Montreal’s municipal government announced the approved city budget for 2024 on Nov. 15. The budget sees a $235 million increase in spending and, on average, a 4.9 per cent increase in residential property taxes. The 2024 budget also sees increases in spending on public transit and housing, as well as[Read More…]
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Recap: SSMU Board of Directors Nov. 16 meeting
The Students’ Society of McGill University’s (SSMU) Board of Directors (BoD) met on Nov. 16. Before the board dove into the meeting’s agenda, they welcomed a new director, Fawaz Halloum. Sierra Fallis, Deputy Speaker, led the board through the meeting’s agenda points. First was an executive committee report presented by[Read More…]
Picketers block access to Scotiabank over 450M USD investment in Israeli weapons manufacturer
Content Warning: Mentions of war, violence, genocide, and antisemitism Montreal students and community members gathered once again on Nov. 9 to demand a ceasefire and protest Canada and McGill’s complicity in the war in Gaza, as well as Scotiabank’s investment in a private weapons manufacturer in Israel. In the month[Read More…]
Student Wellness Hub faces province-wide healthcare practitioner shortage
The Student Wellness Hub (SWH) is a multi-functional program proposed and opened in 2019 to encourage the well-being of students, staff, and faculty members. Since its creation, however, the SWH has faced obstacles in providing care due to a province-wide shortage of practitioners and a requirement that doctors volunteer their[Read More…]
PGSS general assembly fails to meet quorum, discusses ways to increase attendance
On Nov. 8, the Post-Graduate Student Society (PGSS) held both its November council meeting and general assembly (GA) at Thomson House. As the GA failed to reach quorum—which is one per cent of PGSS members, or 96 students—no motions could be passed and all items on the agenda were for[Read More…]
SSMU Legislative Council approves SSMU statement for empathy and against doxxing
The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) gathered on Nov. 9 for its fifth Legislative Council meeting of the semester. Members of the council discussed students’ responses to tuition hikes, issues of food security on campus, and a potential statement in response to the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. The meeting started[Read More…]
AGSEM and McGill’s third bargaining meeting: New demands over collective agreement
On Nov. 9, the Association of Graduate Students Employed at McGill (AGSEM) entered its third bargaining meeting with the McGill administration. Since Sept. 21, AGSEM—the union representing teaching assistants (TAs) at McGill—has been negotiating terms for improved working conditions and wages following the expiration of their collective agreement in July.[Read More…]
Quebec students and faculty mobilize against provincial government’s proposed tuition hikes
Students and faculty from McGill, Concordia, and Bishop’s University protested against the Quebec government’s proposed tuition increases for out-of-province and international students attending anglophone universities on Oct. 30. Quebec Minister of Higher Education Pascale Déry announced the tuition hike on Oct. 13. Quebec will double tuition fees from about $9,000[Read More…]
Candlelit vigil at McGill honours victims in Gaza
Content Warning: Mentions of violence, death, and mourning The McGill Palestinian and pro-Palestine community members stood in collective grief by the Arts Building on the evening of Nov. 2, as hundreds gathered for a vigil to mourn the Israeli government’s killings of Palestinians in Gaza. The vigil was organized by[Read More…]
Jewish students and allies rally against surge in antisemitism
Content Warning: mentions of antisemitism and violence Over 150 Jewish students and non-Jewish allies gathered on McGill’s lower field on Nov. 2 to stand united against rising antisemitism across North America. The crowd held signs for peace, condemning antisemitism and Hamas. Many also waved Israeli flags, as attendees from the[Read More…]