We acknowledge that The Peak’s office is located and our paper is produced, distributed, and read on the Unceded Coast Salish Territories of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), səlilwətaɬ (TsleilWaututh), k
m (Kwikwetlem), q
n (Kwantlen), qicəy (Katzie), Semiahmoo, and Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) Peoples. Unceded means that this land was never surrendered, relinquished, or handed over in any way. We recognize that the unceded land that we occupy includes not only the SFU Burnaby campus, but extends to the land occupied by the Vancouver and Surrey campuses as well. TERRITORIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
When cities are planning their infrastructure, they have di erent criteria in mind, and the criteria may not be ‘are we building infrastructure near kids and the places kids need to go.’
SFU
HEALTH SCIENCES PROFESSOR AND LEAD AUTHOR OF THE STUDY
Many in my community, including myself, have family members in Ukraine — waking up with news that our cities have been bombed, and not having the ability to contact our relatives immediately due to power outages.
OPINIONS
Identities like Black Canadian, Black Indigenous, and Caribbean Canadian are just a few of the identities that exist in Canada under the umbrella term of Blackness, displaying the many existing intersectional identities.
We talk about Harlem at the expense of Africville.
The uncertainty surrounding communication and fnancial transfers has added an additional layer of stress to an already diffcult situation.
It is very diffcult to focus on school when you are constantly worried about your family’s safety. While I try to remain focused and meet my academic responsibilities, the emotional toll has made that very challenging.
ARTS & CULTURE
This film definitely shows its age when grappling with certain themes; the acceptance of the Black fiancé is largely hinged on the fact that he is a doctor and a professor, among other laudable achievements.
This is a show for them to create and express with full freedom however they want.
O cial Memo
TO: School faculty and sta
FROM: Board of Education of School District No. 145
DATE: January 26, 2026
SUBJECT: Emergency BHM teaching enhancement strategy
Esteemed faculty and sta of School District No. 145:
With February just around the corner, we’re thrilled to announce that the ban on the teaching and distribution of Black history will once again be lifted exclusively for Black History Month (BHM). This is extremely exciting given that educators have taken a sacred oath to constrain this teaching to a single month out of the entire year. Why did we make them do this? We’re not sure either, but God forbid we incorporate Black history into a permanent year-round curriculum — that is simply not e cient. Why spread it out when the material can be condensed and delivered in a swift e ective blow?
There are several changes coming to how BHM will be taught this month as per the recommendations of upper management. We have made the decision to go all hands-on-deck and escalate the teaching of Black history to make up for the 11 other months where we leave Black history out of the regular curriculum. We would like to thank our educators for their compliance with this unforeseen increase in work responsibilities — you will be expected to take one for the team and clock in 30 hours of overtime (per week) to work on developing unique BHM lesson plans.
To encourage mandatory participation, the Board will be implementing a revolutionary points-based system to reward educators who go above and beyond to integrate Black history teaching during all hours of the school day. Borrowing from the worldwide cultural phenomenon of Pokémon GO, teachers will be allotted points based on the frequency, spontaneity, and dramatic flair with which they mention noteworthy Black Canadian figures, locations, or histories, into as many subjects during the month of February (and February alone). An additional attack worth +80 points will be rewarded for extremely obscure facts. -300 points will be taken away if we overhear you mentioning Black history during January, March, and all the other months but February. In alignment with Pokémon GO’s gameplay, school faculty should aim to “catch ‘em all” before 11:59 p.m. on the last day of the month (and strictly, no later). To assist with your quest, trading cards with hit point and attack level designations of notable people and places will be distributed.
A final show-down will take place in the last week of February, where finalists will compete against each other in a Black History Fact-O Competitors will be tasked with naming as many Black figures as possible within a one minute timeframe.
To facilitate a smooth transition, volunteer representatives will be sent into classrooms to monitor and track each school’s progress. Their findings will be published in the school district’s Q1 forecast and strategically leveraged to meet our expected quarterly allyship quota. Rest assured that this oversight will terminate once BHM has concluded. Again, please note that you will be forbidden from teaching Black history after February.
We shall circle back and synergize our results on February 28. The institution who makes the most mentions of BHM will be granted a faculty pizza party and $10 gift cards — a small gesture of gratitude for bravely disrupting the status quo in such an actionable way.
Lastly, a gentle reminder that March 1, 2026 marks the o cial commencement of Mustache March. We kindly ask our educators to refrain from all manners of facial hair extraction before then.
Salutations, Board of Education of School District No. 145
