Cliff Ebora, Yulissa Huamani, Emily Le, Yan Ting Leung
COVER ARTWORK Bithi Sutradhar
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SFU research fellow explains summer COVID-19 surge
Finding an oasis in the news desert with “Save Our Local News”
With local publications closing, four journalists are stepping up
LUCAIAH SMITH-MIODOWNIK · NEWS WRITER
As media outlets across the country are forced to close, news deserts — communities with limited access to area news — have become increasingly common. The result? 2.5 million Canadians lack access to local news. In February, parent company Glacier Media announced the closure of Tri-City News Burnaby Now, and New Westminster Record. Now, four local journalists are stepping up to fill the void with the support of their communities behind them.
On June 4, the reporters helped announce the “Save Our Local News” campaign. The Peak attended the kickoff event and spoke to some of those involved with the initiative.
Writers Janis Cleugh and Mario Bartel (Tri-City News), Cornelia Naylor (Burnaby Now), and Theresa McManus (New Westminster Record) were joined by managing director of the Union Cooperative Initiative (UCI) Jonny Sopotiuk, as well as Unifor representatives Gavin McGarrigle, Brian Gibson, and Bill Catterall at the event.
UCI supports workers in building co-ops, which are businesses owned by members seeking to “satisfy common needs,” while Unifor is “Canada’s largest private sector union.” Unifor Local 2000, which Gibson and Catterall work for, specifically “represents more than 700 media workers throughout BC, primarily the newspaper and printing industries.”
The campaign is in its fundraising phase, with the end goal being a new publication in place of the three recently defunded
NOT POST-PANDEMIC
papers. “This grassroots project shows the tenacity and dedication of journalists who care about their communities, and the work they produce,” said McGarrigle. “This is not just a fight against news deserts, this is a fight for democracy,” he added.
This grassroots project shows the tenacity and dedication of journalists who care about their communities, and the work they produce.
GAVIN MCGARRIGLE
REGIONAL DIRECTOR, UNIFOR WESTERN
This news outlet, which hopes to run in both print and digital, plans to be “community owned [and] worker run,” said Naylor. “We’re not going to have to worry about American owners pulling out funding and cutting local news,” added Sopotiuk. Postmedia, an American media conglomerate which operates in Canada, has been criticized for buying local papers and cutting funding in a “slash and burn” fashion. Postmedia owns over 130 publications, including the three BC publications
The Vancouver Sun, The Province, and Prince George Post, as well as National Post. This practice of major companies
Summer COVID-19 surge looms
SFU Long COVID researcher urges BC to consider risks
ASHIMA SHUKLA · STAFF WRITER
Public health researchers warn of a potential global summer surge as a new highly transmissible COVID-19 variant spreads across Asia. NB.1.8.1 has been classified as a “variant under monitoring” by the World Health Organization and has already been detected in the United States and Canada. In BC, wastewater analysis indicates rising COVID-19 levels since March, and some forecasters anticipate a surge caused by this new variant to hit as early as July or August.
It is essential we limit the amount of times we are infected with SARS-CoV-2 to reduce our risk of developing Long COVID, prevent worsening of existing Long COVID, and reduce our overall risk of cardiovascular events/disorders, neurological disorders, and other harms.
KAYLI JAMIESON RESEARCH FELLOW, SFU FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCE
As Kayli Jamieson, a research fellow at SFU’s faculty of health sciences, told The Peak, “NB.1.8.1 has emerged as a notable variant due to its extreme transmissibility.” Since SARS-CoV-2 circulates all year, it continues to mutate into hundreds of subvariants that are “so-far-removed from previous lineages, most people do not have ample updated vaccine protection,” she explained.
At the same time, repeated infections over the past few years have contributed to widespread immune system disruption, making the population more susceptible to all kinds of bacterial and viral illnesses. “Our population is much sicker” now, Jamieson noted, pointing to “COVID-inducted immune dysregulation, T-cell exhaustion, immune priming, and more.”
These long-term effects remain a major concern. Data from 2023 estimates 1 in 9 Canadians already have Long COVID, while global estimates from 2024 suggest more than 400 million people worldwide are experiencing it. Despite this, the condition is not included in BC’s “clinically extremely vulnerable” criteria for priority vaccination, as Jamieson noted. However, Jamieson cautioned against framing COVID-19 as only concerning higher-risk or vulnerable populations “when it is in fact an everyone-problem.” Having lived with Long COVID since 2021, she highlighted that “anyone can develop Long COVID after any infection, including adults and children of all ages, previous fitness levels, or vaccination status.” This is why “it is essential we limit the amount of times we are infected with SARS-CoV-2 to reduce our risk of developing Long COVID, prevent worsening of existing Long COVID, and reduce our overall risk of cardiovascular events/disorders, neurological disorders, and other harms,” she explained.
As the BC spring COVID-19 vaccination campaign ends June 30, Jamieson urged people to get vaccinated to lessen the risk of hospitalization and death. While vaccination alone cannot prevent infection, transmission, or Long COVID, it remains a critical tool given the low rates of vaccine/booster uptake in the most recent federal data from June 2024. Jamieson recommended adopting a multi-layered strategy beyond just vaccination, including improving indoor air quality with
buying and cutting, along with shifts to digital news, has largely contributed to the current news desert landscape. The Online News Act, though originally designed to help bring money back to news organizations, has resulted in additional harm due to Meta’s decision not to comply.
While the co-op initiative may be new to BC, this approach is not the first of its kind. The campaign is modelled after a news co-op in Quebec, formed in 2019 in response to six local papers losing their funding. According to J-Source, the freshly formed co-op saved six local news outlets and more than 300 jobs with support from the community and the Quebec government.
“We’ve already got two other communities, one in BC, one in Western Canada, that’s interested in the model,” Sopotiuk told The Peak. “If it’s successful here, we’re going to be looking at news deserts all across Canada, and providing a toolkit for communities to do this themselves.”
“Let’s get that newspaper out to the communities where it belongs, and where it’s been in BC for so many decades before,” McGarrigle said in his closing remarks. “Let’s put an end to this [local] news desert, and let’s support local, quality journalism.”
Those interested in supporting the campaign can donate at saveourlocalnews.ca
ventilation and air purifiers, wearing well-fitting respirators like KN95s, N95s, or N99s, and opting for outdoor gatherings when possible. “Many of these layers recognize that COVID is airborne,” she explained, which is why “we must move beyond a ‘vaccine-only’ to ‘vaccine-plus’ strategy.”
Jamieson also cautioned against treating COVID-19 as “just a cold.” She added, “The common cold does not bind to our ACE2 receptors like COVID can — which is what makes COVID so effective at entering various cells.” ACE2 receptors are proteins found on the surface of many types of cells in the human body, including the lungs, heart, kidneys, intestines, and blood vessels. Unlike the common cold, SARS-CoV-2 uses these receptors to directly invade and infect multiple organ systems in the body, causing severe illness and long-term complications.
While Long COVID is beginning to receive more attention, with projects like the Canadian Institutes of Health Researchfunded network Long COVID Web, “the population at-large still do not possess detailed knowledge of how Long COVID presents or their risk,” Jamieson shared. Despite thousands of studies, there is still prevalent stigma. With the summer season approaching and new variants circulating, Jamieson urged us to remember that the pandemic never ended.
PHOTO: LUCAIAH SMITH-MIODOWNIK / THE PEAK
PHOTO: COURTESY OF DONOHARMBC
The Bright-er Side
When a song finds you
RUSHAM VERMA SFU STUDENT
Imagine you’re on a road trip with your playlist on shuffle. Then, that song comes on. Yes, the one that seems like it was made for this exact moment on the road. The windows are down, the wind’s flowing in your hair, and it’s just you and the open road. The day suddenly feels brighter. More promising.
Now imagine a different scene: you’ve just been through a breakup and are sulking in bed. A generic playlist plays on shuffle. Your eyes are puffy, and your chest feels heavy; you’re not quite sure how to process such pain. Then, “You’re Losing Me” by Taylor Swift starts playing. Listening to the lyrics, you realize how deeply they echo your feelings. A small smile tugs at your lips. At least someone gets it, you think.
For someone else, the perfect song may play when they get to know their crush’s name is Sally, and the song “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out” by ROLE MODEL starts playing in their earphones. Now, that might be too on-the-nose, sure. But for them? It feels like a sign.
So, when the perfect song finds you at the right time, whether it’s a coincidence or cosmic timing, just take the hint. Roll the windows down, feel it, and be the main character.
Your cashier is not your therapist
Small talk is emotional labour shaped by unequal power dynamics
when dissatisfaction is
The checkout line at the local grocery store might seem like a pleasant opportunity for a friendly conversation. Chatting with the cashier at the register while going grocery shopping can be a great moment of connection. However, this is only true if both parties feel comfortable. Being kind to customers is part of the job for the person behind the register. Though essential to the customer experience, these conversations are a labour that remain invisible. As customers, we need to extend kindness to workers by understanding the inherent power dynamics that are present in these interactions.
A common, yet overlooked, display of unequal power dynamics is when a customer finishes paying but continues to engage the cashier in conversation — even as the next person is waiting to be attended to. Not only is it important to be respectful and considerate of other customers, some grocery stores time their cashiers to monitor their efficiency.
There’s also an emotional toll to being forced to be friendly with people frequently. Being a regular is not the same as being friends with service workers. Venting to your cashier can create a very uncomfortable situation. In a 2019 article published on Medium, Cassidy Scanlon expressed that customers oversharing with her as a barista caused her to wonder: “What is my role in these situations? Am I a counsellor? Or a friend? Am I a shoulder to cry on? Why does this dynamic even exist?”
side with the customer, even if the worker is right. This can extend to situations when customers are being demeaning, and supervisors would sweep the impact of that disrespectful behaviour under the rug.
That being said, the power dynamic can get inverted. This happens when a person is a customer in one store and a worker in another. In many ways, this reflects that we should treat others the same way we want to be treated, without expecting something in return.
Emotional labour isn’t just warm feelings — it’s mental and emotional energy that cashiers contribute daily. Recognizing this added labour is a step towards more equitable treatment of those in the customer service industry. Those who share unprompted details about their family issues, relationships, political beliefs, and personal finances place an unexpected emotional burden on the worker and could increase burnout. There are some serious consequences to listening to other people’s problems, which can include higher levels of anxiety and depression. What it really boils down to is that it is inappropriate to have an invasive conversation with someone who is only getting paid to bag your groceries. Being respectful towards others is a fundamental value that many people have forgotten to implement. So, let’s be kind individuals; we have to be more caring and understand that some environments are more conducive to long conversations than others.
What Grinds our Gears
Wet SFU seats
CORBETT GILDERSLEVE NEWS WRITER
SFU has completed multiple outdoor renovation projects over the last five years: updating convocation
AQ gardens.
So much money was spent redoing the tile, putting in new cement, stone, new lighting,
and repairing the grass. Do you know what wasn’t installed anywhere? Fucking rain covers! What good is it to build, ship, and install these visually interesting and (generally) comfortable benches, when you can only use them when it’s dry out! You know, in a city that gets a shitload of rain throughout the year? On a mountain with its own weird climate? Where the only decent amount of dry weather is in the summer when there are few classes and half the number of students? Great job SFU! You’ve spent millions of dollars to make benchshaped art sculptures. But maybe that’s the goal. Who needs to maintain something that’s never used? These seating areas will last for 50 years, having never touched a butt. Even the avocado, SFU’s historic place to have bad sex, has seen a year-over-year decline due to the worsening weather. Bad sex is an integral university experience that is just not being invested in by the construction planners in SFU Facilities Services. I know SFU is having budget and revenue issues, but this is just getting sad.
mall, the top of the rotunda, the applied science building, and the
The phrase “the customer is always right,” is another wellknown way this uncomfortable dynamic manifests itself. In instances
expressed by customers, the manager might
ILLUSTRATION: CLIFF EBORA / THE PEAK
The Book Nook
From capitalism to colonialism, how do structures of power control the way we think?
The Hundred Years War on Palestine
by Rashid Khalidi
Rashid Khalidi’s account of the oppression faced by Palestinians is the perfect place to start for those who have limited knowledge of Palestinian history. Khalidi covers the Israeli occupation of Palestine before the Nakba (which took place in 1947 and led to the dispossession of many Palestinians). He traces the root of Zionism by analyzing the colonizers’ gaze and language when the question of Palestine was present.
Khalidi, who is also Palestinian, weaves in his own lineage, expanding on how he is deeply tied to the land he writes about. As the book progresses, the writing becomes more personal; the reality of the situation begins to set in with the reader.
Tracing three eras of the Israeli occupation, The Hundred Years War on Palestine, reminds us that the oppression Palestinians face began nearly a century before October 7th. Khalidi’s work outlines oppression, resistance, and the failures of the international community.
Pedagogy of the Oppressed
by Paulo Freire
Freire’s work covers the relationship between power and education. He argues that for oppressed people to truly find freedom, the education they receive must focus on doing so. However, the power structures that influence the curriculum tend to uphold the status quo.
Freire’s own experiences as an educator in Brazil and his travels educating in places like Guinea Bissau are woven into the book. This personal touch shapes the thinking behind this book, as Freire is not merely investigating power and education but exposing the deeper nature of his own journey. While Pedagogy of the Oppressed is fairly short in length, the book is a dense work of philosophy with four chapters, all requiring the readers’ focus, and constant critical engagement. The heart of the book is this solution proposed by Friere, as he investigates how the latter can play a role in the liberation of the oppressed.
Capitalist Realism
by Mark Fisher
Capitalism is not just an economic system, but an ideological motif that dominates the western mind. Mark Fisher argues that capitalism’s influence has become so significant it’s difficult to think of any other probable system outside of capitalism. Fisher draws on the famous quote by Fredric Jameson and Slavoj Žižek: “It is easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism.”
Capitalist Realism is short and concise. Under 100 pages, Fisher manages to cover topics such as the depiction of capitalism in dystopian stories, capitalism’s effects on mental health, and contribution to environmental degradation. All these issues are tied to the fact that market supremacy has made life transactional, and difficult for our psyche to break free from this mode of thinking.
One of the key takeaways from this book is that it covers how mental illness is viewed in a capitalist mindset. It is often subjugated to be a “chemicobiological problem,” placing the blame on someone’s brain chemistry instead of considering the possibility that capitalism has had an effect on the person.
True Reconciliation
by Jody Wilson-Raybould
Jody Wilson-Raybould (Kwakwaka’wakw) served as a member of parliament in the Canadian government and has written this book drawing from the cultural and diplomatic experience she had in that capacity.
True Reconciliation sets the record straight about colonial history in Canada and the existing structures within government that continue to affect Indigenous Peoples today.
Wilson-Raybould explains the significance of Indigenous cultures and highlights the various perspectives that are present within the communities, then progresses the narrative towards understanding the past. The reader will be given a straightforward account of Indigenous history from a political angle, presented with oppressive accounts of Canadian policy-making, as well as thoroughly researched evidence of colonial thinking and Indigenous rebuttal. Wilson-Raybould ensures that the analysis she provides is thoroughly supported by evidence, and no corner seems unturned with her research in the book.
YILDIZ SUBUK STAFF WRITER
PHOTO: EMILY LE / THE PEAK
Grieving the Lapu-Lapu festival tragedy
Two musicians open up on their healing process
Yildiz Subuk • Staff Writer
Lapu-Lapu Day — a day to celebrate resistance — traces its roots to when Datu Lapu-Lapu defeated Spanish colonial rule during the 1521 Battle of Mactan in the Philippines. Since 2023, Vancouver has held a festival honouring Lapu-Lapu, which serves as a vessel to bring the community closer, through music, food, and stories.
The 2025 Lapu-Lapu Day tragedy was devastating; however, the Filipino community’s resilience, care for one another, and strive towards collective healing is emblematic of the day’s significance.
Local musicians Chanel Barcelon and Helen Dejene, both members of the Filipino community, attended the festival. The Peak spoke with them about using music as an outlet for grief.
Helen Dejene
The significance of the day drew Dejene to attend the festival. Lapu-Lapu was a hero fighting against Spanish colonization, an aspect that resonated with Dejene. It was a celebration of her community, an acknowledgement of the fight towards liberation.
From children to grandparents, “everybody was just there wanting to turn up and celebrate the culture, celebrate being Filipino. Because, for a lot of us, [there isn’t an event like this] on a grand scale.
“I left five minutes before the tragedy struck. I was with my cousin, but we had seen a lot of our friends that were there.” Dejene’s first reaction was to call everyone to ensure their safety. “I could feel in my heart that I would not be the same since that Saturday.”
Prior to the tragedy, the festival was a joyous occasion. Dejene felt validated seeing all the Filipino representation at the event. Being a musician herself, the role of art and music has been prevalent throughout her life. The environment surrounding her at the festival was lively, and the excitement of seeing headliners made the experience feel more grand. Dejene expressed deep appreciation for the two Black-Eyed Peas stars Apl.de.Ap and J.Rey Soul. “Whether people realize it or not, [they] were probably one of the biggest Filipino representations out there, starting from the early ‘90s, going into the 2000s.
“Music is there for you. It’s an outlet for me and for so many. I’ve already been seeing so many musicians writing songs about what happened.” Dejene shared she’d admired seeing her community come together and express their grief and tribute those lost to the tragedy through song and poetry. “You do have to write lyrics. But sometimes it’s easier to just put it in a melody, attaching lyrics to a melody than to explain it to a person.”
Dejene shared she felt proud of her community’s resilience. “We are all grieving as one and we will all move forward as one.”
We are all grieving as move forward
Lapu-Lapu
Chanel Barcelon
Barcelon brought her friends to the festival, who were not of Filipino descent, to share her culture with those she was close with. The festival felt like home to her. From eating Filipino barbeque to enjoying taho, a street food she remembers fondly as “soft tofu, a brown sugar syrup, and then sago,” Barcelon was transported to her homeland.
“I felt bad that I brought my friends who I wanted to celebrate my culture with,” expressed Barcelon. “A risk of harm is not something that I had in mind. I wanted it to be like showing them a piece of my heritage.
“I was feeling a little guilty, that I was mourning and grieving, even though I didn’t witness the traumatic event.” It wasn’t till the next day when she attended the vigil that the reality of the situation manifested. “I was a little anxious because I was like, this is like where it happens. What if something happens again, and I’m putting myself at risk?”
To grieve with the community, not just fellow Filipinos, but also friends, became important in Barcelon’s healing process. She went to a counsellor for support, someone who offered his time freely to those affected by the tragedy, “I’m lucky enough to have a resource that was free,” said Barcelon. A safe space free of judgment allowed Barcelon to process her emotions. “There’s something called pendulation in therapy, [in which you sway] between good moments and the grief.” This process can help alleviate the feeling of being stuck in one constant low. It allows a person to authentically feel a range of emotions, instead of leaving certain feelings undealt.
Along with therapy, Barcelon also surrounded herself with communal activities. From working out with her roommate, to embracing spirituality with others. “To cope, I prayed a lot. We went to church and I haven’t gone to church in many years. We lit candles at home, at the vigil, and brought flowers. I wrote a song to process my own grief.”
Barcelon knew she wanted to write music as it has been an outlet for her. She has “leaned on [it] in the past for things like anger, sadness, trying to process things that have happened.” Barcelon performed her song at a vigil that took place at Minoru Park in Richmond.
Writing music wasn’t just an outlet but also a learning experience. “I learned a word like kapwa, which is the word for interconnectedness.” The experience of being around a community was woven into Barcelon’s song as the community “think of each other as family, we call each other tita, tito (aunt and uncle), kuya, ate (brother and sister).” Barcelon’s song was a prayer for those who were affected by the tragedy. Processing emotions is one part of the journey, but to articulate that grief is also another battle. “At the time I didn’t really have words to express what I was feeling, so I just posted the song.” Knowing others resonated with it brought comfort to Barcelon.
as one and we will all forward as one.
Shafira Vidyamaharani’s intuitive path to design
This Vancouver-based designer is reimagining graphic design
ASHIMA SHUKLA · STAFF WRITER
A graphic designer, photographer, videographer, painter, writer, and textile artist, Shafira Vidyamaharani’s practice resists definition — and that’s the point. Now a graduate student in SFU’s communication program, they are building a career that merges intuition with intellect, art with community, and personal memories with collective futures.
Even as a child, art was the language Vidyamaharani best understood. Their mother enrolled them in art competitions, and their father used drawing to explain complex ideas. “[Art] has always been in me, and passed down through me,” they told The Peak, smiling under the summer sun on Burnaby campus.
Vidyamaharani was never formally trained in graphic design. They remember first making One Direction graphics on Tumblr, which evolved into designing for their school and the district student council. In fact, they never expected to build a creative career in Vancouver, which “forces out talented creatives” due to high rent, few opportunities, and a difficult grant system. Still, their practice grew through connections. Volunteering to design for a friend’s show led to more paid work, word-of-mouth recognition, and a steady presence within the DIY music and cultural production scene. In this, social media became their de facto agent, their portfolio, and their stage.
Understanding graphic design as also a service, they find themselves frequently negotiating between their artistic vision and the client’s needs. At this point in their practice, they can be more selective with the work they take on. “Even just two years ago, this isn’t something I would be able to do,” they shared. Yet,
A celebration of Indigenous cultures at SFU Burnaby
· STAFF WRITER Honour National Indigenous Peoples’ Month through handcrafted arts, delicious food, and good people
On Tuesday June 17, SFU’s Town and Gown Square will be filled with a bustling Indigenous Market. From 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., the square will be lined with 25 vendors showcasing their Indigenous goods and art. Hosted in the middle of National Indigenous History Month, the market is organized by SFU Campus Services and the Indigenous Student Centre (ISC). The market is set to be a vibrant display of the cultures of various Indigenous Nations, and a wonderful opportunity for all community members to engage in the local Indigenous goods and art scene.
A top vendor for the market is Big City Bannock Food Truck, which is both Indigenous and family-owned. Their menu includes elk bannock tacos and bannock burgers. This menu centers its culinary delights around bannock, which “has a smoky, almost nutty flavour blended with a buttery taste,” according to Spectacular Northwest Territories. It will be served at the market as a deep fried delight as both traditional bannock and as the more modern staple, bannock tacos. In a statement to The Peak, the vendor, Raymond said, “We love
they remain mindful of what it means to commodify something so personal.
“My mum had a point. You should leave your art as your hobby because it is something that can be sacred,” they reflected. “I am really glad I don’t solely depend on art to survive, that I have other skills that I can sell my labour with.” Still, their eyes lit up as they realized, “it feels so good knowing I was able to navigate my difficult relationship with commodifying my graphic practice.”
Preferring not to follow trends, Vidyamaharani instead finds inspiration from nature and the everyday. Living by the water, running, biking, and photographing landscapes all help them reset. “I take a lot of retreats into nature to gain inspiration,” Vidyamaharani said, pointing to the asymmetries and quantitative reasoning in nature that guides their designs. Collaging, for instance, allows them to lean into the unknown, where the value lies not in the final product but in the interaction with materials, in the process itself. In this way, they find graphic design to be deeply intuitive.
Placing themselves in their work has been at the heart of Vidyamaharani’s practice. “So much of the graphic design literature that is taught to us is so eurocentric,” they reflected, pointing to the absence of designers like W.E.B. Du Bois or Emory Douglas in the canon. In contrast, their own visual world was shaped by Islamic calligraphic art — a sacred form of typography rooted in nature and design principles like the
golden ratio and modularity around Islamic architecture. “I love typography so much, I make sure I am focusing on it,” they said.
“I don’t think that my practice would exist without the opportunities that community has presented to me,” they said. Working with local producers, DJs, and musicians, mediating and co-creating culture is part of how they see themselves instilling a cultural heritage in Metro Vancouver, “to build a cultural heritage that hasn’t been written about.” In this, they give a heartfelt shoutout, for example, to their friends at Made by We, who brought them into designing for a festival, and their ongoing collaborations with iDream library that continue to challenge and inspire them.
Now in their fourth year as a freelance graphic designer, Vidyamaharani is also merging their creative practice with academic inquiry in their graduate research project. “The ethics of representation, of an idea, of a concept, of a spirit, and how it can be expressed through the graphic form” fascinates them.
To young artists, and to their 18-year-old self, Vidyamaharani offers love and encouragement. “Don’t worry as much, everything truly does fall into place. I have fallen into some of the best parts of my life by accident.” Vidyamaharani continued, “The less stress you go through life with, the easier things get.” They concluded by reflecting, “Easier said than done, I know. Still, follow your dreams! Follow your heart. Follow your passion. Laugh more.”
to showcase a piece of Indigenous culture and bring people together with every dish we serve.”
SFU Campus Services and the ISC have organized this event to engage the SFU community at large to explore and enjoy the market. Ayumi Orgar, of SFU Campus Services, said, “People can browse a diverse selection of handcrafted goods, jewelry, artwork, beadwork, textiles, traditional foods, and more — all created by 25 talented Indigenous artists and makers from local communities. This event is a meaningful opportunity to support Indigenous businesses, learn about cultural practices, and connect with community members in a vibrant, welcoming space.” Anyone who wishes to attend the market is invited. The market will be full of these hand-selected vendors with a large diversity of artwork and meticulously hand-crafted items. There will be items for all to explore and enjoy. Orgar adds that the event “is being held in the Town and Gown Square to better include the wider SFU community.” So come one, come all!
All month long, there are ways to support and research Indigenous history and culture. SFU’s Campus Services and ISC are committed to the honouring of this month beyond hosting the market. There are several ways to share your support, as listed on the ISC page: donate to local Indigenous community initiatives, read the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action report, and engage with and share Indigenous content online. According to the ISC, a key way to show up this month is to support Indigenous artists, by buying their pieces and learning about the item. What better way to do this than to show up to the market and ask the artists themselves?
So now that you know what you’re doing on Tuesday June 17, make sure to come early enough to grab some delicious bannock and have the first pick of beautifully crafted items! Come out and bring your friends to support Indigenous artists, eat delicious food, and have fun!
PHOTO: SHAFIRA VIDYAMAHARANI
COURTESY OF MUSEUMOFVAN / INSTAGRAM
The British Museum’s new digital experience: Theirs spiritually, but ours legally
Introducing our digitized collection
ILLUSTRATION: YAN
British Museum website update
Preserving our history
In a bold leap into the 21st century, the British Museum is proud to unveil its brand-new website, designed to educate, inspire, and preserve everything we had the foresight to collect everywhere we went. We are thankful to have attained these artifacts before they could be ruined by weather, war, or heaven forbid, people.
Every artifact has a story, and a British collector
We offer a dazzling array of interactive features: panoramic views of Mesopotamian skeletons, AIgenerated reconstructions of plundered cities, and a soothing voiceover by Dame Judi Dench explaining why none of this is technically theft if you write it down in a ledger.
Visitors can browse curated collections such as:
“Mediterranean Memories” — celebrating how Roman sculptures and Greek marbles found eternal rest in the calm, non-seismic embrace of London.
“Treatures of Turtle Island” — a moving tribute to the sacred items of Indigenous North America, acquired during “diplomatic conversations.”
“Auspicious Australian Afternoons” — a breathtaking VR experience, taking digital visitors on a tour of our 39,000 artifacts from down under. Can you believe we just found them in the woods? Finders keepers, I guess!
“Private Indian Palace Collection” — Suddenly gifted to us by destiny, a collection of Islamic-ish or Buddhist-ish art (we’re not actually sure, and we don’t care). Plus, a massive diamond that might be seen on the ring of a lucky gal: catch it on the next season of The Bachelor UK
Luckily, our ancestors had the good sense to place them here, in our little sanctuary. We are the proper guardians of such treasures.
British hands
The addition of a new feature that allows visitors to trace the journey of each artifact from its point of origin to its proper display behind reinforced glass.
Haida Totem Fragment (British Columbia → “Diplomatic negotiations” → Ship Hold → London)
The museum assures visitors that every item is photographed, and kept in a glass display, away from the possibility of local mishandling and inconvenient spirituality.
Cultural preservation, the British way (the superior way)
All the items on display were in danger of being lost to time, fire, or Indigenous use. The new “Cultural Guardianship” tab outlines the museum’s deep commitment to ethical artifact holding.
Looking ahead
Our future website update will include the following:
- A blog series called “We Found It First (If we don’t take it, someone else will)”
- A downloadable museum map in the following languages: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, German, and Dutch.
A message from the museum
We’re not just curating history, we’re preserving the very soul of global culture — by removing it from its source and polishing it with a microfiber cloth.
As the site loads in all its glory — powered by Wi-Fi, and centuries of confident audacity — we remind you of one timeless, universal truth: History belongs to everyone, as long as it is nailed to the floor in London.
For kids!
- Colour your own empire!
- Match the artifact to the continent!
- Draw a treaty and ignore it in real time!
- Looting simulation!
- Digital hide and go seek (can you find the 1,500 cultural items that we’ve lost? Oopsies!).
“Indigenous Voices” Tab . . . Is Currently Under Construction . . .
(We reached out, but people keep asking about repatriation. Strange, weird, and hogwash!)
Our stellar reviews:
“A triumph of digital colonial hospitality.”
— The Telegram
“An impressive monument to not reading the room.”
— The Conservator
“Is it satire or is it real? Either way, I’m exhausted.”
— Dr. James Ahuja, founder of the cultural artifact repatriation squad
TING LEUNG / THE PEAK
ZAINAB SALAM · OPINIONS EDITOR
Peak Speaks:
r/simonfraser:
We asked, you answered
The Peak hits Reddit to ask SFU students some thoughtprovoking questions
Lucaiah Smith-Miodownik News Writer
Q: Would you rather get a dollar for every raccoon you see on campus but you can only listen to Nickelback for the rest of your life, or $1 million if the gondola ever gets built but you can never eat at Tim’s again? Why?
u/ManyMilesLongAway:
“$1 million but no Tim’s. Once its grilled cheese died, my love for Tim’s followed.”
u/powerclipper780:
“Nickelback is sick. You’re telling me I could be wealthy and musically fulfilled? Sign me up.”
u/rebeccarightnow:
“The gondola being built is more likely than me ever not regretting Tim’s. So sure, I’ll take a chance on getting paid for it instead of condemning myself to a life of misery with the first option.”
u/manOmanytendies42:
“$1 million if the gondola ever gets built. Nickelback is a fate worse than death.”
u/FierceCat5020:
“$1 million, and start my own coffee shop right away.”
u/stopruining:
“$1 million and free my guts from the tyranny of the farmers wrap & iced cap combo? Sign me up.”
u/masterugway:
“I don’t think Nickelback themselves would pick the first option.”
My Blog — Excerpts from a blogging mom: Cancel culture cookies
Sheela McGummery · Peak Columnist
Hello, world! My name is Sheela McGummery and I blog about my life as a mommy of five kiddos! I am a proud conservative woman of the suburbs and I bake to fill my life with the sort of sweetness I used to find in my marriage. LOL. For any serious baking inquiries, please email sheelathemommabaker@zohomail.com
Hey momacitas! Today, we are making some delish cancel culture cookies! My favourite recipe! Let’s get on with our ingredients. :))
But first, way back in 2019, I was invited to write a guest column for The Peark about my fabulous lemon bars. Since then, I have been behind CANCELLED BARS. I was (what the communist millennials call) #Cancelled over me admitting to “accidentally” (wink wink, girlfriends) putting an insurance salesperson into a coma!!!!!!!
I used to be very polite, timid, and respectful in my blog. After spending years being CENSORED by editors, I am back, more passionate and god-fearing than ever. This is my evolution. This is the new Sheela.
The Peark ruined my life. All of a sudden Sheela was the bad gal.
My CHURCH reassigned me to napkin duty,
My frosted bars were BANNED from PAC meetings,
The AI robot bot self-checkout machine at Thrifty’s started beeping at me more than normal.
The Peark and WorldWideWeb.THE-PEAKPeriodCA didn’t want good old Sheela writing for them. They say Sheela is an aggressive person and is “funky.” Well guess what? NOPE. Not true.
So now they gave me back my blog!!!!!
Otherwise I threatened to enroll in SFU courses and make their lives a living heck. To my haters I say: put down your oat milk and live a little. To my wonderfully loyal fan base of two readers, four of which are named Doreen, thanks for reading an empty blog for six years.
This blog is officially once again open for business, so long as I have Wi-Fi in my prayer pantry — where the router shares a shelf with my holy water and pic of Andrew Scheer’s abs. So tell a friend to tell a friend that (she)EEELA’s BAAAAAACK!
Now, let’s get on to the recipe.
Cancel culture cookies hold a very close and dear place next to my heart. I guess you can say they are heart healthy! Bahahahahhahahaha!
But speaking of cancel culture cookies reminds me of the time I got BANNED from Facenovel Marketplace for trying to trade a batch of my cancel culture cookies for a second-hand and ethically-sourced quinoa-filled boxing bag with that crook David Eby’s face on it, hand-made by that snake in the grass Rebecca (a Libertarian pagan). I said EXCUSE YOU? Who do you think you are to BAN me from Facenovel Marketplace? And for what?? I only had like 300 warnings from previous incidents. That’s like nothing!! Remember what I did to the insurance salesperson? DO YOU REMEMBER? Do you want to mess with Sheela?
SO I got my little Johnathonoah (who just turned 10) to hack into Rebecca’s mother board and find where her router was. We had to attack her router. She probably doesn’t have her router in a prayer closet — it’s probably inside of some woke smoothie bar (omg, eyeroll).
Johnathonoah turned to me and he said, “Mother, this lady has messed with the WRONG baked-goods religious matriarch.” Don’t mess with momma bear. Raaaawwwr.
So I found her router, found her address in my personal Yellow Pages, walked up to her, and punched her with another Yellow Pages book (old habits don’t die), and dragged her into her backyard where I hoped she and the router would be mauled by a passing bear. But no bears were in sight. The router and Rebecca lived (ugh). One restraining order later and another night in jail, all in the name of promoting good faith-based habits and to make our country cancel free.
So, who’s ready to make some cancel culture cookies?
RECIPE ON PAGE 2 >
MY YUMMY CANCEL CULTURE COOKIE RECIPE
PHOTO: YANA TSYBROVSKA / UNSPLASH
Don’t get too curious, but Cher and Future may have saved the world Will my obsession with this song ever end?
KATIE WALKLEY · SFU STUDENT
Equality. Empathy. Fairness. Before 2017, a society based on these ideals seemed like a far-off dream. Luckily, we were saved by our feminist icon Cher and the revolutionary rap star Future. This iconic duo came together on a staircase in the abyss to cover the song “Everyday People” by Sly & the Family Stone for a GAP commercial. Their angelic voices, accompanied with profound lyrics, made everyone understand that we are all just small parts that build up a screwed up humanity as a whole.
Recently, the song has entered the hearts and minds of billions across the world, going viral on social media. Why? No clue. Maybe it’s Mother Nature’s way of telling us that we need more Cher in our lives. To celebrate the creation of our new international anthem, we must honour those who commissioned the Cher/ Future collab. Some call them the GAP marketing team. I call them: pathfinders of mortal enlightenment. Using the same motivation that carried Noah through his construction of the ark, the GAP marketing team is here to save humanity.
Every time I hear this song, I feel inclined to visit my local GAP. However, as I browse through the exploits of fast fashion, I begin to think dangerous thoughts. Like, what if this song hasn’t really made this world a better place? When these thoughts arise, I am jolted by a salesperson coming out of the back with a rad pair of skinny jeans or some generic Benson Boone song from the radio. Do NOT compare me to Harrison Bergeron, it’s not the same thing. Still, I can’t let go. The song captures me. It drives me back to the GAP and their transformative advocacy. After mere moments of browsing at my most recent visit, a gust of air pushed through the store as GAP CEO Richard Dickson ran in with the song blaring on his Bluetooth speaker. I took advantage of the moment to conduct an interview, wherein, without me asking any questions, he shouted from the top of his lungs, “I’m definitely the short hair!!!” (obviously referring to the line: “there is a long hair
who doesn’t like the short hair for being such a rich one that will not help the poor one”). Fellow customers and starvation wage employees hollered back, “Yes, yes you are!”
Wow . . . just writing that gave me chills. So captivating.
Even when you’re not at the GAP, this song can reach your worried mind. Psychological studies have shown that in a matter of weeks after the song resurfaced on TikTok, people no longer see race. Instead, they see auras, as the song instructs us to do in lines that refer to people as “the blue one” or “the green one.” Everyone prefers a different stroke, thus everyone is a unique folk with their own hue to join the rich tapestry that weaves us all together. Almost like a pack of M&Ms.
With our evolution towards aura and vibes, many have chosen to leave behind coherent language and communicate through interpretive dance. Through various arm wiggles, these folks have indicated that words separate us and dance allows us to express our true selves. Scooby, dooby dooby! Am I right?
As I walked home from GAP, I looked at the halfpenny in my pocket that the CEO gave me to demonstrate his dedication to everyday people. It made me rethink my long held assumption that a song commissioned by this man’s company could ever change the world.
I pulled out my phone to call my Cher fan club about this latest revelation, but the screen went black. On it appeared the words “don’t question it, this is the way it’s supposed to be. With love, GAP CEO.” Then appeared a $3 coupon for the GAP. So, obviously, I made my way back to the store while humming this iconic song.
