A safe space Safe injection sites coming to Waterloo Region. Pages 4 & 5 MONDAY, APRIL 16, 2018
SPOKE
A LEARNING NEWSROOM FOR JOURNALISM STUDENTS
CONESTOGA COLLEGE, KITCHENER, ONT.
WWW.SPOKEONLINE.COM
Skillz Manifesto Students display artwork at year-end show. Page 8 49TH YEAR — NO. 13
This is it – our final print edition BY CHRISTINA JONAS
It’s the end of an era at Conestoga College. This is the last print edition of Spoke, the weekly newspaper produced by journalism students. In September we are moving to a digital-only model that will allow for more real-time news and digital storytelling. Spoke Online (www. spokeonline.com), our current online news site, will continue the print edition’s tradition of featuring high-quality editorial content, including news, features, commentary and photographs, but will be
more of a live news website. It will continue to feature Spoke TV’s news programs and student-produced videos but you will also be able to listen to live student-produced CJIQ-FM news reports. This move comes as Conestoga launches the second year of its new journalism program that focuses on helping students develop the multimedia skills that are used in digital news reporting and storytelling across all media platforms. Spoke was first published 49 years ago, and over the years has been a treasure trove
of information, mainly on Conestoga’s students, programs, services and administration. Stories ran the gamut, from a tornado touching down at Doon and a minor earthquake, to students winning national awards and Conestoga’s constant construction projects, as the college grew from 188 fulltime students in 1968 to the more than 13,000 today. Of course, sports and entertainment were a big part of the paper as well, whether it was comedian Jim Carrey’s visit in 1982 or one of our many sports teams that
were crowned Ontario college champions. None of it would have been possible without the hundreds of journalism students who over the decades worked tirelessly to produce Spoke, honing their skills while at the same time displaying professionalism and a dedication to their craft. Some of them are now the best in the business, including David Shoalts, hockey columnist at the Globe and Mail, Howard Elliott, managing editor at the Hamilton Spectator, Laura Czekaj, a reporter at
the Ottawa Sun, and Ken MacQueen, former Vancouver bureau chief at Maclean’s magazine. And so, in September a new group of students will take over the Spoke reins, and will continue the drive toward excellence in researching, reporting, writing, broadcasting, videography and photography. Until then, we bid you rivedersi – until we see each other again. Christina Jonas is a professor of journalism and Spoke’s faculty adviser.
Music festival to feature Excision
One of Canada’s most highly anticipated music events, the Ever After Music Festival, is taking place in Kitchener June 8 to 10 at Bingemans, with Canadian EDM heavyhitter Excision headlining the jam-packed lineup. The three-day extravaganza will also feature performances from Claude VonStroke, Flux Pavilion, Doctor P, Illenium and many more. Marking the unofficial kickoff to summer, Ever After Music Festival officials say the event is the ultimate escape from the daily hustle and concrete jungle, adding festival-goers will be transported to a utopian fairytale-themed paradise. A press release states, “The Ever After experience is unlike any other, where festival-goers can expect theatrical performers, theme-inspired dancers, stateof-the-art stage productions, exclusive VIP lounges as well as a waterpark, midway, games and variety of vendors. Combining stunning visuals and high class performances, Ever After consistently brings in some of the biggest international EDM performers with previous headliners including ZEDD, Skrillex, BASSNECTAR, Diplo, DJ Snake and more. The festival is in its fourth year and in the past has attracted more than 40,000 people. “We strive to give an unparalleled, world class festival experience. We’re constantly on the pulse of the EDM scene and work to provide a lineup that combines a mix of emerging acts and
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Ever After Music Festival is set to return to Bingemans in Kitchener this year after a successful event in 2017. This year’s headliners include Excision, Illenium and Flux Pavillion with performances from many more artists over the course of the three-day event. EDM superstars,” said Ever After’s organizer Gabriel Mattacchione, president of Beyond Oz Productions Inc. “Ever After is an immersive, uncompromising musical experience. This year is guaranteed to be the most memorable one yet.” Back due to popular demand, back-to-back (B2B) sets will be returning to the festival this year, giving DJs the chance to share the stage and perform together. Ever After has planned a whopping seven B2B sets
including Zomboy and Skism, Flux Pavilion and Doctor P, Midnight T and Megalodon, and more. Canadian EDM superstar Excision (aka Jeff Abel, a dubstep producer and DJ hailing from British Columbia) will be closing out the festival with his own B2B set, which is guaranteed to be a huge spectacle of lights and killer bass – a true basshead’s dream. He has wowed crowds at festivals all over the world, and will now be returning to home turf for a homecoming fans won’t want to miss.
In addition to the set list, festival-goers can enjoy activities including the waterpark, midway and games such as inflatable football and a WipeOut obstacle course. For those who want the ultimate weekend getaway, offsite camping packages are available, with the campground within a short walking distance of the festival grounds. In partnership with Unity Travel, campsites will be available in addition to cabins, containers and RV spots for non-campers.
Ticket prices are: General one-day pass, $70. General three-day pass, $139. General three-day Rabbit Hole pass, $159. (The Rabbit Hole pass allows for expedited entry into the festival and faster service at festival vendors, bars and rides.) VIP three-day pass, $184. Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.everafterfest. com. For additional story, see Page 3.
NEWS
Page 2 s SPOKE
Now deep thoughts ... with Conestoga College
Monday, April 16, 2018
FILBERT CARTOONS
Random questions answered by random students
If you could only watch one TV show for the rest of your life, which show would it be? “Young and the Restless.”
A TAXING SITUATION
Kesseta Black, second-year journalism broadcast
“Stargate.”
Matthew De VetteJohnston, second-year journalism broadcast
“24.”
Betty Heho, second-year television broadcast
PHOTO BY REBECCA SOARES
Josh Dodge, a bartender at the Venue on Conestoga College’s Doon campus, offers his insight on whether he thinks the alcohol tax increase will affect the Venue. For video story, visit www.spokeonline.com.
LOCAL VOLUNTEERS GET SOME RECOGNITION
“Breaking Bad.” Nick Walder, first-year photography and Photoshop
“Friends.”
Stass Jackson, first-year photography and Photoshop
“The Flash.”
Nick da Silva, first-year business administration
Smile Conestoga, you could be our next respondent!
PHOTO BY AUSTIN WELLS
Marika Galadza of Reception House Waterloo addresses a crowd of volunteers at the Volunteer Service Awards on April 3. The ceremony was held in two parts on back-to-back nights and recognized over 200 recipients with awards for their work in the region. For video story, go to www.spokeonline.com.
NEWS
Monday, April 16, 2018
SPOKE s Page 3
Festival organizer says fan satisfaction No. 1 BY PETER SWART
The road to this year’s Ever After Music Festival has been an unexpectedly bumpy one for organizers. The most recent bump was the sexual assault allegations surrounding Datsik, who was scheduled to headline the festival, which lead to some frantic rearranging of the schedule. While this shook up the event and made fans scour the internet to see what the festival organizers would do to compensate for the loss of a headliner, it’s nothing compared to the news from earlier in the year. The festival was given a very strict set of rules by Kitchener city council in order to get a noise exemption for the Kitchener-based event. Fans are still trying to figure out what the organizers have planned. “I’m fine with Excision being the only headliner on Sunday, but is he really going to have to finish his set by nine?” asked Kitchener resident Jaydon Talbot. Talbot is a huge fan of electronic dance music and the festival in particular. He’s attended Ever After for the past three years, only missing its debut in 2015. “The reason I keep coming back every year is because it keeps getting better, from the lineup to the atmosphere,” said Talbot, “but if the festival has to follow the new rules for good then it kind of feels like it’s just downhill from here.” Gabriel Mattacchione, the festival’s president, has responded to fans’ concerns many times and has stuck to his stance. He will not allow the city to compromise the fans’ experience. The noise exemption was
changed this year after over 100 noise complaints were made during last year’s festival. This resulted in the noise level being dropped from an allowed level of 60 decibels (dBA) to 55 dBA which is comparable to a calm residential neighbourhood. Mattacchione had already planned on reducing the noise carried outside of the venue before the noise exemption was altered by bringing in a new sound system. “The new technology is made by a well-known company called PK Sound,” he said. “This new tech allows us to manually change the direction of the sound and focus the direction solely on the venue in real time while the event is going on.” Kitchener’s city council has also decided that in order for the event to go on as planned the event must end by 9 p.m. on Sunday, June 10. Mattacchione has reassured fans who are upset by the end time, saying he will not let the council ruin their experience. “Simply put, I plan on not ending the programming at 9 p.m. on Sunday evening,” he said. Knowing that the president of the festival is so determined to not compromise the experience of the event has certainly put some fans’ minds at ease. “Matt Mattacchione has become sort of a hero to me,” said Talbot. “He is sticking to his guns and he’s trying to live up to the expectations that we as fans have for the festival and it’s working so far.” Some council members even disagree with the end time of 9 p.m., including Councillor Kelly Galloway-Sealock who believes that the end time is a little unreasonable.
PHOTO SUBMITTED
In 2017, Ever After was held at Bingemans in Kitchener. It received over 100 noise complaints. With the festival returning to the venue, Kitchener city council approved a noise exemption but insisted on a lower noise level and an earlier festival end time on Sunday, June 10. “The decision was not unanimous, the council as a whole did not support the 9 p.m. end time but the majority did,” she said, “I didn’t (support it), I thought it should go longer.” While some people believe that the rules being imposed on the festival show discrimination toward the music type, Galloway-Sealock believes it has more to do with the genre’s tendency to be louder than others. “I don’t think the type of music is being singled out but I believe because of the nature of the music and the bass that is used within this music it creates louder sound and more vibration,” she said.
GALLERY HOLDS ULTIMATE AFTER-DARK PARTY
PHOTO BY PETER SWART
The Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery hosted its second annual Big Bang event on April 9, where party-goers could dance, socialize and participate in some arts and crafts.
Mattacchione disagrees, believing if Ever After programmed any other type of music they would not be given rules such as these regardless of complaints. “It disturbs me that no other event has been put under these regulations due to complaints in the past, nor do I think they will in the future,” he said. “Unless they start to program electronic music of course.” Heading into this year’s event, Mattacchione is keeping his mind open about moving the festival if Kitchener continues to make it difficult to use Bingemans as a venue no matter how much he loves the park.
“Bingemans is, in my opinion, the best venue to throw an amazing festival, from the waterpark to camping, my team calls it the unicorn venue,” he said. “That being said, things are much easier to do in other regions and it’s something we will have to evaluate at the end of the year.” Galloway-Sealock recognizes that the festival is a large economic benefit to the city and understands that their decision to impose these regulations could be the reason Ever After packs up and moves. “We definitely have the ability to impact what they do in the future,” she said.
FEMALE STUDENT CHARGED FOR MAKING THREAT
PHOTO BY VERONICA REINER
Jacob Hespeler is the sixth school to be targeted in a series of threatening graffiti messages around Waterloo Region. One student from the school has been charged with mischief under $5,000. For video story, visit www.spokeonline.com.
FEATURE
Page 4 s SPOKE
Monday, April 16, 2018
Understanding substance abuse BY TAYLOR PACE
A father walks through the door of the safe injection site in Toronto pushing a stroller with a toddler inside. He is here to use. This sight initially shocks Darryl Gebien, who is there as an observer. But the shock quickly disappears when he realizes the alternative: a father dosing alone, potentially nodding off and overdosing; potentially leaving a child unattended. “What would be the alternative for this guy? He’s going to use, and he’s smart enough and had the guts to go into the SIS (safe injection site) with a young child where it’s safe. If he does nod off and pass out, his toddler has somebody to keep an eye out for his dad. The alternative is just horrifying,” he said. The opioid epidemic has been dominating news headlines across Canada for the last year, and Waterloo Region is no exception. The region has been weighing the pros and cons of implementing safe injection sites by visiting active sites in the province and considering public opinion. On April 10, the region voted unanimously to begin evaluating potential locations for the safe injection sites. A report is expected in May. Studies show these sites do not increase crime rates or drug-related litter, and in 2015 the neighbourhood surrounding Vancouver’s safe injection site saw a 25 per cent decline in overdose deaths. This is a significant number, considering paramedics in Waterloo Region responded to over 700 suspected opioid overdose calls last year alone. While statistics show many members of the community support the implementation, there is still significant pushback from community members, primarily because of concerns for public safety. But Gebien, a non-practising health-care professional in long term recovery for a near fatal fentanyl addiction, believes the public safety concern surrounding safe injection sites is unmerited. “It’s not like people congregate there,” he said. “These are not people who are going to engage in organized crime. They just want to be alone with their drugs, they don’t want to hurt people. They just simply want to be safe and have a place where they can be undisturbed. “People need to try to humanize it,” he said. “I can speak from my own experience that it is helpful to use in a
safe injection site.” Gebien started using drugs in 2008 when he was prescribed Percocet for back pain. “I woke up one day, I slept on the couch funny and I woke up with excruciating back pain.” He said he was using it properly at first, but a year later he took some out of curiosity when he wasn’t experiencing pain, while having beers with his friends. “I look back and go, ‘that was an awful decision.’ I should have known better. “I started relying more and more on the Percocets to numb both the back pain and emotional pain. I didn’t realize I was addicted to it until years later when I didn’t take it for about 24 hours, and I felt withdrawal; I felt very ill and irritable, and it went away the second I took another Percocet.” He is not alone. A local lawyer, who will be called Joan Smith to protect her identity, started using opiates recreationally when she was 22. She said addiction can sneak up on you.
“
It wasn’t until I experienced withdrawal for the first time that I realized the trouble I was in. — Joan Smith
”
“I was in denial about the problems my use was causing for the first several months. It wasn’t until I experienced withdrawal for the first time that I realized the trouble I was in. My life hasn’t been the same ever since. There’s a saying that when you can quit, you don’t want to and when you want to quit, you can’t,” she said. Growing up, Smith’s upperclass family lived in one of the richest cities in Ontario. She had what she said was an ideal childhood. “I got straight As and graduated high school at the age of 15, then went on to university and graduated on the honour roll. I was naive and used to think that people like me didn’t get addicted. “I don’t live on the street or steal to pay for drugs. I have my own apartment and a good job. If you passed me on the street you would never guess I was an injection drug user,” she said. She suffers from mental illnesses and turned to drugs to cope with the pain. “Addiction isn’t about getting high – it’s about reducing suffering.”
She also noted the argument for rehabilitation services instead of safe injection sites is unrealistic. The rehab system is a broken record with its 12-step sobriety program, and needs to be improved upon. A start, she said, would be by employing actual therapists and doctors, rather than just former addicts. “Relapse rates are high and addicts are at their most vulnerable when leaving detox or rehab because their lowered tolerance increases their risk of overdose. “Improving the current system will take a lot more time and money, neither of which we have right now. We need to do something immediately to stop people from dying. The first step to treatment is keeping people alive,” she said. Gebien agrees, and said that he almost died from resuming his previous dosing after abstaining. But, he said, “(Safe injection sites) are not powerful enough on their own. The problem is right now people have reached their bottom and finally want help, and have to wait for a bed. With any other medical condition, a person gets prompt treatment. With addiction, people have to wait three to six months, and during that time they’re at high risk to overdose.” Gebien believes harm reduction should be multifaceted with both opioid replacement therapy and safe injection sites, adding he thinks opioid replacement therapy is the most effective form of harm reduction. “For every one person who’s using a safe injection site, there are 100 more that are snorting crushed up Percocets or they’re burning fentanyl patches. So there’s a lot more users who are functional in society, and you could help a lot more people by providing opioid replacement therapy (such as methadone or suboxone).” Methadone is the method local resident John Lavergne, a recovering substance abuser, has been using, although he is a strong advocate for safe injection sites. “If somebody’s end game is to get clean, great. It gives them access to opioid replacement therapies or social workers or whatever to take the next step forward, while keeping them from dying in the street,” he said. He said in addition to giving drug users access to counselling and opioid replacement therapy, the sites would give drug users access to health care, which can be difficult for users to
PHOTOS SUBMITTED
Darryl Gebien is a non-practising health-care professional in longterm recovery from a near-fatal fentanyl addiction. He is now a public speaker and advocate for tackling the opioid crisis through harm reduction and humanizing addiction. Above is a photo of Gebien when he was using drugs. The photo below shows him as he is today, in recovery.
access in the first place. “Not a lot of people realize your doctor can fire you, so it’s really hard for people who use drugs to get GPs because if they’re honest with their doctors, very often their doctors will be like, ‘I don’t
want to deal with this person, because it’s too complicated.’” Gebien said before he started using, as a health-care professional he was guilty of stigmatizing users as well. CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
FEATURE
Monday, April 16, 2018
SPOKE s Page 5
Safe injection sites benefit everyone
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4
“When someone identified as a chronic drug user in the emergency room, they would get second class treatment. That needs to change, there’s no room for judgement,” he said. Lavergne said the stigma can be crippling. He mentioned a friend, one of many, who died of an unintentional fentanyl overdose. “His mom found him in the bathroom. He’d been using drugs for maybe three years. His parents had no idea. He held a (regular) job, he worked at the same place as his mom. He was by all counts a good, normal kid, who also maintained a drug habit quietly. There’s an awful lot of people like that.
“
It’s not going to ruin downtown. People have stigma-based fears. — John Lavergne
”
“People can’t be open with their parents, with healthcare professionals, because of that judgement. And these are the places where that really matters. You should be able to go to your family and say ‘I have a problem and I need help and support,’ or to your doctor, but instead because of the stigma and judgement, people end up dying alone in bathrooms.” So for Lavergne, and many others, the safe injection sites are about keeping people alive. “It’s not going to ruin downtown. People have stigma-based fears,” he said. Wilfrid Laurier student Ana Mrazovac has been involved in a study that aims to find the root of these fears. Titled Public Knowledge of and Support for Safe Injection Sites in a Metropolitan, it started as part of an anthology for school, but is now something the students are conducting on their own time in hopes of understanding public opinion on safe injection sites. “I think right now it is the only intervention that we see actually saving lives. Of course there has to be a better solution that would target the root problems and stop it from happening in general, but that’s not an attainable goal at the moment. But if you’re not going to try to get to the root of the cause (immediately), you still have to do something to help them,” she said. The study was conducted
in Kitchener and Waterloo by interviewing the public to understand how much they know about safe injection sites and to get their opinion on them. “The problem is increasing in these smaller cities and it’s not getting any better, so I hope our study will help that,” Mrazovac said. The study is so far inconclusive as to whether a lack of support for safe injection sites stems from stigma or lack of information, but a second study is being conducted, which will also include Cambridge, which she hopes will clarify the reason for push back. The students interviewed over 300 citizens, with just over 75 per cent agreeing with the implementation of safe injection sites in KitchenerWaterloo. However, Mrazovac noted those against safe injection sites are likely not as vocal because it would be considered the unpopular opinion. “Those people who are saying that we need more intervention and rehab facilities, as opposed to these sites where (substance users) can just go and use their needles, well, you still need to get them to come to these facilities and you can’t do it by force. A lot of them don’t want to get help because it soothes the pain; they’re in a lot of emotional, sometimes physical pain as well, it’s a pain alleviator, even though it’s not the most traditional way,” she said. Safe injection sites are also cost-efficient despite what many think.
“
If we were losing this many people from the flu, car accidents or homicides, the community would be outraged and something would have been done ages ago. — Joan Smith
”
“With reductions and the number of people needing to be revived, there are health savings to the health sector. Not having to revive someone, keeping them alive, saves so much money. It keeps (hospitals) from having to have a hospital bed for them, which means they have a hospital bed for someone else. With all the recent evidence and continuing studies
PHOTO BY TAYLOR PACE
Pictured is one of the many safe sharps disposal boxes in Waterloo Region. It is located at the Ontario Addiction Treatment Centres (OATC) on 150 Main St., Cambridge. The OATC also provides opioid replacement therapies such as methadone and suboxone. being done, it seems to have positives from economic sides and for the individuals and for society. I think the positives at the moment are outweighing all the negatives,” she said. Mrazovac said adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, often play a large role in addiction, meaning substance users are often exposed to traumatic experiences at a young age, such as abuse, neglect and troubled households, which leads them down the path of substance abuse. “A lot of these people who
have addictions have so many ACEs. If you’re empathetic to them in any way, you can see they didn’t choose the lifestyle they have a lot of the time. It’s wrong to continue to penalize them for something they didn’t really have a choice in in the beginning,” she said. Smith said, “If we were losing this many people from the flu, car accidents or homicides, the community would be outraged and something would have been done ages ago, but people don’t seem to care about addiction until it affects someone they know. “Addicts are human beings,
just like everyone else. They are someone’s child, parent, sibling, friend, co-worker. We didn’t choose this lifestyle. We want to lead happy, healthy, normal lives but somewhere along the way we got lost and we need help to get ourselves out of this mess,” she said. Lavergne said, “At this point in the opioid crisis, everybody knows somebody who is strung out, whether they know it or not. Everyone’s got a family member, someone they love, somebody in their world, who has a habit and they just don’t realize it yet.”
COMMENTARY
Page 6 s SPOKE
Monday,April 16, 2018
Police have to stop shooting people BY MIKE TURCOTTE-MCCUSKER
When people think about the worst developed countries for police-on-civilian violence, the United States usually tops the list, but not many people would guess that Canada is the second worst offender. This is according to a story in the Newfoundland and Labrador Independent titled: Stop the Killing: Fatal police shootings in Canada. It’s our belief that this issue should be getting more attention in this country. What’s especially troubling is the number of people with severe mental disabilities who are killed by police. One example is Quinn MacDougall, 19, who was shot by police in Hamilton on April 3. By most accounts so far, he is said to have been unarmed, brandishing only a cellphone, and having actually called police because he thought his life was in danger. Another example is when police killed a young man named Beau Baker in Kitchener three years ago. Baker was armed with a knife, but many speculate that non-lethal options should have been taken, as Baker had severe mental health concerns, and should have been treated as someone who needed help and treatment, not as a criminal. Perhaps law enforcement officers are not receiving enough training on how to handle escalated situations involving mentally ill civilians. Perhaps officers should be armed with less lethal options, like rubber bullets or tasers. Or perhaps officers should be taught to keep their hands off their guns unless absolutely necessary. You don’t need to kill a person brandishing a knife, when shooting him to demobilize him will suffice. Let’s stop pretending that the U.S. is the only country that needs to get its act in together when it comes to police using excessive force. Canada has more total fatal police shootings and law enforcement homicides per year than Germany, Australia, the United Kingdom and Japan combined, according to various sources including the Daily Mail, Economist and The Guardian. So let’s stop panicking over what’s happening down south, and teach our cops how to stop killing people first. British police don’t even have guns, and not one officer has been killed since 2012 ... So what’s our excuse? The views herein represent the position of the newspaper, not necessarily the author.
Letters are welcome Spoke welcomes letters to the editor. Letters should be signed and include the name and telephone number of the writer. Writers will be contacted for verification. No unsigned letters will be published. Letters should be no longer
than 500 words. Spoke reserves the right to edit any letter for publication. Address correspondence to: The Editor, Spoke, 299 Doon Valley Dr., Kitchener, Ont., N2G 4M4
Hockey players across the nation honour the Humboldt Broncos.
Honouring Humboldt
The hockey community stood in solidarity on April 7 as it mourned the loss of 15 members of the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team who lost their lives in a horrific bus crash in northern Saskatchewan the night before. NHL players on the Winnipeg Jets and Chicago Blackhawks sported the word Broncos on their jerseys instead of their last names and moments of silence were held before puck drop at games across the country. Countless tributes have poured in honouring the victims. As someone who grew up playing organized sports, I can really relate to the pain those affected are feeling. Anyone who has played any sport can remember spending countless hours on road trips with their team when travelling to tournaments, and this type of tragedy is something that could befall any of us. When you look at this terrible accident, it is quite touching to see the support that has been shown the Broncos, their families and those affected. Toronto Maple Leafs head
Josh Pederson Opinion
coach Mike Babcock, who grew up in Saskatoon, told reporters on April 7, “You can’t make up for loss. It’s got to rip the heart out of your chest. We pray for those families and we’re thinking about them.” Several hotel chains in the area and even the general public offered to house family members of the team. Canada Hotels tweeted, “If you know of a family member that’s affected and needs to stay close by the hospitals – our hotels are available and we will take care of them. (No charge for tonight). Our #CanaltaCares team is ready in Melfort, Humboldt and Martensville (Saskatoon). #Humboldt #HumboldtStrong.” Social media support has been incredible. A GoFundMe page was set up to raise money for the affected families’ travel and
funeral costs and within 24 hours of launch, it had received over $1 million. As of Spoke’s press deadline, it had grown to more than $8 million. The GoFundMe page for the Broncos has raised the most in Canadian history and is in the Top 5 globally. “This one really struck a chord in Canada and around the world,” GoFundMe CEO Rob Solomon told CTV News Channel on April 10. The NHL and other hockey associations that paid tribute to the victims deserve a massive amount of respect for their response in addressing this catastrophe. They could have just as easily done nothing and continued operations as normal but they didn’t. This tragedy just goes to show that hockey isn’t just a sport we watch on TV, it is a community of likeminded individuals who share a passion for the game and when something of this nature happens, everyone is affected. Just like the whole hockey community, we at Conestoga College stand with you Humboldt.
SPOKE
IS PUBLISHED AND PRODUCED WEEKLY BY THE JOURNALISM STUDENTS OF CONESTOGA COLLEGE Editor: Taylor Pace Assignment Editor: Austin Wells Advertising Manager: Christina Jonas Spoke Online Editors: Mike Turcotte-McCusker, Josh Pederson Production Manager: Christina Jonas
Photo Editors (print): Lucas Hutteri, Tyler Medeiros Photo Editors (online): Veronica Reiner, Peter Swart Social Media Editor: Melissa Horton Circulation Manager: Becky Soares
Faculty Supervisor and Adviser: Christina Jonas Spoke’s address is 299 Doon Valley Dr., Room 1B23, Kitchener, Ontario, N2G 4M4.
Phone: 519-748-5220, ext. 3691, 3692, 3693, 3694 Email: spoke@conestogac.on.ca Website: www.spokeonline.com
The views and opinions expressed in this newspaper do not necessarily reflect the views of Conestoga College. Spoke shall not be liable for any damages arising out of errors in advertising beyond the amount paid for the space. Letters to the editor are subject to acceptance or rejection and should be clearly written or typed; a MS Word file would be helpful. Letters must not contain any libellous statements.
FUN & GAMES
Monday, April 16, 2018
SPOKE s Page 7
Useless Facts
Oh Cliff!
Horoscope Week of April 16, 2018
Aries
March 21 April 19 It’s OK to let go of the past in favour of a better future. Start by watching your weight and being aware of your health, Know that you have the power to do the right thing.
Taurus April 20 May 20
Find a way to take some time to meditate. When doing this you’ll know what you really want. Now is the time to give advice to others.
Gemini May 21 June 21
Take responsibility for your actions. Do not blame others for your tardiness or lack of professionalism. It’s time to get your act together.
Cancer June 22 July 22
Why not let today be the start of something new. It starts by looking at the bigger picture and spending time with the people that mean the most to you.
Leo
July 23 August 22 You will uncover something you forgot about, and it will make you rethink things. Make this day your own.
Virgo
August 23 September 22 Before you can find answers for yourself, maybe you should reach out to those close to you who may need you. This will help you, and you’ll understand your place in the world. The good news is that your mindset is perfect for tackling details.
Butterflies taste with their hind feet.
Libra
It takes about 142.18 licks to reach the centre of a Tootsie pop.
September 23 October 22
More Monopoly money is printed in a year than real money throughout the world.
If there is nagging doubt in your mind, then just do it. You’ll have only yourself to answer to for the consequences. Nobody can hold you down but yourself.
No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver and purple.
Scorpio
The average person spends six months of their life sitting at red lights.
October 23 November 21 You should do something for your significant other or someone close to you. This will help you settle down, and realize what you really want.
In September Spoke will become an online edition only
Sudoku Puzzle
Sagittarius November 22 December 21
Fill in the grid with digits in such a manner that every row, every column and every 3x3 box accommodates the digits 1-9, without repeating any.
Today you can turn your life around. Let your addiction go and accepting it for what it is. There’s every reason to hesitate, but if your heart says to take action, you should listen.
Capricorn December 22 January 19
If you’re unsure, weigh your options and do the right thing. The road to success is paved with the stones of failure.
Aquarius January 20 February 18
Today you have the choice to make a new start for yourself. Start focusing on the things that are the most important and spending time with the people who mean the most to you.
Pisces
February 19 March 20 If you think your place in the world is uncertain, it might be time to focus on yourself. Realize that you can do anything you want. Pick a song and let it be an anthem for you, and your success.
Diodonna Winona dabbles in forces beyond mortal comprehension. She also enjoys people watching and coffee.
Word Search
NEWS
Page 8 SPOKE
Monday, April 16, 2018
Students host Skillz Manifesto
BY MELISSA HORTON
Conestoga College’s design foundations students hosted their annual year-end design showcase and awards on April 6 at the Waterloo Region Museum. Called Skillz Manifesto, the event showcased an array of student designs, including canvas art, prints and twodimensional and threedimensional pieces. Guests at the show could bid on canvas paintings by the students and could purchase a selection of student prints. Tickets cost $10 with proceeds helping to pay for costs incurred by next year’s group of students. “The faculty organize it every year. It makes funds for next year’s program and it helps us get recognized in the community,” said Anne Marie Connolly, a student in the one-year certificate program. She added that the proceeds help pay for supplies including canvases and paint brushes. Prior to the event students also designed the advertisements for the showcase in order to draw in the community. Parents and guests browsed the various exhibits taking in
the designs the students had worked on throughout the year. “It just shows off all of the work we spend the whole year doing,” said Kaitlynn Altmayer, a design foundations student. However, the showcase was not the only part worth enjoying. When asked about the awards portion and what awards were being given, Altmayer simply answered, “We’re keeping it a secret.” The showcase lasted two hours and received significant attention from the community. If local art is something you enjoy, then keep an eye out for next year’s showcase and help support a new class of design foundations students.
PHOTOS BY MELISSA HORTON
Guests take in all of the artwork on display at the Skillz Manifesto Year-End Design Show on April 6. The event showcased the work of Conestoga’s design foundations students which included selfportraits, prints and illustrations. The evening also featured an awards presentation.