Volume, Issue 10

Volume 45, Issue 10 • March 4, 2025 • thelinknewspaper.ca

"Jesus, the EIC of the Bible" Since 1980

CONCORDIA'S INDEPENDENT PUBLICATION SINCE 1980

p. 9

Joint Editorial Our bureaucratic deadlock p.3

News New CSU slate p.6

Sports Victoria Lawrence defends and shines p.10

Fringe Arts Meet soul-rockers Les Moontunes p.13

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EDITORIAL

Your student union is allergic to accountability

By The Link and The Concordian

F

or the second time this academic year, The Link and The Concordian have been denied the chance to run for a fee levy increase.

For the second time, our applications have been rejected on account of baseless claims marked by clear political motives.

For the second time, both student papers have been stripped of the opportunity to have the student body vote on whether it would like to support its student press.

This isn't the second time the Concordia Student Union (CSU) has abused its power; it's just a small dowel in the grand structure of its corruption.

Our opt-outable fee levies currently sit at $0.19 per credit, per student, accumulated from the undergraduate student body. Both fee levies have seen no adjustment since 2001. They reflect neither current labour nor printing costs, nor are they adjusted to inflation.

The Link and The Concordian write to you in joint solidarity to denounce the CSU and its councillors’ clear political biases, favouritism and unprofessionalism.

On Feb. 21, the CSU chairperson sent an agenda for an impromptu, urgent special council meeting (SCM) to be held on Feb. 25 to ensure the upcoming CSU elections are held properly and to rule. The agenda included the approval of fee levy applications and referenda questions.

According to the CSU’s website, the nomination period for elections was set to end Feb. 21 at 6 p.m. The agenda to remedy election-related issues was sent out at 3:56 p.m. that day.

The fee levy committee failed to convene at least once during the semester to review applications. The committee had been inactive and negligent in attending to its mandated tasks to ensure a timely and democratic nomination process.

The councillors on the committee had once again neglected their responsibilities, failed to look through fee-levy applications on time and failed

to keep student groups in the loop.

Before the Feb. 25 SCM, both The Link and The Concordian had not heard any updates on their fee levy packages since the committee received them.

The Link was invited to make the case for its fee levy application to ensure that it would not be wrongfully contested, as it was in the fall. Yet the invitation itself came after several appeals from The Link’s team.

The Concordian, despite facing similar objections from the committee in the fall, did not receive any invitation to attend the meeting—nor did any of the other fee levy groups.

Although fee levy committee members at the SCM discussed inviting applicants to present their case to the committee, the discussion was shut down, with CSU members arguing this should have been raised during the nomination phase.

These proceedings are unfair.

At the SCM, 45 minutes were allocated to the fee levy committee to review, approve or deny five applications. The winter CSU general election nomination period, which is scheduled to last over two weeks, was expected to be boiled down to 45 minutes of deliberation—about nine minutes per fee levy.

When it came time for The Link to advocate for its application to be voted on by the student body—not make the case for why it deserves a fee levy, as these are independent arguments—its application was rejected. The point raised during the SCM was that The Link’s annual report was outdated. This, as The Link refuted, was incorrect.

Point 1.3.1.3 of the CSU’s Policy on Fee Levy Applications states that non-CSU groups seeking to modify an existing fee-levy must attach in their application “an audit or review engagement prepared by an external accountant for the previous fiscal year.” The Link submitted its audited 2023 annual report, as its 2024 annual report, per The Link’s by-laws, would not be ratified until its annual general meeting (AGM)

in May 2025. The Link’s financial year runs from May of the previous year to May of the current year.

From what we believe is derived from political motive, a committee member rejected the application for the same reason it was denied in the fall—blaming the soon-to-be-ratified 2024 audit. The committee had ample time to raise these concerns and to iron out debatable grey areas, but instead crammed a crucial decision with grave financial ramifications into an unfair timeframe.

The Link was allowed on the ballot in Fall 2023 and Winter 2024, approved with the same documents aligned with its financial year. Why was point 1.3.1.3 not raised then?

Why was The Link approved twice before, after submitting the same documents per its previous fiscal year?

Minutes before The Link was removed from the meeting following its rejection, it asked the committee to provide a solution to the bureaucratic deadlock it faces. No concrete solutions were given. Instead, The Link was told to re-read the policy and reapply with the "correct documents." The committee's logic is paradoxical considering The Link's by-laws restrict it from producing an audit at any other time than its May AGM. The Link’s vital application was rushed, and its valid concerns were brushed aside.

The Concordian’s AGM is in December, which allowed its 2024 financial statement to be approved in time for the fee levy adjustment application.

Despite this, The Concordian’s referendum question was also rejected.

Meeting minutes, which were missing crucial details from the meeting, show that the question was rejected because The Concordian’s financial statement was not audited.

However, as per the CSU’s policy, groups requesting a fee levy modification can submit a review engagement prepared by an external accountant, which The Concordian did.

Had the fee levy committee bothered to open The Concordian’s

financial statements, it would surely have seen the required information, in bold and all-caps, on the third page. Had The Concordian’s team been invited to discuss it with them, it would have happily pointed it out to the committee.

Despite its documents being in order and per the CSU’s policies, The Concordian’s referendum question was rejected.

The Concordian did not receive any communication from the CSU until Sunday, March 2, at 9:35 p.m. This followed multiple unanswered emails, calls and text messages to the CSU. In that late-night call, a CSU executive confirmed that the rejection of The Concordian’s referendum question had been a committee error. This executive claimed that, because the SCM was rushed, they had not had time to fully review the application package.

On Monday, March 3, the CSU called The Link and The Concordian to discuss the union’s course of action following the dysfunctional policy interpretations. The union confirmed that it would be unable to rectify its mistakes for the general elections but claims it is exploring alternatives.

The only fee levy approved from the five that applied was a new group named ElectroCon. The club was running to create a new fee levy group, which would ask undergraduate students to pay nearly $0.40 per credit.

The club, whose mission is to throw free parties for students, faced none of the same stringent adherence to the fee levy policy as The Link and The Concordian.

According to the minutes from the fee levy meeting, the chair of the committee approved all ElectroCon’s documents, claiming they were “in order.” This, according to the CSU’s Policy on Fee Levy Applications, was not the case.

According to policy 1.2.1, nonCSU groups applying for a new fee levy must “have been functioning at least 3 years full year before the submission of its application to Fee

Levy Review Committee for review [typo in original].” ElectroCon was founded just this academic year.

Policy 1.2.4.3 outlines that the group running must have “a petition in support of the fee levy’s collection, containing the name, faculty, student ID number, and signature, of at least 3,000 undergraduate students.”

ElectroCon had only collected 881 signatures.

It is clear that the committee fallaciously applied its own policy on fee levy applications for all applicants, grossly abusing its power for political and personal gain.

Our question is this: If the fee levy committee was as thorough as it claims, would this massive blunder have slipped through the cracks?

Why are councillors quoting their policies selectively and unevenly?

The CSU’s oversight continues to infringe on student interests and the basic democratic right to elections.

To add insult to injury, there is no avenue to officially send a complaint about the fee levy committee’s errors. The CSU’s highest governing body, the Judicial Board, is non-functioning, with its last decision made in 2022. Despite union attempts to reinstate the board, a handful of councillors ensured this effort failed by filibustering during council meetings.

The Link and The Concordian urge the union to reinstate the Judicial Board as soon as possible.

The union cannot be left to act against students’ interests without any oversight or accountability.

Student media fights for transparency, democracy and accountability. By continuing to put roadblocks in our path, the CSU reveals its intent to make decisions however it sees fit, with impunity.

Ultimately, the people most affected by the CSU’s obstruction of student press are the students— both the student journalists, who will continue to be underpaid for their labour, and the broader student body, who will be left in the dark regarding the actions of its university and student union.

GRAPHIC MYRIAM OUAZZANI AND KEVEN VAILLANCOURT | @MYMYSARTGALLERY AND @KINDAOKEV

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A new approach to food security in Montreal QUICKIES Innovation Assistance is tackling food insecurity with a pay-what-you-can model India Das-Brown

CSU elections around the corner

@india.db

M

ontreal’s grocery stores are full of choices—until you can’t afford them.

But in one small Montreal food market, the rules are different. At Innovation Assistance, food is priced by need, not profit, and no one leaves empty-handed.

Two Mondays per month, Innovation Assistance hosts markets that provide access to beautiful, local, affordable food through a social-tiered pricing system. This means that those who can pay more partially subsidize lower costs for others.

“Food is very expensive these days,” said Edna Do Prado, a participant who now also volunteers at the market. “Unless I come here, I

“The poor are having a hard time these days because everything is for the budget of a rich person,” Do Prado said. “It's not for the budget of a poor person, of the average person.”

The solidarity market is just one part of Innovation Assistance’s broader mission. The organization also runs mobile markets for seniors, bringing food directly to low-income housing residences and community kitchens, where people can learn cooking skills while collectively preparing meals from surplus ingredients.

The market additionally provides job and academic opportunities for young adults who haven’t completed high school. Through Innovation Assistance’s encompassing organization,

porting the program, reinforcing what Poenaru calls a “circular economy.”

“It's become a much more kind of communal, relaxed environment,” Poenaru said.

Innovation Assistance also operates eight community gardens across downtown Montreal, from Atwater to the Visual Arts Building at Concordia University. These gardens, maintained by volunteers and paid interns, provide fresh produce for the market and educational opportunities for local youth.

Even in the winter, the market tries to keep it local, with things like squash, beets and turnips.

“Just [because] you have a hard time buying groceries doesn't mean that you shouldn't have access to

THE SOLIDARITY MARKETS BY INNOVATION ASSISTANCE LOOK AND FEEL SIMILAR TO A SMALL FARMER’S MARKET. PHOTO TAMARA GALINATO

can’t afford vegetables and greens.”

Innovation Assistance started in response to the need in Montreal’s downtown Peter-McGill neighbourhood. In its early years, the program functioned much like a conventional food bank.

But when it was forced to relocate due to development plans, the team saw an opportunity to rethink the model.

“We went from giving slightly gross food for no money to people to giving them beautiful food at a low cost,” said program coordinator Micah Angell.

Members pay about 20 per cent of retail price for produce and 50 per cent for essentials like milk and eggs. Those on the waitlist or who can afford to pay a bit more pay closer to 50 per cent of retail priceon produce. Others can opt to pay it forward, contributing extra to support the market’s financial independence.

In Quebec, the cost of groceries has climbed over 17 per cent in just three years, according to Statistics Canada’s most recent monthly average retail prices. Staple items have seen dramatic price hikes. The average retail price of a two-litre carton of milk rose from $4.50 in December 2021 to $5.30 in December 2024, marking an increase of approximately 17.8 per cent. Similarly, a 675g loaf of white bread saw its price climb from $2.95 to $3.47 over the same period, reflecting an increase of about 17.6 per cent.

VOLUME 45 • MARCH 4, 2025

Innovation Youth, the Connections program allows participants to earn academic credits while working at the market, like working at the checkout to develop their math skills.

Daniel Poenaru is the coordinator of the Connections program. He said Innovation Assistance has shifted away from a “tense, antagonistic kind of sense of competition” that can be experienced at typical food banks, where clients often wait in long queues.

The shift is noticeable: People now sit, chat and drink coffee together in the cafe area rather than rushing in and out. More members have started volunteering, helping others access the market and encouraging new people to join. Some who initially came for assistance are now involved in sup-

beautiful romaine lettuce or butternut squash,” Angell said.

According to Angell, food banks were never meant to be a long-term solution. In Canada, they emerged in the 1980s as a temporary response to economic hardship. Four decades later, they have become permanent fixtures of social policy.

The landscape of food insecurity in Montreal has changed since the early days of the pandemic, when the program began.

“During the pandemic, it was a lot more people that were just in a tough spot, like, ‘Shit, I lost my job. I just need food for right now,’” Angell said. “In the past couple years, it's transitioned more to people that generally are more long-standing in need of help.”

INNOVATION ASSISTANCE HOST MARKETS TWO MONDAYS PER MONTH AT CENTRE ST JAX. PHOTO TAMARA GALINATO

For Angell, ideally, emergency food assistance is meant to provide temporary relief, helping people get through a tough time to move on to a better stage in life. But in the past few years, she said, more of those seeking help now are on welfare due to disabilities or chronic conditions that make employment difficult, or they struggle with financial management, which can perpetuate cycles of poverty.

International students are another significant demographic, particularly since the program relocated closer to Concordia’s downtown campus. Angell estimates that 30 to 35 per cent of the people who come to the market are students.

According to the Food Banks of Quebec, in 2024, 87 per cent of food bank users in the province were tenants, and 10.5 per cent were students.

The number of students relying on food banks has surged from 6,619 in 2019 to 16,652 in 2024—an increase of nearly 10,000 people in just five years.

Angell believes government action is needed to address the root causes of food insecurity. According to her, rent hikes, precarious employment and the monopolization of the grocery sector are all contributing factors.

“If you are housing insecure, then you will likely be food insecure; if you’re job insecure, then you will likely be food insecure,” Angell said. “Often, being food secure or eating healthy food is something that just falls to the wayside because it is a little bit lower priority [than having a roof over your head].”

The tiered pricing model is part of a broader shift in how food security is approached in Montreal. Similar initiatives exist elsewhere—such as Carrefour Solidaire, a grocery store in the Sainte-Marie area where customers select their own pricing tier—but the concept remains relatively rare.

“Most people are passionate about food in some way,” Angell said. “How can we build community around that?”

Students will be able to vote for their Concordia Student Union (CSU) representatives and on referenda questions during the upcoming elections from March 11 to March 13. Students will receive an email with a link to vote on March 11 and can receive help across multiple polling stations on both campuses.

Trump confirms 25 per cent tariffs US President Donald Trump confirmed he will impose 25 per cent tariffs on Canada and Mexico starting March 4. Trump said one reason for the implementation of tariffs is to pressure both countries to stop the flow of fentanyl and illegal immigrants into the US.

Quebec bottle deposit system expands As of March 1, the Quebec bottle deposit system began accepting plastic bottles ranging from 100 millilitres to two litres for a deposit refund. A 10-cent charge now applies to bottled plastic beverages that can be refunded at designated drop-off sites.

Protesters call for Amazon boycott Anti-Amazon protests continue across Montreal. Protesters gathered in downtown Montreal on March 1 and accused the company of union-busting. Calls are also increasing in favour of a nationwide boycott of Amazon.

This comes after the American online seller announced in January it will be shutting down all of its Quebec warehouses.

5

NEWS

Budget cuts and austerity measures disturbing academic life Increasing cuts leave students struggling with course reductions, long waitlists and delayed advisor meetings Elysa Barret Thys

@parlons_peu_mais_parlons_bien_

S

ince Quebec’s tuition hikes at English-language universities came into effect in the Fall 2024 semester, Concordia University has been implementing budget cuts due to increased financial difficulties.

As a result, several student services have been impacted, leaving many students feeling frustrated.

“A lot more [of the] e-mails I have received this semester have been: ‘All these classes I need to graduate are full,’” said Angelica Antonakopoulos, academic co-

ordinator at the Arts and Science Federation of Associations.

Concordia is facing what it refers to as “significant financial difficulties” in its 2025 budget updates, with the university facing a starting deficit of $79.4 million for the 2025-26 fiscal year. Driving factors include the carryover deficit from the 2024-24 school year, a decline in enrolment and changes to government funding.

According to the university’s recovery plan, the target deficit for the next school year is “no

BUDGET CUTS ARE IMPACTING CONCORDIA STUDENTS' ACADEMIC LIFE. GRAPHIC MIRA DE KOVEN | @ HARUMIRART

more than $31.6 million.” Antonakopoulos alleges that Concordia’s recent hiring freeze has led to a shortage in academic advisors.

“If you have a major and a minor, and you need to figure out how these two work together [...] you really wanna see a general advisor,” Antonakopoulos said, “and I’ve reported that students go to access these [advisors] calendars and there is no availability for like months at a time.”

According to Concordia spokesperson Julie Fortier, budget cuts have not impacted the number of advisors at Concordia, and the university has not seen an increase in delays to see an advisor.

“Students should know that in addition to departmental advisors, they can meet with faculty advisors or stop by the Student Service Station, which offers a weekly drop-in session with advisors,” Fortier said, adding that Concordia is currently reviewing the advising model to increase availability and support.

Principal of the School of Community and Public Affairs Anna Sheftel said that many students are having difficulties finding electives due to classes in other programs being full, even for students majoring in those programs.

“As a department chair, when the cut first started to happen,” Sheftel said, “we talked about [it] at the higher levels that the goal was to cut in a way that students would not feel it, and it is clear that students are feeling it.”

According to Sheftel, political science is one of the departments that students have reported the most trouble registering for. She explains that many courses in her department were cut due to austerity measures.

President of the Political Science Student Association (PSSA) Anne-Catherine Mimar said they have witnessed those difficulties first hand.

“The issues that the students are facing, myself included, is that very little classes are offered compared to what is actually listed in the undergraduate calendar published on the Concordia website,’’ Mimar said.

As part of the PSSA, Mimar said that they know who the right person to contact is when problems arise, but they fear that their fellow political science students may not.

Fortier said that Concordia is constantly monitoring its course offerings to ensure students “complete their programs in a timely fashion.”

She also told The Link that the university is currently developing a tool

that should make the selection process for elective classes easier.

Associate professor in political science Julian Spencer-Churchill said that he is fighting alongside other political science teachers to keep the caps on the classes.

“Political science professors are furious over the wait lists to get into classes in part because it is unprofessional,” Spencer-Churchill said. “But most importantly because professors want interested students in their classes, and not desperate credit-seeking students abandoned by a musical chairs system of class registration.”

According to Sheftel, one of the first steps students can take to change things is simply by being aware of the budget decisions and repartitions.

“I think it is important for students to start paying attention a little bit and thinking about how they can have their voices heard about how they are being affected,” Sheftel said.

Mimar said they encourage students to contact their association members if they are facing issues.

“Don’t be afraid to pester and push,” Mimar said, “because if you give up at the first hiccup on your way, the blocks are just going to pile up for other students that are behind you in the exact same situation.’’

New chatbot app to help students is in the works Creators want Keaty to help with student questions and time management Maria Cholakova

A

@_maria_cholakova_

team of Concordia University students are working on a new chatbot app called Keaty.

App creators Vicky Leia Liu and Taief Ahmed say that Keaty aims to help students manage their study time and track assignments, among other things.

According to the creators, the app has two main uses for students. One part of the app is aimed at answering common student questions. Another use for the app is a smart calendar function, which can be tailored to each student’s classes and habits.

In order to make the app as student-friendly as possible, the Keaty team surveyed over 200 students to help narrow down the most useful functions for the app.

The creators say the inspiration behind creating Keaty came from person-

al struggle. More precisely, it came from Ahmed’s struggles with transferring his program of study from software engineering to electrical engineering.

“The easiest way would have been to just ask an advisor, but I didn't want to waste their time,” Ahmed said. “So I thought, wouldn't it be nice if there was a chatbot that just answered the most basic, frequently asked questions about universities? And I thought, you know what, we definitely can build such a thing with the recent advancements in large language models.”

Once they started working on Keaty, the team applied for Phase I of the Gina Cody Research and Innovation Fellowships. The funding provides students with up to $15,000 to fund innovative ideas at the university.

After pitching the idea to a team of judges, Keaty’s creators were

awarded $10,000 for their project.

Since the creation of Keaty, the team has spent over $4,000 on creating the app. Half of that money went to honorariums for the app developers and around $1,000 was dedicated to training the neural network. Other miscellaneous costs included an Apple developer license and marketing.

Leia Liu and Ahmed hope the app will be ready for students to download in April, but right now they said they are focused on the app’s beta testing.

They hope that student beta tests will help make the app as effective as possible.

They also hope to collaborate with the Concordia Student Union (CSU) on promoting the app to increase their reach.

“If our app can help us, it can def-

CONCORDIA STUDENTS ARE WORKING ON A NEW CHATBOT. COURTESY KEATY

initely help all the students,” Ahmed said. “So the help of the CSU [could]

spread the usage for all students [to] also benefit from that.”

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Meet CSU slate “All In”

A new slate is set to run for the CSU elections in March Maria Cholakova

@_maria_cholakova_

This is part of a series. Look out for our coverage of the upcoming slates and the CSU elections.

A new Concordia Student Union (CSU) slate is preparing to run for the upcoming CSU elections with a promise of transparency and advocating for student needs with the administration. They seek to provide services that will benefit students, ranging from financial and food sustainability, French aid, accessible food options and opportunities for students to express their needs to the union.

Leo Litke (he/him), internal coordinator

Litke said his main goal as internal coordinator would be to set clubs up for success.

As the president of the COMS

Guild (Communication Studies Undergraduate Student Association) and a member of Arts and Science Federation Association (ASFA), Litke believes that clubs are vital for student life.

Litke wants to ensure that clubs have a space to share their concerns, troubleshoot problems and get payments on time.

“[What] I'm hoping to do is just to consolidate and provide a lot more resources for clubs to make their mandates easier,” he said. “One thing that I've seen that's worked really, really well at ASFA is just scheduling check-ins, saying ‘Hey, what's up? What do you need? How can I help you?’

That's been really, really valuable.”

CSU should be run like a political union, not a business one.

“I started with grassroots organizing with the tuition hikes red square movement and, in that, I met a group of people [and] we decided to run on a slate with each other,” she said. “It just really showed me how important it

is to have a group of people with cohesive politics that are people working together.”

Providenti believes that the academic and advocacy coordinator should be there to help students and advocate for them.

“I'm also really interested in making sure that the

money that the students are putting into the CSU is being returned to them in tangible, usable, material ways,” she said. “So I'd love to get a subsidized OPUS card for students. We've also been talking a lot about setting up harm reduction and mental health services.”

“Rev” Arevig Nahabedian (they/ them), student life coordinator

the opportunity to raise funds for their clubs and groups,” they said. “Student life is so important to so many people.”

Nahabedian also believes that the union needs to increase its transparency and communication with other groups and services on campus.

“There needs to be more

meeting and communication between fee levy groups, faculty and different student associations,” they said.

“The CSU is operating on its own little island and there is so much that can be done if everyone touches base.”

Nahabedian further explained that they think the union

Disclaimer: Leo Litke is a contributor to The Link. He has had no editorial involvement with this article.

Isabella Providenti (she/they), academic and advocacy coordinator Providenti is the current general coordinator of the Fine Arts Student Association, but said she is ready to smoothly transition to the CSU. She believes that the

Nahabedian said they are hoping to expand students’ knowledge on the amount of services the union and the university provide.

“This is a student union, I think it needs to give students

VOLUME 45 • MARCH 4, 2025

Litke also believes that payments for clubs need to come in on time so they can be successful from the jump.

“I think that not having those resources financially means that it's really, really hard for those clubs to function,” he said.

Litke added that he believes that clubs’ financial troubles this academic year can be at-

needs to increase its transparency to optimize communication.

They believe one way to do that is through weekly or bi-weekly newsletters, which they used to rely on. “[It will allow] for students to get to know the inner workings of the CSU, because it is so confusing on all levels,” they said.

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Vanessa Massot (they/them), general coordinator Massot is the current CSU academic and advocacy coordinator. They believe a union should have a strong general coordinator, who is ready to help their team and students.

“I have kind of naturally

Mia Kennedy (she/her), sustainability coordinator Kennedy’s passion for sustainability started while she was at Dawson College, and she wishes to explore it further as CSU sustainability coordinator.

As a student at Concordia, she became involved with Concordia’s Food Coalition and most recently with FedUp, an organization that advocates the removal of Aramark from campus.

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stepped into that leadership role,” they said.

As one of its many roles, the general coordinator has a seat on Concordia’s board of directors.

Massot believes they are ready to advocate for student needs.

“Two things that have prepared me for that this year are being a student senator and sit-

ting on the Academic Senate this year, and [that] I’ve been having meetings with Anne Whitelaw and Graham Carr,” they said.

Massot believes that often, student seats in high-power places are just a facade, with the administration “already coming in with this attitude of not really respecting the student voice.”

“I think [that] me this year, kind of making an impact has kind of shown the administration ‘No, actually, these aren't just a bunch of kids that are just here to put something on their resume.

These are people that are intelligent and that actually care and are trying to push forward,’” they explained.

Danna Ballantyne (she/her), external affairs and mobilization coordinator Ballantyne is the current CSU external affairs and mobilization coordinator and is running for reelection.

“I want to make sure that the work continues in educating students about the processes that are available to

them, whether it be through services, whether it be through the democratic process,” she said. “[What] I want to do is going to come down to making sure they know how to use these systems.”

Ballanyne said she is also looking forward to continuing some projects from her current mandate.

“As an external, I'm really,

really excited to continue on a project that was started this year, which is a French networking group between the universities in Montreal,” she said. “We're looking to make sure that students have access to professional French skills that are going to help them get jobs and that are going to help them succeed professionally.”

When it comes to advocating

for students when communicating with Concordia University’s administration, Ballantyine said she is ready for the challenge.

“My role is to be a representative of the students and to represent their rights in the face of the admin who often are lacking a lot of important information on what it is to be a student and what the students want and need,” she explained.

“I'm just very clearly passionate about sustainability, particularly with food,” she said. “But also in my work, I've touched on a lot of different other issues, whether it be environmental sustainability standards at Dawson or at Concordia, or houselessness, where I did that volunteering work at Dawson. And I'm interested in exploring that at Concordia now.”

When it comes to her goals for the position, she would like to focus on food sustainability.

“I'm really hoping [...] to try to start a sort of night service version of The People's Potato,” she said.

“It's likely not going to be every single night, because it's going to depend on funding and stuff, but I'm dreaming big.”

Kennedy said she feels it’s important to look at the student struggle throughout history to understand the need for specific types of organizing.

“Historically, in the ‘60s, when student organizing began at Con-

cordia, food was a really big issue,” she explained. “I'm seeing us turn back to those fundamental points again, whether it be food, housing or the right to express your political opinions. Palestine, obviously.”

She continued to explain that she and the slate's goal is to create a “student union together that is here to serve the students, and in this really pivotal, crucial moment where we're seeing students be abandoned and left behind.”

Students will be able to vote

for the next executive team during the CSU election from March 11 to March 13.

TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE CSU SLATE "ALL IN," SCAN THE QR CODE BELOW:

Ryan Assaker (he/him), financial coordinator Assaker is the current financial coordinator of the Arts and Science Federation of Associations (ASFA) and said he is excited to run for the CSU. He believes that transpar-

ency and logical financial decisions that benefit the student interest are a must.

“I'd like for students to be able to follow a trail when it comes to money,” he said. “Right when I hear that thousands of dollars have been spent on an AI [chatbot] or on random stuff, I'd like to know where that money is coming from and where it's going.”

Assaker said he is prepared to face the financial challenges related to tuition hike cuts. He believes the most optimal way to organize the union's finances is to create a well-thought-out budget.

“We rode the wave and we've been very successful at ASFA and hopefully [we] can reproduce that with CSU as well,” Assaker said.

Aya Kidaei (she/her), Loyola coordinator Kidaei’s main goal as Loyola coordinator would be to make Loyola more welcoming and accessible to students.

“I would really like to be involved in mobilization and get more people involved. I think there's a lot of people at Loyola that want to do things, but they just don't really know where to start,” she said.

Kidaei also wants to help students who are struggling with the reduction of shuttle bus hours.

“It's a struggle in the mornings because the shuttle just isn't running,” she said.

She believes that with the help of a general assembly or town hall, students will be able to express their frustrations, which will allow the union to collect data and present it to the administration.

COURTESY NED MANSOUR

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NEWS

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Montreal youth express growing intolerance towards queer community GRIS-Montréal reports a heightened sense of discomfort among Quebec students towards the LGBTQIA+ community Julia Silva

M

ontreal’s reputation as a queer-friendly city can be attributed to its overall sense of acceptance towards the LGBTQIA+ community.

The city bore witness to historic milestones that promoted awareness on queer issues and drove progress.

Two such events were the 1977 Truxx raid and the 1990 Sex Garage raid, both considered as “Montreal’s Stonewall.” Much like the United States’ monumental Stonewall Riots, these events served as catalysts for the gay rights movement in Montreal.

Today, the city still hosts largescale events platforming queer voices, one being the annual Fierté Montréal festival.

“There really is this different culture here in Montreal, in particular, as kind of like the biggest hub of queer culture in Quebec,” said Celeste Trianon, a trans activist and jurist. “It’s really enabled us to create this community infrastructure, which has really been at the forefront of so much of what’s happening [in the city].”

However, a recent local survey suggests that Montreal’s foundations in queer history and culture are not immune to the widespread sweep of conservative anti-LGBTQIA+ ideology.

The survey observed a steep growth in intolerance of the LGBTQIA+ community among Quebec’s youth population. In January 2025, GRIS-Montréal published a report indicating that between 2017 and 2024, high school students in several Quebec regions expressed increasing levels of discomfort towards members of the queer community.

In the 2017-2018 school year, 24.7 per cent of students said they are uncomfortable having a gay best friend, while 15.2 per cent reported discomfort for having a lesbian best friend. In the school year 2023-2024, discomfort levels for having a gay best friend and a lesbian best friend spiked to 40.4 per cent and 33.8 per cent, respectively.

GRIS-Montréal, a non-profit community organization geared towards demystifying sexual orientations and gender identities, has been doing interventions on this topic at schools for the past three decades.

The organization’s director of research, Gabrielle Richard, said acceptance had improved since they started, but that recently, GRIS’s volunteers have been voicing suspicions that tensions are worsening again.

VOLUME 45 • MARCH 4, 2025

“We have had volunteers that were coming back to us telling us, ‘It’s really getting more difficult in classrooms at the moment,’” Richard said. “In some situations, they are getting hate from students [who] can be verbally abusive. Some of the students get up and leave the classroom while they intervene and talk about their lives.”

GRIS collected data from 35,705 questionnaires that gauged student comfort levels for different scenarios involving a person of sexual diversity. According to Richard, Montreal students represented 63 per cent of the sample.

lot of people from real-life connections to just social media, where these farright influencers have the most reach.”

Trianon explained that algorithms and echo chambers undeniably lead to polarization, where people are served with individualized content solely legitimizing their existing beliefs. These networks allowed content creators such as Joe Rogan and Andrew Tate—who are well-known for spreading misogynistic and hateful perspectives online—to gain traction, particularly among youth. “[They] became very much the

across the globe.”

Besides global momentum, she added that there is a local component at play for planting the roots of such strong influence, especially for anti-trans hate.

“Local collaboration is precisely what enables anti-trans hate to spread without any issue here,” she said. “For example, with local newspapers constantly publishing anti-trans op-eds or similar things—these are all local phenomena and let’s not discount them as mere interference.”

According to Trianon, the GRISMontréal report is alarming at its core,

A STUDY FINDS ACCEPTANCE FOR THE LGBTQIA+ COMMUNITY IS ON THE DECLINE IN MONTREAL. GRAPHIC MYRIAM OUAZZANI | @MYMYSARTGALLERY

The results found that growth in intolerance is prominent among young boys, who reported discomfort levels that almost doubled those of girls. Meanwhile, the steep rise in intolerance began in 2021. According to Richard, GRIS has pinpointed the social isolation from the COVID-19 pandemic as a potential cause.

Both Richard and Trianon agree that a correlation between social media usage and intolerance is probable.

“Social isolation at large, especially when it came to the COVID-19 pandemic, has really amplified a lot of this discourse,” Trianon said. “It’s pushed a

people who are dictating and influencing the lives of young boys because they’re being looked upon, not as cautionary tales but as role models,” Trianon said.

Trianon highlighted that Montreal’s progressive history does not shield it from conservative politics.

“The cause of this far-right hatred is happening at a worldwide global scale; it is something which goes beyond Quebec,” she said. “We’re talking instead about a moment which has its roots primarily in the United States, but has gained so much power worldwide that it is now affecting politics all

but mostly because it translated the queer community's fears and anxieties into concrete numbers.

“The report just confirms what we all knew all along within the community, which is that things are getting bad real quick,” Trianon said. “I was not surprised a single bit, yet I still cannot help but be disappointed because this is not us— this is not the road that we tried to build for so long.”

Richard’s team suspects that their data underestimates the real decline in tolerance, because the schools that most need interventions might not be reaching out to them. As such, she said

that the current numbers do not come close in representing the realities faced by the local queer community.

“It’s a problem that a lot of people don’t realize because they don’t get served the same [social media] content,” said Jessica Winton, senior coordinator at Queer Concordia. “I think a lot of people really don’t have that strong of opinions, but their opinions are kind of fed by other people or the media that they consume.”

Winton said that in her experience, intolerance usually manifests in subtle ways, or as some would call it, microaggressions.

“We know when someone’s not tolerant of us,” Winton said. “It’s very telling when people don’t make eye contact with you, don’t talk to you, don’t say ‘Hi.’” Winton said that her experience as a student at Concordia University has been generally positive, but that nonetheless, she strives to promote a positive environment for its queer community.

“When it comes to making safe spaces, I would say it’s always better to lead,” Winton said, adding that it starts from simply introducing her name and pronouns.

Other times, she said, it’s about hearing people’s stories, and at large, it’s about helping them navigate complicated systems, like preferred name changes and healthcare. According to her, these actions are what build a community, and thus create spaces where people can express freely and live openly.

One particular concern for Winton is that the people usually reaching out are people who are already out and comfortable with their sexualities and identities.

“So, people who are maybe less secure with their identity, they are maybe just at home, scrolling on their phone, absorbing all the negative news, and I’ll never hear from them,” Winton said.

Drawing from the recurring nature of history, Trianon suspects that the alarming rate of intolerance towards the queer community will only get worse from here on. Yet, she added that people should not take it as a sign to bury their heads in the sand.

“What we have to do is evolve our means of thinking to really start defending critical thinking, defending human rights, and defending the ability of every one of us to live free and happy lives in this society of ours,” Trianon said.

9

SPORTS

Meet the man behind the infamous ‘Let’s Go Stingers’ chant Often unseen but never unheard, Jim Cartier embodies what it truly means to bleed maroon and gold Alex Hall

@biggiehalls

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ou may not know his name, but if you’ve attended a Stingers game in the last decade, you have definitely heard his voice.

For over 10 years, Jim Cartier, 73, has been a staple in the stands at Concordia University football, hockey and rugby games. His booming voice is the driving force behind the iconic “Let’s Go Stingers” chant that can be heard echoing throughout the stands from the first whistle until the last.

Whether at home or on the road, his energy ignites the crowd at pivotal moments, shifting momentum and uniting the Stingers faithful.

Despite an hour and 45-minute public transit commute from Rivière-des-Prairies –Pointe-auxTrembles to Concordia’s Loyola campus, Cartier almost never misses a game. Night after night, he brings relentless energy, doing his best to transform the stands into an electric and unforgettable atmosphere.

“I’ve never driven a car, ever.

I’ve only ever used public transit and I doze most of the way [to Loyola campus],” Cartier said.

While his dedication and infectious passion are undeniable, to most, his deeper motivation has remained a mystery—until now.

came a cornerstone of their relationship, evolving into a ritual that now includes Cartier’s grandson, Xavier Cartier. Three generations strong, they continue to share the excitement, creating lasting memories together.

“It just kind of happened naturally,” Philippe said. “[Xavier] got to a certain age, maybe around seven or eight, and my dad said, ‘Bring him along.’ Now, whenever we’re at a game, Xavier joins us and tries his best to make as much noise as his grandfather, but the man has a very, very thunderous voice, so it’s very difficult.”

For Philippe, this tradition has

looking for new ways to fill his time with meaningful activities. Despite becoming the president of the Montreal Aquarium Society and deepening his love for tropical fish, he still felt something was missing.

In 2014, after attending a McGill University hockey game, Cartier’s youngest son, Nicholas, called to convince him to check out a game—at the arena of his alma mater’s fiercest rival. Cartier responded, “Listen, I’ll go to any game you want but I’ll be darned if I’m going to go to McGill to watch a hockey game, we’ll go to Loyola and watch Concordia instead.”

A game changer for Stingers Athletics Cartier’s dedication has not gone unnoticed—by athletes, coaches or fellow fans alike.

A creature of habit, he arrives early to claim his usual seat across the aisle from the production booth, watching warm-ups and preparing to bring the energy. On rare occasions when he’s running late, friends know to save his seat with a coat or hat, knowing that, rain or shine, Cartier will be there.

Even the first leg of a rec-

fullback on the Stingers women’s rugby team, has felt Cartier’s support her entire career.

“He’s always been the one to bring the energy and provide the team with a well-timed boost,” McTavish said.

When the Stingers need momentum, Cartier’s signature “Let’s Go Stingers” chant rallies the crowd, helping the team harness its home-field advantage.

Even newcomers quickly recognize his impact. Alexis (Lexi) Bedier, a firstyear Stingers women’s hockey player, was immediately struck by his energy.

“My first game, he was there, chanting, and I was like, ‘Who is that? That’s so cool,’” Bedier recalled.

“When he ignites the crowd after a successful penalty kill—where we’ve just blocked shots, taken a beating and fended off the other team— those are the moments I notice his impact the most.”

More than just a fan, Cartier creates a buzz that fuels the Stingers and intimidates opponents.

“When he cheers, people respond,” Bedier said, “which totally changes the atmosphere in the rink, and makes playing on home ice a nightmare for our opponents.

It’s empowering.”

A family affair

Leaving a legacy, one cheer at a time

Cartier’s connection to Concordia goes beyond simply being a fan. It all started during his time as a student at Loyola College, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in History in 1972, followed by a Bachelor of Commerce from Concordia in 1983. As a student, he was a frequent spectator at football and hockey games, drawn to the electric atmosphere and the sense of community among fellow students.

“Back in my day, we used to fill that arena. The rivalry between us and Sir George or McGill was phenomenal, we packed the place,” Cartier said.

After graduating in ‘83, Cartier shifted his focus to his family and his career as an administrative manager, stepping away from Stingers games for several years. His return came 35 years ago when he took his eldest son, Philippe Cartier, to a football game when he was just six years old, unknowingly sparking a family tradition that would span generations.

What began as a simple father-son bonding experience soon be-

Despite his unmatched dedication, Cartier acknowledges that time will eventually take its toll.

“Let’s face it, I’m not young anymore,” Cartier said, “so I realize that at some point, age is going to get to me, and I will no longer be able to commute to Loyola.”

However, as long as Jim Cartier is in attendance, the Stingers will always have a passionate and loyal supporter in their corner. His presence unites fans, fuels the crowd and inspires players to give their all.

“We’re so grateful for the energy he brings, and I hope he knows we feel it—even when we’re locked in and focused on the game,” said Bedier.

From rookies to veterans, coaches to fellow fans, Cartier's influence is felt far and wide. He bleeds maroon and gold and has cemented his legacy as one of the most beloved figures in Stingers sports history.

Some fans watch the game; he transforms them, and Stingers Nation stands taller because of him.

JIM CARTIER'S "LET'S GO STINGERS!" CHANT ENERGIZES THE CROWD AT EVERY FOOTBALL, HOCKEY AND RUGBY GAME. PHOTO ALICE MARTIN | @ _ALCMRTN

meant more than just watching the games—it’s been a way to stay close to his father through the years.

“It’s the one thing we do together that has really been ongoing since I was a small child,” he said. “We don’t get the chance to get together as often as we’d like to, but at least we know when football season comes around, we always make the time.”

Beyond the gridiron Although Cartier’s reintroduction to Concordia Athletics began with football, his involvement expanded over the years. After retiring in 2011, he found himself

From that moment on, Cartier became a fixture at Ed Meagher Arena, regularly attending both men’s and women’s hockey games. Not long after, Cartier became inspired by watching the Canadian women’s rugby sevens team at the 2016 Olympics, and decided to experience the sport firsthand at Concordia.

“I didn’t know anything about the sport at all, literally nothing,” Cartier admitted, "but it looked really fun to watch.”

With the help of a friend who patiently explained the rules, Cartier quickly fell in love with the game and has been a dedicated fan ever since.

ord-breaking snowstorm on Thursday, Feb. 13, couldn’t stop him: when he endured a five-hour round-trip commute just to watch two hours of Stingers hockey.

For the players and the coaching staff, his presence is more than just background noise—it’s a gamechanger.

“It helps create an awesome environment for our team,” said Julie Chu, head coach of the Stingers women’s hockey team. “And for sure, we can hear Jim’s booming voice at key moments throughout a game.”

That sentiment is echoed across the Stingers Athletics programs.

Madeleine McTavish, veteran

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SPORTS

10

The Stinger that lights up the court Victoria Lawrence is the new women’s basketball star Colin van den Ameele

V

ictoria Lawrence has long been the missing link to the Stingers women’s basketball team.

In her first year as a Stinger, Lawrence was the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) defensive player of the year and second team all-star.

Lawrence is a baller, through and through.

Her abilities on the court speak for themselves. However, when you take the time to watch her play, she is more than just a basketball player.

Her energy lights up the court, her unparalleled work ethic sparks fans on their feet and her beaming personality puts a smile on everyone’s face.

Tenicha Gittens, head coach of the women’s basketball team, would describe Lawrence in two words as “joyful grit,” and it couldn’t be more fitting.

Lawrence, 24, was born in Nigeria and moved to Canada at a young age. Growing up, she was quite the athlete, interested in a variety of sports. But fervour for only one remained: basketball.

“I love the game, so it just kind of flowed with how I am as a player and a person,” she said.

Having played since Grade 4, Lawrence attributes much of her talent to her basketball IQ—her ability to recognize plays as they develop and make quick, smart decisions.

“Sometimes I feel like I can see the next play coming, so I’m on the

@cj.vda go. I’m hungry for the ball,” she said.

For Lawrence’s teammates, being “hungry for the ball” is quite the understatement.

“On the court, she’s a dawg!”

Nelly Owusu said. “I can’t even lie about that; she’s a dawg.”

Owusu—a long-time Stinger star in her own right—is a shooting guard for the Stingers women’s basketball team and has played under Gittens since 2018.

Lawrence and Owusu have developed a close friendship and call themselves “twins.” Both of African descent, they feel a certain type of pressure to succeed coming from their families. Owusu explained that they have bonded over how it can be difficult for them to balance their African traditions and the Western world they’ve grown up in.

Owusu also appreciates Lawrence’s view of life.

“Basically she sees life with a lot of love,” Owusu said. She added that Lawrence’s positive outlook on life is reflected through her locker room presence and her infectious energy that “makes people feel special.”

The love that Owusu talks about is then beautifully contrasted with Lawrence’s aggression on the court. Gittens can employ her in every situation of the game, on both ends of the floor.

She plays with grit and energy that bothers her opponents. Gittens also talks about her hustle, rebounding, shooting and toughness on the court.

VICTORIA LAWRENCE WAS NAMED THE 2024-25 RSEQ DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR. PHOTO CAROLINE MARSH | @CAROSM.PHOTOS

“I always say, the only person that really stops Vic (Lawrence) is Vic. Nobody really shuts down Vic,” Gittens said. “So that’s a tremendous weapon to have on the floor.”

However, Lawrence sometimes gets in her own way. That energy that she plays with can sometimes lead her to take bad fouls worsening her play.

“As long as her mind is right and she’s doing what she gotta be doing

VICTORIA LAWRENCE TRANSFERRED TO CONCORDIA FROM BROCK UNIVERSITY. PHOTO CAROLINE MARSH | @CAROSM.PHOTOS

VOLUME 45 • MARCH 4, 2025

on the court, she provides a lot of opportunity for us on both ends of the floor,” Gittens said.

Gittens sees a lot of herself in “Vic,” and that helps her manage Lawrence as a player.

The coach explained that they have put in a lot of work together, but Gittens still manages her player on the court.

“When I see ‘OK she’s going over the top,’ I just get her out of the game,” Gittens said. “And you go sit down and you go breathe and you get your mind back,” she said.

Gittens has gotten to know Lawrence’s body language on the court, the way she responds to different moments and situations, and that’s how she’s able to keep her in check. Lawrence plays with a fire that can be devastating to herself and the team.

However, that same fire is what makes Lawrence who she is. That fire is used to taunt, celebrate and energize. Lawrence draws massive cheers from the crowd; she helps win basketball games, all thanks to that very fire.

“I always try to encourage players to find that joy and she definitely has it, and so we love it here,” Gittens said.

Lawrence has helped spread that fire with the rest of the team.

Having previously attended Brock University, Lawrence made it to the finals of the U Sports Championships in the 2021-22 season, but just fell short, coming in second.

“I always feel that pain, and I can never rewatch the game video because it just hurts so bad,” Lawrence said. “I’m always avoiding it, but I always feel that pain because we were so close.”

Through the pain, she continues to be driven for success and has a strong winning mentality that now shines through her teammates as well.

“Since I’ve had that experience, I feel like I know what’s needed,” Lawrence said. “I’m trying to tell the girls we gotta go, we gotta go.

Whenever I'm on my emotions on the court, they think I'm mad, but this is just who I am. Because I’m trying to win.”

Ultimately, it’s the fire and desire to win that defines Lawrence and wins basketball games. However, what her team loves about her, is the joy she brings to the court.

People light up when they talk about her, and she creates an electric atmosphere around the team as a new player.

“You know, thinking about it on the drive today, I was like, my soul needed her for real,” Gittens said.

“So, very, very happy that she’s here.”

Her teammates resonate that feeling.

“She makes people smile; she makes people laugh. She might not know your name, and she’ll talk to you just to see how you’re doing,” Owusu said. “That’s how she is.

And honestly, it’s just a pleasure to have Victoria.”

11

FRINGE ARTS

Tunes from the moon Acadian soul-rockers Les Moontunes met in middle school and quickly developed a magic formula of heavy grooves, galactic ambience and blistering metal India Das-Brown

T

@india.db

en years ago, Les Moontunes were just a group of high school kids watching live YouTube concerts together in a living room.

Last summer, they found themselves in front of thousands, playing back-to-back shows in Montreal and St-Tite, Quebec.

It was 2015 when the band played their first show—and, by necessity, they came up with their name the night before the gig. Dubbed Les Moontunes, the seven-piece Acadian ensemble developed a sound where “intuition is the main leader of what's going on,” in the words of drummer Martin Daigle.

“The first show we played, the chord progression must have been the same the entire show,” Daigle remembers. It was a simple D minor-E minor-F major-G major sequence.

“But the vibe was really strong,” he adds.

The music is more technical 10 years later, but that vibe is still solid. Winners of the 2024 Music NB Innovator of the Year award, the band have carved out their place in eastern Canada’s music scene. Their single “Paper Boat” also netted them the 2021 Music NB Awards for Breakthrough Artist of the Year and Video of the Year.

Les Moontunes are genre-blurring. They’re jazzy but not flashy; unbridled but non-effusive; kaleidoscopic, rhythm-heavy and sometimes brassy, but with the grit of rock and a kick of metal.

Their 2024 sophomore album Elephant Wizard—less hip-hop, less jazzy, more fuzzed-out-guitar-frenzied and more anglophone than their eponymous 2021 debut album— blossomed from ‘70s sci-fi films and

a chainsaw threat from a neighbour.

“We were practicing,” Daigle says, “and then the neighbour called to tell us to stop, and he said that he would come up here with his chainsaw.”

Naturally, they turned the experience into inspiration for the villain figure in Elephant Wizard, a concept album following a mystical elephant on the run from an ivory-poacher-mayor. The neighbour—excuse me, mayor—tranquillizes the elephant to steal his tusks.

Maybe the tusks have a power of some kind, or maybe they’re just shiny—each band member has their own rough idea of the story. Droning, spacey, wordless “Midnight Magic” comes in when the elephant is tranquillized; it’s followed by the frenetic, percussion-heavy “Gallop in the Jungle.”

“He wakes up and then the mayor is trying to rip off his tusk with a chainsaw,” Daigle says matter-of-factly, “and then he runs away, and then he just spends most of his time fleeing this area trying to find Planet Metal.”

Supposedly, Planet Metal is a sacred land that is safe for elephants, but things become clearer, and less utopic, when the elephant finally reaches the planet.

“The air was thick with smog, rivers ran with filth and sludge, the trees were grey and bland, and the home of the elephant was not as he recalled,” sings singer-pianist and chief songwriter Miguel Dumaine in “Planet Metal,” the third-to-last song on the album.

Coming from a group of Acadians, the connection between the elephant wizard’s journey and the 1755 British deportation of Acadians is

LES MOONTUNES PLAY AT MONTREAL'S JAZZ FESTIVAL IN JULY 2024, DECKED OUT IN WHITE SPACESUITS. COURTESY LES MOONTUNES

almost too obvious. But Daigle says that was never a conscious decision.

“Sometimes it's liberating to just write something fictional and not try to find a deep meaning,” adds Jeremie Poitras, the band’s saxophone, synthesizer and bass player.

Self-described “groovy cosmonauts,” the band met in middle school in Moncton’s Francophone neighbour, Dieppe—a city of less than 30,000. They began jamming together in high school.

“It was just more in a setting where it was like, this person and this person can come play music,” Dumaine says. “We just pretty much just improvised jam sessions, just improvisation all night.”

The band prefers playing in smaller towns, especially in Quebec.

They’ll be heading to Saint-Hyacinthe and Chicoutimi in April—small cities, though each with roughly double the population of Dieppe still.

“People show up, they don't know you, but they just come and they see it,” Poitras says. “There's something about going out to a smaller city, that people are always super hyped.”

Poitras explains that they’re a live band more than a studio band.

Daigle agrees—then goes on to describe “little funny things” that happen at shows, like when he hit Dumaine in the side of the face with a piece of a cymbal by accident.

“I played a cymbal and then a chunk of it flew and hit him,” Daigle remembers. “And then he looks at me, and I'm trying to read him. I'm like, did he like what I just did? Or did he not like what I just did?”

“After the show, he's like, ‘No man, you hit me in the side of the head with your friggin drumstick,’” Poitras laughs.

The band performs in matching white spacesuits. In July, they played under heavy rainfall at Montreal’s Jazz Festival—where André 3000, Norah Jones and Orville Peck were on the bill. During the performance of the last song on Elephant Wizard—“Dorian Sunrise,” a wistful-yet-breezy tune about dancing in the sunshine, drinking wine and beer—Dumaine sang a slightly adapted “Dorian Rainfall.”

“People [were] dancing in the rain and it was really cool to see,” Poitras says.

“Yeah, [they were] like, ‘I don't care if I get drenched. This is where I want to be,’” Daigle adds. “[It’s] so,

MIGUEL DUMAINE PLAYS THE FLUTE AT MONTREAL’S JAZZ FESTIVAL IN JULY 2024. COURTESY LES MOONTUNES

so cool to see that.”

If their debut album is more Pink Floyd, Elephant Wizard is more Black Sabbath, says Daigle. Their third album, scheduled to be released in the winter of next year, looks to take that metal sound even further. But no matter how much they amp up the metal, they’ll still have that soulful, jazzy feel of the piano and brass.

The ensemble has certainly shifted away from a traditional Acadian sound—they rarely sing in French; they stay away from foot percussion and the fiddle. It’s something the band has discussed extensively, but just the fact that they’re Acadian, says Poritras, makes Les Moontunes an Acadian band.

“I hope that what we're doing is kind of fun for people to be like, ‘Oh, I don't have to play according to the previous rules since I’m from this area,’” Daigle adds.

He says it’s the seven-member group—with Monica Ouellette,

Patrick Gaudet, Samuel Frenette and Marc-Andre Richard besides Dumaine, Poitras and himself— that creates their ever-expanding, ever-evolving sound.

“All of our musical interests kind of merge into this thing that we can agree on,” Daigle says. “It's fun because it's like, Acadian contemporary music can be anything.”

As the band works on the next album, that “anything” is leaning toward something more weighty and rhythmical.

“Potentially something about robots taking over the world,” Dumaine hints.

This is a band that does not orbit others, or even themselves: they’re decked out in white spacesuits, pushing past their own sonic palette, toward something a bit heavier, a bit more metal and a bit dystopian.

Whether Les Moontunes are headed to the moon or beyond, the spotlight will surely find them.

LES MOONTUNES PERFORM THEIR SOPHOMORE ALBUM TO A CROWD OF A COUPLE THOUSAND. COURTESY LES MOONTUNES

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FRINGE ARTS

12

Basics beyond the binary Rae Hill has spent most of their life reshaping gender-affirming fashion Claudia Beaudoin

@claudiaclx

T

he remnants of work linger in Origami Customs’ old factory room.

Sewing machines rest patiently at their stations, foot pedals tucked beneath them, spools of thread lined up in quiet anticipation. The rhythmic ticking of a machine hums in the background.

It’s a Saturday, and the workshop is empty, its stillness only briefly interrupted by our presence.

Sitting on a small stool, Rae Hill gently holds the fabric down with two fingers, adjusting their grip every few seconds to guide it smoothly under the machine’s humming needle. Their foot presses lightly on the pedal as the needle rises and falls, piercing the fabric in precise, even stitches. Their eyes shift in and out of focus, sometimes following the seam closely, other times drifting as muscle memory takes over. The machine, the fabric, and their movements become one—a seamless rhythm, a perfect symbiosis. Five minutes to take shape, ten minutes to hold form, and fifteen years of underwear.

Hill is the creator of Origami Customs, a Montreal-based company specializing in creating custom products for a gender-diverse audience. The team is made up of eight queer and trans individuals who are trained in crafting personalized items tailored to the unique needs of their customers.

“We have created patterns over the last 15 years that support people in their authentic expression, but also to make them feel comfortable and safe when they're using these products,” Hill says.

The underwear industry has seen a growing demand for health-conscious designs that prioritize comfort and breathability—trends that Origami Customs has been incorporating into their products for years. According to a report by Cognitive Market Research, this shift is reflected in the broader market, where North America accounted for over 40 per cent of global underwear sales in 2024, generating $43 billion in revenue.

Unlike the trained professionals in the workshop, you don’t need to be an expert in customization to get the perfect fit. On Origami’s website, you’ll find an easy-to-follow guide that shows you exactly how to take your measurements. Once entered, the measurements are saved for future orders.

“Even in the manufacturing

VOLUME 45 • MARCH 4, 2025

process, we often have people say, ‘I started HRT [Hormone Replacement Therapy] and my body is really different than it was a couple of weeks ago when I ordered this piece. Can you update my measurements?’ And we're always happy to make modifications for people because we understand,” Hill adds.

“It’s a really beautiful part of working for, with and by trans people in every step of the process. There’s a lot of empathy and understanding for what people are going through, and we're creating garments that we wear ourselves.”

Origami Customs began as a swimwear business on the coast of Honduras, where Hill took a longer-than-expected gap year after falling in love with scuba diving in a small town called Utila. What started as making swimsuits for themself and friends quickly grew into a small boutique in a tight-knit scuba diving community.

After a few years spent in the laid-back rhythm of Honduras, Hill moved from the quiet corners of the island to the more dynamic pace of Costa Rica. There, they connected with many people in the clothing industry, which led them to learn more about online selling.

Using the online platform, Etsy, they tapped into a new audience— bigger than the small boutique they had been running. As the business grew, so did their vision, and eventually, Montreal became the next stop for expansion and rebranding.

Then the pandemic hit and Hill saw a shift in the market. Hostility toward the trans community grew, and they realized the need for a decisive change: to dedicate Origami Customs to serving trans people.

With so few businesses catering to this need, it was about creating a space where trans people could be prioritized and understood.

Holding up a ready-to-ship gaff, a specially designed piece of underwear that helps flatten the genital area for transgender women and create a smoother, more feminine appearance, Hill shows me the difference in the fabric. They explain that garments like these, or compression binders, can become restrictive or harmful if not designed properly.

“A lot of my friends were like, ‘We see you designing all these pieces, but we’ve been DIY-ing our own stuff for a really long time. Can you help us design swim shorts that you can wear a packer with? Or like

a binder or gaff ?’” Hill says. “And I was like, ‘Actually, yes, this is my specific skill set.’”

Hill’s designs are driven by both function and community needs, blending practicality with comfort.

“This is one of my favourite pieces, it’s a jock, so this is made out of bamboo as well, with a nice thick waistband, double gusset in the front and then, like, a totally open butt in the back, which I love,” Hill says.

Origami Customs also offers free underwear to community partners worldwide, ensuring that those who can't order directly from the website still have access to the products.

Wrapping up the tour, Hill settles onto the well-worn couch in the dining area, sunlight streaming across our conversation. While they’ve stepped back from the hands-on making process in recent years, Hill’s focus has shifted to advocacy, speaking on topics like gender diversity in the workplace, sustainable fashion and gender-affirming clothing.

Despite their enduring passion, recent years have been challenging. Hill highlights how algorithm changes have fueled an increase in transphobic discourse, from the lack of hate speech moderation to their posts being flagged.

“When a video of a trans woman in underwear gets flagged, but Victoria's Secret can post whatever they want, this is an issue that we need to be talking about. Why are people not noticing?” Hill says.

By collaborating with professionals, they’re able to implement new policies and approaches that specifically address the needs of the gender-diverse community, using their own experiences as what they call “a roadmap” for others to follow.

“What we have in the studio is a really specific microcosm and space, where we've essentially decided that primarily it will be a place to support gender-diverse, queer and trans people,” Hill explains.

Beatrice Warner, a customer of Origami Customs and an occasional model for the small business, says that underwear is typically designed with either a cisgender male or female body in mind, even when custom-made.

“It’s really important to me as a customer that I have an option for me, not only coming from someone who is trained specifically to work with bodies like my own but also, frankly, people who have bodies like my own, so they can really experi-

RAE HILL, FOUNDER OF ORIGAMI CUSTOMS, GOING THROUGH THE STEPS OF CREATING A PAIR OF UNDERWEAR. COURTESY ORIGAMI CUSTOMS

ence it for themselves,” she says.

Warner reflects on her initial reaction to Hill’s modelling offer as a moment of clarity. She recalls how it suddenly felt real. It wasn’t just about posing or showing her body—it was about revealing who she truly was. For her, this was deeply connected to the dysphoria she’s long struggled with.

"I felt not only comfortable, but I felt sexy, beautiful and powerful because I felt safe with the other models, and safe with the photographer because of the atmosphere that was being created, which, of course, was led by Rae," she says.

Once the pictures were revealed, Warner said she felt “energetic” about the shoot. For her, it wasn’t just about the underwear or the photos; it was about the incredible energy of the project itself and what it conveyed.

“I feel like there’s a huge gap

especially when it comes to queer bodies in the mainstream clothing industry, so it is very important to have a company like this that is actually catering to their audience in a way that actually fits our needs,” Taj Taylor says, a past content collaborator with Origami Customs. “I was really impressed by the quality of the material, the fact that it's custom-made and the fact that it's by queers for queers, I absolutely love that about them.”

As we lock up for the weekend, the workshop quiets, but Hill’s work is far from over—with trans advocacy talks on the horizon and policy-making projects in motion.

Their work doesn’t end when the sewing machines go silent.

“We are trans. This is a transrun company that's trans-made, and we’re making garments that are very popular because they don't exist in the world,” Hill says.

13

FRINGE ARTS

The many faces of Sufism Sufi thought and practice refuse easy definitions—so do the people who live it Menel Rehab

@phoenicieuse

S

ufism, or Tasawwuf, is the mystical dimension of Islam that emphasizes inner purification, spiritual closeness to God and the pursuit of divine love and knowledge.

Often linked to mystical poetry, whirling dervishes and a philosophy of love, Sufism is a deeply rooted Islamic tradition shaping thought and daily life. Dervishes are Sufi practitioners who follow a path of spiritual discipline, asceticism and devotion.

They sometimes use whirling—an ecstatic dance symbolizing their beliefs—as meditation and worship.

“My understanding is that Sufism necessitates seclusion or discourages promoting the faith. In essence, it is a return to one’s divine source, to find God,” said Dr. Reza Taher-Kermani, an assistant professor specializing in Sufism and mystical traditions in Islam at Concordia University.

“A key layer of this journey is sacrifice and self-removal to achieve this divine purpose,” Taher-Kermani added. “A true Sufi would not declare themselves as such, as humility is inherent to Sufism."

Sufism has shaped and been shaped by diverse historical, cultural and personal contexts. This manifests through poetry, art, music and rigorous spiritual practices such as meditation, remembrance of God (dhikr) and guidance from spiritual teachers (sheikhs).

The word ‘Sufi’ originates from ‘suf,’ meaning “wool,” referencing the ascetic lifestyle of early Muslim mystics. By the 10th century CE, ‘tasawwuf’—the process of becoming a Sufi—had been formalized by figures like Abu Abd Al-Rahman Al-Sulami, who constructed a lineage of Sufi masters as heirs to prophetic traditions.

As author Carl W. Ernst describes in his 2011 book An Introduction to the Mystical Tradition of IslamShambhala, the term Sufi has both descriptive and prescriptive meanings. According to Ernst, in Western academic discourse, Sufism is treated as a distinct religious phenomenon separate from Islam, and analyzed through classification models that impose rigid definitions.

This framing, however, has led to Orientalist misconceptions—Islam as rigid and legalistic, Sufism as transcendental and apolitical, as Taher-Kermani elucidates.

"Sufism is often misperceived as an anti-Islamic branch of Islam, and many insisted on this view, fuelling their interest,” Taher-Kermani said.

“Some were drawn to Sufism, seeing it as an anti-establishment religious movement existing alongside Islam."

For Taher-Kermani, storytell-

SUFISM USES SYMBOLISM TO KEEP ART DYNAMIC RATHER THAN FIXED IN TIME. GRAPHIC STELLA MAZUREK

ing, poetry and music are important to Sufism, and beauty is a means to reach the divine. According to him, medieval Persian poets like Hafez and Rumi infused their verses with mystical longing, often blurring the lines between earthly and divine love.

“If I extend it to medieval Persian poetry, which I’m familiar with, it’s filled with metaphoric adulation of nature,” Taher-Kermani said.

“All elements of the natural world, both external and internal, are seen as manifestations of the divine. In these poems, aspects of existence are elaborated as prayer—a way of understanding God, who manifests through the material world.”

Salma Chouqair, a Montreal-based art history and theology student at Concordia, embodies a slightly different approach to the faith. She explores ancestral Sufi practices in North Africa, particularly those rooted in her Moroccan upbringing.

She explains that many ceremonies revolve around music and dance, emphasizing that Sufism extends beyond Dervish practice. In Morocco, ancestral traditions shaped new Sufi schools like

Karkariya and Tijaniyya, founded by North African religious leaders.

Chouqair highlights the organic and syncretic nature of Sufi rituals in Morocco, which incorporate music, dance and spiritual ceremonies distinct from mainstream understandings of Sufism.

Also the face behind Bayt Zuhal, which has amassed 17,000 followers on Instagram, Chouqair examines Sufism’s place in cultural and religious identity, bridging tradition with contemporary Moroccan spirituality.

“Sufism emphasizes ancestors— not just direct ones, but also spiritual or creative ancestors you feel connected to beyond genetics,” Chouqair said. “This connection to heritage is important. Take ceremonies like Gnawa, which are embodied practices unlocking deeper consciousness.”

According to Chouqair, Sufism uses symbolism to keep art dynamic rather than fixed in time. She references Algerian multidisciplinary artist Rachid Koraïchi—born into a Sufi family of Qur’anic scholars and copyists—to illustrate how Sufism can be perceived differently inside and outside its cultural

context. Her own work is a way to engage with esoteric knowledge through personal experience rather than relying solely on academic study.

Sara Abdel-Latif, an assistant professor at McGill’s Institute of Islamic Studies, came to Sufism through an academic lens. Raised in a conservative Sunni background in Kuwait, she was unfamiliar with Sufi traditions until her studies led her to their interpretations of the Qur’an. She first approached Sufism academically, drawn to unique ideas like God as beloved, unfamiliar from her upbringing.

“Studying history deepened my understanding, but I felt no strong connection to any Sufi group until meeting my current master eight years ago,” Abdel-Latif said. “Unlike stereotypical mystical teachers, he was simple yet profoundly insightful, reminding me of Rumi in his storytelling and the way he truly saw people’s hearts, which changed everything for me.”

Abdel-Latif’s research focuses on gender in Sufi traditions, particularly the overlooked role of female Sufis.

Discussing her unreleased book on gender and asceticism in medieval Suf-

ism, Abdel-Latif explained how early Sufi practices were individualized acts of devotion, such as wandering without provisions or enduring physical hardship. Over time, these informal practices became institutionalized, emphasizing inward renunciation rather than external displays of asceticism.

Abdel-Latif explains that outward displays of spirituality contradicted Sufi teachings, shifting focus from endurance feats to inward sincerity—true asceticism meant being unseen by others.

She explained that when Sufism moved away from public, performative practices toward a more internalized spirituality, the shift significantly impacted women. Many women had gained influence and followers through their practices, but as men formalized Sufi teachings into structured schools aligned with Sharia— the Islamic legal and ethical system derived from the Qur'an, the Hadith (sayings and actions of Prophet Muhammad) and scholarly interpretations—access became restricted.

The shift from open spaces to walled institutions led to women's exclusion from Sufi traditions, with only figures like the poet and early Sufi mystic Rabia Basri, a prominent religious figure from Iraq, being remembered in history.

Abdel-Latif challenges the notion of Sufism as inherently egalitarian.

She explained that while figures like Andalusi Sunni scholar and Sufi mystic Ibn Arabi saw spiritual authority as gender-independent, others reinforced restrictive norms.

According to Abdel-Latif, the flexibility of Sufi thought, which emphasizes inner spirituality over external form, allowed for more gender-inclusive interpretations, but did not always translate into equal opportunities for women.

“For instance, Jahanara Begum, a Chishti disciple and Mughal princess, had great spiritual prowess but couldn’t teach due to her gender,” Abdel-Latif said.

Abdel-Latif highlighted that Sufism is not a single doctrine but an evolving practice, interpreted and reinterpreted across cultures and time.

For Taher-Kermani, Sufism offers individuals an opportunity to discover a unique understanding of the universe, and to establish a connection with their creator.

“There are moments in poems or certain music where I hear the cry and lamentation of individuals longing for the Divine, for reaching it,” Taher-Kermani said, “and it becomes very difficult to resist its charm and gravitation.”

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FRINGE ARTS

14

Montreal cultural organizations reaffirm their support for Palestinian liberation Eleven Montreal arts and culture organizations pledge support for Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel Oliva Johnson

@24601ivia

O

n Feb. 18, 11 cultural organizations in Montreal officially affirmed or reaffirmed their endorsement of Palestine through the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI).

The groups stated their commitment to the liberation of Palestine and the global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement.

PACBI began in 2004 to advocate for the boycott of Israeli academic and cultural institutions for their complicity in Israel’s denial of Palestinian rights. Cultural institutions that have committed to PACBI will not collaborate, fund or accept funding from the Israeli government or related funding bodies, and call for a boycott of all cultural and academic products

that normalize the state of Israel. In addition, they can show support for Palestine by hosting fundraisers and solidarity events or highlighting Palestinian artists and authors.

To date, Ada X, articule, Atelier La Coulée, Céline Bureau, Centre Clark, Centre des arts actuels SKOL, Dazibao, Metonymy Press, OBORO, PME-ART and Vidéographe have supported or reaffirmed their commitments to PACBI. The organizations have joined a growing global movement of artists, academics and cultural workers dedicated to supporting the Palestinian people in their struggle for liberation and self-determination, according to a Feb. 18 press release.

This endorsement highlights the crucial role that cultural institutions play in resisting settler colonialism and the oppression of Indigenous

groups against their occupiers.

In October 2023, over 4,000 Canadian artists and cultural workers signed a solidarity letter stating, “As artists, cultural workers, and academics, we stand strong in support of the Palestinian struggle for freedom and against all forms of racism and settler-colonial violence.”

“The main step that PACBI calls for is to not endorse organizations— be it universities, arts organizations or museums—that are complicit in the ongoing genocide,” said Samuel Garrigó Meza, programming director at contemporary arts-run centre articule.

Garrigó Meza and Eva-Loan Ponton-Pham co-organized the initiative to involve cultural organizations with PACBI. “Art is always political,” Garrigó

ARTICULE OFFERS READING MATERIALS IN SUPPORT OF PALESTINIAN LIBERATION AT AN EVENT ON FEB. 26. PHOTO OLIVIA JOHNSON

Meza said. “We are implicated in the social capital of where we are, and we're in a position where we can be a place of resistance.”

Both Garrigó Meza and Ponton-Pham are heavily involved in Montreal’s artistic and cultural sector and began reaching out to other organizations that had previously shown support for Palestine.

“I think people expect that there's going to be a purity test,” Garrigó Meza said, “that when you join PACBI, somebody's going to come in and look at your books to verify that not $1 came from Israeli-supported

funding. That’s not what [cultural organizations] are joining. This is about showing a network of support.”

Ponton-Pham is the co-general coordinator at Atelier La Coulée, a workshop specializing in welding and foundry. She said that one of the goals was also to demystify what it means to join PACBI and support organizations unsure about making a public statement.

“It’s just one step and one action,” Ponton-Pham said. “It's putting yourself in motion towards being in solidarity. It’s also about trying to have the most impact.”

OPINIONS

Monetizing menstrual health How application paywalls are gatekeeping crucial health information Hannah Kazemi

@hannahkzmi

I

downloaded my first period tracking app when I was 15.

I went from manually tracking my cycle on my calendar to logging the dates and symptoms in an app, hoping to gain a consistent understanding of my body every month. Over the last decade, however, it has become increasingly difficult to access the valuable resources and information my app provides.

Why? It’s all hidden behind a fucking paywall.

If you’ve ever used a period app, you know the deal. You log your symptoms and a little pink box with a snappy title pops up, encouraging you to click it and read up on why your body might be doing that. All of the interest and excitement die when you realize that to actually read the information, you have to pay up.

Flo, Clue, Stardust—they’re all the same. The most I can access without a premium subscription is basic period tracking and what phase of my cycle I’m on.

VOLUME 45 • MARCH 4, 2025

Want to read about irregular periods? Paywall. Period sex tips and tricks? Paywall. Types of discharge and what they mean?

Paywall.

Paywalling critical education about menstrual health and bodies is simply wrong and unsupportive to feminism.

But this isn’t new—society has been policing women’s and AFAB (assigned female at birth) bodies and putting a price on our health forever. From restricting access to birth control and abortion to underfunding research on medical conditions, our well-being has always been treated as something to be controlled, regulated and monetized.

Period tracking apps are just another example of this systemic issue. Instead of prioritizing education and empowerment, they put profits over people, forcing us to pay for knowledge about our own bodies. It’s infuriating, but unfortunately, it’s not surprising.

Considering many young

people turn to these apps to make sense of their cycle, it’s especially concerning to see critical information hidden and its access controlled by one’s ability to pay. I’m lucky to have grown up in an open home where my mom answered all of my period questions—but some people don’t have that luxury. In some cases, the information shared by period apps is the only education about their bodies they can get outside of Google.

It’s not just period cycle stats and menstruation information that these apps can provide, and once did. It’s sexual health, relationship advice and general health and wellness—things that are also sticky subjects in some homes.

Considering the precarious political situation in countries across the globe, menstrual rights and education are at risk.

This means it is more important than ever to gain insights into how our bodies work and what different symptoms might mean.

I’m sick of this age of digit-

PAYWALLING CRITICAL EDUCATION ABOUT MENSTRUAL HEALTH AND BODIES IS SIMPLY WRONG. GRAPHIC BEATRICE PELLETIER | @B_ATRICEE

al media, where companies can limit what information we have access to with subscription-based applications. Forcing people to pay for knowledge doesn’t foster

learning or encourage people— especially youth—to learn about their bodies and health.

It's time to stop putting a price on menstrual health.

15

OPINIONS

Why (almost) everything is Ronald Reagan’s fault How today’s extreme class disparity and economic instability can be traced back to the 1980s Geneviève Sylvestre

I

n the ‘80s, the United States’ 40th president Ronald Reagan pushed social and economic plans that laid the groundwork for Donald Trump’s presidencies and growing social inequalities.

Inaugurated in 1981, the actor-turned-politician left a permanent stain on America, from his refusal to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic, leading to the deaths of thousands, to his economic policies strengthening class divides.

Still revered by modern-day conservatives, “Reaganomics,” based in supply-side economics, is an economic model based on cutting taxes for corporations and the highest-earners as well as deregulating industry, slowing spending on social programs and putting a higher emphasis on free trade. The reason: The belief that it would stimulate the economy by encouraging the rich to invest and having the money “trickle-down” to the consumers.

“Reaganomics” was mostly based on the theories of economist Arthur Laffer, who served as the chief economist for the US Office of Management and Budget from 1970 to 1972. Known as the father of supply-side economics, he created the Laffer curve, an economic theory outlining the presence of an optimal tax rate and how rising taxes too high can lead to a decrease in government revenue.

Laffer not only had a huge influence on Reagan, but he continues to be a key figure in conservative economic policy to this day. Indeed, he served as Trump’s economic advisor during his first term, with Trump awarding him the medal of freedom in 2019.

Reagan inherited an America suffering from high inflation and unemployment, which he promised to fix with his supply-side economic plan. Early in his first term, Reagan passed the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 (ERTA), cutting taxes for the highest earning Americans by 20 per cent.

He implemented massive cuts to social welfare programs, like federal student loans, and increased military spending. He deregulated healthcare, shifting the financial risks from private insurance providers to hospitals and doctors, which still impacts the system today.

His tight economic policy spurred a short six-month recession from 1981 to 1982. According

@gen.sylvestre to the Pew Research Center, 54 per cent of Americans in September 1982 agreed that Reagan’s policies had made their financial situation worse, although many believed it would improve.

As such, despite being known for tax-cutting, Reagan was forced to raise taxes across the board in

cuts for the rich did not greatly impact a country’s gross domestic product. It only served to widen the gap between the lowest and highest earners in a society.

Essentially, it allowed the rich to get richer while gutting the middle class.

It's simple math: If the gov-

With the “dot-com” recession of 2001 at the start of George W. Bush’s first term, the US went back to Reagan-esque supply-side economic tax cuts. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, this mainly benefited wealthy Americans.

Data shows that economic and

RONALD REAGAN POLICIES HAVE INFLICTED INCREDIBLE DAMAGES ON THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND ECONOMY. GRAPHIC OLIVIA SHAN | @YOUNGMIDDLEOLD

1982,1983,1984 and 1987, effectively cutting the intended effect of the ERTA in half. While he managed to lower inflation and unemployment, by the end of his tenure, the government deficit had tripled.

This is not a uniquely American system. “Iron Lady” Margaret Thatcher was the prime minister of the United Kingdom during Reagan’s presidency and implemented similar supply-side policies.

Now, unsurprisingly, researchers have shown that extreme tax

ernment collects less tax revenue from the rich, it must recuperate the money somewhere else, either through taxes to the lower and middle classes or slashes in government spending.

As such, George H. W. Bush raised taxes in 1990 despite famously promising not to do so, in part due to the large deficit Reagan left behind. In 1993, Bill Clinton raised the marginal tax rate for the highest-earning Americans when he took office.

investment growth in the US was lower under supply-side economic policies than in the 1990s.

These conservative economic models have also poisoned the Democratic party which, for decades, has been scrambling to the centre in an attempt to secure votes by pushing neoliberal economic policies.

In a column for PBS news, American economic historian John Komlos demonstrated how the posttax income of the middle class from

1979 to 2011 barely grew when adjusted for inflation, while the top 1 per cent lined their pockets.

Simply put, the benefit of supply-side economics for everyone but the top 1 per cent is nothing more than a myth, a bedside story Conservative politicians keep peddling to line their own pockets.

Unfortunately, the stories worked, with The Guardian reporting that, in his first term, Trump’s tax-cuts led to billionaires paying less in taxes than the working class.

Researcher David Hope—who wrote a paper analyzing the effects of major tax cuts in 18 countries— said in an article for the London School of Economics and Political Science that he could not find any evidence that Trump’s 2017 tax-cut plan would help fuel the economy.

Trump points to immigrants as the reason why so many Americans are struggling, but the truth is that years of placing corporate greed first have landed everyone in this mess. Trump has, time and time again, implemented policies and cuts to advantage his rich peers while perpetuating harm against marginalized communities in America.

Trump’s most recent inauguration brought the idea of supply-side economics to its logical extreme, with billionaires sitting in the front row while his cabinet members sat behind them. All the while, since he got his foot through the doors of the Oval Office, Elon Musk has been slashing government funding left and right. This, despite his companies benefiting massively from government funding.

The income inequality in the US is the highest of all the G7 countries.

Let this be a cautionary tale.

On this side of the border, populist politician Pierre Poilievre is promising to implement similar economic policies, slashing government budgets, gutting social programs and cutting taxes as solutions to the rising cost of living. It won’t work.

The economic state of a country is much more complex than its tax system. But cutting taxes for the rich and slashing government spending has not only proven itself ineffective in helping the economy, it has shown to only deepen class disparities and inequalities.

It’s not common sense; it’s dangerous.

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OPINIONS

16

’Students 4 Better’… Better for who?

Melissa Jane Watson

Dubious “grassroots initiative” using paid marketing to target Concordia students and CSU elections

I

t all started with an ad…

Technically, it started with Reddit posts about the paid marketing for a suspicious entity called “Students 4 Better” (S4B). Future generations will remember this moment as ad-ception: when the CSU elections, targeted social media advertisements, and a bunch of annoyed users on Concordia’s subreddit (r/Concordia) collided in comic disaster.

The first mention of S4B on Reddit took place in a Feb. 23 post. It was captioned, in classic misspelled Reddit fashion: “Anyone else getting these adds? Who has money to spend on student union adds?”

Attached was an image of a paid Instagram post by a user named “Students4better” and captioned “CSU is Failing You - Vote for change March 11-13.”

The paid Reddit post reiterated the call to vote during the upcoming polling period and asked its readers, in no uncertain terms, to replace the current CSU executive team. “Make your voice heard,” it read, “Make a plan to vote for a NEW CSU.”

Under the r/Concordia post, Redditors expressed confusion at the ambiguity of the paid marketing.

One user commented: “WTF is this!”

Fortunately, S4B linked us to their website, studentsforbetter.com, where we could find all the answers to our most pressing questions. Like, who are these people?

Some names would have allowed us to confirm we’re not dealing with a faceless, oppressive entity obscuring its identity to avoid accountability. After all, S4B claims to stand for “Transparency. Action. Results” and commit themselves to “Real Leadership. Real Solutions.”

Yet, S4B does not provide names, ominously identifying itself as “a grassroots initiative driven by a group of students, alumni, and community members who share a deep commitment to fostering a productive environment for students on college campuses.”

Nowhere on their website or social media does S4B provide any further detail as to who they are and what their affiliation truly is, except to insist: “While we are not affiliated

with any single institution, administration, or external organization, we are deeply concerned about student life at Concordia […].”

In other words, S4B may, in fact, have non-student, non-Concordia affiliations, but will not outright state these connections (financial or otherwise). How perfectly unsettling that seedy organizations are possibly paying to involve themselves in student politics!

In a post on S4B’s Instagram page, the group vaguely alleges the student union’s failings: “CSU is failing you— Mismanaged Funds, rising tuition, fewer resources—students deserve better.” The accompanying reel then concludes: “Make a plan to vote for a NEW CSU. March 11-13.”

By continuously drawing attention to the election voting period, it’s clear enough that S4B is targeting voters while simultaneously failing to identify itself as a campaigning “slate.” This failure might indeed be a deliberate one, since campaigning outside of the campaigning period violates sub-section 6.1 of the CSU’s Policy on Elec-

STUDENT 4 BETTER EMERGED ON REDDIT WITH ADS CONFRONTING THE CSU. GRAPHIC MYRIAM OUAZZANI | @MYMYSARTGALLERY

tions and Referenda. This may result in a candidate’s (or slate’s) disqualification, due to the group violating rules relating to influencing elections.

Redditors have raised concerns regarding the group’s abundant social media presence, obscure political connections and the validity of their claims that the CSU is failing students.

Amongst calls to reveal who runs the organization and calls for financial transparency from S4B, one user asks, “Does the organization or initiative receive outside funding?” As candidates for the 2025-2026 CSU executive team prepare to campaign, it is important to determine wheth-

The cost of convenience

Can fast fashion truly go away?

Or will the cycle of trends keep it alive?

Y

ou swore you wouldn't buy more clothes this month. But suddenly, a TikTok trend is convincing you that you need that viral dress.

Sound familiar?

Fast fashion thrives on this exact cycle, where the latest trend appears and disappears before you've even had the chance to wear it twice.

It’s referred to as low-cost, trendy clothing rapidly produced by mass-market retailers in response to the latest trends.

It wasn't until the 1970s that the concept of fast fashion was introduced.

Retailers began outsourcing manufacturing to other countries, where lower wages ensured the prioritization of speed and cost over ethics.

By the late 1990s, the industry had exploded, with brands accelerating production cycles to meet growing consumer demand. Since then, fast fashion has grown immensely, leaving a horrible impact on our planet. According to the UN

FAST FASHION THRIVES ON CHEAP PRICES AND LOW CONSCIENCE. GRAPHIC SARA SALSABILI | @SARASALSABILI

VOLUME 45 • MARCH 4, 2025

Environment Programme, the fashion industry is the second-biggest global consumer of water and is responsible for approximately 2 to 8 per cent of global carbon emissions.

Despite these alarming facts, fast fashion remains ingrained in our daily lives. Brands such as Shein and Fashion Nova continue to dominate, offering cheap alternatives at human and environmental costs. Influencer culture has only accelerated these trends, helping these brands stay popular.

The dupe trend on TikTok has played a big role in the rise of fast-fashion. Users and influencers now share affordable alternatives for high-end luxury items, showcasing how you can recreate the outfit for a fraction of the price. These videos quickly go viral, creating a demand for these cheaper versions. The constant cycle of finding and sharing dupes has made it easier for fast fashion brands to stay in the spotlight, as they quickly make knockoffs of the most popular designs on social media.

Can the demand for fast fashion truly disappear, or will convenience always win?

er or not S4B is deliberately skirting CSU election bylaws.

Students at Concordia are also alleging that they are connected to pro-Israel groups on and off campus. It would make sense. The majority of vocal opposition on most student issues is conservative Zionists who coincidentally also sit on the CSU council.

Ultimately, it’s clear: S4B have not succeeded at convincing studentsat-large that they do, truly, stand for better. As fascist sentiment rises on campus, S4B’s attempts at media manipulation, however pathetic, are testament to attempts at hijacking student democracy.

Emma Augello Consumer habits play a crucial role in the life expectancy of fast fashion. Instant gratification, affordability and social media influence fuel the industry’s success. Many people prioritize low prices over sustainability, making it challenging for ethical alternatives to win.

Luckily, some combative measures have become popular. Thrift stores, once viewed as a secondhand option, have become immensely popular—a mainstream shopping destination. Resale platforms like Depop and Poshmark have also gained popularity, offering a more conscious way to shop.

As someone who shops at curated thrift stores, I find the experience far more enjoyable than browsing at large retail chains. There's something exciting about discovering one-of-akind pieces that add character and individuality to my wardrobe.

That being said, sustainable fashion often comes with a price tag, making it less accessible to customers. Ethical and fair trade brands typically charge more due to the fair wages and responsible sourcing, especially if it's a small business.

While eliminating fast fashion entirely may seem unrealistic, we can diminish its impact through conscious efforts.

Today's generation is resourceful and innovative, finding new and creative ways to extend the lifespan of clothing. For instance, upcycling clothing and recycling old garments into one-of-a-kind pieces has become extremely popular recently.

Viral trends like “thrift flips” encourage users to take old, unwanted clothing and transform them into something new and fashionable.

Creators are now making sustainability more enjoyable by posting tutorials on how to repair, dye or customize clothing.

By embracing thrift culture, supporting ethical brands and rethinking our consumption habits, we can push the fashion industry toward a more responsible path.

It ultimately comes down to a choice between convenience and sustainability. While affordability and accessibility make fast fashion appealing, its long-term consequences cannot be ignored.

Isn’t it far more exciting to own unique pieces that set you apart from the crowd?

We need to be willing to shift our habits for the sake of a more sustainable future—because prioritizing convenience at the expense of people and the planet is no longer an option.

March 6, 6:00 P. M. Held in-person & online LB-717 or contact us for the Zoom link

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ier Philip Auth

Introduction to government reporting

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“It’s like a Joni Mitchell song, you really don’t know what you’ve lost until it’s gone.”

Local news makes a difference for English-speaking communities

T

he importance of local media is a topic that has been the subject of many discussions in the last decade as news outlets across North America struggle to stay alive.

But nowhere is the topic more important than within the English-speaking community of Quebec.

As the provincial government has moved to systematically reduce the amount of information in English available, the need for English media becomes more vital.

“We are the only ones explaining basic services and issues,” said Nikki Mantel, publisher of The Low Down to Hull and Back News, which covers the Gatineau hills region in western Quebec.

As elements of Bill 96 approved in 2023, which has reinforced the Charter

of the French Language, are implemented French only. and enforced, the amount of information For English-speaking residents who in English in all sectors of Quebec is di- live in municipalities that do not have biminishing. lingual status, the information available to Quebec-based companies must now anglophones in English is disappearing. ensure that all informa“Now more than “We are the only tion on their websites ever we need a place are in French only. where the communiones explaining The provincial govty comes together,” basic services ernment itself has reMantel said. and issues.” duced information “It’s like a Joni – Nikki Mantel, publisher available in English.

Mitchell song,” Manof The Low Down to Hull And at the municipal tel continued. “You reand Back News level, only towns with ally don’t know what bilingual status retain you’ve lost until it’s the right to provide some services and gone.” information in both French and English.

In this climate, ensuring that EngAlthough, this includes offering English lish-language media survives in these on their websites, many reports and some communities, she said, is that much more documentation are often available in important now.

Canada only G7 country where media is banned on Facebook The cat videos are still there. The questions from new homeowners looking for recommendations for a reliable contractor pop up every so often. And posts that highlight a new chicken-and-orzo recipe continue to appear, complete with a list of ingredients in the comments. But the link to the story about the hike in your municipal tax bill is not.

Neither is the link to the article about the impact on the economy of the little town of Les Cèdres, west of Montreal, in the days after Amazon announced it planned to shutter its Quebec operations.

It has been a year and a half since Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, has banned news from its social media platforms, making Canada the only G7 country where news from legitimate

media sources cannot be seen.

The ban is a result of federal legislation, Bill C-18, the Online News Act, which came into force in June 2023. The aim of the legislation was to force large tech giants like Meta and Google to pay media outlets for news content shared on their platforms. But Meta opted to deny news outlets access to its social media sites, making it exempt from the new law.

The move created another hurdle for community newspapers to get over.

Meanwhile, a deal struck with Google to provide $100 million in funding to Canadian media, will see most of the money go to large media companies.

The result is the struggle for the smallest media outlets has become more difficult, as it no longer has the ability

to engage with their readers on the biggest social media platforms.

“As a society that cares about the truth and cares about having a population that’s informed to ensure better democratic outcomes and to hold politicians to account, this is extremely bad news,” said Aengus Bridgman, director of Media Ecosystem Observatory, which published a study last June, marking the one-year anniversary of the Meta news ban.

“Less news is being consumed by Canadians,” the report stated, which highlighted the increasing risk of Canadians being informed on politics and current affairs through a “more biased and factual lens than before.”

Content provided by QCNA

But it is not just information in English that is important, said Brenda O’Farrell, president of the Quebec Community Newspaper Association. It is also having journalists on the ground, doing the research, asking the questions and providing the context of what is happening at the municipal level that is crucial.

“Journalism puts issues in context,” said O’Farrell, who is also the editor at three community newspapers.

“We can’t lose sight of what is happening with public administration,” she added. “If local media is not doing it, it simply doesn’t get done, and the majority of residents will never learn about what is going on at town halls, where public money is being managed.”

“It takes work,” said Mantel, referring to covering town councils.

Owners and publishers of local independent newspapers don’t take anything for granted. But neither should readers, said Ilka de Laat, manager of the QCNA. Especially, she explained, when we see so much of the media disappearing.

“Journalism puts issues in context.”

– Brenda O’Farrell, QCNA president

“News no longer flows down from the big media outlets.”

Shifting the direction flow of news

I

COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS AT EPICENTRE OF A REVOLUTION

n the first 11 months of 2024, 36 local news outlets closed in Canada. Twenty-nine were community newspapers, while seven were privately owned radio stations, according to the Local News Research Project at Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Journalism.

That is in addition to the more than 500 news outlets that have ceased operations in Canada since 2008.

For those that remain, surviving does not mean striving – not by any means. Just about every other news operation in the country that remains – from Bell Media to the CBC, Postmedia to the Torstar group of papers – have slashed jobs and pulled back on coverage.

Canadians across the country are losing their news media, bit by bit, reporter by reporter, newspaper by newspaper – except for you, at least for now.

What makes you so different from a growing number of Canadians?

The mere fact that you are reading this, means you are served by a community newspaper that is still in operation. In fact, in a few very rare instances, you are reading a newspaper that just started publishing in the last few years.

If these areas were to be located on a map, they would be identified as “the starting point.” It’s where news begins.

And this is where the one bright light in the story

of the Canadian media shines. It is where a little revolution has started to rumble. It’s the epicentre that is shifting the directional flow of news in Canada.

“News no longer flows down from the big media outlets,” said Brenda O’Farrell, the president of the Quebec Community Newspaper Association. “It flows up, from the small, independent community news operations that still have reporters in communities outside the big city areas.”

O’Farrell calls it the “Trickle Up Theory of News.”

“No longer are major news outlets covering all areas. They are only focusing on major metropolitan centres,” she explained. “But so many people live outside of those regions.”

The stories that reflect these communities – stories that are important to these Canadians – are being covered by community newspapers.

“And these stories are trickling up to the major news operations – the CBC, the nearby daily, the Bell Media or Global News television stations. They pick up on our stories,” O’Farrell explained.

If it wasn’t for community news outlets, Canada’s major media outlets would only cover the big cities and nothing else. They no longer have the resources to do it.

That is why community newspapers are so important and need support, says Ilka de Laat, manager of the QCNA. They also deserve your support, De Laat said, adding, “Your local newspaper reflects your issues,

You are here!

because the journalists live in the same community.

They are your neighbours. This is how accountability and trust works. A big-city reporter being sent to your small community from a corporate media outlet, they won’t appreciate your situation.”

Which brings us to context. Local reporters understand the local context – what is important to residents and why.

But for this “trickle up” to succeed, readers in all these communities that still have a community newspaper have to buy in. They cannot take their newspaper for granted. The stories from their towns are important. Readers have to become stakeholders in the process. And the way to do that is to subscribe.

“Look at what is happening in the U.S.,” O’Farrell said. “We can’t rely on social media platforms that are ready to drop fact-checking, ban news like Meta has done in Canada, and change the name of the Gulf of Mexico as they pander to a president who will allow them to avoid regulations that could affect their bottom lines.”

And on this side of the border, in Quebec, where municipalities that do not have bilingual status will soon have to eliminate information in English from their websites as aspects of Bill 96 are enforced, access to information in English is going to become more crucial.

Having reporters cover municipal councils will be crucial for the English-speaking community. And only your local community newspaper does that.

Content provided by QCNA

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