VOL. 77 ISSUE 17
feb. 2, 2017
You can turn this ship around. vote in the upcoming sfuo election, Pg. 4.
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In this week’s issue... Race to the finish line P.4 Meet the 10 candidates running to be your next SFUO executives
Trevor Noah tells all in memior P.7 Born a Crime reveals life under apartheid Put a cap on cap and trade P.8 How much does fighting climate change cost? Are you ready for Capital Hoops on Feb. 3? P.10 Check out how the men and women’s teams stack up next to Carleton
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You want the truth? You can’t handle the truth! P.12 How to cover news in a world of alternative facts How to win the race against premature ejaculation P.16 There’s more than one way to the finish line Bell, let’s talk about representation P.19 Corporate agenda leaves many Canadians out of the discussion
Meet your 2017 SFUO NEWS EDITOR
Graham Robertson news@thefulcrum.ca (613) 695-0061 @_grahamr
general election candidates hadi President wess
Francesco caruso
NEWS
Francesco Caruso is in his third year of political science and communications at the U of O and is running to be the next SFUO president because he wants to change the direction of the federation. Caruso currently has three years of experience in student politics, has served on the Board of Administration (BOA), has been involved with several clubs on campus, and is currently the vice-president of services and communications for the SFUO. If elected, Caruso plans on making information more easily accessible to students, and he believes that his experience working with the federation will help him effectively execute this task. Caruso also hopes to implement online voting for SFUO elections, to increase voter turnout to 15 per cent. Caruso believes that the federation should be there to listen to students. “The SFUO is a valuable tool,” he says. “It’s a shame students don’t see that. But if students don’t see the work of the SFUO then it’s up to the SFUO to make more of an effort.” “It’s the federation that should show the students what it’s worth.”
Hadi Wess is in his final year of a major in psychology, with a double-minor in French and Italian. Wess is running for president because he hopes to continue serving on the SFUO to make it a better place long after he leaves. Wess is in his second term as vice-president social for the SFUO, and has been part of 23 clubs on campus. According to Wess, this involvement has helped him develop the leadership skills he will need as president. Wess’ main goal as president is to advocate for the development of a student building—a building run by students, with study and lounge space, rooms for clubs to thrive, and multifaith rooms. He also plans on making the SFUO more accessible from the south end of the main campus, as well as the Lees and Roger Guindon campuses, and hopes to create an accommodation policy. If elected, Wess hopes to host monthly meetings between the SFUO executive and students, where students can bring up their concerns. “It’s about understanding what are the needs and demands of the student population … it’s about communicating with the students,” says Wess, who hopes that these meetings will improve issues of transparency with the federation. “Transparency is when you promise the students something and you deliver, and you show students everything they wish to see.”
Vice-president of university affairs
Vice-preside
Axel Ngamije Gaga
jeffry colin Jeffry Colin, who is in the fifth year of his biotechnology degree, says his years on campus have led him to become familiar with campus and its services, and evaluate which areas need improvement. Colin currently sits on the SFUO’s BOA as a representative for the Faculty of Engineering, and is also part of the federation’s constitutional and policy and bylaw committees. He believes that this experience will serve him well should he be elected. “I’d like to see our federation be more efficient in the long-term,” says Colin, who, if elected, plans on improving U-Pass distribution, bringing more funding into campaigns, collaborating with students on the university Senate, and implementing online voting.
Rizki Rachiq Axel Ngamije Gaga is a fifthyear biology student and is running to be the next vicepresident of university affairs because he wants to get more involved on campus and leave a mark before he graduates. Ngamije Gaga’s goal is to remove extra fees on late tuition and address lengthy wait times for the U-Pass by reorganizing the current distribution method and making it more accessible from all areas of campus. According to Ngamije Gaga, his experience working in the government as a junior policy analyst, drafting policies and negotiating with his colleagues, has given him vital skills necessary for this position on the federation. “Students need someone reliable and honest, and someone who’s flexible to have a sense of negotiation,” says Ngamije Gaga, who believes that it’s important to move the SFUO forward through small wins. “I know that everyone has huge expectations, they want the big win, (but) we need to find a way to get small wins and make sure that overall we are moving forward.”
4 | NEWS
Rizki Rachiq is a fourth-year economics student at the U of O and is rerunning for the position of vice-president of finance. According to Rachiq, his past eight months in the position have allowed him to learn the ins and outs of it, and complete tasks despite the SFUO’s current financial situation. “I just want (students) to know that I’ll be working with them to bring back the advantages they used to have,” says Rachiq, who explains that all the work that he has done this past school year has been in preparation for the upcoming year. If re-elected, Rachiq hopes to bring back subsidies for clubs and fill positions in services and businesses that are currently understaffed. Rachiq also hopes to work closely with Café Alt and 1848 to help them bring more money into the federation, and he plans on continuing face-to-face consultation with students to better meet their needs.
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With issues from transparency to debt, votes cast in this election could make or break The future of the student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO).
graham robertson & zainAb Al-mehdar news editor & associate new editor
The 2017 SFUO general election has 10 candidates vying for the six positions at the highest level of student governance at the U of O.
Photos: graham robertson & zainAb Al-mehdar
nt of finance
Vice-president social
Tanner Tallon
Vice-president equity Diyyinah Jamora
Jonathan Chin-Fook Tanner Tallon, who is currently in his fourth-year of an accounting degree, believes that both his education and work experience make him the right candidate for the position of vice-president of finance. Having completed co-op terms as a financial assistant at the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, as well as in contract management for external auditors for Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada, Tallon hopes to bring the skills acquired in these work placements to the position, if elected. Tallon currently serves as the comptroller general for the SFUO, where he audits the finances of both the executive and federated bodies on campus. He believes that this experience has allowed him to hold the executive accountable in a unique way. If elected, Tallon plans on implementing a $15 minimum wage for all SFUO employees, as well as reimplementing a three-tiered clubs funding system. He also hopes to host outdoor parties on Sundays for students and members of the community, as a way to bring funds back into the federation. “If students want change in the SFUO that better represents them then I think I’m the candidate to implement that change,” says Tallon.
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Jonathan Chin-Fook is a fifth-year political science student running unopposed for the position of vicepresident social. He believes that his experience as a volunteer and employee for the SFUO, as well as through leadership positions (notably, vice-president social for the Economics Students’ Association) will serve him well if elected. Chin-Fook hopes to bolster student participation at SFUO events, notably through the use of a “passport,” where students will receive coupons for every event they attend. He also hopes to use this increased student participation to help campus businesses such as 1848 thrive. If elected, Chin-Fook also plans on implementing leadership conferences for students to develop the skills that they will need to succeed in life after university. He also plans on working more closely with federated bodies, and hopes to increase French events and bilingualism within the SFUO overall. “I’m here for (students),” says ChinFook, noting that his efforts as a volunteer or employee have always been to harmonize campus life, and he hopes to build bridges between everyone at the U of O.
Vice-president of services and communications
Kathryn LeBlanc
Leila MoumouniTchouassi Diyyinah Jamora is a fourthyear student in political science and communications, and believes that her experience with clubs makes her the ideal candidate for vice-president equity. Having founded the field hockey club in her first-year at the U of O, and having been part of other clubs and associations on campus, Jamora says she’s been able to engage with diverse groups of students and hear their concerns. Jamora says she puts “110 per cent” into all the work she does, and if elected, she hopes to update and improve the clubs website, as well as build a stronger U of O community and make campus more accessible. Some examples of this increased accessibility include organizing events that display the multiculturalism on campus. According to Jamora, her own experiences of discrimination, along with learning about oppression and the need for intersectionality in university, have allowed her to come to value the importance of equity, and if elected she hopes to use her ideas and qualifications to improve life on campus for all students.
Leila Moumouni-Tchouassi is a fourth-year student in international development and globalization, and is running for the position of vice-president equity because she sees the value in “fighting for what you believe in and fighting for students’ needs.” Moumouni-Tchouassi is in her second term as the vice-president of philanthropy for the Development Students’ Association, and says that this experience, along with being active on campus and in the city since her first year, has allowed her to hear the personal stories of a diverse group of students. If elected, she hopes to work with the vice-president of finance to bring back clubs funding, as well as shift all club registration online. She also hopes to implement free menstrual products on campus, as well as an “Equity Week” and more equity-based events throughout the year for students to more fully engage in activist work. Moumouni-Tchouassi hopes students will know what she “wants to make campus theirs,” and that if elected, everything she does will be guided by students’ needs.
Kathryn LeBlanc is a fifth-year translation student and is running unopposed for the position of vice-president of services and communications. She currently works at the SFUO Food Bank where she “overhauled their communications strategy,” and also managed the U of O’s English Debating Society where she ran their communications work. Aside from this, LeBlanc has worked at the SFUO’s Bilingualism Centre since 2016 and has worked in communications and services for non-profits for several years. LeBlanc believes that this experience will be crucial in running the communications of the federation, as well as their services. As part of her platform, she hopes to implement online voting for SFUO elections to increase voter turnout, as well as hold monthly consultations on communications with clubs and federated bodies to better market their events. LeBlanc also plans on improving mental health services on campus, namely through training for SFUO employees. LeBlanc says that as her time on campus has been split between the federation and outside of it, her approach to the position is “not entirely SFUO-specific.” She believes that she is a good candidate for those who aren’t familiar with the federation but hope to learn more about it.
news | 5
ARTS&CULTURE Sleep be damned—the show must go on!
A&C EDITOR Anchal Sharma arts@thefulcrum.ca
(613) 695-0062 @imtherocks
Student association puts together full theatrical production in just 24 hours Iain Sellers
staff contributor
B
eginning at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 28, over a dozen students accepted the challenge to write, practice, and perform a play in under 24 hours. The participants, while primarily theatre students from the University of Ottawa, also included a few other Gee-Gees who specialize in music and French. This unique experience, titled “24 Hour Theatre,” served as an opportunity for actors and writers alike to hone their performing abilities under intense pressure.
Franco Pang, a third-year student and the president of the Student Association of the Department of Theatre (Thespis), explained that the production was split into two halves. The first 12 hours are used to write the play, while the following 12 are used to perform what they’ve written in preparation for the big show. While there were some people who grew tired and went home, Pang explained that “it’s 24 hours (and) as the name implies, people pretty much stay in the building for 24 hours.” Luckily, for the brave souls who decided to endure the marathon-style play production, their student executives provided snacks, breakfast,
and games throughout the night to keep everyone happy and motivated. The hard work of this small group of students eventually paid off Saturday night, with a short but highly enjoyable show. In the past, the participants of “24 Hour Theatre,” a semi-annual event put on by Thespis, were given a theme around which they could then structure their play. But this year Thespis wanted to change things up. Instead of giving the students a theme, they were assigned an adverb, two lines, and a setting by the event’s organizers. With these miniscule ingredients, these students were tasked with creating a sidesplitting performance.
This year’s play was about four aliens who crash-landed on earth because their “spaceship was defunked”—a line the actors were given to incorporate into the show. In order to fix their ship, the aliens needed to find its power source: music. Luckily, the aliens ran into some strangers who, after some persuasion via a dance session, let them use their iPod to power their ship and go home. Due to unexpected lastminute technical difficulties, the participating students had to adapt the nature of their show to increase its length. The adapted version of “24 Hour Theatre” included a variation where actors had to change their lines when hearing the host clap,
a variation where actors had to adapt to any lighting and sound changes, and a variation where actors had to sing their lines at a moment’s notice. The result of these changes was a whimsical performance that had most audience members in Academic Hall on the edge of their seats. It was a very impressive feat, considering that some of the actors had been awake for over 30 hours with minimal sleep. The only sleep that Emily Walko, a first-year theatre student, got while enduring the 24-hour challenge was a 30-minute nap. When asked how she managed to stay up this entire time, Walko attributed her wakefulness to
the constant activities that the Thespis representatives encouraged her to take part in. However, staying awake for the 24-hour period was only half of the challenge for the actors. Members of the cast had to fight exhaustion just to remember their lines, and then modify them when the play took an improvisational turn. Despite the added difficulties Walko wasn’t fazed, and explained that “as soon as you’re on the stage that gets forgotten, because you have a whole rush of adrenaline and energy that hits you.” To learn more about Thespis, please visit the Department of Theatre section of the U of O website.
Do It For Daron holds first mental health speaker series on campus Students, athletes, and researchers share their experiences with mental illness Ryan Pepper
Fulcrum freelancer Mental health awareness has another major advocate on campus. Do It For Daron (DIFD), a grassroots Ottawa-based organization dedicated to ending the stigma around mental illness amongst youth, was started up in 2010 by Luke and Stephanie Richardson after their daughter Daron committed suicide. In 2013 the organization established a new chapter at the University of Ottawa, and on Friday, Jan. 26, the club held its first speaker series to promote their message. “Our main goal is to begin the conversation on campus and make more people comfortable with the whole idea of mental illness,” said Selena Saikaley, president of the local DIFD chapter and a third-year finance student at the U of O. The Jan. 26 event was held at the Desmarais building and
Morton Hopkins shared his experience with mental health at DIFD’s first speaker series.
featured speakers who shared their contributions to the field of mental health awareness. The talk highlighted research by U of O PhD candidate Krista Van Slingerland,
6 | ARTS & CULTURE
Dr. Rob Milin of the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, and a personal story from Redblacks defensive tackle Moton Hopkins. Van Slingerland spoke of
Photo: Marta Kierkus.
her personal struggles dealing with depression as a student-athlete. She talked about what worked for her and what didn’t, and has since taken that experience and
turned it into her PhD project to create the Canadian Centre for Mental Health in Sport. “We are creating a space to treat athletes 14 and up who have mental illness or mental health challenges,” she said. “We want to marry sports psychology and clinical psychology.” To round out the night, Dr. Milin spoke of his research project educating high school students about mental health, and the benefits that came out of that initiative. Hopkins discussed his own health challenges and how he overcame them, and his work raising awareness for people born with autism. DIFD also focuses on fundraising to assist in their mental health research, with all the money raised being donated to the Royal. Their fundraising usually involves bake sales and club nights at Tequila Jacks. This year, DIFD is looking
to partner with other groups on campus to help spread their message. They will be teaming up with the U of O men’s hockey team for a DIFD night on Thursday, Feb. 2, where all proceeds will go towards the Royal. “The last few years have been a lot of fundraising events,” said Saikaley. “Our goal moving forward is to really take on more of an educational approach, making people more aware of the realities of mental illness.” Non-athletes looking for help with mental health shouldn’t shy away from organizations like DIFD either. “Students Against Stigma aren’t athlete-affiliated,” said Van Slingerland. “There are a lot of student groups that are doing awareness-raising around campus.” To learn more about how you can contribute, you can visit DFID U of O chapter’s Facebook page.
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Hollywood needs to split with mental illness stereotypes
True horror lies in lived experience of the mentally ill, not in cinematic sensationalism Savannah Awde Editor-in-Chief
Spoiler alert To quote an episode of the 1990s X-Men cartoon, “people fear what they do not understand.” Nowhere is this more evident than when we discuss the toxic, preconceived notions about mental illness that Hollywood continuously perpetuates. This phenomenon has been seen most recently in M. Night Shyamalan’s film Split, which follows the abduction of three teenage girls by a man diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder (DID). The horror element of the movie comes into play as these girls try to escape their captor’s more violent split personalities. The movie ends with the killings of two girls and the man’s therapist, while the ultra-violent identity dubbed “the Beast” slinks back into the shadows with a promise of returning. This “killer mental patient” trope has been used time and
time again, with films like Split, Identity, and Psycho associating DID with violence all in the name of horror. However, the problem with this trope is not just that it has very little basis in reality, but that it ignores the experience of a large majority living with non-violent mental illness. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association’s (CMHA) 2011 report on violence and mental illness, the psychology community has yet to establish a causal relationship between these two variables—meaning that there is no evidence that mental illness alone causes more violent activity. In fact, looking more specifically at DID there’s no proof linking the disorder with violent behaviour towards others. Instead, the illness is characterized by increased harm to oneself such as multiple suicide attempts, self-harm, and other self-destructive behaviour. Not to mention that the same CMHA report found that one in four people suffering from a mental illness are likely to be a
victim of violence in any given year. But Split is just a movie, and people should be informed enough on their own to know what DID is like in real life, right? Well, despite the fact that discussions on mental illness have increased over the years, a large study of attitudes on mental health saw that the proportion of Americans who described mental illness in association with violent behaviour nearly doubled from 1950 to 1996. Later in 2006, a national survey found that 60 per cent and 32 per cent of Americans thought that people with schizophrenia and major depression, respectively, were likely to act violently towards others. Clearly, the narrative surrounding mental illness has been flipped from a realistic version to one that will sensationalize and win big at the box office. This ultimately contributes to a false association between violence and mental illness that leaks out beyond
the walls of your local movie theater, and into our everyday perceptions of others. But again, you may retort, “it’s only a horror movie.” How accurate does it need to be, so long as it’s scary? Why does it matter if directors overlook the authentic experience of mental illness? There’s a simple answer. If a director actually paid attention to the experiences conveyed by a person with DID, their movie would not be lacking in terrifying elements. The experience of living with DID, schizophrenia, and any other mental illness that has been misrepresented by the film industry is horrific enough on its own. Hallucinations, feeling that your body is not being controlled by your mind, and suicidal tendencies—all true symptoms of DID—should provide more than enough material. If a movie effectively conveyed this true experience of someone with DID, audiences would still be on the edge of their seats. No damaging stereotypes necessary. So let’s agree once and for
Movies like Split leave people with a distorted view of mental illness. Photo: Blinding Edge Pictures, Blumhouse Productions.
all that movies should lose the “killer mental patient” stereotype, and start listening to the true experiences of those suffering from mental illness. Not
only has the trope been done to death, but it doesn’t hold a candle to the true horror of a mentally ill person’s lived experience.
It’s lit in the library: Born a Crime | Trevor Noah Perushka Gopalkista staff Contributor
During the school year, when you feel like readings are piled up to your ears, reading for fun can seem like a ridiculous idea—but it shouldn’t. Reading is the fastest way for you to make an escape into the world of your choosing, and expand your vocabulary without even knowing it. The underappreciated world of literature offers endless benefits, so without further ado, check out this week’s read. Like many of you, I find Trevor Noah’s news coverage on The Daily Show to be witty, integral, and relatable, which is why I decided to pick up his memoir Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood. Of course, since he’s a TV personality you would expect it to be just another comedy memoir. But Noah’s work isn’t just a retread of A Walk in the Woods, or Why Not Me? Instead, it’s a refreshingly
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gripping tale of Noah’s days living under apartheid rule. Noah continuously captivates the reader—including me, no matter how times I’ve read it—and takes them on a compelling journey from his South African childhood to his extraordinary career as a comedian in America. The memoir opens with Noah describing how he was “born a crime,” by which he means that he was the illegal result of an apartheid law that prohibited any sexual relationships between black and white people—a crime his parents had to hide. Noah notes that these laws often prevented him from getting close to his Swiss-German father. “The only time I could be with my father was indoors,” he shares with his readers. “If we left the house, he’d have to walk across the street from us.” He also notes that his mother was no stranger to this kind of disassociation from her son. Noah writes that being seen
alone with his black mother, especially in the presence of the South African police, would often lead her to pretend that Noah wasn’t her son. At an early age, Noah learned the harsh realities of being born a crime, but learned to live with it. What makes this 288-page memoir a humorous, soul-driven read is the realness he inflicts in his short stories, letting the audience see more than just a glimpse of his life. The aspect I found most captivating within the book was the fact that no matter how people judge Noah based on his skin colour, he always found a way around these misconceptions. For example, he found that by speaking multiple African languages such as Xhosa and Zulu he could “bridge the race gap” in being able to culturally connect with other races. According to Noah, this came as a surprise to many since “in South Africa back then, it wasn’t common to find a white
person or a colored person who spoke African languages.” As a South African myself, I can speak to the fact that people would often base their misconceptions on people’s skin color and would be surprised if they were capable of being something beyond a stereotype. Noah further explains that growing up in a black family lead him to believe that he belonged to the black race. “I saw myself as the people around me, and the people around me were black,” he writes. Although he also grew up amongst white family members, Noah writes that he felt more connected to the black culture, recalling that the black kids “embraced” him during his youth, simply because he spoke their language. Throughout the memoir, Noah also reflects on his close-knit relationship with his mother. He describes their bond as “the relentless detective and the devious mas-
Noah’s memoir was released in 2016.
termind she’s determined to catch,” while he recalls being the relentless child constantly creating a chaotic environment to satisfy his endless curiosity.
Photo: Random House Publishers.
At once intriguing and heartwarming, this memoir is a must read for Noah’s fans. Born A Crime is now available in all major bookstores in hardcover.
ARTS & Culture | 7
i t t er h e nc c c ela c e Fre ily um e m ulcr F
On Jan. 1, as Ontario residents woke up from celebrating the New Year, few may have realized that the cost of living increased overnight. Not only did gas prices rise by 4.3 cents per litre, but hydro bills and shopping bills will soon see an increase as well. These changes come as a result of Premier Kathleen Wynne’s adoption of a cap and trade system, which the Ontario government passed in May of 2016. The implementation of this regulatory system was Wynne’s answer to the federal government’s call to combat climate change.
New year, new costs
Canada’s dedication to counteract this environmental phenomena began when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joined the global effort in Paris last spring, after a number of failed attempts at capping Canada’s emissions. “Canada, federally, went to Paris and signed the Paris agreement,” said Cherie Wong, co-chair of the Young Greens of Canada. “That was to make sure the global temperature increase is below two degrees every year and making all the countries who signed it accountable to the greenhouse gases level.” The government’s commitment to stop global warming stood as a signal that further change was coming for our country, whether that be at a federal or provincial level. But is cap and trade really an efficient way to combat climate change, and how will this system affect Ontarians in the long run?
Is the cap and trade system going to make our lives better, or just make it more expensive?
What’s the fuss over climate change? According to 2016 report from the federal government, Canada’s production of greenhouse gases has grown by as much as 47 per cent between 1990 and 2012. And despite only having 0.5 per cent of the world’s population, we contribute to 1.6 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. For U of O psychology student and environmental activist Rae McDole, the consequences of climate change are now too big to ignore. “We’re seeing the consequences, we’re seeing the rising sea levels, the rising temperature levels, soil erosion, and all these different things that have a dramatic impact,” said McDole. “The whole planet is deteriorating, from species extinction to ecosystems being destroyed.” Canada’s specific goal is “reducing our emissions by 30 per cent by 2030,” said the U of O public and international affairs associate professor Nicholas Rivers. In order to achieve the goals set in Paris, the federal government unveiled a pan-Canadian framework, in which, as Rivers explained, “every province must put a price on carbon, but the provinces decide how they want to do it.” Ontario’s Liberal government decided to price carbon in the form of a cap and trade system. While these words have been floating around for almost a year now, what does this system actually entail? “The cap and trade program limits the total amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that can be produced in Ontario,” explains Rivers. “Companies that sell natural gas and gasoline have to hold permits and remit them to the government to cover all the carbon dioxide emissions that are going to be produced by the natural gas and gasoline.” The government hopes that limiting the amount of greenhouse gases that companies are allowed to emit will create incentives for companies to go green. Every year the limit is lowered, thus reducing carbon emissions. The trade portion of the system works by allowing companies to trade carbon allowances. These allowances determine the amount of carbon a company is permitted to produce. This is slightly different than the carbon tax system that the Alberta government just adopted, which focuses on price instead of quantity. Political controversy
Illustration: Yomi Orims.
Even though the cap and trade system has been designed to address climate change, it has been met with hesitation from people across the political spectrum.
For Wong and other Green Party members, this system may not be enough.
Don Trapp and his family, living in a rural community has added extra costs that city dwellers might not see.
“The Green Party believes there is much growth to the number we can commit to for the global increase. The Liberal government’s goal is a brave goal, but not enough.”
“I live in Dorchester, Ontario, in the country. It’s between Dorchester and London so the hydro lines run right between the two. The people in town don’t pay rural delivery rates and the city doesn’t pay rural delivery rates. It’s the same line, but because we are in between we pay rural delivery rates. Even though there’s no increase in cost to the provider with the infrastructure.”
Ontario’s Conservative Party leader Patrick Brown has also expressed opposition to this system, announcing in a letter to the public that he believes this cap and trade system is more of a money grab than it is about the environment. Despite the differences of opinions, Wong notes that instituting cap and trade is a step in the right direction.
In fact, those in rural communities will see a 25 per cent increase in delivery charges, while their urban counterparts will see a slight decrease in delivery charges.
“The fact that the Liberal government set this limit and agreed to the Paris agreement is more than the Harper government did. For that, we are thankful.”
But Jamie Benidickson, an environmental law professor from the U of O, insists that the disadvantages faced by rural communities are not being ignored.
What’s the cost? According to Wynne’s government, the cap and trade system is estimated to generate $1.9 billion per year. These funds will then be used to “invest in clean energy technology and research,” said Wong. She further explained that this may take the form of “new transit, because the government thinks that we need to move out of the fossil fuel age and move into renewable energy.” In order to generate this revenue, the cost of living will increase for Canadian consumers. Rivers suggests that these increased costs are due to companies now having to purchase permits in order to emit greenhouse gases. “These permits have a cost, so the companies that sell us natural gas and the companies that sell us gasoline are going to pass some of that cost, or all of that cost, on to us as consumers,” he said. “It will increase our gas bills by maybe 6–10 per cent. And you can see the price of gasoline has gone up as well, about five cents a litre.” Wong notes that this may be problematic for students. “For students, carbon pric(ing) will cause us to live more expensively. However, students usually want cheap and easy.” Hydro is estimated to cost about $156 more per year. Other goods and services will increase as well, costing students at least $75 more a year. Rivers suggests that students may face another problem in the coming months. “I think one of the things we don’t know about yet is how landlords might pass through the costs,” she said. “Say you’re a student, you’re renting a place and you don’t pay your energy costs. Are the landlords going to put the rent up or are they going to absorb the cost? We don’t really know the answer to that question.” Not only are students being impacted by these cap and trade costs, but those who have families living in rural communities may be at a greater disadvantage. For fourth-year political science student Matthew
“Rural residents often rely on wood stoves, so the government has said these people need to be encouraged to participate in an overall climate change response, but they shouldn’t face a heavy penalty,” he said. “So maybe we need to find ways to subsidize high efficiency wood burning stoves in rural areas.” Another implication of high delivery rates for rural residents is that some may feel forced to relocate to subsidize the costs. Don Trapp posits that “People living in rural communities are basically being told to move into the city.” In response to these concerns raised by rural residents, Wynne is considering the possibility of eliminating delivery charges, which can make up approximately 30 per cent of a hydro bill for those in rural areas. However, no plans have been finalized as of yet. Rivers explains that cap and trade may also disportionately impact disadvantaged groups like lowincome families. “In most developed countries, you find that as a perportion of their income, people at the low end of the income spectrum spend more on gasoline and natural gas than people in the high end of the income spectrum. So that means if the price of natural gas and gasoline goes up, they are likely to face a higher cost as a percentage of their income.” While these price increases seem troubling, there is some good news. With the money generated from the cap and trade program, Wynne’s government is reinvesting the money into initiatives that Rivers suggests may benefit students. “Ontario has taken the money to develop new energy efficiency programs and greenhouse gas reduction programs that students may benefit from. Part of the funds are going to be used to update the efficiency of buildings, such as housing, and so that could be something that benefits students.” Benefit to the environment? As Ontario residents figure out how to manage the extra costs, many are left wondering if these efforts will even reduce emissions in the first place. Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to that question and it will take time to see how exactly cap and trade will affect Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Rivers acknowledges that while carbon pricing is an effective method of achieving lower emissions, they may not be enough. “At least at a cursory level the policies we’ve implemented are not strong enough to get us all the way to our Paris goals,” said Rivers. The most troubling concern over Canadian greenhouse gas emissions is the federal government’s recent approval of the Kinder Morgan pipeline, which, as Wong points out, seems to “contradict everything they signed for in Paris, which is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.” While cap and trade does work to lower greenhouse gas emissions “it won’t help if we pump more oil and spend less money on investing in clean energies,” said Wong. Rivers estimates that “this Kinder Morgan pipeline that’s been approved is likely to increase Canadian emissions.” With this pipeline “we’re simultaneously bringing in policies to reduce carbon emissions and also improving fossil fuel infrastructure.” Furthermore, despite Wynne promising transparency in regards to where the cap and trade revenue will be invested, there will be no transparency in terms of what those costs actually are. The Ontario Energy Board determined that the cap and trade costs added to hydro bills will not show up on a separate line. Instead, those fees will be added to the delivery charges. The cap and trade conversation has just begun Since the release of cap and trade, Wynne has been criticized relentlessly from citizens across the province who believe the hydro prices are soaring too far past what is affordable for the average family. But responses aren’t all negative. For students like McDole, there doesn’t seem to be any other option. “It sucks having to pay more, but for the greater good of it I’m willing to do it,” she said. “It’s getting too late and it’s becoming apparent that humans are a huge cause of climate change and we have the rectify that. If we don’t care about it, who will?” While the Green Party of Canada does support carbon pricing as an effective method of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, they believe the best way to achieve the Paris goals without disadvantaging Canadians is carbon fee and dividend. “Our plan is to collect money from companies that produce mass amounts of carbon,” said Wong. “But instead of taking that into our revenue and using that to invest in clean technology or research we’re going to distribute that money to each person in each household.” The cap and trade conversation has only just begun and, since its usage is still in its early stages, it’s difficult to predict the long-term impact on Ontario residents and the environment. Whether or not the system completely achieves the goals outlined federally remains to be seen, however, it’s clear that Canada is beginning to move in the right direction for environmental change. As Wong remarked, “This is a first step towards many more steps into a greener future.”
SPORTS
SPORTS EDITOR Nico Laliberté sports@thefulcrum.ca
(613) 695-0062 @FulcrumSports
Gee-Gees put on a defensive clinic in two key victories Pierre-Charles dominates to help the Gees extend winning streak to four pointers on their way to embarrassing the Mustangs on their home court. Turnovers were a problem for Western as they coughed up the ball 20 times, resulting in 30 points for the Gees.
Zack Goobie
associate Sports Editor
O
n Jan. 27–28 the GeeGees men’s basketball team beat two Ontario University Athletics western conference teams to improve their record to 13–1.
Western On Friday, Jan. 27, the Gees were on the road to take on the University of Western Ontario Mustangs. The Garnet and Grey came away from the encounter with a convincing 91–55 victory. The Gees started out strong in the first quarter, and they had many double digit leads before ending the quarter with a 22–9 advantage. Western continued to struggle at penetrating the Gees’ defense, and the U of O kept capitalizing on the offensive end. The Garnet and Grey took their biggest lead of the game with a great
The Gees are on a roll ahead of Friday’s Capital Hoops matchup.
three-pointer by first-year Ryan Basso. Defensively the Gees were on fire in the first half, keeping Western to 28.6 per cent shooting from the field with no threes. Jean-Emmanuel Pierre-Charles was the leading scorer for the Gees with eight points. The Mustangs came out with a little more offensive poise in the third, scor-
Photo: Courtesy of Greg Mason.
ing 21 points. However, the Gees still overpowered them on the offensive side of the ball and took a 67–38 lead into the last quarter. The Gees didn’t take their foot off the pedal and continued to work on both ends of the floor. At the end of 40 minutes of play the score stood at 91–55. The Gees hit an incredible 17 three-
Windsor In the second half of the Gees’ twogame weekend set, they travelled to the University of Windsor to face off against the Lancers. Windsor fared a little better than the Mustangs, but the Gees still took a 78–64 win. Veterans Caleb Agada and JeanEmmanuel Pierre-Charles paced the Gees offense, scoring 22 and 24 points, respectively. The Lancers started out strong with a quick 5–0 lead and didn’t let up from there, pulling out to a 19–9 lead midway through the first quarter with the help of four buckets from behind the line. A nice three-pointer by Mackenzie Morrison brought the Gees’ deficit to within one. Another shot from beyond the arc gave the Garnet and Grey a 25– 23 lead with just 1.1 seconds left in the quarter, courtesy of Matt Plunkett. The Gees kept working on their late
success in the first quarter to extend their lead to 42–35 going into the second half. But the Lancers wouldn’t go away in the third quarter. Brandon Robinson hit a three and Brody Maracle got a nice reverse layup late in the quarter to give the U of O a 60–49 lead heading into the last quarter. The Lancers showed their relentlessness with a three ball to reduce their deficit to ten with just over four minutes to play. The Gees played to the end and were awarded a 78–64 win. Pierre-Charles was an absolute beast on the glass with 16 rebounds and did well at protecting the paint for the Gees with four blocks. The Gees have responded well since their humiliating loss to Carleton on their home court, generating four straight wins in a row. The next home game for the Gee-Gees will take place on Feb. 17 at Montpetit Hall at 8 p.m. Plus, don’t miss your chance to see the Gees take on Carleton this Friday, Feb. 3 at the Canadian Tire Centre for Capital Hoops. Tickets for this event can be purchased via Ticketmaster.
Women’s basketball downs Western, falls to Windsor
Poor shooting performance leads Gee-Gees to their fourth regular season loss Zack Goobie
associate Sports Editor The University of Ottawa women’s basketball team hit the road again to take on two Ontario University Athletics (OUA) rivals, and ended up splitting their games over the weekend. Western On Friday, Jan. 27, the Gee-Gees travelled to London to take on the University of Western Ontario Mustangs. In this tight affair, the Gees snuck in a 53–50 win that went right down to the wire. The first quarter went back and forth, with the Gees taking the 10–5 lead on a jump shot from Melina Wishart. Late free-throws by Western brought the score to 14–13 for the Gees at the end of the first. The second quarter saw the Gees extend their lead to 31–25, with a layup from guard Brooklynn McAlearFanus with mere seconds remaining. Sarah Besselink, the Gees’ top scor-
er, was shut down in the first half, with zero points on only one fieldgoal attempt. Besselink finally got on the board with just over three minutes left in the third, getting her first and only basket of the game. The Gees began to pull away in the third, but Western battled back and the Gees held a slim 42–41 advantage going into the last quarter. The final frame was close and hectic as both teams went back and forth, but the Gees never let Western take a lead in the quarter. The Garnet and Grey ended up winning, with two clutch free-throws by Jennifer Crowe sealing the deal in a 53–50 victory. Despite shooting the ball at a dismal 33.3 per cent, the Gees were relentless on the defensive end, causing the Mustangs to turn the ball over 20 times. Windsor The Gees weren’t so lucky against the University of Windsor on Satur-
The Gees split their weekend games, bringing their record to 10–4.
day, with the Lancers leading from start to finish to take a 63–47 win on their home court. After the Gees got out to an an early four-point advantage, Windsor took the lead and never looked back. Windsor showcased their range in the first quarter by hitting three triples. The Gees struggled on the
Photo: Courtesy of Greg Mason.
offensive end and ultimately trailed 18–12 after one quarter. Turnovers were a problem for the Gees in the first half, and the Lancers took advantage of this to gain a 27–21 lead going into the third quarter. Gees guard Amelie Hachey shot 100 per cent from the field on her way to ten points in the half.
10 | SPORTS
Windsor’s domination in rebounding the ball forced coach Andy Sparks to try different strategies to help his team in the third period. Going into the final quarter, the Gees were down 47–35. The Gees reduced the Lancers’ lead to 52–45 with a jumper by Julia Dostaler with five and half minutes to go, but that was as close as they would get. The Gees ultimately lost 63–47 against a strong Lancers team. The final rebound count was 45–25 in favour of the Lancers, who imposed their will under the basket. The Gees will be looking to bounce back, and to avenge their loss to Carleton earlier this season at the Capital Hoops Classic. The next home game for the GeeGees will take place on Feb. 17 at Montpetit Hall at 6 p.m. Plus, don’t miss your chance to see the Gees take on Carleton this Friday, Feb. 3 at the Canadian Tire Centre for Capital Hoops. Tickets for this event can be purchased via Ticketmaster.
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Capital Hoops Preview
Alexandra Huluta Fulcrum Contributor
Stingers come from behind to defeat Gee-Gees
Women’s hockey team drops final home game of regular season to Concordia Kyle Darbyson
managing Editor
The University of Ottawa women’s hockey team played their last regular season home game on Saturday, Jan. 28, where they lost to Concordia by a final score of 3–2. The Gee-Gees simply couldn’t hold onto their two-goal lead, and were eventually overtaken by a zealous Stingers offense late in the third period. The Gees’ lineup was hurt by the absence of a few key players, including star forward Mélodie Bouchard, who is busy representing Canada at the International University Sports Federation Winter Universiade in Almaty, Kazakhstan. However, her teammates still figured out how to start the game off on the right foot. Marimée Godbout-Parent scored right from the opening face-off, giving the Gees a 1–0 advantage only 12 seconds into game. From there the goaltenders on each team took turns shutting down scoring opportunities, with neither side
being able to capitalize on a multitude of power-play opportunities. The next big offensive highlight came late in the second period, where Gees forward Shanie Deschatelets picked up on a rebound and buried the puck behind Concordia goaltender Katherine Purchase, extending the U of O’s lead to 2–0. Unfortunately, this marked the last time the Gees would find the back of the net on Saturday. The scoreboard belonged exclusively to Concordia in the third period, with forwards Melinda Prévost and Claudia Dubois netting a goal each to tie the game up at 2–2. For a while it looked like the game was headed for overtime, with both teams battling to a standstill as the clock passed the final minute mark. However, Dubois managed to deflect the puck past Gees goaltender Émilie Bouchard with 40 seconds left to go in the period, sealing Concordia’s victory with a 3–2 final. After the game, Gees head coach Yanick Evola admitted that this was
The Gee-Gees only have three games remaining in their regular season.
not the result his team wanted for their final home performance of the season. However, he remains optimistic about their prospects in the upcoming playoffs. “It’s my first time in seven years that we clinched our playoff spot in January,” he said. “Usually it was last game of the season. So it’s good that
Photo: Kyle Darbyson.
we can play with confidence and not be stressed out about the results.” If anything, Evola said he was disappointed that this game didn’t serve as a proper send off for graduating teammates who won’t be returning next year. “These girls played with heart and emotion for four years, five years, so
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it’s going to be tough to see some of them leaving,” he said, referring to players like Carol-Ann Upshall, Cindy Laurin, Vickie Lemire, Cynthia Whissell, Julie Lévesque, and defender Émilie Bouchard. “It’s a special night for them. It makes it even more frustrating, not having the result we were expecting.” With only three games left in the regular season, the Gees still need to work out some of the kinks in their lineup. The loss brings the Gees’ record to 9–7–1, which ties them for second in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec. While they are guaranteed a spot in the playoffs, they will be playing for better seeding and home ice advantage in their final three games. Since these final bouts are all taking place in Montreal, where the Gees have not found any success this season, hopefully these upgrades come sooner rather than later. The Gees will get their rematch against Concordia in Montreal on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 4 p.m.
Sports | 11
OPINIONS
OPINIONS EDITOR Eric Davidson
opinions@thefulcrum.ca (613) 695-0062 @eric_davidson93
Journalists need to do their homework now more than ever Investigative mandates, useful information can beat “alternative facts” Curtis Rafter
staff contributor
J
ohn A. Farrell, a contributor for the New York Times, recently penned an opinion piece about how the press and the powerful interact. He notes that rampant favouritism exists in governmental press briefings, wherein biased or partisan journalists are the only ones who get their questions answered.
These journalists are swayed by those in positions of power, and essentially become purveyors of propaganda in order to maintain their access to politicians. The issue is longstanding and no less problematic today, albeit with a different flavour. U.S. President Donald Trump seems to have nothing but contempt for the media, leaving reporters to fill in the blanks when they are shouted down or outright ignored during press briefings. So where do objective news companies and their employees even begin to break the cycle? And how can these media companies and their ilk
Media companies are trying to determine how to best do their jobs in the face of a Trump presidency.
cover governmental proceedings responsibly in instances where politicians try to play the system? Coming up with a solution for such problems is quite difficult. Farrell actually suggests that the press should remove themselves from the equation, that members of the media should stop attending press briefings and attempt to get their information elsewhere. Perhaps a better solution is something more encompassing. Instead,
news companies could implement stringent investigative mandates that hinge on two of the key journalistic principles: A journalist’s only objective should be to seek out the truth, and a journalist’s only loyalty should be to the public. These two principles supposedly supersede nearly every other aspect of the practice, including the oft-referenced idea of journalistic objectivity. This means that in cases where facts and lies present them-
Photo: CC, Carl Hansen,Thomas Meneguin.
selves as obvious, journalists would only have to report the information that will be of use to the public. If enforced, mandates that include more resources allocated to investigative journalism and an aversion to repeating White House statements verbatim might give rise to an abundance of relentless, truthseeking journalists—journalists of the “don’t-take-no-for-an-answer” variety. It will produce reporters that doggedly pursue answers
at press briefings, instead of later reaching out to political contacts in an attempt to eke out more information. Suppose a journalist of this variety is at one of Trump’s latest briefings. If said journalist asks about climate change and Trump starts spewing nonsense about how it’s a hoax, that journalist should be prepared to expose the idiocy behind such a belief. If said journalist asks Trump about his wall and the president suggests that Mexico will fund it, that journalist should either expose the economic impracticality of his plan, or the probable engineering impossibilities. Basically, these kinds of strict investigative mandates would transform journalists from mouthpieces for the powerful to proper champions of the people. We would see a move from journalists that fail to act in the name of impartiality or objectivity, to journalists that rightly denounce political obfuscations. We can hope that with these investigative mandates, the balance in political discussions will be restored and perhaps even tipped in favour of the public interest for the year 2017 and beyond.
Anti-psychiatry won’t solve any problems
Propping up pseudoscience isn’t the same thing as fostering debate Eric Davidson opinions editor
The University of Toronto has been criticized for offering a new scholarship for research in the field of “anti-psychiatry.” For those of you who don’t know, anti-psychiatry is a movement that started in the 1960s, and firmly rejects “dangerous” treatments prescribed by psychiatry, and raises issues with its subjective diagnosis process. In the end, the anti-psychiatry movement was started to deal with legitimate problems, but it’s not the right path to follow to improve the discipline of psychiatry in 2017. Psychiatry, as a discipline, takes on very difficult problems for which no one has all the answers. And in many cases it has been wrong, and even corrupted to suit dangerous agendas. No one is arguing that the system is perfect. However, funding anti-psychiatry and creating a
12 | OPINIONS
rift by casting doubt on all parties involved isn’t the answer. Issues like a subjective diagnosis process can only be corrected through further research and collaboration. Or, in other words, by learning what doesn’t work and why. And then there’s the fact that anti-psychiatry is more than just criticism of “barbaric methods.” It posits extremely dangerous ideas, like the notion that mental illness isn’t real. This kind of suggestion flies in the face of significant breakthroughs and evidence that show paths to solve problems in the field of mental health. In an age where extensive efforts are needed to destigmatize mental illness, funding research that denies its existence could do some real damage. This more extreme view may not be held by all members of the movement, but it is an idea that will be tacitly supported by the U of T un-
The U of T is facing criticism for offering a new anti-psychiatry scholarship.
der this new scholarship. The movement itself is nebulous enough that a researcher could rise to prominence with theories that wouldn’t normally be condoned by the university, under the argument that it’s an integral part of a legitimate academic discipline. This could erode the credibility of the universi-
Photo: CC, Prayitno.
ty itself, and confuse people looking for mental health solutions. Some may argue that whether the ideas of anti-psychiatry are right or wrong, universities have a duty to show balance and foster debate. But just because two sets of ideas are in opposition, that doesn’t mean they balance each other out. For ex-
ample, picture a debate where one scientist who believes in climate changes argues against another, who does not. That’s a false equivalency, because only one side is armed with a preponderance of facts. If you put a ten pound weight on one end of a scale and a one pound weight on the other, they won’t achieve balance, even though each side is given the same amount of space. Universities do have a duty to foster debate, even if one side is unpopular. But both sides need to show their own legitimate evidence before they get through the door. Taking a point of debate that is already legitimate and bringing it in to facilitate debate is one thing. Legitimizing it yourself out of a false sense of balance is quite another. Universities have a duty to foster debate, but not to fund it if it can’t be backed up.
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How to celebrate the Dow Jones hitting 20,000? Scrap it entirely The Dow is a misleading and anachronistic statistic, it’s time to move on Eric Davidson Opinions Editor
The Dow Jones Industrial Average is like the sausage you bought from that street vendor last Tuesday. It smells a bit off and you’re only kind of sure that green splotch near the bottom is relish, but it’s probably fine. Well, be warned—learning what the Dow is made of might make you feel a bit queasy. The Dow Jones Industrial Average has gotten a lot of attention lately. It’s been used as a barometer for President Trump’s policies, and it’s been celebrated for growing past 20,000. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was created in 1896, and it shows. For one thing, it’s made up of only 30 companies. By contrast the S&P 500, another index used to track the economy, is comprised of 500.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average’s reputation has taken a number of hits over the years.
Not only are there a handful of companies, but they’re probably not even the right ones. After dominating the market for decades, Apple, one of the largest companies in the world, was added to the Dow only two years ago.
Google (or its parent company Alphabet, for you sticklers), Facebook, and many other prominent companies, especially in the tech sphere, are nowhere to be found. Looking at the list of companies that make up the Dow, it’s
Photo: CC, Prayitno.
hard to argue that it offers an accurate picture of the American economy. The Dow is also weighted by the stock prices of the companies, not their actual size or impact on the economy. This means that some technical opera-
tions will cause the Dow to shift, even when values of the companies are exactly the same. In fairness, the S&P has its own problems, and there are even issues with how we calculate gross domestic product (GDP). Honestly, any financial measurement we could dream up at this point would be leagues away from perfect. So why pick on the Dow? Basically, because it’s not useful. GDP doesn’t give a perfect picture of the economy, but it’s better than most other methods. Not only does the Dow not explain the economy better than other systems, it will make you a lot less money. If you were an investor, you’d have been worse off for investing in the Dow over the S&P 500 at pretty much any point since the S&P 500 was created in the 1920s.
And yet, it still gets press. Logically, this kind of attention prompts people all over the world to view the Dow as legitimate. In a time pervaded by “alternative facts” and general disagreement on topics as basic as whether or not the economy is doing well, we owe it to people to present useful information. In the media, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is referenced everywhere. Maybe reporters like it so much because it was created by a journalist, or maybe because it’s so simple. Well, Albert Einstein said you should always make things “as simple as possible, but no simpler.” The Dow Jones has crossed that line and then some, and it’s time to realize that and move on.
How to make BOA meetings more efficient
Video updates, judicious use of committees, online communication should be on the agenda also makes it easier for students to see and share what’s going on in their faculties. As for logistics, the SFUO actually has a video company at its disposal, so it’s certainly possible.
Eric Davidson Opinions Editor
You might think efficiency at Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) board meetings is a pretty boring topic—but you’d be wrong. As it turns out, students have a vested interest in making sure the SFUO stays organized in its meetings. Disorganization has led past student executives to mismanage our health plan budget, which sent them into a financial tailspin last year. This led to services and clubs losing funding in 2016–17, leaving students even worse off. Many students think the SFUO has serious problems that need fixing. Well, there’s only one way for students to do that: change the federation’s constitution. Especially now that General Assemblies have no power, there is literally only one
SFUO board meetings have seen a large backlog of motions this year.
recourse for change—the SFUO’s Board of Administration (BOA), where policy decisions are made. And as it happens, the BOA is in dire need of a kick in the ass. Even with meetings running in excess of six hours the board routinely has to push motions to future meetings, feeding an ever-growing backlog that prevents motions from ever
reaching the floor. Even SFUO president Roméo Ahimakin has said at several meetings that the board needs to be more efficient. So, what can they do about it? Video updates As it stands, each meeting features updates and reports from the SFUO executives. And a recent motion would
Photo: Eric Davidson.
require other faculty directors to give updates as well. While this function is important, it takes a real chunk of time away from the meetings—so why not just do it beforehand? If faculty directors record video updates in advance, they don’t have to be presented at the meetings, and still keep in touch with their constituents. This method
Committees There are lots of good reasons to send a motion to a given committee, and the board shouldn’t have to decide on a motion without studying its implications. But as it stands, motions are sent to committees, like the constitutional committee or the policy and bylaws committee, without a clear deadline to return them to the board. Simply setting a clear, public deadline for the motion’s return will ensure the board doesn’t overload it with motions before the next meeting. This will mean motions can be passed at a set pace.
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The interwebs Believe it or not, some motions pass in the BOA without any debate at all. Wouldn’t it be easier to flag these motions beforehand? Currently, the board has to go through an entire procedure with debates and motivations just to get through a motion that’s already going to pass without dissent. Giving BOA members the tools to show online motions that everyone agrees on before the meeting can really speed up the voting procedure, and it will allow the board to design the meeting’s agenda in the most efficient way possible. When it comes to SFUO board meetings, a renewed focus on efficiency is a necessity, not a luxury. Because, as it turns out, this boring bottleneck is the sole pipeline for improving the SFUO—so let’s make sure it’s not full of garbage.
OPINIONS | 13
New U of O history program will focus on alternative facts Students celebrate the ascent of totally rad subject matter Eric Davidson tomato editor The University of Ottawa has announced a new stream of its history program, based on the emerging phenomenon of “alternative facts.” “Our history program has always been top-notch, but we thought it was time for a change,” said U of O president Jacques Frémont. “All these years we’ve been missing out on a whole side of history just because we don’t have any proof—no longer!” While this program is still in its early days, students have nothing but good things to say about the new curriculum. “This is way cooler than what I learned in high school,” said Sheryl Watts, a first-year alternative Canadian history major. “I loved the part where Sir John A. MacDonald fought off four
dragons using only a rusty blunderbuss and a 60-yearold bottle of scotch.” “I had no idea that ancient history was so fascinating,” said Timothy Silfverberg, a second-year communications student. “I don’t know how the Athenians managed to survive their war with those revived Egyptian mummies.” “Why did no one tell me that Genghis Khan could throw lightning bolts?” an unknown student shouted as he sprinted out of Pivik. One thing students agree on is that this new curriculum is a big improvement over what’s come before. “It’s about time we had a change,” said Demi Davis, a third-year criminology student. “History has been free of fun alternative facts ever since Winston Churchill became the American minister of education in 1398.”
The U of O unveiled an alternative facts history program.
“Since alternative facts came into the curriculum, I have yet to lose an academic debate,” boasted Sarah Thomson. “Although, to be fair, neither has anyone else.” According to Frémont, the alternative history program
Photo: CC, Bradley Handey, ractapopulous. Edits: Jaclyn McRae-Sadik.
will offer several co-op placements as well. “Students will have the opportunity to work on museum exhibits dedicated to alternative history—or even to write Donald Trump’s press briefings, provided their lit-
eracy scores are low enough,” he said. This move is not without its critics, however. Several professors in the history department are worried that these alternative facts won’t help their students find sus-
tainable careers once they leave school. “Riiiiiight, let’s all take career advice from history professors...” Frémont retorted. At a recent press junket, a reporter asked Frémont if presenting students with information with no factual basis would be damaging to how they perceive the world and their place within it. “We think that people will be more receptive to learning history if the discipline becomes more malleable,” he responded. “I mean, did you hear the story about the dragons? Who wouldn’t want to learn that?” Sadly, the program’s promising start came to a crashing halt when the U of O found out it had no money to invest in new learning resources. “Looking back, those alternative accounting practices may not have been such a good idea,” said Frémont.
U of O Living Wall goes rogue on Twitter
No student is safe from vicious tweets by environmental installation Eric Davison tomato contributor Last week, United States president Donald Trump issued a controversial gag order on several federal departments, including the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Parks Service. Within hours, the Internet was flooded with unofficial social media accounts lobbing facts at the new Commander-in-Chief. The Twitter account @RogueNASA bombarded its followers with evidence of climate change, while the staff of parks, including Mount Rainier and the Badlands, pointed to a range of environmental concerns from overfishing to soil runoff. Not to be left out, the University of Ottawa’s own Living Wall has taken to Twitter to attack issues that hit a lot closer to home. Although
climate change and ocean acidification threaten all of human existence, the verdant fixture wants to bring attention to some less grandiose elements of environmental preservation. “Today, the number of Bridgehead coffee cups littering the Parliament Hill bus stop is higher than at any time in the last 150 years,” tweeted @RogueLivingWall. But this crusade didn’t end with stray coffee cups. The account has also shredded Ottawa residents who cut through public gardens, stating that “dozens of pretty flowers have been trampled by those with a reckless disregard for the environment.” The Twitter tirade continued throughout the week, with the Living Wall’s posts claiming “over 70 per cent of Ontario residents can’t remember which numbered plastics are recyclable” and that “you probably used too much paper towel clean-
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A new Living Wall Twitter account is defiantly distributing environmental information. Photo: Jaclyn McRae-Sadik. Edits: Jaclyn McRae-Sadik.
ing up that spilt water.” As of the date of this publication, the owner of the account has not been identified. However most theories point to a particularly zealous member of the Faculty of Social Sciences.
The online protests don’t stop at environmental damage. The Living Wall’s Twitter account inspired a number of offshoots across campus and beyond, covering a range of the city’s most minutely frustrating issues.
@RogueMonDeLaFrancophone reminds its followers that “claiming to speak French in order to impress women in Ottawa just makes you look dumb.” It later stirred up controversy last week with the assertion that “over 60 per cent of English speakers who move to Gatineau for cheaper rent get irrationally angry when everyone greets them in French.” @RogueRideauCanal attacked Ottawa mayor Jim Watson for failing to provide sufficient access to skates, citing the outrageous rental fees visitors are expected to pay. “In 2017, the hourly rental price for skates is $13. That’s probably enough money for like four coffees.” Meanwhile @RogueSITE has only posted one tweet since the account was opened last week. It simply reads: “Blackboard still exists.”
THE TOMATo | 14
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University of Ottawa
THE 10th ANNIVERSARY OF FRENCH IMMERSION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA Thank you to our students, academic staff and professors who have been part of our success.
Tuesday, February 14, 2017, at 3:30 p.m. Tabaret Hall, Room 112 • Panel discussion featuring students, graduates and professors who will talk about their experience in French immersion at the university level and a bilingual work life • Reception to follow
Please RSVP by February 10, 2017, by emailing immersion.admin@uOttawa.ca or calling 613-562-5747.
French Immersion Studies 613-562-5747 Immersion.admin@uOttawa.ca immersion.uOttawa.ca
SUMMER EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES SP100 Forest Firefighting Training Wildfire Specialists Inc. Course Location: Carp Course Date:March 22-26 or March 29- April 2 Course Cost: $865 + tax Name of Accredited Training Agency: _______Wildfire Specialists Inc. __ Address:____2233 Radar Rd, Suite #5, Hanmer ON P3P 0B4_ _ Telephone:___705-698-4342_e mail:_bjan@kwic.com_ ________________ MNR Accredited Training Agency; No Guarantee of Employment www.wildfirespecialists.ca
DISTRACTIONS Dear Di
features@thefulcrum.ca (613) 695-0062 @aecart043
Dear Di,
Dear Di,
I think I might have a physical problem “down there.” Whenever I have sex with my boyfriend I’m always left with pain in the vaginal area. As a result I’ve started getting a lot of anxiety whenever my partner and I are about to get intimate. Is this normal?
-Uncomfortable Lover
Dear UL, Everyone experiences sex differently, and problems like yours are not that uncommon. There might be a few reasons why you’re experiencing pain during sex. First of all, do you bring enough lube into the bedroom? Sometimes natural lubrication just isn’t enough, and that’s where the pain might be coming from. You can always use artificial lubricants, which come in many different forms from oil- to silicone-based. I suggest you play around with these different products to see what’s most comfortable for you. Another reason why you might be experiencing discomfort is because your partner hasn’t learned how to “push your buttons” in the right way. Let them know which positions are more comfortable and which movements tend to bother you. You might not know what turns you on quite yet, in which case don’t be afraid to play around down there on your own time. If you can figure that out, it’ll be a lot easier for you to guide your partner. Getting to know your body a little bit better will not only boost your confidence, but it’ll also help you deal with any anxiety that you may feel whenever things start heating up in bed. Your muscles tend to contract when you’re nervous, which could tighten your vagina even more, causing additional discomfort. Having explored all those options, if you’re still experiencing pain you might want to consult with a doctor. Some people may have natural physical conditions such as vaginismus which needs to be taken care of by a physician. There’s no need to be scared or embarrassed about this, and you’ll be a lot more at ease once you get it checked out.
Love, Di
FEATURES EDITOR Alexa-Eliza Carter
I’m starting to feel really self-conscious about my performance in bed because I can’t seem to last very long. This has really taken a toll on my confidence because I’m scared to disappoint my partner. What can I do about this?
-Quickie Expert
Dear QE, Rest easy, you’re one of many for whom premature ejaculation is a constant struggle. According to the Mayo Clinic, one in three men experience this problem at least once in their lifetime. Luckily, I have a few tips and tricks that’ll hopefully prolong your nights of lovemaking. Try masturbating about an hour or so before having sex. This will most likely reduce your sex drive enough that you won’t be caught off guard mid-pump. You can also try wearing thicker condoms. This might help reduce sensitivity, which would allow you to keep going a little longer without climaxing too early. Also, remember that sex doesn’t just start and end with penetration. Foreplay not only allows you to enjoy an alternate level of intimacy with your partner, it also lets you stretch sexual intercourse over a longer period of time. Whether it be through oral sex or finger play, try exploring different ways to pleasure your partner before penetration. I guarantee it will most likely give you a boost of confidence in bed. In the end, remember that the quality of your sexual experience significantly outweighs its quantity. People are, unfortunately, constantly held up to unrealistic expectations when it comes to sex. Sadly, a man’s performance in bed has falsely become a marker of his masculinity. With that said, try to focus more on the act itself than on its longevity and be sure to have fun with it!
Love, Di
To get all your sexy and saucy questions answered, email Di at deardi@thefulcrum.ca ;) 16 | DISTRACTIONS
thefulcrum.ca
Feb. 2–9, 2017
THRYLLABUS
MUSIC arts Sports FUN Thinking
Thursday, Feb. 2 Gee-Gees men’s hockey vs. Carleton, Minto Sports Complex—7:30 p.m. Jackie (2016 Academy Award nominee, Best Actress-Natalie Portman), Mayfair Theatre—8:45 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3 Winterlude, opening day, Confederation Park (Crystal Garden)—8 a.m. Canada vs. Great Britain, Davis Cup by BNP Paribas, opening day, TD Place—2:45 p.m. Gatineau Winter Beerfest, opening day, Canadian Museum of History—5 p.m. Gee-Gees women’s basketball vs. Carleton, Capital Hoops Classic, Canadian Tire Centre—6 p.m. Gee-Gees men’s basketball vs. Carleton,
Capital Hoops Classic, Canadian Tire Centre—8 p.m. Delhi 2 Dublin, Shenkman Arts Centre—8 p.m.
Academy Award nominee, Best Foreign Language Film), ByTowne Cinema—6:05 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7
Saturday, Feb. 4 Winterlude Triathlon, Rideau Canal Skateway, Dow’s Lake—8 a.m. Gee-Gees women’s volleyball vs. University of Sherbrooke, Montpetit Hall—2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 5 The Red Turtle (2016 Academy Award nominee, Best Animated Feature), ByTowne Cinema—6:55 p.m. Monday, Feb. 6 Snow festival, 10th edition, (Beavertails, free maple taffy, winter sports) Social Sciences Building—11 a.m. Toni Erdmann, (2016
Ottawa Senators vs. St. Louis Blues, Canadian Tire Centre—7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 8 Ottawa 67’s vs. Peterborough Petes, TD Place—7 p.m. Elle (2016 Academy Award Nominee, Best Actress-Isabelle Huppert), ByTowne Cinema—9:05 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9 Mélanie E, TD Ottawa Winter Jazz Festival, opening day, La Nouvelle Scène—7 p.m. Ottawa Senators vs. Dallas Stars, throwback Thursdays, Canadian Tire Centre—7:30 p.m.
thefulcrum.ca
DISTRACTIONS | 17
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
SFUO has no issue turning a blind eye to its clubs and students
Dear Editor,
I currently volunteer as a case analyst for Innocence Ottawa, a student-run, nonprofit organization that seeks to address the problem of wrongful convictions and miscarriages of justice more generally, while helping those who claim to be wrongfully convicted in establishing their innocence. In the fall of 2015, I assumed the role of treasurer for the organization. Upon accepting this position, I received many cynical well wishes from more tenured members of the organization due to the tumultuous relationship our organization had experienced with the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) in the past. In April 2016 when our subsidy request was made, I quickly realized the rationale for this negative perception of the SFUO. Last spring the SFUO still supplied clubs with subsidized funding, so long as the club submitted its subsidy request by the appropriate deadline date. I had submitted Innocence Ottawa’s subsidy request in a timely manner, a request that included expenditures such as: travel costs to visit clients in correctional institutions, costs for sending and receiving documents for case work, and expenses for our annual conference, which included paying for guest travel, accommodations and honorarium, while also providing refreshments for conference goers. The total expenses for the subsidy request were $583.17. A majority of the expenses were provided directly by the students of the organization, as the SFUO was our sole source of funding. The student volunteers were comfortable providing personal funds up front due to the belief that the SFUO would be refunding these expenses once the subsidy request was made. Upon submitting the subsidy request, I was contacted by then-vice-president of equity, Nicole Maylor, as our request included one receipt that was not an original, but a photocopy. After a member could not find the original receipt, I contacted Nicole to remove that receipt, and the accompanying expenses, from the request. A week went by with no response. As the deadline was fast approaching, I emailed Nicole again asking for confirmation that our subsidy request would be submitted with the appropriate changes. After visiting the SFUO office and learning that Nicole had resigned from her position, I was instructed to contact the president of the SFUO, Roméo Ahimakin. I emailed him several times to ensure that our request would be processed. Still no response. Over the summer and into the fall 2016 semester I would make several visits a
week to try and speak to Ahimakin about the matter. This effort was met with me filling out a request form to meet with the president. These requests were never met with a response. One day after submitting another request, I chose to sit in the SFUO office until I had a chance to speak with the president. Finally, I was able to get a response, only because I waited to speak face to face with Ahimakin, who informed me that the matter would be taken care of immediately. I was instructed to forward him, and the current vice-president of equity, MorissaDalia Ellis, and vice-president of finance, Rizki Rachiq, all of the previous contact I had with the SFUO through email so he could tend to the matter (even though I had already sent him the email chain more than once). Shockingly, I received no response to that email from any of the three recipients. I have since made many of the same efforts to reach out to members of the SFUO executive to attend to this matter, to no avail. Moreover, Innocence Ottawa’s director Kathryn Campbell, who is an associate professor with the department of criminology, met with Ahimakin in October 2016, at which time he assured her that the organization would be reimbursed. For the past nine months, the SFUO and its executive members have blatantly ignored persistent efforts by Innocence Ottawa to obtain subsidized funding that was assured to our organization upon registering as a club under the student federation. Currently, many students in our organization are owed hundreds of dollars, a significant amount of money given the costs associated with being a student. Subsequently, Innocence Ottawa is currently struggling to obtain funds to pursue essential endeavors in our case work, while also struggling to plan and carry out our annual conference, which has been extremely successful in past years in spreading awareness concerning our organization’s cause. For a federation that claims to recognize the legitimacy and validity of students rights and representation, the actions, or lack thereof, of the SFUO executive members exemplify the opposite with overt apathy for representing students. Hopefully this letter can serve to raise awareness concerning the incompetence of the SFUO executive members, while also serving as a means for Innocence Ottawa to gain a response regarding the long overdue subsidy request. However, from my experience, a response will likely not be forthcoming.
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go.athabascau.ca/online-courses open. online. everywhere.
—Jordan Bateman, third-year graduate student in criminology at the University of Ottawa.
18 | LETTERS
thefulcrum.ca
Volume 77, Issue 16, FEB 2 2017 Rejecting the stigma since 1942. Phone: (613) 695-0061 | Fax: (613) 695-9006 631 King Edward Ave. Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5 Recycle this, or we’ll rogue tweet you.
Savannah “Wabano Health” Awde Editor-in-Chief editor@thefulcrum.ca Kim “Good2Talk” Wiens Production Manager production@thefulcrum.ca Kyle “Not Myself Today” Darbyson Managing Editor content@thefulcrum.ca Graham “Rainbow Health” Robertson News Editor news@thefulcrum.ca Anchal “CAMH” Sharma Arts and Culture Editor arts@thefulcrum.ca Alexa-Eliza “Autism Canada” Carter Features Editor features@thefulcrum.ca Nico “LOFT” Laliberte Sports Editor sports@thefulcrum.ca Eric “PALS” Davidson Opinions Editor opinions@thefulcrum.ca Jaclyn “Crisis Line” McRae-Sadik Visual Editor visual@thefulcrum.ca David “Mental Health Canada” Campion-Smith Social Media Coordinator social@thefulcrum.ca Zainab “Naseeha” Al-Mehdar Associate News Editor associate.news@thefulcrum.ca Zack “SAMHI” Goobie Associate Sports Editor associatesports@thefulcrum.ca Jodie “SMART Recovery” CotéMarshall Associate Features Editor associate.features@thefulcrum.ca Marta “The Secret Handshake” Kierkus Staff Photographer photographer@thefulcrum.ca Lucas “Family Services Ottawa” Ghosn General Manager manager@thefulcrum.ca Shanèl “Kids Help Phone” Dear Advertising Representative ads@thefulcrum.ca Reine “Egale Canada” Tejares Webmaster webmaster@thefulcrum.ca
Contributors
Ryan “NAMHR” Pepper Emily “B’saanibamaadsiwin” Cecchetti Iain “Distress Centre” Sellers Alexandra “Tel-Aide Outaouais” Huluta Perushka “NEED2” Gopalkista Eric “CSP” Davison Curtis “ORCC” Rafter Yomi “Fem’aide” Orims
Board of Directors
Mackenzie “MFRC” Gray Kate “Youth Services Bureau” Murray Jonathan “Warm Line” Rausseo Raghad “The Trevor Project” Sheikh-Khalil Will “ADAO” Hume Niharika “Social Anxiety Association” Namulla Thivya “Defeat Depression” Naganathan Julia “Postpartum Support” Miraflores Fadi “MoodGYM” Azzi Spencer “Beacon Tree” Murdock Maggie “You Cannot Be Replaced” Gollish Cover: Jaclyn McRae-Sadik.
EDITORIAL
#BellLetsTalk about why corporations can’t be leading mental health advocates Every year during Bell Let’s Talk Day, social media outlets become awash with posts and hashtags designed to create a culture of acceptance around mental health issues. While this is a laudable goal, it’s important to be critical of the corporate-driven image of mental illness, how accurate it is in depicting real-life struggles of people with mental illness, as well as the overall effect on the community the campaign is targeted towards.
than recognizing it is only a leading campaign for some mental illnesses.
Don’t get us wrong, money is important and even necessary for advances in mental health care. Discussion on one day of the year is better than no discussion at all, and could, in theory, lead to more mainstream acceptance of discussing the issue outside of that single day.
For example, members of the LGBTQ+ community are almost three times as likely as cisgender, heterosexual people to experience a mental illness. The numbers are even higher for queer and trans youth, specifically for suicide rates and substance abuse. In Indigenous communities across Canada, the suicide rate is 6 to 11 times higher than the rest of the country. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, African-Americans are 20 per cent more likely to report experiencing severe psychological distress than whites.
The campaign in and of itself is not a waste of time. However, it’s important to recognize that the current campaign serves to alienate members of the very community it proclaims to help. It’s important to recognize that Bell Let’s Talk Day is not enough to beat the stigma around mental illness. First of all, upon seeing the advertisements and promotional material for the campaign, it becomes clear that certain disorders hog the spotlight. For example, Bell Let’s Talk videos are chock full of testimonials from those who suffer with depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder. However, it’s worth noting that in its years of campaigning, there is absolutely no mention of addiction, dissociative identity disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or any other mental illness that “doesn’t fit” the shiny, hopeful promotional videos. While it’s not possible to include every disorder in a mental health campaign, the representation of illness in Bell Let’s Talk videos shows clear favouritism towards illnesses that have been accepted in mainstream media for a longer time. For example, if someone discloses to you that they hear voices, experience hallucinations, or can’t stop taking heroin, would you have the same reaction as if someone told you they were dealing with extreme, prolonged sadness? One of these disclosures all too often invites the labels of “crazy” and “dangerous.” And if we, as a society, collectively agree that we need to address the stigma around mental illness, discrimination in the way we perceive different illnesses cannot remain as the norm. And there’s no wonder why Bell has decided these “scarier” experiences aren’t to be showcased. They have a brand to protect, and if society perceives schizophrenics as more likely to be violent, even though there’s no evidence to back up this claim, Bell can’t afford to put their brand reputation on the line by associating themselves with “violent” members of society.
In addition to the poor representation of mental illnesses, the campaign completely overlooks the intersections of race, sexual orientation and gender identity, social class, among other factors, in how these illnesses manifest themselves and are treated.
Clearly, when it comes to mental illness, intersectionality matters. However, the majority of the Bell Let’s Talk representatives in promotional materials did not identify as part of a marginalized group or discuss mental health in relation to their experience within a marginalized group. And when that happens, we perpetuate the idea that all of us suffer from mental illness in the same way, when this is statistically not true. The campaign also ignores disparities in mental health treatment for minority groups, and that ethnic minorities are less likely to receive care. People from marginalized communities require care that is both culturally sensitive and that addresses their unique needs on the basis of their identity, yet Bell Let’s Talk fails to address this. Ultimately, this leads us to miss out on an entire dimension of mental illness that should be central in our perceptions of it. Finally, mental illness is often tied to political factors. For example, when requests by the Indigenous communities of our nation are ignored by the Canadian government. But Bell would not run promotional materials featuring suicidal young women living on reserves, no matter how timely the issue is, because why would they want to make an enemy out of our government? They have little to gain from that move, and a lot to lose, no matter how valuable it would be to see the effects of political decisions on the mental health of certain communities.
Could you imagine Bell’s board of directors approving a campaign that shows someone detailing their experience clawing through their own skin due to hallucinations? How would that look against their shiny white backdrop, and the fluttery, hopeful piano music?
When the narrative of mental illness is controlled by a corporation, the public relations element becomes a huge factor in how mental illness is conveyed. Instead of representing the diverse realities of mental illness, Bell Let’s Talk caters itself to the “average” Canadian— white, cisgender, able-bodied, heterosexual, and middle-class. But since when should corporations dictate what society views as “normal” in the realm of mental health? Especially when this corporation fired an employee, allegedly on the grounds of needing time off for her mental health? It’s time to take back our narrative of mental illness, and stop accepting easy-to-swallow depictions of mental illness as the society-wide norm.
But self-harm and hallucinations are a reality for some people living with schizophrenia. So because a corporate board is unhappy with the optics, should we really delegitimize this experience in such a society-wide manner? Because this is exactly what we do when we treat Bell Let’s Talk as the leading campaign for mental illness, rather
Mental health care is better and more effective when more voices are involved. But those voices need to be legitimized and given a public platform before we can make any real strides in mental health care. We can’t stop at Bell Let’s Talk Day—because we can do a hell of a lot better.
thefulcrum.ca
EDITORIAL | 19
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