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McGill Recommendations, Student Life

Spicing up college cooking

by Tamiyana Roemer on

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After a taxing day of conquering marathon lectures and navigating dense readings, you return to your apartment with a quiet sense of accomplishment. Unfortunately, the relief of your homecoming is short-lived. Student life has yet another trial in store for you: Dinner. For many university students, the never-ending to-do list turns cooking into a tiresome obligation. But what if preparing meals could be a fun and rewarding part of your routine, rather than a chore? Here’s how to transform your next cooking experience into an activity you might actually look forward to.

Cook seasonally

Cooking seasonally can inspire you to connect with the rhythms of the year. As the seasons change, so do the ingredients, inviting you to experiment with fresh produce. Spring’s vibrant greens, summer’s juicy fruits, autumn’s hearty root vegetables, and winter’s cozy flavours each offer a unique culinary experience, turning your kitchen into a celebration of the natural world’s cycles. Seasonal cooking encourages creativity and mindfulness, making each meal an opportunity to savour the distinct tastes and textures that define each time of year. The McGill Farmers’ Market is a great place to discover what’s in season. From July to October, you can find it on Rue McTavish every Thursday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you have time to take a longer trip, make sure to check out Jean-Talon Market and Mac Market on the Macdonald Campus. 

Pick up a cookbook

The internet is overflowing with recipes, which can lead to decision fatigue. Cookbooks simplify the decision-making process through their curated selections, and further narrow the scope of choices through their organization by theme, cuisine, or meal type. Unlike the isolated TikTok recipe on your feed, cookbooks walk you through a broader culinary journey, which allows you to choose recipes that complement each other. Since cookbooks typically have a central theme, you’ll also find that they not only expand your repertoire of cooking techniques and methods but reinforce them to the point of proficiency. As you start to build confidence in the kitchen, you may even find that the newfound ease allows for some joy in the process.

Set the mood

Your cooking experience doesn’t have to feel like a scene straight out of The Bear. After all, you’re not a fictional chef spiraling into the frenzied rhythm of a professional kitchen. Cooking can be a chance to relax and escape the chaos of student life. Light a candle, play some music, and embrace the potential for food prep to be a comforting ritual. Of course, your schedule may not allow for this luxury every night, which is where meal prepping comes in. One session in the kitchen can yield multiple meals to enjoy throughout the hectic week, and this way, you can preserve cooking as a comfort rather than a draining daily labour. 

Serve with style

A nicely plated dish can elevate the cooking process into a true labor of love. While looks aren’t everything, presenting your meal with care can help you admire your hard work with pride. Arrange your food neatly, add a garnish, or even curate a small collection of thrifted tableware to enhance your experience. This way, sitting down to enjoy your creation can feel like a celebration of your efforts.

Food for the soul

Montreal may have an incredible food scene, but restaurants are not the only place where food brings people together. Inviting someone to cook with you allows your kitchen to transform into a site of strengthened relationships and fond memories. Collaborating on a shared goal naturally fosters communication and support, with easy conversations making their way into the kitchen cacophony of chopping, stirring, and boiling. A shared culinary endeavor can create a delicious meal and a deepened bond, leaving both your body and mind nourished.

Science & Technology

The hidden risks of malnutrition in presurgical patients

by Lana Liquard on

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In hospitals across Canada, medical staff often overlook a critical factor in surgical success: A patient’s nutritional status. While surgical teams meticulously plan for every detail of an operation, something as simple as inadequate nutrient intake can quietly undermine even the most carefully orchestrated procedures. Despite its profound impact on recovery and surgical outcomes, malnutrition remains an invisible problem for many patients.

Chelsia Gillis, assistant professor at McGill’s School of Human Nutrition in the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, recently published a paper in Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism highlighting Canada’s lack of preoperative surgical nutrition practices. 

The study addresses the importance of malnutrition screening before surgery and its ability to significantly improve patient outcomes, including reduced length of stays and fewer surgical complications. However, the study reveals that screening for malnutrition is not a consistent practice across healthcare facilities.

“Malnutrition is an unbalanced nutritional state that modifies body mass, body composition, and function,” Gillis wrote in an email to The Tribune. 

For surgical patients, malnutrition often manifests as unintentional weight and muscle loss, compromising recovery, immune function, and overall health. 

“Preoperative malnutrition is associated with poor patient outcomes including prolonged length of hospital stay, surgical complications, and survival,” Gillis explained. 

Despite the well-documented risks, the study’s survey still found that only 65 per cent of healthcare professionals (HCPs) reported actively screening for malnutrition in surgical patients, with dietitians leading the charge. 

“The good news is that malnutrition is modifiable,” Gillis wrote. This means that there is a real opportunity to make a difference if this issue can be addressed early in the patient’s surgical journey.”

The study surveyed 225 HCPs across Canada, including dietitians, physicians, and allied health professionals. While 96 per cent of respondents agreed that malnutrition is a modifiable risk factor and a treatment priority, many noted practical barriers that prevent them from routinely screening patients.

“Clinicians don’t have the opportunity, [whether that’s] time [or] resources, to screen for malnutrition,” Gillis said. 

The study found that lack of time (according to 57 per cent of respondents), resources (according to 40 per cent of respondents), and support (according to 38 per cent of respondents) were the most frequently cited barriers to screening. These challenges were particularly evident among physicians, who were less likely to conduct routine screenings compared to dietitians.

Interestingly, 20 per cent of HCPs stated that they did not view nutrition risk screening as their responsibility. Gillis countered this notion, arguing that malnutrition screening should be a collective responsibility. 

“It is everyone’s responsibility. Make every contact count,” Gillis stressed. Nonetheless, the initial nutrition screen is performed by nurses in most settings.

Gillis also suggested some practical solutions to address the barriers. 

“Patients can self-screen for malnutrition risk, which would save time for clinicians,” Gillis proposed. “Malnutrition treatment should occur on a risk-stratified basis, meaning that the majority of resources are dedicated to those who would benefit the most, such as severely malnourished patients.”

The study also noted that many HCPs relied heavily on physical traits like weight and muscle appearance to assess malnutrition. Gillis, however, warned against this approach, noting that malnutrition is not always obvious. 

“The Canadian Malnutrition Task Force […] found that 32 per cent of patients suffering from malnutrition had a body mass index over 30,” Gillis explained. “The phenotype of malnutrition includes unintentional weight loss and loss of muscle mass, which is not necessarily obvious by looking at the patient.”

The study’s findings also highlight the need for systemic changes in how hospitals approach preoperative nutrition. The study calls for the use of standardized screening protocols, like the  Nutrition Care Practice Model, and recommends incorporating nutrition screening into electronic health records to ensure consistency. 

Moving forward, Gillis and her team are working on creating toolkits to help busy HCPs integrate malnutrition screening and treatment into their practices. These toolkits are part of a larger effort to bridge the gap between knowledge and action regarding nutrition care in preoperative settings.

Science & Technology

How are Canadians who have legally used psilocybin faring?

by Ella Paulin on

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While psilocybin, the active psychedelic compound in magic mushrooms, is illegal for both medical and recreational purposes in most countries, studies are increasingly pointing to its potential uses in psychotherapy, especially for relieving anxiety and depression in patients who have terminal illnesses. Canada, alongside Australia, is currently one of only two countries in the world allowing psilocybin prescription through what is known as “compassionate access” for patients without other effective treatment options.

Although Canada has allowed psilocybin use in limited therapeutic contexts since 2020, there is a lack of research on how psychedelic experiences have affected real-world patients. According to Sara de la Salle, a postdoctoral fellow in McGill’s Department of Psychiatry and first author of a recent study following eight real-world patients after their psychedelic experiences, there is even a lack of data on how many patients have accessed psilocybin. 

“I’m sure Health Canada knows how many they’ve approved, but there’s no public information on this process,” de la Salle said in an interview with The Tribune. “What prompted [our study] was just to have any type of information on what these people were going through, because there’s nothing. There’s no reports.”

Her research aims to address this lack of information through a voluntary survey completed by patients who received psilocybin through legal means between 2020 and 2022. 

The day after participants’ psilocybin treatment session, researchers looked at factors like how safe they felt during the session, what side effects—nausea, vomiting, etc.—they experienced, and how meaningful they perceived the session to be. In addition, they used two assessments that are common in psychedelic research: The Mystical Experiences Questionnaire (MEQ) and the Emotional Breakthrough Inventory (EBI). 

“Those two are very prominent measures in psychedelic studies, but usually not so much in more traditional treatments for depression,” de la Salle said. “They’re trying to capture things that are difficult for people to describe, like transcendence of time and space, or ineffability.”

Of the five participants who filled out this portion of the survey, one considered it to be the most meaningful experience of their life, and two said it was the most spiritually significant experience of their life. The average MEQ score was 64.3—for perspective, the threshold for having a ‘complete mystical experience’ is a score of 60 on all sections of the questionnaire—and the average EBI score was 63.4 out of 100. 

In addition to this data, eight participants filled out the survey two weeks after their treatment session. This part of the study compared patients’ self-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression, pain, and overall well-being to their pre-treatment levels.  

“We wanted to mimic what is being looked at in clinical trials to see: Are the benefits the same? Because we don’t really know what is going on with people who are getting special access,” de la Salle explained. “And we did, in fact, see very similar benefits.” 


A majority of participants noticed some improvement in their symptoms of depression, spiritual well-being, and relationships with family and friends. On the other hand, six patients reported no effect on their pain levels, and four patients found no effect on their fear of death. Additionally, one of the eight patients experienced generally worsening mental health after the session. 


Interestingly, the study also asked participants to predict how they thought the intervention would impact them. While the actual results were generally positive, they underperformed compared to the predictions, indicating that it may be worthwhile to temper patients’ expectations of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy. 

While the study is limited by its small sample size and lack of in-person contact with patients, de la Salle believes it is an important addition to real-world psilocybin research in Canada. 

“It was a good step in the right direction. There are more attempts to collect information, but really we just wanted to send the message that [psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy] can be beneficial, but we don’t have any information,” de la Salle said. “And since Health Canada grants these approvals, it would be very easy for them to have some way of collecting information.”

Behind the Bench, Soccer, Sports

Chelsea FC Ltd.’s most recent financial gambit

by Reuben Noam on

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This past May, Chelsea Football Club was a bustling machine of termination and change. For the second consecutive season, the men’s team saw a finish outside of the English Premier League’s (EPL) top four—something that had not occurred since the league’s first two seasons—1992-1993 and 1993-1994. The women’s side stood in victorious contrast, having secured their fifth consecutive Women’s Super League title (WSL). Just one weekend before, Mauricio Pochettino left his men’s-side managerial role, later to be replaced by former Leicester City manager Enzo Maresca. 

Media and fan discussion continued to report largely on Chelsea FC’s stumbles, and experiments were being made company-wide. In what was framed as a celebration of the women’s achievements, Chelsea released a club statement announcing a restructuring that would position Chelsea Women “alongside, rather than beneath” the men’s team. This news prodded reluctant ambivalence from fans—even in hindsight, the vague language of the statement seemed to underscore a lack of meaningful change.

The true motivation became clear the following month, when the decision was not so much backtracked as it was obliterated from relevancy: Control of the women’s side was transferred from Chelsea FC Holdings to BlueCo, the former’s parent company. Thus, effective June 28, the men’s and women’s sides were no longer registered under the same holding company—a complete split in their financial assets, losses and profits, except for what Holdings might stand to gain from the sale of the women’s team. The teams became separate entities.

This shift came just before the year-end accounting cutoff on June 28. Under the EPL’s profitability and sustainability rules, clubs cannot exceed a £105 million loss over three years. Chelsea’s lavish spending during transfer windows under the collaborative ownership of Chairman Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital has brought them perilously close to breaching these limits. For instance, take Enzo Fernández, Wesley Fofana, Mykhaylo Mudryk, and Moisés Caicedo—all are transfers in excess of €70 million that have occurred within the past three years. The examples of these exorbitant transfers is unique in the world of football at large, and unheard of in women’s football, which never reaches these prices. By moving the women’s team off Chelsea FC Holdings’ books, the club reduces the financial burden on the men’s side. Though it was publicized as an opportunity for the women’s team to operate its own management and facilities, it is glaring that the move allows Boehly’s men to skirt potential penalties while keeping their focus on navigating the next season’s/quarter’s challenges, or potential profits.

Chelsea Women’s impressive success has been undermined by this financial maneuvering. What was painted to look like a strategic repositioning for equality over months of manipulative statements proved to be a way to grease the gears of the Men’s operations. The women’s team, despite their achievements, has been made a vehicle  for financial futures—lest we forget the men, though better compensated, also essentially serve the same purpose for the financial suits.

The women’s side has already undergone significant change since May. Emma Hayes, London native and winner of 16 trophies with the club as manager, departed for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team Head Coach role. She is succeeded by former Olympique Lyonnais Féminin’s former manager, Sonia Bompastor. This is part of the broader reshuffling of Chelsea’s internal structures—another sign that the women’s team is adapting to fit the new order, rather than driving it. 

The long-term effects of this financial separation, of course, remain to be seen. The immediate benefit for the men’s team is clear, their path to financial compliance is indubitably smoothed no matter the valuation of the acquisition (as yet unknown). But the impact on the women’s team is murky and uncomfortable in light of that fact. What happens when a highly successful team, like Chelsea Women’s, is repurposed to serve the financial interests of a less stable component? Can they continue to dominate? Time will tell if they are able to take advantage of their new independence, or if the shift in priorities undermines their momentum.

Science & Technology

McGill research explores how an arthrogryposis diagnosis affects families

by K. Coco Zhang on

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In Canada, over 30,000 children with disabilities are being cared for at home. Caregiving for children with disabilities requires providing support in various activities of daily life, such as bathing, dressing, managing finances, shopping, and providing transportation. 

While care can be rewarding, caregivers are at higher risk of experiencing negative health effects, including mental health issues such as depression. Rare diseases such as arthrogryposis—a condition in which multiple joints are unable to fully or partially extend or bend—pose additional challenges for caregivers due to the complexity of the disease. 

“Arthrogryposis is a congenital condition that affects joints from birth. It is different from conditions like joint stiffness and muscle weakness, which can develop over time,” Rose Elekanachi, PhD candidate in McGill’s School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, said in an interview with The Tribune.

Arthrogryposis commonly affects the wrists, hands, elbows, shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles. In severe cases, this condition may also affect the jaw and spine. Causes of arthrogryposis are variable and may include genetic, parental, and environmental factors, as well as fetal anomalies—unusual conditions in a baby’s development during pregnancy.

The experience of providing care for arthrogryposis remains largely understudied. In a recent paper, Elekanachi and her team explored the lived experience of caregivers of children with arthrogryposis, emphasizing the financial and societal challenges caregivers encounter.

“The term ‘caregivers’ is used to refer to both paid caregivers and parents,” Elekanachi noted.

Through her research, Elekanachi aims to raise awareness of arthrogryposis among healthcare professionals and caregivers, and guide local policymakers in improving service provisions to meet the unique needs of caregivers of children with this condition.

The initial financial burden for families is considerable due to the need for numerous diagnostic tests and consultations.

“Immediately after childbirth, caregivers have to go to several healthcare professionals to receive a reliable diagnosis because this condition was very rare and [little known] a couple of years ago, and these expenses come at a significant out-of-pocket cost,” Elekanachi said.

Furthermore, the cost of caring for children with arthrogryposis varies depending on the child’s specific needs.

“For example, the child may need a walking aid, arm splints, ramps for stairs, or adjustments for beds, and things like that. Depending on the location of the affected joint, the level of financial commitment is different,” Elekanachi explained.

According to Elekanachi, the caregiving experience is complex, as this condition often requires multiple types of care, including rehabilitation, speech therapy, and orthopedics—surgeries treating conditions of the bones, joints, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and nerve structures.

Elekanachi also discusses the societal challenges surrounding the condition, including accessibility issues in public spaces, and highlights the need to allow people with arthrogryposis to speak up for their unique needs and advocate for themselves.

“We still have a society that may not be completely accessible to children with disabilities, such as classrooms, metro stations, and bus stops. Sometimes, the school may not have adequate equipment or accommodations for these students,” Elekanachi said.

In addition, the study highlighted a correlation between the caregiver’s health and that of the child. The multiple challenges caregivers face can increase their risk of poor health, reducing their ability to care for their child, which has been associated with increased hospitalizations.

“Going forward, future studies need to shift focus from the condition itself to [include] the secondary piece that affects the condition, such as caregiver experiences,” Elekanachi stated. “Healthcare professionals and researchers need to understand caregiving experiences across conditions and share comprehensive resources with caregivers.”

Science & Technology

The science behind Ozempic’s triumph

by Daniel Pyo on

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On Sept. 23, McGill’s Office for Science and Society (OSS) organized the Annual Trottier Public Science Symposium, aiming to increase understanding of Ozempic and its deeper implications. Moderated by Joe Schwarz, professor in chemistry and Director of OSS, the event featured two experts in the field. 

Research leading to discoveries of GLP-1 and Ozempic

Patricia Brubaker, professor in University of Toronto’s Department of Physiology and Medicine, began by discussing the promising role of glucagon-like-peptide-1 (GLP-1)—a hormone that helps stabilize blood sugar levels following meal consumption—in diabetes management and weight reduction. 

Initially discovered in 1987, GLP-1 not only prevents the release of glucagon, which raises blood sugar levels, but also slows stomach emptying and reduces appetite, contributing to weight loss.

“Ozempic isn’t GLP-1 itself; it is a synthetic analogue of the naturally occurring hormone that acts to agonize the effects of GLP-1 inside our bodies,” Brubaker noted. 

Ozempic and other GLP-1 agonists have proved effective in managing Type II diabetes, a chronic condition that affects insulin regulation and metabolism, by improving insulin secretion within the body.  

Unlike other medications for diabetes, Ozempic stays in the body for a longer period, with a half-life of about one week. This means that if an individual takes roughly two milligrams of the drug on Monday, there will still be about one milligram remaining in their body the following Monday. Once its biological mechanisms are activated, it facilitates weekly dosing, making it easier to take consistently than a daily medication. 

Brubaker is cautious about the potential side effects, which require careful monitoring and titration—a process to make sure that people adjust to the drug gradually—of dosages. 

“There have been emergency cases of people overdosing themselves with multiple injections in a day to drastically lose weight, but keep in mind this is lethal,” Brubaker explained.  

Therefore, self-injection of Ozempic can be dangerous for those aiming to lose large amounts of weight very quickly, or those aiming to immediately suppress their appetite. Taking necessary health precautions is crucial to preventing hormonal imbalance. 

Do dietary supplements truly match their claims?

The second speaker of the night was Peter Cohen, associate professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. His advocacy in the medical field has led to the banning of multiple drugs and warnings for inaccurate drug advertisements. 

In contrast to Health Canada’s stringent regulations on dietary supplements and pills, the sale of supplements and vitamins is permitted by default in the States until the FDA takes action to ban or restrict them. This lack of this oversight has led to drug abuse and the spread of misinformation about dietary supplements, often propagated via social media.

“Because of social media these days, it’s very easy for people to believe a testimony after taking supplements that will suggest to audiences that the drug in fact magically works,” Cohen said in his talk. 

Cohen highlighted that numerous patients have unknowingly consumed supplements that have been detrimental to their health, causing allergies or temporary health issues that resolve after they stop taking the supplement. 

Physicians play a crucial role in reporting adverse effects to the FDA, but the reliance on manual reporting means individuals can obtain specific supplements without strict prescriptions. While the FDA has no other means of tracking supplement safety, it is their duty to remove any harmful substances. 

“We see a crisis happening with Ozempic as well. It is still a relatively newly-discovered drug, and it could be a supplement for those who are suffering from obesity with serious health implications, not for casual use,” Cohen said. 

The symposium emphasized the vital role of credible science communication in ensuring that modern medicine’s benefits are not overshadowed by misuse. It concluded with a call for greater awareness and responsibility from both the scientific community and the public. 

While drugs like Ozempic show promise, they are not quick fixes and require careful consideration. In a time when misinformation prevails, events like this are crucial for navigating the future of medication use in our society.

Editorial, Opinion

Solidarity must supersede suppression at McGill

by The Tribune Editorial Board on

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In the past week, Israel has intensified its military actions in Lebanon, killing over 700 civilians and displacing over 90,000 people. Destructive Israeli airstrikes have destroyed densely populated residential areas, including a massive bombing that flattened four buildings in Southern Beirut. Lebanon’s health minister, Dr. Firass Abiad, reported that Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed over 1,640 civilians in Lebanon since its escalation last October. While international pressure builds for an imperative ceasefire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reaffirmed a commitment to continue military actions against Hezbollah.

This period of heightened violence and humanitarian crisis coincides with the approaching one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, which resulted in the unconscionable murder of 815 Israeli civilians. In response, the Israeli Defense Forces unleashed brutal military operations in Gaza, killing over 42,334 Palestinians, and unjustifiably displacing over 75 per cent of the population. Quebec’s Minister of Higher Education, Pascale Déry, has called on universities to be “more vigilant and proactive” in anticipating a “climate of tension” on campuses and is urging institutions to prepare for the potential unrest. 

What Déry refers to as “tensions” points to the ongoing repression of student democracy at McGill. On Sept. 16, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) revoked the club status of Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) after McGill threatened to withdraw funding if ties with SPHR were not severed. This decision came months after the university’s unlawful and callous dismantlement of the 75-day Palestine Solidarity Encampment on campus, which stood in solidarity with Palestinian resistance and demanded McGill’s divestment from weapons manufacturing corporations. Though this stance was supported by 78 per cent of voters in a Fall 2023 referendum question regarding the implementation of the Policy Against Genocide in Palestine with record-breaking voter turnout, McGill has continued to condemn pro-Palestine activity while simultaneously defying the clear demands of its student body.

McGill’s prejudiced actions against SPHR are emblematic of its broader strategy of suppression, reflecting a persistent unwillingness to engage with student activism or to acknowledge its institutional ties to larger oppressive structures, like its investment in weapons manufacturing company Lockheed Martin, which supplies the Israeli Defense Forces. Just as McGill avoids reckoning with its presence on unceded Indigenous land, it similarly refuses to recognize the Palestinian cause. Instead, the administration maintains its investments, prioritizing profit over justice. McGill’s tendency to frame sentiments of anti-Zionism as antisemitism, often twisting SPHR’s language and imagery to fit this narrative, allows the university to sidestep the moral imperative of addressing their ties to the ongoing genocide in Palestine.

As the anniversary of the devastating Oct. 7 attack approaches, we must unite as a student community to promote collective peace and solidarity. The university must do better—restoring SPHR’s club status and providing culturally relevant mental health resources for students are crucial steps forward. Just as the university has provided institutional support for Ukrainian students in times of uncertainty and conflict, it is essential that they extend the same empathy and resources to those affected by the crisis in Lebanon and Palestine. Though it’s easy to feel discouraged when McGill dismisses student activism, our resistance and mobilization must persist. Our actions, voices, and protests remain powerful tools for change, and we must continue to use them, as we call on McGill to stand on the right side of history.

As students, condemning any civilian massacre, any act of violence, and any form of oppression should be the simplest decision. But if our community’s shock and distress comes only at the sight of certain brutalized bodies, if our administration speaks out in the name of the horrific violence that took place on Oct. 7, but not when Palestinians are atrociously murdered, abducted and imprisoned, or when Lebanese families are forcibly displaced and bombed, then it is imperative to confront which forms of brutalization our institution deems intolerable and which it does not. Asking for freedom is not a complex demand. Students deserve the right to call for action against genocide and colonialism. Israeli students deserve the space to mourn the horrific day that brought the highest loss of Jewish life since the Holocaust. Lebanese students deserve the ability to seek active support and mobilization from the community around them. And Palestinians deserve sovereignty, safety, and humanity in the face of systemic ethnic cleansing. If any of those statements make you uneasy, then you must ask yourself why.

Commentary, Opinion

Silent stones: revisiting the forgotten in Montreal’s cemeteries

by Jamie Xie on

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Graveyards occupy a uniquely taboo space that bridges the gap between the grieved and the grieving. They might almost be considered parks, yet they are not always viewed as sanctuaries. With 41 recognized cemeteries and a rich history of burial rites, Montreal stands as the resting grounds to 1.5 million deceased persons—many of whom, having faced historical discrimination, were often denied the same dignity in death that their more privileged counterparts received. 

Notre-Dame-des-Neiges, one of Montreal’s most renowned cemeteries, exemplifies traditional cemetery excellence. It features a biodiverse garden of 13,500 trees intertwined with Gothic structures and Roman Catholic design elements. Its placement allows for a perfect instant where the sun slips just past the horizon causing the graves to cast these elongated shadows—a vision I call “seeing the sleeping stretch,” one of Montreal’s sacred experiences.

In many senses, cemeteries act as time capsules of the past: a laid-to-rest reflection of the narratives we tell ourselves about the bygone era in sepia nostalgia. By revisiting graves, we humanize history and confront it with the narrative skepticism it deserves. It’s crucial to acknowledge that not all stories receive equal attention; many marginalized individuals are forgotten in death. As cemeteries garner their utmost traction around the upcoming Halloween season, it is worth considering what they stand for and why we visit them. When planning a visitation, executing proper etiquette is often just as valuable as having the right intention to respect everyone’s unique relationship to death, especially for those whose lives—and deaths—have been overlooked in the broader narrative.

Recently, there has been a flurry of controversy surrounding “#Gravetok,” a subsection of TikTok dedicated to cleaning graves and telling the stories of the deceased. The concerns primarily arise from questions of consent, damaging the graves with harsh chemicals and some echoing naturalist ideas about the significance and found beauty of allowing memory to wither and fade away as time intends. 

It’s a thin line between honouring the past and letting justice slip just out of reach of recent memory—a Sisyphean task where you can’t quite have your grave and clean it too. If there is certain beauty in forgetting then what hope is there for those who never had their stories told in the first place? 

As a society, we decide who deserves to have their stories told beyond death. We celebrate the deceased with decorations while often overlooking the discomfort and pain that accompany loss. However cruel we like to imagine the past, it has consistently been more difficult for marginalized groups to gain recognition and dignity in life and death. What if we were to give these individuals another chance to have their stories revisited? By acknowledging their lives and struggles, we could allow them to be remembered with the dignity they were once denied, ensuring that their legacies are honoured and their voices are heard long after they are gone. This act of remembrance could reshape our collective understanding of justice, compassion, and the value of every life, regardless of societal privilege.
Whether it be a tranquil respite from city life, existential memento mori, or the space to pay respects to those who have endured hardship, cemeteries have so much to offer the everyman and act as a microcosm of the best mankind has to offer: The very human, ultimate good faith to do well by the past while steadily moving forward towards a brighter future. It is worth challenging our taboos around death. It is worth breaking these cycles of comfort and being critical of the same stories about the same people we tell ourselves. It is the never-ending lesson in empathy, as though to say: “I’m sorry we forgot about you then, but you are loved now.” It is worth celebrating those who have passed and will pass. No one deserves to be unappreciated and forgotten; everyone deserves to be mourned.

Arts & Entertainment, Music, Pop Rhetoric

Bring more big-name musical acts to Montreal

by Nell Casey & Jeanne Le Roux on

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Montreal is often overlooked when it comes to big-name concert tours. Despite its vibrant music scene and energetic crowds, many artists don’t think to stop in Montreal when booking their Canadian tour stops. Meanwhile, cities like Toronto and Vancouver are popular tour destinations. What do other cities have to offer that Montreal does not? 

Popular artists such as Olivia Rodrigo have commented on the electrifying energy and enthusiasm that Montreal’s crowds bring to a show. The city also hosts a wide variety of concerts and festivals, from techno events such as Piknic Électronik, to the annual Montreal Jazz Festival, to festivals highlighting Francophone artists, demonstrating that there is an audience for any artist, regardless of style or genre.

Montreal hosts millions of spectators every year at these festivals, and their popularity is only expanding over time. However, the city’s enthusiasm for its music scene extends beyond festivals; local scene bands, live music in bars, and concerts by big and small artists alike captivate its residents year-round. It is this open-mindedness and vast interest in live music that makes Montreal a city eager to receive larger artists. 

Furthermore, Montreal’s geographic location is ideal for hosting out-of-town audiences from smaller cities in Eastern Canada and even those from the U.S., in places like Boston and New York City. While it might seem far to have to travel from Montreal to Toronto to see a popular artist or band perform live, it is nothing compared to the distances those who live in Quebec City, or even in the Maritimes, must travel. Such trips are long, pricey, and often unfeasible for the average concert-goer. By adding tour stops in Montreal, top-tier artists can increase accessibility for fans across Canada.

In general, Montreal is a more affordable city than Toronto, with prices being on average 10 per cent lower. For the artist, this can mean spending less on venue rental fees and on hiring production staff. For the audience, it means that finding transportation, lodging, and food won’t be as costly, leaving more of their budget for the concert tickets themselves. This price difference between the two cities can be reflected in ticket prices as well. 

Montreal is likewise well-adapted and accustomed to hosting substantial crowds while still offering reliable services. The city is home to Place des Arts, a large concert hall located in the Quartier des Spectacles, which has a total capacity of 8000 seats and hosts many performances and artists every year.

Centre Bell is another notable venue that can welcome bigger artists. The recent Charli XCX and Troye Sivan Sweat Tour held in this arena transformed the space’s stage with different light displays and impressive set pieces made of scaffolding. The result was an outstanding experience for the fans, and it illustrated the city’s ability to organise thrilling and remarkable concerts. This makes Montreal a city capable of—and accustomed to—organising distinguished cultural events.

Not only does Montreal have the capacity to coordinate important concerts for bigger artists, but its population is also adapted and open to them. With a metro area population of 4,342,000 people in 2023, Montreal is the second largest city in Canada—and inhabitants aged 25 to 34 years old are the city’s largest age group. Younger people tend to attend more concerts as they are usually up-to-date on trendy artists and follow pop culture through social media. The social aspect of concerts also tends to appeal more to younger generations, making them the perfect target audience for big tours.  

Montreal’s demographics, its location, its passion for live music, and its ability to organise larger events while maintaining a reasonable price for its services make it a hidden hosting gem for the worldwide famous artists that tend to overlook this city. 

McGill, News, Private

Fiat Lux library project suspended due to funding cuts

by Daniel Miksha on

More in McGill:

Following changes to funding structures imposed by the Quebec government, McGill has decided to suspend work on the Fiat Lux library project. The project aimed to transform the McLennan-Redpath Library Complex to provide students with an expanded study space and modern facilities. McGill President and Vice-Chancellor Deep Saini publicly announced the project’s suspension in a Senate meeting on Sept. 18. 

The Fiat Lux project would have sought to create a library space that meets the contemporary needs of McGill’s library users by introducing new types of flexible, creative, and collaborative spaces, including a makerspace, media production facilities, and a technology lending program. The project would have also seen the transfer of around 400,000 books back into the McLennan-Redpath complex and would have doubled the existing building’s library space for the McGill community.

During the Senate meeting, Saini communicated that the university is facing significant financial challenges due to changes the Quebec government made to the mechanisms for funding construction and renovation projects, which impose a yearly cap on the amount the provincial government is willing to contribute. According to Saini, these changes in the funding structure were not targeted at McGill and affect all Quebec universities.

“This has forced us to undertake a careful evaluation of all the university’s infrastructure plans, and very difficult decisions have had to be made,” Saini said in the Sept. 18 Senate meeting. “After extensive deliberations, we have come to the painful decision that we must suspend the Fiat Lux library project.” 

McGill’s Vice President (Administration and Finance) Fabrice Labeau noted during the meeting that although the Fiat Lux project has been suspended, an altered or scaled back version may still be completed.

Initially announced in 2019, the first stages of the project have already been carried out, such as the transfer of 2.4 million library items—including books, journals, and tapes—to the newly constructed off-campus McGill University Collections Centre (MUCC) in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec. The main thrust of construction was anticipated to begin in 2025 and was expected to last about three years.

McGill librarian David Greene stated that the Trenholme Dean of Libraries, Guylaine Beaudry,  informed library staff of the project’s suspension on Sept. 16, two days before the Senate meeting. 

“Given the facts we knew already about the changes to the government funding model and how it would impact McGill’s capital projects, we were all prepared for disappointing news about Fiat Lux,” Greene wrote in a statement to The Tribune. “McLennan Library dates back to the 1960s and is in serious need of modernization. It’s clearly inadequate for the current needs of McGill students.” 

Sydney Schwandt, U0 Arts, reflected on the McLennan Library’s current lack of books following the relocation of the vast majority of its contents to the MUCC. 

“It’s kind of unsettling,” Schwandt told The Tribune. “Normally libraries have books, and for it to not have anything just feels off.” 

Greene remains optimistic that renovations will be able to continue despite the suspension of the project. 

“I’m holding out hope that a modified version of the project can still allow us to achieve [our] goals, and I’ve been assured by our Dean that she is focused on delivering the core of our vision with as few compromises as possible,” Greene wrote.

Despite the financial challenges the university is facing, the McGill Media Relations Office (MRO) stated that it remains committed to providing vital academic services to the community.

“McGill is exploring options to increase study, research and collaboration spaces in our libraries in order to meet the evolving needs of students and other library users,” the MRO wrote to The Tribune. “We’ve gone back to the evaluation of those needs to come up with other ways to improve spaces for library users.”  

Greene highlighted the time and energy already invested in the project by people across the McGill community, and urged McGill not to cancel it entirely.

“[A] suspension and modification of this project is disappointing, but we must accept it given the circumstances,” Greene wrote. “However, should the status be moved to ‘canceled’ […] that would be genuinely heartbreaking and a huge setback for our university.”

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