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Montreal, News

Jean-François Roberge bans gender-neutral pronouns in all official Quebec communications

by Amelia H. Clark on

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On Sept. 24, Quebec’s French Language Minister Jean-François Roberge introduced a bill banning the use of gender neutral pronouns such as ‘iel,’ ‘celleux,’ and ‘Mx.’ in all official communications from the Quebec government. Roberge plans on extending the bill to public education in the province, ranging from kindergarten to post-secondary institutions. It further applies to both patients and employees in the province’s healthcare system. 

Roberge states that the pronoun ban is necessary to protect the clarity of the French language. He claims neologisms, or newly coined words, such as ‘froeur’ cannot be conjugated properly due to the pre-existing language structure in French, causing confusion. The bill only applies to written documents, meaning a teacher can be referred to as ‘Mx.’ by students during class, but cannot be identified as such on the record. 

Although Roberge claims that the bill is not intended to alienate gender expansive communities who use the now-banned pronouns, some queer advocacy groups at McGill have expressed concerns that the ban will reduce 2SLGBTQIA+ access to government institutions and resources, while also harming the public perception of transgender and genderfluid individuals. 

The Trans Patient Union (TPU) at McGill wrote to The Tribune that this bill creates further blocks to accessing gender-affirming care in Quebec, and stated that many doctors continuously misgender patients, despite corrections from the patient or an ‘X’ marker written on their file. 

The TPU also wrote that the inclusion of neologisms in French would actually incentivize more people to communicate in the language, as gender expansive people would know that French recognizes their identity. 

“It is at times the case that bilingual nonbinary people will avoid speaking French specifically because of how challenging it can be to speak French while being correctly gendered,” the TPU wrote. “Changes which aim to make the language better include trans and nonbinary francophones can only help encourage its use.” 

A representative of The Union for Gender Empowerment (UGE) at McGill noted in an interview with The Tribune that Roberge’s decision to ban the use of gender-neutral pronouns in official communications was confusing, considering that there are no previous laws mandating the inclusion of these pronouns in government announcements. 

“The fact that this [bill] covers the government and municipalities kind of strikes me as banning a problem that doesn’t exist,” the UGE representative said. “When it comes to widening this legislation to other publicly-funded institutions, my first thought is that this undermines the autonomy of different publicly-funded institutions to decide how they want to structure and address some of their publications.”

The bill also mandates that official communications must be written in the masculine form, going against the government’s past inclusion of also the feminine form within brackets in government documentation. 

“The greatest effect of this decree will be to re-emphasize this type of convention as more expedient, and consistently remove the presence of women, which are, frankly, the majority of the population in Quebec, from references to the population as a whole, whether as workers, as citizens, or as patients,” the UGE representative said.

McGill’s Media Relations Office (MRO) stated in a written response to The Tribune that McGill plans on continuing to denounce the systematic use of the masculine pronoun, and continuing to avoid using gendered language in its announcements.

“You will see that our style guide already favours inclusivity in writing [and] that we don’t normally use the terminology targeted by the government,” the MRO wrote.

The UGE representative further questioned the purpose of the government language ban, noting that no empirical research was conducted prior to its proposal supporting its alleged benefits.

“When it comes to clarity in terms of graphic conventions, I would love to see data on the science of reading that tells me that using a parenthesis is clearer and easier to read for, say, people with dyslexia or learners of the French language,” the UGE representative said. “I don’t think it exists right now. This is merely a question of tradition, not clarity.” 

Science & Technology

Breast cancer clarified: Addressing medical advances and common misconceptions

by Sarah McDonald on

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Breast cancer is far more common than many people realize; in 2024, breast cancer accounted for 25 per cent of the new cancer cases in Canadian women. While breast cancer survival rates have improved drastically over time, researchers continue to study the disease to improve patient outcomes. 

One such researcher is Dr. Sarkis H. Meterissian, a McGill professor of surgery and oncology. As director of the Breast Centre at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), Meterissian’s research is centred on breast cancer management.

“We do a combination of clinical research, meaning looking at patient outcomes and trying to determine from our databases what the optimal [treatment] approach would be [….] We also do translational research […] and then finally, we have a lot of very interesting collaborations and projects with industry,” Meterissian explained in an interview with The Tribune.

These industry collaborations help pilot new and developing technologies in clinical settings—a crucial step in tailoring medical technology to patients’ needs. One partnership is with the Montreal company Noze which is working to develop an AI model that can ‘smell’ cancer and other diseases on exhaled breath. 

“[Noze] did a pilot study already, with us at the breast center, with over 140 patients, showing very promising data on sensitivity and specificity,” Meterissian said. “And now I’m leading a study which will hopefully start soon, and will include over 3000 patients.” 

Another collaboration with Polytechnique Montréal involves engineers developing a medical wand to detect cancer on the margins of surgical wounds. According to Meterissian, between 20 and 25 per cent of surgically-treated breast cancer patients have cancer recurrences and require a second operation. Should this project be successful, this technology could significantly reduce reoperation rates—a huge advance in breast cancer treatment.

As diagnostic and treatment technologies evolve, breast cancer treatment results and the overall patient experience are expected to improve.

However, despite doctors’ and researchers’ continued efforts to improve patient outcomes, there are still many misconceptions about breast cancer, which Meterissian hopes to address.

First, he wanted to clarify the most at-risk populations. He explained that while breast cancer is most common among older women, cancer cases are becoming more and more common in younger patients in general. He also emphasized that breast cancer is not influenced by genetics nearly as much as many people believe.

“Only in five to ten per cent of cases is [it] genetic, so you have the other 90 to 95 per cent that are sporadic,” Meterissian said. “In other words, a woman who has no family history can get breast cancer.”

He also described how lifestyle can influence breast cancer susceptibility. Most types of breast cancer are linked to hormone levels—the higher the levels of circulating hormones one has, the higher their risk of developing breast cancer.

“A woman who is of average weight has less circulating hormones than a woman who is 50 pounds overweight, because [the latter] will make hormones from the fat as well as from her ovaries,” Meterissian explained. 

Alcohol also has a definitive influence on breast cancer development.

“If you drink every weekend, every weekend your liver is taking a hit and your hormones are going up,” Meterissian said. “So the chances of you [getting] breast cancer will be higher if you are drinking on a regular basis than a woman who doesn’t drink.”

Another key misconception about breast cancer is that it is limited to one sex. While breast cancer is, expectedly, most common in women, it is important to remember that men can get breast cancer too—something that is forgotten all too often.

Ultimately, Meterissian shares that it comes down to noticing changes in your body. 

“The number one [piece of] advice I have for women is to be aware of their bodies,” Meterissian said. “We see so many times there’s a lump, there’s redness, and women haven’t noticed. So take the time to check.” 

Commentary, Opinion

McGill Global, Montreal forgotten

by Sophia Angela Zhang on

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On September 17, McGill President and Vice-Chancellor Deep Saini announced ‘McGill Global,’ a $185 million CAD plan to establish ‘satellite campuses’ abroad—branch campuses operated by McGill outside of Montreal. The announcement comes at a time of financial crisis at McGill, triggered by Quebec’s tuition hikes for out-of-province and international students. By investing in McGill Global in a time of financial insecurity, the university signals that it prioritizes global prestige over supporting its staff and students, the backbone of the Montreal campuses.

The Quebec provincial government, run by Premier François Legault, has recently doubled out-of-province tuition for English universities from approximately $9,000 CAD to $17,000 CAD in an attempt to protect the French language. Consequently, many prospective out-of-province students will likely be deterred from McGill, as the university’s tuition is no longer able to compete with that of other Canadian universities. For example, the tuition fee for the Faculty of Arts and Science for non-Ontario residents at the University of Toronto is $7,250 CAD, less than half of the current McGill equivalent. Enrollment of out-of-province and international students—whose minimum tuition is now set at $20,000 CAD—is expected to decrease dramatically as McGill becomes increasingly unaffordable. This will result in a net financial deficit for the university. McGill has announced its plan to cut $45 million from the 2025-2026 budget by laying off staff to reduce the workforce by 350-500 people, imposing a hiring freeze, and discontinuing student services, such as the Faculty of Medicine’s DEI office. 

In the midst of mass layoffs and termination of critical services for students studying at the Montreal campus, Saini maintains that satellite campuses will “expand opportunities for [McGill] students and faculty, grow [the] talent pool and amplify [McGill’s] impact.” By funding this project, the McGill brand can further its reputation and attract talent from regions where its outreach has previously been limited. However, this comes at the cost of essential services, resources, and jobs. While satellite campuses may add to a projected appearance of prestige, they inevitably neglect local McGillians, as their expensive tuition fees are used for McGill Global, a program that does not serve their needs. 

The tension between Saini’s push to broaden McGill’s international reach and the need to rebalance budgets following declines in international and out-of-province enrollment is a direct manifestation of a deeply entrenched conflict between the provincial government and anglophone universities: Language. McGill’s student body is exceptionally diverse, with approximately 25 per cent of incoming undergraduate students coming from other Canadian provinces and around 30 per cent coming from outside Canada. Still, students from Quebec consistently comprise 40-50 per cent of the annual incoming class, and about one in five McGill students have declared French to be their primary language. 

While policy solutions like tuition hikes for out-of-province students are a means through which to preserve Quebec’s French heritage, the provincial government’s hostility towards English speakers in Montreal reveals a cultural rigidity and a refusal to adapt. In pursuing the satellite campus project—likely in regions where French is not as culturally relevant—McGill is moving away from Quebec’s linguistic demands. Ironically, despite Legault’s insistence that he wants McGill to stay anchored in Quebec, the very policies meant to protect the French language may be driving McGill away from Quebec, rather than securing its future within it.


In trying to regain prestige and escape Quebec’s restrictive language laws through international expansion, McGill’s administration has prioritized its image over the well-being of students and staff. These price hikes burden students the most: On the one hand, tuition increases price out aspiring students, and on the other hand, university-sanctioned cuts to critical programs lead to a lower quality of education. If McGill is to be deserving of calling itself “a locally anchored, globally pre-eminent university,” it needs to uphold its responsibility to the students, staff, and city that built its reputation.

Science & Technology

When cells collide: Understanding the effects of red blood cell collisions

by Guillaume Delgado on

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The field of biomedical engineering is complex, to say the least. Out of all the sciences, it is one of the hardest to understand, as it centres around understanding and altering the millions of interactions occurring in our bodies everyday.

In a recent study published in Scientific Reports, McGill Alumni Hristo Valtchanov and his colleagues analyzed the intricacies of the human body, specifically blood flow, to determine if red blood cells (RBC) are negatively affected by intercellular collisions, where two or more cells come into direct contact with each other. Because of the density of our red blood cells and how small our blood vessels are in width, red blood cells frequently collide with each other when being pumped through our bodies.

Valtchanov believes that researchers have overlooked RBC collisions in the modeling of blood rheology—the science of blood flow—despite overall advances in said technology. 

“In the biosciences, model representation is extremely important,” Valtchanov said in an interview with The Tribune. “It’s also important to challenge the assumptions people have on said models.” 

He also argues that previous studies downplayed the importance of RBC collisions, suggesting they had a minimal impact on hemolysis—the destruction of RBCs. High levels of hemolysis is dangerous for the human body and can eventually lead to organ failure. 

“It’s actually quite difficult to incorporate the effect of intercellular collisions, but no one had actually tried to quantify the effect, so we did a study doing just that,” Valtchanov said. 

Thus, the researchers used viscoelastic simulations, measuring the RBC membranes’ responses to constant force or deformation to analyze how much strain intercellular collisions put on these membranes. They specifically analyzed this strain at different shear rates, which measure how fast layers of liquid move past one another.

“Basically, we made a simulation, and smashed the red blood cells together so that we could directly measure the effect of collisions on the strain experienced by the red blood cell membrane, and thus on hemolysis,” Valtchanov said. “We did this in simulation because the distribution of strain on the RBC membrane is exceedingly difficult to examine, particularly during a dynamic event like a collision.”

Their results showcased that overall, intercellular collision increased RBC membrane strain. In fact, they found that intercellular collisions were the main cause for membrane strain in RBC.

The importance of RBC collisions is made abundantly clear when considering what Valtchanov and colleagues had been examining beforehand. 

“We began this study while we were trying to develop constitutive models for hemolysis. We use hemolysis modeling to try to predict the amount of damage to red blood cells when a medical device is implanted into a patient,” Vatlchanov explained.

These findings could help create new and improved biomedical devices, such as blood pumps, that are less likely to cause hemolysis, which could save lives as a result. 

“A high degree of hemolysis is called ‘lethal hemolysis’ because it causes kidney failure and death. Lower doses have all sorts of other complications. It will slowly damage all of your other organs, and your kidneys will eventually give out.” Valtchanov said.

Ultimately, this study could help broaden current knowledge in modelling blood damage and creating biomedical devices.

 “As engineers, our main challenge is to predict things,” Valtchanov added. “If you can predict something, you can control it, and design solutions to stop it from happening.” 

Despite the progress that the researchers have made in this field, the work is far from over.

“The amount of knowledge you need to advance any science is a lot, to be frank,” Valtchanov said. “In general, there is so much work that needs to be done to improve our understanding of how the body works, to model the biomechanical processes that lead to diseases. The future of medicine is preventative, and harnesses data to take into account each individual person’s unique physiology.”

McGill, Montreal, News

Milton-Parc residents suffer from a lack of accessible healthcare

by Eren Atac on

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Milton-Parc, which contains residents ranging from McGill students to senior citizens, lacks a walk-in clinic, local community services centre (CLSC), or any other form of accessible healthcare, leading to it being dubbed a ‘medical desert.’ A recent report by La communauté Milton-Parc found that six out of ten residents of Milton-Parc who were surveyed lack a family doctor, and many are unaware of the alternate healthcare options available to them. 

Despite being in the heart of Montreal, Milton-Parc residents must travel farther to access healthcare than those living in surrounding areas. Most residents of the Plateau-Mont-Royal area, which contains Milton-Parc, have access to healthcare through service from the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud. Milton-Parc, however, falls under the CIUSSS du Centre-Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, which comprises a network of hospitals outside of their neighbourhood. 

In an interview with The Tribune, Milton Park Citizens’ Committee President and McGill course lecturer Garrfield Du Couturier-Nichol explained that the medical crisis in Milton-Parc began six years ago, when the neighbourhood’s local clinic closed in 2019.

“There used to be a CLSC clinic in the [Air Transat Tower],” Du Couturier-Nichol stated. “That closed down, and since then, there’s been a problem because Milton-Parc is part of the Jeanne-Mance Plateau-Mont-Royal area. So we’re basically split between two CIUSSS authorities. [….] It basically goes by your postal code. For a lot of people, especially seniors, that’s very confusing.” 

The bureaucratic division of the Centre-Sud and Centre-Ouest authorities, coupled with the sheer distance from the nearest clinic, leaves elderly, often technology-illiterate residents unsure of where to go for medical attention, Du Couturier-Nichol told The Tribune.

“I’m almost 83, and I have a bit of a mobility problem, but I’m still able to get around. So I can use public transport when it’s working to get to the CLSC,” he said. “But a lot of seniors in my age group have problems with mobility, so it’s difficult for them. They don’t know whether they belong in CIUSSS Centre-Sud, or CIUSSS Centre-Ouest, because it’s a very confusing thing for a lot of people. A lot of people are not computer-literate. And most of this [navigation] is done online, so it creates a problem. Since 2019 when [the local CLSC clinic] closed, a lot of seniors have basically just given up.”

While the lack of accessible healthcare falls hardest on seniors, many McGill students living in Milton-Parc also feel the strain when they need medical care. One resident, Annika Arya, U1 Arts, spoke in an interview with The Tribune about her experience accessing healthcare. When she fell ill this month, the lack of clinics in Milton-Parc forced her to either use Uber or walk 30 minutes to the nearest emergency room. 

Arya also discussed her experiences attempting to seek services at McGill’s Student Wellness Hub. She called for more accessible healthcare options throughout McGill’s campus and residential areas.

“I [have gotten] two appointments out of maybe the 10 times that I’ve called [the Wellness Hub],” Arya reported. “I think that McGill needs to make it a priority to implement more health clinic facilities throughout campus, including [in] Milton-Parc and the residence areas.”

The McGill Media Relations Office (MRO) stated in a written response to The Tribune that they are taking steps to address the wider issue of healthcare accessibility, and ensure McGill students can find the support they need.

“We are […] actively working to mitigate the impact of broader systemic challenges in the provincial healthcare system—such as limited access to primary care and mental health services—by expanding our interdisciplinary care model, improving pathways and increasing our capacity to timely appointments, and strengthening partnerships with local organizations,” the MRO wrote.

Du Couturier-Nichol suggested the establishment of a mobile clinic would be a positive step to remedying Milton-Parc’s medical challenges, before introducing a more permanent solution.

“The first step would be to have at least a mobile clinic once or twice a week in the Milton-Parc area to start looking at the problem and understanding the number of seniors who may have medication or health-related problems or need social work. And then progress from there,” he stated. “Look for a location that’s fairly central in Milton-Parc to establish a permanent clinic.”

Rugby, Sports

Youth give rugby a “try” through Redbirds Rugby-CRARR partnership for community safety

by Mairin Burke on

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On Oct. 4, approximately 50 youth from the Greater Montreal Area ran sprints, played touch rugby, and learned the fundamentals of the sport, coached by varsity athletes from McGill’s Redbirds Rugby Team, on Forbes Field. The training event was the second half of an initiative led by Montreal’s Center for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR) this year—the first, a press conference and information session on Sept. 4—as part of their Rugby for Community Safety initiative, in partnership with the Redbirds and the Jamaica Association of Montreal.

The Rugby for Community Safety series is a part of CRARR’s broader Together Against Violence project, which uses sport to unite and empower youth from diverse areas of Montreal to engage with their communities, meet potential mentors, and build skills that act as emotional outlets to help mitigate violence. CRARR commenced the project in 2023 with support from the City of Montreal and other major sponsors such as the Société de transport de Montréal, running a range of sports-focused events such as basketball skill sessions. 

In an interview with The Tribune, CRARR Project Coordinator Nicole Machlout affirmed that the ongoing collaboration between the Center and the Redbirds represents much more than the sport itself. 

“We [aim] to bring together people from marginalized communities, kids who normally don’t have as many opportunities to learn about new sports, with the goal of hopefully getting them off of the streets, or to [safely and productively] prevent them from being involved in crime,” she explained.

Machlout dove further into how sports sessions like those in the Rugby for Community Safety series have lasting impact.

“We want to inspire kids that are at risk. Specifically with sport, the goal is to teach discipline for them to have a sense of growth,” she said. “It’s a great way to kind of instill self care, because they’re doing something that makes them feel good […] and also [is] extremely healthy. [….] If [youth are] able to have access to the sport [and thus] able to meet mentors, […] that will also build a network and create connection. So if they want to pursue this on, let’s say, a varsity level, […] it’s giving them access to that.”

Starting at 9:45 a.m, the youth in attendance—aged 12 to 20—began by listening to presentations on the connection between sports and youth violence prevention, and were introduced to the CRARR affiliates and Redbirds Rugby players running the session. After participants practiced the fundamentals and played in a round-robin tournament, the event concluded around 1:00 p.m. Participants were then offered refreshments, and invited to attend the ensuing Martlets Rugby game—the final match of the regular season—at Percival Molson Stadium. The Martlets ultimately came back from a 21-point deficit to beat the Bishop’s University Gaiters 38-35.   

The Rugby for Community Safety session foregrounded interactive and hands-on learning about the sport, with the Redbirds demonstrating fundamental rugby skills such as catching, kicking, passing, and tackling. The Redbirds also prioritized camaraderie, promoting a lighthearted, supportive environment that made trying something new as approachable as possible for attendees.

In an interview with The Tribune, scrum-half, club president of McGill Rugby, and third-year Engineering student Ashton Wright expressed how giving back to the Montreal community simultaneously gives back to the Redbirds varsity program.

“We really are growing our presence within the community and growing the effect that we can have, the positive impact we can have,” Wright said. “This collaboration [is] hopefully going to be revisited in the future. It’s definitely something we enjoy doing, getting the boys out and spreading the game of rugby.”

First-year Arts student and second row Redbird Nikolas Begic echoed Wright’s sentiments in an interview with The Tribune.

“I think it’s really important that, as a school, as a team, we give back to the community and come out here,” Begic said. “I love spreading the game, a game that builds teamwork and community. [….] [I] really feel privileged to be in the position I am [to] teach.”

Sports Staff Writer Zain Ahmed is a member of the Redbirds Rugby team and was a lead organizer of this event. He was not involved in the publication of this story.

Art, Arts & Entertainment, Fashion

The ‘Africa Fashion’ exhibit stitches together stories of agency and innovation

by Nell Pollak on

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The Africa Fashion exhibition at the McCord Stewart Museum tells a story that spans six decades, 20 countries, and boundless artistry. On display from Sept. 25 to Feb. 1, 2026, the show marks the only Canadian stop on an international tour organized by London’s Victoria and Albert Museum. It presents 100 garments and accessories, as well as textiles, photographs, and videos from 45 designers that foreground individual perspectives on the vitality of African fashion. Rather than attempting to showcase every textile tradition across the continent, Africa Fashion spotlights selected designers whose work captures the eclectic nature of the continent’s fashion as a self-defining art form.

At its core, the exhibition explores the concept of agency—the ability of African designers and wearers to define themselves in their own terms. The narrative begins in 1960, when 17 African nations gained independence, turning fashion into a language of liberation. It became a strategic political act as nations asserted their cultural identities, using art as a powerful force of post-colonial self-expression and global innovation.

This generation of pioneers bridged tradition and modernity with ingenuity. Nigerian designer Shade Thomas-Fahm revolutionized everyday wear for the modern woman by opening Maison Shade in 1960, the year of Nigeria’s independence. She added zippers to traditionally wrapped ìró skirts and created pre-tied gèlè headwraps that allowed busy, cosmopolitan women to embrace Nigerian fabrics without sacrificing convenience. Malian designer Chris Seydou reimagined traditional textiles through a contemporary lens, while Ghanaian artist Kofi Ansah combined indigo-dyed Adire cloth with Japanese denim jacquard fabric. Their work embodied how fashion became a tool for decolonizing minds—expressing freedom through reimagined tradition. 

Authentic representation and celebration of African beauty is woven into every element of Africa Fashion, embodied even by the mannequins themselves. Rejecting the Eurocentric figures that dominate the fashion industry, the Victoria and Albert Museum collaborated with South Sudanese model Adhel Bol to create mannequins that emulated the beauty of African models, spanning four different skin tones and three hairstyles, including Irun Didi braids and Bantu knots. The result is an exhibition where the presentation method serves as an extension of the curatorial narrative, centring African beauty and the visual culture of its fashion creatives.

The Politics and Poetics of Cloth section examines how textiles themselves became strategic political declarations during independence movements. Indigenous clothes that had been devalued under colonialism were reclaimed as symbols of pride and resistance. The exhibition features commemorative cloth made in the early 1990s celebrating Nelson Mandela’s release from prison, traditional kente fabric from Ghana, Nigerian àdìrẹ, and Malian bògòlanfini—pieces that gesture toward the continent’s thousands of textile techniques and traditions.

The contemporary section of the exhibition demonstrates how today’s generation of designers continue to push boundaries while honouring heritage. South African designer Thebe Magugu’s Alchemy collection, created in collaboration with traditional healer Noentla Khumalo, centres on African spirituality and ancestral relationships. Kenyan brand IAMISIGO, founded by Bubu Ogisi, references ancient West African masquerade costumes and performance art traditions. Rwandan fashion house Moshions reimagines traditional Rwandan forms and cultural motifs into contemporary pieces that reference ceremonial attire historically worn by royalty. Djiboutian costume designer and photographer Gouled Ahmed creates self portraits that combine textured garments with contemporary materials to represent multifaceted identities. Nigerian company DAKALA CLOTH by NKWO explores ways of using waste denim to create new textiles while preserving traditional craft skills, exemplifying how innovation can honour ancestral techniques.

Africa Fashion ultimately demonstrates that fashion is never just about clothing; it is storytelling, cultural preservation, and resistance encoded in fabric and form. What visitors witness is not the emergence of African fashion onto the global stage, but rather a long-overdue reframing of who gets to tell these stories. As the exhibition affirms, African designers have been charting their own course for decades: Revolutionizing adornment into an assertion of identity, a reclamation of heritage, and an uncompromising vision of the future.

Montreal, News

Quebec halts free COVID-19 vaccine program for most residents

by Basil Atari on

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Quebec’s health ministry has announced that starting this fall, coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines will no longer be universally free to the public. Instead, free vaccines will only be available to residents who are 65 and older, those who are immunocompromised or have chronic illnesses, residents of long-term care or private seniors’ homes, health care workers, adults in remote regions, and pregnant individuals. Those who do not qualify for a free vaccine will have to pay between $150 CAD and $180 CAD at a pharmacy in order to receive a COVID-19 shot.

McGill’s Media Relations Office (MRO) clarified that McGill’s Student Wellness Hub does not provide COVID-19 vaccines—free or paid—to students, in a written statement to The Tribune.

“While the Hub does not administer COVID-19 vaccines to the general student population, we recommend accessing vaccines through local pharmacies or public/private health clinics,” the MRO wrote. “Supporting students in staying up to date with their vaccinations and helping them navigate off-campus resources is a key part of the Hub healthcare professionals’ mandate.”

The SSMU Studentcare health insurance plan generally does not cover unprescribed COVID-19 vaccines, as these costs are not considered an eligible expense by provider Desjardins Insurance. However, Studentcare emphasized that this may not always be the case in a written statement to The Tribune. 

“If the vaccine is prescribed by a physician and dispensed by a pharmacist, students may submit the claim to Desjardins Insurance for review, subject to standard plan limitations,” a Member Services Agent with Studentcare wrote.

In an interview with The Tribune, Dr. Anne Gatignol, a virology and molecular biology professor in McGill’s Department of Medicine, described the current risks and realities of COVID-19 on the university’s campus.

“By now, most adults have had COVID, and we have reached some kind of collective immunity,” Gatignol stated. “[Vaccines are] important for elderly or immunocompromised persons, people with chronic diseases, [and] health care workers. [….] For all others, the risk is much lower. [….] The Quebec health authorities have probably evaluated the costs [and] benefits in their decision. Nevertheless, I encourage those who want and can afford it to get the vaccine. They will protect themselves and will contribute to protecting others.”

Kasidy Xu, a final-year Nursing student at McGill, provided similar advice to Dr. Gatignol’s to university students concerned about COVID-19 vaccination in an interview with The Tribune. 

“For the most part, [as] university students […] are mostly young in age, […] [they] are not as [susceptible to COVID-19] as older adults or immunocompromised people,” Xu explained. “They were [more at] risk [in] the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic [due to] the close proximity they were [in] with [other] students [and] people. [However], it is important for everyone [to] get the COVID vaccine if they can, [as] the COVID strains are changing so much [that] even if you get [immunised] now, the strains will change within a year and you will need to receive a new vaccination in order to be protected.”

Quebec’s new policy to pull back universal access to free COVID-19 vaccines follows a decision Alberta Health Services made in June 2025 to start charging Albertans who are not elderly, immunocompromised, or health care workers for COVID-19 shots. Alberta’s provincial government cited the high costs and vaccine waste keeping COVID-19 shots free incurred, after the federal Public Health Agency of Canada transferred responsibility for procuring the vaccines to provincial health bodies in January 2025. Quebec made their decision along similar lines of reasoning, citing cost efficiency after Quebec’s immunisation committee, the Institut national de santé publique du Québec, recommended prioritising vaccination for people aged 75 and older.

COVID-19 and flu vaccines can be booked together through Quebec’s online health booking platform, Clic Santé, or by calling 1-877-644-4545. Coronavirus vaccines will remain available in Quebec at pharmacies, local community services centres, and through other healthcare providers.

Commentary, Opinion

Canadian gun advocates make a fair point—and it doesn’t matter

by Joshua Karmiol on

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Earlier this month, demonstrators gathered on the lawn of the Myles F. Burke Police Headquarters in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, to protest the federal government’s new gun buyback program. 250 strong and adorned in an assortment of flannel, sunglasses, and baseball caps, the rally-goers held bold text protest signs with references to the Bible and “wasted tax dollars.” Guest speakers, including local Conservative MPs, bemoaned government overreach and encroachment on “good gun-abiding people.” And they made a fair point.

If one considers the merits of the Government of Canada’s gun buyback, broad design flaws quickly become apparent, namely its cost and failure to target illegal firearm owners, the main perpetrators of gun violence in Canada. Although it is easy to criticize the ill-targeted excesses of Liberal gun policy, backlash from gun-owning communities and Conservative politicians ultimately fails to address the merits of the gun buyback program itself in the context of the country’s relatively low rates of gun ownership. 

In May 2020, weeks after a mass shooting in Nova Scotia that killed 22 people, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a ban on over 1,500 models of ‘assault-style’ fire-arms, and instated a transition period during which the government would undertake a national gun-buyback program and shield owners of prohibited firearms from criminal liability. 

Most available statistics indicate that gun crimes in Canada primarily occur through black market weapons smuggled into the country from the United States. No clear correlation between legal gun purchases and crime has been established; in fact, firearms licence-holders have a 10 per cent lower murder rate compared to the Canadian average. Even the Nova Scotia mass shooter who prompted the gun ban used smuggled American guns. 

The program’s compensation of gun owners alone will cost an estimated total of $756 million CAD, leaving some critics to wonder if those funds could be allocated towards something more useful. Others claim the specific gun models listed within the ban itself are somewhat arbitrary, with similar guns to those banned still available for purchase.

Essentially, the government is targeting law-abiding Canadians who purchased their weapons legally at great expense to the Canadian tax payer, for virtually zero benefit. 

Any Conservative politician worth their salt will bang their chest in solidarity with gun-owners. It is easy to see why. Reckless spending in order to create a pointless bureaucracy designed to oppress individual rights, plagued by administrative incompetence and arbitrary decision making? It’s practically a slam-dunk. The Liberal gun buyback regime is, as much as it may hurt for some to admit, stupid.

But who cares? If one told the average Canadian that the federal government was spending a miniscule fraction of our federal budget to remove about 100,000 ‘assault-style’ weapons from the hands of the public, would they be upset? The vast majority of Canadians—92.9 per cent—do not possess firearms, and the cultural inertia that underpins firearm rights in the US does not exist here. On the contrary, most Canadians, while they may not grasp the minutia of the issue, support increased firearm restrictions. 

Self-defense law in Canada does not allow for the use of firearms in the protection of one’s property, rendering guns almost exclusively used for target-shooting and hunting. In other words, gun ownership in Canada is just another equipment-centric outdoor hobby, like kayaking or dirt-biking. What is the difference between guns and hypothetical onerous over-regulation of, say, jet-skis? If certain models of jet-skis suddenly faced sweeping government bans—with proportionate compensation for jet-ski owners, mind you, would anybody shed a tear? The major difference being, of course, that jet-skis cannot be used to conduct a mass shooting. 

Gun advocates have a point in criticizing this specific program, but this argument is senseless in the context of Canada’s political and cultural understanding of gun ownership. There was no counterprotest to the gathering outside the police station in Cape Breton. Besides gun-owners and those that stood to gain politically from their outrage, nobody showed up. I’m not even sure if the police looked out the window.

All Things Academic, Student Life

Don’t squirm, it’s time for midterms

by Rachel Blackstone on

More in All Things Academic:

With reading week behind us, preparing for midterms is almost as unappealing as completing them. For some, building healthy and fruitful study habits feels like an impossible feat. If you’ve been spending more time researching optimal study tips than reviewing your actual class content, fret no longer. The Tribune has composed a midterm survival guide.

Ditch the library and try a cafe

Montreal is home to a fantastic cafe culture; use your mountain of deadlines as an excuse to try out some of Montreal’s vibrant options. Bring a fellow struggling classmate, treat yourself to a delicious drink, and savour the last whispers of terrace season as you study. If you are avoiding libraries, but still craving a close to campus late-night study session, check out the Second Cup on St. Laurent. Located at the intersection of rue St. Laurent and avenue du Parc, Second Cup is open until 10:00 p.m. on weekdays, and 12:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. 

Trying new places, bringing friends, and exploring Montreal are all benefits to cafe studying, which make midterm-cramming less isolating and repetitive.

If a library is what you prefer…

If the ensured silence, outlets, and privacy of a library are the features that facilitate your productivity, broaden your horizons away from the packed Schulich and McLennan by exploring the many other beautiful libraries McGill and Montreal have to offer.  

Located only three metro stops from the McGill station, the National Archives of Montreal is open to the public from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Its beautiful interior with warm lighting, high ceilings, and intricate architecture makes it a must-try for study sessions.

Even closer is Concordia University’s Webster Library, a mere fifteen minute walk from Roddick Gates. This library is open to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week, only requiring a Concordia student ID between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.. It is a great option for students looking to escape campus for a few hours while remaining in a student environment.

If you prefer to squeeze library-time in between classes, stay on campus and check out the Nahum Gelber Law Library, Birks Reading Room, the Islamic Studies Library, or the Marvin Duchow Music Library. These are excellent choices if you seem to know one too many familiar faces at Schulich or McLennan, or simply can’t find a seat during peak midterm season.

Remember, revising is not an all or nothing game

Don’t let perfection become the enemy. Be kind to yourself if you don’t achieve everything you want to, and take mindful breaks instead of doomscrolling. It can be easy to call 15 minutes of Instagram Reels your study break, but try to use those 15 minutes to go for a walk outside instead. Get your blood pumping, ingest some fresh air, and fully disengage from your work so you can start again feeling refreshed.

Set yourself up for success

A full course load is overwhelming, and it can be tempting to sit down and attempt to conquer everything at once. Although stress can be a strong motivator, it can also generate unproductive, scattered studying. Instead, make a study plan in advance, setting smaller goals for each day. Creating a weekly plan with each day’s tasks outlined allows you to get everything done in small digestible doses, while avoiding a stress-induced rut of procrastination.

Taking good care of your mental and physical health during midterms is incredibly important. Before any to-do list or cafe adventure can happen, you must fuel your body with real food, lots of water, and quality sleep. These pillars should be the backbone of every study session. As appealing as coffee, energy drinks, and vending machine snacks are, let them be treats—not foundations—of long study sessions.

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