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At the very end of the 19th century, Albert Ballin set forth to create the world’s first cruise ship. The ship, named the Prinzessin Victoria Luise, allowed passengers to enjoy the pastimes of the time period while staying in state of the art cabins. Travelling to various destinations by the start of the 20th century, the Prinzessin Victoria Luise was one of the first Caribbean cruises.
However, only a few years later, the Prinzessin Victoria Luise crashed on a voyage. While no one died in that incident, less than a decade after that the Titanic sank, killing over 1,500 people.
There are numerous other examples of cruise ship disasters, such as the sinking of the Costa Concordia off the coast of Italy in 2012 that claimed the lives of 32 people. Even discounting the potential negligence of a captain and crew, deaths on cruise ships are far from unheard of.
An individual example is that of George Smith, a newlywed who disappeared while on his 2005 honeymoon. His disappearance left a string of mysterious clues, including a bloodstain. Even so, the FBI investigation that followed came up with nothing conclusive, and the case remains unsolved.
While Smith’s case may not have been determined to be a crime, crime certainly exists on cruise ships.
According to a 2019 report examining crime at sea, sexual assault of all magnitudes is the highest reported crime on cruise ships.
often been coerced into not reporting crimes or pressing charges.
In 2014, a woman on a cruise ship was violently assaulted by a crew member, only for 911 calls placed by passengers who heard her pleas for help to be assigned a lower priority than an overflowing toilet.
That’s not even mentioning the number of people who have gone missing while on ships as either a tourist or an employee.
Cruise ships are also notorious for exploiting their workers. Cruise ship employees
subject working in finance explained that they did not feel secure in their employment, as the cruise line could terminate or amend their contracts and could change their work schedule with little to no notice.
Stay alive and healthy by staying off cruise ships
The report added that, historically, there has been a lack of transparency in reporting crimes on cruise ships, as cruise lines have largely been left to police themselves.
As a result, the history of crime on cruise ships has seen a pattern where victims have
often work 100-hour weeks for low pay and remain on call constantly. Research done in 2015 found that working conditions onboard cruise ships left many employees exhausted physically and mentally.
Additionally, one research
On top of all of this, the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic showed how disease onboard cruises can spread like wildfire. In February of 2020, a passenger who tested positive for COVID after disembarking the Diamond Princess cruise ship spread the virus to over 700 other passengers, leaving the entire ship on lockdown.
sea for months. If these reasons aren’t enough to make you steer clear of cruises, some estimates place the cost of a weeklong cruise in 2023 at anywhere from $1,900 to over $3,000 per person. That is potentially as much as a U of M faculty of arts student’s tuition for an entire semester, depending on their course load. Or, alternatively, hundreds of Disneyland churros. Think about all you could do instead of spending money on a cruise.
Disregarding my irrational fear of the ocean, cruises are essentially petri dishes for crime, disease and exploitation. No one should be subjected to being on a cruise as either an employee or a passenger.
Stay alive and healthy by staying off cruise ships.
The Diamond Princess was just the first of many cruise ships affected by the spread of COVID. By March, there were dozens of ships with tens of thousands of people on board trying to find a port that would allow them to dock. Many found themselves stranded at comment@themanitoban.com
The lacklustre aftermath of BLM protests
Empty promises and hollow actions can’t change systemic racism
Dina Hamid, staff
George Floyd’s death in May 2020 sparked countless Black Lives Matter protests and rallies around the world, including here in Winnipeg, and there was no doubt in my mind that I was going.
The night before the Winnipeg protest, my sister and I bought posters and spent hours using our limited creativity to think of what to write. The next day, some of my friends gathered at my house and we made more posters, loaded the car and set off to the legislative building to scream for our rights.
I was fully prepared to attend a protest of 100 people or fewer. To my surprise, thousands of Winnipeggers came out to the Justice 4 Black Lives rally. This was shocking to me, since there has not been a time in my life when I have seen people in Winnipeg show solidarity with Black people more than this.
It was a heartfelt moment that I and everyone in the car with me felt in the air. However, the moment quickly went away when a white lady in front of us with an interchangeable “Justice for George Floyd” and “All Lives Matter” poster was publicly ousted from the crowd.
Clearly, not everyone was there for the right reasons, but for that brief moment I was proud of us and our progress.
It has been nearly three years since that rally.
Since then, black squares have been deleted from Instagram feeds, stickers have been taken down, signs have been discarded, protest posters have been lost to time, “BLM” and linktrees have been scrubbed off bios and just like that, the performances were over.
said he would work alongside the caucus to identify how to proceed.
The 44 calls to action fell under five categories: supporting Black-owned businesses, police and justice reforms, investing in Black artists and culture, collecting disaggregated, race-based
— the same action that killed George Floyd — and tasered him repeatedly.
Apologies, empty gestures and hollow promises do nothing for Black people except make their eyes roll
data and diversifying the public sector.
Looking back, that’s what the support for Black Lives Matter was — a performance. Those international protests resulted in a heap of promises that intended to address systemic racism. However, three years later it seems like not much has changed.
After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took a knee and did his little photo op around the Parliament Hill Black Lives Matter rally, the Parliamentary Black Caucus, a group that consists of MPs and senators, issued a letter to the government that included 44 calls to action addressing racism. Trudeau, obviously, embraced these recommendations and
About a year after the protests, CBC News did a full analysis of the federal government’s actions done to address and combat anti-Black racism. According to the CBC, the government had made progress, budgetary allocations or bill proposals related to 24 out of the 44 calls to action by Aug. 1, 2021.
For instance, a Black University of Toronto student is currently suing the Toronto police, alleging that in 2021 he was unlawfully stopped on his way to school by three Toronto police officers who tackled him, placed a knee on his neck
Although some Canadians believe that police brutality only affects our American neighbours, this is not the case. A 2020 report from the Ontario Human Rights Commission found that Black Canadians accounted for 32 per cent of all those charged by police in Toronto from 2013 to 2017, despite making up less than nine per cent of the city’s population.
Racism in policing is a problem that still affects Black Canadians today. Released last summer, an analysis of race-based data gathered by Toronto police in 2020 found that Black people are 2.2 times more likely to have police encounters and are 1.6 times more likely to have force used against them during these encounters. The police chief himself expressed regret over the report’s findings and vowed to combat systemic racism in the force.
While there isn’t much data available about anti-Black racism in Winnipeg policing, we still have a problem of race-
based police violence here. The CBC compiled data about those who died or were killed during police encounters between 2000 and 2017, and found that although Indigenous peoples made up 10.6 per cent of Winnipeg’s population during that time, over 60 per cent of people killed during police interactions in Winnipeg were Indigenous.
Apologies, empty gestures and hollow promises do nothing for Black people except make their eyes roll. Actual police and justice reform is necessary to fix the underlying systemic racism that plagues the lives of Black people and other people of colour. When will changes be implemented to protect the well-being of Black bodies? When will we finally stop seeing the words Black, dead and police officer in the same recurring headlines? We all believed that enough was enough three years ago, but when will we finally see actual change?
comment@themanitoban.com
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5 Rounds, 5 Sexy Prizes
Thursday, February 16 | 7–9PM @ VW Social Club Free Entry | Bingo cards $5 | 18+ w/govt.
The unjust society
There is no reason for some to suffer while others live in luxury
TBraden Bristow, staff
he very fact that there are homeless citizens in our city is a glaring problem. My issue is that there are people suffering on the streets while others sit comfortably in their homes. The fact that you can drive through neighbourhoods such as Linden Woods, Tuxedo and Wellington Crescent and see massive houses, then drive through other neighbourhoods and see unhoused people is just plain wrong.
A study by End Homelessness Winnipeg found that between May 24 and 25 of 2022, there were at least 1,256 people experiencing homelessness. Furthermore, over 50 per cent of homeless people at that time were Indigenous. The 2021 Winnipeg census indicates that only about 14 per cent of the city itself is Indigenous.
Of course, even without being the result of systemic racism, homelessness is still an issue. Not having basic housing for the homeless in a city where over 46,000 people make above $100,000 a year is obscene.
While it is not necessarily fair to put the blame on the upper class of this city, it does help provide some perspective to draw a comparison between those who can afford the big house and the nice car and those who cannot even afford rent.
We could, however, put some blame on the City of Winnipeg. For example, in 2021, 27 per cent of the city’s budget was put toward the Winnipeg Police Service. That means over $301 million went just to policing. Meanwhile, in 2021 the city approved a 2022 budget that
included just $1.1 million to help homeless people.
The province of Manitoba, however, announced that it would put forward just over $15 million to help house and support the homeless. In
ing the homeless is, and should be, appreciated. However, there is an obvious issue when the city’s homeless receive only about 10 per cent as much as the $301 million budget going to police.
There is an obvious issue when the city’s homeless receive only about 10 per cent as much as the $301 million budget going to police
addition to this, the federal government committed $12.8 million from the Rapid Housing Initiative. Any commitment to help -
This does tell us something important. Not only is there inequality among the citizens of Winnipeg, but there is a severe failure to acknowledge the real issues facing our city.
While the municipal government is only willing to
commit about $1 million to helping our homeless, the provincial and federal government are committing well above that benchmark. If the City of Winnipeg truly cared, the municipal government would reroute some of that police funding into housing, mental health and support initiatives.
are made up of individuals who care and want to make a difference. It is just unfortunate that these organizations are the exception and not the rule when it comes to supporting our homeless population.
As a city, we should strive to help those most in need. It is unacceptable that over a thousand people go without permanent housing while thousands of others live comfortably or even in luxury.
This may seem quite cynical and rather grim, but there are people in this city who really do care and try to make a difference. Organizations such as End Homeless Winnipeg, the Main Street Project and Harvest Manitoba do good work in Winnipeg, and comment@themanitoban.com
* Whenever you see a mystery asteriisk that doesn’t have a matching footnote, it points here.
If you ever see the † dagger symbol with no unmatched foot- note, it means the writer is saying the phrase while threatening you with a dagger.
To complete Sudoku, fill the board by entering
1 to 9 such that each row, column and 3x3 box contains every number uniquely
In Hidato, fill the board by continuing the chain of numbers from 1 to 100 moving any direction or diagonally to the next number.
In Straits, like Sudoku, no single number can repeat in any row or column. But rows and columns are divided by black squares into compartments. These need to be filled in with numbers that complete a “straight.” A straight is a set of numbers with no gaps but can be in any order, eg [4,2,3,5]. Clues in black cells remove that number as an option in that row and column and are not part of any straight. Glance at the solution to see how “straights” are formed.
Sudoku
Puzzle by Syndicated Puzzles
Hidato
Puzzle by M.J.D. Doering
Straights Puzzle by Syndicated Puzzles
Horoscopes for the week of Feb. 15
Zodiac tips for surviving life at the U of M
Damien Davis, staff
ARIES
Your tarot card for the week is the Ace of Swords reversed. Your horns have grown, and they’ve clouded your judgement. You may think you’re acting rationally and within the best interests of others, but the curves of your spiral shapes have prevented you from seeing the stubbornness disguised as true objectiveness. This card asks you to trim and rethink your decisions. You cannot shed like a deer, so you had best get to sawing.
TAURUS
Your tarot card for the week is the Nine of Cups reversed. Materialism doesn’t suit you. Like your bull kin, the colour green can be easier to see and identify than the colour red. This card asks you to remember that while money can very well buy you happiness, when we indulge too much we lose sight of what can also bring joy — love, in all its forms.
GEMINI
Your tarot card for the week is the Queen of Wands. This card recognizes that you live a busy life, and as a Gemini multi-tasking is something you’re proficient in. Two selves working together is a force to be reckoned with. However, you cannot let the fear of judgement prevent you from putting yourself out in the world as you hide behind books. You have plenty to offer those around you, so join hands with yourself and step into the light. How can you silence someone with two identities, two hearts beating as one and two sets of wits?
CANCER
Your tarot card for the week is the Three of Wands. You have been preparing for “this,” planning and organising it, and it will come to fruition. This card reminds you that everything is progressing steadily due to your determination and drive, but it’s natural to feel cautious and even nervous. There will always be challenges ahead, not just in your academic career but in life as a whole. This does not mean you don’t have a choice. Crabs are creatures that can walk in all directions, and you can too.
LEO
Your tarot card for the week is the Nine of Pentacles. It’s time for self-celebration and as a Leo you’re no stranger to it. This week-long break will be a time for rest and relaxation, and for getting in tune with yourself again. This card tells you that you’ve accomplished so much, and while the work is not done it’s important to reward yourself for what you’ve achieved so far. Smooth out your fur, braid your mane, sit back and consider the glory you’ve obtained.
VIRGO
Your tarot card for the week is the Two of Pentacles reversed. It’s admirable to be able to push yourself and reach finish lines you thought you’d never reach, but this card warns you that you run the risk of struggling to maintain your schedule. Extracurriculars and volunteering do make resumes and applications look good, but what use are they if you can’t complete them due to constant fatigue? Are you over-investing, throwing yourself into these constantly busy weeks at the expense of yourself? Reassess, and more importantly, get some rest. You’ve got your whole life to be busy, no point rushing into it.
’Toban Tips
How to deal with annoying classmates
Dear wise and glorious Toby, I am currently in a class with someone who is SO INCREDIBLY ANNOYING. He is disruptive, he talks back to the prof and he derails class pretty much every lecture. I have tried to overcome my annoyance, but I’m finding that it’s hard to want to stay in class when this person is so irritating. What should I do?
Sincerely, Annoyed student
Dear Annoyed student, If this student is as disruptive as you say, it might be time to reclaim the space. While it is important for everyone to be able to participate in free and equal discourse, the classroom should also be a safe and comfortable place to learn and it sounds like this student is turning your class into a difficult environment to learn in. To address this, asking your professor a question that will re-focus the learning material or fur-
LIBRA
Your tarot card for the week is the Nine of Swords. This week has not been kind to you, we know. You’re not sure when the burnout began, but you’re deep within it and feel like you’re crawling to the break. This card acknowledges that, but advises that too much worrying can create a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you obsess and predict, you could very well make it happen by willpower alone. The scales are heavy this week and the balance is in jeopardy. Go back to what you know — the comforts that keep you rejuvenated.
SCORPIO
CAPRICORN
Your tarot card for the week is the King of Cups. You’re at your best this week, and you’ve managed to find the balance between your emotional and logical thinking. This card represents the fact that you’ve gained control of things that previously felt wild and loose within the fields. But you rode into the dusk, and you brought them back into the barn. This wasn’t easy, but the rewards speak for themselves. Not everyone, however, is on the same level of balance, and you might feel confused about the chaos in other people’s hearts. Remember — that was you once, so don’t spoil your accomplishments with arrogance.
AQUARIUS
Your tarot card for the week is the Four of Swords. It’s time to close up shop, scorpion. You’ve been doing your best to keep up with your studies, work and social life, but it’s simply time to feed the other things living inside you. You may have been feeling spiritually starved — artistically starved even — and this card is telling you that it’s time to clear the mental clutter. It’s time to meditate, moult away the previous self and rise anew. Solitude can be so awful, but it’s necessary for the work of recharging.
SAGITTARIUS
Your tarot card for the week is the Six of Wands. It’s all coming together, archer. Those months of worrying and mourning a future you felt wasn’t taking shape are behind you, and success is here. You’ve reached a milestone and it’s time to throw away self-doubt. You’re receiving public recognition and it’s time to be proud of it. Put yourself out there and acknowledge that you’ve got passion in your craft, and that it has fed your abilities. Hold your head up higher, straighten your back and know your worth.
ther the discussion could be helpful. Respectful confrontation can be key when it comes to dealing with difficult people.
Good luck, Toby the Bison
To ask Toby a question, email comment@themanitoban.com
Your tarot card for the week is the Ace of Cups. Are you repressing emotions as a water-bearer? Let the tears flow. It’s time to gravitate toward self-love, and this card is here to demand you take out the space for it. The fear of getting hurt, of betrayal and your own jaded perception of the world hold you back. It’s time for self-discovery and to familiarize yourself with — your self! Take the journey and make the choice to be your own companion in the last remaining winter months.
PISCES
Your tarot card for the week is the Eight of Swords. Do you feel trapped? Are you experiencing the claustrophobia of a prison that is not physical, but mental? This feeling can start to affect your perception of the future. Be it an unfulfilling period in your life or things not going as expected, it’s natural to feel the way you do right now. This card reminds you that these beliefs and thoughts of negativity and self-doubt no longer serve you, so don’t overthink it. You’ve never been wrong before, and your instincts have always been your ally. Fish have been on the earth for millions of years. It’s time to tune into the wisdom passed down from them to you.
Grief as love in ‘Heart Like a Pow Wow’
Animated short written by U of M alum in CBC Gem series
ADamien Davis, staff
collection of animated shorts made by Indigenous creators was released on the free streaming service CBC Gem Jan. 27. How To Lose Everything is a five-episode series that explores loss.
One of the shorts, titled “Heart Like a Pow Wow,” was written by U of M alum Tara Williamson and directed by Indigenous artist and illustrator Chief Lady Bird. Williamson also composed, produced and performed the music for the episode.
The making of “Heart Like a Pow Wow” started with series creator Christa Couture, who reached out to Williamson seeking their involvement.
“Christa had approached me about participating in this project, and was looking for grief — grief things, writing, and I have tons of grief writing,” Williamson explained.
“Heart Like a Pow Wow” tells the story of a baby coming into being and “the love that precedes grief and inevitably foreshadows it” through an Anishinaabe lens.
Williamson’s writing for the episode was influenced by their own experience with love and grief, reflecting on their son who passed away at just over six months old in 2016.
When putting together the short, Williamson thought back to the poetry they wrote during their pregnancy. They said that they wanted to look back at that time “through the filter of grief as love.” Williamson explained that Couture was very supportive of the idea.
“I knew I could ask, and I knew I’d be able to do it,” they said.
Williamson said that being able to collaborate with the other Indigenous artists on the project was not an opportunity they took for granted.
“I think I’ve had the real privilege and joy of working with Indigenous artists,” Williamson said.
“Christa was one of my music mentors as well when I started playing music professionally. She was one of the people I would call and be like,
’Toban turntable
Andy Shauf — Norm
Alex Braun, staff
4/5 stars
Saskatchewan-born singer-songwriter Andy Shauf is a consummate storyteller. This reputation has followed him around for his entire career, and he seems quite happy to perpetuate it.
Shauf’s earlier work fit firmly into the storytelling idiom of folk and country, writing short character songs each in their own discrete world. But he has since gone beyond the bounds of the song to make rather ambitious concept albums that trace admirably strict storylines.
2020’s The Neon Skyline is a carefully rendered story told in album form. However, in the course of crafting such a precise story sometimes lines important to the plot struggled to fit in the confines of a melody, or expository information clogged up the verses.
Shauf’s new album, Norm, avoids these pitfalls by drastic-
ally stripping back the specificity and cranking up the mystery. The lyrics here are much more minimal, and obviously very carefully edited — this is the only album I’ve ever heard of that has a story editor.
The actual plot is a little vague as a result. From what I can gather, we follow the titular character Norm through an increasingly sordid and strange affair with an object of his attraction who he fantasizes about and stalks.
Shauf was inspired by David Lynch’s infamously enigmatic movie Mulholland Drive, mostly, it seems, in trying to escape the rigid structure of a traditional story in favour of more impressionistic and surreal world-building.
Shauf has taken to this new focus quite well. Norm is an expertly crafted piece of soft
rock first and foremost. Shauf has always had lovely arrangement impulses and a flair for deceptively simple melodies,
‘how do I book a tour, how do I book a show?’”
Williamson added that they have been lucky enough to work with and receive mentorship from numerous Indigenous artists throughout their career, and that they look to collaborate with other Indigenous artists at every opportunity.
When asked about the significance of their work being on television, Williamson said
that they aren’t focused on whether the work finds a wide audience.
“I don’t care if other people don’t care, or don’t like it,” they said. “We do, and we see it.”
They hope people see the beauty of powwow culture and the intricacies within it.
“People have roles and responsibilities, and it’s family and people take care of each other,” Williamson said.
“And it happens to look [...] beautiful with Chief Lady Bird’s art, you know? And it looks that beautiful in person too.”
How to Lose Everything is streaming on CBC Gem.
arts@themanitoban.com
but his need for strict lyrical focus constantly had his music playing second fiddle.
In Norm, the melodies and mood take centre stage, filling out the minimal songs with glimpses of eerie, easy listening sleaze and lavish orchestral touches. Shauf
keeps his distinct recording style too, capturing all the ASMR-like texture he can muster from his softly strummed acoustic guitars and impossibly light drums. Songs like “Halloween Store” and “Long Throw” have a dreamy but off-putting way of floating along. There’s this placid stillness
and strangeness that compliments the newly mysterious songwriting perfectly.
On its surface, Norm could be taken as just another Andy Shauf album, but diving deeper into the work shows that nearly every element has subtly evolved into an amorphous and strange form.
Shauf’s past stories are so carefully contained and constructed that they feel like ships in a bottle, never escaping their confines. But Norm is a mercurial nightmare — something that lingers in dark corners of your mind long after the record ends.
Norm is available on major streaming services. Andy Shauf is playing Burton Cummings Theatre in Winnipeg on March 17. Info and tickets can be found at https://www. winnipegfolkfestival.ca/concert/03-17-2023-andy-shauf/.
’Toban about town — Coffee Culture
A coffeehouse on prime real estate
Jessie Krahn, staff
Aside from a few chains sporadically peppering Pembina highway, Winnipeg South is sorely lacking coffeehouses. Even a few of the Starbucks locations that used to work as base camps for rogue U of M students cut adrift by busy campus libraries have been lost in recent years.
In the wake of these closures, the first Winnipeg location of Ontario-based franchise Coffee Culture came to Pembina prominence right along the BLUE route to St. Norbert.
First and foremost, the café’s coffee is a rich and smooth blend that works as a solid pick-me-up on weekdays. My friends and I like to splurge on flavoured lattes when we visit, and the butter toffee latte is creamy and ideal for cozying up in the café’s booths during good conversation.
For those who do decide to dine-in rather than take-out, small pieces of biscotti are served with certain lattes and signature drinks.
The café’s iced coffee drinks are refreshing. Unfortunately, the syrups in their flavoured cold drinks tend to collect on the bottom of the cups, adding a grainy, sandy texture to each sip.
Aside from this minor tactile imbalance, the flavouring in Coffee Culture’s specialty drinks is good and does not separate from the rest of the drink. Their frozen ’ccinos — blended iced coffee beverages — are sweet without overwhelming the drinks’ other notes.
Their muffins are luscious. I favour pistachio, but the red velvet muffin does not fall far behind.
The café also sells Cheesecake Factory-brand cheesecake at an astronomical $8.95 a slice. That price point is even harder to justify because there are cheesecakes for sale at the Sobeys just across the parking lot from Coffee Culture for a better price.
The cakes are tasty, but the price seems to reflect the
tables, likely because the place is often packed from its 8:30 a.m. weekday opening time onward. This is unlikely to be a problem for most. Across my frequent visits over the course of two years, I have never been asked to leave even after hunkering down with my laptop for several hours.
All that is solid melts into espresso
brand rather than any outstanding qualities of the cakes themselves.
Coffee Culture’s selection of food includes a wide variety of baked goods and even a few vegan and gluten-free options.
Coffee Culture has a modest lunch menu too. The Asiago BLT does not dry out when toasted and is a nice savoury palate cleanser to the wider selection of sweets.
The café has a time limit on
But because the clientele Coffee Culture serves ranges from post-secondary students to retirees, families with children and everyone in between, the time limit signifies a bigger problem with the café culture in Winnipeg South.
What sparse indoor public spaces there are in the south end where people can park and socialize are suffocatingly crowded.
The vibe in the café reflects that widespread demand for a place to sit and chat.
It is a loud social spot, with lo-fi hip-hop music that fits its low-key, chill atmosphere for stir-crazy students and working-from-home professionals tired of restlessly pacing around their houses. The message that people ought to move along is at odds with coffeehouse culture and with the choice to open a watering hole on one of the city’s main arterial roads that thousands of students shuttle down daily.
Coffee Culture has a strong menu, but the café’s way of dealing with its own popularity is at odds with its format.
All that is solid melts into espresso.
Coffee Culture is open from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays with adjusted hours on weekends.
arts@themanitoban.com
Nevertheless, they are Still Here
Short doc a behind-the-scenes look at ‘Hockey Can’t Stop Tour’
Grace Anne Paizen, staff
U krainian U25 Men’s National Team forward Gleb Krivoshapkin distinctly remembers the day his family learned that the Russian army had invaded their city last February. They were prepared to defend themselves with what they had — his mother with knives from the kitchen, his father with an axe and Krivoshapkin with hockey sticks.
Krivoshapkin’s story is detailed in the TSN Original short documentary Still Here, which takes viewers behind the scenes during the recent “Hockey Can’t Stop Tour.”
The short doc recaps the team’s journey from attempting to practice for the 2023 FISU World University Games between air sirens in Ukraine to its four-stop hockey tour against the Universities of Saskatchewan, Calgary, Alberta and Manitoba.
The film starts with footage of practice derailed by air sirens and the team sheltering in place. In fact, goalie Savva Serdiuk laments that there are air sirens nearly every day “and because of that we don’t have practices.”
The doc then cuts to voiceovers of news broadcasts detailing the start of the Russian invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, paired with horrific scenes of bombings and destruction.
It is understandable that the doc’s focus is on the experience of the young hockey players in Ukraine and their wish to continue to play hockey for their country.
However, the documentary leaves out important details regarding how the U25 team got the chance to play the tour. The tour came about through communications between TSN play-by-play commentator Gord Miller, representatives of the Ice Hockey Federation of Ukraine and representatives of the National Hockey and U-Sports Leagues, including the U of M Bisons’ own head coach Mike Sirant.
The film does explain that the tour was designed to raise money for the reconstruction of hockey facilities in Ukraine and humanitarian aid for
the country, but the details are very rudimentary in the doc and deserve a little more fleshing out.
What the documentary does best is showcase the horrific personal details of the players’ experiences while they are living their lives and trying to play hockey during the war — including defencemen Andrei Grigoriev’s story of a missile attack.
The film also handles the question “why play hockey during a war?” extremely well.
CEO of the Ice Hockey Federation of Ukraine Aleksandra Slatvytska, who accompanied the team on its tour, may answer the question best.
Slatvytska emphasized that sports are “important for every country” because they show “that a country still exists,” meaning the U25 team playing hockey in spite of the war symbolizes Ukraine’s right to exist.
At times, the doc seems to rely on images of missile strikes and destruction, which comes across as filler because of the film’s short run-time of just under 10 minutes.
While this filler could be due to the team being left to enjoy its time away from the war, the conflict is inescapable. The short doc captures
The film also handles the question “why play hockey during a war?” extremely well
the devastation the athletes feel when the beloved Druzhkivka arena back home in Ukraine’s Donetsk oblast (province) is destroyed by a missile attack on Jan. 2 in the middle of the tour.
This is perhaps the most relatable part of the doc. The audience doesn’t have to like sports or have played sports to understand the bitter loss of a home away from home being destroyed, something
the Druzhkivka arena was to many players on the team.
The film ends with the sheer, heartwarming gratitude the players have for their fans — particularly the Winnipeg crowd — who came out in droves to cheer them on during their time in Canada.
Still Here is a commendable encapsulation of the past year of war in Ukraine, and the experiences of those in the middle of carnage they never
asked to be a part of.
Still Here is streaming for free at tsn.ca and on TSN’s YouTube channel.
arts@themanitoban.com
Bisons stampede Cascades at home
The herd’s playoff hopes still alive after weekend victories
TJoshua Brandt, staff
he U of M men’s volleyball team faced the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades (UFV) last weekend.
Going into the series against UFV, Manitoba was 7-13, but ready to make up ground in the Canada West (CanWest) conference standings.
The team was also looking to redeem a disappointing sweep at the hands of the University of Winnipeg Wesmen (U of W) on Feb. 2 and Feb. 4 with a couple of wins against the last place Cascades.
On Feb. 10, the herd started the game with conviction, winning the first set 25-21.
The Bisons followed up their strong effort in the first set with another win in the second.
This time, the herd won 25-23, with Nicoles Carter and Harrison Ens stuffing an attack by UFV’s Ryan Adams to pick up the decisive 25th point.
In the third, the Cascades rallied, winning the set 25-23 due in part to 10 U of M errors gifting the Cascades free points.
The Bisons got down to business in the fourth, however, quelling the UFV comeback by taking the set 25-21 and the game 3-1.
Rookie Sammy Ludwig led the team in assists with 36, while Spencer Grahame got 11 kills.
The game on Feb. 11 started with a very sentimental moment, in which an injured Brendan Warren playing in his final home game served to start the action.
The serve was an underhanded sky ball, which rose high into the air, before plummeting straight down, nearly finding its way over the net, but ultimately dropping just short.
Although the serve missed, the heartwarming moment put a smile on many people’s faces at Investors Group Athletic Centre.
Despite trailing by as much as six, the herd took the first set 25-22.
The set was closed out by Grahame who went on a torrid serving run, clawing the Bisons back from being down 22-19 to 25-22.
In the second, the Bisons won a tight back-and-forth set 25-23.
Looking to close out the series sweep in the third, the Bisons simply overwhelmed a deflated UFV squad, winning the set 25-17 on a service ace from Nicoles Carter.
Eric Ogaranko led the way offensively, accumulating 10 kills, while Mathieu Lavoie was a difference maker on defence strapping up five Cascades attacks.
The team is now 9-13 and good for eighth place in CanWest as it clings to the last playoff spot while also hoping for Thompson Rivers University WolfPack (TRU) and U of W losses — both of whom trail the Bisons by a single game in the standings.
Lockport, Man. native Jack Mandryk also made history over the weekend.
Playing in his final home game, Mandryk moved into 10th place on the CanWest alltime assists list.
Mandryk dished out 30 assists in two games against UFV, moving his career total to an impressive 2,798 over a pro -
The team is now 9-13 and good for eighth place in CanWest as it clings to the last playoff spot
lific tenure with the Bisons.
On a humid July scorcher, that’s perhaps just as many ice-creams as the Half Moon dishes out in one day, but surely the good people of Lockport are still proud of Mandryk’s accomplishment. Mandryk will need 362 more assists to pass University of British Columbia Thunderbird alum Milan Nikic for sole possession of ninth place. With just two games remaining in the season and the prospect of playoff action for the Bisons still very much in the air, Mandryk will be hard pressed to usurp Nikic. However, if the herd ends up making a Cinderella run in the CanWest playoffs, he may just do it.
that are dubious at best. If the U of M can win at least one game this weekend, and both the U of W and TRU lose both of their games, the herd will clinch a playoff spot.
Mandryk and the herd will need all the long-distance support students can offer next week as the Bisons wrap up the regular season play against the University of Calgary Dinos Feb. 17 and 18 in Calgary, Alta. sports@themanitoban.com
U of M Bisons — *Men’s Hockey
Alberta Golden Bears @ Bisons Feb. 10 — Final: 4 – 1
Alberta Golden Bears @ Bisons Feb. 11 — Final: 8 – 2 *2022-23 season —
U of M Bisons — Men’s Volleyball
Fraser Valley Cascades @ Bisons
Fraser Valley Cascades @ Bisons
Bisons @ Calgary Dinos
U of M Bisons — Swimming
Bisons men’s hockey team falls short of playoff spot
The herd finishes eighth in Canada West conference
Quinn Mayhew, staff
The University of Manitoba men’s hockey team played out their last weekend of the regular season with a two-game series against the University of Alberta Golden Bears.
The Golden Bears had a quick start to Friday evening’s game, controlling the first period against the U of M and going up 1-0.
Despite the Golden Bears early success seizing a 2-0 lead, the herd managed to hang on going into the second period, as defencemen Chase Hartje scored to cut the Alberta lead in half.
Nevertheless, the end of Friday’s game was devasting for the herd in more ways than one.
First, the herd suffered a brutal 4-1 loss. Secondly, the team was forced to acknowledge that beloved head coach of the Bisons Mike Sirant would soon be retiring, as Friday’s loss meant that the Bisons were eliminated from playoff contention.
Friday’s loss also meant that Saturday’s game would be the very last Sirant would coach for the Bisons.
Sirant’s retirement is set to start in June 2023. With nearly 30 years of coaching under Sirant’s belt, the team will be left with a major absence behind the bench and very big shoes to fill in the months to come.
Sirant will retire as the Bisons head coach with the most wins, having recorded 333 Canada West (CanWest) regular season wins in his career. He also led the Bisons to the playoffs 21 times.
To cap off the final game of the season, the herd was
Bison briefs
Joshua Brandt, staff
Bisons
basketball
Both the women’s and men’s basketball teams were in Kamloops, B.C. this past weekend, taking on the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack (TRU).
Both teams played the last two games of the Canada West (CanWest) conference regular season. The women’s team, which failed to qualify for the playoffs, played its last two games of the year.
The women’s season ended on a high note, winning both of their games against TRU and four of its last six.
On Feb. 10, the herd won the game 59-43, with Autumn
hoping to avenge Friday night’s loss and send Sirant off with a win.
In the first period, forward Michael King scored the underdog Bisons’ first goal. As the Bisons gained momentum and speed, they managed to tie the second place Golden Bears 2-2 with a goal by defencemen Parker Malchuk.
However, things quickly got out of hand in the second. Throughout the second and third periods, the U of M was unable to hold on to the tie or keep up with the Golden Bears’ electric energy, and was shut down by Alberta’s ironclad defence. As a result, the game turned into a blow out and Alberta swept the series, coming away with an 8-2 victory in Saturday’s game.
The U of M’s season ultimately ended with disappointment as the Bisons finished eighth in the CanWest standings, missing the playoffs.
Despite head coach Sirant leaving the U of M, the team will remember his countless achivements with the Bisons’ sports program and the game of hockey.
sports@themanitoban.com
Agar scoring a game high 15 points.
On Feb. 11, the herd blewout the WolfPack 89-45, getting its biggest win of the year in its last game.
Keziah Brothers poured in a game high 18 points, while Lauren Bartlett collected four assists.
After the two wins against TRU, the women’s team finished with a record of 6-14, outside of the playoffs in 14th place.
Manitoba ended the season with the 14th best offence and the 13th best defence, which would indicate that the team didn’t deserve to make the playoffs — at least, statistically.
The individual leaders for the Bisons this season were Brothers, who led the team in scoring with 11.8 points per game, Bartlett who led the team in assists and steals with 5.2 assists per game and 3.0 steals per game and Emily Johnson, who led the team in rebounding snatching 5.7 boards per game.
In CanWest, Bartlett finished third in assists per game but led the conference in total assists with 103. A true thief on the court, Bartlett also led CanWest in steals per game and led CanWest in total number of steals with 61. And to top it off, Bartlett averaged the most minutes per game, while playing the most minutes
out of any player in CanWest, leaving everything on the line for 710 minutes.
Meanwhile, the men’s basketball team had a fantastic outcome in Kamloops, winning both games and breaking the program’s regular season wins record, collecting its 18th win of the season on Feb. 11, 84-50.
On Feb. 10 the team had won a tighter game 82-76.
Since the advent of the CanWest conference, this Bisons basketball team is the best the school’s ever put on the floor in terms of its win-loss record.
The team also clinched first place in the CanWest standings with a formidable 18-2 record, one game better than
last year’s CanWest champion the University of Victoria Vikes, who were 17-3 this year.
The herd will host a playoff game on Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. against the winner of a play-in game, which takes place at Investors Group Athletic Centre on Feb. 17 between the University of Calgary Dinos and the Trinity Western Spartans.
Expect big things from this team going forward as the herd will host every CanWest playoff game it plays in.
