January 31, 2019

JANUARY 31, 2019

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YOUR UNI VE R S I T Y O F SAS K ATC H E WA N ST UDE NT NE WS PA P E R S I N C E 1 9 1 2

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The University of Saskatchewan’s main campus is situated on Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the Métis.

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Usask expert weighs in on Does your job cost an arm Ping-pong at the Remai? new Canada food guide and a leg?

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NEWS

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | Nykole King

editor@thesheaf.com NEWS EDITOR

CULTURE EDITOR

Tanner Bayne

Cole Chretien

news@thesheaf.com

culture@thesheaf.com

SPORTS & HEALTH EDITOR

OPINIONS EDITOR

Jack Thompson sportshealth@thesheaf.com

Erin Matthews opinions@thesheaf.com

STAFF WRITER

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NEWS

Saskatoon’s newest cannabis retailer looks to light up Riversdale Kiaro’s goal is to change both the way people think about and purchase cannabis.

Ana Cristina Camacho staffwriter@thesheaf.com

JACK THOMPSON

SPORTS & HEALTH EDITOR

COPY EDITOR | Amanda Slinger copy@thesheaf.com LAYOUT MANAGER | Kaitlin Wong layout@thesheaf.com PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR | Riley Deacon photo@thesheaf.com GRAPHICS EDITOR | Jaymie Stachyruk graphics@thesheaf.com WEB EDITOR | Mitchell Gaertner web@thesheaf.com OUTREACH DIRECTOR | J.C. Balicanta Narag outreach@thesheaf.com AD & BUSINESS MANAGER | Shantelle Hrytsak ads@thesheaf.com COVER IMAGE

David Hartman BOARD OF DIRECTORS Matthew Taylor Mikaila Ortynsky Kayle Neis Emily Klatt Jacob Lang

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2 / NEWS

Saskatoon’s 20th Street is home to a variety of businesses and has seen its newest addition with Kiaro, Bridge City’s newest cannabis retailer.

Derived from the Italian word for light, Kiaro’s approach to cannabis revolves around illumination by removing stigma and providing education.

Located at 212 20th Street West, Kiaro hosted their grand opening on Jan. 26 and 27.

Along with cannabis strains, Kiaro sells designer smoking accessories, cannabis appliances, such as a decarboxylator, and the standard fare of rolling papers. The space itself is akin to other high-end retailers: brightly lit and high tech with touch-screen computers holding the store’s catalogue.

Andrew Gordon, senior vice-president for Kiaro, says Kiaro’s vision is based on informed, refined decision making.

“We really want to create a refined retail experience. We want to be an inviting, socially responsible and compliant operator in the community, and we’re really focused on destigmatizing cannabis use,” Gordon said. “It’s important — through education, service and support — to empower people with information and resources, so they can make informed decisions about their own choices with cannabis.”

Gordon expanded on this notion of consumer education and how it takes shape not only in staff-customer interactions but also in the products that they have available. “[Our education] is really focused around a product offering that is very nuanced in terms of the need state of our customers — making sure we’re not overwhelming people, that we provide a really

Riley Deacon / Photo Editor Digital cannabis ordering stations stand in front of the featured flower wall of cannabis in Kiaro on Jan. 28, 2019.

detailed experience of each product and the people, the purpose and the passion behind each of the products because we are so limited in our conversation in a non-medical private retail environment,” Gordon said.

For Gordon, the types of conversations that cannabis retailers can have with their customers are changing.

“We can’t talk about the efficacy of cannabis anymore, so we really have to talk about the products in a way that you’ll see in a lot of other retail environments: how it’s made, where it’s drawn from, the people that add value to the product and really allowing them to get a sense of the value in a regulated product that’s quality assured and analytically tested,” Gordon said.

In addition to education, Kiaro also states a focus on community, both in being connected to the community around them as well as interacting with them directly.

One way in which this initiative manifested is through the inclusion of four local artists, who each made a design for the store in advance of their grand opening.

Gordon also explains the importance of a connection to community and expands on how they view their presence in the community.

“When you look at the opportunity we have as cannabis retailers to help normalize, contextualize and destigmatize cannabis use in the community, it’s important that we’re great brand ambassadors ourselves, so we really focus here on the people first,” Gordon said. “Our staff are our first customers actually, so we look to empower them with information, resources and training that not only meets but exceeds regulatory expectations, and more importantly, the community interest.”

Kiaro is aiming to work closely with their businessimprovement association and look for volunteer initiatives that, as Gordon notes, could include initiatives either around the conversation of cannabis or beautifying the neighbourhood.

For Gordon, Kiaro aims to provide a refined experience in and out of their store.

“We have to be great brand ambassadors for cannabis, and that means getting out and being proud consumers — showing that this isn’t about Cheech and Chong or those extreme outlier examples,” Gordon said. “This is working professionals and emerging, active seniors looking to improve and enhance their quality of life.”

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Who will represent international Students to face $20 students if the ISA goes MIA? increase in student International student leaders reflect on why the ISA did not stimulate student interest.

fees after students’ council vote Undergraduates will pay more to the Infrastructure Fee, the USSU Student Fee, the Transit Fee and the Health and Dental Plan.

TANNER BAYNE NEWS EDITOR

On Jan. 24, the University Students’ Council met for their weekly meeting. In the more than two-hour-long meeting, councillors and the University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union executive met with the organization’s Elder-inResidence, discussed and voted on student fees, and talked about cultural sensitivity training.

Riley Deacon / Photo Editor Students gather and work in the Global Connections lounge inside the ISSAC on the U of S campus on Nov. 26, 2018.

ANA CRISTINA CAMACHO STAFF WRITER

In 2017, an executive team led by Nancy Eze brought back the International Students’ Association, which represents and advocates for all international students at the University of Saskatchewan. Only a year later, the ISA has stopped their activities after no one attended their annual elections.

When planning the return of the ISA, Eze, fourth-year physiology and pharmacology student and former president of the ISA, was told by the International Student and Study Abroad Centre that past ISA executives had failed to keep the organization going after they graduated. Now, Eze and her team find themselves in the same situation, unable to find people to carry the organization forward.

Eze says that the lack of active participants has limited the ISA from the start.

“We had that first meeting, and a lot of people put in their ideas, but everyone that signed up, when we emailed them, said they weren’t interested. It was very disheartening,” Eze said.

“A lot of international students don’t want to get involved in university politics because they come here paying so much [in tuition] that they just want to study. They feel like they don’t have time for it.”

María Celeste Nuñez, fourthyear environmental student and president of the U of S Latin American Students’ Associa-

tion, says the lack of student interest in the ISA might have stemmed from miscommunications regarding their purpose.

“They called for a general assembly of all international students and invited us to participate and run for executives, but at the time, I didn’t really know what the group was about or why they were creating it,” Nuñez said. “Seeing a new student association that says they are going to represent all of us formed without much communication or collaboration probably diminished the effectiveness of the ISA.” Nuñez says that international students would have a better communication system if organizations like the ISA sourced their leaders from existing executive teams.

“Making a new group and calling for anyone to be an executive member — there’s no clear pyramid of communication there,” Nuñez said. “If chosen leaders go to meetings, they can pass down information to their teams and then to their members — there are clear communication levels.

It just creates a better structure than having a separate entity.”

A group with the organizational model that Nuñez suggests already exists in the ISSAC’s Global Connections Network, where representatives from international student groups as well as other cultural groups with an international focus meet to discuss topics that concern the international student body. Eze says that, in a situation where international students need advocacy, a sep-

arate entity specifically for international students such as the ISA would be more effective if they had the proper resources.

“ISSAC helps a lot, and people go to ISSAC, and from there, to their [academic] departments, but the university is such a big body that communications sometimes get lost,” Eze said. “We need student advocacy for better communication.

We were hoping to bridge the gap between the university and international students. That is still the aim of the organization.”

Nuñez agrees that keeping the organization going or starting over with a similar group would be beneficial for international students.

“A group like that is good because it gives strength to the international student body — I fully support their idea,” Nuñez said. “I believe the ISA had the best intentions, and their agenda was very beneficial. I understand that it’s just difficult.”

However, the ISA might still return to action. Eze is set to meet with Akinwande Akingbelin, international students’ representative for the University Students’ Council, to discuss the topic. Whatever the changes that might need to be made for the ISA to carry on, Eze is eager to see other students take charge of the association before she graduates.

“If anyone is interested in carrying on the legacy, they should contact me,” Eze said.

“I had a vision for this association, but we need people to [bring] it to life. I just hope this organization carries on.”

Elder-in-Residence introduction: The USSU’s first-ever Elder-in-Residence, Marjorie Beaucage, introduced herself to council. Originally from Métis territory in Manitoba, Elder Beaucage has lived in Saskatchewan for half of her life, and she says that her life experience has prepared her for the position.

“I’m a Two-Spirit activist, artist [and] educator. I have been questioning things since I was born — I still do,” Beaucage said. “I’m here because you’re the future, and whatever I have learned, I can share to you. The movements I have been part of, the things I’ve learned from the land and from the mother — that is what I have to pass on.”

Elder Beaucage is slated to be on campus weekly on Wednesdays, and the locations and topics of her teachings can be found on the USSU website.

Student-fee increases: The USC voted on proposed increases to four student fees presented by the USSU executive. The Infrastructure Fee and the Saskatoon Transit Fee are tied to the consumer price index, and the executive proposed to increase them by the contractually demanded 1.1 per cent.

In addition, a 5 per cent increase to the USSU Undergraduate Student Fee was proposed. After consultation with Studentcare, the USSU executive presented a 4.55 per cent increase to the USSU Health and Dental plan. This proposed increase will cover vision care, the amount allocated for health practitioner’s coverage per visit, which is to be raised from $20 to $40, and the annual maximum coverage for practitioner coverage, which is to be raised from $400 to $500.

After more than an hour of discussion over how insurance premiums work, the USC passed all proposed increases. Based on the fee rates for the 2018-2019 academic year, the total increase will be $19.59.

ISC president recommendations: Regan Ratt-Misponas, Indigenous Students’ Council president, suggested that the USC should table the vote for the increased fees, saying that increased involvement with the constituent students is necessary.

Additionally, Ratt-Misponas asked if it would be appropriate for all USSU staff to take cultural sensitivity training with Elder Beaucage. Rollin Baldhead, USSU President, put forward a motion for USSU staff to take mandatory sensitivity training for “12 or six” hours.

Brent Kobes, USSU vice-president operations and finances, made a point of order that the motion is beyond the scope of the USC as the motion pertains to the Human Resources Policy. USSU General Manager Caroline Cottrell said that the USSU cannot legally make staff undergo that training. Cottrell also said that USSU staff would have to be paid for the training, and so it would be a “huge budget item.” Baldhead’s motion was not moved.

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Empty wallet or empty stomach: How palatable is Canada’s Food Guide?

The new food guide emphasizes healthy eating habits, variety and plants.

TEEVIN FOURNIER

In mid-January, Health Canada released the update to Canada’s Food Guide. The new guide focuses on eating foods that please you and building healthy food habits rather than focusing on the amount of food consumed.

This is the first alteration made to Canada’s Food Guide since 2007. The changes were made over a period of three years and incorporate current research findings. The immediate differences Canadians will see in the new food guide are the elimination of recommended portions and no differentiation for age and sex.

In the past, Canada’s Food Guide has been criticized for appealing too much to industry. Gordon Zello, professor of nutrition in the College of Pharmacy and Nutrition at the University of Saskatchewan, says that, this time around, Health Canada took a different approach.

“They did not speak to the industry with regards to determining what would be in the food guide,” Zello said. “They talked to stakeholders like myself, dietitians [and] the general public to see what they’d like.”

Since its release, the new food guide has been criticized as being inaccessible to lower socioeconomic households.

However, Zello states that nutritious food options, as presented in the main graphic for Canada’s Food Guide, are not always expensive.

“A big problem that I see when I look at this beautiful picture is that it could look very expensive, especially for students and people of low socioeconomic status. You can eat frozen or low-sodium canned food and get the same amount of nutrients,” Zello said. “I guess they didn’t want to put a pack of frozen spinach on the picture — it’s not as nice looking.”

The number of food groups

has also changed from four to three, and the guide provides information on the development of healthy eating habits.

The new food guide shows a figurative plate divided into three parts: half the plate is a mix of many fruits and vegetables, one quarter is a mix of whole grains, and the final quarter is made up of various protein sources, including yogurt, beef and tofu.

The new guide has combined the food groups previously labelled “meat and alternatives” and “milk and alternatives” into one category now labelled “protein foods,” providing a more open approach to protein sources. Zello says this change has resonated with his students.

“I had a discussion with my students, and most of them were actually pleased that [the guide has] gone to more of a plant-based approach because it allows for a lot of different varieties of different foods they can eat,” Zello said.

Jaymie Stachyruk / Graphics Editor

For those concerned about the reduction of four food groups to three, Zello reminds us that the main goal of the food guide is to promote a healthy diet.

“It’s a guide. You’re not actually eliminating things from the diet. You’re just saying, ‘There are things that you should consider eating to improve your health,’” Zello said.

Another big change people will notice with the new guide is that it emphasizes developing healthy habits. For Zello,

learning these healthy food habits is something that most Canadians, even food educators, need to do.

“There’s a lot of sayings like ‘be mindful of your eating habits’ and ‘cook more often,’ which even in our program, [we] have to spend time teaching our nutrition students how to cook because they’ve lost those skills,” Zello said. “Enjoy your food, so it’s not something you should just wolf down and not think about. Find foods that you like — try new ones.”

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THIS IS WHERE IT STARTS WE WANT WRITERS LIKE YOU!

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Huskie Formula Racing:

SPORTS&HEALTH

Ice racing in Blackstrap

City of rinks: Reviewing Saskatoon’s outdoor skating venues

U of S racers took some practice laps at Blackstrap Lake.

Where is the best place in the city to lace up this winter?

David Hartman Matthew Hill, Katelyn Braun, Mitchel Knaus, Brendan Deibert and Chad Lucyshyn, pictured left to right, push the Huskie Formula Racing “S8” vehicle back into the paddock at Blackstrap Lake, Sask., on Jan. 26, 2019.

Heywood Yu A skater smiles while sitting on the Rink in the Bowl after its grand opening on the University of Saskatchewan campus in Saskatoon on Jan. 8, 2018.

TIANA KIRSTEIN

Skating is a great way to exercise, relieve stress, fight those winter blues and have some fun.

Saskatoon has plenty of free skating, but with over 50 outdoor rinks in the city to choose from, where should you lace up?

Armed with my favourite pair of skates and over 16 years of skating experience, I headed out to check out four outdoor rinks either close to or on the university campus. I gave each rink a rating out of five skate emojis based on each rinks’ own merits.

In fourth place is the quintessential outdoor rink at Sutherland School. Most communities in Saskatoon have a rink similar to this one, typically situated beside a school, so students should be able to find a similar rink in the neighbourhood they live in.

It’s the only rink I visited that allowed hockey to be played and had nets available for use.

That being said, the ice is rather rough, and you must have your own skates. This rink is ideal if you want to shoot a puck around or have a casual game of hockey with your friends, but it wasn’t very exciting to me.

My overall rating:

In third place is our university’s own Rink in the Bowl, created by the University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union. This

rink’s greatest feature is its location. It’s conveniently located in the middle of the main part of campus, surrounded by beautiful architecture.

Skates can be rented for free at the PAC with a student card, but it’s recommended that you bring your own. Free hot chocolate is also offered on Wednesday afternoons from 1 to 4 p.m., provided by U of S Culinary Services. Unfortunately for hockey players, hockey is not allowed.

My overall rating:

In second place is the Cameco Meewasin Skating Rink at Nutrien Plaza, located right beside the famous Bessborough hotel and the river, making it very scenic. This rink is easily the most popular rink in the city and for good reason. It’s located just across the river from the university, making it just a short drive or bus ride away.

The rink is close to the downtown area, making it easy to grab some food or a nice hot beverage to warm up after skating.

Skating there is free and open to the public every day from noon until 9 p.m. Skates can be rented during public skating hours for a donation. The rink also boasts a nice warm-up lodge adjacent to the ice surface where skaters can warm up beside a wood-burning stove.

However, this is a busy ice surface, making for rougher ice, and

there is no hockey allowed. Despite these small pitfalls, this rink is an iconic part of the Saskatoon experience.

My overall rating:

My top rink is a little-known gem just north of the main campus in Garden Park at Innovation Place, near Boffins Public House.

It’s easily within walking distance of the main part of campus and has free parking nearby if you’re not in the mood for a chilly walk.

The small pond is transformed into the most adorable, picturesque rink in the city. There is a small fire pit near the pond, which can be used by the public for all your warm-up needs, making up for the lack of an indoor warm-up area.

The ice itself is very smooth for a pond, and I’ve found it to be regularly under-populated.

I’d recommend going sometime during the week as the ice is not cleared on the weekends. This tiny rink is definitely worth checking out with friends, with a date or even by yourself.

My overall rating:

I highly recommend spending time at any of the rinks in the city, not only those listed above, so check out the interactive map on Saskatoon.ca.

Remember to dress warmly, tie your skates tightly and be careful — ice is slippery.

David Hartman Isaac Walsh drifts the Huskie Formula Racing “S1” vehicle around a corner during the team’s ice-racing performance testing on Blackstrap Lake, Sask., on Jan. 26, 2019.

HEYWOOD YU

Huskie Formula Racing continued their tradition of organizing the ice-racing session in Blackstrap, Sask., on Jan. 27.

With 2019’s Formula SAE Lincoln fast approaching, the session is crucial for the team’s preparation for the competition.

The team brought two of their legacy cars, S1 and S8, to Blackstrap Lake. A mini racecourse was set up on the ice with the assistance of snow shovels and traffic cones.

Members of the team who have passed the medical and safety test are permitted to drive for five laps per turn. The event is part of the team’s preparations for the competition in Lincoln, Neb., in the United States. The technical leads and safetymarshal stood by in case of mechanical issues or accidents.

Kevin Noel, the marketing lead of the Huskie Formula Racing team, expressed that ice racing is essential as it prepares the squad to cope with technical difficulties during a competition.

“They do have a lot of the experienced guys on there who are definitely used to repairing everything that can go wrong with [the car],” Noel said. “But for a lot of the new guys, like some first- and second-year engineers, [this] is their first time on the team, [so they] won’t really know what sort of issues might come up with [the car].”

The team also enjoyed quality bonding time in the cold, with a campfire and refreshments.

“As far as the team building [goes], it’s honestly just about dragging a bunch of people out in the cold,” Noel said. “We just huddled around the campfire for a long time, and it was just good to talk to a lot of people on the team.”

Despite it being the middle of the season, Noel states that anyone across campus is more than welcome to join, even those without an engineering background.

“We always accept new members,” Noel said. “We are trying to make [Huskie Formula Racing] very much like a diverse group — any sort of creative input we can get from anyone would definitely be a huge help.”

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SPORTS&HEALTH

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Panic attack party When you experience panic attacks on campus, what’s the best way to cope with them?

SHAWNA LANGER HOPE N.S. JEFFERY

A must-tri arm workout If you can’t make it to the PAC or your regular gym, grab something like an art history textbook to use instead of a dumbbell. We are working on arms this week.

Bicep curl: 20 repetitions

Tricep extension: 20 repetitions

Overhead press: 20 repetitions

Reverse fly: 20 repetitions

All graphics by Jaymie Stachyruk / Graphics Editor

6 / SPORTS & HEALTH

I can’t breathe. Should I go home? I need to sit. Where should I go? I need to calm down. I look stupid. This is embarrassing. I need to get it together. I swear if somebody tells me “you just need to breathe” I’m going to— If you have experienced this thought process on campus, come join the panic attack party. University is an overwhelming place, and I would be lying if I said I’ve never had a panic attack on campus.

Hyperventilating with mascara running down my face on the ground floor of Murray Library — what a welcoming way to enter the 2019 winter term.

One of the most difficult things I experience whilst in the midst of a panic attack is the inability to process things as they are in the moment.

My mind is running a million miles a minute, my heart is racing, and my breathing is shallow and rapid as it feels like there are no solutions to the issues at hand.

You may have experienced thoughts like “I shouldn’t feel like this” or “If I continue to panic, people are going to judge me” or — my favourite — “They can see that I’m panicking, so they must think I’m weak/crazy/useless.”

These thought processes are incredibly self-destructive and will often make a person feel more anxious and panicked.

There are many skills you can learn from professionals or read about online, but the reality is that you likely won’t remember them while you’re having a panic attack. The most generic and commonly suggested method to calm down is “just try to breathe.”

Breathing is incredibly important to control, but someone who is hyperventilating probably isn’t just going to

Shawna Langer

have the sudden realization of “Oh, wow, thanks! I never thought about breathing!

I’ll just start breathing again” when offered this advice during a panic attack.

Using grounding techniques to bring yourself back to reality can help you feel more in control of the situation. Something commonly known as the 54321 technique has been circulating widely to help ground you during anxiety or panic attacks.

This technique involves naming 5 things you can see, 4 things you can physically feel, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell and 1 good thing about yourself. There are a few different varieties of grounding techniques, and no single technique is better than another. It’s all based on your personal preference.

But another thing I have found helpful is that — believe it or not — a lot of professors are fairly understanding of panic and will-

My mind is running a million miles a minute, my heart is racing, and my breathing is shallow and rapid as it feels like there are no solutions to the issues at hand.

ing to help however they can.

I have walked into one of my former professor’s office mid-panic attack, asked if I could sit there to calm down and stayed for three hours.

I will forever be grateful for that support.

It is so important to find somewhere you feel safe if you are experiencing panic attacks on campus. The Student Wellness Centre is the best place to go for support, and they also offer drop-in counselling services on weekday afternoons.

Drop-In Peer Support is available at Peer Health in Marquis 104, located across from the bookstore, throughout the week from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays, 12 to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursdays, and 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Fridays.

Feeling a certain level of anxiety is normal as it can help prepare us for dangerous situations. The point where anxiety becomes problematic is when our bodies perceive danger when there isn’t an immediate threat — which is what happens when you experience a panic attack.

We cannot simply eliminate feelings of anxiety, nor do we want to — they are normal!

The goal is to learn to manage them.

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U of S Rugby: Moose Jaw tournament Moose Jaw saw tough competition as rugby teams from across the Prairies competed.

HEYWOOD YU

The University of Saskatchewan Rugby Club participated in the Moose Jaw tournament on Jan. 26 at the Yara Centre.

With the forthcoming national tournament, the Moose Jaw tournament provided the team with the opportunity to improve the lineups and make substitutions.

The U of S women’s team was situated in Pool B, along with two other teams, including University of Calgary Team 1 and the University of Brandon. U of S men’s Team 2 was placed in Pool A, along with U of C Team 2 and the University of Regina, while U of S men’s Team 1 competed with U of C Team 1 and the University of Manitoba in Pool B. The women’s squad conceded a 0-15 loss against U of C Team 1 in their first game of the tournament.

However, the team made a huge comeback and claimed a massive 50-0 victory against the U of B — putting them

at second in their pool and sending them into playoffs.

The women’s squad carried their momentum from the victory in the preliminary stage into the first round of playoffs, beating the Saskatchewan Under 18 Team 35-20.

Nevertheless, the team’s progression towards the championship was halted again by U of C Team 2 after suffering a 0-30 defeat. The team flirted with the medals, but after conceding a 0-20 loss against the U of R in the bronze-medal game, they placed fourth overall in the tournament.

U of S men’s Team 1 tied both of their games against U of C Team 1 and the U of M, with 15-15. The match between the U of C and the U of M also ended in a stalemate, where all games played in the pool were tied. As a result, the placement was determined by the points for/against system, which positioned U of S men’s Team 1 in third place in Pool B. U of S men’s Team 2 lost both of their preliminary

Heywood Yu U of S Rugby Club player René Wick, left, and Harrison Kryczka, right, battle for possession in a line out during a scrimmage at the SaskTel Sports Centre in Saskatoon on Jan. 17, 2019.

games against U of C Team 2 and the U of R, with respective scores of 5-20 and 15-20, which placed them in third place in Pool A. Both men’s teams were defeated in the quarter-finals.

Men’s Team 1 dropped a close one to the U of R, with a score of 10-15. The U of M handed U of S men’s Team 2 another defeat with a score of 0-35.

As a result of the losses, the two U of S men’s teams went head to head with each other in the consolation match for fifth place. Men’s Team 1 ended their participation in the tournament on a good note, claiming a 25-0 victory against their fellows, which placed them and Team 2 in fifth and sixth place, respectively.

Mike Sheinin, coach of the U of S Rugby Club, expresses that, although he appreciates the overall effort of the teams, he is not satisfied with their positions in the tournament.

“All of our teams played with a lot of heart and a lot

Heywood Yu U of S Rugby Club player Shealynn Stevenson carries the ball downfield as Sam Matheson defends during a scrimmage at the SaskTel Sports Centre in Saskatoon on Jan. 17, 2019.

of effort,” Sheinin said via online communication with the Sheaf. “They played very well, but we had high standards coming into this tournament.

We have the skill, rugby IQ and athleticism to win a tournament like that. An outcome of fifth [place] is not where we wanted to end up.”

However, Sheinin remains optimistic about the upcoming national tournament, stating that the team will continue to prepare even before

the selection of the best 12 is made.

“We have never had a team like this, and we are starting to realize that this might be our year at nationals. Once we pick the final teams [and] our practices and scrimmages throughout the next two months, will be heavily focused on team play and defence. We need to agree on our systems, agree on our lineups and tackle the crap out of each other.”

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SPORTS & HEALTH / 7

FEATURE

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Working students:

All graphics by Jaymie Stachyruk / Graphics Editor

Diving into workplace injuries Just how prevalent are workplace injuries amongst students?

JACK THOMPSON

SPORTS & HEALTH EDITOR

Work is — for better or worse — intrinsically linked to much of human existence. Everyone needs a source of money, and work, in some form, is the answer. It is this universality of work that makes having discussions about it so important.

Safety at work is crucial not only because the

well-being of workers is important but also because — in most cases — the only thing a worker should be trading for wages is labour, not their well-being.

Injuries can impact anyone’s work and life, and for students, an injury can impact schooling.

In a poll conducted on the Sheaf’s website about workplace injuries and safety, 42 out of a total of 68 respondents said that they work during the school year and 65 out of 67 stated that they work during the summer. While this is not a representative por-

“My leg’s bleeding a little bit, but I get paid $18 an hour, so I’m not gonna complain about it, whereas if I get paid minimum wage, I might complain about it.”

— Meagan Kernaghan, education and fine arts student 8 / FEATURE

tion of the student body at the University of Saskatchewan, it is likely safe to say that a majority of students have some sort of experience with wage labour.

One such student is Meagan Kernaghan, who is working on both a Bachelor of Education and a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Kernaghan has had jobs in a variety of sectors, from service jobs and sales to manual labour work as well. She shares one of her experiences with an unsafe work environment.

“I did have one job that was sort of carpentry/ construction work that didn’t have really great safety measures in place,” Kernaghan said. “It’s a really uncomfortable work environment where you’re asked to do something that either you don’t know how to do, with a machine you’re not super sure how to use or without the proper safety equipment.”

Alongside this general overview of that particular job’s work environment, Kernaghan has a story of unsafe work she was requested to do.

“I was asked to climb a scaffold once without a harness — which is not safe, in case you didn’t know.

I didn’t because I’m conscious of my own safety, but it was a weird request,” Kernaghan said.

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WWW.T H E S H E A F.COM // @ U SAS KS H E A F

FEATURE

“It’s a really uncomfortable work environment where you’re asked to do something that either you don’t know how to do, with a machine you’re not super sure how to use or without the proper safety equipment.”

— Meagan Kernaghan, education and fine arts student Comparing this story to the poll results illustrates that this is not an uncommon experience — with 29 respondents stating that they too had been pressured to perform a task that they felt was unsafe or to work in a manner that was unsafe compared to 32 respondents who said they had not.

Having done both unionized and non-unionized work, Kernaghan has ample experience with the safety conditions for both types of employment.

“In most cases, when you’re working when you’re not a union, your own safety sort of falls on you,” Kernaghan said. “If you don’t feel something is safe, don’t do it. It’s usually your own decision making to go, ‘Oh, I should probably wear gloves to do this, or I should wear a hard hat.’”

On the other hand, Kernaghan explains the difference she has encountered that comes with working under a union.

“In a union, safety is taken very seriously. You are not allowed on site without your correct personal protective equipment, and you are not allowed to do your job until you have shown that you can do it safely — and you’re ready to do it safely. It’s a totally different environment,” Kernaghan said.

Building on the differences between unionized and non-unionized work, Kernaghan says that there is also a difference between the two in terms of injury documentation — including filing to the Workers’ Compensation Board.

“As someone who has filed WCB and workplace injury forms both with a union and without, my union … said, ‘What was the underlying cause of this injury? How can we prevent it from ever happening again? What steps are we going to take as an employer to make sure that this never happens again?’” Kernaghan said.

Kernaghan further explains the difference she found in her non-union work.

“Usually, if I was injured somewhere that wasn’t a union, they just went, ‘That sucks — what a bummer. Don’t do that again, I guess, and we’re never gonna think about it ever again.’ Totally different,” Kernaghan said.

On the topic of bringing up safety matters to higher-ups, a majority of poll respondents responded “yes” when asked whether they felt that they could bring up their safety issues to the management at their workplace. The vote breakdown came to 38 yes votes, 21 no votes and 1 vote for not applicable.

Being able to bring up safety issues to management is integral to a safe workplace. That being said, there is only so much that the individual can do for their safety — a concept that Kernaghan also speaks to.

“You’re not 100 per cent responsible for your own safety. If you haven’t been trained properly or you don’t know that there is someone working above you, so you’re not wearing a hard hat, you should be made aware of that fact,” Kernaghan said. “You are responsible for everybody else’s safety, though. As individuals, we do have to take some responsibility.”

On the topic of risk and responsibility, Kernaghan talks about pay and how, at times, pay can be more if there’s a greater risk to the worker. She applies this idea to her own experience of arena rigging, which

essentially consists of building points into the ceiling of an arena. These points are used to hoist up concert lights, for example.

“Often, you will be paid more the more you are at risk, so if you are doing work that has a high level of risk in the same field, you are generally paid more,” Kernaghan said. “[With] rigging, ground riggers are paid a little bit less than up-riggers, to start — so the people on the ground versus the people in the air — because the idea is that the people in the air might fall.”

There are, of course, times when the pay does not feel adequate for the amount of strain being put on your body. It’s not always about the bigger risks, Kernaghan explains, but what she calls casual injury. “[There’s] sort of day-to-day, regular injuries that are like ‘I don’t need WCB’ or ‘I don’t need to go to the hospital, but I have a big ol’ splinter in my leg, and that sucks,’ and it’s just the amount of casual injury [that] doesn’t meet the rate of pay in some cases,” Kernaghan said.

She goes on to explain her concept of casual injuries and how they relate to how she feels about her pay in a given job, using the job with the splinter as an example.

“My leg’s bleeding a little bit, but I get paid $18 an hour, so I’m not gonna complain about it, whereas if I get paid minimum wage, I might complain about it,” Kernaghan said.

In the online poll, respondents were asked whether they had ever been injured at work — with a stipulation included to count any minor injuries as well, such as cuts or scrapes — with 49 respondents voting “yes” and only 11 voting that they had never been injured at work.

Injuries do not have to be massive or life changing in order to be important. Smaller scale injuries, such as sprains and pulled muscles, can still have an impact on your life. In this vein, a job doesn’t have to be what is typically viewed as dangerous — like construction or other manual-labour-intensive sectors — to have safety issues.

Kernaghan has her own example of an injury she received in the service sector — a type of employment often associated with students — that illustrates this concept.

“Working at Starbucks, I burned my fingers all the time, and I actually threw out my neck because a box fell on my head because it was stored improperly. It was stored touching the ceiling, essentially, and it fell,” Kernaghan said. “And that was at Starbucks — that wasn’t even somewhere you think there is an element of risk.”

Judging by the prevalence of injuries reported in the poll and the stories related by Kernaghan, injuries can seem like an integral part of work. You cut your hand or sprain something and think nothing of it, but what sort of work environment do you have when you are not only trading your labour and time but also bits and pieces of your well-being as well?

If you feel unsafe at work, you can report unsafe working conditions to Occupational Health and Safety at 1-800-567-7233.

FEATURE / 9

CULTURE

EVENTS T H U R S

31

WRITE OUT LOUD DOUBLE FEATURE SLAM FT. CROCKPOT AND LO @ FRANCES MORRISON LIBRARY, 6:00 P.M.

OPEN MIC NIGHT @ DRIFT SIDEWALK CAFÉ AND VISTA LOUNGE, 7:00 P.M.

BLACK CAT TRIVIA NIGHT @ BLACK CAT TAVERN, 8:00 P.M.

AMIGOS KARAOKE @ AMIGOS CANTINA, 9:00 P.M.

F R I

01

WEAVING + WINE WORKSHOP @ SASKATOON MAKERSPACE, 6:00 P.M.

@ REMAI MODERN, 7:00 P.M.

THE GARRYS WITH TAYLOR JADE POCKET WATCH WITH HOLLOW OAX AND THE RADIANT @ AMIGOS CANTINA, 10:00 P.M.

02

HEIDI @ REMAI MODERN, 1:00 P.M.

ISSAC GOES TO THE WINTER SHINES FESTIVAL @ ISSAC, 4:30 P.M.

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY: THE SING-ALONG EVENT @ THE ROXY THEATRE, 7:30 P.M.

THE LIQUOR SHAKES WITH KAYE & CO. @ AMIGOS CANTINA, 10:00 P.M.

S U N

03

SCOTIABANK SOMETHING ON SUNDAYS @ REMAI MODERN, 1:00 P.M.

LEARN TO KNIT @ VENN COFFEE ROASTERS, 2:00 P.M. LEARN TO PLAY YUKIGASSEN @ VICTORIA PARK, 2:00 P.M. KARAOKE NIGHT @ FLINT SALOON, 9:00 P.M.

M O N

04

NORTH KOREA: PROSPECTS FOR PEACE OR WAR @ ARTS BUILDING, ROOM 241, 4:30 P.M.

USSU PAINT NIGHT @ LOUIS’ LOFT, 5:30 P.M. GAMES NIGHT @ LOUIS’ PUB, 7:00 P.M. 4TH ANNUAL LADYBITS AND PIECES IMPROV SHOW @ AMIGOS CANTINA, 7:30 P.M.

T U E S

05

UKRAINIAN STUDIES RESEARCH SHOWCASE @ ST. THOMAS MORE COLLEGE, ROOM 1001, 7:00 P.M.

TYLER SHAW WITH SARA DIAMOND @ THE BROADWAY THEATRE, 7:30 P.M.

100% TUESDAYS @ LOUIS’ PUB, 8:00 P.M. OPEN STAGE @ CAPITOL MUSIC CLUB, 8:00 P.M.

W E D

06

CULTURE

Flint to host Tender Union, an art show by Jaden Pierce New artwork by university student Jaden Pierce explores themes of tenderness, unity and isolation.

COLE CHRETIEN CULTURE EDITOR

On Feb. 7, at Flint Saloon, University of Saskatchewan student Jaden Pierce will be presenting Tender Union — an original art show focused on the ways in which we overcome isolation and connect to each other.

Pierce, a third-year political science student with a minor in fine art, started painting in 2016, and her art show at Flint will be her first showing at this scale. The event came about after Pierce responded to a post from the establishment calling for local artists.

“I just saw a post from Brennan, who organizes all the shows, and he posted something saying that he was booking shows for this year. It was kind of spur of the moment, and I just reached out to him,” Pierce said.

After setting up the show, Pierce began working on new pieces and searching for a common theme to unite her portfolio. Rather than repurposing older works, the art on display at Tender Union is a showcase of new material.

“I did have enough, but I wanted it to be more cohesive.

I wanted to do a series for this show, so all the pieces that I’m showing are new,” Pierce said.

For Pierce, finding a title for the show was a large part of finding cohesion amidst her work. She settled on the name

Nick Hawrishok / Supplied

Tender Union after a long deliberative process. Pierce is confident that the name encompasses and communicates the themes explored in her paintings.

“It took me a while to actually pin down a title. I had three pages of brainstorming, and I could have used any of them, but ‘tender’ is one of my favourite words just because of the feeling of the word. It’s used a lot in conversations about gender and softness and vulnerability,” Pierce said.

The “union” portion of the title is meant to convey a resistance to the isolation that comes along with trauma. It also serves as a tongue-in-cheek reference to the labour movement — an imagined union that represents the needs of the isolated and vulnerable.

DINNER AND COMEDY SHOW @ GORDON OAKES RED BEAR STUDENT CENTRE, 5:00 P.M.

THEOLOGY ON TAP: CREATIVITY & CHRISTIANITY @ LOUIS’ PUB, 7:00 P.M.

YOUNG WOMEN IN BUSINESS USASK SOCIAL NIGHT @ BOSTON PIZZA STONEBRIDGE, 7:00 P.M.

THE CRIPPLE OF INISHMAAN OPENING NIGHT @ GREYSTONE THEATRE, 8:00 P.M.

JAN. 9FEB. 7 JAN. 12FEB. 21 JAN. 30FEB. 3

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TURN OUT WITH EEKWOL AND T-RHYME

@ THE BASSMENT, 9:00 P.M.

S A T

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EMPTY SPACES THROUGH MY EYES @ FRANCES MORRISON LIBRARY

SHADES OF GREY @ ART PLACEMENT GALLERY

LE PETIT PRINCE @ LA TROUPE DU JOUR

10 / CULTURE

Nick Hawrishok / Supplied

Isolation is an unspoken theme in the collection. The pieces themselves do not comment directly on isolation but instead focus on ways in which we can move past our own isolation. Pierce identifies both concepts in the title — tenderness and unity — as ways in which that isolation can be transcended.

Another major theme in the works is the unifying bond we share with nature. Rather than focusing on natural landscapes, the pieces will examine individual elements of nature — the plants and animals that tie us to the natural world.

The concepts and themes Pierce works with in this show draw upon ideas from Indigenous resistance groups as well as from queer and feminist theory.

Pierce stresses that she does not intend to co-opt the language and tools of others’ lived experiences or speak for them, but rather, she views these ideas as a source of inspiration for how trauma can be dealt with.

Pierce hopes that, through the artwork, she is able to communicate the need for openness and vulnerability.

“Ideally, I would like people to come away with a desire to open up themselves — whatever that means to them — with other people or within themselves.”

Tender Union by Jaden Pierce will be showing at Flint Saloon from Feb. 7 to 20.

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CULTURE

WWW.T H E S H E A F.COM // @ U SAS KS H E A F

Riley Deacon / Photo Editor Five ping pong tables stand parallel inside the Remai Modern Connect Gallery as part of Rirkrit Tiravanija’s interactive art exhibit titled Tomorrow is the Question on Jan. 27, 2019.

Tomorrow is the Question: A micro-utopia at Remai Modern From Jan. 19 to March 24, the Remai Modern art museum will be hosting Rirkrit Tiravanija’s interactive ping pong exhibit.

GABRIELA PÉREZ

Walking into an art gallery can be an intimidating experience.

While our eyes are welcome to observe the works exhibited, the rest of our bodies are paused from their mundane existence.

We walk carefully on our tiptoes, we breathe quietly and slowly, and we talk in careful murmurs — if we talk at all — to avoid disrupting the pristine room where the artworks solemnly hang from big white walls.

And then, there are works like Rirkrit Tiravanija’s Tomorrow is the Question, which is currently being exhibited at Remai Modern, that make us rethink our relationship to art, to the gallery space and to other people.

Inside the gallery, there are five ping pong tables with the words “tomorrow is the question” printed in on them in vinyl, a handful of paddles and a bucket full of ping pong balls. It is hard to pin down an accurate description of the room because of the participatory nature of the exhibition.

When I first entered the gallery, two children were playing on the farthest table, and most of the balls were spread across the floor, but the scene is in constant flux given that the exhibit changes in accordance with the participants.

Riley Deacon / Photo Editor A red ping pong paddle with a question mark on it sits on a ping pong table inside the Connect Gallery as part of Rirkrit Tirvanija’s interactive Tomorrow is the Question art exhibit on display at Remai Modern in Saskatoon on Jan. 27, 2019.

Tomorrow is the Question invites visitors to activate the piece by engaging in a ping pong game. The visitors are a necessary component of the installation, which aims to collapse the distinction between art and life through presence and participation.

Throughout his artistic career, Rirkrit Tiravanija has questioned the sacredness of the gallery display. With Tomorrow is the Question, he proposes to subvert the conditions of socialization in the art gallery.

By incorporating ping pong tables, the artist creates the conditions for the audience to physically experience the objects inside the gallery, thus becoming active rather than passive spectators. The exhibit

enables people to behave playfully in a highbrow environment, and even to make noise in a commonly silent place.

However, not only does the artist create a place where people can interact with the art but also one where they connect with each other. Tiravanija’s works are often categorized as “relational aesthetics,” a term coined by curator Nicolas Bourriaud in the 1990s to define artistic practices that are based on the whole of human relations and their social context.

Along this line, Tiravanija has constantly incorporated experience and exchange into his work with projects like Untitled (Free/Still), in which he turned an art gallery into a meeting space where he cooked meals for the visitors.

For Tomorrow is the Question, Tiravanija builds upon Ping-Pong Club, a project by Slovakian artist Július Koller (1939-2007) first shown in Bratislava in 1970. Ping-Pong Club has since been presented in different countries, and similarly, Tiravanija has presented Tomorrow is the Question in places like Mexico City, Amsterdam, Moscow and now Saskatoon.

The reactivation of Koller’s piece develops into a series of relationships. It creates a link between both artists, it enhances bonds between the participants in their respective times and locations, and it creates encounter points among the places where the project has been developed.

The connection between places matches the nomadic lifestyle of Tiravanija, who was born in Buenos Aires but was raised in Thailand, Ethiopia and Canada and currently lives between New York, Berlin and Chiang Mai. In the context of Saskatoon, a piece like Tomorrow is the Question has the potential to bring the city’s diverse population together. The accessibility of the installation, thanks to the simplicity of the game and free access to the gallery, creates the conditions for a wide possibility of encounters.

The interactive exhibit also enables community building

through activities like the workshop that Table Tennis Saskatchewan will present in the gallery space on Feb. 9 from 2 to 4 p.m.

By encouraging diverse and spontaneous social interactions, Tomorrow is the Question imagines a temporary manifestation of an ideal civic culture — it has the potential to become a micro-utopia within the gallery space.

From my experience, the acoustics of the room, full of echoes and unintelligible noise, made it hard to engage in a conversation. However, the difficulty of hearing what others were saying forced me to relate to people in different ways. Movement and gestures, like passing the ball to the couple playing next to you, are ways of engaging with others and acknowledging the shared space that we all inhabit.

The echo in the room made me follow the sounds closely, and as I focused on the bouncing of the ping pong ball from one person to another, it occurred to me that, perhaps, the coming and going of ping pong is what makes it suitable for relational aesthetics. The ping pong ball flows from side to side, between player and player, between artist and audience, between the experiences of exploration and the development of interaction.

CULTURE / 11

OPINIONS

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Parental advisory: It’s time to grow up

OPINIONS

Sorry, Mom and Dad, I’m not going to be a doctor.

AQSA HUSSAIN

The transition from being a teenager in high school to an “adult” in university can be strange and difficult for many.

It involves adjusting from depending on your parents to learning how to become self-reliant.

This requires both you and your parents to transition from a parent-child relationship to an adult-adult relationship.

Imagine you’re 28 years old, you’ve got your bachelor’s degree, you fought through medical school, and you’re almost finished your residency. You’ve met your parents’ expectations, and they are overjoyed and proud, but you’re unhappy. Can we find a way to prevent this?

I’m currently experiencing this transitional phase as a 19-year-old second-year student. Luckily for me, I have older siblings that dealt with the brunt of the “become a doctor” lectures bestowed upon them by our parents. As a result of

my siblings’ diverse educational choices, my parents are slightly more open about my choice of a career path.

Fortunately, I do not live with my parents, so I am able to be more independent. This is not the case for everyone. Statistics Canada states that over one third of young adults from the age of 20 to 34 were living with at least one parent in 2016 — a number that has been increasing since 2001.

In some ways, it’s easier to live with your parents because tuition is outrageous and housing costs are, frankly, also shit.

While this may present itself as a feasible option, it can also create problems — especially if your parents try to restrict your agency and choice as if you were still a child.

Finding your voice can be a struggle when you have grown up believing your parents know better than you and following everything they say.

I find that traditions play a significant role in the transition to adulthood. In my experience

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Mỹ Anh Phan

with South Asian culture, adult children living with their parents is the standard back home.

These cultural factors are the reason why many students are in a field that they are unhappy with and why this transition is difficult for so many. I know that some parents push the doctor archetype because they truly believe it is one of the few ways that their child can have a stable job. It’s a trend I’ve noticed especially in immigrant households.

As a first generation Canadian myself, I have come across countless young adults being pressured into fields they are unsure of and many amazing young women whose agency is being restricted. I’m not trying to demonize your parents and say that cultural traditions are terrible, but there comes a point where you decide what you want to take away from your parents and your culture.

There is also the factor of financial independence, in

which young adults still rely on their parents to help with their finances. While this can be helpful for the average student, it can also translate into your parents having an influence in how you use your money.

The transition is even more strenuous if you suffer from mental illness. I find that my anxiety is the largest barrier that I face in my growth into independence. If parents use emotional abuse techniques such as gaslighting or intimidation, I can only imagine how much more challenging this life transition may be.

The transition into adulthood is already difficult.

Nevertheless, it is still possible to transcend financial, cultural and mental barriers.

It is important to cultivate a support network — friends, siblings or cousins — because you’re not alone. There are mental-health support services available as well, including the Student Wellness Centre here on campus.

Remember, you’re in control of your life — you don’t have to be a doctor if you don’t want to be.

Did you just say “I don’t see colour”? Wow, you’re a shitty person Dismissing controversial race topics by ignoring my skin colour makes you ignorant.

J.C. BALICANTA NARAG OUTREACH DIRECTOR

The phrase “I don’t see colour” fucking annoys me. It’s often used to suggest that what you intended to say was not, in any other context, meant to be offensive. Well, let me tell you why it is offensive.

This is like starting a sentence by saying “not to be racist but…” and continuing on only to make a racist remark anyway. “I don’t see colour” is just another way for you to vindicate your racist, xenophobic world view. This behaviour is everything that is wrong with the world.

The problem lies in what the phrase can suggest. Saying that we do not see colour disregards the fact that we are all unique individuals. It encourages generalizing and race-based stereotypes, pushing aside the reasons why people are marginalized in the first place.

The All Lives Matter movement is a prime example of ignoring the effects of racism and generalizing an idea to denounce its legitimacy. All Lives Matter supporters rallied

12 / OPINIONS

Jaymie Stachyruk / Graphics Editor

against the Black Lives Matter movement. But the point of Black Lives Matter isn’t to say that black lives are more important than others but rather to point out that black people’s lives are being undervalued. It is a cry to change people’s views, which derive from centuries of history.

In light of historic wrongdoings leading to racial inequality, the impact of residential schools on generations of First Nations

people cannot be ignored — and yes, the effects of residential schools are still relevant today.

When you say that you don’t see colour, you are perpetuating the same intentions of assimilation that were used to justify residential schools. You are stripping First Nations people of their identities by not accepting them for who they are.

Likewise, the phrase “let’s agree to disagree” is often used to end conversations. When

two people begin a dialogue on a controversial topic, it can quickly spiral into an argument.

Most people tend to avoid these quarrels because they have the potential to destroy friendships.

People often avoid confrontation by saying “I don’t see colour” to end the conversation on race. How will you stop people from contributing to these microaggressions if you are unable to recognize them yourself?

How will you learn about these subtle racial inequalities if you are not trying to understand them from my viewpoint?

These types of conversations are missed attempts to understand each other. They are exercises in avoiding the polarizing perspectives of a certain topic.

When someone says “I don’t see colour,” it does not resolve the argument — instead, they are choosing to ignore and turn their back on the other person’s perspective.

We are choosing to practice our freedom of ignorance when we make no attempt to look through each other’s eyes.

When we generalize people by their skin colour, we strip away a person’s history and choose to

see them however we see fit.

You’re part of the problem by being a bystander, too — just saying. You are normalizing a behaviour that could become a harmful opinion. Take a step toward understanding why people use this phrase, because then, you can use stronger logic to condemn their subtle and insidious ideas — and perhaps even change their perspective.

Being mindful of others and trying to understand and accept what makes them different will not only change their perception of the world but also your own. A wider horizon of new concepts can open up for you when you gain insight into someone else’s point of view.

We will see and understand each other only if we are mindful of other people’s perspectives. One reason why racism, xenophobia and many other social injustices exist is because we do not try to understand and accept each other. Instead, we “see no colour.”

So the next time you say “I don’t see colour,” know that I am annoyed by your shitty attempt to deal with racism. Just try to be mindful of others, okay?

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OPINIONS

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Gabrielle Fourstar An array of solar panels used to generate renewable energy sits next to the John Mitchell Building on the U of S campus on Jan. 28, 2019.

Saskatchewan needs a people-first climate strategy Ryan Meili wants to “bring power to the people” with his Renew Saskatchewan plan.

AIDAN MURPHY

Full disclosure, I am a partisan New Democrat, and I have been an active supporter, worker and organizer for the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party for most of my university years.

One of the terrific things about being involved with a party — especially in this province — is how surprisingly easy it is to reach out to our politicians and how transparent they are with their policies and beliefs.

Saskatchewan NDP leader Ryan Meili sat down to discuss an issue that has weighed on my mind heavily lately — climate change.

It can be demoralizing watching the inaction and lack of political will to curb emissions, especially considering that the latest United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report warns us that we, as a planet, are on track for catastrophe if we don’t change our ways by 2030.

Meanwhile, in Canada, the oxygen has been sucked out of the room in the climate change conversation by an exhausting

carbon tax debate. Again, inaction speaks louder than any other policy could. However, if you are paying close attention, the horizon is starting to shift.

The United States midterm elections swept in a crop of new, energetic spokespeople for a rejuvenated generation of progressives in the fall of 2018.

Amazingly, within months of being elected, these representatives have articulated a positive and particular set of policies designed to curb emissions, combat climate change and get the States over to renewables. Even further, they have forced their policy, the Green New Deal, onto the national agenda.

And what’s more, it’s popular: 81 per cent of registered U.S. voters polled indicated that they support the Green New Deal. Compare that with the meagre 29 per cent of Saskatchewan voters who support Trudeau’s carbon tax.

So what makes the difference in terms of support from voters in the United States and Saskatchewan? Ryan Meili suggests that this enthusiasm comes from a people-first policy that must pass three important tests.

Meili likes to ask himself,“What are the economic, environmental and social impacts?”

He says that carbon pricing has been shown to be a decent economic and environmental policy and that it has the ability to actually reduce emissions with fewer economic impacts compared to heavy regulations.

However, Meili isn’t so sure the carbon tax does well on the social front as the initial cost is “the biggest thing that’s in the way.”

For Meili, the solution is Renew Saskatchewan. He believes the plan is a chance to give Saskatchewanians prosperity instead of costs. He wants to produce electricity at home, see power bills go away and see people in the community have new employment opportunities.

“Renew Saskatchewan would eliminate the cost barrier that is keeping people from being involved in the transition to renewable energy in a way to reduce bills, create employment and bring power to the people in a way we haven’t in decades,” Meili said.

But what is Renew Saskatchewan, and what would it look like?

“Renew Saskatchewan will assess the best opportunity for energy efficient retrofits [and] tell you how much it would cost and how long it would take to pay off based on how much you’re already paying on your power bill,” Meili said.

“You get the equipment paid up front, and you continue paying your power bill — probably less than you’re paying now — and over several years, you pay your bills off. Once you’ve paid off the bills, they’re next to nothing, or maybe, you’re even making money because you’re now able to sell excess energy you’re producing on to the grid,” Meili said.

Meili is excited about Renew Saskatchewan because he believes it’s a great way to generate clean energy, reduce dependency on coal and create energy closer to where it is utilized in order to conserve more. Beyond the environmental aspects, Meili believes the plan includes economic and social advantages.

“You create jobs in installing, maintaining and manufacturing, all while making life cheaper for people. It’s a beautiful package, the way it

comes together,” Meili said.

Meili is confident that his plan can satisfy his economic, environmental and social criteria for what makes good policy.

However, he is less confident that the current Saskatchewan Party government will support the plan.

“It’s my intention to be in government in 2020 and be able to start this. But I’d rather not wait until 2020 to move on this,” Meili said. “If the Saskatchewan Party wants to steal this idea, they can do so. It’s just the right way to go.”

With an election around the corner in Saskatchewan — and just over a decade left for emissions reductions — now is the time for innovative, popular policies that provide a meaningful solution to a complex problem.

Saskatchewan needs to provide a sustainable plan, while at the same time avoiding forcing people to make sacrifices they cannot afford. Meili says that Renew Saskatchewan is just one pillar of his broader plan for the environment and we should stay tuned for more ideas that could change the landscape of this province.

OPINIONS / 13

THROWBACKS

T H E S H E A F P U B L I S HI NG S OC I E T Y // JA NUA RY 3 1 , 2 0 1 9

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Group of men gathered in residence room playing instruments, including french horn, guitar, violin and harmonicas. ca. 1920s.

University of Saskatchewan , University Archives & Special Collections, MG85_ERSimpson_I_B_2_ folder 3_ image 1

Five female students in nightcaps, kneeling by a bed in Saskatchewan Hall residence. ca. 1915.

University of Saskatchewan , University Archives & Special Collections, J.E. Murray fonds, E.VII.5 image 2w.

Interior of a bedroom in Saskatchewan Hall residence. Four female students on two beds.

University of Saskatchewan , University Archives & Special Collections, Photograph Collection, A-835

Crowd watches as a man dives into swimming pool at Qu’Appelle Hall residence. ca. 1950s.

University of Saskatchewan , University Archives & Special Collections, MG85_ERSimpson_I_B_2_ folder 3_ image 3

Students playing poker and smoking cigars in residence. ca. 1929.

Two men sitting on a bed holding banjos. A third blurry figure stands beside them.

University of Saskatchewan , University Archives & Special Collections, Photograph Collection, A-3985

University of Saskatchewan , University Archives & Special Collections, Photograph Collection, A-3983

14 / THROWBACKS

DISTRACTIONS

WWW.T H E S H E A F.COM // @ U SAS KS H E A F

JA NUA RY 3 1 , 2 0 1 9

Aries: March 21 - April 20 Keeping you up / I was the

love on top / Cherry or not, you’re a lonely fuck / Hungry for a lover, but lonely with another / Watch me pass up another offer.

Taurus: April 21 - May 20 You were supposed to be

here before the last song / You were supposed to bring me your brother’s weed / You were suppose to walk me home from the river, man / This is heartbreaking, heartbreaking, heartbreaking.

Gemini: May 21 - June 20 Show I can cough, I can

choke / On this kind of smoke / Off went the switch / Love is soft / Love’s a fucking bitch.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Cancer:

June 21 - July 22 Love is just an institution based on human frailty / What’s your paradise gotta do with Adam and Eve? / Maybe love is just an economy based on resource scarcity / What I fail to see is what that’s gotta do with you and me.

Leo: July 23 - Aug. 22 Drink up, baby / Look at the stars / I’ll kiss you again, between the bars / Where I’m seeing you there, with your hands in the air / Waiting to finally be caught.

Virgo: Aug. 23 - Sept. 22 We said we’d never let anyone in / We said we’d only die of lonely secrets / The system only dreams in total darkness / Why are you hiding from me?

Libra: Sept. 23 - Oct. 22 We were drunk once / It’s not Piper Woytiuk

like we were some dream combination / We were made as friends / I guess attention spans are lessening / It’s a lesson in humans using machines to show their feelings.

Scorpio: Oct. 23 - Nov. 21 You’ve been wasting my

time, honey / I’ve been wasting your life, baby / We could sit and talk / And I’ll pretend that I give a fuck.

Sagittarius: Nov. 22 - Dec. 21 We could still be

having some sweet memories / This heart still beats for you / Why can’t you see? / Shut up, kiss me / Hold me tight / Shut up, kiss me / Hold me tight / Stop your crying / It’s alright.

Capricorn: Dec. 22 - Jan. 19 Should I let myself Wei Soong Lau

be torn in two? / And will you give in to that side of you? / We get so tired and lonely / We need a human touch / Don’t wanna give ourselves away too much / Touch.

Aquarius: Jan. 20 - Feb. 18 And the talking leads to

touching / And the touching leads to sex / And then there is no mystery left / And it’s bad news / I don’t blame you / I do the same thing / I get lonely, too.

Pisces: Feb. 19 - March 20 And we fall through empty corridors / And we talk in our useless metaphors / Only ’cause we’re lonely.

DISTRACTIONS / 15

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