The Truth and Reconciliation Edition_The Fulcrum_Vol.81_Issue_2

In this month’s issue... The and The Truth Truth and Reconciliation Edition Reconciliation Editon A message from the Editor Dear Fulcrum readers, The eigth annual Orange Shirt Day will take place on Wednesday Sept.30, 2020. This day serves to honour the memory of Indigenous children who were forcibly taken away from their parents and sent to residential schools were thousands died and many more were mentally, physically and sexually abused leaving survivors with permanent trauma. In light of Orange Shirt Day, the Fulcrum’s Editorial Board decided to produce a special edition focusing on Truth and Reconciliation. This edition not only aims to criticize the historic and continued mistreatment of Indigenous people living in Canada, but also to share some Indigenous success stories that often go untold. As a collective, our Editorial Board will dedicate itself towards continuous coverage of Indigenous issues well beyond this edition. Charley Dutil, Editor-in-Chief

U of O profs and students helping in mass Sandy Hill evictions P. 5 Around 50 tennants are affected Reviews galore! P. 7-9 Read up on interesting movies, tv shows and podcasts. Dive into the world of CPL Girls P. 11 What does it take to be the ‘sniper of the day?’ Student and her team invents smartwatch capable of detecting COVID-19 P.12 VT19 and VTLab model can find early symptoms. Profile: Mikayla Morton P.14 A talk about a soccerless sports world. Point VS. Counterpoint P.17 Should classes be held in person or online? Our editorial on Canada’s attempts at reconciliation P. 19 Land acknowledgements are not enough!

NEWS EDITOR

NEWS

Karli Zschogner news@thefulcrum.ca Insta: @karli.zschogner Twitter: @KarliZschogner

Lawsuit filed as University of Alberta’s French campus faces funding cuts The University is being sued for chronic underfunding and failing to obey a forty-year-old agreement PAIGE HOLLAND STAFF WRITER The University of Alberta’s French campus, known as campus St-Jean, was founded in 1908 and officially affiliated with the University of Alberta in 1963. Campus Saint-Jean is an important postsecondary French campus that offers in-province opportunities for undergraduate degrees, college programs, and graduate degrees to Alberta’s 268,615 Franco-Albertans. Campus Saint-Jean is the centre of the francophone community in Edmonton and is an integral part of the community that lives there. It’s the only post-secondary institution where students can receive an undergraduate or graduate degree in French west of Winnipeg. It’s also one of the only institutions outside of Ontario, New-Brunswick, and Québec to offer an education fully in French. Due to funding cuts throughout the campus’ history, the “Association Canadienne-Française de l’Alberta” (ACFA) has filed a motion to sue the province of Alberta as well as the university for chronic underfunding and failing to obey a forty-year-old agreement. In 1976, when the Oblates sold the campus to the University of Alberta, an agreement was established to “maintain, improve and expand” Campus SaintJean to help promote and support the francophone community. Sheila Risbud, the president of ACFA in the Edmonton area, spoke about the lawsuit against the province and the University of Alberta. Risbud said that the lawsuit is on the grounds of a breach of contract as well as in violation of Article 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Article 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees that “parents whose first language learned and still understood (or mother tongue) is that of the French or English linguistic minority of the province in which the parent resides have the right to have their children receive primary and secondary school instruction in that language.” By not providing funding to Campus Saint-Jean, the province and the university is in violation of Article 23, in particular, due to the singular importance of certain programs

THEFULCRUM.CA

The Campus Saint-Jean. Photo: Michael Holly/University of Alberta.

such as the education program at the campus. Risbud says that “Campus Saint-Jean is the main place [we] instruct future teachers for the French education system of Alberta, and by cutting the francophone education program at the campus, we won’t have qualified teachers in our French and French Immersion programs.” In order to continue and foster the francophone community in Alberta, it is important to properly fund the universities, as with poor or no francophone universities, the francophone community slowly dwindles and fewer professionals in Alberta can speak French. The battle for better funding for Campus Saint-Jean has been ongoing for over twenty years according to Risbud. On Feb. 27, the University of Alberta received an 11 per cent cut in funding from the province, meaning that an overall 8.3 per cent cut was made to the faculties (including Campus Saint-Jean). This gave way to a 7 per cent increase in tuition fees to offset the decline in funding. Students at Campus Saint-Jean now have to pay more fees for an institute receiving less funding. This represents $490 in additional fees to students yearly $7,000 tuition. In Alberta, one of the associations lobbying against these cuts and working to promote the French community is a student-run association called Francophonie Jeunesses de l’Alberta (FJA), this is an organization similar to the Regroupement Étudiant Franco-Ontarien (RÉFO). Gloria Livingston, VP of the FJA,

and Adam Brown, the treasurer of FJA spoke about the importance of the association. FJA hosts a variety of events to promote French in Alberta, and its members range in ages from 14-25 and include anyone who can express themselves in french. FJA runs leadership camps for high school students which Livingston said is where she “met her best friends and became involved with FJA”. There is also a province-wide “Rassemblement Jeunesse” or RAJE that has a series of speakers and events for students who can express themselves in french. Livingston and Brown believe that due to the funding cuts for Campus Saint-Jean, the French community can not continue to expand. “If Campus Saint-Jean remains in the state it is today, we will lose the ability to function as our staff is made up mainly of students,” said Livingston. Speaking of the lawsuit action taken by ACFA, Brown said he believes it is a step in the right direction, and “it has been a long time coming” as various organizations, as well as Campus Saint-Jean students have been lobbying for change for years. Brown himself has been involved in the fight to support the French campus for five years. There is also a fundraising page to help ACFA in the process of the lawsuit as well as to help support Campus Saint-Jean, and for students who can donate a little so that students out west can also enjoy the benefits of a French education. Due to the decrease this year,

Campus Saint-Jean had a deficit of $1.8 million, and as a result had to cut a large number of courses, meaning the courses are now only offered on the main English campus. Funding cuts also mean the campus can not hire full-time professors and has to hire contract teachers that may not be fully qualified in the courses they’re being asked to teach. The President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Alberta, Bill Flanagan said in a statement on Aug.17 that “the university’s longstanding commitment to supporting French language learning has not changed” despite lack of funding for Campus Saint-Jean. Flanagan also said he looks forward to working “closely with the ACFA, recognizing the ACFA’s central role in stewarding Campus Saint-Jean.” However, in contradiction to this statement, Flanagan has also released a plan for 2022 called “University of Alberta For Tomorrow” that highlights goals to save $120 million in the next two years by reducing the number of faculties from 18 to nine, meaning Campus SaintJean likely will be experiencing more cuts. Risbud said the U of A For Tomorrow campaign will result in a decline in the quality of education that Campus Saint-Jean can offer due to a lack of funds and fewer professors. Marissa St-Amand, the University of Ottawa Students’ Union Francophone commissioner, said that it was disappointing that Campus Saint-Jean is even experiencing this issue as funding for French education should be a priority in a bilin-

gual country especially since Campus Saint-Jean is the only French post-secondary institution west of Saint-Boniface in Winnipeg. St-Amand said that “[Campus Saint-Jean] is a valuable piece of history for Franco-Albertans and Western Canadians that are francophones, and it should never have been left underfunded and in this situation in the first place”. The school helps promote French around Canada, not just Québec, and helps support the francophone communities out west. The University of Ottawa released a statement in support of the campus on its website, “Campus Saint-Jean plays a unique role in promoting and protecting the French language in Alberta,” “Its closure would be an incalculable loss, one that would deprive hundreds of young Albertans and other young Francophones and Francophiles in Western Canada and the Territories from a quality university education, and the dissemination of knowledge, in French.” “The University of Ottawa is also asking the federal government to consider providing financial support to Campus Saint-Jean, as it did for the creation of a dedicated French-language university in Ontario, the Université de l’Ontario français. The University of Ottawa is ready to stand with Campus SaintJean in support of Francophones in Alberta and across Canada.” Rumors have circulated in the aftermath of an opinion piece written by independent Alberta Senator, Paula Simmons, published by the Edmonton Journal that said that the University of Ottawa was “seriously considering adopting Campus Saint-Jean as its satellite campus in Alberta.” Simmons alluded to the fact the U of O’s Sept.1 statement was very unusual. When asked how she came up with this assumption by Radio-Canada Simmons said she had been informed by an anonymous source. The University of Ottawa has not commented publicly on the matter of adopting Campus Saint-Jean as a satellite Albertan campus. For a full French version of this article, visit our website: www.thefulcrum.ca

NEWS | 3

U of O’s COVID-19 assessment centre: What to expect Fulcrum Staff Writer Paige Holland writes of her experience getting tested at Lees Campus PAIGE HOLLAND STAFF WRITER Since opening on Sept. 9, the University of Ottawa’s new COVID-19 testing centre has been incredibly busy, with slots filled almost instantly by students and staff. The online booking portal only displays slots available for the next 72 hours, ensuring that students who have come in contact with a COVID-19 positive individual can be tested quickly. Luckily, when I booked my appointment I managed to get one for the next day (I booked at 1:30 a.m. and I’m guessing someone cancelled). Slots are every 15 minutes, and students or staff are required to have a student or employee ID number to book an appointment. Other students such as second-year student Julia Handley, also stayed up late to schedule an appointment, booking in the middle of the night. The testing centre is located at Lees Campus (200 Lees Avenue, Block D) and has numerous signs that direct you through the parking lot to a side door to access the testing centre. I was required to arrive with my health card and a mask, and at the front door a staff member checked that I had an appointment

and asked me to sanitize my hands. The website for booking appointments does not ask people to specify if they are experiencing symptoms or not.“[I] was kind of concerned with the website, because the fact that it doesn’t actually ask me when I’m trying to book an appointment if I have symptoms or not,” said Handley. Which is true, I was not asked if I had symptoms until the second station in the gym. Persons with symptoms and persons without are in the same room. At the front check-in they asked if I resided in Ontario or Quebec and then I got a pamphlet that told me everything I needed to know about COVID-19. The pamphlet has a scale that determines your risk of having a positive COVID-19 result, and what to do in each scenario (who you should contact, how to self-isolate, and what to do while awaiting test results). There are guidelines about how to selfmonitor for symptoms such as what symptoms to watch for (fever, cough, and shortness of breath) and how to care for mental health during a selfisolation period. There was information on

Photo: Bridget Coady/Fulcrum

how to check your test results. If the test returns negative, there is a website link in the pamphlet that updates test results. If the test returns positive, Ottawa Public Health will call you directly. Test results can usually take four to seven days to be processed. After collecting the pamphlet, I was told to sanitize once more and directed down a hallway with barriers (to make sure I don’t touch anything). All the staff wore full personal protective equipment (PPE) (gloves, gown, mask, face shield) and sat on chairs covered in a plastic bag. They directed individuals down the hall into the gym-

nasium where three different stations were set up. The staff who work at U of O’s COVID-19 testing centre keep it incredibly well cleaned and organized, wiping down every surface any time it is touched and every five minutes. I sat down, and they asked me for my health card (make sure to bring this) to confirm my address, phone number, email, and full name. Once I stood up, I had to turn around my chair so that the cleaning staff could wipe down anything I had touched – chair, table, floor, the whole nine yards. Next, I sat down at a big-

ger table with a printer, and another staff member in PPE. They then asked if I had traveled outside of Canada, been in contact with a presumed or confirmed case of COVID-19, and if I was experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19. Again, they wiped down everything I touched. Finally, the moment I had been stressing over, my nasal swab. I was directed over to an opaque set of barriers meant to protect patients’ privacy while they swab deep into your brain. Once I mentioned I worked for the Fulcrum the nurse said that he would do the best nasal swab he could. I had to

put my things onto a small table, and sanitize my hands once more. I sat down and the nurse asked me to lower my mask. Thankfully, it’s just the one nostril they swab, and the nurse inserted the long q-tipesque thing very deep into my nose and rotated it three times for a total of 10 seconds. Complete honesty, it was the longest 10 seconds of my life. He then offered me a tissue as my eyes were watering (or I was crying) quite a lot. Realistically, by the end, it just feels as if you got an insane amount of chlorinated pool water up your nose and then held it there for a while. While it is definitely worth it to get tested (please do if you’ve been in contact or feel sick) it definitely was not my favourite Monday afternoon activity. If anyone feels as if they may have been in contact with someone who is presumed to have or has COVID-19, have symptoms, or simply want to get tested for precautions please complete the Ontario’s COVID-19 selfassessment quiz, and then book an appointment with the University of Ottawa’s COVID-19 testing centre.

Students launch digitally-operated sexual health centre ‘We’re trying to normalize being sexually healthy and make it as normal as going to the dentist’ jelena maric STAFF WRITER Lucie Atangana, a fourth-year political science student at the University of Ottawa and her friend, Marina Verde, a fourth-year history student came together to launch the digitally-operated University of Ottawa Sexual Health Centre (UOSHC) on Instagram. In early March, Atangana decided to begin working on launching an online resource centre for everything related to sex and sexuality after noticing a lack of information on campus and had been discussing the idea with friends for over a year prior. “I’ve noticed that sexual health is not something that is very discussed on campus,” said Atangana. “Through personal experience, there is a big need on campus for more accessibility … more knowledge and information with what it means to be sexually healthy.”

4 | NEWS

“The quality of sex education has always been quite low,” expressed Atangana. As a previous volunteer with the Womxn’s Resource Centre (WRC), Verde reached out and helped Atangana facilitate and begin the process of launching the UOSHC. “She’s [Atangana] a very determined person and she made it happen so quickly,” said Verde. With over 130 followers and counting, the feedback thus far has been positive, with students, the University of Ottawa Students’ Union (UOSU), the Women Resources Centre and the Pride Centre all expressing support for the UOSHC. A social media campaign was also launched late this summer that will span across the entire year. Verde and Atangana were very clear that the UOSHC is not a medical centre who will provide medical advice, but they will provide students with places they can go and get treatment or proper medical advice.

“I think social media really is the best way to get people the information they need … it’s the best way to get the health centre started,” said Verde. The social media campaign will focus on a different topic every month. They plan on covering topics such as personal hygiene, sex 101, kinks and kink-shaming, consent and safe sex, sexual disorders, cultural perceptions of sex and sexual violence. “The main thing we want to do is not only information and content, but everytime we post something we post resources in Ottawa related to what we’re talking about,” said Atangana. “It’s [UOSHC] for everyone … the entire LGBTQ2+ community, men. We want everyone to feel like it’s a safe space to get help, talk and learn,” said Verde. Doctor Peggy Kleinplatz, a professor of medicine at the U of O who also specializes in sexual education said that the effects of an inadequate

sexual education are far reaching. Ontario previously had a comprehensive sexual education implemented by former premier, Kathleen Wynne. In addition to the things that are currently taught in our sexual education, comprehensive sexual education encompasses things such as the LGBTQ2+, relationships and individuals desires to have sex and how to ask for it explained Kleinplatz. “It is far more inclusive,” said Kleinplatz. “It would be helpful for adolescents to have a clear idea of how to ask for what they want responsibly and to be able to say no effectively,” she said. A lack of a comprehensive sexual education can make individuals feel less equipped to ask for and have the kind of sex they want, as well as have their boundaries respected. On a broader level, the inclusivity and mutual respect that is often taught within comprehensive education is lost when people are not taught it. For Atangana and Verde, empha-

sizing how sexual health is an important part of your physical health (despite how taboo the topic may come across) and helping people understand how their sexual health impacts their life are motivators for the UOSHC. “We’re trying to normalize being sexually healthy and make it as normal as going to the dentist,” Atangana said. Looking forward, Atangana hopes to have a physical location on campus with a doctor and nurse present to help test students for sexually transmitted infections. She hopes a location on campus will allow for a centralized spot for students to go to for everything related to their sex and sexuality, instead of having to go to multiple different locations on campus. “It shouldn’t take you over five hours to get tested from the moment you step into the walk-in clinic [on campus],” said Atangana.

THEFULCRUM.CA

Coalition, professors and students challenging evictions in Sandy Hill Oct. 31 evication date affects roughly 50 tenants karli zschogner news editor

Students, seniors, and those with disabilities living in affordable housing between the addresses of 146 and 170 Osgoode Street in Sandy Hill are facing a mass eviction on Nov.1. With the eviction notice affecting over 50 people, University of Ottawa law professors are opening up their classrooms, from a distance, to assist tenants. “We are talking about a housing crisis,” said Sloame Mulligin, a voluntary support organizer for the coalition Tenants of 146170 Osgoode St. vs. Renovictions. “This is happening right in front of our eyes. This is the time when people need to step in, question, and challenge it.” Many of the tennant living within the 13-address strip, most depend on the municipally licenced lower-income shared rooming housing as they cannot afford current market rates for rental apartments. According to Shelley VanBuskirk, director of housing at the City of Ottawa, the number of people on the waitlist for social low-income housing in Ottawa has increased by 882 (7 per cent) since Dec. 31, 2019. Consequently, the number of people experiencing homelessness has risen from 90 individuals to approximately 150.

Roughly 1,900 individuals also use an emergency shelter on any given night. “It’s everybody’s responsibility to take care of their neighbour and to at least question when there are enormous economic changes to a neighbourhood,” said Mulligin. Sixty-eight-year-old George Reed has been living in one of these apartments for twenty years. He has had a number of different jobs including baking in the 1960s and running printing presses in the 1990s. Shy, he said he keeps to himself, and has hobbies such as reading books and photography. Reliant on his minimal pension, the eviction notice brings on an unsettling dilemma especially as this residence has been his long-term home. Moreover, he does not have access to a vehicle for moving and does not have family living in the region. Like other residents, Reed is in limbo, concerned that come Nov.1 he’ll be left on the street. With his love for reading, it was his idea to hold a book sale this past Saturday to raise funds for legal assistance. The eviction notice, which falls under N13 (Notice to Terminate at End of the Term for Conversion, Demolition, or Repairs), was first distributed on June 30 for a move-out deadline of Oct. 31 by the landlord, Smart Living Properties. For Smart Living Properties, the motive for eviction is to improve and renovate all of the buildings in question. “Our aim is to perform necessary improvements to the building which had fallen into serious disrepair in the past. In fact, the building is almost unlivable, and it’s not possible to complete the renovations while tenants are there,” said CEO Tamer Abaza in a news release on Sept. 13. “We recognize that moving is a major upheaval to anyone’s life, so it is important to help and support the tenants in

finding a new home,” said Abaza. The press release continues to also state that more than 80 per cent of the tenants are already in new accommodations. In response to these statements, tenants have taken to Twitter to display the varying condition of the buildings. While some are filled with cockroaches, rats, and bedbugs, some units remain in good condition. “In reality, there has been ongoing, willful, and dangerous neglect of some buildings by owners while other buildings remain quite livable and pleasant,” said the coalition in a tweet. When asked again about the tenants request to stay in recently renovated rooms as an alternative, Sherrilynne Starkie, an independent communications representative for Smart Living Properties, said that cannot be an option for health and safety reasons. “There cannot be anyone residing in the location during renovations. Smart Living Properties is working with the few remaining tenants for relocation according to his or her specific needs and preferences. The goal is for everyone to be in suitable accommodation.” Mulligin notes the impact of perpetuating further homelessness particularly when there already are large waiting lists for affordable and community housing. “It’s important to me because people are going to be displaced which also leads to greater homelessness numbers,” said Mulligin. “Everyone deserves a shelter over their head.” Earlier this year, the coalition collectively sent two demand letters, one on Aug. 5 requesting more information and options and another on Sept. 1 asking for a willingness to negotiate along with six other demands. “We have major concerns with Mr. Bielecki’s proposals, because they are insufficient to address the needs of all tenants affected by your decision to

renovict,” stated the tenants’ second letter. “Some of us have been homeless in the past. Many have various forms of disability and many are on social assistance. Some of the tenants are students living with disabilities and struggling with student loans. Your decision to renovict is unfair, unreasonable, and cruel. In response to the initial demand letter, the landlord and shareholders involved offered three different eviction options in hopes of making

Sloame Mulligin. Photos: Bridget Coady/Fulcrum

the transition easier: reimbursing the tenant 12 month’s worth of their current rent, reimbursing three months’ rent with the offer of moving services, new furniture assistance, and assistance in locating other units for rent, or, going to court under the Landlord-Tenant Board with no support. These three choices remain the only options for tenants. Mathieu Fleury, City of Ottawa Councillor for Ward 12 Rideau-Vanier and chair of the Ottawa Community Housing Board said he has spoken with the new property owners. “I’ve asked them for compassion. I’ve asked them to engage more with the ten-

ants,” he said. “They have a social responsibility.” “I think the approach [of renoviction] is concerning as we are in a very vulnerable position because there’s very low vacancy and the units these tenants are in are generally affordable and there’s not a lot of similar units available,” he said. Compelled by the eviction plans, David Wiseman, associate professor under U of O’s faculty of common law, has decided to turn his 15-student four-credit Access to Justice Lab into an experiential learning class to support the tenants. “Housing is a human right and all have a right to have accessible housing,” Wiseman explained. “Especially during a pandemic, where by law we are to stay home and stay safe, there is full knowledge that some tenants are elderly or immunocompromised.” Wiseman and the students are partnering with U of O professor and lawyer Daniel Tucker-Simmons as well as Ottawa Acorn – an organization, which hosts public information sessions on tenant rights. Alongside his students, Wiseman would be able to offer three main services: interview tenants to gather information, help tenants fill out forms and navigating the Landlord-Tenant Board and municipal property standards, and provide assistance in laying out the facts of the law within the Landlord-Tenant board and Ontario Human Rights Code. He is optimistic about putting forth a human rights case around the legitimacy of the evictions and the inquiry and constructive discrimination. Additionally, Wiseman believes the University as a whole has a responsibility, not just to the students who would be living there, but to the Sandy Hill community.

University ‘ties-the-knot’ with Taiwan’s National Dong Hwa

Partnership to focus on decolonization, indigenization, and transitional justice Karli Zschogner news editor On Sept. 24, the University of Ottawa’s faculty of social sciences (FSS) announced that it is partnering with Taiwan’s National Dong Hwa University College of Indigenous Studies (NDHU-CIS). “This is a really exciting and important project providing a greater opportunity for Indigenous and non-Indigenous here, to learn from Indigenous there,” said professor Scott Simon of the faculty’s school of sociological and anthropological studies. Simon said this partnership shares social goals to contribute to decolonization, indigenization, and transitional justice. “We’ve got to see this as a way for our two univer-

THEFULCRUM.CA

sities to collaborate on these issues.” Simon, who is also co-chair of the FSS’ Taiwan Studies, used to teach at NDHU-CIS, said it has been a work in progress in spearheading these relations. Since 2015, he has been taking U of O students to NDHU-CIS for a field research course on Indigenous Studies and Anthropology. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was initially signed by NDHU-CIS dean Pasuya’e Poiconu on May 19 and FSS dean Victoria Barham signed on Sept.22, delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal is to promote cross-disciplinary scholar cooperation in research and graduate training and projects and to exchange research results. Simon said overall, it’s up to the U

of O community to decide what they want to make out of the deal. “[U of O] has signed hundreds of MOU’s with other universities, so it’s up to us to make it happen. It gets the administration to look at this a little more carefully and invest a little more time and resources in projects in what we are doing.” He said with this updated relationship, it will be easier for students and professors to go in between the schools. Simon himself is an honorary NDHU-CIS alumni. Gabrielle Santini participated in NDHU-CIS programs twice throughout both her bachelor and masters in anthropology at U of O. She said these experiences have greatly enlightened her understanding of Indigenous experiences internationally.

“I’m glad it finally [came] through,” she said of the increased partnership between the two universities. “I greatly recommend engaging in these exchanges, seeing first hand the similarities and differences.” U of O law professor Chidi Oguamanam, who has taught courses on international law and Indigenous knowledge, said there is valuable knowledge to be shared from the Taiwanese Indigenous groups. “Taiwan has a more robust environment for integration of Indigenous knowledge especially in medicine and through their patent and intellectual property regime,” he said over email. “In Canada, we are only starting to scratch the surface of indigenizing and decolonizing our colonial educational system.”

“Most of the heavy lifting needs to be done on such a foundational basis of sensitizing our colonial systems … to proactively include Indigenous peoples and their knowledge systems, not to adapt them to conventional curricular but to create legitimate space for Indigenous knowledge to blossom, said Oguamanam. “There is much more to be gained in this kind of partnership, but we must take time to recognize where we are as a country and the heavy lifting required.” “While being inspired by developments elsewhere and the benefits of partnerships, we must ensure to be sensitive to our domestic and historical reality in Canada.”

NEWS | 5

Nursing students on the COVID-19 frontlines 2021 winter semester Nursing students talk COVID-19, mental health and communication Karli Zschogner news editor & JELENA MARIC staff writer

staff

Answers have been edited for length and clarity. The Fulcrum (F): Tell us about when COVID-19 first started, what was that like?

Kora Upitis (KU): Definitely a lot of things were up in the air. We didn’t get to finish some of our labs or exams. And then when you’re far enough in the program, you start thinking, ‘Oh, am I going to be able to actually finish the program on time? What’s happening with the rest of the clinical hours that I haven’t done?’ and all of that. So it was very nervewracking to be like, I don’t know what’s happening. F: Have you noticed over the period of time a lot of misinformation concerning COVID-19? KU: There was a lot of misinformation and the thing about information in the pandemic is that it does change. So what experts considered to be the best line of defense at the beginning is no longer true with the more information that we’re gathering. Originally masks were thought to not be helpful. Now we’re seeing that they really are. So if you combine the fact that the good information was changing with the false

6 | NEWS

U of O confirmed Sept. 21 the fulcrum

The Fulcrum sat down with three University of Ottawa nursing students, Coreena Ethridge, Alexis Snell and Kora Upitis to discuss the impacts of COVID-19 on their work, education and personal lives.

Coreena Ethridge (CE): It was definitely a huge change. So, I did a clinical at St. Vincent’s [Hospital] as a geriatric placement. And I remember sitting in clinical on a Friday morning and hearing school’s cancelled. I remember thinking ‘Okay just stay in Ottawa because we still have clinical’ and then Monday clinical was cancelled. So I went from like a full-time student in clinical labs, and full-time class to packing up my whole room in the day and taking the six-hour drive home.

to be held online

From left to right; Kora Upitis, Alexis Snell and Coreena Ethridge. Photo: Karli Zschogner/Fulcrum.

information in there, it’s hard to kind of keep track of what’s the right thing to do and what’s actually coming. But there were a lot of people saying things that were ridiculous. There were people saying ‘drink hot water.’ In the hospital, policies would change. Every day, the government was releasing something new. So it was really hard to keep up with information. I would go into the hospital with this rule. When I leave, it’d be completely different. Alexis Snell (AS): Around the end of May, I did a lot of work with families just because they weren’t allowed in the hospital and there was probably about two weeks where it was going around and a lot of families were convinced that vitamin C was 100 per cent [an] accurate cure for COVID-19. And I was trying to explain to them [that] if it was just as easy as to give them vitamin C, we wouldn’t be in a pandemic right now. It was just like really hard to get that across to them. F: Thoughts on seeing people disregard public health protocols: AS: It was really tough for me seeing people going out and partying with their friends not wearing their masks when they were together, not properly distancing, like having more than 10 people [at] an outdoor event at the time. I’m literally hold-

ing people’s hands while they die because their family members can’t be there and I’m burying bodies, but you’re going to party with your friends and you’re the reason why these people are dying. That was really, really tough for me. KU: I didn’t hug my parents for months and then you see the people who are happily going outside seeing their friends not wearing a mask and because they’re not in it, and because it doesn’t affect them personally, they probably just didn’t think of it as big of an issue as it was. But when you’re in the hospital with these patients who are alone, like their families not with them. You have to kind of leave them in the room alone, unless you’re doing the bare necessities and it’s just very isolating in so many different ways. F: On practicing personal self-care: CE: Nursing is such a unique program. Mental health with healthcare workers can be a big stigma. I can watch someone die and then have to come back home and have to go back the next day. I don’t think many programs can speak to that. We have classes on how to handle death and how to debrief. Self-care became going home taking a shower [and] really like focusing on how my day was.

KU: Definitely talking about things with people who know what you’re going through. And even with people who don’t know what you’re going through, it definitely helps. COVID-19 was so present in the media all the time that it’s all you could think about. Finding the time to just disconnect from the fact that we were in a pandemic was really important. So watching a movie or listening to music, finding a new hobby, painting, whatever it is just doing something that didn’t have to do with the job and that didn’t have to do with the disease. F: Thoughts on the U of O’s handling of COVID-19: AS: I really do want to appreciate the fact that they have tried their hardest to get as many people in person as possible. It’s really tough. There’s a lot of guidelines just like from public health and they’re trying to accommodate and make that work like still getting us into labs, still finding ways to get us into clinical because really it was up to the hospital. But, sometimes with communication, they could be a little more clear and kind of say ‘This is the plan that we have and it’s subject to change.’ Rather than just emailing us throughout the summer and saying, ‘Oh, we’re working on a plan.’

The University of Ottawa has officially confirmed the remainder of the 2020-2021 academic year will be “primarily” held online with a few exceptions. The student body was alerted via an email message sent by provost and vicepresident of academic affairs Jill Scott on Sept. 21. Specific exceptions have not been announced. “Believe me, this is not a decision that has been taken lightly,” said Scott in the email. “But after extensive consultations with faculty and

staff, and with public health officials, I am confident that this is the responsible choice for [U of O].” Scott continued to acknowledge students that their health and safety remains the top priority for the University. “I understand that this will be a challenge for many of you, and I empathize deeply with your situation.” “I encourage you to make every effort to connect with and support one another.” It is recommended by the University that students check in regularly with the COVID-19 website for information regarding supports and services as well as any updates on the winter term.

UOSU commissioners benefits reduced charley dutil editor-in-chief The University of Ottawa Students’ Union commissioners will have a new reduced “Executive Benefits Policy” after a review by UOSU’s Executive Oversight Committee. The new policy is the result of a process that started back on May.11, 2020 when the current Executive Committee demanded that the “Executive Benefits Policy” be reviewed by the Executive Oversight Committee on that day’s Board of Directors meeting. The old policy gave the 201920 Executive Committee a number of seemingly extravagant benefits such as two free courses at the University of Ottawa, a monthly mobile phone allowance of $100 as well as a health, dental, travel, accidental death, and dismemberment insurance plan. Under the old policy, commissioners who were not full-time students during their term were also given depending on their mode of transportation either a free parking permit or a free PRESTO Pass. Jason Seguya, the 2019-20 UOSU Student Life commissioner, confirmed to the Fulcrum that in 2019-20 commissioners were eligible for the aforementioned benefits. “When we [Executive Committee] took office back in May it came to our attention that the “Executive Benefits Policy” that

was approved by the Transitional Board back in 2019-20 was the same as the SFUO’s old benefits policy,” said Tim Gulliver the UOSU’s advocacy commissioner to the Fulcrum. “The Transitional Board had to make a thousand decisions when they pretty much built the foundation of the UOSU but I think they got that one wrong and I think the last executive got it wrong by never going to the actual board [UOSU’s BOD] to get these benefits approved or reviewed.” According to Gulliver who was a member of the UOSU’s BOD in 2019-2020, the previous “Executive Benefits Policy” was not published anywhere and he would of personally not supported it had it been brought to the BOD by the old executive. “When we [Executive Committee] took office in May, we realized this policy would apply to us, we had a discussion about it and we chose to ask the Oversight Committee to look at the benefits and come back to us,” said Gulliver. “ We didn’t want to make a decision on our own benefits, we suspended the policy, asked them [Oversight Committee] to look through it and they came back to us in August proposing a drastically reduced policy.” This story has been condensed for print. To continue reading visit: www. thefulcrum.ca

THEFULCRUM.CA

A&C EDITOR Aly Murphy arts@thefulcrum.ca

ARTS&CULTURE

Insta: @aly_murph Twitter:@aly_murph_

Missed the Asinabka Film & Media Arts Fest? Here’s what’s still available online From new music to Q+A’s with Indigenous filmmakers, there’s a lot left to enjoy Aly Murphy Arts & culture Editor In it’s ninth year of programming, the Asinabka Film & Media Arts Festival returned to Ottawa from Sept. 16-20, this time on audiences’ screens. In its entirety, the festival aims to “highlight works that examine Indigenous issues and topics, support media artists and filmmakers, promote Indigenous cultures and languages, to educate people about First Nations, Métis, and Inuit issues in Canada, and about Indigenous issues internationally.’ Asinabka also “provides a space where Indigenous peoples can tell their own stories and see their own cultures reflected back at them,” a space “to entertain, to be innovative, and to present the best in Indigenous film.” That’s an impressive mandate! Essentially, the Asinabka Film & Media Arts Festival is a space for the celebration of Indigenous culture from a range of different voices. Normally this celebration is in-person (last year it took place in and around Ottawa’s Arts Court), but this year it moved online due to COVID-19.

New merch designs by Jason Baerg. Image: Jason Baerg /Asinabka Film & Media Arts Festival

This year’s program featured films from Indigenous filmmakers from across Canada in multiple languages, as well as numerous interactive Q+A’s and musical performances. If you missed the opportunity to check out this year’s festival, some programming is still available for your viewing pleasure.

The Handsome Savages, a punk rock band, have a full set available on the festival’s Facebook page, as does singer Brad Henry. Vancouver-based queer artist Nimkish also dropped her debut album during the festival; her performance is available here. Polaris-longlist artist Anachnid also performed an exclusive set for Asinabka Film &

Media Arts Festival, which is firstly, glorious (her voice is velvety beyond belief) and secondly, available for viewing here. The festival has also archived this year’s film Q+A’s on their Facebook page, which are a fascinating look into the realities of filmmaking during COVID-19 and beyond. Leaning into the mask-wearing new normal, Asinabka Film & Media Arts Festival changed their merch this year, releasing a stunning range of face masks printed with designs from Indigenous artist Jason Baerg. The online festival, while of course of a different feel and style from its usual in-person edition, allowed for festival organizers to program out-of-town artists more easily, including “live” performances from musicians across Canada. Additionally, the Zoom Q+A model allowed for synchronous discourse between artists and audiences no matter where they were for the screening in Canada – an adjustment, to be sure, but one that made the festival accessible to more people, which is an essential part of the festival’s mandate.

Schitt’s Creek: A guide to the comedy that swept the Emmys Here’s a guide to the comedy that’s changed how we define Canadian TV moira wilson contributor

Schitt’s Creek had fifteen wins & nominations. Image: Shutterstock.

When Schitt’s Creek first aired on CBC Television in January of 2015, the network could not advertise the sitcom’s full title. In its radio and television advertisements, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation disguised the name with long bleeps; across the border, National Public Radio and television critic David Bianculli described the title as “a joke (he) can’t tell on the radio”. Now, the series’s inauspicious beginning seems like a distant memory. The show’s arrival to Netflix in 2017 catapulted the series to international fame, and after concluding its sixth and final season in April 2020, Schitt’s Creek swept the Emmys. With a combined fifteen wins and nominations, the show set a record for any comedy

THEFULCRUM.CA

series in its final season. Schitt’s Creek follows the Rose family as they transition from a luxurious lifestyle to relative poverty. After a shifty business manager disappears with the family’s fortune, federal agents repossess their belongings and the Roses are left with only one asset: a deed to the small town they bought on a whim in the nineties. To avoid homelessness, video mogul Johnny (Eugene Levy) and washed-out soap opera star Moira (Catherine O’Hara) are forced to relocate to Schitt’s Creek with their two high-strung children, David and Alexis (Dan Levy and Annie Murphy). They settle in the town’s rundown motel, completely unprepared for life outside of fame and wealth. Like Paris Hilton’s caricature in The Simple Life, the family must learn to live among ordinary people. They become acquainted with the town’s peculiar citizens: Roland and Jocelyn Schitt, the community’s backwoods first family; Ted Mullens, a kind-hearted but dull veterinarian; Twyla Sands, the town’s sunny cafe server; and Stevie Budd, the motel’s sardonic attendant. Schitt’s Creek is a fairly formulaic TV comedy, but that’s part of the series’ appeal. Especially in the time of COVID-19, the show has become comfort television, quietly mirroring viewers’ experiences with isolation, family dysfunction, and economic insecurity.

Despite Schitt’s Creek’s overwhelming small-town relatability, where the show really shines is in its nuanced interpersonal relationships and family dynamics. “Our show, at its core, is about the transformational effects of love and acceptance,” co-creator Dan Levy remarked during his Emmys acceptance speech, “and that is something that we need more of now than we’ve ever needed before.” In both 2019 and 2020, Schitt’s Creek was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award in the “Outstanding Comedy Series” category, highlighting the series’s positive representation of queer relationships. Throughout the show, David Rose transitions between same-sex and straight romances, embodying his pansexual identity. To quote alcohol-appreciate David himself, he likes “the wine and not the label,” drinking “red wine … white wine” and sampling “the occasional rosé.” The series also addresses the Rose family’s classism and eventual evolution. Johnny, Moira, Alexis, and David’s contempt for the lowerclass people around them seeps through nearly every early interaction in Schitt’s Creek. But, eventually, the family warms to their offbeat home, a town that accepts them in spite of poverty, sexuality, accidental love triangles, and pompousness. Of course, given the show’s renowned cast, Schitt’s Creek seemed bound for greatness. Allstars Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara’s consistent comedic genius pave the way for newer

talents like Dan Levy, Annie Murphy, and Emily Hampshire. These stellar performances led the Schitt’s Creek cast to take home all four major acting categories at the 2020 Emmy Awards: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (awarded to Eugene Levy), Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Catherine O’Hara), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (Dan Levy), and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Annie Murphy). This was the first instance of any comedy series receiving all four acting awards in the Emmys’ 71-year history. Given the show’s recent acclaim, it is difficult to imagine that Schitt’s Creek might have never been broadcast had CBC not stepped in. Before being picked up by the CBC, Dan and Eugene Levy were declined deals by several American networks. Now, in the wake of the show’s overwhelming success, some cast members remark that the series’ unconventional path was precisely what it needed; its quirky production history matches the offbeat feel of the show. Speaking with CBC Radio arts reporter Eli Glasner after the Emmys, Dan Levy described Sunday night as “the greatest possible, happiest ending (the cast) could have ever imagined,” adding that they’re “all just overwhelmed” by the profound success of their eccentric Canadian story.

ARTS & CULTURE | 7

a Company of Fools brings Shakespeare to long-term care homes

Love from Afar explores what love is and how we can foster it even during COVID-19 PAIGE HOLLAND STAFF WRITER Best known for its Torchlight Shakespeare series in local public parks, a Company of Fools is a Shakespearean theatre company operating within the Ottawa region since 1990. This year should have marked their 30th anniversary, however, due to COVID-19, they won’t be having the celebration they had hoped for. Instead, they’ve seized the opportunity to bring Shakespeare to new audiences; migrating from touring parks to touring nursing homes. Nicholas Leno, artistic director of the Fools, is a 2016 University of Ottawa alumnus of the MFA in theatre directing program, and has worked for a Company of Fools since 2017. While Leno himself is not an actor, he enjoys “telling stories with pictures and providing a framework for actors to work off of.” Leno says that the goal of a Company of Fools is to provide “accessible works of theatre”; the company tries to do so by bringing theatre to different communities throughout the Eastern Ontario and Ottawa regions. Every Fools production is “pay what you can” as a hat is passed around to collect donations from the audience. This ensures that no matter their income, all patrons can enjoy the art of theatre, thanks in part to grants from funding bodies like the Ontario Arts Council and the

The Fools strike a mask-savvy pose outside one of the long-term care homes. Image: a Company of Fools/Courtesy

City of Ottawa. The Fools’ usual summer tour occurs in July and August, when the company tours “entertaining, and accessible shows based on the works of William Shakespeare” in 90-minute shows to over 40 communities in Eastern Ontario. Leno explains these plays as “when Shakespeare meets cartoons with a more physical, comedic approach”; they’re funny without making fun of Shakespeare’s famous works. The Fools have a certain reverence for the Bard which they attempt to preserve in performance, even when gently poking fun at him. Due to COVID-19, this year’s summer park tour was unable to occur. Instead of touring around

their mobile shows to local parks, the company opted to bring theatre to those who can’t leave their assisted living homes due to COVID-19. The Fools’ new endeavour, entitled Love From Afar, performs 45-minute productions in the courtyards and parking lots of local nursing and long term care homes. Love from Afar includes three actors who present a compilation of six Shakespearean plays: Romeo and Juliet, As You Like It, Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet, King Lear, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The project’s main theme is love, and begins with the opening line: “Love. What Is It?”. Actors Maryse Fernandes, Geoff McBride, and

Mitchel Rose present their Shakespearean version of a love letter to the audience, and struggle to find a way to present it authentically. Love from Afar is projected into the long-term care homes via an FM radio channel, and all the actors are microphoned to ensure that residents can remain inside their rooms and still hear the play. Franco Pang, production manager for the Fools and another U of O theatre grad, spoke about the FM wire transmission that the company has designed to broadcast to the long-term care homes. The audio is transmitted to a specific radio channel that residents can tune into in order to hear the play in real time. Residents usually stay in their own rooms during the show. How-

ever, Pang said that one of the residents “opened her window at the end of the show and waved to everyone and said she loved it”, showing that the Fools have achieved their goal: bringing happiness and theatre to those unable to leave their homes due to COVID-19. In order to make Love From Afar even more accessible to everyone, the play has been turned into a free online animated comic book at the Ottawa Public Library (OPL). The digital comic shares Love from Afar in a way that references Shakespeare in an easier-tounderstand, more accessible form than the traditional written texts. Leno says that a Company of Fools has “made people fall in love with Shakespeare, either again, or for the first time” as the Fools’ adaptations are always at a digestible length. Since each show is typically only six actors playing up to fourteen characters, lightning-fast costume and identity changes grab viewers’ attention. Leno also says that standard Torchlight audiences really do represent all ages – around 30 percent of a given Torchlight audience is under 30 years of age. Leno hopes that the Fools’ standard Shakespeare in the park programming can return for the summer of 2021, but, in the meantime, encourages students to check out the comic book online at the Ottawa Public Library.

REVIEW: my brother jordan

Grab tissues: this documentary is an honest look at what it means to be a real brother jelena maric staff writer

There are very few movies that have made me cry, and none that have made me cry within the first five minutes of the opening scene. None, that is, until YouTube documentary my brother jordan. The film begins with a montage of interviewees all discussing a person named Jordan Robinson and how amazing he was. The past tense is a worrying start; we know right away that something is coming. The interviewees make it clear; Jordan was the type of amazing person his entire life that when he subsequently passed away, no one had to exaggerate or hype him up. His memory demanded no exaggeration. The introductory interviews mixed with old home videos until the scene abruptly cuts to a wide shot of Justin, Jordan’s brother,

8 | ARTS & CULTURE

and the filmmaker, sitting across from his brother’s grave. Justin is an aspiring filmmaker who comes from a large conservative family. His father is a preacher who moved congregations a lot, and his mother is the type of lady to ban public school and PG-rated movies. As a result of this isolation, the Robinson brothers became incredibly close – especially Jordan and Justin. The film begins by telling the story of the Robinson family and Jordan’s childhood interest in skateboarding (which eventually turned into basketball in high school). Jordan went on to play college basketball at a small Christian college in North Carolina. For a while, Jordan had a small inflamed bump on his ankle that most doctors assumed was a fluid buildup or pulled muscle.

Eventually, he went to get the fluid removed, only to be rapidly diagnosed with epithelioid sarcoma, a rare form of cancer. Jordan went through 36 rounds of radiation, five surgeries and seven chemo treatments. Despite this, he remained positive throughout his illness; one friend fittingly says “how can someone be in so much pain and still have so much fun?” The cancer eventually spread to Jordan’s entire body, and he passed away on Aug. 19, 2008 at the age of 20 surrounded by his family in a hospital in South Carolina. The film interviews 102 people who knew Jordan, and uses over 300 home videos to help bring Jordan’s story to life. Justin makes it clear: following Jordan’s death, he felt the need to make a video documenting the life of his brother through his own eyes before making any other film.

Image: my brother jordan official poster/Courtesy

my brother jordan, the final product of an eight-year filming process, was released on YouTube on Aug. 19, 2020. It already has over 5 million views and over 24,000 comments, many of which show an overwhelming amount of support for both Justin and his brother. However, the film is more than just about Jordan’s illness and

eventual death. It tells the story of how deep the love between siblings runs and how we never forget about the people we love and the impact they have on our lives. It reminds us you do not have to be famous to be impactful. Every single person leads an extraordinary life and has a profound impact on those that they love and those who love them.

THEFULCRUM.CA

REVIEW: Huff by Cliff Cardinal Generational trauma and substance addiction are just two of this audio play’s components. ALY MURPHY ARTS & culture EDITOR To be a theatre critic in 2020 is to stagnate – to mourn the loss of liveness; to feel the aching gap where theatre should be against the ruckus of the world; to search for ephemeral, theatrical highs in the dusty corners of cyberspace. For myself and my fellow Canadian critics, barred from in-person reviewing due to COVID-19, there has been a saving grace in the CBC PlayMe podcast series. PlayMe, hosted by Laura Mullin and Chris Tolley, takes contemporary Canadian plays and adapts them into “bingeable” audio dramas. The theatre scholar in me recoils a little at that tagline – do we really want theatre to be bingeable? – but PlayMe offers to Canadian audiences the chance to experience breathtaking new plays in experimental new forms, no matter where in the world they might be. Notably, PlayMe has been around since 2018 (so before the pandemic), but now, in the time of isolation and shuttered theatres, the podcast is a lifeline – a memory of how things once were, and with luck, how they might be again someday. CBC didn’t react to COVID-19 and put together a hasty podcast; rather, the podcast model is built in to the very fabric of these nowaudio dramas, meaning the end result doesn’t feel like a clichéd COVID-19 bandaid, but as a legitimate mode of experimentation in the space between radio and theatre. Enter: Huff, an electric solo show performed by award-winning performer Cliff Cardinal, recorded for PlayMe in 2019. The

Huff explores a difficult coming-of-age in an experimental new form. Image: Ben Shannon/CBC.

play hasn’t lost its relevance or verve in the time that’s passed since its recording; Huff still demands a certain emotional energy and lightheartedness, and is, without question, a “theatre” experience, even when disseminated through Spotify. One cannot discuss Huff without a requisite trigger warning: the play is fundamentally about suicide. And generational trauma. And sexual abuse. And addiction. And domestic violence. I f this seems like a laundry list of difficult topics, fear not; Huff is an exhilarating hour or so of storytelling and exploration, one with laughs to spare. Cardinal, as the narrator Wind, hits on the realities of lowincome life on the rez, but shares the small nuggets of joy found there, too. We laugh with Wind as often as we grimace at the crinkle of Ziploc plastic. We’re his “imaginary friends,” but chillingly, here in Spotify-theatre-land, he’s our imaginary friend, too. We don’t mind

whiling away this hour with Wind; he lures us in, right alongside the mischiefmaker, Trickster. It’s worth noting that Cardinal, when discussing and marketing Huff, stresses the universality of the play’s themes and triggers. It’s not a story about being Indigenous – it’s a story about being lost and community-less, which are feelings that transcend any one facet of a person’s identity. Cardinal says on his website: “HUFF is about kids who abuse solvents and are at high risk of suicide. It’s not the story of Indigenous people in Canada. If you change ten references in this story, it can be about any group of disenfranchised kids from any commuity.” And that’s true: the dangerous spark of adolescence is one felt everywhere, not just in Wind’s Canada. Huff is the first play I’ve encountered over the course of COVID-19 that’s been able to grab my attention and not let go for even a second, forcing me to take notice

of both its sheer calibre and its disturbing content; it’s haunted me since I first encountered it. Cardinal makes specific, easily understandable acting choices (particularly in the range of characters he’s able to show through only his voice), and his playwriting all but veers into full-on poetry at times. Cardinal’s voice is sanguine and alluring, reeling us into the depths and murk of Wind’s world, painting a portrait of a family marred by generational rifts. We extend our sympathies – he throws them right back at us. As an audience member, one feels almost voyeuristic, as if they’re listening to a confession, a testimony; there’s an ache that doesn’t cease for the totality of the performance. Huff is a tough listen, I’m not saying it isn’t. But it’s also one of the more successful PlayMe podcasts, one whose transition to the digital sphere doesn’t feel at all clunky or unsubstantiated. The piece lends itself perfectly to a solo audience, and should be mandatory listening for all who can stretch themselves to handle its subject matter. Listeners also get the added bonus of a half-hour interview with Cliff Cardinal – a fine substitute for the in-person talkbacks of the before-COVID times. Theatre criticism as we’ve come to accept and understand it won’t be back until 2021 at the earliest, and that’s a tough pill to swallow. But as long as theatre creators continue to produce, so too will there be theatre to cover – even if it’s theatre in a slightly unconventional casing. We critics need not stagnate; we just need to look to the beckoning world of alternative forms.

Ottawa International Animation Festival running until Oct. 4 Digital event features juried competitions, international compilations, and more aly murphy arts & culture editor Most of Ottawa’s arts and culture scene has migrated online for the foreseeable future, and it’s a tough pill to swallow. Ottawa’s a festival town, and the loss of in-person gatherings for 2020 has taken away a certain quality of life for the city’s growing population of artists. Just because festivals are online, though, doesn’t mean they’re not happening (and, it’s worth noting, happening more accessibly for more people). The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) is one such event. Festival organizers have migrated OIAF to a digital space, spreading the event out over two weeks from Sept. 23 to Oct. 4 rather than the usual single jam-packed weekend. Attendees get to take their time with OIAF’s programming – a necessary change, in light of how much time we now seem to spend

THEFULCRUM.CA

in front of screens due to COVID-19. “We wanted to avoid screen fatigue as much as possible,” said artistic director Chris Robinson with regards to spreading the festival out. For the local arts and culture scene, OIAF is a big deal. It’s the second-largest animation festival in the world, and screened the Oscar-winning animated short film Hair Love last year. Moving a 28,000 in-person event online was a daunting task. Robinson said “it felt like [he] had five minutes left to live” in the more chaotic moments of last-minute planning. But the OIAF team worked day and night to produce an online festival that some might say is even better than last year’s – one full of new talent and mustsees for anyone interested in film. Thanks to a sponsorship from Netflix, OIAF Animation Student Passes are only $30 this year – half of what they were last year. The pass gets you into all

OIAF screenings, talks, and events, and gives you exclusive access to the Artist Gallery; if you’re an emerging animator yourself, you can submit your work to the Gallery in order to network with studios and recruiters in attendance at OIAF. What to look out for if you’re a firsttimer, or if you want a taste of everything? Robinson recommends the Short Competitions, which are forty-five-minute compilations of eight short films each. Robinson called them a “buffet of animation,” with a blend of artistic styles and genres. And don’t be fooled: animation isn’t just for kids, not by a long shot (though there are juried competitions for audiences ages 0-5 and 6-12, which are always a big hit at the festival). Some of the feature-length film screenings this year include the Latvian My Favorite War on growing up in the

Soviet regime, and The Nose from Russia. When asked how COVID-19 seems to have impacted the animation world at large, Robinson’s optimism was encouraging. “The work is continuing on. We worked in isolation a lot already – the pandemic hasn’t slowed artists’ output for this year.” The Ottawa International Animation Festival is a staple of Ottawa’s arts scene, usually attracting tourists from all over the world to the cultural hub that is the Arts Court. COVID-19 is a disruption to the festival’s growth, sure, but it’s also provided Robinson and his team with “the ability to experiment and reimagine the festival.” For more information about OIAF 2020, you can check out their website.

ARTS & CULTURE | 9

FEATURES EDITOR Amira Benjamin features@thefulcrum.ca

FEATURES

Insta: @amira.img Twitter: N/A

‘First of its kind’ Inuit trainee program celebrates first-ever graduating class Courses now available for students of all backgrounds Karli Zschogner NEWS Editor Echoing throughout the remnant stained glass of the former Sandy Hill All Saints Anglican Church on Sept. 17 was an emotional celebration of the first-ever diploma graduating class of the Inuit Community Support Worker and Management Trainee Program. “This is my first time wearing a [graduation] gown,” said the tearyeyed graduate Oolooci Taukie, 41, one of the 10 Inuit graduates sitting with masks on. “This means a lot to me.” Initially developed by the Iqaluitbased ilinniapaa Skills Development Centre (iSDC) and the Ottawabased Tungasuvvingat Inuit (TI) in 2018, the jointly-run program offers various skill-based two-year long diploma programs and course certificates for Inuit of Ottawa and Nunavut. All held online, the program aims to “remove barriers that stop many people from pursuing post-secondary education” particularly seen in the northern territories. It is also nationally accredited by the Indigenous Certification Board of Canada (ICBC) and receives funding from the Government of Canada’s Strategic Partnership Fund. According to Statistics Canada’s 2016 census, 47.8 per cent of people in Nunavut between the ages of 25 and 64 had a high school diploma compared to 86.3 per cent in Canada. Additionally, the same group has only 14.3 per cent obtaining a bachelor’s degree or higher and 19.3 per cent with college, CEGEP or other non-university or diploma education.

Photo: Karli Zschogner/Fulcum

“This program is so close to my heart,” said Taukie. “I have gone through a lot in my life such as trauma, addictions, and I know the feeling of hopelessness in the city especially for Inuit, First Nation and Métis peoples.” Amanda Kilabuk, executive director of TI, said in a recent press release that the program is designed by Inuit to help Inuit “wherever they live and work and remove barriers to professional development and certification.” “It also reduced any waiting times to access college programs, let the students remain with their families and provided the opportunity to set their own pace for learning based on family responsibilities.”

Graduate listening to Elder Piita Irniq speak. Photo: Karli Zschogner/Fulcrum

FEATURES | 10

Having this flexibility was what drew Taukie to the program. Originally from Cape Dorset, Nunavut, she said her motivation began 10 years ago when she moved to Ottawa, experiencing the disparity, culture shock, and most often racism and isolation. “I let home when I was 16 because I knew it was either commit suicide or try and make changes in my life,” she said. Taukie explained she had not graduated high school, and had been adopted by her elderly grandparents. “Knowing what Inuit really need, the community support and understanding the whole cultural perspective, it’s a great motivation for me to help my people.” Beyond TI and iSDC, curriculum content was also designed in collaboration with Elder Piita Irniq as a cultural advisor and national Inuit Residential Schools initiative representative and Deborah Tagornak for Inuktitut language and terminology integration. Before the graduation ceremonies began, Taukie called to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous. “It’s very important to advocate for youth,” as she looked to her daughter Grace Salomomie across the table. Salomomie is a University of Ottawa student who moved to Ottawa five years ago to reconnect with her mother after growing up in Cape Dorset and Iqaluit. “ I am so proud of her,” she said of her mom. “The support that she is now able to [give] is really, really important.”

The U of O student said she is very grateful for the mentors that have supported her all along the way to post-secondary education. Salomomie recognizes that statistically, she is part of a demographic where only a handful attend university stemming from the impact

“You could be a PhD candidate or a grade three graduate, we don’t care,” she said. Students of the program include Inuit from Ottawa, communities in Nunavut such as Cape Dorset, Iqaluit, Hall Beach, Pangnirtung, and Pond Inlet, N.U., as well as Labrador, N.L. The programs are now open to students of all backgrounds. Greater than the number of hours for a standard diploma, Roos said the program is filling direct gaps in helping “democratize” access to education. Available courses include occupational health and safety, communications and administration, community development, history, reconciliation and healing, alongside a 2,000 hour practicum. A key part in ensuring success, Roos said graduates have already secured positions within social services such as crisis and homeless shelters, health organizations and mental wellness including cultural identity programs. “U [of] Ottawa students would benefit from learning about Cana-

Oolooci Taukie, 41, experiences her first graduation. Photo: Karli Zschogner/Fulcrum

of residential schools and different definitions of education between cultures. For Helen Roos, president and lead facilitator of the iSDC, said the program offers something unique. Roos studied at the U of O for a PhD in Canadian history and Canadian studies but stepped away to assist in land claims when Nunavut was founded back in 1999. “This is truly a first of its kind program, curricula and content, which is available for Inuit and those seeking to work with Inuit across a range of sectors from justice, education, health, mental wellness,” she said over email.

da’s North.” she wrote in the email to the Fulcrum. [Understanding] health and wellness, including inter-generational trauma alongside the exceptional resiliency of Inuit individuals, families and communities, is a shared history that students would benefit from learning and experiencing.” Courses are available for registration online to anyone of all backgrounds which can be found on their website. Once the individual completes all the diploma requirements, they can apply for the diploma to the ICBC.

THEFULCRUM.CA

Dive into the world of CPL Girls What goes into becoming the ‘sniper of the day?’ Lack of diversity, eh?

Graphic: Dasser Kamran/Fulcrum

amira benjamin Features Editor Thanks to social media algorithms, dozens of attractive faces can pop-up on your screen at any time. Pretty people from all over the world can appear in the palm of your hand. But what about the pretty faces in your class? Or ones you pass by on-campus? Enter CPL Girls and CPL Bros, Instagram accounts dedicated to showcasing beautiful post-secondary students from across Canada. Since 2018, CPL Girls has quickly become an important offshoot of Canadian Party Life (CPL) and will be the main focus of this feature. What is CPL and CPL Girls? CPL is a growing brand aimed towards post-secondary students who enjoy partying, drinking, and all of the craziness attached to it. Founded in 2016, CPL has garnered half a million followers on Instagram. Their merchandise can be found on many university campuses and students of all years are eager to get featured on the main account through submissions. CPL also showcases attractive post-secondary students under their offset accounts: @cplgirls and @cplbros, where photos of hand-picked students are featured as ‘snipers of the day.’ With 111,000 and 14,000 followers respectively, the CPL brands have a dedicated following. Emma said that she followed the account in her first year of criminal justice at the University of Guelph. Her real name is not being used for privacy reasons. “I thought all my friends followed it. It was just an account I saw around,” she said.

THEFULCRUM.CA

“CPL Girls actually reached out to me through a thirdparty account, asking if they could post my pictures on their account [and I said yes]. A couple of months later, the owner asked if they could post me on CPL Girls.” The featured users on the account are named “snipers of the day”, and are selected through a scouting process. A third-party Instagram account scopes out potential “snipers” and reaches out for permission before reposting them to the account. Many of the featured users don’t follow — or aren’t even familiar with — the CPL Girls account until they’re scouted. “I’ve seen the page throughout university, but I never followed it or really paid attention to it,” said Fatima Thioye, a recent communications and media studies graduate from Carleton University. “But I got reached out to a couple of months ago [to see] if I wanted to get posted on it. So that’s when I took a look at the page to see more about [them].” It’s not about the money The snipers aren’t paid by monetary means, sponsorships, or deals but do gain upwards of hundreds of followers. Some of these followers can lead to greater sponsor opportunities or even potential chances to network. Clarity Tungatt, a fourthyear University of Ottawa student in accounting, said that being featured on CPL Girls is more of a followergaining situation. “My second time [being reposted] I got around 500 followers, so it’s a bit of a jump. And as your following increases, a few companies reach out,” she said.

Just from a glance at their Instagram page, CPL Girls presents a common standard of what the average female student should look like: perfect skin, a perfect body, and a perfect vibe. But does this really describe Canadian students? Of the 547 (and counting) posts to their Instagram account, there are approximately 34 “snipers” featured that are visible minorities. Their brother account, @ CPLBros is an improvement but only marginally; out of the 255 posts, approximately 67 snipers are from visible minorities. Both brands appear to feature only able-bodied snipers. “Recently I have noticed it is mostly the same girls being posted over and over again,” Emma acknowledged. “Which doesn’t really account for like the diversity that we do have, of many different beautiful girls from all the different schools across Canada.” “The first thing I noticed when I got posted, was that the Black Lives Matter movement was really in the heat of the moment. So I kind of felt like a token Black girl,” Thioye said. “I was like, ‘I don’t mind being posted, at least there’s some diversity’. But when I did get posted, it felt like the perfect time to pick a Black girl to post.” Chloe, a University of Toronto student in Life Sciences, realized in hindsight that being featured on the account was a good opportunity to inspire impressionable younger account fans. “When my feature went up and I started following their page, I noticed the top liked comments were like ‘wow finally some diversity on the page’. That led me to investigate further and actually look through the photos.” she said, being of East Asian descent herself. “For the young guys and young girls that do follow that page, I think it’s really important for them to see that that beauty is not like such a strict mold. It’s not just your stereotypical ‘XYZ’ girl; beauty comes in all shapes

and sizes, as well as colours and backgrounds.” Unwarranted attention With tens of thousands of followers on each account, it’s unfortunate to expect unwarranted attention from account dwellers. Creepy direct messages are received and objectifying comments are left below each photo. Emma recalls seeing inappropriate comments on her post but is grateful for the account owner deleting them quickly. “At first [when I was] agreeing to it, I was like ‘This is kind of cool to be featured on this account’. But I think afterwards, it almost caused anxiety because it’s so many people looking at you and just judging you off of your pictures,” she said. Features on CPL Girls can also have repercussions outside of the screen. Chloe, who asked that her last name not be used out of privacy, recalls a terrifying in-person experience during an outing with friends. “I was at a socially distanced picnic with two of my girlfriends at a very famous park in Toronto, and then guys would come message me. They’d be like, ‘Hey, I’m at this park too. Where are you?’. That scared me a lot.” In retrospect, it’s evident that the CPL brand is here to stay, becoming established as a corner of Canadian partying culture. Though the account owners are a mystery, CPL Girls is only growing upwards from here. Tungatt suggests that CPL Girls should widen their horizons when it comes to improving diversity. “I think they’re looking for a certain look, but I think it’s just taking more time to find more girls throughout Canada,” she said. “Growing up I thought the most beautiful person may not have been Asian or whatever, so I hope that younger people can see that beauty comes in all colours and shapes and sizes,” Chloe reiterates. “If that’s my only contribution, I’m very happy.” The CPL and CPL Girls Instagram account holders did not answer the Fulcrum’s multiple interview requests.

U OF O FINNALY NAMING MASCOT

The University of Ottawa has announced that it is hosting a contest to name the school’s team mascot, after realizing that they never gave the Gee-Gees caricature a name since its creation. “It honestly just slipped our minds,” said Cissie Kabum-Baa, the spokesperson for Varsity Athletics. “It’s been decades since we simplified it to ‘Gee-Gees’, but we can’t just call our mascot by what species it is. Sounds a bit rude to me.” Early in its establishment, the University of Ottawa simply went by their official colours when it came to representation in sports. In the mid 20th century, GeeGees was adopted as the school’s official moniker. Kabum-Baa claims that Varsity Athletics has been attempting to name the Gee-Gees mascot for nearly 30 years. “That’s 30 years of failing to come up with a good name,” she said. “Then I decided, what invokes more school spirit than a contest? So we arranged to allow the students and staff to suggest names for the mascot.” Participants can submit creative yet appropriate names to the survey. After two weeks of general submissions, the office will select their top ten favourites. “It’s like putting on a Kahoot for a class you forgot to prepare for. Everyone thinks it’s fun, and it eases part of the responsibility off of you.” Di Daniels, a third-year chemical engineering student, has been suggesting names to the spirit and morale commissioner’s office for years. “Garrett, Grant, Greg, Grace, Groot, and Geronimo to name a few,” Daniels said. “They always said that they appreciated my suggestions and would get back to me on my submission.” Kabum-Baa claims that Varsity Athletics didn’t always forget to name the Gee-Gees mascot. “We’ve received hundreds of suggestions over the years, but I either lost the emails in my inbox or didn’t resonate with the names offered.” Varsity Athletics will announce formal contest details on their Instagram and Facebook pages.

Image: Dasser Kamran/Fulcrum

FEATURES | 11

S&T EDITOR Ryan Matte Science@thefulcrum.ca

SCIENCE & TECH U of O student’s Smartwatch invention helps fight COVID-19

Insta: @ryanmatte55 Twitter: @rmatte1999

Invention made by Azadeh Dastmalchi and team capable of detecting early signs of virus RYAN MATTE SCIENCE AND TECH EDITOR University of Ottawa PhD Student and CEO/ co-founder of VitalTracer, Azadeh Dastmalchi, has used her smartwatch invention to help in the fight against COVID-19. Developed by Dastmalchi and her team, the watch is able to monitor vital signs including, skin temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate and oxygen levels in the blood. The ability to monitor oxygen levels in the blood in particular has allowed for the smart watch to detect early signs of hypoxia, or low amounts of oxygen in one’s blood, which can be used to detect early symptoms of COVID-19. Dastmalchi is currently pursuing a PhD in biomedical engineering with a focus on smart, wearable, medical devices. She was first interested in becoming a scientist as a child, “When I was seven years old, my older brother asked me what do you want to be in the future? I told him that I wanted to be a very big, famous scientist like Einstein.” This sparked an early interest in science. “I found that if I took biomedical engineering for the rest of my life, then there is a very good opportunity to help people in a big way with devices that can help people.” She first began creating this watch back in 2010, back when smart watches were not at the forefront of technology. “It was very hard to write a proposal, because in 2010, it was a very new concept to use an AI [artificial-intelligence] to monitor blood pressure. So no one believed I could do it. I found a very good supervisor to accept my proposal and I asked him not to pay me anything, just be my supervisor, I’m going to prove that I can make it,”` said Dastmalchi. After proving her idea was feasible, she was provided an Ontario graduate scholarship, an award scholarship, as well as grants to help fund

CEO/co-founder of VitalTracer, Azadeh Dastmalchi . Image: Dasser Karman/Fulcrum

her company. The early revelations in the watches ability to detect symptoms of COVID-19 has led the team to begin working on developing this smartwatch for the target demographic of elderly individuals, and trials have started in nearby nursing homes. The hope for this watch is to best assist a team in monitoring elderly individuals by checking their vital signs, and monitoring any events like falls or spikes in their vitals. With COVID-19, the team hopes that the device will allow nursing homes to detect any early signs of the virus in seniors and provide a method to best monitor patients. On the vital tracer website it states that the VT19’s goal is “to target robust isolation measures to high-probability cases and preventing further community spread.” The smartwatch works by monitoring the users vital signs, and stores this data into charts using MATLAB. The information is sent to either an application or to a computer using bluetooth technology. The benefit of this approach compared to a de-

vice like an Apple Watch is that it can be localized to an environment like a hospital which can deter hackers, and provide security for users. The smartwatch itself is powered by a lithium ion battery and can either sport a touchscreen with the VT19 model or a smaller display showcasing graph’s and analytics depicting the users blood pressure with the VTLab model. One notable aspect is the small amount of storage, at a size of 16 megabytes, the watch is impressively able to store patient data and send it to a parent device using cloud computing or bluetooth. When it comes to battery life, the watch can be run in a mode where vital signs are only measured at particular points of the day, so it can last without charge for up to a week. Dastmalchi and her team are working on running trails and getting user feedback by running tests at senior homes to learn if there are any concerns with the watches. This will allow the team to incrementally improve their design and focus their process on a user oriented design. The team is also working on having the watch use AI to measure blood pressure

and have SPO2 calibration. When asked in particular what forms of AI are present on the device, Dastmalchi states there is “an artificial neural network and deep learning in [the] technology for measuring blood pressure, and we also have a genetic algorithm to best optimize our results.” At the time of publication, both models are available for pre-order at a price of $1,000. “Our ideal case is the value dropped to around $250. But right now, we are only selling to the clinical trial,” said Dastmalchi. Despite being early technology, the team wishes to get the price even further down. Another important aspect to consider is the multifunctionality of the device, as it is able to produce usable data to its users, as well it monitors vitals that would usually require a multitude of devices. Both VitalTracer devices are in the process of being approved by the Federal Drug Administration and Health Canada, and the team has been working on getting all of the necessary certifications to allow the device to be used in the medical industry. When asked about any other uses for this technology, Dastmalchi noted “ for post surgery monitoring, we are going to use a patch on a chest in a hospital. This is a very useful application for use in children’s hospitals and we are going to test this clinical trial at Centre Hospitalier Sainte-Justine in Montreal.” The patch in question would be used for blood glucose monitoring which would allow doctors to view blood sugar levels at any time and be notified if anything is out of the ordinary. The main focus of these devices will be in the medical sector, and would allow for a less intrusive method of monitoring for patients. Dastmalchi and her team continue to work on new devices and innovations, and hope to have the smartwatch approved by the FDA in September 2021.

U of O E-sports Club offers platform for gamers to connect ABBeY KERKMAnn FREELANCER With the competitive gaming scene becoming increasingly more popular, the University of Ottawa Esports Club offers an environment for gamers of all skill levels and competitiveness to connect with each other. Run by a large team including co-presidents Zack Goldstein and Jaxon Murphy, each major competitive game in the club has somebody dedicated to overseeing the competitions, events, and other activities. As of right now, there are two vacant executive positions on the team: event coordinator, and internal affairs officer. No matter if you consider yourself a casual or competitive gamer, the Esports Club welcomes those of any skill level. “Our number one priority is building a lasting community that all share a passion for esports and gaming,” said Goldstein. Some of the gaming activities include weekly inhouse games for casual play against other players

SCIENCE & TECH | 12

and tournaments where members can compete for prizes. Viewing parties are arranged for major esports matches where you can watch professionals make predictions. The club also creates and manages their competitive teams that compete in leagues against other schools for scholarship prizes. Similar to physical sports, team members attend practices together to develop their strategies to be used in the matches during the season. One of the most prominent leagues is the Collegiate StarLeague (CSL), the largest competitive gaming organization for post secondary institutions all over Canada and the United States with a variety of competitions including Esports, firstperson shooters, and Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas. Other leagues the club participates in include TESPA and Ontario Post Secondary Esports (OPSE). Since the creation of the first video game in the

late 1950s, and the invention of Pong in the ‘70s, there has always been a competitive factor to gaming. With all of the technological advances in gaming and communication, an industry of gaming competitions was born. With the help of platforms like YouTube and Twitch, gaming competitions have made their way into the entertainment world with millions of dollars spent on competitions worldwide attracting an audience of millions of viewers. According to a Medium article, “the total esports prize money awarded out amounted to $110.6 million from a total of 3765 tournaments according to the esportsearnings.com website. The biggest prize pool from a single tournament? A whopping $24.6 million at The International 2017 (Dota 2).” Currently, the University has multiple different teams registered to compete in this year’s CSL competitions covering six different games. The teams are entered into different divisions depending on the participants’ skill levels.

Of course, the club supports teams and tournaments for a couple of the biggest MOBA games in the world: League of Legends and DOTA 2. The most in-demand first-person shooters are CounterStrike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), Valorant, Overwatch, and Rainbow Six Siege. As well, Rocket League is very popular within the competitive gaming community. Fighting games like Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Super Smash Brothers, and Dragonball Fighter Z are also played by many members of the esports club. If competitive games aren’t your thing, the Esports Club also offers a space for Minecraft Runescape, World of Warcraft, Pokemon, and many others. With over 700 members on the club’s discord server, you are bound to find somebody who shares a passion for the same games you do. If you would like to get involved in the esports club, you can join their Discord server or reach out to them on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitch.

THEFULCRUM.CA

What’s the buzz around Dr. Forrest’s lab? A look into Doctor Jessica Forrest’s research into bee ecology RYAN MATTE SCIENCE AND TECH Editor

Dr. Jessica Forrest, an associate professor at the University of Ottawa, and her team at Forrest Lab have been studying the evolutionary ecology of plant to pollinator interactions. Forrest lab has been researching how climate change has been affecting these populations, with a focus on bee biology and pollination ecology. Dr.Forrest and her team usually study in the rocky mountains of Colorado, benefitting from the marginal climate allowing for a more active and thus longer season. However, due to COVID-19, they have been studying the local bee population. Locally the team has been studying the bee communities within the Ottawa – Montreal regions, and how they are affected by aspects such as flower availability over time, or how the availability of these wild bee communities has an effect on crop yield. The summer drought in Colorado has been allowing these insects to

Image: Dasser Kamran/Fulcrum

be studied for much longer periods, however, the risk of wildfires have been destroying their habitat, bringing added difficulties “The direct effect of warming could be positive for these bees as it is warm enough for them to fly more of the time but then indirect effects include drought causing their flowers to produce less nectar or just to be less available,” said Dr. Forrest. When people tend to think of bee

populations, they typically associate with honey bees, which have been increasing in population over the past few years. The more at-risk population that Dr. Forrest looks at are wild bees, with a preference for cavity-nesting solitary bees. These species are nested in artificial structures, where Dr. Forrest and her team are able to extract eggs from and perform research. “We’ve shown that changes in

temperature can affect the number of generations that a bee population is able to achieve in a given amount of time,” said Dr. Forrest. The changes in temperature are sti mulated within growth chambers at different temperatures. In a recent publication published by Manuel Sevenello, Risa D. Sargent and Dr. Forrest, the team studied spring wildflower phenology and its pollinator activity response with climate change.

Research like this sheds light on the climate change situation and its effects on our planet’s ecology, and how slight effects can change behaviours. Dr. Forrest also notes the specialization of bees, and their preferences towards different pollen depending on the species. Dr. Forrest notes a particular interest in why these species choose to specialize. “Why would you narrow your dietary scope in that way? And then, if you are a specialist, why specialize in a particular type of plant?” Forrest Lab has conducted experiments where they are able to transfer eggs from one kind of pollen provision onto another kind. With these experiments, they are able to see if there are any benefits to specialization or if it is a behavioural constraint on that species. With this research, they would be able to note what kind of plants do provide good resources for bees, thus allowing for a more applicable pollinator garden that can provide wild bees with the habitats that they need.

IRC aims to promote STEM to Indigenous students

According to Statistics Canada, people of Aboriginal identity makeup less than 2 per cent of STEM positions

IIllustration: Indigenous Resource Center/Facebook

ryan matte science & tech editor Outlined in the Indigenous Resource Center’s (IRC) 2019-2024 Indigenous Action Plan (IAP) is the University of Ottawa’s plans to integrate Indigenous knowledge and representation into all areas of the University. One area of focus, in particular, is in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). One of the main ways the IRC has been supporting Indigenous students in STEM is by providing speaker series where influential speakers discuss Indigenous knowledge and identity. More recently, the IRC hosted a speaker series on Black Lives Matter x Indigenous Sovereignty focused on the intersections

THEFULCRUM.CA

of the Black and Indigenous solidarity movements. Focusing on finding innovative ways to have more Indigenous representation in STEM is the IRC’s next priority. The IRC has focused its attention on encouraging more Indigenous students to pursue degrees in this field. Statistic Canada, finds that people of Aboriginal identity makeup less than two per cent of STEM positions. Grace Salomomie a second-year Inuit biochemistry student is one of the few individuals aiming to work in a STEM field and talks about the Indigenous mentors that motivated her. “Once I met up with Donna May Kimmaliardjuk, a cardiothoracic

surgeon, I realized this is somebody who’s doing something really cool. And somebody who’s like me, right? It really pushed me towards what I’m doing now,” said Salomomie. “It’s tough being the only person doing what you’re doing. Because you know, people will ask you questions, and sometimes I feel almost tokenized.” “We have worked with Let’s Talk Science and the Verna J. Kirkness Science and Engineering Program in the past to offer programming that promotes STEM and encourages Indigenous youth to consider it as a field of study, but it’s an area where our people are underrepresented,” said Jerome Lanouette, director of Indigenous affairs. “Some of the students are feeling disconnected because they’re away from their community. It’s the first time they’ve been away from their home community and there’s that culture shock,” said Lanouette. STEM promotion in high schools is one way Lanouette hopes to boost representation. “A lot of our Indigenous students are underrepresented in STEM. But some of the targeted recruitment that we want to move forward on in [the] next upcoming year or two is focusing on high school students that have that drive to become an engineer.” He explained many Indigenous

youth have interests in power generation and water filtration systems in their home communities and have worked hard to educate themselves on the various aspects of running and maintaining this equipment. Expanding past this is the goal. “We have to engage that community leadership to develop the youth to take over these jobs. So it’s not only those two areas there’s other types of engineering jobs” Lanouette notes that the IRC has acquired a science advisor to suit current student needs and has been working on bettering the available resources at the University. One part involves developing a curriculum to help educate researchers on Ownership Control Access Possession (OCAP) (which outlines the ownership, control, access, and possession of Indigenous knowledge and research) and incorporating Indigenous knowledge and leadership. “I want to embed the ethical research within [the] Indigenous Action Plan. There should be a mandatory obligation on the researcher and the prof[essor] to find out what it means to do research in the community, be it on communities or community members,” said Lanouette. As noted in the Indigenous Action Plan, the University of Ottawa currently does not have a clear statement or protocol about how to un-

dertake research with Indigenous communities. Indigenous knowledge has made its way into STEM, Salomomie notes. “In grade 11, I took an Indigenous environmental science class. The class taught me knowledge in the stars, the knowledge in the way the plants grew, the plants that grow well together and it’s very, very relevant. It’s still still there.” There have been concerns that Indigenous knowledge needs to be an aspect of STEM, “It’s just not taught. Think about the math it takes to build an igloo, like, so it doesn’t collapse,” said Salomomie. Lanouette also notes that “certain things that they forgot to take into consideration is how do you involve local Indigenous contractors, local Indigenous suppliers, they haven’t thought about that” “So while we share knowledge and traditions, and it’s just not handwritten, a lot of our traditions and history is oral. So being able to share those stories, just like my own life and making sure we don’t take a pan Indigenous approach to everything. “ stated Lanouette. “Numbers within STEM at [U of O] are markedly lower than the humanities but I believe this is representative of a larger issue than one [that is] unique to our campus, ” said Lanouette.

SCIENCE & TECH | 13

SPORTS EDITOR Jasmine McKnight opinions@thefulcrum.ca

SPORTS

Insta: @j.mcknight08 Twitter: @Jazzle59

An extended off-season: Mikayla Morton Morton and the Gee-Gees women’s soccer team continue to practice at a high level despite cancellation of 2020 season

Morton was part of the Gee-Gees women’s soccer team that won the 2019 FISU World Cup. Photo: Parker Townes/Fulcrum

Jasmine McKnight Sports Editor Mikayla Morton has earned herself a long list of accomplishments while playing for the University of Ottawa’s women’s soccer team. From all-star acknowledgements, to a national championship, and of course, winning the 2019 FISU University World Cup, Morton has achieved plenty wearing Grey and Garnet. COVID-19 cut the Gee-Gees successful Réseau du Sport Étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) Indoor Soccer season early during the 2020 winter semester. “We ended up doing really well in the RSEQ winter league, but it got cut short because of COVID-19,” Morton said. With the 2019-2020 season coming to a close, and classes transitioning to an online format, Morton returned home to Courtice, Ont. “I’m not sure what a lot of the girls on the team did, but when I went home, I really didn’t have anyone to train with. You couldn’t train at the beginning of quarantine be-

THEFULCRUM.CA

cause you had to stay at home, but I actually ended up working out like a lot with one of my old teammates, which kept me in shape.” In June, Ontario University Athletics (OUA) announced the cancellation of all sanctioned sport programming and championships until Dec. 31, 2020. This meant the end of the GeeGees fall soccer season before it even began. “I was trying to be super motivated with things like working out every day. Then I got the call that the season was cancelled and honestly, I think for most people that just totally destroyed our motivation during the summer,” Morton said. “I was extremely upset when I found out – I cried. I was so upset because it was my last year and I didn’t really realize my last game was going to be my last game. Honestly, right now, it still doesn’t sit well with me.” Despite the heartbreaking announcement, the team bounced back. “It was just so upsetting, obviously. But after a little bit, a lot of

girls were like, well, we still have to be training and we still have to stay in shape.“ Now, the Gee-Gees are hitting the field and practicing under the Ontario Health and the University’s safety regulations. The 2019-2020 roster is joined by new recruits and alumni as they train without a scheduled season in sight. Gee-Gees head coach, Steve Johnson, acknowledged the quality of training despite the lack of a 2020-2021 season. “It’s unfortunate that we don’t have a season this year because our roster is very strong,” Johnson said, “The quality of training is very good.” “We’re still training now, and hopefully are able to play exhibition games and stuff,” Morton said. “It’s just so different and weird right now, I don’t know how I feel. It’s definitely like a hurdle to get over. But I think in a couple weeks, I’ll be back in a routine.” The girls coming in are hard working which helps with the level of play but also some of the vets and

alumni are training with us, which is also really helpful keeping the level of play at the highest it can be.” “Having Mikayla’s presence is really important for the younger players to see and understand what type of quality you have to be in order to be successful,” Johnson said. Morton is currently completing her final two classes before graduating with a degree in psychology. Morton is interested in pursuing speech pathology, meaning she will need to work on a master’s degree. But off the field, Morton wasn’t exactly sure what she was working towards. “Because it was my last season, I didn’t really know what I was working for but I actually got approached this summer by an agent to help me go play in Europe. So I’m hoping to actually go to Europe in January,” Morton said. “I want to go and play in Europe for a couple years before I jump back into school again, because I’d rather go now while I’m fresh and ready, rather than wait.”

Morton has made a significant impact during her time as a GeeGee. “She’s a very good finisher, she can score with her right foot, left foot, and her head,” Johnson said. “She’s coming to the end of her career, but for several years our team play has been very good and Mikayla has been able to provide that finishing touch on the end of a lot of the good play we generate during games. While practicing without playing games can be draining, Morton and her teammates continue to come to practice with the intention of working hard and competing at the highest level they can. Morton will keep training with the Gee-Gees as she finishes her studies and awaits her opportunity to cross the pond and play soccer in Europe. “I have to make sure that I’m focused and still train as hard as I would if we were having a season if I’m trying to play in Europe in January.”

SPORTS | 14

OPINIONS

OPINIONS EDITOR Jasmine McKnight opinions@thefulcrum.ca Insta: @j.mcknight08 Twitter: @Jazzle59

OPINION: We must re-examine the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Shann Chiu contributor

Image: National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation logo/ University of Manitoba

Although the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada was significant in institutionalizing the history of colonialism and producing the 94 Calls to Action, it’s reception remains contentious among the diverse panoply of Indigenous groups. The Indigenous-led NGO, Reconciliation Canada – A New Way Forward Society, one of the more vocal proponents of Indigenous collaboration with the TRC, frequently espouses the significance of “catalyz[ing] meaningful relationships through values-based dialogue, leadership, and action” Coalitions skeptical of the colonial establishment, however, tend to err on the side of caution, instead highlighting their specific grievances with the settler-colonial state. Particularly in light of the Canadian government’s still-ongoing violent seizure of unseeded Wet’suwet’en territory, the objectives of many Indigenous direct action groups appear reflective of the controversial axiom, “reconciliation is dead.” For the sake of maintaining a concise outline, I will primarily focus on the social effects of the TRC as relevant to the extra-governmental movements concerned with grassroots mobilization. Due to the varied perspectives presented by the overwhelming number of Indigenous groups, the

rejection of reconciliation as embodied by the TRC diverges in its interpretation. At the risk of reducing the totality of Indigenous struggle to a homogeneous monolith, it critiques can be outlined between two broad principles. First, the concept of reconciliation originates in a colonial framework that tacitly legitimizes the same system that has been brutalizing them since first contact. And second, that authentic decolonization—the ostensible aim of the TRC—is only feasible when the settler society of Canada has been rebuilt, thereby rejecting the politics of state recognition and negotiation. Both perspectives view the TRC as a matter of optics, as an attempt to appease Indigenous groups with progressive talking points. When you visit the Beyond 94 website, for example, eleven percent of the proposed “94 Calls to Action” have reached completion, with the remaining projects marked as ‘in-progress’ or ‘not yet started.’ Evidently, the TRC was an effort in historical record-keeping portrayed with the language of progressive policy-making and cultural reckoning: “on a spectrum between the poles of judicial prosecution on one end and pure information gathering on the other, Canada sits radically in the latter direction.” It would appear that, after being met with all the fanfare of a watershed historical moment, the TRC has unfortunately proven ineffectual in fomenting the decolonized, Indigenous futurist society anticipated by its proponents. Ronald Niezen’s Truth and Indignation: Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Indian Residential Schools offers a critical assessment of the TRC’s social impact and its effects on the project of reconciliation. When attempting to examine the TRC’s effects

on society at large, Niezen observed that the public response has been minimal albeit for the rare Internet comment thread. Beyond the initial news coverage, editorials and thinkpieces post-TRC have been few and far between. His description of the commission room is one of high emotion and shared trauma, ultimately isolated from the larger public and the state of Indigenous and non-Indigenous relations today. Niezen also takes issue with the perpetrator-less proceedings of the commission, noting a seemingly infinite number of victims amidst a near-absence of individual offenders. The faceless culprit as embodied by the federal government appears as more of an “abstraction, a source of policy, funding, and administration putting forth nothing that attracts censure or gains traction with audiences.” To instead assign the onus of responsibility to the church is to essentially scapegoat the brutalities of the Canadian government. Though the church does, without ambiguity, share responsibility for their role in the residential school system, Niezen argues that, “individual childhood narratives fix attention on the ‘crime in private life’—child abuse— considerably more than the ‘wrong in public life’— legislated assimilation.” The TRC’s focus on the personal testimonies of individual victims distracts public attention and media coverage away from the continued forms of neglect and active suppression still inflicted upon Indigenous communities. Despite their incongruent claims to land and resources (by virtue of their diverse interests), grassroots Indigenous advocacy groups appear to agree on an issue underlying the TRC and its associated rhetoric; that is, the predominant discourse surrounding its inception has inadvertently historicized colonial violence as if it is not a persistent issue in the modern-day.

The federal government’s attention towards the traumas provoked by the residential school system neglects to acknowledge that the schools were a singular facet in the broader colonial project of eugenically motivated assimilation. Reconciliation understood as an ill-defined buzzword is ultimately based “on this distinction in history where the crimes of the past are no longer in operation, and what we’re now dealing with is just a bunch of wounded, injured native subjects,” wrote Andrew Bard Epstein in 2015. Consequently, what is made apparent in the aftermath of the TRC is that truth and reconciliation are often conflated with one another but are distinctly individual entities. On this upcoming National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, it is vital that we keep the best interests of our Indigenous communities in mind. More importantly, we must uplift and empower those Indigenous voices that may be critical of reconciliation and hope to do better in the future.

Photo: Shann Chiu/Provided

Shann Chiu is a third-year English major originally from Toronto, ON. As an avid enthusiast of English literature and critical theory, she aspires to develop her skills in literary analysis within the U of O’s MA in English literature program in 2021.

OPINION: Movie theatres hold inspirational nostalgic importance Though empty due to COVID-19, movie theatres are still important hannah sabourin contributor The last movie I saw in theatres was Little Women (2019). I loved it so much that I saw it a second time. And then I saw it a third time. And at all three showings, I cried into my popcorn. Recently I watched Little Women from home on Amazon Prime. And big surprise… I cried. But when I watched it at home, the film felt less gripping than it did in theatres. For some reason, Little Women is well complemented by low-lights, the smell of buttered popcorn, and the sound of older ladies murmuring about how “Laura Dern is in every other movie nowadays”. I also like when the lights come-up after a movie and the entire audience stays seated— as if stunned with how abruptly the grasp of the film’s fictional world released them into

OPINION | 15

normalcy. I also appreciate that the audience walks out of the theatre having cared about, connected with, and learned from the same characters. They now have something in common with a bunch of strangers. Recently however, I have not been able to live this experience because cinemas across Canada were forced to shut down after the first wave of the pandemic (although, some cinemas recently reopened). In his book, A Theatre Near You—150 Years of Going to the Show in Ottawa-Gatineau), Alain Miguelez tells the history of cinemas in Ottawa-Gatineau between the 1850s to the early 2000s. Ottawa’s cinemas were the social spaces where Miguelez grew into himself. In the 1990s, when single-screen theatres were demolished, Miguelez felt that important moments from his childhood were destroyed. This is what inspired Miguelez to write his

book. For example, the “Rialto” cinema, or as he calls it, “The Rat Hole”, is where he and his friends watched, “kung-fu movies for 75 cents” after school. And the first time he saw the psychedelic picture, “Pink Floyd: The Wall” was at Towne theatre — which, ‘fascinated [his] young mind.” Both of these places were demolished in the 1990s. So, to preserve his childhood, Miguelez, “collected photos and information, [spoke] to people, [and went] through old newspaper microfilms and archives”. According to Miguelez, “in purest form [the cinema will] fill you with awe and give you a particular sense of occasion”. Miguelez’s book prompted me to reflect on whether the cinema impacts my life. And it turns-out, the cinema is where I had my first big birthday party. It is where I saw my first horror film. And it

was also where I went on my first date. Even though the pandemic bars me from the cinema, I hold onto the notion that the cinema is a place of inspiration. It is also the place where I learned to empathize with people with stories different from my own. Once the pandemic is over, I am hopeful that, as a city, we will continue to support Ottawa’s theatres.

Bytowne Cinema is a theatre that evokes nostalgia among Ottawans. Photo: Bridget Coady/Fulcrum

THEFULCRUM.CA

OPINION: ‘There’s Something In the Water’ is essential for settlers ‘I was shocked when I learned of the ongoing perpetration of environmental racism in my home province’

Raina young contributor If you are a settler in this country who has not yet seen the Netflix documentary There’s Something In the Water, you should stop reading and watch it immediately. This powerful documentary, produced and filmed by trending Umbrella Academy actress and fellow Nova Scotian Ellen Page, opened my eyes to the disturbing environmental racism that is happening in my home province. There’s Something in the Water is a documentary based on the scholarly book of the same name, written by environmental racism expert Ingrid Waldron based at Dalhousie University’s School of Nursing. It tells the stories of three communities in Nova Scotia which have been impacted in devastating ways by environmental racism. They are the historic African Nova Scotian community in Shelburne, Pictou Landing First Nation, and the Grassroots Grandmothers of the Sipekne’katik First Nation near Stewiacke River just outside of Halifax Watching the film and subsequently reading the book it is based on by Dr. Ingrid Waldon, I felt sick-

ened that such injustices have been ongoing in Nova Scotia all my life outside of my awareness. As a settler and University of Ottawa student who seeks to act as an ally, I was extremely disturbed by my ignorance about environmental racism in Nova Scotia, and I found myself questioning just how I could possibly not have known about these cases. Perhaps the documentary shook me so deeply because it exposed me to the depth of my own complacency and complicity in systemic environmental racism in my own backyard. In order to get from my home in rural Nova Scotia to the province’s only major city, Halifax, I have driven through the town of Stewiacke countless times. I was shocked to learn that I was so close to the site of a case of environmental racism involving the disrespect of the treaty rights of the Mi’kmaq people. I realize that my privilege as a white Nova Scotian who has never experienced racism of any kind, let alone environmental racism, is what allowed me to remain ignorant for so long. This documentary serves as a sharp reminder that being an ally means being vigilant,

and actively listening and looking for signs of systemic racism in my surroundings. In the case of Pictou Landing First Nation, important progress has been made since the September 2019 release of the film. The success of the Netflix documentary arguably played an enormous role in holding the province accountable to its Jan. 31 deadline to end the pollution of Boat Harbour by Northern Pulp Mill. Since then, the harbour has seen a dramatic recovery. Despite the progress made at Boat harbour, environmental racism against Indigenous and Black communities still exists as the metaphorical elephant in the room in Nova Scotia. Just this past week, Mi’kmaq fishermen were harassed by non-indigenous fishermen as they asserted their treaty right to fish for a moderate livelihood outside of the commercial fishing season. The federal government released a statement affirming the constitutional right of the Mi’kmaq to fish for a moderate livelihood, however, even with the deployment of RCMP and Coast Guard officers, Indigenous fishermen have continued to face threats and harassment. The fact is, many white settlers

such as myself are permissive in our own complacency and ignorance. In order to be better allies, we need to be actively listening for and heeding calls for support and action from groups organizing to defend their rights. It is long-past time for settlers to stand with Indigenous and Black communities fighting to get justice for the wrongs committed against them by the colonial government. A first step in the direction of active listening and learning would be the implementation of a mandatory course on Indigenous and African Canadian history and rights for students in social science programs at the University of Ottawa. Not even the conflict studies and human

rights program currently includes such a course. Come fall 2021, Professor Patti Tamara Lenard will be offering a course which will invite students to consider settlerIndigenous conflicts in Canada and around the world, with a focus on Indigenous mechanisms of resistance. Although this is a step in the right direction, this course will not be a mandatory part of any program. So if you’re not sure about why better education about systemic and environmental racism is absolutely essential, you can start by giving a watch or a read to “There’s Something in the Water.”

‘There’s Something in the Water’ promotional poster. Image:’There’s Something in the Water’/ Netflix

Letter to the Editor: An open letter to all my professors ‘My concerns stem from this mental health crisis which has been exacerbated by the uncertainty of a pandemic’

Nelson mahmoudi contributor

Dear Editor, This letter is for the professors of my classes at the University of Ottawa, My name is Nelson Mahmoudi (300051746) and I am a Joint Honours Political Science and History Student (FI – African Studies Option) student currently enrolled in one of your various classes. First and foremost, I would like to thank you for the semester thus far. I could not imagine the difficulties that came with transforming an entire in-person course into an online format. That being said, this does not mean that this semester is flawless for us students, and it is for this reason which I am contacting you today.

I am concerned It is no secret that the University of Ottawa has struggled with its student relations in recent years. From the bruised and broken relationship with the former SFUO to, and rather, more im-

OPINION | 16

portantly, the tragic string of five student suicides in ten months which shook the student body to its core, the U of O and its 43,000-odd students have had a tense relationship recently. Much of this tension, particularly in response to the latter example, stems from the University’s lackluster (in the eyes of the student body) response and addressing of student mental health concerns, especially in the way which the University addressed each student’s suicide with (in my opinion) a tasteless, unhelpful, and frankly, disgraceful email sent to the community. In February of this year, President Frémont acknowledged the presence of a ‘mental health crisis’ on campus and, while unbeknownst to him at the time, the present pandemic made matters worse for many students – including myself and many of my peers. What I am about to tell you is not only my lived experience, but rather it includes the voices of many of my peers from a variety of faculties and programs. My concerns stem from this mental health crisis which has been exacerbated by the uncertainty of a pandemic; I worry about the mentalities professors have adopted in wake of all classes being shifted online. From the general demeanor to the amount of work assigned for this semester, it seems that professors have adopted a view that, seeing as all our classes are online and that we are living in a COVID world, absolves all of us from any other duties and we can use all 24 hours in a day preparing and studying for our classes. Obviously, this is not the case; many of us work frontline jobs, are struggling to make ends meet, have other classes, live at home with our families, are

raising families, or even any combination of all of these – with so many more variables at play. I am worried about the tunnel vision not just of my professors but many professors at this university that their view only encompasses their course and that no regard is given for other courses their students might be taking. And while I understand that University was never going to be a walk in the park, it was also not supposed to lead to the deaths of five students and be so taxing on your student population that they have to decide whether they will eat or sleep or finish a reading on time. The amount of people I know who have had to make that taxing of a decision is absurd and post-secondary institutions at large should be ashamed of the position they have put students in. So seeing as I do not have a single week between now and the end of the semester in which I do not have a minimum of five (5) marked assignments, I am worried about myself and my mental health as I try to maintain this regiment while also working a part-time job and maintaining some semblance of a social life and living at home with my parents – all of these are again issues not only issues faced by myself but many in our university community. I am fortunate enough to say that I have not contemplated suicide nor do I suffer from any major form of mental illness – that is problematic that I have to state this seeing as all mental health is important – however I do not speak for all 43,000 University of Ottawa students, and I worry that this semester may be a tipping point for some due to the sheer levels of stress placed on each and every one of us.

What I am asking for today is for you all to come to a realization. Should we not all be cooped up inside our homes and living in a pandemic world, (as my past years have shown) we would not be facing the same workload which professors have unloaded on to us. I don’t have a universal solution as each of you are conducting your courses in your own ways (some drastically different from others), but as I am a student in each of your classes, I know that there is the ability to make some changes to better accommodate students and to lessen the burden on each one of us as we live through a time period which none of could have predicted nine months ago.

Photo: Nelson Mahmoudi/Provided

Nelson Mahmoudi is a third-year Political Science and History major originally from Keswick, ON. As an active member of the university community, Mahmoudi recognizes the challenges many face in their day to day at the University and within the post-secondary education system as a whole, particularly when it comes to student well being. He currently lives east of the U of O campus with his parents and his dog, Heidi.

THEFULCRUM.CA

POINT VS. COUNTERPOINT Should the winter 2021 semester be held online or in-person? The University of Ottawa has announced that the 2021 winter semester will be held online aside from a few exceptions. Because of COVID-19, staff and students have been forced to adjust to online learning methods for the 2020 spring, summer and fall term. Is continuing on a remote learning format the way to go or should the University consider returning to in-person courses?

Image: Dasser Kamran/Fulcrum.

Point: Online learning has plenty of benefits Shailee ShaH contributor Online learning has plenty of benefits for student learning, costs, and of course, safety Go at your own pace Feel like professors are always talking too quickly, making it impossible to take notes and keep up? Asynchronous online learning allows students to access lectures and absorb information at their own pace. Going through a lecture and stopping or listening to difficult or complex parts multiple times can help students truly understand the material at their own speed. This also promotes self-management and time management skills, since you are often responsible to make and follow your own schedule/routine. Lower costs Having online classes can also mean lower costs for students. Although most universities continue to have the same tuition fees (looking at you, U of O), housing and transportation costs can be reduced significantly for students. If you would have lived in 90 University’s two-bedroom suite and had an all-access meal plan, living at home for a semester would mean

THEFULCRUM.CA

saving about $7,800 based on the current fees. Easier attendance If rolling out of bed ten minutes before a lecture, or trudging through snow and rain on your commute to school isn’t your forte, online school is for you! Having access to lectures at home means higher attendance rates and less distractions since all you have to do to get to class is click a button. Online classes can also help students keep up attendance while working or doing extracurriculars that wouldn’t be possible if classes were in-person. COVID-19 This one may seem obvious, but online classes are essential to slow the spread of COVID-19, especially with the second wave coinciding with flu season during the upcoming winter semester. Universities such as Carleton, Queen’s, Western, McMaster, and even U of O have already had cases of Coronavirus on campus or in residences. Social distancing measures become more difficult to supervise (especially on residence) and although lectures would represent social distancing guidelines, that many students in an enclosed space for 80, or even 170 minutes, is ultimately harmful to students.

Counter: In-person classes are vital learning experiences JASMINE MCKNIGHT OPINIONS EDITOR While safety should always be the main concern, online university courses simply do not provide the necessary learning environment for students. For specific programs, an online learning format does not allow students to get the training they need and properly study their program of interest. The 2021 winter term should at least have in-person course options, especially for specific programs and courses that do not convert well to remote learning. For example, without the opportunity to learn in person, students in programs in the sciences, theatre, and many others will not get the hands-on practical experience needed. In addition, it can be difficult to manage assignments, tests, lectures, and tasks when students are strictly on programs like Brightspace, Adobe Connect, Zoom, and Microsoft teams. While these programs are able to enhance learning, without actually entering a classroom, it can be incredibly difficult to get organized and most importantly, get motivated. That said, Zoom and recorded lectures just don’t have the same professor and stu-

dent relationship that in-person classes do. It can be difficult for students to stay on task and interested when the professor may not be able to gauge the feelings of students the way they normally would through body language. Not to mention the fact that learning from home has proven to be hard for many students who don’t have access to great WiFi or for those who are distracted easily and don’t live in the ideal environment for learning. In-person courses allow for students in these situations to be in an environment where they are able to focus. There are plenty of social distancing adjustments made to the university already, surely there is a way that they can figure out how to safely conduct in-person courses for the classes that need it. Of course, it’s understood that returning to in-person classes for the winter 2021 semester puts students and staff at risk, but unfortunately online courses are simply not an ideal way for students to be working towards their degrees.

WHAT

DO

YOU

THINK?

Email our opinions editor with your thoughts at opinions@thefulcrum.ca.

OPINIONS | 17

DISTRACTIONS How to adjust to changes in a relationship because of school Dear Di,

FEATURES EDITOR Amira Benjamin features@thefulcrum.ca Insta: @amira.ing Twitter: N/A

Dear Di

I have been in a happy relationship throughout the summer. We spent plenty of time together, and always made plans for when we’d see each other next. Now that classes have started, we’ve both become busier people. Unfortunately, I am struggling with seeing my partner less often, wondering when we’re going to make plans, and simply, dealing with getting less attention. Do you have any advice to help me adjust to these changes? – Suddenly Lonely Lover

Dear SLL,

The adjustment from wonderful summer vibes to classes and assignments is always a drag. Of course, it’s even worse when the things you’ve become accustomed to are forced to change. Relationships are constantly changing, and you and your partner are going to have to work together to adjust to these changes. The main thing to focus on in this situation is communication. Being able to communicate is essential in maintaining a relationship. That said, I don’t mean that you need to constantly be talking all day, everyday. I am saying that you and your partner need to be able to have conversations where you establish your needs. Because things are changing, you both need to be comfortable in confronting each other when you don’t like something that is happening, or when you feel like you need something else from your partner. However, it’s important to avoid smothering each other. With classes and work being priorities, you need to understand that there is going to be less free time. Sometimes, that free time isn’t going to be spent with you. It’s not because your partner doesn’t want to spend time with you, it is probably because they need to wind down and recover from all the busy things happening in their life. There are more things to a person than their relationship. Sometimes, your partner is going to want to play

THEFULCRUM.CA

video games, watch Netflix, or hang out with their other friends during their limited free time. Of course, it can be difficult not knowing when you’re going to spend time together next. The best you can do is be patient. Don’t sit around and wait for your partner to have time for you, use your time to do things you want and need to do. If there’s something you want to do with your partner, just say so, the worst that will happen is they say no and you’ll just have to try to plan something else. If you and your partner are meant to be, then you’ll be able to navigate through the changes that come with school. It won’t be without a bit of struggling and learning, but being vocal about your feelings while being respectful of your partner’s space will make things go as smoothly as possible. All of my advice goes back to communication. As long as you and your partner are able to have serious conversations about the status of your relationship, you will always be able to fix any problems, or adjust to any changes.

Love, Di DEAR DI | 18

Volume 81, Issue 2, SEPT 28, 2020 The University of Ottawa’s independent student news outlet since 1942. Instagram: @instafulcrum | Facebook: The Fulcrum | Twitter: @The_Fulcrum

Charley Dutil Editor-in-Chief editor@thefulcrum.ca Emily Wilson Managing Editor content@thefulcrum.ca Karli Zschogner News Editor news@thefulcrum.ca Aly Murphy Arts and Culture Editor arts@thefulcrum.ca Amira Benjamin Features Editor features@thefulcrum.ca Jasmine McKnight Sports & Opinions Editor sports@thefulcrum.ca Ryan Matte Science & Tech Editor Science@thefulcrum.ca Dasser Kamran Visual Director visual@thefulcrum.ca Leyla Abdolell Online Editor Online@thefulcrum.ca Jelena Maric Staff Writer staff.editor@thefulcrum.ca Paige Holland Staff Writer staff.writer@thefulcrum.ca Bridget Coady Staff Photographer photographer@thefulcrum.ca Sam Coulavin videographer videographer@thefulcrum.ca

Contributors The Fulcrum would like to thank: AbbeyKerkmann Hannah Sabourin Raina Young Shailee Shah Nelson Mahmoudi Shann Chiu Moira Wilson for their contributions to this issue.

Board of Directors Justin Turcotte Kalki Nagaratnam Kate Murray David Campion-Smith Benjamin King Raghad Khalid

Cover: Dasser Kamran.

THEFULCRUM.CA

EDITORIAL

Editorial: Despite reconciliation, colonialism is alive and well in Canada

Apologies sound nice but governments are still ignoring Indigenous voices in 2020 One of the most recognizable acts of activism observed by non-Indigenous Canadians all over the country today is land acknowledgments. But while they are a way to reflect on Canada’s colonialist past and history of broken treaties, they fail to address its colonialist present and our collective lack of action when it comes to indigenous issues. Colonialism is deeply rooted in Canadian culture, both English and French Canada have failed the Indigenous in numerous ways. Our ancestors have used and exploited the Indigenous people of this land to their own benefits while completely ignoring their needs. For over a hundred years, the Canadian government in cohorts with different sects of Christianity kidnapped Indigenous children from their communities all over the country, sending them to residential schools to rid them of their culture and assimilate them within Caucasian Canadian society. “These residential schools were created for the purpose of separating Aboriginal children from their families, in order to minimize and weaken family ties and cultural linkages, and to indoctrinate children into a new culture—the culture of the legally dominant Euro-Christian Canadian society, led by Canada’s first prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald,” says the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC). The estimated number of children that were stolen from their families and taken to residential schools is 150,000 according to the TRC. The TRC believes 4,200 children died in the residential school system; survivors testified to being abused in numerous, horrendous ways. Last year on Orange Shirt Day, the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation unveiled a 47-meter long red banner with the names of 2,800 children who died in the residential school system. “Child neglect was institutionalized, and the lack of su-

Hundreds rallied in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en First Nation in Ottawa back in Feb. Photo: Aaron Hemens/Fulcrum.

pervision created situations where students were prey to sexual and physical abusers,” reads the report. “Once in the schools, brothers and sisters were kept apart, and the government and churches even arranged marriages for students after they finished their education.” The government’s reasoning behind residential schools was based on the “assumption that European civilization and Christian religions were superior to Aboriginal culture, which was seen as being savage and brutal.” In retrospect, a very ironic assumption given the way Indigenous children and communities as a whole were treated in what was cultural genocide. Although the TRC’s report came out in 2015, the report contained 94 calls to action, most of which are still being ignored by municipal, provincial, and federal governments in Canada. Despite the last residential school closing in 1996 in Saskatchewan, Indigenous communities face numerous traumas to this day that can be linked to their impact and the Canadian government’s colonial assumption that led to their creation. We can start with the fact that the federal government keeps ignoring the numerous drinking water advisories that plague Indigenous communities. One of Justin Trudeau’s big electoral promises in the 2015 federal campaign was to end all water advisories by March of 2021. As of today, 88 drinking

water advisories have been resolved, however, there remains 61 active drinking water advisories south of the Canadian Territories. According to the Council of Canadians, a grassroots social action organization advocating for clean water, fair trade, green energy, public health care, and vibrant democracy, “the Trudeau government committed to ending these water advisories by 2021, but very little progress has been made and the needed funding has not been committed to end this crisis.” According to the council in May 2018, there were 174 drinking water advisories in over 100 different indigenous communities across the country. Some of the drinking advisories date as far back as 1995. This is unacceptable, access to “safe, acceptable, and affordable water” is a right guaranteed by the United Nations. This lack of attention can directly be attributed to the government’s neglect towards Indigenous people’s living conditions. The fact that this is not national news is insane, if a white suburb had had a water advisory for 25 years, Canada would be considered a third world country. Moving on from drinking water advisories to pipelines, and land rights. Earlier in 2020, most people will remember efforts by the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs and their supporters to prevent the construction of a natural gas pipeline on their ancestral lands in British Co-

lumbia. In spite of consultations, the federal and provincial government ignored their opposition and decided to go forward with the project which led to mass protests and blockades of railroads around the country as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) forcefully entered Wet’suwet’en land. This opened a national debate on who really controls Indigenous lands in Canada? An imposed elected council or hereditary leaders or chiefs – colonial imposed democracy or traditional hereditary Indigenous leaders? However, for a lot of people, this was another example of the government ignoring Indigenous voices to impose a pipeline that will ultimately benefit non-indigenous Canadians. The RCMP is another government institution that has mistreated Indigenous peoples for hundreds of years. Since the Wet’suwet’en a number of other examples of RCMP cruelty towards the Indigenous have been reported. In March, Athabasca Chipewyan First Nations Chief Allan Adam was allegedly beaten over an expired licence plate in Fort McMurray, Alta. In June, the Legal Services Board of Nunavut reported more than 30 allegations of misconduct, abuse and inhumane treatment of Inuit, especially women, at the hands of Nunavut RCMP. However, one of the most problematic instances of systemic racism from the RCMP

has to be the lack of action displayed in investigating the disappearance of 1017 women and girls who disappeared between 1980 and 2012. A figure from the RCMP that is believed to be underreported by the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls report and keeps rising as 130 Indigenous women and girls have disappeared between 2016 and 2019 Another sad example of how a Canadian institution has failed Indigenous living in Canada. This past month also saw more conflicts arise. In Quebec, members of the Algonquins of Barriere Lake imposed a Moose Moratorium to stop sport hunters from hunting moose on their traditional territories and taking food off their tables as they rely on hunting moose to feed themselves with the closest grocery store an hour and a half drive away from their community. In Nova Scotia, the Sipekne’katik first nations were met with fierce opposition when they exercised their Supreme Court acquired right to ‘moderate livelihood’ by launching their own Mi’kmaq-regulated, rights-based lobster fishery. With all that said (plus the many other factors we didn’t touch on) it’s clear that colonialism is still alive and well in Canada. There’s no denying it and land acknowledgments alone aren’t going to fix it. Our governments, whomever they may be, have not made enough efforts to help Indigenous peoples. There have been some (mild) efforts, but we are still ways away from complete reconciliation and a country where living conditions and opportunities are the same for Indigenous and non-indigenous people. This editorial has been edited for length. For the full text, visit our website. Editorials are written by the Fulcrum’s thirteen-person Editorial Board. To share your own views, email editor@thefulcrum.ca.

EDITORIAL | 19

Editor-in-Chief Charley Dutil Editor@thefulcrum.ca

ARCHIVES

insta: @cduts98 Twitter: @cduts98

Live from the Archives: The Nox: 1984-2002 including the building of a kitchen.

Adam Grachnik former Editor in Chief

April.1996: SFUO announces a $92,063 loss for the Nox.

Originally published on March 14, 2002. It’s official, The Nox is going out of business and closing its doors forever. At the March 10 meeting of the Board of Administration (BOA), Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) President Adam Brown made the announcement. “It is with sadness and responsibility that, after a decade of losses with $500,000 of student money, in the fall, the Nox will not re-open,” he said. The Nox’s final day in business will be April 30. “It’s a little bit disheartening,” said Nox manager Mike Howard, “It has been here for many years and I hate to see it go, but it is a decision that needs to be made.” The decision, made by the SFUO executive, is primarily financially driven. The bar has lost $477,962 since 1996. “We are losing money and not servicing our students,” said Charles Dutrisac, general manager of the SFUO. “We have to be responsible for our members and after so many years of losing money we are not being responsible.” Howard identified several reasons the bar continuously loses money, “I blame the high rent, limited window of operations, inadequate kitchen, proximity to close competition, and the changing demographics of the student population,” he said. Each year the bar pays $94,689.19 in occupation cost to the U of O. “What’s killing us is fixed costs that the university is imposing on us,” Brown told the BOA. These fixed costs, among other things, are what Brown wants to change. “They [administration] will not be putting an outside business in The Nox that is not for students,” he said. “We will do it with partnerships where we are not getting bled dry by the administration.” Dutrisac confirmed a partnership might soon exist with the U of O administration. “The university is looking at doing something with us that will rejuvenate campus,” he said. However, some student leaders are not as confident or convinced about the proposed partnership. “The [administration] have been trying to keep us off of campus for a long time,” said Heather Duff, campaigns coordinator for the SFUO. “The university would love to have that space.” Howard agrees that a healthy partnership needs to be formed. “Anything is possible, but don’t see a student bar without a feasible relationship with the university,” he said.”But the SFUO wants to

20 | ARCHIVES

April.1997: SFUO announces a $142,896 loss for the Nox. April.1999: SFUO announces a $61,380 loss for the Nox. Sept.2000: $2000 worth of new tables purchased Feb.2001: $10,000 robbed from the Nox. Feb.2002: Nox loses $101,662 in six months.

Illustration: Christine Wang/Fulcrum

keep the space,” Duff still isn’t convinced. “I’m not as confident as Adam [Brown],” she said. “I don’t think that they are just going to roll over for us.” Since 1997, the U of O’s Connexions project has explored new ways in which the university can operate. It is investigating ways in which the U of O can better coordinate processes that have traditionally been dispersed throughout several sectors of the university. Helene Carriere, director of the Connexions project, understands the importance of a student bar. “[The Nox] is certainly part of the space in the University Centre,” she said. “There needs to be something in that space.” Currently, the Connexions project has a task force evaluating the entire University Centre. They are looking at the structure of the staff, space allocation, and business in the Centre. Brown is the sole undergraduate student representative on this task force, Even after the bar is closed, the SFUO might still have to pay the fixed costs for a large empty room if nothing is done with the space. “There is a slight chance, but it is highly unlikely,” said Dutrisac. Brown isn’t concerned about the possibility of paying rent for an empty space. “I will get a solution by April 30,” he said, “a decision will be made.” Some student leaders are upset with the process that the SFUO executive used to close the bar. “Unfortunately they didn’t allow for input from others and [they] didn’t do what they said they would do,” said Duff. A select group of student leaders were invited to attend a brainstorming session about the Nox. The selection and limited amount of voices angered Duff. “[The people that were invited] were generally a lot of people that didn’t give them [SFUO]

a lot of problems.” According to Howard, there were seven people invited and a few people couldn’t attend. Brown when asked at the BOA, claimed he was always available for concerned individuals. “My door was always open, I was always available for consultation,” he said. A brief history of the Nox Jan.1984: Christine Bordeleaux wins contest to name new bar The Equinox. Sept.1984: The Equinox stops serving b-52s. Nov.1984: $3000 worth of beer mugs stolen over two months. June.1986: SFUO announces that the Equinox made $110,000 over the past year. Sept.1986: The Equinox boycotts products made by South African companies O’Keefe, Rothmans, and Seagrams, to oppose apartheid. Oct.1986: SFUO announces The Equinox net profit at $83,000. Sept.1989: Carpet removed and tile floors installed. Sept.1990: Students encouraged to bring their own lunch to the bar. Oct.1990: SFUO pledges $4,000 to buy 200 top 40 CDs. Feb.1992: The Equinox deficit estimated at $50,000 Sept.1993: The Equinox changes its name to the Nox, the latin word for night, moves into space left by former SFUO clothing store the Zipper, and $95,000 pumped into renovations,

March. 2002: SFUO announces plans to shut down the bar, will close April 30. What’s with that name? In 1984, when Cafe Campus became a student bar, a competition to name the new bar brought in 350 suggestions. Christine Bordeleaux won the contest with her suggestion, The Equinox. Bordeleaux won a free trip to Cancun for her idea. She has good memories of the bar. “After doing some sports on campus, you would go there to have a beer,” she told the Fulcrum. “It was a place to go on Saturday nights.” Bordeleaux was upset with the closing of the Nox. “When it was part of yourself it is disappointing,” she said. “Recently we have become more used to it, that’s life.” Since graduating with a masters in political science, Bordeleaux spent some time in the Prime Minister’s Office and has worked for the past 10 years within Human Ressources and Developpement Canada. Fun facts about this article: The Nox was replaced by the 1848 Student bar which closed its doors in 2019 following the SFUO defeat in the student union referendum of 2019. Its future is uncertain as it has itself also consistently lost money. Author Adam Grachnik is now the Director of Corporate Affairs at Walmart Canada, he was News Editor of the Fulcrum for the 2001-2002 publishing year and Editor-in-Chief for the 2002-03 publishing year. Heather Duff now works for the CUPE Local 503 union Charles Dutrisac worked for the SFUO from 1998 to 2004, he currently works for the federal government. Adam Brown was SFUO’s President in 2001-02, he is now the Lead Pastor of the South Shore Bible Church.

THEFULCRUM.CA