The Eyeopener: Vol. 59, Issue 7 by The Eyeopener

No students scammed by fraudulent Blue Mountain trip, says TMSU

By Emily Nascimento

On Oct. 10, the Toronto Metropolitan Students’ Union (TMSU) issued a fraud alert after an EventBrite page promoting a ‘Blue Mountain’ trip was created under the TMSU’s name.

The union urged affected students to reach out and file a report with Toronto Police Services (TPS) as they continue to investigate the scam. TMSU has also filed their own report with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC).

In an email statement to The Eyeopener , the TMSU said, “We became aware of this fraudulent event posting…because of a Google alert set up for ‘TMSU’.

The payment method on the posting was MyServiceHub. The TMSU reached out to Toronto Metropolitan University’s registrar office who confirmed they had “no connection to the event.”

In an email to The Eye, TPS said, “We have not recieved any reports about this scam.”

“To date we have not been made aware of any students who have lost money from this fraudulent event listing,” said the TMSU in the email. “It didn’t appear at the time that any sales were being made through EventBrite.”

New bollards installed all around TMU campus after April hit-and-run

By Nadine Alsaghir

New bollards—posts used to protect people from cars—have appeared around the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) campus.

In an email to The Eyeopener, the university said they have been “working with the City of Toronto to install bollards and gates at the entrances of pedestrian walkways on campus.”

The university added it was “initiated after the motor vehicle incident on campus occurred on Nelson Mandela Walk on April 15, 2025.” The city covered all costs associated with the installation.

Installation of the bollards began on Sept. 16 according to the email. They said bollards were placed on the west and east entrances to campus where Gould Street becomes pedestrian-only, the north end of Nelson Mandela Walk and the south end of campus, where Victoria Street becomes pedestrian-only.

Additionally, new sidewalk pavers, safety bollards and metal tree grates were installed in front of 277 Victoria St. as part of a separate project.

The west part of Gould Street has been a street for pedestrians-only since Feb. 6, 2012 but cars sometimes manage to slip through.

Emma Vicente, a first-year fashion student found this odd. “It is supposed to be just pedestrians, and some people put headphones in and don’t pay attention to their surroundings, and if drivers don’t realize that, then accidents can happen,” she said.

Not everyone knew what the new fixtures were at first. Mercy Mbabazi, a first-year fashion student said, “I just thought they were little things you could lean your bike on.”

“But now that I know what they’re used for, it’s definitely very helpful and very safety smart,” she said.

TMU leased space to anti-abortion organization for four years

Canadian anti-abortion group Campaign Life Coalition was a tenant of the university from 2016 to

2020

By Edward Lander and Sarah Grishpul

Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of abortion.

Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) leased space to one of Canada’s largest anti-abortion organization for four years, beginning in 2016. Campaign Life Coalition (CLC), a Hamilton-based antiabortion advocacy and lobby group, was a tenant of TMU-owned 104 Bond St. until September 2020.

TMU acquired the building in October 2016 for $10.25 million, as previously reported by The Eyeopener . CLC was already a tenant in the building at the time of the purchase.

According to their website, CLC is “a national pro-life organization working at all levels of government to secure full legal protection for all human beings, from the time of conception to natural death.”

CLC’s website listed 104 Bond St. as their ‘National Headquarters’ until June 2020. It was then listed as their ‘provincial’ office for Ontario until September 2020.

In an email to The Eye , TMU said “the previous owners required that they continue leasing the building from TMU until 2020, which allowed them to continue to sublease portions of the space to several pre-existing subtenants.”

The email added that TMU never had a direct relationship or contract with CLC or Interim Publishing, which CLC was operating under.

Interim Publishing runs The Interim , a publication which operated within the

same office.

According to their website, The Interim publishes articles on “the many offences against human dignity our society has experienced: abortion, euthanasia, infanticide, contraception, sexual promiscuity, the decline of the traditional family, and the rise of radical environmentalism and animal rights agendas that put non-human matters at the centre of public concern.”

In a phone call with The Eye, a CLC representative confirmed they had an office at 104 Bond St. until late 2020.

The Interim ’s website listed 104 Bond St. as their address until January 2021 when it changed to 157 Catharine St., Hamilton where CLC’s national headquarters is now located.

CLC are also the organizers of the National March for Life, an annual demonstration on Parliament Hill where anti-abortion advocates protest on the anniversary of the passing of Bill C-150.

The 1969 federal bill made major changes to the criminal code, including decriminalizing contraception, homosexuality and widening access to abortion, according to an article in the British Journal of Criminology. The National March for Life is the largest anti-abortion event in Canada, according to CLC’s website

The organization’s youth wing, CLC Youth, has held protests alongside Toronto Against Abortion, an anti-abortion group that regularly campaigns on TMU campus with signs depicting graphic visual representations of unborn fetuses, as previously reported by The Eye

The organization is also opposed to homosexuality, same-sex marriage,

gender-affirming care and medical assistance in dying.

CLC’s website currently hosts petitions for various issues including banning “child sex-change” and removing pride flags from Canadian schools.

In April 2025, the university wrote to The Eye , “It’s important to note that the presence of a group or protest on City of Toronto property is not an endorsement from the university.”

Campaign Life Coalition rented unit 300 at TMU-owned 104 Bond St. until late 2020. GRAY MOLOY/THE EYEOPENER

The directory at 104 Bond St. GRAY MOLOY/THE EYEOPENER

Proposed provincial housing bill will put student renters at risk, advocates say

PCs

say the bill seeks to “help balance the rights and responsibilities of landlords and tenants”

By Edward Lander

A bill proposed by the Ford government on Oct. 23 is raising concerns among tenants’ associations and housing advocates across the province.

Bill 60: Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act proposes significant changes aimed at reducing the backlog in Ontario’s Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB).

If passed, the bill would shorten the notice period for evictions over unpaid rent, allow landlords to evict tenants without compensation if they want to use the unit and make other changes to LTB procedures, according to Ontario’s Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Yaroslava Montenegro, the executive director of the Federation of Metro Tenants’ Association (FMTA)—an organization that represents and organizes tenants’ associations in Toronto—said the bill is an erosion of renters’ rights.

“It will impact tenants across the province, especially when it comes to eviction,” she said.

The government announced on Oct. 26 it would be scrapping part of the bill that proposed changes to “security of tenure”—a rule which allows renters to remain in their unit after their lease has expired on a month-to-month basis.

The bill originally proposed finding “alternative options on lease agreement expiry that could allow landlords to control who occupies their units and for

how long,” according to an Ontario government media release.

Montenegro said this would have allowed landlords to evict tenants for the purpose of raising rent, circumventing rent control.

She credits the government’s backtrack to the advocacy of renters and tenants’ associations across the province. ACORN—a national community and tenant union—gathered the signatures of 23,000 Ontarians opposed to the bill according to Ontario ACORN representative Bader Abu-Zahra in a statement shared with The Eyeopener

“There’s a lot of predatory landlords that are waiting to take advantage of people”

Regarding the backtrack, Rob Flack, Ontario’s minister of municipal affairs and housing said in a public statement on Oct. 26 that “residents expect sustainability and predictability in Ontario’s rental market, and now is not the time to consider changes to the system.”

Montenegro said even with the backtrack, the remaining parts of the bill will have far-reaching effects on renters in the province.

“The rest of the bill is still very much intact,” she said. “We think this is something that needs to be fought against no matter what.”

She refers to the proposed change to security of tenure as a “canary in the coal mine,” possibly signaling further erosion of rent control in the province.

Montenegro said the bill will affect all tenants in Ontario, especially vulnerable groups,

including students—who she says already face barriers in the rental market.

“It’s important that once you venture out beyond student housing in the university, you know that there’s a lot of predatory landlords that are waiting to take advantage of people,” she said.

A lack of knowledge of tenants’ rights and typically low incomes are contributing factors to this, according to Montenegro.

Peter*, an international student at Seneca Polytechnic is familiar with situations like this. He said he and his five roommates were exploited by a landlord for three years beginning in September 2022.

In their final year of renting, one of Peter’s roommates missed three months of rent. Peter’s landlord took the case to the LTB to seek eviction. The roommate paid off their rent but the landlord did not take down the case.

Peter and his roommates were told their lease would not be renewed as their landlord would be renovating the unit. The landlord sent someone to inspect the unit who determined that they had incurred $10,000 in damages.

Peter said this was an exaggeration and there was no damage beyond normal wear and tear.

“The charges they added were because we had push pins on the walls. Because we had LED lights,” he said.

He and his roommates told the landlord they did not have

funds to pay the fee.

“They basically started threatening us—that ‘look, if you don’t pay us this money we’re going to proceed with the court case,” he said.

“Obviously, we were scared. We did not understand how things worked here”

Peter and his roommates ended up settling with the landlord to pay $3,000 in exchange for the LTB case being thrown out. He said they feared how the case could affect their visas and thought it best to diffuse the situation.

“Obviously, we were scared. We did not understand how things worked here,” he said.

Montenegro said this kind of intimidation is not uncommon.

“International students are particularly vulnerable to being swindled by landlords who are not following legislation,” she said.

Montenegro said one of the best ways student renters can protect themselves is by forming or joining a tenants’ association. However, this can be difficult for students as they may be less likely to stay in one place.

She said even a small organization, like that among roommates, makes tenants stronger than they’d be alone.

“It’s always better to organize than to not,” Montenegro said.

*This source has requested to remain anonymous. The Eye has verified this source.

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Address

55 Gould

Support and services fair for Toronto’s unhoused comes back to the MAC

Homeless Connect Toronto’s annual One-Stop-Shop event returned to the

By Sarah Grishpul

Homeless Connect Toronto (HCT) welcomed over 1,000 of Toronto’s unhoused to their annual One-StopShop support and services fair at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) on Oct. 26.

According to a City of Toronto 2024 Street Needs Assessment, an estimated 15,418 people were experiencing homelessness in Toronto. 41 per cent of those surveyed reported that a lack of funds was the cause of their homelessness.

“And we had a really good turnout actually, especially TMU. You guys showed up”

In 2024, the One-Stop-Shop brought in 1,241 people.

HCT’s executive director Melody Li said this year HCT expanded its volunteer base to support the rising number of attendees.

There were over 300 volunteers this year, with approximately 25 to 30 of them being Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) students, according to HCT’s program manager Chelsea Gagne.

“Purely run on volunteers’ care and love”

“We really wanted to reach out to folks who are not only just in social services or community services, but a wide breadth of folks,” said Gagne.

“And we had a really good turnout actually, especially TMU. You guys showed up.”

The event offered access to over 80 social service agencies, healthcare providers, community organizations and local businesses, according to a press release by HCT. In her experience, Li said that their most vis-

ited stations were the clothing bank, haircuts, dental cleaning and eye and foot care services.

“There are things that sometimes you have to pay out of pocket for, you might need health insurance or additional health insurance and so it’s something that they can’t always get,” said Li.

She added that this year they provided a larger dental cleaning station and clothing bank with additional winter garments for the upcoming season.

Gagne said the organization is “purely run on volunteers’ care and love,” and that so many people come out with the intention to give back to the community.

“They really do come out for the goodness of their heart and just to be able to get outside of their comfort zones or just support where they can because homelessness is such a massive

Doug Ford’s government says they’re “supporting” children and students through Bill 33.

THEY’RE WRONG.

An attack on YOUR students’ unions, student-run services, student jobs, and your campus A dangerous precedent for exclusionary education policies, targeting marginalized students An overreach by the government to curb academic freedoms

An increase in policing and surveillance

A distraction from the underfunding of our colleges and universities Doug Ford’s government does not care about students, workers, or families...

Mattamy

Athletic Centre Sunday

issue to tackle and we can’t do it alone,” said Gagne.

Naina Kapur is a first-year social work student at TMU and a first-time volunteer at OneStop-Shop.

Kapur always loved volunteering and signed up after she received an email through the school.

“The experience of talking with the guests and hearing what they’ve been through, it just makes me want to try and help them as best I can,” she said.

“We just want to make sure that people understand that we come from a client-centred, traumainformed lens”

Kapur worked as a guide, spending the day answering questions and assisting attendees who needed help navigating the space and finding the servic -

es they needed.

According to Gagne, new volunteers are required to undergo a one-hour training session prior to the event.

“I think doing stuff like this outside of academics really helps me want to pursue this career”

“We do work with precariously-housed people who are going through really challenging times,” she said. “So we just want to make sure that people understand that we come from a client-centred, trauma-informed lens.”

Kapur said her volunteer experience made her want to return one day as a service provider.

“I think doing stuff like this outside of academics really helps me want to pursue this career,” she added.

My Brother’s Keeper: An assist off the pitch

TMU student athlete Aalayah Lully finds a way to contribute on and off the field

By Jasmine Makar

Juggling the hustle of being a forward on the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold women’s soccer and a fourth-year criminology student doesn’t stop Aalayah Lully from going the extra mile to provide for her community.

Lully hosts a community drive four times a year, providing unhoused people in Toronto, specifically the downtown core, with food, clothing and seasonal essentials.

The initiative called ‘My Brother’s Keeper’ first started when Lully’s older sister was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder eight years ago, when she was 14-years-old.

“My Brother’s Keeper started with helping out young people at the hospital who were admitted,” said Rochalee Hall, Lully’s mother and founder of the community drive. “There were a lot of kids who came in who were off the streets or from foster care, runaways who didn’t have any clothes.”

While the drive started at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital, it shifted to the downtown core when Lully started university.

“I know everyone has a hard time but to see people just on the street and people walking over them as if they didn’t exist, that was really heartbreaking for us,” said Hall. “That’s

how we shifted from doing it at the hospital to doing it downtown.”

“Let them know that they are loved and prayed for, that they are not forgotten

As of fall 2024, there are an estimated 15,418 people unhoused in the city of Toronto, according to the 2024 Street Needs Assessment survey. This is over a 50 per cent increase from the 2021 figure of 7,300 unhoused individuals.

Although they started with giving out $5 Tim Horton’s gift cards at the hospital, they have since expanded, giving out “blessing bags,” which always have two pairs of socks and other important items catered towards that particular season, like aloe vera in the summer to prevent sunburn and Vaseline in the winter to prevent frostbite.

“There’s also a handwritten note that’s always inside of each one, just to show that someone actually took time out of their day to write this note to them,” said Hall.

Some of these notes include many personalized heartwarming messages, including sentiments like, “overflowing with hope, happiness and new opportunities, please remember that your jour-

ney is far from over, and you possess extraordinary resilience and are forever cherished.”

The operations of the community drive have also expanded, which initially only involved Lully’s family. As she began her first year, friends she met started joining, with one of her close friends consistently coming to help her mother and doante clothing.

“All my friends who do come out often donate something. They won’t come empty-handed. They will always bring something to give to the drive or help out in any particular way that they can.”

“It reflects a lot of how she treats people in her life”

With the drive taking place four times a year, Lully said, “After one drive finishes, you kind of move on to start collecting for the next one.” They never stop taking in donations, with every item of clothing being washed, buying all the stuff for the blessing bags as well as organizing everything for a seamless distribution day.

Groundswell Church in Burlington, Ont., also helps with cooking meals and providing other helpful items.

The name “My Brother’s Keeper” originated from the scripture of

Proverbs 17:17 that reads, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” Lully and Hall added that a friend is typically loyal, but a brother or sister is there in a hard, difficult time.

During their route, the team of distributors, including Lully’s family and friends, usually target specific areas of the city, such as Toronto Metropolitan Church, Allan Gardens, George Hislop Park, Barbara Hall Park, The 519, and other stops off route.

With this past Thanksgiving distribution, My Brother’s Keeper was able to distribute food to approximately 510 people, according to Lully and Hall.

Hall also added that the objective of the drive is to “let them know, we always say that, to let them know that they’re loved and prayed for, that they’re not forgotten and to let them know that…even though they’re going through something difficult and hard, something beautiful can come out of it.”

Being a full-time criminology student and a varsity athlete, it is often hard for Lully to find time for the drive but she always makes sure to contribute in one way or another.

“It’s hard, especially in soccer season, because we train every day and then most weekends we do travel…and there are some days where I’m out or do soccer stuff

or have to do school work,” said Lully. When her school commitments get the best of her, at the very least, Lully will “always try to make a financial contribution.”

“After one drive finishes, you kind of move on to start collecting for the next one”

Although her schedule can fill up in the days leading up to distribution, Lully will do all that she can to ensure the drive is ready. “I’ll stay up and help out or wake up extra early, [specifically] the morning that we go down. I make sure stuff is done.”

Second-year interior design student and Bold women’s soccer forward Natalie Moynihan said that Lully was immediately a welcoming figure on the team when she first joined in 2024 and has always been “a wonderful teammate to have.”

Moynihan also added that involvement in the community drive “definitely reflects her commitment to her relationships… It reflects a lot of how she treats people in her life.”

Fuelled by care and compassion, Lully and My Brother’s Keeper are leaving a lasting impact on many throughout the city.

Aalayah Lully TMU student and Bold women’s soccer player is one of the faces of My Brother’s Keeper. PIERRE-PHILIPE WANYA-TAMBWE/THE EYEOPENER

32 YEARS IN THE MAKING

TMU students can feel the excitement in the air as the Blue Jays compete in the World Series

Words by Courtney Powers-Luketić

Photos by Vanessa Kauk

The Toronto Blue Jays are competing in the World Series for the first time since 1993. Fans, new and old, across Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) are feeling an energy that has been absent on campus for 32 years—and for most students, for their entire lives.

After defeating the Seattle Mariners in a hard-fought seven-game battle in the American League Championship Series (ALCS), the Jays are now facing the Los Angeles Dodgers for a World Series title. For many TMU students, this has been a lifetime in the making.

Fourth-year sociology student Jesse Brierley attended his first Jays game 15 years ago and

immediately knew he’d be a fan from then on.

Years into his time as a Jays fan, Brierley recalls being heartbroken after watching the Jays lose in the ALCS in both 2015 and 2016, with a roster consisting of names like José Bautista, Josh Donaldson and Edwin Encarnación. Now, 10 years later, something feels different.

“It feels like a once-in-a-lifetime chance for us to win a World Series and see the whole city come together,” said Brierley.

Coming into these playoffs, the Jays faced hefty competitors.

In the American League Division Series (ALDS), they won against last year’s finalists, the New York Yankees. In the ALCS,

Toronto started the series losing two games at home against Seattle. Now, they will have to defeat the reigning World Series champions.

“It feels like a once-ina-lifetime chance for us”

Even the most dedicated fans questioned the Blue Jays abilities to make it this far.

“Hopes weren’t incredibly high. I thought [the Blue Jays] would be an okay team, maybe make a round of the playoffs,” said Brierly. “Now, we’re in the World Series.”

But for fourth-year business technology management student Seth Carroll, this was supposed to happen.

“[My expectation] was that they would make it to the finals,” he said. For some, this moment has been the culmination of years of anticipation, hope and heartbreak. For others, it is the first time they’ve seen a team they love even get this opportunity, but for all, the feeling is surreal.

“If there’s anything I can do to help[support the team], I’ll do it,”

Bryan Lopez, who graduated from TMU’s image arts: film program in June, has been a fan of the Jays since his dad took him to his first game 15 years ago. He said once you’ve supported a team for so long, it means a lot for them to succeed.

Lopez said, “I teared up a bit when they won game seven [against the Mariners].”

“I’m definitely going to call in [to work], I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”

During that game, Jays outfielder George Springer hit a game-deciding three-run home run in the seventh inning to come from behind and send the Jays to the World Series.

Lopez was watching the game at a friend’s house, whose parents were asleep in another room. He tried his best to keep it down but his excitement overflowed and he had to celebrate.

The home run reminded Lo -

pez of Jose Bautista’s ‘bat flip’ homerun from the 2015 postseason. In the final game of the ALDS, facing elimination, Bautista also hit a three-run homerun in the bottom of the seventh inning.

“I teared up a bit when they won game seven [against the Mariners]”

Although the Jays fell short back then, the renewed possibility of a title is electrifying the city.”

Carroll said fans across the city can’t help but share their excitement.

“You’re walking down the street and you’re high-fiving everyone, you’re talking to every -

one,” he said. “Everyone’s happy.”

Even for those who don’t know much about baseball, the atmosphere is magnetic. Brierley said even his friends who have never watched a baseball game in their lives have been going out to bars to watch the Jays with him.

As with die-hard fans anywhere, Jays fans at TMU are committing to superstitions to give their team better odds.

Carroll makes sure to wear a Blue Jays hat during every game to show his support.

“If there’s anything I can do to help, I’ll do it,” he said.

Brierley also believes in the luck brought on by team gear. When the team performs poorly when

he wears a certain jersey, he makes sure to take it out of his rotation.

If their luck pulls through and the Jays win the World Series, fans across TMU said what they’re looking forward to most is attending the anticipated parade.

Knowing he will likely be scheduled to work during a potential parade, Lopez said, “I’m definitely going to call in, I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”

“I have a good feeling and usually I dont get that feeling”

Brierley said if the Jays win, he’s making his way downtown to celebrate with the city. He remem-

bers his parents telling him stories from the 1992 and 1993 World Series wins and how they celebrated together with other fans.

He said, “I’ve always thought maybe one day I’ll experience that, so that would probably be the plan for me.”

The Blue Jays won game one on Oct. 24, where TMU’s competitive dance team, UHHU, performed. After dropping game two at home and a grueling 18-inning game three on the road, the series is currently in favour of the Dodgers 2-1. The Jays are three wins away from winning a World Series.

“I have a good feeling,” said Carroll. “And I don’t usually get that feeling.”

More than just a series

The new generation of Jays fans deserve to see a win in the

By Dylan Marks and Daniel Opasinis

After 32 years, the Toronto Blue Jays are back up to plate in the World Series. Today, we are seeing a new generation of Jays fans coming together, following in the footsteps of those before them.

In an impressive feat, the Jays clinched their spot in the postseason with a 13-4 blowout against the Tampa Bay Rays, going on to dominate over the New York Yankees and the Seattle Mariners in the American League Division Series and American League Championship Series respectively.

The nail in the coffin to send them to the World Series: a three-run home run, in game seven against the Mariners, to deep left field by—one of the team’s most experienced players—George Springer.

Why does this matter? What does an achievement like this mean to anyone?

We—as university students born in the early 2000s—can only imagine what it was like, seeing Joe Carter’s home run of 1993. The way Toronto rallied behind a team set to bring it home and a national identity that deserved it just as much.

With this team, at this time, in this city—it’s not too different.

The feeling of this team is sitting on the couch with your dad, watching a close game when your favourite player hits a 96 MPH ball out of the park and, like a survival instinct, you’re out of your seats, jumping around the living room in tears. All because of a ball hit in a stadium you’re not even in.

So, why does this city need this? Because we deserve it. Because Blue Jays fans, not only in Toronto but across Canada, come together—if only for a short while—to support this team as one.

And when the month ends, the dust settles and Toronto returns to its litter of Leafs hats and Raptors jerseys, we’ll get to keep our memory of what happened here, as we showed the world how we play October baseball.

Go Jays go!

Fall Classic

Students sell and shop at Mutual Market

The initiative on Gould Street gives vendors and students space to connect

By Ethan Clarke

Mutual Market transforms Gould Street with student vendors, warm food and a sense of community, offering a break from the usual campus rush once a week.

The student-led non-profit market has become a quiet but familiar presence at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Lead organizer Serge Khvatov, a fifth-year history major, joined the team in 2022 and has helped shape its direction. “To me, the goal is… to run an institution based on values of care,” they said. “We have a very good reputation because…we care, and we try to build a genuine, wholesome community.”

Khvatov and the team coordinate each market, booking space through the school, scheduling vendors and running a free soup program to help students stretch their budgets. “Last market…we served about 90…soup bowls,” they said. For them, food isn’t just a hook, it’s part of building community and easing costs.

For some vendors, the setup itself is simple. It’s getting everything to campus that’s the hard part. Khatija Naz, a second-year

Business Technology Management student and Khvatov both pointed out how difficult commuting with supplies can be.

“It’s very easy to set up,” said Naz, owner of KhatBakes. “But commuting is quite hard, especially when you have a lot of materials. I have to bring a suitcase along with big bags to carry my cookies.”

Khvatov knows the struggle well. “The long-term goal is to start some kind of permanent space on campus that is a thrift store, nonprofit thrift store and a food co-op,” they said. “Even if we get a room, eight vendors could store their stuff there. People are hauling suitcases from Milton, Scarborough, Vaughan…on public transport. It’s not easy.”

For students, price often comes before anything else.

“I was on my way to class… and saw that they were selling samosas,” said Zarrin Tarannum, fourth-year child and youth care student who decided to check out the market on her way to class. “They are cheaper compared to other places…so it’s a great option.”

That affordability is intentional, “I want to keep that affordable as-

pect of the market,” Khvatov said. “We have the lowest…vendor fees in the city.”

Vendors typically pay $20, but it’s voluntary. If they don’t make enough, they don’t pay. It’s a model meant to support small student businesses, not burden them.

When Thalia Ramcharitar, a fourth-year English major, first joined the market, what stood out wasn’t just the sales, but how quickly she felt part of a community.

“It just opened its arms up to me…everybody there…they’re so welcoming,” she said. “If I forgot tape, somebody’s like, no problem, I got you.”

Ramcharitar says the market has become a place where students can take a first step with confidence. “This is a safe space for you…we want to give people

that first opportunity,” she said.

While the market has built a small online following, most of the buzz is still word of mouth. “We started posting more on Instagram,” Ramcharitar said. “But honestly, it’s people telling other people.”

Naz’s table is often one of the busiest. “Biscoff Bliss…and S’mores. Everybody loves those two 100 per cent,” she said. Naz said the market has helped her reach more students. “My sales…did go really well on Gould Street,” she added. “As long as I gain followers and the audience, I think it’s 100 per cent worth it.”

Markets can be unpredictable. “People do make money…it just really depends…on the day,” Khvatov said. Even so, the market’s reputation has grown. “We’ve been going for over three years now. People talk about it,” they said.

Ramcharitar described the market as more than just a popup.“You’re supporting somebody who has a dream like yours… once one person succeeds, we all kind of succeed,” she said. “It’s a collective, it’s a community.”

Khvatov hopes to make that feeling tangible, a permanent space, a co-op, a student-run fixture that gives people a way to build something of their own.

For now, the market lives in those passing moments, students browsing tables, grabbing a bite or stopping to talk with vendors.

The next market is scheduled for Oct. 29 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Gould Street. Students interested in vending can find more information through the market’s Instagram page @mutual.market.

Stepping into new worlds through board games and roleplay

TMU’s ARRG creates space for students to connect and lose themselves in lore on campus

By Avari Nwaesei

As second-year aerospace engineering student Damien Abat trekked through the woods on his regular path home, he noticed a piece of parchment stuck to a tree with one word on it: ARRG! Abat read the word aloud and was transferred to the Victoria Building’s second floor in room 203—where students meet

weekly to lose themselves in the world of board games and tabletop roleplaying.

The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Association of Recreational Roleplayers and Gamers (ARRG) is a club that focuses on providing the school with community game nights.

AARG co–president and thirdyear graphics communication man-

agement student Ally Kamphuis said an important aspect of the club is the ability to sit down and learn the rules of a game with new friends.

The club runs every Thursday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., allowing students to drop in during that period. Kamphuis said ARRG gets its game supply from the Student Campus Centre basement, giving students a wide variety to choose from.

“The most popular types are either strategy games like ‘Wingspan’ or ‘Root’ or ‘Dune Imperium’ or social deduction games like ‘Werewolf’ or ‘Secret Hitler’ or ‘Blood on the Clocktower’ but really anything in between,” said Kamphuis.

Aside from regular board games, ARRG vice president of communications and fourth-year computer science student Archer Perraton said the club has a setup for tabletop RPGs along with signups for those wanting to play ‘Dungeons and Dragons’ (D&D).

When it comes to actually playing these games, some say people can find learning the rules to be daunting.

“You don’t have to know a lot about D&D. I know that’s something that a lot of people have told me that’s their barrier to entry,” said Kamphuis.

There is more to ARRG than just gaming. Kamphuis said the club occasionally has food, and holds a Halloween event every year—including a costume contest.

“Historically, we’ve had a lot of good collaborations with the TMU Gamers Guild, like a video games club, because there’s a lot of overlap between the target markets for two clubs,” said Kamphuis.

Collaborating with other student groups is great for already ex-

isting members and ARRG makes sure students looking to join get to do so easily.

“It’s a very low bar of entry, by which is intentional, because I feel like in the past I’ve been interested in joining a new club and then I look into it and it’s like you have to sign up to become a general member,” said Kamphuis. “We do not want it to be like that at all.”

Club meetings themselves are made to be as laid back as getting involved. ARRG has no strict plans on what will happen during weekly meetings.

“It’s not much structure, because we want people to have the freedom to just do whatever they want in terms of choice,” said Perraton, adding that students joining in on each other’s games is what makes the club meetings work.

Kamphuis said being a part of ARRG’s exec team since her first year allowed her to take note of the club’s influence.

“If you show up, you’re going to be seeing the same people every week. You’re going to make friends with them. You’re going to play some board games with them. It’s a great way to meet people,” said Kamphuis.

TMU professor releases new edition of 2008 novel

Irene

Gammel unveiled her book exploring the elusive life of author L.M. Montogomery at a launch party

By Molly Simpson

In a packed book launch event, director of the Modern Literature and Culture (MLC) Research Centre and English professor at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Irene Gammel debuted her republished work Looking for Anne of Green Gables: Lucy Maud Montgomery and Her Timeless Heroine.

Gammel, who originally released the book in 2008, said in an interview with The Eyeopener that the first publication was more like a research assemblage. “This time around I had the feeling I was telling a story.”

Her new novel expands with new chapters and updated research to tell the story of the extremely private Lucy Maud Montgomery and how the author “massaged” her image during her life, being incredibly secretive and only releasing curated information, Gammel said. She was drawn to how Anne of Green Gables had so little information around its creation.

Several guests at the book launch gave speeches about Gammel’s publication. Amy Peng, dean of arts at TMU said, “It celebrates Montgomery’s legacy, her writing and the power of imagination itself.”

She added, “I have no doubt Montgomery herself would have loved this book and this celebration.”

Kate Macdonald Butler, Montgomery’s granddaughter and the family’s representative as president of the Heirs of L.M. Montgomery, also attended the launch.

“No one has delved this deep into how Montgomery came up with her character Anne of Green Gables,” she said. “I’m pleased that people are focusing on the author…and delving more into her life and the period in which she lived and the struggles that she had.”

During the event, Gammel read aloud three sections of her book. Short violin performances punctuated the reading. Ella Altena, research coordinator at the MLC Research Centre and one of the event organizers said songs like “Wellerman” were selected to represent the maritime landscape of Montgomery’s life and work, as well as Gammel’s own experience in Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.).

Sutherland House, the publishers of Gammel’s book, as well as a representative of the Lucy Maud Montgomery Society of Ontario were also guest speakers.

Fans of Anne of Green Gables, academics and volunteers crowded inside the MLC office space, filled with Anne displays including Gammel’s book collection, a recreation of an Anne dress and a poster of a section from Montgomery’s journal.

Some of the crowd spilled into

the overflow room as speakers took to the microphone. Ninety people had RSVP’d according to Altena.

“I remember stressing…What if people don’t come? And then today I was like ‘stop RSVPing, there’s too many of you,’” Altena said as she laughed. “But of course we are so insanely happy to have so many people here.”

Gammel took the time to sign copies of her book at the end of the night.

Several attendees came for their interest in Montgomery’s work.

“I’ve always loved Anne of Green Gables, so I just saw this event was happening and I figured I’d come here,” said Cadie Miller, a Trent University

student visiting from Barrie, Ont.

Supporters of Gammel also showed up. Clarice Mosicki, a fourth-year English student at TMU, had Gammel as a professor in the past. “I really like her and just the way that she teaches, so I was like ‘OK I want to come out and support her book,’” she said.

Gammel was an assistant professor at the University of Prince Edward Island when her book journey began. Being steeped in the Montgomery culture of P.E.I. informed her research interest.

Montgomery published her famous novel Anne of Green Gables in 1908. The story follows the char-

acter of Anne Shirley in the fictional town of Avonlea in P.E.I as she is raised by siblings Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert.

Gammel said while she hadn’t gone into her studies with the intention of following Montgomery’s work, she felt proud to be part of a community so deeply linked with the famous figure.

“I think what is fascinating is that Montgomery still has such an important following today and that she is one of Canada’s authors with so much longevity,” said Gammel. “And I think that is something worth celebrating as part of Canadian heritage.”

TMU business student finds success behind the camera

Augustin Sasarman has spent the last six years writing and directing his own films

By Emily Nascimento

Every family has their own traditions—for 18-year-old business management student Augustin Sasarman that meant watching movies with his father every night, getting lost in the madeup worlds on screen. Yet it wasn’t until he was 12 that he realized “movies didn’t just make themselves,” rather, there was a job for that. “As soon as I learned, I knew that’s what I was going to do,” said Sasarman.

And that’s what he did. Sasarman had already been internationally recognized as an emerging filmmaker after winning the Parallusion Film Festival award in 2023. At just 16-years-old, he was awarded the outstanding narrative film award for his short The War in The Trenches, which follows two soldiers during their everyday life in the First World War. “It was the craziest luck ever…I didn’t even know I won anything. It came in the mail, this little trophy,” he said.

Sasarman explained he was informed his film got shortlisted but the award ceremony, which was held in Japan, fell on the same day as his only exam that year, so he had no way of knowing whether his film won—until that trophy arrived.

But, his journey into filmmaking actually began when he was much younger. “I was more like seven or eight when I started making little videos, but I didn’t really know what I was doing. Instead of writing an essay at school, I would turn it into a video, things like that.”

He said choosing to go into the business management program, instead of film, “which is renowned all over” came from the idea that “nobody can turn you into a good director. You have to do that yourself. So that’s what I’ve been doing since I was 12.”

Sasarman added that studying business could get him a stable job to pay the bills as he waits for his big break. But he mentioned that, “Whenever I’m done my class, whenever I’m done my tests, I’m out of the business building straight to the film building.”

He said he’s networking and meeting as many professors as he can.

Sasarman’s work is greatly inspired by older classics such as Indiana Jones, Jaws and Jurassic Park , he said. “Usually, my films come from listening to a piece of classical music or a soundtrack that I love and then I kind of build the film around it.”

Having made over 25 no-budget short films—not including his feature-length film Chasing the Past, which he wrote at 16— he said he’s hopeful he’s going to make a name for himself in the future.

He said his main motivation to keep going is the idea that “one day, through all this hard work,

I’ll be able to make the films I aspire to make.”

The problem with the film industry, he believes, is that “there’s so many misconceptions; you need a camera before you can make a movie, making a movie is really hard and takes a long time…the truth is you can make a short film in a day.”

When he was starting out, he said his filmmaking process included waking up on Saturday mornings, looking around his house for an idea, shooting a film based on that and spending all night editing it.

Now that he’s made a lot more films, Sasarman said he spends more time fleshing out the idea, the characters and script.

But most importantly he said, “It’s all about just starting as soon as you know that’s what you want to do and keep working hard, because filmmaking is a muscle.”

He also launched his own (unofficial) entertainment company, Sasarman Simard Dupuy Entertainment, where he distributes all his films. One of those is his new short Beat Him Up , which came out on Oct. 18.

MOLLY SIMPSON/THE EYEOPENER

Textbook or TikTok? Where students learn about money

‘Finfluencers’

offer quick fixes, but unregulated advice risks exposure to misinformation and scams

By Julia Herrick

With rent, tuition and grocery costs continuing to climb, many students at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) are turning to social media for investment advice and quick money-saving tips.

Financial influencers or ‘Finfluencers’ have surged in popularity among young Canadians, offering ideas on budgeting, debt, investing and how to make money quickly. But experts warn while the content is accessible, much of it comes from unregulated creators whose guidance can be misleading or overly simplistic.

According to a survey released by the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO), one in five Canadians report using social media and seeking financial advice from financial influencers.

For students juggling tuition, rent and everyday expenses, distinguishing between sound guidance and risky shortcuts has become increasingly challenging.

Rubina Ahmed-Haq, a personal finance consultant, explained that social media can be useful for simple money-saving tips, such as cutting grocery costs. However, she also warned that people need to be cautious when it comes to more se-

rious advice, such as investing.

A recent Ontario Securities Commission survey found that 35 per cent of Canadian retail investors made a financial decision based on a social media “finfluencer,” and those who did were 12 times more likely to have experienced social media investment scams.

Ahmed-Haq warned against getrich-quick schemes that claim you can make money fast.

“When saving for your long-term financial goals, it is not as advisable,”

she said. “These influencers aren’t qualified and don’t have the life experience dealing with money.”

She added that many are drawn in by success stories that make investing look effortless.

“If they’re giving you the impression that you can make money quickly, you may be basing your own results on their experience,” she said. “Which is a really dangerous way to manage your money.”

Disha Mehta, a third-year sociology and crimonology student at TMU, said she takes financial advice online “with a grain of salt.”

She added that she sometimes trusts financial influencers who have a background in finance or accounting over those who don’t.

“The advice that social media gives is very general,” Mehta said. “The

Pop-Up Shop gives students a real retail opportunity

By Harsh Kumar

Inside the Ted Rogers School of Management (TRSM), Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) students are getting a taste of entrepreneurship through a new PopUp Shop initiative that lets them test their brand and directly engage with customers

Launched this fall by TMU’s School of Retail Management, the Pop-Up Shop offers students a week-long opportunity to operate a retail storefront on the seventh floor of TRSM, sell their products and test new business ideas.

The Pop-Up Shop will be running the entire school year. It will close after the last week of classes in April and reopen next fall.

Each week, a new vendor takes over the space, ranging from TMU students or student groups, TRSM alumni or industry and community partners of the School of Retail Management.

Donna Smith, director of Retail Management and one of the minds behind the project said the idea was sparked during the pandemic when many small businesses struggled to stay afloat. It was also

advice that they give won’t necessarily apply to everyone, right? Because everyone’s situation is unique...it’s good for some ideas. Don’t make it your whole blueprint.”

Brendan Lin, a second-year computer science student said he would prefer someone with a degree in finance or someone with a financial background when considering financial advice online.

“Sometimes I get help from social media, but I also get advice from my best friend who’s studying business,” Lin said.

The CIRO noted that many influencers lack formal training or certification and aren’t subject to regula-

tory oversight, making it difficult for audiences to know whether the information they share online is factual or reliable.

Ahmed-Haq advised students not to go online for financial advice. Instead, she suggested students find trustworthy advice at a financial institution or read published work from experts.

“I recommend reading published work by individuals who have all the credentials,” she said. “Such as [people] working at a bank, as they have more information about what’s happening in the markets.”

Candice Zhang, a third-year retail management student, said

she took some finance courses that have equipped her with a bit of knowledge to help her manage her funds.

“Being in business, I’ve taken lots of finance courses,” she said. “I feel like because of my background, I don’t really tend to listen to hearsay.”

Zhang conducts her own research online using Yahoo Finance for information about the stock market rather than blindly trusting influencers. She notes that even when social media advice sounds reasonable, it often overlooks the reality of student life.

Fourth-year engineering student mistaken for WEREWOLF

Midterms, madness and one very scary hairy misunderstanding haunts TMU’s halls this Halloween

By Harry Mann

Disclaimer: Boys and girls of every age, wouldn’t you like to see something strange? Come with us and you will see, this story lies to you fully.

With midterms ramping up and the spookiness of Halloween just around the corner, many Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) students are not looking like themselves. Whether it’s a possibly offensive mask from a 90s movie or just forgetting to shower and shave, many around campus are unrecognizable.

“I turned a corner and saw something that made my ‘zoink’ shrink up”

This was particularly the phenomenon that second-year urban and regional planning student Shaggy Rogers seemed to have stumbled upon late one night in the unnerving underbelly of the George Vari Engineering and Computing Centre.

“There I was, walking down the hall in the same green shirt and brown pants that I always wear, when I turned a corner and saw something that made my ‘zoink’

shrink up into my flat, hairless and almost cartoonish chest,” said Rogers.

“Then he stepped closer and I realized it was some guy fighting for his 1.79 GPA”

While Rogers believed he had stumbled upon a…a…A WEREWOLF!!!! It turned out to be just another student that had succumbed to the darkness of the fall season on campus.

Fifth-year chemical engineering student Ah Woo, who was mistaken for a blood thirsty moon beast, said he has dealt with this kind of hairy misunderstanding in the past.

“I’ve been mistaken for Bigfoot, the Groundhog Day groundhog, those mogwai looking fucks from ‘Gremlins,’ all sorts of things,” said Woo. “It really doesn’t faze me anymore as every day of my life is an eternal cycle of hell on earth.”

Other students around campus reported mistaking Woo for a very hairy scary monster as well, prompting The Eyeopener to speak with several of the “boys who cried [were]wolf.”

“I saw him and I thought holy God it’s…it’s a Werewolf! Then he stepped closer and I realized it

was some guy fighting for his 1.79 GPA,” said second-year mathematics student Velma Dinkley.

“I was working in my lab late one night when my eyes beheld an eerie sight, for someone outside my lab began to rise and suddenly to my surprise it was a Werewolf,” said third-year fashion student Daphne Blake.

“I’m not sure what I thought but he had a look in his eye that screamed ‘I am a Werewolf, please trap me in an elaborate net’,” said third-year trapping student Fred Jones.

Following the incident, Rogers, Dinkley, Jones and Blake were arrested for assault after attempting to remove Woo’s face

while under the assumption it was a rubber mask.

“Everyday of my life is an eternal cycle of hell on earth”

“We woulda got away with it too, if it wasn’t for those meddling laws against assault!” said the group.

The scariest costume this Halloween

Illustrated by Sarah Grishpul

RACHEL CHENG/THE EYEOPENER

Illustration by Rachel Cheng

Confessions of TMSU Saviour...

Words by Scoop W. Gerbil

Photo by Ava Whelpley

Disclaimer: While TMSU Saviour is somehow actually real, these tales aren’t.

One man has spent the past year rather ferociously auditing the work of the Toronto Metropolitan Students’ Union (TMSU), sending out emails to faculty, students, the university administration and us at The Eyeopener. His name is TMSU Saviour and this is his story

*Dun Dun.*

It all started when his Uncle Ben was wronged by the TMSU executives of yesteryear, in an email phishing scheme promising free tickets to Woodstock.

Ever since, TMSU Saviour has yearned for an ice cold scoop of vengeance. The Eye sat down with TMSU Saviour, and boy did we have some questions!

Q: What keeps you motivated in these times?

A: Oh you know, an ice cold matcha latte, a quick spin at Sweat & Tonic and my undying loathing of the ongoing corruption within TMU’s student union. I’m just a regular dude.

Q: Where do you get your information?

A: I live in the walls of the Student Campus Centre, do people not know that I’ve been a part of every TMSU conversation since that drunk driving scandal…totally framed by the way, I LOVED that episode.

Q: How many of you are there really?

A: I’ll never tell, but you should know I’ve had my Ganesh rammed in every corner of this school for decades. Everytime someone posts the phrase “what’s up with the TMSU?” on Reddit, sleeper cells wake up and crawl out of the Kerr Hall Quad like that scene from ‘The Last of Us.’

Q: What’s next for you TMSU saviour?

A: Well I hear there are some spots open on the TMSU this year, so maybe I’ll throw my hat in the ring. Maybe I’m already on the TMSU? Maybe I’m Offset and/or G-Eazy? Maybe I’m standing right behind you. Yeah you. Reading this paper. Did I get ya? No but seriously...I’m just a janitor.

Witches unionize at TMU School of Medicine

By Elphaba Thropp

Disclaimer: Unlike the cast of Wicked and their supposed romances with their co-stars, this story is not real and never will be, which you will forget with the wave of my magical wand…

Three witches who hail from the lands of Toronto Metropolitan University’s (TMU) new medical school have decided to band together and start a union, calling themselves the Better Rights Every Witch-Union (BREW-U.)

Eva Ville, the head of the group, sat down in an interview with The Eyeopener this past Sunday and stroked her toad familiar as she recounted their purpose and reasons.

“The coven where I’m from, I’m fully allowed to brew my double bubble toil and trouble at any time necessary. Due to their lack of funding, we’ve been relegated to operating only from midnight to the witching hour! How reductive!” said Ville.

Alongside accusations of discrimination based on evil auras, BREW-U is also lobbying for free binding for spellbooks, better tower cleaners and inclusive blood for oaths.

“It’s so outdated to only provide us with the blood of virgins,” said Ville while shaking her head. “We

don’t care about your sexual status!” She paused, “Also, we don’t want blood from losers.”

The TMU School of Medicine, which opened its doors this past September, offers a Witching & Wizardry MD program that is said to provide students with the opportunity to, “Become a new kind of magic-user equipped to provide spell-binding, unbreakable curses and lead real occult change in the magiccare system.”

However, reports coming from the new school are telling a completely different story, with faulty brooms that don’t lift a lizard’s length off the ground, cauldrons with dried green goop left inside

and broken grimoires that were bound from Frankie B. Bold themself, with feathers wound into the pages to show for it.

Ville and her coven including T. Ode Stoole and Madge Eekusa, have found themselves at the forefront of a new magic-focused revolution, where even the Etsy witches that have wished misfortune on political figures have rallied behind them in support.

Even Toronto mayor, Olivia Chow has been seen wearing an official BREW-U pin on her oversized bag with a plastic window that houses pins of the man who sings outside of the Eaton Center and Speaker Legend.

BREW-U is meeting with TMU School of Medicine staff this Tuesday, when the clock strikes four and the rooster crows for more, in order to discuss their demands and potentially come to a solution.

“We aren’t asking for much,” said Stoole, who had transmutated into the very chair that our representative almost sat in, “give us better hours, more resources and also all the blood of every student and I think we’ll be fully satisfied.”

When asked for a statement, TMU School of Medicine staff only regurgitated small creatures, including a turtle, a guinea pig and a really really small chihuahua that shakes when you address it.

OOKY SPOOKY GIVEAWAY!

1. Complete the pumpkin maze! Only 100 per cent accurate mazes will be accepted.

2. Complete the Google Form via the QR code below and add a photo of your completed maze or visit The Eye office (SCC 207) with the completed puzzle.

3. Await an email! The form will close end-of-day on Nov. 1 and winners will be contacted shortly afterwards and asked to come into our office for photos! The Eyeopener is giving away two $25 gift cards Find the giveaway rules through the link in our Instagram bio.

By Eon Kang

RACHEL CHENG/THE EYEOPENER