Jill Baccay, Cliff Ebora, Stella Laurino, Victoria Lo, Kriti Monga, Sarah Sorochuk, Yan Ting Leung, and Katie Walkley
COVER ARTWORK
Collage by Gudrun Wai-Gunnarsson
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SFPIRG’s Organizer School builds grassroots power through political education
Participants explore strategy, solidarity, and the skills needed for movement building
ASHIMA SHUKLA · STAFF WRITER
Simon Fraser Public Interest Research Group (SFPIRG) is currently hosting Organizer School, a 10-week political education program that focuses “on the theory and practice of political organizing and mass movement building.” The program takes place weekly at the SFPIRG lounge and is open to all participants regardless of prior experience with organizing.
SFPIRG’s “mission is to engage students and community in social and environmental justice.” Their Organizer School is designed as a participatory alternative to political education, inspired by Mass Movement and Struggle School from United in Struggle and Embark Sustainability’s Organizer Bootcamp.
In an interview with The Peak, facilitators Hannah Ghaderi and Noëll Cousins said the program aims to address what they see as a gap in political education available to students and community members. “SFU really underserves its students in the kind of education it provides,” Cousins explained. “It’s very disconnected from people’s concrete problems and their real experiences.”
In response to SFU’s institutional structure, the Organizer School prioritizes group discussions, reflection, and the exchange of lived experiences. Its content and format emerged from extensive syllabus development, “starting with how to really study the society and how to look at it scientifically, and then going from there, and thinking of all these texts that can help us navigate that.”
Early sessions examine topics such as dialectical materialism
JUSTICE FOR ALL
Vancouver Tenants Union discusses disability justice
The group recently convened for their June general meeting
LUCAIAH SMITH-MIODOWNIK · NEWS WRITER
On the final Saturday of last month, the Vancouver Tenants Union (VTU) hosted their June general meeting. With over 2,500 members, the group advocates and organizes for “rent control, meaningful eviction protections, more affordable housing,” and “better incomes for all.” These gatherings are designed for members to “learn, strategize, and discuss what impacts tenants in the city.” The June meeting focused specifically on disability justice and accessibility, with a variety of topics discussed and motions voted on. Masks were mandatory, and the VTU also provided the option to attend online. The Peak attended the meeting for more information. The VTU describes disability justice as “a political framework developed in 2009 in the US by queer disabled people, largely women of colour.” They explain how “it was thought of and articulated to address the overwhelming whiteness of the existing disability rights movement, and to challenge the very idea of rights-based organizing,” and instead, focus on “justice-based organizing.” The VTU describes rights as “what people in power can give you” in the form of laws, while justice is “what can’t be taken away — values, identity, defined allies, access.”
After a land acknowledgement and small group discussion on experiences in the union, the meeting turned to a series of motions to be voted on in pursuit of greater accessibility. The first was a statement of solidarity in support of the Migrant
and the roots of oppression, while later sessions focus on developing organizing strategies, movement building, and leadership. The curriculum draws on a wide range of historical and contemporary thinkers, including Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, the Combahee River Collective, and Paulo Freire. In choosing these materials, Ghaderi and Cousins intentionally included texts presenting differing or even conflicting perspectives. “Something that’s really important to us is to not censor or delete some parts of the conversation just for the sake of them fitting together,” Ghaderi said. “They’re like debates in a specific way, and that’s instructive,” Cousins added.
The program also includes practical activities to help participants apply theoretical concepts. One session involved a mock trial centred on Galileo’s historical conflict with the Catholic Church. The trial was used as a way to introduce class analysis and examine power dynamics. “It showed how attuned they are,” Ghaderi said, noting how participants were able to identify the murderer within the time limit set.
Cousins shared that this emphasis on participation is partly inspired by Theatre of the Oppressed. Developed by Augusto Boal, this approach positions participatory theatre as a means of revolution, confronting injustice through role-play and collective problem-solving. Cousins noted how it’s a “safe and fun and playful” space to practice how to give speeches and criticism. Organizer School is also shaped by a pedagogical stance: the
facilitators reject the idea of expertise as a prerequisite and encourage collective learning that is accessible to all. One of their community agreements is “nobody knows everything, but together we know a lot.”
The facilitators highlighted “an openness to learn new ideas and a desire to win, be victorious,” Cousins added. The facilitators also noted how the program is designed to be flexible, allowing the participants to engage even if they cannot complete all the assigned readings.
Ghaderi, who taught for 10 years in Iran before immigrating to Canada, said this approach is rooted in creating space for participants to contribute their own knowledge and experiences. The Peak attended a session on June 23, where participants collaboratively analyzed mock data to establish the mass line.
Looking ahead, Ghaderi and Cousins envision participants becoming facilitators themselves. Their long-term goal is to build a network of organizers who can carry the work forward. As Cousins said, “There’s a little revolutionary living in all of us.”
Ghaderi further reflected, “We’re open to holding that space for each other — no matter what, no matter about what topic.” This care for others, she emphasized, is also political work.
Organizer School is expected to run every semester. The current cohort meets Mondays from 6:00–9:00 p.m., with the final session scheduled for July 21. Applications for future semesters are accepted through SFPIRG.
Rights Network. The VTU voted yes to endorse “the joint group statement written by Migrant Rights Network calling for the withdrawal of Bill C-2.” Notably, this bill would make the acquisition of refugee status more difficult for those seeking it in Canada.
Disability justice is inseparable from housing justice, as disabled folks are disproportionately impacted by the housing crisis, particularly those living at the intersection of other marginalized identities.
Next, the VTU voted yes to join the steering committee of the National Tenant Organizing Fund, “a new national fund that supports tenant organizing across Canada.” Specifically, the steering committee “makes decisions about how the money is shared between unions.” The motion passed with the option to part ways if the VTU deemed the endeavour to be at odds with the organization’s values at any point.
The final proposal, titled “Motion to Adopt Accessibility Standards for the VTU,” aimed to make the union open and approachable for all. The broad focus was to honour that “disability justice is inseparable from housing justice, as disabled folks are disproportionately impacted by the housing crisis, particularly those living at the intersection of other marginalized identities who face compounded barriers in accessing housing that meets their needs.” The motion incurred several edits, including an amendment to one point and a removal of two others, before passing. Ultimately, the amendment stated that the group “will continue to develop an Accessibility and Disability Justice Standards and mandate.”
For more information or to join your local VTU chapter, visit vancouvertenantsunion.ca
PHOTO: THE CLIMATE REALITY PROJECT / UNSPLASH
PHOTO: BRANDON JACOBY / UNSPLASH
Embark Sustainability hosts community kitchen
The importance of maintaining and revitalizing Indigenous languages
CORBETT GILDERSLEVE · NEWS WRITER
On June 25, Embark Sustainability held a community kitchen event titled “Language as Nourishment.” This event, hosted in the Student Union Building’s community kitchen, was led by Kil Daagwiiya Hooper, an undergraduate student studying political science and Indigenous studies, James Houle, a graduate student in Mathematics, and Marie Haddad, director of engagement at Embark.
Hooper and Houle are leaders from the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Student Association. They spoke to the importance of maintaining and revitalizing Indigenous languages as they led the group in making Indian tacos and jum. The Peak attended the event to learn more about the “deep ties between Indigenous languages, food justice, and culture.”
Hooper said there are 12 Indigenous language families in Canada and 36 First Nations languages in BC. However, a number of these languages are endangered due to the impacts of settler colonialism and residential schools. According to Statistics Canada, “First Nations adults aged 65 and older (54.6%) were four times more likely to speak an Indigenous language than children aged 14 and younger (13.7%).”
The number of Indigenous Peoples who learned their language at home as a child has declined by 7.1% from 2016. Hooper told The Peak, “While many Indigenous people want to learn their language, there typically isn’t enough support in place to learn it past basic words/phrases.” She advocated for “more funding provided to language organizations so that they’re able to reduce barriers for language learners.” Current revitalization efforts in BC include the Mentor-Apprentice
SFU RESEARCH
program, a one-on-one program where First Nations Peoples are paired with a fluent speaker, and the Language Nest program, an early childhood Indigenous language program.
These foods “bring the feeling of community — Indian tacos, as they’re a widely shared comfort food for Indigenous people, and jum, as it’s a food that she grew up having regularly at home on Haida Gwaii.
KIL DAAGWIIYA HOOPER · FNMISA LEADER
Hooper and Houle introduced the food the group would make for the evening. Indian tacos are seasoned meat served on frybread or bannock, while jum is a halibut stew with potatoes, sliced onions and seasoning. They added that depending on which Indigenous community someone is part of, bannock and fry bread could be viewed as the same or distinct. While some view fry bread as fried and bannock as
Research Roundup: SFU joins ARTIC-2 and Dr. Amy Parent named UNESCO co-chair for Indigenous rights
Researchers also looked into Parkinson’s Disease using a new imaging technique
CORBETT GILDERSLEVE · NEWS WRITER
SFU researchers collaborate with international group to better track infectious diseases
In May, an SFU team joined the ARTIC-2 project, a collaboration between the University of Birmingham, UK, and researchers in Kenya, Ghana, and the Republic of Congo, to develop low-cost genome sequencing procedures and equipment, and expand their use. Dr. Caroline Colijn, professor in the department of mathematics and Canada 150 research chair, is co-leading part of the project. Colijn told SFU News, “Genome sequencing was with us from the start of the pandemic, and it helped to inform public health policies and decisions as new variants were discovered.”
The benefits of this project would allow laboratories and researchers to more easily sequence viruses and bacteria to track how they change and evolve. This can better inform public health officials and potentially spot outbreaks sooner. With low-cost equipment, this technique is more affordable for countries in the Global South, helping them respond to outbreaks more quickly.
Dr. Amy Parent named UNESCO co-chair
Dr. Amy Parent (Sigidimnak Noxs Ts’aawit) has been named UNESCO co-chair for transforming Indigenous knowledge research governance and rematriation. Parent is an associate professor in the faculty of education and inaugural associate director at the Cassidy Centre for Educational Justice — a research centre “to advance justice and an equitable, democratic society through education.” She is also Canada’s Research Chair (Tier II) in Indigenous governance and education.
The second
baked, bannock could also be both fried and baked, making for a similar type of bread.
Hooper told The Peak she chose these foods because they “bring the feeling of community — Indian tacos, as they’re a widely shared comfort food for Indigenous people, and jum, as it’s a food that she grew up having regularly at home on Haida Gwaii.” She added that the event is named “Language as Nourishment” as there is an “importance that Indigenous languages have, nourishing our spirit. Similarly, Indian tacos and jum give that same nourishing feeling.”
announcement, Indigenous knowledge research governance refers to the “self-determined, Indigenous-led processes, policies, and structures that guide and oversee research involving Indigenous Peoples, including rights, knowledges, languages, and lands.”
We are committed to bringing forward the strength of our Nations and the integrity of our knowledge systems into spaces and places where they have long been excluded.
DR. AMY PARENT · UNESCO CO-CHAIR
Parent told SFU News, “Dr. Sonajharia Minz and I carry this joint appointment not only with deep honour, but with a profound sense of responsibility — to our Nations, our ancestors, and the generations to come. We are committed to bringing forward the strength of our Nations and the integrity of our knowledge systems into spaces and places where they have long been excluded.”
New brain imaging technique aims to better understand Parkinson’s Disease drugs
A new study was published in the journal Movement Disorders on April 18 by Dr. Alex Wiesman, along with five others from the Karolinska Institute, Sweden. Wiesman is an assistant professor in the department of biomedical physiology and kinesiology as well as Canada’s Research Chair (Tier II) in neurophysiology of aging and neurodegeneration. This study reviewed brain scans of Parkinson’s Disease patients who take dopamine replacement therapy drugs such as Levodopa to see why the treatment was less effective for them.
Using magnetoencephalography technology to measure electric brain signals, the researchers tracked in real time how the drug affected their brain signals. Dr. Wiesman told SFU News he believes this new approach to brain imaging could help tailor a patient’s treatment by identifying how they uniquely respond to these medications. The study also concludes this approach “may be useful for datadriven contextualization of medication effects on cortical neurophysiology in future research and clinical applications.”
PHOTO: PUBLIC DOMAIN / PICRYL
UNESCO co-chair is Dr. Sonajharia Minz of the Oraon Tribal Peoples in New Delhi, India. According to SFU’s
PHOTO: KRITI MONGA / THE PEAK
Hot takes are killing our capacity to think
We need to be willing to remain curious and accountable
ASHIMA SHUKLA · STAFF WRITER
ZAINAB SALAM · OPINIONS EDITOR
There is a genre of content that only grows louder with time: a viral clip where someone argues against abortion, climate change, or immigration issues — with the knowledge of a poorly summarized Wikipedia page and unearned confidence. The audience laughs, groans, or aggressively types a rebuttal, but many click. In a media ecosystem designed to reward attention over thoughtfulness, we risk trading depth for reaction. The result is a culture where complexity becomes inconvenient, misinformation thrives, and our capacity for accountable thinking erodes. We need to resist the logic of virality and build a culture rooted in curiosity, revision, and collective understanding.
As media scholar Wendy Chun argues, authenticity loses all meaning in a system designed to convert attention into profit. The call to be one’s self becomes a directive to become legible to social media algorithms — sortable, marketable, and brandable. Authenticity becomes algorithmic. When pushed towards outrage or confessions, everything becomes entertainment. This media logic doesn’t just distort what we see, it changes how we think, and what we think is worth thinking about.
Feeds become echo chambers recycling ideas — those ideas are not only shaped by our biases but also by algorithms that amplify them. Content is served to mirror an existing worldview or present the most extreme opposition to it, not to foster understanding.
In such a system, entrenchment often replaces revolution. The practice of inquiry is supplanted by repetition: louder answers, rehearsed, and regurgitated. Opinion, trauma, and rage are performed; not to deepen understanding but to remain
WELFARE OVER WARFARE
visible. To participate. And when that is the metric, complexity becomes inconvenient. Empathy becomes inefficient. Accountability becomes irrelevant.
The invincible ignorance fallacy (and several studies) tell us that the least informed are often the most confident in their opinions — precisely because they don’t know how much they don’t know. Even well-intentioned people falter. Fearing the backlash of cancel culture or accusations of bias, media outlets default to a false sense of balance. Every issue is treated as a two-sided debate, even when one side is factually incoherent or ethically indefensible. Case in point? The New York Times’ coverage of trans health continues to platform inaccurate information.
The path forward isn’t certainty — it’s the willingness to reject the myth of objectivity in favour of shared, collective truth-seeking.
So how do we begin to challenge this system and move toward better thinking? We shouldn’t be neutral. We need to be honest. To resist the manipulations of a media environment that thrives on our worst impulses: our desire to be right, our fear of exclusion, and our discomfort with complexity. The challenge is to build a culture that can hold truth, even when it implicates us.
Canada should prioritize domestic needs over NATO spending
The money could be used to improve lives instead
PHONE MIN THANT · ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR
On June 25, fresh from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that Canada would fulfill its commitments to the alliance’s new defence budget of 5% of annual national GDP by 2035. This was more than double the increase from the previous commitment of 2%, a target set in 2014. Canada’s defence spending has since reached 1.45%, and is expected to increase. Carney commented that the increased spending will be allocated to acquiring new equipment, diversifying Canada’s alliances, and improving pay for Canadian soldiers. Remarks by Carney and his foreign affairs minister, Anita Anand, reveal a vague yet determined drive towards an increasingly militarized Canada.
While the government frames this as a necessary commitment to global security, the proposed defence spending comes at a staggering cost. Such an enormous financial commitment could limit future investment in urgent domestic needs. Instead of dedicating $150 billion annually to militarization, the federal government should invest in programs that directly improve people’s lives, including housing, healthcare, food security, and education.
Carney has already hinted that defence spending will come at the expense of government funds from other sectors of Canadian society, a view confirmed by the parliamentary budget officer. It was also speculated that it would result in tax hikes or more government debt. With the Canadian military’s financial management historically having a lot of room for improvement, these costs are only anticipated to spiral upwards. Carney also said that Canada will partially fund these costs through increased mining of minerals and development of infrastructure like ports. While no official defence policy has been published, minister Anand said her main concern is not the possibility of the spending hike, but rather the timeline.
The Canadian government can invest in initiatives that impact communities inside the country. For instance, just by extrapolating data from a BC government social housing initiative in Surrey, an affordable apartment costs around $500,000 — a direct reallocation of the annual defence funds to such projects could create over 300,000 such housing units across the country, notwithstanding the numerous divergences in costs across different regions. Even if it does not completely resolve the housing crisis in Canada, it will prove to be of great help to houseless communities, with amplified impacts on the economy.
The goal is to create a culture where curiosity, revision, and errors are celebrated. To acknowledge that our thinking is inevitably shaped by our biases, values, backgrounds and to create systems of accountability where we can learn to move beyond hot takes towards nuanced discussions. In a culture overrun by algorithmic outrage, curiosity is radical. The path forward isn’t certainty — it’s the willingness to reject the myth of objectivity in favour of shared, collective truth-seeking.
ILLUSTRATION: JILL BACCAY / THE PEAK
It is time for the government to realize that instead of funding massive and unnecessary militarization, they should choose to invest in the people.
payments of over 10 million urban physicians and more than 4.9 million physicians in rural areas. While these numbers may seem unrealistic, given that Canada only has around 96,000 doctors across the country, a better recruitment budget can mitigate the physician shortage issue. Those funds can, instead, go towards education services, training and incentivization supporting future doctors.
The list doesn’t stop there — the costs of defence could be channelled towards mitigating many more social issues in the country: shortages of teaching staff and social workers; gaps in emergency services; unemployment benefits; education initiatives, and many more. In every case, this investment would strengthen the well-being and security of individuals — not just the state.
It is time for the government to realize that instead of funding massive and unnecessary militarization, they should choose to invest in the people.
ILLUSTRATION: VICTORIA LO / THE PEAK
Bill C-5 cuts red tape in service of capitalism
During a time of wildfires, threats to democratic process, the Liberal government adds to the problem
In recent years, Canada has experienced record-breaking wildfires and heat waves. Climate change has caused global temperatures to rise and ecological disasters of grave magnitude. Wildfires heavily impact communities, with large property damage, poor air quality, and forced migrations as immediate outcomes. Just a month ago, 100 properties in Squamish were set under evacuation alert due to a wildfire. The June 2023 Donnie Creek wildfire resulted in enough land burned that it was comparable in size to Prince Edward Island, making it the largest fire ever recorded in BC. Our health, well-being, and our environment are on the line. The Canadian government must take environmental protection seriously. However, the government has taken a step backward. Prime Minister Mark Carney recently announced Bill C-5 (also known as the One Canadian Economy Act), which prioritizes economic interests while pushing aside Indigenous sovereignty and regard for the environment. It allows the government to fast-track any project deemed to be of “national interest,” causing major concerns about who this bill truly benefits.
Despite the focus on building, this bill has put more of a strain on relations between the Canadian government and Indigenous Peoples.
Bill C-5 has two parts. The first part of the bill disguises the negative, undemocratic nature of the second part. Part one focuses on removing interprovincial trade barriers. These trade barriers typically consist of regulations that restrict provinces from trading. For example, different licensing standards can discourage professionals from relocating from one province to another. As consumers, these trade barriers can be felt when purchasing alcohol from other provinces. Conservative party leader Pierre Poillivere has been a proponent of lifting these trade barriers, claiming they harm
the Canadian economy. Economics professor Trevor Tombe published a paper claiming up to $200 billion is being cut from the Canadian economy due to the regulations. However, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives reports these numbers are based on faulty methodology, which “overstates costs due to several unrealistic assumptions about interprovincial trade.”
There is no certainty that lifting interprovincial trade barriers will benefit the average person. The Policy Alternative claims the main factors that will be impacted are the transportation of alcohol across provinces and truckers’ mobility. This part of the bill seems like an attempt to reinforce, in the public eye, the government’s focus on economic prosperity more than actually helping anyone out.
The second part of the bill is more sinister; it allows governments to fast track any project that qualifies as being of “national interest.” These projects can include building pipelines which ultimately help the fossil fuel industry. According to The Tyee, the “fast tracking” in this scenario includes overriding preexisting laws including: “Fisheries Act, Indian Act, Canada Marine Act, Species at Risk Act, and the Impact Assessment Act.” These are all important pieces of legislation that ensure environmental safety and Indigenous sovereignty.
Politicians use the term “cutting red tape” when explaining why this bill passing will be beneficial. The red tape is framed as frustrating bureaucracy, barricading Canada’s economic progress; in reality, that red tape is regulations which prohibit projects from violating Indigenous rights and causing further environmental damage. This terminology is misleading, yet also crucial in selling the bill. According to Prime Minister Carney, Canada is facing an economic crisis and to combat it the government must relay urgency in taking action — seemingly, even if it means doing more harm than good.
Indigenous leaders have criticized the bill, along with Amnesty International, claiming it can violate Indigenous Peoples’ right to informed consent. Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations, an Indigenous non-profit group, stated this bill will not fast track anything but rather create conflict as “The Confederacy of Treaty No. 6 First Nations will stand together to defend our rights and lands.” This bill pushes Indigenous Peoples out from debating and contesting projects being built. Despite the focus on building, this bill has put more of a strain on relations between the Canadian government and Indigenous Peoples.
There’s also a reason why Indigenous communities are so opposed to such projects: sustainability.
This bill’s focus on fastracking economically beneficial projects poses serious threats to the environment. Canada’s oilsands produce some of the deadliest pollution — enough to cause sickness and other diseases, affecting air quality. The oilsands need pipelines to transport oil, so this bill is not only removing important regulation but essentially investing more into the most damaging industry in Canada. Fossil fuels, which include oil, have been the largest contributor to global warming. Global warming can manifest through wildfires, as hotter temperatures can result in wildfires worsening.
This legislation is regressive. The oil industry does not provide long-term progress, but serves its own self-interest. Those that benefit the most from pipelines are the producers and transporters, while there has been no tangible evidence that pipelines provide any proper economic relief for the working class.
The Liberals clearly wanted to get this bill passed as quickly as possible. All members of the Conservative party also voted in favour of the bill. Meanwhile, the Bloc, NDP, and Green parties have all opposed it. The Bloc also proposed the bill should be split into two — free trade and labour being one part and fast-tracking projects the other — and each part be individually assessed by a committee. The proposal was vetoed by the Liberals. The eagerness to pass the bill is concerning, the message is deliberate as well. The way this bill is presented makes it seem like it’s a massive leap forward for nation building. The bill vaguely states it is looking to “enhance Canada’s prosperity, national security, economic security, national defence and national autonomy by ensuring that projects that are in the national interest are advanced through an accelerated process.” It strategically uses language associated with economic prosperity, to hide its hidden agenda.
The bill acts as a response to US president Donald Trump’s tariff threats, indicating to the public that the Canadian government must do anything necessary to fight back. But, is an investment in fossil fuels and infringement on Indigenous rights truly serving the nation’s best interest? Or is it just a way to reinforce neoliberal policy that mainly benefits capitalism while being disguised as economic unity?
PHOTO: MARCUS KAUFFMAN / UNSPLASH
YILDIZ SUBUK · STAFF WRITER
I recently graduated from a master’s program at SFU. I’ve been casually swiping through positions on LinkedIn for a while now, not really looking for a serious commitment. This wasn’t my first time entering the job market. When I finished my undergraduate degree, I was in a similar position; however, back then, I was far more anxious and desperate to find the one.
I’m familiar with the dreadful hunt for a job. The tricks one has to do to get over HR’s screening bot, the tips to approach hiring managers through LinkedIn, the interview prep, and deciding the interview outfit the night before, all equally soaked in anxiety. This time, I felt far more at ease, having an advanced degree and a couple of years of industry experience, I felt safe. I was no longer the same man entering the waters of the job market from years ago — but as the saying goes, the job market didn’t remain the same river either. While a lot felt familiar, a new factor had been creeping around for a while. Artificial intelligence was now shifting the waters. From the general fear of AI replacing human workers to interviews entirely conducted by an AI agent, I quickly realized just how unfamiliar certain things could become.
Let’s start with the obvious: AI will be replacing human workers, to some degree. I’m not trying to sound negative or ominous. I believe there’s a lot of work that AI will be more efficient at performing, like repetitive tasks in data entry. However, I also think that in the transition to finding the right position for AI to take in the workforce, a lot of us will be negatively affected. For example, Bloomberg Intelligence estimated 200,000 jobs in Wall Street banks will be lost in the next three to five years due to AI adoption, and about 92 million roles could disappear by 2030, according to a Future of Jobs report. Entry-level positions, which already have ridiculous qualification expectations, will be significantly harder as AI is expected to overtake most entry-level work.
Data entry, customer service, and administrative jobs are already being replaced with AI chatbots — positions in paralegal work and advertising, for example. In human resources, screening bots scan your documents, search for keywords, and either pass you to the next step or reject you within minutes of submitting your application. However, that report also estimates a net gain of 78 million new job opportunities. Service jobs, software and cybersecurity, farmers and related trade workers, project and operations managers, jobs in education, among others, are expected to grow by 2030. Not all is bleak; it’s just more and more complicated. As it’s always been the case, one has to remain up to date with emerging technologies, but AI’s fast development and improvements make it increasingly difficult to predict and adapt to the shifts it’s making. There are likely people right now studying and preparing for jobs that will no longer exist by the time they graduate.
In some way, I had this as a mindset during my job hunt. I’ve been working as an editor for The Peak for about three years now, following a similar path alongside my science degree. I had considered a career in scientific writing — perhaps still am, just far more cautious and less hopeful. I can’t deny the capabilities of the language learning models in use today. I don’t believe that what I, or anyone else, is capable of doing is actually replaceable. For example, I don’t think AI can be as good a writer as I am. However, it can do it far faster and far cheaper than I do. It’s disheartening to scroll through job opening after job opening of some form of artificial intelligence trainer, fine-tune responses, or prompt developer — it felt like my only options were to train my replacement or apply to positions soon to be replaced. It’s hard to predict the changes AI will bring to the job market. Just six years ago, when I first started working, ChatGPT didn’t even exist yet, and now it’s getting university degrees. Even human resources aren’t safe
of being replaced by artificial intelligence — AI is now also replacing interviewers. AI recruiters like Alex, have recently emerged, providing a fully automated interview process — ironic, right? Human resources being replaced by AI. Not only have the waters changed, but the rate at which they change has increased as well.
Perhaps it’s just the cycle of life and I’m just starting my how-do-I-open-this-pdf-boomer-era. I do see the benefits of incorporating AI into the job hunt. For example, on principle, that same recruiting AI bot Alex should be able to interview thousands of applicants for a position, something no single human would be able to feasibly do by themselves. Imagine a world where you’re guaranteed an interview and assessment of your abilities rather than being just one more electronic email from the digital pile. However, that world isn’t yet here and instead we have to navigate through AI recruiters glitching out and AI systems that just replicate the same biases they promised to eliminate. Right now, it seems as if we’re starting the very unpleasant transition into widespread incorporation of AI into different areas of the job market.
I sincerely hope AI brings change for the better, but I also hope those building these tools and those adopting them into their workforce will think about those dipping their toes for the first time. AI will continue to shape the currents of the workforce, and the job market, but the onus shouldn’t entirely be on the job seekers to keep adapting. Policymakers, companies, and developers need to ensure these technologies are implemented ethically and more importantly, humanely. That means transparent practices on data use and training sources, auditing and mitigating biases, and ensuring humans remain involved — AI should be a tool to support us rather than a replacement of us.
Policymakers, companies, and developers need to ensure these technologies are implemented ethically — and more importantly, humanely.
AI has changed the job market and its rules
Not only is AI reshaping the workforce, but it’s also rewriting the hiring process entirely
The return of the Eastside Arts Festival
An outpouring of local arts and culture at this community event
KATIE WALKLEY · PEAK ASSOCIATE
Sometimes, walking in downtown Vancouver makes me feel like a tourist in my own city, especially as I pass by the many interesting shops, artistic expressions, and the general beauty of the city all around. From July 18 to 27, you can experience that wonderful feeling tenfold at the Eastside Arts Festival at a multitude of Eastside Arts District studios. The variety of workshops, walking tours, and live performances all represent niche aspects of the connection between art, the environment, and Vancouver’s history.
Most workshops vary from an hour and a half to two hours. All of them are beginner-friendly and include activities that you have probably never had the chance to try before. For example, in the “Fun With Fusing” workshop, you can learn glass cutting and pattern formation to make your own tile with the help of an instructor who will fire the kiln for you. Other lessons, such as urban sketching and eco printing, celebrate our city’s relationship with nature. Overall, you will find that every artist leading these workshops is deeply dedicated to their craft while you share in the fun!
If you prefer to observe rather than create, you can find three unique walking tours. The Hogan’s Alley tour is also available as a virtual tour for those who would prefer to learn from the comfort of their home. On the “Not Your Heritage Tour-Whose Streets? Whose Stories?” tour, you will be invited to ask how Vancouver’s nuanced heritage and history live in the present.
Despair and devotion: a review of Fairy Creek
In this archive of cultural memory, Muranetz honours land defenders, resistance, and our capacity for care
WRITER
ASHIMA SHUKLA · STAFF
The year is 2025, and the world is in chaos: marked by economic instability, growing authoritarianism, ecological collapse, and an ongoing global erosion of human rights. In this moment, Fairy Creek arrives not just as a documentary but as an urgent cultural intervention and a powerful reminder that resistance is still alive. Like water seeping through stone, it moves steadily. Shaping. Persisting. Refusing to disappear.
Directed by Jen Muranetz, this powerful film tells the story of Ada’itsx (Fairy Creek valley), one of the last remaining old-growth forests on Vancouver Island. In what became the largest act of civil disobedience in Canadian history, activists, land defenders, and community members came together to set up blockades on Pacheedaht First Nation territory against logging operations by the Teal-Jones lumber corporation. Nearly 1,200 demonstrators were forcefully detained by the RCMP until the Supreme Court eventually rejected an extension on further legal action taken against the protestors, and old-growth logging was deferred for two years.
This film breathes with the spirit of the land and the people protecting it, and Muranetz offers a meditation on complexity, contradiction, and care. Opening with aerial shots of the forest, it invites viewers in, as light gently sifts through the ancient branches and birds chirp in distant conversation. There is something reverent in the cinematography; it speaks to our souls. But then, a rupture. The piercing growl of machinery
It emphasizes the experience of culture in daily life while taking a relaxing stroll with other like-minded participants.
Along with these experiences, there will also be live entertainment, including The Dance Deck by the contemporary
The variety of workshops, walking tours, and live performances all represent niche aspects of the connection between art, the environment, and Vancouver’s history.
dance company Belle Spirale Dance Projects, with tickets by donation. A violinist, cellist, and vocalist will accompany the dancers as the production brings together upcoming artists and established creators.
For those who want the most fulfilling experience without hurting their wallet, you can check out a free six-hour outdoor concert at Maclean Park. Vancouver-born musicians performing span genres from cowpunk to surf rock. Meanwhile, you can also explore art activities and refuel at the food trucks showcasing Vancouver’s artistic flair, such as Midnight Joe’s, a vintage-style truck with neon signs serving sloppy joes and cherry pies.
Every moment of this festival will immerse you into Vancouver’s artistic culture and heritage, as well as a chance to connect with its community.
disrupts the stillness, and we become witness to grief unfolding in real time.
Among its many strengths, what I find most admirable is its commitment to complexity. It doesn’t flatten this resistance into a binary of heroes and villains. Instead, we are invited into its complicated and sometimes contradictory emotional terrain. We see people in all their multitudes: angry, exhausted, crying, building barricades, making tea. There is rage but also laughter, vulnerability, and moments of surprising tenderness. This, the film reminds us, is the texture of real movements: messy, tender, full of both hope and heartbreak.
Yet there is also a kind of reverence for what cannot be saved but must still be honoured. In one unforgettable scene, the forest becomes the central voice. As the injunction is passed and protestors are removed, we see a tree being cut. Then another. Then another. And another. We wait for the silence, but it doesn’t come. Instead, we hear and watch a world unravel. And in that act of witness, we partake in a world remembering itself. With each fallen tree, the tension rises, becoming unbearable. In these moments, the film becomes a form of mourning. It claims our presence, and we know we cannot leave untouched.
Admittedly, the film doesn’t unpack the full weight of the political and economic forces that enable logging in these territories. But it doesn’t need to. Its purpose isn’t to explain everything, but to offer an emotional and ethical intervention. In a world where information overload often numbs us, Fairy Creek reaches out to our feelings — and sows seeds of solidarity.
These glimpses from the film remind us that resistance is not only a political act, but a deeply human one. When movements are too busy mobilizing to archive themselves, films like Fairy Creek fill the gap: preserving memory and shaping possibilities for better futures.
To me, this film is a love letter. To the land and all who came together to protect it. To the quiet but determined hope that a better world is still possible if we collectively work for it. Yes, it’s about saving old-growth trees but it’s also about saving our capacity to care. Even though the battle at Ada’itsx continues, what this film leaves us with is not despair. It is devotion. A call to protect what remains. To mourn what is gone, but at the same time, to embrace our capacity for awe, persistence, and solidarity. Fairy Creek is the type of film that doesn’t offer closure. It asks long-lasting questions. And becomes a lifelong companion.
ILLUSTRATION: STELLA LAURINO / THE PEAK
ILLUSTRATION: YAN TING LEUNG / THE PEAK
Three films that challenge our perception of war
Cinema shouldn’t celebrate war but remind us of its futility
YILDIZ SUBUK · STAFF WRITER
Come and See (1985)
Elem Klimov’s film tells the story of a boy named Flyora living in what is now Belarus. Located in a small village, the boy discovers a rifle which propels his eagerness to join his town’s resistance group, with a burning desire to fight against Nazi occupation. What follows, however, is Flyora’s immediate subjugation to the horrifying magnitude of war, fighting against an army with heavier firepower and brutality than his own.
Come and See is not just visceral in its depiction of war, but the argument the film presents leaves no room to debate the morality of war. To Klimov, war is not just traumatizing but completely pointless. There is no valour, honour, or patriotism when every aspect of Flyora is broken. He loses his humanity as a child, not even given the chance to properly explore any emotion outside of hatred and fear.
The film’s colour and atmosphere are dreamlike, yet each sequence feels inescapably real. It is almost as if the dream is deteriorating as the film moves forward. Come and See frames war as the decay of the human soul, its horror rooted in futility.
Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
A group of insecure men sit in a war room, discussing the necessity of dropping an atomic bomb on the Soviet Union, possibly triggering mutually assured destruction. Stanley
LET’S TALK ABOUT DEATH, BABY
SFU alum challenges the stigma towards death
This community discussion explored more nuanced views of mortality
NOEKA NIMMERVOLL · STAFF WRITER
On Sunday, June 29, Ava Quissy, a recent SFU political science graduate, hosted a Death Café at Slice Vancouver that welcomed all community members. The café hosted group conversations about death, using prompt cards to facilitate smaller group circles. Quissy led the larger group discussions, cultivating an open and grounded communal environment through questions such as, “What makes you feel most alive?” The Peak attended the event and interviewed Quissy to learn more.
The Café Mortel was the original inspiration for Quissy’s Death Café, pioneered by Bernard Crettaz in 2004. It was a bistro where community members met monthly to talk about death. Jon Underwood developed this idea into the Death Café to further destigmatize death and bring dying back into the hands of the community instead of hospitals. Underwood expanded Crettaz’s project to become a more accessible global phenomenon, bringing conversations of death to all who wanted to partake. The café is based on four requirements: the event must not generate any financial profit, be an accessible hub for discussing death, have conversations led primarily by community members, and offer some form of refreshments. Underwood developed a website that outlines logistical aspects of Death Cafés, including a full guide on how to host your own.
When asked about her attraction to death, Quissy said that it has haunted her since she was 10, when she first realized
Kubrick’s satire captures how the idiocracy of men can quite literally destroy the world.
Set during the height of the Cold War, the film focuses more on discourse between characters than combat. The entire threat of nuclear annihilation can be traced to General Jack D. Ripper’s inability to accept that his inability to sexually satisfy his partners comes from his old age, as he blames the Soviets for poisoning the water, destroying everyday American life. This hilarious yet infuriating reasoning captures the essence of Dr. Strangelove . It is a deconstruction of the link between masculinity and destruction. War generals who aggressively remind each other of their powers, who treat the threat of mutually assured destruction as a game, are in charge of an entire world’s existence.
In today’s political climate, Kubrick’s film feels less like an exaggerated joke and more like a prophecy. As tensions of nuclear annihilation arise once again, Dr. Strangelove exemplifies that the real threat to our very existence are petty, insecure men detached from society, ready to press the big red button — because they can.
Director Andrei Tarkovsky’s work is best described as visual poetry, like watching a painting move, layers appearing bit by bit. Ivan’s Childhood tells the story of a young, nimble, and orphaned boy, living amidst the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, as he works as a scout, spying and gathering information for resistance groups.
The dialogue and action is minimal, as Tarkovsky lets the landscapes, and the framing of his characters within it tell the story. Ivan’s Childhood requires the viewer’s attention, and patience. Some of the most heartbreaking moments, like a soldier holding a girl over a small ditch as they laugh before an invasion, are conveyed through simple imagery, taking place in silence, or in a way where only the sounds of nature are heard, while dialogue is absent.
Through slowly engulfing the audience in the story, the film explores grief, and Ivan’s heartbreaking attempts to cope with the loss of his parents, disguised in the image of a young soldier. The film is a haunting visual masterpiece that parallels the beauty of nature and humanity with the backdrop of loss and violence.
everyone would eventually die. The anxiety of this inevitable moment was pushed away, at least until she took Jason Brown’s class at SFU called Death, Disease, and Disaster (HUM 330). Quissy said taking this class “changed [her] life,” through the exploration of this niche topic that “transcended education,” and encouraged her to have a greater appreciation of the multifaceted ways death is viewed around the world. Through the class’s topics relating to “how cultures respond to tragedy and dying,” she realized she wanted to have and host conversations around death, stemming from a desire for more cultural understanding and recognition around what she sees as “one of the most natural things” about human existence.
“It started off as a class project,” Quissy said. “I was super curious to know, especially within my friend group, how other people approach this; if they felt the same way [as me].” Quissy plans to host more events like this, focusing on encouraging youth to come out and talk about death. “I definitely want to be able to inspire conversations [about death] in people that are younger so that they’re not first encountering them when they’re older,” she said.
Quissy added, “I think a lot of people come because they’ve experienced a loss in their life and they felt like they haven’t really processed it,” owing to how “there’s no unified base for how people should grieve, and so people are just starting to do it in isolation.” Usually in Western cultures, she explained that “death has been sanitized and overly simplified,” which she believes to be detrimental to the individual and the community. Personally, I think Death Cafés provide a space for nuanced, personal conversations in which to grieve and process thoughts communally, and proves as a reminder for every human experience that we are not alone.
Media about death recommended by Quissy
• Die Wise by Stephen Jenkinson
• The Wild Edge of Sorrow: Rituals of Renewal and the Sacred Work of Grief by Francis Weller
The
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Ivan’s Childhood (1962)
PHOTO: COURTESY OF MOSFILM
Denial of Death by Ernest Becker
Departures (2008) by Yôjirô Takita
PHOTO: NOEKA NIMMERVOLL / THE PEAK
Operation grit: the hidden experiment behind your commute
New evidence suggests SFU’s infamous 145 Production Way bus trek is psychological warfare
Ashima Shukla · The Peak’s lead undercover journalist and Big Pedometer’s least loyal employee
Our story starts on a Tuesday that felt like a Thursday — existentially, spiritually, atmospherically. A brave student (name classified, as she’s currently in hiding from TransLink and her midterm results) embarked on what should have been a simple journey from class. She boarded the 145, already daydreaming about Pedro Pascal TikTok edits. But as the bus jerked to a halt at Production Way, the driver turned, eyes haunted, and gestured towards the SkyTrain station. Just like that, our commuter had become a subject
For those blessed never to make the pilgrimage, here’s the sitch: there are 435 steps to the Production Way-University SkyTrain station from where the 145 Production Way drops you off. Yes, we counted. That’s 0.6% of Camino de Santiago, the length of one Doechii song, and at least three existential monologues narrated by Phoebe Bridgers.
Why? Why are students being forced to descend into the concrete canyon separating the 145 bus stop from the Production Way-University SkyTrain station like Frodo trekking into Mordor with only his active U-Pass to save him from Gollum?
According to unnamed sources (a guy on Reddit, a girl in a situationship with a TransLink intern, and one suspiciously knowledgeable pigeon), this is no mere transit oversight. No, this is a covert psychological operation. A psyop so intricate, Kafka would’ve dropped out. Documents (read: screenshots) obtained by The Peak reveal a shadowy partnership between TransLink, SFU’s psychology department, and Big Pedometer.
“They’re measuring resilience,” said one anonymous psych major who wore sunglasses indoors and insisted on speaking from under the table. “How many steps before a student snaps? How long before they abandon hope, drop out, and start selling crystals on Etsy? How many shin splints before they lose all earthly attachment and legally become part of the pavement?”
The experiment was allegedly launched in 2017 after the department received a grant from what one whistleblower describes as “a sentient traffic cone and disgruntled city planners coalition.”
Your choices as participants are simple, yet cruel:
1. Tap back into the SkyTrain and become another cog in the Compass Card machine.
2. Cross the street like a lawless vigilante: risking life, limbs, and a $109 jaywalking fine.
3. Attempt to find the sacred transit portal hidden in the cracked pavement — a rumoured glowing rune, that if chanted over correctly (in Latin or the voice of a TransLink recording), will summon a snow day in Juneuary.
The Peak reached out to TransLink for a comment, and they replied with a PDF of all the SkyTrain routes, seven unrelated QR codes, and a scuffed Canva graphic that read, “character development arc starts here.” The Ministry of Transportation and Transit declined to comment. As for SFU’s admin, one representative told us, “Like, what if the struggle is the syllabus?”
So what now?
Nothing. The buses stop just far enough to ruin your day, but not your GPA (it was already ruined). The sky rains. The pigeon watches. The Circle K plays its cursed jingle.
But knowledge is power, and now you know. This isn’t just a commute. It’s a trial by transit. It’s the steps of your discontent. A ritual passage. A hyper-local dystopia.
So as you take those 435 steps, remember: you are not alone. You are one of thousands. And the system is watching. Your footsteps are data. Your complaints are metrics. Your suffering, a thesis. Welcome to the experiment! The commute never ends.
I “pay it forward” in the drive-thru to gain aura points
Imagine you’re me. A writer, in an age of inflation and AI takeover. Like Charlotte Lucas in Pride and Prejudice, “I’ve no money, and no prospects. I’m already a burden to my parents.”
With my permanently low tax bracket, when I want to rizz up a baddie, what do I do? Break the bank? Can’t do that! Ain’t got a bank to break. I’ve gotta rely on my other assets — my supermassive, huge . . . creative mind and my flagrant tendency to break the rules. I can’t be caught stealing, because it’s “illegal and will end up with you behind bars someday like your good-for-nothing father,” or so it has been explained to me by my meemaw. So, I usually bend the rules.
Inspired by my hero, Tim Robinson, and armed with my ultra-speedysexy-and-discreet MINI Cooper, I roll up to the Tim Hortons drivethru once a month for the distinct goal of hacking the pay-it-forward system. My idea: I buy coffee for the three ladies I work with, and then they might think I’m cool enough to talk to. One day, they’ll take a good look and realize that I’m actually gorgeous under my go-to polka dot sun hat . . . and then, boom! Three baddies on the roster — on a budget. It’s foolproof.
Usually on my missions, I aim to go at a really chill time, like 2:53 p.m. I make sure to bring my sunglasses and some fake bird poop (more on this in a second). Once you’ve got your supplies ready, step out of your cubicle and ask the ladies if they’re interested in a coffee. They usually play it discreetly, scoffing while walking away and laughing at my polka dots.
Haha, don’t worry ladies, I’m gonna get you the perfect cuppa joe. Yeah, we’ve got a pretty good rapport going already.
The objective is this: discount coffee. Not free — don’t let your ambitions tear you away from reality. On average, I save around $3.75 per hustle, which really adds up! Just last month, I saved $2.25. Of course, I would’ve had a lot more money if I hadn’t bought any coffee at all, but . . . I’m no mathematician.
Anyways, I roll up to Timmies with a positive attitude, making sure there’s only one guy behind me. If more than one car lines up, I stop everything, pretend I only speak gibberish, and do another lap around. It creates enough confusion to distract the workers. I wouldn’t recommend it, though, cause once the worker spoke gibberish back and that threw off my whole game plan.
I buy one of the four drinks that I plan to get, ‘cause I’ve gotta get my drank on too! Then, I say: “Hey, how bout I buy the guy’s drink behind me.” They go, “OK, it’s X amount.”
If it’s over $15, abort the mission. Most days I abort.
On the chance it’s under $15, here’s what you’ll do. Pay the bill, then zoom ahead, looping around the drive-thru. Stop before you’re visible by the car that was previously behind you and very quickly dump the fake bird poop all over your car’s windshield. This will make you unrecognizable. Put on the sunglasses. Drive up to the intercom. Act cool — no eye contact with the guy in front of you. This is essential, you need to ensure he doesn’t realize that it wasn’t you who paid it forward to him. Order your baddies their drinks.
If you get to the window and the guy in front of you didn’t pay it forward, you gotta abort the mission. You can’t be letting this cheap punk get the better of you. Drive off and screech “NEVERMIND” to the staff — they’ll figure it out.
When you get to the window, and they tell you that there’s a pay it forward going on, channel your inner Tommy Wiseau: “Whoa, all this stuff for free? Cool.”
Do NOT pay it forward. Drive away. Boom. Now you’ve got four drinks and three girls that might drink it with you (or other times, they might dump it on your head, causing you to call meemaw for life coaching).
I’m telling you, without this, I’d talk to nobody at my job all month long. It’s perfect.
ILLUSTRATION: Cliff Ebora / The Peak
NOEKA NIMMERVOLL STAFF WRITER
SFU vs. UBC: The renewed rivalry
Summer moods on old feuds
Katie Walkley · Peak Associate
It was still light out at 8:32 p.m., and I felt unstoppable. I’m not proud of what I did, but it had to be done.
I revived the rivalry between SFU and UBC.
I’d been missing SFU dearly over my summer break. Not enough to visit and pay for parking, but enough to reignite an ancient feud as a show of my love and solidarity from afar. So, I typed UBC into my Maps and put my neighbour’s electric scooter into sport mode to tear off into the night. Dan, if you’re reading this, don’t worry about it. Go take care of your kids.
My hunger for retribution began when I met some actual UBC students, and they weren’t even as god tier as their reputation leads us to believe. I was like, “Do you even Beedie, bro?”
We should have seen it coming . . . Their disgusting vintage architecture is a façade.
For weeks, I stewed on my newfound knowledge. It filled me with regret for how we had given up so easily on our rivalry against UBC. Many of our peers have even joined their side to make jokes at our expense, highlighting our constant construction and lack of social life. We’re not strong enough to handle all this friendly fire, people. Someone has to believe in us or else we’ll end up like CapU. To save us from that kind of downfall, I had to hit them where it hurts.
To honour the loner ideals of our school, I started this revolutionary war by myself. I almost made a Reddit post (the only way to connect with fellow students at SFU), but then I got distracted by reading about people deciding on classes to take and started wondering if I should change my major. By then, time was running out, and these geezers
were wasting my precious daylight hours!
With a devil’s smile on my way to enemy territory, I scootered over the toes of neighbourhood parents gossiping about how “poor Stacey’s nephew didn’t get accepted into UBC — now he has to go up to that sequestered mountain school with all the bagpipes.” Boo fucking hoo, lady. It could be a lot worse. You could end up at UBC, where students major in either abstract exhibitionism or Wreck Beach-ology. I channelled the energy of 1,000 SFU commuters ferociously darting home to Maple Ridge to carry me past the haters.
Upon arrival, I circled the UBC frat houses with one target in mind. I listened anxiously for the joyful holler of my mark’s catch phrase: “Let’s accelerate.”
Enemy spotted. My vision turned SFU-logo-red as I intercepted the UBC legend of my nightmares on his way to pick up his next partygoer. Scooter Dom, the Instagram-famous figurehead of our rivals, toppled instantly under the sheer power of my concrete-infused bones. Before anyone, including me, could process what had happened, I had kidnapped him, duct taped his loud mouth, and stashed him at an undisclosed location. Now it’s time for UBC to pay off their ransom . . . hand over your prestigious vibes and you can have your boy back.
Or don’t, we don’t care. We’re Canada’s most comprehensive university, beotch. We’re catching up!
Now that war has been waged, we need to be on defence. Protect Freaky Frank at all costs! SFU students, this war has just begun. Let us defend what we hold dear — let us defend SFU.
SFU’s cheery campus renovation hoax
Gloom to bloom and back to gloom
SFU’s summer semester has been absolutely thrilling. From the koi pond being evacuated, sucked dry, and refilled to loitering chairs from convocation, to even an abundance of high school graduations, there is never a dull moment.
With convocation came the regular maintenance and the sudden beautification of the campus to impress the incoming guests and to persuade them to send their kin here. The event called for nothing but order and elegance. Keeping things neat and tidy for the graduates’ important day. We saw this coming.
But what came as a shock was a random post-convocation bloom. The campus suddenly sprang to life, with gorgeous cherry blossom trees filling the area around the fountain in convocation mall. The entrance to the university next to the lower
bus loop had doors instead of wet concrete stairs. It was like the happiness of summer ran over the campus — leaving a trail of trees in its midst.
But then, not even six hours later, the entirety of SFU receives an email stating that the trees are for a movie set. Essentially saying our campus did not change for the better. The next day, the entrance to convocation mall was blocked off due to filming, forcing students to walk all the way up the sketchy stairs next to the parkade. Why can’t we have nice things? The gloom went to bloom and now it’s 50% back to doom. At least we have the cherry blossom trees near the fountain still . . . And yet there continue to be depressing undertones as the movie being filmed is a thriller.
Actor Cynthia Erivo has been spotted on-site for filming. I just hope somebody warned her about the inconvenient detours on campus . . . Nevermind — she’s part of the problem and has a broomstick, so why would she even care?
When we got the message here at The Peak, the news spread like wildfire, crushing the souls of everyone at our publication. Prior to receiving the alert email about the movie set, we (as a team) thought someone was revamping our campus. The Peak began plans to adopt a “cherry blossom” theme to our print publication in the fall — a very costly endeavour that was supposed to meet the excitement of SFU’s apparent rebrand. But after learning the truth; the joy (not Johnson, unfortunately), colour, and ideas all faded away with the happiness of the cherry blossoms.
Now we are stuck looping old ways like SFU is doing itself. The colour was a nice change-up and gave us temporary relief out of the summer depression we have due to taking those pesky little summer courses. The memory of the cherry blossoms expose how we use our time to study and write for the paper when we could be out celebrating life and our free summer one peach bellini at the time instead. I will always remember the cherry blossoms and the memories they instilled in me.
The painstaking knowledge of the beautiful trees not being permanent was enough to break the hearts of countless SFU students, while simultaneously ruining the vibes of the writers at The Peak. How are we supposed to write anything cheery in the humour section if the campus has returned to its original gloomy state?
