VOL. 168 ISSUE 8 JUNE 28, 2021
NEWS
OP INIONS
ART S & C ULT UR E
H UM O UR
The SFSS launches Access for All campaign
A new way to listen to music
It’s time to rethink how “Canadian” maple syrup is
New courses dropping for Fall 2021
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WHAT ARE WE REALLY CELEBRATING? A look at Canada’s past and present violence P.10
Volume 168, Issue 8
Maggie Benston Centre 2900 Simon Fraser University 8888 University Drive Burnaby, BC, Canada V5A 1S6 Phone: (778) 782-5110
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THIS WEEK’S CONTRIBUTORS Cynthia Piña, Alyssa Marie Umbal PEAK ASSOCIATES Charlene Aviles, Harvin Bhathal, Sara Brinkac, Tiffany Chang, Jacob Mattie, Maple Sukontasukkul STAFF WRITERS Kelly Chia, Carter Hemion, Nancy La EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Meera Eragoda eic@the-peak.ca
NEWS SFU350 and Climate Justice UBC partner to combat climate change
COPY EDITOR Paige Riding copy@the-peak.ca NEWS EDITOR Michelle Young news@the-peak.ca NEWS WRITERS Karissa Ketter, Jaymee Salisi
OPINIONS Big corporations need to stop rainbow-washing
OPINIONS EDITORS Dev Petrovic, Marco Ovies opinions@the-peak.ca FEATURES EDITOR Marco Ovies features@the-peak.ca ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Sara Wong arts@the-peak.ca
FEATURES You don’t need to come out unless you want to
HUMOUR EDITORS Kyla Dowling, Paige Riding humour@the-peak.ca PRODUCTION AND DESIGN EDITOR Siloam Yeung production@the-peak.ca
ARTS & CULTURE
ASSISTANT PRODUCTION EDITORS Brianna Quan, Josh Ralla
The merits of livestreaming concerts during and after the pandemic
PHOTO EDITOR Gudrun Wai-Gunnarsson photos@the-peak.ca MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Karla Salazar multimedia@the-peak.ca ASSISTANT MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Rashi Sethi
HUMOUR Return to in-person university life with a vengeance
Get involved!
How it works!
All SFU students can contribute to The Peak and get paid for their work! Contact an editor or come to our weekly pitch meetings over Zoom at 3 p.m. (the link can be found on our Facebook page).
The Peak is the official weekly student newspaper of SFU and is published every Monday. We're funded by a student levy and governed by a board of directors. Any SFU student can become an editor, and we hire an editorial team every semester.
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WEBSITE MANAGER Reza Shariatzadeh web@the-peak.ca DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Deby McIntosh BOARD OF DIRECTORS Kelly Chia, Pablo Clairmont, Emma Dunbar, Jacob Mattie, Angela Wachowick, Yuri Zhou
NEWS
June 28, 2021
ACCESSIBLE EDUCATION
Access for All advocates for SFU to provide a safer environments in their return-tocampus plan The campaign highlights accessibility for Fall 2021
The campaign organizers ask for signatures of support from students.
K E LLY CHI A // STAFF WRI TE R
The campaign also lists the barriers students may face with a campus return.
SFU released its four-stage reopening plan on May 26, 2021. In stage four, the plan proposes a 80–100% density return to campus for in-person learning. In response, Serena Bains, vice-president university and academic affairs of the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS), introduced the Access for All campaign to SFU.
Some examples include concerns about low-income countries’ lack of vaccine access for international students, who would face potential exposure to COVID-19 due to travel. Another concern is that transitioning solely to in-person delivery for courses will make courses less accessible, as online learning has closed captioning and asynchronous delivery.
The campaign brings forth concerns regarding the campus reopening and how it would impact disabled, neurodiverse, immunocompromised people, BIPOC members, international students, and other marginalized groups. Their calls to action for SFU, including: • Facilitating hybrid courses for all SFU classes during the Fall 2021 semester • Releasing a specific COVID-19 SFU reopening plan to further decrease infectious outbreaks, such as: » Social distancing measures in lecture halls » COVID-19 testing on campus » Making vaccines a priority for students » Making masks mandatory (with exceptions for disabled and/or neurodiverse people)
Access for All was originally created by the Society for Students with a Disability at the University of Victoria to address the BC COVID-19 Return-to-Campus Primer released on April 30, 2021. Bains found information about the Access for All campaign on social media, and contacted the organizers about implementing it at SFU. “We had a lot of concerns,” Bains said regarding the GoForward guidelines released by the province on June 1. While SFU states they will clean lecture halls daily, Bains noted there were no guidelines on cleaning between lectures — despite lecture halls returning to full capacity. Coupled with the province’s plan to make masks optional in September, the campaign highlights the risk students and faculty members may face.
Council Meeting SFSS Council members provide updates on their plans for student accommodation for the university’s fall reopening
Councillors of the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) discussed their plans to accommodate COVID-19 safety protocols in the Student Union Building (SUB) and general accessibility in the fall. Chaired by SFSS president Gabe Liosis, the SUB reopening working group will prepare COVID-19 safety plans to eventually be approved by Council. Vice president (VP) equity and sustainability Marie Haddad said their plans will go through a twolevel consultation process. They will first take recommendations from marginalized groups such as the Students of Caribbean and African Ancestry, First Nations Student Association, and the Disability Neurodiversity Alliance. The second level of consultation involves receiving recommendations from the general student body. Haddad said this is “a good way for us to figure out the needs of folks in terms of the SUB building.”
Bains also worried members of the SFU community weren’t properly represented in the panel of experts for the Go-Forward guidelines. While SFU recommended that marginalized students have access to accommodations, Bains said they are not mandated by the university. “In my opinion, if SFU isn’t mandated or provided the resources, then they won’t commit to these things on their own accord. “I think we need to recognize that, before the pandemic, a lot of students were left behind in their education,” Bains said. “SFU should commit to consulting with students, staff, and faculty for their return to campus plans.” They said SFU should rethink making plans according to the province’s. “I don’t think one’s morality should rely on legislation, especially if you have the resources to provide a safe environment to the community members you’re supposed to serve.” On June 16, Council had drafts of letters prepared for the SFU administration and the province in support of Access for All. They are currently asking for signatures from students.
the fall. Haddad and Liosis discussed a hybrid learning model and asked BC health officials in a separate meeting how they would “ensure the burden isn’t on the student to access accommodations and prove they need them in the first place.” Access For All campaign On June 2, 2021, the SFSS created Access for All to draft letters to SFU and the province of BC. These letters advocate for student accessibility accommodations to be made during the transition back to in-person classes in Fall 2021.
Jaymee Salisi // News Writer Return-to-campus student accomodations discussion
P HOTO : Gudrun Wai-Gunnarsson / The Peak
Disappointed with their initial lack of preparation, Haddad said she expects an update from them soon and hopes to see progress.
Brought forward by Bains, this motion called for Council to approve and sign onto the drafted letters to be sent to SFU and the province of BC.
The SUB working group advised the university to “centre their working groups around specifically Black, Indigenous, and disabled students — especially international students.”
International studies student association representative Deanna Short suggested the calls to action be more demanding and specific.
In regards to in-person classes, VP university and academic affairs Serena Bains said she was told learning accommodations will not be handled by the Centre for Accessible Learning (CAL), but will vary among professors. During the June Senate meeting, vice president academic and provost Catherine Dauvergne said CAL will work to address accommodation requests. Bains said this is concerning because “there’s not a lot of information about whether these things will be mandated or standardized.”
According to Haddad, SFU started their own working group last month.
She said the SFSS is considering the creation of a centralized space for students who might encounter learning accessibility barriers in the fall. She said the space would provide a “network of people who can rally around behind that student and advocate for their needs.”
“They weren’t centred around marginalized students — it was almost as if it was a last thought,” Haddad said.
Haddad added professors should give students more leniency during the transition to in-person classes in
“From other advocacy work I’ve done, I’ve noticed that the province in particular doesn’t really like to take action, unless it’s clearly laid out for them,” she said. Short recommended they list distinct capacity limits and specifically indicate mask mandates. Bains agreed to add the suggestions and work with Short on any further edits. Bains added they had been looking into COVID-19 emergency funding for ways to support students in need. “These lists are definitely not exhaustive and there is absolutely always more we can do in terms of our demands for SFU as an institution or the province, as well as what we can do internally as an organization,” Liosis added. Bains invited Council members to send potential recommendations for further steps the working group should take as they continue to decide on official plans. The motion was carried unanimously.
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NEWS
News Editor Michelle Young
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News Writers Karissa Ketter and Jaymee Salisi
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news@the-peak.ca
INSTITUTIONAL BARRIERS
Academics explore challenges faced by Black scholars and students Dr. Henry Daniel notes the importance of uplifting Black students, faculty, and staff at SFU KA R ISSA KET T ER // NE WS W RI TE R
SFU School for Contemporary Arts held an interdisciplinary webinar hosted by Dr. Henry Daniel to highlight Black academics’ work in arts, sciences, technology, and business. This panel featured Black faculty, students, and staff to discuss identity, history, and the institutional barriers they face. “This information needs to be shared [ . . . ] It needs to be shown to students who don't think they have a place in this university,” said Daniel. Dr. Taiwo Afolabi, assistant professor in applied theatre at the University of Regina, explored how the system is broken for Black people in Canada, among other matters. Black Canadians are more likely to be
unemployed, have a low income, and not go to postsecondary, as a product of the institutional barriers that bar them from these opportunities, according to CTV News. He said he sees a lot of immigrant families with education, but “by the time [ . . . ] they came to Canada, they couldn't get a job, not because they were not qualified — but because of the system.” Afolabi noted if he had come to Canada 20 years ago, he wouldn’t have been afforded the same opportunities he has been today. He encourages students to go beyond recognizing institutional barriers to create change, asking attendees, “What are you doing in your own capacity?” “We talk about equity, diversity, and inclusion, but how do we actually start doing things?” asked Daniel. Fellow panelist and associate professor at the Beedie School of Business, Dr. June Francis, also discussed institutional barriers in her conversation. Francis researched the “markets that created the first internal market system in Jamaica.” She explained enslaved people in Jamaica were allowed to grow agriculture for themselves on extra land known as “slave plots.” It was Black enslaved women “who transported and connected the rural economy to the urban markets and provided the first system in Jamaica. “To my great dismay, I came to understand what a colonial white system looked like — I was told that I would not get tenure if I insisted on pursuing this direction,” said Francis. She abandoned that research. It was not until decades later, after receiving tenure, that Francis went back to conduct research in this area.
Daniel noted the importance of allowing Black students today to pursue research and work rooted in the place where they come from. Webster McDonald, a PhD candidate at the University of Kansas, experienced the challenges of finding his identity as a Black queer man growing up. He said it was in primary school “that I realized that my identity — my queer identity — was always going to be under heavy surviellence.” He found growing up in Jamaica that “a boy is supposed to embody ideas of masculinity” in the way he walked, spoke, and carried himself. “I realized that I could not meet those masculinist, heterosexist signifiers, and so I felt as if I had to perform and assimilate to some of these social codes to be safe — to stay alive in these violent spaces.” McDonald said he found an outlet in the performing arts to explore and discover his identity. With his background in the performing arts, he was able “to find some of these creative tools to critique some of these inherited knowledge systems and to disrupt [them].” “Creativity is courage, creativity is boldness, creativity is also vulnerability. That’s the work that needs to be done first and foremost,” said associate professor in the faculty of health sciences Dr. Angela Kaida. “To be able to do that work, you need to know who you are, who your authentic self is, and you have to know that you matter.” Daniel noted the importance of students putting themselves “in a position where you are able to create new things for yourself and for others.”
LIAR, LIAR, THE WORLD’S ON FIRE
Canadian banks reported to have invested nearly $750 billion into oil and gas The investments come after commitments to sustainability HA RVI N BHAT HAL // PEAK ASSO CI ATE
According to the latest Banking on Climate Chaos report, published in March 2021, Canada’s five largest banks have invested $726 billion CAD into the fossil fuel industry since the Paris Agreement — a legally binding international treaty regarding the climate crisis. From 2016 to 2020, the breakdown of investments in CAD were: • RBC — $208 billion • TD — $157 billion • Scotiabank — $148 billion • BMO — $126 billion • CIBC — $87 billion While these banks reduced their fossil fuel financing in the past few years, RBC and TD respectively rank 23rd and 25th in the world in terms of total assets contributed to fossil fuel companies since 2016. RBC was also the “top funder of tar sands oil in 2020,” with their Line 3 pipeline. The bank has financed existing facilities and pipelines; they have also invested $79 billion into companies actively expanding their fossil fuel production. In February, RBC committed $500 billion to sustainable financing by 2025. TD, Scotiabank, BMO, and CIBC have also committed varying investments into sustainable financing. According to earth scientist David Hughes, the continued investment of RBC and other banks in the oil and gas sector will make Canada’s 2030 carbon emissions target difficult to reach. “A stark change in direction is needed,” he said in his Canada’s Energy Sector report.
With these investments, experts say Canada will fail to meet their emission goals.
In an interview with CBC, RBC discussed how its net-zero transition must be gradual and “done in an inclusive manner that brings all sectors and communities along or we won’t achieve the support we need to meet these goals.” Stephanie Bertels, director of the Centre for Corporate Governance and Sustainability told The Peak, “A huge challenge right now is in articulating what would qualify as a sustainable asset.” According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), sustainable assets range from those “that seek to do no harm” to “seeking positive impacts.” Impact-based investments are “the only form of financing that requires an actual assessment of positive impact.” A majority of investments are not defined as impact-based, meaning there is a “lack of transparency” in the process. RBC’s most recent fossil fuel investment was issued the same month as their sustainability commitment: a $1 billion sustainability-linked loan for Enbridge’s Environmental, Social, and (Corporate) Governance (ESG) goals. ESG goals are criteria corporations must meet to make environmentally and socially conscious investments. However, the increase in loans linked to ESG has brought questions about their legitimacy as the criteria and standards are fragmented. They can differ from institution to institution as one may have different criteria or standards for what is sustainable than another. Along with their commitment, RBC joined the Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF) and RMI’s Center for Climate-Aligned Finance. The PCAF “provides methodologies for financial institutions to measure the [carbon] emissions financed
P HOTO : Marcin Jozwiak / Unsplash
through loans and investments.” This can be seen in Vancity’s pilot carbon accounting work on residential mortgages and their associated emissions. Bertels said the next challenge is creating universal frameworks for what constitutes sustainable financing. Hughes found, “The oil and gas sector alone will cause Canada to exceed its Paris Agreement emissions target.” The agreement aims for an 80% reduction from Canada's 2005 emission levels by 2050. The sector is an obstruction to Canada’s net-zero targets adopted in Bill C-12.” Currently, oil and gas production “account for 26[%] of Canada’s total” carbon emissions and Canada has “only reduced its emissions by 1.2[%] from 2005 levels,” according to the most recent data from 2019. Bertels said banks have a civic responsibility to address the impacts of the climate crisis. “More importantly, they have a fiduciary responsibility to do so.” Bertels noted that this responsibility has been made “abundantly clear” through the work of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and the UN’s Net-Zero Banking Alliance. They are the two biggest actors “that have influenced financial institution behaviour with respect to climate change.” The Banking on Climate Chaos report is a collaboration between Rainforest Action Network, BankTrack, Indigenous Environmental Network, Oil Change International, Reclaim Finance, and Sierra Club. More information on the fossil fuel financing of Canada's banks can be in the Banking on Climate Chaos report.
NEWS
June 28, 2021
CLIMATE JUSTICE ADVOCACY
SFU350 and Climate Justice UBC pressure universities to stop funding fossil fuel projects The groups partnered to amplify goals for climate justice
JAYME E SALI S I // N E WS W RI TE R
Campaigning against climate change, SFU350 is a student group working to realign SFU’s investments to reflect sustainability and integrity. SFU350 and Climate Justice UBC (CJUBC) are partnering to launch the Community Reinvestment Campaign. They hope to push both universities to reinvest their funds into local climate solutions, centre the needs of marginalized communities, and give economic ownership back to local communities. In an interview with The Peak, students from both groups elaborated on the campaign. Community Reinvestment Campaign leaders Rachel Cheang and Sarah Salloum said, “As students of UBC and SFU, we share the same goal — for our universities to divest from fossil fuel and extractive industries and reinvest in solutions to build the world we want to live in.” They added, a joint effort gives student groups a bigger opportunity to push for community reinvestments and show there is a high demand for change. “A
collaboration between our universities’ climate justice advocacy groups provides a true model for partnership between our universities, rather than competition,” Cheang and Salloum said. “Climate justice is both a term and movement that seeks to acknowledge and identify how climate change affects those made [disproportionately] marginalized,” SFU350 co-president Abigail Herd said. “This campaign calls upon the university to divest its endowment fund from all companies that extract, process, and transport fossil fuels,” she said. SFU’s December 2020 endowment report showed investments into Enbridge, among other fossil fuel companies. As the group pushes SFU to be more transparent about their fossil fuel industry investments, they have been successful in convincing the SFU Board of Governors to increase their carbon footprint reduction target to 45% by 2025. Aiming to benefit historically marginalized local communities, community reinvestment involves SFU350 and CJUBC pushing their respective universities to allocate 5% of their endowment funds into community development institutions. The institutions would include “credit unions, cooperatives, community bonds, and loan funds,” Cheang and Salloum said. Community reinvestment would be a form of non-extractive financing, meaning it would benefit communities. SFU has been “continuously increasing the carbon footprint reduction target of the endowment. This is by no means divestment and is in fact a false solution, as the methodology of carbon footprinting does not consider the full emissions of a product/company,” Herd and anti-Trans Mountain pipeline expansion (TMX) campaign organizer WeiChun Kua said. In addition, SFU350’s goals include raising awareness about the risks of the TMX pipeline expansion and the Coastal GasLink pipeline, and to push SFU to “declare a climate emergency.”
Senate Report The Senate discussed returning to campus, Indigenous community trauma, and updates to grading scheme Karissa Ketter // News Writer Content warning: mention of residential schools Fall return to campus
lectures, as well as not penalizing students for missing class. Acknowledgement of residential schools
Student senator Serena Bains brought forth a question regarding the return to in-person classes for Fall 2021. They asked about accommodations for “international, disabled, BIPOC, and other marginalized communities.”
President Joy Johnson announced on June 7, 2021 that SFU had lowered their flags to “honour the lives and memories of the children found at the burial site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.”
Vice president academic and provost Catherine Dauvergne said, “As planning progresses for the fall term, we’re really keen to ensure that students who cannot return to campus can be accommodated.”
She noted SFU’s flags remained lowered for nine days, starting on May 31, 2021. Johnson later stated in an email dated June 24, 2021 the flags will remain lowered indefinitely.
Dauvergne noted SFU has been working to increase the team in the Centre for Accessible Learning that handles student accommodation requests, as they expect an increase this fall. At a Council meeting on June 16, however, Bains said they were informed that accessibility will depend on individual professors.
“SFU is standing in solidarity with Indigenous peoples as we grieve this enormous, unfathomable loss of life,” said Johnson.
Dauvergne added SFU is setting up a registration system for student course enrolment that prioritizes students who are “unable to return to campus.” They will have priority access to the 20% of courses that will be offered remotely. It was not specified which circumstances would qualify students to be considered “unable to return” for priority access. Return to campus measures include “encouraging students to stay away from campus when they’re feeling unwell.” Davergne said SFU encourages professors to continue recording and uploading
Johnson noted she recently met with the Aboriginal Steering Committee and “heard first-hand from members of that steering committee about the impact of this news. “I think it's really important for all of us to acknowledge the collective responsibility that we all have to develop a better system and move towards reconciliation.” Discussion on grading scheme Student senator Sarah Lord Ferguson asked Senate what SFU is doing “to increase grading transparency and better align our grading practices with other Canadian institutions.” This was in reference to a petition that has over 1,000 signatures from undergraduate students.
The student groups aim to focus SFU’s funds around marginalized communities and climate solutions. PH OTO : Chris LeBoutillier / Unsplash
The group is asking to have SFU include SFU350’s and CJUBC’s demands in their climate emergency declaration letter. SFU350 has been active in climate justice advocacy at the university since 2013. Kua and Herd said the student group organized the SFU community’s attendance in multiple climate strikes, including the 2019 Climate Strike in Vancouver. In support of Indigenous rights and the sovereignty of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation, the group also arranged two student walkout marches in January 2020. Under the #StudentsAgainstTMX campaign, they organized rallies and informational sessions to take a stance against the TMX pipeline expansion. SFU350 is currently looking for students to join their climate emergency declaration campaign. Those who are interested can contact info@sfu350.com to get involved.
“The issue I’m bringing forward has hurt students — including myself — for many, many years,” said Lord Ferguson. The petition states that Canadian institutions such as UBC, KPU, and Capilano University all have the same grading scheme — students need between 90–100% to receive an A+ or 85–89% to receive an A. SFU’s grading scheme requires students to achieve between 95–100% for A+ and 90–94% for A. Other letter grades also require higher percentages. This makes it more difficult for SFU undergraduate students to achieve high letter grades, despite receiving the same percentage. Therefore, it is more challenging to be accepted into graduate programs for an SFU student, compared to a UBC student with the same percentage, according to Lord Ferguson. “I’m optimistic that with this external pressure and bringing this concern directly to the floor of the Senate, we can expedite the process towards a solution,” said Lord Ferguson. Vice provost and associate vice president academic Wade Parkhouse responded, “We are aware of the petition circulating requesting a change to our undergraduate grading practices and transcripts. Proponents of the petition have been instructed to work with the registrar. “A further analysis will be done to determine the impact of potential changes on current and former students, impact on the students’ records from a systems perspective, and wide consultations with students and faculty.” This consultation will take time, according to Parkhouse, but after the necessary information has been gathered, Senate will have a discussion regarding the current grading scheme. “I do wish to highlight institutional grading practices and students’ academic records are very important, and adjustments or changes to these are not made lightly due to the importance,” said Parkhouse.
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In light of the recent findings at residential schools across Canada and the calls of Indigenous peoples to implement the 94 Calls to Action published by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2015, The Peak is reproducing these calls over seven issues. We hope slowly publishing these calls to action will help non-Indigenous readers understand what they are, reflect on them, and think about the ways they can show up in allyship. Please find Calls to Action #1–17 in our previous issue.
Calls to Action
In order to redress the legacy of residential schools and advance the process of Canadian reconciliation, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission makes the following calls to action.
Legacy HEALTH
18.
We call upon the federal, provincial, territorial, and Aboriginal governments to acknowledge that the current state of Aboriginal health in Canada is a direct result of previous Canadian government policies, including residential schools, and to recognize and implement the health-care rights of Aboriginal people as identified in international law, constitutional law, and under the Treaties.
19.
We call upon the federal government, in consultation with Aboriginal peoples, to establish measurable goals to identify and close the gaps in health outcomes between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities, and to publish annual progress reports and assess long term trends. Such efforts would focus on indicators such as: infant mortality, maternal health, suicide, mental health, addictions, life expectancy, birth rates, infant and child health issues, chronic diseases, illness and injury incidence, and the availability of appropriate health services.
20.
In order to address the jurisdictional disputes concerning Aboriginal people who do not reside on reserves, we call upon the federal government to recognize, respect, and address the distinct health needs of the Métis, Inuit, and off-reserve Aboriginal peoples.
21.
We call upon the federal government to provide sustainable funding for existing and new Aboriginal healing centres to address the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual harms caused by residential schools, and to ensure that the funding of healing centres in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories is a priority.
22.
We call upon those who can effect change within the Canadian health-care system to recognize the value of Aboriginal healing practices and use them in the treatment of Aboriginal patients in collaboration with Aboriginal healers and Elders where requested by Aboriginal patients.
23.
24.
We call upon all levels of government to: i.
Increase the number of Aboriginal professionals working in the health-care field.
ii
Ensure the retention of Aboriginal health-care providers in Aboriginal communities.
iii.
Provide cultural competency training for all healthcare professionals.
We call upon medical and nursing schools in Canada to require all students to take a course dealing with Aboriginal health issues, including the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, and Indigenous teachings and practices. This will require skills-based training in intercultural competency, conflict resolution, human rights, and anti-racism.
JUSTICE
25.
We call upon the federal government to establish a written policy that reaffirms the independence of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to investigate crimes in which the government has its own interest as a potential or real party in civil litigation.
26.
We call upon the federal, provincial, and territorial governments to review and amend their respective statutes of limitations to ensure that they conform to the principle that governments and other entities cannot rely on limitation defences to defend legal actions of historical abuse brought by Aboriginal people.
27.
We call upon the Federation of Law Societies of Canada to ensure that lawyers receive appropriate cultural competency training, which includes the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, Indigenous law, and Aboriginal– Crown relations. This will require skills-based training in intercultural competency, conflict resolution, human rights, and anti-racism.
28.
We call upon law schools in Canada to require all law students to take a course in Aboriginal people and the law, which includes the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, Indigenous law, and Aboriginal–Crown relations. This will require skills-based training in intercultural competency, conflict resolution, human rights, and antiracism.
29.
We call upon the parties and, in particular, the federal government, to work collaboratively with plaintiffs not included in the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement to have disputed legal issues determined expeditiously on an agreed set of facts.
30.
We call upon federal, provincial, and territorial governments to commit to eliminating the overrepresentation of Aboriginal people in custody over the next decade, and to issue detailed annual reports that monitor and evaluate progress in doing so.
31.
We call upon the federal, provincial, and territorial governments to provide sufficient and stable funding to implement and evaluate community sanctions that will provide realistic alternatives to imprisonment for Aboriginal offenders and respond to the underlying causes of offending.
32.
We call upon the federal government to amend the Criminal Code to allow trial judges, upon giving reasons, to depart from mandatory minimum sentences and restrictions on the use of conditional sentences.
33.
We call upon the federal, provincial, and territorial governments to recognize as a high priority the need to address and prevent Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), and to develop, in collaboration with Aboriginal people, FASD preventive programs that can be delivered in a culturally appropriate manner.
34.
We call upon the governments of Canada, the provinces, and territories to undertake reforms to the criminal justice system to better address the needs of offenders with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), including: i.
Providing increased community resources and powers for courts to ensure that FASD is properly diagnosed, and that appropriate community supports are in place for those with FASD.
ii
Enacting statutory exemptions from mandatory minimum sentences of imprisonment for offenders affected by FASD.
iii. Providing community, correctional, and parole resources to maximize the ability of people with FASD to live in the community. iv.
Adopting appropriate evaluation mechanisms to measure the effectiveness of such programs and ensure community safety.
35.
We call upon the federal government to eliminate barriers to the creation of additional Aboriginal healing lodges within the federal correctional system.
36.
We call upon the federal, provincial, and territorial governments to work with Aboriginal communities to provide culturally relevant services to inmates on issues such as substance abuse, family and domestic violence, and overcoming the experience of having been sexually abused.
37.
We call upon the federal government to provide more supports for Aboriginal programming in halfway houses and parole services.
38.
We call upon the federal, provincial, territorial, and Aboriginal governments to commit to eliminating the overrepresentation of Aboriginal youth in custody over the next decade.
39.
We call upon the federal government to develop a national plan to collect and publish data on the criminal victimization of Aboriginal people, including data related to homicide and family violence victimization.
40. 41.
42.
We call on all levels of government, in collaboration with Aboriginal people, to create adequately funded and accessible Aboriginalspecific victim programs and services with appropriate evaluation mechanisms. We call upon the federal government, in consultation with Aboriginal organizations, to appoint a public inquiry into the causes of, and remedies for, the disproportionate victimization of Aboriginal women and girls. The inquiry’s mandate would include: i.
Investigation into missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls.
ii
Links to the intergenerational legacy of residential schools.
We call upon the federal, provincial, and territorial governments to commit to the recognition and implementation of Aboriginal justice systems in a manner consistent with the Treaty and Aboriginal rights of Aboriginal peoples, the Constitution Act, 1982, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, endorsed by Canada in November 2012.
In addition to reading these calls, please read the Assembly of First Nations’ 2020 Progress Report to find out how Canada is doing on implementing these calls.
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OPINIONS OPINIONS
Opinions Editors Dev Petrovic and Marco Ovies
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opinions@the-peak.ca
PRIDE-LESS CONSUMERISM
WHAT GRINDS OUR GEARS?
Switching Breakout Rooms without warning Zoom hosts should inform participants before moving them to different Breakout Rooms
Pride Month brings corporate exploitation of queer issues for profits.
P HOTO : Gudrun Wai-Gunnarsson / The Peak
Rainbow capitalism does more harm than good ILLUSTRATION: Stockgiu / Vecteezy.com
Since SFU began holding classes remotely, many instructors have been using Zoom to hold live classes. Zoom is a great tool, and I’m glad we can (kind of) simulate in-person settings with it, like dividing people into groups via the “Breakout Room” function for discussions. While I think it’s great that Zoom meeting hosts can easily shift people around in these groups, I don’t appreciate it when they suddenly move someone to another Breakout Room without a heads-up. To clarify, I understand there could be several legitimate reasons why the host would do so, whether it’s fixing an uneven distribution, being short on time to spend with each group, or thinking a person might fare better with other individuals. However, it can be very disruptive. I’ve been in situations where either I, another student, or our TA was moved without warning. As a result, we all entered different groups during their conversations without knowing the discussion’s context, thus awkwardly needing to be caught up. I kid you not — every single class our TA would be in the middle of explaining something, only to be whisked away from our group to another and cut-off.
Capitalizing off LGBTQIA2S+ history hinders concrete change
CARTE R H E M I O N / / STA F F WR IT E R
Rainbow capitalism, a marketing strategy that commodifies Pride, largely harms LGBTQIA2S+ people. Every June, large corporations don rainbows to increase profits, just to forget about us the rest of the year. They often take little to no action to support our needs unless it’s convenient for them, and they may even work to take away our rights. While there are a few ways LGBTQIA2S+ people may profit off rainbow capitalism, the harm done far outweighs these small benefits. Some companies offer a small portion of sales or a one-time donation to LGBTQIA2S+ non-profits as part of their campaigns to promote a supposed commitment to diversity. This only gives us short-term support, and then we’re swept aside until the next Pride Month. Additionally, non-profits can exploit their workers under capitalism, so even the corporations boasting support for us contribute to the oppressive system that holds us down. Other LGBTQIA2S+ organizations profit from running these tokenizing advertisements, while benefitting from the commodification of Pride to support their work. In a few cases, the companies involved may even take tangible actions to support LGBTQIA2S+ people, like developing programs to include more trans employees or changing their insurance policies to equally benefit employees’ same-sex partners. However, this often benefits the most privileged in the community — namely white and cis community members.
Please, if you want to move someone to another Breakout Room, all I ask is you refrain from doing so without warning.
Many companies that boast their faux allyship are completely disingenuous. The companies that change their logos to rainbows don’t do so in countries where LGBTQIA2S+ people are less accepted, reminding us that rainbows are only valuable to companies when they match their social climate.
Written by Tiffany Chang
Companies including AT&T, The Coca-Cola Company, General Motors, Anheuser-Busch, and NBCUniversal continue to donate profits to anti-LGBTQIAS2+ causes while showing off oodles of rainbow flags. These actions
are hypocritical and harm our community under the guise of promoting diversity. How can we trust the rainbow in a logo when the same company pays for our continued oppression? Companies promoting rainbow capitalism insult and discredit prior generations of LGBTQIA2S+ activists. Our history is rife with violent oppression. We continue to experience higher rates of unemployment, workplace discrimination, and poverty — this especially impacts BIPOC community members.
They may plaster a rainbow across their logos and tokenize LGBTQIA2S+ people in their advertisements, but they do not care about us. Earlier in our fight for equal rights, the Gay Liberation Front declared that “[we] identify ourselves with [ . . . ] all those oppressed by this rotten, dirty, vile, fucked-up capitalist conspiracy.” Our liberation movements need to continue rejecting capitalism. Pride is not a time for companies to market to us and sanitize our stories while making us more palatable in this capitalist shitshow. Where possible, we can buy from businesses run by our community members and reject the notion that rainbow capitalism was ever about Pride. We can continue sharing information about the ways rainbow capitalism is harmful. Those who are able to can help by boycotting the corporations that take advantage of Pride Month. Pride is a celebration of queer joy, not a promotion of capitalism.
OPINIONS
June 28, 2021
DIGITAL BREAKDOWN
Internet addictions keep us from focusing on valuable experiences The monopolization of the internet is a problem JACO B MAT TI E // PEAK ASSO CI ATE
The development of the internet was revolutionary, but don’t let its impact fool you. Internet traffic is routed through an increasingly narrow selection of websites and services and is owned by even fewer companies. Content favours ease of access over depth; it is designed to keep us glued to our screens, which pushes us away from other activities such as hobbies, projects, or studies. Not considering the streaming and gaming services which account for almost 70% of global internet usage by volume, the internet is largely dominated by three websites: Google, YouTube, and Facebook. These three sites together amass more monthly views than the following 47 most-visited websites combined (including other giants such as Twitter, Instagram, and Wikipedia), and their parent companies rank among the top 20 most profitable companies worldwide. Clearly, there is some financial clout in internet traffic. As online profit is driven by advertising, it is in the companies’ best interests to put tremendous amounts of resources into designing websites. This is intended to keep visitors as engaged as possible, for as long as possible — which it certainly does. The problems with this arise from our inherent diversity. People have a huge array of interests, forms of expression,
The intentionally addictive structure of the internet can impact our mental well-being.
social structures, and other quirks, which require an entire life’s worth of experiences and interactions to satisfy. The catch-all internet experience offered by the largest websites fails to do this. Regardless of the possibilities that the internet contains, these experiences are hardly achievable through a screen.
The internet is harmful, not for what it is, but for what it takes away from us. Internet use is inherently a solitary activity. Even in social situations, such as video calling a friend or posting on message boards, many of the cues that we would otherwise rely on (like eye contact or a shared environment) are lost. Simultaneously, the emphasis on online relationships serves to isolate us from people in the offline world. As we develop and engage further with online communities, it can become more difficult to break out of the habit of internet addiction as our support network.
I LLU STRATI O N : Alyssa Marie Umbal / The Peak
In order to produce content that draws and maintains as wide an audience as possible, websites focus on a structure that prioritizes ease of access and curates content to mirror what we have liked. This is done instead of exposing us to new ideas. As we’re coerced into spending more and more time browsing and scrolling through the content specifically designed to catch and hold our attention, we lose time for other more enriching activities. As a result, we may find that being addicted to the internet impacts our well-being and quality of life. But by any definition of internet addiction, there is a reported correlation with a host of mental health issues; depression, anxiety, and ADHD are among the more prominent. The internet is harmful, not for what it is, but for what it takes away from us. We spend so much time captivated by endless scrolling, it keeps us from pursuing other, sometimes more enriching, activities. As we visit our favourite sites, soaking up bits of information, and as we ride the emotional roller coaster of a well-made piece of media, we need to consider them as the metaphorical golden handcuffs which are fantastic in the moment, but leave us with little to keep.
ATTENTION SEEKERS
You need to sit down and start giving music your full attention Artists put too much work into their albums for you to skip through their songs
SA RA B RI N KAC // PEA K ASSO CI ATE
Listening carefully will help you appreciate all the details in your favourite music.
Our complete attention is invaluable, and in a world of infinite distractions and worries, rarely do we give one thing our undivided attention. Take how we listen to music, for example. It’s often through a streaming service with an almost infinite catalogue of music. Instead of fully paying attention to a song, we jump from playlist to playlist discovering new music. Or, we end up shuffling the same songs over and over again. But that doesn't mean we don’t love music. So why don’t we give this truly precious part of the human experience more of our attention?
Practicing mindful listening with music is the practice of sitting down without any distraction and concentrating on every aspect of a song. Listen to every instrument, every change of beat, every whisper from the left headphone, and each note from the right. We may already be familiar with this practice when we listen to our favourite song, but rarely do we listen mindfully for long periods of time. That is why we need to begin mindfully listening not only to individual songs, but to entire albums.
It is important we practise mindful listening when appreciating music. Musicians tirelessly hone their craft just to play us a song. That song then goes through countless iterations with the utmost attention poured into each instrument, note, mixing level, and silence. But too often, we take for granted that commitment and attention and rarely give the artist our focus in return.
Just as a good song is carefully crafted to hold an artist's soul, a good album is carefully curated to hold the same. A great album creates an enriching and fulfilling experience for the focused listener. The tracks are ordered with intention, to show range and emotion, to be a slow melodic breath of fresh air or a booming electric punch in the gut. Some songs flow effortlessly together, sweetly setting the tone for the next track,
P HOTO : Illias Chebbi / Unsplash
while others harshly juxtapose to create a surprising new direction. True care is marked by artists setting out to challenge the traditional album format, genre norms, and listener expectations. It is only fair we show the same care when listening. Not to get nihilistic in the middle of a student newspaper, but life is meaningless and our time is fleeting, so every moment we are present in both body and mind truly holds meaning. I’ll be the first to admit that being present is hugely difficult. I often find my mind being consumed with issues out of my control, or that I’m unable to wholeheartedly experience life with others. But the simple act of sitting down and giving an album my unadulterated attention is something that temporarily fills this meaningless existence with joy. So give it a shot; choose to give the precious gift of music your full attention.
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Features
The Colonial History of Canada The state’s past and present mistreatment of Indigenous peoples is not a cause for celebration Content warning: residential schools, genocide, colonization, police and state violence When I was in high school, most of what was taught about Canadian history was through the lens of European settlers and colonizers. I remember our class spending only an hour (out of the whole term) on Indigenous history and their experiences. The rest of class time was devoted to the British and French takeover and the War of 1812. This willful ignorance parallels (for the most part) the country’s own refusal to acknowledge its bloody past. The British North America Act established Canada as a country on July 1, 1867, four centuries after the first appearance of the Europeans on the east shores of what we now call Newfoundland. According to the Government of Canada’s website, Indigenous peoples and Europeans “coexisted” with “strong economic, religious, and military bonds” during this time. This statement oversimplifies the brutal truth behind the process of colonization. There’s no need to look far to see how incredibly immoral this statement is, with the recent confirmations of children’s remains at residential schools being broadcasted on the daily. By celebrating Canada Day, we are letting our sense of patriotism prevent us from seeing Canada‘s reprehensible treatment of Indigenous communities. A year after being established in 1867, Canada Day — then called “anniversary of Confederation” or “Dominion Day” — became a mandated statutory holiday. Making the celebration of a country based on genocide a state-enforced holiday is the ultimate act of colonial domination. After nearly wiping out Indigenous populations with a lethal combination of foreign diseases (measles, smallpox, and influenza) and mass land theft in the 1830s, the government decided to have a celebration for Canadians to “show their pride in their history, culture, and achievements.” Yet what achievements are there to be proud of, aside from blatant racism and discrimination? Flash forward to 2017, iconically remembered as the 150th anniversary of Canada’s founding as a state. People proudly displayed maple leaf paraphernalia in parades and watched fireworks explode on Parliament Hill. Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch submitted a report on the fraught relationship between the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Indigenous communities they were supposed to serve. All the elements of suppression mentioned above, on top of the RCMP’s role in enforcing residential schools by forcing children to attend them, help “[fuel] the strong mistrust, suspicion, and resentment many Indigenous people continue to feel towards law enforcement.” The report further elaborated on the practice of “starlight tours,” where police officers in Saskatchewan drove Indigenous peoples to the outskirts of the city and left them there, only to make them walk home in the middle of winter, exposing them to hypothermia. As the nation celebrates its colonial heritage, that same heritage is responsible for the “present-day patterns
of violence against Indigenous women and girls, and police failures to respond to such violence.” This parallel between the Human Rights Watch report and the open celebration in 2017 highlights the duplicitous nature of Canadian patriotism. The nation would rather choose ignorance of the state’s wrongs against Indigenous communities over the moral and ethical obligations to right those wrongs. An example of such ignorance took place in 2019 with the release of another report on Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG). Chief commissioner Marion Buller pointed out the violence on Indigenous peoples is a “national tragedy of epic proportions.” He went on to say the tragedy is the government‘s unwillingness to grant the commission the extension it needed for a more thorough investigation. It is ironic that the government established the commission while refusing to give the commission the time it needed for a more comprehensive report. This points to an inherent unwillingness of the state to acknowledge its faults in its relationship with Indigenous communities and the desire to keep up appearances of reconciliation. As Buller puts it, by not granting the extension, “governments chose to leave many truths unspoken and unknown.” When the MMIWG report came out, it called the violence inflicted upon Indigenous peoples, especially women, girls, and Two-Spirit community members, a “Canadian genocide.” It also described the state’s behaviours towards Indigenous communities as “rooted in colonialism and colonial ideologies.” These behaviours are “built on the presumption of superiority, and utilized to maintain power and control over the land and the people by oppression and, in many cases, by eliminating them.” These reports are tragic and painful reminders that the state we are living in has never stopped its suppression and mistreatment of Indigenous peoples. As much as we like to think Canada has rid itself of its colonial past, the blood of colonization remains on its hands. Canada Day is a day marked by genocide, violence, and trauma. National pride, the main driver behind celebrating Canada Day, is just an excuse to ignore the brutality and violence this country inflicts upon its people. It’s easier to party than it is to look at the ugly truth behind this country’s nice façade. Canada has been taking the easy way out for its entire existence. Groups like Idle No More are calling for Canada Day to be cancelled and instead implore people to honour all the lives lost to the Canadian State. By cancelling Canada Day, the state will be taking part in reconciling with history and facing its own mistakes. Only by change can this country be better, and striving for improvement is something Canadians can be proud of. If you do decide on waving the red and white maple leaf flag on July 1, think about how much violence and trauma stands behind those two colours.
Written by Nancy La
PHOTO: Renan Kamikoga / Unsplash
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Resources for Indigenous Students For any Indigenous students needing support while dealing with the weight of the last few weeks, here is a list of resources compiled by the Indigenous Student Centre, First Nations Student Association, and the Simon Fraser Student Society:
Support at SFU
External Supports
Indigenous Student Centre To book an appointment with an Indigenous Counsellor, email isc_well@sfu.ca and ask to book with Jennifer, HCS Indigenous Counsellor.
Indian Residential School Survivors Society 1-866-925-4419 1-800-721-0066 (Crisis Line for immediate support)
My SSP (Student Support Program) Call 1-844-451-9700 and ask to book an appointment with an Indigenous Counsellor.
First Nation Health Authority There is mental wellness support that is provided through the First Nations Health Authority specifically for survivors and families who have been directly impacted by the Indian Residential School system. If you self-identify as Indigenous please reach out and request additional support. This is what it is intended for.
My SSP App Access online at myssp.app for 24/7 support. SFU Health & Counselling 778-782-4615
Aboriginal Wellness Program 604-675-2551 Child and Youth Aboriginal Mental Health Outreach – East Hastings Street 604-868-0368
Help Lines
Child and Youth Aboriginal Mental Health Outreach – Cambie Street 604-688-0551
KUU-US Crisis Line Society Adults: 250-723-4050 Youth: 250-723-2040 Toll-free: 1-800-588-8717 Tsow-Tun Le Lum Society Toll-free: 1-888-403-3123 Main office: 250-390-3123 Métis Crisis Line 1-833-638-4722 First Nations and Inuit Hope for Wellness Help Line 1-855-242-3310
Additional Resources Further support and resources for Indigenous Students can be found through the Indigenous Student Centre's Instagram page at @sfu_isc.
PHOTO: Henry & Co. / Pexels
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F EATUR ES
I don’t want a “coming out” story I learned to take charge of my identity, and in turn, my confidence flourished Ever since high school, I had my suspicions I wasn’t straight. I brushed it off for years, but I eventually came to understand and accept that part of me. As I embraced this aspect of my identity, I felt an unnerving pressure to suddenly come out to everyone around me. It felt like I needed to create a list of names of who to come out to. I needed to find a time, place, and set the scene for my big reveal. But the more people I told about my sexuality, the more I felt like I was sharing a part of me I didn’t need to. I kept questioning why people needed to know my sexual orientation and why I had to come out simply to erase their perception that I was straight. I understand coming out is important to many people, and that’s great! I also know coming out is an important aspect of LGBTQIA2S+ history and visibility. However, there was a weight inside of me — when should I tell them? How will they respond? Even though I suspected my friends would be supportive, I felt I needed their explicit acceptance. I was plagued by anxiety, hoping no one would see me differently. I wanted the validation that, regardless of my sexuality, people would still love me just the same. Gradually, I realized I didn’t care. Whether they saw me differently or not was their perception of me, not mine. Some of my experiences coming out to people were better than others. Regardless of how anyone reacted, I felt like something was off. I was never really satisfied. Most of the time, I didn’t feel a magical weight lifted off my chest. They just knew me a little better. I had opened a very personal part of myself, perhaps when I didn’t need to. What started to bother me was the new access I had given people into my personal life. Even my fellow queer friends would ask me about who I was going to date next. As if I could simply decide who the next person I fell for would be. For a while, I felt like a fraud for not wanting to have a huge coming out story for my family. I don’t particularly see myself ever standing in the kitchen, nervously waiting to tell my parents about my sexuality. But after all, wasn’t coming out supposed to be a part of the queer journey? Aren’t my parents either supposed to go into acceptance or denial? In turn, won’t their response shape my identity? After years of consuming media that was focused on coming out, I thought
Written by Cynthia Piña ILLUSTRATION: Maple Sukontasukkul / The Peak
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it was just something I was supposed to do. If I didn’t have some grand coming out, I supposed that meant I was hiding and in the closet. I told myself I simply wasn’t “ready,” until I realized I just don’t really care about telling some people. It’s not that I don’t want people to know my sexuality because I’m ashamed — I’m not. I’m very happy, proud, and comfortable with myself. I know that in romantic relationships, I prefer my partner to know my sexuality. However, outside of that, I don’t feel like disclosing my sexuality and don’t feel the need to. I don’t actively try to hide it unless there are circumstances that require me to do so. Among friends, I might bring it up if I feel like it — or maybe I won’t. I just think we should all collectively stop assuming everyone is straight unless told otherwise. I don’t feel the need to come out and tell the world about who I’m capable of loving. I think it’s beautiful that I can love multiple genders. I don’t care for the whole world to know this aspect of me. I’m enjoying being quietly queer however I want to be. It has taken me long enough to realize that these are valid feelings. If you want to explicitly come out to people, then do so! However, for those who aren’t ready, who may put themselves in unsafe situations, or who simply don’t want to — that’s also fine. Part of my experience may be shaped by the fact that, because I am attracted to multiple genders, in some cases, I would appear to be in a heterosexual relationship. However, it’s not a requirement of the LGBTQIA2S+ community to have a coming out story. We should all be free to be queer in whatever way we want to be.
ARTS & CULTURE
June 28, 2021
BY SARA WO N G
Food for Thought:
The rich Indigenous history of maple syrup
Dive into the cultural, political, and personal significance of food
Of all the Canadian symbols in pop culture — poutine, plaid, polar bears, etc. — maple syrup is arguably the most iconic. It’s a source of national pride. There are even festivals devoted to this sweet, sticky substance. But despite its popularity, a majority of people do not know about the maple’s roots in Indigenous communities. Thanks to a recent ethnobotany course I took with SFU’s Indigenous studies department, I learned that maples are widely considered the leaders of trees. Maples are more than a symbol or resource for Indigenous peoples; they are a valuable connection to the land that is part of their cultural identity. In Oneida culture, sugar camps hold ceremonies both before and after producing maple syrup. This is done “to honor the maple tree and for creation’s cooperation during the harvesting of the sap.” And in Anishinaabe oral history, maple sap comes with a lesson from Nanabozho (the Original Man). Robin Wall Kimmerer, member of the Potawatomi Nation, writes about Nanabozho’s teachings in her book, Braiding Sweetgrass. According to the book, people became obsessed with the abundance of syrup and forgot to care for the rest of the land. In response, Nanabozho diluted the syrup with water. “Today, maple sap flows like a stream of water with only a trace of sweetness to remind the people both of possibility and of responsibility [ . . . ] we participate in its transformation. It is our work, and our gratitude, that distills the sweetness,” Wall Kimmerer writes.
ILLUSTRATION: Alyssa Marie Umbal / The Peak
PHOTO: Piviso / PixaBay
When settlers learned how to extract maple syrup from Indigenous peoples, they understood the work, but not the significance behind a harvest. And rather than respecting time-honoured
practices, colonizers aimed to destroy them. Clearcutting land for urban development and forced assimilation as per the Indian Act of 1876 severely affected traditional maple sugaring. Settlers were eager to industrialize maple syrup because of its economic benefits. That remains the case today. The price of 100% pure Canadian maple syrup is noticeably more expensive than its artificial counterparts. At my local Whole Foods, a 360ml bottle of SweetLeaf’s “maple flavoured” syrup costs $8.49. Meanwhile, a similar-sized bottle of real maple syrup from Shady Maple Farms costs double. If you’re going to invest in the good stuff, consider looking outside the big box stores. Across Canada, Indigenous groups are reclaiming maple syrup, including here in BC with Kleekhoot Gold Bigleaf Maple Syrup. A vast majority of Canada’s maple syrup is produced in the eastern and maritime provinces, so Kleekhoot Gold is truly something to treasure. Made by the Hupač̓asatḥ peoples on their traditional territories in the Alberni Valley, this maple syrup gets its unique vanilla and caramel flavours from local bigleaf maple trees. These are Canada’s largest maple trees, and in BC, they only grow on Vancouver Island’s west coast. Like other pure maple syrup makers, Kleekhoot Gold condenses the sap to a sugar content of 66%, so the syrup’s sweetness level is akin to other varieties. The one difference is that bigleaf maple syrup provides twice the amount of calcium and magnesium (read: extra health benefits) than other sugar maples.
For more information on bigleaf maple trees, how the syrup is made, and when it can be purchased, check out Kleekhoot Gold’s website.
THE SHOW GOES ON
Concert livestreaming shouldn’t end after the pandemic This accessible option helps all fans listen to the music they love
PAIGE RI DI N G // COPY E D I TO R
Growing up in a small town, local concerts were usually washed up ‘80s bands or Wiggles knockoffs. If I wanted to see an artist perform, it involved forking out the money for a plane ticket or driving eight hours to Vancouver. Now that the pandemic altered the concert experience and introduced livestreams, this inconvenience has disappeared. These livestreams allow more people to watch shows and enjoy the music that moves them. Folks can watch their favourite drummer give an epic performance and listen to a singer belt with fervour, all while remaining in a comfortable, accessible environment away from the risks concerts pose. The good pair of headphones you bought to listen to your professor talk about neurons would sound a lot better with live music playing from them. With a cameraman recording the musicians closer than most of the audience could, the best seat in the house might just be on your La-Z-Boy at home. Why should this trend end after the pandemic? If it’s a way of allowing more people to listen to music in ways that
Live music can be enjoyed from multiple venues.
make them comfortable, I believe we’d be better for it. This is not to say I won’t be heading to the Vogue or any other fantastic Vancouver venue as soon as my ears can be blasted by those huge speakers in person again. It’s quite the opposite since there’s nothing like screaming your favourite lyrics while jumping alongside other fans — but that’s just me saying this after almost two years without a concert. There are times at shows where your feet are aching, the jerk in front of you insists on holding their phone in your way the whole time, and you’re stuck in a long lineup when
P HOTO : Anthony DELANOIX / Unsplash
you really need to pee. If after my concert drought ends and I know a band is playing on the other side of town, the option to purchase a viewing pass and remain at home would be fantastic. Livestreams are no replacement for live music. The artist is not in the same room as you. The crowd is not pushing against you, amping you up for the encore. It is, however, a way to help more people listen to more music in a way that makes them comfortable. What better way to help people feel like they can share in these experiences than to adapt from pandemic life and move forward?
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14 ARTS & CULTURE
Arts & Culture Editor Sara Wong
|
arts@the-peak.ca
THE REAL DEAL
The Real Patty Co. delivers Jamaican patties right to your door The Simon family has created a winning combination of delicious flavours and wholesome ingredients MA RC O OVI E S // FEATURES E D I TO R
The other day I had the privilege of ordering from The Real Patty Co., a business run by the Simon family in Surrey. They specialize in Jamaican patties, which are flaky pastries filled with seasoned meat or vegetables. They offer flavours like jerk chicken, veggie curry, and even vegan ground round. Let me tell you, they are all delicious. The Real Patty Co. sells and delivers their patties frozen. You then follow the re-heat instructions, and within minutes, you have a hot Jamaican patty ready to devour. Plus, it is super convenient to order. When you order on their website, the patties are delivered to your doorstep the next day. The Real Patty Co. was created in 2020 and started out as a quarantine project. “Like many Canadians, our wages were cut significantly which caused us to get creative,” said the Simon family. “We decided to make and sell Jamaican Patties on our community Facebook page using a family recipe handed down from Mama Maureen Simon.” After a very successful year, the family is proud to announce that their side hustle has turned into a booming family business.
Written by Sara Wong
These locally-made patties offer meat, veggie, and vegan selections.
I really cannot stress enough how delicious these Jamaican patties are. I am absolutely obsessed with the jerk chicken. I don’t know what Mama Maureen Simon’s secret is, but she has created the ideal blend of spices and flavours that I can’t stop thinking about. The pastry on the outside is perfectly flaky and the jerk chicken has just the right amount of kick. You can feel it, but it’s not overwhelmingly spicy. I’m salivating just writing about them. The Real Patty Co.
P HOTO : @yothatssobomb via Instagram
does not just do delivery either; they visit farmers’ markets across the Lower Mainland. If you’re trying to support more local businesses during the pandemic, then The Real Patty Co. should be on your radar. Be sure to follow The Real Patty Co. on Instagram and Facebook to catch all the latest specials, promotions, and where they will be setting up shop next. To place an order, check out their website.
NEED TO KNOW, NEED TO GO Events to check out from June 28 to July 4
HIVE 2021: FLIGHT PATHS
WORLD UFO DAY
July 1–4, 2:00–5:00 p.m. FREE Online
July 2–25 FREE Outsiders and Others, Hastings St. location
In this choose-your-own-adventure series of events, audiences can pick from 12 different interactive shows, sorted into four “flight paths”: home, location, phone, and travel. Those in the home and phone categories are designed to be stationary — you can participate from your couch, bedroom, or any other cozy spot. Meanwhile, the location and travel categories offer more active events, like a walk that re-imagines your neighbourhood as the setting of an ancient Persian myth. Attendees may book up to six shows per day. To register and learn more about the performances, visit Hive’s website.
The Outsiders and Others gallery features nontraditional or underrepresented artists. Their UFO Day event is no exception. Each of the five participating artists — Ralph Heading, Jujube Jacinto, Jen O'Connor, Hong Park, and the late Lex Kinast — explore the otherworldly in their work. This exhibit can be viewed both indoors and outdoors. If checking out the exhibit from the gallery’s front window, a QR code will bring up more information about the artists and their pieces. If you want to go inside the gallery, you must book an appointment first. Contact outsidersandothers@gmail.com for more details.
ORGANIZING FOR A POLICEFREE WORLD July 3, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. FREE Zoom As part of SFPIRG’s transformative justice series, this interactive workshop will explore how individuals can organize “for transformative justice, mutual aid, and defunding the police.” Participants can engage in brainstorming sessions, panel discussions, skill-sharing, and more. The goal is to “reflect on the possibilities for grassroots organizing in our neighbourhoods and workplaces.” The event is taking place over Zoom and ASL interpretation is available. Attendees must register in advance through SFPIRG’s website.
HUMOUR
June 28, 2021
The tales of a stranded SFU student
Photo by Chris Ho / The Peak
One man’s bus is another man’s nightmare Written by Paige Riding 11:33 a.m. If you’re reading this, it’s too late. It appears I’m past the point of saving out here. The sun is beating down on me. This heatwave is proving worse than I ever imagined. I took a wrong turn walking to Cornerstone from my dorm, I think. It’s all been downhill from there. Literally. It’s such a steep descent. Sure hope I’m heading back to my house on top of the mountain. Mom, if you’re reading this, I love you. Also, please don’t look through my nightstand drawer. You’ll only be overwhelmingly disappointed with what you find in there. 1:41 p.m. I kinda jumped the gun. It wasn’t too late two hours ago, but it might just be too late for me now. Why? I just remembered I had a quiz due at noon, but I’m stuck out here with 20% battery and 3G. 3G?! You can’t ask me to do anything with that. Also, that battery is needed to send out this SOS on my private Snapchat Story and play “Photograph” by Nickelback seven more times. It’s in my head, OK? You’d do the same. I have no idea where I am. I was confident that RapidBus I took was the one to send me to the Transportation Centre. I got off at the end like I thought I should, but this doesn’t feel quite right. It’s just too hot out here to focus. 3:22 p.m. I thought there was an oasis, but it was a cruel trick of the eye. Someone turned off this natural concrete water fountain. Am I suffering from heat stroke, or did that goof have a hoodie on in this heat?! And a UBC one, at that!
Top five things to do on campus when in-person classes are back Game-changing plans for when you see your SFU pals again Written by Tiffany Chang
1. Walk as fast as humanly possible past AQ promoters so they don’t approach you
You did this before COVID-19 hit, and you should do it again! To further increase your chances of not being approached, use both hands and cup the sides of your face while you’re walking to avoid eye-contact with absolutely everyone. Terror in your eyes is a stylish choice, as well. This is a great way to avoid difficult situations for yourself when socializing again becomes mandatory. 2. Go to Tim Hortons and buy up all the Timbits
Nothing’s better than frequenting the fast-food places on all campuses, especially Tim Hortons. Before we had to stay home, Timbits seemed like a staple in the SFU student diet. Why not take all their visible Timbit inventory and enjoy a notso-light snack? Who says shameless indulgence only happens at home? Hey, who am I kidding? SFU is your second home. 3. Break out into a dance routine in a study area
Have you ever wanted to blast a song like Tyler Shaw’s “Remember” and dance to blow off some steam at school? If you're feeling overwhelmed when studying at, say, the common area near Saywell Hall, set a timer for just one minute. Sway from side to side for a few seconds before really going off. Then, my friend, dance like you’re about six shots in at a horrible nightclub where nobody knows who you are. Once the timer goes off, calmly take out your earbuds and go back to studying like nothing happened.
3:38 p.m.
4. Furiously wave your arms at the bus driver who takes off without you
I’ve found a trail that looks just like the one that leads me to the Towers residence buildings. Off I go. You can’t get rid of me that easily! I’ll crawl if I have to.
I’m sure most commuter students at SFU have experienced missing their bus by a split second. This time, put your whole back into this one. When you know you’re not going to catch the bus, flail your arms around just for the sake of it. Even when things don’t work out for you sometimes, it’s nice to show people you won’t go down without a fight. Who knows? Your would-have-been driver might see your flailing arms in the rear-view mirror as they drive off. They might remember you and drive away 20 seconds earlier tomorrow to avoid this from happening again.
4:57 p.m. The last I checked, there was this steep hill I walked up. There are no signs of civilization anywhere. Good thing I found this carved wooden post with a metal sign to sit on for a while. I’m boiling. 5:05 p.m. Hey, I didn’t know SFU’s campus had such a beautiful view of the ocean! I could take a quick dip, but it’s almost dinner time and my roommate is making soft tacos. 5:07 p.m. That was the R5 I took . . . right?
5. Demand outright to be enrolled in your waitlisted class
Everybody knows the feeling of praying for that one person to drop that waitlisted course so you can get into it. But are you tired of waiting? Here’s an idea: storm into one of the professor’s other classes and demand they give you permission to enrol. The surprise effect will give you the upper hand. They’ll have no choice but to say “alright.” Relish in their shock as they, with wide, disbelieving eyes, send administration that sweet, sweet, email. Don’t forget to smile and say “good” while gleefully skipping out of the classroom.
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16 HUMOUR
Humour Editors Kyla Dowling and Paige Riding
SFU Courses SFU should introduce AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST ENSURED TO CONTINUE ENGAGING THE WORLD
Not needing parental validation 48 credits (B-Soc)
By Kelly Chia
Do you find yourself having to justify your degree and its “worth” to your parents? This short 16-semester-long course will be especially valuable for FASS students. You’ll finally learn how to stop tearing up when you’re asked what minimum wage job you want. You will learn how to confidently tell your peers what you major in, even if it’s philosophy and you refer to yourself as a stoic. This course even provides a brief introductory overview of how to mentally prepare for the question, “What do you even plan to do with your life?”
Just pet dogs 5 Barkbox credits (B-Hum)
By Kelly Chia
What does this university substitute for a functional and accessible mental health care system? Right, puppy therapy! So many puppies. Inspired by this counselling “alternative,” this course offers just a truckload of fluffy babies who can’t wait to snuggle up with you and take your exam worries away. Study pup-ular culture with these friends by your side. Dander allergy medicine not included. Bring your own leash.
Alternative physical education 10 imaginary credits (B-Sci)
By Kelly Chia
Are you tired of the barrage of staircases at our illustrious campus? Always pretending the trek between Saywell and AQ isn’t exhausting? Alternative physical education teaches you to ascend beyond your mortal body so you can astral project your way around classes. Astral projection is almost a completely safe way to travel*, leaving your body to focus on classes as it should be.
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humour@the-peak.ca
Alternative celebration names for July 1st Retire the tacky maple leaf sunglasses
Written by Nancy La Are you still whipping out the maple leaf flag and proudly shooting fireworks to celebrate Canada Day? Honey, you have to wake up! Countries are not real. You’re technically living on stolen land! Instead of calling it Canada Day, here are some different but equally befuddling ways to refer to your July 1st celebrations.
“Oops! . . . I Did It Again” Day Ever need a day where you’re finally excused for doing the same problematic thing over and over again without acknowledging you’re hurting others? Look no further than “Oops! . . . I Did It Again” Day! Much like how the government continually contradicts itself with COVID-19 restrictions versus their practices, you too can do whatever the heck you want. Better yet, try shunning those who trust you to guide them through a pandemic while you’re at it! Bonus points if you play Britney Spears’ iconic anthem of the same name all day. Oh baby baby, how was I supposed to know?
*Please be aware you may experience the sleep paralysis construction demon if you do not take the proper steps taught in the class to avoid them.
Go Back On Your Word Day Wildlife Handling 4 credits and a Wildlife Warriors newsletter subscription (B-Sci)
By Marco Ovies
Learn to deal with Burnaby Mountain’s wildlife! Brave the great outdoors with confidence (and by the outdoors, we don’t just mean hiking trails around the campus. Critters often appear inside classrooms). One SFU student (who asks to remain anonymous) proudly advocates for this new course. In an interview, they told us, “My professor had to stop because a raccoon had waddled right to the front of the classroom. A real-life raccoon. Additionally, security footage found that raccoons have discovered how to use the automatic sliding doors outside of West Mall Centre. Just like when the velociraptors learned how to use doors in Jurassic Park, the raccoons simply step on the mat outside the building and are granted full access. Lesson plans include: “Do I actually play dead when I see a bear, or is that a lie Hollywood has told me?” and “Is that a raccoon in line at Starbucks, or is it just your sleep-deprived friends needing a caffeine fix again?”
Forget Canada Day and look forward to Go Back On Your Word Day. What better way to celebrate the nation than to remember its litany of broken promises to do better for Indigenous peoples? Think about Trudeau’s promise that the commission report on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls “will not be placed on a shelf to collect dust,” only for two years of dust collection to happen before a national action plan on Indigenous crises is released. Keep in mind that, according to Indigenous advocates, the action plan is not enough to do much of anything. You do not need to look far to learn how to go back on your word here — and don’t forget to cry when someone calls you out for it.
HUMOUR
June 28, 2021
Your Weekly Horoscopes
June 28–July 4 Written by Marco Ovies
Music suggestions for you based on your sign
ARIES — Mar 21–Apr 19
LIBRA — Sept 23–Oct 22
I have no groundbreaking recommendation for you because I know you’re going to ignore me and jump headfirst into the latest pop-garbage tune playing on the radio. Maybe give Olivia Rodrigo’s new album a chance — and no, I don’t mean just listen to “good 4 u” on repeat.
You should listen to that TikTok cover of “As the World Caves In” by Sarah Cothran — specifically, the version with the girl who duets by singing “in dissonance.” You can join in on the argument about whether this rendition is good or terrible. But in all honesty, you have no idea, do you?
TAURUS — Apr 20 –May 20
SCORPIO — Oct 23–Nov 21
Just like Aries, are you really going to listen to my suggestion, or will you just replay the same punk-rock songs you listened to at 15? While Paramore’s self-titled album might encompass your whole personality right now, they do have new music. For the sake of everyone around you, please listen to some new music.
Just because you’re a Scorpio does not mean I’ll assign you some death-metal band and leave it at that. No, you get to listen to the Cocomelon theme song on loop. Nothing is scarier than a tired 20-something-year-old who has a children’s song in their head.
GEMINI — May 21–Jun 20
SAGITTARIUS — Nov 22–Dec 21
You’ll listen to absolutely anything, which makes your playlists the most chaotic thing I’ve ever seen. I promise you, there is no smooth transition from Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” to Childish Gambino’s “Sweatpants.” Since you’re open to listening to anything, why not try some hyperpop like “money machine” by 100 gecs? I’m sure it’s what the inside of your brain sounds like already.
You can choose any coming-of-age movie soundtrack this week, Sagittarius. It doesn’t matter as long as it’s indie. Add it to your playlist titled “Road Trip Mix” and listen while you drive five minutes to get an iced coffee. You haven’t gone anywhere in the last year and a half. Don’t lie to me.
CANCER — Jun 21–Jul 22
CAPRICORN — Dec 22–Jan 19
I know you’re looking for something to get you into your feelings, Cancer. Try listening to Bo Burnham’s album Inside (The Songs), or watch the Netflix special. Unsure if you should laugh, cry, or do both at the same time? Personally, I cocooned myself in a blanket and stared at a wall until I fell asleep. Sounds great, right?
Writing 12 different entries is tough work, and unfortunately, you got the short straw this week. You’re like a goat or something, right? Go listen to goat music from The Mountain Goats or whatever comes up first when you search “goat” on Spotify.
LEO — Jul 23–Aug 22
AQUARIUS — Jan 20 –Feb 18
Bleachers just released the upbeat summer tunes you’ve been waiting for. Songs like “How Dare You Want More” are perfect to scream along to as the main character. Like all indie artists, the peppy tune is just a mask for agonizingly sad lyrics you’ll need an English degree to understand. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Elevator music. Like really bad jazz.
VIRGO — Aug 23–Sept 22
PISCES — Feb 19–Mar 20
I’m not going to give you anything too all-over-theplace this week, Virgo. You should try listening to Lorde’s new single “Solar Power.” You can pretend you’re indie because it’s Lorde. In reality, this is the most mainstream pop song Lorde has ever produced in her life.
Go to a bar, get drunk, and just scream “Bennie and the Jets.” Unlike 27 Dresses, you will be kicked out before even finishing the song. You’ll quickly forget what happened because your sister’s marrying the love of your life. Go stop her before it’s too late! (Or discover love was in front of you the whole time.)
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18 DIVERSIONS
Business Manager Yuri Zhou
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business@the-peak.ca
CROSSWORD Across 1. Starting at 5. ____ Sea Scrolls 9. Atlantic or Indian 14. Advertising symbol 15. Emerald ____ 16. Pedro's father 17. Acquire by labor 18. Amtrak stops (abbr.) 19. Bestow 20. Become visible 22. In the ____ (until then) 24. Lecturers 26. Cup handle 27. Pacify 30. Try out 33. Tall tale 34. Pork or beef 36. Sergeant's command (2 wds.) 40. Warning signal 42. Mother 44. Artist's stand 45. Continuing story 47. Small rodents 49. Punching tool 50. French cheese 52. Get worse again 54. Atmosphere
SUDOKU
57. Scoffed 59. Exhibition riding 62. Pencil rubber 66. Newswoman ____ Shriver 67. Range 69. Do roadwork 70. Milan's land 71. Fish feature 72. Family chart 73. Portable shelters 74. Snakelike fish 75. Basin Down 1. Run away 2. Ramble 3. Folklore monster 4. Marilyn ____ 5. Malady 6. Washington, DC time zone 7. Texas landmark 8. Sahara, e.g. 9. Shop sign 10. Is unable 11. ____ Murphy of "Shrek" 12. Scent 13. Not as old
21. Language study topic 23. Sailing 25. Group of players 27. Cry of sorrow 28. Mound 29. Fleshy fruit 31. Pittsburgh footballer 32. Iced ____ 35. Male cat 37. PDQ's kin 38. Bastes 39. She, in Marseille 41. Josh 43. Deep mud 46. ____ Marie Presley 48. Breakfast foods 51. Hire 53. Conforms 54. Confess 55. Angry 56. Showed again 58. Ghostly 60. Fine sand 61. Speaks 63. Hindu dress 64. Fifty-fifty 65. Smell strongly 68. Building section