Volume 62 Issue 20

the carillon the staff

editor-in-chief editor@carillonregina.com

john loeppky

executive director business@carillonregina.com

jacob nelson

production manager production@carillonregina.com

jeremy davis

advertising manager advertising@carillonregina.com

ty cote

technical editor frank nordstrom carillontechnical@carillonregina.com multimedia/Graphics editors

multimedia@carillonregina.com graphics@carillonregina.com copy editor copyeditor@carillonregina.com

kate thiessen sarah carrier morgan ortman hannah senicar

news editor news@carillonregina.com

sara birrell

a&c editor aandc@carillonregina.com

ethan butterfield

sports editor sports@carillonregina.com

tyler meadows

op-ed editor op-ed@carillonregina.com

taylor balfour

distribution manager distribution@carillonregina.com

kyle anderson

staff writer

elisabeth sahlmueller

staff writer

marty grande - sherbert

staff writer adeoluwa atayero a&c writer

janna wood

sports writer

brian palaschuk

web writer

contributors

jillian bader

Vol. 62

julia peterson

board of directors Erickka Patmore, Lindsay Holitzki, Maddie Ouelette, Dustin Smith. John Loeppky, and Jacob Nelson

the paper

227 Riddell Center University of Regina - 3737 Wascana Parkway, Regina, SK, Canada S4S 0A2 www.carillonregina.com Ph: (306) 586 8867 Printed by Star Press Inc, Wainwright, AB The Carillon welcomes contributions.

Opinions expressed in the pages of the Carillon are expressly those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of The Carillon Newspaper Inc. Opinions expressed in advertisements appearing in the Carillon are those of the advertisers, and not necessarily of The Carillon Newspaper Inc. or its staff.

The Carillon is published no less than 11 times each semester during the fall and winter semesters and periodically throughout the summer. The Carillon is published by the Carillon Newspaper Inc., a non-profit organization. land acknowledgement The carillon is written on treaty four territory. As such, the staff recognize that we are living, working, and telling stories on and of Indigenous lands. We recognize that we are on the traditional homelands of the Nakota, Lakota, and Dakota peoples, along with the homeland of the Métis nation. The carillon understands that it is pointless to acknowledge the land on which we work without speaking to our commitment to telling stories and prioritizing voices that further the return of the land to its place sacred place in the cultures of those that live here. the manifesto In keeping with our reckless, devil-may-care image, our office has absolutely no concrete information on the Carillon’s formative years readily available. What follows is the story that’s been passed down from editor to editor for over forty years.

In the late 1950s, the University of Regina planned the construction of several new buildings on the campus grounds. One of these proposed buildlings was a beltower on the academic green. If you look out on the academic green today, the first thing you’ll notice is that it has absolutely nothing resembling a belltower.

The University never got a belltower, but what it did get was the Carillon, a newspaper that serves as a symbolic bell tower on campus, a loud and clear voice belonging to each and every student.

The People’s Friend; the Tyrant’s Foe

The University of Regina Students’ Newspaper Since 1962 February 27 - March 4, 2020 | Volume 62, Issue 20 | carillonregina.com

news

Legal battle continues

cover

URSU has switched health insurance providers without consulting students.

This has left the student body with several as yet unanswered questions regarding the new plans, the cost, and coverage.

news

P.4

Dr. Emily Eaton is set to return to court in her case against the university. The university is attempting to keep hidden the indentity of those funding their natural gas and oil reasearch.

FNU graffiti

arts

P.6

Teaching and Protesting P.7

The First Nations University was found sprawled with gaffiti on Feb. 14. This event following the George Elliot Clark Controversy and amidst the national Wet’suwet’en protests.

Canada is in the midst of a crisis. The Federal Goverment refuses to meet with the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs and the RCMP have not backed down. The crisis has even impacted Regina.

op-ed

sports

graphics

photos

cover................................ morgan ortman news........................ gofundme screenshot news............................... ethan butterfield a&c....................................... jeremy davis sports................................... uofr Athletics op-ed............................................ needpix

Canada West

P.11

The Cougars made out well at the Can West championships for Track and Field. They return with 11 medals total, two of those being gold.

Perceptions of Addiction P.16

Sarah Carrier and Jill Bader

Taylor Balfour challenges harmful additudes towards those suffering with addiction.

Our talented Graphics Editor/Multimedia editor Sarah Carrier joins Jillian Bader in our graphics section this week.

News

3

Editor: sara birrell news@carillonregina.com the carillon | February 27 - March 4, 2020

URSU switches healthcare provider with very little public input No public disclosure of switch away from current company julia peterson web writer The University of Regina Students’ Union, without engaging in a competitive bidding process or allowing for input from constituents, has decided to change student health insurance providers for the coming year. Studentcare, which has served the student body for the past 16 years, will be replaced by Waterloo-based student health insurance company, Gallivan.

A letter obtained by the Carillon from Lev Bukhman, the CEO of Studentcare, addressed to URSU Board chair Victor Oriola, raises concerns about how the board made their decision to award a contract of this magnitude entirely behind closed doors and with no minutes for the public to consult.

“I am writing to express my deep concern about the University of Regina Students’ Union (URSU) decision to award a $6 million group health and dental plan contract to an alternate plan administrator without due process,” Bukhman begins. “URSU has not been transparent or accountable with public funds, exercised due diligence, consulted with its members or held an open and fair competitive bidding or tendering process. This failure of governance would likely constitute the largest untendered contract ever awarded at the University of Regina.”

Currently, full-time students pay $145.67 a semester to be covered under the Student Health and Dental Plan.

Oriola says he believes in his predecessors’ process in deciding to award the contract to Gallivan during the in-camera session of the April 9, 2019 board meeting.

“The board then would have done their due diligence,” he said.

“They would have assessed the matter before them, and made the decision that they believe is best for the organization. And my job as an executive is to provide counsel and advice to the board, but most importantly to implement what their vision is. And seeing as this is a directive that had been issued to the executive committee before me, my sole responsibility in this case is to fulfill the wishes of the Board.”

However, while Oriola is committed to executing this plan under his leadership, he would not comment on how much the

plan will cost, how services will change or whether he believes it was appropriate for the board to change service providers without informing the wider student body until after the decision was made.

“You’re asking me to speak to decisions that were made before I was there,” he said.

In his letter, Bukhman raises the issue that the new contract – scheduled to come into effect in September 2020, according to him – will be enacted over 16 months and two board terms since the decision to switch was made. Despite this time delay and institutional turnover, Bukhman maintains the board has a responsibility to the campus community to engage in an open bidding process.

“Simply put, URSU has a legal and moral duty to its members to engage in due diligence and due process to ensure that students’ best interests are protected and student money is spent wisely,” he said. “Failure to do so exposes URSU, its officers, staff and board members to various forms of liability. The importance of integrity, transparency, and accountability cannot be overstated.… Under the URSU constitution, it falls to the Board to ensure the integrity of URSU.” Oriola says the tone of his discussions with Studentcare about terminating the contract has been what anyone might expect in this situation.

“Well, they disagreed with our assessments, with the assessments of the board,” he said.

“And they asked us to reconsider. The Board has indicated that they do not have much of an interest in reconsidering.”

Current board member Jacq Brasseur says, when Studentcare representatives made a presentation to the URSU board in the Fall, they were not taking the decision well.

“During a meeting where they were meant to provide an annual report presentation, [the Studentcare representatives] spent part of the presentation (what I perceived to be) berating the board about their decision not to renew the contract and that they did it in a way that was very unprofessional and it felt manipulative, taking advantage of a new board of inexperienced student leaders,” they said.

Former URSU President Shawn Wiskar, who served during the time period where URSU was making these decisions, recalls the

Jaecy Bells

The usual at the students’ union

students’ union looking into multiple insurance provider options before settling on Gallivan.

“I know we looked at the big providers,” he said. “We were looking at Studentcare, and then we looked at Gallivan, obviously, and then there was also a consideration for Green Shield – but because they had a very limited customer base, I don’t think our conversation got very far with them.… We effectively had three companies in mind and then, through informal conversations with them and then them giving us quoted prices, it became clear that there were really only two competitors.”

Wiskar says the board ultimately chose to award the contract to Gallivan because it is significantly less expensive while providing comparable or better services. When asked if the decision should have gone to the student body, he said the change was small enough not to warrant

broader discussion.

“It’s not necessarily something that the students need to have a voice in,” he said. “Because they don’t deal with the day-to-day logistics, it would be hard to solicit feedback on how you feel the providers are doing on the company side, when they don’t have experience with that.”

Concluding his letter, Bukhman makes three calls to action: “Revers[e] this improperly made decision to [award] a secret $6 million contract; engag[e] in a robust consultation process with students; [and follow] due process by engaging the University of Regina Purchasing Department to execute a professional, transparent and fair competitive tendering process.”

Access to quality healthcare is a key concern for many University of Regina students, and if Gallivan provides an improvement on current coverage at a lower cost in the next academic year, that can

only be celebrated. But $6 million is not a trivial expenditure, and healthcare is not a trivial service.

The Board’s decisions to forego a formal, public bidding process and delay in informing the student body raises serious questions about how and why they arrived at their conclusion.

“You’re asking me to speak to decisions that were made before I was there.” – Victor Oriola

February 27 - March 4, 2020

carillonregina.com | The Carillon | 4

news

Professor returns to court in case against University of Regina Emily Eaton is unrelenting in finding out where the research paper trail leads adeoluwa atayero staff writer Associate Professor of Geography, Dr. Emily Eaton, returns to court on Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 10 a.m. for the next phase of her ongoing trial against the University of Regina. Eaton made headlines last spring when she requested to know who was funding an oil and gas research being conducted at the university. Eaton’s official request for documents related to fossil fuel research work at the university and the parties involved in its funding dates back to Nov. 7, 2017. Eaton requested four pieces of information crucial to the nature of her research: the titles of the research projects, the amount of money being used for the research projects, the department of faculty receiving the funding, and the person or company giving the funding. Her request was denied and resulted in a legal battle as the University remained steadfast in its decision to not disclose the company supplying the research money, and those receiving it.

In May 2019, the university’s request to present the documents confidentially was ruled against

by Justice Meghan McCreary with the Court of Queen’s Bench.

The Freedom of Information and Privacy Act (FOIP) was cited by the university as their defence for wanting to release only the titles of the project and the amount of money involved, but not the agency behind the funds. The case, which was supposed to go to court at the end of Aug. 2019, was adjourned because Eaton’s lawyer was between firms. While awaiting the new court date, Eaton was optimistic that the university would release the documents and bring an end to the legal drama.

“I was hopeful that the university would come to its senses in the meantime. For example, my colleague, Patricia Elliott, made a Freedom of Information request to the provincial government and she was also going to court against the government to get the documents. However, they came to their senses and handed their documents in a few days before the court date. I was really hoping in the long interim period that the university would understand that its case is very weak and hand over the documents without the expense of the hearing,” says Eaton.

Expenses are a huge part of every legal case and this one is no different. To help cover her legal fees for the hearing, Eaton created a GoFundme page which has raised 1,200 dollars. The Cana-

Website Screenshot via GoFundMe

Crowdfunding the academic freedom that the U of R claims to hold dear

dian Association of University Teachers passed a resolution in the fall which donated another 1,200 dollars to her cause.

“I do expect to use up all of that money in this court case but the university is spending more than that because they have more expensive lawyers. However, I do not want to over-fundraise so I will wait and see what the bills are like.”

Eaton is hopeful that the case will end in her favour after the decision on the 26th. However, she mentioned that the financial burden of a legal case of this magnitude is a lot for a private citizen.

This brings to light one of the many issues with the Freedom of Information laws where the onus is on the person requesting the information to take whomever they are requesting information from to court.

“Because the privacy commissioner does not have the power to compel, it is very easy for public institutions in Saskatchewan to simply ignore the recommendations of the privacy commissioner, which is what happened in this case,” said Eaton.

The university flouted the recommendations of Ronald Kruzeniski, the Saskatchewan Information and Privacy Commissioner, to make the information Eaton requested available on the grounds that they fundamentally disagreed with his interpretation of the FOIP act. Administration maintain that the donor(s) and recipients of the funds are not covered in the FOIP act because they are details of academic research.

Executive Director of University Governance and Head of Access to Information and the Protection of Privacy, Glenys Sylvestre, penned a letter to the commissioner following his recommendations where she referred to a meeting held at his office on Nov. 21, 2019.

Sylvestre states that the university “attempted to provide further explanation and context with respect” and does “not intend to repeat those submissions here, other than to respectfully state that the U of R does not concur with the analysis contained in the report.”

Eaton mentioned, however, that even in the midst of the

legal brouhaha she has heard or received nothing but support from her colleagues. Eaton had this to say: “the administration cannot punish me for doing this because we do have academic freedom and academic freedom is meant to protect professors in their pursuit of research and lines of inquiry. Things have been fine so far but of course, things would be better if I was not pursuing a case against my employer. It does make for some awkward moments.”

She also noted that she has received messages from people off campus who are happy that she is pursuing this case. She believes this support comes because of what the case signifies at its core.

“What it comes down to is whether it should be possible in public research institutions that are at least in part funded by public dollars to engage in secret research or not. The information I was requesting was not the findings of the research or other sensitive information. This is the most basic information that you would need in order to have a picture of what types of research is happen-

ing at the university. If the university feels like they cannot reveal this information, they are taking a policy stand that a public institution is open to secret research being conducted by private funders.

That is not a position we have all agreed to as an academy. If that is the position the university wants to take, it ought to make that a policy and make it go through an approval process. I don’t think the university has the consent for that type of policy.”

“If the university feels like they cannot reveal this information, they are taking a policy stand that a public institution is open to secret research being conducted by private funders. That is not a position we have all agreed to as an academy.” – Dr. Emily Eaton

February 27 - March 4, 2020

carillonregina.com | The Carillon | 5

news

Tim Horton’s new and improved rewards system More options and more free food and drinks

elisabeth sahlmueller staff writer In 1964, the first Tim Hortons opened in Hamilton, Ontario.

Since then, this company has not only grown significantly in popularity, but has also become a well-known Canadian establishment. Over these last 55 years, Tim Hortons has been serving Canadians a variety of hot and cold beverages, sandwiches, soups and baked goods. Additionally, Tim Hortons has attempted to maintain its modern appeal by frequently introducing new menu items, as well as launching Tims Rewards, a rewards program for loyal customers, last March. However less than a year later, Tim Hortons has decided to replace its current rewards system with a new and improved one that is based on earning and redeeming points, rather than the number of visits. With this new points-based rewards system, Tim Horton’s hopes to increase its sales, give customers more menu items to choose from, and move more into a digital format.

Through Tim Hortons previous rewards system, customers scanned their rewards card at the time of their purchase. Upon their eighth visit, they were rewarded and could receive a free coffee, cookie, or donut. Shortly

after its launch, this system quickly gained attention and members, evident by the almost eight million registered individuals. This large membership is unsurprising since many customers, as University of Regina of staff employee Gillian Van der Ven pointed out to me, enjoy receiving “free items.” For third-year Human Justice student Debor Ghosh, the Tim’s Rewards program “is a good system” because he enjoys all the “free coffee” he is able to get.

Despite these advantages, the previous Tim Rewards system offered a limited number of menu items for customers to choose from for their rewards. Additionally, Tim Horton’s saw a 4.6 per cent decrease to their sales last year, which suggests that the program may not be as effective as they had anticipated.

However, Tim Horton’s hopes that these problems will be eliminated with its new reward system. According to Mike Hancock, the company’s chief operational officer, “these changes will [offer customers] even more valuable offers and redemption choices … to make this one of the most compelling and loved loyalty programs in the country” (as quoted from an online newsfire article).

This new rewards system will center around the collection of points. For each purchase over

Wikimedia Commons

Shitty coffee supporting worker-hating capitalists just got cheaper

$0.50 and thirty minutes apart, customers will earn ten points.

Once an individual collects a certain amount of points, they will be able to receive a free item, depending on the available options within that specific point value level. Each point level includes a variety of menu items. The lowest (fifty points) offers hashbrowns, cookies or donuts and the highest (220 points) offers the farmer breakfast sandwich, lunch sandwiches and chili.

Similar to the old rewards system, this new program will

also use the same card.

However, all former members will not automatically be switched over to the new system. Current members must go to the Tim Hortons website, or their Tim Hortons app, and register both their card and email to create an account with this new system. It also should be acknowledged that all of the visits individuals had formerly obtained will not be lost when they switch to the system, but will instead be transferred over. For example, every visit from earlier will count as ten points

and every reward not obtained will count as eighty points within the new system.

Through this additional online component, customers will be able to choose what reward level they want to work toward, and this can be changed at any time online or through the app.

According to campus Chartwell’s employees, the rewards system will not be available on campus.

Jana Pruden set to deliver 2020 James M. Minifie Lecture

Award-winning writer to speak on the future of journalism adeoluwa atayero staff writer The University of Regina’s School of Journalism will be hosting the annual James M. Minifie Lecture on Tuesday, March 3.

The event will take place at the University Theatre and will begin at 7 p.m. This year’s speaker is acclaimed feature writer at The Globe and Mail, Jana Pruden. Pruden’s impressive resume includes crime bureau chief at the Edmonton Journal, winning Slate’s best crime writing 2013, and inspiring a major movie production, among others. Prior to working at The Globe and Mail, Pruden worked at the Regina Leader-Post for seven years where she had a number of colleagues who were graduates of the U of R’s J-School.

“When I lived and worked in Regina, I would attend the Minifies. It really means a lot to be able to speak at one. When I look at the list of people who have delivered Minifies in the past – some of the greatest and most respected journalists in our history – I really do think it is a great honour. I’m not sure I could have ever imagined myself being on that stage when I was in the seats watching those lectures years ago. It is pretty profound and special to be asked to deliver it,” says Pruden.

For Mark Taylor, Head of the Journalism School, asking Pruden to be this year’s speaker was a no-brainer.

“I thought she was a good

Kate Thiessen

MacEwan sessional comes to campus to inform about journalism

selection because she is the best in the business at what she does, feature writing. She has a Regina connection and her enthusiasm for journalism is infectious. I believe this will not only rub off on our students but also on the community and we will have a great night.”

After doing intense research, Pruden settled on the topic of her lecture, “Give Me Rewrite: Drafting a New Future for Jour-

nalism”. The profession of journalism is riddled with limitless issues in the new age, which is why it was important for Pruden to dig deep to find the one she resonated the most with, she says.

“I started preparing by going back and reading previous Minifie lectures and reflecting on the history of this business, as well as my career. I am a sessional journalism instructor at MacEwan University so I think a lot about

what the future looks like for journalists. Reflecting on where we came from and where we are going encompasses a lot of things I am interested in.”

Pruden also wants her lecture to help members of the public understand what it is journalists actually do and why they do it.

For Pruden, this is especially important as we live in an era of #FakeNews, where the work of journalists is always under attack.

It is Pruden’s hope that after her lecture, people in attendance will be able to look back differently and what they want the future of journalism to look like.

February 27 - March 4, 2020

carillonregina.com | The Carillon | 6

news

First Nations University of Canada struck by graffiti

Abusive vandalism appears on outside wall john loeppky editor-in-chief On Feb. 14, graffiti reading “Fuck You U Deadbeat,” “I Hate You,” and “How Rez is That???” appeared on an outside wall of the First Nations University of Canada. At the time, Public Affairs Strategist for the University of Regina, Everett Dorma, said that the sequence of events as he understood it were that the graffiti was placed overnight and was removed same-day by First Nations University of Canada staff. Due to the timing of the incident, nobody was able to give a comment from First Nations University of Canada or campus security on the day of the incident.

According to Dorma both the Regina Police Service and Campus Security were called once the spray paint was discovered. Neither Dorma nor any of those we spoke to wanted to go as far as calling the incident one that was racist, given that the motive of the incident is unclear. Associate Professor Patricia Elliott, who teaches at FNU, says the vandalism is a clear detriment to students.

“This is such a stressful time of year for students, and to have to deal with this hateful message in the middle of it is just heartbreaking. It’s just incomprehen-

sible to me why somebody would do that to our beautiful building at First Nations University. Indigenous students are already coping with all the fallout over the George Elliott Clarke lecture, and now this happens. I just hope the person who did it is found and held to account.”

“It’s so devastating to see that kind of thing when you’re coming to school in the morning. All I can say is that I’m hoping students can just keep focused on their studies and to not let this ruin their school experience, because what they are doing at the university are great things. I just hope for healing among the students over this assault, because it really was an assault on our students.”

When asked for a comment, social work student Tracie Leost said that the graffiti struck at the core of the community.

“Specifically, as an Indigenous student [with] all that FNU means for us, I think it’s disgusting and incredibly disrespectful that anybody would put something like that on a building and I hope that our larger campus community and our non-indigenous population understand that and we have no clue who did it, but I really hope everyone understands kind of how hurtful that is, how disappointing it is to finally have a place that represents you

Ethan Butterfield

The spray paint was quickly removed on the same day

and your identity and then have people disrespect it.”

Asked previously about the tensions following the Clarke lecture fallout, Dorma pointed back to the campus’ want to protect their property.

“We don’t really know what the motive was for the graffiti person. [It] certainly was not appropriate and, again, we would rather that people didn’t deface our property like that.”

When asked about what steps the campus would be taking to protect marginalized students

affected by the incident, Dorma pointed back to Campus Security.

“Well, campus security provides support and their services to First Nations University and they are on site 24/7, and any incidents that are viewed or identified should be reported to campus security.”

When asked whether campus was doing enough to protect marginalized students, Leost’s initial response spoke volumes.

“Never. I think we need to be actively working, assembling, and working together to ensure that

Indigenous students, staff, and community members know that they can feel safe on campus, and when your spaces are disrespected that doesn’t feel safe.”

Provost Tom Chase called the events “Disturbing. Very unfortunate, and very disturbing.”

Chase was also asked about how the campus was supporting students in light of this and earlier incidents, including the April, 2019 defacement of two FNU tipis, Chase said he was “unaware” of any previous vandalism issues.

Coronavirus affects former campus student Deaths rise as precautions tighten

john loeppky editor-in-chief With fears heightening around the Coronavirus, unsubstantiated sinophobia (bearing echos of the racism clear across Canada during the SARS epidemic) on the rise, and events across the globe being disrupted, including Paralympic testing tournaments, tech conventions, and travel plans, those on the ground are feeling a distinct sense of pressure One University of Regina alumnus – who has been granted anonymity – currently living in Southern China, says that the current situation on the ground is as unclear as it is for the outside world “It is a confusing situation, to say the least, because China seems to be introducing new legislation every day. So, one day something’s okay to do, and then the next day it’s not okay.”

“At the beginning people were allowed to roam around more freely, but now it’s basically illegal to gather in any large groups.”

Places where many people are expected to gather, such as schools and factories, have been especially disrupted. The person we spoke to has an apartment with a curfew, a condition that many areas, including whole cities, have implemented, along with roadside stops and travel clearance rules. This is in addition, in this person’s area, to a mandatory

fourteen-day quarantine for those who leave the local area and then return.

“Basically, anybody who has been living in China who travels anywhere has now been getting extra checks or balance, if you will. It doesn’t matter if you’re Chinese or you’re foreign.”

Despite the restrictions, of the three eating establishments stiill available in the student’s area, two are McDonald’s and Burger King (there’s a comment on capitalism in there somewhere).

For the University of Regina graduate one challenge has been their family’s concerns.

“My family’s reaction, I’m sure, is just as you would expect it.

‘Come home! Here’s the money for a flight, let us book you a ticket!’ And now I told them, ‘Well, it’s too fucking late. I’m sorry.’

Now I can’t actually get home without taking six layovers in different countries and paying like five thousand dollars for a ticket.

And I said, ‘I have two cats, I have my significant other type person here, so what do you expect me to do?’ I check in with them as much as possible.”

One way the apartment complex of the person we spoke to is handling those in quarantine is placing a taped strip over their door. Authorities then come back to check if those inside have exited by inspecting the tape. According to the person we spoke to, if they are found to have exited when they were not supposed to,

they find themselves hauled away.

According to the graduate there are two distinct groups of people when it comes to fear of the virus.

“There are two parties right now, there are people who are just not worried at all, I guess I would say they’re not worried enough; and then there are the people who are too worried, and like, fearmongering. There are very few people falling in the middle.”

“People do need to worry, but they don’t need to fearmonger, either.”

Source

The streets of Southern China are deserted with the threat of the virus

Arts & Culture

7

Editor: ethan butterfield aandc@carillonregina.com the carillon | February 27 - March 4, 2020

Teach-in and counter protest held at Scheers Solutions are needed. janna wood a & c writer Beneath the sombre, urgent tone that lay across a single parking space and adjacent ribbon of prohibitively striped lot, attendees of Saturday’s Wet’suwet’en Solidarity Teach-In at Andrew Scheer’s Albert Street office greeted one another with warm smiles and encouraging words. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder in the unseasonable slush, protesters held homemade signs and waved flags as Elder Archie Weenie encouraged playing children to smudge in preparation for the speeches and prayers to come.

Immersing ten red bandanas in the smudging smoke, he called for ten males from the small crowd to wrap them around their necks, some covering their noses and mouths to inhale the lingering scent of burnt sage.

“Red represents anger,” he said, speaking softly into a megaphone, because everyone turns red when angered. Voice strengthening, he continued. “It’s not violence. No, they’re two different things. Here, I promote good stuff. There’s a way we can deal with stuff without violence.

But we gotta stand up. We gotta stand up.”

After a prayer, speech, and song, the megaphone was passed among those who were prepared to speak, then among volunteers who wished to share their stories and add to the message that Andrew Scheer recent “check your privilege” comments prove he is out of touch. That the ancestral homelands of societies like Wet’suwet’en are not only sacred, but also legally protected from unwanted development which may limit or destroy their ability

to carry out traditional activities within the territory. That the need to act against climate change so urgent that compromise is no longer an option.

Individual motivations for defending the Coastal Gas Link pipeline are diverse – among them, workers from steel, gas, and oil industries whose incomes rely on the successful expansion of petroleum infrastructure; Indigenous and non-Indigenous groups alike who are compelled by the potential economic benefits to be reaped by assenting First Nations communities, the government, and industry alike; those who simply don’t recognize the right of First Nations communities – whether governed by bands and councils (which retain some leadership traditions but must abide by government regulations as imposed by the Indian Act) or sovereign hereditary leadership – to maintain control of their ancestral lands, which have been held in trust by the Crown since the signing of treaties during the mid-to-late 1800’s.

“Putting our bodies on the line for our Earth is not a privilege, it’s our obligation,” remarked Kale MacLellan, who organized the Facebook page for this event. She invited participants to join her in silk-screening artful messages of solidarity provided by Indigenous artist Christi Belcourt onto t-shirts and bandanas. “Consultation is not consent,” one read.

Later, a member of the Treaty 4 Thunderbird clan, Thunderbird Thunderwoman, reminded the crowd to “do everything with love” before being briefly drowned out by the roar of a truck, loudly accelerating away after driving through a lane at

the edge of the crowd occupied mainly by media reporters and camera operators.

Not long after, a woman who identified herself as the owner of Vapexcape stood in front of her store, yelling at protestors for inhabiting an unmarked parking spot she claimed ownership of, paying for it as part of her lease.

She produced a Métis card, anticipating accusations of racism as she chastised the group for blocking the entrance to her store, though the police officer tasked with overseeing the event confirmed to demonstrators that this accusation was not accurate. As the owner left to speak with the officer, multiple witnesses claimed she had threatened to drive her car through a table bearing food and water.

Shortly after the peace was restored, it was time to leave – a small counter-protest had been organized by members of the People’s Party of Canada at City Hall for 2:00 that afternoon, and several members of the group planned to make an appearance.

Naomi Hunter of the Saskatchewan Green Party declined to share the location of the protest with this correspondent, she said, out of a desire to prevent counter protesters from garnering attention, apologetically adding, “I know that’s terribly partisan of me”. Luckily, several other attendees volunteered the information before themselves heading to City Hall.

Thirty minutes into the counter-protest, most attendees were immersed in discussions with members of their respective opposing groups. Some conversations ended in handshakes, others in finger-wagging, disgruntled muttering, and raised voices.

Trevor Wowk of the People’s Party of Canada claimed responsibility for organizing the event.

“It’s exceeded my wildest expectations”, he said. “People are sharing their points of view. I feel that’s what we need to do, as – shall I say I’m a little more mature than a lot of the people who are passionate and emotional on this issue? Just to bring the rhetoric down, bring the hyperbole down, and let’s talk to each other eye-to-eye, face-to-face, share our opinions and reach a consensus”.

Calling the hereditary governance of Wet’suwet’en clans “hereditary democracy,” Wowk asserted his belief that their process was “probably a stronger democratic approach than what we have in electing officials in Canada”.

However, he went on to criticize Wet’suwet’en’s hereditary chiefs for “dragging in influence from the United Nations, from First Nations across the country, from supportive non- First Nations folks, to blockade the economy and the economic infrastructure of Canada.” Beginning with a disclaimer that he is “not a fan” of the UN and particularly takes issue with UN decisions influencing Canadian law, Wowk’s proposal for solving the pipeline dispute generally lines up with those outlined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: First Nations have the right to self- determination through traditional governance processes. He suggests that all communities affected by pipeline construction “come together, in their potlach, under the Wet’suwet’en democratic, hereditary traditions, of getting together as a community to hash it out for themselves, and let all these white people, all these First Na-

tions bands, all the environmental NGO’s that are funding the dissent get the hell out and let the Wet’suwet’en deal with it first and foremost.”

Unfortunately, crucial gaps in legal precedent trouble the efficacy of simple solutions such as these. Though the landmark Supreme Court case of Delgamuukw vs. the Province of British Columbia in 1997 affirmed that Wet’suwet’en and the other Nations involved had adequately proven aboriginal title ownership of their land, no decision was reached regarding how land use disputes among the government and First Nations could be resolved. Canada was encouraged to renegotiate in good faith and compensate communities for any use of or damage to their lands as a result of land-use agreements, and all parties were directed to resolve future conflicts mainly through good faith discussions, turning to the courts for specific decisions only where necessary.

Since then, the Canadian government has largely failed to move forward in collaborating with Indigenous groups to create pathways for handling such disputes.

In short, no decision-making processes currently exist to construct compromises in cases like the current standstill between Coastal Gas Link, the Canadian government, and the clans of Wet’suwet’en. As the creation of such definitive processes would likely require years of productive talks and many more lawsuits, it seems that we are no closer to a solution today than we were 23 years ago.

Jeremy Davis

The protest was the continuation of earlier events such as the one pictured here

February 27 - March 4, 2020

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arts & culture

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Mitsu Cafe pop-up strikes again Mitsu Cafe sounds like it’s here to stay

marty grande-sherbert staff writer If you ever find yourself on a trip to Moose Jaw – and you’d like to eat something that isn’t Deja Vu chicken for once – I highly recommend Mitsu Sweet café & Sushi, the Japanese dessert cafe that has never disappointed me. Mitsu makes a huge variety of Japanese cuisine for lunch and dinner too, from tempura to sushi to donburi, but their sweet offerings are absolutely what makes them stand out.

As a Japanese-owned cafe, Mitsu serves desserts that absolutely take me back to the time I spent studying abroad in Japan, where I was a definite fan of bakeries and cake shops that have a certain flair you can’t find anywhere else.

If you can’t make it to Moose Jaw just to check it out, though, don’t worry. Mitsu in the past few years has been putting on “pop-up cafe” events at Japanese restaurants in Regina, like the recent one on Feb. 23. To say the events are popular would be an understatement. Luckily, I knew to get there half an hour early from previous experience and was able to get a seat. For most, though, that was impossible, as about 15 minutes after the starting time a line was already forming out the door.

People already love Mitsu Cafe in Regina, but I wanted to give some of its offerings a proper review and talk about them in detail, so I took a few friends to the pop-up and ordered four desserts and two drinks. There really was something there for everyone, including some things I didn’t try,

Marty Grande-Sherbert

Mitsu Sweet Cafe & Sushi isn’t just for The Jaw

but here are the top picks from my outing.

First, the little cutie featured in the photo above: the animal-shaped chocolate mousse.

This was a chocolate mousse covered in white chocolate with a fruit centre, which seemed to be strawberry. It was the favourite of one of the people I ate with, who was mostly in love with how it looked – apart from the kitty model, there were bunnies and pandas you could pick up too.

The mousse itself was great and not too sweet, which is usually the main drawback of a mousse. An excellent choice, especially for a photo op.

Second, we ordered two cheesecakes: the Japanese soufflé cheesecake and the mango

cheesecake. The soufflé looked very impressive, with a citrus glaze on top and a kind of wavy appearance, and an incredibly fluffy texture. The mango was delicious in its own way, with a mango jelly layer on top, a much smoother cheesecake texture, and an artistically placed slice of mango on top. If you like cheesecake, I recommend the mango most of all. It was my second time having it and I would still give it a solid 8 out of 10. The soufflé had a texture that wasn’t my particular taste, but my friend who loves fluffy desserts gave it endless praise.

The last food item was the most highly anticipated for me, and also my favourite: the melonpan. For those who haven’t had

it before, melonpan, or “melon bread,” is not actually made with melons but is a sweet bread with cookie on top that has stripes across its surface, making it look like a honeydew melon. It’s such a simple thing, but it was one of my favourite things to eat as a snack in Japan, and you simply can’t buy it here. So, of course, I immediately jumped at the chance to order it at the pop-up, and it was delicious, soft, sweet and cooked to just the right texture. Lots of people were taking them to go, and I’m sure they sold out in no time at all.

The drinks we ordered were a matcha latte, which was pretty average, but better than many, and the yuzu mitsu soda, which was a sweet soda drink with pieces of

the Japanese citrus fruit, yuzu. It’s hard to describe the taste of yuzu if you haven’t had it yourself, but the soda was delicious and I regretted not buying a second one for myself. If you go to Mitsu and don’t know what drink to order, I recommend giving it a try!

The pop-up’s location this time was The Tipsy Samurai, where my friends also ordered some delicious appetizers, so check them out too! Keep an eye out for the next Facebook event that sees Mitsu come back to Regina – I even heard a rumor that there may be a popup at the U of R someday, a treat for the high number of student on exchange here from Japan. Fingers crossed.

February 27 - March 4, 2020

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arts & culture

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Sask. Arts Board policy change Hope is for more representation on the org.’s board

janna wood a&c writer On February 19, 2020, the Saskatchewan Arts Board (SAB) announced a change in their conflict of interest policies which will allow artists and art professionals who are seeking agency- provided grants to also serve as board members. Now, they are calling upon the arts community to send in nominations of qualified individuals who would excel in this vital role. Candidates may either nominate themselves or be nominated by others.

Citing a need for greater representation of independent artists within the Board of Directors, the organization has opened nominations to all members of Saskatchewan’s thriving arts communities.

However, the announcement specifies that the SAB has “a particular interest in those with strong backgrounds in professional literary, media or performing arts”, stating that the successful candidate must have a “substantial track record and proven leadership in the arts in Saskatchewan as a volunteer, artist, educator, businessperson or administrator”.

The Arts Board Act of 1997 states that a third of all board directors must be selected from the

pool of community-nominated candidates in question The SAB website clarifies that a board director is responsible for “the development of policy priorities with an emphasis on providing relevant, accessible, and tailored services to meet the needs of our stakeholders,” and must conduct themselves in accordance with the standards outlined in the Board of Directors Governance manual, which emphasize the importance of ethical behaviour – especially regarding their strict conflict of interest policies – and adherence to the board’s code of conduct.

Due to the relatively small size of Saskatchewan’s arts community, conflicts of interest are bound to arise when friends, family members, or other associates apply for grants through the Saskatchewan Arts Board or are otherwise in a position where the approval of the Board of Directors stands to advance either party’s interests.

While the number of available spots has not been disclosed, their website currently boasts eleven members in total, who together hold “a wealth of knowledge and experience in areas such as artistic excellence, entrepreneurship, business, strategic planning, governance and finance.” They

Courtesy of the Saskatchewan Arts Board

Change in policy hopes to lead to more representation

also note the “extensive experience serving on other provincial boards of directors in a variety of public benefit sectors” shared by the current board.

All board members must be appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council, and are required to serve a two-year term.

Any members who wish to end their service before the two-year term is complete are required to give written notice, complete with an explanation of the reasons a

member has for resigning, to both the Minister and Board Chair in advance of their departure.

Surely, there must be a catch to this good news, right? Well, kind of. Members of the Board of Directors may only apply for grants of $20,000 or less, as the distribution of these are decided by a jury, and applicants are advised of their success or denial before the Board of Directors is notified via a report.

Applications are open until

March 31, 2020, and an Expression of Interest form is available on the Saskatchewan Arts Board website. For further information about this or other opportunities, the Saskatchewan Arts Board can be contacted via phone call at (306) 787-4056 (Regina) or 1-800-667-7526 (Toll-Free), or by email at nominations@saskartsboard.ca.

Sonic the Hedgehog review A review I never thought I’d write ethan butterfield a&c editor If you were to tell me (back when the first trailer was released) that a film based on a sapphire rodent [Copy editor’s note: they’re actually just mammal that are closer to shrews] known for being a giant meme was going to be the highest grossing videogame film of all time, well let’s just say we probably wouldn’t be friends anymore. I am struck with awe at that fact that Sonic the Hedgehog, out of all the videogame films that came before it, is the one that did really well with the whole not screwing things up thing. Now, am I saying I had no faith in it to succeed financially? Well, I mean… yeah, I guess that is what I’m saying.

I really don’t mean to be so shocked, it’s just… Sonic, you know? The character that ruined DeviantArt for a generation of people – well, that plus the people that used DeviantArt (look at me taking shots an irrelevant media site). Back to the film though. Yes, me being stunned aside, Sonic is a fairly decent family adventure film. I do use the word family with gritted teeth however, as the film does try to sneak in a few PG-13 jokes without anyone noticing. I’d mention a couple of them here if they didn’t sound so weird out of context.

Looking at the film’s acting, Jim Carrey is a definite highlight.

I’ve had a few of my friends ask me if this was a return to form for the actor, and the answer is a solid

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures and SEGA of America

Gotta go fast!

“more or less.” It’s not his older stuff, but he’s still entertaining.

He still gives 110 per cent in everything that he’s doing. There’s a (spoilers!) weird three-minute dance thing that’s probably more out of place then it needs to be but, other than that, Carrey does a solid job as the villainous Dr. Egg-Robot-Man-Nik. (I know it’s Robotnik, but I’m also nothing if not chaotic.)

Speaking of acting, James Marsden is weirdly good at it in this film? That sounds mean, but if you’ve ever seen him in anything he’s done, he’s just kind

of there. Like Matthew Broderick, the most 6/10 out of all the 6/10’s. In Sonic however, Marsden’s really enjoyable as a sort of plucky side character, who’s also the main character, because basing an entire Sonic movie on Sonic’s struggles alone is a recipe for disaster.

But what about Sonic? Yeah, for a walking, talking, blue hedgehog, Sonic is somewhat relatable and even endearing enough for the audience to care. The film does a good job at showing the funny, debatably charming, emphatic, socially awkward, de-

pressed (basically just a bunch of words that you could use to describe the average university student) nature of the hedgehog.

Also, I don’t know about you, but laughing at a joke that Sonic makes has got to be one of “looking at yourself in the mirror” moments.

Characters aside, what does the story have to offer? Well it’s effective because it’s simple. But that’s always been the basic principle of Sonic: it’s so effective because it’s so simple. Hedgehog runs fast, beats mean scientist man, and cracks a cringey 90s

joke/reference. Does the film do these things story-wise? Check, check, and check. As far as a more detailed plot summary goes, it’s a basic by-the-numbers hero A must get to objective B in order to save item C. Pretty standard all-in-all.

So is this film worth checking out? I’d say yes, but I’d also say at least try to know some of the source material before going in. Not that there’s much to understand, but you might catch a few references if you do. At the end of the day though, it’s up to you.

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arts & culture

Shelby Merry talks shows and songs Haunting surreal sound at it’s finest

ethan butterfield a&c editor When it comes to the landscape that is the music industry, there is such a wide variety of styles and tastes to choose from. One such genre that I have recently taken a liking to are the sort of haunting pop melodies that have recently started entering the scene. One such artist, Shelby Merry, owns this genre and then some. From her original work to her involvement in the popular Netflix series Final Space, Merry will certainly be making waves in the future.

I was lucky enough to talk shop with Shelby and get a better understanding of her musical mindset.

What got you into per-

Courtesy of Adult Swim

Still from Final Space

forming/singing?

I grew up working in radio with my mom, so I’ve always been around music. I went to school to be a writer, and ended up loving the music classes more!

Why do you perform the style of haunting pop melodies that you do?

As I said before, I went to school to be a writer. I tend to lean towards creepy, haunting kind of stories. So that naturally comes out in my music writing.

I feel it’s safe to say there’s a lot of passion behind your

music, what does your music mean to you?

each album is like a time capsule I get to revisit.

My music means a side of me that I get to flex. I love dark imagery, and I take a lot of inspiration from my life, so I get to tell that in interesting ways.

What have been some of he most difficult challenges to overcome as a performer?

Have their been songs or projects that you enjoy working on more than others, or do they all hold a special place for you?

I really loved working on Tiger Heart. I was in a weird place when I wrote that album. It literally exploded out of me. Everything holds a special place, but

I am not a tech savvy person, at all. So learning how to do backtracks, in ears, PA system, all of that has been a task to say the least. There is a side to performance that is very technical and I am not good at it.

Where do you hope your music takes you?

My goal this year is to get management and a label. I have

big ambition and goals, and this year I’m running with the throttle wide open.

How did you come to be involved in the show, ‘Final Space”?

My friend Jake Sidwell brought me into that project, and Olan Rogers brought me on board officially. I had done some work that went viral online, and that’s how they both found me.

What was your initial reaction when hearing your song play on the show?

I grasped my chest, haha! I couldn’t believe it. I even cried.

Will you continue to feature songs on the show, or are you taking a break after the second season?

We will continue to write custom pieces tailored for the show, but as far as my personal music I think the two will remain separate.

Last question, what is the next goal/step for you?

I am currently getting a live show together, so touring is the next big goal for me. I want to start meeting the faces behind the people who support me.

Sports

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Editor: tyler meadows sports@carillonregina.com the carillon | February 27 - March 4, 2020

Joseph and Neigum golden at Canada West track and field championships “It was an amazing feeling. I had a huge smile on my face.” brian palaschuk sports writer The U of R Cougars track and field team is one of the fastest rising rosters in the country. In Saskatoon, Saskatchewan at the 2020 Canada West Championships, the Cougars put up another strong performance winning 11 medals, including two gold. They finished fourth in the women’s meet and sixth in the men’s competition.

The men’s team was led by another strong performance from their young stars. Rookie Scott Joseph highlighted the meet with his long jump. Joseph jumped an incredible 7.67m on his final attempt of the meet to secure the gold medal. The first-year’s mark is a new Cougar record, besting head coach Wade Huber’s mark of 7.53m from 2006.

It also stands as a Saskatchewan open record and falls just four centimetres short of the Canadian under-20 record in the event.

With his gold medal jump, Joseph leads U Sports and will be a medal favourite in Edmonton at the national championship. There he will have another crack at James McAndrew’s Canadian record, a mark which has stood since 1975.

His teammate Ron Maclean talks about the electrifying jump.

“It was a storybook ending of a long jump – Scott was the last one to jump and he needed to PB [personal best] and break the record to win the competition

and he got the clap going, then he jumped it and the crowd lost it. It was super cool; it gave me goosebumps.”

Joseph’s performances, including a follow up bronze medal in the triple jump earned him Canada West rookie of the year honours. This is the second straight year a Cougar has won the award as Joely Welburn won it in 2019.

Also winning a medal for the men was fellow rookie Ron Maclean. Maclean won a surprise bronze medal in the 1000m, an event that is new for the first-year Cougar.

“The one (kilometre) went better than expected on Friday.

The race was nothing like I’ve experienced; it was bunched up – I think I was sitting in fifth the whole race until the last corner when I went by two guys and into third. It was a pleasant surprise.”

While Maclean has had a dominant year so far, the Canada West Championship was not without adversity for the rookie.

“I was a little bit disappointed with the 1500m, I was trying to lead that one. Leading a race can be mentally exhausting, and I hit a wall at like 800m and I just didn’t have the legs. I was pretty disappointed with the race, but the time wasn’t terrible, and I still scored but I’m definitely hoping to run better at Nationals.”

Maclean maintains his seventh-place U Sports ranking in that event with his Cougar record

of 3:50.83 and will be in the hunt for a medal at nationals.

“Nats is one of the deepest years it has been – everyone in that top 12 ranking is like two seconds apart so it will be an interesting race for sure.”

While Maclean ranks ninth in U Sports with his 2:27.12, he will not compete in the 1000m at U Sports, favouring the longer 1500m run and the men’s 4×800m relay. Post conference championships, the Cougar men remain atop the U Sports rankings in the 4×800 relay and will look for a medal at nationals in Edmonton.

“We were excited to see if we stayed first in the rankings. We are all super excited for that, that’s definitely our main focus at nats.”

Joseph’s bronze medal triple jump of 14.56m was good enough for fifth in the National U Sports rankings, and together the men combined for a sixth-place finish at the meet, equalling their ranking from 2019.

On the women’s side, Kaila Neigum and Joely Welburn led the Cougars. Second year Welburn won two medals with her performances, winning bronze in the high jump and silver in the long jump. The Cougars added to their success with two more bronze medals courtesy of Erika Stockhorst in long jump and Alysson Edwards in the pentathlon.

On the track, the women’s 4×800 team of Robyn Ham, Michaela Allen, Kelsey Haczkewicz

and Sarah Novakowski combined for another silver in the relay and Kaila Neigum won two medals for the Cougars, including a gold medal in the 3000m with her time of 4:38.47.

“My 3k was quite tactical. I knew the time I wanted to hit so I was on pace and I knew a lot of the girls couldn’t hit that pace. Three laps to go I was feeling really good, two laps to go I didn’t know I won it, but I had a feeling I did just by how good I felt and then the last lap I just went for it. It was an amazing feeling – I had a huge smile on my face.”

For Neigum the race was a perfect execution of a strategy that she usually doesn’t favour.

“It was the best kick of my life. I usually don’t have much of a kick, but for some reason in that race I did. Usually I like to push the middle laps of the race and take the kick out of the girls that have good kicks.”

The Regina local who attended Miller Comprehensive High School won her first Canada West medals in her third year of competition. In her first two years with the U of R, Neigum battled injury, so being healthy in 2020 was a key to her success.

“I think being injured did contribute to my improvement; not physically, but mentally. It’s a big mental barrier you have to overcome, and you have to figure out what your body needs to be healthy.”

Neigum also picked up a silver medal in the shorter 1500m run.

“I wanted to get that toptwo spot because top two makes Nationals. It was an indoor PB which is nice, but I was going for the school record and I was less than a second off, so I want to hit that at Nationals.”

While the messy qualification process for U Sport Nationals hasn’t been completed yet, the Cougars will likely be bringing 16-20 athletes to U Sports championships in Edmonton. This includes a number of first-time qualifiers such as Kaila Neigum who qualified via her podium performances.

“I’ve been to nationals twice, but both as alternate for the 4x800 team, so I haven’t actually experienced competing – its exciting.”

For Maclean, the last few weeks before nationals will be about tuning the details and making sure they have enough in the tank at the finish “Next couple weeks we are working more on our speed so when it comes down to it at U Sports, we have a little more strength.”

At last year’s national championship, the Cougars picked up two medals, but this year they

have the firepower to compete for more. They head into nationals with Scott Joseph ranked first in the high jump and have another first place ranking in the men’s 4×800m relay. They also have top-five seeds from Welburn and Amou Madol. Notably, Regina track and field product Vaughn Taylor of Victoria is also seeded first in the 600m run. The Cougars will be in action in Edmonton March 5-7.

University of Regina Athletics

Hit the ground running

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sports

Three Cougars named to hockey All-Star teams One team wins, and one team loses as Cougars drop play-in game

brian palaschuk sports writer The Cougar women finished their 2019-2020 season with a first-round playoff loss to the Mount Royal Cougars. Although it was an early playoff exit, the Cougars had a successful season.

They posted a 14-14 record and charged all the way from last place in Canada West to fifth in the division. They did this with a mix of contributions from veterans and rookies, including firstyear education student Paige Hubbard, who was nominated to the 2019-2020 Canada West All Rookie Team. For Hubbard, the end of the regular season was a highlight of the year.

“After Christmas break, we came back together, and we were all just really positive and energetic. I feel like we all lifted each other up and every game was a fun game. Our team just stepped it up and everyone stepped up their roles too.”

Despite the early loss in the playoffs, Hubbard doesn’t take it as a failure.

“It was a really good battle.

They were really good and made us battle, but we didn’t end up with the win, and they did.”

The first-year Cougar stepped in with big shoes to fill in her first season of eligibility and passed all the tests. She finished with five goals and eight assists and played in all 28 regular season games for the Cougars. She also led the team with a plus/minus of +2, one of the only players to receive a positive mark in that category. With the graduation of Magwood, Hubbard will have even more opportunity to shine

University of Regina Athletics

#22 Hubbard warming up before a game

as an offensive threat in 2020, and her first season performance bodes well for the future of this young roster.

“I never really expected this.

It’s kind of an unreal experience.

It’s really cool because I never thought going into this [year] that I would be here.”

With the 2020 season freshly in the books, Hubbard is already geared up and ready to go for the 2020-2021 season, “I am really excited for it. We have some good rookies coming in and I feel like our older girls will even step up more. We are re-

ally pumped, and I think we will have a good team next year too.”

The Cougars also graduate key players Jaycee Magwood, Tamara McVannel, and Jane Kish.

Magwood caps off her Cougars career with her third second team All-Star nomination. Magwood was fifth in Canada West scoring this season with a team leading 22 points and was instrumental in their second half run to get into playoffs. In her Cougars career Magwood ranks third all-time in scoring with 100 points, fourth all-time in goals with 48, and third all-time in penalty minutes,

a side effect of her dominating physical play.

Defender McVannel also received a second team All-Star nomination: her first in five years as a Cougar. McVannel anchored the back line for U of R in 2020; she put up 12 points and a 0 plus/ minus in her 28 games. McVannel finishes her five-year career second all-time in scoring from the blueline for Cougar athletes with 54 points and has been a backbone for the Cougars throughout her career.

Goaltender Jane Kish fell short of an All-Star nomination

Kish leading in the league Univewrsity of Regina Athletics

despite leading the league in shutouts in 2020. Fifth-year Kish graduates with the team records in single season shutouts and career shutouts, a testament to her ability to steal games for the Cougars, which she did no less than seven times in 2019-2020. Kish finished with her best year as a Cougar by far, posting a GAA of 1.39 and a save percentage of 0.938. She also ranks second for U of R goaltenders in all-time minutes played with 4635 and first all-time in wins with 38. For Hubbard, these veterans were instrumental in her early success.

“I’ve always looked up to those girls every time I’ve stepped on the ice. I really think they’ve helped push me to be the very best that I can be. They’ve definitely helped me throughout the year.”

In the offseason, Hubbard is looking to improve her goalscoring prowess.

“I want to just keep building on my strengths. I want to improve on my shot, just make it harder, so it’s more difficult to stop.”

Coming from Brandon, Manitoba to Regina can be a big transition, but for Hubbard, the rookie blues was never an issue.

“I’ve always really liked Regina. I have family here, so I can always go to them if I feel homesick. My parents can visit any weekend. It’s not a big difference so far.”

With the season over, there is still pro hockey going on, and Hubbard has an NHL connection.

“I like the New York Islanders because I have a cousin [Ryan Pollock] who plays for that team.”

While they are now in off-season, the Cougars will be hungry to return to playoff contention in 2021.

February 27 - March 4, 2020

sports

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Cougars hearts blow up on Valentine’s Day Efforts trump outcomes in playoff loss

tyler meadows sports editor The basketball season came to a very abrupt ending on Valentine’s day. The love affair with the Cougars has ended unsatisfyingly (pun dutifully intended). The was a palpable enjoyment with the basketball teams this year have been different because in some way they were underdogs that played hard still. The expectations are always playoffs for the women in particular – they have been a top team for a long time – but expectations were tempered this year. With the losses from last year combined with the injuries and tough schedule this year, the women’s team was doomed. The team was quite streaky this year and were about a .500 team but lost their last five games including their 49-69 loss.

In the game against Victoria, the teams went in seemingly evenly matched; however, they failed to capitalize on the opportunity to go forward in the playoffs. Whether it was tired legs or just a bad night, the Cougars could not hit shots, and in a game where making them is important to winning that’s not ideal. The Cougars shot 27 per cent from the field and 19 per cent from 3-point range. The

trio of Marissa Dheensaw, Aleah Ashlee, and Ashlyn Day nearly outscored the Cougars by themselves with 17, 15, and 15 points respectively on over 50 per cent shooting.

Coach Taylor, speaking with Cougars media, stood up for his team on a tough night, valuing the effort they displayed.

“It wasn’t one of our better nights and not for lack of effort on our part. We just didn’t shoot the ball well enough, and credit to Victoria. I thought they were very aggressive tonight and they did a good job of attacking when we were trying to play our way out of a hole.”

Coach Taylor is certainly not off base, his team grabbed 16 offensive boards and limited the Vikes 3-point shooting to 20 per cent. Yet, at the end of the day the Cougars missed 55 shots in 40 minutes of basketball and that proved to be too much to overcome.

The whole team has struggled shooting, the starters in particular, since the calendar turned to 2020. When splitting the blame pie for the starters, Faith Reid has struggled in particular, in her last 10 games she is 37-126, which is just under 30 per cent shooting.

Meanwhile co-offensive burdens

Courtesy of University of Athletics

A team with a lot of Heart

Michaela Kleisinger and Macaela Crone have been shooting above 40 per cent on almost exactly the same volume, 52-125 (42 per cent) and 59-129 (46 per cent). Reid does have the unpleasant job of spacing the floor as she takes more 3-pointers than the others which genuinely contributes to her poorer shooting numbers. However, if it’s your job to knock down those shots, the offence will struggle if you’re not

hitting them; this explains why the Cougars have really struggled down the stretch. Alexi Rowden and a combination of Avery Pearce and Madeline Tell have held down the other two starting spots and have done a solid job contributing. Rowden has knocked down 43 per cent of her attempts, while the combination of Tell and Pearce in that fifth spot have shot 33 per cent.

Ultimately, this is one of the

best outcomes given the situation the team was saddled with to begin the season. The team made the playoffs and perhaps in an alternate universe would have gone through the playoff game but, out of the unlimited number of possible outcomes, this was likely the most plausible, which sets the mood into a mild content for this season and hunger for the next.

Cruel mistress, sports, breaks hearts of men on Valentine’s day Cougars stabbed in the heart by Pronghorn tyler meadows sports editor The basketball season came to a very abrupt ending on Valentine’s day. The love affair with the Cougars has ended unsatisfyingly (pun dutifully intended). I feel like I can begin this article and simultaneously express the parallels of both the men’s and women’s team, while also double-dipping my excellent gender-neutral Valentine’s day puns. You’re welcome, and onto the men’s game.

Well talk about blowing the lead on this one, the men came up short in their play-in game with an 86-98 loss.

The Cougars fought hard but came up short. The men were partially playing shorthanded as their best player Carter Millar has missed the last few games due to injury, but gritted out 22-minutes of playoff basketball in a game he either wasn’t 100 per cent or felt extremely rusty for. Coach Steve Burrows protected his big man by letting him come off the bench and though he didn’t shoot the ball well, 1 point on 0-7 shooting, he chipped in with 9 boards and 5 assists. The Cougars in true form were as egalitarian as ever with five players scoring double figure points. Brayden Kuski led the way with 15, while Sam Hillis scored 13, brother Ben and Greishe Clerjuste chipped in 12, and Matt Barnard rounded it out with 10.

The fatal foursome of the Pronghorns was too much for the Cougars to handle. Kyle Peterson, Chad Oviatt, and Keanu

Courtesy of University of Athletics

A hard fought effort

Funa contributed 20 points each, and Jeffrey Rodehutskors poured in 15 in just 13 minutes of action.

Just as the threesome nearly outscored the women, this foursome nearly outscored the men, while shooting a ridiculous 57 per cent from the field.

The Cougars lived and died by the 3-pointer all year and ultimately fell short because of it in an extremely simplistic viewpoint.

They went 8-37 shooting 22 per

cent from downtown and if they had only shot a below average 32 per cent and made 12 instead of 8, the game would have been tied and it’s a whole different story. Sometimes, like in the case of the women, when it comes down to evenly matched teams as we outlined a few weeks ago, the games can just come down to which team makes more shots. It is a cruel world in sports and this men’s team had higher hopes

this year coming off a good playoff run last year. Perhaps with a healthy Millar the game would be different, but that is something that the men will have to worry about for next year.

It was the final game for Sam Hillis, who spent the last five years with the Cougars, and Clerjuste’s career with the Cougars is also over, meaning the two’s playoff minutes will have to be replaced next year. Hopefully veterans will

be able to step into the roles immediately to fill the shoes. The 2020-2021 season is right around the corner and though this Valentine’s day was heartbreak for Cougars all around, there will always be the fiery passion to battle the cruel mistress of sports.

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Sports Funnies john loeppky editor-in-chief Men’s hockey team to expand professional contract opportunities by training as Zamboni drivers After a season when the Cougars men’s hockey team went 8-20, the green and gold have decided to all retrain as Zamboni drivers. The success of David Ayers, Toronto Marlies driver and winning Carolina Hurricanes goalie, has sparked interest for the players on the U of R roster who can barely stand on skates. \Said one totally real source, “I have a better chance of being an international hockey professional if I jump on that big ol’ beast and ride around. I’m a sieve on the ice, why else would the Cougs want me? Now there’s hope for benchwarmers everywhere. Finally, another career option that isn’t casual bartender.”

The Cougars hope the new job avenue won’t affect them nearly as much as the mass exodus of oil workers before the last recessions. Back then it wasn’t just the Oil Kings who played hockey in Edmonton, but half of Regina as well.

a market decrease on this year’s projection. Some factors that have affected the odds include the records of the teams, number of athletes deemed ineligible for reasons out of their control, arrests, and the whim of campus leadership up to and including the dean, director of athlete development, and whoever happens to be in the Reggie the Cougar costume that week.

Rams to install rotating coaching carousel in locker room After Coach Bryce’s abrupt

the carillon | February 27 - March 4, 2020 split from the Rams program, for conflicting reasons according to those close to the situation, the football team has decided to install a coaching carousel in the locker room. Each Sunday, the Lord’s day of football, each Rams coach will be commanded to drink five pints at Trifon’s before strapped into a speedy carousel like the one that features on ABC’s Wipeout!

The coach who survives the spinorama gets to lead the squad out onto the field. One water assistant, or as the U of S Huskies call them team hydrologist, says the event will become a good one for the team to rebuild their tar-

nished reputation.

“We’ve had an arrest, an ineligible player, and a coach leaving under a shroud of mystery. The best thing we can do is liquor up these former athletes and spin them around a little. Last one standing isn’t just for linebackers and running backs anymore.”

Word is, in an attempt to increase the balance sheet of the former national powerhouse turned overblown recreational drinking opportunity, that tickets will be sold at a premium. The cash funneling into the program from casual Regina folks who can count themselves amongst the

tens of fans that drag themselves to Mosaic to watch the Dinos go all Jurassic Park on their opponents each fall will split between the team, the university, and the poor sap tasked with making sure each of the athletes don’t do anything to get themselves removed from their classes.

Cougars to name Non-Academics Canadians According to one member of the University of Regina Athletic Department the school is preparing to present their Non-Academic All-Canadians. Those who win the awards are students who failed their classes as opposed to members of the Cougars and Rams who reach the 80 per cent average needed to be an Academic All-Canadian.

Some in the Rams are nervous about how many of their offensive linemen they will lose, while many Cougars are getting nervous. Nobody wants to win an award that includes a statuette of former Rams Coach Frank McCrystal laughing and pointing.

When asked why the awards were conceived, one department source said that it’s a chance to celebrate those who were doomed from the beginning but need a send off before they are deemed academically ineligible.

“Honestly, it’s awesome to be able to celebrate the fact that someone isn’t being removed from the program because of our administration’s ineptitude. We’ve had athletes leave because they’re awful people, some because of injury, others because they’re not even as smart as the brick that sits in the Carillon office, but these Non-Academic All Canadians just gave it a good old college try and failed harder than the wrestling teams’ attempts at being allowed to still exist.”

The list of athletes is pretty secretive, as would be expected, but some in administration already have a betting pool on who will make the cut of cuts next season.

Current odds are projected to see half the Cougars and Rams fail,

Jeremy Davis

Op-ed

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Editor: taylor balfour op-ed@carillonregina.com the carillon | February 27 - March 4, 2020

Injustice and inconvenience

Jeremy Davis

“The anti-Indigenous settler blowback to [the Wet’suwet’en Strong] movement can be boiled down to these wise words: Chief Woos, Grizzly House, Wet’suwet’en Nation: ‘remember, Inconvenience is not the same as Injustice.’”

Harsha Waila (@HarshaWaila), author of Undoing Border Imperialism, made this tweet on Friday, Feb. 21, following Chief Woos’ response to Trudeau’s public comments on the rail blockades that have been in place for two weeks to #ShutDownCanada. The most prominent blockade, set up in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en nation by the Mohawk in Tyendinaga, Ontario, was erected with the demand that the RCMP be removed from Wet’suwet’en territory. Waila’s tweet has since gathered 1200 likes and over 500 retweets.

There is little to nothing I can say, or should presume to say as a white settler, beyond a reiteration of what Chief Woos, the other hereditary chiefs, and thousands of Indigenous land and water protectors have been saying since Coastal Gas Link (CGL) intruded on Wet’suwet’en land.

However, as part of the Wet’suwet’en

toolkit, the Unist’ot’en camp encourages supporters to keep the Wet’suwet’en nation and the actions of the RCMP and Canadian state in the spotlight through any form of education they have access to. For me, this means that I will continue to make public my support for land and water defenders and my opposition to the actions of the RCMP and so-called Canada.

One reply to Waila’s tweet adds, “The word Inconvenience perfectly encapsulates the social and political attitude towards indigenous peoples and their right to sovereignty. Canadians are willing to pay lip service all day long until it becomes something that is a very slight inconvenience.”

Indeed, I find that Canadians right now are expressing a level of intolerance with slight inconvenience that makes me wonder if they know how blockades or any other kind of direct action is meant to work. Fellow settlers, you say you’re inconvenienced by the trains not running? You say it’s having serious consequences for how Canada normally runs? Great, that’s exactly the point.

Canada should not be running, busi-

ness should not be as usual, while Indigenous people are being harassed and arrested on their own unceded territories. Until that stops, you should have no choice but to give that your attention. The fundamental point here is that this is not about settler comfort.

Saskatchewan’s racism is horrendous, and it has been on full display in response to the blockades, making it clear that people here value so many trivial things more than they do the human rights of Indigenous people. I was surprised to find a few days ago that my recent coverage of one of Regina’s Albert street blockades received 88 comments, a significant increase. These comments were loaded with vitriol, but the main gripe people appeared to have was that people were “blocked from living their lives,” as one put it.

I think it’s astounding that people can be so angry about having to wait an extra hour to cross a bridge, but can’t direct any of that energy towards the RCMP illegally removing people from their territories.

Don’t you think that the Wet’suwet’en people’s lives have been disrupted? Don’t you

Jeremy Davis

think the Indigenous students who were harassed and belittled in the comments section of that article were affected and had significant amounts of their time wasted by your ignorance and racism?

As I write this, police in Ontario have arrested ten people at the Tyendinaga blockade, and video of the arrests shows an absolutely unnecessary and overwhelming police presence. At one point in the video, five cops are arresting one person.

Trudeau’s word choice is so, so telling when he tweets: “We’re focused on ending the blockades and supporting Canadians across the country,” as these arrests are beginning, as RCMP move back into Wet’suwet’en territory.

“Ending the blockades,” not telling the RCMP to stand down, not telling CGL to cease activity in Wet’suwet’en territory, which Trudeau knows he is being told to do. “Supporting Canadians,” not respecting Indigenous sovereignty, not responding to the cries of “Reconciliation is Dead” that await his response.

The Canadian state is showing its cowardice and absolute loyalty to resource extraction – at a time where you can indicate where you stand as UNDRIP (The United Nations’ Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People’s) is violated and Indigenous peoples defend our planet on the front lines, who are you going to defend?

Are you willing to live with inconvenience so that others can live without injustice?

Or is the idea of justice here, like it is for Trudeau, just something you don’t have the “patience” for?

Either way, the land and water protectors will stay strong, and there will be no business as usual in Canada.

marty grande-sherbert staff writer

February 27 - March 4, 2020

op-ed

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By laughing at addicts, you are sentencing them to death

Needpix

Well, I hate that I’m back here again. I hate that I’m writing about this again. But I feel as though my hands are really tied with this issue, and that I have no other choice.

To be frank with all of you, I’m really pissed.

This will be the third article I write in 2020 about opioids, and we aren’t even two months into the year. The first was detailing the rising need in Canada and possible solutions. The second was detailing the death of my younger sister, and how I’ve been speaking out in her honour.

Today, I’m here to speak about Saskatchewan, and Regina specifically, because very quickly, everything has become drastically worse.

Over the long weekend, there were 20 overdoses in Regina. Two have been reported as being fatal. This isn’t including the nearly 50 overdoses that have occurred in Regina since 2020 began. Including the overdoses over Family Day weekend alone, the number is now over 60. That equals out to – give or take given the date I’m writing this – over one overdose a day in Regina alone. I’m sure by the time this article is published that number will have risen.

I’ve been sad. I’ve been irritated. I’ve been mourning. Now, I’m really damn angry. Now, I’m demanding that people listen to me.

I have had this debate with almost everyone in my life. The facts are before us and what we need to do as a city, province, and country is plain to see: we need safe injection sites, legalization, harm reduction, and better mental health care services.

At this point, I feel like I’m screaming into the void. I’ve already written about

how the Green Party and the New Democratic Party were the only political parties in the federal election that even discussed the opioid crisis, let alone claim that it was a health emergency requiring immediate action.

What’s going to change things now?

Should I write a full page spread every time a new person overdoses in the city? If this paper was clustered with articles saying “Hey, there’s been another damn overdose in the city,” is that what it would take for people to realize there’s a problem?

62 overdoses. 62 people. That’s more than a football team. That would almost fill a classroom building lecture hall, and would overflow one of the upper-level classrooms. That’s 62 lives, some of which were lost, in less than two months.

Still don’t see a problem? Well, guess what, it gets worse.

I’m going to go on a personal rant here in hopes that some of you may understand where my frustration lies.

Since I’ve become more vocal about drugs, fentanyl, overdoses, and harm reduction, a lot – and I mean a lot – of people have reached out to me sharing their own stories, whether it be their own personal struggles with drugs, family members who’ve been struggling, friends, relatives, you name it.

I’ve watched these people struggle.

I’ve heard their stories. I held their hands and hugged them while they cried. I know how deep this runs. I have been personally touched and changed by so many stories and so many people. And you know what happens when I try to help these people?

I’m laughed at by their loved ones. To

my face, I am laughed at. These users are mocked and belittled. Called stupid and worthless. I am laughed at for trying. They call me stupid for even caring, and I’m going be real here, I’m really damn appalled, especially by those who have already suffered through the traumatic toll of drugs.

Apparently, when the problem is right before them, it’s not worth looking into.

Here’s the cold-hard truth that some of you need to realize: by laughing off an addict’s crying for help, you are sentencing them to their death. Straight-up. That includes the Government of Canada for refusing to acknowledge that the opioid epidemic is a public health emergency, leading to it not being taken seriously due to stigma and shame.

When you laugh off an addict, their struggles aren’t being taken seriously. Why they started taking drugs is being ignored.

The struggles they faced to get them to that point are blatantly shoved aside.

Because drug abuse is a mental health problem, but people aren’t ready to have that conversation either, it seems.

I’m livid. I’m sick of writing about this because it feels ridiculous that I still have to. I am watching a repeat of what has happened to my younger sister again and again.

By laughing at addicts and turning them away, by refusing to offer support and by refusing to acknowledge the pain that led them there, you are sentencing them to their deaths. It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. You are furthering their struggles. Tough love isn’t the answer to addiction: love and compassion are.

I’m sick of watching innocent people

die due to tainted drugs and I’m sick of the stigma surrounding it all. I’m sick of watching people who get the warning my family never got – being told about the drug use beforehand – and toss away the chance of being able to help them, for what? Because you’re not taking their use seriously?

If they die, along with millions of other Canadians, then, unfortunately, you will feel like you did.

taylor balfour op-ed editor

“I’m sick of watching people who get the warning my family never got – and toss away the chance of being able to help for what? Because you’re not taking their use seriously?” – Taylor Balfour

February 27 - March 4, 2020

carillonregina.com | The Carillon |

op-ed

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We’re still waiting for an apology Here’s the thing about apologies: if you make a lacklustre apology ages after one was asked of you, the apology reads as a forced means of salvaging your reputation, and unless you make a continuing effort to make amends for what you did, it isn’t an apology; it’s a publicity stunt.

So, on this note, the U of R’s lack of apology regarding poet George Elliott Clarke is now going to be too little way too late – if it happens at all – to make any kind of change.

You shouldn’t be required to put up a fight with your university to apologize for giving someone who has supported a known murderer a platform. You shouldn’t need to demand an apology, face silence for weeks on end, and then receive a forced one well after it could have generated any meaningful change or conversation.

Instead, if we even get an apology, it will feel forced to get angry students and faculty off of the backs of the administration, and it’s painfully apparent.

It feels as though the situation of what happened regarding this murder is continuously downplayed, so I’m going to provide a brief summary as courtesy of CBC: George Elliott Clarke has worked with Steven Kummerfield, a man who beat an Indigenous woman to death 25 years ago.

CBC marks that Clarke’s talk was cancelled “simply” because of his connection with Kummerfield, and I feel as though that belittles the extent of what he did.

In 1995, Kummerfield and his accomplice named Alex Ternowetsky took Pamela George, who was 28 at the time of her death, outside of the city and brutally beat her to death. George was a “single mother who occasionally sold sex to help support her children,” according to CBC. The two killers then bragged about the assault.

And Clarke’s talk was cancelled “simply” because he edited some of Kummer-

Pixabay

field’s later writings. Kummerfield was released on parole in 2000. Clarke claims he only learned of Kummerfield’s violent past four months prior. This has since stirred the conversation of separating an artist from their art. [EIC’s note: The fact that the talk was supposed to be about murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls and yet he would not commit to speaking the words of someone who committed to that atrocity boggles the mind.]

If the artist is a convicted, brutal killer, for me, it’s hard to separate. Apparently, this isn’t the case for the administration.

A letter, sent by a variety of profes-

sors to the executive of council, who had a meeting held on Feb 19, read that “the University maintains a narrative around these events that centres academics and George Elliott Clarke and dismisses both the harm done to various communities as well as collaborative relationships and community-engaged research that many of us have built over long periods.”

It also stated that “the families and friends of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and two spirit people have shared their indignation about the University’s actions and responses and its lack of engagement.”

Their course of action feels as though it should be obvious, yet here we are. Still, they remain silent. For a university on treaty four land that claims it wants to work toward reconciliation, this is a huge step backwards.

taylor balfour op-ed editor

TMZ and the unethical report The passing of Kobe Bryant has taken the world by shock, from memorials to tributes, to dedications and remembrance; fans around the world continue to pour out their support for number 24.

Now, it should be stated off the start that this piece isn’t to do with Kobe’s passing directly, but more so on the reporting around his passing and whether the news released was timely. For those who aren’t sure what I’m on about, I’m referring to a TMZ news release that has been met with controversial response.

To make a long story short, TMZ released the news of Kobe’s, as well as the other nine victims, passing ahead of when the actual release was set to come out (in regards to the LAPD’s schedule). All the victims that were affected in the unfortunate helicopter incident had been put on display by tabloid news, providing no real window for private grieving by the loved ones of said victims.

This incident raises a question when discussing the balance between ethical reporting and the need to release news. On the one hand, was it appropriate for TMZ to put that kind of information out there before the LAPD was ready to release it?

Most people, including me, would say no.

There needs to be a timeframe for emotional stability. Presenting a topic so heavy and so out of the blue like TMZ did would more than likely add to the already ongoing trauma that those loved ones’ are dealing with. On the other hand, those loved ones are also more than likely looking for answers when it comes to what happened to those close to them that passed.

It’s a very tricky path to traverse.

I think the main thing we as individuals

need to look at is the type of reasoning that goes beyond that decision. I highly doubt, and I could be wrong here, that TMZ was releasing that sensitive information so that those affected by such a tragedy could have peace of mind. No, rather, I feel as though they released it because they viewed such information as something that would grab eyes.

It’s unfortunate to even think that an organization that would use such info as a way of gaining more followers, however this is the mindset of TMZ and the like.

Instead of informing, there is the simply disgusting notion of getting more clicks.

This is, of course, my opinion. Whatever the reason may be, I certainly hope that it was made with the best of intentions. It’s hard to believe, though, that a place that helps enforce the idea that shoving a camera into celebrities faces for the latest scoop could have such a thing as a “best intention.”

The same goes for news centres like the National Enquirer and the Hollywood Reporter. At the end of the day the ability to ethically report on sensitive topics just seems lost.

Here’s hoping for more timely choices on the part of said organizations, but I’m not expecting much.

ethan butterfield a&c editor

Wikimedia Commons

February 27 - March 4, 2020

op-ed

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Making lists won’t stop people from calling 911

Wikimedia Commons

At the end of January, the Saskatchewan RCMP released its annual list of the top ten stupid reasons people called 911 last year. This list includes a wide variety of calls, ranging from absolutely bizarre, but slightly humorous, questions, to scenarios that need attention but should be directed to services other than the RCMP. Although the RCMP believes that by releasing this list people will be reminded that 911 is a phone number that should only be dialed in an emergency, I disagree with the approach. In my opinion, this list isn’t an effective solution to the problem because instead of discouraging people from dialing 911, it not only highlights the astonishing lack of intelligence some people have, but ultimately fails to bring attention to the serious problem of 911 operators receiving unnecessary calls, especially if these calls occur frequently.

There are more effective ways for the RCMP to raise awareness to solve this problem, such as issuing monetary fines, showing advertisements, and adding information about how to handle emergency situations into the school curriculum.

Even though the RCMP’s list demonstrates that 911 operators receive a lot of ridiculous calls each and every year, it still doesn’t produce an effective, or positive overall change. It’s easy for people to quickly read over these ten reasons, have a laugh or two at “the idiocy behind these calls,” then push it out of their minds without considering the serious and harmful consequences that these unnecessary calls could potentially cause (as stated in an on-

line CBC article).

As RCMP spokesperson, Bob King, told CBC, “these calls [severely] clog up lines. Every phone call that comes in … takes time. Even if it is not something that is important [911 call operators] may [still] be on the phone with [the caller] for 3 [to] … 10 minutes”. These situations take away valuable time which could, and should, be going toward providing much needed help to a real emergency. Unfortunately, this is not emphasized in the annual list.

Additionally, in what situations 911 should be called is not universal knowledge. For some of the reasons listed, people were experiencing valid problems and needed help and, because they didn’t know who else to call, they dialed 911 out of confusion and/or panic. While these types of calls are understandable, they are still problematic.

Rather than taking a reactive approach and hoping that people will realize the seriousness of this problem, the RCMP should instead take a more proactive approach.

This different course of action would not only ensure that everyone is able to understand the importance of dialing 911, but would also significantly decrease the annual amount of unnecessary calls operators receive.

One method that could create more public knowledge is to add this information into elementary school curriculums.

This information is essential for children to learn and, in all honesty, probably more beneficial than what elementary school

kids learn currently.

Although this information may not directly relate to a core subject, it would not be too difficult to incorporate it into educational material. For example, students could be given different scenarios and asked to determine whether 911 should be called.

Teaching elementary school kids that 911 is an emergency number that should only be called “when there is a threat to life or property, such as an accident, a crime, a fire, or a medical emergency,” would ensure that children grow up with more beneficial real-world knowledge (as quoted on a SafteyBee webpage). Also, because this information is learned earlier on, it will more likely stay with these individuals throughout the course of their lives.

Secondly, the RCMP should consider creating heart-tugging TV commercials, similar to SGI’s for drinking and driving; advertisements that tell a sad story and pull at heartstrings are hard to forget. These stories have an emotional impact on the viewer, especially when they can be applied to an individual’s own life.

An effective advertisement for this situation could involve someone calling 911 with some idiotic question in an attempt to be funny and someone else trying to call 911 for an ambulance because their family member has been in a car accident and needs immediate medical attention. Unfortunately, because the 911 line is being held up, they are unable to get medical attention and pass.

I will admit that this is grim, but it’s a

possibility. Media advertisements like that would greatly emphasize the importance of calling 911 only in a real emergency.

Lastly, I think a monetary fine should be applied to any individual who makes an unnecessary 911 call. If people faced some type of punishment or negative consequence for calling 911 with a bizarre question, I have no doubt that many would be strongly discouraged from calling 911 to have fun.

Unnecessarily calling 911 is a major problem that could result in tragic outcomes. Therefore, this situation is something that needs to be addressed, but also solved. While I understand that the RCMP is attempting to raise more public awareness about the seriousness of 911 as an emergency phone line, they aren’t taking the right approach. If the RCMP truly wants to solve this problem, they need to be more willing to take a different approach with proactive, rather than reactive, methods.

elisabeth sahlmueller staff writer

“The RCMP should instead take a more proactive approach.” – Elisabeth Sahlmueller

February 27 - March 4, 2020

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Jillian Bader

ig @lightsneonlights

February 27 - March 4, 2020

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