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Meet the 2022 UMSU presidential candidates Voting will take place online March 31 to April 1 at umsu.simplyvoting.com NEWS

Colton McKillop, staff

Jaron Rykiss

Savannah Szocs

Jaron Rykiss, a third-year philosophy and political studies student, currently serves as an arts faculty representative on UMSU’s board of directors. He has also been vice-chair of the union’s judicial board.

Savannah Szocs is a fifth-year student studying biological sciences and political studies and has served for nearly two years as UMSU’s vicepresident student life. She has also worked with the Science Students’ Association for two years and is currently a representative on the youth advisory board of Respect, Educate, Empower Survivors (REES), an organization that provides online reporting for survivors of sexual violence.

Rykiss said he hopes this, along with his experience in numerous student groups prior to post-secondary education, will give him the skills to learn on the job to “become the best president [he] can be.”

As president, Rykiss said he would work to restore the sense of community on campus that has been lost with COVID-19 and remote learning.

He describes himself as a “huge advocate for mental health,” highlighting this and increasing transparency regarding UMSU finances as some of his key priorities.

“I have [these] ideas for a mental health support portal, so it should be as easy as accessing coursework on UM Learn for students to receive mental health support from student accessibility services,” he said.

Rykiss said students could use this portal to meet over video call or text chat with a counsellor or access notes from a previous session for reflection.

“I’ve worked extremely hard over the past several years to gather experience that has fully prepared me to take on the role as president and I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to run for this position as a result,” she said.

“I want to run for this position because I’m extremely passionate about creating a better campus community for all students,” she said.

One issue Szocs highlighted was accountability for UMSU executives and said she would implement “strict policy” to reflect that.“I’ve been an UMSU executive for two years now and I’ve seen the ins and outs and how executives work and what is expected of them,” she said.

“I think that there’s a tremendous amount of room to grow with what we hold executives accountable for.”

He also argued UMSU “could be doing more” to keep students informed of how money from the fees they pay to the union is being spent.

If elected, Szocs also hopes to restructure the university’s process for in-person reporting of sexual violence and advocate free legal representation for students throughout that process.

“We could be posting monthly updates on our finances, we could be running audits as regularly as possible and making sure that students know exactly where our funds are going but we haven’t historically been doing that,” he said.

“Anyone who knows me well knows how passionate I am about supporting the survivor community and with projects I’ve been working on over the past couple years, we were able to bring [REES’s] online sexual violence reporting tool to campus,” she said.

Rykiss also hopes to help students financially by providing more UMSU jobs for students, using UMSU funds to partially pay for the costs of internships for students and an app that could connect students with people looking for help with odd jobs for cash.

Szocs said it is “heartbreaking” that some students in their third year at U of M still haven’t stepped foot on campus and hopes to re-engage students in campus life once in-person classes fully resume by promoting student clubs and associations and encouraging new students to get involved.

With in-person activities at the university gradually resuming, Rykiss said it would be important to help students get readjusted to campus. He supports “in-person learning with accessibility help” such as pre-recorded lectures for students absent due to COVID-19 and advocated that the university work to meet the needs of students who would not be able to return to campus due to health challenges.

“I’m so grateful for the opportunities that I’ve had as a student on campus as a result of being involved with these clubs and associations […] and I want students to be able to take full advantage of every opportunity available to them,” she said.

He also said the university should offer counselling resources to those feeling anxious about returning to campus.

“Let’s be honest here — I’m a little bit nervous,” he said.

“We’re all a little bit nervous about going back onto campus and my promise to students is that I’ll be there with them.”

photos provided by candidates

Szocs acknowledged that students, particularly those from marginalized communities, are struggling financially due to the pandemic. She argued UMSU should provide supports — such as using community-initiative funding, in which communities are allocated funding for student support and programming — to support students with scholarships and resources and increasing hardship funding.

Szocs said she is “ready to be the leader that students need.”

“On March 31 and April 1, cast your vote for me, a leader who will represent students in ways that are equitable, reliable and inclusive.”

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Meet the 2022 UMSU vice-presidential candidates NEWS

Colton McKillop, staff

Candidates for vice-president student life

Candidate for vice-president finance and operations

Tracy Karuhogo

Mohamed Soussi

Brook Rivard

A third-year psychology student, Tracy Karuhogo is currently UMSU’s womyn’s community representative.

Mohamed Soussi is a fifth-year student pursuing a major in political science and a minor in psychology. He has sat on the board of UMSU for the past three years, serving as governance co-chair and as chairman.

Brook Rivard is a mechanical engineering student with a focus in aerospace. He is currently running unopposed for re-election as UMSU’s vice-president finance and operations.

She has also served on student council for the International College of Manitoba and worked as an outreach coordinator for Justice for Women and a facilitator for Bringing in the Bystander, a workshop dedicated to teaching community members how they can help prevent sexual violence.

Karuhogo wants to be VP student life in order to revive student life on campus after two years of online learning and, if elected, hopes to highlight the importance of the social aspects of university.

She hopes to increase students’ engagement with student clubs and associations by providing students with an automated list of clubs they can easily access. She also pointed out students often have trouble accessing funds for clubs.

“So, one of my biggest [issues] is making it easier for them to get these funds, making it easier for them to have access to spaces on campus,” she said.

Karuhogo said that while the U of M has more than 100 student clubs and 28 associations, “the truth of the matter is most students don’t know about these clubs, they don’t know how to join them, they don’t know, when they come on to campus, where [to find them].”

As a student from Uganda, Karuhogo is also passionate about international students’ issues.

One of her “biggest priorities” is public health care for international students after the Progressive Conservative government denied international students access to universal health care in 2018. She works with campaigns to advocate for international students’ health care.

She also hopes to establish an annual cultural week at the university, highlighting the traditional cultures of international students to help them feel less homesick and encourage cultural exchange.

“When international students speak about the issues they are facing, they are not new to me because I am facing them,” she said.

He has worked as director of finance, interim treasurer and vice-president external with the Muslim Students’ Association (MSA). He also served as executive advisor for University 1 Student Council, providing guidance based on his experience dealing with UMSU while working with the MSA. “I’ve been a student advocate for almost four years now and I’ve had the absolute distinct honour to see […] in detail how our institution functions on campus, their successes […] and the areas which can be improved,” he said.

Soussi highlighted mental health as a central issue of his campaign, saying he was inspired to run for office after he and his friends struggled to access mental health services throughout the pandemic and saw room for improvement.

“I want to lobby for even more mental health resources because, to this day, it still takes way too long to see a mental health professional, which in my view is completely unacceptable,” he said.

“Through my work as [vice-president student life] I want to be able to lobby, whether it’s the administration [or] the province, for more mental health resources and access because right now it’s just such a neglected part of our health care.”

If elected, Soussi hopes to soften the financial blow for students coming to campus for their first time, many of whom may not have budgeted for some expenses of in-person learning, such as transportation.

“The hardship fund is something I want to make sure is there because it’s so easy to say, ‘Now that […] we’re all in person, [we’re] going back to normal,’” he said. “That’s not true […]

The reality is, at the end of the day, there will be new costs.”

“We only get this one chance to get back to in-person learning and I have no intentions to squander that opportunity.”

Rivard says his time in the role of vice-president finance and operations in the past year gives him “excellent hands-on experience” for the job.

“Being able to jump right into the role and avoid those first couple of months where you’re getting your bearings and learning how the different processes work is certainly an advantage,” he said.

Rivard has also served two years as the Arts Student Body Council’s director of finance, as well as the Resident Students’ Association Council director of finance for a year and also acted as treasurer for the university’s anime club and Model UN Club for a year each.

Rivard is eager to continue his work as vice-president finance and operations, saying that with COVID “stretching longer than initially hoped,” many aspects of the job and UMSU’s work more broadly were limited.

He considers low student engagement with UMSU to be his most pressing issue.

“We see it in lower turnout to events on campus, a disconnect between students and what is happening on campus,” he said.

“Even here in the election, the only reason I see for any position to be unopposed is that students just aren’t fully engaged with what UMSU is or what we do.”

Rivard says UMSU offers many good financial supports for students, but the difficulty is raising awareness of these programs among students.

“Making it more clear what options are available to students is the most immediate and, in my opinion, the most sound way to financially support students,” he said.

“Currently at UMSU, we’re going through the participatory budgeting process. This year, we’ve opened it up a bit more in a unique way [by] offering students the full ability to offer up where they feel funding can best be put going forward instead of what the practice has been in the past couple years of just offering four or five different options to be voted on.”

Rivard hopes students will come out to vote and reminded them the easiest way to stop receiving reminders to vote in their email is to simply “take the 30 seconds to vote.”

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Voting will take place online March 31 to April 1 at umsu.simplyvoting.com Candidates for vice-president advocacy Liam Pittman

Victoria Romero

A third-year student majoring in sociology, Liam Pittman has held various roles at varying levels of student government at other institutions, which has provided him with experience analyzing and drafting policy.

A second-year arts student studying political studies with a minor in history, Victoria Romero has experience working with both partisan and nonpartisan work with the government, such as working as a provincial page in the legislature and a constituency assistant for political parties in the province.

“As vice-president advocacy, it’s not about what you want and what you think is best, it’s about putting the needs and the wants of others above your own personal agenda,” he said.

Pittman thinks student advocacy is more than important than ever.

“A lot of students have been affected by the very difficult past two years that we’ve all gone through together, but the bottom line is, I want to make an impact on my peers and to help make their university experience a better one that prepares them for life after university,” he said.

He highlighted the fact that international students can no longer access universal health care in the province.

“Lobbying is a big part of the role as vice-president advocacy, so — alongside the Manitoba Alliance of Post-Secondary Students — I plan to lobby the provincial government and do everything in my power to reinstate them back on the provincial health-care plan,” he said.

“As an immigrant to Canada myself, I can really empathize with them.

There was a period […] where I wasn’t covered by the health-care plan due to my visa status, so I know the struggles and the worries that they’re going through and I absolutely will do everything in my power to get them back on.”

He also pointed out students are struggling financially with the pandemic and rising inflation.

“The 2021-22 budget was approved by the board of governors for $660 million and [they] decided that the university would increase the tuition by almost four percent,” he said.

“My plan is to fight against that four percent raise in tuition and to lower the students’ tuition. That will save the students an estimated $14.9 million and in a $660 million budget I think the university could find other areas to balance the budget out and should not place that burden onto the students.”

Tracy Karuhogo

VP student life candidate

She also has six years of volunteer work for the St.Amant Research Centre and has volunteered with Sara Riel Inc. — a mental health support group — and the North Point Douglas Women’s Centre.

Romero said she is running because she believes in the power of students when they stand together in a “politicized union.”

Mohamed Soussi

VP student life candidate

“I’m not someone that’s afraid to speak out against governing bodies who are putting forward anti-student legislation,” she said.

She said the most important issue she wants to highlight is restoring international students’ access to free health care after the province denied it to them in 2018 — a move she called “extremely cruel and inhumane.”

“Our international students contribute so much to our society [and] economy and […] they already have so many other expenses to deal with living in a completely foreign country,” she said.

Brook Rivard

VP finance & operations candidate

“They should at least get health care — health care is a human right.”

Romero said she would lobby hard against any tuition increases and oppose the government’s attempts to introduce performance-based funding, which she said would make the university “less inclusive.”

She said UMSU’s approach to dealing with the government has been too “friendly.”

Liam Pittman

“I know that it’s scary to stand up and voice a strong opinion — especially when that can sometimes mean being left out of a conversation and not getting a seat at the table — but the power of our student union is so extremely strong and when we stand together united and push for what we actually want, what is accessible for all and not just inclusive to some, we can achieve it.”

VP advocacy candidate

Pittman hopes students will come out to vote, no matter who they choose.

“It’s incredibly important because who you elect directly impacts your university experience.”

Victoria Romero

VP advocacy candidate photos provided by candidates

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Manitoba lifts most remaining COVID restrictions U of M mask, vaccine policies continue NEWS

Dimitar Tomovski, staff

members across the university community

Manitoba has eliminated most COVID-19-related restrictions and health orders, with masks no longer required in public settings other than health care facilities.

indicating that they’re pleased that the university is continuing with its approach regardless of what the

However, the University of Manitoba is continuing its mask and vaccine mandate until at least the end of the 2022 winter term.

province has decided to do” — Mark Torchia, vice-provost (teaching and learning) include providing Manitobans access to KN95 masks, PCR and rapid tests and information on how to know when one is eligible for COVID-19 treatment in a time-sensitive manner.

Vice-provost (teaching and learning) Mark Torchia said he hopes this sends a message that the university feels strongly about supporting its community’s health and safety.

“The university’s […] position is to continue to support the health and safety of the university community and we’re doing that by […] continuing the vaccination mandate and the masking mandate […] regardless of what the province has decided to change from a mandate to a recommendation,” said Torchia.

“I can tell you, we’ve received many positive responses from members across the university community indicating that they’re pleased that the university is continuing with its approach regardless of what the province has decided to do.”

Uzoma Asagwara, NDP MLA for Union Station, said the provincial

“We’ve received many positive responses from

photo / Mohammad Arsalan Saeed / staff

government’s decision to drop mask and vaccine mandates was done to appease the anti-COVID restriction convoy and noted there was no modelling data provided to support the decision to drop mask and vaccine mandates at that time.

“I think Manitobans would have felt much more secure in the decision to drop the mandates if that decision was also announced with not only the information to substantiate that decision, but also with the government taking measures to make sure that Manitobans have what they need to protect themselves.”

“The government really missed a huge opportunity to provide the public with important information and also the tools they need to continue to keep themselves safe as we’re still in this pandemic,” they said.

In a statement, Health Minister Audrey Gordon thanked health-care workers and ordinary Manitobans and said their “commitment, compassion and hard work” made lifting restrictions possible.

“This path forward will be different for all of us, whether we choose to wear masks or not, or how and when we connect with family and friends,” the statement read.

Asagwara said some of these measures

“Let’s be patient, thoughtful and kind to each other as we navigate this new normal together.”

Asagwara said they think the university’s continuation of mask and vaccine mandates reflects the independence that universities have as well as their right to exercise decision-making freely.

“Where institutions like universities make the decision to keep mask protocols in place, to me that shows that they are doing what they can to keep people as healthy as possible,” Asagwara said.

“I certainly respect and appreciate that they’re doing what they need.”

news@themanitoban.com

Five Days for the Homeless campaign returns to U of M Greater focus on virtual events due to COVID-19 NEWS

Dimitar Tomovski, staff Resource Assistance for Youth (RaY)’s 5 Days for the Homeless campaign will take place from March 21 to 25.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s focus will be on virtual events and fundraising initiatives.

“We want to help address the complexity of youth homelessness,” said Amin Montazeri, the public relations director for the campaign.

This is the 15th year that the U of M has taken part in the 5 Days for the Homeless events.

“Basically, the Asper [school of business] has been a partner with RaY [for] more than a dozen years now,” said Montazeri.

“The partnership allows for students to engage and gain insight in youth homelessness.”

One goal of the initiative is to bring awareness to RaY and the

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resources it offers through community engagement between students and volunteers as well as through the support of sponsors and corporate relations.

“The premise and […] mission statement is basically providing shelter, providing resources for growth and development and […] a safe haven for youth that are facing trauma or abuse [or] circumstances that push them to the fringes,” said Montazeri.

In addition to food and shelter, RaY also aids people in developing skills, resumé building and establishing an address for people to be reached at when pursuing a career or higher education.

“RaY acts as that kind of bridge in […] allowing youth to develop themselves,” Montazeri said.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the campaign was usually able to raise a substantial amount of money.

In previous years, the focus of the campaign would involve a group of U

of M students spending the “5 Days” living outside.

“Much of the donations came during the week of the 5 Days when we were sleeping outside, interacting with people and […] it really helped in that aspect of relaying the stories that we heard from RaY patrons to the students passing by.”

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has made it more difficult to raise the same levels of donations, with the vaccine rollout, Montazeri anticipates this year will not be as difficult as 2021.

There has been more of a push for its promotion through some in-person activities this year, including a pool tournament as well as a trivia night at Across the Board Game Café. From March 20 to 25, there will be booths promoting 5 Days for the Homeless on campus.

Montazeri said those who visit the booths will “get to engage and talk with committee members and the 5 Days committee this year, past sleepers and current volunteers.” The funds raised will be used for educational purposes.

photo / Mohammad Arsalan Saeed / staff

“There’s an education stream [as well as] skills and fundamental workshops will help youth from whatever age they might be in different categories from sustainability to cooking to resumé workshops to [the] kinds of skills that would help them in the professional field,” Montazeri said.

For more information and to donate to the cause, individuals can visit 5daysum.ca. Information can also be found on the campaign’s Instagram, Twitter and Facebook pages.

news@themanitoban.com

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Communication, not competition, is at the heart of 3MT RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY Michael Campbell, staff

On April 7, 12 finalists in the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition will face off to determine the who will advance to the first in-person western regional competition since 2019.

For graduate students in a thesisbased program, the 3MT competition may be an opportunity to showcase original research for the first time and help students gain confidence as researchers.

For Nolan De Leon, winner of the 2021 Dr. Archie McNicol Prize firstplace at the University of Manitoba’s 3MT competition, taking part in the competition was an important first step toward pursuing both a doctoral degree and a medical degree concurrently. After De Leon’s success at the 3MT competition, he decided to transfer his credits and transition into a PhD program, continuing the same winning research project he presented in 2021.

De Leon’s thesis project aims at early detection of prenatal abnormalities by examining the genetic makeup of the fetus. Specifically, De Leon wants to develop a reliable detection strategy for congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), a condition where the fetus’ abdominal organs herniate through a small hole in their diaphragm and push up against their lungs.

In De Leon’s 3MT presentation, he tells the story of an expecting family that only finds out their child has CDH after an ultrasound reveals the condition is too far gone for effective treatment.

“I am going to change that,” De Leon said.

“What if your doctor could put your worries at ease or prepare you for the worst with a more accurate test? The answer is in circular RNAs.” An abundance or deficiency of circular ribonucleic acid is an indicator of CDH long before birth. By extracting amniotic fluid, amplifying and detecting levels of circular RNA, doctors may be able to diagnose and determine proper treatment for CDH more reliably. Moreover, it would prevent weeks of waiting for specialist diagnosis from an ultrasound, which can be painful for families to endure and cost precious time, preventing early treatment.

“If you can understand science, but you can’t speak it to your patients, they’re going to leave the clinic stressed because they have no idea what you just told them,” De Leon said.

De Leon encourages graduate students to take the leap into the 3MT competition despite any anxieties about presenting. He suggested winning the competition should not be the ultimate goal — rather, students should practice their communication skills. These skills can pay dividends in applying for scholarships or writing papers for publication.

“If you’re thinking about doing it, just do it,” De Leon said.

“Take a step. I think, even in research, it’s all about taking a risk […] You can’t play it safe all the time to be comfortable.”

De Leon pushes himself out of his comfort zone in his extracurricular activities as well. In October 2021, De Leon lifted nearly 5,900 kilograms in one hour through Turkish get-ups, breaking the Guinness world record. He took on the challenge in a campaign to raise money for the Mood Disorders Association of Manitoba. In total, his campaign raised over $3,000 for mental health.

De Leon knows firsthand the stressors facing the 3MT finalists and graduate students more generally. He wanted to add his support to all students doing great research.

“I want to say to all the 3MT competitors, your research is amazing — you guys are amazing and everything that you’re doing has the potential to bring a positive change in the world,” De Leon said.

“So, even though everything has been doom and gloom for the past two years, there are good people, there are good things happening and we’re needing to remember that.”

“If you can understand science, but you can’t speak it to your patients, they’re going to leave the clinic stressed because they have no idea what you just told them” — Nolan De Leon, PhD student

“I want to say to all the 3MT competitors, your research is amazing — you guys are amazing and everything that you’re doing

“My goal is to confirm the differences in circular RNA levels between the amniotic fluid of healthy babies and CDH babies with our new liquid biopsy,” De Leon said.

The 3MT competition proved De Leon could be a successful science communicator, which will serve him well as a researcher trying to communicate complex ideas to the public and as a future physician.

photo / Nolan De Leon / provided

Past 3MT winner encourages grad students to share their research

has the potential to bring a positive change in the world” — Nolan De Leon, research@themanitoban.com

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A vision for a just recovery in Winnipeg’s inner city RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY Emma Rempel, staff

Two years after a state of emergency was declared for the COVID-19 pandemic, the government of Manitoba is ushering in a return to normalcy. As recovery plans are being drafted, U of M researchers are asking whether returning to the pre-pandemic “normal” is the best we should ask of our leaders. Sarah Cooper — assistant professor in the department of city planning — and graduate students Lila Asher and Kayla Villebrun-Normand recently published research in a report titled “State of the Inner City: Placing Community at the Heart of the Recovery from COVID” discussing a new normal.

The annual report gathers interviews from community-based organizations (CBOs) and makes suggestions to improve the quality of life of those in the inner city. This year, amid talks of recovery plans, community leaders in Winnipeg’s inner city voiced concerns about how the pandemic had affected people who were already struggling.

There was concern government responses would prioritize the middle-class and leave vulnerable people behind.

“Now that governments are beginning to plan for the end of the pandemic, it’s important that the recovery not be about going back to normal, but about building a just city for everyone,” said Cooper.

The inner city is home to a diverse population. Following Winnipeg’s suburbanization after the Second World War, First Nations and Métis people were attracted to the affordable housing and growing communities in the inner city. Similar factors attracted a wave of newcomers and refugees to the area in the 1990s and 2000s.

These historical trends have resulted in a concentration of poverty, even racialized poverty, in the inner city.

“We found that the inner city was hit especially hard by the pandemic as a result of pre-existing poverty, precarious housing and homelessness and inadequate access to basic needs,” said Cooper.

Self-determination refers to the right of Indigenous peoples to make decisions about their lives and the future of their communities. Many of the underlying causes of poverty and marginalization for people in Winnipeg’s inner city are the result of settler-colonial systems, including housing needs, interaction with the justice system, education and employment opportunities. Recovery plans must include Indigenous self-determination to prevent replicating the harms to Indigenous people.

Intersectional equity is also essential for a just recovery. Intersectionality refers to the ways that an individual’s multiple marginalized identities can build on one another and influence the challenges they face. Intersectional equity would counter those challenges to ensure that all people can live healthy lives regardless of their race, gender, ability or class.

“Addressing the underlying causes of poverty is needed to create a new normal and a more just society,” said Cooper.

Intersectional equity would ensure equal access to the material factors that influence a person’s health beyond access to health care. These include many basics that ensure safety and wellbeing, like quality housing, a healthy diet, community connectedness and safety from violence. These factors aren’t independent — they are interlinked. The authors stressed that the unmet needs of a group of individuals is not a neutral act but rather the result of political choices.

To this end, Cooper said governments should “change policies and practices that create and exacerbate poverty and marginalization.”

There are no one-size-fits-all solutions to address inequalities for the diverse communities that live in the inner city. CBOs are therefore necessary to any recovery planning since they best understand the differing challenges and needs of their communities.

“This work must be led by the people and communities that are most affected by it,” said Cooper.

The report examined the role of CBOs in meeting basic needs for people in the inner city. CBOs provided crucial support to vulnerable communities in the early days of the pandemic. These organizations often filled in gaps in the social safety net by providing basic services like shelter, food, harm reduction and safety from violence.

While the federal government initially provided substantial funding through new programs, that funding has ceased, even as the pandemic continues to affect living costs and health risks. Funding from all three levels of government is vital for a just recovery, but distribution of funds should be guided by CBOs.

These organizations also possess a wealth of knowledge and expertise about the needs of their community.

“Funding alone cannot address the root causes of inequality,” Cooper argued.

From consultations with CBOs, the authors outlined three priorities for a just recovery: Indigenous self-determination, intersectional equity and social determinants of health.

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graphic / Jackie Traverse / provided

Researchers propose investing in community-based organizations

Recommendations outlined in the report include investing in communities over physical infrastructure and centring reconciliation in recovery

“We found that the inner city was hit especially hard by the pandemic as a result of pre-existing poverty, precarious housing and homelessness and inadequate access to basic needs” — Sarah Cooper, assistant professor of city planning plans.

“Since governments are now beginning to plan for re-opening, it’s a good moment to build on the momentum to advocate for a just recovery,” said Cooper.

At the onset of the pandemic, municipal, provincial and federal governments poured money into social systems and programs. This was evidence to the research team that when there is strong political will, it is possible to fund these programs.

They also credit the momentum building in public opinion to address the root causes of inequality. The authors present this recovery as a “once-in-a-generation chance” to strike while the iron’s hot.

“We know that there will be more crises in the future — whether that’s another wave of COVID, another pandemic or an impact of climate change — and the best way to prepare for them is to build resilient communities by addressing inequality and marginalization ahead of time,” Cooper said.

The report’s accompanying video can be viewed at youtube.com/ watch?v=CrB1p24-KIk.

research@themanitoban.com

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March 23, 2022

PCs throwing province off a cliff by dropping masks Losing mask mandate a dangerous effort to regain favour among disaffected voters COMMENT

Lucas Edmond, staff In August 2021, then-premier Brian Pallister made the mistake of dropping mask mandates. With the help of steady vaccination rates and restrictions for unvaccinated individuals, Manitoba looked like it had finally turned a corner. For the PCs, dropping mask requirements was a modest buffer from anti-mandate political dissent after maintaining considerable restrictions for unvaccinated people.

With vaccines acting as a parapet to prevent Manitoba’s health-care system from falling over-board, Manitoba should have been fine to ease restrictions, right? Theoretically, it sounded fine at the time, but if this pandemic has taught us anything, we should resist optimism and err on the side of caution. The province was overly optimistic then and Manitoba was thrown into

fiscal conservatives and so forth. No party is internally uniform. However, this base includes a large anti-mandate faction. Last year, traditional PC voters went so far as to form their own anti-mandate populist party called the Keystone Party. For Manitoba’s opposition parties, disaffected voters have been a blessing, but they have clearly forced the PCs’ hand.

Unfor tunately, regular people will suffer the consequences.

European nations, and many of those same nations are now experiencing an influx of cases. Germany is supposedly setting case records since it dropped its mandates, indicating that the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over. Considering this, the dropping of the mask

these groups they have to wear them.

Concerningly, the PCs have adopted this “personal choice” talking point, with little regard for the health of the citizens that have worked hard to keep COVID at bay for the past two years. It seems clear the party does not care about the health of Manitobans, and this lack of concern was further emphasized after PC party members neglected to wear masks to the legislative assembly on March 15.

Meanwhile, across the floor, the opposition parties continued to practice caution and remained masked.

The PCs’ disregard for masks in the assembly appeared to be a signal of solidarity with the anti-mask movement, which further bolsters suspicion that dropping mask mandates was not a rationally informed policy decision but an attempt to regain political footing instead.

The party’s reputation has been stained by a bad

the worst wave of cases following the discovery of the Omicron variant.

Now, Manitoba is in a similar position. Case numbers are reducing and the health-care system is gradually clearing up.

However, it seems Manitoba has yet another premier bent on sabotaging the province’s success in exchange for political capital.

On March 15 the Progressive Conservative party (PC) dropped Manitoba’s mask mandate. The PCs are facing what looks to be an inevitable demise come next provincial election and it appears the party is finding it increasingly futile to play along with public health measures it so clearly resents. The result may culminate in yet another self-destructive attempt at returning to pre-COVID life. We’ve been here before, and it didn’t end well.

Considering the PCs are the primary conservative party in Manitoba, it has

The move to get rid of the mask mandate may be an attempt to regain lost ground. Despite the advice of health coalitions and professionals to keep the mask mandate, the party ignored science and caved to the vocal anti-mask minority. “The removal of the mask mandate […] will embolden the extremist, anti-vaccine and anti-mask convoy movement,” said Manitoba Health Coalition provincial director Thomas Linner.

We’ve been here before, and it didn’t end well

a diverse voting base that includes the likes of centrists, social conservatives,

In late February, public health measures were dropped in several

mandate in Manitoba will likely be short-lived.

Although not every public health measure can last forever, it is hard to find a good case for getting rid of masks. They are one of the most effective and least restrictive public health measures that governments can use to prevent the spread of COVID. Most mandate critics rarely make arguments about the impracticality of wearing a mask. Instead, they tend focus on the principle of freedom. The movement’s rhetoric is dominated by anti-government and libertarian principles that prioritize individual liberties. In this way, the problem is not that masks physically bother those opposed to them — most masks are extremely easy to breathe through — but that the government is telling

pandemic response on one hand and demonized by its anti-mandate faction for doing anything in the first place. Now, to regain any chance at re-election, the party is jumping off a cliff and hoping for the best.

The PCs have chosen self-destruction and Manitobans will pay the consequences.

graphic / Marina Djurdjevic / staff comment@themanitoban.com

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Canada should be doing more for all refugees Let Canada’s response to Ukraine set the standard for all people fleeing conflict EDITORIAL War is terrible no matter who it affects. And where there is conflict, inevitably there will be people that are forced to flee for their lives.

Although it is unrealistic to expect to save everybody from the perils of war, Canada and other western countries have not stepped up to support as many people as they should.

It is great to see the way Canada has welcomed Ukrainians fleeing the war in their country and seeking asylum in Canada. I think we should all be glad to see our government creating a new immigration path to make it easier for Ukrainians to come to Canada.

Although it will still be difficult for many to leave Ukraine and make it here, I hope that these measures ensure that we can help more people reach safety.

But I, like many, question why we have been able to take steps to reduce red tape for people fleeing Ukraine, when in similar situations in the past, government officials said it was impossible to do so. Last summer, Canada promised to allow in 40,000 Afghan refugees seeking asylum, but as of mid-March we are nowhere near that number — just 8,580 have arrived.

A spokesperson

for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has blamed restrictions and lack of support for why more have not been able to flee successfully.

So why the different approach? Many pundits have argued that the answer is racism. It is obvious that the war in Ukraine is being treated differently by Western nations. Some media outlets have already drawn on the colonial “savage/civilized” binary to justify privileging Ukrainian refugees over people fleeing from marginalized nations.

Considering the outpouring of support for Ukrainians, it is hard not to think that we have been so much more welcoming to European refugees because they are largely white and Christian.

These racist attitudes about who deserves support are not the federal government’s fault alone. Being a representative body, the

government is more likely to help people when it is politically beneficial. The disproportionate media coverage that Ukraine refugees have received compared to marginalized nations — where violence has come to seem natural in the western imagination — has cemented the idea that white people in conflict zones deserve more aid. The government’s efforts to welcome Ukrainians might be influenced by the fact that white voters are concerned with the idea of a European war but remain indifferent about wars in places they consider more foreign.

Further, we cannot underestimate the significance of the large population of Canadians with Ukrainian heritage.

The influx of Ukrainians coming to Canada must stimulate a conversation about standards for refugees and immigrants. Although it is concerning there is a clear difference in the way Canada has handled this refugee situation compared to those in the past, it is promising that this response may start a conversation about racism and hopefully set a precedent for future crises.

Although it is necessary that Canada welcomes as many Ukrainians as possible, we should not privilege their aid over

Although it is necessary that Canada welcomes as many Ukrainians as possible, we should not privilege their aid over that given to racialized people stuck in conflict zones. We must set the standard with Ukrainian refugees and apply it to all those struggling to escape war 10

that given to racialized people stuck in conflict zones. We must set the standard with Ukrainian refugees and apply it to all those struggling to escape war.

graphic / Dallin Chicoine / staff words / Molly Smyth / staff

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International students deserve free health care Despite barriers, international students are willing to fight for the Canadian dream COMMENT

As an international student, I understand the concerns raised when one decides to pursue their goals and aspirations by studying abroad, the costs of finding health insurance among them. I would like to think my parents are pretty confident in my recently gained independence, but before I left for Canada, they were meticulous about examining the insurance I selected. I can understand why, as health insurance really is a matter of life and death. Though I initially thought all international students enjoyed Canada’s internationally acclaimed and infamously “free” health care, it didn’t take me long to realize international students do not receive the same care as most Canadian citizens.

graphic / Marina Djurdjevic / staff

Ivan Nuñez Gamez, staff

Most international students aren’t just paying over $1,000 per academic year for their insurance — the medical coverage they’re paying for doesn’t always cover the assistance they need.

This plays into the argument that Manitoba is treating its international students as cash cows.

In Canada, international students make up 17.1 per cent of total university enrolments, yet due to ever-growing differential fees — which cause international students to pay over four times what domestic students pay — they represent 35 per cent of the fees collected for health insurance by post-secondary institutions.

The University of Manitoba is not exempt from this disparity.

If international students’ tuition represents such a large amount of the income the university receives, it is fair to expect access to medical assistance in return. Though each international student enrolled at the U of M is insured under StudentCare and Manitoba Blue Cross insurance, we are nonetheless overcharged and underserviced.

If international students’ tuition represents such a large amount of the income the university receives, it is fair to expect access to medical assistance in return

Before the Progressive Conservatives came to power, the Health Services Insurance Act contained a clause that gave international students access to universal health care. However, in 2018, the Act was amended to repeal that clause on the basis it would save the province $3 million a year. Since then, petitions for inclusive health care have been a regular part of the fight to regain this right for international students, and the issue has garnered the support of the Manitoba Liberal Party along the way. A petition for inclusive health care has been read in the Manitoba Legislature thanks to the relentless efforts of the Healthcare for All coalition, but governmental action is yet to be seen.

— an international civil engineering student at the U of M — was charged $123,000 in hospital bills after requiring an emergency surgery to fix an intestinal obstruction. At the time of the emergency, Lugalambi was transferring from the International College of Manitoba to the program of his choice. He claimed neither of the institutions explicitly informed him that he needed to purchase additional insurance or he would be uninsured during the summer.

Although the numbers are grim, they don’t do justice to the hard realities many international students face. Last year, Calvin Lugalambi

After Lugalambi’s life-saving procedure, St. Boniface Hospital offered him a 10-year payment plan of $1,000 per month. Although better than upfront

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payment, this is an unsustainable debt for most international students, including Lugalambi. Despite his situation, Lugalambi said he wishes to finish school in Canada, making him one example of an international student willing to endure these obstacles for the sake of a better future.

When I came to Canada, I never expected to be treated as an equal, at least not by the government. After all, I am nothing but a foreigner seeking educational opportunities my home country is unable to provide. But international students deserve a level of human decency — the kind that

does not take my place of birth or my immigration status into account when determining the medical assistance I receive. Universal health care is a human right that all Manitobans are entitled to, regardless of their immigration status. Ensuring it’s provided to international students is simply the price of encouraging them to pursue the Canadian dream.

comment@themanitoban.com

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March 23, 2022

NFB receives 76th Oscar nomination National Film Board’s ‘Affairs of the Art’ up for Best Animated Short Film ARTS & CULTURE Grace Paizen, staff

As a national institution pushing toward its 90th anniversary, it may not come as a surprise to some that the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) has officially picked up its 76th Academy Award nomination, considering the Board’s remarkable tenure.

The recipient of the NFB’s Oscar nomination for Best Animated Short Film is Affairs of the Art, a short created by United Kingdom filmmakers Joanna Quinn and Les Mills with their production company Beryl Productions International and co-produced by the NFB’s own Michael Fukushima.

While the short is described with the tagline “How many obsessions can one family have?” it is morbid in a classically NFB kind of way.

Canadian viewers may see similarities in the humour and animation of Affairs of the Art to the canonically morbid — yet somehow beloved — NFB animated short The Cat Came Back by Winnipeg-born animator Cordell Barker, which was also nominated for an Oscar in 1989.

Though viewed as a kid-friendly adaption of the classic song, those in Canadian elementary school in the ’90s may remember an afternoon where the television and VCR cart was rolled into the classroom, followed

by disconcerting feelings as they watched Mr. Johnson’s attempts to blow up a cat with a mountain of dynamite in Barker’s film.

Like Barker’s, Quinn and Mills’s film has a seemingly comical note, particularly at the start, where the narrator Beryl believes she is “Rousseauesque” in her ability to draw, before the narrative quickly transfers to another obsession in the family: Beryl’s sister’s hobby of collecting bugs, waiting for them to die and then placing the corpses in raisin boxes.

This rapid shift from the silly to the morbid sets the stage for more macabre acts — like her sister purposefully attempting to murder her pet mouse via train set — dispersed amid the slapstick narrative of Beryl’s attempts at art.

Bouncing between Beryl’s story of reclaiming her artistic endeavours and increasingly macabre scenes of animal death and taxidermy, Affairs of the Art is not a comfortable watch and employs a very specific sort of humour.

It’s as though the film is attempting Edgar Allan Poe-style dark comedy, see-sawing between the humorous and horrifying, but the film never fully realizes this effort.

Where Poe’s humour was balanced

image / National Film Board of Canada / provided

on unsympathetic characters whose disturbing experiences seemed deserved, the core of the film rests on a sympathetic narrator wasting her life in a factory instead of pursuing her dreams, placed in this circumstance by becoming pregnant before she had the chance to attend post-secondary school — an all-too-real experience for women which happens to this day.

In this way, the grotesque scenes of Beryl’s sister’s obsession with death and preserving dead bodies play as depressive in conjunction with Beryl’s own story, as her sister’s obsessions are rewarded.

As for recreating an environment comparable to nostalgic NFB films, Affairs of the Art morbidly hits the mark.

The animation style is aesthetically pleasing, which perhaps adds to the unnerving juxtaposition of the grisly scenes.

classroom-setting viewing in the last few decades of the 20th century as notorious for being “both soothing and sinister,” a quote that perfectly sums up the short.

Though a co-production with another studio, Affairs of the Art somehow manages to reconstruct this unsettling characteristic of past NFB productions.

Off-puttingly nostalgic, the film captures the essence of the NFB as remembered in Canadian classrooms.

While it should come with a warning label for its gruesome content, Affairs of the Art is an interesting take on artistically showcasing the obsessive hobbies of family members.

At the very least, the short is memorable, though in a morbid way.

Affairs of the Art is streaming for free on nfb.ca.

In fact, in his book Hinterland film scholar Andrew Remixed, Burke describes the NFB’s deluge of

arts@themanitoban.com

’Toban cornertable ARTS & CULTURE Zoë LeBrun, staff

There have been many variations on the classic detective story over the years, with just as wide a range of subjects in the role of crime-solving protagonist. As such, it’s not uncommon to read books about unlikely detectives — but have you ever read about a veterinarian who solves crimes?

aid him not only in his veterinarian practice but also in assisting his fellow community members — he is known around town for helping to solve mysteries, as well as for his attempts to find missing people with his trusty dog, Pippin.

Fifty-Four Pigs is Schott’s fourth book to date and reflects his own specialized knowledge of veterinary medicine, as he is a practicing veterinarian here in Winnipeg.

When Peter’s friend Tom’s swine barn suddenly explodes one day, they soon find that there is a darker side to the tragedy, and Tom becomes the prime suspect in a murder case. With Pippin at his side, Peter decides to try and clear his friend’s name with his reasoning skills, but is soon in over his head. After another murder and a string of break-ins take place around town, Peter’s involvement with the case becomes dangerous and, despite warnings from his RCMP officer brother-in-law Kevin, Peter pursues leads that point to much larger, potentially international issues.

Fifty-Four Pigs protagonist Peter loves logic and objectivity, concepts that

Filled with twists and turns, Schott’s take on the detective novel is quirky,

This is exactly what local author Philipp Schott imagines in his upcoming book Fifty-Four Pigs: A Dr. Bannerman Vet Mystery. The novel focuses on Dr. Peter Bannerman, a veterinarian in the town of New Selfoss, a fictional Icelandic-Canadian community akin to Gimli, Man.

fun and lighthearted, but also rich in character and worldbuilding.

Throughout the novel, we discover key aspects of New Selfoss’s history and loads of detail regarding the backgrounds and connections between members of its community. However, this attention to detail provides the greatest insight into Peter himself, and truly reflects the way that our protagonist sees the world — meticulously, logically and with a hyper-observant eye.

There is also something to be said for the charm that being set in Manitoba brings to the book, especially for those of us who live here. It is not often that we get to see our province represented in novels like Fifty-Four Pigs, but Manitoba is a perfect setting for the sleepy small town mentality that Schott creates in New Selfoss — it provides intrigue, but also serves as a reminder that crime happens everywhere, even in the “safest” and most unexpected places.

Fifty-Four Pigs: A Dr. Peter Bannerman Vet Mystery is

image / ECW Press / provided

Philipp Schott — ‘Fifty-Four Pigs: A Dr. Peter Bannerman Vet Mystery’

currently available for pre-order from major retailers. The book will be available for in-store purchase starting April 19. arts@themanitoban.com

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’Toban turntable Niall Mutter — ‘Pass Me By’

Cassidy Mann — ‘If It’s Not Forever’

ARTS & CULTURE

ARTS & CULTURE Alex Braun, staff

image / Killbeat Music / provided

image / Killbeat Music / provided

Alex Braun, staff

3.5/5 stars

3/5 stars For the past near-decade, the indie world has been afflicted with the “post-Mac DeMarco malady.” DeMarco, a goofball from Edmonton, has been one of the most weirdly influential artists in recent times, popularizing a distinctive blend of jazzy guitar, lightly funky bass lines and laid-back good vibes. It seems people of all stripes can’t resist the urge to pull on a Carhartt outfit, plug in a chorus pedal, muffle their drums with some tea towels and go to town.

Not that it’s always a bad thing, but for a long time people have been latching onto the watery, chill, bedroom pop style and using the aesthetic to cover up lazy songwriting. It’s refreshing to hear something good in this tired idiom for once. Niall Mutter, through the power of being a smart songwriter, has done just that on his new EP Pass Me By. The opening track “Maybe” is carried by a 6/8 groove and a smirking, throwback chorus that bring a distinct ’50s vibe to the song, as well as some very smart hooks, like when the flighty verses give way to a sharp, catchy pre-chorus, building perfect momentum into the dreamy chorus.

The second track, “A Love That Fits,” has a sort of ’60s soul thing going on, with some falsetto background vocals and an occasionally silly soul affectation in Mutter’s voice. What makes the track is a clever piano melody in the place of the hook, fitting into the simple groove perfectly and working as a counterpoint to the otherwise watery production.

“I Wonder” is a low point, as Mutter

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drowns in the DeMarco sauce a little bit. It’s not a bad song — just forgettable, low in energy and a bit too derivative in its sound to escape the curse of having a weak hook. “You,” however, is an improvement, built around a tight funk groove that falls apart a couple of times for a pretty little guitar break. The closing title track is

Niall Mutter, through the power of being a smart songwriter, has done just that on his new EP Pass Me By another sweet throwback ballad in 6/8 with a clear Everly Brothers influence, ending the project on a high note.

Overall, Niall Mutter has delivered a solid collection of guitar pop songs, largely quite catchy and well-crafted, despite their derivative sound and basic lyrical content.

arts@themanitoban.com

Winnipeg-born singersongwriter Cassidy Mann does a lot of reminiscing on her new EP, If It’s Not Forever. The songs here are preoccupied with the evocative moments from love affairs that stick with you long after the relationship ends.

The opening track “Tropical Sour Candy” is a sweet little Proustian remembrance brought on by Mann eating the same candy that she used to eat with an ex. “Election Night” brings us back to the 2016 U.S. presidential election, ruminating on all the changes in her life in the years that followed.

The lyrics are peppered with endearing details, like on the soft, touching standout track “Since I Met You,” where Mann asks her partner to tell her about a moment they shared on a subway when she cried in their arms.

Musically, too, there are lots of tasteful production aspects and unexpected instrumental moments. Co-produced with fellow Winnipegger Roman Clarke, formerly of the Middle Coast, it’s apparent these tracks were fiddled with for a long time. “Stop A Heart,” a pretty simple song on the surface, is constantly introducing and removing elements, with a plucky acoustic guitar and a skittering, hyperactive electronic beat its only constants. It ends with a cathartic instrumental passage where reverbed guitars and spectral synths fight for attention, and little parts like a trumpet or stacked vocals come in to play a quick melody before drifting off.

The instrumental palette is reminiscent of the trendy late ’90s or early 2000s adult alternative sound, with some tasteful contemporary flourishes. The song “Fine” is like Mann’s own version of Alanis Morrissette’s “Ironic,” with a big chorus of spurious similes. I am not sure how comparing grains of sand or coffee grounds to feeling fine about moving on from

an ex really deepens the meaning of the word “fine” at all, but the effort to come up with so many fine things is appreciated.

Mann also has a keen sense of melody.

“Tropical Sour Candy” has a big hook ready for radio, and the chorus of

The instrumental palette is reminiscent of the trendy late ‘90s or early 2000s adult alternative sound, with some tasteful contemporary flourishes

“Since I Met You” lifts beautifully before settling into a reserved, lower register.

This EP is sort of a new start for Cassidy Mann — her first release on a new label and the first taste of her “true voice.” As a start for a new sound, If It’s Not Forever is certainly promising.

Cassidy Mann’s new EP If It’s Not Forever will be available April 1. arts@themanitoban.com

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March 23, 2022

Manitobans perform at ManSask championship Stacey, Bisons teammates excel at meet SPORTS

Isaiah Wagner, staff The 2022 ManSask winter provincial championships took place this past week in Winnipeg, with many Manitobans looking to do their province proud.

The four-day meet consisted of a variety of events and produced many great races and many great times from some Manitoban swimmers.

One swimmer that had an outstanding weekend was 17-year-old Brayden Stacey.

Stacey had many great performances throughout the meet, the most notable being his first-place finish in the boys 16 and over 100 LC metre backstroke and his second-place finish in the boys 16 and over 200 LC metre backstroke. On his fourth and final day, Stacey came up with another first-place finish in the boys 16 and over 50 LC metre butterfly.

Not only did Stacey perform well in the individual events, but his Bison teammates did as well.

A group of four, including Stacey, finished second in the boys 16 and over 200 LC metre freestyle relay and first place in boys 16 and over 400 LC metre provincial relay. A great accomplishment for Stacey and the team as a whole.

Many current university team members had strong performances.

Georgia Pengilly finished first in the girls 15 and over 50 LC metre backstroke. In the women’s 100-metre backstroke, Kelsey Wog beat her competition by more than five seconds to claim first. Carson Beggs finished first in the boys 16 and over 100 LC metre breaststroke, also outswimming his competition. Rhade Kostelnyk was the final Bison to triumph on Sunday.

He turned in a time of 30.46 seconds to place first in the boys 16 and over 50 LC metre breaststroke.

“Overall, we had a great weekend as a group,” Stacey said.

“We were extremely prepared and were ready for anything that came in

our way. As you can see, we placed well throughout the weekend and I think that is mainly because of our compete level. We competed hard and it ended up paying off.”

Stacey emphasized the importance of effort and of coming properly prepared to events like this one.

“I compete hard because I always want to win,” he said.

“With that being said, preparation is also key. A big part of my swimming is preparing and getting ready mentally and physically.”

Preparation is key according to Stacey, but what does that look like? Overall, it is pretty simple and you just have to stay focused.

“A meet is all about preparation and that is what I do,” Stacey said.

“Get everything in order [and] get up early and eat some breakfast. Once we get to the pool, we get a lay of the land and just visualize mentally and prepare physically for a great swim.”

No matter how physically fit or athletically gifted you are, it is extremely important to master the mental side of the game as well. By doing this and competing alongside his Bison swimming teammates, Stacey has hopefully caught the eyes of some universities for his future.

“I would love to swim at a university level,” Stacey said.

“Right now I am mainly focused on training and competing with my great group of swimmers, but the chance to compete at a higher level is always in the back of my mind.”

With Stacey swimming the way that he has, it would be no surprise for him to move on to compete at a higher level. Maybe one day the Bisons will be calling his phone for him to join the university team full time.

The University of Manitoba swimming team is set to compete at the the U Sports national championships held March 24 to 26 in Quebec City, Que. sports@themanitoban.com

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Bisons impress at track and field championships Men’s team secures first conference title since 2009 SPORTS

The University of Manitoba played host to the 2022 Canada West track and field championships this past weekend. The meet was a success for the Bisons — the women’s team impressed and the men’s team captured its first conference championship since 2009.

The Bisons did not waste any time getting to the podium on day one.

Third-year athlete Anna McConnell captured gold in the women’s shot put, her best throw travelling 14.93 metres.

photos / Matthew Merkel / staff

Matthew Merkel, staff

In the 800-metre relay, Darby Goodall, Hailee Morisseau, Chioma Nwagbo and Angela Kroeker finished with a time of 9:15.14, good enough for bronze.

In a gutsy performance, first-year hurdler Adam Andres narrowly won silver with a time of 8.484 seconds.

Setting a new personal best, long jumper Graham Hutchison-Campbell took home gold in his Canada West debut, leaping 6.88 metres on his third attempt, allowing him to easily walk away as champion.

Taking home two medals on Friday, Calvin Reimer was a force to be reckoned with in middle-distance events. After winning bronze in the 1000-metre, he helped his 4x800 relay team to a third-place finish.

At the end of the day, the Bisons women’s team sat in fifth place with 26 points. Creeping up on the heels of the first-place University of Saskatchewan Huskies who had 54 points after day one, the Bisons men’s team sat tied for second with the University of Victoria Vikes with 46 points apiece.

In his 25th year as the Bisons track and field head coach, Claude Berube was excited to see his team perform so well on day one. Although some athletes who were expected to place did not finish with medals, he was excited to see some surprise winners for the U of M. “We had a good first day […] it’s always nice to get a couple of, I’ll call them unexpected medals, to start […]

Generally speaking, the first day went well. There’s always couple hiccups, but we’re pleased with where we’re at,” Berube said.

Ranked fourth in all of U Sports, the Bisons men’s team was expected to make some serious noise at this year’s Canada West championship. Although the herd would be facing some tough competition from the University of Saskatchewan, the eighth-best school in the nation, Berube was confident in his group. He singled out a jumper and pointed to his sprinters when asked who he expects to have success on Saturday.

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“Well, I think Daxx Turner is entered in two events, and he’s ranked first and second in those events,” said Berube.

“I think our relays are going to be exciting. Men’s 60 should be good, we could have hopefully three guys in the final. So yeah, I would say those are some of the main events we’re looking at […] We’ve got people basically in every event today which is nice and hopefully we’ll be able to capitalize on some scoring opportunities.”

Berube was not disappointed on Saturday.

Turner turned in an incredible performance. After previously placing fourth in the high jump, he dominated the triple jump the next day, beating his competition by .26 metres to win gold and Canada West male rookie of the year honours in the process.

As predicted, the Bisons sprinters were also outstanding. In the men’s 60-metre sprint, teammates Jordan

Soufi and Brian Lewis finished second and third. Soufi then teamed up with Adam Chahid, Sébastien Régnier and Tyler Cox-Yestrau to win silver in the men’s 4x200 relay.

Tristan Allen also had an amazing Saturday. The St. Andrews, Man. native took home silver in the 600-metre race then helped his 4x400-metre relay team to a second-place finish.

After a long weekend competing in seven different events, Max Speiser accumulated 4,831 points to win silver in the men’s heptathlon.

Additionally, Isaac Peters sailed to 1.97 metres in the men’s high jump to earn his first Canada West bronze medal.

On the women’s side, Eniola Adepoju soared 11.21 metres to finish third in the women’s triple jump while Jaylyn Deurbrouck tied for second in the high jump.

At the end of the event, the Bisons women’s team finished in fifth

place with 59.25 points, with the U of S Huskies taking home the championship.

On the men’s side, the Bisons were crowned Canada West champions after racking up 140 points, 13.5 points more than the second-place University of Saskatchewan Huskies.

Berube was named men’s coach of the year, while his assistant Gee-ef Nkwonta was honoured for his role in the herd’s track and field championship.

After a successful conference championship, the Bisons will now head to Saint John, N.B. for the U Sports national track and field championships being held March 31 to April 2.

sports@themanitoban.com