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Arts & Entertainment, Poetry

It’s okay to spill your drink at Spilt Red Wine Poetry nights

by Ian Clements on

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During Montreal’s strict COVID-19 public health measures in January 2021, close friends Sophia Blackburn, U3 Arts, and Carol Altimas, U3 Science, longed for the intimacy and creativity of poetry nights. As a remedy, they started their own poetry group, “Spilt Red Wine Poetry.” Since its creation, writers and listeners alike have congregated monthly over Zoom, and now in person, for vulnerable, raw, and honest poetry nights. 

“The name itself symbolizes spilling your blood out into the world, because blood is very near and dear to your body, to your soul,” Blackburn said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “We just wanted everyone to feel safe to express their soul in the most vulnerable, authentic way possible.”

It is a tradition for poets to simultaneously pour out some of their wine at the beginning of each poetry night. This act represents the vulnerability and honesty of sharing one’s work, and embodies the name “Spilt Red Wine.” When forming the group, Blackburn and Altimas aimed to design a space where people could feel safe, welcome, and at home, and where poets could bond over sharing their art. Central to a supportive environment, Altimas explained, is the idea of “holding space.”

“I feel like [Spilt Red Wine] allows people to have [a space where] we hear their words, and we’re holding them,” Altimas said. “And not necessarily physically, but we are holding space for them emotionally, mentally, and in our hearts.”

Although the group’s poetry nights were hosted over Zoom for the first six months, the last three events have been held in person. This month, over 20 people gathered in Mackenzie-King Park to share and listen to each other’s poetry over snacks and drinks. The atmosphere was friendly and welcoming, and there was no pressure to perform. Performers were celebrated not only for their poetry, but also for the act of being vulnerable. One poet recited a love letter about their favourite stock in the stock market, which was met with many laughs; another recited a poem about coffee. 

Going forward, the group hopes that pandemic circumstances will allow for a physical sense of community to continue. 

“We do prefer in-person events, because we get to meet everyone in person and connect physically,” Blackburn said. “So hopefully when the weather gets colder [we can move to] a bar or to someone’s apartment.” 

On the other hand, Altimas recognized that online poetry nights, too, have the potential to bolster attendance and participation.

“I think if we did virtual events it would be awesome to see some of the friendly faces who can’t attend the in-person events,” Altimas said. “As long as we’re able to connect in person, it’s nice to take advantage of that.” 

Spilt Red Wine events are open to all, whether you come alone, with friends, or with family. 

“I feel like [Spilt Red Wine] has such a different energy,” Altimas said. “It’s very loving. [It] speaks a lot to the nature of the people that come.”

“You’re very welcome to join exactly as you are in that present moment,” Blackburn added.
Spilt Red Wine Poetry hosts events the first Saturday of every month.

Football, Sports

Shaughnessy Cup showdown ends in overtime loss for McGill

by Adam Burton, Sarah Farnand, & Madison McLauchlan on

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On Sept. 17, the McGill Redbirds (1–2) were defeated in heartbreaking fashion by their long-time rivals, the Concordia Stingers (2–1) at the 52nd annual Shaughnessy Cup. The event sold out quickly, with 3,500 McGill and Concordia students clamouring to get a seat for what turned out to be a high-scoring, action-packed game. 

McGill exploded out of the locker room onto the field, dominating offensive possessions in the opening minutes of the game. The team quickly picked up some points when quarterback Dimitrios Sinodinos lofted up a 60-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Darius Simmons for a quick 7-0 lead with 9:22 left in the first quarter. Both teams played stifling defence for the remainder of the quarter, each forcing the other to take a safety, which brought the score to 9-2 for McGill.

McGill entered the second quarter with the same propulsive energy they brought to the first. Running back Elijah Williams left the crowd in awe with an eight-yard rush toward the end zone that left the Stinger defensive line reeling and the McGill crowd cheering. The Redbirds entered the locker room flying high with a 16-2 lead that seemed nearly impossible to lose.

The Redbirds kept strong momentum coming out of halftime with a 14-point lead. Concordia struck first with a safety, but, less than a minute later, McGill countered with a touchdown by defensive end Joshua Archibald—bringing the score to 23-4. After a Concordia touchdown and a McGill field goal by kicker Antoine Couture, McGill maintained a hefty 26-11 lead heading into the final quarter.

Although the fourth quarter started well for the Redbirds, with a touchdown from tight end Simon Crevier off a pass from Sinodinos, things went downhill from there. The Stingers’ offence, which up until then was passive and lumbering, started chipping away at McGill’s lead, scoring three touchdowns in the last eight minutes of the fourth to equalize from a 22-point deficit.  

In a stunning turnaround, the Stingers’ offence pushed the Redbirds back to the 14-yard line and kicker Andrew Stevens sealed their fate with a field goal. The McGill crowd looked on in disbelief as cacophony erupted from the Concordia stands. 

Sinodinos expressed his disappointment with the team’s inability to maintain their lead in the latter half of the game. 

“I feel like we played pretty well up [until] the fourth quarter,” Sinodinos said. “At the end we just couldn’t seal it. We couldn’t keep our offence on the field long enough. Their offence was on the field for a pretty long time so they got a lot of momentum and were able to overcome a pretty big deficit in not a lot of time. We needed to get at least one more big drive at the end but we couldn’t make that happen.”

Third-year defensive lineman Nassib Hassouna, Jr. was pleased with the team’s performance in the first half and did not want to dwell on the loss.

“For sure, we had some difficulty at the end of the game, but at the end of the day we need to focus on the next game [and] we need to regroup,” Hassouna said. “We will be stronger next week.”

Sinodinos believes the key to victory will be sustaining their momentum until the game’s very last moments. 

“It is definitely a question of consistency and being able to finish our game,” Sinodinos said. “So, [we will] continue doing what we did in the first three quarters, all the way to the end of the fourth quarter.”

QUOTABLE:

“The crowd was crazy. From all the teams, we appreciate every single one of you and we will make it up for you.” — Third year Nassib Hassouna, Jr. on the lively crowd in attendance. 

MOMENT OF THE GAME: 

With less than 30 seconds left on the clock, the stadium waited with bated breath as the Stingers quarterback ran straight into McGill’s endzone to complete a two-point conversion, forcing overtime. 

STAT CORNER:

McGill running back Elijah Williams rushed for 94 yards in 13 offensive drives, the most running yards for anybody on either team. 

Editorial, Opinion

McGill should stop playing games with sports

by The McGill Tribune Editorial Board on

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Along with the return to classes, September brought with it the return of in-person athletic events. After more than a year and a half of isolation, students can finally unite behind the university’s talented varsity sports teams. Although the McGill community has welcomed the resumption of athletics on campus, many of McGill’s teams are underfunded and underappreciated—a flippant treatment that rebuffs the enthusiasm and value they bring to the university.

The recent cuts to nine varsity teams undermine the rich history of sports at McGill. Dr. James Naismith, BA 1887 and McGill’s first athletics director, invented modern-day basketball. Likewise, the women’s hockey team played a role in hockey’s gender revolution: From 1921 to 1993, the team took part in one of Canada’s first women’s hockey leagues. As well, McGill’s Hockey Club is the oldest in the world, undoubtedly forging the link between Canadian pride and university athletics. Consider also that McGill boasts 143 Olympians, and has brought home 31 medals since 1904. In the National Football League, the university rightfully celebrates Kansas City Chiefs’ guard Dr. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, MDCM ’18, who opted out of the league to serve in a long-term care facility during the COVID-19 pandemic. The great successes spawned at McGill raise questions about their support for the current and future generation of athletes. Athletic performances should not need to garner international acclaim to maintain sufficient funding from the administration. 

Overzealous, frenzied sports culture is not embedded into McGill in the same way that it is in many American schools. However, the McGill student body still has a sports-friendly attitude—that fact alone should convince administrators to invest in teams. For spectators and athletes alike, sports are one of the more enjoyable manifestations of McGill’s “work hard, play hard” mindset. Given the continued cuts to athletics, though, this culture has become less prominent. 

Sports in all disciplines benefit athletes’ psychological development and mental health, and the university cutting funding is paramount to shattering the years of training athletes put toward their sport. With seemingly arbitrary cuts, McGill sent a clear message to young athletes: No matter how hard you work for your sport, you simply may not make it at McGill. The academic environment the university provides does not suffice for the years of effort and career prospects they have foiled. For the athletes excluded and overlooked in sport, like women, racialized people, and lower-income people, lack of institutional support diminishes the unique talents and dreams they bring to their craft. Artistic swimming, for example, a sport dominated by women, got cut this year despite their recent successes and their team’s advertisement in McGill’s jargon-heavy 2020-2025 Athletics Strategic Plan. Fewer sports opportunities means fewer opportunities for an equitable path forward.

To take action, McGill must be transparent about their decisions, and must go beyond the single email justifying the sports cuts. The $200,000 McGill24 campaign for athletics, the million-dollar gift to the now-cancelled lacrosse team from the Généreux family, and the $3.5-million Kerr Family Women in Sport program are much-needed and appreciated contributions from the McGill community. But there remain significant barriers to entry for different teams—like the baseball team stripped of McGill’s name, despite being self-funded. If the Made by McGill campaign can raise $2-billion, the university, following students’ lead, should reinforce the sports that have “made” and continue to make, McGill.

Arts & Entertainment, Film and TV

Stacey Steers’ ‘Night Reels’ creates a collage of warmth and empowerment

by Arian Kamel on

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A young lady’s eyes gently sweep across the floor, lost in thought, only to land on the giant sparrow wrapped deep within her arms. She pats and caresses it as if it were her child, with inexplicable worry escaping her lips. This is but one of the many soul-stirring moments that mark Stacey Steers’ Night Reels, an exhibit on display at the esteemed Cinémathèque Québécoise until Oct. 17. Based on her three previous animated films—Phantom Canyon (2006), Night Hunter (2011), and Edge of Alchemy (2017)—Steers adds a new light to her older stories by incorporating giant sculptures and tiny collages, newly imagined astrological instruments, and nearly forgotten Hollywood starlets.

Each of Steers’ three films tell vastly different stories, from a mother sparrow striving to protect her eggs from a giant serpent, to a peculiar woman with a honeycomb crown chased by a sea of giant wasps. What links each story is Steers’ decision to weave together different scenes from classic silent cinema with zoological drawings of different reptiles and insects. The process takes many years, as each film is a mix-and-match of thousands of collages. Slightly static in motion, the films capture subtle microexpressions, like quick smirks or watery eyes, that would otherwise escape even the most attentive of viewers.

“I don’t work very methodically. It’s more of an organic process where I try to freely associate with the work I have already created and move forward in a way that’s cohesive,” Steers said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “This is why I don’t always know where my story will go, even if looking at the film will give off the impression the story is planned out. It’s very subconscious for me.”

The exhibit itself brings a sense of reality to the films, with their fantastical elements coming to life as sculptures. The stills from the films line the walls, each lending a certain stagnancy to some of the most important scenes, and displaying the silent actresses’ powerful emotions. Steers also created new astrological instruments with steam-punk-inspired designs, which visually distort her films through their strange lenses. One of her most eye-catching sculptures features six bed-frames stacked and melded together—with bed-frames being a motif from Phantom Canyon (2006)—with a projector hidden inside that casts the film.

Resistance is a central theme of these films and the exhibition as a whole, whether against grotesque monsters or one’s own desires. Steers’ work highlights the feeling of helplessness; of fighting against different elements one cannot control. Steers’ protagonists, all maternal figures, counter this effect with a warmth that holds the audience’s curiosity and engrossment. 

“I am making this for people who are introspective, [especially] in a world they know they can’t control,” Steers said. 

Night Reels’s mystical and dreamlike exhibition continues until October 17 at the La Cinémathèque Québécoise. 

Arts & Entertainment, Internet

Met Gala 2021 fashion roundup: ‘American Independence’

by Catherine Hall, Dana Prather, Sylvie Bourque, Signy Harnad on

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The return of the Met Gala marked the return of its most classic staples: Extravagant looks, varying adherence to the yearly theme, twitter commentary, and men in black suits. 

Quannah Chasinghorse

For model and Indigenous activist Quannah Chasinghorse, the gala’s theme of “American independence” was an opportunity to remind everyone of the long-standing history of Indigenous cultures prior to settlers’ colonization of the continents. Amidst a troop of red, white, blue, and star-spangled gowns, Chasinghorse stood out, embracing her Hän Gwich’in (Alaska and Canada) and Oglala Lakota (South Dakota) identity. With traditional Hän Gwich’in face tattoos, turquoise Navajo jewelry, and a dazzling golden dress, Chasinghorse’s look was stunning and poignant. Many people on social media commented that she “understood the assignment,” and I couldn’t agree more. Chasinghorse sent a powerful reminder that Indigenous cultures have been, and always will be, the original “American” fashion. Hopefully, Chasinghorse’s Met Gala debut is only the beginning of her fashion revolution. 

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

From her politics to her Twitter account, U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has maintained a consistent message over the year: Tax the rich. The politician, more commonly known as A.O.C., took this stance a step further at the 2021 Met Gala, donning a white floor-length gown with those three words emblazoned in scarlet across the dress’ back. A matching bag with the slogan written in silver accentuated the bold dress, just in case you missed it the first time. Though some have criticized the politician for sporting the message while choosing to attend an event synonymous with opulence, A.O.C. firmly defended both her look and her presence at the gala. 

“Ultimately the haters hated,” Ocasio-Cortez said in an Instagram story from September 14. “But we all had a conversation about taxing the rich in front of the very people who lobby against it.”

Whether an indictment of the upper class or an empty, hypocritical comment, the dress and its message were perfectly on-theme for a country whose fashion industry has consistently catered to the rich.

Ciara

Ciara donned a sparkling neon-green, floor-length dress, reminiscent of a football jersey, to the event. On the surface, it appeared to be a tribute to American Football, but upon a closer look, it also referenced American designer Geoffrey Beene’s fall/winter 1967-68 collection. Ciara’s custom dress was designed by Norwegian designer Peter Dundas, who updated Beene’s original look by fitting it, adding a short train, and including cutouts at the waist. As a personalized touch, the dress nods to Ciara’s husband, Russell Wilson, a quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks, through its eye-catching neon-green colourway, and the number three—Russell’s jersey number. Ciara’s look fit the theme to perfection. 

Grimes

Canadian music sensation and McGill alumna, Grimes, raised the phrase “slaying the red carpet” to a whole new level this year as she brandished a sword to accessorize a sci-fi-warrior look designed by Iris Van Herpen. Grimes, an experimental musician, was inspired by David Lynch’s 1984 film adaptation of Dune—a seminal novel by American author Frank Herbert. Sporting intricate space-age detailing, a silver capsule crystal ring, an anti-gravity ponytail, and a sword borrowed from the Met’s permanent collection, Grimes’ look packed an ethereal punch—par for the course for the genre petitioner. The sword, based on a Western European weapon from the end of the Middle Ages, was melted down from an AR-15; and what’s more American than that?

McGill, News

McGill’s week-long vaccine registration centre took in approximately 100 students daily

by Lily Cason on

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McGill opened its second walk-in vaccine registration centre from Sept. 14 to Sept. 17 in Redpath Hall—this time a four-day event rather than a single day. This second installment is part of the university’s sustained attempt to help students register vaccinations received outside of Quebec, and came in response to the high demand for a vaccine registration service demonstrated at its first on-campus clinic. 

Some students, such as Kyle Minnie, U2 Education, appreciated the clinic opening again, but expressed their frustration with the long, slow lines, and low daily capacity.

“I appreciate that [this centre] is being done on campus,” Minnie said. “It is nice that they are doing it again for the whole week, but as you can see from this lineup, I do not think it is as efficient as a lot of students hoped it could be.”

McGill clarified that the centre would be able to register vaccines, but not administer them, in the event’s announcement on Facebook. The registration centre’s web page states that clinicians have the capacity to register around 100 students’ vaccination statuses per the centre’s eight-hour working day. The page urges students to book an appointment at a different site on the Clinic Santé website, or come back another day, if the line is too long.

Monse Cas, a PhD student in neuroscience at McGill, believes some of the problems with the centre could have been prevented with better planning. 

“We have been waiting for too long, and I think [McGill] could have handled it better,” Cas said. “Maybe they should have opened registration […] so you could arrive at your appointment and not wait for […] six hours.”

Cas arrived at the centre around 9:15 a.m. on Sept. 15, and said that the centre did not register her vaccination status until seven hours later, around 4 p.m., at which point she had missed a full day of work at her lab. According to Cas, the people in line directly behind her waited all day as well, but did not end up getting their vaccines registered that day. 

Minnie was at the centre for a second day, having left after fifteen minutes the previous day to attend class, when he spoke to The McGill Tribune. Though Minnie had planned to block out more time the second time around, he ended up waiting in line for a little over six hours to get his vaccine registered.

“Once inside it was a little more clear why the line was taking so long, since there were only two people doing the actual registration,” Minnie said. “Each registration only took like five to seven  minutes, though, so there are still some unanswered questions about why it took six hours to get inside [….] I have to assume that the university was trying to minimize the number of people inside the registration room since there were security guards keeping count of people.”

In an email to the Tribune, the McGill administration pointed out that the centre resembled the typical pop-up vaccination clinics in Quebec and said more dates will be added if the demand for vaccine registration continues. 

“Pop-up clinics like these usually average 100 vaccinations per day,” McGill’s media relations officer Frédérique Mazerolle wrote. “We are aware that many international and out-of-province students have experienced challenges with registering their vaccines and getting their vaccine passports [….] If there is still demand for more vaccine registrations at the end of the week, more dates may be added for the following week.”

McGill has since extended the dates for its vaccine registration centre. The centre will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sept. 20 and 21, and will operate out of the Welcome Centre, located at 3415 Rue McTavish. 

Montreal, News

Stabbing outside McGill’s Roddick Gates leaves one dead

by Madison Edward-Wright on

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Content warning: violence and death

At approximately 1:45 a.m. on Sept. 18, the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) responded to a call about an assault on Sherbrooke Street, not far from McGill’s Roddick Gates. The SPVM reported that two men, of 20 and 23 years of age, were the victims of a stabbing. The incident may have involved other people; as of yet, there is evidence of three or four suspects fleeing the scene. The two victims suffered injuries to their upper bodies and were immediately rushed to the hospital. While the 20-year-old is reported to be in a stable condition, the 23-year-old passed away on Sept. 18. The SPVM is currently investigating the details of the event.

The morning of Sept. 18, many members of the McGill community were surprised to find the lower area of the downtown campus cordoned off and Sherbrooke Street flooded with police vehicles. Orange police tape ran along the campus perimeter and a police car was parked to block off the Roddick Gates. The stabbing incident occurred only a few hundred meters from McGill’s McLennan Library. Avery*, a U3 Science student who regularly stays at the library late, spoke to The McGill Tribune about the incident.

“I [am] so surprised because I was here yesterday night, and late as well,” Avery said. “[I] did not see anything. [But] now after what happened, I would not stay too late in the library.”

Avery was one of many students on campus that morning—and was not the only one to express concern about campus safety. Alier Magok, U0 Science, had not heard about the stabbing until he arrived on campus only to find most of it sealed off.

“I did not know what had happened,” Magok said. “But [then], when you first open Reddit and see ‘stabbing,’ it’s crazy. Nobody knew, the police hadn’t released anything, […] but you do not feel as safe because [of] everything happen[ing].”

The homicide was not the first violent incident that occurred close to McGill this year. Avery recalled an incident that occurred in May 2021, where a 21-year-old man was stabbed inside the McGill metro station. Despite sustaining injuries to his upper body, the victim survived. Avery reflected on how this increase in violence has made her feel.

“Recently we have been seeing a lot of stabbing occurring especially on St. Catherine,” Avery explained. “Back in May, there was a stabbing at the McGill metro, so that’s why I am not very surprised this is happening. It has been occurring a lot [near campus]. We thought that it was safe.”

Frédérique Mazerolle, McGill media relations officer, relayed the SPVM’s statement that the Sept. 18  incident did not have any connection to McGill.

“According to SPVM, an altercation unrelated to McGill took place downtown […] during the very early hours of Sept. 18,” Mazerolle wrote in an email to The McGill Tribune. “For a brief period, the surrounding area was restricted due to the police operation. Despite rumours circulating on Twitter, the investigation presented only [a] minor inconvenience to our community.”

While acknowledging the safety of the McGill community as the school’s first priority, Mazerolle explained that the school did have a department dedicated to safety on campus.

“McGill University, through the Campus Public Safety Department, […] offers services on a 24-hour basis to all members of the McGill community, such as safety escorts within certain limits to all students and staff at both the downtown and Macdonald campuses.”

Though the Students’ Society of McGill University’s (SSMU) WALKSAFE and DriveSafe services were recently halted, one nighttime security service available to students is the Société de Transport de Montreal’s “Between Stops” program. The service runs as of 7:30 p.m. or 9:00 p.m. at different times of the year and allows bus drivers to let passengers off between stops if bus stops are too far from a passenger’s destination.

*Avery’s name has been changed to preserve anonymity.

News, SSMU

Virtual Activities Night goes awry following technical difficulties

by Dima Kiwan on

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Major technical difficulties arose during the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU)’s virtual Activities Night on Sept. 13, leaving the approximately 2,000 registered student participants confused. The online event platform Gather.Town crashed due to the high volume of participants, though organizers have since suggested that there is more to the story.

The w platform malfunctioned and experienced a system overload when it opened its doors to the thousands of participants. The system also experienced several glitches—room hosts would frequently freeze and participants struggled to access the different booths. 

In an interview with The McGill Tribune, Karla Heisele Cubilla, SSMU vice president (VP) student life, explained that her team chose Gather.Town—as opposed to Zoom or Eventus, which were used for last year’s activities night—to host the event in hopes of delivering a more engaging online experience.

“We need to have a platform that is going to engage students, because really, Eventus did not work,” Heisele Cubilla said. “It was an expensive platform and it did not connect the groups with the students. [An] in-person fair was just not possible. In June, I reached out to McGill, hotels, and the Bell Centre, and everyone said no. [I heard from some of my staff that] Gather.Town was perfect and super interactive.”

Despite discussing capacity limits with Gather.Town executives, who recommended purchasing two spaces for the event, the platform was overwhelmed within minutes of the event’s start. 

“We had around 1,200 registrants two days before the event, but two hours before the event we had a total of 2,267 students registered,” Heisele Cubilla explained. “[Our understanding was that] once capacity was reached in one of the worlds, there would not be a failure of the system, students just have to wait in a waiting room. The day of the event, at 4 p.m., 1,500 people signed in at the same time, we saw major lag, and [the first space] collapsed.”

SSMU organizers immediately began exploring troubleshooting options. Some club executives took matters into their own hands, coming up with alternatives on the fly, to connect via alternative means.

“After talking to many peers and executives from other clubs, I realized that the technical difficulties I faced using the platform were widespread,” said Liam Lynch, McGill Pre-Law Students’ Society Mock Trial president. “Once we realized that we were not able to get to our booth, we quickly set up a Zoom meeting open to all students and shared the meeting invitation through our social media channels.”

According to Heisele Cubilla, SSMU is currently planning a second activities night to make up for the first one’s shortcomings.

“We refunded all the community groups that paid,” Heisele Cubilla said. “I communicated to all the student groups what was happening, and I emailed all the students apologizing. Although there were technical difficulties outside our reach, we are still responsible to make sure that student life thrives. I have partnered with Campus Life & Engagement, and we have a team of six people working on Activities Night 2.0 for mid-October.”

The reaction to the event among student group leaders varied. Some, like Lea Baroud, vice president media and communications of the Arab Students’ Network, attributed the failure to uncontrollable technical circumstances.

“We found that the initiative of having a virtual […] booth to interact with students was a really creative one that could have replicated the experience of an ‘ordinary’ activities night,” wrote Baroud in a message to the Tribune. 

Others worried about the impact that a failed Activities Night will have on club recruitment and outreach.

“I’m worried that not every SSMU club had sufficient means to connect with new students or make their name known on campus,” Lynch wrote to the Tribune. “As a result, some new or smaller organizations may have missed their chance to gain valuable new members.”

Commentary, Opinion

The social politics of municipal retrenchment

by Michelle Marcus on

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Montreal’s bustle is returning after months of rigid COVID-19 restrictions, yet the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) ridership remains remarkably low. As a result, in August, the regional transit board asked the STM to cut $276-million from its budget over the next three years. Recently, the STM proposed cutting $114-million of the funds currently allocated to operations, a decision that would affect the quality and accessibility of services offered to STM riders. Although cost-cutting will be necessary to rebuild the economy post-pandemic, underfunding the STM threatens to leave behind regular commuters. The City of Montreal must reconsider its 2021 budget allocation to respect the communities most reliant on the STM.

The STM is not without its problems, however: Notoriously inefficient, transit routes have gone largely unchanged over the past decade, resulting in accessibility issues for commuters—especially those from Montreal’s North and South Shores, areas primarily inhabited by low-income and racially diverse communities. Some logistical elements of STM services are outdated as well: To renew OPUS cards, for example, riders must go in-person to a metro station or to select pharmacies. This process is unnecessarily complicated when compared against Toronto’s PRESTO card system, which allows riders to manage their accounts entirely online. With adequate funding, the STM could capitalize on technological advances, make services more accessible, and help restore ridership levels—which would mitigate the transit sector’s current financial crisis. The municipality’s decision to target the STM, a service in evident need of revamping, inspires questions about the depth of Montreal’s commitment to equitable and efficient tax dollar spending. 

The proposed STM budget cuts also raise ethical questions regarding the city’s environmental goals. Montreal is one of Canada’s greenest cities, but cutting funds for a system so crucial to emission reduction contradicts Projet Montreal’s supposed commitment to sustainable development. Even if the STM decided to keep the $114-million in the budget, that alone would not be able to cover the cost of creating new metro lines or implementing long-term environmental projects. Still, allocating funds to green initiatives while reducing the efficiency and accessibility of transit services is counterintuitive—especially given the budget’s three-year timeline.  

As universities and businesses resume in-person activity, those living beyond Montreal’s downtown core will rely more heavily on STM busses and metros. The city’s lack of alternate transportation options means that riders will have to deal with the potential consequences of underfunding, including prolonged wait times or outdated service renewal options. Since high living costs continue to push some racialized communities away from the downtown core, the effects of slower STM operations will be felt disproportionately. The municipal budgetary plan highlights a troubling pattern of Montreal’s municipal public service policies neglecting to adequately serve marginalized communities. 

Attention to budget reform has dominated recent political debates. Despite outcry from Montreal locals to defund the police in 2020, the city’s 2021 budget boosts funds to the police. Montreal’s law enforcement and transit systems disproportionately impact marginalized communities, yet the city’s 2021 funding allocation fails to reflect that in their budget. If the city is truly committed to meeting community needs, fiscal policies should support, not hurt, those most impacted by the public service sector. 

If Montreal’s budgeting fails to reflect public demand in areas as uncontroversial as transit, the possibility of seeing meaningful structural reform in law enforcement is far-fetched. City officials must be receptive to the needs and voices of vulnerable community members, even in the face of economic pressure. Otherwise, those most affected by the service sector’s shortcomings will be left to suffer the consequences of retrenchment. 

McGill, News

Safety concerns loom as WALKSAFE and DriveSafe halt operations

by Signy Harnad on

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Content warning: Discussion of physical and sexual violence.

Two volunteer-based security services on campus are halting operations, with a firm date for resumption yet to be determined. Run by the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU), WALKSAFE announced the suspension of their regular services on Facebook Sept. 13, following SSMU DriveSafe’s similar announcement on Sept. 3.

WALKSAFE president Leon Picha, U2 Management, attributed the shutdown to limited staffing and phone line complications during the SSMU University Centre’s multi-year closure.

“As the University Centre moved, we did not have access to our landline for some time and we actually do not have access to the WALKSAFE phone,” Picha said. “But also we do not have enough volunteers. A lot of our volunteers have graduated and, if we were to operate, we predicted that volunteers would have to do three times their original commitment.”

Tiffany Leung, vice president (VP) operations at DriveSafe, also blamed their services’ suspension solely on their inability to access the landline. The issue of DriveSafe’s hiatus is currently being handled by SSMU representatives.

While both services have been out of day-to-day operations since March 2020, they have still provided security services by special arrangement, like both services’ helping out during  Frosh Week and Drivesafe’s partnership with the Montreal Student Initiative for COVID-19 Response and Relief.

SSMU vice president (VP) student life, Karla Heisele Cubilla, explained that COVID-19 has also played a role in disrupting the operations of services like WALKSAFE.

“The pandemic has been really rough on our services and our clubs,” Cubilla said. “The government keeps giving us updates daily, and it takes time to plan how a service is going to be run.”

According to Yossef Levin, Med 3 and former WALKSAFE volunteer, the service suffered internal difficulties such as understaffing even before the pandemic.

“When I was part of WALKSAFE during my bachelor degree, we operated on tight staffing, and often they would ask people to help fill out shifts,” Levin said. “Many of the executives would take on an excessive amount of shifts from what I remember [….] There were days when they had to cancel services because of understaffing. This happened every so often, especially in 2019.”

(Brian Schatteman / The McGill Tribune)

The shutdowns have left some newcomers to Montreal uncertain of how to stay safe on and around campus. Sarah*, U1 Arts and Science, was disappointed to hear that the security services on campus had been suspended.

“Coming from a small town, my family and I had concerns with a lot of what you hear about the city,” Sarah said. “But then looking at these services that McGill provides, and knowing that they existed, was quite comforting. Getting here, and realizing that they are not in operation, was a bit nerve-racking.”

Earlier this month, Sarah was walking downtown with her roommates when they witnessed an assault. She attempted to reach WALKSAFE the following evening. 

“We saw this girl in front of us get aggressively groped,” Sarah said. “The next day, I had an appointment late at night and thought, ‘I should use WALKSAFE,’ but was not able to.”

The shutdowns come on the heels of grave campus incidents elsewhere in Canada. In the early morning hours of Sept. 11, an 18-year-old student at Western University in London, Ontario, died of injuries sustained in an assault on a street adjacent to campus. In addition, four separate cases of sexual assault were reported to Western campus authorities during the week of Sept. 6.

Lapses in current security offerings are unacceptable, argued U3 Arts student Mikaela Fasold. Remarking on the dwindling security options available to students, Fasold called on volunteers to rise to the occasion.

“Students now have even fewer resources […] short of building their own buddy system or gambling that campus security can always be there to provide protection,” Fasold said. 

“The onus lies on all of us to step up.”

Emergency aid can be reached through a Security Services Safety Escort  (Downtown: 514-398-30000. MacDonald campus: 514-398-7777). The Sexual Assault Center of the McGill Student’s Society hotline is 514-398-8500. McGill Students’ Nightline can be reached at 514-398-6246. SSMU WALKSAFE and SSMU DriveSafe are actively recruiting, see their respective Facebook pages for more details. 

*Sarah’s name has been changed to preserve their anonymity.

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