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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. 

Out on the Town, Student Life

Exploring Montreal’s thrifting scene

by Abby McCormick on

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With the return to campus, many members of the McGill community are meeting off-screen for the first time, finally getting the chance to express themselves through their fashion choices. For the budget-conscious university student, this may sound daunting. However, Montreal’s wide selection of thrift stores, each with their own unique ambience, offer cheaper and more environmentally friendly alternatives to the big name-brand clothing stores. 

1. Marché Floh – 4301 Saint Denis Street

Marché Floh is a three-story vintage market that boasts 20 different resellers.

Alex Mondry, the market’s founder, has been passionate about thrifting for years. The business began as a pop-up thrift shop from Mondry’s own home, and eventually grew into larger pop-ups in Montreal’s commercial spaces in collaboration with other vintage resellers. The idea of hosting resellers all under one roof, Mondry explained, became what is now Marché Floh.

“The environment that we want to offer is very judgment-free, inclusive, [and] expressive, [where someone can] look for any type of piece and probably find it,” Mondry said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. 

Marché Floh’s stock includes ‘90s and early 2000s streetwear, baby-doll and goth styles, as well as hand-painted pieces.

Key to thrifting’s appeal, Mondry said, is the eclectic flare that vintage pieces bring to one’s wardrobe.

“Thrift shopping simulates a creative style that is different from shopping in a big-box store,” Mondry said. “You’re rarely going to run into someone with the same outfit as you.” 

Mondry also recognizes that thrift shopping helps minimize waste in the fashion industry. 

“People who thrift are helping us keep garments out of the landfill,” Mondry said.

2. LNF Shop – 5319 Park Avenue

For those looking for a thrift shop focussed on ‘90s nostalgia and high-quality brand name accessories, look no further than LNF Shop. Known for its denim, graphic T-shirts, and accessories, the shop is conveniently located within walking distance of the McGill campus.

Charlie Whitley, LNF Shop’s co-owner, is a former American Apparel employee who was inspired to add to Montreal’s vintage scene—which was lacking when LNF Shop started 10 years ago. 

“[It’s very] heavy ‘90s nostalgia, while trying to keep up with current trends,” Whitley said. “The care that goes into the products and the selection process [sets LNF Shop apart].”  

Items come from a variety of independent suppliers across Canada and are sold at affordable prices. 

The number of students opting to shop at thrift shops instead of big-box retailers is encouraging to Whitely, who is happy to see that many have shifted toward a more environmentally conscious lifestyle. 

3. Cul-De-Sac – 3794 St. Laurent Boulevard

Cul-De-Sac sells a variety of collectable pieces spanning multiple decades. It also boasts an in-house workshop where thrifted pieces can be modified and repaired.

Co-owner and manager Marc Jetté is no stranger to Montreal’s thrifting scene: 17 years ago, he began selling bags made out of recyclable materials, and his business eventually grew to include other accessories and clothing items.  

Jetté highlighted that many of Cul-De-Sac’s garments are of high quality because they were made during time periods when production methods were more thorough than they are now in the fast fashion industry.

“When people buy [from Cul-De-Sac], they are buying from a time period where things were made better.” 

Martlets, Soccer, Sports

Martlets Soccer earn their first point of the year

by Reza Ali on

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A week after their home opener defeat to Laval, the Martlets took to the pitch in hopes of earning their first points of the 2021-2022 season. While they hoped for a win, the Martlets came home with a singular point following a 0-0 draw to UQAM. Similar to the game versus Laval, McGill played well in the first half but lost their shape and patience as the game wore on. UQAM was able to slow down McGill’s build-up and the game entered halftime at a stalemate that neither team seemed ready to break. In the second half, the Martlets came out energized, playing long balls and pressing high. Despite several high-quality chances in front of goal, the Martlets were unfortunately not able to capitalize. 

“We deserved a better fate,” head coach Jose-Luis Valdes said in an interview with McGill Athletics. “We didn’t necessarily have a lot of possession and turned the ball over too much, but we didn’t allow them too many scoring opportunities in the first half. After the intermission, we decided to press and that gave us a little more confidence, which resulted in our side getting the ball higher up-field and created more chances to score.”

According to spectator Shaz Kassimali, U4 Science, McGill’s press on offence added an energy in the second half that was noticeable from the stands.

“The girls’ effort was relentless, they pushed through till the end, and their resilience is inspiring and admirable,” Kassimali said.

In addition to the team earning their first point of the season, first-year goalkeeper Brenna Bordeniuk earned her first McGill clean sheet. Bordeniuk delivered a commanding display in nets, making a key save from close range on UQAM forward Eve Levesque at the end of the first half. Second-year team captain Olivia Mazzarello also spearheaded a talented backline, helping Bordeniuk with added protection.

“I think we were able to create some more goal-scoring chances,” Mazzarello wrote in a message to The McGill Tribune. “We’re going to continue looking to improve our creativity up top and working on our collective play all around.” 

The game was the first of a doubleheader with the men’s team, yet the stands only started to fill toward the end of the Martlets’ game. The men’s team went on to win behind two incredible penalty saves, which are proven to be influenced by crowd noise. 

“The energy in the stands was impeccable and really affected the outcome of the game,” said Safa Khalifa, U1 Arts, who attended the men’s game. “Everyone was standing and cheering for even the smallest things, saves, steals, good passes [….] I think it really encouraged the guys on the team to keep doing what they do. The crowd’s passion really motivated the team to score that game-winning goal.”

The Martlets began a series of away fixtures with a 3-0 win on Sunday, Sept. 19 versus Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR). In a little under two weeks, on Oct. 1, the Martlets will return home to face rival Concordia under the Molson Stadium lights at 6 p.m. A packed crowd certainly would help spur our Martlets on to their first home win of the season.

Moment of the Game

In the 58th minute, first-year forward Annika Schmunk forced a top-drawer save from UQAM’s Andreanne Dubeau to keep the game at 0-0.

Stat Corner

The Martlets went into this fixture having lost their last three contests against UQAM, dating back to 2019.

Quotable

“It feels great and it’s motivating because we are expecting to get a lot more wins and [to] just keep getting better as a team,” said first-year defender Stephanie Hill regarding their first point of the season.

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.

Science & Technology

The social and environmental toll of concrete production

by Raymond Tu on

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Names like McCall MacBain Arts, Redpath Museum, or Stewart Biology may bring to mind lecture halls and study spots, but all these McGill landmarks have at least one more thing in common: They all use concrete in their construction. Just about every infrastructure project in Montreal, and across the world, relies on the sand and gravel mining industry. These materials are used as aggregate—a mixture of sand, gravel, and crushed stone used to produce construction materials such as concrete and asphalt—and are then incorporated in infrastructure projects such as bridges, roads, and walkways.

At around 23 billion tonnes annually, concrete is the second most consumed material in the world, after water. The sand and gravel used in concrete production are the most mined materials globally, with 32 to 50 billion tons extracted each year. Despite the size and scale of this industry, the human and environmental impacts of sand and gravel mining, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), are not yet well understood.

To fill this research gap, Mette Bendixen, assistant professor in the Department of Geography at McGill, and her colleagues set out to review and assess the effects of sand and gravel mining in LMICs, especially as they pertain to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“Sand is definitely a complicated topic that interacts with fields including science and health,” Bendixen said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “It is a global challenge that is often overlooked. So many people don’t know that it’s such a highly used commodity.”

In an article published in One Earth, Bendixen and other researchers from institutions around the world argue that aggregate mining can alter local topography and damage surrounding freshwater and marine ecosystems. Not only do these mining activities affect the health of the environment and its flora and fauna, but they also affect human health. Some of the potential health effects of sand and gravel extraction include respiratory diseases from the inhalation of small crystalline particles, as well as exposure to environmental contaminants such as arsenic, lead, and cyanide. 

The communities most impacted by sand and gravel mining are often the most marginalized in their local contexts. The article notes that the low-income and uneducated workforce is heavily dependent on aggregate extraction, and that these populations are particularly vulnerable to poor health outcomes such as lung cancer and silicosis. Artisanal and small-scale miners in LMICs, controlled by sand mafias, are often criminalized and subject to violence as well.

“[Miners] are not criminals. They are just trying to make a living,” Bendixen said. “Actually, sand and gravel mining can provide a relatively good income.”

Bendixen and co-authors explain that communities, especially in LMICs, need extractive industries to provide jobs and build infrastructure, which are key elements of the United Nations’ SDG. For instance, children from these families can afford to go to school, furthering SDG 4’s goal of quality education for all. For these reasons, Bendixen believes it is not productive to ban mining activities outright, but instead advocate for better solutions, including circular material usage—a concept supporting the necessity of reutilizing already-consumed resources. 

“We, in high-income countries, have the moral obligation to reuse the material we already have,” Bendixen said. “We should try and look for other alternatives.” 

This call to action begs the question: Do McGill’s buildings and roads use materials that are eco-friendly? Bendixen thinks not, although she says it is often hard to tell where building materials come from. 

“I would be surprised if the resources were sustainably sourced,” Bendixen said. “There are very few incentives to use recycled materials.”

Bendixen compared the situation to the looming threat of climate change, and believes that it is the responsibility of governments to implement solutions. 

“We need political leadership,” Bendixon said. “Just as we are committing to limiting global warming to 2°C, we must commit to the circular approach, to reusing materials.”

Off the Board, Opinion

‘Where We Were’: From reality to memory

by Xiaotian Wang on

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This summer, McGill’s Tuesday Night Cafe Theatre, a student-run, anglophone theatre company affiliated with McGill’s English department, screened the short film Where We Were. The film feels reminiscent of the COVID-19 outbreak as the story makes connections between how people process memories of large-scale catastrophes and our current reality. This film takes on special meaning during the pandemic, as it inspires the viewer to reflect on how to react and live following a world-altering event. 

While watching this film, memories flooded back to me of when I first heard about the COVID-19 outbreak in China. Although I was in Montreal, the shock and fear I felt for my friends and family remain deeply rooted in my memory. It began as a terrifying rumour spread on WeChat. Immersed in the joy of the Lunar New Year festivities, most people did not take the rumours seriously. But then, the government confirmed the “rumour.” Cities were placed under lock-down, shopping malls and small businesses closed, and my mom even lost her part-time job at the popcorn store. The parallels between the characters and the audience, such as their age and place in the world, immerse the audience in the narrative world of the film. 

The Lunar New Year should have been the most delightful and exciting time in China. But instead, the streets laid empty and quiet, deserted because everyone was isolated at home. However, I did not foresee how quickly things would get out of control and how differently people around the world would experience this pandemic. Although things are slowly getting better in many parts of the world, the shadow of COVID-19 still affects our lives in ways. The various racial, gender, and class backgrounds of Who We Were’s five characters impact the way they experience and remember the same event—also shaping how they react to and process it. The film then explores how reality transitions into collective memory, a phenomenon that we are all undergoing during the pandemic.

There is one character named Nikki that I particularly empathize with. Nikki is an immigrant who might never get the chance to see her father again due to the undisclosed event in the film. Similar to the real world, when COVID-19 became a global health crisis, travelling between countries became extremely difficult. Many friends of mine still cannot return to their homes in China because of limited flights and increased prices. Besides, different countries’ policies regarding travelling abroad change so fast that even if one can manage to come home, there is no guarantee that they will be able to return to Canada in time to continue their studies. This is also why I have chosen to stay in Canada since the beginning of the pandemic. I have had to sacrifice the chance to see my family in China to avoid the risk of not completing my degree on time. 

Due to the ongoing pandemic, all productions of the McGill Tuesday Night Cafe Theatre were adapted to virtual formats. Where We Were was an experimental pandemic film production, with intriguing production techniques that combine Zoom recordings and in-person shots. As we move into the post-pandemic world, restrictions will ease, and with this comes changes to how this time will be remembered. Knowing that we have gotten to a point where media and film reflect and represent our lives during the pandemic only strengthens the theme of the film, revealing the plurality of ways different situations can be experienced by different people.

McGill, News

Activities Night ‘after hours’ party marks return to in-person SSMU events

by Juliet Morrison on

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The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) held its first in-person event of the Fall term, “Activities Night ‘after hours,” on Sept. 14 at Muzique—a nightclub on St-Laurent Blvd near campus. “After hours,” promoted as a celebration for the return to student life on campus, was the second part of SSMU’s two-day Activities Night series. 

In keeping with Quebec’s COVID-19 regulations for bars and restaurants, protocols included mandatory mask-wearing when moving around the venue, enforcement of the Quebec vaccine passport, and fixed seating arrangements at pre-reserved tables. Plexiglass separated the individual booths and tables. Attendees were allowed to visit Muzique’s three rooms: The Main Room, the Hip-Hop room, and the Terrasse.

Although attendees were required to wear masks, many of the Muzique staff, including the bouncers and the DJ, were seen without masks. Nevertheless, many students, like Joey Hershkop, U1 Engineering, said the event’s vaccine policy eased his concerns. 

“I feel completely safe, considering the vaccine passport,” Hershkop said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “Having the peace of mind knowing that everybody here is vaccinated is crucial.” 

Abdel Madrid Rafai, U2 Engineering, agreed that the safety precautions at the event were sufficient. Madrid Rafai expressed his eagerness to participate in student life this year, after completing his first year at McGill entirely online.

“I really do not have many concerns,” Madrid Rafai said. “We did not have many cases [at] McGill these past few weeks and the regulations were followed [….] I am just excited to be with other students.” 

At around 10:45 p.m., Montreal Police (SPVM) inspected the venue to ensure that the venue was adequately enforcing COVID-19 safety regulations. The police found no violations, leaving Muzique after 10 minutes.

“I talked to the police,” Karla Heisele Cubilla, Activities Night organizer and SSMU vice-president student life said. “They told me that they received a phone call, saying that there was a party and [asking] if [the police] could go check that regulations were being followed [….] The police came in, they found nothing wrong.”

Heisele Cubilla said that while she primarily received enthusiastic responses from the McGill community after the event, she said she also received concerns from SSMU members about how the after party would adequately adhere toCOVID-19 protocols. 

“I brought it to [SSMU’s executive committee],” Heisele Cubilla explained. “The entire team approved this event. I explained […] all the regulations we are taking, and they said, ‘okay, this seems like it is per Quebec’s laws and regulations.’”

SSMU president Darshan Daryanani looked back on the event as a welcome return to student life at McGill. 

“From what I have heard, after more than 18 months of remote learning, students appreciated a venue where they can finally re-engage with each other and restore an experience that students have missed for so long,” Daryanani wrote in an email to the Tribune. “Some students are COVID-19 cautious and prefer online events, so in the near future, we will be planning for both.”

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