Volume 51 Issue 4

CUPE BACK TO Bargaining

9th annual david morrison lecture

new hub Venturenorth

students chalk faryon bridge for mmiw

INside:

Volume 51 | Issue 5 | October 10, 2016

“Brothers of Sisters in Spirit� in remembrance of missing and murdered Indigenous women everywhere

Editors-in-chief Yumna Leghari & Zara Syed editors@trentarthur.ca

CONTENTS Volume 51 Issue 5

Opinion

• Pg 3: Letter to the Editor

October 10 2016

Feature

• Pg 4: EDIN calls on Monsef

@TrentArthur /ArthurNews

Photographer Samantha Moss

• Pg 4: The Carbon Tax sucks

Campus

• Pg 5: David Morrison Lecture • Pg 6: CUPE bargaining • Pg 7: Trans Panel • Pg 7: Round Table Discussion

@MossWorks

• Pg 10:Chalking Frayon Bridge • Pg 11: Random Acts of Green

Copy Editor Zafer Izer

Board of Directors

• Pg 11: Writers Reading

Community

Pg 8-9:In remembrance of murdered indigenous women

Arts

• Pg 14: Lonely Parade EP release

• Pg 12: 58 dogs sent to shelter • Pg 12: New hub VentureNorth

• Pg 14: TFS Presents: The Witch • Pg 15: Women of the Future • Backpage: Listings

• Pg 13: Trent Radio!

Cover by Samantha Moss

Check out a cool and

Chair: Anthony Moniz Secretary: Josh Skinner Member at Large: Ugyen Wangmo • Jordan Porter • Jeffery Moore • Shannon LeBlanc • Zach Muto

creative call for

Contributors • Kathy Hardill • Josh Skinner • Berfin Aksoy • End Immigration Detention Peterborough • Samantha Moss • Marina Wilke • Tyler Majer • Kristina Dergacheva • Trent Film Society • Jill Staveley • Holly Stark • Mauricio Interiano •Jordan Porter •Sarah Carthy • Yumna Leghari • Shanese Anne Submissions due Thursdays at 12:00 pm Issue 6: October 13th October 20: No paper (reading week) Issue 7: October 27th Articles should be subitted via email as *.rtf, *.odt, *.odt or *.txt attachment | word limit: 800 words.

Letters to the editor | word limit: 100 words Listings, annoucements | word limit: 100 words Images should be submitted via email, Google Drive, Dropbox or other firesharing site. Images should be sent as attachments in *.jpeg and *.tiff formats with a dpi of no less than 300 pixels

submissions this Halloween on page 3!

JoJoes Art courtesy of Deviant Art

Photo of Trent University on page 6 by Horace Ng. Photo on page 11 via www.raog.ca/raingarden Photo of Amy Jane Vosper in Issue 4, page 12 by Jenny Fisher

Trent Radio 92.7 FM

Arthur reserves the right to edit for length and clarity

Advertise with Arthur!

We offer great deals for local businesses!

Contact us for more info at: advertising@trentarthur.ca

2

www.trentarthur.ca

’s r u h t r A Keep your ear out for Radio-Free Arthur, every Wednesday at 12:30pm!

on the a irwa

ves!

Editorial: why are we surprised?

On the selective moral compass of the Republican party

Yumna Leghari The American news media has been having a field day sifting through the fallout from leaked video footage of the admission of routine sexual assault made by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Filmed behind the scenes of Access Hollywood and sitting on their shelves since 2005, the video exposes Trump saying—to put it bluntly— some pretty gross things, such as, “when you’re a star, they let you do it,” and bragging about “grabbing” women by their “pussy”. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the word “pussy” displayed throughout public spaces and daytime television in my entire life. This incident has opened up a can of worms. It has inspired feminist dialogues surrounding consent and has prompted Trump supporters to defend his words as “some stupid male braggadocio about a woman” and “locker room talk” amidst a public, albeit insincere apology from Trump. This has led to yet another slew of “he said-she said” between Trump and and Secretary Clinton. This election, there was already a dangerous tendency to ignore the actual issues facing citizens in favour of focusing on the reputations of these candidates. These developments threaten to spiral the entire proceedings into an all-out war of attrition between two monolithic, cartoonish personalities.

If you’re wondering why I’m taking up space writing about American politics right now, it’s because I’m baffled at why anyone is at all surprised by the statements made in the Access Hollywood video. Senators John McCain, Jon Huntsman and Gary Herbert, who called Trump’s comments “beyond offensive and despicable” are among the many Republican leaders who have withdrawn their endorsements from Trump. It seems that their candidate’s blatant bigotry, narcissism, and lack of a coherent policy had not been enough to shake them. They had to go public when Trump was caught using a potty-mouth.

When the well-being of voters, not to mention the many populations across the world who are affected by American policy, takes back-seat to a two-dimensional assessment of the “temperament” or “political correctness” of the candidates at kind of expectations are being set for future politics? For many young Americans, this is the very first election that they have participated in, and what a circus to behold.

This entire affair represents a serious ideological and moral problem within the Republican movement. When Trump was a Republican nominee neck-andneck with Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush, he made candid claims about his plans to ban all Muslims from the United States, accused Mexicans of being rapists, called Rosie O’Donnell a “slob” and “disgusting” and called protestors in the aftermath of the death of Freddie Gray “thugs”. I mean, we’re talking about the man who proudly proclaimed that he would bring back “waterboarding, and a lot worse.”

We’re talking about the man who doesn’t understand that the nation literally cannot function without a certain influx of immigrant populations arriving to the

United States every year. We are talking about the man whose literal solution to everything is a lawsuit.

The fact that it took an 11 year old video that simply reiterates and confirms that he is a misogynist pig for Republicans to reconsider their endorsements and speak out against Trump speaks to the complacency the majority of the party feels towards those who would spread hate towards and threaten the lives of minority populations. The dominant narrative of appalled reaction to Trump’s comments are riddled with phrases such as “I have a wife, a mother, a daughter...” as an attempt to relate to the women Trump slights and admonishing his behaviour. To these men and women I would ask, have you never known a Muslim, a Mexican, or a black American? How can voters put their faith in a party that has swept so much under the rug? It is frankly insulting and undermines the legitimacy of so many American citizens that this is the pinnacle moment in which the Republicans are backing away from Trump. The nation is a month away from its federal elections; a little late in the game to realize the nominee you’ve put in place is a clown, I’d say.

A certain desensitization leads to lackluster reactions for what should be shocking comments brimming with bigotry, racism, and xenophobia. It is troublesome that calling an entire demographic of people rapists and advocating for the ban of an entire group of people following a certain religion is not worthy of retracting ones endorsement. In selectively conveying outrage at a specific controversy, the Republican movement has unwittingly displayed what they are willing to accept, and even support. The voting public should not, and will not, forget this in elections to come.

OPINION

Letter to the Editors RE:

Community

Butcher

Shop

I was excited to read the article you printed on the Community Butcher Shop, which I frequent and am grateful for.

As someone who lives in rural Peterborough County, I did take exception to Scott Walsworth’s suggestion that Peterborough is a good choice for such an endeavour because “…flowing from Trent University, it has an urban population with an ingrained culture of critical thought, intellectualism, and activism.”

I would gently remind readers that none of these attributes necessarily flow from any academic institution nor are they the preserve of urbanites. Many rural people live where we do because of a critical worldview that motivates us to grow food, save seeds (eff you Monsanto), raise livestock and hunt. Wanting to know where our food comes from and eating ethically are as deeply if not more so ingrained in many rural people.

Although admittedly chauvinistic, I cannot resist adding that when those critical-thinking intellectual city-dwellers come to our small communities, it can be hard to keep a straight face when they want to know the (precise) date on which the blackflies will arrive; when they try to make campfires with green wood and camp stove fuel; when they spend good money buying marshmallow-roasting sticks from a store (!); and when they complain loudly in contemptuous tones when they cannot find a Globe and Mail to buy.

Thanks for printing the story though.

It is an awesome business and I am glad it’s there Sincerely, Kathy Hardill Kawartha North Township

Happily Ever After: A Call for Short “Over the Rainbow: Folk and Fairy Tales from Story Submissions the Margins seeks to provide a space for reimagine traditional fairy tales for a more inclusive audience and creating new fairy tales that challenge and play with existing tropes of airy tales are frequently tied up in tradithe genre. tion, providing cautions about any “outsider” narratives. For we Queer people, we often see It will be published through Exile, a Canadian “fairy tale endings” that fundamentally Other us, publishing house. providing ideas that the only fairy tale endings We are accepting stories until that can exist are heterosexual ones.

November 1st and you can find out more at We often watch fairy tales from the margins, https://overtherainbowfairytale.wordpress.com/ peaking out between the trees of one haunted Fairy tales give people a chance to imagine new wood or another.

So, Kelsi Morris and I decided to possibilities and build new traditions. centre the marginal voices in fairy tales, creating The world is made of stories and we want to an anthology of fairy tales from underrepresented hear the ones that you create. people.

- Derek Newman- Stille

F

Volume 51 | Issue 5 |October 10 | 2016

3

OPINION

EIDN weighs in on the Maryam Monsef debacle

End Immigration Detention Peterborough We live in a world where borders and immigration policies control people and families. We live in a world where a person’s country of origin has the power to dictate their safety, opportunities, quality, and quantity of life. End Immigration Detention Peterborough stands in solidarity with all migrants worldwide who exert their inalienable right to freedom of movement.

Migrants who cross borders through conflict zones, out of areas of economic and/ or social collapse, across lands devastated by climate-change, through inhospitable stops along the way, and towards lives somewhere where they can enjoy human rights, dignity and equality. Migrants and their families travel with the baggage of a thousand complexities that most long-time settlers cannot fathom the weight of.

We are deeply dismayed by the fervor that has erupted in the last weeks over the revelation that Peterborough M.P. Maryam Monsef was born in Iran, 200 km away from the Afghan border that her mother— an Afghani citizen—crossed regularly to keep her family safe during years of conflict erupting in her country. Under local custom and law, being born to Afghan parents, Maryam is an Afghani citizen.

Nothing changes the reality that Monsef is an Afghan and is the first from her country of origin to sit in the federal parliament of Canada. No shifting in an understanding of her country of birth erases the very real experience that she has known as an Afghani refugee who moved to Peterborough as a child, worked hard to uplift people in her new home and her old one, and succeeded in winning not only a seat as Member of Parliament but an appointment as Minister in her first term.

As people gravely concerned with ending the Canadian government’s policy of indefinite detention of migrants, we stand in opposition to the government that Maryam Monsef represents, on this matter and other matters concerning Canada’s immigration laws and policies.

As people committed to creating a world where migrants are empowered to hold and enjoy the same freedoms as those who came as settlers long ago, we raise our voices in concern with so many others who have denounced the xenophobic, racist and otherwise bigoted commentary that has resulted from discussion in traditional and

social media regarding Maryam’s place of birth.

We do not believe those who hold office should have ‘special’ treatment. Rather, we believe that all migrants should have the right to participate fully in the political institutions of the places that they come to call home. We believe that no child should suffer threats of deportation for inconsistencies or omissions made on an application by their parents, whether they are young or have grown. We understand that ‘country of origin’ is determined by borders that do not necessarily adequately frame the territory or region that a family comes from or identifies with. And we understand that definitions of nationality are not solely defined by political borders but by cultural practices.

We continue to regard Maryam in the role she has taken as our MP and will continue to bring our concerns about the racist, colonial and otherwise oppressive poli-

cies—and in particular, the immigration policies of the Canadian government that she represents—to her doorstep.

At the same time, we seek to send our well wishes and solidarity to Maryam and her family as they encounter and navigate the storm that has resulted from this uncovering of the truth that Maryam was born 200 km—approximately the distance from Peterborough to Toronto—from where she and others once thought she had been born.

We hope that the wider public will continue to reject echoing the racist and xenophobic commentary that has poisoned this matter over these last weeks, and will instead turn its interest, intention, focus, and resources to further exploring the myriad complexities of immigration and injustice in the Canadian political context. contact: endimmigrationdetentionptbo@ gmail.com

Source:endimmigrationdetention.com

The Carbon Tax sucks Josh Skinner

4

Trudeau is enforcing increases in consumer goods on all Canadians (with only 40% of the vote) through a tax on carbon. This tax comes almost a week after approving a Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) project on the coast of British Columbia worth an estimated $36 billion.

The LNG project comes a year after an election in which Justin promised a Liberal government that was going to take the environment much more seriously. Welcome to a majority Liberal government, where everything that can be gotten away with will be, while steps are taken to make the world a better place.

A carbon tax is a price tag on greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) which seeks to influence the market in a way that discourages environmental damage. Since each fossil fuel (coal, oil, natural gas, etc.) varies in the amount of GHG it emits, price increases differ for each one, with coal seeing the greatest increase. This is tax is not a bill sent directly to consumers at the end of each month, rather it is something that will be applied to all goods that directly emit GHG. The carbon tax itself is to be implemented in all provinces by 2018. The Trudeau government has suggested that the tax begin at 10$ a ton (of carbon emissions), a price that is to increase by 10$ every year until 2020. Whether the money generated from the tax is invested back into environmental work or into other government initiatives seems to be something that Trudeau is leaving to the provinces.

Let us address the negative aspects of a carbon tax. The first being that it puts the burden of addressing climate change on the average consumer, as opposed to clandestine corporations operating in the shadows. It is good to note that since all goods

www.trentarthur.ca

because we suck

involve carbon emissions in some way, that this will affect other goods and services such as food that needs to be transported across nations and oceans.

A study conducted in 2012 estimated that a carbon tax of 50$ per ton could increase gasoline costs by as much as 11 cents per litre at the pump. How this will affect low income families is also up for scrutiny, considering that the tax is not targeted.

Another question is how this could disproportionately affect already astronomical food prices for First Nations communities who need to airlift their food in. British Columbia combats this by offering a low income tax credit that would exempt the less privileged from this carbon tax.

Perhaps the biggest misconception about enforcing a carbon tax is the notion that it is inherently environmentally friendly. It is not. A country-wide carbon tax does not revoke pipeline deals, it does not keep old dinosaurs in the ground, nor does it address environmental damage associated with carbon emissions. A carbon tax narrows a vision of protecting the environment down to the single variable of our carbon footprint. Addressing carbon emissions is just one part of the battle that we want our prime minister to fight. This struggle also includes dwindling groundwater reserves, loss of biodiversity in both animal and plant life, and toxic runoff associated with the mining and agriculture industries.

However, there are positives and most of them have to do with Canadians in general. The central reason why a carbon tax works is because Canadians have gotten to a point where most identify as tax-paying consumers before they would as a citizen.

As a result of this, Canada has become oriented towards consumption. This carbon tax is just as right-wing thinkers say, bad for the economy, and the average consum-

er. Unfortunately, the economy and the average consumer are bad for the environment, and a tax is an effective way to do something about that.

The inconvenient truth is that Western nations are the largest per capita consumers on the planet. Nations that are allied with NATO not only have the largest carbon footprint domestically, but their consumer culture also fuels the carbon footprint in other countries as well. Would China need to keep its factories running 24/7 if the global north didn’t create a demand for the clothes/toys/phone parts produced there? Fabrics for Americans in

2006 accounted for about 19 tons of GHG; if a 10$ carbon tax were applied that year, on fabrics alone it would generate over half a billion dollars in revenue to be reinvested into literally anything.

At the end of the day, the Liberal government is going to give people itchy heads. Investing in pipelines is not what the millennial population signed up for when they made a historic electoral showing for Trudeau.

A carbon tax is a nice consolation prize though, and Canadians concerned with the environment should pin this participation ribbon on the board.

CAMPUS

Dr. Shahra Razavi speaks at 9th Annual David Morrison Lecture

Kristina Dergacheva & Abbie Summers Last Tuesday evening the Peterborough and Trent community gathered in Market Hall to find out if feminism had “gone astray,” and if so, what might be done to bring it back on track.

Dr. Shahra Razavi, chief of research and data with UN Women, was the speaker at Trent University’s 9th annual David Morrison Lecture in International Development on Tuesday, October 4, 2016 for a talk titled, “Has Feminism Gone Astray?

The Struggle for Substantive Equality in a Neoliberal Age.” The event was open to the general public and was free to attend.

Dr. Haroon Akram-Lodhi of the International Development Studies Department opened the talk. He welcomed the public and congratulated attendees on the 40th anniversary of the International Development program before inviting his friend and colleague, Dr. Razavi, to the stage. She is a specialist in the gender dimensions of social development, with a particular focus on livelihoods and social policies.

For the sake of context, this article specifically focuses on liberal feminism, a branch of feminism concerned with the individual’s rights and opportunities and issues involving gender inequality within the economic sphere and within the legal system. Liberal feminism has roots in the suffragette movement of the 1920s, reappeared in the 1960s, and has been popularized over the last two decades alongside the rise of global neoliberalism.

Dr. Razavi was a concise, focused and personable speaker who organized her lecture neatly into critiquing the problem, discussing a solution, and then reflectively answering questions posed by students.

“Yes”, she argued, “feminism has gone astray”.

She referenced the emergence of what she called a “shadowy” liberal feminism used within multilateral organizations and corporations; feminism that launches initiatives for and is largely concerned with women’s economic empowerment, but which remains vague on actually changing and improving the lives of women.

Over the course of the lecture “women’s economic empowerment” was used more than the term “feminism”, which acts in itself as an example of the new direction that feminism has taken under neoliberal capitalism and how feminism has been successfully co-opted by corporatism. The problem with this new focus on “women’s economic empowerment”, according to Dr. Razavi, is that it continues to ignore the well being of women outside of the sphere of paid labor and consumerism.

Unfortunately, many other gender issues are remaining unchecked or in some cases even regressing to mirror a more repressive past. For example, in Canada and the United States, access to abortion

is under constant attack, potentially reversing the long and hard work of feminist activists, and it is becoming increasingly difficult for poor and marginalized women to access abortions.

Dr. Razavi states that as women have won the right to work, the problems that must be addressed are her rights at work, and issues such as the fact that women still continue to carry double burdens (largely in the Global South where women perform both unpaid care work while also balancing a job outside of the home) are still not being addressed.

This emphasis on women’s rights at work lead into what Dr. Razavi believes is the solution; a focus on human rights with a monitoring mechanism enforced by a strong state. She says, in reference to the horrific collapse of the Savar building in Dhaka, Bhangledesh that killed over 1000 people, many of them women, that “Women’s economic empowerment cannot mean factories that collapse on their workers”. She advocates that now that women have more opportunities, they require protection and policy that acknowledge more structural disadvantages, ultimately critiquing a world that continues to view equality as meaning “the same”.

Though this emphasis on the importance of human rights within feminist discourse is an extremely important point, it seems problematic to seek and frame a solution within the neoliberal discourse she spent the first half of the lecture critiquing.

Throughout the lecture she very intentionally avoided any direct connection or recommendation of socialism, or even left-wing social policy. By doing this she safely and cleanly avoided stepping on the toes of the institution she conducts her work within, the UN, or directly challenging the current status quo of contemporary development work within the United States, where she lives. This is also why her lecture, so poised to pack a punch, missed its mark and instead left the listener unable to quite place their finger on what they missed; the solution to the evolution of misguided feminism still fiercely intertwined with the problem.

That being said, there is much to be admired and respected within Dr. Razavi’s work, and the opportunity to hear her speak provided much fodder for thought and an opportunity for the community to gather and discuss feminism both within a Canadian and international context. It reminded one of all the work that has gone into a quest for a fair world free of oppression, and the tremendous amount of work left to do. When asked after the lecture what is necessary for woman to succeed, she responded, “passion” and that is certainly clear from hearing her speak.

We asked fellow Trent Student Ashley Fearnall what she thought of the talk.

What were you expecting from the lecture?

I never know what to expect going into the David Morrison lecture series. My experience has been that these lectures always go beyond what expectations I do have, so I try to attend with an open mind without reading too much in to what I think the guest should say on the topic. I guess my expectation is to learn something special that will stay with me—meaning I will think about it more than just one evening.

Did she answer the main question of the lecture?

That is a tough question. I think it depends on where you start; do you think feminism has gone astray? Dr. Razavi gave a very compelling argument as to why the movement has gone astray in recent years and what can be done about it. I’m still thinking about it today!

Did the lecture meet your expectations?

Exceeded them. Feminism can be such a controversial topic right now. I think anytime that we can talk about it in an open way and discuss the challenges of feminism is an important moment. Granted, that conversation may appear to be happening outside of academic spaces— but it is meant in a very hostile way. Why is feminism such a controversial topic, from those within the movement and those outside of it, right now? All of this fed into my expectations of the evening, and I left that evening very happy with what happened.

What have you taken from this lecture?

Never take the progress we have made for granted. It took work, and will continue to take work.

What do you disagree/agree with?

I’m still thinking it through. I know we have to hold the ideas of feminism that have entered the World Bank and other organizations accountable to the change they supposedly are advocating for, but is there a danger in focusing too much attention to inward critique? Does it make feminism as a whole more vulnerable to critiques from others? I think that is an interesting tension that feminists will always find themselves in (relatable to the tension of a singular voice of women or the diverse experiences of women), and I’m not sure what the answer is to that question.

Was the lecture addressing any gender issues?

Yes. I’m not sure how else to answer this. This is a deceptively easy question, but has so much to unpack in it. What do gender issues mean? Are we discussing a limited list of issues that (supposedly) only effect women, such as (to use a common example) the role of women in the household? Or are we discussing the impact economics of various kinds have on gender? It was all related to gender, but I guess it depends on what issue you are looking for. If you think gender issues are only those of formal equality, then you may not have found the lecture to be directly engaging with ‘gender issues’. But if you accept a broader idea of what ‘gender issues’ are, I think it was very relevant.

What is your overall feedback?

Brilliant. It was thoughtful, challenging, and well-argued. A fair criticism of where feminism is today, without calling for the complete abandonment of the movement.

I think it is important to remind ourselves that regardless of the mistakes we make as feminists, there is still value in the ideas.

Volume 51 | Issue 5 | October 10 | 2016

5

CAMPUS

CUPE 3908 goes back to bargaining

Jordan Porter Well, it is coming up to that spooky time of year again for part-time employees at Trent.

No, not Halloween or mid-terms.

CUPE 3908 Unit 1 will be heading back to the bargaining table with Trent on October 20th to discuss the issues, and fighting for faculty’s rights surrounding wages, benefits, and the precarious positions available to our part-time instructors.

Arthur got a jump on the issue by meeting with the President and Vice President of CUPE 3908 Unit 1 which represents contract faculty part-time workers. To get more of a precise idea of what the CUPE representatives do for these workers, Arthur asked Diane Therrein, President of CUPE 3908 and Ward 3 City Counselor, what this branch of CUPE is all about.

“CUPE 3908 takes on the task of bargaining for units one and two in order to ensure that our members have fair wages, hopefully job security, benefits ideally, and a variety of other things. We negotiate with the employer on their behalf, file grievances if need be, if collective agreements aren’t followed. This happens more with unit one than it does with unit two.

We also try and be active in the community, we have a donations fund that local groups can apply to if they have events they want to put on and that type of thing.

We also organize social events for our members and just try to keep an ongoing relationship with our members.”

Last year, unit two went to the bargaining table in February, and it was at this time that Trent students heard the horror stories of York University faculty going on strike and students being hung out

6

www.trentarthur.ca

Photo of Trent University by Horace Ng Instagram: @hn.jpg

to dry, which in some cases threatened employment and travel opportunities for the students who were in their final year.

Then, students at Trent held their breath as bargaining went back and forth between Trent and CUPE. Thankfully, the looming dark clouds that threatened a similar strike at Trent lifted, and an agreement was met between the two entities.

One of the larger hurdles that CUPE negotiators will be trying to push past this year is the issue of year-to-year contract work for part time instructors teaching 1.5 credits or less. Troy Bordun, Vice President of CUPE Unit 1, spoke to this concern.

“That’s our number one issue we’ll be going after this year. In negotiation with the university, we’re hoping to come to an agreement to enforce a contract-by-contract system. So right now, instructors are hired for one eight-month period, then have to reapply for that position each fall for the following year. So we’d like some sort of job security, so we will be negotiating with the university to turn these into permanent part-time positions that would carry over either a few years of indefinitely.”

Bordun goes on to point out that these contract instructors are paid significantly less than tenure track instructors, and make do with insufficient benefit packages while also dealing with the burden of travelling from institution to institution, as most are employed by more than one and must travel weekly throughout southern Ontario in the university belt.

To this point, CUPE leaders note here that there have been a number of tenure instructors that have retired from Trent, but instead of moving some part time professors who have “paid their dues”, Trent administration, in line with a theme that has been adopted by many other Ontario universities, has taken the cost cut and simply hired on more part time instructors on eight month contracts each so to save a significant amount of money on their payroll. This leaves CUPE Unit 1 members in a very precarious situation year after year.

Arthur then went on to ask what Trent students have on their minds after last years’ near miss. What are the chances of a strike and how will this impact the students?

“It won’t affect the students unless there

is some type of job action that happens, and that is never something that we strive for. Nobody really wants to have a strike, that’s sort of the worst case scenario.”

Therrein says that she encourages the members of CUPE 3908 to feel free to communicate with them if there is something that they would like to see accomplished in this round of bargaining and to just follow the process along as they go.

She urges members to attend the Annual General Meeting, open to all members, which will be held on October 18th at 7pm at the CUPE office on Sherbrooke Street in downtown Peterborough.

Now it’s time for unit one to head to the table and fight for the rights of their members. At the end of the meeting with the CUPE leaders Arthur asked if they had anything to say to the opposition before bargaining commences later this month.

Dr. Bordun replied simply and coolly, “we wish for a successful bargaining season for them as well.”

Any members with questions or concerns can contact the CUPE 3908 representatives by e-mail at: president@ cupe3908.org

CAMPUS

Trans People in the 21st Century, Professor Gilbert vists Trent Josh Skinner Michael Gilbert is an older gentleman who has been studying philosophy since 1962 and is currently a professor at York University. Miqqi Alicia happens to look great in a dress, and she’s more than happy to talk about it. Miqqi and Michael are the same person, and that’s pretty cool.

It was Michael that lead the lecture on October 5th titled Trans People in the 21st Century, a talk that lasted 2 hours in the First Peoples House of Learning in Gzowski College. Michael has released both fiction and nonfiction, including the critical thinking text Arguing With People.

Michael began the lecture by acknowledging an easily recognizable, if polarizing figure within the community: Caitlyn Jenner. Mr. Gilbert and sometimes Miqqi brought up the positive role that Jenner has played in the battle for trans rights, despite having distasteful political views and piles of money. Michael proceeded through a long list of those who preceded Ms. Jenner which included Christine Jorgensen, a G-I from WWII who transitioned into a beautiful woman after the war. Others included; Caroline Cosser, a Bond girl, and Dierdre McCloskey, a renowned economist.

Michael elaborated on Jenner’s positive role by highlighting how the desensitization of the greater public to trans people is always a positive thing, despite Caitlyn “becoming a star without putting in the time”. Michael used an example from his own life to display how this works. He recalled how once a semester he will deliver

a lecture “en femme” as he likes to call it.

Michael mimicked how some students would snicker and point at first, but as the lecture went on, but by the end they would taking notes and addressing him as “Miqqi”. This is the effect that Caitlyn has on the public when she accepts awards at the ESPY’s.

What followed this anecdote was an explaination of the difference between sex and gender, particularly how gender is an extension of cultural norms and values that are ascribed to people based on their sexual organs. Michael stressed that gender norms and values vary across many cultures and are not universal. Think of

the difference between Italian families in which the mother is often a matriarch versus traditional Anglo-Saxon ones in which women are depicted as historically subservient.

Michael then enacted the fingernail test in which he asked the room to look at their fingernails. According to the test if one views their nails from the back of their hand while extending your fingers, this is the way a girl looks at their nails.

Whereas the reverse is true if one looks at them while the fingers are balled up.

Michael describes these as “gender rules”, that are enforced to ensure that people adhere to their gender based on their sex.

However, as people age, the enforcement of these gender rules can escalate from ridicule and social exclusion to violence. This assertion put forward by Michael is supported by the stats. Despite constituting just 2% of the total population of the LGBT community, trans people account for 50% of said community’s murder victims in America. This is objectively terrible, and according to Megan Sommerville in an article for Chicago Now, constitutes a genocide on transgendered people.

Michael states that this violence and enforcement of rules is arbitrary, and based on a social construction that is obsessed with genitals and not the people that they are attached to. Michael advocates for a world where people are allowed to be the gender that they identify with without facing backlash, identifying certain hypocrisies that women are allowed to get breast enlargements with ease while medicinal red tape is applied heavily to those who want breast reductions. The same can be said regarding men who want to take testosterone versus men who want to engage in hormone replacement therapy.

Michael emphatically outlined the amount of mental trauma associated with being told that everything a person knows themselves to be is not true. Unfortunately, this is the reality for many of those who are transgendered. He ended the lecture by stating how much stress would be relieved from the world and those living within it would be erased if we lived in a world where gender laws were not enforced.

Check out reporter Josh Skinner’s column in Arthur every Monday on City Council meetings at: www.trentarthur.ca

Department of Political Studies Hosts Round Table Discussion on U.S. Election Sarah Carthy

Given widespread interest and skepticism surrounding the current United States presidential election, the Department of Political Studies and Champlain College held a “Round Table Discussion on the U.S. Election” on Tuesday October 5th inside the Champlain Living and Learning Commons.

The conversation, which drew students, staff, and faculty largely from the arts and humanities, held a strong focus on American political processes and the nature of the election, rather than providing critical opinions on either candidate— a refreshing approach, considering the high amount of contradictory, opinionated information available in the media.

Paneled by four Trent University professors, the discussion identified each candidate’s political background or lack thereof, the national and global implications of each candidate’s presidency, outlined a number of campaign promises, and illuminated the rise of the altright on social media and in the news.

With various arguments raised by those who attended, the discussion reflected on issues of racism and white supremacy, the

loss of national identity in America, and the dubious link between Donald Trump and Nazism.

Of particular interest, panelist Dr. Brandon Tozzo identified that the 2016 presidential election is not unlike those of the past, with outsider Donald Trump challenging established candidate Hillary Clinton. Despite potentially being “the most important election” in recent history, a common theme of the conversation was the insignificant power of a U.S. president against Congress in the current political system.

Tuesday’s discussion offered unbiased understanding of American politics and the U.S. presidential election, something that is seemingly impossible to find online and in the news. If you find yourself looking repeatedly to subjective mainstream media sources for insight into political issues and processes, consult your local political science professor.

The roundtable discussion was paneled by four professors from the Department of Political Studies and the Department of Cultural Studies; Dr. Liam Mitchell, Dr. David Shzinin, Dr. Brandon Tozzo, and Dr. Hasmet Uluorta.

Volume 51 | Issue 5 | October 10 | 2016

7

FEATURE

FEATURE

The women we walk beside: a plea to remember missing and murdered Indigenous women

Photos by Samantha Moss

Holly Stark As I stood in a circle of approximately 150 people, with red dresses swinging from trees, the sound of drumming songs from Curve Lake First Nation and Alderville First Nation men, jingle dress-dancers, and the warmth of the autumn sun, I couldn’t help but feel an immense sadness for every lost Indigenous woman, her family and her community. I also felt a thankfulness for the many people that had turned out to honor their memories. These were the bittersweet hours of “Brothers of Sisters in Spirit” at Confederation Square on October 4th, in remembrance of missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW) in Canada and throughout the world.

The remembrance ceremony starts with a smudge and a prayer. Liz Stone, executive director of Niijkiwendidaa, the regional counselling and healing center for aboriginal women and their families, explains it is “to clear our minds, bodies, hearts, words, and all things that keep our thoughts from being present right here, right now.” We acknowledge the land we are standing on and give thanks for all that we have. We are welcomed to smudge or say no thank you; all Liz asks is that “everyone here picks up what they need to pick up, and leave what they don’t need to pick up.”

The first guest speaker is Caleb Musgrave from Hiawatha First Nation, who tells us his own experiences: “My relationship with MMIW (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women) goes back to when I was in high school. I didn’t grow up here, I grew up in Saugeen First Nation, and while there a young girl from the community disappeared. Just before I graduated she took off. We didn’t know where she was. We

8

www.trentarthur.ca

heard that she was living in Quebec. After that, she’s fallen off the face of the earth. We don’t know exactly where she is.”

Cases like this are not new. Yet the importance and enormity of this social pandemic is still unknown to many. Indigenous women have been going missing since 1492. 16 per cent of all women murdered in Canada between 1980 and 2012 were Indigenous. In 2010, the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) report identified 582 missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)’s 2014 ‘Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women: An Operational Overview’ identified a shocking 1,200 women and girls. The actual number is unknown and could to be significantly higher, creating an ongoing problem and leaving unhealed wounds for so many people.

Musgrave brings our attention to his own sadness, which derives from fear that people are forgetting: “For me, the biggest heartache is that I can’t even remember her name. That terrifies me. It scares me that it could happen to my nieces, one of my sisters, my aunties or my mother. It feels like we’re failing.”

There is an urgency to remember these women, to honor them, not merely a statistic, but as human beings. It is easy to forget, when talking of MMIW, that these women are individuals with families, friends, parents, cousins, brothers, sisters, children and communities who love them, that they, as individuals, are now absent from the world.

This is not a problem in the past, but a continuous one.

Unlike previous “Sisters in Spirit” October 4th vigils for MMIW, this occasion has a focus on the men of the community. Liz

Stone explains the need to acknowledge the help and support of men, to encourage them to step up and teach other men nonviolence and kindness, and to give thanks for the important work being done. The event is therefore titled “Brothers of Sisters in Spirits.” A community supporter tells us, “for so many years it’s been Indigenous women, our sisters and the allied women that are standing up and saying, ‘look what’s happening to us.’ For so many years it’s been treated as an Indigenous women’s issue. We need our men and allies stand up and say this is happening to our people.”

The talk constantly turns back to the question of how Indigenous and allied men are contributing to the efforts of MMIW, thanking and encouraging those who participate in the Moose Hide Pin campaign on the West Coast, the Men Choose Respect campaign in Nanaimo, the Awakening the Warrior Within campaign in Victoria or the Men in Change campaign in Vancouver; campaigns which encourage safe spaces to allow people to say, “don’t do that to my fellow human”.

Musgrave tells the circle, “in our teachings, we don’t walk with our arm over a woman, or push her in front of us or behind us, we walk beside her. In our language, we don’t really have a word for “wife” other than the Western concept. It translates to “the woman I walk beside”.

There have been comments over the years that the men aren’t doing enough, and it’s true, we haven’t been. We need to gentle, we need to be kind, and we need to be there to support in any way we can. We have to be there, and we will be there.”

The second guest speaker is Beedhabin Peltier, who came to Peterborough about 12 years ago to attend Trent. He reinforces

the need for men to do more, explaining, “there is an attempt to oppress and dampen the spirits of Indigenous women. Men should be there. Ready with a kind, gentle heart, a hello and a hug every now and then. I’ve been gifted family members who have taught me and opened my heart to the issues and threats Indigenous women are facing on a daily basis. This is something that’s real. We need to ask what we can do.

We need to spread words to other men to help, to teach each other and to begin to work together.”

Vern Douglas, the final guest speaker, a trainer and Elder for the “I am the Kind Man” program for men at Ontario Federation of Friendship Centers, concludes by asking, “where does this violence against women come from? Does it come from the media? Does it come from colonization?

Does it come from socialization? There’s probably no answer to that question. But there are things that we can do.”

After each poignant speaker, a jingledress dance takes place. Liz’s sister is invited to introduce the dancers, explaining the Anishinabek dance is for “our sisters,” for “all being of self,” “for healing,” and “for prayer.”

The metal cones, attached to the dresses of four women and two girls, make a sound which resembles rain pattering on a metal roof: “The jingle-dress is less than a century old.

The original dancer was a girl called Meggy White from Whitefish Bay who was chronically ill as a child. Her grandfather turned to prayer and fasting.

Through his dreams he received sound visions; a reoccurring, healing sound. He thought long and hard, realizing he could recreate the sound with metal cones.

He made a dress for Meggy in a hope to bring her energy and healing. Originally three other dancers held Meggy up, because the first time she went around the circle to the drums, she could barely walk. They say that by the time the song was over, she was able to dance her way out. From being unable to walk, she progressed to dancing on her own. When we do this dance, it is beautiful.”

When Liz Stone breaks down into tears, asking for help and thanking those who already are by reclaiming the voices of Indigenous women, she receives a hug from supporters who proceed to hug not only her, but every person in the circle. Touched and moved, these kind actions remind us about the people who stand up and stand with women. They remind us that there is support for MMIW, but there is still a

need to make change, to raise awareness and acknowledge that MMIW is not an Indigenous women’s issue, but an issue for everyone.

The ceremony closes with a song from Suzanne Smoke from Alderville First Nation and her daughter, Cedar Smoke, from Georgina Island First Nation, who sing for Suzanne’s cousin Patricia Carpenter who was murdered in 1992 in Toronto: “We are magnificent, we come from the water and the land, and we are obstacles to that; that’s why we are disappearing.”

The circle of people breaks up after the drummer’s travelling song. We leave with heavy hearts, thinking of women from coast to coast to coast and reminded that missing and murdered Indigenous women should be honored every single day, not just on October 4th.

Volume 51 | Issue 5 | October 10| 2016

9

CAMPUS

Students commemorate missing and murdered Indigenous womens names on Faryon Bridge

Shanese Anne Every year on October 4th across Canada, Indigenous peoples and their allies come together to remember and honour missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people. In solidarity, the TCSA and TUNA (Trent University Native Association) came together to chalk the hundreds of names of the missing and murdered onto the Faryon Bridge.

Volunteers and organizers began to set up at 8:30 that morning, providing students wishing to take part with free coffee, hot chocolate as well as a box of chalk and over 860 names to chalk down. In a general social survey conducted by Statistics Canada, it was reported that “Aboriginal women 15 years and older are 3.5 times more likely to experience violence than non-Aboriginal women.” Statistics Canada also found that Indigenous women were incomparably overrepresented as homicide victims, with rates between 1997 and 2000 being seven times higher than that of non-Indigenous women. Indigenous women are also targeted three times more than non-Indigenous women by a person they do not know. This means that life as an Indigenous woman is often dangerous, and leaving your home can also mean a death sentence.

A national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirited people was only initiated this year despite Indigenous activists demanding one for decades. To create awareness, Native Women’s Association of Canada started conducting Sisters in Spirit Vigils in 2006, with only 11 vigils originally taking place, the number has now grown to

10

www.trentarthur.ca

216. Each year Trent students have come together to honour Missing and Murdered Indigenous women. Whether it was TUNA participating in the remembrance walk last year to Confederation Park or FPHL (First Peoples House of Learning) drumming across the bridge, women are being remembered. This year was no different, with entire classes coming out to the bridge that Tuesday morning to write the names listed—like Priscilla Horse, 15, who went missing in Saskatchewan in 1997. Another name added to the bridge was Viola Panacheese, a woman from Sioux Lookout, Ontario, who went missing during the summer of 1991. The support shown by the Trent community was heart-warming and inspiring. Even if students were on their way to class, they stopped, listened to our stories and took the time honour at least one name. Some students finished entire sheets, while others informed their classmates about the vigil and were able to get the class out to show support. This show of love from the Trent community made me feel a little bit safer as an Indigenous woman on campus.

For many Indigenous peoples in Canada, the list of Missing and Murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirited people has the name of a friend, sister, daughter, grandmother, niece or cousin. Each name representing a family member that they will never get to meet but will always remember, or someone they will forever be searching for. October 4th is not only a day of sadness but also a day of love, to remember the faces and names of loved ones, and on that day Trent students helped to make that possible.

CAMPUS

How will the proposed casino affect our Harper Creek wetlands? and hopes to posit realistic solutions to protect the local sub-watershed and wetlands, while understanding the constraints that development pressures can create.

What kind of negative environmental consequences do urban areas have?

Berfin Aksoy Who is Emily Amon?

I’m a fourth year environmental sciences and studies student, passionate about community-based research and local resource management. My philosophy is to find place-based solutions to environmental problems. I think that when you study both the sciences and the studies (policy, ethics, politics, and management) you realize that the two disciplines are often very disjointed. If we want to succeed in making our little pockets of the world a little greener, we have to find ways to enact science-based policy, with consideration for the community being served.

What is the project about?

I am looking at the impact of increasing urbanization within sub-watersheds, and the resulting need for improved stormwater runoff management from hard surfaces. Using the Harper Creek basin as a case study, and taking into account the newly proposed casino development, I’m seeking to determine priority locations for permeability projects, such as rain gardens, as a means of diverting excess stormwater runoff from impacting the Harper Creek wetland and stream.

What is the purpose of this project?

The main goal of my project is to note priority areas for rain gardens within the Harper Creek sub-watershed, but beyond that, to identify a set of criteria for determining the locations for new stormwater retention projects like rain gardens around Peterborough as a whole.

What does this report do?

Hopefully my report can offer some solutions to the likely impacts of the casino development project on the green space around Harper Road, particularly the cold water creek and adjacent wetlands. Further, my report will analyze how permeability priority areas and other findings from my research can be used to influence or support current policy discussions the city is engaged with regarding a new stormwater fee. This fee is looking to address budgetary shortfalls in dealing with a backlog of stormwater infrastructure in Peterborough, as well as find ways to encourage residents to increase areas of permeability on their properties where possible.

Urban areas are often paved over.

This means that when rain falls, there is nowhere for the water to drain. As the water passes over the paved surfaces, looking for a spot to penetrate soil, it picks up pollutants from our urban lifestyles such as fertilizers (high in phosphorus and nitrogen), organic debris, and other chemical hazards. My project is looking at intercepting those contaminants before entering a local creek, stream, or lake (specifically looking at Harper Creek in this case).

These projects are not only important from a water quality perspective (though that is truly my motivation), but also from a flood risk perspective as well. If there is nowhere for rainfall to drain, it can lead to flooding during intense storm events, as we saw in Peterborough in 2004. As we begin to truly feel the effects of climate change, preparing for more intense storms from the point of view of infrastructure is increasingly important.

Why is water quality important?

Water quality is important for many reasons! Firstly, to correct a common misconception, storm drains and sewers do not lead to a water treatment facility; they outlet in water bodies. That means when you wash your car on your driveway and then spray the residues off into a storm sewer, you’re basically dumping those chemical soaps into the Otonabee. This has

an impact on water chemistry and in turn, biology.

When you change the nutrient levels in a water body (especially in respect to phosphorus and nitrogen) you encourage hyper productivity of aquatic plant life and algae. This can lead to the plants and algae hogging too much oxygen as they decompose, thus creating an unlivable situation for fish and other aquatic life.

Beyond the environmental concerns, people love to be able to swim and fish in their local waterways. If we’re dumping all these contaminants into our water, those lifestyles won’t be possible, and people who may live along the water will not be able to share in the recreational use of that resource.

How can you join #greenstormwater project?

Emily’s

People with first-hand knowledge of Harper Park (at Crawford and Harper Road) or the casino development proposal are welcome to share their thoughts with me through email at Emilyamon@trentu. ca.

Beyond that, if folks are interested in learning more about sustainable stormwater management, look no further than GreenUP, my community partner and a leader in rain-ready solutions here in Peteterborough.

Just recently a new rain garden was installed in the Jackson Creek sub-watershed at the Wine Shoppe on Park Street through their Depave Paradise program.

There are certainly ways to get involved in this work here in Peterborough and I encourage you to reach out!

You can contact Emily Amon at emilyamon@trentu.ca

What does it focus on?

This study focuses on both aspects of science (as it relates to the hydrology of the area and impacts due to development) and policy (as it relates to current stormwater management policy discussions within the City of Peterborough),

Writers Reading at Traill College hosts Kate Cayley Tyler Majer Last Thursday night at Traill College, the English Department hosted Kate Cayley as a part of their Writers Reading series. The concept is simple. Bring an acclaimed writer in to read passages, stories, poems, and so on from their praised works. After the reading, the writer answers any questions that the audience may have about the reading itself, or writing in general.

The night was preceded by many frantic emails by Professor Macleod (sorry, Lewis) stating the importance and necessity for attending. It is easy for many students to overlook events like this, as it seems, on paper, to be kind of boring.

However, the night proved different.

Lewis Macleod, the host and organizer of the event, started off with a few opening remarks. In his customary joking tone, Lewis introduced himself (a few people called out, “hi, Lewis” before he even got to the stage). He then thanked various sources of funding and support before going on to introduce Kate Cayley herself.

“Her work in its various manifestations,” said Lewis, “makes you think whether you need to learn things; is it referential, or is it speculative? Did that really happen?”

The event commenced with a book signing, and a reception hosted at The Trend, with delicious (free!) food, and a chance to meet the author.

Kate is the winner of the Trillium book award for her collection of short stories How You Were Born beating out, yes, Margaret Atwood. She has also been nominated for many other awards which I will not list here at the risk of being monotonous.

However, it is important to say that her accolades, by themselves, speak to the quality of her work, and the importance of the event.

The real treat of the night, however, wasn’t the author’s resumé, or the pretense of being ‘intellectual’, but the fact that one was being read to, and in the presence of one of Canada’s supreme writers. Reading her stuff on the page is beautiful, heartbreaking, and powerful, but hearing the work read aloud, at the author’s own pace and cadence, is all the more beautiful.

The short story that Kate read was called Fetch. This is not a story about mean girls, but rather about the myth in Irish folklore of a doppelganger that one sees close to their imminent death. Kate Cayley stated that she read this in “honour of Halloween.” The story begins, “Everyone believes

in ghosts”. It goes on to tell the story of a man that believes the neighbor next door is his ‘fetch’. Of course, things go awry from there. The story is written with an ingrained sense of observational and sarcastic humour, while at the same time painting a picture of inner doubt and decay.

Next, Kate read two poems from her new collection, entitled The Pied Piper and Chance The Rats, and Pied Piper 2: The children leaving to sing to their parents. These two poems follow the same folklore theme and are written with a heartbreaking certainty.

Finally, Kate took questions from the audience. The first question asked was, “Do you have any advice for young writers?”

Kate responded with the tried and true answer, “Write every day. Even though that’s cliché, it is really like a muscle you develop.” She continued answering questions regarding her work, the specific pieces that she read, and the writing and publishing process itself.

The Writer’s Reading series is truly a treat for aspiring writers, English students, fans of reading. Really, anyone could benefit from attending one of these events, and would leave feeling thoroughly entertained, and at the very least, well fed.

Check out upcoming Writers Readings at Traill College!

OCT 13: Linda Besner NOV 9: Trent alumnus Joshua Trotter NOV 22: Kris Bertin

NOV 30: George Elliott Clarke Sponsored by The Barbara Rooke Lecture Series and Catharine Parr Traill College with additional support from Frost Centre for Canadian Studies, Cultural Studies, Canadian Studies, Public Texts, Nind Fund, Department of English Literature.

11

Volume 51 | Issue 5 | October 10 | 2016

COMMUNITY

Peterborough Airport sees off 58 dogs to Ontario shelters

Mauricio Interiano

The Peterborough Humane Society (PHS) and the Ontario Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) are working with a number of Indigenous groups to deal with dog overpopulation on some of the northern reserves. Last Friday, 58 community dogs from Big Trout First Nation, a community about 500 kilometers from Thunder Bay, were flown in to Peterborough Airport to be placed in various shelters in southern Ontario.

Eventually these dogs will be available for adoption.

Photos by Mauricio Interiano

“By using the Peterborough Airport to transfer dogs from Big Trout Lake in the community proves that together, with all of our supporters and partners, we can lead the future of Animal Welfare right here in Peterborough,” says Geoff MacPhee, Board Chair of the Peterborough Humane Society.

Andrew Fraser, executive director of PHS, mentions that these Indigenous communities recognize the need for there to be some support in controlling their pet populations. “Individuals in these communities are very caring and connected towards their animals and it is an honour to be accepted into these Indigenous communities to allow us to offer support” Fraser says.

After arriving at the Peterborough Airport the dogs were triaged by a team of volunteers from across the province, including veterinarians and veterinary technicians. Once cleared for further transport, the dogs were brought to the Peterborough Humane Society, the North Bay & District Humane Society, Welland & District Humane Society, and Quinte Humane Society to be placed in their adoption program.

“It’s been a real pleasure to work with the Big Trout Lake First Nation community and we commend them for taking the lead in establishing this transfer and being lead-

ers in animal welfare,” says Judi Cannon, Associate Director, Indigenous Programs & Community Outreach, Ontario SPCA. As PHS moves forward with the building of a new facility, they are also hoping to keep collaborating with this type of program. The city has already agreed to to donate $1.5M over five years to support the construction of the new $9.5M facility. It is planned to be built on 20 acres of land on Technology Drive.

Established in 1941, the Peterborough Humane Society is a registered charity that depends on public donations. They are affiliated to the Ontario SPCA facilitating and providing for the prevention of cruelty to animals and their relief. Their current facility on Lansdowne Street is 60 years old and it does not have sufficient space to quarantine sick animals, for investigation or other services. There is a clear need for expansion.

It will be a unique building that will host three important animal welfare programs. The Peterborough Humane Society Shelter, Adoption and Education Center, and a clinic to prove high volume regional spay and neuter services and the first ever Ontario SPCS Dog Rehabilitation Center. This new rehab center hopes to help injured and problematic canines. It will have an aqua therapy pool, outdoor spaces

and family living settings to help rescued animals adapt to residential spaces. The facility will also feature a large adoption center and with a lot of public viewing of most services for tourist and potential fosterers.

Construction is planned to start in spring of next year. The new facility promises to offer more volunteer and employment opportunities. At the same time, it will enhance an educational partnership with Trent University and Fleming College.

Says Fraser, “There will be more potential to accommodate students for placements, environmental research, training and educational programs for animal caregivers in rural indigenous welfare, genetic research on animal diseases.”

Image via VentureNorth

Local entrepreneurs lead downtown hub initiative VentureNorth

Marina Wilke You may have heard the name VentureNorth thrown around a lot lately. It comes up in conversation or is mentioned in media, but do you really know what it is? VentureNorth is an initiative lead by four local entrepreneurs to create “Canada’s Most Livable Innovation Economy” right here in Peterborough. The founding partners include Cameron Taylor of OutdoorSmart, Paul Bennett of Ashburnham Realty, Robert Gauvreau of Gauvreau and Associates and Mike D’Alessandro of Park Place Financial. All driving forces behind launching StartUP Peterborough, their goal of shaping Peterborough’s identity as an innovation economy started as a discussion over beers and snowballed to the transformation of a 38,000sq ft building downtown into a multifaceted incubation hub. Arthur caught up with VentureNorth co-founder Cameron Taylor to learn more about the initiative: Who are the partners involved in this project?

12

There is myself (Cameron Taylor), Paul Bennett, Robert Gauvreau and Mike D’Alessandro. Mike Skinner was also involved in the project initially, but after his appointment as President and CEO of the Greater Peterborough Innovation Cluster

www.trentarthur.ca

(GPIC) he stepped down from the VentureNorth Project to avoid any potential conflicts of interest.

What is the goal or purpose of the VentureNorth project?

Essentially, the idea was to create an ecosystem and a hub to help entrepreneurs be successful. By creating that physical place which brings together public partners like GPIC, Peterborough Economic Development (PED) and Junior Achievement (JA) with entrepreneurs, start-ups and existing creative economy businesses we created a place where great ideas can collide. The ultimate goal is that by putting them in the same space they can help each other to become more successful.

How did the project first come together?

Who had the idea?

As most things do, it came out of good discussion, but the instigating factor was StartUP Peterborough. We were all involved in that initiative and interested in finding ways to help the local startup community. We wanted to create an opportunity to help define a new and progressive direction for Peterborough. There were already great groups and businesses doing this, so for us the logical next step was to create a physical place that helped define us as a creative community.

Which organizations are housed in your premises?

currently

GPIC has moved in and is currently utilizing whole 3rd floor for their incubation services. That amounts to 10, 000 sq ft of incubation services for start-ups. PED is moving into 1st floor and JA will be moving their offices here in November. The Konrad Group, which is an established creative economy business, will also be moving in shortly and we are working out how StartUP Peterborough will be involved.

We would like to inspire Trent and Fleming students to stay here and are looking at ways to have Trent and Fleming involved.

This may take shape as coaching workshops or events partnered with FastStart as well as the Chamber of Commerce.

What would you say to a potential client to convince them that Peterborough is the right place to foster their company?

As someone who grew up here and came back to grow a digital business, Peterborough has a unique set of offerings. It truly is emerging as the “Most Livable Innovation Economy in Canada.” It’s an amazing place to live work and play, with cottage country at the doorstep. You can so easily live on the lake yet still have a 15 minute commute with no traffic. Immersion in the outdoors allows you to really live in the place and

fosters more creativity. Peterborough has great schools, healthcare and a vibrant entertainment and cultural scene. The community is also very youth-oriented with Trent and Fleming students wanting to stay in the community and pursue careers here.

In today’s digital age when you don’t really need to be in Toronto to run a creative economy business, wouldn’t you rather be here?

What does the future of VentureNorth look like?

The definition of success for the initiative will be when people leave the building; when we have incubated them from the amazing initial idea, through the ongoing growth process and into a thriving business. Hopefully they will leave the building because they need more space to add new talent and they move to other locations in Peterborough to continue strengthening the economy. Success is to create and sustain an ecosystem where all of the tenants work efficiently together to help each other succeed and grow. Our eventual multiyear plan would be to add a second building.

The true point of success would be to create an identity for Peterborough as Canada’s most livable innovation economy where we can see more students staying and creating or finding opportunities for themselves.

To find out more about the initiative you can visit www.venturenorth.com.

Where do you fit on the Trent Radio family tree?

Jill Staveley You’ve probably seen us through the hazy windows of the Trent Express (or George N by accident) at the corner of George & Parkhill. We’re the red brick house with TRENT RADIO written across the side.

Maybe you’ve even tuned in to our analogue broadcast signal at 92.7 FM in Peterborough and the Kawarthas, or online at www.trentradio.ca from anywhere in the world. Possibly you have been a guest on Smooth Operator, our local events show that happens three times daily, Monday to Friday, or chatted with a friend about politics, philosophy or your favourite band on their regular programme. You just might even have your own show that started just a few weeks ago, and are currently planning your playlist and foreground content for next week’s programme.

Did you know that all full-time Trent students are members of Trent Radio? This means you can come and be part of a community of people working to create broadcast material that both reflects and inspires our community as a whole. Did you know that it only costs $20 for anyone else to become a member of Trent Radio, and that everyone who is interested in participating is welcome and will be trained?

There are lots of different ways you can participate at Trent Radio. You can email us at psa@trentradio.ca to promote your upcoming event, call for participants, recent music release, or club/group news update.

We will print off that email and read it on Smooth Operator. You have the opportunity to come in to do a live interview as well.

All it takes is one little email!

Are you looking to learn more about making radio but don’t want to commit to your own show just yet? Contact Mauricio

COMMUNITY

Interiano to sign up for training, and to join up as an Operator at Large: an on-call individual who will fill in for the regular Operator in case of sickness/emergency to cover a 4-5 hour shift to oversee the space (make coffee, answer phones) and support the programmers on air as required.

Are you a musician and want to promote your band, find other local musicians to play shows with, or learn about the history of Peterborough’s local music scene? Talk to Matt Jarvis, our Local Content Manager, and he’ll hook you up.

Are you a writer, actor, director, or just generally interested in theatre? At Trent Radio, we have the resources to support local artists with the delivery and broadcast of live radio dramas. You provide the script, the actors and the general idea—we will support the broadcast with two rehearsal times, access to live sound effects, and a technician & gear to broadcast your masterpiece live on air. You’ll need to contact Jill Staveley to arrange a project of this variety.

Do you want to learn more about Trent Radio in general? Come visit us during office hours (11am – 4pm) at 715 George St. North. We can chat over a cup of coffee and find out where you fit on the Trent Radio Family Tree.

-Promote your event: psa@trentradio.ca -Become a Volunteer: minteriano@trentradio.ca -All things Local Music: mjarvis@trentradio.ca -Special Production Projects including Live Music & Radio Drama: jstaveley@trentradio.ca www.trentradio.ca 705 741 4011

13

Volume 51 | Issue 5 |October 10 | 2016

ARTS

Lonely Parade “No Shade” album release with Stacy Green Jumps & Casper Skulls Tyler Majer

If you’re from Peterborough and you haven’t heard of The Lonely Parade, then you should really do a little catching up.

The Lonely Parade are one of the most important acts playing out of Peterborough. They are former Peterborough Folk Fest Emerging Artists. They are racking up press in and outside of Peterborough, and in only four years have grown a dense discography of two EPS, two full-length albums, and multiple singles. They play an ineffable blend of punk, indie and DIY. The band labels their sound as DIY art-punk.

The Lonely Parade are a band to watch.

While many people are already aware of their radness, some may not be, and to them I yell, “Listen, listen, listen!” They make relevant, angsty, sometimes angry, sometimes humorous music, which continues to make waves in the Peterborough music scene.

Background noise aside, the Lonely Parade played a show last Friday night at The Spill promoting their new EP, No Shade.

They played alongside opening acts Stacy Green Jumps and Casper Skulls.

Opening the show was Stacy Green

Jumps. They brought a high-energy, indiestyle punk. Their songs are alternately laden with reverb, distortion, and feedback.

Each song feeds into the next like a train making stops through towns familiar, yet strangely alien. The songs are different locales, but the overall sound lives within the same desolate wasteland. Some tracks have spacy breakdowns, while others feature jazzy guitar breaks. In some songs the feedback and reverb scream. In others, those effects barely mumble.

Their lyrics are quite supernatural. One song begs, “hold me like the moon holds the water”. Another states, “I had a dream that you were walking around even though you were six feet underground”. Stacy Green Jumps is an oddball band in the best way. They are almost math-y. Their rhythms sometimes don’t match up, and their songs sometimes feel discordant, confused. However, this all adds up to their main effect, and that is to provide a burst of excitement and energy. As an opening act, they did a fantastic job in establishing the energy of the room.

Next, Casper Skulls took the stage. The band hails from Oakville, Ontario. They play a more typical punk sound. That is

not to say that they are not original, but they come across as more straightforward than the other two acts of the night. Their sound is very polished. Most verses are sung in a spoken-word way reminiscent of British alt-rock band Pulp. They are riffheavy and the singing is split between a male and a female lead singer. In this way, they are also evocative of Sonic Youth.

Their songs have an ebb and flow trajectory staggering between mellow reflectiveness and incandescent angst. They have very catchy choruses sometimes singscreaming one word repeatedly. They are a prototype of what polished punk should, and often does look like in the modern age.

They sang high-energy tunes with pissedoff undertones that slowly filled The Spill up with river water, maintaining the energy leading up to the headliners.

Finally, The Lonely Parade took the stage. Both their website and Facebook page, stated that they were ‘no longer lo-fi’.

As they performed, the actual production of the songs (as it would sound on their album) was obviously non-existent, but I could see growth from these new songs compared to their last few records. They are increasingly jazzy. Their songs are pro-

gressing from pure anguish to a more focused rage.

Their humour is maturing, and their choruses are becoming catchy as fuck. At so young an age (I believe they are not allmlegal drinking age?), they are making amazing music.

The set itself was unreal. There was love in the audience from the first note to when they left the stage. The Lonely Parade commanded their home stage like an artillery attack. The catchy words of the choruses bounced delicately and deliciously off the walls. The bass shook the ground like an atom bomb, and the guitar rose from the ashes of it all to play a blend of genres. The sound of their new songs was often jarring. At times, it felt like brass hitting steel.

Other times, it felt like a cool café patio.

The Lonely Parade are catchy, jazzy, and smooth, yet they rise aggressively toward an end. To what end? I have not yet figured out.

The Spill erupted with applause after every song, and the applause remained constant until the final moments of their set.

It was great, and may have been the best show I have seen in my years of checking out the Peterborough music scene.

“Wouldst thou like to live Deliciously?”

Trent Film Society screens The Witch

Trent Film Society It is October—the month of Hallowe’en, which means here at Trent Film Society, we are serving up some spooky fall-time fun!

We kicked things off with the controversial film, The Devils (1971) and we are following it up with New England folktale The Witch (2015). The film marks the directorial debut of filmmaker Robert Eggers. It tells the story of an ostracized family as they make a new and secluded home for themselves in the New England countryside. However, there seems to be something sinister lurking in the nearby woods. Strange occurrences begin to befall the family; slowly and simply at first, like lost items and children talking to imaginary friends. But soon, the family comes to suspect that something supernatural is happening.

This slow-burn horror film does a stellar job of constructing an overwhelming sense of dread as paranoia overtakes the family.

Harkening back to the Salem Witch Trials, the film captures the spirit of superstition and religious fanaticism that fostered

14

www.trentarthur.ca

the persecution of suspected witches in 17th century Massachusetts. Pitting friend against friend, neighbour against neighbour, sister against sister, a terrified paranoia swept through the countryside as people made claims about seeing each other fly through the night, turn into animals and sign the devil’s book. While accusations initially pointed the finger at servants— people who brought spiritual beliefs and religious practices from elsewhere—it didn’t take long for the accusations to target the rest of the community and soon, no one was safe. The strange mixing of superstitious fear and real-world consequences caused a panic in Massachusetts. Within a year, more than two hundred people were accused of witchcraft and twenty were executed.

If one were unlucky enough to be accused, they were placed in jail. However, these tiny cells did not come cheaply, and their families would have to pay “rent” for the duration of the accused’s stay. If one confessed to witchcraft, they would be publically executed. However, if one did not confess, they were subject to torture

until they did. Once a confession was uttered, the “witch” lost all of their family’s money, resources and land. Famously, Giles Corey was accused of witchcraft and refused to confess in order to prevent seizure of his family’s land. Corey was sentenced to “pressing”, a form of torture in which a piece of wood is placed upon the accused’s body and a growing number of heavy rocks were placed on top of the wood until the person plead guilty. Giles Corey, when asked to confess, famously shouted, “more weight!” He perished without confessing, meaning that his family kept their land and resources. Unfortunately, most families did not.

This dark piece of history demonstrates the power of superstition. Seemingly sensible people, when confronted with the unknown, committed vile atrocities upon one another for the sake of the purification of their community. Egger’s film The Witch portrays this atmosphere with stunning attention to detail. The costumes, the music, the sets; everything works in perfect unity to construct an eerie feeling of discomfort that builds tension, fear and dread.

As the film progresses, the audience begins to question what they see and what they know, as the truth becomes as intangible as the pervading sense of doom surrounding the film’s narrative. Critics have praised Egger for this effect. Drew McWeeny says, “It feels like we are watching something that we shouldn’t be seeing.” Though I think that Peter Travers put it best when he said: “Be warned: This film will scare the hell out of you!”

Join us on Wednesday, October 12th at 8pm at Market Hall for our FREE screening of The Witch (2015). Also, check out our big event for October; we are doing the Time Warp again and bringing you The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) at Market Hall on October 19th.

This is an audience participation screening of the film, so bring your props and dress up in costume to win a prize! Additionally, we will be further entertained by a live shadowcast acting out your favourite songs and scenes from the film. Do you want to join the shadowcast? Send us an email at trentfilmsociety@gmail.com to get involved!

Volume 51| Issue 5 | October 10 | 2016

15

LISTINGS

SADLEIR HOUSE

Sadleir House Library: Support the Sadleir House Library! The library consists of literature, popular fiction, non-fiction, textbooks and antiques. All books are by donation ($0.50- $2.00). The book sale will be held at the Lecture Hall Room 106.

Wheelchair accesible. October 1.

Sadleir House Science-Fiction & Fantasy Bookclub: Tuesdays 7pm-8:30pm Room 107, Library (wheelchair accessible).

This club meets monthly on the second Tuesday of the month.

Improv Class with Mike Davidson: Wednedays (until Dec 15th) from 7:30-8:30pm Dining Hall (unfortunately this is not an accessible space). Want to try improv? Stop by for a drop-in class on Wednesday nights.

Improv is fun! Come on out and join in!

Adults $10, students $5.

Sadleir House Contemporary Book Club: Room 107 fornightly Tuesday, 7:00pm-8:30pm.

Sadleir House Contemporary Book Club. This club meets monthly on the fourth Tuesday of the month.

Learning from Past Lives, Dreams and Soul Travel: ECK Worship Service: Who we really are is greater and more magnificent than what we might think! Come and explore how past lives, dreams and soul travel can help you discover your true identity as Soul. october 16 at Sadleir House Dining Hall. 4:00pm.

OPIRG Peterborough Light Your Spark Workshops: Does you or your organization want to commit to a non-hierarchical structure?

Do you want to facilitate meetings in which every voice is heard? Do you want to know how to start working towards anti-oppression or do you just want to know more about how oppression works? We’re offering workshops on Consensus-Based Decision Making (October 11, 6-9pm) and Anti-Oppression (October 13, 6-9pm) as part of the Light Your Spark series of workshops in October!

Both workshops are held in the OPIRG office at 751 George Street North. Email opirg@ trentu.ca for more details. All workshops are free and open to the public. Register via Eventbrite at http://www.eventbrite. ca/o/opirg-peterborough-8476356038

189 Simcoe St, Peterborough, ON K9H 2H6

705- 743- 2222 705- 743- 2225 FREE DELIVERY

BUY ONE PIZZA, GET THE SECOND PIZZA HALF OFF! Tear off coupons: BUY ONE PIZZA, GET THE SECOND PIZZA HALF OFF! *PRESENT COUPON AT FREE TOPPING PIZZA *PRESENT COUPON AT FREE TOPPING PIZZA < > WALK-IN OFFER ONLY AT SIMCOE LOCATION WALK-IN OFFER ONLY AT SIMCOE LOCATION

OPIRG Free Market: Wednesdays 3-5pm, Thursday & Friday 1-5pm. Basement (unfortunately this is not an accessible space).

The primary goal of the Free Market is to provide a space for the redistribution of donated clothing and other items to everyone. At the Free Market “store” people can come in and take items they can use for free, without donating anything. This is not a bartering or trading system, but rather a space where items that are no longer needed by one person can be redistributed to those who need (or want) them.

Everyone is welcome to stop by during the hours of operation and take items free of charge. The Free Market is always looking for volunteers who could donate 2 hours per week to keep the project going. If you would like to be a part of this project or would like more information, please contact OPIRG at 705-741-1206 or email opirglistings@gmail.com.

Facilitators Collective Training: Have a passion for social and environmental justice? Join the Facilitators Collective and gain experience in leadership and facilitation by delivering workshops to youth in the Peterborough. The first training is Sat Oct. 15 from 10-4:30 PM at Sadleir House, free lunch included. Email workshops@kwic.info for more info and to RSVP!

CAMPUS Seasoned Spoon: The Seasoned Spoon Café is grateful for the support of Trent students. Refundable levy requests by registered students will be accepted until Friday, October 21st. We serve delectable, local and organic food, Monday & Friday from 8:00-3:30, and Tuesday through Thursday from 8:00am-7:00pm, in Champlain College. For more information about the Spoon and our programs go to seasonedspoon.ca.

Community Meal + Film Screening & Discussion: In celebration of World Food Day, join us for an evening of sharing food, fun and film together. A by donation

listings@trentarthur.ca meal featuring fresh campus-grown delights will be served followed by a screening of Queen of the Sun and a talk by the Trent Apiary Club. This is a space for community to gather, engage with one another, learn about food issues and share food together.

This is the first event in a series of community meals organized by groups at Trent University engaged in food justice work.

Donations gratefully accepted to help cover costs. Meat at 6:00pm-7:00pm. Queen of the Sun: What are the Bees Telling Us 7:00pm - 8:30pm. Trent Apiary Talk: 8:30pm - 9:00pm Sauerkraut & Vegetable Fermentation at Seasoned Spoon: “What is sauerkraut? You say. Sauerkraut is a way of preserving various vegetables using a natural laco-fermentation method which actually increases the nutritional value of your food and is full of probiotics, just like yogurt! Oh, did we mention, it’s also extremely delicious! Using traditional recipes and fresh fall produce from the Trent Gardens, this workshop will teach you how to make your own super nutritious and delicious fermented veggie preserves that will last you all winter long. A staple for any local food lover’s fridge!

Wednesday October 12 from 5:00-7:00pm.

Lindy Hop Dance CLasses: Cobourg Swing and Lindy Hop in partnership with Catalina’s Vintage Clothing Store bring LINDY HOP to Peterborough! No partner required, no experience necessary, pay-as-you-go!

Thursdays 7:30pm to 8:30pm followed by social dancing! (starts Oct 6th) Located at Catalina’s, 131 Hunter St W. Professional instruction by “Dance With Me”! Cal (289)252-0533 for info.

ARTS Upcoming events at the Gordon Best Theatre: • Sweet Alibi & Jadea Kellyon, Wednesday October 19. $15 All ages.

• Andy Shauf & Chris Cohen on November 26. $20 plus fees. All ages, doors at 7:00pm.

The Theatre On King Events: Intro to Tap Dance with Di Latchford.

Classes start Monday Sept 12 at 7:00pm and run every Monday through the end of October.

Dance Like No One Is Watching: Dance like no one’s watching to eclectic sounds [mainly world] in a beautiful hall in downtown Peterborough. No alcohol, no fashion, no steps to follow, just authentic moves to music. Freedom to be yourself, no experience needed. Thursdays, 6:30pm-8:30pm at All Saints Church Hall [SW corner Rubidge and Sherbrooke]. $12, first time free. www.danceyourbones.com.

C.Clarkin & The Residents, Fuurther, Graft, The Anxious Patients and Last Time I Checked at The Spill: $5 or pay what you can. Costumes should be worn and are HIGHLY ENCOURAGED and welcome. No masks please.

October 26, doors at 8:00pm.

Peterborough Folk Fest Presents: Donovan Woods with Joey Landerith. Doors at 7:00pm, $15. October 23.

Artspace Exhibition: Please join Artspace on Friday, October 14 from 7:00pm - 10p:00m for the opening of Forerunners a new exhibition by Alex Bierk. Then, on Tuesday, November 22 at 7p:00pm please join Artspace’s Director Jon Lockyer for a discussion of the curatorial development of Forerunners. Both events are free and open to all members of the public.

Prime Junk Tape Release with Kurt Marble and Stacey Green Jumps: Prime Junk has ordered a limited cassette run and is throwing a release party! Come hang out and listen to some sick bands. The Spill, All ages, $5 or PWYC. Doors at 9.

Simon’s Silver Screenings Nosferatu: Simon’s Silver Screenings features movies from the early decades of horror filmmaking, a time when artists were learning the ropes of a new medium as much as they were experimenting with its potential.

Movies introduced by Simon Turner and his brainbox of arcane trivia! Movie-talkers more than welcome! It’s a silent movie, there are intertitles! Thursday, October 27th at 8:00pm. Pay what you can at the door. Located at The Theatre on King. Re: Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922).