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Editorial, Opinion

In the minimum wage fight, a living wage is right

by The McGill Tribune Editorial Board on

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On Oct. 7, a group of anti-poverty advocacy groups and unions in Quebec, including La Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec (FTQ), Syndicat de professionnelles et professionnels du gouvernement du Québec (SPGQ), and Collectif pour un Québec sans pauvreté, sent out a memo demanding that Quebec increase their minimum wage to $18/hour—a marked shift from their 2016 demand of $15/hour. The groups cited the province’s increasing costs of living that threaten to push workers deeper into poverty as the driving force behind their renewed calls for a living wage. Not only would an $18/hour wage make Quebec a more egalitarian society, it would simultaneously increase the purchasing power of the population—especially for women, a move that may help reduce the widening income gap. On behalf of the students, parents, immigrants, and other diverse communities that make up much of the minimum-wage earning class, Quebec must concede to these demands and move toward a living wage.

Quebec’s minimum wage currently sits at $13.50/hour without tips and at $10.80/hour with tips. Quebec is the only province that differentiates between a tipped wage an untipped one, with the tipped wage being the lowest wage in Canada. Some might explain away the lower wage by pointing to Montreal’s lauded affordability in comparison to the devastating housing and cost of living crises in cities like  Toronto and Vancouver. Ontario and British Columbia’s minimum wages are $14.35/hour and $15.20/hour, respectively. However, it remains that the average minimum-wage earner cannot afford rent in any of these provinces. In Montreal, only one-fifth of neighbourhoods have affordable one-bedroom options for minimum wage earners, and next to no affordable options for two-bedroom apartments. 

Added to the inflation of grocery prices, workers in Montreal face challenges to their physical needs and safety. These issues, compounded by the strain of deteriorating mental health, simultaneously decrease productivity and cause long lasting cyclical and detrimental impacts on the working class. By refusing to increase an unlivable minimum wage, Quebec sends a clear message to the workers that their basic needs and dignity are not a priority.

An $18/hour wage would protect workers’ lives. No government posturing or corporate social responsibility can make up for the lack of a living wage. Currently, workers sacrifice their physical and mental health, family time, and upward mobility in education for just enough money to scrape by. Facing an economy where a university degree is no longer enough to secure financial success in the future, many low-income and international students grapple with the additional burden of paying tuition without the benefits of intergenerational wealth. International students in particular are subjected to miscommunication and below minimum wage earnings.

The $10.80/hour tipped wage alone raises questions. Even though wages should not depend on performance, workers end up relying on arbitrary factors like their customers’ unpredictable goodwill, wallet, and even what time of day it is. Factors like cultural norms, vaccine scepticism, explicit and implicit gender, racial, and sexual biases, and the restaurant’s prices cause disparities in tipping. Quebec should not regulate an unregulatable practice. While this move may appear to place a drastic and unreasonable burden on the province, living on minimum wage should not be synonymous with poverty. With pandemic benefits and restrictions steadily lifting, changing to a living wage could potentially solve labour shortages and stimulate economic participation by incentivizing workers to re-enter the local economy as well as mitigating tipping disparities.


Though not without a fight, the living wage campaign has glimmers of hope. The federal minimum wage’s increase to $15/hour for federal workers will put pressure on the Quebec government facing a re-election campaign in 2022. The signatories can look optimistically at Canadian labour history where groups like the Canadian Union of Postal Workers’ “militant” strikes and walkouts for above average wages succeeded in sending workers’ rights shock waves across the country. Quebec is no stranger to acquiescing to demands: Facing strikes, Quebec recently increased daycare workers’ pay. Without essential workers, society falls into disarray. Without a living wage, workers suffer inhumanely. Quebec should go the distance to implement a living wage, and if not, should expect resistance.

Off the Board, Opinion

Grappling with my love for misogynistic rap

by Madison McLauchlan on

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On the train home a few weeks ago, I was about to pop on my headphones and listen to Kendrick Lamar when I overheard a conversation between two young white girls discussing their music taste. “I don’t understand how you can listen to rap,” one of the girls said. “All they talk about is money, drugs, and raping women.” Her friend agreed, adding that country music was much better and less controversial—as though the so-called purity of music is intrinsically tied to its artistic value.

I was immediately filled with a sense of indignation: Who were they to denounce an entire genre of music, one that was rooted in the history of Black liberation, one that has been used as a form of protest against oppressive structures since its inception? I knew that this stranger’s take was incredibly ignorant, but I still felt chastened. The next song in my queue was “My Dawg” by 21 Savage & Metro Boomin, where 21 raps about catching snitches and gang murder, among other concepts far removed from my life experience. Despite the murky content, it’s a sonically energizing track that I often reach for. I know music streams provide inadvertent support for these male rappers, but as a woman, how far can that support go without compromising my moral principles? 

When I first started seriously listening to harder rap, I was in the midst of a tumultuous emotional period, and sad indie music was not cutting it. Listening to the pugnacious bars of Kodak Black or Skepta empowered me to feel like “that bitch,” ready to embrace an overexaggerated bravado and propel myself forward despite the setbacks thrown my way. These rap and drill tracks provide a taste of what it’s like to walk through the world as a man—and a powerful one, at that.

Rap music puts up an impenetrable barrier of confidence between myself and the world. Blasting gangsta rap through my headphones and hearing the bass pulsate through my core is the closest I come to feeling dangerous, a major deviation from my typical feeling of fear as a woman of short stature. Listening to violent, gritty bars fuels me in a way that no other type of music does—it holds affective power and allows me to feel and channel my rage—an emotion that women are often told is inappropriate. Black women, in particular, are doubly affected as they must navigate the “angry Black woman” stereotype. 

This moral dilemma reminds me of the notion of disidentification, a concept proposed by queer theorist José Esteban Muñoz that explains how gender, sexual, and racial minorities can engage with mainstream art forms that are created within a structure of oppression. Choosing to align yourself for or against a cultural product are not the only two options—you can repurpose the art to suit your life and identity. Appreciating culture without endorsing it is possible, and even necessary, for engaging with works as subjective as music. 

My love of female rappers, thankfully, does not pose the same moral dilemma. My favourites, like Megan Thee Stallion and Little Simz, are talented artists who rarely bring down other women in their music. 

Separately from thematic content, problematic moguls in the rap industry should be held accountable for the harm they cause people, as with any other individual with widespread influence. Rap has its fair share of problematic personas—Chris Brown and Tory Lanez spring to mind—but then again, so does country music, which is rooted in white supremacy and has a serious domestic violence problem. Stereotyping an entire genre of artistry, especially one whose artists are overwhelmingly people of colour, is a narrow-minded cop-out that does not help to dismantle the rampant misogyny within the music industry. 

Cultural products are whatever you make them, as music is a deeply personal experience, aurally, and emotionally. Engaging critically with the rap I adore continues to teach me about many different lived perspectives—both those who benefit from the patriarchy and systems of oppression, and those who fall victim to it—all with a chip on my shoulder and a rhythm in my step.   

Arts & Entertainment, Books

The multifaceted stories of ‘Personal Attention Roleplay’

by Ian Clements, Suzanna Graham, Dana Prather, Ella Gomes, Sylvie Bourque, Avryl Bender on

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Montreal-based writer and fiction editor Helen Chau Bradley is set to release their debut story collection Personal Attention Roleplay on Nov. 23 under Metonymy Press. The McGill Tribune reviews the stories ahead of this upcoming release.

“Only The Lonely,” Ian Clements

“Only The Lonely” follows the relationships of an unemployed Meals on Wheels volunteer living in Montreal. The story begins with the unnamed protagonist’s romantic relationship with V, a polarizing figure in their community. The protagonist also develops a friendship with Joe, a Meals on Wheels client, for whom they sing and play songs on the guitar for. The story skillfully explores themes of queer loneliness and power dynamics within different relationships. The story’s characterization of emotional investment and intimacy is stripped down and raw, yet descriptive and wryly humourous.

“The End of Gods and Heroes,” Suzanna Graham

“The End of Gods and Heroes” is a wholesome story that discusses the complexities of friendship and growing up. Childhood friends Tommy and Shirin bond over a fantastical game of gods and heroes, where they imagine themselves as characters in their favourite Greek myths. Although their childhood innocence protects them, the girls use these morals as a guide while they question family identity, loyalty, and betrayal. In the end, they must decide what it means to be a hero, and if they themselves are truly worthy of this title. 

“Personal Attention Roleplay,” Dana Prather

This titular story finds an unnamed 20-something-year-old “listicle” writer navigating a situationship with her roommate Jasmine. Written from a second-person perspective, the reader is enveloped in every sensation the protagonist experiences, from intense pain caused by Jasmine’s increasingly distant behaviour to the serenity felt when watching ASMR videos. As her connection with Jasmine crumbles, she becomes entranced by YukiASMR, a YouTuber espousing the virtues of a minimalist life. Seamlessly blending themes of queer identity and obsession, “Personal Attention Roleplay” will leave you satisfied, but deeply unsettled. 

“Sheila” Ella Gomes

“Sheila” follows strong-willed May and her energetic daughter Mimi as they pass a harsh winter day in a cozy record store in Toronto. While tracing the lifetime of a Rachmaninoff record from purchase to destruction, readers learn of May’s rocky history with Mrs. Timoransky, an outwardly chilly piano teacher, and Sheila, a haunting figure from her past. With references to the uncontrollable “animal instinct” and transitions into adulthood, “Sheila” reads like an ode to unexpected change and the natural cycles of adaptation that guide our lives.

“The Queue,” Sylvie Bourque

Drawing inspiration from Vladimir Sorokin’s novel “The Queue,” which tells the story of people waiting in line solely through their dialogue, Bradley modernizes the tale to fit the 21st century. Weaving in relevant discussions and dialogue, the queue represents shared feelings of community, and isolation, that many experienced over the pandemic. While some try to find humour in discussing COVID-19, Bradley explores deep and divisive topics such as public health measures, politics, and police brutality—themes that reveal how the pandemic infiltrates the most fundamental aspects of peoples’ livelihoods. Bradley’s story reveals how the pandemic has uncovered a universal desire for reconnection.

“Surface Dive,” Avryl Bender

In “Surface Dive,” Bradley tells the story of an experienced swimmer finally returning to her local pool after a harrowing experience in the waters by her family cottage. Bradley uses beautifully descriptive words, flowing seamlessly back and forth between the main character’s past and present experiences. Weaving alliteration into a story of ambiguity and suspense, Bradley’s writing embodies the smooth waters of the lake this intriguing mystery takes place in.

McGill, Montreal, News

McGill partners with Centraide to host walk/run fundraiser in annual campaign

by Madison Edward-Wright on

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McGill announced on Oct. 12 that it is partnering with Centraide of Greater Montreal for its 2021 Centraide Campaign. The campaign, managed by the McGill Centraide Committee, will raise funds to help alleviate  financial burdens of Montrealers in need, providing support for rent, food, education, and other necessities. 

The main event of the Centraide campaign is the virtual “Let’s Move for Centraide” walk/run. Participants choose a day between Oct. 15 and Nov. 19 to complete a five- or 10-kilometre run or walk that can be completed indoors on a treadmill or outdoors. To certify that they have completed the walk/run, participants must track their activity using an app like Strava Run or Nike Run Club and then submit the activity record to McGill.

Participation in “Let’s Move for Centraide” costs 20 dollars, withall proceeds donated to Centraide. Four major donors—Stephen Bronfman, Mitch Garber, Andrew Lutfy, and Lino A. Saputo—will match every donation of 10,000 dollars that McGill makes to Centraide. Darshan Daryanani, the Students’ Society of McGill University president and member of the McGill Centraide Committee, believes the campaign will have a positive impact on local communities.

“This year, McGill’s target is to raise $425,000,” Daryanani wrote in an email to the McGill Tribune. “Each agency [supported by Centraide] has a different culturally appropriate and community-based approach, which will help to create inclusive and resilient communities and break the cycle of poverty and social exclusion locally.”

Another event that will be occurring toward the end of the McGill 2021 Centraide Campaign is a zumba class, hosted by Ender Nava. The fee to participate in the class is $10, and all proceeds from the class will be donated to Centraide.

The COVID-19 pandemic affected Montrealers in different ways, but the marginalized and diverse communities supported by organizations like Centraide were hit harder than most. McGill reported that in Quebec, 24,000 women dropped out of the labour market and 12.9 per cent of the lowest-paid workers in the area lost their jobs since the onset of the pandemic.

As a result of this trend, Centraide established four emergency funds: Centraide COVID-19 Emergency Fund, Youth Fund, Emergency Community Support Fund, and the New Horizons for Seniors Program. The McGill administration acknowledged these funds are an important step in helping Montrealers overcome the consequences of the pandemic.

“As a COVID-19 response, Centraide established different funds, projects and programs to help vulnerable people and those weakened by the health crisis,” wrote Frédérique Mazerolle, a McGill media relations officer. “McGill is committed more than ever to our partnership with Centraide and the need to extend our support, kindness, and compassion to vulnerable Montrealers.”

Some students, however, such as Doris Tian, U2 Arts, were unaware of the campaign. Ultimately, Tian was happy to learn of McGill’s efforts.

“I had not heard of the Centraide campaign before, either from McGill or outside the McGill bubble,” Tian wrote. “It seems like a very timely philanthropic campaign to launch in the aftermath of COVID, and I am glad McGill is promoting social initiatives such as this one.”

Sophie Hart, U3 Arts and lead organizer at Mobilizing for Milton-Parc, discussed the influence that a campaign such as this can have on the relationship between students and the larger Montreal community. 

“I think it is great [that] McGill is inviting students to think about their role as citizens in Montreal and the importance of student involvement, whether it be volunteering or donating, to community organizations,” Hart wrote in an email to the Tribune. “COVID-19 helped many people see the importance of community and care for one another, so I hope this campaign will be successful and will encourage student learning about community organizations.”

McGill, News

McGill to discuss reports on anti-Black racism and equity plans at upcoming Senate meeting

by Madison Edward-Wright on

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In the spring and fall of 2020 respectively, McGill released updated versions of their Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Strategic Plan (2020-2025) and their Action Plan to Address Anti-Black Racism (ABR) (2020-2025). Reports assessing the plans’ first years in action were presented to McGill’s Board of Governors on Sept. 7 by Angela Campbell, professor in the Faculty of Law and associate provost (Equity and Academic Policies), and Terri Givens, professor in the department of Political Science and provost’s academic lead and advisor (Action Plan to Address Anti-Black Racism). The Senate will be discussing the reports at their next meeting on Oct. 20. 

The Action Plan to Address Anti-Black Racism aims to confront systemic racism at McGill by tracking five main pillars: Student experiences, community outreach, design of physical space, research, and workforce makeup. The plan also seeks to acknowledge and act upon the university’s connection to the transatlantic slave trade. The EDI Strategic Plan examines inequities according to the same five aforementioned elements

Campbell stated The McGill Tribune in a student media round table that these plans signal McGill’s commitment to implementing change.

“The Student Services team led and facilitated [the creation] of spaces last year called ‘Being Black at McGill’ and that has been really helpful to developing a specific plan within Student Services to serve the needs of Black students at the university,” Campbell said. “[The creation of these spaces] really focussed on not just having a plan, but serious commitment to implementation.”

Campbell also highlighted the role of student organizations in the rollout of the Anti-Black Racism and EDI plans.

“Throughout the last year and going on this year, we have been meeting every month with the [McGill African Students Society (MASS)] and the [Black Students’ Network (BSN)] to make sure that we get their feedback,” Campbell said. “It is one thing to have a plan, but it is another thing to hear on the ground how [the plan] is impacting, or not, the lives and the lived experiences of our students.”

The Post-Graduate Students’ Society BIPOC Grad Network coordinator, Vivian Miyata, acknowledged the importance of communicating with campus organizations, but pointed out that not all BIPOC students are represented in these organizations.

“It is important to create consistent outreach to members of the Black community at McGill who aren’t in BSN or other associations, to make sure that any Black student who wants their voice heard has the opportunity to do so,” Miyala wrote in an email to the Tribune. 

A central part of both the EDI Strategic Plan and the Anti-Black Racism Plan is the implementation of an online module—based on the same structure as the It Takes All of Us—that will focus on educating the McGill community about systemic racism. The module is still in development, but once complete, will be mandatory for students, staff, and faculty. Campbell and Givens mentioned that the module will be important, but that it is only a small part of the work needed to address systemic racism.

“This is such difficult, deep work, and it takes time,” Givens said. “We are trying to change culture in terms of developing a culture that is welcoming to Black students, to Black faculty,  and so you have to take a broad approach to make sure that you are approaching [systemic racism] from different levels and different perspectives.”

Miyata believes that online modular learning is a step in the right direction, but that the university must also commit to holding those who engage in racist and discriminatory behaviour accountable.
“I believe that the sexual violence learning program and anti-racism modules that will be similar to [It Takes All of Us] are important, but ineffective unless there are real consequences for students who exhibit behaviour that opposes the teachings in them,” Miyata wrote.

Arts & Entertainment, Books

‘Orcs in Space’ is bloody cute

by Lowell Wolfe on

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Fantastical bloodthirsty main characters? Check. High-speed space-chases? Check. Modesty? Not quite. Orcs in Space, Justin Roiland’s new graphic novel published by Oni Press, features 100 pages of amusing, carefree adventures in an uncanny outer space backdrop, all illustrated by Montreal-based artist François Vigneault. 

Slated to be the first volume of many, Orcs in Space follows three goblin ruffians who, by a stroke of luck, obtain access to the galaxy’s most technologically advanced spaceship and its A.I. operator—who eventually becomes their close companion and confidant. Gor, Kravis, and Mongtar are not afraid to spill blood—and other fluids—on the run in this brash but comedic space odyssey. Alongside these non-traditional heroines stands an array of enemies and allies as diverse as the stars in the sky. Cyborgs, pirates, and tentacled seductresses beware. 

Vigneault’s illustrations leap from the page. Loaded with vibrant hues, his cartoony style soaks the novel’s characters and settings in gaudy, unmoderated detail. Such creativity reigns without restraint throughout Orcs in Space: Every scene, whether it be a bar fight at “the hippest club in the galaxy,” or a laser-blaster shootout with “Space Rats,” presents a smörgåsbord of details that keep the reader engaged and amused. 

Orcs in Space secures the reader’s laughter as if holding a knife to their throats. Each protagonist—one little, one big, and one extremely bloodthirsty—fills a different conversational niche, keeping the plot animated and humorous. Ironic and self-referential Gen-Z comedy bleeds into the realm of the uncanny and bizarre; zany and avant-garde plot twists remind the reader that the story is, literally, out of this world. Jokes leave the reader constantly gasping for breath.

Just as the story takes place in many weightless environments, Orcs in Space makes no claims of having gravitas. Its tight plot and eccentric graphics provide a purely fun and brazen read that will have the reader turning pages at light speed to see the next dismemberment. However, the narrative’s easygoing atmosphere does not override artistic integrity; on the contrary, it bolsters it. The novel presents aesthetics, characterization, and plot development with expertise. Readers may be just going for a joyride, but they should still buckle their seatbelts. 

Volume two of Orcs in Space is currently slated for a February 2022 release. Vigneault’s other works include Titan (2020) and 13e Avenue (2018).

Art, Arts & Entertainment

MMFA’s ‘The World of Yousuf Karsh: A Private Essence’ captures the nobles of the 20th century

by Ella Buckingham on

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Situated on the third floor of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, The World of Yousuf Karsh: A Private Essence displays 111 works by Yousuf Karsh, one of Canada’s most well-known portrait photographers. Having immigrated to Canada from Armenia at a young age, he eventually gained fame and recognition on the world stage for his work as a portraitist. At first glance, the exhibit exudes a serious air, akin to the feeling of flipping through a grandparent’s childhood album. The tone of the Sunday morning crowd studying Karsh’s photos was one of quiet wonder. The exhibition reflects many of the qualities that make Karsh’s work so unique; though at first the portraits appear unassuming, upon further examination they stun with their breadth of knowledge and experience. 

Filled to the brim with Karsh’s signature silver gelatin black and white photographs, the first of the exhibition’s three rooms is similar to the quiet stoicism of a library. However, the portraits lose this solemnity once viewed up close, for beneath all their formality, the people pictured emit a warmth and liveliness. Arranged in chronological order, the photos in the first room are simple scenes, like his first wife standing beneath a tree or his teacher reading the newspaper. After 1941, they explode into a myriad of celebrity portraits, becoming a window into 20th-century high society.

Displayed prominently at the entrance is Karsh’s most famous photo, The Roaring Lion, which depicts Winston Churchill on a visit to Canada in 1941. It is the same picture, interestingly enough, used on the five-pound British note. Dominating the room with its stateliness and singularity, the portrait is a reflection of what many describe as the characteristics of Churchill himself. This capturing of a person’s essence extends through all of Karsh’s work, from Audrey Hepburn and Nelson Mandela to Canadian steelworkers and farmers.

Although primarily known for his celebrity portraits, Karsh considered his photographs of Canadian workers to be an important part of his portfolio. Karsh depicts these workers as they stand covered in motor oil or knee-deep in grain, looking perfectly at ease next to neighbouring photos of Albert Einstein and Glenn Gould. While the exhibit presents only a few of these modest shots, one of Karsh’s quotes regarding assembly workers speaks volumes: “I tell you, these workers are the peers of those men who are better known. I say this not in disparagement of the great ones, but in humble recognition of the same qualities of greatness in these industrial workers.”

Karsh masterfully captures each individual’s nuanced personality, highlighting even the most subtle expressions. Next to the photographs, short anecdotes of Karsh’s conversations with the people in his portraits enhance the overall experience, allowing viewers to feel as though they know these individuals personally, as if they had been transported back in time to the 20th century. In The World of Yousuf Karsh: A Private Essence the complexity and greatness of individual personhood are fully encapsulated.

The World of Yousuf Karsh: A Private Essence is on display at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts located at 1380 Sherbrooke St. W until January 30, 2022.

Student Life

Friendsgiving takes many forms among students

by Holly Wethey, Wendy Zhao on

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Friendsgiving, a Thanksgiving celebration among friends, holds a beloved place in the hearts of students, sometimes even more than its familial alternative. For those who find themselves away from home or simply wish to gather with loved ones, Friendsgiving celebrations foster unique forms of bonding and expressions of gratitude among students. 

Especially due to the fraught history of Thanksgiving, many students choose to focus on expressing gratitude through alternative celebrations. Though it borrows its name from Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving is popular precisely for its casual structure. Since it’s not beholden to any set of familial traditions, it can take different forms for each group of friends. 

For Cathleen Ma, U2 Arts and a second-generation Chinese immigrant, Thanksgiving has never been a part of her family tradition or culture. In university, she used the reading break to see friends kept apart by busy schedules. 

This year, Ma took part in a Friendsgiving potluck celebration. Some brought store-bought items for a stress-free evening, while others made cultural foods. The dinner table was transformed into a mosaic of diverse offerings, including Tandoori rice, a vibrant veggie stir-fry, rotisserie chicken, and even Madeleines. 

“It wasn’t traditional at all,” Ma said. “There was a huge variety of dishes that people made that I could never make at home.”

An occasion often used to gather with one’s chosen family, Friendsgiving conjures images of exclusive, tightly knit groups. But platonic bonds, unlike blood relations, can be more easily formed between strangers. With people bringing their siblings and acquaintances from different social circles, Ma’s friendsgiving brought new and old friends together. 

“It definitely differed from our usual get-togethers because there was [others’] family there […] and it wasn’t just a singular friend group,” Ma said. “It was an opportunity to get to know all these different people.” 

Faith Ruetas, U2 Arts, celebrated the holiday on a smaller scale with her roommate. They made lentil and mushroom Wellington, a dish the two had never tried before, and then went the lazier route for dessert, indulging in a premade blueberry pie. 

When away from loved ones, perhaps one of the best reassurances one can provide is the snapshot of a good meal. Before eating, Ruetas and her roommate arranged and decorated their dinner table before sending pictures to their families. 

“I was really proud of our spread,” Ruetas said. “My popo responded with one word: ‘Wow.’ Even though we’re in different provinces, I’m happy I was still able to share something with her.” 

Arantza Fernandez and Christal OuYang, both U3 Arts, also celebrated the holiday together this year. Though Fernandez is from Mexico, where Thanksgiving isn’t typically celebrated, her time in Montreal led her to observe the holiday with her family.

“It’s not a thing in Mexico,” Fernandez explained. “Last year when I [was] back home in Mexico, I forced my family to have Thanksgiving with me.”

OuYang has always stayed in Montreal for the holiday.

“I’m from Vancouver, and I usually do not go home for Thanksgiving just because Thanksgiving is not really like a big celebration for us,” OuYang explained.

This year, Fernandez and OuYang organized a dinner among friends where each person brought something to the table.

“I think Friendsgiving is having all of the people you care about come together and everybody contributes something in a collaborative effort,” OuYang said.

The meal consisted of chicken, cranberry walnut salad, vegan shepherd’s pie, cranberry sauce, a green bean casserole, carrot cake, banana bread, and wine. They turned all the lights off and listened to a playlist combining jazz and classical music. 

“We played a little game where we were not allowed to talk until we finished all the food and drinks,” OuYang explained. “[We got] to really appreciate each other’s company without words.”

McGill, News

McGill holds annual Queer History Month themed “Coming Together”

by Lily Cason on

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Throughout October, McGill is holding a series of events in honour of Queer History Month, ranging from public talks to workshops, centred around the theme, “Coming Together.” The month opened with a homecoming event called “Return of the Rainbow,” which featured Kanien’kehá:ka Elder Kawennotas Sedalia. The event brought together former and current McGill queer community members, including staff, students, and faculty, to foster connections through relationship-building activities and to provide a safe space to share personal stories.

McGill’s Equity Education Advisor (Gender Equity and 2SLGBTQIA+ Education), Andrea Clegg, shared the meaning behind this year’s theme in an interview with The McGill Tribune.

“The theme ‘Coming Together’ is connected to the opening up of communities, including the McGill campus, in relation to the pandemic,” Clegg said. “[It is about] having a renewed opportunity to come together and celebrate and affirm our identities, something […] that varied communities have been impacted by in terms of the COVID pandemic.”

Honouring Queer History Month at McGill is important, explained Clegg, in that it provides space for celebrating members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and also includes a commitment to work toward further equality at the university.

“[Queer History Month at McGill] is an opportunity to come together, connect, celebrate our achievements, and identify ways we still need to continue to move forward on issues,” Clegg said.

While the month is primarily organized by the Office of the Provost and vice-principal (Academic) (OPVPA), they partner with many other groups to organize a wide range of events. One such group is McGill’s Subcommittee on Queer People (SQP), which submitted a formal motion to the McGill Senate in May 2021 for Queer History Month to be held and hosted the Return of the Rainbow event. Hiba Zafran, chair of the SQP, underscored the importance of adopting an intersectional approach in an email to The McGill Tribune.

“Equity and accountability are only possible when we both resist white supremacy and coloniality, and queer-ify, amplify and rebuild our ways of doing—together,” Zafran wrote. “It is our collective responsibility to promote the wisdom of, and leadership by, those of us with experiential knowledge. Queer History Month is one of the spaces where we can come together to envision such a politics and ethics for belonging.”

A handful of student-run groups helped organize Queer History Month as well. Queer McGill, a SSMU support service and the oldest queer organization on campus, hosted a documentary screening on Oct. 13 as part of the month’s programming. Jordan Elbualy, U4 Arts and an event coordinator for Queer McGill, spoke to the Tribune ahead of the screening and expressed his appreciation for the month’s events.

“I think [Queer History Month] shows that the administration cares about us a little bit,” Elbualy said. “I like it. It kind of takes the pressure off of Queer McGill’s shoulders not being the only Queer advocacy agency at McGill [and the Queer History Month organizers] do some really good work.”

For more information on Queer History Month and the events being held, visit the official page.

Queer students looking for support can visit Queer McGill’s Facebook.

McGill, News, The Tribune Explains

Tribune Explains: McGill’s new COVID-19 initiatives

by Lily Cason on

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In a university-wide email sent out Oct. 7, McGill announced four new COVID-19 initiatives to help track and curtail the spread of COVID-19 on campus. The protocols, which are being implemented throughout October, include measuring CO2 levels to assess the efficiency of ventilation systems; testing wastewater in student residence buildings; distributing thermometers to those in residence; and establishing a new COVID-19 dashboard to distribute weekly updated data. 

Why is McGill measuring CO2 levels in some of its buildings?

CO2 builds up when ventilation is poor, so measuring CO2 levels is a way to track whether ventilation systems are operating properly. Some of McGill’s classrooms and exam rooms already have CO2 monitors, but others do not—a fact that prompted the university to conduct a systematic review of CO2 levels in spaces that previously went unassessed. Testing began on Oct. 4 and continues to be carried out by internal and external Subject Matter Experts (SME). The analysis is set to wrap up on Oct. 26. McGill has yet to announce next steps after the SMEs data is collected. Currently, the “Ventilation in your building” page details the ventilation statuses in specific rooms on campus.

What is wastewater sampling and how would it help prevent COVID-19?

Wastewater sampling is currently underway at La Citadelle, Carrefour Sherbrooke, Royal Victoria College, and Solin Hall. McGill says it will expand the sampling to other residences soon. By sampling the wastewater from these buildings for evidence of the COVID-19 virus, McGill hopes to be able to detect potential COVID-19 outbreaks early. The university has devised three alert levels—vigilance, precursor, and outbreak—that can be activated at residences depending on the results of wastewater sampling. 

To support self-monitoring for potential symptoms of COVID-19, the university has decided to dispense 80 forehead thermometers to floor fellows and reception desks—which will be available to students upon request—and 750 personal stick thermometers, which are being given to students directly.

What is the new COVID-19 Situation Dashboard?

Another initiative McGill has rolled out is the implementation of a COVID-19 Situation Dashboard, which is updated every Tuesday and provides COVID-19 information from the past week. The dashboard provides information about campus and library traffic data, the number of new cases on campus, the number of cases linked to McGill classrooms, the number of calls to the Case Management Group (CMG), and the amount of contact tracing the CMG has conducted. This is more data than was previously available to the McGill community through the COVID-19 case tracker, which only stated the number of confirmed cases in a given week and whether there was evidence of community transmission.

What prompted McGill to implement these extra protocols?

Frédérique Mazerolle, a McGill media relations officer, says these new measures were devised in conjunction with public health officials and demonstrate McGill’s ongoing vigilance toward protecting the community.

“McGill University is working closely with public health officials to adopt policies and put into practice measures to protect students, staff and faculty. The University will continue to take a prudent planning approach that allows us to adapt as the health and well-being of our community remains a top priority,” Mazerolle wrote in an email to the //Tribune//. “The initiatives […] will provide new means of monitoring, keep the community informed with the latest data from around the McGill community and encourage and facilitate vaccination, which remains the best way to keep individuals, and the community at-large, safe.”

What is the McGill community’s reaction to these new measures?

David Juncker, chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, believes these new initiatives are useful, but wished they were implemented sooner. Juncker feels that there is still more that McGill could do to keep the community safe, such as requiring vaccination and implementing rapid testing. 

“I wish they had started [CO2 measurements] at the beginning of the semester, and I would encourage [McGill] to proceed faster and to make the results available publicly as soon as possible,” Juncker wrote in an email to the //Tribune//. “[T]he university should develop a strategy for using rapid tests under different modalities based on epidemiological modeling and cost-benefit analysis. Depending on the situation, twice a week screening for everyone could help catch many cases. Alternatively, rapid tests could be used as tests-to-stay or tests-to-enter for people who […] have mild symptoms.”

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