost, and found family tropes, this was a fun quick read.

Unfortunately, the novel’s ending was very predictable. This might have been more interesting if the plot had been better developed, but at only 308 pages, the resolution of the story and the resuming of Vivi and Rhys’ relationship was very sud-

den and conventional. In the same vein, the characters themselves were underdeveloped, but not in such a way that it took too much away from the story. I wish that the characters had been explored more and their motivations made more clear. There are a lot of cool and quirky characters in The Ex Hex, so it seemed like Sterling missed an opportunity to go more in-depth by just hinting at their lives and experiences.

When a romance is so short, it is hard to really develop the love story, especially when the story is set after the initial relationship. To help combat this, Sterling adds in flashbacks to the summer that Vivi and Rhys got together, but they all just consisted of the couple remembering about how good their past sex was. However, canonically they were 19 at the time, so I have some real doubts about how good it actually was. Outside of their physical relationship, there is not really much information about how Vivi and Rhys were as a couple, but readers are expected to understand that even though they only dated for three months, they are still in love with each other eight years later and are destined to be together. This does seem like a common trope in romance, but still, I was not a fan.

Luckily, Vivi’s spunky attitude, the witch theme, and the funny side characters saved the otherwise questionable romance and made it into a good read, but maybe not an all-time favourite.

Netflix //

Thermae Romae Novae shines hilarious light on the importance of self care Netflix anime both entertains and educates about Roman and Japanese bathing culture ALLISON HOLCIK Thermae Romae Novae is a Netflix-produced anime series following Roman bathhouse architect, Lucius Modestus. Coming from a family of architects, all of whom share a passion for bathing, Lucius follows in his family’s footsteps with the hopes of becoming Rome’s greatest architect. In every episode, Lucius finds himself travelling through time after slipping in the bath and waking up in different bathhouses in different eras of Japan. Each time, he observes with keen wonder the bathing customs of the Japanese people, despite being confused and mystified by technological advancements not yet known in ancient Rome. After learning a new solution to a bathhouse construction-related problem back home, Lucius wakes up back in Rome as if he was waking from a dream (occasionally with objects from Japan) and employs what he learned in the construction of a new, revolutionary bathhouse. After each episode, there is a short documentary segment that follows the author around Japan that sheds a light on modern Japanese bathing culture.

The anime is based off of an award-win-

ning manga by author Mari Yamazaki. Yamazaki expresses at the end of one of the episodes that she lives full-time in Italy, but was raised as a child in Japan before moving to Europe when she was 17. The author likes to incorporate aspects of her Japanese upbringing into her home arrangement in Italy. Yamazaki began drawing pictures of bathers in Japan after feeling nostalgic for public bathhouses. Despite their commonality in ancient ruins, there were none available where she was at the time. The manga became a smash hit in Japan, and in 2012 was adapted into a smaller flash anime and an award-winning live-action comedy film with a follow-up sequel. This latest anime adaptation was released onto Netflix on March 28, 2022.

The show stays consistently light-hearted and goofy throughout its ten episodes.

It’s the perfect way to cap off a busy evening with some relatively mindless entertainment. The voice actor, Kenjirô Tsuda, as the main character Lucius, is top-notch and absolutely chock-full of exaggerated expressions. Much of the show’s comedy comes from Lucius’ inflated stoicism and curiosity when experiencing completely foreign things, such as shower caps and pool floaties, and mistaking them for things like royal crowns and mock horses

for training children for battle. While a few plot holes do exist in the narrative, it doesn’t pull you out of the story so much as it adds to the comedy. For instance, it’s never really explained how or why Lucius has the ability to time-travel via bath.

Nobody else can time travel, and despite many of the incidents appearing to be almost concussion-like in nature, he is able to bring objects from Japan back with him.

When left decontextualized, something like this just adds to the absurd comedic feel of the story.

In many ways, the show feels like a spiritual cousin to another Netflix anime, The Way of The Househusband, albeit with a much less manga-like animation style.

The hyper-expressive facial expressions and slice-of-life comedy packed with sass highlights the importance of enjoying the little things in life, like being clean and taking a bath. In the same way that The Way Of The Househusband left me inspired to deep clean my apartment, Thermae Romae Novae will get you super-jazzed on taking a hot bath, going to the pool, hitting up the waterslides, and most importantly, enjoying quality time with friends and family.

As hotter weather approaches, a show like this feels very appropriate.

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VOL. 30 // ISSUE 08

WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2022

ssword STUDY Puzzle BREAK 30.08 - CITIES Crossword //

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1. Widely loved for its cherry blossoms, video games, and cuisine.

2. Buckingham Palace resides in this city, notoriously known for its rainy weather.

2. Popular for its nickname, Sin City.

5. This city is famous for its ancient architecture, the Colosseum, and its notable history in textbooks.

3. Known as the Windy City, this town’s rapid theatre and entertainment industry can’t beat its love for deep-dish pizza.

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4. Home of the tallest skyscraper in the world, the Burj Khalifa.

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6. Known for its expensive housing market and the origin place of Lululemon.

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8. Home of the White House.

9. This city is known for housing the Empire State Building

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Across: 1. Tokyo 2. Las Vegas 3. Chicago 4. Dubai 6. Vancouver

Down: 2. London 5. Rome 7. Paris 8. Washington 10. New York

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Aries — Mar 21 to Apr 19 Don’t make any personal attachments you can’t commit to. It’s better to set your mind on something specific and come to a conclusion when you are at your best emotionally. It’s not fair to others if you hold false promises that can lead them across an undesirable path.

Leo — Jul 23 to Aug 22 You’re creative, inspiring, and confident. ® However, your confrontational attitude tends to draw in the wrong crowd. This is all well, but it’s important to maintain a calm composure so those closest to you do not worry.

Taurus — Apr 20 to May 20 Things are going wrong — perhaps it’s a problem with money, or you’re long behind a due date in a particular class. Regardless, it is important to balance your life.

When faced with an unpredictable outcome, it’s best to stick with what you know is right at heart. Be wise and avoid any circumstances that may stunt your growth; prioritize your own interests.

Virgo —Aug 23 to Sep 22 You have a talent for nurturing others, but you tend to neglect your own personal needs. Much like Leo, you need a break that requires mental and physical rest.

Your relationship with others is temporary — your relationship with your body is important above all else.

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Build your own custom worksheet at education.com/worksheet-generator

Gemini — May 21 to Jun 20 Avoid being indecisive. You’re an intelligent individual, but you tend to find yourself at two crossroads when making simple but effective decisions. With this, you must be aware of your faults and act responsibly when engaging with the world.

Cancer —Jun 21 to Jul 22 You’ve been working too hard. Way too hard. You need a break to focus on your mental and physical health. You might occasionally rest, but you feel stressed afterwards because it feels like there’s something you’re meant to be doing. Your brain is wired to work, work, work — so be kind to yourself this upcoming summer break. You deserve it.

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Across: 2. Buckingham Palace resides in this city, notoriously known for its rainy weather.

5. This city is famous for its ancient architecture, the Colosseum, and its notable history in textbooks.

7. The Eiffel Tower stands tall in this city.

8. Home of the White House.

9. This city is known as housing the Empire State Building.

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Events Calendar Sagittarius — Nov 22 to Dec 21

Deep down, you’re a perfectionist who Build your own custom worksheet at education.com/worksheet-generator

views life through the© 2007 lens- 2022 of Education.com a mechanic but fails to realize that much like a machine, life will not always operate in your best interest. Be aware of this when conflating your self-worth with what you earn or create.

Capricorn — Dec 22 to Jan 19 When sudden changes occur, your perspective on life goes haywire and you tend to grasp at the nearest comforting thing. It’s fine to indulge in what brings you joy, but always keep a healthy balance between “healthy indulgences” and “habits.”

Libra — Sep 23 Education.com to Oct 22 © 2007 - 2022 You strive for justice and to appeal to what is right both morally and rationally.

However, you find yourself questioning your own intentions. Keep clear with what you believe in, and do not let the obligations of others steer your moral direction.

Aquarius — Jan 20 to Feb 18 Be kind to your friends. Better yet, be kind to those you do not know personally.

Everyone is on their own journey; it’s your responsibility to make the world a little bit kinder.

Scorpio — Oct 23 to Nov 21 You’re cynical and competitive, but you care deeply for your friends. When you’re faced with interpersonal challenges, remember to be kind to yourself and do not allow your internalized anger to lash out at undeserving people.

Pisces — Feb 19 to Mar 20 You find particular value in time spent with loved ones. Shoot one of them a text reminding them how much they mean to you; sometimes messages get lost in translation, and it’s important to allow clarity.