SEPTEMBER 2024
EDITORIAL STAFF
Editors-in-chief
Kavi “rather walk” Vidya Achar
Andrew “16” Wilimek
managing director
Sydney “riding my bike takes less time” Grenier
visuals director
Kai “fare inspector hater” Holub
news Editor
Bridget “waiting in the cold” Coady
News Writer
Isabelle “cries in construction” Jay
Arts & Culture Editor
Daniel “cancelled route” Jones
SportS Writers
Ana “55” Sofia de la Parra
Liam “holding out for the 19” Corbett
Business, Science & Tech Editor
Basant “I’m Uberring” Chawla
opinions/features editor
Amira “lightning-struck cable” Benjamin
Staff Writers
Marjan “why did I bother” Massoom
Fejiro “carpool karaoke” Mejire
Broadcast Editor
Azeeza “transit app lied” Kagzi
Online Editor
Ayai “endless commute” Offor
videographer
Pavel “I need to buy a car” Nangfack
news
pp.3. OC Transpo faces student backlash at public transit commission
pp.4. Ottawa city council narrowly votes down restoration of off-peak LRT service
pp.6. Cheers! Ontario convenience stores allowed to sell alcohol
pp.7. BREAKING: UOSU cuts off graduate student access to food bank
ARTS
pp.9. Album Review: A Relaxing Evening at the Noise Hotel
pp.10. Heart of the City Piano Program: Making music accessible to all
SPORTS
pp.11. Gee-Gees Rugby: Men continue winning streak against Bishops
pp.12. HE’S BACK: Maracle leads Gee-Gees over new-look York Lions in long awaited return pp.13. Gee-Gees Soccer: Women leave first loss behind and show up against TMU
SCIENCES
pp.14. University of Ottawa’s iGEM bio-hacking the future
pp.15. Where stethoscopes meet spreadsheets
OPINIONS
pp.17. Student card integration is good — but virtual cards are better
pp.18. UOSU’s Executive Oversight Committee is broken. We need to fix it.
pp.19. OC Transpo is falling apart – How council wants to fix it won’t work
NEWS
OC Transpo faces student backlash at public transit commission
REDUCTION OF SERVICE LEAVES STUDENTS FEELING NEGLECTED
Ottawa city councillor for Kitchissippi Ward Jeff Leiper tabled a motion to restore O-Train Line 1 service from 10 minutes between trains back to five minutes at a city council tran-
ran on five minute intervals between 6:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., but since Aug. 26, OC Transpo has only maintained the five minute intervals for ‘rush hour’ commuters, and reduced service between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to
Renée Amilcar, stated during the transit commission meeting that “[OC Transpo] is looking for money” mentioning how “every penny counts.”
Currently, the organization is running $25 million short for their 2024 bud-
of unreliable transit, from members of the Ottawa Community –including University of Ottawa’s Student Union (UOSU) president Delphine Robitaille.
Robitaille stated, “I’ve witnessed the levels of
across Ottawa are partnered with OC Transpo through the U-Pass program, giving full-time students unlimited transit access at a reduced cost, while generating $19 million in revenue annually.
As UOSU
sit commission meeting last Thursday. The motion is set to be voted on at the city council meeting on Wednesday.
OC Transpo’s midday service cuts began Aug. 26.
Previously, trains
every 10 minutes. The reduction of service is expected to save $600,000 between September and December of this year and $1.6 million annually.
OC Transpo general manager,
get, with an estimated shortfall of $120 million for 2025.
During the six-hour-long meeting, city councilors and OC Transpo representatives heard over thirty testimonies on the impact
student dissatisfaction with OC Transpo skyrocket to the point where I am now concerned for the future of the relationship between our two institutions”.
Post-secondary institutions
was neglected during transit planning, Robitaille highlighted “my worries of the possibility of a student referendum to do away with the U-Pass”, citing the LRT’s inability to accommodate the stu-
Isabelle Jay
The uOttawa O-Train station is only seeing trains on 10 minutes intervals between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. during the week, though a council vote on Wednesday could change that. Photo: Fulcrum Archives
dent population. Robitaille connected the absence of student input to “double the wait times” and transit needs outside of non-traditional rush hours as classes, as classes on campus conclude anytime from 9:50 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Testimonies presented to the public transit council included other mem-
bers of the U of O community, including first-year political science student Cédrik Desjardins.
“I am lucky to be in residence,” said Desjardins, “[the current transit system] is hurting those who have no choice but to use it.” Desjardins resides at the Friel Residence.
To reduce operating costs, OC
Transpo has been running a ‘fare blitz’ to try and gather data concerning fare evasion. For the whole month of September, 12 fare inspectors will be working across line 1 issuing $260 tickets to bus and train users with unpaid fares.
OC Transpo told the transit commission that within the first four days of
the campaign, just under 200 tickets were issued with hopes of gathering information on fare evader tendencies.
Once the information is gathered, fare inspectors are to be placed at evader hot spots.
OC Transpo plans to keep issuing tickets in order to help solve budgetary issues throughout various ways. When asked about possible fare increases, specifically to the U-Pass program, Amilcar told the Fulcrum “It’s not possible to say” and that a budget including these possible changes will be presented to the council in November.
Ottawa city council narrowly votes down restoration of off-peak LRT service
COUNCILLORS WOULD NOT GET TO VOTE ON LEIPER’S ORIGINAL MOTION AFTER MESSY PROCEDURE
On Wednesday’s city council meeting, councillors were set to vote on councillor for Kitchissippi Jeff Leiper’s motion to restore O-Train Line 1 service back to every five minutes between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. At least, that’s what they thought.
The council had been debating Leiper’s motion for about two hours and it was nearing a vote. But at 1:30 p.m., councillor for Stittsville Glen Gower introduced a substitute motion that called for a review of ridership levels and system efficiency that would be returned to the Transit Commission within three months.
Councillor for Somerset Ariel
Troster urged those in favour of Leiper’s motion to vote no on Gower’s motion to ensure that the original proposal could be voted upon, but council ultimately voted 14-10 — with one abstention — to put Gower’s motion to a vote, superseding the original motion.
Just as it seemed that off-peak service restoration — which came with an estimated cost of $600,000 dollars this year and $1.6 million annually — was dead in the water, councillor for Knoxdale-Merivale Sean Devine accepted councillor for Beacon Hill-Cyrville Tim Tierney’s compromise to amend Gower’s motion and get service restoration back on the table.
Devine had floated a proposal to put an amendment forth which would see LRT service return to the five-minute interval in the interim while waiting for the ridership and efficiency review, which he agreed to modify to a seven-minute interval to satisfy Tierney.
Leiper, Devine, and Troster were joined by councillor for Rideau-Vanier Stéphanie Plante, Theresa Kavanagh, Laine Johnson, Jessica Bradley, Rawlson King and Shawn Menard on one side of the issue. Riley Brockington, who seemingly abstained on the first vote in protest, made the group strongly in favour of the original motion 10.
Tierney made
11, and in a council made up of 25, the bloc needed two more votes. Councillor for Alta Vista Marty Carr would ultimately swing as well, acknowledging that she “really struggled” with the vote,” noting she had only received a handful of emails complaining about the Aug. 26 reduction in service compared to a large number complaining about OC Transpo’s ‘New Ways to Bus’ service cuts.
But ultimately, that was all the support the new amendment would garner. The motion to restore service during ‘off-peak’ hours to every seven minutes was voted down 13-12.
Leiper’s Motion
“The decision
to reduce capacity by way of reducing frequency, will absolutely save $1.6 million per year,” Leiper told the Fulcrum. “The effect of that, however, goes beyond capacity considerations,” noting that reduced LRT frequency means that riders are more challenged to make their connection buses.
Leiper noted that University of Ottawa Students’ Union president Delphine Robitaille had made the assertation that some U of O students were having to wait at the U of O’s station because the trains that were arriving were full.
“The solution to that is greater frequency,” contended Leiper. “Trains are going to come along
Andrew Wilimek
that are full, but when you have appropriate frequency, then the wait is minimized, and it has less of an impact on people’s overall journey.”
Leiper also acknowledged that for many, transit is not a choice. “I think that’s what some of us are finding so distressing about discussions of cuts to service or fare hikes, is that with the way the system is now — with many people who have alternatives availing themselves of them — the people who are left on the system are more frequently the people who have no choice [of alternatives], and that strikes many of us as profoundly unfair.”
The coun-
cillor for Kitchissippi also mentioned how even students who live in wards not served by Line 1 have a “real stake” in ensuring the train runs, because they depend so heavily on transfer buses.
“A lot of that will be eased with stage two. Those transfers will be easier. The bus routes will be shorter to get to LRT. But right now, a significant number of students live in wards that are not directly served by LRT.”
Devine’s Amendment
“Reliability and frequency are the key motivators to use public transit,” contended Devine.
“By diminishing fre-
quency, we are diminishing reliability, and we lose reliability; we lose riders.”
Devine also spoke to the Fulcrum after the meeting.
“Any rationale that suggests that even at diminished frequency there is still capacity is ignoring the fact that you will increase ridership – and therefore increase demand on that capacity – by improving reliability and frequency.”
The councillor for Knoxdale-Merivale also talked about his concern with the timing of the reduction in service, noting that it came before waiting to see what difference the return of university students and federal employ-
ees would mean for the system.
“I appreciate that OC Transpo wants to make a data-based decision, but this diminished level of service will likely result in fewer riders. If we want LRT to succeed, then we should assess ridership under optimal conditions, rather than under diminished conditions. Let’s set ourselves up for success.”
Other Councilliors
for Leiper’s
Original Motion
“The consequences are being felt by those who have fewer options in front of them,” said Johnson, deputy mayor and councillor for the city’s College ward, who also brought up the concern of reputational risk. “We hear from residents every day who do feel that they are losing faith in OC Transpo.”
King, deputy mayor and councillor for Rideau-Rockcliffe, called upon the city to invest in core services and infrastructure. “We need to have the courage
Plante noted that she had never received so much correspondence, especially not from such a wide spectrum of residents, recalling specific conversations she has had with her constituents, including Robitaille. “I want these people to know that we’re listening to them, we hear their concerns.”
The O-Train will continue to run on 10 minute intervals from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. after a city council vote. Photo: Hailey Otten/Fulcrum Archives
to make difficult decisions now for the long term benefit of the city.”
Menard, councillor for Capital Ward and former president of the Carleton University Students Association, argued that the cuts came with no longterm analysis and will affect people’s live negatively. “It’s an arbitrary cut … you cut all the transit in Ottawa and you’ll have financial savings,” before pointing out that the city should be doing more to entice riders to come back.
Bradley, councillor for Gloucester-Southgate, agreed with part of mayor Mark
Sutcliffe’s rebuttal that the city has invested in transit.
“We have invested in transit … but we are not making investments we need [operationally] … if we don’t apply the correct amount of operational funding to make that service useful and attractive for our residents, we’re just left with shiny trains. Shiny, parked, trains.”
Troster called the service cuts “the transit death spiral in action,” noting that this will inevitably lead riders to miss their connector busses as well. “This is a small amount of money … in our giant transit deficit … people are just going
to give up, if they haven’t already.”
Brockington, councillor for River, also made the distinction between frequency and capacity. ‘We told people this would not just be a rapid service, but a frequent service.”
Councillors Against Leiper’s Original Motion
There was a clear divide between inner-city councillors and outer-city councillors on the issue of LRT service.
Even councillors like Wilson Lo (Barrhaven East), Catherine Kitts (Orléans South-Navan), Matthew Luloff (Orléans East-Cumberland) and David
Hill (Barrhaven West) who spoke about the congestion issues on busses in their wards were not as amicable to train riders — even though some of those bus riders presumably transfer to the LRT at some point heading to or from downtown.
Other outer-city politicians didn’t mince as many words. “Five minutes is not worth $1.6 million dollars, in my opinion,” argued councillor for Kanata North Cathy Curry. Curry then asked councillors “is there no other way you would want to spend $1.6 million dollars?”
“I don’t think Ottawa’s transit problem should be rural
Cheers! Ontario convenience stores allowed to sell alcohol
Buy your booze steps from campus!
Isabelle Jay
As of Sept. 5, Ontario convenience stores and gas stations have joined their Quebec and Newfoundland counterparts with the ability to sell certain alcoholic beverages. Diversifying sellers of wine, beer, and certain premixed drinks, rather than being exclusively sold through the LCBO and Beer Store, has been a campaign promise from the Ford Government since 2018.
Ottawa’s problem,” said councillor for Rideau-Jock David Brown, arguing that his ward shouldn’t pay for things they don’t use.
Kitts acknowledged that the service cut was “not ideal optics” for OC Transpo, but that five-minute intervals are not a necessity for users.
Sutcliffe contended that OC Transpo staff should make decisions about service levels, not councillors. “I think we should support our staff by allowing them to make this decision.”
This controversial deal helped lead to the LCBO workers strike this summer, as the workers union aimed to protect the LCBO monop-
oly over the sale of hard liquor within the province.
than a five minute walk from campus: 210 Laurier Ave.,
For University of Ottawa students, this adds three locations less
120 Osgood St., and 287A Somerset St., for their purchase of drinks. Before the
change, the closest access to alcohol retailers were the two LCBO stores located in the ByWard market, while the closest Beer Store was over a thirty-minute walk west of campus.
Customer service representative Karan of the Osgoode Circle K, told the Fulcrum that “with around a thousand customers coming through each day, we are preparing for busier times around weekends… we will be healthy competition [against
A pallet of beer waiting to be unpacked. Photo: Andrew Wilimek/Fulcrum
campus bars].”
Karan told the Fulcrum that students can expect strict enforcement of I.D. verification, no promotional sales of alcohol — but a clean and well-stocked store.
Jeff Roberts, owner and operator of NOX Eatery and
Public House, located on the second floor of the Minto Sports Complex, told the Fulcrum, “I really see [the new vendors] as competition. I see it as convenience … where students and everyone can buy their beers safely.”
When asked
if NOX was planning on offering any specials to entice student presence, Roberts highlighted that “we’re a lot more than just a location that serves alcohol. We are a fuel shack selling a ton of healthy options.” Continuing, Roberts explained that “there’s a free
spirit movement … we have multiple revenue streams … that doesn’t rely on the sale of alcohol.”
When asked about the possibility of product sales coming to the campus convenient store, PiViK, president of the University of Ottawa Student
Union, Delphine Robitaille commented to the Fulcrum that “[the sale of alcohol] hasn’t really been on our radar” also citing U of O Policy 88, which prohibits the sale of alcohol on campus by anyone other than university staff.
BREAKING: UOSU cuts off graduate student access to food bank
GSAED currently provides no funding for services operated by UOSU despite high usage by graduate students
In a decision announced Friday afternoon, graduate students will no longer be able to utilize the UOSU Food Bank or submit new cases to the Student Rights Centre effective immediately due to the lack of a funding agreement between UOSU
(University of Ottawa Students Association) and GSAÉD (Graduate Students Association).
“The UOSU has been providing services funded by undergraduate students to graduate students with no contribution from their student association for years now, totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars in value,” reads UOSU’s statement, which was published at 2 p.m. on their Instagram story.
contribution moving forward. These discussions have unfortunately ended.”
ment in the previous few months.
“The GSAÉD was informed in February that this was no longer sustainable, and negotiations have been ongoing since regarding a partial retroactive payment and a
UOSU President Delphine Robitaille told the Fulcrum Friday afternoon that while the sides had moved closer since beginning negotiations in February, GSAÉD had ignored multiple soft deadlines for an agree-
“The [last offer from GSAÉD] didn’t meet our operational needs,” said Robitaille, adding that UOSU had initially hoped for an agreement to be completed and included in their June budget. “The hope was for this agreement to be conclud-
Andrew Wilimek
The selection of beer at Somerset Quickie as seen Sept. 11. Photo: Andrew Wilimek/Fulcrum
ed for the adoption of the budget so that we could actually plan for the year and plan for what supporting graduate students would look like.”
Robitaille noted that the deadline was extended to Aug. 30, and that GSAÉD reached out after that deadline with an offer they had proposed previously.
Dating back to last September, the UOSU Food Bank had experienced a 258 per cent increase in us-
ers compared to the previous year, while receiving dwindling food supply from partners like the Ottawa Food Bank.
Robitaille told the Fulcrum that demand has continued to outpace capacity, adding that the quotas of food they receive from the Ottawa Food Bank have been “basically cut to nothing,” leading UOSU to “almost exclusively” support the food bank. UOSU currently pays around $250,000 a year to operate the
food bank, located in the UCU.
Robitaille shared internal documents with the Fulcrum showing that graduate students made up 47 per cent of the food banks usages between September 2023 and June 2024. The figures were lower — but still disproportionate when compared to enrollment — at the Student Rights Centre, where 25 per cent of cases are graduate students.
“We’ll defi-
nitely be redirecting [graduate students] to the closest Community Food Bank and encouraging them to reach out to the general manager at GSAÉD to share their concerns and their disappointments,” said Robitaille.
“On a personal level, this is a very disappointing decision to have to make. I wish that we could support every member of the [U of O] community, and, you know, beyond that. But unfortunate-
ly, with the [usage increases] that we’ve seen at the food bank and the subsequent [stock cuts], that was impossible.”
Ongoing cases regarding graduate students at the Student Rights Centre will still proceed.
Executives from GSAÉD did not respond to the Fulcrum’s request for comment in time for the communicated publication deadline.
Editors Note: This post was updated at 8:17 p.m. on Sep. 6 to correct an error in the cited budget of the food bank, it was changed from $4 million to $250,000.
Editors Note: On Sept. 10, GSAED governance commissioner Marc Biglary responded to the Fulcrum’s request for comment. “The GSAÉD entered negotiations with the UOSU in good faith regarding the Food Bank, Student Rights Centre, and Feminist Resource Centre, with the goal of securing continued access to these essential services for graduate students. Unfortunately, the UOSU has not proposed an agreement that equitably addresses our members’ needs, nor have they accepted any of our proposals. Their recent decision to restrict access for graduate students and end negotiations was disappointing. In response, the GSAÉD is directing its resources to assist students in need of emergency food relief and connecting them with community services. We continue to recognize the serious issue of food insecurity on campus, which affects both undergraduate and graduate students, and encourage any affected GSAÉD members to contact us at info@ gsaed.ca for further assistance.”
Graduate students will no longer have access to the UOSU Food Bank in the UCU. Photo: Bridget Coady/Fulcrum
ARTS
Album Review: A Relaxing Evening at the Noise Hotel
OTTAWA BAND NOISE HOTEL TO RELEASE THEIR FRESHMAN ALBUM POOLSIDE FANTASY
Ottawa band Noise Hotel released their album Poolside Fantasy on August 21 filled with saxophone solos, smooth vocals, and witty lyricism.
Ottawa indie rock band Noise Hotel released their first album titled “Poolside Fantasy” on August 21, now available on all streaming platforms. “Poolside Fantasy” is both a beach rock album as well as an ode to
the kind of funk music you would hear a house band play at a run-down hotel.
The lyrics, almost entirely written by frontman and lead vocalist Eric Montpool, range between love and heartbreak with a slight detour to wax poetic about Ottawa in track five, “The City That Fun Forgot”.
Fun definitely did not forget the Noise Hotel on this record. Mixed and recorded at Isley Studios in Ottawa,
the Noise Hotel captures the uniqueness of Ottawa’s indie music scene with ten songs that hook you in through the melody and slightly confusing lyrics. Once you stay awhile at the Noise Hotel and listen to the album a second or third time, you begin to notice the intricacy of the bass lines, played by Christian Strong, and the driving force of drums played by Boshko Maric.
You can’t miss the electric gui-
tar talents of Matthew Scharfe; a handful of songs break after the second chorus for extensive guitar solos showing off their confidence on the instrument. However, what makes Noise Hotel so different from other Ottawa-area bands is the frequent use of saxophone, played by Matthew Evans, as an instrument with its own voice and personality. Evans has a standout saxophone solo during the bridge of the sec-
ond track “Pool of Favours” and leaves the listener excited to hear more from them.
Standout tracks include “My Last Girl”, featuring backing vocals from University of Ottawa student and local musician Hannah Vig. Beachy guitar riffs meet intricate drum work and if you listen closely, you can hear the near-perfect bass slides. “Dear Annie” is the eighth track on the record and features Vig more prominently as lead vocalist with Montpool. I’ve heard this track live at The Rainbow in ByWard Market earlier this summer and it is always a crowd favourite. Hannah Vig and Montpool have great stage chemistry, providing a great counterpart to Montpool’s vocal talents.
“Picking
Up
The Pieces” sits at the end of the record at track nine and creates a nice contrast in mood to an otherwise upbeat record. The high hats provide a smoky ambiance at the beginning of the song and Montpool paints a tragic picture of a
Isabella Fiore
Photo: Adel Manji/Provided
lost love. If the Noise Hotel was a real hotel, this song feels like spending an evening in the smoking lounge. During the saxophone solo in the bridge, there is an interpolation
of what sounds like a classic radio and this adds to the ambiance.
Noise Hotel is at its best when it is self-referential and leans into being a local Ottawa band.
Track five, “The City That Fun Forgot” was released last Friday and pulls from the classic image of Ottawa as a boring city. Every artist from Ottawa pokes fun at Ottawa in some capacity, This single, with its pop-punk inspired pre-chorus and swooping chorus, will absolutely be a crowd favourite the next time the Noise Hotels stops by Ottawa.
Heart of the City Piano Program: Making music accessible to all
HCPP CLUB TEACHES STUDENTS HOW TO PLAY THE PIANO FOR FREE
Check into the Noise Hotel and enjoy your stay at the Poolside Fantasy; it’s the perfect album to enjoy by the pool during these dwindling days of summer.
HCPP claims to not only teach students an instrument, they also teach them “a means of self-expression, communication and… self-confidence.”
The study of music, specifically playing the piano, is a costly endeavor, averaging $60 per hour. HCPP breaks down the financial barrier that keeps a
Amid the vibrant community of the University of Ottawa, a club is making a transformative impact, one note at a time. The Heart of the City Piano Program (HCPP), originally founded in Saskatchewan in 1995, has a powerful mission: to make music accessible to every child, regardless of their background.
lot of students from getting piano lessons by offering them free lessons within their school. The Ottawa branch of HCPP currently partners with four public schools: Vincent Massey, York Street, Manor Park, and Fielding Drive. Eden Samson, co-director of the club, told the Fulcrum that the program’s mission is to “gather volunteers to go to elementary schools and teach students how to learn to play the piano for free.” The objective of the HCPP is to enrich musical education for children who might otherwise never have the chance. Samson describes the impact of these lessons: “Many children come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, where music lessons are out of reach. HCPP fills this gap, showing financial situations don’t have to limit their access to the arts.”
The club’s
collaboration with the Ottawa Hospital adds another layer of community impact. This partnership allows HCPP volunteers to have the opportunity to perform in hospital settings, bringing music to patients and their families––a beautiful extension of the program’s mission. The heart of HCPP relies on its dedicated volunteers, many of whom are university students, local musicians, and community members, who are passionate about music education.
In addition
to its work in public schools and hospitals, HCPP fosters a supportive learning environment for both students and volunteers. Volunteers receive mentorship which equips them with the necessary teaching skills and enhances their personal musical knowledge. The mutual exchange between the students and volunteers ensues a valuable experience
for both parties.
The Heart of the City Piano Program addresses financial barriers to provide children with opportunities to explore their musical talents, reaching beyond schools and into hospital settings to demonstrate music’s impact on communities. HCCP is a testament to the power of community, generosity, and the belief that music should be accessible to all.
HCPP is launching a new program offering free piano lessons to students on campus, taught by their volunteers. To get involved, visit their website at https:// heartofthecityottawa. weebly.com/.
Marjan Massoom
SPORTS
Gee-Gees Rugby: Men continue winning streak against Bishops
“Games like these keep us sharp for the big show in November”
It was a lively Saturday at Matt Anthony Field as the undefeated men’s rugby squad faced off against the Bishop’s Gaiters. The Gees performed well in front of a packed stadium and would cap a tripleheader that featured a celebration of Indigenous dance and music for the annual Wàskonenindamàwin games, scoring some impressive tries, and displaying poised defence. The Gees would take the game 47-27 to keep their three game hot streak going.
First Half:
The Gees showcased their dominance early, with Evan Roy scoring a try, and his brother Glenn Roy backing him up and converting the kick to put the Gees up 7-0 in the fourth minute. Immediately after, the Gees showcased their tough defence with Shayan Jalili Ticona lifting a Bishop’s player for three yards backwards.
The game was a Roy brothers
showcase, as Glenn Roy scored a try of his own after proving to be too fast for Bishop’s. After converting on his own try, the Gees were up 14-0. It would be only one minute after the Gees try, Bishop’s Owen McDonald would respond with one of his own, making the score 14-7.
The next try would come from Evan Roy for his second try of the game after he pushed right through the Bishop’s line, increasing the score gap to 19-7. After the Gees forfeited a penalty within kicking range, Bishop’s capitalized to give them a quick three points.
It was a scoring parade for the Gees, after being held up close to the Bishop’s try line for a minute, Zach Auger finally broke through from a quick pass and scored a try, and after Glenn Roy converted on the kick the score was 26-10 for the Gees. A deficit of 16 would be a challenge for Bishop’s as they went into the second half.
Second Half:
Peterbor -
ian Gees winger Matthew Robinson showcased great defence forcing a Bishop’s turnover. Anoth-
tion was short lived after the Gee’s Jamie Armstrong (and soon to be Seattle Seawolf) made a 65-
er stellar defensive play was made by Ben Holahan, intercepting a crucial pass from the Bishop’s back line.
After a lot of back and forth play from the two teams, it was Gees eight man tank Connor Billo to score a try in the 18th minute, and with a conversion from Glenn Roy the Gees led 33-10. After the try, Bishops pushed up towards the Gees tryline, and after many penalties and three minutes of play, Bishops finally broke through and scored, making the score 33-15.
However, Bishop’s celebra-
yard run scoring a try that made the crowd roar, putting the GeeGees up 40-15. Bishop’s responded with yet another try right after, making the score 40-20. It was Bishop’s again scoring a try, but not without a fight as the Gees held them off for four minutes, making the score 40-27. In extra time, it was none other than the Gees beast of a winger Matthew Robinson to finish the scoring, making the final score 47-27.
The Men’s Rugby are on a roll and are 3-0 on the season after a massive win against the
Bishop’s Gaiters. Brothers Glenn and Evan Roy put on a scoring clinic during the game, and Evan Roy currently holds the program record for tries scored at 14.
Coach James Flemming has sparked a fire in the team that will be hard to put out. When asked about the team’s hot streak, Flemming said “We’ll need to lick the wounds after three hard-fought matches. We’ll use the bye week to clean some things up and prepare for McGill, who is sure to be a tough opponent. Games like these keep us sharp for the big show in November.”
Coach Flemming developed this club into something truly special, his re-
Liam Corbett
Jamie Armstrong dodges a tackle on his way to a massive run for a try. Photo: Tim Austen/Gee-Gees
marks on the transformation of the Club revolved around “The culture. We play for what is on the front of the jersey, not the back. Everyone here recognizes they are playing for something bigger than themselves, and each other.”
The team’s next matchup against McGill (ranked seventh in the nation) in Montreal on Oct. 5 will be a tough game, and one that is a must watch for fans.
HE’S BACK: Maracle leads Gee-Gees over new-look York Lions in long awaited return
“It was exciting to see him out there, because it’s gotta start somewhere, right?”
Last season did not go as planned for the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees. After throwing for four completions on four passes — including a touchdown — in their season opener Aug. 27, 2023, their star quarterback Ben Maracle left the game with an injured right leg.
The Tyendinaga, O.N. native would ultimately be ruled out for the season and didn’t make his way back onto the gridiron until this past Saturday — more than a full year after exiting the field during last year’s fateful season opener.
Maracle was not quite back to 100 per cent for the GeeGees season opener against the powerhouse Western Mustangs this year, and instead was eased back in against York, who failed to record a win last season. York brought in an entirely new coaching staff this season led by Dexter Janke, and though they showed
signs of improvement, they were no match for the GeeGees.
Kicker Zach-
ary Copeland got the scoring started early, drilling a field goal from 34 yards right down the middle of the uprights on the Gee-Gees first drive. He would hit from 47 on their next drive and ended up finishing 4-of-5 on the day. The Gee-Gees would ultimately cruise to a 27-4 win against the new-look program.
on 11 of 23 passing. Despite the underwhelming numbers, his return was a sight for sore eyes. The Gee-Gees have not had Maracle under centre for a full game in November 2022.
“When someone hasn’t played in about 370 days and had very limited practice time during the rehab, it’s going to take a little bit to come back,” said
noted a few things he found encouraging about Maracle’s game. “There were a couple times in the game where he just took off and ran, and ran the ball hard without any consideration for his previous injury … also to see the difference in terms of how he played from the first half to the second half as he got comfortable.”
ished with 186 yards on 30 carries, two of which went for touchdowns.
Bellefeuille agreed that Asselin was eclipsing their expectations this season, while adding they knew he was a very strong player. “He’s seeing the field very well, he’s making people miss, he’s playing within the scheme,” noting that having the entire
Maracle shook off some early game rust to finish with 130 yards
Gee-Gees head coach Marcel Bellefeuille. “It was exciting to see him out there, because it’s gotta start somewhere, right?”
Bellefeuille
It was bellcow running back Charles Asselin who provided most of the offence for the Gees. The 2022 OUA All-Rookie Team member fin-
offensive line coming back from last year is a huge bonus for the team’s running game.
“[Asselin] is on a monster pace right now … we ex-
Andrew Wilimek
Ben Maracle returned after a 370 day absence from the Saturday. Photo: Charles Fortin/Gee-Gees
pect him to continue to get better too, because if you ask him there’s some things he felt he could do a bit better as well.”
Asselin’s first touchdown came off a fake quarterback sneak on the 1-yard line, but the second was much more intriguing. On the 27-yard line, the Gee-Gees lined up with three defensive players in their personnel, including
defensive tackle Riley Hildebrant, who served as one of the two fullbacks lined up in front of Asselin.
Asselin used the blocks to sail all the way into the Lions endzone.
Bellefeuille noted the Gee-Gees have used defensive players on the other side of the ball in certain situations, but that it had always been saved for goal line offence previ-
ously. “When I was in the CFL, we would do that in the middle of the field to see if defences would match our personnel, or maybe be soft in the secondary or give us opportunities down the field … that was something that we wanted to do and test defences.”
On defence, Marc Djonay Rondeau blocked a punt during the first quarter, defensive back
Nicolas Dion picked up his first career interception after checking into a drive during the third quarter, and the GeeGees sacked Lions quarterback Matt Linn three times for 24 yards.
“It’s important to see them clicking early in the season, especially considering [the defence] is a very veteran group,” said Bellefeuille. “It allows us to be more
patient with somebody like [Maracle] … when your defence is playing good you have that opportunity where you don’t have to rush or push things.”
The GeeGees will visit Waterloo this coming Saturday, who were blown out 71-3 by the aforementioned Mustangs this weekend. The game will be streamed for free on OUA.TV.
Gee-Gees Soccer: Women leave first loss behind and show up against TMU
Gee-Gees now tied with Nipissing for first in division
The U of O women’s soccer team played against the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold this past Sunday. The Gee-Gees, who are ranked second nationally, secured a victory after losing their first game of the season the day prior to the University of Toronto. Ottawa locked in their win with four goals and a powerful performance by a Allana Oriente.
The game started with the U of O offence applying pressure right off the bat, showcasing their strong offence and impressive speed with both their wings, Oriente and Jenna Matsukubo.
Within the first half, the aggression between both teams could be spotted from miles away, and the desperation to score the first goal of the match was seen across the Gee-Gees’ faces.
Fourth-year
Ottawa defender Maya Smith scored the first two goals of the game. “It felt great,” said Smith postgame. “I’m not usually one to score, so getting two today felt really good, especially after the loss.”
However, as time passed and TMU struggled to make any progress on the way to the Gee-Gee’s goal, desperation and frustration were increasing.
Ottawa seemed to lose its
cohesive play. Maybe the frustration from the blue and gold team was rubbing off, but the connection for which Ottawa is famous was disappearing before our eyes; balls were up in the air, and passes were left to be intercepted. Due to the game’s physicality, numerous calls were made, yet TMU lacked the benefit of the multiple calls that were made in favour of the team from our country’s capital.
In the second half of the game, U of O cleared themselves of any frustration they had displayed 15 minutes before. “Coming off the loss, we were tense and a bit nervous,” noted Smith. “Definitely stepping up into the second half, we were more
comfortable with each other.”
This was absolutely proved right by the third goal for the Gee-Gees, which came right at the beginning of the second half by Matsukubo, who just minutes later assisted Cassandra Provost to score the last goal for the team, and Provost’s seventh goal of the season.
The Bold attempted to equal the score, but Natalie Moynihan scored just one goal, ending the goal fever for the remainder of the
match. However, the spectators could notice the tension between the Bold and Ottawa’s audience, who encouraged the lack of calls in favour of the Bold.
After a competitive weekend hosted by the GeeGees, they are tied with this Friday’s rival, Nipissing, for the top spot on the OUA East leaderboard. Friday’s game is at 7 p.m. at Matt Anthony Field; tickets are 7$ and with that comes an evening of competitive soccer secured.
Ana Sofia de la Parra
Photo: Tim Austen/Gee-Gees
SCIENCES
University of Ottawa’s iGEM bio-hacking the future
THE CLUB’S SUBMISSION FOR PARIS 2024 REVOLVES AROUND A PLANT-BASED OZEMPIC
Basant Chawla
Hold on to your lab goggles, because the University of Ottawa’s International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) club is doing something you’d never expect. These bio-innovators are growing Ozempic in plants.
This group
they are changing the way we approach medicine, research, and even space exploration. Not to mention, they’re taking their skills to the international level.
That’s right, Paris, here they come!
Co-presidents Teagan Thomas and Victor Boddy, both fourth-year students in biomedical
search group and all the exciting things they have planned for the year.
Biology Meets Innovation: Synthetic Biology
“A lot of people hear synthetic biology, they don’t know what that means, or what it entails,” shared Teagan. Let’s start with
living systems and organisms, synthetic biology is a multidisciplinary field of study that aims to either create new biological components, tools, and systems or modify naturally occurring systems.
What’s iGEM All About?
iGEM, originally established as
of the most prominent platforms for young engineers and scientists to present their synthetic biology research.
of individuals in synthetic biology isn’t just playing around in the lab; rather,
sciences and biotechnology, sat down with the Fulcrum to talk about their re-
the basics: synthetic biology. Combining engineering principles with a focus on
a course at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has developed into one
For the uninitiated, iGEM represents the pinnacle of synthetic biology exploration. Students from institutions all over the world come together to apply creativity, engineering, and biology to tackle real-world issues.
And let’s just say, the iGEM team at the
Teagan Thomas and Victor Boddy, fourth-year students studying biomedical sciences and biotechnology, and co-presidents of iGEM sat down with the Fulcrum to talk about their ideas for the upcoming year. Photo: iGEM/Provided
University of Ottawa isn’t playing it small this year. “We’re excited to compete,” Thomas told the Fulcrum.
Paris-Bound
for the 2024 Grand Jamboree
Let’s not bury the lead, though. iGEM is flying to Paris! In preparation for the 2024 Grand Jamboree, a large international competition where teams from all over the world showcase their research, mingle with leading scientists, and showcase their insane talents in synthetic biology, they are packing up their petri dishes and plant-growing Ozempic experiments.
“I think there’s around 435 confirmed teams from around the
world that are going. So it’s a really big conference, and we’re super excited to have the opportunity to go,” said Thomas. Coming together with more than 400 teams from 50 countries, this is the science Olympics, and the University of Ottawa’s team will be ready to show off their expertise in synthetic biology.
The Phytogene Project
What is iGEM now working on, then? Meet Phytogene, a project that sprang from desperation after Canada’s recent Ozempic (a semaglutide weightloss drug) shortfall. After becoming popular as a weight-loss medication, Ozempic, which originally was created for type 2 diabetes, caused
a national scarcity, depriving diabetics of their prescribed medication.
“We were inspired by the recent Ozempic shortage,” Thomas explained. The team’s goal is essentially to find a way to grow the drug using eco-friendly synthetic biology methods.
Thomas broke down their process: “We basically found the DNA transcript for Ozempic, and we put that inside of bacteria, which then multiply that transcript, and then we put that transcript in plants. So, it’s kind of a novel thing that we’ve been investigating—using eco-friendly synthesis methods.”
Simply put, the team is making Ozempic from
Where stethoscopes meet spreadsheets
plants. This groundbreaking approach could be a long-term fix for the scarcity of weight-loss drugs being manufactured in the future.
iGEM’s Outreach Mission
That said, synthetic biology involves more than just lab research. iGEM is committed to science education and outreach, bringing science to all ages. “We’re very passionate about spreading synthetic biology awareness and just kind of educating the public on it, since it’s kind of a newer field,” Thomas said. The team has been quite active in retirement homes, summer camps, and soon, high schools and libraries. They would love to inspire
the next generation of scientists.
Thomas and Boddy are focused on building a lasting legacy for iGEM at the U of O. “We’re really trying to build and foster a long-winded history of iGEM at [the U of O],” said Thomas. “Future members get to look forward to the jamboree.”
In an effort to draw in new members, iGEM is currently planning an open house for November. They want you to get involved, whether you’re interested in science or you’re a future biologist. “We’ll have lots of information for prospective students, as well as plenty of events and opportunities for new recruits,” Victor shared.
Experts are revolutionizing the way medical services function at the intersection of business and healthcare.
The healthcare system is trying to keep up with the aging of the baby boomer generation and their longer life span. The effectiveness of healthcare systems depends on the people who work behind the scenes to ensure quality care. The need for skilled professionals
search centers, and public health initiatives depend heavily on the effective and seamless operation of healthcare management. Because of this, jobs that combine expertise in business and medicine are proliferating. Miranda Wong, a fourth-year student studying healthcare analytics and co-president of the University of Basant Chawla
Jobs that combine expertise in business and medicine are proliferating. Image: Freepik/Stock Photo
Ottawa’s Business Healthcare Society (BHS), spoke to the Fulcrum about her perspectives on important positions within healthcare management. In order to improve system efficiency, Wong highlights the significance of creating a balance between business and healthcare.
The adoption of business concepts in healthcare has resulted in increased cost management and patient outcomes. Healthcare firms, for example, commonly use business models such as Lean or Six Sigma to minimize waste and guarantee that resources are used efficiently. “Gathering data and then applying some statistical techniques to group the data and come up with a summary, and then use that for improving policies or disease prevention,” describes Wong..
The salary of a hospital administrator is typically around $120,000. Hospital administrators are crucial to the provision and operation of medical services at a hospital. They’re responsible for day to day operations of a hospital, which includes personnel management, financial man-
agement, and making sure the hospital complies with all legal obligations.
The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of a hospital is in charge of ensuring that a hospital or hospital system performs as cost-effectively as possible, with salaries ranging from $180,000 to $250,000.
A Chief Information Officer (CIO) of a healthcare organization, with salaries between $160,000 and $220,000 is a growing role due to the IT issues that hospitals and other health organizations face. Rather than merely providing software and technical assistance, the CIO must also provide strategic business leadership and oversee the collection, management, safety, and privacy of patient health records. Employing a CIO who is knowledgeable about IT security is vital given the ever-present concerns of cyber attacks and patient data breaches. They must also be accountable for creating and implementing information systems architecture.
Healthcare consultants, much like business consultants, help firms
improve their procedures, increase profits, and reduce expenses. Healthcare consultants, as opposed to business consultants, operate in healthcare environments such as hospitals, private practices, doctors’ offices, and rehabilitation clinics. Organizations seek help from healthcare consultants when they have a problem to solve or need to make improvements within the firm. The consultant who earns generally around $120,000 may study data and research potential problems in order to suggest solutions.
Miranda Wong discussed her opinions on different roles when asked to discuss an important career in healthcare management.
“Healthcare consulting, because that, I think that’s very relevant with startups and it’s very healthcare and business related,” she said. Wong pointed out the need of statisticians and optimization specialists in streamlining healthcare processes and predicting patient care needs. “In the healthcare industry, efficiencies need to be prioritized to, for example, limit wait times at hospitals
and get equipment and material to the final destination the fastest,” Wong mentioned.
Healthcare management entails a variety of important abilities required for healthcare workers to efficiently oversee medical, nursing, or public health resources while also achieving goals intended for improving population health and healthcare systems. These skills include planning, organizing, implementing, and monitoring and evaluating (M&E).
“Statisticians, the ones that record public determinants of health data, because this data is put on, for example, Health Canada, and it can be used for forecasting,” Wong explained. She also explained how the use of data can help improve healthcare delivery, drawing on her personal knowledge with analytics courses such as ADM4363 Business Optimization Analytics at the U of O.
While pursuing a degree in healthcare analytics, Wong reiterated the need of learning technical skills. “Employers wanted me to have lots of experience in coding languages like Python,
which I don’t have right now,” Wong said, reflecting on her experience with healthcare-related projects and her ambitions for furthering her career.
As Wong’s experience indicates, healthcare management provides a number of professional opportunities. She touched on how her experience as co-president of BHS influenced her career objectives by offering imperative networking and leadership opportunities.
“As long as you get experience doing something, it is relevant. Job opportunities are very slim, so I kind of just had to take what I could get,” Wong advised those interested in entering the field.
OPINIONS
Student card integration is good — but virtual cards are better
Phone
tapping has become a way
of life
For the first time, the University of Ottawa has integrated your U-Pass transit card with your student card this year. This means no more losing your U-Pass immediately after you tap it, or having to wait in the
stop at combining the student card and U-Pass into a single, flimsy, plastic card?
All of your important university identification should be solely virtual.
Using your mobile device for identification purposes has become the new norm — you or
even remember the last time I used a paper boarding pass on the VIA Rail home. Not to mention you can even add your PRESTO cards to your Apple and Android virtual wallets!
We’ve reached a point where nearly everyone has a smart-
vigilant about losing your hundred-dollar phone than a plastic card that can be replaced at a cost of around $20 and the most incriminating photo you will ever take. Virtual student identification is the natural next step in incorporating technology into meaning-
UCU to take pictures so ugly they don’t even look like yourself (or do they…?).
It’s a great but long overdue step, combining the two most important plastic cards of your university experience (aside from your debit cards) into one. But let’s push the conversation a step further. Why
someone you might know probably has a photo of their passport or driver’s licence in their ‘Favourites’ folder. Starting in 2021, you could access your vaccination records from your Apple Wallet, a move that further supported contactless transactions at the height of the pandemic. I can’t
phone, and it is near impossible to function without one, even as a student. You can’t even access your student email or Brightspace portal without that pesky Microsoft authentication (which is protecting us from who exactly?).
Not to mention that you’re also probably much more
ful student life. The University of New Brunswick and Sheridan College were the first Canadian institutions to use Apple Wallet IDs back in 2021. But wait — are we sure about virtual student cards? What happens if someone’s phone is stolen? Or there’s a technical
glitch between your phone and the tap machines on the bus (because there always is one)? Or if your phone simply dies because the battery is five years old? Or if you straight up just want the physical cards back?
Then here’s the excellent part: you should be given a choice. Students who still want physical cards should still have the means to upload photos and hold onto their ID cards, for whatever reason they wish. The university can survey students to properly hear their opinions, and properly re-allocate the number of staff and materials needed for the set-up. Imagine having a virtual student card for simplicity’s sake, but still holding onto your two-in-one combo card as a back-up!
The U of O has a great opportunity on its hands to implement such convenient technology for its students — now it’s just a matter of them actually listening to them.
Amira Benjamin
Photo: Amira Benjamin/Fulcrum
UOSU’s Executive Oversight Committee is broken. We need to fix it.
Overworked, under-resources, and overlooked — the EOC needs to change for the better
James Adair
The University of Ottawa Student Union (UOSU) is an organization with a lot of promise and problems. These problems are often talked about and debated ad nauseum; low engagement, at times questionable transparency, and more. But one of its largest, and most overlooked, problems is hidden in the minutiae of the dayto-day operations of the Union — the system for oversight of our Union’s Executive Office is broken.
I would know — I’ve been on the Board of Directors (BOD) for UOSU for more than a year now, as both a member and co-chair of the Executive Oversight Committee (EOC). The current system for transparency and honesty in our executive office relies on the quality of our executive, the thankless unrewarded overworking of Board members, and blind trust. It is not a system built with checks and balances in case something goes wrong. We need to fix EOC if we want our Union to work. Luckily, the solution might be more obvious than
we think.
To fix a problem, we need to understand it. The problem with EOC right now is fairly simple: the Executives hold all the cards, and the EOC cannot be reasonably expected to keep up. What do I mean by this? Well, the Executive as elected (or more often than I’d liked, hired) officials are only accountable to the Membership who, by proxy, is made manifest through the BOD and EOC. UOSU Human Resources staff are not responsible, and cannot discipline Executives, or deal with their issues — that is solely the role of EOC.
EOC is made up of five or fewer volunteer Board members, whereas the Executive is made up of seven or fewer full-time staff, many of whom have assistants. EOC is tasked with dealing with their time off, timesheets, accommodation requests, inter-executive conflict, and executive discipline, all while being given next to no resources.
Since it is run by Directors and not an Executive, EOC is the least-resourced committee in the
Union, despite being arguably the most important. It has no budget, and there are no assistants or deputies to help, and there isn’t even an EOC email.
On one side, you have the Executives who work in an office, get paid, and reasonably expect that their requests — even if those requests themselves were absurd or out of the scope of EOC — be dealt with promptly. This comes especially as many of the executives do important and meaningful work, with many of themselves being overworked and frustrated.
On the other side, the EOC is unpaid and unresourced, reasonably becomes frustrated, overworked, and burnt out. Thus, unable to deal with the myriad of requests, demands, and expectations.
This creates a situation where issues, such as executive misconduct or inter-office disputes, are either being handled by overworked EOC members, or in the worst case not handled at all. This can be the result of the EOC not getting around to it due to being overwhelmed
or the work being deprioritized, EOC members reasonably not wanting to add to their workload, or the Executive not trusting EOC to do their job, so issues aren’t mentioned to the committee. This leads to tension, distrust, and a breakdown in EOC’s ability to function. And when EOC breaks down, the result can be (and has been) disastrous.
But it doesn’t have to be this way — we must fix EOC and empower them. Currently, Board members cannot receive any remuneration for their work, but I have long proposed giving the EOC cochairs an honorarium or stipend for their work. This would incentivize and reward the co-chairs for their work, which at times can border on parttime jobs, as well as allow them to devote more time to the committee.
EOC should also be given an email, something that is already in the works. This means that communication can be centralized to one email, ensuring continuity between terms. Finally, regular students should start paying attention to the work
of EOC and other Board committees, monthly committee reports are available here; committees are where most of the work of the Board happens, and until they are accountable to students nothing will change.
We need our executives to be overseen competently, and the Executive Committee wants to be overseen and supported by the EOC. Our union needs a transparent, and disciplined executive, less drama and more action. But our union also needs executives who are supported, who feel like they can trust the people meant to oversee them, and who are happy at their jobs. Until we have that, and a reformed EOC is a key part of the solution, the same issues the Fulcrum has been reporting on for decades will keep happening.
OC Transpo is falling apart – How council wants to fix it won’t work
Fare hikes and transit cuts are threatening students — and won’t do much to keep OC Transpo out of its woes
Cédrik Desjardins
As students head back to classes, OC Transpo has prepared some, shall we say, interesting ways to greet students back onto the network. Frequency on the O-Train has been cut down from a train every five minutes to a train every 10 minutes during off-peak hours, which the city considers between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., and from 6:30-11p.m. Not only that, but staff have been out en masse conducting a fare compliance blitz through the month of September.
These actions aren’t random events just to spice up your commutes — they all stem from a mentality of fiscal weariness that permeates transit planning in this city, born from the fact that the Transit budget is in a dire state. City staff are projecting a $25 million deficit and are anticipating the 2025 deficit to be as high as $120 million, a financial bullet that has to be dealt with.
But this Scroogelike way of addressing budget concerns will put customers in the line of fire, and threaten to plunge OC Transpo into a
vicious cycle.
A huge part of the problem comes from how much ridership has fallen since the shutdowns of the COVID-19 pandemic. It still remains well below pre-COVID levels, with LRT ridership being particularly bad. This brings down a key source of revenue for the network, which is transit fares themselves.
The provincial fare average provides around a third of revenue but in Ottawa it only accounts for 19 per cent of revenue.
This provokes a knee-jerk reaction to find ways to economize within the system, including the frequency reduction on the O-Train and the fare blitz. And in the 2025 budget directions, there are proposals to raise fares by as much as 75 per cent, further cuts to the system, or deferrals of capital investments.
But do you see something wrong here? All of these proposals, while helping the bottom line, work to make the quality of OC Transpo worse and drive people away from the system.
Even with LRT cuts supposedly helping maintain current ca-
pacity, the problem is spelt out right there. It is all about putting the system on life support, instead of considering how making the system more frequent, more reliable could attract more people to use it.
This is a particularly dangerous way of thinking because it creates what is known as a transit death spiral. Ridership is low, money gets tight, so the fares are jacked up and service is cut. That leads to worse service, less ridership, money gets tighter, and so the fares go up again; service is slashed even more, and it keeps on going on and on, down and down.
And it’s not like there aren’t any other funding streams the city could consider. Property taxes have been kept well below the rate of inflation and that of other Canadian cities. The city has also spent copious amounts of money on new road expansions and financing new suburban construction instead of dense, efficient developments that could also serve as being transit-ori-
ented.
But mention any of these solutions to the city council, and you might as well have committed blasphemy in a 16th century pioneer village. The mayor has made it a priority to keep tax increases low, only recommending an increase of 2.9 per cent across the board and keeping a transit levy hike to no further than 37 per cent (which would represent a growth of 7 per cent on tax bills). Councillors from more rural and suburban wards of the city will say
idents that they keep being late to appointments, to work, to school. It isn’t considered how residents are harmed by having to pay more to use a vehicle, pay for parking, pay for gas, get stuck in worsening traffic, nor how good, reliable transit helps boost development and the economies of cities.
Ultimately, the mayor and council face a choice: either they can work to boost transit in the city and make a worthwhile investment into a public good, or they can
how they fear taxing too high will be asking too much of residents facing a costof-living crisis. What fails to be mentioned is whether the city is asking too much of transit riders by making them pay higher and higher fares, or whether it hurts res-
continue to neglect the system and fall into the transit death spiral. For now, to everyone who still uses transit: brace yourselves; we’re still in for a bumpy ride.
OC Transpo is trying new strategies, but nothing is sticking. Photo: Amira Benjamin/Fulcrum
T MAT
Prof hosts class in O-Train, causes delay
JUST AN AVERAGE DAY AT THE UOTTAWA LRT STATION
A U of O professor has come under fire from city residents and students alike for hosting his class in an O-Train car, causing a domino effect of delays for commuters. Professor Braughken Axel, of the engineering faculty, sent out an email to his ENG1104 students on Aug. 31 to inform them that the first week of classes will be held in the O-Train car; he did not specify which car, but did confirm that class would begin at 8:30 a.m on Tuesday.
“The university didn’t assign me a classroom so I took matters into my own hands,” said Axel, who teaches first-year engineering courses. “In fact, I still don’t. The O-Train shows up— well sometimes—so I figured that would be better than nothing.”
Unfortunately, many witnesses describe a “chaotic scene” at around 8 a.m. at the uOttawa station, as over 300 students enrolled in ENG1104 tried to enter the same train car at the same time. Students trying to
enter the train car for class were shoved around until they made it into the train, but found out too late that they were supposed to be on the westbound Blair platform, and rode to Tunney’s Pasture.
Stittsville resident and firstyear mechanical engineering student Shirley S. Tuck has an average campus commute of two hours. But it took S.Tuck over three hours to get to the uOttawa station on Tuesday morning.
“I went through all of that effort to get to class,
Weed coming to convenience stores in April
just to get stuck on the train and had to get off at Hurdman,” said a disgruntled S.Tuck. “No one would move so I couldn’t get out. Then I had to wait another 20 minutes because of the delay.”
Axel regrets the inconvenience he caused for his students, and sent
out a following class email with icebreakers as bonus points for the student who missed. “I thought the ten minutes during peak periods would be enough time for students to get to class,” he said. “Maybe building a couple extra trains can give us more space for learning.”
“This treats the province’s citizens like adults by giving them the ability to choose what is right for their body.”
Following the success of the Ontario government’s introduction of alcohol to convenience stores in the province, Premier Doug Ford has announced they will also be able to sell cannabis starting in April.
The surprise move was made public Thursday af-
ternoon at a press conference in Etobicoke. Speaking about the decision, the premier noted that ready-to-smoke marijuana — also known as joints — and edible marijuana gummies and chocolate will be available for purchase inside convenience stores starting April 20, 2025.
“This treats the province’s citizens like adults by giving them the ability to choose what is right for their body,” argued Ford when asked by reporters what effect the decision will have on public health. Reporters continued to press Ford on how the move made financial
sense to the government, given that the province has already entered into an agreement to give a select group of cannabis retailers — including Canna Cabana and Tokyo Smoke — a monopoly on selling weed through storefronts. Ford listed his years of experience in the industry as reasons
to trust his administration with handling the financials. When Ford was asked by a reporter if the move was in part motivated by a personal wish of obtaining cannabis more readily, he fired back, saying “I’ve got more than enough to smoke at home, thank you very much.”
Andrew Wilimek
Amira Benjamin
Photo: Rame Abdulkader/Fulcrum Archives
DEAR DI
How do I stop doomscrolling?
A PHONE ISN’T ALWAYS A GIRL’S BEST FRIEND
Di Daniels
Dear Di,
I spent all summer doomscrolling. While my classmates were vacationing in Europe or spending time with family, I got up close and personal with my Twitter (or X, whatever you call it) feed.
At first, I was concerned about all the terrible shit going on in the world: wars, climate disasters, transphobia, legislation that I didn’t even know getting rolled back! It’s all too much…but I can’t stop. How do I learn to break up with my phone, while still being informed?
— Chronically Online
Hey CO —
First of all, it’s okay to feel overwhelmed — information overload is real and it’s painful (and this is coming from an all-knowing columnist). But chronic doomscrolling has been associated with anxiety and stress, and could potentially worsen your mental health. But it’s important to stop and course-correct while you realize that you have a problem.
In fact, doomscrolling could reinforce the doubts and worries about the world you might already be holding onto. But do not fret! You can still maintain a healthy relationship with your phone and care for the crises of the world.
For starters, you can delete the apps that give you stress the most. If you’re worried about not receiving 500 Instagram reels a day from your bestie, just tell them you’re taking a social media break and ask them to text you silly ones instead. This way, you can still stay in contact, and still get spammed.
You can also change where you find your news. Do you find new things through TikTok breakdowns or niche Twitter/X threads? You should probably stick to a non-paywalled news outlet that’s a bit more reputable, or follow a couple of documented journalists on your platform of choice. This will allow you to gain information straight from the source.
But make sure you practice recognizing your feelings, especially when you start to feel yourself getting upset or too worked up over something outside of your control. This is a good tip to help you dis-engage with any unhealthy habit. Once you’ve learnt what’s setting you off, you can confront it in a safe manner.
Logging off with love,
Di
MEDIA
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President
Keelan Buck
ChaiR & CONTINUITY Representative
Emma Godmere
Secretary
Devin Beauregard
Treasurer
Ria Kunkulol
University Representative
Bhanu Bhakta Acharya
Contributor Representative
Siena Domaradzki-Kim
Student RepresentativeS
Gabrielle Douglas
Nina Oliveira
Agape Williams
Community Representative
Ryan Pistorius
Executive Director
Simon Coakeley
Editors-in-chief
Kavi Vidya Achar
Andrew Wilimek
If you are interested in joining our Board of Directors, we would love to hear from you. Please contact president@thefulcrum.ca for more information.