Montreal held its second march for climate justice on Sept. 27: The march was part of a series of worldwide climate protests taking place this month, with millions rallying across the globe. On Sept. 18, McGill’s Senate failed to pass a motion to cancel classes for the strike, although Provost[Read More…]
Articles by Laura Oprescu
Divestment should not be decided by an ex-PetroCan executive
“International research results have undoubtedly established that climate change and its resulting socio-economic impacts pose a serious threat to life on earth.” This is the first sentence from the letter that Suzanne Fortier opens McGill’s Vision 2020 Climate and Sustainability Action Plan with. The letter goes on to say that[Read More…]
SSMU World Order
Just two months after McGill unveiled plans for the new Rossy Student Wellness Hub, advertising it as a one-stop shop for all McGill healthcare services, SSMU announced plans for a competing wellness hub. McGill will now have two one-stop shops for all students’ physical and mental health needs. “The administration[Read More…]
Students worldwide march for climate justice
Over 150,000 protesters, including university, CEGEP, and primary school students, joined the Montreal march for climate justice on March 15. The march, organized by the student movement La planète s’invite à l’Université, was one of more than 2,000 of its kind in 125 countries. Around 1,500 McGill students attended the[Read More…]
Beyond #ChangetheName
The Government of Canada established Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in 2007 to investigate the history of residential schools. The investigation’s goal was to inform Canadians about the brutal treatment of Indigenous people under the residential school system and to start the process of reconciliation with Indigenous communities. Reconciliation, however,[Read More…]
$14 million Rossy Student Wellness Hub to be completed by May
Members of the McGill community and the Rossy family presented McGill’s plan for the new Rossy Student Wellness Hub (RSWH) on Jan. 28. The $14 million Hub will merge the Student Health Service (SHS), Counselling Services, and Psychiatric Services. The Hub’s pilot project is set to open by May 2019.[Read More…]
“But, you don’t seem autistic!”
Last October, my best friend, who has autism, told me that he thought I might be on the spectrum. I was skeptical: I’m not into trains, I take turns in a conversation, and I’m good at giving relationship advice; I’m not autistic. Still, his comment prompted me to do some[Read More…]
Demonstration of solidarity with Unist’ot’en camp on campus
Around 70 students and members of the Montreal community gathered at the Y-intersection on Jan. 14, joining tens of thousands across the country to show solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en First Nation’s fight against pipeline expansion in British Columbia (BC). Members of the Wet’suwet’en Nation have set up checkpoints along the[Read More…]
McGill Social work student alleges racial profiling by police
As Jean Kagame, U3 Social Work, drove to Toronto with two friends on Nov. 21, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) pulled him over and charged him with stunt driving at over 170 km/hour. Kagame maintains that he did not exceed 120 km/hour and alleges that he was racially profiled by the[Read More…]
CAMSR reconsidering divestment
The Committee to Advise on Matters of Social Responsibility (CAMSR), a governance body mandated to make recommendations to the McGill Board of Governors (BoG) on socially-responsible investing, announced on Nov. 1 that it would be compiling a second investigation into divestment from fossil fuels. CAMSR decided to reconsider their stance[Read More…]
Open letter calls for immediate renaming of men’s varsity teams
The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Legislative Council overwhelmingly passed the Motion Regarding Renaming of McGill’s Men’s Varsity Teams at their Oct. 11 session, approving the question ‘Do you endorse the immediate renaming of the ‘Redmen’ name and mandate the SSMU to work toward immediate renaming of the Varsity[Read More…]
Trib explains: Cannabis law
The Government of Canada is legalizing cannabis for recreational use on Oct. 17 following Senate’s contentious June 19 vote to pass Bill C-45. Rules and regulations will vary across provinces and territories; some are opting for government-run stores over private dispensaries, and there will be variations in the legality of[Read More…]
McGill’s Forgotten Freshmen: forgotten no more
The Facebook error that has plagued McGill students for over a year has been fixed. The error prevented McGill students from accessing the McGill Facebook community, which is supposed to be open to anyone with an “@mail.mcgill.ca” email. Access to the community is necessary to view and create posts in[Read More…]
How Osheaga fell prey to gentrification
Pulling big names like Arctic Monkeys, Florence + the Machine, ODESZA, Travis Scott and Tyler, the Creator for their 2018 edition, it’s cliché (but pretty much obligatory) to say that this is not the hippie-driven, muddy-camping festival envisioned by Woodstock’s creators. Since transferring ownership to Evenko for its fifth edition[Read More…]
The good, the bad, and the weird: Top headlines from the past 30 years
December 1984 The Quebec Court of Appeals ruled that the French-only provision of Bill 101, which mandated that French be the sole official language of Quebec, ran contrary to Quebec’s Bill of Rights. Pro-independence activists responded with graffiti and violence, including several bomb threats and fire bombings around downtown Montreal.[Read More…]
Heated debate on free tuition dominates general assembly
The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) convened for its Winter General Assembly (GA) on March 26. Fewer than 350 students—the minimum requirement to meet quorum—attended the GA, forcing the assembly to become a consultative forum. All motions passed by a consultative forum can be added to the agenda of[Read More…]
Tribune Explains: CAMSR
What is CAMSR? The Committee to Advise on Matters of Social Responsibility (CAMSR) is an ad hoc committee whose mandate is to advise the Board of Governors (BoG) on socially responsible investing. Final decisions on the University’s academic, business, and financial affairs rest with the BoG. For an investment to[Read More…]
Students question CAMSR’s transparency at BoG student forum
McGill’s Board of Governors (BoG) held its fifth annual Board-Student forum on March 1, giving students and Governors the opportunity to discuss their respective roles at McGill. In the first part of the forum, Board members were assigned tables while students rotated, giving students a chance to debate issues with[Read More…]
Montreal protesters call for the release of activist Ahed Tamimi
On Feb. 18, protesters gathered at Norman Bethune Square to condemn the ongoing incarceration of 17-year-old Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi. After a video of Tamimi slapping an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier circulated on social media, she was arrested at her home in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh[Read More…]
McGill to offer workshops on cannabis production and quality control
In anticipation of the Canadian federal government’s plan to vote on Bill C-45, which would legalize the sale and recreational use of cannabis, the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the School of Continuing Studies will offer two full-day workshops on medical cannabis production on May 1 and 2.[Read More…]
AUS Council announces reduced beer prices at Bar des Arts
At its Feb. 7 meeting, the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) Legislative Council discussed efforts to have the oneCard student payment system accepted at more restaurants and services in the Montreal area. Council also announced an increase in payment options and reduction in beer prices at Bar-des-Arts (BdA), and deliberated extending[Read More…]
“McGill’s forgotten freshmen” Facebook group compensates for glitch
To overcome an error preventing some students from accessing McGill’s Facebook Community, first-year students and some students from other graduating classes have turned to the McGill’s Forgotten Freshmen (MFF) Facebook group. Membership to McGill’s Facebook community is required to access hundreds of groups affiliated with the university— users must link[Read More…]
McGill’s Senate discusses CAMSR terms of reference
Senate—the highest academic body at McGill, composed of students, staff, and administration representatives—held its first meeting of the year on Jan. 17. During the session, Senators approved adding the classification of the term “post-retirement” to the Regulations Relating to the Employment of Contract Academic Staff and the Faculty of Medicine[Read More…]
Mental Health Awareness Week promotes wellness for every student
From Jan. 15 to 21, the 2018 Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW) featured a variety of events to spark discourse on mental health and strategies for improving it. Student organizers led workshops and panels on topics ranging from sleep habits, managing mental health while[Read More…]
McGill Board of Governors meeting adjourns early following Divest McGill protest
The Dec. 12 McGill Board of Governors (BoG) meeting was forced to adjourn early after members of Divest McGill staged a protest. The group, which lobbies for McGill to divest its endowment funds from fossil fuel companies, demanded that the McGill community be consulted about proposed changes to the Committee[Read More…]
J-Board declines BoD case for lack of jurisdiction
On Nov. 19, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Judicial Board (J-Board) declined to hear a case challenging the Board of Directors (BoD) adding a question to the Fall Referendum. Several SSMU members initially criticized the additional question since its submission did not follow standard procedure. Ultimately the J-Board[Read More…]
EUS Motion to Limit Subsidies for Drinking Events
On Nov. 22, the Engineering Undergraduate Society (EUS) Council will vote on a motion to reduce the use of EUS student fees for subsidizing alcoholic drinks at faculty events. Council introduced the motion at their Oct. 25 meeting, when students were invited to give feedback before it goes to a[Read More…]
RAMQ legislation forces McGill to largely discontinue vaccine distribution
On Jan. 26, Quebec banned fees for medical services covered by the Régie de l'Assurance Maladie du Québec (RAMQ), the province’s public health insurance board. McGill’s Student Health Services (SHS) previously only charged students the cost of supplying vaccines, without making a profit. Since the ban prohibits charging fees, SHS[Read More…]
Minister of Environment and Climate Change hosts panel at McGill
On Sept. 15, McGill University hosted a panel at Chancellor Day Hall on the future of clean energy as a means of growing the economy. The Canadian Minister of Environment and Climate Change and McGill law graduate, Catherine McKenna, hosted the event marking the beginning of a series of panels. McKenna[Read More…]
“Ethics of Immigration” event addresses moral aspects of border control
On March 9, Georgetown Assistant Teaching Professor of business ethics and Director of the Institute for Liberal Studies Peter Jaworski delivered a talk to approximately 150 McGill students on the ethics of immigration. The talk was co-hosted by the Institute for Liberal Studies and the Research Group on Constitutional Studies.[Read More…]
‘Conversations with Muslims’ encourages discourse after Quebec City mosque attack
In response to the Quebec City mosque attack on Jan. 29, Conversations with Muslims was an open discussion between Muslim volunteer speakers and primarily non-Muslim participants. By organizing the event, international Community Action Network Executive Director at the McGill School of Social Work Amal Elsana and Egyptian Canadian Coalition for[Read More…]
Floor fellows’ injunction against McGill denied by Superior Court of Quebec
On Feb. 3, McGill floor fellows filed an injunction with the Superior Court of Quebec regarding their salary dispute with the university, which the court denied on Feb. 9. An additional hearing date has been set for May 5 to more closely consider the details of the request. Collectively, floor fellows at McGill[Read More…]
Canadians join the Women’s March on Washington
On Jan. 21, the day after Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 45th President of the United States, over 200,000 people are expected to take to the streets of Washington D.C. to make their voices heard for human rights. The movement started with Hawaiian grandmother Teresa Shook, who posted on Facebook[Read More…]