the carillon the staff
editor-in-chief editor@carillonregina.com
holly funk
executive director business@carillonregina.com
jacob nelson
production manager production@carillonregina.com
morgan ortman
advertising manager advertising@carillonregina.com
ty cote
technical editor tech@carillonregina.com
shae sackman
multimedia/graphics editors multimedia@carillonregina.com graphics@carillonregina.com
sarah carrier rooky jedege
copy editor copyeditor@carillonregina.com
aurel dumont
news editor news@carillonregina.com
sara birrell
a&c editor aandc@carillonregina.com
hannah eiserman
sports editor sports@carillonregina.com
vacant
op-ed editor op-ed@carillonregina.com
sarah nakonechny
distribution manager distribution@carillonregina.com staff writer staff writer
kyle anderson hammad ali
gillian massie
news writer
liam o’connor
a&c writer
jorah bright
sports writer
victoria baht
web writer
vacant
contributors this could have been you :-(
vol. 64
board of directors holly funk, lindsay holitzki, joseph holoein,, dustin smith, jacob nelson and cassandra byblow (honourary member)
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 sixty 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 September 16 - 22, 2021 | Volume 64, Issue 4 | carillonregina.com
news It’s week three of courses and while I’d like to say everyone’s settling easily into their routines, the articles in this issue would undermine me. Not only is Saskatchewan not back to normal, but we’re in the midst our the most daunting COVID wave to date, we’re still seeing a steep rise in overdose deaths, and the Sask Party is hesitant at best to acknowledge and observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. So, as an independent and leftist paper, it is our pleasure to provide context and education on those events and more. While we’re not confident we can solve every problem through this issue, we’re happy to give you the facts and direction needed to make an impact. If, like us, your values boil down to just wanting everyone to be okay, this issue’s especially for you.
news
arts
Truth and Reconciliation p.3
Sask 4th wave
Saskatchewan remains an outlier through the provincial government’s refusal to recognize the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as a statutory holiday; mixed feelings abound.
COVID numbers continue to rise while the Sask Party stays cozy in their... what was it? Oh, yeah - their complete lack of action in protecting citizens during our fourth (and worst) wave.
arts
p.5
AIDS walk 2021
p.8
The annual AIDS walk is back this year featuring a team-up from OUTSaskatoon, Prairie Harm Reduction, and Saskatoon Sexual Health.
op-ed
sports
One last thing: you’d better remember to vote. Holly Funk (they/she) Editor-in-chief
photos
cover..................................marcus urbenz manip by sarah carrier news...................................marcus urbenz news......................................rooky jegede a&c...................................martin zemlicks a&c.................................rayanne gwilliam sports.................................danielle cerullo op-ed........................@chellzyeah (twitter)
Off my chest
p.9
Carillon contributor and U of R student Rayanne Gwillian talks self publishing her first book of poetry and how the creatove process works for her.
Rec re-opening
p.13
The university has reopened its recreation and fitness facilities, charging the Rec fee to all registered students despite the discomfort or inability for some to access what they pay for.
Fuck landlords
p.18
Profiting off the basic human right for shelter? Shame. Repeat after me A - L A - B!
news
3
editor: sara birrell news@carillonregina.com the carillon | sept 15 - sept 22, 2021
Truth and Reconciliation Day falls short Government gesturing symbolically
liam o’connor news writer The federal government passed legislation to make September 30 the “National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.” As a federal statutory holiday, all workers in federally regulated workplaces will have a paid day off. However, the Saskatchewan government is not recognizing the day as a statutory holiday for people in the province. Lorena Lynn Cote, an assistant professor of Indigenous language at the First Nations University, believes the day of commemoration is not enough and that the province failing to acknowledge it is a sign of the racism Indigenous people face time and time again. Although the province has indicated that it will not be recognizing the day as a statutory holiday – joining Ontario as one of the few outliers not to do so – in a press release, the City of Regina stated that they would be recognizing the day as a statutory holiday, despite the province choosing the opposite. City manager Chris Holden said, “We recognize the importance of officially honoring September 30 in commitment to the Truth & Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action.” According to Canada.ca, “this day provides an opportunity for each public servant to recognize and commemorate the legacy of residential schools. This may present itself as a day of quiet reflection or participation in a community event.” Cote agreed with this sentiment and said she believes people across the country should be using the day to learn about residential schools and
Indigenous culture. She added, “Aboriginal Day does a little bit of that, but not enough.” Cote also pointed out that September 30 is already “Orange Shirt Day,” a day of solemn reflection in the genocide that occurred in residential schools, and now it shares the same day with Truth and Reconciliation Day. She told the Carillon, “we’ve had some discussions amongst some of the communities I work with.
“
relate, but also distinct from one another. Although acknowledging, reckoning with, and making reparations for residential schools is a key component of Truth and Reconciliation, the TRC’s calls to action are broader in scope. So far, Canada has failed to make much progress on enacting the calls to action and papering over Orange Shirt Day with a new federal holiday seems like one more misstep.
needed, Cote said, “you know, part of truth and reconciliation is giving us back our language and our culture, or letting us practice and letting us learn our language, letting us practice our culture. We have to beg for dollars for that and we shouldn’t have to. That’s what reconciliation means, give us back everything that was taken.” Among others, the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour is calling upon the Saskatchewan
Part of truth and reconciliation is giving us back our language and our culture, or letting us practice and letting us learn our language, letting us practice our culture. We have to beg for dollars for that and we shouldn’t have to. That’s what reconciliation means, give us back everything that was taken. – Lorena Lynn Cote
We were having discussions about the day, the day is what we consider Orange Shirt Day. And we were wondering, why are they putting Truth and Reconciliation on the 30th? We already consider that our Orange Shirt Day, which represents residential school.” Cote confirmed that she and the community members she spoke to want the two different events of commemoration to fall on separate days because they both deserve their own day where people can properly reflect on residential schools and truth and reconciliation as two things that are
In terms of what the day falls short of, Cote said, “this truth and reconciliation should have happened when the first residential school closed.” A part of truth and reconciliation needs to be more investment in the languages, according to Cote. She said she believes that language is an essential part of the culture that will be gone soon if there isn’t action taken quickly. “We’re losing our elders at a fast rate, and along with them goes the language,” said Cote. When asked about how the day might fall short of what is
Party government to recognize the day. According to the SFL, “The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is an opportunity for all of us to reflect upon the tragedy of the residential school system, to honour the victims and survivors of residential schools, and to commit to reconciliation,” said SFL president Lori Johb. Cote expects Indigenous people to spend the day talking about their culture and to share stories about their past, as opposed to taking the day as a holiday. Many people might want to use the day as a regular holiday
to relax and vacation, but Cote said that she wants people to take the day and reflect, rather than use it as another regular holiday. She thinks people should spend the day “learning about residential schools, learning about First Nations people, learning about our history; not a little bit about our culture and language. Like Aboriginal Day does a bit of that, but not enough.” With other provinces and territories recognizing the statutory holiday, such as Newfoundland and Labrador, pressure is mounting for the Saskatchewan Party to take action and commit to giving everyone in the province September 30 off with pay. However, it’s unlikely that the province will do so. Saskatchewan is consistently one of the worst places in Canada to live as an Indigenous person, a fact that is directly attributable to provincial policy decisions and systemic and interpersonal racism. 78 per cent of prisoners in the province are Indigenous, while Indigenous people make up only 12 per cent of the population. More than one quarter of children in Saskatchewan live in poverty, a number that jumps to nearly 50 percent when accounting only for Indigenous children. Indigenous people in the province consistently have poorer health outcomes than their White neighbours and are more likely to be represented among the urban homeless, factors that are, again, directly related to systemic racism and policy decisions made by colonial governments of all political persuasions.
Marcus Urbenz via Unsplash
Reconciliation without works is dead.
sept 15 - sept 22, 2021
carillonregina.com | the carillon | 4
news
Regina takes steps towards harm reduction Provincial support still lacking for drug users
liam o’connor news writer Deaths by drug overdose in Saskatchewan are skyrocketing, but Regina city councilor Andrew Stevens and director of Newo-Yotina Friendship Centre Michael Parker see the first step toward a solution. The first step involves decriminalizing small amounts of any drug in the city. According to Regina police reports, drug-related deaths have gone up by 380 per cent in 2021 compared to January to July in 2019. In 2019 there were 15 deaths, in 2020 there were 52, and in 2021 there have been 72. In the coming months, Stevens is hopeful that the city will approve his motion to decriminalize small amounts of drugs. This move comes after the City’s decision in March to devote $500,000 to fund local harm reduction efforts. The grant program was officially launched in June 2021. Stevens believes that the decriminalization of drugs is the first step to the crisis because it can start to destigmatize the use of illicit drugs and start to change the narrative from a criminal problem to a health problem. He said, “I don’t want to treat decriminalization as […] a silver bullet, it’s not, but it needs to be part of a bigger program.” Stevens also acknowledged the success of similar programs in places like Portugal or in Vancouver, where they are actively destigmatizing the use of narcotics. In Stevens’ eyes, sending people to prison or penalizing them for possessing drugs doesn’t solve anything. He said, “we just don’t see it being effective when you chuck people in jail, and then by proxy, you have all sorts of other effects in terms of the criminalization of Indigenous people and
Colin Davis via Unsplash
Overdose deaths are policy decisions.
racial minorities.” When asked about not having the financial support of the province, Stevens said, “I suspect it’s more of an ideological problem when it comes to, ‘can we commit money? Can we officially endorse the consumption of what are still illegal narcotics?’ And that comes back to the decriminalization. I think the answer they’ve demonstrated is, no.” The $500,000 comes from leftover federal and provincial money that was given to the city last year to help with COVID-19. Stevens spoke on how there
for municipalities and community organizations on how to get safe consumption sites up and running. Parker, the Friendship Centre’s Director, has similar thoughts. He’s hopeful that the centre’s application for money will get accepted so they can make sure operations in the harm reduction section of the facility run smoothly. Parker says that the money will go towards keeping the centre going from October 2021 until December 2022. The centre also put in a request to expand their hours during evenings
On site, at some points, the centre has run out of certain life-saving products like Naloxone kits or replacement kits, which can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. Although, they still have a paramedic on site who can provide minor first aid to anybody there. When asked about what role the police have to play in opioid crisis, Parker had mixed feelings. Parker thinks the Regina police service have been very supportive towards harm reduction. He said, “there have been less charges for minor substance possession be-
“
I suspect it’s more of an ideological problem when it comes to, ‘can we commit money? Can we officially endorse the consumption of what are still illegal narcotics?’ And that comes back to the decriminalization. I think the answer they’ve demonstrated is, no. – Andrew Stevens
is a possible relation between COVID-19 and the increasing numbers of overdoses, or at least to some degree, and putting money towards that would be an appropriate cause. “At the provincial level, we have nowhere else to point to, this is entirely your jurisdiction, you are the providers of public health and if this is a public health issue, this is completely your responsibility. You can’t blame the federal government.” said Stevens. The federal government has stated that they support safe injection sites, but ultimately it is not their jurisdiction. They have also created effective pathways
and weekends. At the Friendship Centre, which is located on Eleventh Avenue in Regina’s downtown, they offer a number of services, but an area that they have seen the largest increase in demand is their supervised safe consumption service. Parker said “we’re starting to see ten plus people a day to come and access the service.” Parker added that the centre has seen a steady increase in clients since they first opened. The number of people accessing the safe consumption site is up from earlier this year in May, where they were seeing around one to four people a day.
cause really cracking down on the end user doesn’t really help that individual, nor does it really change anything for the community. So, their focus is shifted to focusing on people who are distributing or selling illegal substances.” Parker says he sees the shift in police identifying drug addiction as a health issue rather than a criminal one. Even the police know they are not best suited for the problem at hand. “In that case, the Regina police kind of overall recognize that they’re not the ones best suited to respond to the overdose crisis,” said Parker. Another way the police help
when on site is by administering certain first aid. Parker said, “their reports talk about the number of times that they’ve used Naloxone because they’re part of the first responders, right, so if they show up first and somebody’s overdosed, they’re using Naloxone to help revive people.” Like Stevens, Parker feels like politics play into them not getting proper funding. He finds it especially strange because the provincial government will voice their support, but not put their money where their mouth is. Parker said, “there is a billboard a block away […] from the centre here, that is part of an advertising campaign that the government is funding. Its [a] government advertising campaign about overdose awareness.” The government also provides the centre with various supplies like clean needles, pipes, and Naloxone kits. Parker used an analogy of the situation with the province and said, “so they say, ‘we’re going to give you 1000 burgers, and we want you to feed 1000 people, we’re going to advertise that you’re doing this, we’re going to give you the meat, but you got to provide the buns, you’ve got to provide qualified cooks, prepare it right, and you have to meet our standards as well, but you’ve got to pay them, you’ve got to provide all the condiments and everything else that goes with it.’” Overall, Parker is frustrated that the government won’t fully support them, even though they fully recognize the issue at hand. He’s also confused because a service like the Newo-Yotina Friendship Centre or Prairie Harm Reduction lower costs and saves the province money in the long run.
sept 15 - sept 22, 2021
carillonregina.com | the carillon | 5
news
Residents rally as COVID fourth wave strikes kids Sask worst in Canada for cases sara birrell news editor 20 months into the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed 4.5 million people and left countless others with long-term, life-altering disabilities, lax and/or non-existent public health policies to curb the spread of the virus have led Saskatchewan into a catastrophic fourth wave that threatens to be far worse than the province has seen since the first case of COVID-19 was detected here in March 2020. Saskatchewan has among the lowest rates of vaccine uptake in the country, and on September 8 overtook Alberta as the province with the highest rate of infection. Saskatchewan has also been posting record single-day positive cases with alarming frequency over the past few weeks and doctors and nurses are raising the alarm that hospitals are filling with COVID-19 patients, the majority of them unvaccinated, at a rate that means elective surgeries are going to be cancelled or postponed, leading to a reduced quality of life for non-COVID patients (elective doesn’t mean optional, or unnecessary; it simply means non-emergency surgeries that can be scheduled in advance). The province is also seeing greater numbers of COVID-19 infections in younger patients than at any other time during the pandemic, including hundreds of cases in children too young to be vaccinated, some of whom are showing signs of “long COVID,” a cluster of debilitating symptoms that can affect any
number of body systems and persist for months. Some Saskatchewan residents are viewing the increasingly dire situation as the result of an abdication of duty by the Saskatchewan Party, who have been largely absent throughout the summer and seem uninterested in governing for public health. It was out of this growing sense of anger and frustration that the Protest to Protect was born. Emma Love, who is married to Saskatchewan NDP MLA Matt Love, was one of the coordinators of the protest, which was held on the steps of the Leg-
pecially our kids, they gave up so much,” Love said. “They missed Christmases with Grandmas and birthdays and soccer games and graduations so they could keep all of us safe and we need to do that now as a society while we wait for them to be vaccinated.” Before she helped organize the protest, which was pulled together in two and a half days, Love said her eight-year-old son called Scott Moe’s office and left a message, asking for more protections for kids. “So when we were talking about how overwhelming it is to see that our numbers are
Love was pleased with the turnout, even though anti-maskers also showed up. “I kind of felt like I had the option to feel one of two ways about that,” Love said. “And the first was to be incredibly angry. But the other was, I just felt filled with compassion, because at the end of the day there’s people who value freedom and there’s people who value responsibility, and I don’t want any of those people to get sick.” Love, who has been double-vaccinated, said that her concern reaches farther than her own household. “The reason I care
“
I didn’t know we could go this low, where we’d just say ‘ah, how many is appropriate? How many children is it okay to get sick?’ And for me, the answer is ‘none.’ We want to keep every person as well as we can. Any preventable death and suffering, it seems like our job to do something about. – Emma Love
islature on September 9 and drew 100-200 people. Love is frank about her view on the Saskatchewan Party’s approach to the virus. “It’s wrong, it’s reckless, and it’s dangerous.” Love, who is the mother of three children too young to be vaccinated, said that her inspiration when planning the protest was her children. “Last year, all of our kids, everyone, really, but es-
so awful, that we have increased numbers of deaths, that our hospitals are struggling and that the government we have that has taken an oath to protect us is doing nothing and golfing instead, I was like, ‘I need to do something. But what if no one shows up?’ And my eight-year-old responded and he said ‘I called Scott Moe and he didn’t answer the phone, but it was still the right thing to do.’”
about this is not just about my own freedom or my own rights. It’s because I truly want people to be safe and well. I want to protect our kids and our doctors and nurses and frontline workers who have worked so hard for us in the past year. And I felt really filled with compassion for these people who were so angry about something that was there to help them.”
Love said she believes that Saskatchewan has become a model for the rest of the country of what not to do when it comes to COVID-19. “This government continues to put all their trust in only one tool that is at the disposal of the medical community despite so many calls to have a layered approach.” She said she’s written to Health Minister Paul Merriman and called his office daily with no results. “I think I would be a fool at this point to expect that this government wants to be transparent and connect with people. A strong leader right now would be making decisions right now that weren’t based on what the minority demands, but were based on science and evidence, and they would be having daily updates.” She said she’s shocked at the sharp downward turn the province has taken when it comes to managing the pandemic. “I didn’t know we could go this low, where we’d just say ‘ah, how many is appropriate? How many children is it okay to get sick?’ And for me, the answer is ‘none.’ We want to keep every person as well as we can. Any preventable death and suffering, it seems like our job to do something about.” Love added that Saskatchewan has to be ready to play the long game when it comes to managing COVID-19. “What we do today, it will take weeks for us to see the difference,” she said. “So as we’re barreling towards these numbers with exponential growth, we have to have a long-term view of turning things around.” Rooky Jegede
Fuck them kids.
sept 15 - sept 22, 2021
carillonregina.com | the carillon | 6
news
Texas abortion ban unique in its cruelty Canadians should pay attention sara birrell news editor On September 1, 2021, the state of Texas passed the most regressive abortion law in North America. Bill SB 8, misleadingly called “the Texas Heartbeat Act,” because it bans abortions after six weeks, when the clump of cells that will become cardiac cells in a fertilized embryo begin to transmit electrical signals that can be identified via transvaginal ultrasound, was first signed off on by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who cannot get pregnant, in May of this year. On September 1, the U.S. Supreme Court, which lost its most ferocious defender of White people’s reproductive rights with the death of Ruth Bader-Ginsberg in October of last year, voted 5-4 not to block the implementation of the law. On September 9, the federal justice department filed a lawsuit against the state, arguing that the law was “in open defiance of the Constitution.” The federal justice department is headed by US Attorney General Merrick Garland, whose nomination to the Supreme Court was blocked by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in 2016. Garland’s place on the bench was given instead to Brett Kavanaugh, who has been credibly accused of sexual assault and who voted against blocking the Texas abortion ban.
The law is brutal in both its outcomes and its application. Most people don’t know they’re pregnant at six weeks. Six weeks gestation is only two weeks after a person misses their period, and for people who have an irregular cycle, who are young and not used to tracking their cycle, who have continued having their period despite being pregnant, or who are just too busy living their lives
erage Texan would have to travel 248 miles to access abortion care). The law is also uniquely brutal in that the state will not be enforcing the law. Instead, private citizens can sue anyone they suspect of violating the law, from pregnant people themselves to abortion providers to Uber drivers who transport someone to an abortion clinic. This means that a man can rape someone, get them
terference from the state. This may be true in so-called “red states,” where decades of gerrymandering and voter suppression have facilitated the dominance of the anti-choice Republican Party, despite the fact that a majority of Americans support the right to choose. Multiple red states in the American South and Midwest have passed bills that restrict the rights of pregnant people in
“
Abortion is frequently a flashpoint in America, a country that has long struggled – and frequently failed – to distance itself, and especially its government and its courts, from its theocratic colonial roots. – Sara Birrel
to think about their period when they’re not having it, expecting someone to identify they’re pregnant, make a decision on what to do, and scrape together the money and schedule the time off work and the transportation to get to the clinic within two weeks is absurd (Texas is the second-largest state by both area and population, but it currently has fewer than 20 clinics where people can access abortion. A Guttmacher Institute report found that the av-
pregnant, and then sue them if they seek out an abortion. Like all abortion laws, it will primarily impact poor people, racialized people, youth, and people with disabilities. Wealthy white women have always been able to access abortions and they always will be. Some commentators see the ban as the death knell for Roe vs Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that ruled that pregnant people have the right to access abortion without “excessive” in-
some way, and it’s not misguided to view SB 8 and an upcoming Supreme Court hearing over a Mississippi law that bans abortion after 15 weeks as harbingers of more restrictions to come. However, states like Oregon and Vermont, which place no restrictions on abortion, are unlikely to change their approach, regardless of what other states do, or if Roe is overturned. Abortion is frequently a flashpoint in America, a country
that has long struggled – and frequently failed – to distance itself, and especially its government and its courts, from its theocratic colonial roots. There is no one-to-one comparison between the US and Canada. However, Canadians who support reproductive justice should be aware that Canada’s abortion law – the Supreme Court decision that arose out of R. vs Morgentaler in 1988 – has made it so that, while anyone in Canada theoretically has the right to access an abortion at any time during their pregnancy, the Canadian healthcare system puts healthcare in the hands of the provinces, where access becomes a patchwork that leaves many people carrying out unwanted or unviable pregnancies, despite the fact that they are legally entitled to an abortion. Bills like SB 8 make the news because they are direct attacks on the values of the majority of people, who believe that everyone has the right to autonomy over their own body. Unfortunately, the less dramatic but just as devastating challenges that Canadians face in accessing abortions often fly under the radar, even as anti-choice groups are campaigning to restrict access further. What has happened in Texas won’t happen here – but it should prompt everyone to take a hard look at what is happening here and figure out how we can change it.
Jack Skinner via Unsplash
Abortions for some, miniature American flags for others.
arts & culture
7
editor: hannah eiserman aandc@carillonregina.com the carillon | sept 15 - sept 22, 2021
Sensing Pleasure festival encourages ‘taking care’ Queer City Cinema’s annual festival argues self-care is not an indulgence – it’s essential jorah bright arts writer From September 16 to 18, Queer City Cinema [QCC] will be putting on its eighth Performatorium Festival of Queer Performance and its seventeenth Queer City Cinema Film Festival. The festival brings together performance artists to showcase their work for communities in Saskatchewan. This year’s lineup features performers from Regina, Montreal, and more. Queer City Cinema began in 1996 as a film and video festival and was part of the Dunlop Art Gallery’s programming. In 2012, QCC introduced their Performatorium Festival of Queer Performance. In 2016, the two festivals combined into one annual festival. Gary Varro, the festival’s Executive and Artistic Director since 1996, says there are many different types of films and creative expressions at the festival. “The films are all short, experimental work, personal narrative work, um, unusual experimental things.” They further elaborated on what people can expect at the festival, saying “It’s a queer performance and art festival, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that that’s the subject matter, it’s not rainbow flag-waving, or, you know gay rights focused […] What people should expect is more creative and artistic expressions than necessarily about being LGBTQ+.” This year’s theme is Sensing Pleasure, meaning that the festival is focusing on the five senses and the pleasure you can feel emotionally and intellectually after engaging them. Even more so than that, Varro says Sensing Pleasure
is about normalizing indulging in some pleasurable experiences. “It’s okay to take some time out and take care of ourselves,” Varro says. “It doesn’t mean, you know, off to the spa! It might mean that, but it also means that the work, like the films and the performances at the festival, can be about the pleasure of art and the pleasure of expression, perhaps with a serious message attached.” Activism seems to be inseparable from being queer, and that’s a major part of this pleasurable experience of self-care. “I think it is the effort to make sure everyone’s okay doing activist work, taking care of what needs to be taken care of,” Varro says. When people get overwhelmed, he says
doesn’t mean going to the spa; it doesn’t mean getting a massage; it doesn’t mean all those ‘pampery’ things. It means taking care of yourself in order to take care of others.” Despite what people think, Varro argues, it’s not a selfish act to participate in self-care: “It’s actually so that you can carry on and do the hard work.” Varro likens it to the rule that when on an airplane, you have to put your mask on first before you help anyone else. It seems selfish, he says, but it’s not, “because you can only help people if you are healthy yourself. So that’s where ‘Sensing Pleasure’ came from.” The theme of Sensing Pleasure acknowledges the importance of supporting your health –
to find some positives in the interlude. “In some ways, COVID was a way to have some respite,” Varro says, “[and re]visit this idea about burnout and what is really necessary.” These ideas that Varro revisited helped him come up with the aforementioned theme of Sensing Pleasure. People who have attended the festival in the past can expect it to be a bit different. “It’s probably half a festival this year and the reason why is, I’ll be obvious, I don’t think people are ready to go out to a full-on festival schedule, so it’s sort of a lighter festival that way,” Varro says. Additionally, the festival this year has brought back some things from festivals past. “We’re at the Mackenzie Art
“
Radical self-care doesn’t mean going to the spa; it doesn’t mean getting a massage; it doesn’t mean all those ‘pampery’ things. It means taking care of yourself in order to take care of others. – Gary Varo
“I think the creative, artistic side sometimes is lost, perhaps. So, this was a way to sort of re-engage people into the pleasure of looking at art and watching art and purely for the pleasure of watching it and being transported and yeah, just engaging people in what art is meant to do.” Varro highlighted the origins of the term Sensing Pleasure and its meaning within the idea of radical self-care. They cite the late, great feminist writer and activist Audre Lorde who coined the term and argued “radical self-care
and not just your physical health, but your mental, emotional, and spiritual health – and moreover, being able to become healthier. Beyond that, it recognizes how important your health is for your well-being and in allowing you to continue your action, involvement in projects, and social and creative responsibilities. It’s about indulging in self-care without the feelings of shame or guilt that often come with it. Despite COVID interfering with many other arts events in the last 18 months, Varro was able
Gallery for the first time in a long time. We have guest-curated programs this time around, we haven’t had that in a long time.” As they put together the festival, Varro emphasizes diversity. It was his mission to make sure the event was as diverse and inclusive as possible, despite it being one of the more challenging parts of putting it all together. It was important to QCC that there was not only “representation of all sorts of gender expression and sexual orientation expression,” but also a diversity of “creative expres-
sions.” Varro calls it “a balance act,” finding “queer performance artists in Canada that are POC or that are doing work around disability, or you know, marginalized bodies” – but though it’s difficult, it’s certainly a challenge worth undertaking. While talking about the challenges of putting on the festival, he also acknowledged wanting to make sure that the festival is unique and that the media shown at QCC is unique, “There’s lots of mainstream work out there, especially film and video, lots of it is available online,” they note, and also say that other “queer film festivals that tend to show more mainstream work than Queer City Cinema.” He feels that GCC is “not cookie-cutter. It’s definitely invested in the marginalized of the marginalized […] It’s those who are really doing different things out there.” QCC means a lot to Varro, as he’s been doing it for almost 25 years – and he’s the sole employee making the festival happen. It’s a “very personal project,” to him and he tends to call it his own “art practice.” “When you make art it comes from a personal place,” Varro says, “I am very particular about how things get done and how things should be, and I have a clear vision about what the festival is and isn’t and should and shouldn’t be.” The festival is free to attend, but please be advised that all attendees will be required to wear masks and be over the age of 18. The facilities where events will be taking place are wheelchair accessible and film programming includes captions. More information can be found at https://www.queercitycinema.ca/2021/?home Isreal Palacio via Unsplash
It’s not an open mic night, sit the hell down!
sept 15 - sept 22, 2021
carillonregina.com | the carillon |
arts & culture
8
Regina’s Busker Festival: For the love of live music! Wascana Centre’s first annual festival brings live music at a time the community really needs it jorah bright arts writer Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, live music has begun to feel like a luxury of the past. People have been unable to enjoy live music with their families and friends, unable to experience the feeling of the bass in the floor and a melody in the air. On September 18, Wascana Centre is holding its first annual Busker Festival. The idea of busking has been around since the medieval period when merchants used entertainers as a way to attract more customers to their businesses. The term was coined in the mid-1850s and was used to describe people who made a living through entertainment. Nowadays, a busker is someone who performs in public, usually for money. Busker festivals, which happen all over the world, bring several of these performers to one place to perform for audiences. Music as a whole is a great way of bringing people together, especially for events like these. Outreach and Visitor Experience’s Programming & Visitor Supervisor Lauren Hope added to this in an interview, saying, “Our main goal is always to bring out people into the community, and into Wascana and into the park, and enjoy the space.” The arts industry has suffered throughout COVID-19, with theatres and auditoriums being closed. The Busker Festival allows music-lovers to experience live mu-
sic again while remaining COVIDsafe. Concerning the challenges faced while putting on an event during COVID-19, Hope said, “We were lucky in that numbers are lower right now, and that it’s an outdoor space, so that people can space out, and socially distance.” She also highlighted the importance of keeping the arts alive, and how this motivated the creation of the Wascana Centre Busker Festival. “We were looking at ways that we could support the arts in the midst of COVID-19, while also entertaining the people of Regina and community. We hope people can come to the park, socially distanced, and still be entertained.” And despite this being the first Wascana Centre Busker Festival, there are some great performers lined up. Regina locals will know the artist Tyler Gilbert, a “Sask based rock singer/songwriter, [who is] playing an acoustic set of all original music. He has released five albums and toured Canada and USA, performing at festivals including Ohio State Far, Burlington’s Sound of Music, Canadian Country Music Award Festival, World Women’s Curling Championship, May Run Music Fest, Winnipeg Fringe Fest, International Folk Alliance and the Canadian Western Agribition. He receives regular airplay on CBC, Sirius XM, and digital radio stations around the world. [He was the w]inner of “Best Song from Solo Artist” in the 2020 Banger Music Awards and a 7-time nominee for the Josie Music
Awards in Tennessee.” Amber Jack Fish will also be performing at the Busker Festival, a duo who have been playing together for 10 years. One half of the duo, Amber Fyfe, “is conservatory taught and primarily plays guitar, mandolin and sings.” The other half, Jack Dublanica, “has a BA in music and does music lessons. He primarily plays banjo and fiddle” They describe their tunes as “Bluegrass, Metis, Celtic, and Old Time.” Hope is incredibly excited for the event, and proud of her team that helped make it happen, “I’m most proud of how much support I get,” she says. “I throw out these wild ideas, sometimes, and they get behind it and help out and volunteer as much as they can and where they’re needed. I have a great team to work with.” The festival follows another arts-based program, Arts in the Park, that happened over the summer. In the years to come, Hope intends for more arts-based programming, and another Busker Festival, to help concentrate on the arts and continue to bring more people out into the community. The Wascana Centre Busker Festival will be on September 18, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Wascana Centre. More information on the Busker Festival can be found at https://m.facebook.com/ events/1926664214161877/.
Tyler Gilbert
Sick hat, bro.
Saskatoon AIDS Walk 2021 Annual educational fundraiser teams up to help combat HIV/AIDS transmission in Saskatchewan gillian massie staff writer Saskatoon AIDS Walk is back in person after taking a year off from the pandemic. The walk is monumental for raising awareness and support for people living with HIV/AIDS. This year, OUTSaskatoon, Prairie Harm Reduction (PHR), and Saskatoon Sexual Health (SSH) have joined as a collective to raise awareness and funds through the fun of fitness for this event. Saskatoon Sexual Health director and event organizer Heather Hale explains why the event is so important to partake in: “I think that there is a [sic] number of reasons: one is going to be that [the event] is fun, and it engages [the] community and people who are focused on solutions and prevention. People are always looking on how to be involved and participate and this is a great opportunity. Supporting this work indicates that the work these organizations are doing is important.” Runners began fundraising in late August and will gather to run September 26 in front of the Roxy Theatre in Saskatoon. They will then have a closing ceremony to celebrate the top runners who will receive some extra prizes. Runners and donors can go to saskatoonsexualhealth.ca to register as an individual or a team and
begin fundraising and donating to their favorite teams. The pace and distance at which one goes is flexible, but participants can receive prizes for each milestone they achieve at the 50km, 100km, 250km, 500km, and 1000km marks. All types of runners are encouraged to participate, but Hale emphasizes how the event can be a bonding opportunity for teams: “I think being a part of a team is kind of fun. You get to come to-
gether with your friends, family or colleagues and there’s always a bit of competition between team members too.” The skyrocketing rates of HIV infection in Saskatchewan demonstrate why individuals need to be aware of the ongoing opioid crisis and the importance of properly funding safe consumption areas. “We know that Saskatchewan has the highest HIV rate in Canada which is double the national
average and is fueled by injection drug use and further compounded by crystal meth and the overdose epidemic that our province is facing. But one of the challenges is one in five people who have HIV do not know that they are living with HIV,” said Hale, “and so certainly we want to create awareness about the realities of HIV in Saskatoon, but we also want to celebrate and share the opportunities, the care, the collaboration, the
Martins Zemlicks
A bunch of people that look like little tiny ants from up here!
generosity, and spirit within our communities. And what we can do when we come together when we tackle problems.” Funds raised are going toward each of the organizations involved, who plan on making advances and helping individuals by providing them with sustainable programming. “Each organization is dedicating funds towards different things,” Hale explains. PHR is putting funds towards “outreach and engagement through their outreach programs and working and supporting sex workers.” Of the plans for her own organization, Hale says at SSH, “we are focused on testing,” which includes “connecting people with testing and treatment and access to knowing their status.” According to Hale, OUTSaskatoon is really “focusing on [the] peer support piece, so making sure folks have access to peer support and navigating systems.” Additionally, Hale notes that, “unfortunately, the programs and services that are needed in our communities are not supported in the way that they should be, and [the severe underfunding of] safe consumption sites is a pretty glaring example of that.” Thankfully, organizations like PHR, SSH, and OUTSaskatoon, and events like the AIDS walk exist to help combat this crucial and sizable problem.
sept 15 - sept 22, 2021
carillonregina.com | the carillon |
arts & culture
9
Get it Off Your Chest with this new poetry book Carillon contributor Rayanne Gwilliam talks self-publishing and her “collaborative” book of poetry hannah eiserman arts editor
University of Regina alumni Rayanne Gwilliam, a continuing education student who obtained business certificates from the program, has recently released a book of poetry entitled Off My Chest. On August 18, the book hit the virtual stands, having been self-published through Amazon in traditional paperback and Kindle versions. This week, I had a chat with Gwilliam about her innovatively styled book, self-publishing, and her previous contributions to The Carillon. When I asked Gwilliam what motivated her to get into poetry from her business background, she says “I kind of asked myself the same thing… I suppose it was mostly a creative outlet, I guess you would say.” Despite the poetry being very personal and a therapeutic experience, helping other people through hard times was important to her. “I found that sometimes life happens,” she says, “you go through different things. You don’t always necessarily have someone you can go to.” Gwillian adds that during those tough times, “A pen and paper never leaves you. That’s always an option; that’s always a way to get things out of your system [and] that allows you to be creative and potentially share with other people, which is probably the best way to do it in my opinion. Then, you feel like you’re doing something productive that helps other people, which also makes you feel better.” Off My Chest takes an innovative approach to the conventional poetry book. The word Gwilliam uses to describe her work is “collaborative.” She says that her “biggest intention with it was that I wanted it to basically be… something that people could express their own feelings [with…] The best way to do that was to create a space for people to express themselves [while they read.]” As a result, the poetry book leaves space with blank pages between Gwilliam’s work for readers to respond to what they’ve read. Self-expression was important to Gwilliam, and that’s the main thing she wanted to encourage. Conventional books don’t leave any physical space between the lines for readers to interact and engage with them, and this is something she wanted to counteract. She says, “it seem[ed] kind of implausible to have just a book in itself that encourages self-expression without having some sort of other space for that to be done.” Gwilliam wants to make it clear that a person doesn’t have to respond with their own poem, or journal entry, however. “The nice thing is,” she says, “they’re just blank note pages […] if you want to express by drawing, writing, or heck, if you want to use it for a grocery list, that [space] is yours to deal with!” Gwilliam was also inspired by the state of mental health care in
Saskatchewan. She says that “[o] ur system when it comes to mental health, therapy, self-expression […] it’s very restrictive sometimes. People can feel very alone and like they’re not allowed to be themselves.” Mental health care
dreds of rejections, but you just need the one yes.” The choice to self-publish was also symbolic for her: she says, “when I was thinking about it, [the book] was meant to be self-expressive […] A lot of times, people feel complete-
old “paradox” of “needing the job to get the experience,” Gwilliam says. “You need to be published and have a name in order to get published, and you need to be published in order to make a name for yourself in the publish-
“
A pen and paper never leaves you. That’s always an option; that’s always a way to get things out of your system. – Rayanne Gwilliam
is abysmal in our province, particularly in northern and remote communities, so Gwilliam really wanted to do what she could to combat that. Gwilliam queried the book through traditional publishers and didn’t find anyone willing to pick it up, but said that it was entirely possible she would have, noting that “you can get hun-
ly independent in those scenarios; they’re completely on their own.” She wanted to “show people things are possible, to be done independently. Most importantly, “it felt like the right thing to do.” There are significant barriers to traditional publishing that many people have faced that likely have contributed to the rise of self-publishing. “It’s like the age-
ing industry.” A perk of self-publishing with Amazon is they don’t get to keep exclusive paperback rights, so Gwilliam is able to distribute a hardcover version through Barnes and Noble as well. She is also working on an audio version to be released soon. In the time the book has been out, most of her purchases have been to
friends and family, but she is very hopeful of expanding the book’s reach with its addition to Barnes and Noble. She also wants to reach out to independent bookstores and see if they would be willing to distribute it. For now, she’s mostly selling the paper copies from her personal Facebook page. The rights are within the library archives in Canada too, so she hopes the Regina Public Library and school libraries will also distribute it. I had to ask Gwilliam about her contributions to The Carillon and how they inspired her book. She says she’s been writing for a long time, and the project was a long time coming. She says, “it was always something I thought I’d just have for myself […] I never thought it would go anywhere.” Writing for the Carillon proved to her that her writing was worth something, because she was getting paid for her work. Contributing, and getting that little bit of cash, gave her positive reassurance and incentive to pursue writing more seriously. As Gwilliam says, “you don’t have to be Emily Dickinson” to make it in today’s market! She also joined a collaborative project via Submittable earlier this year to include her work in a poetry book with Poets Choice, relating to global warming. It was a heavy topic, but fun, she says. It was a widespread project that included many writers, and Gwilliam said it was quite a thrill to be chosen, and it taught her more of the process of publishing. The cover, featured in this article, was done by a friend of Gwilliam’s in B.C., who she calls “very talented.” Gwilliam dabbles in art herself, having an independent shop with RedBubble, but says it’s more abstract style, and she wanted someone who she knew could execute her vision. The commission helped her friend add another piece to her portfolio, so the collaborative nature of the book was extended. As of now, Gwilliam doesn’t have any social media other than her personal Facebook, but she plans on developing an author page on Amazon as well. She welcomes emails at Rayanne.Gwilliam@gmail.com, and notes that if anyone was wanting to pick up a copy through her directly, they can do so that way.
sept 15 - sept 22, 2021
carillonregina.com | the carillon |
arts & culture
10
Walk a Mile in Her Shoes 2021
YWCA’s annual educational fundraiser returns with a hybrid model
hammad ali staff writer YWCA Regina has organized their annual event Walk a Mile in Her Shoes for September 16, 2021. The event is a community-focused fundraiser where supporters are expected to raise awareness on gender-based violence by stepping into red high heels for an awareness walk through downtown Regina. Due to the pandemic, the 2020 event was an entirely virtual walk. This year, YWCA has announced a hybrid event, including both virtual and in-person options to get involved, with Avana as the presenting sponsor for the event. Online registration is now open and can be done on their website. If you register for the in-person event, you will be joining other participants on Thursday, September 16 for a walk in downtown Regina, starting at the City Square Plaza. Those registered in the virtual event can walk wherever, whenever, and with whomever they want during Walk Week from Monday September 13 to Thursday September 16. Virtual walkers are invited to share their journey with YWCA on social media by tagging @ywcaregina. For those joining the in-person
event, sign-in starts at 11 a.m., the walk starts at noon, and the event wraps up by 1 p.m. Participants will be walking around Victoria Park, beginning at the City Square Plaza, walking east down Twelfth Avenue, on to Lorne Street, and back to City Square Plaza. Participants don’t have to wear red heels, but are encouraged to wear any red shoe to visually show their support. A limited number of flat-footed red shoes will be available on site, as well as red flairs and ribbons for those who prefer to wear their regular shoes. The route is 100% wheelchair accessible, and pets are also welcome! There are three registration options. Participants can either join as individuals, start their own team, or join an existing team. Those who registered online will still need to sign in on the day of the event to receive their lunch ticket, amongst other things. Participants can also register at the venue. Registration fee covers participation in the event, a walker bib, and lunch. Participants don’t need to bring anything – except maybe a good attitude and willingness to learn! Everything needed to participate smoothly and safely will be provided by the organizers. While masking is not required,
those who would feel more comfortable wearing one are welcome to do so. Sanitization will be available, but no distancing measures are in place in accordance with the guidelines of the Government of Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan has the highest rate of domestic violence in Canada – nearly twice the national average, according to Statistics Canada. All funds raised at the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event help support YWCA Regina’s Isabel Johnson Domestic Violence Shelter, one of the only three domestic violence shelters in the city. In 2020, over 207 women and 59 children were given shelter at the YWCA. Yet, at the same time, nearly 400 had to be turned away due to space constraints. In addition to registering for the in-person or virtual walk, there are other ways to get involved. Those interested can donate to one of the teams or individuals registered through the event website, as well as help spread the word by sharing information on the event on social media. Cash donations can also be made on the day of the event. More information is available at: https://ywcaregina.com/ walkamile/.
Robert Metz via Unsplash
“Walk a mile in these Louboutins…” – A Modern Proverb by Iggy Azalea
Adult book fair brings whimsy and nostalgia
Local book store celebrates one-year birthday with an adult book fair hannah eiserman arts editor Book lovers in the city were rejoicing last Saturday! It was The Penny University’s birthday, and everyone was invited to celebrate with them at a boozy, adult book fair! On September 11, from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., patrons shopped, boozed and schmoozed, or drank coffee if that’s more their style. Having already had my caffeine fix for the day – believe it or not, that limit actually can be met – I stuck to a dry perusal of the books on offer. The best part of the a-fair? $10 books! I know we’ve all been chasing the high of those cherished elementary school Scholastic book fairs. There was nothing quite like getting to school bright and early, picking yourself out a couple new books, bookmarks, or even erasers with the couple of bucks your mom tucked in your lunch, and heading in to class. (And then, if you were like me, trying to read them during class when the teacher wasn’t looking!) This time we’re all adults and you don’t have to hide your books in your desk anymore! Go ahead, crack them open! Indulge a little; books are one of life’s simple pleasures. They couldn’t have picked a cozier, cloudier fall day, complete with a gentle drizzle of rain. They had some of the hottest $10 books displayed on the bench outside to draw in passersby – but don’t worry, I promise they were well sheltered from rain spatter! Patrons were greeted at the door
by the delightful Raylee in her whimsical book skirt, a representative of event partner Pencils of Hope, a not-for-profit initiative dedicated to bringing additional funding to schools on First Nations reserves. Pencils for Hope notes in their vision statement that K-12 Schools are underfunded by $2.4
billion dollars since 2007. Students living on reserves receive at least 30 per cent less funding for their education, according to CBC. Pencils for Hope mission addresses Truth and Reconciliation Call to Action 8, which states: “We call upon the federal government to eliminate the discrepancy in federal education funding for
First Nations children being educated on reserves and those First Nations children being educated off reserves.” This, as with virtually every call from the Truth and Reconciliation doctrine, has gone either unaddressed or insignificantly addressed, so the organization has taken matters into their own hands, hoping to Hannah Eiserman
Really just a bunch of books – and I want them ALL!
help “bridge that gap.” Despite the fact that it was their birthday, The Penny University celebrated by giving back, with $5 from every $10 book sale being donated to Pencils of Hope. The vibes were immaculate in the store. The mood was palpable, and I could tell that all the other patrons were just as jazzed to be there as I was! Wine, beer, coffee, and treat bags were ready for purchase; 90s alternative rock music like “Mulder and Scully” by Catatonia played; and an abundance of books were tagged “Book Fair - $10” and begging to be purchased. I walked away with Campusland by Scott Johnston, a satire on the modern university, and Reproduction by poet Ian Williams, his debut novel that won the Scotiabank Giller Prize in 2019, though it was a challenge not to spend my minute savings on the surprisingly diverse collection of sale books. I will admit, I have ulterior motives for writing about this event – and that is my mission to encourage The Penny University to continue hosting these, and ideally, host them more often than just for annual birthdays. But I’ll take what I can get! The event has filled a void in our hearts left gaping by an end to those Scholastic book fairs and the harsh reality of coming into adulthood. If you want to support The Penny University another time, their regular hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday.
sports
11
editor: vacant sports@carillonregina.com the carillon | sept 15 - sept 22, 2021
U of R athlete in women’s coaching initiative Hockey player Sorestad to participate in Creating Coaches mentorship program
holly funk editor-in-chief Ireland Sorestad, a student-athlete in the Faculty of Education who plays hockey at the University of Regina, has recently been nominated along with five other student-athletes across Canada for a mentorship program intended to turn players into coaches. Aptly named, the Creating Coaches program was created through a partnership of the Hockey Canada Foundation and U SPORTS, and aligns with the former’s Hockey is Hers initiative. There are multiple focuses in this two-year mentorship program, the first being to strengthen the game of each player involved. Sorestad, who has already played three seasons with the Cougars – 83 Canada West games, to be exact – undoubtedly has a strong game going in. She has also assisted with the U of R Cougars Cubs program and camps, which speaks to both her passion for the game and for passing on what she’s learned through her experiences so far. However, receiving mentorship from people who’ve been playing, coaching, and studying the game for decades can only serve to improve both her on-ice play, and her strategy on and behind the bench. The other focuses for the program are borrowed from the Hockey is Hers initiative, which commits “to help the girls and women of Canada get involved with hockey. Hockey has undeniably positive impacts on the people who play, and we believe those impacts should be shared by all –- regardless of gender. To ensure we achieve a long-lasting and genuinely positive impact on the female game, we have focused
John Mcarthur via Unsplash
Go recreate this scene by feeding geese at Wascana to really get that “drop it and get out” technique down.
our funding into three strategic imperatives - the development of female coaching, recruitment and retention of girls in the sport, and the support of our Canada’s Women’s National Team.” Creating Coaches was created specifically to increase the number of women in coaching positions across Canada. It’s easy to think that since we have teams for women in addition to teams for men for most sports that inequality must be over and sexism in sports doesn’t exist anymore, but easy thoughts aren’t often accurate. In the 2013 article “Where are the female coaches?” for the Canadian Journal for Women in
now, right? Pay attention to the wording though – he uses “were” when speaking on coaches specifically. He goes on to write that “In intercollegiate sports, the number of coaching jobs in women’s sport has more than doubled in the last 40 years, but the percentage of female coaches has fallen sharply –- from an estimated 60 per cent in the 1960s to 40 per cent in the 1980s to the 19 per cent reported last year.” Kidd quotes Beth Ali, director of intercollegiate and high-performance sport at the University of Toronto at the time, who is of the opinion that “it’s less a case of women dropping out of coaching
teer opportunities -male control of the sport -employers’ unwillingness to hire -homophobic stereotypes of women athletes -gender-based stereotypes and violence -difficulty in work-life balance -lack of networking, group practices, and job-sharing -lack of women role models in the career path -lack of mentoring programs for women Pursuing a career in sports presents much the same difficulties for women that are present in other career path pursuits,
“
In intercollegiate sports, the number of coaching jobs in women’s sport has more than doubled in the last 40 years, but the percentage of female coaches has fallen sharply - from an estimated 60 per cent in the 1960s to 40 per cent in the 1980s to the 19 per cent reported last year. – Bruce Kidd
Coaching, Bruce Kidd outlines just how inaccurate it is to believe all is well. “While often ridiculed, marginalized in inadequate facilities, and woefully underfunded, [women’s-only sport departments] kept the traditions of women’s leadership alive. As late as the 1960s, the majority of the coaches in women’s sport were still women.” writes Kidd. So, women in coaching and leadership roles had a rough go, but it’s all figured out
than we lose them before they even have a chance to consider making it a career. [There are] so few examples of women enjoying rewarding coaching careers that even those who really want to be coaches plan something else for their future.” Some of the barriers women pursuing coaching careers currently face include: -lack of recruiting and retention efforts -job insecurity -low salaries, or solely volun-
especially for student-athletes. Balancing a course load, practices, games, and one or more jobs makes it difficult to find the time to take on volunteer opportunities, which can offer vital experience for those with coaching as a goal. Because of this, Kidd explains that “We need to make the conversation about the gendered nature of sports – and the discussion about how to make sports more inclusive – much more explicit and frequent. This is diffi-
cult because the social structures of sex and gender touch every one of us in deeply sensitive ways, and they are inextricably related to social power, but it is long overdue if we are really to be transparent about the sport culture we are nurturing.” Creating Coaches is a program with the goal of challenging the gender norms that have been nurtured over the past decade. Executive director of the Hockey Canada Foundation, Donna Iampieri, said that “We have seen the positive impact hockey has on those who play the game, and we believe it should be accessible to everyone, regardless of gender.” While there are currently only six spots in this mentorship program, those involved will receive support while pushing against the previously mentioned barriers they face, ideally resulting in more women hockey coaches who can act as role models for all who have career goals and don’t currently see many people like them in their desired role. “Being selected for the Creating Coaches program is an absolute honour and an opportunity that I am blessed to be a part of,” said Sorestad in a story for the Cougars, citing mixed feelings but an overall sense of optimism and excitement. “I grew up playing a male-dominant sport where being the only female came with many challenges, and because of this I’m driven and determined to help female hockey grow in Saskatchewan and across Canada. I dream of communities and cities where little girls have role models not only on TV, but right next door.”
carillonregina.com | the carillon | 12
sports
sept 15 - sept 22, 2021
Cricket: history and how to get involved Did you know we have roughly 400 cricket players in Regina? Tune in to learn more…
hammad ali staff writer While not as popular in Canada, the game of cricket is possibly the most popular sport in most of South Asia, both in terms of the number of people who follow the sport and the number who play it casually/semi-casually. In addition to South Asia, cricket is also widely popular in the Caribbean Islands, Australia, South Africa, and of course, the home of cricket, England. In fact, most countries other than England that play cricket possibly had it introduced there sometime in the past by the British. There used to be a time when there was only one form of cricket, called test cricket. A test match would go on for five days, for about 8-10 hours a day with frequent breaks for refreshments and strategy discussions. Needless to say, this format of the game calls for significant investment of time and energy to follow, and often at the end of the fifth day there is no clear winner. Test cricket is still played around the world. In fact, at the time of this writing, the Indian national team is playing a series of test matches in England, against England. However, several decades ago, organizers behind these games realized that there is room for a game format that demands less in terms of time from both players and spectators. This led to the development of the One Day International format, popularly referred to as the ODI. As the name suggests, this format
of the game goes on for one day and, except for the extremely rare tie, always ends with a clear winner. When ODIs were first introduced, many cricket purists were horrified at the cheapening and commercialization of the game. Today, the highest international body for cricket, the International Cricket Council (ICC) organizes the Cricket World Cup once every four years, where all the games are in the ODI format. After all, it is hard to determine a world cup winner if the game format often allows for “no clear
game. Former President Barack Obama once joked about how he does not understand cricket, but would like to learn, so that he can understand why the productivity across the USA is lowest whenever a man called Sachin Tendulkar comes out to bat. To the uninitiated, Sachin Tendulkar was one of the youngest athletes in cricket, a mainstay of the Indian team for nearly four decades, and an undisputed legend of the game. In more recent years, even shorter formats of the game have been introduced, such as the T20 and the T10, which last around
cial Provincial Sport in 1972. What times of the year do you play? We play from May till the end of September outdoors. How often are there cricket games? How many cricket clubs are there in the city? There are multiple games every weekend, depending on the format and the length of the format. There is a T10, T20 and One Day league going on currently, which range from anywhere between two hours to eight hours in length. There are currently 16
“
Needless to say, this format of the game calls for significant investment of time and energy to follow, and often at the end of the fifth day there is no clear winner. – Hammad Ali
winner.” As a humorous aside, soccer fan friends often give this cricket fan a hard time over how an event with less than 16 countries participating should not be called the World Cup. While it is true that cricket is not played in as many countries as soccer, the passion with which it is followed more than makes up for it. During a World Cup match where their country was playing, shops and offices across Bangladesh or India are effectively closed down so that people can follow the
three to five hours. In addition, particularly across countries with colder climates, indoor cricket has become more popular. Our very own Queen City also has a cricket scene, and in order to find out more, we got in touch with the oldest cricket club in town: the Regina Cavaliers. We spoke to Richard from the Regina Cavaliers. For how long has cricket been played in Regina? Cricket has been played here since 1965, and became an offi-
cricket clubs in the league, making up 35 teams in total. What background/experience is needed to join one of the clubs? What are the conditions and benefits of membership? Every club is different, but we are all willing to have new members at any time. Each club will have a different way in which they handle membership, and it is best to contact some of the clubs directly to find out more. Currently, how popular is
cricket in Regina? How many people would you say play regularly or are somehow involved with the game in the city? It is extremely popular in the city as there are about 400 members currently playing in Regina. Where are the games usually held? Are there any specific cricket grounds in Regina? There are currently three cricket venues in the city. Douglas Park, Grassick Park, and then Westerra Park is the newest addition. All have concrete pitch and matting on them. The league and the City of Regina are in charge of maintaining the grounds and the pitch. How can someone interested get more involved with playing cricket, or join one of the cricket clubs? Really, its just contacting one of the clubs and they will be happy to direct you. Is there anything else you would want cricket fans in Regina to know? The sport has progressed dramatically over the past 50 years. When it started, there were three teams – now we are up to three Leagues and 35 teams within. It is a very diverse group of individuals with members from all over the world. It really is a sport of culture. More information about the cricket clubs in Regina, rules and forms, current news, and schedule of games can be found on the website of the Regina Cricket Association at reginacricketassociation.com. Cricket Club Regina
I know the name of the game sounds cute, but by the look of this safety equipment it’s anything but.
sept 15 - sept 22, 2021
sports
carillonregina.com | the carillon |
13
Rec and fitness facilities re-open
While some are giddy to get back into their practice, others worry on accessibility and crowding
gillian massie staff writer Campus recreation facilities are back open at almost full capacity after being closed or dormant during the height of the pandemic. Students now have the option of returning to some of the facilities that have been through the 2020-2021 school year. With the re-opening of these facilities, there are rules to be followed within campus facilities. At the Fitness and Leisure Centre (FLC), mandatory masking is required at all times, something that is also required across the U of R campus. Previously, attendants were required to schedule a time within the FLC where they had to then request any piece of equipment that they wanted to use. Limited capacities, masks, and sanitation made the facility safe for students who chose to use them. While some students opted to stay out of the gym last school year, Hannah Polk reportedly felt quite satisfied with the precautions that existed last term in the FLC. “I don’t think that it was too early. I went to the FLC when the university was online and the mandates and the protocols were incredibly safe. They only allowed about eight people in the gym at one time and you had to pre-register.” Mentioned Polk. “Everything was very distanced, and they were sanitizing between every time slot, and you had to be completely masked at all times. I felt that even if someone in the gym who was there at the same time as me had COVID-19, or if I had COVID-19, I felt that there
Danielle Cerullo via Unsplash
Yes, we get it, you like picking up heavy things and putting them down. Big whoop.
would be no chance for transmission. That’s how strict the protocols were, and it felt very safe so I don’t think that they opened too soon. Even if people were unvaccinated, I would feel safe working out with them.” It is also reported that employees at the FLC did an excellent job at sanitizing stations after people left the facility. While many individuals are back on campus for the fall semester, the gym has become busy with many students jumping at the opportunity to get active.
ever have you, that they do close down and do a sanitization kind of thing. Just to make sure that they are thinking of the safety of the staff, students, and faculty because it is on campus and affects people in residence, people going to class, and people who might not use the gym. Also, bringing back a little bit of a number cap to make sure that it is not super congested or anything, so we are ensuring proper distancing and we are not all up on one another and potentially spreading
you can use all your equipment, and you are in charge of sanitizing your own station. “The staff does sanitize frequently, but you are ultimately in charge of sanitizing your equipment you use. There’s a lot more people working out now then there was before, it is quite busy, and you do have to wait for equipment if you do want to use a certain one. A lot of the weight equipment is really busy. I do go at night, and I find that a lot of students do go at night around
“
There is maybe 30 people who are trying to use the one-hour open swim time per day because everyone is paying for the fee, so everyone wants to use the pool in the one hour time slot which makes it really difficult to swim. I just wish that it was more accessible for the price that we are paying. – Hannah Polk
Many of the restrictions have lifted from previous measures, and this has some students concerned about returning to a gym with fewer restrictions. Chloe Gill, who frequently visited the gym pre-pandemic, remains hesitant about the lack of restrictions within the gym. “I think that considering the fact that we are in the fourth wave, they should go back to ensuring that once every hour or once every two hours or so, what-
COVID-19 virus.” Gill currently chooses to attend another gym. Polk has noticed an increase in individuals returning to the gym this fall. While she applauds the work of vigorous sanitization, she also thinks that there should be a greater emphasis on attendants to remember to sanitize their equipment after they finish using it. “There’s less restrictions so you are not restricted to one workout station as you were before. The gym is completely open
that seven, eight o’clock time. So, it might be less busy if you went in the early morning, but there is a fair amount of people using the gym at all times which can sometimes mean wait times if you are wanting to use the equipment at the gym.” The aquatic centre located within the Kinesiology Heath and Sport building also re-opened, but share overloading concerns with the gym. “I like to use the pool, but I have found recently that the
only open swim times there are is an hour window,” says Polk. “So there is maybe 30 people who are trying to use the one hour open swim time per day because everyone is paying for the fee, so everyone wants to use the pool in the one hour time slot which makes it really difficult to swim. I just wish that it was more accessible for the price that we are paying.” One issue both Polk and Gill could agree upon was the athletic and student fee rate. “[I] don’t think that it is overly fair, and again, I don’t think that it fair if we aren’t using the facilities.” said Gill. “It doesn’t necessarily make sense for us students spending $100 when that money could be going to something else. But there would still be students that will pay into the facilities and use them, for those of us who choose not to. So no I don’t think it is fair,” “I do think that student athletic fees are too expensive,” said Polk. She later added, “You pay the $70 which is a reasonably priced gym membership, but when you have to share the equipment and there is longer wait times and it is a smaller facility it does make it less worth it.” The athletic and student fees are currently $98 per semester. Students are charged for using campus facilities whether or not they choose to, and are also charged fees if they are in a remote location away from Regina and are unable to access the facilities.
sept 15 - sept 22, 2021
carillonregina.com | the carillon | 14
sports
Take a hike, buddy (on Wascana Trails) Rolling hills, a variety of inclines, and a friendly husky are only a 20-minute drive away victoria baht sports writer Hiking is one of my favourite ways to pass time, both physically and mentally. It is a way to breathe in the fresh crisp air, hear the birds chirp over listening to cars running, and it gets me away from my screen time to looking at beautiful mother nature. It is a “nice escape from reality” as a lot of people may want to say. We all know that we do not have the mountains close by, yet our flat but curvy lands are still great for
of land leading in all different directions. So, let’s get this hike on! First part is easy – having to go down the hill. Now this does mean you have to go back up the hill again to get back to your car, but it is worth it! Once you go down that hill, depending on the direction you go, it is decently flat from here on out. You have different options that you can take, which makes it fun and different each time you go. If you head straight down the hill from the parking lot you can see a bridge – the only
hills, you can look at the amazing view once again! All options at Wascana Trails are good options, and you can make it as difficult as you want or as easy as you please. This hike is not like mountains in Banff where they are straight up, or like walking around the lake on solid flat ground with no elevation. There are options! It’s not always the best method to hike on your own, plus bringing friends (and pets) is way more fun! As far as I am aware, everyone is welcome. There is no parking fee, no access fee, just
As well, this is a place in nature, so keep them close by in case of beavers, skunks, or other animals in general. Keep in mind, I believe there is only one garbage on the cite, so please pick up what your dogs leave behinds (poop) and carry the bag with you to take to the garbage. We have a close nice trail near us, and we want to keep it a clean option for everyone! One dog to take note of while you are out that your kids might enjoy seeing is an older, cute, and friendly husky that lives nearby. This husky will more than likely
support, as you are staying active. Because you are in nature and may trip in a gopher hole, you do not want to end up with a broken ankle. Bring water and some snacks if you want, but keep the garbage! As stated above, there is only one garbage can, but we want to keep this place clean for everyone. If you are someone with not as strong legs and the hills do seem a little discouraging, bring a hiking or walking stick in case you need it. Other than that, you should be set! Dress for the weather, bring some friends, and
“
All options at Wascana Trails are good options, and you can make it as difficult as you want or as easy as you please. This hike is not like mountains in Banff where they are straight up, or like walking around the lake on solid flat ground with no elevation. There are options. – Victoria Baht
adventure, and I think are truly underestimated. A good hiking trail that everyone that lives in Regina should experience is Wascana Trails. There are many reasons why you should spend time at Wascana Trails. First, it is a very close trail to the city, just about 20 minutes out! Second, just picture this: you drive to the trail (which do I have to mention again is only a 20-minute drive), you pull up, and you are on a hill. You see trees amongst trees, and a good chunk
bridge to get back and forth over the water – and you may want to take a mental note on where that is. If you head left or right from the parking lot, you could go on multiple different paths. Now these are not structured paths, so you can choose multiple lefts or rights and be stuck there for a while. Here’s my take – who does not like adventures? The same thing happens when you cross the bridge, as you can see that there are some hills on the opposite side of where you just parked. If you head toward those
pure nature. You just drive up, get out of your car, and go down that hill. Now, how you do this hike is up to you. You can walk it, jog it, run it, or bring your bike along and get some good speed. You may want to bring a bell, though, to ding each time you are coming around a corner as you may not be seen through the trees. One of my ultimate favourite parts is that dogs are allowed if on a leash. If you bring along the family pet know that the water does seem to have a current, so please be safe if they take a swim.
not be on leash. Please, do not call the humane society or take him home – his home is close by on a farm, and he knows his way back (or so it said on his dog collar). He is a great tour dog, will show you around the trails if you find him, and makes the trip even better! I have told you everything about the place but what you need to bring! Now, different people and different bodies need different things. So, you bring what you think you will need most. Although I do recommend wearing a good pair of shoes with ankle
have fun. There are hikes everywhere around Saskatchewan that you can enjoy in your spare time if you know where to look, whether on camping trips or just killing time with friends. If you have never hiked before and you want to try, this is a great place to start. If you love hiking and have done lots of hiking in the mountains, this is a great place to stay active and to keep up the endurance during your time away. Take some friends and go enjoy this hike! Photo Nic via Unsplash
If you fall down a hill while hiking but no one’s there to see it, did you still break your collar bone?
op-ed
15
editor: sarah nakonechny op-ed@carillonregina.com the carillon | sept 15 - sept 22, 2021
Tips for staying safe in a variety of situations
Tips and tricks for keeping you and your belongings safe when in public spaces With the resumption of the world continuing to move forward and progress through the changing stages of the pandemic, we are now faced with a choice: do we continue to hide in our homes and ignore the world as best as we can like we have been doing for months, or do we go out and face the world and all the events it has to offer? Regardless of what you choose to do or the capacity in which you choose to engage with it, there are a variety of ways that you can keep yourself out of harms way. This brings me to why you are here reading this article. I am sure you saw that this is tips and tricks for keeping yourself and your belongings safe in public. It never hurts to get a reminder of the ways that we used to protect ourselves as well as gain new perspectives on potential ways to do this in the future. The first thing that is very easy to do in theory but may be hard to do in practice, is ensuring that you take stock of your physical surroundings. This means that you will make a mental note of anyone in your environment, if there are any immediate threats to safety for you or others, and that you alert someone if your feelings of discomfort become too high. There are a variety of people that you could alert depending on the situation that you are a part of; this may include security, staff, friends, peers, or family. You can alert them verbally, through a text or also through something handwritten as it depends on the situation you find yourself in as well. Now that we have discussed a few different ways to alert someone if you are unsafe what are some more preventative steps
that you can take to help minimize the risk of becoming unsafe? One major thing to think of is going out to places in groups, especially if it is late at night. Regardless of how you identify or appear physically and if you are somewhere that alcohol may be a factor or not, it is important to bring someone with you. Not only is it typically more enjoyable to have someone you know come with you to events, but it is also more difficult to be targeted if you are not unac-
they are not on a communal countertop. Doing a daytrip to an amusement park? Make sure that you have a deep bag and something to place inside on top of your valuables in case someone tries to reach into it. The importance of both your attire and choice of accessories is vital to help keep you and your belongings safe. The preventative measures do not stop there! If you are going somewhere that you are not familiar with it, especially on your
“
Although situations vary in severity and in potential risk knowing how to keep yourself safe and reminding other how to as well never hurts. – Sarah Nakonechny
companied. It is also wise to think about the way in which you are dressed. I am not talking about making yourself a target by wearing something a little short. It is important to wear things that allow you to store whatever you need to bring with you in a way that it will not be touched or contaminated by another person. If you are going to a night club wear pants with deeper pockets so you do not have to bring a purse. Going to a house party? Make sure that you have a bag with you to keep your drinks in, so
own, it can be helpful to talk to someone else that you know who has been there before. Knowing the layout of the space, the expectations of the atmosphere and the types of people who may be there will allow you to prepare yourself accordingly. If you do not know what you are walking into you are more likely to be caught off guard and it is more likely to unknowingly walk into a dangerous situation. If you are going somewhere alone, or if you are meeting someone that you do not know or have not met in person before, tell
someone where you are going. It is a wonderful safety mechanism in case you find yourself in a bit of a jam or just feel uncomfortable and would like a way to leave. What you should let them know is where you are going, what time and roughly how long you expect you will be there. This way if you have not contacted them by a specific point in time to either give them an update or to let them know that you are home safely you have somebody on deck to check in on you. Now, all of these precautions and suggestions may seem a little unrealistic or unnecessary, and I can see why you might think that. However, these are some things that you do not need to do all the time as many are specific to the environment that you may be going into or the people that you will be with. If you are going out with friends for dinner at your favourite restaurant, you are probably okay to ignore most of these suggestions. But it is also nice to have something to keep in mind when preparing to go into foreign situations as well. There is nothing more important than your safety and helping to keep those that you love safe as well. It can be as simple as needing to send a text message or as extreme as driving a fair distance to go get a friend out of whatever situation they have found themselves in. Although situations vary in severity and in potential risk knowing how to keep yourself safe and reminding other how to as well never hurts.
sarah nakonechny op-ed editor Sarah Nakonchny
These dang kids with their fancy lights and need to use technology in order to have any kind of fun.
sept 15 - sept 22, 2021
op-ed
carillonregina.com | the carillon |
16
Afghanistan: who’s responsible for the rise of the Taliban? If we stop pointing fingers, can we remedy the consequences of the Taliban’s rise to power?
Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona via Unsplash
Once again the women are the ones who are stepping up and informing people about the injustice taking place.
I have never been to Afghanistan, regardless, the country has been relevant to me in different phases of life. As a child, I grew up reading travel stories about Afghanistan, both the natural beauty of its mountains and the candor and hospitality of the Afghan people. Then, in the late 90s and early 2000s Afghanistan was suddenly in the news almost daily for far less pleasant reasons. I remember news about the Taliban’s taking control of the nation, razing temples and Buddhist sculptures that stood as testimony of the rich, diverse culture of Afghanistan. In my part of the world, it is no secret that the Taliban have their roots in US-funded attempts to create a grassroots militia of Afghan people to resist the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. I say “my part of the world”, but I doubt this is news to anyone who has seen Hollywood action movies from the late 80s, especially the third Rambo movie. There is also certainly no dearth of photos of America’s favorite Ronald Reagan in meetings with early iterations of the Afghan factions that today form the Taliban. I am not saying any of this absolves the Taliban of being a particularly intolerant, misogynistic group that was comfortable harboring terrorists. I am pointing out that they obtained the ability to enforce their brand of militant Islam, and conviction to collaborate with terrorists from their experience and training from the CIA and the US Department of Defense. Now, as of August 2021, the Taliban’s back in power, and have access to American weapons and resources to once again enforce their preferred way of life. One that does not have room for music, sports, or women in public spaces. Another link I feel I have with Afghanistan is the author Khalid Hosseini. I read his book Kite Runner, which is the story of
two siblings against the backdrop of all the political upheavals that their nation bore witness to in the 70s and 80s, and how it affected their lives. For me, possibly the biggest takeaway of the story remained the amazing resilience of the ordinary Afghan so unfairly a pawn in the hands of either the Shah, Soviet Union, the USA, or the Mujahideen. It is certainly hard to read Hosseini without feeling the displacement and loss of the ordinary Afghan, packing his bags, and escaping his home, because whatever faction is in power at that time does not care for his dissenting opinion. As the media has been writing about amply this past month, at least that one thing has
not leave the house until the Taliban High Command has trained their foot soldiers to not assault women who are out in public. Of course, everyone that cares to follow world news is asking how this could have happened. How could Afghanistan fall in a span of roughly two weeks as soon as American troops were no longer around to protect the government? Why did the Afghan army not fight back? How is it that 20 years of work was, or will soon be, undone in less than 20 days? Fragmented explanations are being offered. The incumbent government was supremely corrupt. President Ashraf Ghani was exceedingly willing to negotiate terms
“
How is it that 20 years of work was, or will soon be, undone in less than 20 days? – Hammad Ali
not changed. Afghans are still packing up and trying to leave because their own home does not have space for them. This is not due to lack of physical space, which may have been tolerable. This is a rejection of their way of life, their beliefs, and values. Afghans are leaving because as we have already seen, music academies are being shut down, women are not allowed to play any sports - and because this is supposed to be a more moderate, enlightened Taliban. Yet, women are being told to not go to work because they might be mistreated by Taliban enforcers on their commute. I wish I were joking, but the Taliban media spokesperson explained that women should
that allowed him to escape in a helicopter, reportedly weighed down with suitcases filled with US dollars. The Afghan army are not paid a regular salary, for training and had neither ideological nor purely material reasons to fight back. In fact, it was to their benefit to get rid of westernized uniforms and blend in with the Taliban’s. All these reasons are not new to many of us from countries that are ever on the brink, managing a delicate balancing act. All these reasons were so avoidable it is heartbreaking. To make it worse, US President, Joe Biden, posted on social media how all they wanted from the Afghan war was to apprehend Osama Bin Laden, and nation
building was never on the agenda. I have a lot of respect for Biden, perhaps somewhat colored by the former President and how good anyone looks in comparison. But I found his claims singularly disingenuous. First, if the only reason to get into Afghanistan was to make Bin Laden pay for his crimes, then that goal was attained in May 2011. For that matter, Bin Laden was not even found in Afghanistan! Second, if nation building was never a goal, then there seems to be too many American diplomats and private contractors stuck in Kabul this past month. I doubt they were there for a vacation! I do have a somewhat unpopular opinion. Yes, the USA failed Afghanistan. The incumbent government also failed Afghanistan. Once again, the Taliban’s will enforce compliance to their understanding of the Shariah, which in the past has involved flogging men for having a clean shave, and women for not covering their hair. But ordinary Afghans cannot wash their hands so easily. For 20 years, the average Afghan had the opportunity to win an ideological battle. To join in spreading ideas, writing books, and having discussions aimed at countering the recruitment strategies of the Taliban. Given how the bulk of the membership today is youth born in the late 90s, this does not seem to have been given much effort. 20 years of relative peace and safety from the Taliban have not been capitalized on. I do not mean to blame the victim, but all the same there seems to be a lesson here: Afghanistan today might be what happens when the average citizen does not care anymore.
hammad ali staff writer
sept 15 - sept 22, 2021
carillonregina.com | the carillon |
op-ed
17
Doing what you love is worth your time Being successful is not a synonym for giving up the things you enjoy
Going back to doing the things that we once loved can be a hard and challenging thing to do. We may be worried that we will not love them in the same way or that there are more important things that we should be doing with our time now. I am definitely guilty of thinking this and being trapped in the mindset that there are much more important things that I should be doing with my time than the hobbies I once enjoyed partaking in. After graduating from high school, I had almost completely stopped doing the things that I had loved doing on a regular basis. I went from playing in two music groups to none at all. Once upon a time I used to read novels for enjoyment often and now I’m unable to finish a book in less than four months if it isn’t assigned by a class. Eventually I even stopped playing the sports that I loved because it seemed unreasonable to have that dedicated time spent away from something that would be “more practical” in my life. Instead of continuing to make time and space for the things I enjoyed partaking in I started to do things that I considered to be more useful. This included working more, keeping up with current research, and working towards building a competitive CV for future applications. Now, this is all fine and dandy and will be great for future applications and opportunities that I want to try my hand at applying for. However, what made me realize that this is actually a huge problem is when I was asked what I do in my spare time for fun and I realized that I no longer had an answer that was truthful. I could tell people that I once enjoyed playing music or read-
ing, and I still do, but it was not something that I participated in at that time. Can you state something as a hobby if it has been years since you’ve last done it? After that unexpected wake up call, I changed my approach to how I choose to utilize my time. As a result, I was not only able to pick up some of my older hobbies again, but I was also able to try some new ones as well. Realizing that it is important to take time for the things I enjoy, I ensure that I have time throughout my week to take part in the things that I enjoy doing - whether that reading, music, fitness, or photography. You can see that some of these interests are new to my life. It has been very exciting to be at the stage in my life where I can try out new ideas and hobbies and not feel conscious about myself. It is fine that I may not look like the “type” to enjoy the gym and it is also fine that the photos that I have taken are not the best either. Trying to remember that I do not have to be the best to enjoy something is something that always pops up. Why did I tell you all of this? I want to get you thinking about the things that you used to do that you loved while also thinking about new things that you have maybe wanted to try and were next able to. There are a million more reasons as to why you should continue with your hobbies and enjoy all that they have to offer.
Sarah Nakonechny
sarah nakonechny op-ed editor
Why would we bother playing the instrument when we can just take photos of it so we can pretend we know how to?
So you want to talk about anorexia Let’s check your intentions before you try an intervention
Content warning: eating disorders Maybe you’re reading this because you just stumbled onto it, or maybe because you want to learn how to talk about your own eating disorder with others, or maybe someone sent this to you because they want to talk about this with you but don’t have the words for what they’re feeling. Because of all that, I need to start this by saying that I can only speak for myself. I’m going to go over my experience and some ways that friends have been supportive and helped me through low points, but my reasons and what has worked for me will not apply to everyone. I like to say that I’ve been beating anorexia since I was 12 years old. Saying I struggle with it makes me feel powerless and saying I live with it only makes that powerlessness feel indefinite. The truth is that I’ve been finding ways to beat what this mental illness has thrown at me for 13 years straight now, and that makes me feel like a badass. However, I wouldn’t be doing nearly as well as I am if not for the friends I have. My friends that I feel safe talking about this with are the friends who understand that the lows and highs will come and go like lows and highs for someone with a bad back. Say a friend lifts something poorly and pulls a muscle; you wouldn’t get mad at them for no longer being able to move how they were able to the day before. You wouldn’t say they were faking their difficulty moving to get attention or special treatment. You wouldn’t act as though their inability to move was an inconvenience to you, because you’d be able to see that the situation isn’t actually about you at all. You’d help them as much as you could, get
them to appropriate medical aid if necessary, and ask for updates on how they’re healing and what sort of support would be helpful. Much the same as pulling something in your back, sometimes I’ll have a good streak that runs on for months and then something triggers a thought spiral and I’m doing poorly again. The friends who want to learn about those triggers so they can do what they can to help me avoid them are people I feel safe being around when I’m
low. For example: some days I can handle weighing myself, but others it will trigger an obsessive spiral that could have me low for months. So, I’ve made the overall call to avoid scales because I know that I won’t be able to tell which kind of day I’m having until after I’ve looked at the number being displayed. It’s been difficult to accept that what’s a daily routine for so many people isn’t something I can engage in in a healthy way, but that’s what works for me right
Priscilla du Preez via Unsplash
Here we have another young individual forced to bare their soul while hoping that the conservative adult will not disregard them.
now. If doctors need to take my weight, I have to ask to not hear the number, I don’t keep scales in my home, and I have several friends who I know would hide their scales before I come over if I asked because they would understand that that’s how I need support that day. One common but extremely harmful belief about anorexia is that people engage in the behaviour for attention. What most people don’t realize is something I actually already mentioned: it is incredibly frustrating to accept that you have trouble with something that’s a daily occurrence for everyone else. Accepting that eating – something all humans are programmed to do to survive – is a challenge was one of the most humbling experiences I’ve had, and I only really started doing better when I had people that were safe to go to for help. The best advice I could give if someone sent you this is to talk with them, but talk so that you can learn about what they’re experiencing, not just so you can try to end it. Ask them what best works for them – whether that’s hiding your scales when they pop over, making plans to eat meals together, or avoiding weight talk around them. If they don’t know what works for them, try going over what hasn’t worked so that you at least know what will cause more harm than good. Remember that if you’re focusing on how inconvenient the experience is for you, you’re not actually going to be helping. You’ll just be showing whoever sent this to you that you’re not a safe person to come to when they have days where they can’t fight alone.
holly funk editor-in-chief
sept 15 - sept 22, 2021
carillonregina.com | the carillon |18
op-ed
Landlords, the worst kind of cockroaches
Taking advantage of those who do not realize that they deserve better makes you the worst
@chellzyeah via Twitter
When your landlord literally paints over a cockroach.
Canada is in the middle of a housing crisis. Just this summer, police in Toronto, which is infamous for the highest housing prices in Canada, brutally dismantled tent communities in Trinity Bellwood Park, Alexandra Park, and Lamport Stadium Park. They beat, throttled, and pepper-sprayed residents and their allies. This August in Halifax, where rental vacancies are less than two per cent and rent has increased exponentially in recent years, police demolished wooden shelters that had been built for homeless people in that city, destroying many people’s belongings in the process. They arrested protestors and deployed pepper spray against the public, including a 10-year-old child. Just last week in Vancouver, park rangers and park staff began evicting residents of a tent community in CRAB Park. Meanwhile, tenants who have managed to hold on to their apartments are facing dramatically rising rents, with nearly half of Canadians (44 per cent) overspending on rent and 15 per cent spending more than half of their income on rent. The waiting list for social housing in many Canadian cities is years long and the numbers of homeless and “hidden homeless” (people who are couch-surfing or who have found temporary shelter with family or friends) is difficult to calculate and likely much larger than official numbers indicate. There are many reasons for this crisis, and they’re primarily policy problems rooted in the logic of capitalism. Real estate accounts for around 12 per cent of the nation’s GDP (which is a huge chunk), meaning that politicians and policymakers are reluctant to make any moves that could potentially lead to the devaluation of real estate property. Any intervention in the housing market that would make life better for renters (like non-market housing or massive hikes on capital gains taxes on second homes) will prompt the ire of home-
owners and the wealthy who hold tremendous power in both political and private life in this country. There are many interventions that can and must happen to ensure that everyone who lives in so-called Canada has access to housing. They require the organization, cooperation, and mobilization of tenants, poor folks, and their allies to be implemented. I have a limited word count here, and a limited amount of energy (I’m working four jobs so I can pay rent to the owners of the building I live in, who paid off the property before I was born and are making pure profit off of me and my
“
made you live off microwave meals for six months before he changed out your stove. It means the guy who converted his basement into a shoddily wired, illegal suite that he rents to people too new to the country to realize they have a right to an apartment with windows and a closet. It means the guy who evicted a single mother because her baby cried too loud, and it means the guy who evicted a 102-year-old woman so his daughter could move in. It’s easy to identify these landlords as bastards. They are callously hoarding a precious resource, enriching themselves off the labour of oth-
Every inch of Canada is stolen land, and if you buy a piece of that stolen land and use it to turn a profit (or even just pay off your mortgage) through renting, you’re a bastard. – Sara Birrel
neighbours) so I want to talk about something simple, easy, and fun that we can do to make life better for renters: we need to blame and shame landlords. Longtime readers will know my feelings on cops - but did you know that all landlords are bastards, too? That means the faceless real estate investment trust that owns the townhouse you grew up in where rent went up $100 every year and the walls were thin enough that you were alerted every time your neighbour had diarrhea. That means the Benz-driving failson who was gifted half a dozen properties across the city that he never checks in on, who you’ve called five times to complain about the wasp nest in your bedroom wall, who
ers, and condemning people to houselessness without a second thought. But the first “A” in ALAB means “all”. It means that people who buy houses with basement suites and rent those suites out to their friends so they can pay off their mortgage are bastards. It means that landlords who are attentive to your complaints and who only raise the rent marginally every decade are bastards. It means that your loving parents who bought an “investment property” that they keep having to repair when tenants trash it are bastards. Landlording is cruel and violent, no matter what the intentions or behaviour of the individual landlord are. Housing is a human right. Every person on Earth deserves a safe,
comfortable, secure place to live. They deserve it without cost, without condition. They deserve it in perpetuity. They deserve it whether they use drugs, whether they are likable, whether or not they work hard or at all. When people become landlords, when they purchase (or inherit) property with the intention of making a profit off another person’s need to access the human right to shelter - they’re not actually providing housing. They’re perpetuating a violent system of dispossession, where people without access to enough capital to purchase their own home are forced into submission to those who do. Landlording reinforces inequality and social stratification, and individual landlords are not passive participants. Property ownership is not a job, and people who argue that it is are not people to be taken seriously. Every inch of Canada is stolen land, and if you buy a piece of that stolen land and use it to turn a profit (or even just pay off your mortgage) through renting, you’re a bastard. If you buy a home and rent to your friend and your friend helps you pay off your mortgage and then you sell that home without giving your friend a cut of the money you made, you’re the worst kind of bastard. If you’re a landlord who has been struggling to make ends meet throughout the pandemic because your tenants haven’t been paying rent, that’s justice. And one day soon, when people rise up and seize what belongs to them, what has been bought with their sweat and their labour, that will be justice too.
sara birrell news editor
graphics
19
editors: sarah carrier, rooky jegede graphics@carillonregina.com the carillon | sept 15 - sept 22, 2021
graphics
carillonregina.com | the carillon |20
