26 January 2022

THE M A N I T O B A N photo / Matthew Merkel / staff

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Harder, better, faster, stronger

School’s out Students walk out over COVID safety measures p. 3

p. 5

Optimizing wireless connections in the digital age

Democratic deficiencies

Bird’s the word

Representation should precede efficiency

An amateur-friendly field guide to birding

Vol. 108

p. 8

p. 10-11

THE OFFICIAL UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA STUDENTS’ NEWSPAPER

Iss. 19

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ? editor@themanitoban.com Ty Brass

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News

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Jan. 26, 2022

High schoolers walk out to protest lax COVID policies NEWS

Colton McKillop, staff High school students across Manitoba walked out of class last Monday to demand improved COVID-19 safety measures as inperson learning resumes.

Organized by the group MB Students for COVID Safety, the walkout’s demands included the option to return to remote learning if students wish and increased funding for safety measures for those who prefer in-person learning.

Brie Villeneuve, a student at Grant Park High School and one of the organizers of the walkout, explained what students were hoping to achieve.

“We want KN95 or just N95 masks for all students and staff, we want filtration to be improved [with] HEPA [filters], we want the contact tracing to be put back into place and we want rapid tests for all high schools and middle schools as well.”

Villeneuve is immunocompromised, and although they have been worried, they take extra precautions and have felt relatively safe at school during the pandemic — until now.

“With the Omicron surge coming up, I feel way less safe and there’s no new safety measures being implemented,” they said.

Organizers say as many as 90 schools participated in the walkout, including Maples Collegiate, Gordon Bell, Grant Park, Collège Béliveau and Collège Louis-Riel in Winnipeg.

Participation ranged from dozens of

students at some schools to only a few at others.

Villeneuve said the walkouts had received a number of different reactions, but the response has been mostly supportive.

“Even if they disagree with the idea of remote [learning], a lot of people respect the fact that we’re standing up for what we want,” they said.

photo / Brie Villeneuve / provided

Organizers demand remote option, increased funding for school safety

Some school administrators, such as Kelvin High School principal Tim Cox, were empathetic, saying in a memo to parents that students had the right to protest peacefully.

Administrators at Collège Louis-Riel, on the other hand, stated students would be marked absent if they participated, as neither the school nor the division had sanctioned the walkout.

“The benefits of in-person learning are significant and we are working towards balancing between slowing the spread of the virus and ensuring as many children and youth can access in-person learning [as possible],” said Wayne Ewasko, minister of advanced education, skills and immigration, in an email statement.

“Cases in schools tend to mirror rates seen in the community and have been shown to be at overall lower risk for transmission […] Manitoba schools have layers of protection in place including a rapid testing program for asymptomatic teachers, staff and kindergarten to Grade 12 students (over 700,000 tests distributed), an additional five million masks being

distributed (over 10 million distributed in 2021-22) and ventilation assessments and improvements that schools have been implementing for over the last year.”

The province recently announced its ability to contain the spread of the Omicron variant is “limited” and that every person in Manitoba is likely to be exposed to the virus.

Additionally, Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief provincial public health officer, said the speed at which the Omicron variant spreads means it is impossible to eliminate the risk of the virus in schools.

Villeneuve called the government’s announcement “a really ridiculous choice” with “eugenicist” undertones.

“Just because everyone will eventually

get it, if that’s true, doesn’t mean that we need to all put ourselves into that position right away, as that could really overwhelm our health-care system that’s already struggling, and we don’t want […] mass spread,” Villeneuve said.

While Villeneuve said they appreciated the government’s choice to delay the start of in-person learning by one week, they knew little would change.

“Our government said that the reason for it was so they could implement more safety measures and stuff like that, but they couldn’t do [what they didn’t] in two years in a week.”

news@themanitoban.com

Official website for 2022 municipal elections launched Information for candidates and voters now available online NEWS

Dimitar Tomovski, staff With the 2022 Winnipeg municipal and school boards election approaching this fall, the city has launched an official election website for prospective candidates and eligible voters to find information on registration, nomination processes and important dates leading up to the election.

In a statement from Oct. 23, 2020, incumbent Mayor Brian Bowman said he would not be seeking re-election in 2022.

In a media release, senior election official Marc Lemoine said, “We wanted to ensure we provided as much information, as early as possible, so that potential candidates and the public understand the process of running for public office.”

“It is my hope that Winnipeggers will elect a new mayor in 2022 that has the integrity and work ethic needed in the office of the mayor.”

“We hope the easy-to-use, mobilefriendly website will also help engage voters early in the process.”

“I want to be open with Winnipeggers about my personal plans for the future, plans that do not include a career in elected office, plans that do not include running again for re-election as mayor.”

The website contains a wide range of information for both potential candidates and eligible voters. Prospective candidates for mayor, councillor and school trustee can find information on eligibility and the registration process

as well as the nomination process and campaign period.

For each of the three elected positions, candidates must be Canadian citizens, 18 years old or older on election day and a resident of Manitoba. For the school trustee position, candidates must also have been a resident in the school division they are running in since April 26, 2022.

The website also includes rules and regulations for the proper use of campaign signage as well as legislation relevant to prospective candidates, such as the City of Winnipeg Charter and the Municipal Councils and School Boards Elections Act. Voters, meanwhile, are able to find information on voter eligibility as well as what their identification requirements are.

To vote for mayor or councillor, an

photo / Mohammad Arsalan Saeed / staff

elector must be a Canadian citizen, be 18 years old or older on election day and have residence or property in the city of Winnipeg for at least six months since April 26, 2022.

Aside from information for candidates and voters, a list of frequently asked questions can also be found regarding the election, which will take place Oct. 26, 2022.

news@themanitoban.com

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Prof appointed CRC in extreme astrophysics Supporting astrophysics research excellence in Manitoba graphic / Dallin Chicoine / staff

RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY Michael Campbell, staff

Samar Safi-Harb, a professor in the department of physics and astronomy at the University of Manitoba, has been appointed a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair (CRC) in extreme astrophysics.

Safi-Harb’s research examines the most extreme celestial bodies, such as supernovas, black holes and colliding neutron stars. She formerly served as Canada Research Chair in supernova remnants astrophysics.

While supernovas are indeed extreme objects, so too are black holes and neutron star collisions.

The Canada Research Chair program invests nearly $295 million per year to attract and retain the highest quality researchers in the world. CRCs are some of the world’s leading experts in their fields.

Safi-Harb’s passion for astronomy and physics began in high school and led her to attend the American University of Beirut in Lebanon, pursuing a pre-med physics degree.

“To give you an idea of how exotic and how interesting those objects are, a neutron star has the size of a city like Winnipeg […] but [it is] more massive than the sun” — Samar Safi-Harb, Canada Research Chair a fellowship at NASA. She completed her post-doctoral fellowship at the Goddard Space Flight Center studying supernova remnants and other highenergy astrophysical phenomena.

Although it was previously assumed all elements were formed exclusively in the supernova explosions of massive stars, recent research indicates heavier elements may be formed as a byproduct of neutron star collisions.

Her career since then has been anything but “down to earth.”

Safi-Harb’s research has tracked this evolution of understanding from supernova remnants to broader extreme astrophysics. She is now studying, among other things, the collisions of neutron stars. Neutron stars are the smallest and densest class of stellar objects currently known.

According to Safi-Harb, neutron stars result from the explosions of stars with more than 10 times the mass of the sun.

Safi-Harb completed a graduate degree at the University of WisconsinMadison, specializing in neutrinos and particle physics, before landing

“To give you an idea of how exotic and how interesting those objects are, a neutron star has the size of a city like Winnipeg — so this is considered

“When I started taking physics in high school, I immediately fell in love with the subject,” Safi-Harb said.

“But when it was time to go to university, I guess I also wanted to be a medical doctor […] I wanted to do something down to earth.”

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really compact for a star —but they are more massive than the sun,” SafiHarb said.

“So just imagine squeezing something as big as the sun, 100,000 kilometres, into 10 kilometres.”

These collisions cannot be observed optically through a telescope. Instead, they create gravitational waves in spacetime which can be observed as X-rays. This has led to the discovery of heavy elements like gold and platinum left over from the collisions.

Safi-Harb’s research analyzes phenomena like the gravitational wave discovered on Aug. 17, 2017, aptly named GW (gravitational wave) 170817.

Her research asks if supernovas and neutron star collisions both produce these heavy elements, whether one is more dominant in creating them than the other and how this shapes our understanding of the origin of the elements that make up life on earth.

Beyond research, Safi-Harb wants to use her new position to contribute to the training of students.

“I want to use this Tier 1 CRC to inspire the next generation, just like I was inspired by physics when I was in high school,” Safi-Harb said.

“I want to make sure that this is accessible to people in Manitoba in particular.”

Safi-Harb’s goal as a Tier 1 CRC is to contribute to the training of highly qualified personnel in Manitoba.

Many children grow up dreaming of being an astronaut or working for NASA or the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). For children in Manitoba, far away Cape Canaveral or the CSA headquarters, there is no clear path to realizing these goals. Safi-Harb wants to encourage students to pursue that dream.

Moreover, Safi-Harb wants to encourage women and underrepresented groups, including Indigenous peoples, to join the fields of physics and astronomy. Science, technology, engineering and mathematics tend to be dominated by men and she would like to help support women thrive in these fields as well.

“I’m very passionate about these issues — equity, diversity and inclusion — especially given my own background, but also my own experiences in the field.”

research@themanitoban.com

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The science of optimizing wireless connections Researchers employ many methods to improve our wireless devices and networks RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY In an increasingly wireless and connected world, we rely on our devices to communicate with each other constantly and autonomously on our behalf. Wherever there is a wireless connection, there is an antenna to send and one to receive data. The design of antennas and the networks that allow for their communication is crucial to the continuing use of the internet in our devices. Leading this charge is Ekram Hossain, a professor in the electrical and computer engineering program at Queen’s University working on improving wireless systems alongside University of Manitoba alumna Hayden Banting.

graphic / Dallin Chicoine / staff

Emma Rempel, staff

Antennas are one of the basic building blocks of electronics. They work by transforming an electrical signal, embedded in wires and circuitry, into waves in free space. They also work in reverse, receiving waves and transforming them into signals.

Antennas have become more diverse and sophisticated than the classic television antenna. Wireless networks have also become more sophisticated than the traditional wireless link of a cellphone’s connection to a tower.

In today’s smartphones, many different types of communication occur simultaneously. There are different antennas within the device for each type of connection, including Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth and cellular. Each antenna needs to be individually designed and optimized for its desired function.

They are also used in an increasing array of devices: smartwatches, wireless headphones and medical devices worn on the body. Many of the safety features in cars rely on wireless systems. The broad range of uses for these devices requires a broad range of designs.

“The scope of these problems and challenges have really evolved quite recently” — Hayden Banting, PhD candidate

“The scope of these problems and challenges have really evolved quite recently,” said Banting.

More devices have become part of what’s known as the Internet of Things (IoT). The IoT refers to objects, often household ones, that are interconnected through wireless communications. These devices can “talk” to each other, sharing data for various purposes.

According to Hossain, one of the primary challenges in designing wireless networks to accommodate the IoT is that these signals are generally less reliable than wired channels, leading to transmission errors.

Another challenge is working within the constraints of limited resources, like power and bandwidth. There are also security concerns to be addressed, since devices connected to the internet can be vulnerable to attacks and interference.

One of the goals of Hossain’s research is to optimize wireless systems to improve coverage, connectivity, capacity and reliability. Optimization is the mathematical search for the best balance of parameters to achieve the desired result within a set of constraints. It is the systematic process to find the best solutions in engineering and electronics.

Banting is working to optimize the design of antennas. Antenna design requires various parameters to be balanced, often without knowing the outcome of various tweaks and modifications before they are implemented. He relies on simulations to sort through a high number of potential solutions.

One strategy Banting is exploring uses the principles of biological evolution.

An algorithm applies these principles to the design process to generate optimal antennas for a given purpose.

In nature, parental genes recombine to produce offspring with a unique set of genes that may or may not provide an advantage in their environment. Individuals in a population with advantageous genes are then favoured by natural selection. Over many generations, the population can acquire these advantageous traits to become more suited to their specific environment.

“Nature does a pretty good job of optimizing,” said Banting.

In Banting’s work, the parallel for the population of living organisms is a diverse set of potential solutions for antenna design. These designs vary

across parameters like size, shape, placement and composition. Through simulation, they are then mixed and combined, like parental generations reproducing to create offspring.

In this way, engineers can simulate and test thousands of different trait combinations to reach a desired outcome. Here the success of an individual to suit their environment is analogous to how well the antenna meets its design specifications.

“It’s actually [the best] way to solve these really complex and challenging design problems.”

research@themanitoban.com

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Omicron proof vaccine patents must be waived Variant could have been avoided if public good were prioritized over greed

EDITORIAL In a rare piece of good COVID-19 news, researchers in Texas are developing a COVID-19 vaccine called Corbevax that developers say will be based on conventional vaccine technology, will be cheaper to produce and less complicated to store. Crucially, they do not intend to patent the vaccine, hoping this will make it more accessible in lowincome countries.

The arrival of Corbevax is a welcome sign, but it also begs the question: why haven’t the patents for the more well-known vaccines — such as PfizerBioNTech and Moderna — been waived already? These vaccines have been available for more than a year.

If they had been evenly distributed around the world, it may have helped prevent the emergence of the Omicron

countries.

Meanwhile, rich nations have been hoarding and wasting vaccines while people in less affluent countries are dying in droves. The One campaign estimates G7 countries had almost 600 million unused vaccines by the end of last year.

These same affluent nations, along with those in Europe, have pledged to deliver 1.8 billion doses to poorer countries through the Covax program before the end of 2022. However, as of October, just 261 million have been sent, amounting to only 14 per cent of the goal.

The pharmaceutical industry is already one of the most profitable in the world. A 2020 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found the median net income margin — the percentage of revenue received after deducting expenses — of 35 large pharma companies is nearly double that of 357 non-pharma companies listed in a stock index that tracks 500 of the largest publicly traded stocks in the U.S. Further, pharmaceutical companies have already made astronomical profits from their COVID-19 vaccines.

In 2021, Pfizer expected to make nearly as much revenue

free market enthusiasts unmoved by arguments based on social responsibility, how much global economic strife should the world be willing to accept to maintain rich nations’ unyielding ideological commitment to intellectual property rights?

Even if innovation were reduced by waiving patents, innovation has already been diminished by a global pandemic that has wreaked havoc on the global economy and ruined the livelihoods of numerous aspiring and innovative entrepreneurs.

In an uncharacteristic-

COVID -19 hasn’t exactly been great for profits, either.

variant and the quasi-lockdown we currently find ourselves in.

Some political figures have called for patent protections on existing COVID-19 vaccines to be dropped entirely. For example, New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jagmeet Singh recently called on the Liberal party to support a waiver. Proponents argue that by doing so, lower-income countries could produce their own vaccines.

This would go a long way toward closing the massive gap in vaccination rates between rich and poor nations.

According to the Global Dashboard for Vaccine Equity, only seven per cent of the population in low-income countries have received their first dose as of late November, in contrast to almost 64 per cent in high-income

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ally generous fashion, the U.S. has pledged 1.1 billion shots. It has only delivered roughly 177 million so far — more than other nations, but still just 16 per cent of the amount promised. Canada has pledged 50 million doses to low-income countries but so far has only delivered about 12.7 million of them.

Lower-income nations were recently insulted when rich countries “donated” over 100 million vaccine doses that were too close to their expiry dates to be effectively distributed in time. The number of vaccines was also too large for the recipients to store, so the offers were rejected and most of those vaccines went to waste.

Opponents and industry figures argue waiving patents will stifle medical innovation by removing the financial incentive for pharmaceutical companies. However, these arguments are just a smokescreen for corporate greed.

from its COVID-19 vaccine alone as it did from all sales in 2020.

Before the pandemic, Moderna had an average revenue of approximately $100 million a year. Now, Moderna estimated it would earn $15 to $18 billion in 2021. This is a 65 per cent profit margin on a vaccine that received nearly a billion dollars in public funding from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.

So much for the supposed independence of the free market.

Putting aside inconvenient facts about the public funding of vaccines, how far do we allow the argument that capitalism breeds innovation to go? Is there no scenario in which the dire consequences of a public health catastrophe outweigh the perks of the free market?

You do not have to be an opponent of capitalism to see that rigidly clinging to the rights of corporate entities in the face of such a widespread social crisis is misguided. For those die-hard

Speaking of innovation, the researchers working on Corbevax say this obsession with innovative technology caused governments to overlook much simpler and cheaper vaccine options. The researchers say they tried — unsuccessfully — to attract public funding, but the government chose to lend their support elsewhere.

Pharmaceutical companies need to get out of the way of governments around the world and drop the patents so vaccines can be produced locally in the countries that need them most.

Governments in wealthy countries have a moral obligation to throw their weight behind efforts to waive international patent protections. The next Omicron could be around the corner if we don’t.

graphic / Marina Djurdjevic / staff words / Colton McKillop / staff

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Motion 0525 lacks appropriate representation Despite community reps keeping voting rights, concerns remain unanswered COMMENT

I will never forget the day Kamala Harris — the first woman to serve as vice-president of the United States — was sworn into office. Tears were rolling down my cheeks not necessarily because I agreed with her policies but rather because I was able to see myself in her. As a Latino-Caribbean, I realized I was seeing a woman of colour occupy the second-highest office of the executive branch and this empowered me. For a brief second, I felt relief as the previous government, that had directly oppressed my people, faded away and became nothing but a sad chapter that kids will one day study in history class. But most importantly, I felt represented. In that moment, I felt everything was possible. If a first-generation American coming from immigrant parents was able to become the vice-president of the U.S., what wasn’t I capable of doing?

Race, culture and gender identity have always been polarizing, but advocates continue to fight for the representation they deserve. I like to be optimistic and think we are working toward a society that stops explicitly functioning for the historically privileged and grants a chance to the talented people that come from these diverse groups. When I decided to study in Canada — a country that is ethnically heterogeneous — that is what I expected: an environment where I could see myself in others and not feel so alone in my struggles.

I remember being inspired when I heard Minister Pablo Rodriguez’s name while watching Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s new cabinet get sworn in at Parliament. My immediate thought was the Hispanic community has a brother in the cabinet. I expected the same representation from the University of Manitoba Students’ Union (UMSU) considering one of its core values is diversity.

I started researching UMSU’s motion 0525 out of intrigue, not because I am a columnist for the student newspaper, but rather as a student who is a member of a racialized community that currently holds no official position on UMSU’s board of directors. In a meeting with two of the Arts Student Body Council (ASBC) representatives — Hannah Belec and Dario Duque Giraldo — I realized the representation concerns that were being raised were far deeper than my initial expectations.

According to Giraldo, board reforms were underway after the Susan Rogers report — a report conducted due to concerns regarding the board’s structure and its fiduciary duty to a diverse base of students. The findings of the report stem from the ongoing debate about representation versus efficiency. Rogers suggested to reduce the size of the board to make it more efficient. Further, Rogers proposed UMSU should include external

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graphic / Dallin Chicoine / staff

Ivan Nuñez Gamez, staff

Reducing the number of voting members only reduces the opportunity for racialized students to be elected directors that are not students at the university.

From the early stages of the process, Giraldo — who at that time was not an UMSU representative but ASBC’s racialized students’ representative — actively opposed the motion to reduce the board’s voting members, and it failed to pass. Following the report, an equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) report was conducted by an individual external to UMSU which halted the motion’s progress. According to Giraldo, the EDI concluded there was a lack of representation within the board. This report alluded to the fact that efficiency has typically been prioritized over the concerns about representation. But that was just the beginning of motion 0525.

Belec claimed the motion was reintroduced in the fall term of 2021. At this point, some modifications were made to address the representation concerns of students. However, when directors approached the governance committee, the committee argued that a lack of space, engagement and logistics, in case of an emergency meeting, were their primary concerns in regard to the board’s reform. Giraldo and Belec proposed smaller steps to avoid the lack of representation this reform would undoubtedly precipitate. Belec

also pointed out too much attention is paid to the size of boards in other universities. Nonetheless, there has been no evidence presented showing that smaller boards are more efficient.

While I digested the information that was being presented by the UMSU directors, I couldn’t help but think of big bureaucratic institutions that also operate in matters of representation such as the House of Commons in Ottawa, Ont. Why is a student union with fewer constituents unable to follow the precedent set by offices that have arguably been working to provide better representation for marginalized groups? I thought of UMSU president Brendan Scott’s comment describing the current board as “broken” and wondered if both a representative and efficient UMSU board of directors was possible. Both Giraldo and Belec eagerly pointed to the fact that it already was.

Following the interview, I thought about the struggle racialized people face on a daily basis. We are always looking back because, to Anglomajority communities, we are walking targets. We are given condescending looks when our accents come through as we try to form sentences in a foreign language. We are always second-guessing the potential or

probability of succeeding simply because we are a minority. Even though the now-amended motion takes the vote of community representatives into account and creates a new Black students community representative position, it narrowly defines representation in terms of seven positions. A student body as diverse as the U of M cannot be represented by seven new positions while simultaneously cutting roughly 29 board seats. Reducing the number of voting members only reduces the opportunity for racialized students to be elected.

My hope is that one day, when looking back at this motion, student leaders will be able to see beyond the scope efficiency and find themselves more in tune with the appropriate steps they can make toward representing the U of M’s diverse community. But for now, I can only wish that constituents become more aware of who they vote for to represent them in the biggest student-led political body at our university.

comment@themanitoban.com

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Stefanson sacrificing physical health for economic gain Other Manitobans being prioritized over students COMMENT

Lucas Edmond, staff In the early parts of January, Premier Heather Stefanson was dragged through the mud for claiming Manitobans should fend for themselves through COVID-19. “This virus is running throughout our community and it’s up to Manitobans to look after themselves,” Stefanson said. For me, this quote evoked an eerily dystopian image of apocalypse survivors fighting for resources in a libertarian hellscape as their overlord looked on in her ivory tower. Stefanson has thrown equitable health policy out of the window for the health of the economy, and the most vulnerable will serve as the sacrificial lambs by which the divinity of her pragmatic policies rest on.

While these “other Manitobans” — likely the same people who want late-night venues and casinos open — neglect the health and safety of their neighbours, our most vulnerable are being forced to expose themselves to COVID-19 without consent.

Take students for example. On Jan. 17, the Manitoban government allowed them to return to in-person classes.

This left many young people and their families anxious about the rising case numbers in the province. Can we really blame them? If their experience in school is anything like mine, hallways probably overflow with students who likely have a little less than a foot of breathing room, let alone six feet. The crumbling and underfunded public school system is not equipped to provide the infrastructure needed to maintain the safety of students during the pandemic. To make matters worse, the province decided to stop providing close contact notifications for schools, meaning the Omicron variant could rip through their buildings without warning. It was for this reason students from across Manitoba decided to walk out of class on Jan.

The reaction to the walkout was equally polarizing between both students and school administrations.

Some students opted to stay in school, noting it was best for their mental health. Meanwhile, others asserted they were concerned with contact numbers and wanted the choice to stay home. In a similar fashion, Kelvin High School principal Tim Cox released a statement supporting students’ right to express their dissatisfaction with government policy through protest. However, officials at Collège Louis-Riel said unexcused absences will be recorded as such.

Students’ political expression via boycotting their education and the institutions that make them feel unsafe is a strange legal grey zone.

Many of them are legally minors, meaning that their absences could result in an escalated number of truancy cases in Manitoba. If some schools decide to record absences, parents are financially liable for fines to a maximum of $500. This means, when the government says in-person classes are resuming, it isn’t asking for attendance, it demands it. The province has not come out and explicitly said truancy charges would continue,

but officials also have not said they wouldn’t. The closest people have come to an answer regarding this restriction is that the government would monitor absenteeism.

Parents have also expressed some conflicting feelings about the return to in-person classes. Many parents are worried about their children contracting the virus but are equally eager to send their kids back to school so they can return to work. In postCERB Canada, the reality is either contracting COVID-19 or collecting a much-needed paycheck. As a New York Times article aptly reads, “In the COVID-19 economy, you can have a kid or a job. You can’t have both.”

This is exactly the problem with Stefanson’s approach to her health policy. Whether it be through truancy law or starving parents back to work, students have no choice. In a relevant but somewhat trite quote, India’s ex-president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam said, “Let us sacrifice our today so that our children can have a better tomorrow.”

If Stefanson had it her way, the quote would likely read the other way around. By prioritizing the economy over students’ concerns, Stefanson is offering their health as a sacrifice. comment@themanitoban.com

graphic / Marina Djurdjevic / staff

“We must all learn to live with this virus — there must be a balance,” Stefanson noted. But what balance is she alluding to? Balance with what?

It is certainly not balance in our health-care system, which is bursting at the seams with record numbers of COVID-19 patients. Nor is it balance for the exhausted nurses who we have turned to in our times of need and who continue to bear the brunt of this pandemic. No, it is in fact a balance with the economy she is referring to.

This was made inextricably clear when she noted the provincial government may stop prioritizing the advice of public health officials and instead learn “from other Manitobans going forward.”

The vagueness of t h e

statement reeks of deceit.

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A feathery mental health exercise for weary times Birding is a free, steady constant to battle student stressors ARTS & CULTURE As mental health walks gain popularity thanks to the TikTok trend of begrudgingly marching through freezing winter weather in hopes of a serotonin boost, and while mental health resources at the university remain flimsy at best, there is an easy and free activity that may cause genuine delight in the current humdrum climate students inhabit: birding.

Birding, also colloquially known as birdwatching, is a fun activity that can easily be taken on by the most novice of enthusiasts. In fact, it can be done from the comfort of a dorm room, so long as there is a window and a bit of greenery to look at.

Birding is, simply put, observing and identifying species of birds in their natural habitat, either by physically

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seeing the feathered creature or hearing calls such as the abrasive honk of a Canada goose or, more jarringly, the trumpeting shriek of a blue jay.

In the hopes of seeing the non-migratory white-breasted nuthatch be rejoined by feathered kin from southern travels, now is a perfect time to start birding.

If the view from a window does not suffice, birding is a great option during a mental health walk or a planned outing.

While your eyes and ears are your best assets in the birding world, a pair of binoculars is a step up. Of course, if binoculars are out of the crunchedbudget price range, your smartphone can be your binoculars — you can point and enlarge the image on any

feathered friend you might see high up in a tree.

For the expert birder, a digital camera is sometimes better than binoculars, as you can zoom in and take photos

coloured plumage.

For identification resources, the Merlin Bird ID app by Cornell University’s lab of ornithology is available on smartphones and is arguably

If the view from a window does not suffice, birding is a great option during a mental health walk or a planned outing of the birds you see. However, this can also be done by a novice on a smartphone, especially if you don’t know the species of bird offhand — a photograph of a bird can go a long way toward identifying it through its

the best tool for the novice birder.

Not only does it list the seasonal birds in your area, but the friendly and easy-to-use interface helps you identify birds from Cornell’s

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expansive archival information using bird location, the date the bird was seen, its size, the plumage colour and what the bird was doing — from eating at a feeder to sitting on a fence.

Merlin Bird ID is also the best field guide for identifying birds by their song. A recording app — or the standard camera app on your smartphone — can assist you in getting a good aural sample of the birdsong to compare to the countless recordings in the app.

In fact, the app boasts samples of a bird’s every song and call, meaning the black-capped chickadee can be identified not only by its classic “chick-a-dee-dee-dee” but also from its “fee-bee” and twittering calls.

For birding resources out in the field, FortWhyte Alive is a convenient, local and, most importantly, free resource.

From the backyard birding guide to the birding checklist, the online package they provide includes helpful prompts of what birds are seasonal to Manitoba.

Moreover, the birding checklist also identifies “accidental” — rare or non-native birds — with a phone

number to report the sighting to. This information is important because ornithologists will use amateur birder sightings to track the health of birds and document if birds are changing their habitat because of external

conditions such as climate change.

For those interested in birding as a steady constant of mental health aid or as a hobby, the Birds of Canada: Field Guide is a fantastic book for

beginners. The book contains a place to record the date and location of birds sighted on every page, as well as different bird profiles.

Though the Merlin Bird ID app is mostly helpful with bird identification, sometimes a cross-reference with a physical field guide helps determine who’s who by slight difference in plumage — where the female house sparrow and female house finch look similar in appearance, the physical guide will explicitly make note via profile that the female house sparrow has one white wing bar where the house finch has two.

Birding is intended to be a stressfree serotonin boost. It can be a solo venture or a fun outing with friends.

With cheerful feathery faces awaiting you, there is never a time like the present to explore the inhabitants of parks — and ponds and lakes come springtime — while getting fresh air and exercise.

An activity that can be done completely free of charge and even from the comfort of your own home, birding brings you back to nature and out of your own busy schedule, if only for a few moments in a day.

words and photos/ Grace Paizen / staff

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’Toban turntable

Chastity — ‘Suffer Summer’

Ghostly Kisses — ‘Heaven, Wait’

ARTS & CULTURE

ARTS & CULTURE Alex Braun, staff

image / Take Aim Media / provided

image / Dine Alone Records / provided

Alex Braun, staff

4.5/5 stars Brandon Williams — the mastermind of Chastity, based in Whitby, Ont. — walks a thin line of indie coolness and openhearted emo. He cites influences like Unwound, Hum, Smashing Pumpkins or Jimmy Eat World in the same breath, breaking down the boundaries of rock and channelling intricate songcraft. His new release is an experimental mindset into massive, hooky anthems of self-doubt, isolation and cathartic bloodletting.

Suffer Summer is an album largely about happiness, but one that looks from the outside of happiness,

channels a bit of Deftones with its beefed-up, melancholic shoegazing, falling into the despairing, desperate centrepiece “The Barbed Wire Fence Around Happiness.” The song is a mini opus, running through its sections in rapid succession and distilling the album’s themes of searching for hope against hope.

The album’s second half brings a softer side of the project to the forefront. “Somersault” introduces some melodramatic strings, accentuating the yearning sweetness of its melody, while “Happy Face” is an unbelievably catchy song about a friend’s fentanyl overdose and the struggle of coping with grief while trying to put on a happy facade.

Suffer Summer is an album largely about happiness, but one that looks from the outside of happiness, wondering why it’s just out of reach wondering why it’s just out of reach.

The album begins with the aggressive but soaring “Real World,” with pummeling guitars and openly emo lyrics — “running face-first into hell on earth” — bleated out over a deceptively complex song structure.

It’s very smart songcraft, equally elusive and cathartic, building through its winding structure toward the anthemic chorus, with Williams yelling “I can’t cope” like a scream into the void, fighting for his life.

The next song, “Pummeling,” distills this formula into a tight, two-minute pop punk song with a beautifully constructed hook, as cascading countermelodies fall around the defeated vocal like punches beating him down.

“When You Go Home I Withdrawal”

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Chastity’s labelmate City and Colour shows up on the penultimate song, and they stick close to Dallas Green’s trademark whining acoustic emo. It’s the album’s only true misstep — it feels wrong to accommodate so much to an outside voice on an album that is otherwise so singular and unique in its disregard for genre.

Suffer Summer delivers on the promise of Chastity’s earlier records. The songcraft is as sturdy as it gets, the production is muscular but detailed and the lyrics are thematically solid and occasionally ear-catching in their specificity. It’s a bravely emo album that disregards any attempt at coolness, shooting instead for catharsis and power. arts@themanitoban.com

3.5/5 stars Ghostly Kisses’s work is overflowing with restraint.

Singer-songwriter Margaux Sauvé and her partner Louis-Étienne Santais recorded her debut full-length Heaven, Wait largely at home, and the music reflects this with a whispery intimacy.

The album cover shows Sauvé underwater, recalling the gauzy, reflective nature of the music itself. Sauvé coos her emotional lyrics over clean, glassy instrumentals that shudder with chilling reverb and orchestral swells.

The first track, “Heartbeat,” utilizes a pulsating electric piano like Kid A Mnesia-era Radiohead and a steady beat that provides just enough momentum, evoking the title of the song. Above these driving aspects, glittering synths and Sauvé’s voice flutter weightlessly, setting the mood for the album ahead.

The title track is the first of several piano ballads on the album. It is a serviceably plaintive track, elevated by a skittering electronic beat and some soaring strings, but it never quite reaches transcendence.

The pair reaches that sad piano song transcendence with the second-to-last song “Green Book,” a similarly tragic lamentation that comes complete with a steadily building arrangement of keyboards and strings, digitally spliced together in an eerily surreal way. The vocals here are manipulated, too, but very slightly — just enough to differentiate them from the natural vocals elsewhere. The notes just snap in place slightly too quickly. It’s a touch that adds special resonance to the alienated, emotional lyrics. She reflects on a past relationship with a sad removal, wishing she could be truly be there with her partner.

Though the album largely relies on the ballads, tracks like “Carry Me” and “Your Heart Is Gold” add in a bit of

electronic propulsion. “Carry Me” has a bit of ’10s chillwave to it, with some ’80s-inflected synths and a lightly dancy beat, but it’s slowed down by another plaintive melody and more hushed vocals.

“Your Heart Is Gold” handles the added drive a little better. It is maybe the only song on the album with a noticeable bassline, adding some

Sauvé coos her emotional lyrics over clean, glassy instrumentals that shudder with chilling reverb and orchestral swells

much-needed syncopation and groove and it channels that pulse into a touching indie-pop ballad.

Heaven, Wait is a promising release from Ghostly Kisses. It’s a little bit one-note, a little too restrained and a little too safe, but it is certainly tasteful and occasionally moving.

Ghostly Kisses’s debut album Heaven, Wait will be released Jan. 28.

arts@themanitoban.com

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An innovative new space for community theatre The Gargoyle Theatre mounts inaugural show with all-local team ARTS & CULTURE On the corner of Ellice Avenue and Sherbrook Street stands a building with a long history in entertainment, from which a new theatre company called the Gargoyle Theatre is emerging.

Its inaugural play Sonja and Richard, written by Steven Ratzlaff and directed by Bill Kerr, will be presented next month.

The Gargoyle Theatre represents a new type of stage for Winnipeg’s theatre community. Owner Andrew Davidson’s vision for the workshop theatre is one that is driven by community and breaks down the barriers between audience members and artists.

image / The Gargoyle Theatre / provided

Zoë LeBrun, staff

Davidson has spent much of his life writing and found success as a novelist but dove wholeheartedly into the realm of theatre after spending three years working collaboratively on a musical.

“It was the idea of working with other people after decades of sitting alone in my room writing that invigorated me to take a new step in my life,” Davidson said.

“For me, the idea of taking on this new challenge at this point in my life, working with other people and being able to hopefully offer some support so that they can work on their own artistic careers is really exciting to me.”

and idea, they’re beings in transition, they’re never quite one thing […] and because I really want [the] space to be a place in which new works are born.

The Gargoyle Theatre’s name stems from one of Davidson’s own novels, titled The Gargoyle.

“I really want it to be a place in which the audience and the artist come together, there’s a transformation of the work and a mixing of the elements that I think are well reflected in the name of the theatre itself.”

“Not only am I taking it from the book

The Gargoyle Theatre’s first play

“I really want it to be a place in which the audience and artist come together, there’s a transformation of the work and a mixing of the elements that I think are well-reflected in the name of the theatre itself” — Andrew Davidson, owner

for which I’m known [but] I really like it as a metaphor,” Davidson said.

Sonja and Richard reflects these ideas perfectly.

“What I really like about it is that gargoyles, as a mythological creature

Director Bill Kerr, an associate professor at the University of Manitoba,

explained Sonja and Richard was inspired by two of Ratzlaff’s earlier works, in which the playwright had imagined the characters of one transforming into the characters of the second.

Sonja and Richard follows two individuals as they attempt to navigate their increasingly complex relationship in the ever-evolving social contexts around them, speaking to themes of identity, politics and freedom, both private and public.

is open-ended and invites audience members to involve themselves in discussions of the topics brought up in the play.

“The personal and the political and sort of the echoes that there are, I think, very interestingly, dealt with in the play and it’s meant to provoke, I think […] the play certainly doesn’t have the answer.”

Kerr also praised the experience of working in the Gargoyle Theatre.

The first act focuses on Sonja and Richard’s 33rd wedding anniversary as they reflect on the past and look toward the future. In contrast, the play’s second act takes their personal relationship into a public and professional setting as staff members at a school, exploring how they navigate their relationship and differing opinions as circumstances change.

“One of the nice things is [it’s] a big old movie theatre, so it’s a big physical space. And [...] most of the time, there’s just the three of us.”

Featuring Marina Stephenson Kerr and Ratzlaff himself, this is not the first time that Sonja and Richard’s small production team has worked together, which Kerr said has been a benefit to the play’s production. In fact, the group has a working relationship spanning 20 years.

Overall, Kerr is optimistic about the performance and glad to be returning to live theatre.

“I really enjoy working on [Ratzlaff’s] work […] it’s always good theatre, but it’s always engaging something that’s happening in the social milieu that both we ought to talk about and it feels dangerous to talk about. Things being risky to talk about is no excuse to not engage in it […] and that’s why I think his work is so rewarding.”

Sonja and Richard will be presented at the Gargoyle Theatre from Feb. 9 to 13. For more information, please visit thegargoyletheatre.com.

Kerr said the play’s takeaway message

He also emphasized the Gargoyle Theatre’s importance for Winnipeg’s theatre community, saying “it allows places for different voices to come together and take risks.”

“It just felt great to be working with really good actors and people you get along with, it’s just been such a pleasure.”

arts@themanitoban.com

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Bisons go 1-1 in final Duckworth games SPORTS

Matthew Merkel, staff The 2021-22 Duckworth Challenge came to a close last week as the University of Manitoba and University of Winnipeg’s volleyball teams faced off in the final two games of the competition. The Bisons men’s team won its game, while the women’s team lost. With the series scored 3-2 for the U of M, the Bisons secured its first Duckworth Challenge title since 2017.

With the Duckworth Challenge sitting at 2-1 for the U of M on Wednesday, a win by the men’s team secured the Duckworth Challenge for the Bisons.

In the first set, Canada West kills leader Daniel Thiessen and teammate Nigel Nielsen got the Wesmen out to an early lead. However, the Bisons fought back to tie the set. Both teams battled to a deuce at 23. After trading leads for eight rallies, two errors on the Wesmen’s part handed the first set to the Bisons 28-26.

The second set was an even greater struggle, as each team relentlessly battled for the lead. The Wesmen’s Nielsen attempted to carry his team, making six kills in the set, while the Bisons continued to capitalize on the Wesmen’s errors. Tied at 24, Bison first-year Spencer Grahame found himself diving headfirst into the bleachers to save an errant pass.

Grahame made a play on the ball and the Bisons were able to walk away with the point. Grahame’s heroics appeared to galvanize the Bisons and its supporters, helping give the Bisons the strength to come away with the set 31-29.

Appearing rattled by their 0-2 deficit, the Wesmen made 15 errors in the third. With some kills from Ben Carleton and Owen Schwartz and some quality serving, the Bisons easily walked away with the third set 25-18, giving the herd its fifth win of the Canada West season and this year’s Duckworth Challenge title.

Bison coach Arnd Ludwig was very pleased with how his team performed on Wednesday. With his team at the top of Canada West’s eastern division, Ludwig was happy to see them composed throughout the game.

“I think that we played very, very solid,” said Ludwig.

“I think the U of W made a lot more errors than we did in this game […]

Also, I think my team played very, very calm even when the game got really tight. There was not a lot of roller-coaster [play.] We had a couple of phases where we made errors, like for example in the second set, I think we’re up 20-16 and then they came back, but usually teams get rattled by that, and we stayed nice and composed […] I think this is what brought us to victory.”

Grahame was also proud of how his team played. Before the start of the

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season, the first-year player was unaware of the Duckworth Challenge.

After learning about it from teammates, he was excited to help bring home the title.

“I didn’t really know what the Duckworth Challenge was before the season started,” said Grahame.

“You know, talking to the older guys, and how big of a deal [it is] and the bragging rights for the crosstown rivals, it was super special that we had a chance to clinch it, and it was nice that our team could bring it home.”

The Bisons and Wesmen’s women’s volleyball teams faced off in the final Duckworth Challenge game on Friday.

After taking the first set, the Wesmen got out to a four-point lead in the second. Thanks to some much-needed points scored by Light Uchechukwu and Andi Almonte, the Bisons were able to tie the set. As each team traded leads, the Wesmen emerged with a 25-24 lead. Nonetheless, they made two errors that gave the Bisons back the lead, before Uchechukwu sent her second kill of the set to give the herd the set 27-25.

The third saw the Wesmen play their best volleyball of the match. Although the Bisons made numerous errors throughout the set, the Wesmen’s Kely Warmington and Ashleigh Laube were forces to be reckoned with, helping the Wesmen easily win the set 25-17.

After a disastrous third, the Bisons appeared to find its game in the fourth. Brenna Bedosky was a beast at the net, recording three kills and two blocks, while Keziah Hoeppner led with six kills in the set. Subbed with a 23-18 lead, Uchechukwu hammered home two points to help the Bisons tie the Wesmen at two sets apiece.

In the fifth, it was all Wesmen, as Ashleigh Laube and Selva Planincic led the way for the red and black.

The Bisons attempted to stage a late comeback but were unable to bridge the lead, handing the Wesmen itsfourth win of the season and giving the U of W its second win of the Duckworth Challenge.

St. Andrews native Kely Warmington was the Wesmen’s player of the match on Friday night. The third-year player set multiple career highs with 21 points, nine total blocks, 30 swings and 15 kills.

Andi Almonte was named Bison player of the match, thanks to her 12 kills and 18 digs.

After she was awarded for her performance, Keziah Hoeppner, Julia Arnold and Katreena Bentley accepted the Duckworth trophy for the University of Manitoba. sports@themanitoban.com

photos / Matthew Merkel / staff

First Duckworth Challenge title for Bisons since 2017

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Bisons represented well in Golden Bear Open SPORTS

Isaiah Wagner, staff The University of Manitoba Bisons travelled to Alberta this past weekend as the track and field team participated in the Golden Bear Open, with both the men’s and women’s teams making the trip out west.

The female roster finished fifth in the weekend rankings while the men’s team impressed and tied for second, a competitive showing by both teams.

This put the Bisons at a combined team score of 146, which placed it in fourth overall.

Taking a look at the female division, the team was highlighted by Anna McConnell.

McConnell placed at a tie for 15th overall in the standings, excelling in the only event that she participated in.

The third-year finished first in the women’s shot put 4-kilogram open.

On the men’s side of things, the squad was represented extremely well.

Leading the way was the incredibly athletic Daxx Turner, who finished tied for second overall after finishing high in his two events.

He placed not only second in the high jump, but an impressive first in the triple jump.

Coming in sixth place overall was the second-year athlete out of Medicine Hat, Alta. Joshua Suelzle, finishing very high in both of his events just like his fellow Bison athletes.

A second-place 7.26-kilogram shot put and a third-place 15.88-kilogram weight throw set Suelzle up for a nice weekend. This strong Bison will look to continue that success in future events.

Track and field head coach Claude Berube was impressed with his team’s performance in the meet.

“The team competed very hard and well this weekend,” Berube said.

“I am very proud of the group that

photo / Brooke Jones / provided

McConnell and Turner place high

we put out there. I was extremely impressed with the focus and dedication that was put in to practice before the event.”

The schools hope to be able to participate despite the fact the COVID-19 is still a factor in Manitoba and all of Canada.

The Bisons have five more events throughout the year before hosting the Canada West championship in late February.

The 2020 track and field championships were cancelled due to COVID-19, so the teams were not able to compete.

“We are very excited to host the Canada West championship,” Berube said.

The Bisons travel next weekend to Grand Forks, N.D. for the UND Open.

“Overall, I think we just need to put in the work in practice. We have a great team who has the ability to perform.”

sports@themanitoban.com

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From our archives 100 years ago

Diversions

G. De Sanctis. 183?. Esemplare di alfabeti diversi fregiati di fiori, di animali e di altri ornati. Naples.

Got graphics? Create ccartoons? email graphics@themanitoban.com for info!

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