HUMBER ET CETERA
‘IT HAS TO STOP’
Vigilheldforvictims afterdecadesofmercury contamination
P. 4-5
Post-secondary funding protest
OPSEU pickets outside Ford’s campaign office
Annays Fernanda Medeiros HumberETC News
More than 70 people gathered outside Premier Doug Ford’s campaign office protesting cuts and underfunding to post-secondary education.
The demonstration, organized by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU), outside the Islington Avenue office called for better funding for post-secondary schools.
Cyrielle Ngeleka, a York University student and the National Executive Representative for the Canadian Federation of Students Ontario, said students should be a priority for the government.
“We are seeing that students are not a priority and I’m just happy to be here to kind of like shed light on that. Ultimately, all students have value, all programs have value, and we need to be a priority for the government,” she said.
Ngeleka said as the education system continues to be frail, the province relies on international students to pay outrageous amounts in tuition to fund post-secondary institutions consequently making the underfunding
of Ontario’s institutions chronic and intentional.
“With the provincial elections already here, we have the power to elect a government that will put students’ and workers’ issues back on the table to ensure that there’s a future for our universities and colleges. Because the government is meant to work for us and not the other way around,” she said.
OPSEU president JP Hornick said an investment in students and post-secondary education is an investment in the economy.
“This is the economic engine of Ontario,” she said. “What we do in the colleges is not just good for this moment, it is good for the future, the foundation. What do we want our future in Ontario to look like?
Who do we want this province to be available to?”
Hornick said Conservative Premier Bill Davis started the college system in 1967 as an affordable and accessible post-secondary education in every community.
She said that the system provided jobs and training in fields relevant to those communities.
But the province now has the lowest per-student, post-sec-
ondary funding of provinces in Canada, Hornick said.
“This is a government that likes to take away $10, give you back a loonie, and say, ‘Aren’t you lucky you have that heavy coin,’” she said.
“This is a government that would rather exploit, force the exploitation of international students than fight with us to change immigration pathways to ensure that people can participate in the Ontario economy in ways that are dignified, in ways that allow us to work together to strengthen our province,” Hornick said.
Sarom Rho, a Migrant Workers Alliance For Change representative, said international students are tired of being unfairly blamed, as racism and anti-immigrant hate are on the rise in Canada.
“It’s as explicit as this premier, as Doug Ford, saying he’s going to take care of, quote, ‘our kids first.’ Racism is as explicit as him saying, quote, ‘he’s going to get rid of international students,’” she said.
“Sometimes xenophobia looks like employers saying migrants are taking jobs, that there are too many of us, that we’re somehow responsible for the housing crisis,”
Humber Et Cetera is the Humber Polytechnic journalism program laboratory newspaper. It is created by journalism students in the Advanced Diploma program. Et Cetera serves to inform the Humber community and give its readers well-rounded coverage on the things that matter to them.
Rho said.
But she said at times xenophobia is subtle.
“It looks like college admins saying, ‘Hey, you and your co-workers are getting laid off because international student enrolment is down and there is no money.’ But that’s simply not true. There is money and it’s staying in the pockets of those who already have it,” Rho said.
She said Ford is responsible for massively underfunding education, as he’s cutting down parts of public institutions that are deeply valued and selling them “to his private profiteering friends.”
Rho said she’s glad people are at the demonstration and doing something about it together.
“In this time where the class of people who want to make us fight each other and fight for scraps, want us to be divided, we have to stay united because unity and solidarity is the only way forward,” she said.
“So let’s fight like hell to save our colleges, to protect jobs and education, and let’s fight like hell to defend immigration. We’re with you!” Rho said.
Cyrielle Ngeleka, with the Canadian Federation of Students Ontario, says students don’t seem to be a priority for the provincial government.
HUMBERETC/ANNAYS FERNANDA MEDEIROS
Vigil for mercury victims
Grassy Narrows wants justice over decades of poisoning
A vigil held at Queen’s Park on Tuesday morning marked more than 50 years of an Indigenous community in Northwestern Ontario calling for justice and compensation after being exposed to deadly mercury in its ecosystem.
Leaders and residents of Grassy Narrows, along with supporters from other Indigenous communities, assembled at Queen’s Park in front of the Premier’s Office, addressing those who have died and fallen ill due to mercury in Grassy Narrows’ water. They are calling for the Ontario government to start showing support.
Other protesters joined them, carrying signs with messages supporting the community’s struggle to obtain clean water.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford was invited to the vigil, and a message asking him to break his silence on the community’s water crisis. However, Ford, campaigning two days before a provincial election, did not attend, and no reply was sent.
Grassy Narrows Chief Sherry Ackabee told the crowd about the difficulties her community experiences that are overlooked by the government.
“I myself have a child who was born sick, my sisters as well,” Ackabee said.
“I’m not happy with the government for letting it happen to us, to our people,” she said.
Ackabee said the effects of
dumping in the water are something the community sees regularly, and she wishes people with the power to stop it could see it themselves.
“I believe it has to stop,” she said, “Our children are very important, our people are important, everybody’s important.”
Grassy Narrows in Northwestern Ontario, was contaminated in the 1960s and 1970s when a paper mill dumped about nine tonnes of mercury into the English-Wabigoon River System, affecting the Grassy Narrows First Nation. The mercury poisoning causes severe neurological effects in people and animals.
Maria Swain, a resident of Grassy Narrows, explained the mental toll on young people the crisis has on the community, after losing two grand-daughters to suicide.
“Two of my granddaughters, 11 years old, 18, took their own lives,” she said.
“It’s pretty hard when we’re dealing with the effects of mercury poisoning and how it affects the brains of our children,” Swain said. “Eleven years old and I always wondered why and today I still don’t have any answers.”
Swain said children are forced to deal with neurological damages caused by the contaminated water.
“When we talk about mercury justice, we need a really good educational system in our community that’s going to assist our children,” she said.
Swain’s comments on neurological damage from mercury poisoning are backed strongly by the World Health Organization (WHO).
WHO has listed mercury in the top 10 chemicals of major public health concern, and noted the threat it poses to a child’s development in utero and early life, as well as the risks it creates for neurological and behavioural disorders.
Samuel McKay, from Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First
From working events to creating them
Jacob Gibb, a second-year student in the broadcast television program, uses the knowledge gained in the program to create his tournament show The Payday Bracket. He got the idea of organizing a tournament after working as a stage manager at a big gaming event in Toronto called Get On My Level (GOML).
“I think it was, for me, it was really important seeing that in person, in such a big space,” he said.
Nation, came to show support for Grassy Narrows after seeing the effects of chemically contaminated fish in his community’s water.
“We depend on the fish for our livelihood,” he said. “With that contamination, that’s why KI made a decision years ago to stand in solidarity with Grassy Narrows.
“When I was a young man, I used to hear about the mercury poisoning that happened in Dryden and I never really understood it until years later,” he said.
McKay said he became more involved in advocating for First Nations rights and protecting their culture and way of life for future generations after learning more about the situation in Grassy Narrows. Judy DaSilva, the community’s Environmental Health Coordinator and Elder of Grassy Narrows, said illness and death caused by tainted water is frequent.
“When it’s a life or death situation it’s an air ambulance and I hear that air ambulance at least twice a week in Grassy Narrows and these are things that people don’t see, don’t hear,” she said.
“Each day that goes by we live with this,” DaSilva said. “I don’t come to you in a pitiful way, but I come to you as a strong, powerful Anishinabek who will continue this fight until there’s justice.”
“It inspired me to say I should have a way to let people play games again. I think playing games is a great way to connect with people and interact with the community,” he said.
Gibb themed his tournament around his current job at Costco. He said he thought it would be funny as his paycheck was from Costco.
“The bracket name is Payday. Why not make it off Costco? Because they’re paying for everything. So I thought that would be funny,” he said.
The Payday Bracket is host to many fighting games, but it primarily hosts the anime fighting game Guilty Gear: Strive.
Gibb is also a Humber Esports production crew member as a livestream coordinator.
He used the knowledge of running live streams for Humber to better the production of his streams of the Payday Bracket.
“Running any production, it’s very important to know how all your tools work and how it should be.” Gibb said.
“It allows me to upgrade my skills and make each viewing experience I do that much better,” he said.
The tournament itself has had an uptick in participants and Gibb said he thinks that by the first anniversary of his tournament, he will have at least 50 to 60 participants.
HUMBERETC/GABRIEL NODA
Jacob Gibb created his own live-streamed tournament using skills gained at Humber.
Elder Judy DaSilva sees ambulances twice a week in Grassy Narrows.
HUMBERETC/LIAM OLIVER NEILSON
Residents and supporters of Grassy Narrows gathered at Queen’s Park to honour victims of mercury poisoning.
HUMBERETC/LIAM OLIVER NEILSON
Liam Oliver Neilson HumberETC News
Voters hand Ford a third majority,
After Progressive Conservative win, NDP hold onto Official
Aislinn Millette, Julia-Marie Ilano, Fernando Bossoes, Daniel Driver, Nina A. Kersnik, Asher Klaver
HumberETC News
Premier Doug Ford launched his new mandate with a fiery speech saying he’s ready to win the fight against any tariffs imposed by the U.S. and build on the province’s economic strength.
With his third majority government, Ford managed to shrink the number of NDP seats and keep Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie out of the legislation.
“Ontario we did it again,” he told about 200 supporters at the Toronto Congress Centre.
The premier said he will “fight like I never fought before. Let me declare, Canada will never, ever become the 51st state and Canada is not for sale.
“I will work with anyone, I will work with everyone to get things done,” he said.
“Now as we stare down the threat of Donald Trump’s tariffs, I will continue to do just that, i will work with every level
of government and every political stripe,” he said. “Standing up for Canada, it will take a full team Ontario effort, it will take a full team Canada effort.”
Ford said his government has attracted more than $170 billion in new investments into the provincial economy, including battery plants, factories, and life science facilities.
“Standing up for Canada, it will take a full team Ontario effort, it will take a full team Canada effort,” he said. “Now, together, we have to fight hard to protect our progress. This election, we asked the people for a mandate, a strong mandate that will outlive and outlast the Trump administration, a mandate to do whatever it takes to protect Ontario.
“Well friends, the people have spoken,” Ford said. “The people said yes. We ask the people for a mandate to unleash the awesome economic potential of the ring of fire. The people said yes. We asked the people for a mandate to build up our economy by tearing down internal trade barriers, and the people said yes.”
Ford also praised his opponents.
“We may disagree on policy but there
is no question that each one of them love their province and each one of us loves Canada,” he said.
“Friends, over the last seven years we have made so much progress together, over one million more people are working today than when we were elected in 2018,” he told his supporters. Ford listed off
Ten minutes after polls closed, Ford and his Progressive Conservatives were projected to secure their third consecutive majority government. Later in the night with 95 per cent of the polls reporting, the PCs had about 43 per cent of votes, Liberals about 30 per cent, NDP about 19, Green about five, and the independent took 1.11 per cent.
Despite Crombie not winning her seat the Liberals have their first positive result in two elections. They have regained their party status by winning or leading in 13 seats and received almost double the amount of votes the NDP garnered.
In her concession speech, Crombie acknowledged the results were not what supporters hoped for.
“Listen, running for office is no small thing,” she told supporters. “I know
tonight isn’t what you were hoping for. This is a building block for us.
“Voters have given Doug Ford another mandate tonight, a small one but none the less... you can count on me,” Crombie said. “Doug, we will be watching. We know Ontario can do so much better. We’ll make sure you protect our public healthcare system and our Greenbelt.”
Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/CHRIS YOUNG
majority, Liberals make gains
Opposition as Liberals regain party status in early returns
Despite Progressive Conservative candidate Silvia Gualtieri winning Mississauga East-Cooksville, Crombie situated herself as a winner for gaining party status and eating away at Ford’s seats.
Meanwhile, Green Leader Mike Schreiner graciously took the stage as his supporters cheered for him. He expressed his gratitude to his volunteers and voters.
New Democratic Party Leader Marit Stiles and Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner kept their seats in Davenport and Guelph respectively.
At The Great Hall on Queen Street West, supporters cheered when Stiles was declared the official opposition again.
The NDP retained its status as the Official Opposition at Queen’s Park.
Ford called a snap election on Feb. 29 that cost taxpayers around $189 million. Ford argued he needed a strong mandate to fight Donald Trump’s tariffs.
The PCs were winning or leading in 86 ridings, the NDP 26, the Liberals 14, the Greens two and an independent had one. The NDP won 31 seats in 2022 while the Liberals won eight. The PCs took 83 seats and the Greens won one.
The party’s strongholds in rural Ontario and the suburbs around Toronto, particularly in the 905 region, delivered overwhelming support for the PCs. Even in traditionally competitive ridings like Mississauga East-Cooksville and Etobicoke North, the PCs held firm against Liberal and NDP challengers.
Meanwhile, the NDP maintained its base in Toronto and Northern Ontario but failed to make significant inroads elsewhere. The party’s platform on housing affordability and concerns about public healthcare failed to sway enough suburban voters.
Ford’s campaign centred around “keeping costs down” for Ontarians, promising to invest in transit expansion. His government’s record of job creation played a crucial role.
The Greens’ Mike Schreiner said he was disappointed the party didn’t win a third seat in Parry Sound.
“Greens are here to stay,” he told Humber Et Cetera. “We are going to hold the Ford government accountable, we are going to be willing to work across party lines, when it means putting people first and getting things done for our community.
“I want the premier to know that we are going to be pushing hard to build homes that people can afford, and fix healthcare and education and protect the people of places we love in this province,” Schreiner said. “I’m worried about our environment. The Ford government has been systematically dismantling a lot of the environmental protections in Ontario.”
NDP Leader Marit Stiles hugs one of her supporters after winning her seat and retaining status as
Ontario PC Leader Doug Ford steps off his campaign bus as he makes a campaign stop at HPG, a manufacturing facility in Milton, ON.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/CHRIS YOUNG
‘It’s an honour’: Humber journalists
Several student reporters from Humber Polytechnic give thoughts,
The Ontario Community Newspapers Association has unveiled its long list of the 2024 finalists and Humber is one of many nominees.
In the category of general excellence awards for colleges and universities, the Humber Et Cetera sits in class four, along with Fanshawe College’s Interrobang, the University of Waterloo’s Imprint and an honourable mention of Loyalist’s Pioneer.
For student feature writing, Humber journalists Annicca Albano and Jeferson Quiros-Vargas are cited for their story on an Allan Gardens encampment.
“Getting an award is wonderful, but moving the needle is the true win,” Albano said.
“I am grateful to OCNA for recognizing our Humber News piece on the lack of support for displaced Torontonians and to everyone who trusted us to tell their stories,” she said.
Albano said the people affected feel abandoned by the government and society, so bringing attention to their struggles is a responsibility for her as a journalist.
“I hope this sparks much-needed empathy,” she said.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better partner than Jeferson, who helped me cover and navigate trauma,” Albano said. She also thanks her professors, Genelle Levy and Rob Lamberti, for their support.
“It’s great to see so much Humber representation,” Albano said.
“It’s a privilege to share a platform where we could tell social justice and cli -
mate stories informed by our lived experiences,” she said. Quiros-Vargas said the nomination was surprising to him, but he nevertheless feels honoured their story was nominated.
“I’d say it took around maybe like a month and a half, two months,” QuirosVargas said when asked how long the story took to complete.
“There wasn’t like a fully like we’re gonna start on the story this day, you know, and Annicca and I, we kind of merged later on to do the story together,” he said.
Quiros-Vargas said their collaboration was a coincidence.
“I was planning on doing a story on encampments and home insecurity and Annicca was also doing a story about
it, and so we kind of just ended up like teaming up,” he said.
Quiros-Vargas thinks those types of stories are important.
“I definitely think like stories involving unhoused people and the housing crisis, cost of living, those are realities that always affect at least a specific group of people,” he said.
Humber’s Carlo Cantisani is a finalist in the same category for his climate change story on Toronto not meeting the net zero targets.
“I was very surprised because I didn’t know that my story was a finalist for the award,” he said.
Cantisani said the story was the first one he’s ever written for Humber News, now Humber Et Cetera.
“I started writing it before starting my second year. So I had the idea to work on that article, probably around early 2023,” he said.
“I worked through it until May, but there was the summer break, so no classes for all the summer,” Cantisani said.
He said he remembered pitching the story to Lamberti, which led to the story eventually being published.
“An article like that about climate change and Toronto, you need to be very, very, very precise on the information you are reporting,” Cantisani said.
He said there needs to be precision in the numbers, percentages and associations.
“It actually was the first time for me approaching the issue, so it was good to
Annicca Albano collaborated on a story on the Allan Gardens encampment that was nominated for OCNA’s student feature writing award.
A recent issue of Humber Et Cetera’s paper. Several of Et Cetera’s reporters have been nominated for various OCNA awards.
HUMBERETC/KRISHNA BHAGNATHSINGH
Krishna Bhagnathsingh HumberETC News
journalists react to OCNA nominations
thoughts, feedback after award finalist unvieling shows their stories
learn how to approach a big issue like how Toronto is fighting climate change,” Cantisani said.
Lara King, program coordinator for the Journalism Advanced Diploma program at Humber Polytechnic, said she is excited about the nominations. “It’s been a really good year for Humber journalism,” she said.
“We were nominated for Crown earlier this year with Columbia, and now to have our newspaper recognized in so many categories like General Excellence alongside Fanshawe, Waterloo and Loyalist is really cool,” King said.
She said it’s a “great experience” to be in the Humber newsroom.
“I think we’re pretty intentional about trying to include all years in different projects in the newsroom,” King said.
“I think that our students really get an opportunity to cover areas that they’ve learned about while they were here, stories that they’re passionate about and sometimes social justice stories that they really want to make sure get covered,” she said.
King thinks the nominations show Humber journalism students are ready for the field.
“They get best practices that they learn in first year,” she said. “By second year, they’re doing a lot, and to be able to show as nominees is pretty amazing.”
The Best College/University Newspaper Website finalists are Centennial College with torontoobserver.ca, Humber Polytechnic with humbernews.ca (now humberetc.ca), and the University of Waterloo’s uwimprint.ca.
For the category of student news writing, sponsored by the Ontario Jour-
nalism Educators Association, Humber’s Antonio Canyameras Rojas is a finalist with his story on Humber’s cross-country team.
Christian Zdravko from Centennial College and Nadia Khan from the University of Waterloo are in that category with Mauricio Prado from Fanshawe College as
an honourable mention.
For student editorial writing, Humber’s Santiago Helou Quintero is a finalist with his piece about the strained social contract in Canada.
Arty Sarkisian and Naomie Twagirumukiza from Algonquin College are also finalists in the category.
Jeferson Quiros-Vargas collaborated with Annicca Albano on a story about Toronto hoelessness that was nominated for an OCNA award.
HUMBERETC/LIAM OLIVER NEILSON
Carlo Cantisani, a student in the journalism advanced diploma program. His story on climate change has been nominated
Not for profit rescue giving an international
Non-profit Golden Rescue works to save abused, malourished dogs
Julie Hendren was scarred after witnessing hostility towards dogs in Egypt and Turkey.
Some animals with eyes gouged out and others set ablaze.
Hendren said she didn’t last thirty minutes there and broke down after seeing the dogs’ condition in the shelters while she was on a rescue operation in Cairo.
She said she wasn’t sure if this was their way of euthanizing them, but she believes there has got to be a better way.
“Poor things, yeah, it didn’t last, I told myself I will be strong today, I’m not gonna cry and I did,” Hendren said during the interview.
She is Toronto’s Golden Rescue’s chair of education and advocacy, which donated 1,100 coats to a shelter in Cairo to protect dogs from the winter cold after a Canadian national dog rescue ban left thousands to suffer.
Golden Rescue, a volunteer-run nonprofit charity, is one of Canada’s largest single-breed rescue groups. Two volunteers visited a shelter in the Egyptian capital In December and saw what they called a devastating situation.
The shelter was filled to overcrowding, with about 3,500 dogs, freezing and struggling to survive with minimal resources.
The rescue launched a Coats for Cairo campaign, and Canadians responded in force.
Hendren adopted Jacey and Rudy with the help of Golden Rescue and is devastated by how many dogs are dying after the ban has come into effect and is so “un-Canadian.”
The co-chair said she just wants the authorities to amend the ban so they can continue working towards their goal.
The federal government restricts “all commercial dogs” from countries considered high-risk for canine rabies and includes a long list of nations in Africa, Asia and war-torn countries.
She said the dogs are titer tested when they come here, the dogs she adopted were sick when they got here but nothing contagious which they made sure of.
“A titer test is done to determine your immunity so if you have a rabies shot and you titer test for rabies before you leave that means you have immunity to rabies, so they’re not taking rabies with them,” Hendren said.
She adopted two abused dogs who adapted to a new life in Canada well.
Hendren picked up Jacey from Istanbul eight years ago after the dog suffered physical abuse by having acid dumped on her back. A vet couldn’t guarantee the fur would grow back and yet it did.
“It just took a couple of months of good
eating, healthy food, and some love, and all the hair grew back,” Hendren said. She said Rudy came from Egypt and is an absolute “cuddle bug” but is afraid to interact with other dogs.
Viive Tamm, the co-chair at Golden Rescue, is the person who made the international rescue possible by collaborating with shelters.
“Canadians care deeply, and this campaign proved that so why is our government making it impossible to help these dogs? Let us rescue within stricter protocols. Hear us out work with us. Give us a chance to help them,” Tamm said.
She said this started when almost a decade ago the rescue was approached by a group of shelters in Cairo to help rescue some golden retrievers which at the time were recently introduced to Egypt as a status symbol.
Tamm said the dogs were now thrown out the streets and with their gentle nature they just could not survive because “they are lovers, not fighters.”
“I actually ended up in the hospital when I came back (from Egypt) because I was so distraught with what I saw in Egypt, dead dogs on the side of the river, just awful conditions. It was soul-destroying,” she said.
Tamm said Golden Rescue has held a couple of rallies, one in Ajax and another in Ottawa, marching outside Canadian Food Inspection Offices (CFIA) offices to try to get them to amend the ban.
“We don’t necessarily want them to reverse the ban. We think keeping Canadians and our pets safe and if that means strengthening the protocols a little bit, I think that’s a good idea,” she said.
Tamm said rabies is 100 per cent preventable and their rescue ensures all the necessary precautions are taken.
Golden Rescue’s “Coats for Cairo” operation donates warm winter coats to shelter dogs. COURTESY/GOLDENRESCUE
Reet Arora HumberETC News
international voice to the voiceless
dogs in Turkey and Egypt, finding them permanent homes in Canada
She said the rescue is in dire need of medications for the dogs but there are laws against shipping medications, so they ended up sending some warmth with a lot of love.
“We had a couple of volunteers who said they would drive around to pick up the coats and sweaters from people and I also set up a GoFundMe page that would help raise funds for the coats that we could purchase,” Tamm said.
The co-chair said they ended up gathering 1,100 coats and sweaters while also generating funds of $25,000 in value which was completely out towards the health and wellness of the dogs.
“Because over there, the dogs, all they get to eat are chicken feet and bread because it’s all they can afford,” Tamm said.
She said when she was in Egypt, she saw people purposely trying to hit the street dogs.
Tamm said people in Turkey have been nice to their street dogs, they used to put out food blankets and water bowls for them, but it has changed now as the current president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is trying to wipe out the stray population.
“One of our shelter partners over there said that they are actually burying the dogs alive. It is so sickening, it’s just so unimaginable,” she said.
Tamm said the countries that are not on the banned list are not the ones that need our help, the countries listed are the ones suffering the most. She said they wrote to MPs, MPPs and the min -
ister of health. But they have yet to get a response.
“They are just ignoring us. We can’t get a meeting, we can’t get them to respond, so how can we even show our side of the
coin if no one would even meet with us,” she said.
Tamm said this CFIA ban came as a complete surprise to the SPCA, Humane Canada and all other rescue organizations.
She said they were part of the stakeholders meeting along with the Toronto Humane Society and yet neither of them was informed of the ban and believes only the Kennel Club was aware of the happenings.
“The government said that there were two dogs that entered Canada with rabies, not sure how many years ago … but this is not something that should be hidden,” Tamm said.
She said she does not understand why this is such a closely guarded secret and demands they punish the rescue group responsible but not everyone else who do a good job.
Tamm shared the time she adopted Kili from Cairo, who was brought in on one of the last flights before the ban took effect.
“She was a female used for breeding, she was in bad shape and had a disease called Ehrlichia, not uncommon for dogs in Cairo. It’s a tick-borne disease and her fur was totally pathetic, and her tail looked like a rat’s tail,” she said.
Tamm said Kili is now in good health, has beautiful fur and is “the most beau -
tiful golden on the planet.”
Cheryl-Anne Graham is responsible for placements and finding the perfect family for the golden retrievers rescued by Golden Rescue. Graham has been doing this role for 14 years and wants to save all the animals in the world but believes in starting “by one at a time.”
“We have a lot of families that want to adopt, and we leave a lot of families disappointed,” she said. Graham said the most recent dog that she helped find a home had more than 40 inquiries.
“Every golden has different needs depending on the situation they’ve come from and the baggage that they come with,” she said.
Graham shared a story of a rescued female retriever who was paralyzed in the back end and was found at one of the shelters.
“She was dragging herself along the fence, excited that there were people there and she wouldn’t get that care in Cairo that she needed,” she said.
Graham’s will to save Gracie brought her to Canada. She helped her find a family that would be the perfect match and provide for her special needs.
“She’s in a happy family, she’s in a wheelchair and she runs, she runs along the field and she’s so excited about the world and that personality came through,” she said.
Viive Tamm’s dog Bentley was “tick-infested and left to die” in Cairo before getiing
Donated dog coats can’t cover the suffering faced by stray dogs internationally. COURTESY/GOLDENRESCUE
Lakeshore celebrates Black History
Humber Polytechnic’s music department hosts Reverberations
Kismet Cooper, whose stage name is Mila Blue, is a vocalist and jazz student in Humber Polytechnic’s bachelor of music program. She said events like Reverberations III showcase and uplift Black artists’ talents.
Especially during Black History Month. She said arranging her piece for the concert, under the mentorship of Jesse Ryan, the director of the Afro-Caribbean Jazz Ensemble, allowed her to shine.
The event last Thursday celebrated music that developed through the Black diaspora. The Lakeshore campus concert presented two contrasting genres, American gospel music and Afro-Caribbean jazz. Diaspora refers to the migration and dispersion of people from their homeland.
The Humber Gospel Choir combined traditional gospel pieces and new arrangements. The Afro-Caribbean Jazz Ensemble explored numerous styles such as calypso
and carnival-inspired music,
It’s Ryan’s second year leading the ensemble.
“I THINK THE MESSAGE IT SENDS IS TO BE INCLUSIVE AND IT’S MEANT TO INVITE YOU” - MARIANA FRANCO-IZQUIERDO
On top of teaching music at Humber, he is also an alumnus.
He said he wanted to bring innovation to Humber’s jazz scene, which inspired him to start the Afro-Caribbean Jazz Ensemble.
“There was a Latin Jazz Ensemble when I was at Humber that featured music from the Spanish-speaking Caribbean. But there was no ensemble that featured Caribbean music from the English- and Frenchspeaking Caribbean,” he said.
“I proposed an ensemble like that once I came with the faculty and started last year. The music we play is focused rather on music and composers from the Englishand French-speaking Caribbean.
So we’re looking at both folkloric music from English and French-speaking Carib-
bean, as well as contemporary composers who come from those traditions and how they intersect with the greater jazz tradition,” Ryan said.
He said the Reverberations III set list is inspired by Toronto Caribana, through Calypso and Reggae and Soka.
“We’re also going to be performing to a silent film, so the silent film is going to be the backdrop to our performance because we wanted to enter Afro-Caribbean identities and focus on Caribana, Toronto Caribbean Carnival. We wanted to focus on the imagery that came from the very early years of Caribana, Afro-Caribbean stories and Afro-Caribbean sort of visuals with this performance,” Ryan said.
Linda Wang, a second-year soprano, said the Humber Gospel Choir helped her not only grow as a musician but also as a person through its welcoming and communal environment.
“Gospel, the literal meaning is the good news and I think that’s very true for me too. I think it just brings so much positivity and light to any room,” she said.
Mariana Franco-Izquierdo is an alto in the Humber Gospel Choir. She says that as a Catholic, gospel music has allowed her to experience her faith in a new way.
“I always played my Catholic church music, but this is actually my first time singing Black gospel music. It’s the best and still aligns with my beliefs,” Franco-Izquierdo said.
Julia C. Sequeira
HumberETC Culture
Kismet Cooper and Nathaniel Ward performing the ensemble’s
Natalie Stewart leads Humber Gospel Choir in call-and-response, a common stylistic feature unique to gospel music.
HUMBERETC/JULIA C. SEQUEIRA
History Month with concert
Reverberations III, highlights Black culture, artists
She said that in the spirit of Black History Month, it’s important for musicians to recognize that many genres, such as jazz, originate from the Black diaspora.
“We’re celebrating Black History Month, we sang that song Hymn to Freedom by Oscar Peterson and all about liberation and freedom and peace,” she said. “I think the message it sends is to be inclusive and it’s meant to invite you.”
Natalie Stewart, the director of the Humber Gospel Choir, arranged a medley of Hymn to Freedom and We Shall Overcome that was prevalent during the civil rights movement.
“But then I’ve also tagged an arrangement of We Shall Overcome to that. So we’ll be performing that as a nod to Black History, Black History Month and every-
thing that people like Martin Luther King Jr. stood for, you know, like equality among all,” she said.
“AFRO-CARIBBEAN
Ensemble,” Stewart said.
JAZZ,
IT HAS SUCH LIKE A RICH HISTORY, ESPECIALLY IN TORONTO” - KISMET COOPER
Stewart said the gospel choir’s unique musicianship, which involves learning by rote and embracing a collective faith, sets it apart from other groups.
“Everything is taught by ear. So, there’s no sheet music that’s given,” she said. “The students have to memorize phrasing, they have to memorize vocal and instrumental nuances, they have to memorize rhythm patterns, they have to memorize the lyrics.
“There’s this heightened sense of ear training and rhythm and musical intuition that is at play when it comes to the Gospel
“The second thing I think I would say is probably the difference, or that makes it unique, probably the aspect of hope and faith.
And not to say that other (kinds of) music aren’t hopeful or filled with faith, but the message that is attached to Gospel music is one that is quite therapeutic,” Stewart said.
Cooper said as a Caribbean person who migrated from her homeland and being a part of the Afro-Caribbean Jazz Ensemble, the genre allows her to learn about a variety of styles from different areas of the Caribbean.
“Specifically with Jesse’s background because he’s from Trinidad we’re going to be looking at kind of like Calypso and Calypso ‘jazzesque’ type of music,” she said. “Like I’m Jamaican, so I’m Caribbean myself, but we don’t quite have that sort
of genre within Jamaica that that’s kind of done on a regular basis.
“So it’s been a really good learning experience for me in terms of seeing how both cultures can kind of marry and create something really incredible,” Cooper said.
A highlight of the ensemble’s set list was Cooper’s original song, Slow Wine, the story of two people dancing at a carnival. She wrote the melody and, with Ryan’s assistance, put together the chord structure.
“In terms of what the ensemble is doing, it’s looking more at carnivals specifically in terms of how that operates in Toronto and the tradition of that for generations. And it was celebrating just, you know, the party aspect, the big fanfare,” she said.
“Sometimes people don’t think about is that there is that big fanfare, but there can be quite a lot of intimacy, which I think is really beautiful. Afro-Caribbean jazz, it has such like a rich history, especially in Toronto,” Cooper said.
ensemble’s collectively arranged piece, Jubilee Jam.
HUMBERETC/JULIA C. SEQUEIRA
Rodney Nigindu, drums, Namratha Aravindan Dridevi, alto, Daniel Anthony, percussion and Serena Hajee performing on stage.
HUMBERETC/JULIA C. SEQUEIRA
The “pawgeant” gave dogs and owners the opportunity to interact with each other, as well as present small businesses with the chance to advertise and sell products.
Pageant celebrates dogs, local businesses
Grace made quite an impression on the Toronto Dog Moms’ Pawgent catwalk. The Pomeranian strutted down the runway, showcasing her tricks with her dazzling spin that impressed the weekend crowd at the Bentway Studio near Fort York.
As the star queen of the event, Grace helped make the atmosphere exciting by offering a wide range of activities that kept everyone entertained. The event marked the beginning of something special for dog lovers of all kinds. The dog market and Pawgents were filled with opportunities to bond with furry friends and celebrate the joy of dogs.
Vendors set up tables selling wipes, clothing for dogs and accessories for dog owners, wild yarn knits, dog treats and also cat food. It also featured the Pawgent, where dog owners registered their dogs to strut down a runway, dress them up, and showcase tricks.
Two lucky dogs, a queen and a king, were crowned and received $250 worth of gifts, including various dog-friendly products.
Michelle Costa proudly watched as her dog Grace was crowned Queen of the event. She said she enjoys participating in fun events with her dogs, taking pic -
tures of them in outfits, and connecting with pets.
“I think seeing how we all interact and come together for each other based on like the same bond of animals,” Costa said. “So, I think it’s just fun to see how they respond to them in these settings,” she said.
Ingrid Castro, the organizer of the event and owner of the Toronto Dog Moms website, said she wants to promote small dog businesses and create connections between them and residents.
“That’s actually always been part of our mission. It’s something we want to do. We aim to support local and small businesses across the city, connecting them with pet owners and the community.” she said.
Daniel Romaniuk, a local vendor selling PureWet wipes for dogs that are 100 per cent hypoallergenic, biodegradable and made without harmful chemicals.
“A big thing in ours is to be part of a community, so the Trial Dog Mom has helped us a lot with marketing stuff like that, so we like to give back, you know, participation in all the gift bags, everything like that,’’ he said.
As local businesses continue to play an essential role in the economy, events like the show are becoming increasingly important, Romaniuk said. They create opportunities for meaningful interac -
tions that help build trust and strengthen relationships for small or big businesses, he said.
Jesslie Levy, the owner of the JumpingJakeDogCo, sells dog bandanas, matching tote bags, scrunchies and outfits.
She said it’s important to support and empower local makers and help them grow their businesses.
“It’s about supporting local business, so you are supporting business, local brands and your community,” she said.
Zainab Raza
HumberETC Culture
Michelle Costa and her dog, Grace, after the Toronto Dog Moms inaugural show
Polling data shows Ontarians aren’t informed properly
Ontario is at the polls today for the provincial elections and a sweeping win is predicted for Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative party, according to polling data from 338 Ontario with an estimated 91 seats.
When focusing on the concerns of Ontario voters, an Ipsos poll shows the number one concern, for 45 per cent of voters, is healthcare.
This, along with other voter concerns high on the list, has been a point of mass bumbling and failure for the provincial government, which led to large protests by healthcare workers.
Polling data shows the Liberals under Bonnie Crombie as the most trustworthy group to fix this concern, the party is only expected to grab 12 seats despite having around 27 per cent of the expected vote.
This illustrates a larger issue with the first-past-the-post form of voting. The voters’ view isn’t properly reflected in the distribution of seats in the legislature. But that’s for another day.
The Ford government has failed
OPINION
to grow per-person spending in healthcare and has only pumped money into private clinics, while Ontario sits with the least amount of beds per 1,000 people out of any province and some of the most overcrowded hospitals in the developed world.
This should strike concern for those who care about how political control of the province affects our lives both day-to-day and in the long term.
The current party holding office in the province has a track record that resembles a comedy of errors over a list of accomplishments in the area that most concerns Ontarians yet is gaining seats.
Voters largely seem to be aware of their issues but not of who is responsible for perpetuating them or failing to address the cause of them.
Second on the list is help with cost for day-to-day needs with a third of voters listing it as a concern.
Conservatives lead among those surveyed when addressing those issues despite the cost-of-living crisis continuing to grow among
Canadians in general, and all four parties making a promise of some form of tax rebate or cut.
Ford has also affiliated himself with the Weston family, who has been heavily targeted by antiprice gouging protesters and other movements which solely seek to address the grocery aspect of costof-living.
The economy and jobs are also seen as a concern to one in five voters as Ontario’s unemployment has risen since 2019, sitting at 6.6
per cent, not having fully recovered since it hit almost 10 per cent due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ontarians favour Ford’s party as the one with the solutions to the problem, largely due to the steady decline in unemployment since recovering from the pandemic.
Luckily for Ford, who seems caught in a quarterly corruption scandal, integrity in the government and its leaders is only pressingly important to 1 in 20 voters polled.
Despite the publicity of the Greenbelt scandal and the subsequent RCMP investigation and his closeness to the robber barons who benefit most from his continued privatization of Ontario’s resources, no large-scale flack has been levied against Ford.
A failure to hold the Conservatives responsible for their past actions and an understanding of how their actions have both benefited and harmed the Ontario population through the responsibili-
Why Doug Ford called an early election
It seems Doug Ford’s decision to call an early election was an attempt to pad his large majority to ensure his leadership for the next few years as he wins hearts with retaliatory tariffs.
Donald Trump announced tariffs on Canadian products and urged Canada to consider becoming the 51st state of the U.S., which caused panic and raised questions about U.S.-Canada relations.
Ontarians seemed to approve Ford’s call to pull all American booze off the shelves and cancel a multi-million dollar contract with Elon Musk’s Starlink if the tariffs were implemented. Trump paused the tariffs, but it seems he’s intent
on slapping 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods on March 4.
Nelson Wiseman, professor emeritus with the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto, said Ford wanted to build a stronger mandate to deal with the threat of tariffs. He said, however, the problem with the argument is that he already has a strong mandate and getting more seats is irrelevant.
“The rationale that Ford is using is a phony rationale,” he said.
Wiseman said some suggested the RCMP’s investigation into the Greenbelt scandal was at least part of the drive calling an election 16 months early.
“We know that during an election campaign even if the police were thinking of laying criminal charges, they would have to hold off,” he said.
Wiseman said another reason could be that he would rather get a mandate now rather than when there is an economic recession after the tariffs are imposed.
He said when one receives a $200 cheque from the government, it’s not going to make them feel
bad about the government.
“How come you’re not just depositing money in their bank accounts? After all, most people now file their income tax electronically so why not just give them an online credit?” Wiseman said.
He said he believes Ford is doing it this way because it’s not costing him or the party anything. The government is picking up the $200 per person plus $1.23 postage for every envelope sent.
“When you get something like paper, it has a bigger effect than some credit that shows up in your
income tax next year,” Wiseman said.
He said, when Conservatives are so against deficit, then how are they paying for all this, because this is costing millions, if not billions of dollars.
“The interest rates are going up, so the interest you have to pay on the loans you are taking, not just new loans, but also on loans that are coming due and you have to replace them,” Wiseman said.
He said he believes the margin won’t be very big as the polls are suggesting right now. It’s expected
the gap between Ford and the opposition parties should narrow. Wiseman said the opposition should keep hounding Ford on why he subjected the province to an unnecessary election.
But if Ford is anything, he is very politically astute.
The rebate money offered at the beginning of February was more like a bribe offered to Ontario voters as part of an indirect campaign by Ford, he said. And when the economy falls, his leadership will be in a good place and yet avoid the blame game.
Reet Arora
Doug Ford, speaking at the Skilled Trade Centre on Oct. 10, 2024, announced an unnecessary provincial election.
HUMBERETC/TAIT A. GRAHAM
Doug Ford, leader of the Ontario PC Party, speaks during the election debate in North Bay on February 14, 2025.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/GINO DONATO
TALES FROM HUMBER
Tell me what you eat, I’ll tell you who you are.
Growing up as a first-generation Filipino from immigrant parents, food has always symbolized something more than sustenance and necessity for my household.
My family was never one for communication. Fights and dismissed feelings were always left to linger in the air, more often than needed. It took a while for my relationship with my parents to get better because of that. Instead, hours of yelling at each
other and days without talking would come to an end thanks to food my mom knew I loved.
A warm, hearty bowl of sinigang, a Filipino soup that consists of onions, tomato, tamarind, vegetables, and a protein of your choice. For me, it was always pork.
The way pork shoulder would tenderize from the slow cook and melt in your mouth, alongside a sour soup and a spoonful of rice to cut through the acidity and fat was a swirl of flavour that would somehow always wash the bitterness inside of me away.
Food wasn’t just a symbol of mending in my family, though. It was also a symbol of celebration and love.
After giving up eating out at restaurants for birthdays and graduations, my mom settled on cooking giant feasts at home instead. Filipino stir-fried noodles called pancit, giant chocolate
cake, and somehow more would fill up the space on our dinner table.
Alongside these, my latest birthday welcomed kare-kare, a Filipino beef curry cooked in a peanut-shrimp paste sauce. It was something I gave up making for myself when I moved out, as my partner is allergic to peanuts. She packed me extra to take home, before immediately teasing my partner.
It took me a long time to realize it, but these symbolic gestures were probably why I became so infatuated with the culinary industry in the first place.
For me, food was more than just cooking. It was a form of art. It was a way to understand people’s upbringings and cultures better. It was a way to explore yourself better. This love for cooking and food was why I ended up diving into the culinary industry in the
first place.
Before the journalism program, I was a private chef and line cook for more than two years. Two positions that consist of a large skill gap, but something that only happened with me due to my deteriorating mental health.
I remember at one job my chef had pulled me aside to talk about my performance. For a reason I still don’t understand, we were sitting in a somewhat empty dining hall with one or two guests within earshot.
“I know you can be better, but you’re dragging everyone else down with how you are right now,” he said.
Having always harboured such an intense love of food, this statement felt like a bullet to me. I knew he was right, though.
Drug dependency and a lack of care for my mental well-being was something I suffered from,
something almost everyone in the industry suffers from. I just didn’t realize it led me to become a hollowed-out version of myself.
I ended up taking a break from work altogether, before eventually resigning after several months. At this point, food felt like nothing to me.
That was until I met my partner, and the reason I loved cooking became clear to me once again. The acts of service my mom did through cooking seemed to become hereditary to me.
Nowadays, I find myself missing the feeling of sweat on my skin as I dance around my co-workers pushing out meals in the kitchen.
Whether that chapter ever re-opens will be up to my future. For now, I’m happy seeing the smile on my partner’s face when I place a warm, hearty bowl of sinigang in front of them.
A collage of Polaroid photos featuring Julia Ilano as a child dressed as a chef, her brother Jeremy as a construction worker, and various snapshots of Julia’s journey from culinary school.
HUMBERETC/JULIA-MARIE ILANO
Julia-Marie Ilano
Politics continue to make a mark in sports
In stadiums, arenas and Olympic podiums worldwide, sports have always been considered a unifying force bringing people of many cultures and ideologies together.
Even with this binding factor, the playing field has always increasingly been a platform for a variety of political statements, protests and activism.
Many examples can be pulled out of history such as boycotts for the Olympics, athletes kneeling during national anthems, jersey selections, and many more instances that have intertwined these topics more than ever.
The heavyweight champion of the world and Olympic gold medal winner Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. was convicted by an allwhite jury in Texas in 1967 when he refused to fight in Vietnam.
Muhammad Ali, who had changed his name three years earlier, calling Clay his slave name, was a powerful voice for Black civil rights throughout his life.
One of hockey’s legends, Jaromir Jagr, has made the number 68 iconic in the sports world, but this number has more to do with politics than people might
realize.
The number represents the year 1968 when Warsaw Pact countries led by the Soviets invaded the country where Jagr was born, Czechoslovakia, to put a chill on the Prague Spring. The country is now split up into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
In the 1960s, both of Jagr’s grandfathers were jailed. One was released in 1968 but died the same year.
In a 2015 interview with the FanDuel sports network Florida and Sun, Jagr said he picked his number to honour the year and his grandfather.
“Our family had kind of a tough time during ‘68 when the revolution happened, it was just half of the year in our country, and you know, half the year was freedom so all the people who were politically put in jail, they got released,” he said.
“When I’m gonna have a chance to wear the number, whenever I want, I’m gonna choose 68,” Jagr said.
That same year, American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos each raised a blackgloved fist during their medal ceremony in the Olympic Stadium in Mexico City.
Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick got him -
self involved in the political side of sports when he took a knee during the U.S. national anthem in 2016 to protest police brutality and racial injustice, sparking widespread debate and similar protests across sports.
In an interview with Steve Wyche from the NFL Network, Kaepernick said his actions were greater than the sport he played.
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses Black people and people of colour,” he said.
“To me, this is bigger than football,” Kaepernick said.
Current U.S. President Donald J. Trump voiced his displeasure with the former 49ers signal caller and said he should no longer be part of an NFL franchise.
“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now,’” Trump said.
The political side of sports just doesn’t involve particular athletes but many tournaments and games as well.
The United States and many Western countries boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the largest boycott in the Games’ history.
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter led the boycott asking for an alternative location or a cancellation of the games if Soviet troops weren’t withdrawn.
In response, the Soviet Union and 14 other communist countries boycotted the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics which reduced the level of competition in various sports, as many top athletes from Eastern Bloc countries were absent.
Politics in sports most recently involves Canadians who made headlines for booing the U.S. national anthem at various events, including the NHL, the NBA and, most recently, the Four Nations Face-Off games in Montreal and Boston.
Some American-born players had a chance to speak on the subject such as Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews. He said he has no comment on the anthem booing.
“Not to get into politics, but you’re going to get into politics. Well, I’m not going to get into politics. So, I’ll take the next question,” Matthews said.
This reaction comes from the political tensions between Canada and the United States, particularly following actions taken by Trump where the president signed an executive order
imposing a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian goods and services. They’re currently on hold until March.
Trump also made controversial remarks suggesting Canada should be seen as the “51st state,” further straining diplomatic relations.
Many Canadians viewed these efforts as an attack on their sovereignty and economy, leading to visible public frustration at sporting events.
Sam McCaig, an editor at The Hockey News, said there will be politics in sports no matter the sport or situation.
“Everything is political to some degree, so there’s politics in sports whether we want it or not,” McCaig said.
“I don’t think we want politics to overtake or overshadow sports when you’re watching a game, you just want to have a little escape and enjoy the game but sometimes the politics of a situation are too big to ignore.” McCaig said politics has always surrounded the world including sports.
“You don’t need to be for or against a certain political ideology in order to run fast or jump high. But in reality, politics are a part of everything, so there’s politics in sports,” McCaig said.
Luca Tersigni HumberETC Sports
In this April 1967 file photo, heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali is escorted from the Armed Forces Examining and Entrance Station in Houston after refusal of Army induction.
AP PHOTO/FILE
Humber Esports’ new Call of Duty squad
Humber Esports Call of Duty (CoD) have a new look, new players and a new coach. But there are a few familiar faces.
They are currently seeded at 10 in the Northeast Great Lakes division of the College CoD League (CCL). The first match is Feb. 25 against Akron Club.
Gavin Kainth, the veteran of the CoD team, has returned for another season. Kainth said he was excited about his veteran role as it invites new competition.
“It’s always great to see new people come and show their passion towards the game, my feeling towards being a veteran of the team is welcoming,” he said
Another welcoming face to Humber Esports is Marcus Macapinlac, the team’s new coach. But he isn’t new to the Humber Esports family. He played for their varsity Valorant team from 2023-2024.
Macapinlac said he learned how to make a team and how it should function.
“With that valuable insight and experience, I’ve applied a lot of it to my coaching, creating a team environment I can be proud of,” he said
“There are a lot of fundamentals that can be applied to each, and with having years of prior experience competing in CoD, I found the switch from Valorant to coaching CoD to be pretty seamless,” he said.
Macapinlac said he started his esports career through Call of Duty but stopped
because he enjoyed Valorant more.
“I played for Humber’s CoD team before they became the official Humber Esports Program they are today, but my career in esports started in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare,” he said
“I found myself enjoying Valorant a lot. So after I stopped competing in Call of Duty Vanguard in 2022,” Macapinlac said.
He said he learned how to make a team and how it should function.
“With that valuable insight and experience, I’ve applied a lot of it to my coaching, creating a team environment I can be proud of,” Macapinlac said
In doing so he has created an environment where players can get along.
Brooklyn Palad, the most experienced team member, said the team chemistry never had an awkward period.
“No matter what we always cracked jokes and got along, there wasn’t a real weird period where we didn’t get along the team chem was just there off the bat,” he said.
He also said that he is happy that Macapinlac gets to coach while being a competitor outside of Humber.
“Macka (Macapinlac) has been an insane addition to the team and for sure is a goated captain. It also helps that he competed before and still does,” Palad said.
“He also can get the best out of all of us and can beat us in one, versus ones to humble us,” he said.
Marcus Macapinlac said the love is mutual
and is looking for a playoff run with this squad.
“I love my players, they are just about the funniest group of people I could ask for, they are talented individuals who are great at applying feedback I have for them,” he said.
“The team has come a long way and con-
tinues to improve every week and so I look forward to when the CCL playoffs begin,” he said.
He also warns the rest of the CCL to not underestimate them.
“Your first mistake will be the moment you underestimate us,” Macapinlac said.
The Call of Duty team members from the left are Brooklyn Palad, Prateek Khela, Marcus Macapinlac (top), Jeremy Jodhan (bottom), Nathan Tomchick (bottom) and Gavin Kainth (top).
Gavin Kainth, one of Humber Esports more experienced Call of Duty players.
Gabriel Noda HumberETC Sports
Humber women’s volleyball golden again
The excitement in the building blew the roof off once players from the Humber women’s volleyball bench sprinted, crashing onto the floor in a group huddle, with head coach Chris Wilkins wiping a tear from his eye and taking the moment in.
Hannah Manners, an outside hitter for Humber volleyball, said the Hawks were fired up from the beginning.
“It was honestly a great game,” Manners said. “We had our ups and downs, but we really closed out when we needed to and win it when it mattered the most,” she said.
The Humber women’s volleyball team captured its fourth gold medal in a row at the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) finals against the St. Clair Saints on Feb. 22 at home in Etobicoke. The team ranked third in the country before the OCAA finals, racking up a perfect 18-0 in
the regular season.
It’s also Humber’s 19th provincial gold medal when they beat St. Clair Saints three sets to one.
Manners, named the OCAA Tournament Most Valuable Player (MVP), said she was extremely grateful for the recognition.
“It could’ve honestly been anyone on my team,” she said.
The award recognizes the player who was the most consistent throughout the entire tournament.
The Hawks started strong in the first set as they fed off the highly energetic home crowd. Hannah Manners, who got 12 kills by the end of the night, gave Humber an eight-point lead with a score of 22-14.
Averi Bondar served an ace for the set point, sealing the first set 25-19.
To start the second, St. Clair got on the board first.
Humber tried to gain momentum during the following plays, but the Saints proved to be tenacious and provided continuous battle.
With a score of 20-16, the Hawks fought hard to gain another six, but they failed.
The Green-and-Gold won the set 25-22, evening out the match one apiece.
Humber found its rhythm again with a strong start to the third.
Leading by 5-2, Amy Connelly, a second-year middle blocker for Humber sends a smashing hit over the net to grab another point.
The Saints managed to find their way back into the game, but the Hawks proved to be too much. After a block from Humber women’s volleyball players
Amanda Larsen and Kennedy Williscroft, the Hawks dominated the third 25-15. After a switch of sides to start the fourth, the pressure was palpable on both ends. With several service errors at the start, the board tallied to a tight score of 8-8, but Humber was not deterred.
The Hawks battled right to the end and soared to a lead of 24-16, just one point away from winning their 19th provincial gold in its program’s history.
Katlin Labelle, a second-year outside hitter for the Hawks, was tasked with the final play.
Swinging it up and over, the ball grazed the net making it difficult for St. Clair to come up with a dig, hitting the floor instead.
The Navy-and-Gold won the set 25-16, securing that fourth gold medal in a row.
In a post-game interview, Chris Wilkins, head coach of the Humber women’s volleyball team, said he was speechless after the games’ result.
“I’ve won a lot of championships, but this one, this one’s going to mean a lot for a long time,” Wilkins said.
Also the recipient of OCAA Coach of the Year, Wilkins credited the girls and said he’s proud of their efforts to get to this point.
“This is a group of girls who are so talented, we had so many girls that came from other programs, other things, and were allstars, and really came in to sacrifice being a part of something special,” Wilkins said. He said the goal leading up to next season is to get to a championship again and continue to put in the work to stay on top.
Chris Wilkins, Humber women’s volleyball team head coach talking to his team in a timeout during the final set of the OCAA bronze medal game against the St. Clair Saints on Feb. 22.
HUMBERETC/NINA A. KERSNIK
Nina A. Kersnik
HumberETC Sports
Hannah Manners smiling, holding her OCAA gold medal after the game against St. Clair.
HUMBERETC/NINA A. KERSNIK
Women’s basketball going to OCAA semis
Luis Miguel S. De Castro HumberETC Sports
The Humber Hawks women’s basketball team continued their postseason dominance, securing an 84-62 victory over the Loyalist Lancers to advance to the OCAA semi-finals.
Before tip-off, three Hawks received top OCAA honours for their outstanding seasons. Kia Watt was named OCAA Player of the Year, Sarah Baptie earned OCAA Defensive Player of the Year, and rookie Persia Martin-Brown was selected for the OCAA All-Rookie Team.
Facing Loyalist for the first time this season, Humber wasted no time setting the tone. Both teams entered the matchup known for their defensive intensity, ranking among the top three in steals.
However, the Hawks had the early edge, forcing turnovers and having excellent defensive possessions to build an early lead in the first quarter giving Humber a commanding advantage.
Marley Bonnick played a pivotal role in securing the win, earning Player of the Game with a dominant double-double performance—scoring 12 points while grabbing 10 rebounds.
Rebounding was a key factor in Humber’s success, and Bonnick stepped up to the challenge.
“We’re not that tall of a team, but we have some people to rebound and help each other out on the defensive end and offensively,” she said.
Bonnick credited the team’s energy and communication for helping neutralize Loyalist’s offensive threats.
“It’s just honing in on our defensive principles and the game plan. We needed to communicate throughout the whole team to help us stop them.”
Head coach Ceejay Nofuente emphasized execution as the key to victory.
“Our execution on offence was crucial,” she said. “We had to really get down, execute our offence, and just score out of that.”
The Lancers attempted to rally in the second half, but the Hawks remained in control. While the Lancers put up their best offensive quarter in the third, they couldn’t slow down Humber, who extended their lead heading into the final frame.
Although Humber faced some challenges in the second half turning the ball over multiple times and struggling to score a field goal, Nofuente ensured they remained focused.
“Just got to get them back locking in on defence and getting some stops,” she said. “And then turn that into buckets.”
Despite the constant efforts of Loyalist to get back into the game, the Hawks flipped the momentum back in their favour in the final quarter. This carried throughout the game’s final stretch, proving Humber’s grit and determination to finish the game 84-62.
The Hawks now set their sights on their toughest challenge
at-a-time mentality.
“This isn’t the end of our
so we really got to dig down and compete,” she said.
yet: the undefeated Algonquin Wolves, the No. 1 seed from the East Division. Nofuente stressed a one-game-
season,
Kia Watt (8) is a graduate of Humber’s criminal justice program and current student in the wellness coaching program, she was given the OCAA Best Player of the Year award.
HUMBERETC/LUIS MIGUEL S. DE CASTRO
Marian Martin (20) driving the paint against a Loyalist defender.
HUMBERETC/LUIS MIGUEL S. DE CASTRO
HUMBER ET CETERA SPORTS
GOING FOR GOLD
Hawkswomen’s basketballgoing tosemi-finals
ESPORTS CALL OF DUTY TEAM IS BACK WITH A NEW LOOK P. 17
HAWKS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL ADVANCE TO SEMIFINALS P. 19
