Volume 84. Issue 5.

VOLUME 84 ISSUE 5

ISSUE 5, january 2024 news

pp.3. U of O announces plans to close only on-campus childcare center

ARTS

pp. 4. Ins and Outs of 2023: How to harness your purchasing power pp. 5. Ottawa’s Upcoming Undercurrents Festival pp. 5. A Review of the New Winter Classic, The Holdovers

SCIENCES

pp. 8. Catch me in the club: iGEM uOttawa

FEATURES

pp. 9. Athlete profile: Cassandra Provost

OPINIONS

pp. 11. Lack of sidewalk plowing is detrimental to Ottawa’s quality of life

SPORTS

pp. 6. Gee-Gees Hockey: Tommy Bouchard the overtime hero as Gee’s take down York in overtime pp. 6. Otoo notches 1000th point as men and women cruise to wins over struggling Algoma teams pp. 7. Sandy Hill Winter Classic to return in 2024 after four-year hiatus

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NEWS

NEWS EDITOR

Kavi Vidya Achar news.editor@thefulcrum.ca

NEWS EDITOR

Shailee Shah news@thefulcrum.ca

U of O announces plans to close only on-campus childcare center BERNADETTE CHILDCARE CENTER SET TO CLOSE WITH BROOKS BUILDING DEMOLITION Kavi Vidya Achar The University of Ottawa announced plans in 2021 to demolish the Brooks building, which houses the university’s only daycare: the Garderie Bernadette Child Care Center. The center, founded in 1988, currently cares for about 50 children and serves students and employees of the University of Ottawa, as well as families of the community.

There are 15 full-time employees of Bernadette as well as one part-time staff member.

In a press release in Fall 2022, the University did not mention the relocation of Bernadette, only saying “a six-months advance notice will be provided prior to demolition unless it is not feasible to

do so for safety and security considerations”. “[U of O] appreciates the challenges of finding quality daycare, but it is unfortunately unable to provide alternative space that meets the strict requirements for licensed daycare facilities.”

If the university closes Bernadette, the U of O would be the only U15 university to not have an on-campus daycare center. Natalie Bruvels, Ph.D. student in feminist and gender studies and a part of the coalition working to save Bernadette, believes that the closure of the daycare is irreconcilable with the university’s mandate of diversity, equity, and inclusion. “[Bernadette’s closure] affects marginalized parents and caregiv-

ers more profoundly as the struggle to find accessible and affordable child care services is even more pronounced for these families,” she wrote in a letter to the university’s Board of Governors. As one of the few bilingual daycares in Ottawa, Bernadette’s closure “would therefore also affect uOttawa’s francophone community.”

The goal of the coalition is to have a commitment from the University of Ottawa to find an alternate location for the childcare center “that ensures uninterrupted childcare service once Brooks Building is closed for demolition.”

The coalition also believes that the demolition of the Brooks building is an opportuni-

ty for U of O to build an “even larger and much needed childcare facility with more expansive childcare offerings.”

A similar closure was scheduled to take place in July 2023 at Concordia University, but was cancelled after public backlash. Concordia University had decided not to renew the Centre de la petite enfance (CPE) Concordia’s lease, planning to use the space for “academic activities.” However, after TV coverage of the story, the administration backpedaled, extending the CPE’s lease to Aug. 2025 and promising to find a new location for the center.

Bruvels and the coalition hope the same happens for Bernadette Child Care Center: “I hope

they follow the lead of other universities like UBC and actually expand their child care programs instead of undoing over 50 years of on-campus childcare advocacy.”

Photo: Matt Osborne/Fulcrum.

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Arts

Arts EDITOR

Sydney Grenier arts@thefulcrum.ca

Ins and Outs of 2023: How to harness your purchasing power No shopping, while bombs are dropping Sydney Grenier Your poli-sci prof will talk your ear off about globalization. They will tell you that the world is unavoidably interconnected. However, you won’t realize the obvious truth of this statement until it is right in front of you.

The recent boycotting efforts relating to the genocide in Gaza exemplify this concept.

Consumers have trouble understanding how Star-

consumers (everyday people with purchasing power) are punishing major corporations. This can cripple certain functions of major corporations.

In the case of Starbucks, when a huge number of individuals decline to buy items, it has an impact on the business but also sends a message that the company’s behaviour is not acceptable to the public.

In other words, effectively withdrawing purchasing power can di-

bracelets, amongst many others.

As fun as it can be to follow along with trends, ultimately, they go out of style. If you’re anything like me, you’ll end up surrounded by cheaply-made items you only wore once and an empty bank account.

The new 2024 trend is buying consciously. Looking into the companies you buy from can be a political act. As previously stated, as a consumer, what you buy

Halting the amount you buy or who you buy it from is the basis of the boycott, divest, sanction movement.

The most effective way to withhold your money from mega-corporations is to use what you already have. There are many tutorials online that explain the concept of upcycling.

You can turn used items into trendy ones!

3. Personal style Developing your personal style (what clothes you like and feel comfortable in) will make trends less appealing, and therefore you will be less tempted to spend your money on them. Plus, why look like everyone else when you can be something more interesting–yourself.

4. De-influencing All these methYou’ve definite- ods are a great startly heard this time and ing point but they are time-consuming. In reality, the best way to harness your purchasing power is to resist the popular notion that you need new things, all the time.

And you already do that, by being unique and refusing to give into flitting trends.

2. Thrift

Overall, being mindful about how you spend your money is a very powerful tool that all consumers should recognize.

2023 saw the rise of the Stanley cup, bows, chunky headphones, the Barbie aesthetic, and Eras tour friendship bracelets. Image: Kai Holub/The Fulcrum.

bucks and other companies relate to the Israeli bombardment of Gaza.

Also importantly, consumers don’t realize their power.

In a world governed by contorted politics, the success of markets often takes priority over human well-being.

Therefore, by refusing to buy certain products,

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rectly impact the health is your greatest power. of corporations, who are It can be difficult powerful players in global to slow down when the politics. media is telling you to speed up your consump2023 trend report tion but, here are a few Trends come tricks to harness your purand go every year. 2023 chasing power. saw the rise of the Stanley cup, bows and the co- How to harness your purquette/ballerina aesthet- chasing power ic, chunky headphones, the Barbie aesthetic, 1. The best consumption and Eras tour friendship is none, or less.

time again, but if you do need to replace some clothes or other items, thrifting is a cheap, environmentally-friendly way to do so. However, this doesn’t always mean you are avoiding feeding mega-corporations.

Also, consumers should beware of over-thrifting (the gentrification of second-hand prices and saturation of the market).

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Ottawa’s Upcoming Undercurrents Festival The Undercurrent Festival has been showcasing Ottawa theatrical talent for 13 years Ciku Gitonga Since 2011, the Undercurrents Festival has been an annual celebration of contemporary theatre in Ottawa. This year the festival will run from Feb. 7-17, showcasing 10 theatre productions at four locations: Arts Court Theatre, Atelier Theatre, De La Salle Public High School, and the Ottawa Dance Directive.

The festival is bilingual, featuring both French productions and English productions with French captioning.

U of O students should not be deterred by potentially expensive tickets. The festival organizers have priced each

performance ticket according to what an individual is able to pay, with a scale beginning at $10 and ending at $75. This pay scale grants access to an art form whose prices have been historically exclusive.

Students can also look forward to a lineup of performances that feature marginalized voices, and stories that cover a diverse range of lived experiences.

Chasse au Trésor follows a young Congolese immigrant who has newly arrived to Canada and struggles to find his identity.

Blood Offering explores the aftermath of grief and bitterness

following an American school shooting that leaves a student dead.

I Don’t Miss You is a solo play about a non-binary computer program who wakes up one day to find that the rest of the human population has disappeared, leaving them to ponder on the meaning of gender without perception.

KEEP MARS RED tackles climate anxiety and postcolonial rage through the eyes of a protagonist desperately trying to contact Mars to warn its inhabitants of the destruction that will follow when Earthlings land.

Kimiko is a poetic circus show that combines traditional

Japanese art forms such as storytelling, balancing objects, dancing, and sword swallowing with a modern exploration of Japanese-Canadian identity.

Terminally Ill follows a doctor trying to solve the mystery of who sabotaged the elaborate magical act of a famous escape artist.

Le Concierge is a modern take on The Odyssey, following a school janitor as he makes an endless, dream-like journey through empty classrooms and corridors.

L’hippocampe is a theatrical foray into the science of dreaming, with onstage experiments aimed to educate a child-

hood audience.

Through My Lens is written and acted by an artist who lives with visual impairment and takes photographs around her city.

Malunderstood is the French translation of a play that uses puppeteering and movement to tell the story of how its protagonist was raised by a wild beaver.

The Undercurrents Festival promises shows filled with experimental art, masterful storytelling, and words from the heart. For the price of $10 (or a generous $75), students can watch it all unfold.

A Review of the New Winter Classic, The Holdovers This heartfelt winter film is a must see Annabel Holman Finally being home for Christmas meant going to the local theater with my friends.

The Holdovers was released on Nov. 10 and although I didn’t know much about the movie, I was far from disappointed. The film was nominated for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for the Golden Globes and the actors (Paul Giamatti and Da’Vine Joy Randolph) who played the two of the main characters won Best Performance. Many other news outlets have also predicted that it will be nominated for many Oscars.

This movie had me entranced by the opening scene, with the warm fuzz of soft film on the young boy’s choir rehearsal. The film is set in the early 1970s at an allboys boarding school, re-

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minding me and my peers of the 1989 film Dead Poets Society. As the holiday break rolls in, a student (played by Dominic Sessa) has to stay over at the school, and to watch them are a lonely and grumpy teacher (played

by Paul Giamatti) and a grief-stricken chef (played

by Da’Vine Joy Randolph).

As the movie develops, so does the friendship of this unlikely trio.

Although the movie is long, it keeps you interested by developing the plots of each character, and balancing between comedy and human experience. Viewers see how deeply lonely the teacher is and how his life revolves around the school, as he was once a student there as well. We also see how the chef, Mary, deals with her son’s recent death from the military and how she is suddenly drunkenly emo-

tional at a Christmas party. Finally, we can come to understand why the student, Angus, is troubled due to his relationship with his mother and his father being institutionalized for early-onset dementia.

One of my favourite aspects of this film is the balance between comedy and heaviness.

Some of my favourite scenes were filled with ‘your mom’ jokes and a chase that ends stupidly with a dislocated shoulder.

To balance out the satire lines, there were moments of depth; a scene between Angus and his teacher that was filled with emotion was after Angus visited his father and his teacher reassured him that Angus will not turn out like his father.

The two, very accurate of the time, both experience

depression but fail to address and connect over the experience. In addition, we see the grief in Mary as her son had just died and how she deals with his passing.

Even if these scenarios are situations that you have never experienced, you will feel yourself understand their dilemmas. You can see their perspective so well.

I saw this movie around a month ago and it’s something I’m still thinking about. You know that this film will be the Christmas movie that I watch annually when even the movie snobs of Letterboxd said that this will become a classic.

This movie had me entranced by the opening scene, with the warm fuzz of soft film on the young boy’s choir rehearsal. Image: Focus Features/Provided.

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sports

Sports Reporter

Tyler Beauchesne associate.sports@thefulcrum.ca

Sports Editor

Andrew Wilimek sports@thefulcrum.ca

Gee-Gees Hockey: Tommy Bouchard the overtime hero as Gee’s take down York in overtime “Frankie Lapenna’s been outstanding all year” Andrew Wilimek After losing an overtime heartbreaker Jan.19 on a trip to McGill, the Gee-Gees men’s hockey team was back in action the following afternoon. The quick turnaround meant the team had no time to think about or even lick their wounds.

The matinee game, played back at home in the Minto Sports Complex, would be against the lowly York Lions — who were sporting an ugly 3-19 record entering the game. But although the Gees would throw 40 shots on Lions goaltender Carter Serhyenko, their two goals in regulation equaled the two the Lions put into their net past Frankie Lapenna.

Assistant coach Justin Stevens spoke after the game of the decision to play Lapenna on such a quick turnaround, a

practice that has seemed to fall out of favour in the hockey world lately.

“Frankie Lapenna’s been outstanding all year,” Stevens said.

once again for the GeeGees. He continued an incredible season which has him solidly in first place in the OUA in both goals-against-average

but Jan. 20’s overtime dragged along as the Gees ragged the puck and maintained possession for almost the entirety of the period.

(G.A.A.) and save percentage, with 1.75 and .940 respectively.

But the Gees would experience a feeling of déjà vu as they played their second overtime in less than 24 hours.

The first ended just 42 seconds into the period as McGill extended their home win streak to 10,

Shortly after the Lions killed off a roughing penalty late in the frame, Gees winger Max Grondin would blaze into the Lions end, circle the net, and find his defenceman Liam Markhouser. The Lions over-committed towards Markhouser, and he would find an open Tommy Bouchard in the

Photo: Greg Kolz, Gee-Gees/Provided.

“He wants the net, he wants to play every game, and for us, with the way he takes care of his body off the ice, he is the ultimate pro. There was no doubt in our minds to go back with [Lapenna] tonight.”

The decision paid off for the Gees, as Lapenna was outstanding

slot, who slid the puck to his backhand and found room over Serhyenko’s blocker, sealing the game, 3-2.

B o u c h a r d touched on how important it is to bury those high-danger scoring chances postgame. “We had trouble all game [burying chances], said the second-year Gee. “I thought we had a pretty decent game, and we put ourselves in a tough position because we didn’t really capitalize on our opportunities.”

The other goals in the game came courtesy of Luka Verreault, the team’s scoring leader, and Johnny Howie, who picked up his first of the season. The Gee-Gees return to action next weekend when they welcome Lakehead to Minto on Friday night, and then travel to Toronto to take on the U of T the following evening.

Otoo notches 1000th point as men and women cruise to wins over struggling Algoma teams “A lot of work was put in, and it feels amazing seeing everything come to reality.”

Andrew Wilimek The Gee-Gees basketball teams took a long bus ride to Northern Ontario on the weekend, where they would each play a game against the Algoma University Thunderbirds.

Both Algoma teams were struggling. The men’s team entered the game 1-11, while the women’s team was fairing slightly better and held a record of 2-10 entering Jan. 19’s game.

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The first game — the women as always — began much closer than expected. The Thunderbirds were mostly keeping pace with the Gees, and the nationally ranked U of O team was holding just a five-point lead after the first quarter.

But from there, it was all Gee-Gees. Guards Natsuki Szczokin and Ariane Saumure were becoming an issue for the ball handlers on the other side of the court, as they used active

hands and their speed to start laying in bucket after bucket on the hapless Algoma squad.

The Gees held the Thunderbirds to just nine points combined in the next two quarters, as they increased their lead to 7023 after three quarters.

The game would mercifully finish with a final score of 87-31.

Szczokin, while not having her best night from the field, managed to pass for nine assists and

used her anticipation to grab six steals. Saumure, however, enjoyed an efficient night from behind the line. The fifth-year dropped in four threes on seven attempts, part of a 8-for-12 night from the field overall.

Like her backcourt partner, Saumure also grabbed six steals. The two now sit in first and second place respectively on the OUA’s steals leaderboard following the weekend’s games.

The men’s game began much farther apart in score, with the Gees holding a 23-7 lead after one quarter. By the end of the game, the male Thunderbird’s had kept better pace than their female counterparts, but still ended up far behind the Gee-Gees. The game ended with a final score of 87-50.

Kevin Otoo finished the game with 29 points, a career-high. The second-year Gee also add-

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Photo: Spencer Colby, Gee-Gees/Provided.

ed six assists, and four rebounds, but it was a buzzer-beater three at the end of the first half which was the most impressive part of the point guard’s

night. With the three, Otoo reached 1000 career points, split between his time with Humber College and the U of O. In a message to

the Fulcrum, Otoo talked about the long road to the accomplishment. “It still feels surreal,” the fifthyear said. “A lot of work was put in, and it feels

amazing seeing everything come to reality.”

The 2023 OUA Championship MVP also spoke about what it feels like to be a part of the success-

ful basketball program at the U of O. “It’s super fun being a part of this team.

It’s really like family, and that makes winning one hundred times better. I wouldn’t want to spend my last year with any other team.”

Otoo also picked up two steals in the win, included in the team’s total of 15 for the game.

Wing Khalifa Koulamallah led the team with six, while guard Dragan Stajic grabbed four. At the conclusion of the weekend’s games, Otoo sat first in the OUA in steals, while Stajic placed third.

Both teams are back at Montpetit Jan. 26 and 27. They take on the Waterloo Warriors on Friday night and then play the Laurier Goldenhawks the following afternoon.

Sandy Hill Winter Classic to return in 2024 after four-year hiatus “They left a great project to jump in and take on” Andrew Wilimek Most current Sandy Hill residents won’t remember the Sandy Hill Winter Classic being an annual tradition. The event was started in 2014

by U of O alumni Evan Trofimchuk and was hosted each year until 2020 at the Sandy Hill outdoor rink (ODR), located at Somerset St. and Sweetland Ave., behind the Sandy Hill Community Centre.

When Trofimchuk graduated in 2015, Mathieu Hudon took over organizing the event, and the yearly tournament was continued until 2020.

COVID-19 forced the event to go into hibernation, but thanks to the U of O’s Psychology Students’ Association (PSA), teams of eight and a goalie will flock back to the rink in February.

Mikaleigh

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Cairns, Vice President of passed on to the Princess Philanthropy and Activ- Margaret Cancer Centre, ism with the PSA, talked just like previous rendiabout the hiatus. “The tions. Tens of thousands cohort of students that of dollars have been [were] taking it on grad- raised for the cancer cenuated, and then the com- tre in previous years. munity just didn’t really Trofimchuk proknow about it,” the third- vided the new organizyear told the Fulcrum. ers with resources and “[Trofimchuk] graduat- the event’s social media ed and passed it on to a accounts to ensure the group of students, and event’s legacy carries on. then they also graduated “They left a great projand it kind of fell off.” ect to jump in and take Cairns immedi- on. We definitely want to ately understood that the bring sponsors within the new residents of Sandy community, and being Hill were missing out on able to point to the previthe charity event, and ous success of the event is decided to kickstart the great in terms of building process to bring it back. the event,” Cairns added.

“I haven’t been previously The organizinvolved with the tourna- er admitted there have ment, I just kind of stum- been discussions about bled upon it last year, moving the event indoors when I was looking at if weather is not permithours for the rink, want- ting, but understands the ing to go with my friends.” importance of keeping All proceeds it outdoors. “I was very from the event will be dead set on keeping it at

the ODR, although I don’t love the uncertainty that comes with that. It really is supposed to be a community event. It’s free for anyone to come watch, hopefully we get some engagement from families in the community.”

Cairns spoke about expanding the event so there are activities for everyone, not just hockey.“I’m trying to get some cool attractions and stuff like that. And we’ve connected with some cool sponsors, so we’ll have raffles and things like that going on. Hopefully we’re going to do a bar night as well, so lots of things going on beyond just hockey.”

The event has been substituted for a skills competition and postponed for weather in the past, but Cairns is hopeful that they can battle the warm condi-

tions this year and make a go of it. “Hopefully that’s not the case for us. We’re crossing our fingers, and we have a backup date as well.”

The date for the tournament has been scheduled for Feb. 3, but is subject to change. For more information, visit the tournament’s Instagram or Facebook page, or email the organizers.

Start getting your teams together — what’s better than a little outdoor hockey and friendly competition for a good cause?

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Sciences

Science Editor

Emma Williams science@thefulcrum.ca

Catch me in the club: iGEM uOttawa

uOttawa chapter of international club talks future plans, projects and more Emma Williams Rising from the club graveyard, revitalised and full of life is the U of O club known as iGEM. In 2019, the club achieved a gold medal at the rather prestigious international iGEM competition. Eager to get back to their former glory, the Fulcrum sat down with senior team members of iGEM uOttawa to discuss in more detail.

What is iGEM? According to Teagan Thomas, thirdyear biomedical science student and administrative director of iGEM, “iGEM is an international organisation that stems out of [Massachusetts Institute of Technology] university, it was created primarily to bring synthetic biology into awareness for undergraduates, high school students, graduate students and [the greater community].” Today, it stands for ‘international genetically engineered machine’ (iGEM) and hosts the largest synthetic biology competition. iGEM uOttawa operates as part of the larger organisation, however, its main goal is to bring synthetic biology research to the university and the wider Ottawa community. The team has been diligently preparing for said competition known as the “Grand Jamboree” — however, more on this later.

What is synthetic biology?

Naturally, the

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term synthetic biology had come up several times throughout the interview, but it hadn’t been officially defined yet. A first attempt was made by Thomas, who explained this field is very diverse with a number of different avenues to explore within synthetic biology.

This includes industrial scale projects, diagnostic projects, and therapeutic projects. Synthetic biology incorporates both cellular and molecular biology techniques, giving it a multidisciplinary distinction not uncommon in the biological sciences.

Professor Adam Damry who serves as the main advisor for iGEM uOttawa jumped in: “when we talk about synthetic biology, it’s two parts: synthetic and biology or artificial and life.

[Therefore], it’s a field that’s all about taking life, the biomolecules and organisms that are found in nature and applying engineering principles to them in order to re-engineer them into something that isn’t found in nature, but has a property that is useful and desirable to us.”

He continued, “it’s a very applied field of science, and is a little bit engineering-facing as well. In that you will have those engineering applications. In addition, we apply very much an engineering workflow and mindset to these organisms. We come in with a design, we build it, we optimise it, and all of that it’s so it’s very similar to what you would do in an engi-

neering project. However, project, best website deit’s applied to biochemis- sign, best outreach, best try and biomolecules.” presentation, etc.

As much as this 2024 Grand Jamboree is a competition, Damry In terms of the stressed, “it’s a research competition, it’s host- project at its core, and ed every year in Paris, students over the course France. As mentioned, of the year will actually be it’s an international event in the lab working on this that hosts approximately project to really develop it 4000 attendees, with 500 into something that they teams spanning from 50 can then present. There different countries and is very much an accessory regions. For iGEM uOtta- component as well where wa, this will be the second parts of the team are inyear of attendance in No- volved in fundraising, in vember 2024. building the website, etc.”

As expected, the team was teeming with Research excitement as they exFor a number of plained what was in store undergraduate students, for them at the jamboree. research experience is “It’s run kind of extremely valuable and symposium-style. Mean- sought after. Not only ing, there’s lots of speak- does it provide an aveers coming in. As well as nue for students to get each of the teams pre- involved with projects senting their work. As a happening on campus, result, it’s a very collabo- but having the experirative and very positive ence holds a certain imevent because it is a com- portance akin to the Wilpetition. But at the end of ly Wonka golden ticket the day, it’s more about — except instead of the the science than anything chocolate factory it proelse,” said Damry. vides entry to desirable More specifi- masters programs. cally, the competition is Third-year biobroken down into 14 “vil- medical science student lages” or streams for the and director of entrepreteams to fall into, such as neurship for iGEM, Amal conservation, food and Abed, has found through nutrition, space, thera- her experience finding repeutics, and many more. search opportunities has For now, the U of O team been difficult. For examis toying with the idea of ple, once you’ve found a either entering the space professor and successfully stream, food and nutri- managed to contact them tion stream or the envi- over email or stop by their ronment stream. office, there’s the matter Once judging of them actually having is complete all teams are the space for a student. given either bronze, silver If you find yourself in this or gold medals. Addition- group of students, fret no al awards are given out for longer! Your golden ticket each village, best overall has arrived.

As Thomas explained the team is in the beginning stages of setting up their research in the lab. As such, they’re currently looking for dedicated lab members to volunteer a small amount of their time to help push the research forward. This is low stakes, low commitment and a great opportunity to get involved.

Outreach An aspect of the competition involves an outreach portion, and iGEM uOttawa has planned to reach high school students in the style of “bringing the science to them.” The goal for the outreach events, according to Thomas, is to bring interesting and engaging science to schools across Ottawa in an attempt to get students more inspired and excited about their futures in STEM. For those interested in joining iGEM uOttawa, you’re in luck!

The club is currently recruiting lab members. For more information you can find their website here or their Instagram here.

thefulcrum.ca

FeatureS

Staff Writer

Nicholas Socholotiuk reporter@thefulcrum.ca

Staff WriteR

Ciku Gitonga staff.writer@thefulcrum.ca

Athlete profile: Cassandra Provost

“We don’t just win games to win games. We win games because we want to win the championship” soccer team. Although she was also a gymnast for about 10 years and played hockey, she was a star on the pitch.

Programs in the States were beginning to notice Provost by the time she was 16, and she received offers of full scholarships to American schools. “I

south shore of Montreal, after high school. With the program, she scored four goals in seven regular season games, powering them to regular season and postseason titles. After also winning the 2019 Première ligue de soccer du Québec title with the Club de soccer Monteuil,

[laughs].”

I’d say head coach Steve Johnson and company being “really happy” about Provost committing to the GeeGees is probably a bit of an understatement. Not that Johnson hasn’t advanced talented players through the program —

Vale native is a game changer, as evidenced by her beyond-impressive 2022 season. During that year, her second with the Gees, Provost she won U SPORTS player of the year, led the country in goals, helped the U of O to its first OUA championship since 2018, while

she grew older, the 5’8” just wanted to prioritize striker began idolizing my studies [over] soccer, players like Cristiano Ron- so that’s why I stayed aldo and Christine Sin- here,” she explained to the Fulcrum. “It was closer to clair.

But unlike home, too, so it was easier many Canadians, there for me.”

The striker endwas something different about Cass, now a striker ed up attending Chamfor the Gee-Gees women’s plain College Saint-Lambert, a CEGEP on the

it was time to make a decision on university.

“I remember [the U of O] when I was like maybe 16, 17, talked to me, just showing their interests. So, I just contacted them back when I was ready for university, and they were really happy that I called them

since taking the helm in 1994, the seven-time OUA Coach of the Year has seen his players get international caps for Canada, Lebanon, Haiti, and Algeria. Even more former Gee-Gees have played pro after graduating from the program.

But the Acton

also being a key member of the squad that went on to win gold at the International University Sports Federation (FISU) championships in Mexico.

The 2024 season will be the fifth (the 2020 season was lost to COVID-19, and no games were played) for Provost

Andrew Wilimek Cassandra Provost’s journey to being named the 2022 U SPORTS Player of the Year began when she was six years old. Like many Canadians, that’s when the Acton Vale, Que. native began playing soccer. As

Photo: Greg Kolz, Gee-Gees/Provided.

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under the same coaching staff, and she explains that the steady presence of Johnson and the rest of the coaching staff helps Gee-Gees grow not just as players, but as people.

“They know you as a player and as a person. When you get there, it takes time to get adjusted, but over the years, I feel like everyone knows everyone better (…) that’s where [players] start getting better and know exactly what they need to work on, and what is working well for [them].”

In addition to the proximity to home, Provost points to the professional women’s soccer league coming to Canada in 2025 as a benefit to playing in U SPORTS. “Women’s soccer is like, growing, growing up, with Project 8, the professional league and everything. So, I felt like it was a good program because you’re in the middle of it.

It’s not like if you go to the [USA], and it’s [the] NWSL which is super hard to get in. But I feel like the new league will be easier for players to get into, especially U SPORTS players.”

For the second year in a row, Provost and the GeeGees picked up the OUA championship, the 11th in program history. And for a program with an ever-growing list of accomplishments, that championship is their goal every season.

“That’s what we work on the whole year long,” Provost explained.

“We don’t just win games to win games. We win games because we want to win the championship

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and get [to Nationals]. It plained that’s what hapfeels great to win it again.” pened in the case of the After winning the cham- Gee-Gees. “Sometimes it’s pionship on home turf at on your side. Sometimes Matt Anthony Field, the it’s not. Of course, looksquad travelled down the ing back, it sucks that we road to Kingston for the didn’t win that game, beU SPORTS national cham- cause it was the first game pionships. In the quar- and well, they won the terfinals, seedings deter- championship obviously.” mined by the division’s The fact that there is even performance at the previ- disappointment amongst ous season’s nationals left the team and its fanbase the first-ranked Gees with about the loss is a proda tough matchup in the uct of the sky-high exsecond-ranked UBC Thun- pectations that the Geederbirds.

Gees have had for what In a tight match- seems like an eternity, up with slim margins, all and Provost understands it took was one play to that. “Looking back at it, advance the Thunder- just going to nationals is birds. Soon after a trip on a good thing. We didn’t winger Jenna Matsuku- expect to lose in the first bo inside the box wasn’t game, but we’re going to called, UBC would score try and change that for on a clearing attempt that next year, obviously.” was miscommunicated by With the Geethe Gees’ defenders and Gees essentially running keeper. UBC would go on the same roster back next to win the championship, season, the team has a and the U of O would fin- good chance to do just ish in sixth place overall. that. Provost was origiThe Gees hadn’t been nally noncommittal about down as much as a single returning to the Gees for goal all season — until the 2024, considering that quarterfinal game. she is due to complete But Provost isn’t her Bachelor’s degree dwelling too much on in accounting this upthose singular plays and coming spring, but she is focused more on the announced shortly after overall performance of nationals via Instagram the team, and ensuring that she would be coming they return to nationals back. next season. “Obviously The striker exyou can always change plained that she had some stuff. But there’s al- been debating enrolling ways [things like those], in a Master’s program for soccer is a game of mis- some time, and finally takes, a game against the came to a decision that referee, they’re part of was at least partly twothe game and you kind of fold. “Both school and have to deal with it.” soccer, I just wanted to In a single-elimination come back, do one more tournament, those small year, and just have fun plays, penalty calls, and with the program and the missed penalty calls can team again,” explained make a huge difference in Provost. the end, and Provost exLife after soccer

is at the top of Provost’s mind, who broke her own program record for goals in a season in 2023, with 23 — in just 12 games!

When asked about future plans, she explained that her post-soccer career would be taken care of before embarking on a pro career. “I’ve had [pro] offers for like, five, six, years now. I just want to finish school. Just get this done with, making sure my life after soccer is set. I feel like at my age it’s more a decision of what I want to do after my Master’s, and I want to really think about that in advance, because life’s changing [laughs]. But yeah, for sure, it’s an opportunity I could go to play [professional soccer].

The opportunity is there, so it’s going to be more [of a decision] after my Master’s, is it like ‘this is what I want to do’, or do I prefer staying here and doing something else.”

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Opinions

Opinions EDITOR

Keith de Silvia-Legault opinions@thefulcrum.ca

Lack of sidewalk plowing is detrimental to Ottawa’s quality of life THE BOTTOM OF MY PANTS ARE SOAKED!

nearly 700 kilometres of It’s not uncommon to not walk. According to the that, reports indicate that

Keith de Silvia-Legault bike path.” The bike paths come across a sidewalk 2021 census, there was a places with better walkI’m a walker. It’s my favourite way of getting around town. I also don’t have a car and grew up with a car-less family.

But man, walking around absolutely sucks during the snowy season. Ottawa has a long history of prioritizing the car above everything else.

While seeking election our now Mayor Mark Sutcliffe went so far as to say that he would refuse to “declare a war on cars”.

It’s not like the winter road conditions are a dream either, but major roads are cleared relatively fast in Ottawa.

Major walkways, on the other hand, seem to be a low priority for the city.

Last year I wrote an article on how safe bike infrastructure on Ottawa roads takes a back seat to the car. Bike lanes, generally, are a very hot topic in Canada’s capital city.

A common criticism is that bike lanes are pointless because of the six months of Canadian winter. Meanwhile just over the river in Quebec, winter biking is relatively prevalent, especially in cities like Montreal.

In fact, after a Montreal snowstorm, bike lanes are often the first thing to be cleared.

It’s all because of logistics; as according to a spokesperson for the city there are “1,000 trucks to go around the network; they have 6,000 kilometres of sidewalks, there’s 4,000 kilometres of streets and

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take the least amount of time to clear; so they have the highest priority.

But even then, that’s cycling. After all, not everyone has a car and biking during the winter time is not for everyone,

that has been replaced with a giant snowbank or just simply hasn’t been cleared yet. In that scenario, I have two options: either walk through the snow bank or walk along the busy street as I can

26 per cent decrease in commuters using cars in the Ottawa-Gatineau region.

When a snowstorm hits, pedestrian walkways on major roads need to be prioritized

ability have a better quality of life.

People in Ottawa, believe it or not–need to leave their house on occasion. The City of Ottawa has to ensure that walkways are clear so that

feel the traffic brush past me.

If I, as an able-bodied person am struggling to trudge through the slush and muck, what about folks with accessibility concerns? Disability advocates say that many Ottawa residents with mobility concerns “feel like [they] can’t really do anything” in the winter conditions.

Unlike the argument people use against biking in the winter, you can’t just tell people to

when the plows come out. Not doing so risks the lives of pedestrians all across the city, which is a growing population.

But more than that, it’s also a matter of public mental health, 60 per cent of Canadians get increasingly depressed during the winter time. A big part of that is because of the amount of time people spend indoors, and studies show that going outside does a whole lot of good for battling the winter-time blues.

And on top of

can happen. If we don’t we are continuing to put pedestrians at risk; both physically and mentally.

Graphic: Kai Holub/Fulcrum.

even though it is a viable option if bike lanes are kept clear.

But walking?

Most people need to walk around at least sometimes. Be it walking to the bus stop, class, grocery store, work, or even the building closest to where your car is parked. Walking on Ottawa streets during the winter is a hellish obstacle course that each resident has to bear at some point.

For me, I’m constantly tripping over myself due to slush and ice.

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AcknowledgementS CONTRIBUTORS The Fulcrum would like to thank Annabel Holman

for their contributions to this issue.

EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Bridget Coady (she/her) editor@thefulcrum.ca MANAGING EDITOR Amira Benjamin (they/she) managingeditor@thefulcrum.ca

Opinions EDITOR Keith de Silvia-Legault (they/them) opinions@thefulcrum.ca Staff Writers Ciku Gitonga (she/her) staff.writer@thefulcrum.ca Nicholas Socholotiuk (he/him) reporter@thefulcrum.ca

Production Manager Mattew McConkey (he/him) production@thefulcrum.ca

Graphic Designers Kai Holub (they/he) multimedia@thefulcrum.ca

News Editors Kavi Vidya Achar (they/them) news.editor@thefulcrum.ca

Sanjida Rashid (she/her) social@thefulcrum.ca

Shailee Shah (she/her) news@thefulcrum.ca

Photographer Matthew Osborne (he/him) photographer@thefulcrum.ca

Arts & Culture Editor Sydney Grenier (she/her) arts@thefulcrum.ca

Videographer Pavel Nangfak (he/him) videographer@thefulcrum.ca

Sports EDITOR Andrew Wilimek (he/him) sports@thefulcrum.ca

Online Editor Ayai Offor (she/her) online@thefulcrum.ca

Sports Reporter Tyler Beauchesne (he/him) associate.sports@thefulcrum.ca SCIENCE & TECH EDITOR Emma Williams (she/her) science@thefulcrum.ca

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