The McGill Tribune Vol. 40 Issue 9

The McGill Tribune TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3 2020 | VOL. #40 | ISSUE #9

Published by the SPT, a student society of McGill University

McGILLTRIBUNE.COM | @McGILLTRIBUNE

EDITORIAL

FEATURE

SPORTS

Toward survivor-centric justice in Quebec

McGill’s dirty, oily secrets

Behind the mask: Marty the Martlet

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(Brian Schatteman / The McGill Tribune)

McGill Refugee Research Group discusses complexities of refugee rights

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McGill scientists develop tracker to monitor COVID-19 vaccine developments The team hopes this tracker will also be useful for those not in the medical community Maya Mau Staff Writer McGill Professor of Epidemiology, and Occupational Health Dr. Nicole Basta released a COVID-19 vaccine tracker on website is now available for the public

Biostatistics and her team Oct. 26. The to see real-

time updates on vaccines that are being developed. The tracker displays information about at least 50 vaccines currently in human trials. In addition to being a tracker, the website also provides general information about vaccines and why they are important.

As of Nov. 2, the tracker reveals that there are 116

‘Virtual Voice and Verse’ treats attendees to the gift of poetry

McSWAY’s October open mic featured original work by students and alumni Matthew Molinaro Staff Writer On Oct. 29, McGill’s McSWAY Poetry Collective resumed their open mic series with “Virtual Voice and Verse.” While their open mics are usually held on campus, the warmth and invitation of the performers’ lyrical and unique poetry

nevertheless fostered its own virtual community.

Featuring Lucia de Luca, B.Ed ’20, a McSWAY alum and emerging spoken word artist, the event’s stellar lineup vouched for the McGill community’s creative spirit, often numbed by the rigours of academia. Through the open mic, McSWAY treated its

guests with a gift—one of collective experience, a simultaneous awe and desire to discover more.

“Virtual Voice and Verse” welcomed a group of McGill poets of different backgrounds and styles, ranging from undergraduates and first-time members to graduate students and McSWAY executives.

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trials in progress across 33 countries. For each trial, users can see the name of the company, the trial’s current phase, and the type of vaccine that the company is working on.

Basta’s team, who has compiled data and structured the tracker, includes other McGill professors, graduate students, and recent alumni.

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An update on the GNL QuebecSaguenay pipeline project Despite economic potential, the GNL project presents environmental challenges Ronny Litvack-Katzman Science & Technology Editor Environmental degradation, loss of endangered species, increases in greenhouse gas emissions—these are just some of the negative effects that the GNL Québec-Gazoduq

Énergie Saguenay Project is predicted to have on Canada’s natural environment. The project, which proposes the construction of a 782-kilometre pipeline to carry natural gas from Northern Ontario to Quebec, is the final link in a series of transportation networks connecting

Albertan oil fields with a planned natural gas liquefaction complex in Port Saguenay, Quebec. The McGill Tribune breaks down the current state of affairs and potential risks the pipeline poses to Canada’s environment and wildlife.

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3 2020

NEWS

McGill College Avenue revitalization set to include leisure space for students

The winning design was created by Civiliti, Mandaworks and SNC Lavalin Dante Ventulieri Contributor After a year-long competition, the city of Montreal unveiled the winning design for the transformation of McGill College on Oct. 15. The City of Montreal announced that Et Sillon, which was pitched by Civiliti, Mandaworks, and SNC Lavalin, was chosen for the upcoming pedestrianization and renovation of the avenue. The city projects that the renovations will be completed between 2025 and 2026.

The international urban design competition, which was announced last year on Oct. 30, called on design firms to submit their proposals for the revitalization of McGill College. A jury composed of engineers,

public works directors, urban designers, and architects was tasked with selecting five finalists out of a pool of 28 anonymous submissions. The Et Sillon proposal includes a dense “forest” of large trees, a habitat that supports biodiversity, and a broad range of plant life. Et Sillon was selected following in-depth presentations from the five finalists.

In an interview with The McGill Tribune, Peter Soland, the lead designer of Et Sillon, explained that the plaza will be a peaceful alternative to the bustle of the nearby Saint Catherine Street.

“The project provides a collection of [...] urban living rooms meant to encourage a slower and more relaxed appreciation of downtown [….] The large-scale planting scheme is conceived [to] create seasonal

Despite earlier consultations recommending the street stay open to traffic, the city’s plans feature a fully pedestrianized plaza. (Civiliti & Mandaworks et SNC Lavalin)

scenes through the pocket forests,” Soland said.

To create the public plaza, the city plans to pedestrianize McGill College between Cathcart Street and Sherbrooke Street. The city will be removing four lanes of bi-directional traffic and dozens of parking spaces along the street. Kevin Manaugh, an associate professor in the Department of Geography, believes that the closure of McGill College will have little effect on traffic in downtown Montreal, as the street is not an arterial road.

At the heart of the plan is a foyer. With a ring of fire in the winter and a small outdoor stage with seating in the summer, the foyer will act as the centrepiece of the plaza.

“The Grand Foyer is the principal hotspot where we hope to attract the population during the winter months, get people out of the underground city, and enjoy the cold,” Soland said.

As the project’s construction will take place outside McGill’s Roddick Gates, the city and designers have included the university’s officials in the decision-making process nearly every step of the way. In a statement from the city, Marilyne Laroche Corbeil, a representative of the mayor’s office, informed the Tribune that the Office de Consultation Publique de Montréal was mandated to consult with McGill students about many aspects of the project. “[The city held workshops] aimed at users of the avenue and asked them to project themselves into the future,” Corbeil stated.

“There was also an inter-university [planning

and feedback session where] McGill students participated.”

Manaugh believes that the project will benefit the McGill community because public spaces where the noise and danger of cars do not disturb people can foster wellbeing and liveliness. According to the design team, student perspectives were integral to the design of Et Sillon.

“The McGill population is welcomed to overflow directly into the new pedestrian avenue [….] The Jardin des Pins […] directly south of Sherbrooke Street [will] become an outdoor study environment for students,” Soland said.

As the project is close to the Roddick Gates, it will impact student experience on campus. Ariana Pagnotta, U3 Nursing, told the //Tribune// that any project that provides students with a space for exercise and fresh air is appreciated.

“I believe this ‘expansion’ of the McGill campus will promote the mental and physical health of students and increase morale, especially during the midterm and final seasons,” Pagnotta said.

By the time the project is completed by 2026, downtown Montreal will already have undergone the implementation of the Réseau express métropolitain, the reconstruction of Saint Catherine Street, and the revitalization of Place Ville Marie.

Interviews with McGill students were completed in French and translated to English for this article.

McGill Refugee Research Group discusses complexities of refugee rights Panelists examine how Canada’s legal system leaves refugees in precarious position

Respina Rostamifar Staff Writer The McGill Refugee Research Group hosted an online discussion panel titled Canadian Law and Refugee Rights on Oct. 29. The panel featured Didem Doğar, a doctoral candidate and teaching fellow at the McGill University Faculty of Law, Jaime Lenet, a doctoral candidate at the School of Social Work, and Alicia Poole, a doctoral candidate at the Department of Sociology. With a focus on contemporary refugee issues, the three PhD candidates discussed their research findings on issues of entry, status approval, and removal.

Doğar opened the panel by explaining her research on the use of asylum testimonies in security certificate proceedings in Canada. The security certificate process determines if the refugee claimant is eligible to become a permanent resident in Canada. If the claimant is found to be involved in criminal activity, their claim is automatically rejected.

Doğar outlined how the right to not incriminate oneself— outlined in Articles 11 and 13 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms—does not apply to non-citizens. Doğar explained how the lack of rights under Articles 11 and 13 leaves refugees and migrants vulnerable to deportation from Canada and punishments from their state of origin.

“Canadian judicial authorities can use [criminal law] testimonies as evidence, not in a criminal proceeding, but in an immigration proceeding,” Doğar said. “[This allows the Canadian state] to remove […] non-Canadians who are inadmissible for reasons of national security. During this process, the Canadian government is entitled to issue a warrant for the foreigner [….] This consequence is as serious as loss of liberties under a criminal law that would offer protection of ill-treatment.”

Lenet, who researchers how the fundamental laws of the Canadian refugee system facilitate the removal of refugees, pointed out how legal ambiguities within the inland refugee system allow Canada to bypass its obligations to accept refugees.

“Removal [is] used to rationalize a host of lengths and measures related to processing the treatment of refugee claimants,” Lenet said. “These include tighter timelines for refugee determination, the use of detention, the use of surveillance technologies, exclusions from health and social

Research shows that the refugee system allows Canada to turn away refugees, subjecting them to punishments from their state of origin.

(Brian Schatteman / The McGill Tribune)

services, and incentivized departures. All of these are in the name of making removal simpler to carry out and more efficient.”

As a result, Lenet further questions the extent to which the refugee system benefits the state, rather than refugees.

“This calls into question the extent to which refugee protections are actually about protecting refugees or whether it has more to do with removing people from Canada,” Lenet said. “Despite the fundamental role of removal, there are huge gaps in knowledge about what it means for Canada to be removing so many former refugee claimants.”

Poole concluded the panel by sharing her research on the diverse migratory journeys of Iraqi emigrants. Specifically, Poole concentrated on entrance categorizations for migrants and how they further complicate the process. Poole explained that many migrants fleeing violence are unable to claim asylum because certain adjudication processes can prolong refugee proceedings.

“Migrant categorization is a negotiation with the state, instead of a process that sorts people,” Poole said. “[The case of Iraq post-2003] understands that violence may be the main motivation for migration, but not all those who flee necessarily use asylum and refugee channels. All these people had multistage journeys to Canada [….] Besides a few cases where people had to flee almost immediately for their lives, [...] the considerations that people took into account in deciding to migrate are not distinguishable by their entrance category in Canada.”

The panel was the second of three panel discussions hosted by the McGill Refugee Research Group this year. The first, The Double-Blind of Refugees in Lebanon was held on Oct. 8, and the final panel, Global Updates: Refugee Protection and Empowerment, will be held on Nov. 26.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3 2020

NEWS

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McGill scientists develop tracker to monitor COVID-19 vaccine developments

The team hopes this tracker will also be useful for those not in the medical community Maya Mau Staff Writer Continued from page 1.

Dr. Erica Moodie, a McGill professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, is a member of the team. In an interview with The McGill Tribune, Moodie explained why a COVID-19 vaccine tracker is important. “[Our team] created the tracker because we saw a need for comprehensive information with a global overview on the progress towards a vaccine,” Moodie said.

“The public health measures that we have in place now, [such as] masking, physical distancing, and hand-washing, are important elements of controlling the pandemic, and will continue to be needed even once a vaccine has been approved, but a vaccine remains one of the most powerful tools we hope to have to manage the pandemic.”

Basta’s team is excited to see that their resource is useful

for everyone, not necessarily just scientists or academics.

“We are seeing thousands of visits daily, with the website being accessed around the globe, so it is exciting to see that we really are provided a muchneeded informational resource,” Moodie said.

One Canadian vaccine followed by Basta’s tracker is being developed by Medicago, a Canadian biotechnology company which recently signed an agreement with the Canadian government to supply up to 76 million doses of its plantderived vaccine upon approval.

Currently, Medicago’s vaccine is in phase one, and still has a ways to go until it is approved for distribution, but McGill Professor of medicine Dr. Brain Ward, who is currently working on this trial as Medigo’s medical officer, told //The McGill Tribune// that this vaccine is likely to progress to the next phases soon.

“We’re producing a viruslike particle vaccine that delivers the ‘S’ protein using plants as

Almost 20 nations have vaccine candidates in phase three. (Xinhua / Alamy) the bioreactor,” Ward said in an interview with the Tribune.

“We’ve completed our phase one and will be entering phase two/ three in the next two to three weeks.”

While the COVID-19 tracker does not have a direct impact on the work that researchers like Ward are doing, Manuela Tomic, B.Sc ‘19 and a member of Basta’s team believes that their project provides the public with an understanding of the

international effort to combat COVID-19.

“It’s important to highlight the global-collaborative aspect of our tracker page,” Tomic said.

“Researchers around the world are working around the clock in order to develop a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine.

[With] multiple vaccines on the horizon chances are we’ll end up with multiple vaccines for the novel coronavirus.”

Katie Gravagna, a member

of Basta’s team and master’s student in the Faculty of Sciences, also thinks that the tracker is a crucial part of making information about the pandemic accessible to those not in the medical community.

“This tracker plays an important role in providing the information that people want to know about these vaccine candidates and their development in a way that everyone can engage with,” Gravagna said.

Alice Wong calls attention to the importance of disability visibility Virtual fireside chat discussion touched on accessibility in academia, education Ella Fitzhugh Staff Writer As part of a speaker series organized

by McGill Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies Faculty Lecturer Dr. Alex Ketchum, author and disability rights activist Alice Wong and Faculty of Education professor Elizabeth Patitsas gathered virtually on Oct. 28 to discuss the diverse experiences of people with disabilities.

Wong, the keynote speaker, is the editor of the anthology Disability Visibility: FirstPerson Stories from the Twenty-first Century.

Wong explained the book is intended for all audiences, noting that there is power in accessible language and in digging deeper than the mainstream representations of individuals with disabilities.

In her introductory remarks, Wong described her book as a celebration of people with disabilities, highlighting universal aspects of humanity.

“There’s a lot [of content in my book] of people just living their lives, and I think that’s really important,” Wong said. “Not all of them talked about disability. They talked about their careers or their passions or their work [....] I think that today is really important, more than the basic ‘this is what it’s like’ […] because I think we’ve seen that already.”

Wong did not use much, if any, scholarly writing in her book, because she found it difficult to access in many ways. She argued that the language in scholarly writings is out of reach from her own understanding, and she pointed to this as being problematic for the

Wong situates the concept of slowness as a significant form of resistance.Wong preaches utilizing the slowness brought by the pandemic in order to make time more fluid and less restricted by the Capitalistic norms of a fast-paced lifestyle. (Taja de Silva / The McGill Tribune) greater community of people with disabilities.

“There’s so much important knowledge being created by scholars that is so out of reach to the communities they’re writing about,” Wong said. “I do think that scholars should practice plain-language writing because what is the point of creating all this work if people aren’t going to be able to access it? [….] I think people should care about that.”

On the subject of learning and academia, Patitsas highlighted the value of incorporating discussions about disability in classroom

curricula. Both Wong and Patitsas agreed that more disability representation is something that benefits everyone.

“One thing […] I would add on for teachers in the audience is thinking about how you can talk about disability and make that part of your curriculum, because disability touches on everything,” Patitsas said. “Right now, the standard in our culture is to not talk about disability, to hide it, make it invisible, and [...] for disabled students, it’s hard for them to know about disabled history.”

Wong shared her experiences growing up with a disability in an educational system designed for non-disabled people. Her greatest childhood frustration was the persistent feeling of being a burden on her teachers.

Wong agreed with Patitsas that there must be a shift away from merely tolerating students with disabilities in classrooms, and towards creating an environment that allows them to flourish.

“There are so many things that I wasn’t included in or just put on the sideline as a kind of afterthought,” Wong said. “I think there are so many creative ways to think about how [to] bring everybody in without making that student feel so […] under the spotlight. I think this is a call for teachers to really be creative.”

During the question and answer period, Anna Ma, B.A. ‘08 and Professor Patitsas’ research assistant, asked if Wong had any advice on how to have productive family conversations about disability in the context of Chinese-American homes. Wong admitted that for her, sometimes letting go is more productive than trying to educate.

“I think I have been traumatized, to be honest, by comments, stereotypes, and [...] assumptions,” Wong said. “For me what’s been really helpful is knowing that I’m not alone in this.”

Wong assured Ma that it is possible to find support in a chosen family.

“For a while I thought maybe I was missing something in my communication with my parents and relatives,” Ma said. “It’s just really nice to have these feelings validated and to know that you’re not alone.”

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3 2020

NEWS

MISC panel reviews Quebec’s landmark 1995 independence referendum

Separatists and federalists discuss the Quebec referendum 25 years later Neel Hasan Contributor The McGill Institute for the Study of Canada (MISC) hosted an online panel titled The Quebec Referendum, 25 years later on Oct. 29. The discussion, moderated by Canada’s Commissioner of Official Languages and former McGill visiting lecturer, Graham Fraser, featured four speakers: Louise Beaudoin and Éric Bédard, who supported Quebec’s separation from Canada, and Eddie Goldenberg and John Parisella, who were against it. Panellists reflected on their personal experiences during the election and explained their positions.

On Oct. 30, 1995, Quebec held a referendum to determine whether it would separate from Canada. In the previous referendum concerning Quebec’s sovereignty in 1980, 60 per cent of Quebecers voted to stay in Canada. The 1995 election, however, was more unpredictable: The “No” coalition, which was opposed to Quebec separatism, won, capturing 50.58 per cent of the vote.

The panelists described their preparations leading up to election day in 1995, along with their views of the question posed to voters and how their respective sides reacted the day after the results were released. Each speaker detailed their personal experience with the 1995 referendum and how it differed from the one in 1980.

In the 1990s, the separatists were gaining support under the guidance of Jacques Parizeau,

The 1995 referendum saw an exceptional voter turnout, with 93.5% casting a vote.

(Brian Schatteman / The McGill Tribune) a prominent Quebecois sovereigntist. He had realized that a more united front was necessary to avoid the previous referendum’s defeat, which entailed ceding more authority to federal Quebecois politicians like Lucien Bouchard.

“It’s true he had a different approach,” Beaudoin said. “He understood very well that we had to ally ourselves [with the federal government]. The large coalition with the Bloc Québécois and Lucien Bouchard [...] was the big surprise. I want to say this about Parizeau, for whom independence was a life goal. He knew if we wanted to win, Lucien Bouchard

was needed.”

Goldenberg said that the side opposing separation also observed changes from 1980.

He explained that, with Pierre Elliot Trudeau no longer spearheading the federalist position, numerous factions on the “remain” front gained greater influence in the coalition.

“The referendum in 1980 [...] was shortly after Pierre Elliott Trudeau came back into office with a very strong mandate from the people of Quebec,” Goldberg said. “In 1995, Prime Minister Chrétien was in a far weaker position in the province of Quebec [....] That

affected how we could frame the campaign.

We depended more on the provincial Liberals to take the lead in the campaign than [Trudeau] did in 1980. That was the fundamental difference.”

The panelists described the moments leading up to the referendum. Both coalitions faced internal conflicts as the movement progressed and more diverse interests emerged.

Parisella explained that the federalists clashed over whether they could amend the constitution to give Quebec more autonomy and recognize Quebec as distinct in order to ease separatist sentiments. This move, however, was rejected

by Chrétien.

“There was an incident where Mr. Johnson, leader of the [federalists], spoke about the eventual constitutional change when Quebec [and] its distinct character would be recognized,” Parisella said. “Mr. Chrétien said basically this is not time to talk about constitutional change or negotiations, [and that the sovereigntists] want to break up the country, so let’s stay focused on that.”

In concluding the discussion, both sides of the vote acknowledged that, despite their opposing opinions about what is in the best interest of Quebec, unity among the citizens is most necessary to maintain a well-functioning society.

“Where we’re going in the future [...] we do it in a way that is respectful,” Goldenberg said. “We went through a very polarized time, and nobody liked it. A polarized society is the last thing we need.”

Tribune Explains: SSMU’s endorsement of the Sexual Violence Petition Laws in Quebec prevent universities from disclosing penalties against abusers Kate Addison News Editor The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) endorsed a petition on Oct. 29 demanding that the Quebec National Assembly amend its current privacy laws. The change would allow universities to disclose to survivors of sexual assault the sanctions institutions apply to their aggressors. Since its release, the petition has garnered nearly 2,000 signatures. The McGill Tribune looked into what this proposed amendment could mean for Quebec’s university and CEGEP students.

What are the petition’s demands?

Started by Alexandra Dupuy, Sarah Bérubé Thibault, Laurianne Ladouceur, and Stéphanie Thibodeau, four students and staff members from University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM), the petition calls for an amendment to the Act respecting Access to documents held by public bodies and the protection of personal information (CQLR c. A-2.1). The act currently does not allow CEGEP and university administrations to disclose information about disciplinary measures taken against alleged perpetrators of sexual

Since Oct. 29, the petition has reached 1,960 signatures out of its 2,500 objective.

(Sabrina Girard Lamas / The McGill Tribune)

violence.

Prior regulations governing privacy were passed in 1994. The National Assembly is currently in the process of modernizing several regulations relating to privacy documents under Bill 64: Act to Modernize Legislative Provisions Respecting the Protection of Personal Information. Introduced to the National Assembly on June 12, the Bill currently limits universities’ ability to disclose penalties imposed on people found to have committed acts of sexual violence.

If passed, Bill 64 will establish a default system of privacy known as “privacy by design.” This system ensures that public or private institutions that collect personal information must guarantee high levels of confidentiality for those whose information is collected.

Additionally, Bill 64 will increase fines for both public and private institutions who fail to follow the province’s new proposed privacy legislation.

The petition therefore calls on the Government of Quebec to amend Bill 64 to mandate universities to disclose to survivors of sexual violence the disciplinary

procedures placed on their aggressors. Petitioners argue that this would increase transparency within institutions that have historically covered up incidents of sexual violence. This is in accordance with Bill 151: An Act to prevent and fight sexual violence in higher education institutions, which was passed in 2017 and intended to protect survivors of sexual violence.

How could Bill 64 impact McGill?

As stated in SSMU’s endorsement of the petition, Bill 64 would help break the current culture of silence surrounding sexual violence at Quebec’s postsecondary institutions. As with all other universities in Quebec, when a report of gendered or sexual violence is made at McGill, the complainant is not informed of the outcome.

This means that McGill students and staff who report sexual or gendered violence will not be informed about any sanctions applied to their perpetrators. This is currently codified in McGill’s Policy Against Sexual Violence, which sets out provisions outlining

the procedure for dealing with allegations of sexual violence.

Under the policy, complaints are delegated to a Special Investigator who is able to undertake an investigation. The results of the investigation are then submitted to the Provost for further review.

What is survivor-centric justice?

The petition represents a move towards survivor-centric justice, which is an approach to justice that prioritizes the needs and safety of survivors of violence above all else. This approach can include treating survivors with dignity and respect, allowing survivors to access a private and non-judgmental environment, providing relevant information to allow survivors to make informed decisions, and ensuring that the survivor’s confidentiality is maintained.

The aim of survivor-centric justice is to prevent re-traumatization through legal proceedings. It is proven that this approach, in which the survivors’ lived experience is taken into account, encourages survivors to come forward about the violence they have experienced.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3 2020

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EDITORIAL BOARD Editor-in-Chief Helen Wu editor@mcgilltribune.com Creative Director Aidan Martin amartin@mcgilltribune.com Managing Editors Katia Lo Innes kinnes@mcgilltribune.com Nina Russell nrussell@mcgilltribune.com Kaja Surborg ksurborg@mcgilltribune.com

News Editors Maya Abuali, Kate Addison & Sequoia Kim news@mcgilltribune.com Opinion Editors Jonah Fried & Kennedy McKee-Braide opinion@mcgilltribune.com Science & Technology Editors Sophia Gorbounov & Ronny Litvack-Katzman scitech@mcgilltribune.com Student Life Editors Alaana Kumar & Leyla Moy studentlife@mcgilltribune.com Features Editor Kevin Vogel features@mcgilltribune.com Arts & Entertainment Editors Vanessa Barron & Jonathan Giammaria arts@mcgilltribune.com Sports Editors Adam Burton & Sarah Farnand sports@mcgilltribune.com Design Editors Ruobing Chen & Chloe Rodriguez design@mcgilltribune.com Photo Editor Caroline Shelton photo@mcgilltribune.com Multimedia Editors Sarah Ford & Alexandre Hinton multimedia@mcgilltribune.com Web Developers Benjamin Alexandor & Sasha Njini webdev@mcgilltribune.com Copy Editor Jackie Lee copy@mcgilltribune.com

OPINION

Toward survivor-centric justice in Quebec The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) announced on Oct. 29 that it had formally signed a petition calling on the Quebec government to amend Bill 64, an Act to modernize legislative provisions as regards the protection of personal information. According to the petition, which was launched in early October by students at UQAM, the bill must be amended to allow universities and CEGEPs to inform survivors of any sanctions imposed on their perpetrators. The current legislation prevents survivors from receiving this information, which creates an inherent flaw in Quebec’s approach to addressing sexual violence reports on university campuses.

In 2017, Quebec passed Bill 151, a law that defined the legal parameters for postsecondary institutions’ sexual violence policies. In many cases, however, existing privacy laws prioritize the safety of the accused over that of the survivor by prohibiting CEGEPs and universities from informing the survivor(s) about any disciplinary action taken against their aggressor, even after an investigation has taken place.

Quebec must make amendments

OFF THE BOARD

Social Media Editor Marie Saadeh socialmedia@mcgilltribune.com Business Manager Marilie Pilon business@mcgilltribune.com

TPS BOARD OF DIRECTORS Helen Wu, Caitlin Kindig, McEan Taylor,Tara Alami,Yara Shaheen-Abuelreish, Deana Korsunsky, Sequoia Kim, Kennedy McKee-Braide, Shreya Rastogi, Marilie Pilon, Heela Achakzai

STAFF Maya Abuali, Jasmine Acharya, Sepideh Afshar, Reza Ali, Margaret Askey, Zoe Babad-Palmer, Eve Cable, Rory Daly, Ella Fitzhugh, Defne Gurcay, Signy Harnad, Lucy Keller, Deana Korsunsky, Erika MacKenzie, Maya Mau, Madison McLauchlan, Adam Menikefs, Ella Milloy, Naomi Mirny, Matthew Molinaro, Shafaq Nami, Respina Rostamifar, Brian Schatteman, Noah Vaton, Josephine Wang, Xiaotian Wang, Margaret Wdowiak, Lowell Wolfe,Wendy Zhao

CONTRIBUTORS Neel Hasan, Zoe Karkossa, Karan Kumar, Michelle Marcus, Maya Mau, Michelle Siegel,Taja de Silva, Dante Ventulieri, Sabri Conde-Yassin

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Kennedy McKee-Braide Opinion Editor Like many other students at McGill, I’ve lived in Montreal my whole life. In fact, I haven’t left my West Island suburb for more than a few weeks at a time since my last year of elementary school. Before the pandemic struck the city in March, I would spend at least three hours every day taking the train to and from McGill, as would other commuter students.

For the bulk of the first two years of my degree, this

to establish a survivor-centric approach to addressing sexual violence, and McGill has a responsibility to take a stand against harmful impediments that undermine survivors’ safety.

Reporting incidents of sexual violence is incredibly difficult for survivors, both emotionally and procedurally: It can be both intrusive and traumatizing for a survivor to have to repeatedly recount their experience to strangers. Many feel ashamed or are afraid of being victim-blamed should they come forward. Additionally, survivors often have to jump through many hoops to even be able to file a report in the first place.

Quebec’s rules exacerbate these difficulties. Knowing what punitive action will be taken against one’s aggressor can, in some cases, provide a sense of security or closure to the survivor. When survivors are denied this, it can make them even less likely to come forward for fear that their aggressor will face no repercussions and that the emotional burden of filing a report will not be worth it. The current approach removes accountability from the institution, as universities are

under no obligation to disclose their responses.

McGill’s sexual violence policy also fails to adequately address the needs of survivors.

The university’s Policy Against Sexual Violence, revised in 2019, did see some important improvements, including the establishment of an external Special Investigator. However, the policy still poses barriers to survivors with its highly legalistic jargon, which can further dissuade survivors from coming forward.

Where McGill continues to fail, SSMU and other student-led groups have tried to intervene.

Ratified in 2019, SSMU’s interfaculty Involvement Restriction Policy aims to protect survivors by implementing restrictive measures against aggressors.

Survivors are given the autonomy to outline which measures they want to see taken, which can even include banning the aggressor from attending campus-wide events. Though not perfect, this approach prioritizes the survivor, and implementing a similar policy at the universitywide level would allow the administration to better support survivors. Above all, current university and provincial policies

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EDITORIAL

require more revision in order to effectively protect survivors and not aggressors.

Quebec must make amendments to its privacy laws that establish exceptions for cases of sexual violence in universities. If McGill is serious about taking action against sexual violence, as it often claims, then it must stand up to this harmful legislation and demonstrate leadership on this issue. Given the university’s shameful track record on sexual violence issues and concern for its reputation above all else, students are key in keeping the university accountable. As such, they must also sign and share the petition in solidarity with survivors.

Sexual violence is traumatic and often life-altering. Survivors should not have to feel isolated from their communities and institutions, nor should they have to fear returning to their educational spaces without knowing whether necessary action has been taken against their aggressors. It is up to the government to amend its laws, but McGill must take the lead in enshrining survivorcentric justice in its policies and response processes.

On the ‘university experience’ commute was the most obvious manifestation of my frustration with the fact that I stayed in Montreal for school. I was jealous watching students from outside Montreal make new friends, explore a new city, and make what seemed like quintessential university memories. Living at home, I’ve always felt like I’ve missed out on these experiences.

While I recognize that being a Quebec student has its financial perks and privileges, I often felt like I was missing out on a stereotypical “university experience.”

There is a lot of pressure on students’ first year to be characterized by total independence, living with friends, and partying. I assume that a lot of this stems from the media we consume when leading up to starting university, which tends to paint college as a universally transformative and thrilling experience. So, when I got to McGill and experienced something that did not fulfill my expectations, I felt resentful.

University can be isolating at the best of times, and my sense of isolation was made worse by being a commuter.

The COVID-19 pandemic has put students’ lives on pause, but for good reason. In a way, this pause has exacerbated the feeling that any hope of the university experience I once pictured is now nearly out of the question. But on the other hand, it has allowed me to reflect on how things may still be different when life goes back to “normal,” whatever that may look like.

In retrospect, I realized that I have taken many aspects of living in the same city my whole life for granted. Having never experienced a period of major change, you start to assume— even if subconsciously—that things will always remain the same. However, I have one year left until I graduate and will move on from McGill before I know it, likely leaving most of what I have ever known behind.

This is not only true for me.

My three best friends, whom I’ve known since high school, are also all nearing graduation.

When we all do, we’ll be separated for the first time, with most of us planning on moving to different places for graduate school. This realization really struck me during the pandemic,

especially when we had to spend so much time apart in the spring. Missing their company made me realize that they have made my high school, CEGEP, and university experiences what they are and that I began to wish things won’t have to change.

As young people, it can be easy to wish away formative periods in our lives, thinking that things would fall into place if one factor were different. But if the pandemic has taught me anything, it’s that life will not always work out how you may have pictured it—and that that’s not always a bad thing. Rather than being frustrated with what I may have lost out on due to the pandemic, or spending my time wishing I could time-travel forward, I am trying my hardest to see this as an opportunity to cherish my newfound appreciation for my own unique university experience.

Now, I hope more than anything that I can meet my friends on the train at 7:00 a.m. again before the end of our degrees. While I might still complain, I’ll be more grateful than ever for the time that I do get to spend with them.

6

OPINION

COMMENTARY

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3 2020

New international students need more support on immigration procedures

Maya Mau Staff Writer On Sept. 15, I, along with many other international students, received an automated email from McGill Legal Services notifying me that I was at risk of deregistration due to missing immigration documents. Although I applied for my documents over the summer, the Quebec documents uploading system did not correctly upload my files to Minerva. By the time I realized the issue and followed up on it, the semester had already started and the deadline by which I was supposed to have applied had passed. Bewildered, I wished that McGill had provided more support and clearly communicated with me earlier.

The email suggested that I submit proof of application for Quebec’s Certificate of Acceptance of Québec (CAQ) by Nov. 1 to avoid being deregistered. I had thought that I was staying ahead of the curve by submitting the required document to McGill by Oct. 1. Instead, McGill asked me to send additional proof of application for my Canadian Study Permit and told me that this would merely help prevent these measures, offering no concrete assurance that the university would not deregister me. When my CAQ was denied due to the deadline issue, I panicked.

It is reasonable that Quebec and Canada insist that McGill must have immigration paperwork filed for all students to legally study at the university.

COMMENTARY

However, the pandemic has made it much more difficult for students not currently in Montreal to obtain these documents.

Given that the government is nonetheless requiring that international students have them, McGill needs to provide extra support to international students by connecting them to the appropriate resources since there are processing delays.

When my permit was denied, I did not know who to consult. The resources regarding legal documentation on the McGill Enrolment Services website do not offer immigration advice, and neither does Arts Advising nor Student Housing and Hospitality Services. After several days of trying to figure out what my next steps should be, McGill Legal Documentation told me that McGill International Student Services (ISS) could assist me with immigration issues. It should not be such a bureaucratic maze to find out about and access services like ISS, which does valuable work for students like me.

Despite having to pay an extra $110 to refile a new application, the ISS provided advice that assured I could get my CAQ approved. Had I been connected with the ISS earlier, I may have gotten my approval earlier.

Though returning McGill students may have a better understanding of what services and resources the university provides, many first-year students are adjusting to how McGill works during an exceptionally stressful and overwhelming time. Ironically, I chose to attend McGill in

Many new international students were unable to receive essential government documents on time this year, and McGill threatened to deregister them as a result. (Jasmine Acharya / The McGill Tribune)

part due to its early communication about remote course delivery for Fall 2020.

After receiving another intimidating email from McGill, and having once again requested some assurance about my status, Enrolment Services told me that I will not be deregistered for Fall 2020 and implied that I would not be for Winter 2021 either.

Thankfully, I received an approval for my second CAQ application on Oct. 30.

However, this issue illustrates broader problems with navigating McGill’s bureaucratic services.

Eventually,

international students currently living in their home countries will be able to come back to Montreal, and all students will need these documents to be registered for classes at the university. In order for this to happen, McGill has a responsibility to help its students navigate the bureaucratic issues posed by these extraordinary circumstances. Though the situation is not the university’s fault, it is often the only resource incoming international students have to help deal with these incredibly stressful issues.

Better engagement with students can prevent another failed SSMU referendum

Michelle Marcus Contributor The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) recently held its Fall 2020 Special Referendum to ratify changes made to the SSMU constitution. One of the key proposals would have renamed SSMU’s Judicial Board (J-Board) to the “SSMU Appellate Committee.’’ The name change would reflect SSMU’s new vision for the J-Board’s legalistic procedures, and was intended to convey a more honest and accurate representation of the scope of the Board’s decision making powers, which are below those of the democratically elected SSMU Board of Directors (BoD). Although ratifying the name change would have been a step towards creating a more transparent and accessible SSMU, it failed because of an alarmingly low 10.6 per cent voter turnout, which meant that SSMU did not meet the 15 per cent quorum needed to enact these changes. The referendum’s failure indicates that SSMU must make a better effort to provide students with adequate context to understand the importance of participating in student government.

Low voter turnout in SSMU elections is not a new issue. For some students, voting is only worthwhile when proposed changes include adding a fall reading week to the academic calendar. For many students, however, the decision to opt-out of voting stems from deeper resentment or skepticism towards a body that they perceive as secretive and elitist by nature. Past scandals have left a bad impression on those who believe that elected student representatives, and the body through which they operate, continuously fall short when it comes to upholding the pillars of transparency and

accountability on which they claim to be built.

Realistically, making the J-Board an “Appellate” committee would in no way erase SSMU’s affiliation with scandal, elitism, or misrepresentation. However, the proposed name change was more than just an outward, surface-level expression; it represented practical,

The Fall 2020 Special Referendum failed this year because it did not meet the 15% student quorum, in part because SSMU did not adequately communicate the importance of the issues on the ballot.

(Leanne Young / The McGill Tribune)

internal revision to the J-Board’s operations and SSMU’s portrayal of these operations to students. The question implemented various framework adjustments to reduce accessibility issues, and openly acknowledged that the democratically elected Board of Directors has ultimate authority over legal matters. This indicates that SSMU was prepared to take a step towards mitigating the confusion and skepticism surrounding its division

of powers and the capacity of elected representatives.

The name change, in many ways, symbolized a step towards addressing some of the issues of transparency and accessibility that have failed to engage the student body. Despite the name change acknowledging that authoritative power over SSMU’s legal matters is held by democratically elected BoD representatives, and not a committee of seven students, voter turnout was the lowest SSMU has seen in five years. This turnout rate emphasizes how little students actually know about the importance of voting in the first place.

It would be a mistake to assume that the issue here is the McGill electorate. Students who are otherwise politically active would not belittle an election, even for a student society, if they had any idea that their vote could lead to substantial improvements in SSMU’s decision making processes. Outlining the meaning behind proposed changes only after students log on to vote is counter-intuitive: It pushes the burden of informed voting onto students who are occupied with other issues.

That SSMU is unable to get students to the polls, even when the changes at hand will address the very areas in which students have been hoping to see progress, begs the question of whether SSMU is actually as committed to accessibility as the proposed name change suggested.

It is encouraging to see that SSMU is working to improve the transparency of its power structure and student accessibility to its services. However, if the Society wants to reach the students who have been repelled by its overly bureaucratic nature, it must find a way to show them, prior to voting, that it is not just slapping on a new name tag on the same old body, but amending the system that operates behind the name tag.

STUDENT LIFE

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3 2020

7

Celebrating spooky season with ‘Haunted Histories’

Classics and History Students’ Associations bring the Halloween tradition to students’ homes Maya Mau Staff Writer In the 2020 iteration of their yearly Halloween tradition, the Classics Students’ Association (CSA) and History Students’ Association (HSA) co-hosted “Haunted Histories,” a night of short Halloween-themed lectures that drew over 80 Zoom participants. Prior to the Oct. 27 event, each department asked two of their professors to speak about a spooky or Halloween-related topic.

This year, Dr. Philip Gooding and Professor Andrea Tone represented the History department, while the Classics department nominated Dr. Brahm Kleinman and Dr. Martin Sirois. Traditionally, lecturers are given free rein to choose their topic, as long as it suits the event’s “haunted” theme.

HSA President Dalton Liggett, U3 Arts, discussed the process by which the professors and the respective students’ associations selected topics.

“The professors share a ‘pitch’ with us in advance about what story they will tell and we then either confirm their pitch or suggest any adjustments if there are any concerns about topicality, spookiness, [and] appropriateness,” Liggett said.

“Haunted Histories” has been running for over five years, and has become a hallowed tradition, even outside of the History and Classics departments. Usually, it is held in a dimly-lit lecture hall where attendees can pass around Halloween candy and listen to spooky music.

However, like all other event organizers this semester, the CSA and HSA had to make adjustments due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, this year’s event was hosted on Zoom, bringing the bloodcurdling lectures to students’ homes. Despite the adjustments, CSA President Taryn Power,

Haunted Histories, which has been running for five years, has become a tradition of McGill’s History and Classics departments. (Rebloggy) U2 Arts, had faith that students still enjoyed the stories.

“It [wasn’t] the same [as previous versions], but I think that hearing the stories the professors have prepared [is] still a fun way to mark the season altogether,” Power said.

Gooding discussed lakes and ocean spirits in the nineteenth-century Western Indian Ocean world. The activities of spirits, referred to in Swahili as majini, were believed to have a lot of influence on the physical world. If appeased correctly, majini would guide sailors, but if not, they could destroy ships. There was said to be a hidden city under the sea in Lake Tanganyika that was run by majini, so people believed it is important to appease them through rituals.

Next, Kleinman presented on spooky specters and haunted houses in the Roman Empire.

“I’m very excited, not just to tell you all about scary

Roman ghosts, but also to learn from the other presenters,” Kleinman said at the beginning of his lecture.

Kleinman told listeners about the Roman Emperor Pliny, who wrote letters to his friend Lucius Licinius Sura about his conviction in believing in ghosts, based on three ghost stories. The moral of many of the stories was the importance of properly burying the dead.

Then, Tone talked about Walter Freeman, an American physician who specialized in lobotomy and carried with him an ice pick and a hammer around West Virginia. He “liberated” mentally ill patients by lobotomizing them, which he believed would also “liberate” taxpayers financially.

Lastly, Sirois discussed the origins of the novel. Typically, early novels were written in prose and featured young couples in love, epic adventures, and internal storytelling. There were also stories of mysterious “false” deaths, such as the ancient story of the maiden Philinnion, who was said to have died and come back to life around 350 BCE. After the lectures, participants engaged with the presenters during a Q&A session. The instructors’ passion for their topics made for a fascinating and captivating night.

“The heart of the series is offering professors a platform to share with History and Classics students any of the spookiest stories they’ve encountered while doing their historical research,” Liggett said.

Overall, it was a successful night of storytelling and celebrating the spooky season. Students who missed this event or could not attend due to time zone differences can still enjoy the tales, as a recording of the event has been temporarily uploaded to YouTube. CSA and HSA will also collaborate in February to create a “Love in the Time of…”

Valentine’s Day lecture series next February.

The highs and lows of plant parenthood

Nurturing your plants, and your wellbeing, during the colder months Margaret Askey Staff Writer With Halloween now behind us and orange leaves beginning to choke up gutters around Montreal, students may be looking for ways to keep seasonal mood swings at bay. Houseplants are one affordable, easy-to-maintain, and fulfilling avenue to brighten any living space.

Described by her friends as a “plant mom,” Shrabani Debroy, the Local Wellness Advisor (LWA) for McGill’s Law department, explained the benefits of plants in one’s personal space.

“I think that just the idea of growing something and taking care of [it], [tends] to a lot of our nurturing needs,” Debroy said.

“Just watching the plants grow, that’s really rewarding. Whenever my plant has a new leaf, it’s super [...] exciting!”

Debroy highlighted Peperomia, a succulent-like houseplant that is easy to care for, among her personal favourite plants.

“They’re so much fun, and they come in so many varieties,” Debroy said. “They tend to grow [well]. I also like ‘ZZ’ plants [Zamioculcas zamiifolia].

They’re super easy to take care of. They’re so beautiful that they

Succulents, cacti, spider plants, and the vine-growing Pothos are easy to care for and perfect for new plant parents. (Freepik.com) look plastic, [so they] literally look fake.”

The scientific names of plants can be confusing to students at first but thankfully, there are some amazing online resources for those hoping to get started from ground zero. The Quebec government has a helpful and informative website that breaks down everything one needs to know about home gardening.

For students without a green thumb to speak of, or who even have a trail of murdered houseplants in their past, fear not:

There are plenty of plants that thrive off of negligence and are easy for beginners to take care of.

Aptly named for its spindly leaves, the “spider plant” deserves the hype as it is easy to care for and propagate. Similar to the spider plant, the “pothos” is often cultivated in hanging baskets as it is a vine-growing plant. With durable and waxy heart-shaped leaves, this household classic is a great option that also saves space. Any variety of cacti would also be a good choice, as they are notoriously hard to kill and very

resistant to neglect. That being said, not all cacti are created equal, so it is best to do cursory research on any specific varieties.

Finally, the ‘flamingo lily’ is a simple yet beautiful tropical flowering plant, and known to endure neglect well.

Tasmin Chu, U1 Arts, shared her perspective as a novice plantcaretaker in the hopes that it would encourage other students to make the leap and adopt a few plants of their own. However, Chu does not identify herself as a plant parent.

“Absolutely not, because I kill a lot of plants,” Chu said. “But at the same time, I’m a regretful serial killer [....] The passage of plants [through] my life may be transitory, but I still experience a lot of joy [as a result].”

While her own collection is rather modest, Chu still had helpful pointers for novice plant parents who may be restricted by a lack of natural light and surface space in their living spaces.

“I have a flamingo plant, [and] his name is John Donne, after the English poet who wrote some very sexy verses,” Chu said. “Flamingo plants are very easy to take care of because they don’t require a lot of sun or water. Start out with something low maintenance that you’re not afraid to kill.”

Speaking to the studies that have been done on the alleged benefits—both physical and psychological—of owning houseplants, Chu was slightly skeptical.

“I appreciate that in a hyper-productive modern world, people feel the need to justify owning plants to themselves by touting the so-called benefits of owning plants,” Chu said. “But honestly, it’s [just] a plant and it’s beautiful.”

McGill’s dirty, oily secrets Probing the depths of McGill’s investment portfolio Sequoia Kim News Editor Content warning: physical violence, sexual violence

Investigating McGill’s investments in extractives For years, campus environmental activist groups such as Divest McGill and Climate Justice Action McGill have been vocal about their demands: McGill must stop coddling extractive industries, namely fossil fuel and mining companies. From gold mining tycoon and heavy fossil fuel investor Seymour Schulich’s $20 million donation to McGill in 2005, to McGill’s own asbestos industry propagandist, Professor J. C. McDonald, to whom the Quebec Asbestos Mining Association gave one million dollars to produce phony research in 1997, the baggage of McGill’s dubious business dealings weighs heavily on students’ consciences and futures.

There’s a reason that an environmental ethics professor resigned from his post at McGill over McGill’s embarrassing failure to divest three times in a row—the ethics of investing in industries that perpetuate environmental colonialism only advance the looming climate crisis, outweighing any argument, financial or other, in their favour.

McGill’s connection to extractive industries is both obvious and strategically covert. In McGill’s Office of Investments, only three files are publicly accessible: McGill’s Canadian, American, and Non-North American equity holdings as of June 2020. Although one can view McGill’s quarterly and annual endowment reports dating back to the early 2000s, investment data from recent years is absent from formal channels. Information about McGill’s investments and mingling with extractive industries is available, however, one must go digging for it.

There is a wealth of data on McGill’s extractive investment portfolio that has been made available by public initiatives,

circumventing bureaucratic hoops that would otherwise bury such information.

McGilliLeaked and mcgillinvests.in provide the public with everything they need to know about McGill’s investment portfolios without having to submit an Access to Information Request (ATI). Christopher Bangs, B.A. ’12 uploaded most of the documents, obtained through ATIs, to the original McGilliLeaked website, which was created in 2012.

Launched in May 2018 by Igor Sadikov, B.A. ‘17, and David Summerhays, B.A. ‘05, mcgillinvests.in compiles and categorizes McGill’s endowment investment data. The tool was created in conjunction between Sadikov, Summerhays, and several other groups across campus.

As of March 31, 2019, McGill invests $49,126,925.34 in oil and gas industries and $18,382,415.67 in the mining and extractive industries, representing 7.6 per cent and 2.6 per cent of the endowment, respectively.

Every year, the Carbon Underground 200 (CU200) ranks the top 100 coal and top 100 oil and gas reserve holders globally by the estimated carbon emissions of their reported reserves in gigatons.

CU200 listed British Petroleum (BP) as the sixth-highest oil and gas reserve holder, with an estimated 7.472 gigatons in their current oil and gas reserves. In June 2019 McGill held $1,586,149 in BP stock. Allowing these companies to burn through their reserves would be disastrous: 565 gigatons represents the maximum amount that can be released into the atmosphere by the middle of the century to still have reasonable hope of staying below two degrees and avoiding serious climate disaster.

It is shameful that McGill turns its back to the gravity of this situation, investing not only in the burning of fossil fuels today, but also of tomorrow.

Although CU200 prohibits disclosing the emissions and groups beyond the top 10 companies, McGill had investments in several other companies on the oil and gas top 100 list and in the top 100 company’s proven coal reserves list. In each of these companies, McGill has been a consistent, seven-figure investor.

Enbridge Inc. Protests against Enbridge’s multiple pipelines snaking through Canada have been ongoing for years. In 2015—when McGill held $3,540,900 in Enbridge equities—three demonstrators, including one Anishinaabe woman, manually sealed a valve along the Line 9 pipeline running from Sarnia to Montreal and chained themselves to the operating site in protest. In the infamous Chemical Valley, located just outside Sarnia, Enbridge operates within 15 minutes of 62 other oil refineries and petrochemical plants. Nearby, oil giants Suncor and Shell—both McGill investments— surround the Aamjiwnaang First Nation reserve, spewing chemicals and releasing toxins into the air. As a consistent investor in these industries, McGill is complicit in ongoing environmental colonialism and continues to pledge support to an industry slowly destabilizing and poisoning communities across Canada.

When protests continued in 2016,

McGill’s winter equities in Enbridge stood at $5,401,400. In 2017, the company was responsible for 763 spills, totaling 93,852 barrels of both light, heavy, and even tar sands crude from 2005 to 2017, when McGill’s Enbridge holdings increased to $6,728,097 in the spring.

In 2018, land defenders set up a prayer camp, Spirit of Buffalo, near the Canada-U.S. border, protesting Enbridge’s Line 3 pipeline. McGill held $4,657,551 in equities in December 2018.

As protests against Line 3 endured into the spring, so too did McGill’s investment into Enbridge, holding $6,190,118 in March 2019.

While activists and land defenders chained themselves to posts and put their livelihoods at stake, McGill strode at the side of an oppressor. As of June 2020, McGill holds $1,193,735 in Enbridge Inc.

TC Energy and the Coastal Gaslink protests Formerly known as TransCanada Energy, TC Energy is the company behind a vast network of pipelines stretching across Canada.

Recently, protests erupted over the proposed construction of TC energy’s $6.6 billion Coastal GasLink Pipeline (CGL) that would snake through 190 kilometers of unceded Wetʼsuwetʼen territory in British Columbia.

Following the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s (RCMP) raids and clearing of peaceful checkpoints on unceded Wet’suwet’en territory on Jan. 7, 2019, and Feb. 6, 2020, blockades and demonstrations swept across the country in solidarity with the Wet'suwet'en people. The protests made their way onto McGill’s campus: On Feb. 18, 2020, members of Divest McGill, Climate Justice Action McGill, and Greenpeace McGill blocked the entrances of the James McGill building, demanding that McGill divest from TC energy.

However, McGill was undeterred by the uproar, and currently holds $5,050,176 in TC

Energy.

On Oct. 26, 2020, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) released a statement condemning the proposed Quebec-Gazoduq Énergie Saguenay Project. If approved, Gazoduq would build a 782 kilometre-long liquid natural gas (LNG) pipeline from Alberta to a liquefaction plant in Saguenay, Quebec.

The Gazoduq would connect to TC’s existing pipeline framework running from Western Canada to Northern Ontario, and would flow 1.8 billion

Pembina’s LNG pipeline and facility projects in Coos County, Oregon. Between 2016 and 2020, Pembina funelled over two million dollars into the sheriff’s department. The office hosted law enforcement training, purchased riot gear, monitored environmentalists’ activity, and even conspired with Pembina’s private security companies to gather information about potential protests—all in a collusive attempt to stymie opposition to the project.

In addition to the proposed pipeline’s environmental risk to Rogue River and surrounding communities in Oregon, Pembina’s connections with law enforcement are insidious.

McGill’s investment has helped a fossil fuel company fund the suppression of environmental activism for years.

Canadian mining companies

cubic feet of natural gas per day to Saguenay.

Elara Neath Thomin, U2 Arts and member of Divest McGill, said that Divest McGill had recently submitted a consultation to the Office of Public Hearings on the Environment on Oct. 22 in opposition to the LNG project in its entirety.

“Divest McGill is [...] deeply concerned about the impacts [that] the project could have on Indigenous populations living near the construction site(s), particularly women, girls and members of the LGBTQ+ community, who are especially vulnerable to violence and discrimination,” Thomin wrote to the Tribune. “Furthermore, we see the LNG project as being antithetical to the fight against climate change to which we are committed.”

Pembina and collusion with police forces As of June 2020, McGill holds equities valuing $2,352,178 in Pembina, a Calgary-based pipeline company. Pembina has been funnelling company money into the specific unit of the Coos County Sheriff’s Office tasked with managing pushback against the Jordan Cove project—

McGill’s investment in Canadian mining companies is also worth examining and questioning. A 2016 Justice and Corporate Accountability Project (JCAP) report, “The Canada Brand,” investigated Canadian mining companies in 13 different countries across Latin America. The investigation found that over 44 deaths, 403 injuries, and 733 arrests or warrants occurred at the hands of 28 Canadian mining companies, several of which McGill has invested in over the past few years. Leah Gardner, McGill BCL ’16, one of the report’s co-authors, was struck by the extent and frequency of the violence.

“A lot of times you hear from the industry and government [that] ‘Oh, it’s just a few bad apples, [there are] just a few human rights violations at these mines,’ but the data clearly reflects a different problem, which is that it’s a systemic problem,” Gardner said.

Total E&P Canada, and an additional $6,204.10 from four other companies. The total donations received between 2008 and 2015 totalled $1,137,954.10.

Another ATI document showed that between 2008 and 2015, Imperial Oil Ltd. donated $425,750 and Shell donated $225,000 in grants to students primarily in the Faculties of Engineering. In total, Imperial Oil and Shell donated $702,775 to fund research grants over a span of seven years.

In 2008, Imperial Oil Foundation donated $800,000 over five years to fund a lab at McGill called Winners of Wonderment.

The Faculty of Engineering website’s current list of corporate sponsors includes two mining companies, Rio Tinto and ArcelorMittal Mining Canada G.P., and one fossil fuel company, Suncor.

This generous funding is nothing more than an open invitation to join an industry that desperately needs to be phased out—any industry slowly dragging the world towards a collective climate disaster is everything but generous.

Sophie Leblanc, Chief Investment Officer and Treasurer at McGill’s Office of Investments, said that McGill is working to decarbonize its endowment portfolio and also hopes to increase its “impact investments”—low-carbon investments like renewable energy, clean technologies, energy efficiency, green building, and pollution prevention—over the coming years.

“Since the last few months, it has already reduced carbon emissions of its endowment public equity portfolio, relative to

Barrick Gold Corp As of Jun. 30, 2020, McGill’s largest equity share in the extractive industry is with Barrick Gold Corp., at $6,630,926. Over the last decade, various actors have sued Barrick Corp for publishing company disclosures that misrepresented the environmental damage of their mining operations.

Samuel Helguero, L2 Law and member of Divest McGill and McGill Corporate Accountability Project, explained his opposition to Canadian mining companies like Barrick Gold in an email to The McGill Tribune.

“On the human rights front, there are incredibly disturbing stories that have emerged out of countries like Papua New Guinea, where 137 women received compensation for being raped around a Barrick Gold mine,” Helguero said. “Barrick Gold, in which McGill invests substantially, had its founder go on record saying ‘gang rape is a cultural habit’ in Papua New Guinea.”

Gardner interned with Social Justice Connection Montreal during her undergraduate degree at McGill, travelled to Colombia twice as a human rights accompanist, and now volunteers with JCAP. She urged universities to think more critically about the impact of their investments.

“I think Canadian universities, when investing in the mining industry, should [...] be doing due diligence in terms of what they invest in,” Gardner said. “If they are continuing to invest in a company that doesn’t respect the free, prior, and informed consent of Indigenous people or violates human rights or causes environmental damage [...], they need to divest. Otherwise, they are complicit.”

McGill’s donations and research grants from companies in the extractive industry

Although McGill finances these industries through its investments, these companies reciprocally send money to the university as well. An ATI request revealed all donations received by the office of University Advancement from extractive and fossil fuel companies from April 2008 to January 2015.

Over the course of seven years, McGill accepted $3,650 from Cenovus Energy Inc., $1,600 from Gaz Metro, $735,000 from Shell Canada Limited, $400,000 from Suncor Energy Inc, $482,000 from the Imperial Oil Foundation, $170,000 from

the MIP public equity benchmark, by about 20 per cent,” Leblanc said. “This puts the University well on the way to reaching the CAMSR target of a 33 per cent reduction by 2025, with the majority of those gains being made in the first two years.”

--McGill’s continued investment in fossil fuel and mining companies is a trespass of a serious ethical faultline. The implications of these investments are exhausting on many levels: They exhaust the communities and livelihoods who are directly impacted by these industries; they exhaust land defenders and environmentalists who put their lives at risk to stop the unabated encroachment of these toxic industries; they exhaust student groups and campus watchdogs who are continually let down

by McGill’s apathy; they exhaust the earth; and they are rapidly exhausting our chance of mitigating the towering climate crisis.

The fight for climate justice necessarily extends far beyond one university divesting from fossil fuels. But until then, every injustice and dollar invested only makes our chance at a sustainable future feel more and more like a pipe dream.

Design by Ruobing Chen, Design Editor

10 STUDENT LIFE

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3 2020

A walking tour of Montreal’s murals

Study break-worthy public art to take a stroll past Lilly Lecanu-Fayet Contributor After a recent announcement that Montreal will remain in the red zone in November, many students are at a loss as to how to spend their free time. Students have exhausted the many movies to watch with roommates and, due to the drop in temperatures, can no longer spend time lounging in the park with friends. Inspired by the summer’s MURAL Festival, taking advantage of Montreal’s incredible mural art scene is a great way to make walks with friends more interesting. The McGill Tribune has put together a walking tour of four incredible murals, starting on Sherbrooke Street and heading up Saint Laurent Boulevard, during which students will pass by many more public artworks to reach the pinpointed destinations.

“Burnt Toast,” Scott Martin - Rue Sherbrooke and Ave du Parc: Created by Canadian-born artist Scott Martin, this piece is hard to miss. Considerably recognized for his digital work, Martin has recently expanded into the world

of murals. Located at the back of Provigo, “Burnt Toast” is a massive mural depicting three pastel characters, two standing and one in a wheelchair. With a soothing purple background, the three subjects all have twisty-turny limbs and are gazing in different directions. The piece is meant to touch on the topics of diversity and inclusion, and is sponsored by the yogurt brand Light and Free. The upcoming line of yogurts all have Martin’s cheeky designs present on the top of the labels.

“Untitled,” Inti Prince Arthur and Milton on Clark: The next stop of the tour is located on the brick wall facing Parc Ethel-Stark. While today the mural is partially covered by graffiti, its gravity is still coherent. The muralist Inti was born in Valparaíso, Chile and began his career at a young age painting murals on the walls of his home town. Since then, Inti has participated in mural festivals across the world, including in Montreal. This particular mural is untitled and depicts the famous folkloric character, kusillo, who recalls traditional Incan symbols. The

viewer in their complacency. This piece is powerful, daring, and accurately portrays the language of sociopolitical upheaval at the top of the mural with the words, “Sorry is not enough.”

“FVCKRENDER” by Frederic Duquette - Saint Laurent and St. Dominique:

As the months get colder, there’s still reason to get outside and take a look at Montreal’s beautiful murals. (Caroline Shelton / The McGill Tribune) enormous piece of art is not just beautiful—it will invite viewers to stay and take a closer look at the detailed patterns, intricate features, and entrancing composition.

“DENIAL” Daniel Joseph Bombardier - Saint Laurent and Clark: Next, take only a few steps onto Saint Laurent Boulevard to find Daniel Joseph Bombardier’s pop art masterpiece. The title of his piece, “DENIAL,” was adopted

in 1999 and has been intended to ridicule society’s denial of reality when it comes to media, advertising, and the world of politics. Bombardier is Canadian born; however, he has created many similar murals around the world satirizing contemporary politics. This particular mural is meant to challenge the viewer in understanding the North American political climate, and with the recent attention on social justice activism such as the Black Lives Matter movement, it remains salient. “DENIAL” calls out the

Our final stop on the tour is “FVCKRENDER” by Frédéric Duquette. This recently finished masterpiece showcases an array of delicate flowers against a black-painted brick wall. The striking juxtaposition has become part of Duquette’s signature style and has brought him wide recognition in both the mural scene and the pop culture world.

Duquette has previously collaborated with Dior, Lil Nas X, and Supreme. His work is innovative and is often mixed with cutting edge fashion, photography, and graphic work. This is a must-see on the tour.

To expand the tour and get more information on the hundreds of incredible murals across Montreal, check out the dynamic map of murals on the Mural Festival website.

SSMU Eating Disorder Resource Center provides crucial support to students Pressures of pandemic on disordered eating makes EDRSC especially important

Josephine Wang Staff Writer For individuals struggling with eating disorders, psychosocial stressors and social distancing orders have posed unique risks and far-reaching health effects. Isolation can trigger those struggling with disordered eating and body dysmorphia, and social distancing can disturb daily routines and make maintaining support systems difficult.

The Students’ Society of McGill University’s (SSMU) Eating Disorder Resource and Support Centre (EDRSC) is a volunteer and staff-run organization founded in 2019 that is committed to providing the McGill and broader Montreal community with support services, advocacy, events, and information regarding disordered eating. Their services are free, non-judgemental, and confidential.

In an email interview with The McGill Tribune, EDRSC’s Training Coordinator Paloma Helper explained what prompted the creation of the EDRSC and how the new organization has adjusted their services during the pandemic.

“In the winter of 2019, our general coordinator Cody Esterle organized the first SSMU [Eating Disorder] Awareness Week,” Helper said. “The two of us decided to try to start an eating disorder support centre through SSMU. We were both frustrated with the lack of resources and support available on campus [...] as well as with the misinformation and mainstream narratives around [eating disorders] that centre the experiences of young, thin, cis white women and create a reductive and harmful understanding of mental illness and eating disorders.”

In both 2019 and 2020, the EDRSC was awarded the Roma Nadeem Memorial Award and also officially became a fee-funded SSMU service. The service has grown into a resource centre that supports students, raises

For the first time, EDRSC invited students to share their creative work related to eating disorders in a zine. (GettyImages.ca) awareness, and provides proper education surrounding eating disorders.

With the stay-at-home orders of COVID-19, EDRSC has adjusted their services to an online format, as they realize how the disturbances of the pandemic are disproportionately affecting students with certain needs.

“COVID-19 has significantly impacted many people’s lives in negative ways, especially those who experience financial or housing insecurity, racism, those who are more vulnerable to the health effects of COVID-19,” Helper said. “The financial and life stressors that accompany COVID-19 […] are really difficult things that make it hard to maintain mental health and therefore can exacerbate an eating disorder.”

A study published in July in the International Journal of Eating Disorders found that individuals with eating disorders, including anorexia, binge-eating disorder, and bulimia may experience worse symptoms in quarantine, while those with past eating disorders may be vulnerable

for relapse during the pandemic. In response, EDRSC has significantly changed how their support services are being offered.

“Our support groups are now held over Zoom twice a week,” Helper said. “We have a sign-up form on our website and Facebook page for groups. We also recently started a partnership with The Looking Glass Foundation, a BC-based eating disorder recovery support space. Our volunteers work on their platform, offering a free forum space that McGill students use to have one-on-one, ongoing conversations with our volunteers. [EDRSC] is still organizing and holding events, [and we are] currently planning for Eating Disorder Awareness Week, which is in February. [EDRSC] will also be involved in SSMU’s Mental Health Awareness Week in January.”

This year, for the first time, EDRSC will be sharing student work in a zine that will benefit local eating disorder organizations and set up scholarship programs for individuals undergoing treatment.

“The student zine will spotlight creative content related to eating disorders, mental health, [and] fatphobia,” Helper said.“We are working towards creating spaces where people can share and read about related experiences and topics.”

The pandemic has induced a stressful and challenging time for us all, and it can be especially hard when managing concerns around eating. Through their programming and services, EDRSC disseminates information to raise awareness about eating disorders and provides resources for those who are struggling with disordered eating or for those who want to learn more.

If you are seeking support, you can talk to one of EDRSC’s trained volunteers in a one-on-one online format.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 11

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3 2020

Pelin Karaaslan’s ‘This Means You Remember’ showcases self-exploration McGill alumna explores intimacy, solitude, and selfhood through painting Naomi Mirny Staff Writer For as long as she can remember, Pelin Karaaslan, B.A. ‘17, has been a painter.

Her exhibition This Means You Remember, currently on display in the Plateau café LA MAISON OFLORE, dives into a memorybased exploration of solitude, relationships, and intimacy.

Karaaslan’s work is figurative and anecdotal; her use of acrylic and oils on wood panels creates soft lines and colour block brushstrokes of earthy brown, warm beige, and tender mauve which blend effortlessly to craft an intimate atmosphere. In her paintings’ small, warm vignettes, the viewer peers into rooms where women sleep and lovers hold one another tenderly as their bodies meld, and faces, eyes, mouths, and hands dissolve into their supple surroundings.

Karaaslan grew up in Istanbul and came to Montreal when she was 18 years old to study at McGill. Graduating in 2017 with a double major in Political Science

Karaaslan spoke about the extent to which the works of thinkers and writers Khalil Gibran, James Baldwin, and Jiddu Krishnamurti influenced her artwork.

(Defne Gurcay / The McGill Tribune) and Economics and a minor in Philosophy, Karaaslan developed many of the tools in university that she now uses to approach her artwork. In her political philosophy classes, she studied the fundamental questions about the human condition and what it means to be a person existing in the world—a theme she explores in her work today. She also learned

about the academic research process, a technique she applies to her paintings as well.

“My classes [taught me] a lot about research, how to formulate a question, and I realized that painting as a practice [is] always […] research,” Karaaslan said.

“You create a new body of work.

It all begins for me with a concept, and then you research based on that

concept. You form […] questions, […] gather resources, and then you translate your research into the form of painting.”

Karaaslan had many inspirations while creating her work for This Means You Remember, one of which was her upbringing in Istanbul. Karaaslan spoke fondly about the memories she has of her father providing her painting supplies when she was a child, sharing that she even slept in the room where she painted, the air smelling of oils and paint thinner.

Outside of her personal life, Karaaslan is influenced by the work of painters Tala Madani, Cheyenne Julien, Ambera Wellmann, and the writings of Khalil Gibran, Jiddu Krishnamurti, and James Baldwin.

Baldwin’s writings about the creative process and the artist’s role in society were especially formative for her.

Karasalaan notes a phrase in Baldwin’s 1962 essay The Creative Process that particularly resonated with her: “Societies never know it, but the war of an artist with his society is a lover’s war, and he does, at

his best, what lovers do, which is to reveal the beloved to himself and, with that revelation, to make freedom real.”

Tying her work together to Baldwin’s thoughts, Karasalaan hopes that through her art, she can explore her truest self by depicting her relationships with others. Consequently, she wants to understand the essentials of what it means to exist in a relationship, in a body, and in a soul.

“I try to depict the fundamentals when painting, closer to the essence, no add-on elements like clothes,” Karasalaan said. “[The paintings are] raw, [...] exploring the wilderness of myself, understanding my inner tides, and translating the process into a new tongue [....] In doing this, I hope [to] create a platform, a portal for others to compare their own introspective processes and to understand the commonalities of each experience.”

Pelin Karasalaan’s paintings are exhibiting until December at LA MAISON OFLORE, 511 Duluth Ave E, Montreal, Quebec H2L 1A8.

Pop Dialectic: When should the most wonderful time of the year begin?

Making a case for, and against, blasting festive tunes in November Michelle Siegel & Alaana Kumar Contributor, Student Life Editor With Thanksgiving and Halloween behind us, the holiday season in Canada has officially begun.

For some international students, though, American Thanksgiving will delay the onslaught of holiday music that has already found its way into grocery stores and Spotify playlists. This week, The McGill Tribune weighs in on one of our most contentious differences from our neighbours to the south—our holiday music timelines.

Christmas season.”

Despite Christmas being another eight weeks away, for some reason, November 1 is seen by many as the socially acceptable date to start decorating and playing Christmas music. And frankly, I hate it. Obviously, Canadian residents can’t change the date of a statutory holiday, but no one is forcing them to flood their Spotify playlists with Christmas music two months ahead of schedule.

Logistically, it does make sense that Christmas music takes

up as much cultural space as it does, since there is a high volume of classic Christmas songs as well as a steady influx of new releases each year. There are almost no specifically recognizable Thanksgiving tunes, and while there are some classic Halloween jams, like “Monster Mash” and “Thriller,” they simply cannot hold a candle to the countless Christmas tunes that play for months on end.

Admittedly, I am not the biggest fan of Christmas music, but as I tell friends, family, and random

Anti-Canadian Christmas Hegemony — Michelle Siegel As an international student coming to McGill from the United States, one of the first cultural differences I became aware of was the earlier Thanksgiving date: While Americans celebrate their nation’s colonial roots by tucking into turkey, potatoes, and stuffing on the last Thursday in November, Canadians celebrate the traditional harvest on the second Monday in October. As Thanksgiving and Halloween pass, October draws to a close and Canada rolls into the final two months of the year: “The

strangers in grocery stores when they admonish me for it: I’m not a Grinch, just a Jew. Most Christmas music sounds homogenous, with a constant track of sleigh bells, repetitive melodies, and nearly identical lyrical content. Growing up in a predominantly Christian town, I always felt that Chanukah classics like “Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel” and “The Chanukah Song” deserved more recognition from my peers. We should not, as a society, be subjected to an infinite onslaught of sleigh bells when the musical stylings of Chanukah range from Adam Sandler’s acoustic guitar to the wide world of a cappella.

Pro-Canadian Holiday Discourse — Alaana Kumar

A paramount aspect of the holiday season for many is the holiday songs that sound more special when played during the specific holiday seasons.

(Eve Cable / The McGill Tribune)

From excluding the letter “u” to deciding that the metric system is beneath them, the United States tends to set its own rules. For a nation that refers to the holiday season as “the most wonderful time of the year,” they sure do jam-pack it into one stressful month. I adore the Canadian holiday schedule, as we give thanks in early October and are swiftly reminded to start Christmas shopping as soon as possible. With an earlier start to the festivities, the transition from fall to winter is much less jarring.

This year in particular, the juxtaposition from the dreariness of Halloween to the bright and colourful holiday festivities has been rather poetic. The album swap from Kim Petras’ Turn Off the Light to Mariah Carey’s Merry Christmas has been a quintessential reminder that we’ve made it over the hump and 2020 will soon be over. Personally, I think it would be taxing to go into winter without Richard B. Smith reminding us that snow is glistening, and that it’s actually a beautiful, not foreboding, sight.

In recent years, Christmas music has expanded far past the traditional carols and hymns, with numerous celebrities dabbling in the world of holiday albums and EPs. Last winter, Rolling Stone put out a list of 40 essential Christmas albums—and that’s not even scratching the surface of festive tunes available for listeners. It’s near impossible to bask in the full glory of all these holiday bops in only 25 days.

The Canadian holiday schedule leaves more room for stores and radios to play a variety of songs—including the Chanukah classics that deserve more recognition. Holiday music isn’t for everyone, but there is merit in diving beyond the classics and exploring the hidden gems of festively-themed albums.

12 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3 2020

‘Virtual Voice and Verse’ treats attendees to the gift of poetry McSWAY’s October open mic featured original work by students and alumni Matthew Molinaro Staff Writer Continued from page 1.

Within this range came a striking variety—no poem was exactly like the other, and each one had a distinct story to tell. Topics like love and protection, Canada’s diverse ecology, life’s horrors, nostalgic music, reflections on the past, home, and belonging were avenues through which the performers could share their experiences and ideas with the audience. To conclude the event, de Luca shared personal and powerful pieces “Ciao” and “Fiadone,” which retrospectively mapped her life.

In an interview with The McGill Tribune, Amanda Ventrudo, U2 Arts and McSWAY’s Vice-President of Communications, spoke about the vital services McSWAY offers to McGill students looking to develop their poetic voices. In her three years as a member and executive, Ventrudo has found that the process of sharing her work has been daunting at times, but a fulfilling and cathartic experience nonetheless.

“Having a space to share runs parallel to developing as a poet and further expressing your-

This month’s open mic was held on Zoom, so snaps and cheers were replaced by comments in the chat box. (Hermanmiller.com) self,” Ventrudo said. “Going to our events, no matter how formal, is an excuse to polish your work, to practice, to edit.”

The need for creative spaces is a sentiment felt by many performers, and encouragement from the crowd often alleviates some of the anxiety that comes with performing. In person, this validation would be in the form of loud claps, cheers, and snaps, while on Zoom, the chat box fills with positive messages. Ventrudo noted that during the pandemic, fostering a sense of community remains a priority for McSWAY, and that one benefit of online spaces is their accessibility.

McSWAY maintained a safe and inclusive atmosphere by having community representatives assist with content warnings, provide

feedback to the open-mic’s performers, and give a land acknowledgement that called for audience members to support Indigenous artists.

“Accessibility is vital in any expressive space,” Ventrudo said.

“Knowing that you’re safe is important to us, as it removes that sense of doubt.”

As more poets join McSWAY’s events, the seemingly formal boundaries of poetry vary and change.

“There is an exclusive reputation of poetry [...] of the cheesy Notes app poems, [...] of the left/ right brain myth, [...] but in sharing, it’s clear that all poetry has merit,” Ventrudo said.

As an executive, Ventrudo works on collaborating with differ-

ent groups and students on campus.

One notable collaboration was their June 2020 virtual open mic co-hosted with Queer McGill. Collaboration increases awareness and allows McSWAY’s events to intersect with the shared experiences of McGill students.

“McGill has a broad student body and community, and there’s no specific niche, no perfect subset to poetry or creativity,” Ventrudo said.

McSWAY’s reach is extensive, stretching past the McGill community due in part to its continuous programming that provides access to dedicated writing spaces.

In fact, because of Zoom’s capacity for worldwide connectivity, McSWAY’s summer open mic had performers based in Australia and Chicago.

During the pandemic and beyond, McSWAY allows for its members to connect over a shared practice and appreciation of the spoken word. The club offers an accessible outlet for creativity, and a much-needed collective experience for our socially-distanced reality.

McSWAY’s upcoming events include the next open mic in November, their annual “Heartbreak Museum,” and their slam competition in March.

2020 QWF Literary Awards Gala

Attend a virtual red carpet and award ceremony celebrating Quebec authors and playwrights.

Nov. 4, 7 p.m.

Online Free

Gay Reads Book Club: Paul Takes The Form of a Mortal Girl This week’s meeting will discuss Andrea Lawlor’s Paul Takes The Form of a Mortal Girl.

Nov. 4, 7pm Online

Unruly Writers Club Writing workshop grounded in disability justice, and are safe spaces for QTBIPOC folks.

Nov. 5, 12 p.m.

Online Free

NASRIN Film Screening & Panel Discussion

Screening offers an immersive portrait of human rights activist Nasrin Soutoudeh.

Nov 5, 6:30 p.m.

Online

Players’ Theatre confidently adapts to a virtual format

‘This is a Play’ and ‘Life is a Dream’ were produced virtually this October

Naomi Mirny, Erika MacKenzie Staff Writers Theatre at McGill looks a little different this year.

Rather than traditional live productions, which are no longer possible due to public health restrictions, Players’ Theatre went virtual. This is a Play and Life is a Dream were presented through Zoom, running from Oct. 29-31. The McGill Tribune attended each show to find out how Players’ programming has adapted to the challenges of the pandemic.

This is a Play, Naomi Mirny Written by Canadian playwright Daniel MacIvor and directed by Thia McDowell, U3 Arts, the self-referential dramedy This Is A Play examines the lives of three flat characters: Female Actor (Maya Charky, U1 Science), Male Actor (Cédrick Mulcair, U_ Law), and Older Female Actor (Caroline Lauf, U_ Arts), as they wander around their undisclosed plotless storyline, thinking aloud as actors inside another play.

Starting in a Zoom room, the audience was greeted with doltish Male Actor in suspenders, sardonic Older Female Actor sipping on wine, and ditsy Female Actor flouncing in a blue dress. Throughout the play, the self-aware Actors speak their introspective thoughts on the play, crew, and their relationships to one another. In one moment, the Male Actor starts to grotesquely feign tears about his brother. He then slyly reveals to the audience how he’s producing such tears by thinking about a cat named Mr. Whiskers.

McDowell’s adaptation of the play to Zoom was excellent and allowed the characters to equally attend to and interact with their virtual context—the Older Female Actor pulls out an off-screen bottle of wine; the Composer (Jordan

While theatre looks different at McGill this year, Players’ Theatre successfully put on two online productions that were accessible to all students. (Player’s Theatre / Facebook.com) Prentice, U2 Law) stands up to reveal he is wearing boxers below his suit-jacket. Through a series of clever hints, McDowell suggests that a production is nothing but a farce and that behind every cohesive play is a group of confused, uncoordinated, exhausted people.

In this sharp one-act, McDowell shrewdly reveals that the complex people behind the costumes are as much a part of the production as their scripts, and sometimes even more than the characters themselves.

Life is a Dream, Erika MacKenzie Director Emma Victoria, U2 Law, created a radio play version of Life is a Dream, a Golden Age Spanish play writ-

ten by Pedro Calderón de la Barca. The story follows Prince Segismundo (Cessy Weber, M.A. Political Science), who has been imprisoned in a tower by his mother, Queen Basillo (Prarthna Isha Mahtani), due to her fear of a prophecy that her son will bring destruction to the kingdom. Segismundo is briefly released, but the prince goes on a violent rampage and destroys his land, thus fulfilling the prophecy.

The play explores the themes of fate and free will, reality and delusion, as well as respect and exploitation of the earth. Players’ cleverly revamped the centuries-old play to reflect the current environmental crisis: At the end of the play, Segusmundo is forced to confront the fact that he has caused great harm to the earth and the animals, and he must restore the broken relationships between the land and his people.

One of the challenges actors face in a radio play is expressing their character’s emotions in the absence of body language and physical acting. Without the use of video, the actors in Life is a Dream did an excellent job of varying the energy, intonation, and volume of their voices to showcase their character’s state of mind. However, it was occasionally difficult to distinguish who was speaking due to the lack of visual or auditory cues to differentiate the characters.

Sound effects and visual imagery were intermittently used to transition between scenes in the radio play. The brief visuals provided the audience with a clear setting for the action while the sound effects added to the intensity of the scenes. In one scene, the prince storms the kingdom, with sounds of explosions emulating environmental destruction.

Director Emma Victoria did an excellent job adapting to the circumstances and creating an engaging radio play.

Life is a Dream evoked the dissociative feeling of being in a dream and being unable to distinguish reality from illusions—a feeling that continues to be extremely relevant.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 13

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3 2020

The mental gymnastics of mid-semester motivation Halfway through the semester, motivation can be hard to come by Margaret Wdowiak Staff Writer McGill students are tired. Slouching into the tenth week of online classes in tandem with the flurry of midterm essays and assignments, many students are struggling to maintain their academic motivation amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and it shows.

Motivation is the process that initiates and maintains goal-oriented behaviours. There are two kinds of motivation: Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation comes from a place of personal gratification and arises from within the individual. Extrinsic motivation arises from outside the individual, powered by external validations, such as praise, or by fear of punishment.

During a time of heavy social restrictions, many rewards, like taking breaks from online studies or spending time with friends, are absent or diminished.

Dr. Richard Koestner is a clinical psychologist and professor in McGill’s Department of Psychology whose research focusses on goal-setting and self-regulation. In an email to The McGill Tribune, Koestner explained the pandemic’s effects on students’ behaviour and their ability to learn and retain information. “[We have seen] very high rates of anxiety and depression among 18-24 year olds during the pandemic,” Koestner wrote.

Anxiety drains energy and the ability to think logically.

Anxious students can also succumb to the temptation of various distractions present in their homes, which further undermine motivation during this difficult period. Indeed,

people can be easily distracted when working from home both because of boredom and because of overindulgence in activities that they are more intrinsically motivated to participate in, like baking or watching Netflix. For many students, it can be difficult to find a balance between schoolwork and fun breaks, which can relieve stress in the short term, but over time may become distractions. “[The pandemic] disrupted many goals, particularly ones related to being independent from home and connecting with friends,” Koestner wrote. “Disruption of goal pursuits leads to frustration of basic needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence.”

Despite the many factors during lockdown that can undermine motivation, there are still several ways for students to boost their motivation from the confines of their apartments. One of the best ways to increase motivation is to set new, fun, and worthwhile goals. “[The] best goals are ones that come from you, that are interesting and meaningful,” Koestner wrote. “Personal goals give shape and meaning to our lives.”

Students need to set goals that are important to them and that they see as adding value to their lives. Setting goals related to their priorities, such as completing schoolwork or engaging in hobbies, can improve students’ ability to work efficiently and effectively. However, setting goals is only an effective motivator when you follow through.

“We fail at most of our personal goals—think of your [New Year’s] resolutions,” Koestner wrote. “[We fail] mostly because we lack self-control resources. We fail because many of the personal goals we set are actually not self-endorsed and volitional. Instead, they reflect things we

People who write down goals and enlist the help of their friends are more likely to meet deadlines. (Arizona State University) feel we should do. We need less self-control if a goal is volitional.”

Another great way to boost motivation is finding a daily routine. Creating and maintaining a routine helps people regain a sense of control and lends predictability to the day.

Maintaining social relationships also helps boost motivation, as having peers to keep one accountable can help individuals achieve their goals. Some great ways to stay connected during the pandemic include calling friends or joining a digital support group.

“Personal goals are also interpersonal,” Koestner wrote. “Having others support our goal pursuits helps us overcome self-control limitations.”

An update on the GNL Quebec-Saguenay pipeline project

Despite economic potential, the GNL project presents environmental challenges Ronny Litvack-Katzman Science & Technology Editor Continued from page 1.

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is a form of natural gas that has been chilled to extremely low temperatures to cause a temporary phase transition from a gaseous to a liquid state. Once in liquid form, the volume of natural gas shrinks to 1/600th of its initial volume, rendering it economically feasible to transport over long distances. Although fossil fuel industry proponents claim that LNG is a form of “clean-energy” when compared to coal and traditional fossil fuels, environmental advocacy groups are not convinced that this is the case.

Since its proposal in 2014, the GNLSaguenay Project has been met with overwhelming pushback from scientists and conservation authorities. Still, Quebec’s Minister for Regional Economic Development, Marie-Eve​​ Proulx, touted the project’s potential for increasing fiscal growth. GNL estimates that the project will create some 7000 jobs, at an approximate construction cost of $14 billion.

The Government of Quebec’s upcoming decision on whether to approve the project, expected sometime in 2021, follows years of condemnation of similar pipeline projects across Canada.

In 2015, TransCanada abandoned a plan to build a port in Cacouna, Quebec due to concerns regarding its potential impact on local wildlife. The port was proposed to serve the Energy East pipe-

line and was slated to carry one million barrels of oil over 1,500 kilometres daily.

The project was later cancelled altogether amidst strong pushback from a number of Indigenous and environmental groups.

In British Columbia, an extension of the Trans Mountain pipeline through coastal waters near Vancouver has prompted nearly three years of legal chal-

impact on endangered marine species.

In Quebec, administrators behind the GNL-Saguenay Project have yet to clarify how they plan to implement their alleged compliance with provincial and federal environmental protections. Although GNL has declared that they will abide by government regulations, estimates that the project would contribute 7.8 million

The proposed GNL Quebec-Saguenay Project pipeline would connect refineries in eastern Canada with approximately 25,000 kilometres of ‘feeder pipelines’ in the oil-rich Canadian prairies. (Getty Images / iStockphoto) lenges by environmental activists and First Nations communities. Among the most common concerns is the pipeline’s

tonnes of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere annually, increasing Canada’s net natural gas exports by 27 per cent, have

questioned the sincerity of their promise. Although Énergie Saguenay has disregarded this claim as false, the corporation’s environmental impact report— which dedicates only one page and a half to the environment, out of a total of 90 pages—makes no mention of this, nor provides a factual basis to refute scientist’s claims.

Elsewhere in North America, pipelines have been shown to have other catastrophic environmental effects. Pipeline projects in Alaska and rural Pennsylvania have led to habitat destruction and forest fragmentation, with adverse consequences for native wildlife. The most recent 2019 report from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services suggested that such changes in land use could place up to one million species in danger of extinction.

In June of 2019, a group of 150 scientists from across Quebec signed an open letter calling for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Quebec Premier François Legault to reject the GNL-Saguenay Project on the basis of protecting the natural environment.

“In this era of climate emergency and collapsing biodiversity, we believe that scientists have a duty to speak out on the major projects that will determine the future of our civilization,” the scientists wrote in the letter, published in Le Devoir. “Taken as a whole, this project would therefore further alter the terrestrial and marine ecosystems on which life on Earth depends.”

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3 2020

14 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Takeaways from the 20th annual Trottier Public Science Symposium Navigating trust in an age of mis- and dis-information Zoe Karkossa Contributor

How we know what we know—and what to do when we don’t

Oct. 26 marked the second day of the 20th annual Trottier Public Science Symposium, hosted by the McGill Office for Science and Society (OSS).

Scientists presented talks on a variety of topics of public interest, all within the scope of this year’s theme: “In Whom Do We Trust?”

Wendy Zukerman is a science journalist and the host of the Science Vs podcast. She researches and reports on scientific topics ranging from orgasms to nuclear war, providing her listeners with a nuanced take on how science affects the daily lives of people.

Like many academic scientists,

The “unity of virtues” fallacy leads people to believe that a diet that is superior in one way must therefore be superior in all other ways, regardless of evidence.

(Sabri Conde-Yassin / The McGill Tribune)

Zukerman has faith in the peer-review process, the system of anonymous review used to assess the quality of a manuscript before it is published.

“This is your gold standard of science,” Zukerman said. “I love peerreviewed research [...] because it not only has the stamp of approval of the team of researchers who actually did the paper, but it’s got these other independent researchers saying ‘yeah, this is good.’”

Yet, the peer-review process has a much harder time keeping up with the work of researchers when the dissemination of information can mean life or death. In a time of crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, there is not always enough time to wait for peer-reviewed studies to become available. In these circumstances, Zukerman turns to pre-prints for her research, papers that have yet to be officially reviewed and are published in their manuscript form.

Throughout the pandemic, many scientists have been sharing their research as quickly as possible, which allows for the efficient communication of information as it is discovered.

However, this onslaught of new research leads to the inevitable retraction of many studies.

“The absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, which is all to say

that not having really any evidence [...] just literally means we don’t know,” Zukerman said.

Overall, Zukerman believes that science is trustworthy, but it often requires time to come to concrete conclusions.

“While science is working out the facts, [...] we need to be honest with our audience and tell them that we don’t know,” Zukerman said. “Science takes time.”

Anthony Warner’s beef with ‘biased’ diets Anthony Warner is a chef and food writer known by the moniker “The Angry Chef.” He investigates how people choose what food to eat and how and why this decision-making process can go awry. Warner contends that the three main causes for ignoring scientific evidence when it comes to dieting are related to what he calls complexity, tribalism, and the appeal to antiquity. These biases can affect everything from someone’s choice of breakfast to their opinions on the widespread environmental impact of agriculture.

Humans tend to reject complexity in favour of simple, easily understood explanations—and food is no exception. For example, some vegans often

decry the North American and European tendency to eat an excessive amount of meat. However, raising animals can be useful in working toward a circular agriculture system, where waste is seen as a raw material to cultivate new valuable products, and the practice is essential to the livelihoods of many farmers.

Moreover, meat consumption plays a large role in improving the nutritional status of people suffering from malnutrition.

What Warner refers to as “tribalism” leads people to strongly identify as part of a group based on criteria that are often arbitrary. When it comes to nutrition, people often tie their trendy new diet to their identity and invest themselves in the surrounding online communities. This conflation of identity and diet can prevent them from rejecting preconceived notions when presented with contradictory evidence.

Finally, the appeal to antiquity glorifies the dietary past, despite the fact that previous centuries often saw a very poor quality of life and nutrition for most individuals.

“We need to actually challenge some of the deeply held assumptions that underpin our systems of food production, and the way we consume food, and our culture of eating, which [are] going to be very difficult transitions to make,” Warner said.

At the convergence of art and science, ecology becomes an experience Matthew Halpenny and his dynamic, ever-changing art installations Sophia Gorbounov Science & Technology Editor On Oct. 29, The Convergence Initiative hosted their popular Sci-Art/Art-Sci event, a webinar about the work of scientists, artists, and researchers at the intersection of science, art, and communication. Matthew Halpenny, an interdisciplinary artist and member of the Montreal collective Somme, led the event with his talk titled “Ecologies of Experience: Systems in Art.” When people think of the word “art,” media like painting, photography, or videography come to mind. According to Halpenny, however, these forms are static, unchanging. His work, by contrast, rests on the introduction of moving and changing components as part of his artmaking.

General systems theory, proposed by twentieth-century Austrian biologist Ludwig von Bertalanffy, states that a system is made up of interdependent and interrelated parts. Changing one part will affect other parts and the system as a whole. “[When looking at systems in art], the meaning of the artwork is expressed by the relations between the elements, rather than representing the elements themselves,” Halpenny said. “With systematic art, a lot of the time you can’t predict the outcome.”

Halpenny also mentioned how observers themselves play a role in how the artwork is perceived.

Halpenny’s projects all follow a similar process. He starts with an idea, interest, or curiosity, then picks a medium through which to display it. His ideas often centre around the ways in which social systems influence biological systems, as well as their relationship to technology and humanity.

“We can think of technology as evil, but it’s humans creating these technologies,” Halpenny said.

Mycocene, one of Halpenny’s projects, uses slime mould to address the impact of our information technologies on natu-

Unlike computers, mycelial systems use a different kind of problemsolving logic, responding to changes and trying every possible path at once instead of one path at a time. (Mycocene Somme Collective) ral systems. Using electronic waste as a metaphor for the technosphere—all the structures that humans have made to help keep them alive—the project illuminates just how much waste technology produces, with the slime mould acting as a metaphor for the biosphere.

Mycelial systems, or whole conglomerations of slime moulds, act like a network that Halpenny referred to as the “mycelial internet.” These systems, composed of eukaryotic

organisms of the kingdom Protista, are aware of and responsive to change. Their ability to sense and respond to their surrounding environment using complex processing of sensory information classifies them as sentient.

With the live slime mould in the centre of a small room and the recycled electronic waste sculptures surrounding it, their components are only visible from the faint green glow of the mould. As the slime mould moves and grows, it gives off an electric signal which is used to repower the e-waste, creating a living atmosphere permeated by the sounds of motors spinning and cameras zooming.

Sensenet, another one of Halpenny’s works, is a conceptual piece that requires volunteers. Each participant wears gear that mutes their own senses, but is equipped with a suit that collects and displays the sensory information of every other participant, effectively swapping sensory information amongst participants. “[With this piece] we tried to move to a more perceptual ground,” Halpenny said. “Since we were working with neuroscientists, we wanted to make this about perception and cognition and consciousness.”

He based his ideas around the umwelt, a cognitive theory which states that consciousness is related to the environment. “[We] wanted to see what would happen if we removed the environment from somebody,” Halpenny said.

By creating an environment of unknown variables and stimuli, Sensenet allows participants to explore a novel and disrupted state of perception, with the aim of synchronizing the group members’ individual senses into a unified perception.

Along with his colleagues, Halpenny combines biology, coding, and new technologies into each of his projects. With dynamic installations that illustrate the different interconnections of biology and technology, his work successfully bridges the gap between science and art.

SPORTS

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3 2020

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Point-counterpoint: Messi versus Ronaldo

Ronaldo and Messi battle for the title of GOAT Reza Ali & Karan Kumar Staff Writer, Contributor Soccer is inherently a team sport, but it is important to take into account individual statistics when assessing the success of individual players. Each player has a unique impact on their team, but there are some statistical metrics that lend themselves to comparison. In recent decades, two players have risen above the rest in the GOAT conversation: Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Lionel Messi In looking at both Ronaldo and Messi’s careers, it makes sense to compare both players’ records for the team they play for the most: Their clubs. Attackers’ main statistical measurements are goals and assists, which together are known as goal contributions.

In 731 club appearances, Lionel Messi has 634 goals and 256 assists, an average of 1.22 goal contributions per appearance. In 850 club appearances, Cristiano Ronaldo has 638 goals and 195 assists, an average of 0.98 goal contributions per appearance.

Although Ronaldo spent time in

the English Premier League, which is considered the hardest league in the world, he also played in Portugal, Spain, and Italy. Both the Italian and Portuguese leagues are considered to be easier than the Spanish league, where Messi has been his entire career.

Although both players have spent significantly more time with their club teams, their international careers must also be considered.

In 138 international appearances, Messi has 70 goals and 42 assists, with an average of 0.81 goal contributions per appearance. In 164 international appearances, Ronaldo has 99 goals and 28

assists with an average of 0.77 goal contributions per appearance.

Typically, Ronaldo is credited with more international success based on Portugal’s win at the 2016 European Championship against France. This, however, is a misattribution. Ronaldo, due to an injury, was subbed out early in the game when the score was 0–0. Messi, who is considered the weaker international player, was awarded the Golden Ball for best player at the 2014 World Cup. Messi had previously won the Golden Ball, as well as the Golden Boot for most goals scored, in the 2005 U-20 World Cup, which

Together, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have won 11 of the last 12 Ballon d’Ors. (Josep Lago, Miguel Media / AFP)

Argentina won. Messi is also a frequent recipient of the highest individual award a soccer player can receive, the Ballon D’or.

Messi has won the Ballon D’or six times, most recently in 2019, while Ronaldo has won it five times.

Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo is widely considered to be the greatest soccer player of all time for his unparalleled success individually, at the club level and at the international level.

Since his professional debut in 2002, Ronaldo has scored 641 goals in 854 club games, scoring 0.76 goals per game. He is the alltime leading scorer in European club soccer’s highest level of competition, the UEFA Champions League, and has won nearly every individual accolade in soccer, including the prestigious Ballon D’Or on five occasions.

The best players must be successful in different European Soccer Leagues as each has its own style of play. The English Premier League has a fast and aggressive game compared to the slower but more technical Spanish La Liga and Italian Serie A. While Ronaldo

has succeeded at the club level in all three of these major European leagues, Messi has only found success in the La Liga, and thus cannot be considered as adaptable as Ronaldo. Ronaldo also has five Champions League titles, two La Liga titles, three Premier League titles, and two Serie A titles to his name.

Apart from individual and club success, Ronaldo has led the Portuguese team to win the UEFA European Championship in 2016—the first major tournament title for the Portuguese National Team. Although the FIFA World Cup trophy has eluded both Messi and Ronaldo, the European Championship is what many consider to separate Ronaldo from Messi as the greatest of all time.

Editor’s Pick Although Ronaldo has been dominant at many levels of soccer, especially the UEFA Champions League, Messi has the more impressive resumé.

With significantly more goal contributions per game, a Golden Ball, Golden Boot, and six Ballon D’or awards, Messi is the stronger all-around player.

Behind the mask: Marty the Martlet Insights into the life of McGill’s favourite bird

Adam Burton Sports Editor As McGill University’s mascot, Marty the Martlet holds a prominent position in the eyes of the school’s student body. Not only is Marty seen around campus and at sports games in its kilt, it is also prominently featured in numerous McGill-centric meme pages and accounts.

With all its notoriety, it is hard to remember that there’s somebody inside that giant vest-wearing bird costume. In an exclusive interview with The McGill Tribune, the performer behind the Marty mask answers questions about what it is like to don that costume, and shares tips on becoming a successful mascot.

Marty began mascotting after an open house at their high school, when they had the opportunity to don a full costume for the first time.

“I got picked for it first when all the people were there,” Marty said. “I honestly had a stupid amount of fun, just [...] walking around, high-fiving [....] I could be as goofy as I wanted to. It was perfectly acceptable, if not expected of me. Being able to do that for an hour was awesome.”

After that experience, there was no looking back for Marty. They immediately signed up to be their high school’s mascot and eventually earned their spot as Marty the Martlet when they arrived at McGill.

As a seasoned mascot, Marty notes that it

Marty misses the energy and excitement of McGill Sports since they were canceled in March.

(McGill Athletics) takes a particular type of energy to get into this line of crowd-work.

“I’d say to get into mascotting, you need a lot of energy,” Marty said. “You can have introverts who like to be able to be part of a crowd and like not to be recognized.

You can have extroverts who like being the center of attention [...] and just making people happy [by] taking photos. It’s a good outlet to let loose very goofy, extroverted sorts of energy, and all sorts of different

people can have that within themselves.”

On the surface, it appears that Marty’s job is easy, but considering the ground that they have to cover and the social situations they have to navigate, mascotting is a lot more than smiling and taking pictures.

“Time management is a very important part of what I do,” Marty said. “I have to think about questions like ‘When I am going to find a chance to go to this side of the stadium?’ and ‘When am I going to

interact with these people?’ In a football game when the ball is in between downs, I might, like, scoot to one side, wave to a bunch of people, give some high fives, and maybe take a picture. And then 30 seconds later, when the game’s back on, I have to find a place to sit down without blocking anybody’s view.”

Marty said that mascots have a certain mystique surrounding their presence that makes for interesting reactions from the crowd.

“A lot of people are very unsure of how to act around you because you can’t speak,” Marty said. “But, at the same time, there’s a type of allure of like, ‘Oh, it’s a mascot.’

It’s like the physical manifestation of what our school and its spirit and essence is supposed to be. So there’s something cool about just getting a picture with that.”

Since McGill sports stopped in March, Marty has been out of work and has not been able to take pictures, offer high-fives, or dance. They look forward to the resumption of in-person sports matches, no matter how long it takes for games to come back.

“Being Marty was probably the most fun thing I did at McGill,” Marty said.

“Sports games are something that so many different types of people come to to purely have a good time. To have the opportunity to be the person who stands out in front of the crowd and is there to entertain everybody is a very enticing idea to me and I miss it a lot.”

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SPORTS

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3 2020

Covering the odds and ends of sports in 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic presented an opportunity for alternative sports coverage Kaja Surborg Managing Editor When the COVID-19 pandemic brought sports leagues across the world to a screeching halt in March 2020, many sports journalists were faced with job losses, while those who remained employed were left scrambling for content.

Broadcasters and writers continued reporting on some current events, such as leagues’ responses to the pandemic and the reactions from within the world of professional and collegiate sports.

Without new games and events, however, they quickly ran out of recent material to analyze.

With spots to fill in print and programming, sports journalists were forced to get creative. While sports fans certainly missed seeing their favourite teams and leagues in action, the pandemic presented a unique opportunity for alternative content. In March 2020, The Guardian began releasing retrospective pieces in a series titled “My favourite game,” in which writers reflected on their most cherished memories of matchups from across a variety of sports. The series highlighted the value of something often overlooked in sports journalism: Hindsight. In a regular season, multiple games need to be covered and broken down in a single week, leaving little time for discussion and reflection on anything outside of ongoing games, trades, and injuries. “My favourite game” is an illustration of experiences that most sports fans have had; it is

Defector Media launched in July 2020 on a cooperative mutual ownership model. (Inside Hook) a collection of instances that remind readers and writers alike why they love the sports and teams that they do. It is also a series that would likely have never been published in a regular season.

Alongside reflections on the past, some reporters began writing stories about the more obscure elements of their favourite leagues, and media outlets gave attention to sports that rarely get mainstream coverage. Sports Illustrated’s Jake Fischer released a story on NBA halftime

performer Red Panda, highlighting the work that goes into the spectacle that is modern sports viewing. ESPN offered airtime to the American Cornhole League, moving the league up from ESPN3 where the games were first broadcast in 2016. Again, the pandemic offered an unusual opportunity to dig deeper into the stories that make up modern sports as we know them, but that often remain forgotten, unknown, or are simply taken for granted.

In some cases, 2020’s pandemic allowed the business model of sports media to be completely rethought. When the entire staff of Deadspin quit in October 2019 after interim Editor-in-Chief Barry Petchesky was fired for refusing to “stick to sports,” they began brainstorming ways to bring their coverage and work back. They wanted a platform that would provide them with the editorial freedom that they sought, so they began the process of creating their own site. However, the pandemic’s effects on the economy led major investors to pause negotiations on deals with the former staff of Deadspin. With traditional funding paths and business models no longer viable, the idea of a cooperative mutuallyowned organization that would hopefully not fail its employees in the way that other media outlets had, was put on the table. In July 2020, 18 of the 20 staffers who had left Deadspin launched Defector Media, bringing politics, sports, and all of the quirky stories that are intertwined in those worlds.

The negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on jobs and lives both within the sports industry and elsewhere are undeniable and should certainly receive media coverage. However, sports journalism and storytelling are far from dead. A global crisis has forced writers, reporters, broadcasters, publishers, and fans to adopt a new lens for viewing sports, allowing for a broader diversity of stories from across the sporting landscape.

CrossFit Games crown “Fittest on Earth”

Champions win their fifth and fourth titles at the 2020 CrossFit Games

Zoe Babad-Palmer Staff Writer Opinions on CrossFit range anywhere from people who think it is a fantastic way to work out to those who see it as seriously sketchy. Others have raised concerns about CrossFit’s ties to the U.S. military. The fitness regimen combines weightlifting, aerobics, and calisthenics for a high-intensity workout that has reached international popularity in the two decades since its founding, even developing into a competitive sport.

The CrossFit Games, which have been held annually since 2007, bring together the world’s best CrossFit athletes to determine who is the “Fittest on Earth.” Thousands of fans have attended the games, and millions have streamed them on services like ESPN and CBS. This year, the Games were streamed on YouTube where they amassed over one million views.

The peculiarity of the event names, like “Nasty Nancy,” “Damn Diane,” and “Swim ‘n’ Stuff,” is one aspect that illustrates the unique nature of the CrossFit competition.

These events include challenges like the “2007 Reload,” a 1,500-metre row followed by weightlifting, and the “Ranch Loop,” a five kilometre run through unforgiving terrain. Each activity demands all-around peak performance from athletes. The Games are also set apart by their method of relative scoring, where athletes earn points based on how they rank among their peers.

The leadup to this year’s Games was, as one might expect, different. It was announced

Tia-Claire Toomey and Mat Fraser become the most successful CrossFit athletes of all time after winning their fourth and fifth Games titles, respectively. (Cross Fit Games / Facebook.com) in April that spectators would not be allowed at the event due to concerns regarding COVID-19. The Games were then pushed from August to a two-stage competition held from Sept. 18 to 19 and Oct. 23 to 25. The team and age group divisions of the Games were cancelled outright. The top five athletes from the men’s and women’s divisions then traveled to Aromas, California, the site of the first Games. In accordance with the Crossfit Access Protocols, they were required to present a negative COVID-19 test before and after travel.

After all of the buildup, two athletes emerged victorious.

Canadian-born

American Mat Fraser earned his fifth consecutive title. Fraser placed first in every men’s event except two. His first defeat came in the “CrossFit Total,” where athletes have three chances to lift their one rep max in a strict press, a back squat, and a deadlift.

Fraser’s second loss was in the “Swim ‘n’ Stuff,” a four-round gauntlet of air bike, a 50-metre swim, 10 GHD sit-ups, and 10 60-pound ball slams. Australian Tia-Clair Toomey claimed her fourth victory in a row, losing only three events in the women’s competition. American Kari Pearce took first in “Atalanta,” which consisted of a one-mile run followed by 100 handstand push-ups, 200

single-leg squats, 300 pull-ups, and another one-mile run while wearing a 14-pound vest.

Jeffrey Adler, the only Canadian to qualify for stage two, finished fifth. Adler did, however, reach an impressive second place in the “Snatch Speed Triple,” timed lifts of 265-, 275-, and 285-pound barbells, and the “Bike Repeater,” 10 rounds of a 440-meter bike sprint and 15-foot legless rope climb.

Adler was also one of only two people to beat Fraser in an event, winning the “CrossFit Total” with a combined weight of 1244 lbs across the three lifts.

Fraser and Toomey have never placed below second in any of the Games they have competed in; Fraser placed second in the 2014 and 2015 Games before taking the winner’s podium for the next five years.

Toomey, who is also an Olympic athlete, was the runner-up in the 2015 and 2016 Games.

The pair have trained together since 2019.

Despite COVID-19 and a change in leadership after the former CEO made offensive comments following the murder of George Floyd, CrossFit continues to thrive, and new CEO and owner Eric Roza hopes to reach out to new communities and continue expanding the sport.

All this raises the question of whether the Games are worth watching. If your favourite thing about sports is teamwork or strategy or a perfectly-executed play at a climactic moment, you may be better off skipping the Games. But if you enjoy watching athletes test their limits with mad dashes and impossibly heavy deadlifts, the Games may be the thing for you.