InsideOut holds the secret to post-graduate admission. see page B1
McMASTER UNIVERSITY'S STUDENT NEWSPAPER / THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2009
www.thesil.ca
The Silhouette Est. 1930
LRT plans advance at Mac
Isotope bid gains steam
VOLUME 80, NO. 6
CAW reaches tentative deal Local 555, Mac to vote on new deal
SELMA AL-SAMARRAI
SELMA AL-SAMARRAI
The city of Hamilton and members of McMaster University have been discussing the prospects of a Light Rail Transit (LRT) station on campus. Metrolinx, a board created by the province of Ontario to create regional transportation plans, created a draft plan proposing the idea of the LRT in 2008. The LRT is proposed to run from the Eastgate Square to McMaster University. Gord Arbeau, Associate Director of Public Relations explained that the university has been partnering with the city and utilizing the Campus Master Plan to figure out the appropriate place on campus for an LRT station. The Campus Master Plan was created in 1992 to help with any campus planning projects and has been updated as recently as Nov. 2008. Section 9.1 of the Campus Master Plan states, “[The McMaster Campus Plan] will assist in identifying the best location and scope for new building, landscape and infrastructure projects, giving guidance to their form and their relationships with the rest of campus.” “The Campus Master plan was written with input from the city, students, neighbours, and faculty and staff a number of years ago. So we’re working within the campus plan to find an area on campus that will be appropriate and meet needs of the transit user, the university… we take all those factors into consideration,” elaborated Arbeau. Jill Stephens, Acting Director of Strategic Planning and Rapid Transit for the city of Hamilton, explained the current focus on finding the right areas for the LRT route. “We need a terminal or a similar type facility to signify
Following four days of negotiations on Sep. 16, 17, 18, and 21, representatives of the university and of CAW Local 555 Unit 1 reached a tentative agreement at the bargaining table. The following step is for the CAW representatives at the bargaining table to bring the tentative agreements back to the membership where a vote which will determine whether the majority agree or disagree with the tentative agreement. The CAW members’ vote will take place on Tuesday Sep. 29. The university’s bargaining team will be taking the tentative agreement back to remunerations committee, which is a committee of the Board of Governors who, as part of their responsibility, take votes on tentative agreements. With the recent agreement, when questioned regarding the potential of a strike, Andrea Farquhar, director of public relations said, “It is unlikely because your whole point in bargaining is to come with a new collective agreement so as long as there’s a new agreement, there are no issues to strike on. It’s very good news and we’ve worked very hard on this for a long time.” Matthew Root, the President of CAW Local 555, released the following statement to the Silhouette, “Well it’s been a very difficult round of negotiations but we’re glad that we’ve come to an agreement, we think it’s good for our membership and their families right now. The terms and conditions of [the agreement] will remain confidential until we take it to our membership for ratifications, which is Tuesday, Sep. 29th [when the vote will take place].” The results of the vote will be released the night of Tuesday Sep. 29.
SENIOR NEWS EDITOR
SENIOR NEWS EDITOR
• PLEASE SEE TRANSIT, A4
WILL VAN ENGEN / PHOTO EDITOR
Michael Ignatieff visited Hamilton on Sep. 19 and spoke at the International Brotherhood of Electical Workers conference. Ignatieff said if the Liberal party were elected, they would provide funds for nuclear isotopes. LILY PANAMSKY
Current practices in cancer treatment use nuclear isotopes for both imaging and treatment The McMaster Nuclear Reactor, in patients. The MNR and the MNR, wants more funding from National Research Universal, NRU, the federal government in order reactor in Chalk River, Ontario, to increase its operating potential, are the only places in Canada that but it does not know if it will be make nuclear isotopes. The MNR receiving it. primarily creates an isotope known ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
as Iodine-125, and the NRU makes the entire North American supply of technetium-99. The NRU, however, was shut down in May 2009 due to technical problems. Chris Heysel, director of Nuclear Operations and Facilities at McMaster estimated • PLEASE SEE NUCLEAR, A3
Hamilton builds biker-friendly lanes SIMON GRANAT THE SILHOUETTE
In an attempt to discourage people from private modes of transportation and to make cycling safer, The City of Hamilton will install bicycle lanes on both the East and West sides of Dundurn Street, between Aberdeen and Main Street. The city will begin the process of resurfacing and installing the lanes late this September. Construction
will finish in late October but the bicycle lanes may not be in place until Spring 2010. The stretch of cycling lanes will provide a North to South corridor connecting Dundurn to Herkimer Street, Jackson Street, Charlton Avenue, and the Chedoke Rail trail. Ward One Councillor Brian McHattie stated that this is a part of the City’s Master Transportation Plan known as
Andy presents you with the fall line-up of shows, from the brand new to those that have been flying under the radar. Andy, C6
Inside the Sil this week
CIBC Donation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5 Editorial. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A6 Swine Flu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A7 Career Choices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A11
the Shifting Gears Program. The program was adopted in 1993 but amendments made in June confirmed Dundurn to be one of the most immediate projects. Shifting Gears aims to, “encourage a cultural shift away from dependency on the private automobile,” said McHattie. The Shifting Gears program plans to add to Hamilton’s already existing cycle network and to provide a safe and environmentally friendly alternative form of transportation. Since its inception, numerous cycle lanes have been created in the city. While claiming to provide inter-connectivity to the downtown core, the program does not include future plans to add any new cycle lanes to Main or King Street beyond what already exists. In an interview with the Silhouette, McHattie stressed the importance of trying to shift people away from cars in favour of transit, walking, and cycling. “We think this is going to provide those who are keen on cycling even more protection on the roads and allow them to link up to other parts of the city.” With three public schools and McMaster close by, McHattie also stressed the importance
CHRISTOPHER CHANG / THE SILHOUETTE
• PLEASE SEE NEW, A5 The city of Hamilton will be installing bike lanes on Dundust Street.
Speculator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A12 Trevor Cole. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B2 Sex & the Steel City. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B3 Fall Fashion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B3
Football Preview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B7 Hamilton Film Fest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C4 Flashmob. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C10 Silver Starlings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C8