9 March 2022

THE M A N I T O B A N photo / Ukrainian Student Association / provided

since 1914

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Eagle eye Researchers spot noise pollution affecting songbirds

Green sheen Global warming is an institutional problem p. 7

p. 10

From stardust to jellyfish Montreal-based artist debuts virtual reality exhibit

Vol. 108

Bounced out Bisons’ basketball playoff journey cut short p. 12

p. 15

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U of M stands with Ukrainian community NEWS

Dimitar Tomovski, staff The University of Manitoba has announced it stands in support with the members of the Ukrainian community following the invasion of the nation by neighbouring Russia. The U of M has encouraged community members to access various resources such as the employee family assistance program, spiritual care services and academic accommodations for those directly impacted.

“The Ukrainian-Canadian community in Manitoba in general as well as faculty, staff and students are absolutely appalled by Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine,” said Yuliia Ivaniuk, co-ordinator of the centre for Ukrainian Canadian studies at the University of Manitoba.

“It was absolutely heartbreaking to hear Putin’s declaration of war as well as statements about the fact that Ukraine is illegitimate and should not exist as a sovereign state [and] that the Ukrainian people need to be ‘liberated.’”

In addition, Ivaniuk said the Ukrainian-Canadian community is

appalled by Putin’s suggestion that Ukraine needs to be demilitarized and de-Nazified.

“Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is a 20th-century-style attempt to redefine the borders of a sovereign European state through the use of hard power,” said Ivaniuk.

Ivaniuk also said Russia’s invasion is an attempt to “recolonize and occupy an independent country.” To do this, Ivaniuk said Russia aims to vilify Ukraine’s democratic reforms and install a pro-Russia puppet regime that it can control.

“It’s also an attempt to redefine the security architecture of the Eurasian continent,” said Ivaniuk.

If Russia is successful in Ukraine, Ivaniuk believes Russia will likely attempt to occupy more surrounding countries within its “perceived sphere of influence.”

“That’s why it’s important to realize that Ukraine is defending democratic values and defending Europe and therefore we need as much support as

possible,” said Ivaniuk.

Ivaniuk said the University of Manitoba Ukrainian-Canadian community and the Ukrainian-Canadian community at large are both thankful for the university’s show of support.

“We are also thankful for the university’s commitment to support students, staff and faculty as things continue to unfold,” said Ivaniuk. “We certainly welcome condemnation of Russia’s attack on Ukraine sovereignty and the terrible atrocities that we are all witnessing right now.”

Ivaniuk said the supports available to community members from the U of M are a “great list of initiatives.”

“The only recommendation I have is that I personally have not seen them share them widely to the public and to the students, so I would probably recommend just sharing the information more widely,” Ivaniuk said.

To learn more about the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Ivaniuk recommends attending the monthly lecture series offered by the centre for Ukrainian Canadian studies. The centre also offers a bimonthly reading club that allows community members

photo / Ukrainian Student Association / provided

Resources available to students, staff, faculty affected by conflict

to gain a better understanding of what is currently happening in Ukraine.

In addition to these resources, Ivaniuk recommends finding resources through credible sources such as the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute, the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies and the Atlantic Council. news@themanitoban.com

Manitoba dropping self-isolation requirement NEWS

Colton McKillop, staff Manitoba will drop selfisolation requirements for people who test positive for COVID-19, the province announced last week.

Dr. Jazz Atwal, Manitoba’s deputy chief provincial public health officer, said the province will begin recommending self-isolation — rather than requiring it — on March 15, the same day mask mandates will be lifted.

The province will also stop investigating spread of the virus on the same day.

Patients with positive results will still be advised on caring for themselves and whether they should receive treatment, but public health authorities will no longer try to trace where they became infected or transmitted COVID-19.

Ayush Kumar, a professor in the department of microbiology at the University of Manitoba, said removing this many restrictions at once is “too much, too soon” and argued the province could have opted for a more “incremental” approach.

“Self-isolation is the key to preventing the spread of the virus and protecting

vulnerable people,” he said.

“Masks, we know, are probably the cheapest and easiest way to control infection and now in the last two years we have seen that, not just for COVID but also for other diseases, like [the] flu.”

Kumar said he would be “very surprised” if the province does not see another spike in cases with restrictions gone but could not predict how bad it would be and how many would be hospitalized or die from the virus.

Atwal said he does not think dropping restrictions will result in a new wave of COVID infection.

When asked if she thought there would be an increase in cases, Minister of Health Audrey Gordon said she has a “positive outlook” and hopes to “continue with that optimism,” but admitted the province had no data modelling to show whether cases would rise.

Health authorities have warned that since PCR testing is restricted and the province is not tracking most rapid test results, COVID case counts are a significant underestimate.

Silvia Cardona, a professor of microbiology at the University of Manitoba, said it would take about two weeks to really see how changes in public health restrictions would affect case numbers and hospitalizations.

“It’s very difficult to have a new measure and know what is going to happen immediately,” she said.

Cardona said a “balanced approach” is needed but stressed that the government had to be ready to reimpose previous restrictions if necessary.

“Let’s try to lift the restrictions as much as possible while we watch what happens in the hospitals, which is the most important thing, that the hospitals are not overwhelmed,” she said.

Cardona recommended people continue to wear masks in public and self-isolate of their own volition if they test positive.

Atwal said the self-isolation requirement is being eliminated because Manitoba is “moving to [the] endemic stage” of its response to the virus.

graphic / Marina Djurdjevic / staff

Requirement, mask mandates will end on March 15

out of the woods,” she said.

Kumar noted that politicians and scientists may have different views on when a disease can be considered endemic and pointed out that endemic diseases are not necessarily mild and can still result in death.

“Malaria is an endemic disease [and] it kills a person every 30 seconds in Africa,” he said.

“HIV is endemic to several parts of the world, so what is our comfort level? [...] That’s the question we need to ask ourselves.”

Cardona said COVID-19 is moving in the direction of becoming endemic, but “we are not quite there yet.”

“I want to be very clear, we’re not yet

news@themanitoban.com

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Province ordered to pay UMFA $19.3 million more stable future for students.”

NEWS

Colton McKillop, staff The Manitoba government has been ordered to pay the University of Manitoba Faculty Association (UMFA) over $19.3 million for secretly interfering with UMFA’s contract negotiations in 2016.

Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Joan McKelvey ruled that the province must pay UMFA nearly $20 million to compensate for wages lost due to the interference and the costs of the 21-day strike it caused in 2016 plus interest.

UMFA president Orvie Dingwall said that while the organization is “pleased” with the ruling, the news was also “quite bittersweet.”

“The majority of UMFA members were on strike in 2016 over this and we’ve been waiting for resolution for the past six years on this, so to have a positive ruling is great,” she said.

“At the same time […] the government should abide by the law and should have not broken the law in the first place and, similarly, the university should have stood up for the rights of the workers here at the university.”

The province interfered in UMFA’s collective bargaining after nine months of negotiations resulted in the university offering a contract with salary increases of 17.5 per cent over four years.

The Manitoba government’s recently formed public sector compensation committee imposed a one-year, non-negotiable wage-freeze policy of zero per cent on the negotiations.

The province ordered the university not to disclose the mandate to the union, threatening “financial repercussions” if it did not comply.

The administration fulfilled this request. In response, the union approved a strike in October 2016.

After 21 days, the strike ended with UMFA agreeing to the one-year wage freeze.

According to court documents, the government and university communicated secretly at least 30 times during that month.

Dingwall said she hopes the university and UMFA can now conduct negotiations that “[do not] involve the government.”

“2016 was six years ago,” she said.

“UMFA has bargained four times with the university since then.”

“Each round seems to get harder and harder and a lot of that really stems back to the illegal actions of the government and the university in 2016 and we really are hopeful that […] now with this ruling we can finally put this behind us and start moving toward a

The payment includes $15 million in one-time payments for members who worked at the university from April 2016 to March 2020 to compensate for wages lost as a result of interference and $1.6 million for wages lost while striking. UMFA will also receive $2.7 million for strike-related expenses.

Dingwall said that although this figure is based on the costs of the strike and lost wages, it could “never really make up for” the costs of interference.

“It’s an award for the past and […] if we do get any money from this, it’s not added to baseline salaries the way that it would have been if we had been able to bargain that for the collective agreements that started in 2016,” she said.

In 2020, McKelvey struck down the Public Services Sustainability Act, a piece of 2017 legislation that imposed two years of wage freezes on public sector workers.

Although Manitoba’s Court of Appeal decided the bill did not violate workers’ bargaining rights as defined in the charter, that same decision also ruled the government interfered in UMFA’s 2016 negotiations.

The bill passed in the legislature but was never proclaimed into law and Premier Heather Stefanson repealed it last November.

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photo / Mohammad Arsalan Saeed / staff

Judge rules Manitoba government interfered in 2016 contract negotiations

Conservative government has “sent clear signals” it does not value labour and education.

“If they were true in their commitments to workers and to education and particularly to students at the post-secondary level, they wouldn’t have been trying to interfere with this bargaining,” she said.

“As for the cost to taxpayers, this hopefully sends a clear message to the [Progressive Conservative] government […] that they shouldn’t be meddling in collective bargaining and in the operations of the university and they shouldn’t be breaking the law. This isn’t a tax to Manitobans, this is a penalty to the government for breaking the law.”

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Preserving Ukrainian identity amid assaults Centre promotes discussions of Ukraine during attempts at erasing identity RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY On Feb. 24, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, reigniting a war that affected the region for eight years.

Western observers immediately turned to experts on the region to understand what, to many, seems like a senseless massacre ill-fitting to 21st-century expectations of peace between states. This has meant a litany of media and academic speaking engagements for Yuliia Ivaniuk, co-ordinator of the centre for Ukrainian Canadian studies.

“I’ve certainly appreciated the opportunity to have my voice be heard and to speak for the Ukraine and Ukrainian-Canadian community,” Ivaniuk said.

“On the other hand, morally and mentally, it’s been quite difficult to comment on matters and things as they unfold — knowing that I still have most of my family in Ukraine — and it’s been a highly emotional and disturbing time for a lot of us. Just thinking about what’s happening there on the ground and feeling quite helpless, being so far away.”

The centre has co-ordinated two panel discussions in recent weeks discussing the intersections of peace, conflict, security and cultural identity.

The first occurred on Feb. 17, one week before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The panel highlighted remaining avenues for peace and the speakers pushed against the assumption that conflict was as inevitable as western media had portrayed it. Fittingly, the panel was co-organized with the peace and conflict studies (PACS) program and moderated by Adam Muller, director of PACS. “We were hoping to see if there was still any ground for peaceful resolution to this crisis, but it appeared that there wasn’t,” Ivaniuk said.

“Perhaps because we are not dealing with a regular, rational actor […] but rather, we are dealing with an authoritarian-minded individual who has still the KGB [and] FSB type of mindset.”

Ivaniuk is, of course, referring to Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, who has been the de facto head of state of Russia since his inauguration in 2000.

The second panel discussion was co-ordinated with the centre for defence and security studies and occurred on March 4, just over a week after the invasion had begun. The tone of the event had markedly shifted.

Several speakers have personal ties to Ukraine and shared personal photographs, personal messages and accounts of the early moments of the invasion. The panel focused on debunking myths and managing expectations.

photo / Basel Abdelaziz / staff photo / Ukranian Students’ Association / provided

Michael Campbell, staff

Ivaniuk dispelled some widely circulating myths regarding the invasion.

Among these, Ivaniuk asserted that contrary to Russian media sources, Russian forces are not engaged in a peacekeeping mission, and civilians and civilian infrastructure has been targeted. Ivaniuk’s academic history has made her an expert in the RussiaUkraine war.

Ivaniuk first came to the University of Manitoba from Ukraine in 2016 to complete a master of arts degree in PACS. Her research interests include the Russia-Ukraine war and the role of identity in conflict. Ivaniuk is particularly interested the use of identity and cultural identity to justify or create conflict. Ivaniuk recently worked with Maureen Flaherty in conducting 33

and write about the immigrant experiences and how they transcend with other immigrant groups,” Ivaniuk said.

interpretation of history should not exist, even our independent church.

All of these are contentious issues for Russia’s leadership.”

“They’re actually quite similar [with] different push and pull factors, cultural peculiarities and even just the duplicity and multiplicity of identities that people develop as they migrate to new environments.”

By participating in the centre’s cultural activities, students and community members can resist the systemic erasure and attempts to annihilate Ukrainian culture by Putin’s regime.

The centre offers a reading club, regular lectures and panel discussions and a new letter of participation program. Residents of Canada may attend a minimum of seven lectures — or a minimum of five lectures and two reading club meetings — to earn a letter of participation in UkrainianCanadian heritage studies.

Ivaniuk emphasizes the importance of preserving Ukrainian culture during a moment of deliberate Ukrainian erasure by Putin. “[Putin] has this belief that Russia has a great destiny to fulfill, to collect the lands of the Russian Empire to bring it back and […] Ukraine does not have

“We were hoping to see if there was still any ground for peaceful resolution to this crisis, but it appeared that there wasn’t”

“I’m extremely grateful for the fact that it has been covered by the university and the further support that the centre and the Ukrainian-Canadian community and faculty, staff and students have received in this difficult crisis,” Ivaniuk said.

“I hope that Ukraine will prevail and come out of this as, I don’t want to say a winner because there are no winners in the war, but as someone who is able to defend their sovereignty and continue evolving to being a true liberal democracy.”

— Yuliia Ivaniuk, Ukrainian researcher

interviews of Ukrainian-Canadian newcomers to Canada.

“It has been truly fascinating to learn

any legitimacy to exist,” Ivaniuk said.

“Our language is not legitimate. Our sovereignty is not legitimate. Our

research@themanitoban.com

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Scientists find oil rig noise pollution affects birds Researchers recommend changes to noise pollution regulation RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY

“I’m really interested in the impacts of anthropogenic noise on birds and […] the ways that they have to compensate for that,” said Rosa.

Anthropogenic noise is caused by any human activity that wouldn’t naturally occur and includes traffic noise and the urban noise of a city.

photo / Patricia Rosa / provided

We need to rethink the way we regulate noise pollution from oil rigs as the noise from oil drilling can be harmful to prairie songbirds, including species that are at risk. These findings come from a new study authored by Nicola Koper and Patricia Rosa. Koper is a professor at the natural resources institute at the University of Manitoba and Rosa is an assistant professor at St. George’s University. They both study how human activity can interfere with songbird behaviour.

photo / Jennie Horvat / provided

Emma Rempel, staff

Grassland songbird numbers have declined drastically in the last 40 years, the most out of any group of birds. Many factors have contributed to this decline, including habitat destruction to make room for agriculture. Anthropogenic noise pollution can worsen these effects.

The researchers wanted to determine how oil rig noise could impact the

“We should be spending our conservation dollars on mitigation measures that would have the biggest impact” — Nicola Koper, professor

surrounding prairie songbirds and whether there was a need for conservation interventions.

While sound is relatively easy to control as a factor of the environment, there are significant challenges in studying its impacts, making it important to isolate specific variables.

One of the challenges was to isolate

noise from other factors, like pollution emitted from oil rig operation.

To replicate the sound of an oil well, Rosa and Koper built a solar-powered playback system that would reproduce the sounds of oil infrastructure.

Dummy versions of the system that did not make any noise were also built to observe the effects of the infrastructure alone.

“We’re able to detect if there is impact due to the noise, or if there are impacts due to the structure itself, or if there are no impacts,” explained Rosa.

The researchers then broadcast noise recorded from oil rigs over the sound system over the course of the birds’ breeding season and repeated their experiments over two years. Two types of noise were recorded from oil rigs.

The first was recorded during daily operations at a rig, when machinery is continually being operated. This noise was broadcast 24 hours a day for a period of roughly 90 days.

The second type of noise was recorded during the drilling of a well. This noise was also broadcast 24 hours a day, but over two shorter 10-day periods within each breeding season. Drilling noise was erratic and inconsistent, while operation noise was more consistent and predictable.

This difference led to some unexpected results. The researchers found the drilling noise was much more disruptive to birds than operation noise, despite drilling noise

lasting for a much shorter duration.

“I found it really surprising that drilling noise had such a big impact, while operating noise had almost none,” said Koper.

“We […] assume that it’s the length of exposure, if you’re exposed to for sound longer, it’s going to be worse,” said Rosa.

This is not necessarily true. As this research showed, the type of noise was more important than the duration.

An analogy Rosa gave was to imagine working with construction next door — erratic drilling bursts would be more disruptive than a consistent background generator humming all day.

Birds would find the unpredictable interruptions more distracting and potentially alarming or threatening.

Distraction for a bird could mean that they fail to detect a predator. For this reason, birds exhibited stronger avoidance responses to the drilling noise than the operation noise.

Another surprising find was that some birds avoid structures regardless of noise. These species give all infrastructure a wide berth, even something as small as a fence. The birds have evolved to view structures on the landscape as perches where predators could be lurking, and any structure is viewed as a threat to their offspring, so they will avoid building a nest nearby.

“Even something that looks like nothing to us can have a huge impact on whether they’ll occupy that habitat,” said Rosa.

“Remediating wells that are not operational should definitely be a priority because it does have impacts on the birds.”

This research reveals intricacies and allows researchers to provide more specific recommendations to oil companies and regulation groups. In turn, companies and regulators can incorporate this new understanding of how birds interact with the built environment into future projects and policies.

The good news is that simple solutions are available. Noise barriers are already used for drilling operations near urban areas to reduce disturbance. We could do the same in prairie regions to protect wildlife.

Oil companies could also schedule drilling activities outside the window of breeding season to minimize disturbances.

“This has really important management implications,” said Koper.

“We should be spending our conservation dollars on mitigation measures that would have the biggest impact.”

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Sporting organizations right to penalize Russia Perpetrators of violence in marginalized nations deserve same treatment EDITORIAL Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is one of the largest military conflicts in Europe since the Second World War. By ordering an unprovoked attack on a country much smaller than his own, Vladimir Putin has placed millions of lives at risk.

Putin’s motive for the harassment of Ukraine has been the subject of substantial speculation since he annexed Crimea in 2014, but his track record as president of Russia displays a pattern of corruption and lack of compassion toward human life that reflects the values of his regime.

The Russian government has not gone unpunished for its recent actions.

Leaders around the world have placed various sanctions on the Russian economy that have devastated its position in global trade and slowed its military’s advance. The sale of Russian gas and coal has been restricted in the largest European markets, the United States has blocked the export of American-developed technology to Russia and Russia’s richest oligarchs have had their international bank accounts frozen. Belarus has also faced similar sanctions for aiding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Members of NATO have placed troops in countries neighbouring Ukraine as a show of support and to deter Russia from further attacks on European nations.

General Motors, Shell and Apple are among the private corporations that have refused to do business with Russia.

Western governments and enterprises have demonstrated they will not stand with Putin and his government’s tyrannical actions. Further, solidarity with Ukraine can be seen in a variety of public spaces, including social media, community centres and college campuses.

In the sporting world, international organizations like FIFA, the Union of European Football Associations and the International Ice Hockey Federation as well as domestic western leagues like the NHL and NBA have cut ties with Russia and banned members from competing with and against organizations within the country.

These organizations all stand to lose a great deal of revenue from cutting ties with Russia. The immediate cost of cancelled events will hurt teams and organizations in the short term and in the future. A whole generation of Russians will certainly be impacted by the inability to watch their teams compete, cutting out a large chunk of the immediate sporting market in Russia and stalling the development of fanbases for years to come.

However, this could also be said for

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Ukraine, where sports are now the last thing on the minds of civilians seeking safety.

Due to Russia’s invasion, Ukrainian athletics will now certainly be set back for years.

The international sporting community’s decision to cut ties with Russia was the correct response.

Not only was it the right move morally for associations that oppose Russian aggression, but politically as well.

These athletic institutions are deeply embedded in the culture of the nations they operate in. In an era where the movements and decisions of public figures are constantly analyzed under a microscope, having a passive stance on a crisis with the magnitude of this invasion could be detrimental.

Although the actions of these sporting associations will undoubtedly hurt their bottom line, the decision not to associate with any organizations under Russian influence could benefit their public image and relations.

Cutting ties with Russian associations signals to critics that these international leagues and associations share similar values to their consumers, increasing support for them going forward.

For this reason, it should come as no surprise that these organizations took such a severe stance on Russia’s aggression. However, this position should be taken with other conflicts as well. Unfortunately, there have been numerous humanitarian crises that have not received a similar response

from organizations like the Olympics and FIFA. Since 2017, the persecution and killing of Rohingya Muslims by the Myanmar military has resulted in the displacement of nearly a million people and hundreds of thousands being placed in detention camps. Fuelled

by Islamophobia, the death toll of Rohingya Muslims is in the tens of thousands.

In Yemen, millions of citizens suffer from malnutrition and displacement due to the ongoing proxy war between Iran and the U.S.-backed Saudi Arabian military. This conflict has been described as one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.

These catastrophes are only a small sample of state-sponsored violence that have put millions of innocent people in danger.

Unlike Russia’s invasion, these issues have gone largely unnoticed in the sporting world.

Myanmar, Saudi Arabia and Iran all competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and are all currently playing qualifying matches for the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

The west’s role in these conflicts have not been acknowledged, either.

During this year’s Winter Olympics in China, accusations of crimes against humanity inflicted on the Uyghur people by the host country were discussed by governments and human

rights groups around the world, but the games went forward nonetheless.

Sporting organizations should treat these countries in the same fashion as they did R u s s i a .

Conflicts in marginalized nations deserve the same amount of attention as those in Europe and should be addressed with equal passion. Unfortunately, the last few weeks of war in Ukraine has already received more media attention than the last eight years of war in Yemen.

By not treating these issues equally, sporting groups demonstrate the lack of concern they have for racialized people. Those who are complicit in murdering the innocent and pursuing wars of conquest have zero place in athletics. It is time that the Olympics, FIFA and the rest of the sporting world take a stand against large-scale violence. If nations forge a path of destruction and division, they should not be permitted to participate in the unifying nature of sports.

graphic / Dallin Chicoine / staff words / Matthew Merkel/ staff

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Suzuki’s keynote hit the right chords Environmental activism must be anti-capitalist, too Lucas Edmond, staff On March 3, environmentalist David Suzuki presented a keynote speech to the University of Manitoba about the dangers of global warming and Canada’s thus-far empty promise to curb fossil fuel emissions.

The speech’s topics were broad, and Suzuki spent a prolonged period of time going into detail about the history of humanity’s influence on the environment and our distinct ability to contemplate the future, including potential disasters. Although Suzuki dwelled on this introduction for too long and perhaps lost listeners due to somewhat off-topic digressions, he nonetheless did a good job posing an important question: why, considering humanity’s unique capacity for foresight, do governments and leading industries continue to escalate emissions despite promises to curb them?

Instead of posing a reductively definitive answer, Suzuki opted to go a more philosophical route, mirroring the contemporary posthumanist turn in academia. He claimed that, more than ever, humans must start relating themselves to their natural surroundings instead of understanding themselves in opposition to it. Relating to the environment is a matter of care, and when value can only be discerned in terms of consumption and ever-expanding economic growth for anthropocentric purposes, we are bound to neglect that care and destroy the very environment we rely on.

When I initially read the University of Manitoba Students’ Union (UMSU) had selected a speaker to talk about the world’s most pressing environmental issues, I fully expected a liberal environmentalist to lecture students on the importance of ethical consumption. Instead, when Suzuki was posed a question about ethical oil consumption by a student during the question-and-answer period, Suzuki aptly responded that the idea is “a pile of crap.”

The idea oil companies could somehow manage themselves sustainably is ludicrous, and Suzuki was right to be direct in saying so. The very cornerstone of sustainability is the principle of balance — balanced inputs and outputs of resources

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in isolation, but also balance with ecosystems as a whole. Most university-educated students should by now be aware oil cannot be put back in the ground after it has been burnt, and it is certainly no secret that emissions are throwing our environment into a cascading feedback loop that threatens to destroy much of the world’s biodiversity. That isn’t sustainability.

As Suzuki pointed out in his speech, nations and oil companies have had ample opportunity to curb emissions since the mid-20th century. Suzuki drew on a famous quote from the former president of the American Petroleum Institute Frank Ikard to convey this message. “There is still time to save the world’s people from the catastrophic consequence of pollution, but time is running out […] carbon dioxide is being added to earth’s atmosphere by the burning of coal, oil and natural gas at such a rate that by the year 2000 the heat balance will be so modified as possibly to

cause changes in climate beyond local or even national efforts,” said Ikard in 1965.

But the issue of global warming persisted, and in 1977 one of the world’s largest oil companies, Exxon, recognized the damage fossil fuels had done to the natural environment.

“In the first place, there is general scientific agreement that the most likely manner in which mankind is influencing the global climate is through carbon dioxide release from the burning of fossil fuels,” said Exxon scientific advisor James Black. The following year, Black estimated the world had about “five to 10 years” before nations had to start transitioning to different energy sources. This was a formal recognition by one of the most polluting companies on the planet that burning fossil fuels was a completely unsustainable source of energy.

Fast forward 44 years and, instead of cutting fossil fuel production and consumption, the world has nearly doubled its annual

emission rate. Politicians from a variety of nations continue to promise environmental action for political advancement, but as soon as they are elected, backtrack on their promises in the interest of financial gain.

This, Suzuki appropriately pointed out, is due to big business, a lack of political accountability and, as previously mentioned, our egotistic anthropocentrism. Who needs to take steps toward transitioning to a green economy when leaders and parliamentarians will be long gone before following through on any of the promises they made to their constituents?

Instead, oil conglomerates and governments tend to point out the benefits of local oil production, claiming it provides jobs, social development or that net impact can be reduced through environmental assessments and offset programs.

Take, for example, Justin Trudeau’s absurd claim that to transition to a green economy, Canada must first invest in oil pipelines. Trudeau asserts the federal government should use surplus cash from the export of oil to create green infrastructure, as if creating more of a mess will make cleaning up that mess cheaper. This perverse logic is as misguided as the assumption that humanity can improve the world’s environmental condition while also expanding so-called ethical oil production. In short, we cannot have our cake and eat it too.

Suzuki’s holistic understanding of global warming, connecting environmental issues to political, social and economic shortcomings, makes him a public figure worth admiring. Where many politicians refuse to denounce outof-control economic growth and inequality as the main factor contributing to global warming, Suzuki expresses important anti-capitalist principles in his activism. “Don’t tell me that capitalism comes before very real biological realities,” he said to the Globe and Mail in 2011. He later doubled down on this statement after the Globe and Mail asked what social cause he would hypothetically donate $1 million toward, claiming he would give the money to “people working to find an alternative to capitalism.”

graphic / Dallin Chicoine/ staff

COMMENT

Overall, Suzuki presented a decent speech, and UMSU organized an informative event despite my initial pessimism. Students should be looking to Suzuki for inspiration regarding climate activism — the first step toward confronting global warming is challenging the powerful organizations that tell us we cannot solve the issue without their help. comment@themanitoban.com

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March 9, 2022

Fame is beating experience in upcoming byelection Fort Whyte byelection is a popularity contest, not a sample of the 2023 elections COMMENT

Ivan Nuñez Gamez, staff As the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba (PC) continues to lag behind Manitoba’s New Democratic Party (NDP) in province-wide polling, the Fort Whyte byelection could not have come at a better time for the traditionally conservative electoral division. The riding, which has remained vacant since the resignation of former premier Brian Pallister, is set to hold its election on March 22.

The Fort Whyte riding, which has been held by the PCs since its creation in 1999, has featured two PC leaders in its brief history. But the Liberal party is seeking to break the PCs’ stronghold. According to mid-January polling, Reaves is in a better position to win the Fort Whyte election than Khan. Reaves, who claims to have lived in Fort Whyte for 36 years, asserts the election should be an opportunity to send the government a message — that a change from PC legislative dominance over the last few elections is desperately needed.

Recently, however, Liberals have been on the tightrope after releasing inappropriate merchandise in the form of a red dress — a symbol for missing and murdered Indigenous women — with the message “overthrow the government” on it. After the action was condemned by NDP house leader Nahanni Fontaine, the Liberals rapidly apologized on Twitter and removed the product from the party’s official website. But can the apology save its electability in Fort Whyte?

Likely due to the PCs’ predominance

Despite a significant social media following and community involvement, his nomination comes at a troubling time for the PCs as the party struggles to regain momentum following two horrific years of scandal and public criticism, particularly regarding its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Furthermore, Khan’s nomination, just like Reaves’s, hints that the PCs and Liberals are trying to regain appeal among voters by putting forward popular, and subsequently electable, candidates rather than experts with public service experience.

While the Liberals and PCs chose appealing candidates, the NDP nominated a more-than-qualified

candidate in Schroeder. Beyond her experience with several prominent boards and with Manitoba’s arts and culture scene, Schroeder has proved to be an advocate for COVID-19 vaccination while firmly standing against rhetoric and racism. Schroeder said she would abstain from participating in a community question and answer forum if Patrick Allard — an independent candidate who has ties to the People’s Party of Canada and their far-right anti-vaccine and racist ideals — was invited. Her record of public service clearly makes her the most prepared candidate to fill the Fort Whyte leadership vacancy.

Despite Schroeder’s track record, according to mid-January polling, she is polling last among the primary candidates, and the Liberals’ growing appeal among centre-left voters is not making her work any easier. Unless she is able to break away from the other candidates in a meaningful way, Fort Whyte looks like it is bound to have a former Blue Bomber as its MLA.

comment@themanitoban.com

graphic / Marina Djurdjevic / staff

The primary candidates running for the position include Obby Khan representing the PCs, Willard Reaves running for the Liberals and Trudy Schroeder running for the NDP. Reaves and Khan are both former Winnipeg Blue Bomber players with little legislative background, while Schroeder is an experienced former board member for a plethora of organizations including Concordia Hospital, Manitoba’s arts and culture advisory council, Canada’s voluntary sector initiative and the University of Manitoba’s community leadership development program. Despite the PC and Liberal candidates’ lack of administrative experience, both are polling

significantly better than Schroeder.

in Fort Whyte, its candidacy election featured three people seeking the nomination. After a two-day voting process, Khan won the bid. Despite having no legislative background, he describes himself as a community champion and, alongside Premier Heather Stefanson, vowed to place emphasis on issues like reducing surgical diagnostic test backlogs, strengthening the health-care and education systems, increasing immigration to tackle the labour shortage and leading Canada’s economic recovery.

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A blend of science, art and activism a lot to take away from the 80-minute presentation. Patrons are invited to stay after the show for a 15-minute informal talkback with Mitchell.

Rebecca Picherack’s lighting design reflects these stories — one example is by slowly darkening the space as Mitchell describes a long descent into the ocean — but these techniques could have been utilized to an even greater extent.

The set, created by Shawn Kerwin, consists solely of a chalkboard and a high table. This simplicity belies the complex content of the piece.

When Mitchell makes her entrance, the lights do not immediately dim, allowing her time to greet and connect with her audience personally. As she weaves her tale of emails, expeditions and apprehensions, the house lights gradually fade until the spotlight shines only on her.

However, as Mitchell readily admits in her monologue, she is a journalist rather than a performer. At times, her delivery lapses into more formal, academic language. Though she tried to make the scientific aspects of the piece accessible by defining her terms and paring down explanations of chemical reactions, concepts and processes, the presentation overall felt more like a TED Talk than a theatrical performance.

Mitchell is an excellent storyteller and wordsmith. Her speech is conversational, authentic and easy to listen to, from describing the sensation of accidentally drinking poisonous red tide to divulging her fears about travelling thousands of leagues under the sea in the back of a tiny submersible.

If you are more interested in traditional theatre, Sea Sick might not be for you, but it is a passionate cautionary tale about humanity’s impact on the world around us, meant to provoke change and inspire reflection.

ARTS & CULTURE

Shaylyn Maharaj-Poliah, staff This month, the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre presents Sea Sick, written and performed

by Alanna Mitchell, as part of the second annual The Bridge: A Festival of Ideas. Beginning last year, The Bridge invites audiences to explore the numerous social issues that are impacting our world today.

The theme of this year’s festival is “Our Only Earth” and it aims to raise awareness about climate change through discourse and performance.

The festival is being held semivirtually, with programming typically beginning at 12 p.m. daily.

Inspired by Mitchell’s bestselling book of the same name, Sea Sick recounts her journey and desire to learn about the land, ultimately becoming invested in the pollution of the world’s oceans and the urgent issue of climate change. A blend of personal anecdotes, scientific facts and investigative journalism, there is

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The Bridge: A Festival of Ideas and

image / The Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre / provided

‘Sea Sick’ is a call to action for ocean awareness

Sea Sick will both run until March 19. For a full festival schedule, ticketing information and more, please visit royalmtc.ca.

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March 9, 2022

An artistic history of the natural world New virtual reality exhibit centres adaptation for survival ARTS & CULTURE Grace Paizen, staff

As the climate crisis escalates, it is important to remember the interconnectedness of nature and humanity. Adaptation has never been more imperative if we wish to continue to call Earth home and preserve the beautiful natural world.

Montreal-based interdisciplinary artist Frances Adair Mckenzie’s latest project, The Orchid and the Bee, is an artistic reminder of this connection.

A 360-degree virtual reality exhibit, The Orchid and the Bee is a five-minute artistic tour of Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection — it is not the strongest that survive, but those best adapted to the changing environment.

The exhibit highlights the essence of nature through the repeated generation and degeneration of stop-motion plasticine puppets in the “primordial soup of life” — from stardust to life’s oceanic origins to land-dwelling

mammals, flowers and bees.

Mckenzie emphasizes interconnection most through the image of the roots of flowers imagined as veins attached to organs, running through the earth.

The concept of nature’s origin from seemingly nothing is highlighted through the bottomless perspective of the 360-degree lens.

Watched online, the exhibit can be viewed in its entirety by changing the angle with the arrows on a keyboard or by clicking and dragging the screen.

The exhibit has been optimized for an Oculus Quest, but in the absence of a VR headset it can always be experienced in the form of your own museum space. By watching the exhibit in a pitch-black room with earphones in on your smartphone or tablet you can recreate the Oculus experience in a museum-like setting.

While the exhibit can be somewhat frustrating to experience in the way Mckenzie intends, finding the right platform is the best bet for the best experience.

The exhibit itself is beautifully done — the plasticine jellyfish are quite the highlight, and the falling stardust of the cosmos invokes a magical touch when looking up.

The sound and music are a bit ominous when juxtaposed against the beauty of the creatures and flowers on the screen, but this becomes more fitting by the end of the piece, where the universe returns to nothingness.

It is also fitting for the wheezing human face featured in the exhibit, which can be read as a depiction of humanity’s unwillingness to adapt when compared to the other creatures, which constantly transform from polyp to organism and back again.

In this way, the brief scene with the plasticine face accentuates the shortness of the time humans have spent on the screen of the planet’s

history, whereas other lifeforms have managed to thrive throughout many millions of years.

Mckenzie’s exhibit, then, promotes environmental reform by situating adaptation as inherent to survival and implying that although on the surface a human may be more intelligent than a jellyfish, humans have failed to adapt to the changing planet — including the climate crisis they created. This raises the question: how intelligent is humanity if adaptation is the key to survival?

The project may come across as art for art’s sake, especially due to its potentially frustrating viewing format, but the simplicity of Mckenzie’s piece is a foil for much deeper questions about the interconnectedness of nature and humanity’s role and purpose within it.

The Orchard and the Bee is streaming for free on nfb.ca. arts@themanitoban.com

Building an inclusive space in music production ARTS & CULTURE Alex Braun, staff

Despite recent strides, inequality and a lack of representation persist in the music production world. This field in particular is a very male-dominated space, with women representing only 2.6 per cent of producers credited on the highest-charting songs of the 2010s in America.

Local songwriter, artist and producer Lana Winterhalt sees a complex history behind this issue.

“There are so many factors for why we aren’t seeing as many women and gender-diverse people in music production — historically, men have been scouted, recruited or encouraged into technology-based jobs, leaving women to find ways in for themselves rather than doors [being] opened for them to walk through,” she said.

“It’s by no means impossible, and we’ve seen women climb to the top of these industries — Susan Rogers, Sylvia Robinson, Linda Perry — yet still, these women were anomalies.”

Even for those women set on a career in music production, Winterhalt feels there is a lack of community and support networks to help them get their start.

“The boys’ club is easy to find,” she said.

“There’s just so many white male

producers, it’s easy to form a community. Many women and gender-diverse folks are producing music alone in their home studio with little to no community for support.

It can be incredibly isolating, and [it is] harder to break into a pre-existing male-dominated community because ‘no one has heard of you before’ — you happen to be working alone, at home [or] in your basement.”

So, inspired by her fruitless search for a female mentor in the field, Winterhalt took it upon herself to build the community she wanted to see through the Good + Plenty Producer’s Club.

“Surely there were more of us out there and we just didn’t know about one another. The idea for some sort of ‘community’ came from this — we need to know who one another are, need to find mentors and be mentors and need to encourage one another in our growth,” she said.

Good + Plenty is a multifaceted initiative. First, there is a Facebook group exclusive to women, non-binary and trans-femme people in Manitoba.

Winterhalt said the Facebook group in particular has been used to “share resources with one another, opportunities for submissions or workshops with other organizations, [ask] questions about one another’s workstations or workflow and [start] introducing ourselves and making

image / Lana Winterhalt / provided

In conversation with Lana Winterhalt of the Good + Plenty Producer’s Club

new friendships.”

Winterhalt also hosts a podcast under the Good + Plenty name.

“It’s me chatting with a woman, non-binary [or] trans producer or audio engineer from across Canada to talk about their creative process, how they got into audio and any encouragement for the next generation of producers,” she said.

The club is also beginning to look into putting on in-person events in the community, including technical workshops, mixers, collaboration days and other events tailored to the interests and needs of the group.

“The main goal is to create a strong community and network which was literally non-existent previously, and to ensure that wherever folks are in their journey they have every resource available to them for growth,” said Winterhalt.

“Many folks don’t even know that we have a school for recording within Manitoba — Mid-Ocean School of Media Arts [or] MOSMA. Many folks don’t even know what grants or programs are available to them for learning, growing [and] funding their career. Many folks don’t know how to even begin working and making money in the industry.

“We want to ensure the knowledge is available and that everyone with the talent has an equal and fair shot for the same success.”

For more information about the Good + Plenty Producer’s Club, please visit its website at goodandplentywpg.com. The Good + Plenty Producer’s Club podcast can be streamed anywhere you listen to podcasts.

arts@themanitoban.com

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Exploring diverse perspectives through film National Film Board of Canada celebrates women and Inuit filmmakers ARTS & CULTURE In March, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is celebrating unique voices in film from a diverse array of individuals. This month, it is highlighting the perspectives of women and Inuit filmmakers and, like most of its collection, the NFB will be offering these films free of charge. The first two presentations are featurelength documentaries which will be released on March 8 in honour of International Women’s Day. The first is called In Full Voice.

Directed by Saïda OuchaouOzarowski, this documentary focuses on six Muslim women living in Canada who share their perspectives on identity and life experiences to dismantle negative stereotypes about Islam and the prejudice surrounding Muslim women. Ultimately, the film’s progression shows a common thread — a desire for freedom and equity.

photos / The National Film Board of Canada / provided

Zoë LeBrun, staff

Ouchaou-Ozarowski wrote, “Whether practising or not, [the film’s subjects] embody their own versions of Islam, and are quick to dismiss conflations and stereotypes, refusing to be stigmatized.”

In her statement, she said, “I am honoured to have had the opportunity to engage with these women, mothers and citizens. Each meeting is one more step toward a multidimensional, human vision of Islam.”

The second film, titled What Walaa Wants, is directed by Christy Garland.

This award-winning documentary tells the story of a rebellious girl named Walaa who was raised in a refugee camp in the West Bank and is intent on one day becoming a policewoman in the Palestinian National Security Forces.

The documentary follows Walaa from ages 15 through 21 as she navigates complex relationships with her disapproving family, works through the challenges that face her and learns which rules need to be followed and which rules deserve to be bent.

Another film — to be released March 14 — is The Storm, an animated short written and directed by Monica Kidd, who reflects on the experience of becoming a mother during the COVID-19 pandemic. As much as the film is about uncertainty, it also presents a glimmer of hope for the future.

Starting March 19, the NFB will also be providing virtual access to an interactive installation called TRACES, which is currently installed at Expo 2020 in Dubai. TRACES was created by an architect collective named Kanva, multimedia designer and art director Étienne Paquette and consulting firm Creos. The NFB states the installation “offers a poetic vision of an uncertain future and a reflection

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Bay, N.L.

Last but not least is short documentary Evan’s Drum, directed by Inuk journalist Ossie Michelin, which will be available beginning March 21.

Evan’s Drum follows a mother and son who share and pursue their passion for Inuit drum dancing together in the small town of Happy Valley-Goose

The documentary’s present-day focus is interwoven with Labrador’s history of colonization and reflects on the cultural pride that new generations of drummers like Evan have brought back to its communities recently. The film is a celebration of Inuit culture and familial relationships.

You can check out these films as they are posted throughout the month on the National Film Board’s website at nfb.ca.

arts@themanitoban.com

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March 9, 2022

Bisons’ basketball playoff aspirations cut short SPORTS

Matthew Merkel, staff The University of Manitoba Bisons basketball teams participated in the Canada West basketball playoff tournament this weekend. Unfortunately, both teams were ousted early, with the men’s team eliminated in the first round and the women’s team getting knocked out in the second.

Ranked 10th in the conference, the Bisons were matched up with the number 17-seed University of British Columbia Okanagan Heat.

The Bisons got out to a hot start against the Heat early in the first quarter. Keiran Zziwa knocked down a nice jumper and Mason Kraus slammed home his first career dunk in the Canada West playoffs to get the U of M some momentum.

The Heat matched the Bisons’ intensity. UBCO’s Gus Goerzen was dynamic offensively, scoring a three, a jumper and a layup. Hafith Moallin and Liban Yousef were beasts in the paint, both getting to the line and rebounding well defensively.

With the UBCO up 20-17 after the first, either team looked like they could come away with a win.

However, in the second, the Bisons’ weaknesses began to show. A much more undersized team than its opponents, the U of M struggled against the much taller UBCO Heat. Utilizing its height advantage, the Heat recorded four blocks and 12 rebounds. Shooting well in the quarter, the UBCO got out to a 16-point lead late.

After a frustrating quarter, Kraus and teammate Wyatt Tait helped close the lead, each draining a three and scoring in the paint to make it a two-possession game at halftime.

In the third, the Bisons continued to be dominated by the Heat defence, being limited to 9 points in the quarter. The UBCO scored by committee, with seven different players finding their names on the scoresheet in the frame.

Down by 14 heading into the fourth, the Bisons’ playoff hopes and season were on the line. Zziwa led the comeback attempt for the herd with seven points, while Tait and Kraus each had five.

The UBCO matched the Bisons’ offensive output. Elan Kimpton-Cuellar recorded eight points, while Kevin Hamlet had seven. Both players also had massive dunks, helping cap off an impressive 83-73 upset win for the 17th-seeded Heat.

The Bisons women’s team was matched up against the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in the first round of the Canada West playoff tournament on Friday.

Leading up to the game, second-year player Emerson Martin reflected on how the Bisons’ season has gone so far. Martin expressed the confidence she has in team heading into the playoffs.

“Overall, I feel good about our season [thus] far. We have been and continue to be competitive with top teams in the country,” said Martin.

“After looking at our matchups within our bracket, I’m very confident in our ability to be successful this weekend.

I’m excited to be competitive with teams more western than us that we haven’t seen yet this season.”

For the first time, the Canada West playoffs take place within a 17-team single knockout playoff tournament.

More teams than ever are competing to win a championship. Even so, Martin said the Bisons’ focus is internal. She said each player needs to fulfill their roles and exert as much effort as possible in order for the herd to be successful.

photos / Matthew Merkel / staff

Men’s, women’s teams knocked out of playoffs early

“Overall, I feel good about our season this far. We have been and continue to be competitive with top teams in the country” — Emerson Martin, Bison basketball player

“In the weeks leading up to this weekend, we have been focusing on what we do well as a team,” said Martin.

“We play the best when everyone gives 100 [per cent] toward their role within the team. There has been minimal focus on our opponents and instead the focus has been on us and what we do well. Our foundation is strong, and to win games and be successful we have to execute as a whole.”

Lauren Bartlett led the way for the herd early on. Her three shots from beyond the arc helped get the Bisons out to a six-point lead after one.

The Bisons continued to shoot the lights out in the second, as Taylor Randall and Autumn Agar each knocked down threes to help the Bisons increase its lead. The herd was also stellar defensively, nabbing four steals and bringing down 10 boards in its own end.

Coming into the second half with a 14-point lead, the Bisons looked confident offensively. The herd continued to pile on the points, making six threes in the quarter. The UBC had no answer for the Bisons’ shooters, allowing the Bisons to protect a large point margin.

That lead continued to be upheld in the fourth. Without any momentum, the UBC was unable to make a comeback, losing 74-55 to the U of M. The loss eliminated the Thunderbirds from the Canada West tournament.

The next day, the Bisons faced off against the number five-seed University of Lethbridge Pronghorns.

Martin got the Bisons off to a good

start with seven points in the first.

Once again, Lauren Bartlett was excellent from the field, scoring a jumper and a deep three.

Fourth-year player Jessica Haenni responded for the Pronghorns by making a couple field goals and getting busy in the paint.

Haenni would continue scoring at a torrent pace in the second, recording nine points in the quarter. However, the Bisons responded well. Going 3-5 on three-pointers and 4-6 on free throws, the U of M executed when needed.

Heading into the third with a threepoint lead, the Bisons looked like the better team. Despite this, the U of L appeared to be finding its game.

End-to-end action saw the score steadily increase. By the end of the quarter, the score was tied at 60 with either team looking like they could come away with a win.

There were eight lead changes in the fourth, as each team played at

an electric pace and scored at will.

After getting fouled on a made layup, Pronghorn forward Amy Mazutinec drained the free throw to complete the three-point play and give her team a three-point lead with just over a minute left to play.

Missed opportunities late forced the Bisons to attempt a three-pointer with less than 20 seconds left in the game.

A rebounded shot was kicked out to Lana Shypit.

The second-year guard was forced to shoot an awkward shot. An inch off from the target, the ball rimmed out, falling into the arms of a Pronghorn defender.

The sound of the buzzer signalled an 80-77 victory was awarded to the University of Lethbridge, who moved on to the quarterfinal of the Canada West playoff tournament. For the U of M, the loss meant the end of its playoff run and season. sports@themanitoban.com

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Women’s volleyball knocked out of playoffs “This team was a ton of fun to play on this year,” Gray said.

SPORTS

Isaiah Wagner, staff The University of Manitoba Bisons women’s volleyball team’s season ended abruptly this week as it lost three straight games in the Canada West playoffs.

“Losing in the playoffs is never fun, especially when it is three [games] straight right away,” Gray said.

“We played well, but ultimately did not have what it took to win. I am very proud [of] everyone’s effort and how these girls played this week.”

The girls travelled to Saskatoon, Sask. but were not able to come away with a win after the journey.

Although her team had a poor weekend, Gray personally put on a strong performance, finishing the three games with 24 kills and three assists. Still, despite Gray’s strong play during the games as well as throughout the season, it was not enough for the team to continue on in the playoffs.

During the regular season, the team finished with six wins and 10 losses.

The additional three losses in the playoffs make for an overall disappointing season for the team.

With that being said, the squad did not go down without a fight. After losing the first game in four sets and the second in three, the team rallied together and took the last game to five sets, capping off an exciting season with an exciting — if disappointing — finish for Ella Gray and the rest of the herd.

“Overall, I think we had a successful season,” Gray said.

“Obviously we did not get to where we want to be, but we got better every day. Every single day was a new day and we always improved our craft.”

“I made so many new friendships and the bond was amazing. We had some on-court success, but off the court was something that was even better.”

The majority of players on the Bisons women’s volleyball team are in their first or second year of eligibility. With such a young squad, the herd has many seasons ahead of it and many opportunities to learn and grow as a team. With so many players returning next fall, Gray says the future for the Bisons is promising.

“We have some young players that are planning on coming back, which is great for our squad,” Gray said.

“I am very excited for next year and expect big things out of each and every returning player.”

Along with Gray, second-year player Light Uchechukwu also performed well and fought for her club all season.

photo / Matthew Merkel / staff

Bisons lose three straight in Saskatoon

Uchechukwu finished the year with 213 kills and eight assists. Signs point toward her being a bright spot in the future of the Bisons volleyball program. sports@themanitoban.com

Diversions

Answer to last issue’s Hidoku

It’s important to make sure your analysis More than one unique solution may be possible. Puzzle by M. Doering.

SUDOKU No. 564

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

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