18 January 2023

Province appeals order to pay UMFA $19.3 million

Court previously ruled province interfered in 2016 bargaining

The government of Manitoba is appealing a court order to pay the University of Manitoba Faculty Association (UMFA) over $19.3 million in damages after a 2022 ruling that the province caused a strike by interfering in negotiations between the University of Manitoba and UMFA in 2016. The province argues that it is not directly responsible for the strike.

The ruling was made by Justice Joan McKelvey of the then-Court of Queen’s Bench, and as a result, she ordered the province to pay UMFA $19,432,277.45.

After 20 sessions of bargaining, the university offered a proposal on Sept. 13, 2016 that contained a seven per cent wage increase over a four year period for UMFA members.

This proposal was later withdrawn by the university after the Manitoba government’s Public Sector Compensation Committee (PSCC) instructed them to do so. The PSCC mandated that the U of M introduce a one-year wage freeze in its negotiations with UMFA. The government told the university that non-compliance would negatively impact the U of M financially.

The PSCC worried that the U of M’s initial offer would create a bad precedent in future contract negotiations with other Manitoba public sector employees.

From Sept. 30 to Oct. 26, 2016, there were at least 30 secretive meetings and communications between the province and university. The U of M did not provide any specific information regarding its communication with the Manitoba government during this period. Additionally, the university did not inform UMFA that the province had issued the wage mandate on the instruction of the PSCC.

Although the U of M requested that the province reconsider its wage freeze mandate and take public ownership of it, the Manitoba government did not respond to the university’s request.

During a mediation session with UMFA on Oct. 27, 2016, the U of M disclosed for the first time that it had received a negotiation mandate from the Manitoba government.

On Nov. 1, 2016, UMFA members went on strike. On Nov. 20, UMFA and the U of M

settled the strike with a oneyear agreement that did not include a wage increase.

After filing the appeal in May 2022, legal teams for the provincial government and UMFA each made their case in the Manitoba Court of Appeal Jan. 11. The province argued that Justice McKelvey made legal errors in her decision and misunderstood the nature and legality of the secret bargaining mandate that froze wages that the government instructed the U of M to abide by in its 2016 negotiations with UMFA.

Although the province acknowledged that the mandate did influence negotiations and that it should not have instructed the U of M to keep the mandate a secret from UMFA, it argued that the judgement concluding that it caused the strike was a legal

error.

The province also argued that the damages awarded to UMFA should range from $500 to $1,000 dollars per member, amounting to around $1.2 million dollars instead of the over $19.3 million ordered in McKelvey’s decision.

UMFA argued that the late mandate directly led to the causation of the strike, and that McKelvey made no errors in her ruling. After both parties presented their arguments, Court of Appeal Justices Holly C. Beard, Diana M. Cameron and Janice L. leMaistre stated that they would reserve their decision for a later date to be determined.

UMFA president Orvie Dingwall said that she was unsurprised by what was said in court. She maintains that

the government violated UMFA’s charter rights in 2016, and that they continue to do so.

“The government is at fault here, and there should be some repercussion,” she said.

“Our members just feel disappointed in the whole process, that seven years after that round of bargaining we’re still here in the courts, and we weren’t able to find that resolution with our employer at the bargaining table.”

A spokesperson for the provincial government said in an email to the Manitoban that “given the matter is before the courts, the province has nothing further to add.”

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U of M introduces Promoting Black Flourishing Fund Fund promotes diversity and sparks opportunity within U of M Black community

Ashley Puchniak, staff

The University of Manitoba recently introduced the Promoting Black Flourishing Fund, a new program to support initiatives led by Black U of M students and community members.

Sponsored by the U of M executive lead-EDI (Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) and the U of M vice-president administration, the fund was created to provide one-time financial assistance in support of initiatives led by the Black U of M community.

The program was developed in accordance with the Scarborough Charter, a document signed by the U of M and other universities and colleges across Canada that acts as a commitment to address antiBlack racism in higher education, and to create an inclusive environment for Black communities and individuals in Canadian post-secondary institutions.

The document has four primary principles meant to guide initiatives that aim to address these issues — Black Flourishing, Inclusive Excellence, Mutuality and Accountability.

Tina Chen, executive leadEDI at the U of M and distinguished professor in the department of history, explained that the goal of the fund is to “support Black life in all of its diversity at the University of Manitoba.”

She said that having designated funding for community-led initiatives will allow individuals and groups at the university who identify as Black to “really bring forward how they see their participation, and how they want to see Black flourishing and create community.”

Chen said that having a program specifically in support of Black flourishing was also intended to remove barriers that are sometimes posed by having to navigate the univer-

sity as an institution in search of funds.

She said that the program expects to see a wide variety of community-focused initiative proposals.

“We will be seeing projects that are really about building community spaces,” she said.

“Sometimes it’s about information sharing among groups where they feel like it’s a safe space, sometimes it’s about cultural celebrations, or producing [or] having a kind of creative art space, and other times it’s really about the anti-Black racism activism.”

Naomi Andrew, vice-president administration at the U of M and a member of the program’s selection committee, said that examples of eligible initiatives could involve events, guest speakers and community building.

“We’ve tried to make it as

broad as possible,” she said. However, Andrew added that the fund does not support individual research projects, travel to attend conferences or expenses related to individual professional development.

All Black U of M students, staff, faculty or other Black individuals or groups associated with the U of M are welcome to apply for the fund.

Applications must include a title, description, a budget

cal year. Andrew explained that while there may not be enough funding for each application, projects that do not receive funding will still have an opportunity to receive feedback, and its applicants can potentially connect with other supportive resources.

Andrew emphasized the importance of having a fund to promote Black flourishing at the U of M.

“I think in order for the university to flourish as a whole, we need initiatives such as this,” she said.

“This is definitely a way to give Black students a voice, knowing that the fund is a support initiative that would enhance equity, inclusion and diversity,” she said.

and a timeline for the project, as well as a description of its intended scope and audience. Details concerning the project lead and any other organizations or groups involved are also required.

Once the fund is depleted, it will be reset in the new fis-

“I think it’ll be great for students to see that there are people in senior university administration who are Black that are supporting them, that are advocating for them.”

Olivia Onyemaenu, vice-president advocacy for U of M’s Black Student Union, said that she feels the fund is a positive way to recognize

Onyemaenu is also secretary for the University of Manitoba Nigerian Students’ Association (UMNSA). She explained that UMNSA is partnering with the Nigerian Association of Manitoba to host a Black excellence event sometime in March, and hopes that the event will be able benefit from the Black flourishing fund.

“It’s really a good thing that the University of Manitoba is recognizing the diversity and complexity of all Black peoples on campus,” Onyemaenu added.

Black people at the U of M and aid in Black student life.

graphic / Dallin Chicoine / staff

“I think in order for the university to flourish as a whole, we need initiatives such as this

— Naomi Andrew, vice-president administration

Working to protect Seal River Watershed in northern MB

Governments collaborate with First Nations for Indigenous protected area

Kasey Pashe, staff

Four First Nations communities are collaborating with the federal and provincial governments to explore the possibility of developing an Indigenous protected land area in northern Manitoba.

At the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15), these groups agreed to work toward making an ecologically protected area within the Seal River Watershed.

Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault, Manitoba Minister of Environment, Climate and Parks Jeff Wharton and executive director of the Seal River Watershed Alliance Stephanie Thorassie pledged to work together on a feasibility assessment concerning the protected land area during the conference on Dec. 14, 2022.

The goal of the Seal River Watershed Alliance is to conserve the watershed as an Indigenous protected area. The alliance consists of Indigenous members from the four communities surrounding the Seal River Watershed area: Sayisi Dene First Nation, Northlands Denesuline First Nation, Barren Lands First Nation and O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation. Their collaborative vision is to demonstrate the value of Indigenous knowledge in protecting and caring for the land.

Located in an adhesion to Treaty 5 territory, the Seal River Watershed is an important carbon sink, and is one of the largest standing watersheds in good ecological condition left in the world. This area covers over 50,000 square kilometres and supports at least 22 at-risk species.

Carbon sinks are an important part of the world’s natural environment, as these areas absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The emission of carbon dioxide is the most significant contributing factor to climate change caused by humans. The alliance is working toward preserving this car-

bon sink not only to fight climate change, but also to protect their important relationship with the land.

Taylor Galvin, an environmental science student at U of M who works with the Indigenous Science Division of Environment and Climate Change Canada, said that having Indigenous protected areas like this is “extremely vital to the health and future for our next seven generations.”

“ When you have Indigenous people protecting these areas, it gives us the opportunity to not only protect the resources that are within this area, but it’s also the oppor-

— Taylor Galvin,

U of M environmental science

tunity to continue our traditional teachings of passing knowledge down from generation to generation,” she said.

Galvin’s studies focus on wildlife management. She also works with land guardians across Canada through the Indigenous Science Division

She highlighted the importance of different Indigenous communities coming together to work collaboratively on this project.

“ You can find that strength of community, and that sense of identity gets restored into the people of northern Manitoba, and especially into the youth,” Galvin said.

student

“It’s not an ‘us versus them’ sort of thing, but it’s all of us that need to come together in order to protect our first mother, which is Mother Earth.”

Spokesperson for Manitoba’s Environment, Climate and Parks department Jon Lovlin said in an email statement that nature conservation and climate action are important to the provincial government, and highlighted the work being done alongside Indigenous communities to protect the Seal River Watershed.

“Manitoba is committed to working in partnership with the First Nations in the region

to advance reconciliation and sustainable economic development for the Indigenous people in the area,” the statement read.

By working in collaboration with the alliance and Indigenous communities, the government hopes that the project will make use of Indigenous knowledge and cultural practices, as well as scientific knowledge, to improve understanding regarding the Seal River Watershed area.

photo / Faith Peters / staff

“

It’s all of us that need to come together in order to protect our first mother, which is Mother Earth”

Research & Technology

U of M study investigates health benefits of fish oil

Elah Ajene, staff

Arguably, preliminary evidence that fish oil fatty acids were effective in coronary heart disease prevention came from Danish physicians Jörn Dyerberg and Hans Olaf Bang. The two physicians discovered that Greenlandic Inuit had lower mortality rates from coronary heart disease than Americans and Danes due to a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids.

Fish oil is an essential source of omega-3 fatty acids, which function in regulating biological processes, brain function and metabolic signaling pathways. The oil is also an important source of vitamins A and D.

Several clinical trials provide evidence of the benefits of fish oil in supporting our heart health, as it may increase levels of good cholesterol by up to 30 per cent, reduce blood pressure and prevent arterial plaques.

Besides potentially reducing risk factors associated with heart disease, fish oil may also have health benefits related to improving cognitive functions, alleviating joint swelling and autoimmune inflammation and even may help manage symptoms of certain mental health conditions.

Because of this, fish oil supplements are one of the most commonly used dietary supplements in recent times, contributing to a global market valued at more than US$2 billion.

University of Manitoba physiology professor Peter Zahradka has worked extensively on the components of fish oil and highlighted its benefits — specifically on individuals with slower metabolisms. His research work focuses on therapeutic approaches using dietary interventions, identifying new approaches in treatment and prevention of vascular complications.

Although SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is a respiratory virus, it also affects the cardiovascular system, with higher COVID-19 mortality in patients suffering from pre-existing health conditions like cardiovascular disease.

Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) — a protein found on the outside of multiple cell types — serves as a receptor for SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 virus in entering human cells. This protein is in multiple regions of the body.

“By reducing the amount of ACE2 on the surface of the cells, there are fewer anchor

points for the virus to attach to, and therefore the ability to infect those cells is reduced too,” Zahradka explained.

“The change caused by fish oil actually would reduce the ability of the virus to infect cells.”

Attachment of SARS-CoV-2 via the ACE2 receptor leads to the infection, and as such, it is an object of focus as a potential target for anti-viral therapeutics.

Through his research, Zahradka has found that fish oil also has benefits for the cardiovasular system.

“Because COVID seems to

have some nasty effects on the cardiovascular system, we thought it might be interesting to see if there was something that changed in animals that had been given fish oil for a period of time,” he said.

Zahradka and his team discovered that animals that had ingested fish oil for an extended period displayed reduced levels of ACE2 on the outside their cells.

Additionally, they found a reduction of over 50 per cent of ACE2 after experimental treatment with a SARS-CoV-2like virus in human cells with fish oil, with low infectivity

and limited entry of the virus into cells.

Zahradka proposes further investigation and clinical applications in humans to determine the actual effectiveness of fish oil in protecting against COVID-19 infection.

“It will take a study where somebody actually does an intervention with giving some people fish oil to see whether they become less infected before it is possible to actually tell people to take fish oil for this purpose,” he added.

Zahradka hopes that clinical trials involving fish oil

takes place soon.

“It would be very useful because it could be used alongside vaccines to protect people,” he said, as fish oil could potentially serve as an additional layer of protection against COVID.

“If you’re vaccinated and using fish oil, you should be extra protected against infection.”

“It would be very useful because it could be used alongside vaccines to protect people”

— Peter Zahradka, professor of physiology at the U of M

Fish oil may be potential novel strategy in COVID-19 prevention

graphic / Jenna Solomon / staff

The medical applications of electrochemistry

U of M professor leads electrochemical research team

Robert Moshe Thompson, staff

Electrochemistry is a branch of chemistry that focuses on the chemical processes that make electrons move.

Electrons are negatively charged particles that exist outside of an atom’s nucleus. They create electricity when they move from one atom to another.

Electrochemical methods are often used in the treatment process of diabetes. For example, the glucose meter allows diabetics and their doctors to measure their blood sugar levels.

Sabine Kuss, an assistant professor in the U of M chemistry department, leads a research group in developing electrochemical sensors for medical applications. She said electrochemical methods have several unique benefits.

“It’s very quick,” she explained. “It’s fast, it offers rapid results, it is inexpensive and it can be applied to many, many areas of research and life.”

“When you look at electrochemistry around you, you see it everywhere.”

Some everyday examples of electrochemical technology

include batteries, solar panels or electric cars.

One of the research projects Kuss’s team is working on aims to use electrochemistry to investigate antibiotic resistance.

A factor that aids antibiotic resistance involves bacterial efflux pumps — proteins in the plasma membranes of bacteria that stop and eject harmful agents from the cell. These pumps can allow cells to reject drugs such as antibiotics before they can take effect.

Electrochemical sensors can give further information about bacterial resistance methods, such as determining what level of resistance cells may have.

Since multiple cellular mechanisms contribute to antibiotic resistance, a bacteria’s degree of resistance is measured by its ability to expel or block the uptake of antibacterial medication.

Kuss’s team is able to investigate cells’ resistance abilities non-invasively using scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM).

With this method, a scientist can observe which molecules move back and forth

across the bacteria’s cell membrane. SECM does not disturb the cell, which allows it to be observed in its natural state.

SECM can also be used to see how cells react to certain stimuli, such as UV (ultraviolet) rays or new medications.

Kuss’s team is working on developing a biosensor that can tell a doctor which medication to use to best treat an infection.

A patient with an infection would give a blood or urine sample, and the sensors would be used to determine the best treatment path for the individual.

Antibiotic resistance is increasing from the misuse or overuse of antibiotics in plants, humans and animals.

Broad-spectrum antibiotics, which target multiple types of bacteria, are particularly prone to creating resistance when used unnecessarily.

Some research has shown that using broad-spectrum antibiotics can also cause adverse side effects that are not as prominent in patients who use narrow-spectrum antibiotics.

If doctors are able to determine which specific medica-

tion is most effective, it can reduce the need for antibiotics that target a large range of bacteria.

Another one of the ongoing research projects worked on by Kuss’s team seeks to understand reasons behind mitochondrial failure. It focuses on a childhood disorder called Cytochrome c Oxidase (COX) deficiency.

Children with this condition lack an important enzyme in their mitochondria. They often appear healthy for the first few days after birth but develop muscle issues later.

COX deficiency can cause problems in areas such as the brain, heart and digestive system.

If intervention is not quick enough, COX deficiency can cause long-term disabilities and even death. The relatively fast turnaround time for electrochemical sensors aids in early detection.

When this condition is detected early enough to provide preventative medication, symptoms of the disease can be minimized, allowing children with the disease to live relatively normal lives.

Kuss believes that the future of developing electrochemical

sensors has great potential. She has been pleased to see how interested U of M chemistry students were in this field.

Kuss has six undergraduate students on her team, which she said has been a pleasant experience.

“I’m really impressed, I have to say, with the dedication and motivation of our undergraduate students,” Kuss said. “Every year, my group is hosting six or seven undergraduate students over the summer, and it’s just been amazing, amazing to work with such young students.”

“They have been super productive and have a very good understanding of these concepts,” she added.

“When I started here at the U of M, this was a very, very awesome surprise.”

graphic / Dallin Chicoine / staff

Vanity pickup trucks are a blight on Manitoba society

Pickups only cause more dangers for pedestrians, environment and gender equality

Gillian Brown, staff

I ’m sure there was once a time, long ago, when there was a reason to have a pickup truck.

Living in the prairies myself, I’m sure that many Manitobans used them for work, or for hauling or to suit a particular lifestyle. But when I drive my 2008 Toyota Corolla down Kenaston Boulevard on the way to school in the morning, I hold my breath and grip the steering wheel anytime a monstrous, hulking, lifted pickup truck with massive wheels barrels down the road in the lane beside me.

Despite their sales numbers in Canada falling at twice the rate of the rest of the automobile industry, pickup trucks occupy the top four sports on a recent list of Canada’s best-selling vehicles.

Today, however, drivers in the city don’t often use their trucks to tow and load farming supplies or livestock. They use them to take up a spot-and-ahalf in the Safeway parking lot.

In 2015, senior manager of product planning and business development for Honda Canada at the time Hayato Mori told the Globe and Mail that often, the company sees “fashion” pickup buyers — those going for the “tough” image that they feel comes with driving a pickup.

Besides, I highly doubt that those who use pickups for their intended purpose tend to lift their trucks that high. Rather, these monsters are driven as a misplaced act of performative masculinity.

Assistant professor of political science at Virginia Tech Cara Daggett coined the term “petro-masculinity” to explain the excessive consumption of fossil fuels, largely by men, as a reaction opposing societal change.

Daggett writes that “for many, burning fuel was a practice of white masculinity […] such that the explosive power of combustion could be crudely equated with virility.”

Aside from the glaring insecurities that massive pickup trucks in urban cities project, the vehicles themselves are just plain dangerous.

As a Bloomberg article from 2021 points out, Daggett’s paper can be used to explain the aggressive styling of the vehicles and the equally aggressive way that their owners use them. The article

cited a 2020 report from the United States Environmental Protection Agency that stated that over the past decade, the drivers of over half a million diesel pickup trucks in the U.S. had been illegally tampering with their vehicles’ emissions control technology. The impact on air quality caused by just those tampered vehicles is equivalent to that of nine million additional unaltered trucks.

This is a prime example of what Daggett is talking about. These displays of power, often from those trying to exude masculinity, just make it harder for the rest of us who are just trying to get to school.

However, the problem isn’t just environmental. Pickup

trucks pose a danger to both drivers and pedestrians.

In December of 2020, an 18-year-old man driving a 2020 Jeep Gladiator in suburban New Jersey hit and killed an elderly woman near her home. The driver claimed that he didn’t see the woman as she crossed using the crosswalk, and after an investigation, he was neither charged nor cited. Now, the hood of that particular model of truck is 45.5 inches high — almost four feet, without being lifted. With a hood that high, the pickup has a large enough blind spot that it’s possible a young child crossing the street wouldn’t be visible to the truck’s driver.

Essentially, the message you send when you buy a massive, heavy, hulking, obnoxious pickup truck isn’t one of masculinity and power, like

you might want. It’s that you prioritize your image over whether or not small children die.

However, the death toll that pickup trucks amass isn’t limited to small pedestrians. While pickup trucks do not account for the majority of collisions on the road, when they do crash, they have about double the rate of fatalities when compared to passenger cars.

In the case of a crash, pickups are 159 per cent more likely to kill fellow drivers than other passenger vehicles are.

I recognize, however, that in Manitoba, pickup trucks will never be eradicated. Much of our province is made up of rural land. There are many people that use pickups to help get through the harsh, snowy winters in rural areas, or to transport farming supplies in some cases. Many may see it as a symbol of

culture, and may argue that in taking my position, I oppose traditional Canadian values.

Patriotic Canadians will argue that the country prides itself on community. However, when one purchases a pickup truck, they essentially say that they do not care about the people around them.

While I think pickup trucks are a blight on society, it is not just my own personal vendetta against the vehicle. The research and statistics have shown that the more pickup trucks there are on the road, the more likely something will die.

That could be the death of a child, the long-term intentional decimation of the environment or the demise of gender liberation and the perpetuation of harmful stereotypes.

Canadian

graphic / Dallin Chicoine / staff

The research and statistics have shown that the more pickup trucks there are on the road, the more likely something will die

Extreme nationalism threatens us all Attack on democracy in

Brazil direct result of extreme nationalism

Bristow, staff

Supporters of former president of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro raided Brazil’s National Congress, Supreme Court and presidential offices on Jan. 8. This attack followed weeks of protest, as demonstrators called on the military to take power and dismiss the country’s recent election results.

Part of what has spurred on these demonstrations is Bolsonaro’s claim that the election was stolen. While this claim has been denied by experts, that did not stop the protestors. Critical to this issue is the fact that current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, commonly known as Lula, is head of the left-wing Workers’ Party while Bolsonaro is an infamous right-wing nationalist.

It should be stated in simple terms that the attack on Brazil’s government is a very bad thing. The fact that a mob of right-wing protestors can simply storm numerous government offices, despite being eventually apprehended, is concerning. This situation is starkly similar to a Brazilian coup that took place March 31, 1964, in which armed forces instated an extreme nationalist dictator.

While the coup in 1964 took place arguably during a period of greater instability and was clearly more successful than the attack on Jan. 8, the ideological foundation is the same. Thankfully, this time around the democratic government was able to respond in turn.

Right-wing nationalism, while clearly a threat to any president or parliamentary group on the left of the political spectrum, is also a threat to democracy itself.

In Chile, 1973, nationalist forces led by General Augusto Pinochet overthrew socialist leader Salvador Allende. Allende had been democratically elected in 1970, despite the U.S. government using covert funds in an attempt to prevent his election, something they openly admit to today.

The fact of the matter is that the 2022 election in Brazil and the election of Allende in Chile were democratic elections that resulted in left-wing leadership in both countries. Whether or not one agrees with the social ideology of these parties and presidents, they were elected as part of a fair democratic process. Right-wing nationalists attempted to destroy their democracy, and still do.

While the comparison has

already been made, one cannot help but compare this recent conflict in Brazil to the uprising at the United States Congress on Jan. 6, 2021. During the Jan. 6 riots, supporters of former president Donald Trump attacked the Capitol building in an attempt to stop the 2020 U.S. election from being certified.

Similarly to Brazil, these attacks also followed an accusation of voter fraud and a stolen election by a political figure who lost an election. Many of these rioters were right-wing nationalists, such as members of the armed militia known as the Proud Boys. It should be mentioned that this group is so extreme that they are labelled as a terrorist organization by the Canadian government.

While it is easy to point to others, as Canadians, we should reflect on the growing issue domestically. This ideology is alive in our own backyards.

The rise of right-wing nationalist political parties such as the People’s Party of Canada, and events such as the Freedom Convoy led by several far-right nationalists, show that Canadian democracy is also having to weather the effects of far-right nationalism. At the convoy protest, there was also at least one

individual openly flying a Nazi flag.

The current leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, Pierre Poilievre, has expressed his support for protestors at the convoy. While he has said that he condemns those who acted illegally or behaved poorly, expressing any kind of support for a movement where Nazis feel comfortable enough to wave flags is certainly troubling.

With all these events and the opinions of the leader of the Conservative party in mind, I do not think it is unreasonable to feel that the logical conclusion of rightwing popularity and activity is right-wing nationalism. And we know where rightwing nationalism will lead us.

The threat that far-right nationalism poses, both domestically and abroad, is a threat to peace and democracy. If left unchecked, events such as the attacks of Jan. 6 and 8 could become more common worldwide.

Braden

Winnipeg hates its public libraries

We need to invest in our libraries and librarians

Damien Davis, staff

I didn’t always want to be a librarian.

Three years into university, I found myself working at a grocery store during the summer, making salads and sandwiches.

I have always loved libraries — their atmosphere, their sights and sounds and their value to the communities they serve. But it was there, in the persistent heat of a Manitoba summer, amid the chafing of newly recommended face masks and customers insulting me about chicken pot pies that it struck me: I wanted to join the ranks of some of the city’s most necessary, and most under pressure employees.

However, the journey to become a librarian in Winnipeg comes with so many hurdles — significant staffing shortages, cuts in hours and delayed programming, for instance — that I started to wonder how we even have librarians at all in this city.

There are no schools you can attend in Manitoba to get a master’s degree in library and information studies (MLIS). The U of M doesn’t even have a program for it, which is baffling considering the wide range of programs it does offer, such as bachelor’s degrees in women’s and gender studies

and Indigenous studies, and even an archival studies master’s program.

The closest thing you can get is at Red River College Polytechnic (RRC), where they offer a two-year library information and technology diploma. This program is meant to provide students with the necessary skills to be an employee in a library and related fields, specifically as a library technician.

RRC is not currently accepting applications for this program as a full-time student, and it hasn’t been for a while. It’s currently something you can achieve through part-time continuing education, but if the classes you need aren’t provided during a term or are full, you’re out of luck until they’re available in another term or even another year.

This makes it next to impossible for a full-time student on student loans while working two jobs to apply. This knowledge is baffling when you realize that this is a city in desperate need of more librarians, something clearly seen through the decline in librarians employed in the Winnipeg School Division.

A Winnipeg Free Press article reported that there are

currently only six librarians employed in the division.

The work of a librarian, and the work of libraries in general, is often misunderstood. Libraries aren’t just for taking out books or using computer spaces — they’re the last truly free places in the city.

A library is where people can access a washroom, heat, air conditioning, internet, water and knowledge without the barrier of money. Because of the low barrier to entry, libraries attract a

nections” corner in its lobby to help connect visitors with social services.

When I think of a library that supports people from all walks of life, from newcomers to people experiencing homelessness, I think of the Millennium Library. The discussion around how to make it more safe, brought back again recently after a 28-yearold man was stabbed to death inside its lobby on Dec. 11, is constant.

I think if we invested in public spaces like libraries that serve their communities, had affordable housing for our city’s unhoused and provided more wrap-around services for those suffering from mental health and substance abuse issues, there would be less violence at the Millennium Library.

diverse range of people with a diverse range of needs. This turns librarians into not just caretakers for too many copies of To Kill a Mockingbird, but essentially, to community support workers.

The best example of this is the Millennium Library. The Millennium Library has been home to violence, protests, fundraisers and community events, and is located right in the middle of downtown Winnipeg.

But alongside the headlines at the Millennium Library are the quieter supports they provide every day. Before its recent month-long closure, it hosted a “Community Con-

The city is currently considering how to approach additional security measures for when the Millennium Library reopens. The airport-style security measures implemented in 2019 were axed in 2020, after being poorly received by the community it served. To bring them back would go against one of the main purposes of a public library: being for everyone.

This city needs to change its priorities. Library and information studies should be an easily accessible program in Winnipeg because libraries serve our communities in countless ways. Staff shortages need to be filled, librarians need to be paid fair wages and the safety of library staff needs to be paramount.

It may sound outlandish to you, but if this city supported our communities the way everyday people and librarians have had to, maybe things would be different.

Canadian musician, John K Samson said it best in his protest song “Millennium for All,” where he wrote, “this is where we test out our replacement knees, this is where we’re knitting mitts for refugees, this is where we medicate in bathroom stalls, this is where we call home from a payphone down the hall.”

All of this, from the lack of school librarians, to the continuous instances inside Millenium Library, the inability to get an MLIS, in my mind all points to an even larger theme: Winnipeg does not prioritize the well-being of citizens that they don’t see a profit in.

Winnipeg doesn’t prioritize the well-being of citizens that they don’t see a profit in

Minimum service level is mandatory work

Right to strike in jeopardy for those in the United Kingdom

Braden Bristow, staff

onservative member of Parliament and Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in the United Kingdom (U.K.) Grant Shapps recently introduced a bill that could enforce minimum service levels for the public sector.

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If passed, the bill would allow the government to set a minimum service level, or minimum amount of time of work required, during strike periods for health services, fire and rescue services, education services, transport services and border security, as well as services related to the decommissioning of nuclear installations and the handling of radioactive waste products.

The bill, appropriately titled the “Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill,” would weaken strikes by removing part of the ability to withhold labour, which is the very foundation of a strike.

What exactly the minimum service levels would entail in terms of hours or days worked is, as of now, unknown. This presumably leaves the amount up to the discretion of the Business Secretary.

This bill, in clear terms, is an outright anti-labour action that aims to remove power from the public service workers of the U.K. The bill is eerily reminiscent of an anti-strike bill repealed by the Ontario government in November of 2022. Both bills sought to reduce the power of public service workers, though the U.K.’s national bill is much more concerning than a provincial bill.

While the U.K. Conservatives claim to support workers, this bill is strong evidence that the party does not. If the U.K. Conservatives supported the country’s workers, this bill would never have been introduced to Parliament.

Also, it is likely no coincidence that this bill comes after the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), which represents over 83,000 workers, has actively engaged in strike

action in December and January.

There have been numerous negative reactions to the bill from those representing workers, including from the previously mentioned RMT union and Unite the Union. General secretary of RMT Mick Lynch stated in strong terms that the bill is an amoral violation of rights and liberties important to the U.K.

When considering what the proposed legislation lays out, its lack of clarity and the

strong reaction of two union leaders, the bill’s anti-labour potential is clear.

One can hope that the U.K.’s Conservative government either comes to its senses regarding this bill or succumbs to the applied pressure of workers and labour organizations. Should the bill be scrapped due to political and social pressure, it would only increase in similarity to the aforementioned anti-labour bill proposed in Ontario, which was defeated in part by

pressure from unions.

However, should the bill pass, it could spell disaster for the labour movement and could potentially inspire similar efforts here in Canada and elsewhere.

Workers are the backbone of every economy in the world, yet as seen in the U.K. and Canada, there is a blatant lack of respect for workers. If as a society we value workers, which we should, pro-labour legislation is necessary to protect and uplift workers.

Fair wage legislation should be a bare minimum, as fair wages serve to uplift workers and provide them with access to a livable sum of money. Removing the right to strike is far and away the last thing leaders should be doing to the very workers that pay their wages through taxes.

graphic / Dallin Chicoine / staff

It’s never a bored-game

The importance of a simple board game

Sarah Cohen, staff

I magine the heart racing, intense eye-contact-making thrill of hearty competition, sitting around a table stacked with board games. I know you’ve felt that before. I remember a time before video games were all that captured the attention of teenagers and kept friends and families from a lively night of in-person competition.

We all need to play more board games. They are good for your soul and your brain, and the choices are endless. Some board games date back as far as 7000 BCE. Others may have been invented yesterday, and if you wanted, you could probably make one too.

No matter what you like, there’s bound to be a board game for you. Studying economics? Play Monopoly. In medical school? Operation is perfect. Engineering? Mouse Trap is for you. English? Boggle. More of a geography or political science buff? Risk

will scratch that itch. Into that interrogative, detective way of life? Codenames or a puzzle may be the right choice for your game night.

There are essentially limitless games to play, and you are bound to find one you enjoy.

It seems like a rarity now that you’ll see a bunch of young people choosing to spend a night with a mile-high pile of board games to play.

More and more, I feel that interpersonal skills are placed on the back burner for a night in front of a computer screen.

However, there are still a good handful of people from Gen Z that willingly take time away from electronics.

Gen Z is commonly thought to be the generation consumed by technology, spending countless hours on social media. We grew up watching the devices that now essentially serve as additional limbs come into the world.

The society we’ve been born into doesn’t set us up for success nearly as easily as

Baby Boomers or Gen X, but I see Gen Z as full of entrepreneurs, geniuses and people wanting to see real change.

To be able to achieve all that we as a generation want to achieve, we should keep our brains stimulated throughout our lives. To keep brains in their peak condition for as long as possible, cognitive stimulation is key.

And, what’s a brilliant way to keep up that stimulation? Board games.

Not only do board games help your brain stay active, but the social aspect of board games can also help with mental health. Laughter has been shown to raise a person’s overall dopamine and serotonin activities, and reduced dopamine and serotonin are linked to depression. Laughing together with friends while playing board games has the potential to boost our overall mental well-being.

Plus, board games are not tethered to a certain location. You can take your game any-

where. To a park, the beach or a backyard. Being out in nature and getting some sunlight and vitamin D also helps with boosting your mood. Besides, when was the last time you stopped and let the sun shine on your face for five minutes?

and improve your mood, pick out a board game and invite a friend over. Maybe gather up family and have a game night. Playing board games is good for you, and I am certain that no matter what, you’ll be glad you played.

Whether you just want that time away from screens, or you want to strengthen that brain comment@themanitoban.com

The student illusion of absolute answers

Why there are no real answers despite what we are taught

Dina Hamid, staff

Very early on in life, we learn that there are questions and there are answers.

How many chromosomes do humans have? 46. What’s the largest planet in our solar system? Jupiter. What is the most abundant element in the universe? Hydrogen. How many times has Drake thought about proposing to someone? 42 times and counting.

All of my student life, which has been most of my life, I have been taught the simple knowledge that questions have answers. This is to say that there is always a right answer, a wrong answer, the most correct answer or an answer waiting to be found. This concept has been drilled into my head through years of testing.

It was straightforward and absolute, and I loved it for that reason. As a result, I naturally gravitated toward sciences and mathematics and thrived under their structured domains.

Finding the answers became my strength, and this is what I did for years, inside and outside of the classroom. If there was a problem, I would find a solution to it. Then I would plug, chug and repeat. This was my formula for everything.

However, over the last year, I realized that maybe not everything is as cut and dry as I was led to believe. This was really hammered into me during exam week last term, when I was on a verge of a crisis. I was brutally unprepared for a final that just so happened to be the next day.

I rummaged through the internet for advice, guidance, hints or clues for a solution. I analyzed all my options. I could pull an all-nighter, but that would not be ideal because I would much rather sleep.

Alternatively, I could go through every PowerPoint

presentation that has been uploaded since the start of the term, but I didn’t have the time and it might not even be helpful. After exhausting all the scenarios in my head and coming up empty, it dawned on me that the situation was not looking good.

This was the first time in my life where I didn’t have an answer to my own dilemma, and that terrified me. Therefore, I did the best thing my melodramatic self could do and sat sombrely as I contemplated my whole life during the 40-minute bus ride back to my house, listening to the background noises of my

favourite sad song.

For the first 20 minutes, I tried to reason with and reassure myself. However, despite my best efforts, I was up against a stubborn opponent, so all I could do was ask myself why.

Why do I need a perfect GPA when I don’t even know what I need it for? Why does the thought of a bad grade make me physically sick to my stomach? Why does this matter so much to me when I know it doesn’t matter at all?

Yet again, I was coming up blank for answers. Then it hit me. Maybe this is just life. There are no right or wrong

answers, just experiences. We are simply meant to go through life, not looking for answers, but rather making choices and living with them.

Seeing my life as an experience to be lived through and not a series of tests I have to pass to get to the next stage made me realize that I don’t need any answers at all. I don’t need to know what the right career for me is, the right place to relocate to or what I want to do right after graduation.

I just need to make a choice and be brave enough to live through it, determined enough to see it through, hopeful enough to believe in it and delusional enough to know that I will always be okay in the end.

I made my choices throughout the fall term that led me to that point, and so I just had to live through it and do my best. Therefore, I did just that. I used the 24 hours I had left and made the best, most reasonable choices I could, then took my exam. I could tell you how everything ended up, but that would be giving you an answer.

graphic / Jenna Solomon / staff

graphic / Jenna Solomon / staff

To complete Sudoku, fill the board by entering numbers 1 to 9 such that each row, column and 3x3 box contains every number uniquely

In Hidato, fill the board by continuing the chain of numbers from 1 to 100 moving any direction or diagonally to the next number.

To complete Sudoku, fill the board by entering numbers 1 to 9 such that each row, column and 3x3 box contains every number uniquely.

For many strategies, hints and tips, visit www.sudokuwiki.org If you like Str8ts check out our books, iPhone/iPad Apps and much more on our store.

In Straits, like Sudoku, no single number can repeat in any row or column. But rows and columns are divided by black squares into compartments. These need to be filled in with numbers that complete a “straight.” A straight is a set of numbers with no gaps but can be in any order, eg [4,2,3,5]. Clues in black cells remove that number as an option in that row and column and are not part of any straight. Glance at the solution to see how “straights” are formed.

phdcomics.com

Sudoku Puzzle by Syndicated Puzzles

Hidato Puzzle by M.J.D. Doering Straights

Horoscopes for the week of Jan. 18

Zodiac tips for surviving life at the U of M

Damien Davis, staff

ARIES

Your tarot card for the week is the Six of Wands. You are approaching an important milestone. All those sleepless nights dedicating yourself to your craft have not been in vain. Not only that, but people around you are acknowledging this. This card asks you — do you believe in yourself? Who caresses your cheek and congratulates you when you’ve done something worth celebrating? Sometimes the best support and celebration comes from within.

TAURUS

Your tarot card for the week is Five of Swords. This week you should be focusing on picking your battles. What do you gain from senseless conflict and arguments? Being the bigger person can feel overrated and outdated at times, but this card asks you to sit with yourself and make sure your rage is not without reason. You’re known for charging straight ahead and never losing sight of what is important, so let that remain true here.

GEMINI

Your tarot card for the week is the Three of Swords reversed. Are you engaging with a version of yourself who is dedicated to tearing you down? Shut down the negativity that you’re inflicting on yourself. Silence your twin, Gemini. You cannot be your own enemy and saviour. Life is long, painfully and beautifully so. Take a second to remember how far you’ve come.

CANCER

Your tarot card for the week is the King of Pentacles. There can be comfort in your personal sanctuaries, wherever they are, but is it time to venture outside? This card asks you — have you secured a way to live comfortably? The Pentacles are always concerned with finances, but financial stability can provide you with a less stressful future. Make sure that this week, you think care fully about where you’re spending your money, especially on campus. Someday you’ll be in your career, but until then, be mindful.

’Toban Tips

LEO

Your tarot card for the week is the Knight of Pentacles reversed. Do you feel like you’ve been made a fool of? The circus is no place for a creature such as yourself, and yet you’ve allowed yourself to be at the whim of others’ expectations and demands. You’ve lost your sense of adventure and curiosity. This card reminds you that we can become oppressed by our own routines and good intentions. Never lose sight of the person you should be treating with the most dignity and respect — you. Shake off the chains and remind them where they stand in proximity to you.

VIRGO

Your tarot card for the week is the Ten of Cups. Your sign has always been associated with the earth and wheat in particular, so it makes sense to find yourself most at peace among the harmony of nature. This card tells you that you are experiencing, or are about to experience, a wholeness from your relationships and your inner self. People underestimate the power of love, but there is nothing more powerful than knowing and fighting for a life full of it. This card encourages you to follow your heart and trust your instincts. Imagine yourself in the wheatfields at dusk — what truths come to you there?

LIBRA

Your tarot card for the week is the Queen of Wands. This card tells you to be unafraid of your abilities, as you’ve got plenty to offer. What do you gain from diminishing yourself? Others gravitate toward you for help with assignments, studying and advice for a reason. Take off your blindfold, put down the scales for just a second and let loose your confidence. You’ll find that if you focus less on things being just so, they’ll naturally come into place.

SCORPIO

Your tarot card for the week is the Four of Wands. You’ve finished a period of intense growth and change. You’ve worked hard on coming “home,” whatever that means for you, and this card encourages you to be proud of yourself. Whatever worries you have of the new year will be overshadowed by your new state of being, the second skin having emerged from the old. New poison, not for harm, but for protection.

What to do if you are feeling behind already

Dear Toby,

It has only been a week of winter semester, and somehow I feel like I am already behind. This feeling is overwhelming and I don’t feel prepared for the semester. How can I make this feeling go away?

Help, Struggling Student

Dear Struggling Student, I can assure you that many other students feel the same way. One tac-

tic that helps some of us at the ’Toban involves organizing all assignments, quizzes and exams into a Google sheet or calendar by due date, with a checkbox to mark it off once it’s submitted. This is a good way to visualize the work for the entire term.

However, it is also important to take things one day and one assignment at a time. Completing small, attainable goals every day with the aid of a daily to-do list can help get you back on track.

It may also be helpful to find a

SAGITTARIUS

Your tarot card for the week is the Ace of Swords. With the waning crescent moon in Sagittarius, you will experience a phase of new opportunities, wealth and ideas. This card is here to tell you that a breakthrough is emerging inside you, but you’re figuring out what this idea needs order to be expressed to your standards of perfection. Always aiming for the highest target, you are already set up for success, archer. Don’t overthink it.

CAPRICORN

Your tarot card for the week is the Three of Cups reversed. Have you worn yourself thin catering to those around you? Spent too many nights in the company of others when you would’ve preferred being on your own? There’s no shame in craving solitude. This card tells you to honour your desire to go it alone this week. Some of our greatest thoughts and feelings as a civilization could have easily come from being in your room, listening to your favourite music. Don’t be afraid to go to campus events alone either. Some experiences are meant to be done solo.

AQUARIUS

Your tarot card for the week is the Seven of Pentacles reversed. This card implores you to think carefully about what you invest your time on this week. It can be easy to ignore due dates that feel so far away, but they will creep up on you and overwhelm you before you know it. Be sure your cup isn’t overflowing. How do you pick fallen droplets back up again? You are wellequipped enough to know when a habit does not serve you anymore.

PISCES

Your tarot card for the week is the Page of Wands. This card is here to tell you that you’re at a place this week where you can seek out hobbies, interests and spiritual paths that you’ve always been curious about. You’re more tuned in with the universe as a whole. You may not have a plan in place, but you are excited and passionate about the possibilities that are out there waiting for you. There is a world inside you, like water flowing under ice.

buddy or two in your courses that you can talk out overwhelming, class-related topics with. Remember that you are not defined by how you do in school, and that the most important thing is YOU.

Take a deep breath. Everything will be alright.

Best of luck, Toby the Bison

To ask Toby a question, email comment@themanitoban.com

Winter writer-in-residence on the importance of listening

Cree filmmaker Janine Windolph connects storytelling and sharing

Jessie Krahn, staff

The U of M Centre for Creative Writing and Oral Culture (CCWOC) will welcome Cree filmmaker Janine Windolph as the winter 2023 writer-in-residence on Jan. 19 with a free screening at the Winnipeg Art Gallery.

Growing up in La Ronge, Sask., Windolph was always an ardent storyteller who dreamt of becoming a filmmaker.

Due to limited paid filmmaking opportunities in La Ronge, Windolph tempered her creative ambitions. It wasn’t until she enrolled in an elective introductory film class that she found she was “reinvigorated” in her “dream to make movies.”

Collaboration with her family and other artists is central to Windolph’s practice as a filmmaker. Her short film Stories Are in Our Bones primarily focuses on her two sons and long-time collaborators, Dawlari and Corwyn, as they learn to fish from their kôhkom — Windolph’s mother.

Windolph explained that her mother was “willing to not only share how to fish, but also to be part of the story as our matriarch representing the family line, and also being that person in the community that we could highlight.”

Stories doubled as a chance for Corwyn and Dawlari to hone their filmmaking craft and connect with the community in La Ronge.

Where Stories was inspired by Corwyn’s desire to learn fishing, Windolph and her sons’ upcoming project, Our Maternal Home: Waswanipi, was sparked by Dawlari’s wish to visit the family’s maternal roots in the Cree First Nation of Waswanipi.

Corwyn and Dawlari have been intimately involved in all levels of Waswanipi’s production. The experience has helped Windolph’s sons gain a sense of “shared ownership” over the film’s story — a fruitful development in many ways.

“They actually are aspiring to be storytellers themselves, and filmmakers,” Windolph said. “If they can go on to tell more stories from their lens, then I feel like not only as a mom, but as a filmmaker, that that’s how I would define success.”

Nurturing other storytellers is central to Windolph’s practice.

Another of Windolph’s collaborative endeavours is a documentary, RIIS From Amnesia, a co-creation with the late Trudy Stewart. The film explores the near-forgotten history of a children’s cemetery connected to the former Regina Indian Industrial School (RIIS).

In compiling stories from individuals for RIIS From Amnesia, Windolph said she “realized it was bringing in Cree narrative where when

you start to collect stories — we don’t own anyone’s stories, but there’s also this permission approach to it.”

“For those we were given permission to share, [they] made it into the film,” Windolph said.

“For those that weren’t shared, [they] actually infused me with the knowledge and gave me more story bundles, so that I can have a holistic understanding of the situation, or the larger narrative that we were a part of.”

Through collecting these stories, and in listening to stories told by family members, Windolph has found it important to hear from many perspectives to inform her own storytelling.

“I started to realize that I had to honour each storyteller, and that my job isn’t to be the reporter,” she said.

“The truth is always going to be outside of me, but I have to figure out what it is by listening, and so listening became an important part of my practice.”

As she considered her approach to her residency at the U of M’s CCWOC, Windolph thought about what sort of mentorship she would want as a writer.

“I see my role as guiding, but I also see it as reciprocal,” she explained.

“I’ll also be learning and honouring the participants in terms of what they’re putting

in the circle.”

Because Windolph’s undergraduate and graduate education coincided with the births of her sons, refining her filmmaking style went hand in hand with learning to parent and “exploring reconciliation and healing” with her family.

“Storytelling can be good medicine for families, as an individual and for community,” Windolph said.

“And so I feel like those not only resonate with Indigenous people, but they resonate with everyone because there’s a human aspect to my work.”

For those storytellers who are just starting out, Windolph said that focusing on technical mastery is less important than figuring out what particular story needs to be told.

“Everyone has a gift,” she emphasized. “Storytelling can come out any way, it can come out through film, it can come out through journalism, it can come out through even grant writing, as boring as that

sounds.”

“Every time you take one step it gets easier and you start to get more of a stride, especially as you bring in more mentors, as you take in other people’s work you start to feel like, ‘hey, my story is relevant.’”

To find that stride, Windolph recommends that storytellers explore their values.

“Love, humility, respect, generosity, for me those are how I define my practice,” she said.

Windolph will be in residence until April 22. Storytellers in Manitoba can register to attend her free, online workshops on Feb. 11 and 25, March 11 and 25 and April 8 and 22, or can book one-onone consultations by emailing ccwocwir@umanitoba.ca.

Experience the trip of a lifetime at the Cinematheque

New documentary advocates for the potential of psilocybin-assisted therapy

Damien Davis, staff

A documentary about a stage four cancer patient and her journey with medical psilocybin psychotherapy to treat end-of-life distress is coming to the Cinematheque for one night only on Jan. 23.

Dosed 2: The Trip of a Lifetime, directed by Nicholas Meyers and Tyler Chandler, will be screened at 7 p.m., and a panel discussion will take place afterward to discuss psychedelics, psychotherapy and the intersections of the two.

The screening is sponsored by the Psychedelic Society of Winnipeg and a non-profit coalition called TheraPsil. TheraPsil is featured briefly in the film assisting the documentary’s subject, Laurie Brooks, in acquiring legal access to psilocybin for medicinal purposes.

Psilocybin itself is a compound found in several mushroom species that produces psychoactive and psychedelic effects, potentially alter-

ing the user’s perception, cognition and emotional state.

TheraPsil as an organization works to support patients who seek legal access to therapeutic psilocybin treatment through Health Canada’s Special Access Program, or through an exemption outlined in Section 56 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances

Act. They also connect patients with medical professionals who can provide further assistance and support.

John Gilchrist, communications and training specialist at TheraPsil, feels that “psilocybin as a whole really does seem to provide people with a clean slate and the ability to look at what they’re dealing with from a completely new lens.”

Gilchrist said that he personally hopes the film will help normalize psilocybin and other psychedelics as a type of medicine, and that ”people begin to realize that these substances can help all kinds of people that are experiencing a variety of mental health conditions.”

He believes that if Canadians are going to be able to utilize the newly revised medical assistance in dying law — which will allow mentally ill patients with no other medical conditions to seek medically assisted death by March of this year — they should have the opportunity to try every

possible option for treatment before getting there, including the use of psychedelics.

“If the government is going to be granting people medical assistance in dying, we think they should also be granting them medical assistance in living through psilocybin treatments,” Gilchrist said.

The panel and Q&A period that follows the screening of Dosed 2: The Trip of a Lifetime will feature the therapist of the patient featured in the film, a local therapist, an oncologist and a patient, who will each provide their unique perspectives on the issues of psilocybin therapy and endof-life care.

Dosed 2: The Trip of a Lifetime screens at the Cinematheque Jan. 23. The event is currently sold-out.

photo / NFB / provided

graphic / Dallin Chicoine / staff

Broadway fairy fantasy brought to life

Into the Woods runs at the Royal MTC until Feb. 4

Alex Braun, staff

One of Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim’s most popular and enduring works is also one of his silliest on paper. The fairy tale mashup musical Into the Woods saw the trail-blazing composer and lyricist looking far to the past, to the stories of the Brothers Grimm and other fairy tales, pulling characters from “Rapunzel,” “Little Red Riding Hood,” “Cinderella” and “Jack and the Beanstalk.”

But the end result is far from childish or derivative — Sondheim and book writer James Lapine wove a personal, wholly original take on the tales, imbuing them with new depth, ambiguity and an expansive view of the eternally relevant themes present in the stories.

For musical fans itching for a serving of this Sondheim classic, the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre (Royal MTC) is currently putting on a spectacularly realized production as its first musical since 2020. The production also happens to feature a recent Desautels faculty of music alum, Sarah Luby, in the role of Rapunzel.

Speaking to the Manitoban, Luby said that Sond-

heim has long been a favourite composer of hers.

“I’m the kind of artist and the kind of person who likes challenging work, work that feeds my soul, work that doesn’t come easily,” she explained.

Since studying at the U of M under the continued tutelage of her long-time vocal instructor Donna Fletcher, Luby has featured in television, film and theatre roles, and took part in a mentorship program through the Royal MTC which changed the course of her career.

“That really was a turning point I felt in my career, and helped me learn a lot about myself and what I’m interested in as an artist, including art for social change and disability, [and] advocacy through art,” she explained.

Luby, who has type one diabetes and undifferentiated connective tissue disease, has done advocacy work for people in the arts with similarly “invisible” disabilities.

In taking on the role of Rapunzel, she wanted to avoid the shallow trappings that some performances fall into, looking deeper into the character’s motivations and life history.

“She is truly a child at heart who has been locked

away her whole life, and is dealing with Stockholm syndrome with her mom,” Luby elaborated.

Strained generational relationships and the personal struggles that stem from them are a major theme in Into the Woods, making up the bulk of its emotional weight.

We follow the Baker, played here by the endearingly sincere Jawon Mapp, and his wife, played by the remarkably spirited and charming Jade Repeta. They long to have a child, but their neighbour, the Witch, put a curse on their home that makes them infertile. To lift the curse, they have to collect items from each of the fairy tale characters around them.

Jennifer Lyon in the role of the Witch provided another stellar performance, with her work in witch-mode having a Danny DeVito-adjacent goblin energy, and her post-transformation performance shimmering with calm elegance and casual cruelty.

Things go as you might expect in the first act, though each of the familiar Grimm stories is injected with subtle boosts of pathos and a simul-

taneous, very funny ironic distance. The Princes Charming in particular offer lots of laughs, bounding about the stage and pouting at their misfortunes in love.

But the second half turns the stories on their head dramatically, and is shockingly moving and resonant for what one might assume is a light play based on children’s stories. Sifting through the aftermath of the fairy tale endings, the show explores grief, loss, cycles of abuse and the struggle of defining oneself away from familiar surroundings.

The Royal MTC production of Into the Woods is a real triumph and an excellent return to musicals for the centre. The performances are uniformly excellent, the set design is charming and suitably fantastical and the play itself is rightfully a classic.

Into the Woods runs at the Royal MTC until Feb. 4. For tickets and further information, visit royalmtc.ca.

arts@themanitoban.com

photos / Leif Norman / provided

Top: Jade Repeta (Baker’s Wife) and Jawon Mapp (Baker); Bottom left: Rhea Rodych-Rasidescu (Cinderella); Bottom right: Jennifer Lyon (Witch) and Sarah Luby (Rapunzel). Set & Costume Designer: Gillian Gallow; Associate Costume Designer: Joseph Abetria; Lighting Designer: Hugh Conacher; Prosthetics by Christian Hadley.

Bisons victorious against Alberta Pandas

Women’s volleyball team sweeps University of Alberta in front of home crowd

Quinn Mayhew, staff

The University of Manitoba women’s volleyball team secured its 10th win of the season in Saturday’s game at Investors Group Athletic Centre. Playing against the University of Alberta Pandas, the game was high stakes, occurring in the last two months of the Canada West season.

The women’s squad is having a great season. They were on a three-game winning streak going into Saturday night’s match, with Friday’s game on Jan. 13 marking the herd’s ninth win of the season.

Saturday night’s match started off with the U of M scoring the first point of the game. However, the first set was narrowly won by the herd, 25-23.

The University of Manitoba also took the second set of the game, making it 25-22 after set point.

With a strong turnout at Saturday night’s game, it’s no wonder the U of M won the first two sets.

While U of M found itself behind in the beginning of the third set, the herd managed to rally for a sweep, clinching their fourth win in a row and improving to 10-6 on the sea-

son.

Number 25, Raya Surinx, was a huge asset in Saturday night’s game. When it came to blocking or achieving kills, she was consistently on the ball.

With number 14, Julia Arnold, getting digs left and right alongside the team’s captain, number 9 Light Uchechukwu, the two were truly indispensable this game, with Uchechukwu getting 11 kills in the match.

The women’s squad swept the weekend series, having won in three sets the previous night.

While the women’s volleyball team kicked off its season with a loss in late October, they have continuously prevailed throughout the year, now boasting a four-game winning streak. Currently, they hold sixth place in the

Canada West standings.

The goal for the rest of the season as said by number 7, Ella Gray, is “always to make it to nationals.”

“It was really important that we really pushed through for these points and stayed persistent,” Gray added, highlighting the tenacity the team has shown so far this season.

It was in the second match of the weekend that Gray went on to achieve her ninth kill of the game, helping to seal the win for the U of M in just three sets.

“We weren’t wavering when they were catching up,” Gray continued.

With the U of M winning this Saturday, the team continues to be firmly in playoff contention in the Canada West conference.

The women’s volleyball team will play the Saskatchewan Huskies in Saskatoon, Sask. for the first time this season on Jan. 20 and 21.

— Ella Gray, women’s volleyball player sports@themanitoban.com

Sports teams’ schedules

Bisons

Bisons

Jan. 13 — Final: 72 – 62

Brandon Bobcats Jan. 14 — Final: 77 – 52

Mount Royal Cougars @ Bisons Jan. 20 — 6 p.m.

Mount Royal Cougars @ Bisons Jan. 21 — 5 p.m.

U of M Bisons — Women’s Hockey

Mount Royal Cougars @ Bisons

Mount Royal Cougars

Jan. 13 — Final: 2 – 3 / OT

Jan. 14 — Final: 4 – 5 / 2OT

UBC Thunderbirds @ Bisons Jan. 20 — 7 p.m.

UBC Thunderbirds

Bisons Jan. 21 — 2 p.m.

U of M Bisons — Women’s Volleyball

Alberta Pandas @ Bisons

Alberta Pandas @ Bisons

Jan. 13 — Final: 1 – 3

Jan. 14 — Final: 0 – 3

Bisons @ Saskatchewan Huskies Jan. 20 — 7 p.m.

Bisons @ Saskatchewan Huskies Jan. 21 — 4 p.m.

U of M Bisons — Men’s Basketball

Bisons @ Brandon Bobcats

Jan. 13 — Final: 85 – 84

Bisons @ Brandon Bobcats Jan. 14 — Final: 75 – 69

Mount Royal Cougars @ Bisons Jan. 20 — 8 p.m.

Mount Royal Cougars @ Bisons Jan. 21 — 7 p.m.

U of M Bisons — Men’s Hockey

Bisons @ Mount Royal Cougars

Jan. 13 — Final: 1 – 5 Bisons @ Mount Royal Cougars

Jan. 14 — Final: 0 – 7 Bisons @ UBC Thunderbirds

Jan. 20 — 7 p.m. Bisons @ UBC Thunderbirds Jan. 21 — 2 p.m.

U of M Bisons — Men’s Volleyball

Alberta Golden Bears @ Bisons

Jan. 13 — Final: 3 – 2

Alberta Golden Bears @ Bisons Jan. 14 — Final: 3 – 1 Bisons @ Saskatchewan Huskies

Jan. 20 — 9 p.m. Bisons @ Saskatchewan Huskies Jan. 21 — 6 p.m.

U of M Bisons — Track and Field

Winnipeg Optimist Athletics Winter Open

Jan. 20 – 21

University of Alberta Golden Bear Open Jan. 20 – 22

Winnipeg Jets

Jets @ Detroit Red Wings

Jets @ Buffalo Sabres

Jets @ Pittsburgh Penguins

Arizona Coyotes @ Jets

Jan. 10 — Final: 5 – 7

Jan. 12 — Final: 4 – 2

Jan. 13 — Final: 4 – 1

Jan. 15 — Final: 1 – 2

Jets @ Montreal Canadiens Jan. 17 — 6 p.m.

Jets @ Toronto Maple Leafs

Jets @ Ottawa Senators

Jets @ Philadelphia Flyers

Jan. 19 — 6 p.m.

Jan. 21 — 6 p.m.

Jan. 22 — 6 p.m.

photo / Matthew Merkel / staff

“Our goal is always to make it to nationals”