On a strip of land in Kahnawà:ke, where drivers speed toward the Honoré Mercier Bridge on Route 207, Jason Diabo’s Wild West Smoke & Vape shop now sits boxed in by a newly carved bypass road that diverts traffic from his storefront. In October 2025, the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke[Read More…]
Articles by Mairin Burke
Varsity or bust: Inside the fallout of McGill Athletics’ restructuring
A condensed-for-print version of this article was published in The Tribune’s Dec. 3, 2025 issue. On the evening of Nov. 20, members of varsity and club teams under the McGill Athletics portfolio were informed via email that 25 of 44 varsity and club teams will not have a future at[Read More…]
McGill Athletics slashes over half of varsity and club portfolio
Recent provincial pressures on McGill’s finances—from government limits on how many international students McGill can accept, to government-mandated tuition hikes for out-of-province students—have led the university to cut costs. Most recently, McGill cut 25 McGill Athletics varsity and club programs. As McGill Athletics announced on Nov. 20, the teams that[Read More…]
The Unity Flag: A conversation with Tekarontakeh
McGill’s Media Relations Office (MRO) confirmed in a written statement to The Tribune that from Oct. 23 to Oct. 30, McGill raised the Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) Unity Flag to celebrate the newly-unveiled Tsi Non:we Onkwatonhnhets project at the university’s Y-Intersection. Designed by artist Louis Karoniaktajeh Hall in the early 1970s, the[Read More…]
Recap: Solidarity Across Borders Montreal condemns Canada’s Bill C-12
On Oct. 8, Canada’s House of Commons announced Bill C-12, which builds on Bill C-2 to majorly expand Canada’s power to revoke immigrants’ existing visas, permanent residency status, and work or study permits. This bill would allow mass deportations of these migrants without due process, in the name of public[Read More…]
The cost of McGill’s excellence
Over the last two years, McGill has widely publicized its rise in the QS World University Rankings, which most recently identified the university as Canada’s top school and the 27th best worldwide. However, this publicity obscures a jarring campus reality from community awareness: Academic staff continue to call out McGill[Read More…]
World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week at McGill
Every year, from Nov. 18 to Nov. 24, the World Health Organization (WHO) observes World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week (WAAW), recognizing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as one of the greatest modern threats to global development and public health. AMR was responsible for 1.27 million deaths worldwide in 2019 alone. McGill’s own[Read More…]
Boredom-busting activities that disrupt the endless midterm grind
During McGill’s never-ending midterm period, motivation decreases at the speed of light. Your long hours at the library get less and less productive, yet the foreboding your incessant workload inspires, combined with the battle it took to secure a seat on your favourite floor of the library, keep you rooted[Read More…]
Thousands fight for Palestine during Oct. 7 student rally and strikes for divestment
A sea of demonstrators in red, white, black, and green chanted, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” at the Montreal student rally for Palestine on Oct. 7. Commencing outside of Concordia University’s Henry F. Hall Building at 1:00 p.m., thousands of university and CEGEP students and[Read More…]
Youth give rugby a “try” through Redbirds Rugby-CRARR partnership for community safety
On Oct. 4, approximately 50 youth from the Greater Montreal Area ran sprints, played touch rugby, and learned the fundamentals of the sport, coached by varsity athletes from McGill’s Redbirds Rugby Team, on Forbes Field. The training event was the second half of an initiative led by Montreal’s Center for[Read More…]
Do not let student jour-nihilism win
I was ecstatic when I earned the role of “party nun” in my elementary school’s production of The Sound of Music. Alongside 20 other fourth-graders, I acted as a lineless backdrop, twirling around the abbey during “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria” before ripping off my habit to[Read More…]
“Palestine on Campus” screening highlights security crackdown on Montreal student activists
On Sept. 16, The Rover—an independent, reader-funded news outlet in Montreal—hosted a screening and panel discussion to showcase their first-ever documentary, Palestine on Campus, at Collectif MTL’s St. Catherine location. The 30-minute film, created by The Rover’s managing editor Savannah Stewart and producer and videographer Justin Khan, follows the recent[Read More…]
Refreshing third spaces in Montreal that decenter alcohol
After weeks of OAP, McGill Frosh, working your way through Piknic Électronik’s 2025 lineup, and filling university friends in on your summer drama over drinks, your start to September may have been drenched with alcohol. Getting back to Montreal, it can be hard to escape the pressure to enjoy the[Read More…]
McGill and SSMU restore ties through revised Memorandum of Agreement
Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) President Dymetri Taylor and McGill’s Interim Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning) Angela Campbell announced on Sept. 4, via joint email statement, that SSMU and McGill have negotiated a new Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) after a summer of mediation. The mediation process followed Campbell’s[Read More…]
Martlets home opener reminds McGill why its Women in Sports program is here to stay
McGill’s Women in Sports (WiS) program kicked off the fall semester at the Sept. 7 Martlets soccer home opener. Hosted twice a year, WiS Days like these are social events that welcome McGill Athletics’ women’s players to attend the home game of a fellow Martlet team. The fall WiS Day[Read More…]
‘One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This’ shatters the Western liberal ethos
This is going to be a poor book review. It is impossible to adequately editorialize upon Omar El Akkad’s One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This. Every line demands that its readers confront the Western liberal enterprise’s absolute apathy towards human suffering. If I had not expected to[Read More…]
In loving memory of Fabienne de Cartier, 2003-2025
Fabienne de Cartier was a News Editor and Director of Digital Strategy at The Tribune from 2024-2025. She passed away on August 12, 2025, from osteosarcoma. Fabienne lived as the truest kind of journalist—thoughtful, curious, ambitious, honest—and the truest kind of friend. Her smile was contagious, her love and care[Read More…]
Hockey Canada on thin ice as it continually fails survivors of sexual violence
Content warning: Sexual violence On July 24, Ontario Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia found five Hockey Canada players not guilty of alleged simultaneous sexual assaults of 20-year-old E.M. Though disappointing, Carroccia’s verdict is not surprising: It is one in a long line of Hockey Canada-related failures to protect sexual violence[Read More…]
McGill to charge students for Fall Convocation guests, despite spring backlash
On May 8, Interim Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning) Angela Campbell emailed graduating students that they must pay $25 CAD to bring two guests to the Tomlinson Fieldhouse Spring 2025 Convocation ceremonies. This update, along with ceremony timing changes, sparked outrage amongst attendees, who expected the four free guest[Read More…]
The blurry lines between poor sportsmanship and racism in women’s professional tennis
On June 7, American tennis star Coco Gauff fell to the ground in pure emotion upon winning the 2025 Roland-Garros (French Open) final. The 21-year-old shone in the match’s second and third sets to beat renowned Belarusian player Aryna Sabalenka, currently ranked number one in the world by the Women’s[Read More…]
SPHR commemorates student movement victories, including PAGIP’s ratification, one year after Palestine Solidarity Encampment
On May 4, Students for Palestine’s Honour and Resistance (SPHR) at McGill hosted a community gathering and fundraiser for Gaza on McGill’s Lower Field. These eight hours of programming marked the anniversary of the Palestinian Solidarity Encampment, established by student protestors on the Lower Field one year prior. In an[Read More…]
SSMU LC repasses Policy Against Antisemitism in final moments of year’s last session
The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU)’s Legislative Council (LC) aimed to resolve unfinished business at its last meeting of the 2024-2025 academic year on April 3. The session saw the LC’s re-approval of the Policy Against Antisemitism, which faced legal opposition after it first passed in December 2024. The[Read More…]
Watched, but not protected
In January 2020, McGill student Elizabeth* settled into Redpath Library’s Cyberthèque around 6 p.m., across from an unfamiliar man. Around 10:30 p.m., he began looking at her repeatedly, bumping his foot against hers. She moved her chair away to avoid the contact. As closing time was announced over the loudspeakers,[Read More…]
AGSEM member still awaiting recourse for McGill security alleged assault in December
On Dec. 11, a member of the Association of Graduate Students Employed at McGill (AGSEM) alleges security officers forcibly detained her in the McConnell Engineering Building for taking a picture of armed agents there. Reportedly, the member has yet to receive communication from McGill about recourse. In a written statement[Read More…]
SSMU’s VP Finance could be hired, versus elected, after the Winter 2025 Referendum
The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Legislative Council approved the Motion Regarding Amendment to the Constitution on Feb. 13. Two items of the motion are now up for student vote on the Winter 2025 Referendum ballot: The decision to hire instead of elect the SSMU Vice-President (VP) Finance, and[Read More…]
To all the sports I’ve loved before
Jenna Payette, Contributor Dear Ice Hockey, “Anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” This quote from Steve Prefontaine hung in my brother’s room growing up and became the silent force that subtly shaped me. As the baby of my family, I was pushed to challenge my limits[Read More…]
SSMU announces direct reimbursement program for gender-affirming care health insurance claims
The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU)’s Board of Directors (BoD) announced changes to its Gender Affirming Care (GAC) Plan via email on Jan. 23. Under the new plan, students seeking reimbursement for GAC will now submit requests to SSMU’s internal Gender and Sexuality Commissioner. Previously, these individuals would have[Read More…]
Skipping class can be a studious choice
Growing up, I had near-perfect attendance. In Grade 1, my school pre-emptively excused us all due to a blizzard forecasted for the next day. But my dad and I still crunched stubbornly through the snowfall the following morning, where he deposited me with the only teacher who had managed to[Read More…]
Provisional injunction against SSMU Policy Against Antisemitism has expired
The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU)’s proposed Policy Against Antisemitism sparked intense debates at Fall 2024 Legislative Council meetings, and ultimately faced legal contestation when it was passed on Dec. 5. A Dec. 9 court-ordered injunction prohibiting the policy’s ratification ultimately expired on Dec. 19, allowing the SSMU’s Board[Read More…]
SSMU BoD debates gender-neutral washrooms at first meeting of 2025
The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Board of Directors (BoD) held its first meeting of 2025 on Jan. 7, discussing topics ranging from hiring practices to gender-neutral washrooms in the University Centre. The meeting began in a confidential session before SSMU President Dymetri Taylor presented the Executive Committee Public[Read More…]
Protest travels through downtown Montreal on International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People
“Gaza, Gaza, Montréal est avec toi.” Around two hundred members of the Montreal community gathered in Victoria Square for a protest on Nov. 29, organized by the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM)’s Montreal chapter, in honour of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. Throughout the demonstration, protestors called[Read More…]
The Tribune Explains: How to access abortion as a McGill student
Disclaimer: This article serves as an informational resource only and does not provide medical advice. Please consult a medical professional for more information on the abortion treatment options specific to your community. Navigating access to healthcare services and insurance coverage is challenging, especially when getting an abortion. For McGill students[Read More…]
QPIRG Radical Walking Tour explores Milton-Parc and McGill through a critical lens
On Oct. 21, organizers with the Quebec Public Interest Research Group at McGill (QPIRG) hosted a Radical Walking Tour, stopping multiple times along Avenue du Parc, Avenue des Pins, and on McGill campus to offer a critical presentation of both the university and the Milton-Parc neighbourhood. QPIRG is a student-run[Read More…]
McGill student contingent joins Montreal-wide protest demanding justice for Palestine
A crowd of approximately 150 McGill community members chanted, “McGill, McGill, you can’t hide! We charge you with genocide!” outside the university’s Roddick Gates on Oct. 5. The demonstrators formed the McGill student contingent attending the International Day of Action march and rally organized by the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM)’s[Read More…]
QPIRG launches paid membership program for non-McGill students
The Quebec Public Interest Research Group at McGill (QPIRG) is rolling out a Community Membership program this fall. Although only McGill students were previously eligible for membership at QPIRG—a grassroots collective concerned with anti-oppressive social and environmental justice—this new program will allow those in the greater Montreal community the opportunity[Read More…]
TAs urge McGill to uphold contract at back-to-school rally
Call-and-response chants of “Union! Power!” punctuated the Association of Graduate Students Employed at McGill (AGSEM)’s back-to-school rally on Sept. 4. AGSEM, the union representing teaching assistants (TAs), exam invigilators, and Academic Casuals such as graders and tutors at McGill, held the event to mark their full return to instruction after[Read More…]
The Tribune Explains: SSMU’s Gender Affirming Care Plan
Accessing gender-affirming care at McGill can be overwhelming, intimidating, and time-consuming. As we reach the mid-point of the Change-of-Coverage and Opt-Out Period, which falls between Aug. 14 and Sept. 27—The Tribune brings you a guide to SSMU’s Gender Affirmation Care (GAC) Plan, which was first introduced in Fall 2023. Who[Read More…]
AMPL asserts Fall term in jeopardy as law professors reach an impasse with McGill
The Association of McGill Professors of Law (AMPL) met with McGill on June 7 as part of their ongoing collective agreement (CA) negotiations. The CA, which will set the terms of employment for tenured and tenure-track professors in the Faculty of Law, has been under negotiation for over 500 days—since[Read More…]