The Manitoba 2SLGBTQIA+ Student Action Coalition is hosting its first pride picnic at Assiniboine Park on Saturday, July 27.
U of M’s 2024 Annual Financial Report released
Milan Lukes, staff
The U of M board of governors approved the university’s 2024 Annual Financial Report on June 25.
This 60-page report details the university’s financial affairs as of March 31, 2024. Per section 9.4(1) of The Advanced Education Administration Act, a board is required to prepare and submit an annual report of university operations during the fiscal year to the minister of advanced education and training. The report is to include audited financial statements, in addition to any other information the minister may request.
The concluded fiscal year spanned from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024.
As of March 31, the university’s net financial assets totaled $939.1 million, composed of $1.3 billion in financial assets and $670 million in endowments. The assets were offset by $1.1 billion in total liabilities. The largest components of liabilities consisted of $509.7 million in deferred revenue and $316.9 million in debt. Incurred debt involved loans made to the university for various initiatives, such as construction of the Active Living Centre and other buildings, infrastructure and maintenance.
Non-endowed portfolio investments, consisting of resources that are held or designated for particular activities, totaled $1.1 billion. Endowed portfolio investments totaled $676 million which includes donations to be held in perpetuity for the use of future generations. The university received $13.8 million in endowed donations from donors in 2023-24.
Rainbow Pride Centre president and UMSU repre-
Misha Stone, staff sentative, Theodore Biggs-Engel, said a lot of activism in the past couple of years has focused on rallies and protests. His goal with the picnic is to “have a peaceful event where we can kind of get to know other people in the community.”
UM camp dismantled
Leaders say not end of pro-Palestine organizing News -3-
Give Marx’s ideas about society a chance
The event is free to attend and will include food and drinks including vegetarian and halal options.
Biggs-Engel said that while everyone is invited to the picnic, its focus is on “queer people and their families.” He said the picnic will be a great
opportunity for people to meet the new executives and to continue building community for 2SLGBTQIA+ people.
Biggs-Engel added that this a chance to “connect and get some excitement for what [is] planned in the fall […]
Cont’d p. 6 / Pride > graphic / Teegan Gillich/ staff
That’s no dibiki-giizis
Star Wars to hit screens in Anishinaabemowin
The university’s cash and cash equivalence of $100.1 million was comprised solely of cash in the bank. $56.6 million in net remeasurement gains, unrealized
p. 4 / change >
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Dianne Hiebert-Murphy released a statement on behalf of the university last Tuesday stating that the U of M would “pursue legal remedies” if the pro-Palestine encampment on campus was not removed by Monday, July 15 at 8 a.m.
The university asked encampment participants to “peacefully dismantle the encampment and return the use of the Quad space to the entire UM community.” The statement said “advocacy [should] not infringe upon the right to access public space.”
In response to the statement, Diversity 4 Palestine vice-president and organizer within the Palestinian community, Hussein Chokr, said “we are not restricting the access of [the Quad] to anyone. It is welcome to anyone.”
The encampment was started by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) on May 7. This came following pro-Palestine encampments being set up at universities around the world. These encampments have come as part of the movement protesting against the war in Gaza, and in support of Palestinians.
In an Instagram post on May 15, SJP said they were no longer directly engaged with the encampment and were focused on “negotiations with the University of Manitoba and UMSU.” The post further clarified that going forward, the encampment would continue under the leadership of “students at large.”
Chokr said encampment organizers have retained legal counsel from the National Council of Canadian Muslims. He said the encampment organizers do not yet know what kind of legal remedies the U of M might pursue, but he thinks it “could be an injunction, or they could sue specific organizations or students.”
Despite this, Chokr stated that a collective decision was reached to comply and vacate the area due to safety reasons.
“Directly after [the university’s statement] came out, we have been having people coming in with their vehicles and spreading abusive language,” he said.
The encampment was voluntarily dismantled on July 15.
Negotiations
between SJP and U of M admininstration
Encampment organizers at the U of M had made five demands to the university. These included heightened safety measures for Palestinian U of M community members and their supporters, participation in a global academic boycott of Israeli institutions implicated in human rights violations, disclosure and divestment of investments in such institutions, a public statement in support of Palestinian rights and the inclusion of a Palestinian identity course.
In a response to these demands, on June 11, the university committed to disclosing its investments by fall 2024. The university also stated that they will not be negotiating with SJP on any further demands.
In the July 9 statement, the U of M assured the continuation of anti-racism training for students, faculty and staff, as well as the continuation of the Scholars at Risk program. This program aims to protect scholars from around the world who are under attack in an effort to promote academic freedom.
SJP called for a flash rally at the university encampment on July 10, a day after the university expressed their expectations for the encampment removal. A speaker at the rally said “all we got from the university was their agreement
to publicly disclose [investments]. They still refuse to divest from funding genocide.”
According to Victoria Romero, who said she was involved in the negotiations, the university administration met with SJP twice since the start of the encampment, with the final meeting occurring on May 31. Romero said “they told us many excuses.”
U of M administration declined the Manitoban’s request for an interview.
Romero said the university has weighed in on many global issues in the past, including flying a Ukrainian flag on campus and putting out a statement condemning the killing of Masha Amini in Iran. Romero said, “I don’t think we should pick and choose on who we’re supporting, especially if we’re claiming neutrality.”
University president and vice-chancellor Michael Benarroch previously stated in May that he wants the university to maintain “neutrality about the complex geopolitical situations in Israel and Gaza.”
Romero said they are currently working to develop a course on Palestinian identity and history. She said “we expressed to [the university] that we’d be more than happy to do all the work to assemble the course […] if they would guarantee their support at the Senate for the vote of it. And they refused to do so.”
Chokr said the administration’s response demonstrates a lack of care for student safety. “The university claims to care about all students from different backgrounds. However, when it comes to students standing up for the Palestinian cause, we are treated as if we’re not humans,” he said.
Romero said that UMSU was set to meet with members of the encampment on July 22 but cancelled their meeting.
UMSU did not respond to the Manitoban’s request for comment and has not publicly commented on the university’s statement calling for the encampment to be removed.
Encampments come down across the country
The U of M encampment is not the only pro-Palestine encampment across the country to face legal challenges from university administration. On July 2, the University of Toronto’s request for an injunction to end the campus encampment was granted. Encampment attendees held a final rally and then left voluntarily on July 3.
In a statement, the U of T said “the court’s decision affirmed our conviction that no group has the right to appropriate any part of our campus for their use to the exclusion of others.”
In Alberta, the pro-Palestine encampment at the University of Calgary was dismantled by police in early May. The pro-Palestine encamp-
ment at McGill University was removed by private security on July 10. Other encampments at the University of British Columbia and the University of Winnipeg have been dismantled voluntarily in the last month.
What is next for pro-Palestine student advocates at the U of M?
While the encampment has been dismantled, Chokr said this is not the end for pro-Palestine advocacy on campus.
“This is just the beginning of another era. We’re going to be back with different ways of activism and advocacy,” he said.
UMSU has struck an ad hoc committee to work on a definition of anti-Palestinian racism. The committee is mandated to present its final report with recommendations to the UMSU board of directors by Dec. 9.
The university has stated that they “support students in sharing their perspectives in ways that do not disrupt the functioning of the university, and that maintain a welcoming and respectful campus and supportive learning environment for all community members.”
Chokr affirmed the work of the encampment over the past 68 days. “Ten, fifteen years in the future, they will look back at this and say […] these students were doing what’s right. They stood on the right side of history” he said.
photo / Misha Stone / staff
University’s financial affairs during 2023-24 fiscal year publicized
< Cont’d from front page
change in the valuation of financial instruments – was recorded during the year, in part due to a “strong performance” by the Canadian, U.S. and international equity markets. Accumulated remeasurement gains, which represent the total of net unrealized gains and losses mainly from investments, increased to $298.4 million.
Non-financial assets totaled $1.3 billion and consist of assets that are not readily convertible to cash. This figure was largely composed of tangible capital assets, mainly buildings, constructed or acquired and primarily long-lasting. These assets, exceeding six million square feet, provide space for the functions of the university.
Revenue
University revenue in 202324 amounted to $1.1 billion – an increase of $113.6 million compared to the previous year. The largest revenue source was provincial grants ($481 million) amounting to 42.7 per cent of the university’s total revenue.
Remaining revenue sources included tuition and related fees ($241.2 million), federal and other government grants ($124.8 million), non-governmental grants ($74.8 million), investment income ($73.9 million), sales of goods and services ($41.2 million), ancillary services ($37.3 million), non-endowed donations ($27.9 million) and other revenue ($23.7 million).
Of the $481 million received in provincial grants, the majority ($423.4 million) was provided in support of operating activities.
$4.8 million
was provided for student scholarships and bursaries.
Revenue from tuition and related fees, and from provincial grants, increased from the previous year by $8.6 million and $57.2 million, respectively. The increase in tuition and related fees revenue was due to a tuition and course-related fee bump of 2.75 per cent and higher enrolment numbers.
Revenue from federal and other government grants comprised of $112.9 million from the federal government, $8.8 million from other provinces and $3.1 million from Manitoba government business enterprises and municipal and foreign governments.
Expenses
University expenses totaled $1 billion in 2023-24, up by $87.2 million from the previous year. The increase in expenditures is largely due to compensation-related increases, with $27.1 million in salary increases.
Among the largest expenses by function incurred in 202324 is instruction ($429.8 million) at 41.1 per cent of total expenses.
Instruction expenses, up $37.6 million (9.6 per cent) from the previous year, include costs
associated with direct educational delivery and academic functions.
The remainder of reported expenses by function include sponsored research ($160.2 million), facilities ($133.3 million), special purposes and trust ($99.1 million), libraries ($41.6 million), administration ($39.7 million), student services ($38.3 million), information technology ($33.9 million), academic and research support ($31.2 million), ancillary services ($25.7 million) and external relations ($13.6 million).
Research
Research-related revenue recognized in 2023-24 after deferments totaled $156 million. This represents an increase of $3.1 million compared to the previous year.
The university’s largest research funder was the government of Canada, providing $78 million through grants and contracts. Most funding was provided by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research ($31.7 million), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada ($20.9 million) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada ($6.3 million). Federal funding decreased by a net $2 million (2.6 per cent) relative to last year. The remaining
sources of research revenue include the United States ($42.7 million), foundations and associations ($21.7 million), the province of Manitoba ($7.8 million), business, industry and other ($3.9 million) and other provinces ($1.8 million).
The largest source of research-related funding from the United States was the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation at $37.9 million.
Research-related revenue from foundations and associations comprised of funds from over 100 individual entities. Funders include Mitacs ($4.1 million), the Western Grains Research Foundation ($2.2 million) and the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba ($2.1 million).
The faculties with the highest research revenue in 202324 were the Rady faculty of health sciences ($95 million), the faculty of agricultural and food sciences ($16.9 million), the faculty of science ($11.6 million), the Price faculty of engineering ($9.6 million) and the Clayton H. Riddell faculty of environment, earth and resources ($8.4 million). These five faculties accounted for 90.7 per cent of the university’s 2023-24 research-related revenue.
Research-related expenses amounted to $160.2 million in 2023-24.
University Investment Trust
The University Investment Trust (UIT) market value surpassed $1 billion in 2023-24 for the first time in its history. The UIT is an endowment fund
consisting of the majority of endowed and trust-related assets that are invested together.
The 2023-24 valuation represents an increase of $105.8 million from the previous year. This increase is the result of gifts made to the UIT, in addition to a one-year 10.6 percent gross investment return.
The UIT’s spending payout was 4.25 per cent in the recent fiscal year, which the report states is “on par with most endowments of peer educational institutions.” The asset mix of the UIT investment portfolio at the end of the fiscal year was 65.6 per cent equities, 12.6 per cent infrastructure and impact investments, 11.8 per cent real estate, 9 per cent government bonds and 1 per cent cash equivalents. A new asset mix will be implemented in the 2024-25 fiscal year, with the transition expected to take 2-to-3 years.
The Annual Financial Report indicates that no disclosures were received under The Public Interest Disclosure (Whistleblower Protection) Act during the 2023-24 fiscal year.
The university’s 2024 Annual Financial Report is available online at umanitoba.ca/finance.
photo / Dallin Chicoine / staff
After a year of rallies, Student Action Coalition hits the lawn
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Pride doesn’t end the first of July.”
The coalition includes U of M groups, such as the Rainbow Pride Lounge, the Queer & Trans Graduate Student Group (QTGS), Engiqueers, UMSU Women’s Centre, UM Queer/2SLGBTQIA+ Asper Students, the UM Social Work Students Association and the Racial Equity and Inclusion Alliance. Groups from the University of Winnipeg are also associated with the coalition.
QTGS president Mikayla Hunter said the group came together in response to rising anti-trans rhetoric and policies around the world, specifically in the United States and Canada.
One of the first events Manitoba 2SLGBTQIA+ Student Action Coalition held was a counter-protest of the anti-trans 1 Million March 4 Children on Sept. 20 last year. Hunter said “we all kind of came together and decided rather than doing these acts of advocacy separately, we could come together and rely on each other for support.”
ernment of Alberta passed a law restricting access to transition related healthcare for trans youth. Meanwhile, the government of Saskatchewan passed a law requiring par-
crimination in educational settings.
“Pride doesn’t end the first of July”
The Manitoba 2SLGBTQIA+ Student Action Coalition planned to accept donations for the pro-Palestinian campus encampment at the upcoming pride picnic.
— Theodore Biggs-Engel, Rainbow Pride Centre president and UMSU representative
Hunter said while things are better in Manitoba for 2SLGBTQIA+ people than in Alberta or Saskatchewan, “there’s still really long wait lists for gender affirming care.”
In the last year, the gov-
ental permission for transgender and non-binary students under 16 to use different names or pronouns at school.
They also pointed to other problems facing 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, such as difficulties finding primary health care providers who are well educated on 2SLGBTQIA+ health, homelessness and dis-
Hunter said the coalition has worked to connect with other social movements, such as Every Child Matters. “I think in general people who come from marginalized communities, regardless of which community it is, we’re pretty well attuned of what injustice looks like for other groups,” Hunter said.
“We do not stand for anti-Palestinian hate or Islam-
ophobia and we also don’t stand for antisemitism,” Hunter said.
Biggs-Engel said groups in the Manitoba 2SLGBTQIA+ Student Action Coalition are talking about new plans since both encampments are now dismantled. “The next step […] if we cannot support them directly [is] looking for other Palestinian resources to donate to them or support them,” Biggs-Engel said.
Manitoba 2SLGBTQIA+ Student Action Coalition’s pride picnic will be occurring on Saturday, July 27 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. The event will be located at campsite 6 at Assiniboine Park (55 Pavilion Crescent).
New mural celebrating women at UMSU Women’s Centre
Installation on campus aims to contextualize women’s diverse experiences
Virinder Singh, staff
A mural at the Women’s Centre, located in the basement of the Helen Glass Centre, has recently been completed. The artwork was created by nine women and gender diverse artists.
Leading artist behind the project, Cole Cancilla, came up with the concept outline behind the mural.
The mural intends to “fully grasp every aspect” of what women are “in one image,” said Cancilla.
Cancilla chose a collage to best depict womanhood, permitting “fragmentations of perspectives, yet in a snapshot.”
The initial proposal started in the fall of 2023 with the approval and help of the Women’s Centre.
Cancilla said the various styles used by the artists create “an overwhelming feeling,” which is the goal of the mural. Cancilla hoped to create an “overwhelming sensation of what it is to be a woman and to revisit that concept.”
Cancilla said “for years people are going to see this and recognize the many definitions of what it is to be a woman. And that’s something that’s timeless to me and to everyone who’s going to see it.”
upper-left design, “the orange that bleeds into the volcano.”
“[It] represents disability and Indigenous peoples, as well as the globe” which is
ing that only hope was left in Pandora’s box.
Boogbaa Lebe used mostly acrylic paint, oils and custom stencils to make the design a reality.
“At times [women] are disconnected based on society’s norms and ideologies and our different regions, but the Women’s Centre overcomes that by bringing us together”
— Tanadebabari Shalom Boogbaa Lebe, artist
Tanadebabari Shalom Boogbaa Lebe is one of the artists who worked on the mural and was responsible for the far
being “held [by a] black glowing hand,” she stated. Boogbaa Lebe added that the box at the bottom of the design depicts Pandora’s box which features a hand reaching in and removing the world. “Letters are placed all over the globe which spell ‘hope,’” symboliz-
She mentioned that the theme for her section was “together we are stronger.”
“At times [women] are disconnected based on society’s norms and ideologies and our different regions, but the Women’s Centre overcomes that by bringing us together in a space where we are able to share our ideas and care for one another,” Boogbaa Lebe said. “That’s why I decided to make
it a theme of togetherness throughout the entire piece.”
“I hope when people look at it, they’ll be able to not just identify with it, but feel a sense of belonging, that they’re at least being represented on campus, if they were not being represented elsewhere,” she said.
Boogba Lebe said she “would like to thank the Women’s Centre for creating an opportunity for artists […] and people who have artistic talent.”
Witta Irumva was the UMSU’s women’s representative for the past year and helped with organizing the artists and the concept. Content featured in themural was also a reflection of community input.
“I hope [the mural] continues to engage people with the centre” Irumva said.
“It was a project that I feel introduced a lot of people to the centre and I hope to see a few more projects like that, that brings new people to the centre and […] shows them that there are ways to get involved, even if you’re not a part of the executive team,” she said.
The mural is located in the Women’s Centre at 190 Helen Glass.
Taking a cross-cultural approach to aging
Analyzing Indigenous concepts of aging to combat generational segregation
Rhea Bhalla, staff
As life expectancy con
tinues to rise in Canada, older adults make up the country’s fastest growing age group. A 2022 Statistics Canada study found that close to one in five Canadians are at least 65 years of age, with that number projected to reach close to 25 per cent by 2040.
Hai Luo is an associate professor at the U of M’s faculty of social work who takes a cross-cultural approach to the study of aging.
“To me, the bottom line is, what is aging to people in different groups?” Luo said. “That’s why I study people from different cultural backgrounds, such as newcomers in Canada and Indigenous people.”
While her research ranges from older adult abuse, to gambling among older Canadian immigrants, to the economic role of Taiwanese older adults, it all falls under one umbrella: the meaning of aging.
“A good old life is what we all want but how to define it, and how to practice for it, is very different by different cultures,” Luo said. “Here in Canada, as we are living in a modern country, we’re all living under the same policy umbrella […] How do we value and recognize the diversity?”
tre around multi-generational families, as opposed to the quintessential western nuclear family consisting of two parents and their chil-
— may appear narrow.
“In my view, Western cultures have emphasized the segregation of generations”
— Hai Luo, associate professor in the U of M’s faculty of social work
One focus of Luo’s work are Indigenous beliefs around aging, contrasting them with western perceptions that predominate much of Canadian society.
“In my view, the western cultures have emphasized the segregation of generations,” Luo said. “In traditional cultures, especially in Indigenous cultures, you never separate those generations.”
Indigenous perspectives on community tend to cen-
dren.
“Our current system [has] generational segregation still in place,” she said. “In my view, policies based on generational segregation have failed to support everyone.”
The differences in western and Indigenous perceptions of aging and health extend beyond family structure.
Western ideas of physical activity — which can include jogging, running or swimming
In other cultures, Luo explained, these activities are often unaffordable or impractical for older adults to participate in regularly. Instead, they may lead active lives through production activities, such as fishing or farming, well into their later years.
Luo noted that western perceptions of aging centre around healthy eating, maintaining an active lifestyle and being independent. The latter idea refers not just to financial independence, but also to physical independence. The western culture of individualism encourages self-sufficiency and a desire to live without depending on others.
“In many other cultures,
they value the interdependence,” Luo said. “Between multiple generations, people support one another. Older adults may help with their children or grandchildren, with their childcaring, or with financial support with housekeeping, so on and so forth.”
When Indigenous older adults, especially those living on reserves, need health care and support beyond what their community can offer, they must often be relocated from their homes. With longterm care centres and hospitals concentrated in urban centres, they may be living hundreds of miles from their families.
Due to the distance, an Indigenous older adult’s family may be unable to frequently visit them, often because of a lack of access to affordable transportation or the challenges associated with travelling at an advanced age.
Luo explained that once older adults enter the health care system, they risk losing their connection with their communities, their families and their former lives.
Generational segregation, she noted, is in the background of all policies centred around older adults in the health care system. Her aim is to promote intergenerational collaboration in Indigenous communities for the benefit of older adults and those who are younger.
“It’s not just for Indigenous people, but for many of us,” Luo said. “I think it is the Indigenous concept of aging that really helps me to reflect on the weaknesses of our current policy and system.”
graphic / Teegan Gillich / staff
Nationwide study explores the experiences of 2SLGBTQ+ Canadians facing poverty
First-of-its-kind study aims to improve the lives of 2SLGBTQ+ people
Rhea Bhalla, staff
Pride season in Canada,
held from June to September, is a time of celebration for the 2SLGBTQ+ community and those who love them. Pride involves a range of parties, parades and celebrations that honour the contributions made by 2SLGBTQ+ Canadians.
But while Pride marks a time of joy, the many 2SLGBTQ+ Canadians experiencing poverty may find themselves unable to fully participate in the celebrations.
“The issue of poverty is not a positive issue,” said Nick Mulé, professor at York University’s school of gender, sexuality and women’s studies. “It’s not something that people think over in this time of year where there are Pride celebrations.”
Mulé explained that while celebration and enjoyment during Pride is important and necessary for the 2SLGBTQ+ community, it is equally important to use Pride as a time to reflect and acknowledge members of the community who struggle to make ends meet.
As 2SLGBTQ+ individuals are particularly vulnerable to poverty, addressing these realities allows for changes to be made in social policy and service provision.
That is the goal of a nationwide study led by Mulé, the 2SLGBTQ+ Poverty in Canada: Improving Livelihood and Social Wellbeing project. The study looks at 2SLGBTQ+ poverty in Canada and is informed by lived experiences, diversity and decolonizing and intersectional approaches. The research team is comprised of 27 multidisciplinary academics at universities in Canada and the United States.
“This is the first study that has taken place across the country,” Mulé said. “The research that has happened in the past, the smaller pocket type research, has been carried out by researchers who are all on this team now, because we’re all very interested in […] gathering evidence at a national level.”
six and seven years. Now in its third year, data collection has begun.
The study has four key objectives.
First, it aims to create a nationwide dataset documenting 2SLGBTQ+ communities’ lived experiences with poverty, allowing researchers to take an intersectional
societal impact by fostering collaborations between 2SLGBTQ+ Canadians with lived experiences of poverty, community partners, scholars and students.
Third, the project will share 2SLGBTQ+ poverty knowledge in order to inform academic, government, community and funding bodies.
“We are going to produce materials that advocate for change […] at the programming level, at the funding level, at the service level, at the policy level”
— Nick Mulé, professor in York University’s school of gender, sexuality and women’s studies
The study is funded through a $2.5 million grant awarded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. The project will last between
approach to poverty rates and risks, and their associated causes and consequences.
Second, the research process will make meaningful
Fourth, the study will use evidence obtained from the data to create an action plan to address poverty in Canada’s 2SLGBTQ+ communities.
This plan can be used by government agencies, non-profit organizations and private companies.
“One of the things that drives this project is that
[we are] a community-based research study,” Mulé said.
The study partners with community-based nonprofit organizations who work to reduce poverty and advance 2SLGBTQ+ inclusion. Also supporting the research is a community advisory board of 2SLGBTQ+ people with lived experience in poverty, whose perspectives guide the direction of the project’s work.
Mulé explained that when conceptualizing the project and seeking funding, discussions with community partners revealed that efforts made to address issues of 2SLGBTQ+ poverty were frequently disregarded by policymakers and funders.
It is likely that these groups were unable to provide significant resources due to a lack of robust evidence demonstrating the link between 2SLGBTQ+ identity and heightened
poverty risk.
“That’s where we come in as researchers,” Mulé said. “We are working in partnership with our community partners to produce the evidence, conduct this research, […] analyze it, and start to picture out their interests, and what the reality is of people in these communities who are affected by poverty.”
Ultimately, he explained, the project’s goal is to produce evidence that improves the systems which impact 2SLGBTQ+ Canadians facing poverty.
“Through that, our community partners will have the evidence they need,” Mulé said. “We are going to produce materials that advocate for change” across organizational levels, “so that these communities are not left behind or unconsidered when it comes to anti-poverty work,” he said.
graphic / Teegan Gillich / staff
From skeptic to scholar: my journey with Karl Marx
How
a deeper understanding of Marx transformed my perspective on capitalism
Peace Ifeanyi, staff
Karl Marx. A name that often evokes a mix of intrigue and apprehension.
Before starting my master’s program, my understanding of Marx was likely what many students share, a vague association with conflict theory and communism — a system painted as a dystopian nightmare where everyone is equal in misery. Images of oppressive regimes and breadlines might come to mind, fueled by Cold War rhetoric and popular culture.
The complexities of Marx’s critique of capitalism and his vision for a different society seemed lost in the noise. Preparing to read Capital felt a bit like math class, where everyone talked about how difficult it is, creating a preemptive fear before you even crack open a textbook.
Initially, misconceptions and ambiguity surrounded Marx for me. I questioned the very foundation of his critique. I had previously accepted that capitalism was responsible for our relative prosperity, that it incentivized risk taking and innovation and that the wealthy simply reaped the rewards they sowed.
Further complicating matters, Marx’s vision of a classless society is often dismissed as utopian and unrealistic. Philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes and Herbert Spencer had already painted a bleak portrait of human nature as inherently self-interested and competitive, driven by a constant struggle for survival (“survival of the fittest”).
I wondered if a classless society could truly exist. Could resources and power be distributed equally? Who would decide the terms of this distribution, and how would it be enforced? Wouldn’t the privileged class fiercely resist any system that threatened their advantages?
After all, the entire system seemed rigged in the favour of capitalists, from the state apparatus to educational curriculums promoting obedience and conformity. Even protesting this system risked police brutality and travel limitations. In this seemingly inescapable capitalist structure, how could Marx’s ideas ever be implemented?
In my head, I equated the effort required to understand him with the stress of grappling with complex word problems, all for a solution that seemed fanciful at best. My initial resistance culmin-
ated in a declaration to my professor, “I am not a Marxist, I don’t think I will ever be!” Little did I know, as Marx himself might point out, the capitalist system had thoroughly indoctrinated me.
However, as I dived deep into my master’s program, I realized Marx is not just some boogeyman from history books. He is a profound thinker, writer and visionary whose ideas, though complex, hold surprising relevance in today’s world.
In class discussion, dissecting the seemingly straightforward process of commodity exchange, Marx’s analysis revealed a hidden world of exploitation. His witty use of language, like describing the capitalist as “Mr. Moneybags” captures the capitalist’s relentless pursuit
of surplus value – the unpaid labour fueling their profits. Surplus value refers to the difference between the value a worker produces and wages paid.
More so, Marx famously used the example of linen and cotton factories in his critique. He observed how the seemingly fair exchange of a worker’s time for wages masked a deeper reality. The value of the finished cloth far exceeded the cost of the raw materials and the worker’s wages. This
more surplus value from the labourer’s toil.
Through Marx’s lens, I began to understand that the “common sense” belief in the capitalist world – that working longer hours or taking on more shifts would lead to a better life – was a carefully crafted narrative. At the end of the day, the fundamental struggle of workers remains the same, only masked by the glitter of consumerism.
It’s about recognizing the current system’s limitations and fostering critical thinking
difference represented the surplus value extracted by the factory owner. By extending the workday or introducing faster machinery (seemingly to benefit the worker), the owner could squeeze even
Marx’s critique extends far beyond the factory floor. We see echoes of surplus value extraction in the gig economy, where workers freelance for platforms that take a significant cut of their earnings. Micromanaging workplaces and the rise of automation are modern tools to squeeze more output from employees. Minimum wage
increases that barely keep pace with inflation exemplify how the system can leave workers struggling to survive, never truly benefiting from the wealth they help create.
While Marx may not have provided a detailed blueprint for his ideal society, his critique of capitalism offers a powerful framework for understanding the inequalities and contradictions that persist today. The issues he raised, the exploitation of labour, the boom-and-bust cycles and the ever-widening gap between rich and poor remain worryingly relevant.
Finally, engaging with Marx’s Capital is not about blindly adopting his solutions. It’s about recognizing the current system’s limitations and fostering critical thinking about how we can create a more just and equitable future.
graphic / Teegan Gillich / staff
Midwest princess Chappell Roan reigns TikTok and pop
How a hyperpop drag queen bridged the digital and physical worlds
India Schlegel, staff
Chappell Roan has taken our cyborg world –and my heart – by storm.
The 26-year-old, ultrafemme lesbian, hyperpop drag queen has exploded in popularity following the release of her album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess. I attended a local drag show that celebrated Chappell Roan by performing her entire album. The energy in the room was electric, filled with great drag and otherworldly pop. Chappell Roan’s heart lives in the local, despite her stardom hitting the global stage.
Her initial album release in September 2023 didn’t even chart on the Billboard 200 but went on to hit the top 10 this June. Her weekly streams have grown 20 times what they were at the start of the year, and finally in the past month alone, her Tiktok followers have grown by 76.9 per cent. Chappell Roan’s DIY fashion and campy drag make her performances unique on the big stage. The individuality draws in an audience and TikTok agrees.
The rise of TikTok and its infamous algorithm set a pixel-perfect stage to amplify Chappell Roan’s art and help kick off her career into stardom.
According to Michelle Greenwald, writing for Forbes, the TikTok algorithm is a gold star standard for social media algorithms. It tracks users’ movements so extensively it can “see,” collecting up to 300 data points daily for individual users, higher than any other platform. Accurately categorizing content to suit users has made the platforms especially good at cultivating community and subculture. Making “custom environments” that bring the niche interests and values of individuals together in the comments, through duets and on the “for you” page at large. Because of this algorithm, TikTok has been highly influential on the music industry. Musicians and record labels
use TikTok to get eyes and ears on their art and find their niche audience.
Chappell Roan’s internet rise is a bit more complex and requires a better understanding of the history of the 2SLGBTQIA+ internet. From the early internet days, the 2SLGBTQIA+ community found a place on the web. Initially, in bulletin board systems in the 80s and 90s, and then corporate platforms like AOL in the late 90s, delayed by initial resistance to gay, lesbian and trans forums. The internet has a legacy of being a place where 2SLGBTQIA+ people have found community while hopefully maintaining anonymity, privacy and safety.
Fast forward to today where 2SLGBTQIA+ people are still using the internet to cultivate space for community and subculture – and sometimes hitting the mainstream. The sometimes lifesaving benefits of finding a digital community become worth the potential risk for 2SLGBTQIA+ folks not accepted in their homes
or hometowns.
This is particularly evident among youth. More than two thirds of 2SLGBTQIA+ youth partici-
pate in online 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. The 2SLGBTQIA+ cybersphere is intertwined with real-life and has been since the beginning.
With Chappell Roan, we
can see that intersection of the digital and the physical, or the local. Her shows are credited as community building. They include co-ordinated dress themes shared on Instagram, interactive dances and local drag queen openers. Chappell Roan performs a discography that tells the story of a smalltown girl moving to the big city and having a queer awakening. Her fans can be a part of something bigger and feel connected through the experience.
Chappell Roan comes from a small, religious, conservative town in Missouri and represents part of the 2SLGBTQIA+ digital demographic who escape to the internet to
find community and self-expression. A cyber hub for people to be authentically themselves and be safe doing so.
But she goes a step further and celebrates her smalltown roots, warts and all. Her mini-YouTube documentary, titled The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, opens with Chappell Roan in clogs wading through a creek in Missouri, catching frogs. The film cuts to her describing wonder at performing in her hometown to a room full of 2SLGBTQIA+ fans she never knew existed there, wondering where they were hiding, followed by an image of her in drag standing in that same creek – where she belongs.
Chappell Roan inspires the local meeting the viral in a way that is original for pop. To set the global digital stage calling in small 2SLGBTQIA+ communities break the boundaries of digital subculture and the pop world. This is shown most eloquently in her scholarship program that helped fans afford tickets to her shows. Through the program, 2SLGBTQIA+ kids in the Midwest could join the safe space Chappell Roan creates even if they don’t have the money. Chappell Roan’s ability to harness the power of digital platforms, particularly TikTok, and turn them into realworld connection is a testament to her unique approach. Her authenticity and celebration of her roots reson to address poverty in Canada’s 2SLGBTQ+ communities. ate deeply with fans. She bridges the gap between the digital and physical and redefines what it means to be a pop artist in the modern age. Her rise is not just a personal success story, but a reflection of the evolving landscape of how artists can celebrate, build and sustain community in the digital era.
There’s been extensive criticism in recent years on how the digital bleeding into the physical is a problem that must be fixed, such as the negative impacts of social media algorithms. But in the case of Chappell Roan, we can see a harmony in the overlap, and find hope for our cyborg world.
graphic / Teegan
Gillich / staff
The essential art of yapping
The exclusionary nature of social and cultural capital
India Schlegel, staff
I love getting to know people, but I hate networking. As soon as there are expectations of an exchange measured between what I can supply and what you demand, all life is sucked from the air.
I don’t know how to be a commodity or market myself (despite my communications degree), which makes looking for well-paying jobs that much harder. Meanwhile, the Canadian unemployment rate rose to 6.1 per cent in March this year.
Job hunting is harrowing for me, doing interviews, writing assignments, crafting resumes and cover letters to suit jobs and employers, only to be rejected for months on end. Each job application feels like an audition where you’re not only selling your skills but your very self, to discover that your goods aren’t good enough.
I recall sitting in an interview, my heart pounding as I ironically try to explain how well I manage stress, that I’m quick on my feet and great at communication. Despite my preparation, every answer fell flat under the scrutiny of the interviewer’s gaze – and worse, I keep ending sentences with “if that makes any sense,” and a nervous sip of water. The pressure to present a polished, marketable version of myself left me feeling vulnerable and exposed. It was a stark reminder of how easily the process can make me doubt my own worth.
capital.
Sociologist Pierre Bourdieu theorized the concepts of social and cultural capital, which can help us understand the frameworks at play in the job market. Social capital refers to the networks, con-
value of those around you, is ideal. The assignment of value brings into question the overlap of commodity and relationships. Thus, it highlights how the people you know can be useful to you and your success in the job market.
The pressure to present a polished, marketable version of myself left me feeling vulnerable and exposed
Ultimately, self-commodification is only a fraction of the answer to your job-finding equation. Securing a position hinges more on who you know and how you fit in with people in the know. Suddenly, it becomes clear getting a job is not just about being competent, it’s about being visible, relatable and marketable. Knowing how to yap, and to yap well.
Success in the job market relies on social and cultural
nections and groups one is a part of and can leverage, while cultural capital includes the skills, knowledge and behaviours that signify social standing and are used to achieve social mobility. In the job market, these forms of capital are commodified. Individuals market themselves to gain favour and opportunities.
Networking is a prime example of social capital in action. Through personal and professional streams, being a part of a network of people and strategically utilizing those connections to create value, your value and the
On the other hand, cultural capital is about presenting oneself in a way that aligns with the dominant cultural norms of a network. From the way you dress to the way you talk, embodying cultural norms can increase your value in potential networks and, importantly, potential employers.
But these systems are exclusionary. Those who don’t have access to these forms of capital are at a distinct disadvantage. Individuals who can’t pick up on social queues, who struggle with mental health, who speak with a non-Canadian accent, or who can’t afford to dress the part are left in the margins. They must either conform to these expectations
or face less access to opportunities and, therefore, less economic capital – money.
In 2019, a national job seeker survey showed that applicants found a job through friends 50 per cent of the time, social media 35 per cent of the time and professional networks 37 per cent of the time.
You must conform to the norm. And if you do not fit, you will find yourself marginalized in these networks. According to the federal government’s high school students with intellectual disabilities integration project, “80 per cent of people with autism or intellectual disabilities are unemployed,” and that’s despite adequate training. Additionally, in 2023 there was a 6.5 per cent gap in employment rates between newcomers and Canadian-born workers. This is reduced from the previous gap of 13.1 per cent in 2010, but remains a significant gap nonetheless.
Through an understanding of social and cultural capital, unemployment rates and the gravity of networks in job
acquisition, we can see how issues including ableism, xenophobia, racism and other forms of discrimination are hidden with the idea that people are simply unsuccessfully marketing themselves. The choices for individuals excluded from the dominant social and cultural norms are stark: work twice as hard to fit in, seek out communities that accept and celebrate you as you are or resist these norms and accept limited access to opportunities. Each of these options comes with their own set of challenges and sacrifices.
Therefore, the “essential art of yapping” is not just a skillset but a reflection of a bigger issue. It highlights how our personal identities are commodified in the pursuit of professional success. By recognizing and addressing these exclusionary practices, we can work toward a more inclusive job market that values diversity and fosters true equity. And hopefully, help people find jobs.
graphic / Teegan
Gillich / staff
‘straights’ are formed.
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 Straights, like Sudoku, no single number 1 to 9 can repeat in any row or column. But rows and columns are divided by black squares into compartments. Each compartment must form a “straight.” A straight is a set of numbers with no gaps but it can be in any order, eg [7,6,9,8]. 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.
A “New Hope” for language revitalization
Anishinaabemowin
Maggie A. Clark, staff
Ashort time from now in a galaxy very close to home, a new version of Star Wars will debut at the Centennial Concert Hall.
Nearly half a century since its original release, the first entry in the franchise remains one of the highest grossing films in cinema history after adjusting for inflation. It has been dubbed into more than 50 languages. Now, another translation can be added to the list: Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe).
Audiences will soon hear that immortal line — “may the Force be with you” — spoken as “Gi-ga-miinigoowiz Mamaandaawiziwin.”
The new dub has been described as a language
translation of classic space opera to release in August
revitalization project and received funding from the federal government through the Indigenous Languages and Cultures Program. In 2021, Dougald Lamont, then leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party, proposed the idea to Pablo Hidalgo, a creative executive with Lucasfilm who was raised in Winnipeg.
Two years later, the project — titled Anangong Miigaading — went ahead once an agreement was reached between Lucasfilm, the Dakota Ojibway Tribal Council (DOTC), Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN), and the University of Manitoba. Auditions were carried out earlier this year, with the recording taking place in May.
The Anishinaabemowin
voice cast includes Aandeg Jedi Muldrew as Luke Skywalker, Theresa Eischen as Princess Leia Organa, Ajuawak Kapashesit as Han Solo, Dustin Morrow as ObiWan Kenobi, and Dennis Chartrand as the nefarious Darth Vader. Chartrand also served as the film’s associate translator.
“Outsider” art in the gallery
Two U of M faculty members in the Indigenous studies department were involved in the project. Cary Miller, associate professor, worked as a project lead alongside Maeengan Linklater, director of operations of the DOTC. Pat Ningewance-Nadeau, assistant professor, was the lead translator.
At the time of writing, Miller and Ningewance-Nadeau were unavailable for comment. Miller explained in an email to the author that Disney “wanted us to hold all media coverage” until
Annual exhibition showcases magic and art in queer community
Maggie A. Clark, staff
Pride month may be over, but a new exhibition of 2SLGBTQIA+ art has begun at aceartinc.
Curated by James Turowski, QUEERiosities: A Queerious Art Exhibition opened on July 5 and showcases the work of 20 local artists. The exhibition’s theme is magic and art — the aspects of life represented by the turquoise stripe of the original 1978 rainbow flag design. The displayed works encompass a wide range of media from painting and photography to ceramics and textiles.
Faced with the challenge of how to organize such a diverse array of pieces, Turowski said he tried to “pick works that work well together […] as a unit on a wall where they’ll flow nicely with colours or shapes or styles.” The variety of pieces was meant to provide “a nice overview of what’s being made right now in the queer arts scene in Winnipeg and Manitoba.”
QUEERiosities is the ninth edition of the annual Queerious art show, which Turowski took over as curator in 2019.
“To be queer is to be on the outside and […] a little bit weird, a little bit creative, a little bit different than the norm,” he said, adding that art can be “a great way of processing […] that outsider feeling.”
This comment resonated with the experience of my own queerness. In years past, my self-understanding was shaped by doubt, shame and
fear far more than anything to do with euphoria or self-love. Perhaps this explains my preference for dark, absurd and vulgar depictions of queer identity over brighter and more joyous works.
Finn Swanson-Bilyk’s exhibited piece “Wash Your Hands” — a riff on Marcel Duchamp’s iconic “Fountain” — is a fine example of this absurd vulgarity. Like “Fountain,” “Wash Your Hands” depicts a defaced urinal. Instead of the artist’s signature, however, Swanson-Bilyk littered her ceramic canvas with a plethora of graffiti, including a middle finger, a urinating devil, the words “CALL YOUR MOM” and seemingly a penis and testicles.
Along similar lines, Max Blue’s “Comfort Play” acts as a counterbalance to the mainstream sanitization of queer sexual life. The piece — a headless, limbless mannequin clothed in blue fabric — is wrapped in a bondage harness, covered in patches containing risqué phrases and has a pair of clothespins where the nipples would be on a human torso.
Blue described the piece as an “exploration into kink and fantasy” and a promotion of “finding comfort in turning your brain off and experiencing pleasure.” Emphasizing the patch labelled “T4T,” he added, “I feel I can fully be myself with other trans people and not have [gender] dysphoria come into play.”
An abbreviation of “trans for trans,” the slang term “T4T” refers to trans people who seek out companionship and sexual encounters with fellow trans people.
Likewise, the joy of discovering community based on shared identity is the theme of Ally Gonzalo’s photo collage “Sama-sama,” named after the Tagalog word for “altogether.”
In preparing the piece, they took pictures of 44 queer Filipinx people and allies, although only 42 appear in the finished product. The other two had not come out and did not consent to being included in the work.
Gonzalo intended the piece to highlight diversity within the community. “Just because the Filipino population here […] does tend to be [queerphobic], it doesn’t have to be,” they said.
As of the 2021 census, Winnipeg is home to a Filipinx population of around 80,000 people. To truly represent the significance of the community, Gonzalo remarked that they would have preferred to print a larger version of the collage — “even life-size, if it’s possible” — but faced budget constraints due to the cost of printing and production. Fortunately, funding from Bahaghari Pride Manitoba allowed them to complete the project.
“Look at us,” Gonzalo said. “This is how beautiful the community is, and whether you like it or not, we’re not going anywhere!”
closer to the release date.
“It will be a special moment when a young person sees their own ancestral language spoken on the big screen,” Ningewance-Nadeau told UM Today in May. “It will mean that our language is relevant. It belongs here today. It is not a thing of the past.”
Anangong Miigaading premieres at the Centennial Concert Hall on August 8, 2024 and will receive a limited release in Winnipeg starting on August 10.
The invitation to look may well have been directed at the floating disembodied eyes on the opposite wall, which belonged to a surrealist Jude Yallowega painting titled “Baba Yaga.”
In addition to being a painter, Yallowega is a drag queen who performs under the name Miss Gender. “Baba Yaga” is a self-portrait based on a drag look he adopted on multiple occasions. Inspired by the Russian folklore character of the same name, Yallowega says he was fascinated by the description of Baba Yaga in feminist texts as a “phallic mother.”
“I take a lot of power in presenting myself both […] in a gender-fucked way as well as […] the beneficiary of her whims and magic,” he
explained. The character “has a very significant place in my heart as someone who was raised a girl [and] had girlhood imposed onto him.”
By contrast, Yallowega’s other piece in the exhibition, a mixed-media painting named “Yellow Guy #4,” is more abstract in the representation of its subject. Although he finds it “easy” to envision himself in a drag persona, “when I’m trying to portray myself as […] a gender-non-conforming trans man, I really falter with the details. […] I’m just a little yellow guy.”
QUEERiosities: A Queerious Art Exhibition runs at aceartinc. (206 Princess Street) until August 3, 2024. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
graphic / Teegan Gillich / staff
photo / Nischal
Karki / staff
Baba Yaga / Jude Yallowega / artist
“My medicine is making art”
Celebrated local artist launches new solo show at WAG-Qaumajuq
Maggie A. Clark, staff
cclaimed multidisci-
A
plinary artist Lita Fontaine (Mikinaak Ikwe) premiered a long-awaited solo show at Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG)-Qaumajuq earlier this month.
Fontaine is a 1997 graduate of the U of M’s school of art program and a founding member of Urban Shaman Gallery. Her first solo exhibition at the WAG, Without Reservation, was curated by Cathy Mattes in 2002. Fontaine has taught classes at the WAG Studio and recently retired as the artist-in-residence of Seven Oaks School Division.
Titling the new exhibit Winyan (the Dakota word for “woman”), the Dakota/Anishinaabe/Métis artist sought to celebrate Indigenous femininities as a source of beauty and a form of resistance to heteropatriarchal violence under colonialism.
The theme even extends to the colour of the walls. Exhibit curator Marie-Anne Redhead chose pastel pink precisely for its association with femininity. She observed that many people seem to identify themselves with either their affinity for or aversion to pink.
“Especially when women say, ‘I love pink,’” Redhead said, “it’s dismissed as frivolous” because of cultural connotations that mark women’s hobbies and aesthetic choices as “shallow [and] superficial.”
Redhead worked closely with Fontaine during the curation process.
with floral, berry and medallion motifs. Many are circular in shape and nearly all have a pleasing symmetry.
“I grew up with the teachings and the Medicine Wheel around me,” Fontaine said, “so I’ve learned to understand balance,” adding that the circle has a particular significance in Indigenous culture because “it’s continuous, never-ending.”
In addition, buffalo skulls
adian traditions, where they often appear as a memento mori — a sombre reminder of death’s inevitability. For an immediate example of this, you can stroll down the hall into WAG-Qaumajuq’s ongoing Jean Paul Riopelle retrospective and glimpse one of his early-period still lifes titled “Nature bien morte.”
“I grew up with the teachings and the Medicine Wheel around me, so I’ve learned to understand balance”
“You need to get to know the artist and to understand their practice,” as Redhead put it. A curator must also “respect [the artist] where they are now too, especially somebody like Lita who’s been practicing for so long.”
Fontaine’s wealth of artistic experience makes itself apparent as you walk through the gallery. The exhibit is full of bright and colourful works
— Lita Fontaine, artist
recur frequently in the artist’s work. For Fontaine, “the buffalo skull represents the Sun Dance […] It’s become one of my main motifs in my work [in which] it represents strength and hope and beauty.”
This came as an interesting revelation to me. My familiarity with the use of skulls in art comes primarily from European and Euro-Can-
Although “nature morte” is the French expression for “still life,” the direct English translation is “dead nature.” Thus, in view of the skull placed in the foreground, Riopelle’s title can be read both as a pun and a meditation on death, but in Fontaine’s work, the skull appears to symbolize the exact opposite.
Perhaps surprisingly, Winyan is primarily a showcase of Fontaine’s newer pieces, many from 2023 onwards. She attributed her recent productivity to the COVID-19 pandemic. In early 2020, “a lot of things closed down […] I
needed to do something, I needed to find strength […] so, as an artist, my medicine is making art.”
A major outlier in the exhibit, both in period and style, is “Mom Too,” a 19992000 collage that was also exhibited in her 2002 solo show. Much darker than the other pieces on display and an exception to Fontaine’s later move toward symmetry, Redhead nonetheless selected it because she “want[ed] her mother to be a presence in the show because so much of who she is as a person now is directly influenced by her mother.”
“Mom Too” contains an image of Bill C-31, federal legislation passed in 1985 to amend the Indian Act’s sexist provisions denying status to women who married nonstatus men. Fontaine’s social commentary continues to the present day with her latest iteration of “A Woman’s Drum” displaying a photograph of red dresses hanging outside Camp Marcedes.
The original installation
was intended as a “reclamation of the drum,” which Dakota women were prohibited from playing in the aftermath of colonization. Now that this is no longer the case, Fontaine felt it was necessary to update the piece in tribute of Marcedes Myran, an Indigenous woman whose remains are widely believed to be in the Prairie Green landfill. Despite the continuing struggle against male colonial violence, Fontaine stressed the importance of acknowledging Indigenous resilience and beauty.
“I don’t carry as much angst as I used to,” she said. “I wanted to […] deal with the beauty that I have within myself and bring it out. I don’t want to be stuck in that trauma.”
Lita Fontaine: Winyan is on display at WAG-Qaumajuq until January 12, 2025. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
photo / Nischal Karki / staff
Pan Am boxing holds tournament in Winnipeg
Amateur boxers from across Canada converged, showcased talent
Abdul-Jalilu Ahmed, staff
Amateur boxers exhibited glimpses of talent ahead of future bouts during a boxing event held at Pan Am Boxing Club in Winnipeg on July 6.
The event – dubbed Basement Battle #2 – brought together amateur boxers from different boxing clubs across Canada.
The amateur boxers appeared determined in the ring and battled it out in three rounds of two minutes each. The boxers went all out with jabs during their attacks and applied defensive tactics when cornered by their opponent.
In a sparring demo, Tristin Courchene of Pan Am, Man. took to the ring with Cole Smith of Sandman Boxing System, Sask.
Ripan Singh, Pan Am, Man. squared off with Nathan Burley, Mecha Martial Arts and Athletics, Ont. Singh made use of his fists, unleashing thunderous jabs to claim a unanimous decision.
Denny Ledoux, Sandman, Sask. emerged victorious over Ally Dumaua, Pan Am, Man. as the bout was decided by way of referee stopped contest (RSC).
Clarissa Diaz, Pan Am, Man. was floored by Kaylee
Dillabough of Brickhouse Gym, Man. with Dillabough winning the bout in a RSC decision.
Crixus Walliser, Lonsdale Boxing Club, Sask. put up an energetic display to earn supremacy over Nick Goudie, Pan Am, Man. via a RSC decision.
Following the resumption of the remaining bouts, a unanimous decision went the way of Shea Kokoru of Peak Performance and Athletics, Man. after showcasing
irresistible and thrilling dominance over Khanh Vuong of Mecha, Ont.
Jon Kauenhowen, Brickhouse, Man. swept aside Harry Rehal, Pan Am, Man. through a split decision.
James Park, Mecha, Ont.
was defeated through a RSC by Matvey Martynov, Peak, Man.
Kyle Grenier, Pan Am, Man. outclassed Charlie Ibache, Lonsdale, Sask. to sail through with a split decision.
In the 50/50 contest, Jerzey Gallinger, Pan Am, Man. outwitted Yehor Marchenko, United Boxing Club, Man., 4-1. More mouthwatering boxing events will be rolled out in the course of the year. See panamboxing.com for more information.
Valour FC look to improve performance
Winnipeg-based team accumulate three out of nine points in last three home games
Abdul-Jalilu Ahmed, staff
C
anadian Premier League side Valour FC are in the hunt for a convincing performance following a home defeat to Cavalry FC in a matchday 13, scheduled at the Princess Auto Stadium.
The Winnipeg-based side, playing in front of a calm atmosphere of 3,770 spectators, failed to live up to expectations, conceding in the 34th minute as Cavalry FC’s Fraser Aird unleashed a ferocious drive with the outer foot into the roof of the net.
Valour FC were handed golden moments to make amends and alter the narrative but frittered away what could have been game-changing chances to either equalize or secure a win.
In the 13th minute, Valour FC’s Jordan Swibel, after latching on to a through pass to stay onside, veered into a one-on-one situation with Cavalry FC’s goalkeeper Marco Carducci but the striker’s feeble shot was parried to the left side by the goalkeeper.
Valour FC were later reduced to ten men in the closing stage of the match, following a red card to Roberto Alarcón Sáez for striking a Cavalry FC player.
In the 91st minute, Carducci sealed the day with
an audacious save of a goalbound chance from Valour FC’s Abdul Binate which was followed up on by teammate Loïc Kwemi. The goalkeeper was up to the task, denying the ball from maneuvering its way into the net.
Valour FC, in their last three matches at Princess Auto Stadium, won one match and
lost two matches, accumulating three points and dropping six points. Valour FC lost 2-3 to Pacific FC on June 14, beat York United FC by a lone goal on June 27 and lost 0-1 to Cavalry FC on July 7.
“You have to win at home and away. Absolutely. We don’t need to sugarcoat that, of course we do,” said GM and
head coach Phillip Dos Santos.
“If we want to win the confidence of our fans, and we want to leave here with a fanbase that is happy, you need to win home matches. There we are in total agreement. And that is why we work every day,” Dos Santos added. In the Canadian Premier
League table, Valour FC are bottom rooted at 7th position with 10 points after 13 matches, winning three matches, drawing one game and losing nine matches. Valour FC have scored 13 goals and conceded 23 goals. Valour FC take on Forge FC in their next home game August 4.
Canada men’s national team make Copa América history
Canada qualified from group stage to quarter- and semifinals
Abdul-Jalilu Ahmed, staff
The Canada men’s national soccer team, CANMNT, made history with a knockout stage qualification in a debut Copa América appearance in the United States.
The Canada men’s national team inked their name in soccer history books on June 29 after putting up spirited performances to propel them from the group stage to the quarter finals in their firstever appearance in 2024 Copa América.
Canada was paired with Argentina, Chile and Peru in Group A of the tournament, opening their historical feat with the first game against tournament favourite and giants Argentina on June 20.
Despite daring attacks from Canada, Argentina managed to ward off attacks to stay purposeful throughout the game with a 2-0 win at the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga.
In their second group stage match, on June 25, Canada made a swift recovery from
their previous defeat to record a 1-0 triumph over Peru, bagging three points and a goal. Jonathan David scored the only goal for Canada in the 74th minute at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kan.
Canada stayed on track to wrestle for a point against Chile as the final match at the group stage ended goalless at the Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando, Fla. on June 29.
After playing three group stage matches, Canada finished second to Argentina in Group A, piling four points on the table, five points below table-toppers Argentina, scoring one goal and conceding two goals.
Canada achieved a historical feat as they extended their tournament odyssey with a quarter final game against Venezuela.
“There is real excitement in Canada about the team and the way we’ve played,” said Canada men’s national team head coach Jesse Marsch,
according to Fox Sports.
“That comes with, I think, a real hunger to keep this thing moving forward,” he added.
At AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on July 5, soccer aficionados, spectators and soccer-loving fans of Copa América globally, were handed a spectacular and unforgettable game filled with end-to-end action, incessant pressing and counter-pressing as Canada drew 1-1 with Venezuela after 90 minutes and added time.
said Canada men’s national team captain Alphonso Davies, in an interview with TSN.
Canada booked a semifinal clash with heavyweight and reigning World Cup champions Argentina, but a star-studded Argentina led by global soccer icon Lionel Messi brushed Canada aside with two unanswered goals at
ball possession percentage of 49 while Argentina wrapped up with 51 per cent.
“I think we just lacked efficiency in the final third,” said Marsch, in an interview with Fox Sports.
“Every match we created big chances. I know that they are very disappointed, but I’m very proud of them. We’ve put together some incredible performances,” Marsch added.
Canada achieved a historical feat as they extended their tournament odyssey
Canada opened the score through Jacob Shaffelburg in the 13th minute after curling home an assist from a run of play, but Venezuela crawled back to level pegging in the 64th minute with José Rondón’s halfway volley. The winner had to be decided via penalty kick with Canada converting four penalties to progress.
“We’re hungrier than ever,”
MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. on July 9.
Goal bound chances fell on the feet of Canadians but were blown apart, leading to a shattered dream of a final appearance and cup glory. Three golden chances emerged on the field for Canada, but those chances could not land in Argentina’s net.
Despite conceding two goals, Canada chased Argentina with their last breath for a
Canada could have left the tournament with a third-place finish after taking a 2-1 lead, but Luis Suárez scored in deep stoppage time for Uruguay to even the scores 2-2. The winner had to be decided via spot kick and Uruguay seized the moment with a 4-3 win over Canada.
