On Sept. 21 and 22, the Societé de Transport de Montreal (STM) displayed a full-sized model of Montreal’s upcoming metro trains, named “Azur,” on McGill College Ave. The exhibit was part of “Go Green,” which was held to promote public transportation as well as preview World Car-Free Day, an event held by the STM every Sept. 23 since 2003.

The provincial government granted the contract for 468 new metro cars to the Bombardier-Alstom consortium in Oct. 2010, bypassing the normal bidding process. According to a statement from Quebec Transport Minister Pierre Moreau, the project is expected to generate nearly $400 million in net value added to Quebec’s gross domestic product.

According to Marianne Rouette from STM public affairs, the new metro cars will be delivered beginning in March 2014  at a rate of one train per month, with an expected completion date of Sept. 2018.

“The new “Azur” metro trains will be available [for passenger use]on the Orange line as of Jan. 2015,” Rouette said in French.

The current metro fleet has been in use since 1966—when the metro was first unveiled—and carries an average of 850,000 passengers every weekday. The new metro trains are expected to last a minimum of 40 years.

The metro cars’ new design features larger doors to facilitate the flow of passengers, as well as the possibility of passenger circulation between the metro cars. According to the STM, the latter feature allows for an increase of eight per cent capacity in the metro.

The interior lighting of the metro cars has also been modified, now providing indirect lighting and LED accent lights. A signal built into the doorframes lights up neon green to warn passengers when doors are about to close.

According to Rouette, the design of the new metro cars incorporated feedback from online surveys accessed by over 24,000 commuters, in addition to mechanics, engineers, and other metro staff.

Some students said they appreciated the chance to walk through the model of the updated metro cars.

“I liked the new metro train—it is very clean and new and it considers a variety of [needs], such as those of handicapped people,” Hannah Aronoff, U3 Latin American studies, said.

Although the new metro trains provide open spaces to accommodate wheelchairs, strollers, and bicycles, some critics have noted that many metro stations still do not have elevators—which prevents certain users from accessing metro stations in the first place.

The current design includes two fold-up seats in each car and 28 fixed seats. Aronoff noted that the design could have made better use of the space by incorporating more fold-up seats, which would increase the seating space while remaining adaptable to universal accessibility requirements if needed.

Roxane Kar, a student visiting Montreal, praised the ergonomic seats.

“The seats are really comfortable—they don’t look that comfortable, but they really are,” Kar said. “Also, the seats stayed plastic, which is good, because when they are not plastic, they get really gross.”

On Saturday, students from several Montreal universities and CEGEPs participated in a demonstration for free education organized by the Coalition Large de l’Association pour un Solidarité Syndicale Étudiante (CLASSE). The Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) declared the demonstration illegal, and riot police in the downtown area dispersed demonstrators at around 4:00 p.m., putting an end to the march.

The march began at Parc Lafontaine Avenue and Cherrier Street, where demonstrators gathered at 2:00 p.m. The demonstration was considered by many to be a celebration of the Parti Québécois’ (PQ) recent cancellation of the tuition increase proposed by the previous liberal government, as well as a march towards the broader goal of free education for all.

“This demonstration is about bringing forward a project—to maintain and improve accessibility to higher education [by] bringing down any kind of tuition fees,” Jérémie Bédard-Wien, CLASSE finance secretary, said. “[We want to] improve our university system and make it answer the needs of the population, rather than corporate interests.”

Many students present at the demonstration expressed similar opinions to that of Bédard-Wien.

“What I think a lot of people have failed to realize [is] that for many of us, it wasn’t about tuition fees from the get-go,” Kyle McLaughlin, a third-year anthropology student at Concordia University, said. “It was about trying to build the society that we want to see.”

“I think [education] should be free for everybody,” Jasmine Latendresse, a first-year science student at Collège Lionel-Groulx, said. “It’s a right, and we shouldn’t have to pay for that.”

Bédard-Wien offered suggestions for how free education could become a reality in Québec.

“[Free education] is not a radical idea, as it is often painted by [the] media,” he said. “We could fund such a project [by] improving our fiscal taxation system, [and] perhaps by establishing a capital tax—a very small tax—on financial transactions, that would allow us to bring down user fees in public services, including education. There are also several improvements that can be made in the [financial] management of universities.”

CLASSE did not publish the route of the march in advance, which prompted the SPVM to declare the demonstation illegal, based on municipal by-law P-6—the “prevention of disturbances to the peace, public security and public order.” On their Twitter account, the SPVM confirmed that participants could continue demonstrating, provided that no criminal acts were committed.

SPVM policemen followed the march on foot from the sidewalks.

Until it arrived at the McGill University campus, the demonstration was predominantly peaceful. However, several masked demonstrators dressed in black hurled rocks at police cars parked in front of the Schulich School of Music Building, and jeered at riot police stationed in front of McGill’s Roddick Gates.

Physical confrontations between police and demonstrators broke out at the intersection of Peel and Sherbrooke, causing the demonstration to halt temporarily. Several demonstrators hit and chased police vans on Peel; riot police responded by pursuing the demonstrators in question into the larger crowd.

Following the confrontations, demonstrators reassembled and continued down Drummond Street, where riot police blocked access at several intersections, forcing the march to disperse.

Now that the PQ has frozen tuition, many students are looking to the summit on education—to be held by the PQ in the near future—for more progress. However, many participants in the demonstration had doubts about the intentions of the newly elected government.

“I think governments have to be pushed to have students’ interests in mind,” Bédard-Wien said. “The PQ … wants to index tuition fees to the cost of living, [but] students earning the minimum wage know very well that minimum wage is not indexed to the cost of living. If we are to go to the summit—which has not yet been decided—[we will convey] that any kind of indexation [is] opposed by students.”

“Some could see [the PQ] as an ally, but I personally think that they are still part of the old guard of political parties in this province who have a history of…corruption,” McLaughlin said. “I think they did what was required to get them elected.”

Many participants made it clear they would continue to voice their opinions in the coming months and, perhaps, years.

“[The cancellation of the tuition hikes] is a big step forward for the students, but it’s not where it should stop,” Latendresse said.

“The struggle is not over, and the struggle won’t be over until everyone has access to education everywhere,” McLaughlin said.

On Sept. 21, McGill’s First People’s House held their 11th annual Pow Wow on Lower Field. With traditional singing and dances, this year’s Pow Wow included a variety of cultural activities to engage students and raise awareness about Aboriginal cultures.

Catching the attention of many passing students, the Pow Wow started off in high spirit, and was an auspicious start to the upcoming Aboriginal Awareness Week, running from Sept. 24 to 28.

“Every year, Pow Wow is getting bigger and better,” Paige Isaac, interim coordinator of McGill’s First People’s House and one of the key organizers of the event, said. “[This year], we did a better job at planning, promotion, and finding new artists… The head dancer, Chris Wysote, actually drove all the way from my community [Listuguj Mi’gmag] just for this event.”

The intermittent rain did little to dampen the excitement afforded by numerous scheduled programs such as Inter-Tribal Dances, Inuit Throat Singing, and Round Dance. Aided by loud speakers, the drumbeats echoed across campus and drew an increasingly large crowd as the event progressed. At the centre of the event, the Aboriginal performers from various North American reserves danced complex steps, wearing patchwork dresses with feathered garments.

The word ‘Pow Wow’ is derived from the Narragansett word ‘powwaw,’ meaning ‘spiritual leader.’ Originally a gathering of North American Aboriginals, it has evolved in recent decades into an event promoting interactions between Aboriginal and non-Aborginal people. Through dances, songs, and speeches, participants were not only exposed to Aboriginal culture, but also encouraged to socialize without the constraints of social barriers and stereotypes.

This year’s Pow Wow sought to pursue such goals with interactive performances such as the Round Dance. In this dance, audience members are encouraged to join hands with performers and dance in circles. Rather than observing from afar, students participated hand in hand with first nations dancers.

In addition, Pow Wow organized a special workshop to introduce students to a contemporary Aboriginal DJ group, “A Tribe Called Red.” The artists in the group—DJ NDN, DJ Shrub, and Bear Witness—combine traditional drumbeats and throat singing from Cree culture with modern rhythm and melody. The result is a unique style of club music that bridges traditional music with hip-hop, electronica, and house music.

“Traditional Cree drumbeats generally try to get people to dance as wild [sic] as they can, so in a way, it’s perfect for remixing with music today,” DJ NDN said during a question and answer period. “Our process in making music is in many ways trial and error…We synthesize different tones and beats, and keep editing them until they’re ready.”

DJ NDN also emphasized the importance of social media in helping to promote their music.

“The feedback has been very positive,” he said. “We haven’t gotten any bad stereotypes or negative comments on our native influence.”

Outside the workshop, vendors sold a variety of hand-made crafts, accessories, and clothing. Each item had unique patterns, and passing students were intrigued by their creative design and Aboriginal significance.

In an interview with the Tribune, Isaac expressed excitement for the upcoming Aboriginal Awareness Week.

“Everything went according to plan in this year’s Pow Wow,” she said. “We were very happy with the results.”

Pow Wow volunteer Brennan Gordon, U2 arts, said that he’d seen several students volunteering at the event.

“Pow Wow’s been fun,” Gordon said. “This is my first time volunteering [but] I think this helps McGill students find out more about indigenous culture.”