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Student Life

Busy hands, idle minds

by Katherine Weaver on

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“Wow, all I’ve done today is school!” If, like myself, this thought runs through your head as you walk home in the dark at 4:30 p.m., it may be time to find an after-school activity. 

Learning a new skill, particularly over the course of multiple weeks, has many benefits for students’ well-being. When we allow our brains to focus on something that may not be academically productive, we create an opportunity to destress. Committing to a multi-week program establishes a routine, something especially important in the short days of the Montreal winter. Read on to learn about some of the options available to you around Montreal.

Pottery

Price: $370

Duration: 7 weeks, 3 hours/week

Address: 5333 Avenue Casgrain, Suite 804

Language: English

For those itching to get behind the (pottery) wheel, Atelier Spirale offers pottery courses for all levels in both wheel-throwing and hand-building. As an added bonus, those enrolled in the course can access open studios on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to work independently. Registration for the winter session, which starts on Jan. 8, is live now and will close once full. 

Circus

Price: $325

Duration: 11 weeks, 2 hours/week

Address: 181 Avenue du Cirque

Language: Bilingual (English & French)

Did you know Montreal is home to the National Circus School? Along with training future Cirque duSoleil performers, the school runs a wide variety of adult recreational courses for those of us who aren’t lucky enough to be graduating with a degree in Circus Arts. Beginners and intermediates can explore circus techniques such as trapeze and silk acrobatics. Adult classes take place on Saturdays between Jan. 13 and April 4. If swinging from the ceiling or riding a unicycle has always been on your bucket list, mark your calendars for the start of registration on Dec. 4.

Improv

Price: $258 

Duration: 6 weeks, 2 hours/week

Address: 3706 and 3716 rue Notre-Dame Ouest

Language: English

Improv classes have many benefits for health and well-being. Students learn to be present, embrace mistakes, and build self-confidence in their humour and public speaking skills. Impro Montreal runs a 6-week course for improvisers of all levels. Unsure if improv is for you? The studio offers a one-hour Freebie Improv Workshop to those interested in learning more before committing to a full course. 

Archery

Price: $95

Duration: 12 weeks, 3 hours/week

Address: 5485 Chemin de la Côte Saint-Paul

Language: English or French

Who knew you could learn archery in Montreal? Archers du Sud-Ouest is an archery club that runs weekly lessons out of the Centre Gadbois. Equipment is provided, and the club even offers a free intro session to newcomers. Adult lessons take place every Tuesday and Thursday from 8 to 9:30 p.m. between January and April.

Latin Dance

Price: $40-70

Duration: 7 weeks, 1 hour/week

Address: 372 St. Catherine Street W

Language: English

Salseros is a Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) club providing affordable Salsa and Bachata lessons for all levels. The club also hosts various socials and events throughout the semester to introduce students to the Montreal Latin dance scene. While you can sign up as a pair, it’s not necessary to come with a partner; the club will pair leaders and followers in-class. Registration for the winter semester opens in January and will be announced on the club’s Facebook and Instagram pages. 

Honourable Mentions 

The McGill Arts Collective hosts free, bi-weekly roundtable events and workshops to help students of all abilities practice their artistic skills. 

McGill Athletics offers a variety of affordable group fitness, dance, and sports classes at the Currie Gymnasium.

McGill Swing Kids runs weekly swing-dance lessons at local studios. Your first lesson is free of charge! 

News, Recap, SSMU

Recap: SSMU Board of Directors Nov. 16 meeting

by Shani Laskin on

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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 Vice-President (VP) Student Life, Nadia Dakdouki. She shared that the executive committee was working on campaigning for a SSMU base fee increase. 

Next the board turned to approving meeting motions. The only motion discussed during the public portion of the meeting was a motion to release an announcement to membership regarding the Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights McGill (SPHR). Fallis shared that the statement had been written but required approval by the board prior to its release. The motion was promptly moved to the confidential session of the meeting.

“The statement is going to be public […] but I think that there could be confidential considerations to sending out the statement,” board member Lisa Pennel suggested.

As there was nothing else on the public agenda, the meeting moved into the confidential session, after which the meeting was adjourned.

As of Nov. 20, SSMU has not released a public statement regarding SPHR.

Editorial, Opinion

Fall 2023 SSMU Referendum Endorsements

by The Tribune Editorial Board on

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The Tribune’s Editorial Board presents its endorsements for the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Fall 2023 referendum questions. The Tribune’s editors researched and discussed each of the questions before voting on each endorsement. The endorsements reflect a majority vote of the editorial board, with editors who have conflicts of interest abstaining from pertinent questions.

MUSTBUS Fee Increase: Yes

MUSTBUS is a student-run co-op bus service created in 2019 that offers cheap bus tickets to McGill students. Round-trip tickets currently cost approximately $30 for a day trip and $60 for an overnight trip. In Winter 2023, MUSTBUS ran over 20 trips to destinations, including Boston, Toronto, Ottawa, and New York City. MUSTBUS is asking to increase the opt-outable fee for its services by $3—from $2 to $5. This will allow the company to meet inflation and to offer more bus trips, more destinations, and lower costs for customers. MUSTBUS’ main issue has been being unable to meet the student demand, with tickets for trips selling out within minutes. The Tribune endorses the $3 fee increase, as it is opt-outable and demand for MUSTBUS’ services has been displayed.

Creation of the Student Nutrition Accessibility Club Fee: Yes

The creation of the Student Nutrition Accessibility Club (SNAC) fee will support the club starting in Fall 2024 and lasting until the end of Winter 2029. The club’s services include weekly distributions of free, fresh produce and monthly educational nutrition workshops. The club is currently supported by the McGill Sustainability Projects Fund, which provided $15,260 to its initiatives for Fall 2023. The fee, which students can opt out of, is $1.30 per semester and will not only allow SNAC to continue bringing its services to McGill students, but also increase the club’s capacity to distribute free produce and expand the number and scope of the educational programs. Due to the prevalence of food insecurity on campus and the lack of affordable options, The Tribune supports the creation of this fee and the expansion of SNAC’s services.

Safety Services Fee Increase: Yes

Safety Services offers a variety of valuable services on the McGill campus, including the McGill Student Emergency Response Team (MSERT), the Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Students’ Society, and both the DriveSafe and WALKSAFE programs. Each of these services picks up the slack in the critical area of student safety, helping to support, protect, and care for students where the McGill administration has fallen short. The fee increase proposed in this question, which raises the non-opt-outable fee from $5.65 to $7.01 per semester, would affect the funding for only MSERT. It would allow them to continue offering their free First Aid courses, the current funding for which expires this semester. It would also enable them to expand their offerings of free courses and workshops for the general public, as well as to purchase critically-needed new training equipment and training courses for their volunteer emergency responders. 

Base Fee Increase: Yes, with reservations

SSMU is asking for an increase to the SSMU base fee—the mandatory fee that all SSMU members pay. This fee is used to support the Society’s everyday operations, including funding over 250 clubs, services such as the SSMU Eating Disorder Center and the Sexual Assault Center, and the SSMU office. The base fee, which was last increased in 2019, is currently $68.48 per semester for most full-time undergraduate students and, if this motion passes, will increase by 71 per cent to $117.21. 

According to the motion initiating the fee, the increase would be used to raise wages for unionized staff and to help the Society meet unprecedented levels of inflation. In an email to The Tribune, SSMU explained that this year’s executive team decided to pause growth and put a hiring freeze in place at the beginning of their term to combat the current financial situation, which has forced the society to dip into reserve funds in recent years. Without a fee increase, SSMU says that it would “likely have to drastically reduce its operational scale,” thus impacting the services and programs available to students. The Society has also stated that it plans to use the additional funds to help mobilize against the Quebec government’s proposed tuition hikes through campaigning and student outreach. 

While paying workers proper wages, maintaining services for students, and ensuring the financial sustainability of the students’ union is vital, SSMU should be more forthcoming about how this $48.73 increase will be spent if the motion passes. SSMU members, like SSMU employees, are under unprecedented pressure from tuition hikes, inflation, high housing costs, and food insecurity, and they deserve a detailed breakdown of where the additional revenue from this fee increase would go. Further, SSMU has been plagued by low student engagement for years; if this fee passes, it is imperative that SSMU dedicate substantial resources to increasing student outreach and engagement so that SSMU members know the tools available to them through their students’ union and how to engage in student democracy. Overall, The Tribune endorses a vote of “Yes” for this non-opt-outable fee, as living wages for SSMU employees and the resources SSMU provides are vital, but cautions that SSMU must do better to be transparent and increase student engagement.

Radio CKUT Fee Increase: Yes

CKUT is a non-profit community radio station based at McGill which provides 24/7 programming. It is one of the only places on campus where students can get access to high-quality sound equipment and studios to learn broadcast journalism and radio skills. The Tribune sees value in supporting other campus media outlets in order to foster a healthy student democracy—particularly amid Bill C-18. CKUT’s programming platforms institutionally-neglected voices and reports on the undercurrents of the arts and news of Montreal. The station is requesting a $2 raise to their semesterly opt-outable fee, bringing the fee for most full-time students from $5 to $7. Given the burden of inflation and the fact that they have not requested a fee increase since 2012, The Tribune advocates for a “Yes” vote for a CKUT fee increase. 

First Year Fee Renewal: Yes

SSMU’s First Year Council is an elected body that represents first years, advocates for them, and aims to help them adjust to university life. It also holds events, such as mixers, giveaways, and therapy dog hangouts. The Tribune sees helping new students get acclimated and learn how to engage in campus democracy as crucial. That being said, the paper encourages careful spending of the funds collected from this fee. If passed, SSMU must ensure that first year students are being brought events that help them learn about mental health resources on campus, know their rights, socialize, and engage with campus democracy. As such, The Tribune endorses a “Yes” vote on this $0.50 opt-outable fee. 

Creation of the Community Solidarity Fund, Fee, and Solidarity Funding Committee: Yes

The Tribune votes “Yes” on establishing a $1 opt-outable fee to finance a Community Solidarity Fund, which would be overseen by a Solidarity Funding Committee. This initiative stands to increase the amount of funding available to social-justice-focused initiatives whose aims align with SSMU’s positions. It also would be more accessible than other types of funding, which often require that recipients have organizational bank accounts or a larger organization willing to accept funds on their behalf. The policy has built-in safeguards: Recipients will have to write a report detailing what they used the funds for within three months of receiving the money, and no one individual or group will be able to receive over 7.5 per cent of the overall fund in a given year. Consultations were conducted with SSMU’s Funding Commissioner, SSMU’s Indigenous Affairs Commissioner, SSMU’s Equity Commissioners, the SSMU Vice President (VP) Student Life, the SSMU VP Sustainability and Operations, and the Quebec Public Interest Research Group at McGill. Given the importance of supporting social justice projects and the thorough research that went into the proposal of this fee, The Tribune supports the establishment of the Community Solidarity Fund.

Ratification of the Board of Directors Members: Yes

Section 6.5 of the SSMU Constitution stipulates that SSMU’s Board of Directors, its highest governing body, must be ratified through either a General Assembly or a referendum. As per the Constitution, “The Board of Directors shall supervise the management and administer the business and affairs of the Society and shall exercise all of the powers of the Society, except for those which the Act expressly reserves to the Members.” This vote would officially make Alexandre Ashkir, Nadia Dakdouki, Lalia Katchelewa, Liam Gaither, and Jacob Shannon members of the SSMU Board of Directors from November 15, 2023 until November 14, 2024. The Tribune urges a “Yes” vote so that SSMU’s Board of Directors can carry out its role.

Policy Against Genocide in Palestine Referendum Question: Yes

The Tribune strongly endorses a “Yes” vote on the adoption of the Policy Against Genocide in Palestine. This policy seeks to confront the lacking and insensitive responses of McGill University toward supporting Palestinian students and redressing settler colonialism here and abroad. The Tribune recognizes this policy as a testament to Palestinian students, groups, and allies courageously organizing for self-determination and for an anticolonial world in line with previous popular mobilizations and the relentless work of Black and African students at McGill to cut ties with South African apartheid. In voting for this policy, the university can acknowledge and build on the multiracial, multireligious, and pluralist movement for peace that Palestinian, Arab, Jewish, and Muslim students have forwarded.

McGill has invested and collaborated with donors, institutions, and corporations actively complicit in Israel’s settler colonial apartheid. As it stands, McGill’s investments, collaborations, and words enact violence on Palestinian students, and help erase Palestinian families, land, and struggle abroad. The policy asks McGill to cut ties and divest from violent stakeholders. These include investments in arms and weapons manufacturers and contractors that develop technologies that kill Palestinians—$500,000 in Lockheed Martin and $1.6 million in Thales—and investments in killing our planet, with $1.4 million in Chevron, Israel’s main fossil fuel extractor. McGill also holds partnerships with universities, such as Tel Aviv University, which funds military research for Israel, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, whose strategic location in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem has allowed the university to house a military base. McGill cannot call for “compassion, inclusivity, and respect” without divesting and disavowing these institutions.

On campus, the policy asks McGill to condemn the Israeli bombing and genocide, retract threats to Palestinian students and groups, and provide concrete support to Palestinian and Arab students. The policy calls on SSMU to release a public statement, provide support for Palestinian and Arab students, and commit to a consistent, solidaristic position against genocide and settler colonial apartheid with Palestinian students and the Palestinian struggle for liberation. These should be the expectations for a university and the individuals who represent all students’ interests. The Tribune endorses a “Yes” vote because it is the first step toward repairing McGill’s outsized role in silencing Palestinian students and pro-Palestine movements and in sustaining settler colonial apartheid.

Editorial, Opinion

McGill’s neglect of Indigenous veterans fuels settler colonialism

by The Tribune Editorial Board on

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Content warning: sexual violence, settler colonialism.

Observed a few days before Remembrance Day, Indigenous Veterans Day on Nov. 8 commemorates the notable contributions of Indigenous veterans to Canada’s historical military pursuits. Despite official recognition since the day’s establishment in 1994, the broader acknowledgment of Indigenous contributions remains insufficient, and the lack of care provided to Indigenous veterans is abominable. The failure to widely recognize the invaluable role of Indigenous peoples in Canada’s military fuels settler colonialism, while excluding Indigenous resistance to violent nation-building.

The treatment of veterans in Canada has historically rendered one truth: Canada fails to provide sufficient support for its veterans, especially Indigenous veterans. By the end of World War II, over 3,000 Indigenous soldiers, sailors, and air crew members served in the Canadian Forces. However, upon transitioning back to civilian life, many faced racism and encountered systemic obstacles to gaining rights and personhood. Until 1960, the Canadian government did not afford Indigenous soldiers the same rights and benefits after service––such as access to housing and financial and health supports––as non-Indigenous veterans. The general neglect of Canadian veterans is evident to this day as many returnees, grappling with various forms of trauma, confront mental health issues, houselessness, and drug addiction. When compounded by the enduring effects of intergenerational trauma and colonial violence that Indigenous peoples experience, the Canadian government’s neglect yields perilous consequences. McGill’s failure to acknowledge Indigenous Veterans Day illustrates the institution’s hypocrisy, erasing the diverse military experiences that form Canadian history. 

The decision of many Indigenous individuals to enlist in the military stems from inequality and injustice. The military, functioning as a business, strategically targets those from lower-income communities, enticing them with promises of financial and social benefits that many never receive. Historically, some Indigenous peoples have chosen military service as a means to escape the exploitation they face within Canada, only to encounter further exploitation and discrimination within the military.The military must cease targeting Indigenous people to serve for a settler colonial nation that does not provide them adequate care nor recognizes their need for support and redress. Urgently required is the establishment of culturally-responsive trauma and healing services for veterans, addressing the unique needs of Indigenous veterans and fostering genuine healing in the aftermath of war.

This oversight extends to the additional lack of recognition toward Indigenous women veterans. With the Canadian military being a ‘brotherhood’ predominantly composed of white cisgender men, their interests consistently take precedence. This results in a perpetuation of sexual violence, particularly toward women of colour. The Canadian justice system, built on the exclusion of Indigenous peoples under the Indian Act, habitually overlooks cases of sexual violence in the military. Disturbingly, this form of violence disproportionately affects Indigenous women, who are sexually assaulted at three times the rate of non-Indigenous women and represent 16 per cent of all female homicide victims while only comprising 4.3 per cent of the population of Canadian women. Canada must intensify its efforts to mitigate this violence and protect Indigenous women in the armed forces and beyond.

The absence of any mention of Indigenous Veterans Day in McGill’s communications adds another layer of insensitivity, raising questions about the institution’s commitment to decolonization. McGill’s performative and hypocritical actions toward the Kanien’kehà:ka Kahnistensera (Mohawk Mothers) fails to address the concerns about unmarked graves that the Mothers have raised. Acknowledging Indigenous Veterans Day goes beyond honouring the bravery of veterans; it means confronting war’s inseparable connection to colonialism. 

The acknowledgement of Indigenous Veterans Day must involve a confrontation with the violence that institutions have continually and historically inflicted upon Indigenous peoples—a reality in which McGill participates. For the university to stand with Indigenous peoples, it must go beyond superficial gestures, such as sending out emails selectively, and work toward a meaningful recognition of the diverse contributions Indigenous communities have made. True improvement in the university’s relationship with Indigenous communities cannot be limited to public relations strategies and requires substantive actions, conversations, and attention.

Features

The hidden opponent: How ACL tears threaten women’s soccer

by Anoushka Oke on

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As the 2023 Women’s Soccer World Cup kicked off Down Under, a shadow loomed over the tournament for players and fans alike: The absence of many of the game’s most electrifying stars. 

Notable absentees included Canada’s Janine Beckie, England’s Leah Williamson, and the United States’ Catarina Macario. They were missing not due to a lack of skill or determination, but by a common and devastating injury: A torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). 

The injured stars were just three of the many players who had torn their ACL during their club seasons, thereby side-lining them for the international tournament. They are just a small part of a concerning trend with ACL injuries disrupting women’s soccer.

ACL injuries in women athletes

The ACL, a ligament located in the middle of the knee, connects the patella, or kneecap, to the tibia, the shin bone. Its main function is to ensure knee stability and balance, which is crucial for movement. However, the ligament is susceptible to tearing, a common yet serious injury typically resulting from rigorous physical activity. For instance, stopping quickly when changing directions while running can cause an ACL to tear.

Sustaining an ACL injury is devastating for an athlete, frequently requiring surgery to reconstruct the ACL to prevent future injury and thus pushing them out of action for some nine to 12 months. The recovery period is so long because following surgery, athletes face the daunting task of regaining lost muscle mass, restoring mobility, and overcoming psychological hurdles from fear of re-injury. Avoiding surgery also runs the risk of sustaining another injury because daily activities like walking up the stairs or stepping off the curb can lead the knee to buckle, causing the injured person to fall.

“You need an ACL reconstruction because your knee is unstable,” Dr. Moreno Morelli, a faculty lecturer in McGill’s Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, explained. “An unstable knee also causes a lot more stress inside the joint, so there’s a greater risk of having additional damage to the inside of your knee.”

In my years of playing youth soccer, my coaches consistently drilled the heightened risk of ACL tears in women and girls into our heads. Experts from Yale Medicine state that women are two to eight times more likely to experience an ACL tear than men are. When I stopped playing soccer after my sophomore year of high school the fear of sustaining the injury stopped lingering in the back of my mind. 

“As [people assigned female at birth] start to grow, [the] pelvis changes shape, and it changes the alignment of [the] legs,” Morelli said. “So it puts you more into what you call a valgus position or knock-knees alignment, and that kind of alignment puts more strain on your ACL. As soon as you push off the limb or land on the limb when the leg is in that knock-knees position, it puts more strain on the ACL, and it could rupture.”

This strain becomes exacerbated by a larger Q angle in women—normally around 17 compared to 12 degrees in men—due to pelvis shape differences. The Q angle measures the angle between the line from the knee up the femur and an imaginary line connecting the knee with the bottom part of the pelvis. This larger angle also puts more pressure on the ACL, increasing the risk of injury.

Research from 2017 also suggests that hormonal fluctuations during the menstrual cycle increase ACL tear risk, as it has been shown that elevated estrogen and progesterone cause the hormone relaxin, which loosens ligaments, to be more active. The greater ligament laxity, or looseness, makes the joint less stable, increasing the risk of injury. However, despite this observed connection between the menstrual cycle and increased ACL tears, we still lack definitive evidence.

Research gaps

A deficit in data and research on the increased ACL risk among women leads athletes to keep getting injured. According to Alireza Monajati, a senior lecturer in the University of East London’s Department of Bioscience and Sport, there is currently not enough data related to the circumstances surrounding ACL injuries. These gaps in the research make it more difficult for doctors and trainers to analyze the causes of the injury. There are also limited studies with high internal validity that detail ACL injuries in elite female athletes, so how can we find available research that could be used for preventative measures?

More data on elite female athletes will help develop better training and nutrition plans. For instance, should evidence conclusively establish a link between ACL injuries and the menstrual cycle, it would provide compelling cause for managers at elite clubs to tailor menstruating players’ training and match loads based on their cycles. However, this approach might also overreach into players’ intimate lives, giving coaches too much access to their bodies; in the pursuit of more complete data, research ethics is also crucial.

In an interview with //The Tribune//, Monajati discussed the challenges in gathering data on ACL injuries among athletes. 

“Experimental research on professional [athletes] is limited because of their availability, but in terms of the type of research, it doesn’t always have to be experimental research [where] you bring the professional athlete to the lab,” Monajati said. “Sometimes it’s just gathering the data around the event where the injury happened, and when you have a big pool of data, then you can make the right decisions.”

To enhance data collection, Monajati proposed a procedure that he believed would enable greater collection of such data in women’s soccer, inspired by the existing protocols for cardiac risk management in soccer. According to these protocols, set by governing bodies like the FA and UEFA, players participating in European or FIFA competitions are required to undergo cardiac screening every two years as a condition to play. Monajati believes a similar approach can be done for ACL tears.   

“They should undergo certain screening every one or two years, and when injuries happen, the data of that must be reported by the medical team to the FA. The data can involve so many things, [like] the load of the training, the surface where they’re playing, [and] the menstrual cycle phase they’re in. All of this data can be gathered so that you have a big [set of] data eventually, and with big data, you can then apply statistical analysis to process and find the patterns.”

Professionalization and inadequate medical care

Beyond gaps in data, women’s clubs’ frequently lack sufficient resources puts players at risk of increased ACL tears. In theory, the more at-risk demographic should be offered extra protection and preventative measures, such as supportive exercises and nutrition. However, this is not the case. 

A typical women’s soccer regular season is between 20-30 games depending on the number of teams in the league—National Women’s Soccer League (United States) teams play 28 games, while the Women’s Super League (England) and the Frauen-Bundesliga (Germany) play 22. This doesn’t factor in extra tournaments, like domestic cup games or the Champions League, and the intensity only heightens for players who also compete with their country’s national team. Samantha Kerr, one of the best women’s soccer players, competed in 38 games for Chelsea in the 2022-23 season and 12 games for Australia in 2023. 

In recent years, women’s soccer has been working toward greater professionalization to bring it up to the standard that men’s teams play at. In that process, the women’s teams have been playing a growing number of matches. Several global invitational tournaments that women players can compete in have grown in the past ten years, from the Arnold Clark Cup (2022) to the Cup of Nations (2019) to the SheBelievesCup (2016). Pre-existing competitions have also welcomed more teams, increasing the game count. In 2011, the World Cup featured 16 teams; the 2023 World Cup included 32.

However, as playing time increases, medical support has failed to keep pace. According to a FIFA report from 2021, more than 25 per cent of first-division women’s soccer teams did not hire a physio or a team doctor. Christina Le, a physiotherapist at the University of Alberta’s Glen Sather Sports Medicine Clinic and a passionate Arsenal fan, discussed the state of medical staff availability at women’s soccer clubs in an interview with //The Tribune//.

“Even clubs like Arsenal and Chelsea are just now starting to support their women’s sides better. I don’t think there were any full-time physios and stuff like that that were part of the [women’s] clubs until maybe the last couple of years,” she said. “So I think that’s a big thing: just trying to get a steady medical team instead of contracting a physio just for the season or just for like three months, [because otherwise] you have to build a whole new relationship with somebody else who comes in and takes over that role and maybe has a totally different treatment approach and style.”

Le believes the lack of permanent staff members is largely tied to the way that soccer fans and even club employees still see the women’s game as second-tier to the men’s.

“When they’re trying to pursue these sports [medicine] jobs, there are a lot of people who look at the women’s league as a stepping stone to get to the men’s league,” said Le. “That is not how this should work. They are different entities, and the women’s game should be the end goal for somebody. It shouldn’t be like people get their ‘in’ at a club by helping out with the women’s team and eventually get a promotion to the men’s side.”

Similar pressures appear in the coaching context. The media linked England Lionesses manager Sarina Wiegman to the England men’s coaching job in August, while Chelsea F. C. Women manager Emma Hayes was repeatedly asked by broadcasters if she would switch to coach in the Men’s Premier League. In both cases, the move to the men’s side is seen as a step up by the media and by fans—despite the fact that their teams had more successful years than the corresponding men’s teams. 

In an interview with Sky Sports, Lioness Georgia Stanway responded to rumours of Wiegman being linked to join men’s soccer coaching roles by emphasizing that managers enjoying their roles in women’s soccer is what will allow women’s soccer to continue to grow—they should not view women’s teams as a stepping stone. Hayes had a similar reaction to the rumours, telling an interviewer that Wiegman’s role as a women’s coach is important in and of itself and that women’s teams deserved top-tier coaches just as much as men’s teams do. Similarly, women’s teams also deserve top-tier medical staff.

Prevention Strategies

To address the disproportionately high risk of ACL tears, experts and sports professionals alike are emphasizing the need for comprehensive medical support. This focus pushes to overcome the physiological factors that uniquely, adversely affect women. A starting point is incorporating preventative exercise programs, which have demonstrated efficacy in reducing ACL injuries.

“There are several studies that have looked [at] specific exercise programs with the intent of decreasing the incidence of ACL tears,” Morelli said. “There’s a big study out of Los Angeles that was published almost ten years ago where they looked at about 1500 [14-18 year old female athletes] who did a specific exercise program and compared [them] to those who didn’t do the exercise program, and the exercise program reduced the incidence of ACL tears by about 80 per cent They carried this study out over two years, and in the second year, it reduced by 70 per cent.”

But to build a solid foundation, young women  pursuing elite soccer need adequate exposure to high-level training early on. Bad running form, for example—which entails habits like heel striking and overstriding—can lead to running-related injuries. Training that builds good patterns related to form and strengthens players’ bodies in a way that fortifies them against ACL injuries is essential.

“There’s a lot of attention put on the biological pieces, and I think it absolutely makes sense to integrate a part of that, but I think the tricky part with the biological pieces is that they’re not modifiable,” Le said. She explained that non-biological factors like having a medical team and access to proper strength and conditioning help. “In England at all of these big clubs, there are boys who are like nine and ten years old being signed to academies and then getting exposed to strength and movement patterns at that age. There’s not much of an academy for a lot of the women’s clubs, and if there are, they are a little bit older, maybe 15 or 16.”

According to Monajati, an injury-prevention program targeting ACL tears combines  improving coordination, balance, and strength. 

“The framework of that is basically these three aspects: the technique during landing and changing directions, which is something that can be taught, the balance in the lower limb muscles, which comes from strength and conditioning, and perception exercises, to improve coordination,” Monajati said.  

Physiological factors that increase women’s risk of ACL tears are not an excuse for the elevated frequency of the injury in the women’s game. Rather, they offer a call for increased attention, research, and data related to professional women’s soccer that will allow for the establishment of more adequate preventative measures.

Without preventative measures that target ACL tear risks, women soccer players will continue to miss out on momentous opportunities like the World Cup—devastating both players and fans.

Off the Board, Opinion

Learning to go slow

by Lily Cason on

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This past summer was a summer of long drives. I would put on a podcast, occasionally find a passenger, and hit the road in my beat-up blue Subaru. Ironically, at some point, while speeding on long stretches of Route 175, I also came to embrace moving slowly.

I have always been bad at slowing down. Even as a kid, I would immediately pick an ambitious project or set a new goal when presented with a break from school. I would take up knitting, train for a race, or fix a broken clock that I was determined not to replace. No matter what, I would pour my all into something that would give me tangible results and stave away the awful feeling of having wasted precious free time by simply relaxing. 

As I got older, hobbies turned into using my time off to plan for the future, but my fears of misusing time persisted. My calendar was meticulously organized in order to prevent a wasted moment. Breaks may have been about taking a pause from school, but they certainly were not about rest.

This summer, I was woefully unoccupied. The winter semester had been difficult for me, marked by burnout and depression. (It turns out that balancing a part-time job, working at a student paper, and being a full-time student are not conducive to a peaceful lifestyle.) So, there I was at the end of April, with my biggest fear about to be true: I had no summer plans. As friends left Montreal to take on impressive internships, network, and make money to save for the future, I quit my job at a restaurant and mindlessly travelled in the months to come.

Going into the summer, I was worried—given my track record with unconstructed time—that my mental health would go downhill. Of course, I panicked at times, feeling as if I was dooming my future, but I pleasantly surprised myself with my ability to lean into rest and let the open road take me anywhere. 

For as long as I can remember, I’ve also always been overly self-judgemental. I would tell any friend that they should relax and let loose—after all, we are only young once, and there is plenty of time for everything. But I never included myself in this and always felt guilty once I inevitably burnt out and was forced to take a break anyway. I am not going to lie and say that is no longer the case, but this summer was new for me. I let myself be thoroughly and unapologetically impractical, and boy did it feel good. 

I got lost alone in Venice at 2 a.m. with a dying phone, watching the water lap at the edges of beautiful buildings, feeling elated and free. I drove five hours from Saguenay to Montreal just to spend four hours with someone I love before promptly driving back. I let myself pull off of the highway in upstate New York to see a park that looked beautiful and take a nap in a hammock. Sure, I made some calls that hurt the next day—mostly due to sleep deprivation—but I wouldn’t go back and change a thing.

I am now staring down the barrel of graduation next semester, and July feels like pure fiction. In a sea of students imbued with productivity mindsets and competitive ambition, it is hard to hold myself to taking it slow and being kind to myself. But in moments when I feel so overwhelmed that I want to run away and never look back, I remember the feeling of driving through the forest, windows cracked, and a sense of calm contentment rolls over me like a wave. 

Commentary, Opinion

Quebec falls just short of a proactive response to post-pandemic mental health crisis

by Rebecca Winkelaar on

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The Quebec government’s recent announcement of new measures to avoid psychiatric hospitalization emphasizes the importance of patient-centric and holistic mental illness treatment.  However, it is also—put bluntly—too little, too late. Both the imminent introduction of medical assistance in dying (MAiD) as a care service for those struggling with severe mental illness and the regional inaccessibility of these new measures diminish the impact of this shift toward improved mental healthcare. The government will likely struggle to provide proper justification for offering MAiD to those suffering from mental illness when they have only recently invested in mental health crisis-related de-escalation and recovery.

Proposed as part of Quebec’s 2022-26 interdepartmental mental health action plan, the new intervention-focused program aims to deliver treatment within each patient’s home environment with three key initiatives. First is the deployment of specialized rapid-response teams to support patients experiencing crisis episodes following their discharge from the emergency department. Then, the introduction of psychiatric intervention units providing short-term stays (48 to 72 hours) will facilitate a return home during a crisis episode. Finally, the provincial government promises that they will implement intensive home treatment to avoid the potential for hospitalization-related trauma. 

If effectively implemented, these transformative shifts have the potential to empower those experiencing mental illness to maintain their autonomy throughout their recovery. However, all new measures introduced on Oct. 30 are accessible only to those in the Integrated University Health and Social Services Centres (CIUSSS) in the West Island and the Centre-Sud regions, leaving them largely inaccessible for many communities. While a step in the right direction, this lack of accessibility undermines the efficacy of these measures entirely. 

This investment into the treatment and prevention of mental illness is both timely and absolutely critical, given the broader mental health crisis. However, the regional inaccessibility of these measures is far from their greatest flaw. The introduction of MAiD is highly controversial, as many in Quebec debate whether the “intolerable suffering” of mental illness is enough to justify its inclusion in the program. Introducing the option of MAiD to those suffering from mental illness before fully implementing and investing in improved mental health treatment could significantly dampen the new measures’ positive impact. 

The complexity of layered approaches to mental health sparks tense discussions among psychiatry experts and mental health advocates alike, despite their united goal of providing the best care possible to those struggling. Many, including elements of the federal  government, that argue for the perception of mental illness as equal to physical illness are largely supportive of MAiD for individuals with severe mental conditions, similar to those with terminal illnesses such as cancer. 

However, this overgeneralization contradicts claims to a progressive, comprehensive conception of mental illness. It is uniquely challenging to diagnose, treat, and articulate mental illness, and the implication might even be that it is reductive to equate it to any other medical condition. MAiD has already erred dangerously close to the line of eugenics, as the government has been accused of using the service as an alternative for providing aid to disabled individuals.

Keeping this in mind, the government has a responsibility above all to invest extensively in the prevention and treatment of mental illness. Before turning to MAiD as an alternative care practice, the Quebec government must ensure that other measures are widely accessible for communities all across the province. 

Although the provincial government has undeniably illustrated a better understanding of the mental health crisis in its recent announcement, this is just the beginning. The introduction of MAiD as an option for those struggling with mental illness signifies a potential paradigm shift in mental health treatment, demanding careful navigation. The journey toward all-inclusive mental health reform is an ongoing commitment that requires dedication and vigilance to build a caring system that leaves no one behind. 

Commentary, Opinion

Bio Locaux invests in the necessary model for Canada’s produce market

by Lulu Calame on

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Montreal, like so many other cities, has seen a steady rise in inflation of grocery prices. The grocery inflation rate is sitting at about eight per cent, and is expected to increase further throughout 2023. Canadians find themselves on tighter budgets, unable to buy the amount and quality of food that they once could, especially when it comes to fresh produce. 

Bio Locaux––a recently-opened local-only grocery store between Montreal’s Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie and Plateau-Mont-Royal neighbourhoods––is combating these intensifying economic constraints by removing the “middleman” of production, that is the processes and costs associated with getting produce from the farm to the store. All of their produce is from local farms, meaning that the cost of transportation and packaging is less of a factor, allowing produce to be fairly priced and much more accessible. 

Inflation in the Canadian grocery economy is upheld and exacerbated on all sides: The Canadian wildfires and climate-change-related devastation are damaging the land and the supply chain, making certain products more scarce, and therefore more expensive. The war in Ukraine has significantly impacted gas prices, increasing transportation costs. And, finally, the economy of grocery stores is becoming more concentrated during the pandemic, with about 80 per cent of the market controlled by just four companies: Loblaws, Sobeys, Metro, and Safeway. The grocery economy of Canada is effectively trapped in an economic oligopoly, where prices rise in response to climate factors, transportation, controlled by the overwhelming individual market power of a few corporations.

In Canada’s increasingly-concentrated grocery economy, Bio Locaux’s market model is an optimistic triple threat. Beyond its fundamentally fair prices and nutritious produce, its support of local farmers inherently sustains the environment. Oil and gas extraction makes up the largest percentage of carbon emissions in Canada. Supporting local farmers mitigates gas consumption as major transportation is no longer a factor of production. Such systemic decrease in gas usage massively progresses the world toward decreased carbon emissions and is vital in creating a sustainable future. 

On an individual level, high grocery prices have led many Canadians to sacrifice nutritious foods such as dairy, meat, and produce for cheaper, less nutrient-dense foods. Bio Locaux sells the very products that have become too expensive for many Canadians, providing a critical supply of healthy food in an economy where such products are becoming too difficult to buy. 

Unless the powerful grocery firms of Canada make a similar attempt to get rid of the middleman of production, they will continue to out-price their customers, forcing them to turn elsewhere for affordable options. While a single store like Bio Locaux is far too small to supply even a fraction of the produce that the Canadian population requires, consumers should continue to support this local market structure as the solution to the crises that overpowering grocery firms spearhead.  

Despite the impracticality of expecting local stores to replace firms such as Sobeys and Loblaws overnight, innovators and grassroots food activists will likely adapt the Bio Locaux model within Montreal and beyond. When local produce and decreased international food trade become a priority for the Canadian government, funding could be allocated toward larger greenhouses and growing facilities. Such reallocation would be especially successful in light of McGill’s food insecurity, where students are generally less inclined to buy healthy produce due to expenses. An accessible produce business such as Bio Locaux would likely receive a large number of student customers and benefit the health of the large student population. 

Bio Locaux, while small and still developing in Montreal, presents a hopeful model for the future of Canadian food accessibility—for students and Montreal locals alike—in a time when the larger grocery economy is increasingly inhospitable. Such initiatives have already begun in places such as the University Centre, with its new independent grocery store Les Fermes du Marché. The future prospects of small-scale affordable produce look possible, and Bio Locaux is helping realize it.

Art, Arts & Entertainment, Poetry

Rejection, the meaning of art, and Taco Bell

by Kellie Elrick on

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There’s a cartoon on page 62. Sometime in the future, a robot approaches a hipster and proclaims: “Citizen. My sensors indicate that you have not been living mas. Those who do not live sufficiently mas will be taken to the reeducation centre.”

A woman gives birth the same day she finds out she’s pregnant. Cartoon raccoons look up at the stars and have an existential crisis. There are crunchwrap supremes. Nietzsche. Grindr.

Taco Bell Quarterly—which is not published quarterly—is a literary journal with no word limit, no restrictions on medium, and no pretension. There is one rule, and one rule only: All submissions must, in some way, shape, or form, pertain to the cultural and culinary phenomenon known as Taco Bell. Their forthcoming issue has a 0.86 per cent submission acceptance rate, roughly on par with their foil, and longtime rival, The Paris Review.

Perhaps their Submission Guidelines say it best: “We’re not judgey and pretentious. We’re the Taco Bell fucking Quarterly.”

Their 74-page sixth issue was published earlier this year. Pieces include poetry, short stories, cartoons, watercolour illustrations, and art. One artwork is composed entirely of photos of burrito wrappings and up-close nachos, inscribed with “Live Mas” (with nacho cheese and hot sauce used as paint and a chip as a paintbrush, naturally). Some go all in—Taco Bell is their muse. Some include only a passing reference to a character eating a fiesta potato. Titles range from “Ode to My Mother Pissing into a Mountain Dew Baja Blast Cup” to “Tacorotica: A Fire Sauce Seduction.”

The eponymous Taco Bell has been featured in similarly fantastical media activity lately. The company recently won a legal battle to remove the trademark of the phrase “Taco Tuesday” and had a takeout order stolen by a bear—who later returned to steal their pop. The relationship between Taco Bell and its Quarterly seems to be friendly. As Editor-In-Chief M.M. Carrigan said in a 2022 interview with Chron, “They follow us on Twitter. They don’t sue us.”

Now that the publication’s seventh issue is ramping up, people have started to receive their rejection letters. These rejections have sparked inspirational genius on X, formerly known as Twitter. Due to Taco Bell Quarterly’s personalized rejection letters, people are turning said personalized letters into blackout poetry. 

The lyrical, romantic lines include: “You felt too invested in this. It’s a wonder you try” and “Thank you for submitting to rejection. I enjoy beats. I consider your name out there in the lit world!”

There’s a current climate of seemingly waning public enthusiasm about literature, where a future in writing has become increasingly unattainable and precarious, and increased horror abounds at the prospect of dedicating your life to something only to find out that you’re not that good at it. So, how can rejection be anything but demoralizing, despite being an inevitable part of art? 

But Taco Bell Quarterly has done it: They’ve made rejection fun, even something to look forward to, something to create something else out of. New art.

The other day, my friend recounted a story his professor told in class. He was walking through an art gallery and meandered through rooms full of contemporary art of the experimental sort (A toilet, blank canvases, etc.) before coming to a room with a red ladder leading up to a hole in the ceiling. He stayed and looked, along with others, for a few moments—then the gallery maintenance worker walked in, climbed the ladder, changed a lightbulb, and took the ladder away. 

What makes something art, or even worse, “good” art, when we strip away the walls of esteemed museums or the pages of prestigious journals? 

Blackout poetry on X, rejection letters, poetry, cartoons, contemporary art, coincidentally placed maintenance equipment, and Taco Bell all push the boundaries of what it means to create, inspire, and enjoy. Maybe Taco Bell Quarterly is exactly what the arts need: Absurd, frothy, fun, and literary all at once.

Live más. 


The sixth edition of Taco Bell Quarterly is currently available online. The seventh edition will be released when its editors feel like it.

Arts & Entertainment, Music, Pop Rhetoric

Pop dialectic: AI and The Beatles’ “Now & Then”

by Shani Laskin, Lily Dodson on

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The Beatles released their latest and final song, “Now and Then,” on Nov. 2, over sixty years after the release of their last album. The remaining Beatles—Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr—used artificial intelligence (AI) to splice together old demos with new recordings. The resultant song presents the four Beatles, dead and alive, singing together one last time. But what does this mean for the future of AI in music production? 

AI has no place in the music industry

“Now and Then” highlights just how powerful AI is becoming. I’ll admit that I was impressed with the lyrics and overall message of the sign, and the music video brought a tear to my eye. Yet, I still believe this release was unnecessary. 

As someone who is reasonably and unreasonably paranoid over AI’s rise, this further cemented my fears. Watching unaged John Lennon and George Harrison “sing” alongside an old Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr was frightening and shows the extent to which AI can take images and make them into realistic moving pictures. 

While this is definitely not the most exploitative use of AI, this opens the door to more artificial music, with the possibility for it to become exploitative. People with access to this advanced technology could decide to make “new” music from The Beatles—or any other artist—resulting in an album made totally of AI. Most artists who have passed away never consented to have their voices used in AI-created music, thus showing its potential to strip the artist of their creative autonomy. Music created by artificial intelligence lacks the magic of artistry. Is the next step going to be AI concerts? 

Despite my immense love for The Beatles, I’m fully satisfied with the work they’ve released. I don’t need–or want–any more “unreleased” songs to come out. This new music that could be created using AI software will most likely feel phoney, much like a cash-grab opportunity. To me, it will never feel as authentic as The Beatles’ original music, which most fans are still yearning for. Even though it’s a tough truth, we must accept that they stopped making music together in 1970, so we’ve had over 60 years to get over this loss. It’s time to let dead bugs lie. 

In defence of AI

As a life-long, deeply committed fan of The Beatles—no, seriously, my first ever words were “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds”—I was elated to hear one last song. While concerns about exploitation in AI-created music are certainly real and valid, this is not one of those cases. Instead, “Now and Then” represents the amazing potential for AI in the music industry when it serves to aid in the technology behind music production rather than make original music. 

When Yoko Ono handed three of John Lennon’s demos to the three remaining Beatles in 1994, the technology available at the time could not salvage the “Now and Then” demo. With the rapid development of AI, producers used machine learning, a subfield of AI, to recognize and isolate Lennon’s voice in the original demo. This technology allowed producers to fix the volume of the background piano to better fit the voice on the track. What resulted is a deeply nostalgic collage of Lennon’s original demo from the nineties and present-day clips. 

AI is becoming increasingly prominent, and there is no question to me that it will become as integral to our lives—if not more—as the internet. Learning how to harness it in useful and creative ways is essential.

Of course, Harrison and Lennon could not give consent in their lifetimes for their voices and recordings to be used in this way, but I trust their former bandmates, closest friends, and loved ones to make the decision of what is or is not ethically sound. In the end, McCartney and Starr made the choice to bring back to light the music of two of the most beloved musicians from the last century and I, for one, am glad that AI could help.

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