The Carillon Volume 66, Issue 12

the carillon

the staff

editor-in-chief holly funk editor@carillonregina.com

executive director vacant business@carillonregina.com

production manager shae sackman production@carillonregina.com

communications amin malakootikhah comms@carillonregina.com

web + advertising manager jaedyn whittal web@carillonregina.com

graphics editor lee lim graphics@carillonregina.com

copy editor emilie wren copyeditor@carillonregina.com

news editor mindy gregory news@carillonregina.com

a&c editor mikayla tallon arts@carillonregina.com

s&h editor kim kaufman sports@carillonregina.com

op-ed editor hammad ali op-ed@carillonregina.com

distribution manager amin malakootikhah distribution@carillonregina.com

staff writer victoria baht

staff writer nazeemah noorally

staff writer maren savarese knopf

news writer shivangi sharma

a&c writer will bright s&h writer pall agarwal

contributors william bessai-saul, katlyn richardson

board of directors holly funk, tayef ahmed, harnisha bhatt, diya patel, mishree patel, and mikayla tallon.

the paper

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The Carillon welcomes contributions.

Opinions expressed in the pages of the Carillon are entirely those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of The Carillon Newspaper Inc. Opinions expressed in advertisements appearing in the Carillon are those of the advertisers, and not necessarily of The Carillon Newspaper Inc. or its staff.

The Carillon is published no less than 11 times each semester during the fall and winter semesters and periodically throughout the summer. The Carillon is published by the Carillon Newspaper Inc., a non-profit organization.

land acknowledgement

The Carillon is written on Treaty 4 territory. As such, staff recognize that we are living, working, and telling stories on and of Indigenous lands. We recognize that we are on the traditional homelands of the Cree, Saulteaux, Nakota, Lakota, and Dakota peoples, along with the homeland of the Métis nation. The Carillon understands that it is pointless to acknowledge the land on which we work without demonstrating our commitment to telling stories and prioritizing voices that further the return of this land to its sacred place. the manifesto

In keeping with our reckless, devil-may-care image, our office has absolutely no concrete information on the Carillon’s formative years readily available. What follows is the story that’s been passed down from editor to editor for over sixty years.

In the late 1950s, the University of Regina planned the construction of several new buildings on the campus grounds. One of these proposed buildlings was a belltower on the academic green. If you look out on the academic green today, the first thing you’ll notice is that it has absolutely nothing resembling a belltower.

The University never got a belltower, but what it did get was the Carillon, a newspaper that serves as a symbolic bell tower on campus, a loud and clear voice belonging to each and every student. the people’s friend; the tyrant’s foe

Along with the rapidly approaching finals season comes the rapidly approaching publishing break for the Carillon. Issue 13 will pop out on stands December 7, and will be followed by issue 14 in the new year on January 11.

Keep an eye on carillonregina.com/pitch/ if you’ve been hoping to contribute written or visual content to these newspaper pages as the first pitch list for 2024 issues will drop December 31, 2023, and please reach out to our section editors if you have an idea for content but would like some collaborative brainstorming or tips for how to execute your vision. We’ll see you again in a week and, until then,

Illegitimi non carborundum

holly funk

Why Regina’s official bird contest is more than a bit of fun This city is for the birds!

mindy gregory news editor

In December, Regina residents will vote for an official city bird. Nominations closed in October, producing six finalists for the bird that best represents the community: Canada Goose, Grey Partridge, Red Breasted Nuthatch, Peregrine Falcon, American Pelican, and Black Capped Chickadee. From November 20–27, each bird was championed as the best choice by a panelist on CBC Morning Edition’s Sask with Stefani Langenegger.

The reason for the current contest began in March 2022, when Regina’s Bird Friendly City committee succeeded in obtaining Nature Canada’s “Bird Friendly City” status for Regina. The only “Bird Friendly City” in Saskatchewan, Regina is committed to making the city a safer place for wild birds.

Nature Canada states that birds play an essential role in maintaining healthy, resilient ecosystems in our communities and across the world. However, over the past 50 years, the North American wild bird population has decreased by more than 25 per cent. Evidence points to human activities as responsible, and so as urban areas expand, cities have an important role to play in protecting and supporting bird populations.

The “Bird Friendly City” designation is part of Nature Canada’s campaign to encourage cities to become safer places for birds. To earn their designation, the City of Regina implemented bird friendly policies and actions to help wild birds thrive in Regina. These actions included establishing a “no-roam” bylaw for cats to reduce the impact of cat predation on wild bird populations, protecting natural areas such as Wascana Centre which supports 276 species of birds, and engaging the community through educational initiatives.

While certification is a badge of honour and a source of community pride, it is also a rigorous standard by which to measure the ongoing impacts and progress of the city’s efforts. Nature Canada encourages municipalities to actively reduce the number of human-related threats to birds, which in addition to cats includes the untreated glass on buildings with large windows, and pesticide use.

If you thought that the loss of a few birds a year due to your living room window was not significant, consider that residential houses are responsible for 90 per cent of the 25 million birds that die annually in Canada from collisions with untreated glass. While municipalities are encouraged to model best practices on their buildings, business and homeowners can make a substantial difference.

Back that bus up

CBC News reported on a local Regina incident in 2022, in which approximately 30 migrating cedar waxwings died from striking glass at Eden Care Communities on Broadway Avenue. Wildlife rehabilitation centre, Salthaven West, said that it is common for bird strikes to increase in urban centres during spring and fall migrations.

Local organization, Nature Regina, creator of the official city bird contest, also has a Bird Safe Initiative that addresses this issue by building awareness of bird-window collisions and encouraging citizens to focus on treating their problem windows. The organization offers FeatherFriendly Window Tape and a video on their website that explains how to install it. Where needed, volunteers may be available to assist with the installation.

Eden Care Communities collaborated with Nature Regina to install the window tape on their outdoor decking glass. Volunteer Jeffrey Gamble stated that, “the feather-friendly tape is highly effective, affordable, [and] minimally impactful on your view.” He estimated that the installation of the tape at that single location would save hundreds of birds over the next few years.

Part of the “Bird Friendly City” commitment is fostering community outreach and education to increase understanding and participation from citizens. This is where the official city bird

contest fits in. As stated by the City of Regina’s Open Space Services manager, Russell Elrich, to CBC News, picking an official bird is something that “everybody’s got a take on.” The debate over choosing just one bird is an enjoyable way to learn about many species residing in the city.

One contender, the Peregrine Falcon, was defended by Jordan Rustad, the Field Manager and Bander-in-Charge at the Last Mountain Bird Observatory. She explained to CBC Morning Edition’s Langenegger that the falcon has adapted their hunting style and nesting habits to fit some urban spaces.

The reality behind URSU’s Spring/Summer 2023 bus pass

Earlier this month, the University of Regina Students’ Union (URSU) released a video stating that they will refund an amount up to $112 to students who had to pay more for Regina city bus service in the Spring/Summer 2023 semester.

The Carillon covered the an-

Summer. Thousands of students at the University of Regina rely on city transit services and the affordability typically offered through a UPass. As much as the reimbursement came as a relief, students were not informed why their Spring/Summer 2023 bus fee saw a sudden increase this

nouncement that came much to the relief of students who had no other option but to pay more than twice as much to get around the city this past Spring/

year. The Carillon did some digging, received some student tips, and found out more facts behind the spike in the Spring/Summer

2023 student bus fee and why the recent reimbursement occurred.

Looking back, student voters at the 2019 URSU General Election passed a referendum with over 80 per cent in support of having a Spring/Summer UPass. After the referendum, URSU and Regina Transit/The City of Regina signed a Memorandum of Intent to have a UPass for the Spring/Summer semester.

In January 2020, the city council approved a three-year contract for a UPass for the combined Spring/Summer semesters at the same amount as the Fall and Winter semesters. URSU later publicly announced the commencement of the Spring/ Summer UPass beginning May 1, 2020 – with a fee of $87.60— keeping it the same as the other semesters.

At that time, it was understood that URSU would set up automatic payment with the University administration to collect the UPass fee from students registered in classes in Spring/ Summer semesters, the same as Fall and Winter are done. However, the lack of in-person classes during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns led to a temporary pause in the implementation of the Spring/ Summer UPass, and URSU did not set up automatic payment with the University then, or

In Regina, Peregrine Falcons have chosen to nest on top of City Hall. They hunt from heights of up to 3,000 ft., hurtling and striking prey, often in midair. If you haven’t already listened to the six short segments defending the city bird finalists, take time to do so and be amazed by the diverse bird citizens of Regina.

Vote for your choice in December and stay tuned, as the city plans to declare the winner on January 5, 2024: National Bird Day.

reimbursement

during the two and a half years since.

It is important to understand that a UPass and a regular bus pass are fundamentally different. URSU sent an email to students in April this year informing them about purchasing a UPass for Spring/Summer, but they were actually describing a regular bus pass at a reduced cost. The email was misleading, as it was titled “U-pass available for Spring and Summer Semester” and the content was confusing.

Students may not have realized at the time that the reason they would have to pay a lot more for Spring/Summer 2023 bus service was because instead of coordinating with the University to collect fees for 2021 and 2022 Spring/Summer semesters, URSU subsidized most of the money for this cost from its operational budget.

In an April 2023 letter written by Regina Public Interest Research Group (RPIRG) to URSU, Tayef Ahmed highlighted the mistakes that led to the disruption of UPass for Spring/Summer 2023. Among the issues mentioned in RPIRG’s letter, the one that stood out was URSU’s lack of communication with students. Lack of communication and transparency played a major role in the development of the situation as the students’ union failed

to clearly communicate its own shortcomings to students and instead offered a reimbursement of money that should not have been charged to begin with.

Moreover, if the situation is not resolved, it could continue to generate financial stress and potentially erode URSU’s relationship with the City of Regina, jeopardizing future UPass agreements. That could cost students more money in the future.

RPIRG advocated for the reimbursement from URSU beginning in April 2023. At a May 2023 board meeting, URSU agreed to return students’ money during the summer. Finally, URSU announced the reimbursement in November, but failed to provide the proper context around why such a reimbursement was necessary.

URSU would do well to realize that students would prefer honest communication and efficient action over a fabricated display of infallibility to cover up mistakes. In addition, as indicated by the 2019 referendum, students want the same affordable UPass for future Spring/Summer semesters as offered for Fall and Winter.

Mission possible

Ambassador Leaders reflect on the challenges met in recent event, and the journey to leadership

nazeemah noorally staff writer

The Centre for Experiential and Service Learning (CESL) hosted its annual Ambassador Leader Challenge on Thursday, November 16. Isha Larson, Volunteer and Experiential Learning Coordinator, told the Carillon that the event offered “an opportunity for the Ambassador Leaders to learn more about other student leaders, the challenges they faced, how they overcame those challenges and became effective leaders.”

Larson emphasized the experiential nature of the challenge, describing it as a dynamic process. “The leaders are participating in hands-on experiences, gaining new skills, and taking the time to reflect on what they learned and what they will do next to improve.”

According to Larson, the Ambassador Leader Program, which is part of the larger Ambassador Program, has a three-tier structure. “The Ambassador Leader Challenge is a project completed by the Ambassador Leaders. All students that join the Ambassador Program begin as Junior Ambassadors. Junior Ambassadors help with volunteer tasks at [University of Regina (U of R)] events. The next tier is the Senior Ambassadors who also help with volunteer tasks, but also have the skills and experiences to give tours of the U of R Main Campus. The third tier is the Ambassador Leaders –

these are the Ambassadors that are part of a 16-month program with the mission to develop student leaders through training, teamwork, leadership practice, event management, community service, and mentorship.”

Larson noted that this year’s event was a success. “The Ambassador Leaders did a wonderful job on their presentations. Of course, there were some facets of their presentations that I suggested improvement, but overall, they were impressive.”

The Carillon connected with some of the leaders who took the stage to give presentations for the event.

Austin Harvey, a second-year Education student, highlighted how the Ambassador role has impacted his university experience. “I wanted to offer opportunities to others and participate and volunteer within the community, and have my ideas heard and implemented. This role has made me feel more welcome on campus and has enabled me to meet many new people and do things I otherwise never would have been able to.”

“The topic [that] Mohammad Akib [Hussein]and I presented was the chapter Modelling the Way. A key takeaway was that modeling the way for others is best done when you yourself embody those values first. I left feeling happy with not only the content Mohammad and I presented, but also with the presentations of all the other Ambassador

“ It is up to you to take the initiative to create, join, and excel within your own student career, and in your personal life.”

Austin Harvey, second-year Education student

Leaders. I felt that the audience learned some things and that the exercise was a great learning experience for myself.”

Harvey’s journey transitioning from Junior Ambassador to Ambassador Leader was unique. “I was motivated and confident that I could do something on campus to change things, or to become involved with groups that do change things, and within roughly two and half months or so I was able to join as a Junior and finish out the semester as a Leader. “

“If you never try you will never know, and if you never know, you will never learn. It is up to you to take the initiative to create, join, and excel within your own student career, and in your personal life.”

Maliha Jabeen Khan, a third-year Biology major and Pre-Medicine student, delivered a presentation with her partner, Ashlyn Kirk, on the theme Enable Others to Act. Khan reflected, “Our discussion centered on the significance of fostering collaboration and empowering individuals to emerge as leaders. We highlighted the notion that effective leadership isn’t about dictating orders to Junior Ambassadors, but instead involves extending a supportive hand and collaborating with them.”

Khan explained that as a recent immigrant to Regina, she started her journey as a Junior Ambassador to establish a social circle in a new environment. She

soon took on the leadership role and was recently honored as Ambassador of the Year 2023.

“The Ambassador Program has, hands down, helped me develop a professional identity both on- and off-campus. My closest friends right now are people I have met through the Ambassador Program. I have learned a lot from my fellow ambassador leaders who are all inspiring, dedicated, and passionate individuals.”

Shalom E. Agun, a third-year student in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Health Studies, discussed their presentation: “Personally, I felt grateful to have the opportunity to present alongside another fellow ambassador leader, Emmanuella, on the topic Challenge the Process. I learned [that] being a leader requires collaboration. That being a leader takes a team, and to be the voice of change I should be able to seek out ideas for change anywhere, anyplace, anytime.”

Recounting her transformation from a Junior to a Leader, Agun shared, “I would describe myself as an introverted person who has always enjoyed getting involved one way or the other, and the Ambassador Program was the right call for me.”

“It took a while, but I found myself getting comfortable leading a tour group, giving tours to people, and learning to represent the university well because, for some, I am the first contact of knowing the university and what it has to offer to them. I have been

posed with challenges during events and the only way it was tackled was the joint effort of the whole team. Overall, it has been a fun and rewarding experience, the growth in me is evident and I hope to continuously challenge myself to grow more.”

As Coordinator, Larson envisions continuous growth for the Ambassador Program with a focus on student input and feedback. “I always encourage Ambassadors to share their thoughts with me so I know what is and what is not working. The Ambassador Program is all about being a team, so I want to hear from the Leaders as well as the Junior and Senior Ambassadors.”

Larson encourages students who aspire to be Ambassador Leaders to seize opportunities, engage, and build skills during their student years. “My advice for students who wish to take on a leadership role is to go for it! If you are interested in becoming an Ambassador Leader, you should apply. I often have students who are hesitant to apply because they don’t think that they have a chance, but you won’t know unless you apply. Just remember you need to become an Ambassador before you become an Ambassador Leader.”

To learn more about the Ambassador Program, students can visit the UR Path website or stop by the CESL office at RC 163.

Ethnic violence in Sudan

Outlining the ongoing brutality and its context

shivangi sharma news writer

On April 15, 2023, violent clashes broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan. The clashes erupted in the wake of two decades of military unrest in the region. The conflict exacerbates many of Sudan’s existing challenges, including ongoing conflicts, disease outbreaks, economic and political instability, and climate emergencies.

military-led government and their proxy militia, known as the Janjaweed, fought rebel groups in Darfur for a number of years in the early 2000s. Sudanese military, along with the Janjaweed, conducted a scorched-earth campaign in Darfur between 2003 and 2005. Through forced relocation and brutal attacks on civilians, both the government and Janjaweed forces methodically depopulated areas inhabited by the peoples of Fur, Masalit, and Zaghawa ancestry.

Attacks included the deliberate burning of crops, houses, and villages, as well as the planned

2005. Although large scale violence against civilians declined after 2005, most people who were displaced did not return to their hometowns and villages, fearing that violence might erupt again. Indeed, attacks on civilians have continued on a smaller scale over the years.

The minority populations living in Sudan saw some semblance of hope when an uprising in 2019 led to the removal of the National Congress Party, which had been ruling since 1989, and its long-time authoritarian ruler Omar al-Bashir. Hopes for reinstating a civilian rule were howev-

Peoples in Sudan have been subject to mass ethnic cleansing and humanitarian crises ever since April. The United Nations describe ethnic cleansing as a purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove – by violent and terror-inspiring means – the civilian population of another ethnic or religious group from certain geographic areas.

The conflict initially began in the country’s capital Khartoum and spread rapidly to the Sudanese states of North Darfur and West Darfur. What is important to understand here is the conflict that started in April has a long history with the last major event taking place in 2003, named the Darfur crisis.

Sudan has long been home to people of multiple ethnicities. The Arabs form the majority of the population inhabiting the nation, along with other non-Arab minorities. Soldiers from Sudan’s

devastation of food supply warehouses. Forces from the government and the Janjaweed targeted refugees and internally displaced people with more violence. Among the violent crimes were killings, rapes, and looting of aid supplies.

Approximately two million people were forcibly relocated and around 200,000 people died as a result of these actions. Horrifyingly, these atrocities against innocent civilians were sanctioned and facilitated by Sudan’s then-military-led government.

Among the first people on the international scene to call the slaughter in Darfur a genocide were representatives of the US government. At that time, President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell respectively released statements denouncing the ongoing genocide that the Sudanese government and Janjaweed were thought to be responsible for in 2004 and

ple are dying, and millions are crossing borders and entering the neighbouring countries of Chad, Egypt, Central African Republic, and Ethiopia as refugees. As per the United Nation’s (UN) report, 6.3 million people have been displaced inside and outside Sudan and as many as 3,130 allegation of severe child rights abuse have been reported since mid-April.

In another report by the UN, it was reported that between May and June, hundreds of Masalit men, women, and children, including the governor of West Darfur, have been killed. Many have been buried in mass graves, some bodies have been left in the

able due to the violence, military atrocities, and war crimes. Sudanese activist, Duaa Tariq, in her conversation with Al Jazeera stated that many people are only able to eat one meal a day. “Hunger is striking, people’s faces are getting very pale,” she remarked.

Along with rising hunger, Doctors Without Borders, also known by its French name Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), warns that Sudan’s medical sector is on the verge of complete collapse due to lack of financial aid. The severity of the situation is better understood when one thinks about people in need of regular medical assistance and

“We have never witnessed such a thing before. This is an incredible, incredible level of not only inhumanity, but incivility and brutality.”

Mamadou Dian Balde, East Africa regional director for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

er quashed two years later in 2021 due to a military coup which dissolved the transitional civilian government. The coup triggered a chain of political and economic turmoil and reignited conflicts in the country.

The clash that erupted in April has been termed by many as a power clash between the two main factions of military regimes after the dissolution of the transitional civilian government.

The two factions are Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Diplomats in Khartoum warned in early 2022 that they feared an outbreak of violence and that an eventual war between these two military organizations was inevitable after Bashir’s ousting in 2019.

As the violence in Sudan enters its ninth month in December, the people of Sudan face one of the largest humanitarian crises of recent times. Thousands of peo-

streets. Shops and houses have been burned and people are running critically short of essential supplies.

“It’s a daily struggle to get the essentials we need,” said Iman, a mother of two sheltering at a displacement site in Wadi Halfa, in Sudan’s Northern state bordering Egypt. “We lost everything that mattered to us, our home, our belongings, our jobs and our sense of security.”

The situation is particularly grim for women and girls in the country. Amnesty International released a report in August which revealed that scores of women and girls as young as twelve years old have been abducted and subjected to sexual violence and rape. As unimaginable as it may be for the people reading these reports, such horrors are a daily reality for the women and girls of Sudan. Hunger, disease, and lack of amenities are adding to the suffering which was already unthink-

pregnant women who would have to give birth in the coming months under compromised conditions.

What has been called one of the largest displacement and humanitarian crises of the century does not seem to be moving towards a resolution, and people continue to suffer with no end to sight.

In a conversation with The Current, Mamadou Dian Balde, East Africa regional director for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, said, “We have never witnessed such a thing before. This is an incredible, incredible level of not only inhumanity, but incivility and brutality. The world needs to pay attention to Sudan. There are other crises happening, but this is one of the largest.”

arts & culture

campus goodness

An overview of everything you need to know about Luther Cafeteria

victoria

staff writer

Looking for a place to sit down on campus and eat some good quality and healthy food? The Luther Cafeteria might be just the place for you. This cafeteria is a great place to go for any meal of the day. They are welcoming to everyone, and anyone can go there to grab some food and sit and enjoy their meal or take the meal to go.

The Luther Cafeteria is open all days of the week. The cafeteria has different hours of meals from weekdays to weekends. On weekdays, they serve breakfast from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m., lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and

breakfast for $12.84 plus tax, lunch for $15.99 plus tax, and supper for $17.78 plus tax. For these prices, you get to enjoy “Allyou-care-to-eat dining,” as stated on the Luther Cafeteria website, found at luthercollege.edu/university/residence-food-services/ cafeteria.

Note that when you pay for a meal inside, you cannot sit in and then take food to eat later. This is a fair rule to have. The rule ensures the Luther Cafeteria only has guests paying for the meals that they order and also that people are not taking too much. If too many people took too much food, there wouldn’t be enough for other people who may not have had any yet, so they want to make sure there’s enough for ev-

al, eggs, bacon, and hashbrowns, with a classic breakfast option of a denver.

For lunch, I could enjoy an all-day soup of chicken noodle or an all-day salad bar, with a lunch special of fish and chip as well as donair. Ending the day was a supper of pizza and wings. Please note that all menu items listed in this article are subject to change, and the quickest place to find the current menu is on their website.

Jacquie Pelletier, a staff member at Luther Cafeteria, stated the menu options stay relatively the same on a weekly basis. They always have a salad bar and some type of soup.

When you come for lunch, they typically have a rice and fries with a gravy option. With supper,

12:30 p.m. and they had lots of food there. I decided to have a salad with some fish and chips.

The quality of the fresh vegetables was great. Same with the hot dishes; they were well sized, and they tasted nice, hot, and fresh. If I wanted to go back for seconds I could and that is another nice thing. The buffet was well stocked with lots of food for every option.

They not only had lots of options, but they also provided information about each dish on top of the buffet. This allowed those who have dietary restrictions to choose what worked best for them conveniently. They had options like dairy-free and gluten-free items.

The food options, based

would like. The food options are not only good, but they also have delicious beverages like Coca-Cola brand beverages, coffee, tea, milk, and juice. They also let you choose a dessert!

Once you have all your food, they have a nice seating area where you can sit down and catch up with some friends or you can put some headphones on and watch your show while you eat or study.

If you are a full-time student or live on campus, you may want to look into getting a meal plan. All students can visit the Luther Cafeteria website under Meal Plans and there are three options. You can choose as few as 10 meals per week or up to 19 meals per week. With the meal plans,

“ But is the quality and quantity of the food as good as the options? The answer is yes!”

Victoria Baht

supper is served from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m.

On weekends and holidays, they have brunch from 12 to 3:30 p.m. and supper from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Now, these meal times may not work the greatest with your work or school schedule. Even so, there is no reason to worry, because you can take meals to go and eat them at your convenience.

The price of the food is not all that bad either. You can get

eryone to have some at least once.

Now that you know when you can grab some food and what the price of food is, what kind of food can you look forward to?

Well, the Luther Cafeteria menu has great options, which are available for anyone to see at the above website, under Weekly Menu.

I made a visit to the cafeteria on Friday, November 24, and for breakfast I could have had the option to enjoy things like fresh fruit, yogurt, granola, bread, cere-

they typically have a type of potato to go with the meal and the protein can change on a daily or weekly basis. This is great to have such different meal options for full-time students or students who stay on campus and choose to eat here often.

But is the quality and quantity of the food as good as the options? The answer is yes!

When I arrived at the Luther Cafeteria, it was at its prime lunch hour, as I arrived right around

on the menu that was provided online and in-person, were outstanding! When you arrive, you are welcomed into a nice buffet where the staff help you. All the staff are happy to help you whether that be by choosing different options, dishing, packing up your food, or even just asking how your day was.

The staff handle your food to ensure health and food safety, but you still get to choose what you want and how much you

you can choose to sit and enjoy your food, take it to go, or sign up for a bagged lunch or supper. As they say on the website, “Eat well, study better.”

Honestly, for a full-time student getting an all-you-can-eat meal for under $20, with a beverage, this is a great price and hard to find! The Luther Cafeteria is a great place to visit for all students.

Moving forward one step at a time

The best time to change things was years ago, the second best time is right now

mikayla tallon a&c editor

Okay, so you’ve got the basics on culture if you’ve been keeping up with this series (and, if you haven’t, head to carillonregina.com to catch up). Steps one through eight. As with the previous article, this is not an extensive list.

“What else is there that I could or should do?” This is a great question. The fact that it is even crossing your mind is important.

This question shows that there has been serious deprogramming and learning done on your end, as there is not a single country who will truly and fully own up to their current and past crimes willingly or without being monitored.

Countries are led by people, and typically people don’t want to say, “Hey, I fucked up. Here are all the ways, every single one, in which I fucked up. I’m working on it and making headway in my journey to making up for my mistakes. Here’s what I’m doing to make sure I never do that again.” There’s usually quite a bit of backlash first before they may say anything like this.

That is why what you could and should be doing is putting pressure on the government to represent, and care for, the people. And not just “the people who

look and think like me.” All people.

Paying attention to politics and the news is vitally important to the safety of all community members in Saskatchewan, Canada, and anywhere else on Earth. Our safety now and in the future. Building a bright future starts by building a bright present.

Having said that, never blindly trust the news, always do further research, and try to find first hand accounts. Some news companies have directives that journalistspeople trained to bring the truth and what needs to be known to people - don’t think are right but don’t want to lose their jobs.

However, sometimes the truth is more important than your job. There have been times in the past when journalists quit because of these conflicts of interest between the owners of a paper and those of the people looking to the paper for information.

One such example is the Las Vegas Review-Journal, which was bought by Sheldon Adelson through his son-in-law Patrick Dumont. Information on this fascinating story can be found at reviewjournal.com and some is included in the Journalism 100 course taught by Joe Couture (I highly recommend this course, it is… enlightening).

Sure, people are elected to government positions in Canada and therefore they supposedly al-

ready represent the people’s interests, but - unfortunately for some people - those interests may not actually be what is needed, both in the world and in the community.

You want your voice heard? Be loud. Contact your representative. Email them, call them, send them a handwritten letter, whatever works best for you. Tell your representative how you want them to vote on things and why. And if you think they need a little more incentive to listen, let them know you will not be voting for them next time if they don’t do what you say. Enough people saying, “Hey, I’m not going to vote for you if you don’t do this,” will get their attention if nothing else will.

And if your representatives aren’t listening or if being loud as a single voice isn’t working, find a group. Protest. Get louder. Be so loud they can’t possibly pretend not to hear you.

There are so many injustices and so many awful things going on in the world and it’s exhausting, but if your voice can make it so that some kid somewhere can finally have a day of peace, it is worth it. Always.

“What are some actual recommendations on how to move forward?” Go out into your community and see what people need. Observing is one way to do this, but sometimes the best thing to

Christmas movie marathon

Wondering what you should watch this holiday season?

By the time all of you out there are reading this article, it’ll officially be the holiday season. With that comes holiday movies, specifically Christmas movies.

Everybody has their own movie list of what they like to watch around Christmas time, but here are my Christmas must-watches.

Starting with a light-hearted movie from 2019 to remind you that this is about Christmas movies before we get into some of the more intense stuff, Klaus. It follows Jesper, a postman’s son being sent to a town in Northern Norway to send off letters.

While trying to send those letters, he finds a man named Klaus who lives alone in the woods, making toys. Together, they make a system to save Klaus’ job: send a letter, get a toy. Plus, Klaus (who is the Santa figure) is voiced by J. K. Simmons.

Starting our descent into the devious, we’re going light and watching Home Alone, the original from 1990. The story is well known. Kevin McCallister, a young boy, is accidentally left home alone from the family’s Christmas trip, and that just so happens to be when two men decide to break into the house. In response, Kevin does what any child would do: terrorizes the men with booby traps. It’s fun, it’s silly, it’s light-hearted, and it segues nicely

do is to ask. Once you know what they need, find a way to get them what they need or help them get what they need. Joining volunteer communities is a further way to help people in your community. Some in Regina include REALM, MS Canada, Carmichael Outreach, and Habitat for Humanity. One not specific to helping humans is the

Regina Cat Rescue.

If you have spare money but no spare time, donate to organizations that do things you agree with and are working towards a better world. Groups such as Native American Rights Fund, found at narf.org, and Clean Water Action, found at cleanwater. org, are ones to look into or to start off with in your research.

into what comes next.

Trust me when I say, you’d be hard-pressed to find this film on any other Christmas movie list. 1974’s Black Christmas. This movie isn’t for the faint of heart, so if you don’t like horror, skip this one.

A sorority house is celebrating Christmas when a man sneaks into the house and murders them.

It’s not just a classic slasher, it’s the classic slasher. Without Black Christmas, there would be no Halloween, no Freddy Krueger, and no Scream. Horror as a genre would be vastly different without it, and it’s the perfect scary movie for Christmas.

Easing off of the horror a bit, but keeping it in the family, Gremlins is next on our list. The

story goes that a man buys a small creature to give to his son as a pet. This pet, named Gizmo, starts to cause chaos in the house right around Christmas time. It was released in 1984 and written by Chris Columbus, who also directed and wrote Home Alone. It’s not too scary, but it’s definitely silly.

Die Hard. That’s it. That’s the next one. Die Hard is a movie that people love to argue about during Christmas, but this is my list, and in my list Die Hard is a Christmas movie.

It’s in the middle of the list because it’s the peak of intensity before we start slowing down a bit. Die Hard was released in 1988 and features Detective John McClane trying to reconcile with his wife at a Christmas party her work is hosting. But, unfortunately, there is a terrorist there trying to steal the money in the building.

The Polar Express from 2004 is the epitome of Christmas magic in a movie. Following the story of a boy on a train trying to go to the North Pole to visit Santa, it’s a deeper story than just “woohoo Santa.” Maybe the animation is a little creepy, but that’s why it’s in this spot on the list.

Now officially in light-hearted Christmas movie territory, we’ve got 1994’s The Santa Clause Tim Allen plays Scott Calvin, a man who had to become Santa because he triggered the legality

of “the Santa Clause.” It’s a great movie, it’s good for the family, and it’s a classic.

The story of A Christmas Carol is one with countless adaptations. A man named Ebenezer Scrooge isn’t the best guy, and he hates Christmas. But, in the night before Christmas, he’s visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future to show him the error of his ways. But, the best iteration is The Muppet Christmas Carol, released in 1992. Scrooge is the only human character amidst the Muppets playing every other character. What’s not to love?

We’re ending this list nice and easy with A Charlie Brown Christmas from 1965. The story goes that Charlie Brown is sad and his friend suggests he put on a Christmas play to cheer himself up. The most iconic thing from this movie is Charlie’s tiny Christmas tree. This is a true Christmas movie; light, fun, and something you can fall asleep to if you watched all nine of the movies from this list in one sitting.

will bright a&c writer

Hi Colleen...

Colleen returns to YouTube after disappearing for a couple months

will bright a&c writer

She’s baaaaaack.

After posting her now iconic ukulele apology video titled “hi.” on June 28, 2023, Colleen disappeared into the mystery of the internet.

But, now, she’s back.

On November 18, 2023, Colleen uploaded a video called “fall vlog” which has over a million views as of November 24.

She starts by apologizing for her absence before getting a little bit deeper into what happened in regards to her cancellation (check out my article “Bye, Colleen” for the deep dive on that). She makes sure to say she was “accused” of awful things and that it made her so mad she uploaded the ukulele video. She mentions that it was a choice following her ego. But, she does acknowledge that people got hurt because she was not paying enough attention to her comedy or fan interactions.

It’s certainly not a great apol-

She calls the time between her last vlogs in May the ‘halted’ time. She also mentions that she has changed a lot in the last few months.

Something that struck me as interesting is Colleen’s hair. Something she frequently did in her vlogs was make a huge deal about her hair.

She would spend weeks talking about cutting her hair or cutting her bangs. Video after video agonizing about wanting to do it, but not wanting to do it. She cut her hair and her bangs in her return.

During those months away, she continued to vlog. She states that it was at the recommendation of her therapist. Something that a lot of people online talked about when she was away is that they were grateful her three kids got to spend some time in their lives without a vlog camera shoved in their faces, though there is now doubt on this gratitude. This is alleged, as there is no proof or mention by Colleen that she continued to vlog her kids.

The vlog, titled “What I’ve been up to” has a significant drop in views compared to “fall vlog,” going from 1.1 million to 360,000 in just one day.

In that video, she compares her life during the ‘halt’ through a clip from a recorded during the hiatus vlog to feeling like “fly-infested, rotting seaweed.” This video has the first mention of her new obsession: rocks.

Yes, the entire video is her talking about and doing crafts with rocks. Scrolling through the comments on the video, I was unable to find anything that mentioned the controversy, the apology, or anything in that regard. Most of the comments were either excited she was back or excited about rocks.

The next video from November 20 is called “Watching old footage & Making Ornaments.” The views drop another 100,000 from the previous vlog.

By vlog three, it’s clear that the way she’s vlogging is different. Whereas before the controversy came to light, her vlogs were

ogy, but it’s better than ‘toxic gossip train.’

After about three minutes of apology, she gets right back into the swing of things with her vlogs. She has to mention her kids at the beginning, since they were a huge draw for her content. 90 per cent of her top 30 performing videos on her vlog channel have to do with pregnancy or the early days of postpartum.

This first vlog was more Colleen than anything else. Her husband, Eric, is featured in a two-second clip and her kids are not in the vlog at all.

She uploaded another vlog after the ‘halt’ the very next day on November 19. She starts the video with an updated intro voice-over, “I’m vlogging, it’s boring, I’m Colleen,” featuring the voice of her now-five-year-old son.

clip that she felt like herself again while vlogging. It’s also in this video that it’s confirmed her former best friend, Kory DeSoto, no longer edits her vlogs. DeSoto edited Ballinger’s vlogs for years. Many on the internet have claimed that DeSoto has moved out of Ballinger’s house where he lived for several years and worked as her assistant.

Looking at DeSoto’s Instagram, it states that he was in a musical performed in Provincetown, Massachusetts. He also posted a photo of himself and another person at a bar in Provincetown for Halloween, further giving cause to believe he no longer lives in California with Ballinger.

On November 23, she posted a video called “My Unexpected Birthday Surprise!” where she reveals something truly unexpected: she’s bringing back her birthday fundraiser. Every year for her birthday, Ballinger raises money for a charity working on fighting childhood cancer. But, there is little proof that she actually donates all of the money.

People online spent months

er pages are still open and can be donated to (with the exception of 2019 which was deleted a few weeks ago). The interesting part about the lack of proof is the website she uses. Ballinger uses Fundly for all her fundraisers, a website that sends the money straight into the organizer’s bank account, not the charity.

That being said, no, Ballinger does not take all the donation money for herself. She is a large donor for the Children’s Hospital of L.A. During her 2022 fundraiser, she doesn’t even state what charity she’s donating to.

Ballinger has confirmed in vlogs that she doesn’t donate the money in December, when the big fundraiser is, or in January, the month following. They wait to see if there’s a little extra money. One charity she donated to confirmed the amount they received from 2016 to 2021 which was $395,585.76.

Those of the ColleenBallingerSnark subreddit have found that by doing the math, there is $4,549.34 missing from that total.

“ Every year for her birthday, Ballinger raises money for a charity working on fighting childhood cancer. But, there is little proof that she actually donates all of the money.”

Will Bright

every moment of every day, featuring her kids and her husband. These vlogs are just her, when she has a minute during the day to comment on something or just talk. Her kids do feature in this vlog, but it is very minimal and at the end.

She says that she felt a part of her was missing when she wasn’t vlogging. When she shows a clip of one of the first vlogs she filmed during the hiatus, she states in the

digging before the big controversy asking for receipts that she donated said money. It reached its peak earlier this year in January of 2023 when DeSoto, who was mentioned earlier, told people asking for proof to “Call the family! Call the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles! Call the families that watched their child die!”

No proof was ever given that the money actually gets donated.

Four of her earlier fundrais-

The rest of the new vlogs aren’t super special, nor am I expecting any upcoming vlogs to be. She’s also still body checking over on her Instagram.

Long story short, she’s back to doing what she was always doing. It just so happens to be during the best time of year for YouTubers to make money.

NEWS

U of R‘s Name Project U of R students received an email from Student Affairs on October 31 announcing that students may now update their preferred name and gender through UR Self-Service. [...] there does not seem to be much information publicly available on the project, and whether it is ongoing or has completed its work. Consider interviewing an individual related to the project to learn more, and reflect on how the project benefits students, and/or may have a wider ripple effect outside of the university.

Email news@carillonregina.com

MONDAY

TUESDAY

ARTS & CULTURE

“Journalistic style” against Palestine

CTV and other media outlets have recently been the topic of discussion on online media forums and online media outlets for their racist and morally abhorrent policies and directives. Readings on this topic can be found here [breachmedia. ca/ctv-bell-media-forbidspalestine-suppresses-criticismisrael/] and here [breachmedia. ca/canadian-media-ctv-racistdouble-standardspalestinians/] ...

Email arts@carillonregina.com

WEDNESDAY

Living Planet

– 9:30 am (spoken-word)

stories from around the globe

Unscripted 9:30 – 10 am (spoken-word)

Connection

– 11 am (spoken-word) Get Chatty With Kathy 11 – 11:30 am (spoken-word)

A mixed bag of topics

Muzyka Ukraine 11:30 am – 12:30 pm WINGS 12:30 – 1 pm (spoken-word)

Raising women’s voices through radio

Scotland Calling 1 – 3 pm

Mists of Thyme (repeat)

THURSDAY

Daebak! (repeat)

5 – 7 am

The Mystic Voyage

7 – 9 am

The Book Show

9 – 9:30 am (spoken-word)

- 10 am (spoken-word)

OP-ED

“I wish we had...” ... What is something you wish we had on campus? This could be a favourite fast food joint, a nicer cafe with space to do your homework or just read, or maybe something else altogether. Maybe you wish the campus gym was bigger and had more equipment, maybe you wish student academic resources were more pronounced, or something far more utilitarian like more convenient parking. Whatever it is, share your picture of the ideal campus to (ideally) inspire administration!

Email op-ed@carillonregina.com

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

and

plus

Mollusk Leaded 11 pm – 12 am Avant-garde music

Phil’s Overnight Jam 12 – 5 am

sports & health

Attending a basketball game

What

it like to sit in the stands?

victoria baht staff writer

The University of Regina (U of R) Basketball teams tend to host home games on Friday and Saturday nights. These home games are played in the Centre of Kinesiology Health & Sport’s main gym.

The first game is typically the women’s team starting at 6:00 p.m., followed by the men’s team at 8:00 p.m. U of R students can attend these games for free with a valid student ID card, while non-students must pay an entrance fee. An adult fee is $18.89 plus taxes, a youth ticket (ages 6-17) is $5.95 plus taxes. One ticket grants admission to both games. You can purchase a ticket at reginacougars.com/tickets.

If you are looking to attend a game soon, make sure you check out the Cougars’ website and look at the schedule. Not all games are home games, and the schedule gives you descriptive information of who is playing, where, and when to ensure you know all the details of the basketball game you want to attend.

Once you buy your tickets, attendees are free to choose a seat within their section. Unlike concert tickets, there is a flat rate for a section so the price does not go up or down based on where you sit.

U of R home games are doubleheaders. Watching two games back-to-back is convenient, and can be a fun weekend event for friends and families. Watching back-to-back also keeps the energy in the gym high, and keeps the crowd excited for the next game.

To keep the energy going, the U of R makes the games engaging even for the audience. This is done with commentary, a live stream of the game on a big screen, and interactive break times. When the women’s game transitioned from the first to the second quarter, the crowd was challenged to win a bag of goodies. At half-time, they had a community league called “Little Ballers Exercise” come out and get children from the crowd active. Between the third and fourth quarter, they had the University

of Regina Dance Team come and perform for the crowd.

The crowd for this game was awesome. It was good to see members of the U of R community come out and cheer the team on. It looked like there were classmates, friends, and family members from both home and away.

The score was close all game long. In the last quarter, you could hear and just feel energy travel from the players on the court to the benches on the sidelines and into the crowd. There was lots of cheering involved. The women’s game ended with a final score of 72 for the U of R Cougars and Fraser Valley at 79. A very close game.

If you have the opportunity and time to come back on Saturday, you can watch the same two teams play again. With a final score so close together, watching them play the next day sure would be interesting and tense for the crowd.

After the women’s game is done, the men’s team comes out for their 20-minute warm-up. This is the perfect time to visit the canteen for a snack or a beverage. For those older than 19, you can get an alcoholic beverage for $7. They have pop and water for $2.50, chips and candy for $2.50, and popcorn and a hotdog for $5.00. The canteen only accepts debit and credit, though.

Student Health Clinic – underused resource?

doing for them?

As the Fall 2023 semester draws to a close, academic success is at the forefront of students’ minds, and so too should be their health. At this point, while University of Regina (U of R) students are caught up doing cram sessions and late-night study sessions for the upcoming final exams, the importance of self-care and both physical and mental well-being inadvertently takes a backseat.

Recognizing the challenges that students face during this period, the Carillon wanted to look at the Student Wellness Centre (SWC). Located in Room 119 of Paskwāw Tower, the Student Health Clinic, housed within the SWC, is staffed by licensed nurse practitioners who provide primary health care services to registered U of R students.

This week, the Carillon on the Move series provided an opportunity for U of R students to voice their opinions on the effectiveness of these services. Are students aware of the different health services available to them through the Student Health Clin-

ic? If so, how effective do they find the services offered and do they have any suggestions for further improvement? The Carillon spoke to several students to get their take on the matter.

Their website lists the primary health care services they offer, including care of “common infections, minor injuries, sexual

health (contraception-including IUD and Nexplanon implant insertions, STI testing and treatment, pregnancy testing), health promotion and preventative care, PAP smears, general medical examinations, [and] prescription refills.” Appointments can be booked online, over email, and over the phone, with contacts on

their website at uregina.ca/wellness-centre.

The clinic ensures access to a variety of services to address the holistic health of students. During the Carillon’s conversations with several students on campus, however, students gave diverse perspectives of the centre’s services.

A third-year Faculty of Arts undergraduate student highlighted the positive impact of having a Student Health Clinic on campus. “I’ve used the clinic for general medical exams, and the convenience of having it on campus is a plus. It just saves me time to commute to other clinics where the wait times are much longer.”

A master’s student emphasized the importance of accessibility, stating, “I didn’t know about some of the services until recently. I’d say having clearer information about what’s available would be really helpful.” They continued, “I don’t really notice the university actively promoting this service, but it’s only when I go to the website that I come to know of the details.” This observation underscores the importance of awareness campaign efforts that should further be endorsed to promote awareness and enhance

visibility.

In addition, a fourth-year undergrad offered a suggestion for improvement, saying “It would be great if the Student Wellness Centre could organize informative sessions or workshops on campus to educate students and raise more awareness to encourage them to utilize the resources being offered.”

The responses highlight the significance of ongoing dialogue between the university and the student body when it comes to the services offered by the Student Wellness Centre’s Health Clinic. While it is a valuable resource, the students’ feedback show that there is still room for improvement. Communication and awareness strategies may need to be improved to ensure that students are fully aware of the range of services available to support their health and well-being. After all, it is not just sufficient for the service to be available. It must be actively used by the students, and that can only be done if students know the services that are offered.

Who knew cookies could actually be healthy? Sweet but healthy

pall agarwall s&h writer

We often associate tasty and mouth-watering snacks with being unhealthy and packed with sugar but, as the world evolves, Sweet Nutrition has introduced healthy, tasty snacking.

“A wave of innovation and healthy snacking [started] to become really prominent, and that is where the idea originated. We wanted to do a cookie version of Smart Sweets,” said Casey Parker, co-founder of Sweet Nutrition.

On their website, Sweet Nutrition says their vision is to, “Create a healthier version of all the sweets, treats and snacks that individuals love and crave on a daily basis, while still remaining

really high-quality ingredients that we use. If you look at our ingredients, […] our main ingredients are almond flour, coconut oil, and, in our peanut butter cookie, natural peanut butter,” said Parker. Using natural, quality ingredients is an important part of how Sweet Nutrition operates. “We just use really high-end ingredients and that is why our product is a little more expensive.”

Parker said that it is the quality ingredients that give their cookies a “strong, nutritional foundation, … [and] most importantly, a delicious taste.” He is passionate and dedicated to ensuring that Sweet Nutrition’s cookies both taste good and are good for your health. In fact, he and Austin Calladine, another co-founder, wear different hats

The low sugar and all the other health benefits and key features are really just a bonus,” Parker added. “On top of that we are Canadian made, Canadian owned and operated, and manufacture all of our own stuff.

Sweet Nutrition started after Parker dropped out of the Edwards School of Business at the University of Saskatchewan. Parker dropped out to focus his full attention on Sweet Nutrition with his co-founder Austin Calladine. “Lots of trial and error. Lots of learning as we go. We’ve had to teach ourselves a lot,” said Parker.

Parker and Calladine faced their fair share of challenges with ups and downs to smoothly set up their venture. These challenges ranged from budgeting issues to

same day or same week as well. The hardest part is managing cash flow. A lot of [the businesses] that we serve, like the retail stores, do not pay us for 30, 60, sometimes even more than 60, days,” Parker said. “And we pay for our raw materials, ingredients, our labour, packaging, shipping either upfront or within 15 days. So, as you can see by that setup, we burn a lot of cash quickly.”

Despite being a small company, Sweet Nutrition still has a lot of variety and value to offer. Their product line ranges from chocolate chip cookies to soft peanut butter, double chocolate, snicker doodle cookies, and a lot more. Their cookies do not have to be refrigerated since they are butter-free, and they have a shelf life of 14 months.

and be a “sponge” to absorb as much information as you can. “Nobody is an expert,” he said, “Nobody knows anything. […] Be open-minded, be willing to adapt. Don’t think you know everything because you surely don’t.” Shedding a light on the food and beverages industry, Parker mentioned that it has great exit market and that people exit with multiple streams of income taking home lots of assets with the dedicated effort put into building it.

“That’s really the best part about them, genuinely good taste. […] The low sugar and all the other health benefits and key features are really just a bonus.”

Casey Parker

delicious.” The idea came from Smart Sweets, and Parker said, “They were doing really good with low sugar candies, and they were a Canadian company as well.” As displayed on their packaging, these cookies are also gluten-free, vegan, contain no sugar, and are low in carbohydrates. That makes them a great option for people with dietary restrictions such as celiac disease, lactose intolerance, and diabetes.

“[A] lot of it is based on our

and are involved with running different parts of the company. With the dedication behind the product, Sweet Nutrition sets itself apart from major snacking industries that are not interested in the health of the consumer.

“We put our product not just against [other brand’s] cookies but really all butter-free snacks. [… They] taste like a normal cookie,” Parker continued.

“That’s really the best part about them, genuinely good taste. […]

accumulating capital. Sweet Nutrition struggled to start up as a small company when large companies already dominated the food and beverage industry.

“Honestly the biggest challenge as a small company in the industry is going up against multi-billion-dollar companies who have a lot of capital to work with in comparison to us. We have a really tight budget. Pretty much every dollar that we get into our bank account is going out at the

In the future, Sweet Nutrition intends to increase their product line, look deeper into acquisitions, explore private labels, and make products for different companies. Still, though, their goal is to provide healthy, delicious products to their customers. “We still want to increase our product line and come up with more stuff other than cookies. Increase our retail footprint,” continued Parker. Parker encourages budding entrepreneurs to take the plunge

Entrepreneurs work to bring change to the world with their innovation and creations that have only made the world a better place to live. For years people have been searching for healthier options to their sweet-tooths and cravings. Sweet Nutrition seems to be just that, and with a plan to introduce healthier versions of traditionally unhealthy snacks, they might have discovered their own niche in the market to fill.

Sweet Nutrition is one such creation that will impact the munching lifestyle for all by introducing people to different ways of consuming cookies.

Long-term care home updates

Care homes have been closing, but plans to mitigate impacts are taking shape

kimberley kaufman s&h editor

Care homes in Regina have been closing without due notice and without a solid plan from the government to address the growing need for long-term care. However, recent updates suggest the government is finally getting on top of the escalating situation.

The Government of Saskatchewan released news that the Regina Lutheran Home (RLH) will not be closed. Instead, Eden Care Communities is transferring ownership of the facility to the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA). The RLH provides up to 62 residents with long-term care.

Their website has not been updated, and states that, “[The] RLH is a special care home operated as an Affiliate of the Saskatchewan Health Authority. […] RLH consistently meets and exceeds the SHA’s quality indicators for special care homes.” With this information, it appears that the RLH is operating as normal, a blessing for the residents and family who may have feared eviction over the last month.

Tim McLeod, the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, Seniors and Rural and Remote Health, stated that, “It is import-

Youth

ant to maintain these 62 beds as we work toward adding 600 longterm care beds in Regina. Keeping Regina Lutheran Home open will support the health care system’s ability to meet the need for long-term care in Regina while work to add more beds continues.”

In 2021, the Government of Saskatchewan announced that the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of SaskBuilds and Procurement, and the SHA planned to add “nearly 250 specialized longterm care beds, to support the needs of residents with dementia, mental health needs and complex behavioural needs. This will be followed by the addition of more than 350 standard long-term care beds.”

The planned construction of a new care home to replace the Regina Pioneer Village in 2019 is also a part of this plan. As written by Larissa Kurz in the Regina Leader-Post, on October 11, 2023, the Regina City Council approved the “rezoning on two parcels of land along Regina’s southeast limits to allow a building development proposal from the Ministry of SaskBuilds and Procurement.” This land will be used to build a 240-bed long-term care facility to replace Pioneer Village.

counselling

Leah Lopez, the acting executive director of infrastructure programs at SaskBuilds, said, “This will create capacity to meet the broader needs of specialized care in Regina.” She also suggested that the close proximity to the University of Regina and Saskatchewan Polytechnic could be beneficial for future care aide training programs.

The development of the new facility is set to start in the sum-

mer of 2024, and the Pioneer Village will remain in operation until it is finished. This new build and the retention of the RLH and Pioneer Village are a great start to addressing the need for affordable, long-term care facilities. However, the need still exists at present. There are around 350 beds remaining in the promise to add 600 in Regina. With the recent closures of multiple Private Care Homes in Regina, the need

for immediate solutions seems to be rising.

The plans for the new facility will begin summer 2024, but the issue grows more stressful on the families of evicted residents who must cope with unaffordable long-term care throughout the winter. Still, these two actions of the government show they are looking to solve the affordable long-term care housing needs in Regina.

More widely available counselling? Hurrah!

The Government of Saskatchewan released a funding plan for youth, children, and their caregivers in Saskatchewan to have access to free counselling services in various communities across the province. Counselling is typically associated with mental health issues, but it can be used for a wide variety of minor and major concerns.

With the government’s commitment to address mental health issues in youths, this step has great implications for the health and wellbeing of young people in Saskatchewan. “The ability to quickly connect young people with the health services they need is crucial for improving the well-being of our communities across the province,” said Dustin Duncan, who at the time of the plan’s announcement was the Minister of Education and Weyburn-Big Muddy MLA.

According to a news release from the Government of Saskatchewan on June 30, 2023, Family Services Saskatchewan (FSSK) is expected to receive “$3.2 million in annual funding: $1.7 million in new funding for expanding rapid access counselling services to children and youth, and $1.5 million to provide ongoing services to adults and families in more than 20 communities.”

In another release from June 14, 2023, the Government of Saskatchewan said that rapid counselling services are now available

“to children and youth in at least 13 communities across the province and to adults in Assiniboia, Biggar, Craik, Cudworth, Estevan, Gravelbourg, Humboldt, Kamsack, Kelvington, Kindersley, Leader, Martensville, Moose Jaw, North Battleford, Prince

porting teenagers when they are being counselled. This includes guidelines like respecting your teen’s privacy about what they talk about during private counselling, communicating with the counselors as needed, and simply being patient and positive to-

of the province which even students can see, even if they don’t know where it comes from. Thus, providing youths with counselling services for free could help youth understand themselves better and learn how to healthily deal with stressors in their lives, developing

Albert, Regina, Rosetown, Saskatoon, Swift Current, Unity, Wadena, Weyburn, Wynyard and Yorkton.”

Notably, these offerings are only in communities in Central and Southern regions of the province. Remote and Northern communities, already lacking in health services and easily accessible health care, are not included.

Besides this, the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) has also provided guidelines on sup-

wards the task being worked out and the teen receiving the care they deserve. Also on this website are different support services and hotlines in the event of a crisis.

The importance given to mental health and youth tackling this issue reflects the priority given by the Government of Saskatchewan on this issue. The growing addiction and houselessness crisis being witnessed in the province negatively affects youth mental health. This reflects the poor state

positive coping strategies early on.

As the program continues to grow and help the people in the province of Saskatchewan, it is evident that there is a need for mental health services catered towards the younger population. Counselling service details are given on the FSSK website counsellingconnectsask.ca, which is easy-to-navigate and user-friendly.

The “book now” tab helps

people book appointments with a counsellor in their area. “There is no waiting list and no cost to you,” as indicated in the website. This makes it accessible to anyone and everyone who needs it.

The FSSK website notes that their services can be used for common issues that people experience in their daily lives. They include issues ranging from isolation and loneliness to grief and loss, relationships, bullying, problem gambling, sleep issues, anxiety and depression, drugs and alcohol, and more.

A service like this would provide them with a space to talk, discuss, and learn more about how to deal with those fears and battles often being fought alone. The website has two different setups for counselling. One is for children, youth, and their caregivers, and the other for a rapid-access counselling service for adults.

Keeping both the tabs separate indicates the mindfulness of the topic being dealt with given the age and experience of the individual. This service is still being expanded to more communities to allow an even greater access to free counselling services in Saskatchewan. pall agarwall s&h writer

op-ed

Slow down!

Nobody seems to care where they go as long as they get there fast

The culture of glorifying speed is all around us. It has been decades since we opted for fast food, where the time between walking in and having your food ready has progressively been cut down, often along with the quality of the food being served. Online and in bookstores, the selection of books promising some sort of fast reward or another only seems to grow.

Some people want their ideal body in six weeks, some want to learn the buzzword technology of the week in 72 hours, and some are as ambitious as to look for a book that helps them find happiness and meaning in five simple steps.

Our entertainment landscape is also changing. Fewer people reach out to a book that calls for deep, sustained focus and perhaps days of engaged reading. There was a time when the competition for the deep mental demands made by books was the relatively shallow demands of a movie or a TV show. Since then, we have only become even more efficient with our time. Today, the primary form of entertainment is social media reels and YouTube videos, and anything above 30 seconds is getting swiped away with one smooth motion of the thumb.

Everything around us, from the pursuit of a meaningful life to just being entertained in our downtime, is now reduced to snappy one-liners and catchy taglines. It seems we are losing our ability for patience, focus, and above all, nuance.

So, why is that a problem? If people are happy with 30 second reels, crash courses on crypto currencies, and fad diets that have you eating carbs only when there is a full moon and a crow faces East, why am I whining? Well, for one, I enjoy whining. But, secondly, I am not convinced that what makes us happy here and now is what is good for us months and years down the line.

The weight we lose with some extreme fad diet can leave people with an eating disorder, and we gain it all back as soon as we stop tracking the phases of the moon. We miss out on masterpieces of cinema, television, and literature because we cannot sustain attention on anything long enough to enjoy the subtleties of art the greatest craftsmen of the world have brought us.

How do you enjoy and relish every second of Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds if you have to look at your phone every time there isn’t an explosion on the screen? How do you enjoy the beauty of Stoic philosophy or Jewish mysticism if you have to check your social media every few minutes? And while you might be able to

manage a surface level knowledge of the latest crypto currency in 72 hours, will you ever really be able to compete with someone who understands the fundamentals of it and has spent a decade mastering every aspect of those fundamentals?

What is easily earned is often easily lost. That is why our obsession with the fastest and easiest routes to reaching a goal might be worth getting a grip on. Further, this relentless drive for more, and to get it as quickly as possible, is hurting us, if not killing us.

The number of people struggling with mental health challenges is steadily on the rise. Most of us are unsatisfied with our own lives, often because we are comparing it against not merely a neighbor or peer, but the supremely curated social media posts of everyone we are acquainted with. Like a friend of mine once remarked, no one posts photos on the days when everything has gone wrong, their favourite jeans are caked in mud, and all they have to eat is canned tuna. We post photos of our best moments, and yet when we look at those of others, we are convinced this is how they live, look, and feel every day.

To me, what it all boils down to is that we have become impatient, and unwilling to sustain attention on hard things. At some level we have become, or are quickly becoming, unable to do hard things. At the first sign of mental strain, of pushback, we reach for our phones and get entertainment on demand. If there are ever five minutes in a day when we are not being amused, we reach into our pockets. And over time, we need more and more entertainment.

Except, how can we advance in our education and our professions if we cannot persist and work hard on things that do not initially come easy to us? What would the world of literature be like if Stephen King stopped writing every time he felt a block, and scrolled TikTok instead? How long would it have taken humanity to unravel the mysteries of the universe if Sir Isaac Newton kept interrupting his work on gravitation to be entertained, or did not have the perseverance to figure out the completely new kinds of math his work called for?

These may sound reductive, but how do we know that some of the most promising minds today, the ones who could find cures for cancer or end world hunger, are not constantly bombarded by distractions and feeling pressured to do something quick and simple? We have glorified fast, easy, and shallow. What I worry about is that most of our advancement has happened by doing things that are slow, hard, and deep.

I want to see this trend change. I want to see more and more people refusing the

glitz of quick gratification, of pursuing some constant stream of shallow entertainment. I want to see more of us choose to do less, but with more passion. I want to do hard things that leave me a little tired, but over time help me feel like I am becoming a better person.

I want to make demands of myself to pursue a deep, focused life. And I hope many, many others will join me in saying no to fast, shallow, and easy.

“We have glorified fast, easy, and shallow. What I worry about is that most of our advancement has happened by doing things that are slow, hard, and deep.”

The challenges of multiculturalism

The nuance that, as children, we couldn’t quite get a grasp on

I grew up in Toronto, a big city which has always had a wide mix of diverse cultures. I remember going through Chinatown. Some adults were so excited to see the little White kid, eager to learn more about their culture, while others weren’t so sure. As a kid I wasn’t aware of why that was the case, but as an adult I can guess it had something to do with the racism they faced so regularly. My relatives who lived nearby had a parent from Trinidad, so I also got to experience that culture.

I also saw the issues between groups from different parts of the world, between countries with complex histories that many of us here in North America were not even aware of. I knew a couple of kids who could only be friends at school because their parents did not want them associating with children from a culture other than their own.

I remember not knowingly meeting anyone of Indigenous descent until I entered sixth grade, where I had a teacher who was half Iroquois and half Mexican. He taught us a lot about both sides of his own heritage and arranged cultural potlucks for our sixth grade class. He brought tamales and bannock. Another student brought a soup which paired well with the bannock. I brought pierogies, because part of my heritage was Ukrainian.

Canada claims to celebrate and encourage cultural diversity, which is why it is often referred to as a mosaic of cultures. This allows one to cultivate respect for the various cultural backgrounds, traditions, languages, and practices that all the different ethnic and immigrant communities bring to the country, instead of forcing everyone into assimilating to a single identity. Individuals and communities are encouraged to preserve their cultural heritage. This balance allows us to create a better country, one that is more welcoming. There is still a lot work to be done, but if Canada continues to celebrate the various identities in the country, I feel that

the next generation of Canadians will be better people because they will learn that everyone can be celebrated for the many different aspects of their identities.

Another issue is when two countries engage in conflict. The impacts on multiculturalism can be significant and multifaceted. Increased hostility can lead to discrimination, scapegoating, and even violence against minoritized groups perceived to be associated with opposing nations. Also, during times of conflict, governments might implement strict immigration policies, making it harder for people from nations in conflict to move or migrate freely.

This restriction can affect families,

cultural exchanges, and economic ties, hindering the diversity and richness that multiculturalism thrives upon. The diplomatic strain between nations can greatly impact international collaborations, such as educational exchanges, artistic engagements, or joint cultural initiatives.

In the end, conflicts between countries strain the delicate fabric of multiculturalism, fostering suspicion and division, and hindering the celebration of diverse cultures. Overcoming such challenges often requires diplomacy, education, and efforts to promote understanding and cooperation among communities affected by the conflict.

The negative impacts of such conflicts, including heightened tensions, discrimination, and restricted exchanges, demonstrate what multiculturalism strives to achieve.

Amid these challenges lies a beacon of hope: the idea that early, widespread exposure to diverse cultures can significantly diminish prejudice and foster a more inclusive society.

Society needs to recognize the influence of cultural exposure on shaping inclusive mindsets and emphasize the need for diplomacy, education, and a collective commitment to stop the divisive impacts of conflicts. It serves as a path for a world where the vibrant mosaic of cultures weaves together seamlessly, creating a tapestry with threads of respect, appreciation, and unity.