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News, SSMU

Students challenge SSMU Board of Directors’ authority to add GA quorum Referendum

by Domenic Casciato on

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On Nov. 6, Meara Kirwin, U2 Arts, and Gregoire Beaune, U3 Arts, filed a petition with the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Judicial Board (J-Board) against the Board of Directors’ (BoD) decision to add a question to the Fall 2017 Referendum. The question asks whether students would like to raise the quorum of General Assemblies (GA) to 350 students. The petition states that the question did not undergo the processes required in order to be added to Referendum by SSMU’s Internal Regulations of Elections and Referenda and by its Constitution. The Referendum polling period runs from Nov. 8 until Nov. 10 at 5 p.m..

Referendum questions are added through either a motion passed at a GA, a motion by SSMU Legislative Council, or through the submission of a petition with at least 100 student signatures to the SSMU Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) at least 14 days prior to the Referendum period. A petition to raise the quorum of GAs with 468 student signatures was created by Engineering Senator Tre Mansdoerfer and former Engineering senator Alexander Dow, both U3 Engineering. However, it was not submitted to the CEO before the Oct. 25 deadline for Referendum questions. A motion to raise GA quorum was not presented during the Fall 2017 GA on Oct. 23 or at a Council meeting this semester.

A statement released by the petitioners explained that raising the quorum would make GAs obsolete.

“The constitutional amendment put to referendum […] would have a significant effect on the General Assembly’s ability to consistently meet quorum and conduct business,” the petitioners wrote. “Instead, because proper procedure and deadlines were not followed, most students have been left unaware that this question is coming to referendum in the first place.”

In an unprecedented move, the BoD added the Referendum question through its own motion, the Motion to Bring General Assembly SSMU Constitutional Changes to Referendum, which was passed at the BoD’s Oct. 29 meeting. At the board’s Nov. 5 meeting, SSMU President Muna Tojiboeva explained why the BoD chose this course of action.

“We consulted legal just to see what our obligations were as a corporation under the [Companies Act] in Québec law, and what they said is [that] our [Internal Regulations] are not necessarily representative of what our real legal obligations are,” Tojiboeva said. “In reality, under article 91 of the [Companies Act], it’s only the Board that can approve questions that would go to change the constitution. It’s only the Board and the members that can make a new mandate or put a question to a vote for the membership.”

As a company registered in the province of Québec, SSMU is regulated by the Québec Companies Act, which takes precedence over the SSMU Constitution and Internal Regulations. Article 91 of the Québec Companies Act says that the directors of a company may repeal and make amendments to the by-laws of a company as long as those changes are confirmed at a general meeting of the members called for that express purpose.

“Basically, what our legal counsel said is that [Referendum questions] cannot come unilaterally from the membership as it was done before,” Tojiboeva said.

In an email to The McGill Tribune, Kirwin, one of the petitioners, explained what led her to challenge the BoD’s decision to add the Referendum question.

“We are concerned about the power currently held by the Board of Directors—an unelected body whose power has been increased through constitutional amendments in the past few years,” Kirwin wrote. “This referendum question was brought by the BoD unconstitutionally, and as SSMU members, we must insist that constitutional modes of decision-making are upheld, and that power is not taken from the General Assembly and consolidated at the top of the ladder.”

 
News, PGSS

Secretary-General Profiles and Endorsement

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The McGill Tribune endorses Maria Tippler for PGSS Secretary-General. Tippler expresses an inclusive and forward-thinking vision for her role and the executive as a whole. Her team spirit will bode well when working with fellow executives on important initiatives such as mental health support. 

Tippler has extensive experience that makes her well-equipped for this position. She has served as the PGSS Student Support Commissioner since June, where she has shown her devout commitment to the wellbeing and mental health of all members of the society. Moreover, Tippler demonstrates clear, functional leadership skills that will serve her well as Secretary-General. She possesses a strong knowledge of the institution and the people currently in it, and is well prepared to take on a larger role within the PGSS. This previous experience is particularly vital to her picking up the position halfway through the Fall semester. 

Maria’s goals are ambitious but realistic, and demonstrate a strong understanding of the timeline for change within her position. She has a clear plan for improving student access to mental health resources; in particular, she hopes to reach out to off-campus students through the program EmpowerMe, which is a platform for students to access mental health support online. She is an approachable leader who evidently cares for PGSS members, and will make a positive impact on both her constituents and other executives.

Arts & Entertainment, Film and TV

Feminism, lesbianism, artistry, and activism

by Kevin Vogel on

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The film lesbian ARTivism: current realities is a frank documentary that showcases the experiences of a variety of lesbian artists from around the world. On Oct. 24, at Maison de la culture du Plateau Mont-Royal, the film premiered to an audience including director kimura byol-nathalie lemoine, producer Johanne Coulombe, and many of the artists who appeared in the film.

In the summer of 2016, the University of Ottawa hosted a conference bringing together lesbian artists from a range of professions, age groups, and nationalities. The symposium specifically focused lectures and seminars on the role of lesbian “artivists”—activists who use various art forms as their medium to advocate for change—within the contexts of globalization and intersectionality.

The documentary touched on themes ranging from questions of self-representation and archiving, to the nature of art as a means to advocate for lesbian issues. In each section, snippets from some of the conference’s speakers are shown in a talking-head style. Coulombe, one of the head organizers of the conference and a producer of ARTivism, decided to record the event and tasked kimura-lemoine with editing the compiled footage.            

Coulombe pursued the project as a means to bring visibility to gay artists.  

“We [lesbian activists] work hard but are not seen or heard,” ze said.

ARTivism was made to get a message out. Through an artistic lens, Coulombe and kimura-lemoine tell viewers a story of lesbian empowerment and self determination.

Despite its empowering message, ARTivism falls prey to the faults of many other independent movies lacking in big studio budgets. Transitions are repeatedly cut-and-dry, and the film lacks a unifying narrative from start to finish. This speaks to a broader lack of funding that queer and activist filmmakers face. After seeing it in its entirety, one can appreciate the documentary for its content and overarching message about the diversity within lesbian movements, regardless of its cut-and-dry format.

ARTivism sheds light on the opinions of a diverse cast of lesbian activists and the work that they do. From a young woman describing her queer experiences integrated with her Indigenous identity, to the older symposium participants detailing their time coming out in the 1960’s and 70’s, kimura-lemoine does an excellent job compiling the wide array of topics into accessible, bite-sized formats. Zer organization of the documentary proves how individuals formulate incredibly different views about what it means to be a lesbian and what they should do in terms of activism.

“For me, my part [in making this film], was to [make sure that] everyone, every age, would be represented across all types of disciplines,” said kimura-lemoine.

ARTivism serves as an overview of this wider population. kimura-lemoine and Coulombe’s work is as a rousing addition to the greater narrative of marginalized peoples around the world.

McGill, News

I Choose Montreal aims to tap foreign talent in tech sector

by Sydney King on

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I Choose Montreal (ICM), a campaign created through partnership between the Quebec government, employers, and universities, aims to encourage international students to continue living in the city after graduation by easing the process of finding permanent work in Montreal. At McGill, the project works with the International Student Service and Career Planning Service to promote its newsletter and off-campus events, and to collaborate plans for on-campus activities about networking, internships, and other career opportunities.

Director Mathieu Lefort spearheaded ICM as a three-year program within the Montreal International (MI) non-profit organization, which is supported by the Canadian, Quebec, and Montreal governments as well as private funders. MI’s primary goal is to attract foreign wealth to the city. ICM functions under this mandate by growing the international workforce—particularly in burgeoning tech sectors—and in so doing, promote the international culture of Montreal and grow its economy. During his time in the economic development department of MI, Lefort contributed to a study about the importance of attracting and retaining international students.

According to Lefort, finding jobs and dealing with immigration are the two biggest challenges for students who settle in Montreal post-graduation. He hopes that connecting students with both will alleviate stress and increase retention rates.

ICM works to connect students with prospective employers. The organization visited McGill’s downtown campus 10 times since October 2016, and Lefort reports that their activities have filled classrooms with interested students. Director of Career Planning Service (CaPS) Darlene Hnatchuk works in conjunction with ICM.

“We want our students to benefit from as many networking opportunities as possible,” Hnatchuk said. “As a hub for career education, we have a role in bringing collaborations to life to support our students’ career and professional development. [ICM’s] programming complements what is offered at McGill.”

In 2015, almost 3,000 international post-secondary students were awarded Quebec Selection Certificates, allowing them to work in the province after completing their studies. This number increased in 2016, but Lefort envisions more growth in 2017.

“There is room for improvement [in post-graduation retention rates],” Lefort said. “We want to build on the momentum of the past year.”

ICM also partners with the provincial government to provide accurate, valuable information about the immigration process. Among other measures, ICM holds regular information sessions with the Quebec government to walk foreign students through the system.

Despite the obvious roadblocks to settling here, Montreal’s culture and prospering high-tech sectors can be extremely attractive for soon-to-be graduates. McGill computer science graduate student Sanjay Thakur is certain he will settle in the city after he completes his degree this year. He plans to work in artificial intelligence, an area that both the Canadian government and tech industry hope to expand in Montreal. Besides the promise of a fulfilling career, Thakur also enjoys Montreal for its community, culture, and environment.

“[Montreal] is affordable, public transport is so nice, people are amazing, there are so many parks […] the list goes on and on,” Thakur said. “I have nothing to hide when it comes to my love for this place.”

However, other international students have had issues with the climate and distance.

“The winters are too cold and too long, and even though the beautiful summer makes up for it, I do not want to live in a city where I know I will be too cold five months of the year,” Marine de Lamarzelle, U3 Arts, said. “Plus, I feel very close to my family and I do not like the idea of living far away from them.”

ICM has met with over 3,600 students in the past year and plans to continue on their trajectory for the remaining two years of the project. Additionally, given their success so far and the large foreign student presence in the city, Montreal International and the Quebec government may extend the I Choose Montreal program at the end of the three-year mandate.


A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Montreal International is managed by the Quebec government and that I Choose Montreal (ICM) holds information sessions with both the Quebec and Montreal governments. In fact, Montreal International is supported by the Canadian, Quebec, and Montreal governments as well as private funders and ICM only holds information sessions with the Quebec government. The Tribune regrets these errors.

Science & Technology

A difficult transition into the adult care of chronic conditions

by Kate Lord on

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Anyone who has ever been a first year in university can remember how overwhelming it can be at times: Navigating campus, taking on large course loads, making new friends, and perhaps even living away from home.

Eighteen-year-old freshmen who live with a chronic illness, like type 1 diabetes, face the struggles that come with taking on the full weight of illness management on top of these adult responsibilities—as the Quebec health system pushes them out of pediatric care into adult care.   

“What ends up happening is that during this transition period, [patients] have all these other competing interests where type 1 diabetes may not be as much of a priority,” Meranda Nakhla, a pediatric endocrinologist at the McGill University Health Clinic (MUHC) and an assistant professor in McGill’s Pediatrics Department, said. “As a result, we know that attention to self-management, which is really critical for type 1 diabetes, tends to deteriorate during this time.”  

Type 1 diabetes is a disease in which the beta cells of the pancreas are attacked by the immune system, resulting in little or no insulin being produced.  Insulin is the hormone necessary for converting the glucose—or sugar—you eat into energy your body requires for survival, and the lack thereof poses serious health problems. Since the disease typically begins in children and young adults and has no known cure, many patients will face a lifetime of daily insulin injections and careful diet management to stay healthy.

On top of the demanding lifestyle of a typical university student, students living with a chronic condition must constantly manage and monitor their health.  

The competing priorities of a growing adolescent with type 1 diabetes are important to consider when developing a system of care for these patients. However, a recent study conducted by the MUHC sheds light on the gaps in transitional care between pediatric and adult health services in Quebec. The research found that health care providers lacked understanding of this vulnerable period. Additionally, the substantial differences in the type of care received by pediatric patients compared to adult patients only compounds these stresses.

“Stereotypically, in pediatric care, we do a lot of handholding, walking [the patient] through the steps and don’t prepare them well enough for adult care,”  Nakhla said. “As they enter into adult care when they turn 18, […] there’s an expectation that they’re fully autonomous and should be able to take care of all aspects of their life [….] So if you don’t show up to your appointments, then you don’t show up and no one will chase you, like we do in pediatric care. Nobody’s going to make sure that you’re getting your prescriptions.”

Of course, not only type 1 diabetics face such challenges.

“It’s an important issue for anyone [with a] childhood onset chronic disease where there needs to be some sort of transition care provided in pediatric care,” Nekhla said.

While research thus far has focused on highlighting this policy issue, attention is now targeting specific measures which could improve the experiences of patients under standardized transitional care policies in Quebec.

“Actual interventions, whether you’re doing [an] adult clinic [or] peer support group, […] need to go through more of a rigorous evaluation to see how that can affect outcomes when emerging adults get transferred to adult care,” Nekhla said. “That’s the next step in what we can do to improve the process.”

Out on the Town, Student Life

Montreal ranked ‘best beer city’ in Canada: The Tribune takes on the top three bars

by Audrey Carleton, Marie Labrosse, Emma Carr on

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If there’s one thing Montreal is known for, it’s the town's bustling party scene. So when travel agency Expedia recently rated cities across Canada for their local beer, it came as no surprise that Montreal topped the list. The McGill Tribune took a look into this rating by exploring three of the best local breweries—two recommended from Expedia’s list—outside of the McGill bubble.

Brasserie Harricana

This quaint Jean-Talon spot exudes sophistication. With millennial-pink tiling, gold-handled taps, and brown and white accents throughout the space, Harricana’s defining trait is its aesthetic. As large front windows welcome rays of light onto short round tables, Harricana feels more like a tea room in Cuba than a Little Italy brewery. Its selection of beers—showcased in large metal cylinders through clear glass windows behind the bar—is extensive, and can be ordered in three glass sizes. For those interested in tasting a wide selection of their brews, made on location, we recommend purchasing multiple 5 oz. drinks. The four of us tasted a succession of beers varying in strength and colour. The Blonde Funky, a derivative of a typical blonde beer, satisfies with sour corners and wild hues. Le Rosé Cidre proved to be another strong choice. An amalgamation of wine and beer’s best traits, it’s both tart and foamy, with the distinct sweetness of any rosé. But be warned: The size of these drinks makes them easy to knock back in a few gulps if you’re not careful.

 

 

Nous sommes ouverts! Venez prendre un break de déménagement le temps de manger un petit brunch! #brunchdudéménagement

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Vices & Versa

A self-described “friendly bistro” nestled in the heart of Little Italy, Vices & Versa is a welcoming shelter from biting autumnal winds. This brewpub prides itself on its selection of 35 tap beers made in microbreweries across Quebec, which patrons can enjoy in both a 5 oz. tasting format as well as in traditional pint and pitcher sizes. Vices & Versa also serves other alcoholic beverages among an extensive list of snack food options. The beer choices are inscribed on a chalkboard which, while quaint, is difficult to read and makes choosing a drink a bit more difficult. We opted for the Gaélique Cream Ale, the Ginger Beer au Curcuma, the Motel Coconut, and the 26 Brown Ale. Our beers were unpretentious—good, but certainly nothing out of the ordinary—with the notable exception of the ginger beer, which was a zesty surprise for the four of us.

 

 

Beer carousel after a real carousel #postlarondestop #vices&versa #beercarousel #datenight 💕🎃🎡🎢🎠🍻

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Pro tip: Follow up your beer tasting with a piping hot pupusa—a Salvadoran stuffed tortilla—from Sabor Latino Andes farther up Boulevard Saint-Laurent.

Dieu du Ciel!

Lines start forming outside Dieu du Ciel! well before happy hour, and upon entering, it’s easy to see why. This trendy neighbourhood institution has been serving beer to Mile End residents since 1998. On the outside, it looks like your run-of-the-mill gastropub with its modest design, crowded tables, and dim mood lighting. However, there’s a lot more to Dieu du Ciel! than meets the eye. Its in-house brews experiment with audacious flavour combinations that incorporate less traditional tastes, such as peach, caramel, and hibiscus. For the beer skeptic, we recommend any of the bar’s fruit-infused beers. Été Indien, a sour mango beer, and Solstice d’Été aux Prunes, a sour prune beer, both pack a punch; the strong citrus notes counter the bitterness of traditional brews. Route des Épice, a rye beer with peppercorn, is another adventurous pick, but not nearly as rewarding. The pepper taste is overpowering, making this beer good for a sip, but not for a whole glass. Nonetheless, Dieu du Ciel!’s unorthodox offerings and eclectic selection make it well worth the trip up Boulevard Saint-Laurent.

McGill, News

Floor fellows’ naloxone training aims to counter fentanyl crisis

by Cherry Wu on

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In September 2017, Montreal Public Health declared the increasing presence of fentanyl in recreational drugs a public health emergency. Since the beginning of 2017, 10 drug overdoses linked to fentanyl—two of which were fatal—have occurred in Montreal. To counter the fentanyl crisis, McGill Student Health Services (SHS) held Naloxone administration training between Oct. 24 and 27 for all floor fellows at first-year student residences.

A cheap-yet-powerful opioid, fentanyl can be laced into most drugs, and, if ingested, can lead to a lethal overdose. Naloxone is a reversal agent that effectively slows the ingestion of fentanyl for 30 to 60 minutes, allowing time to administer other emergency treatments. Dr. Hashana Perera, director of SHS, has been working with McGill Clinic nurses since September to provide access to naloxone on campus.

“Around mid-September, the Quebec government introduced a new plan that opened administration of naloxone to third parties who are not health practitioners,” Perera said. “We quickly worked to come up with a plan to provide naloxone to the various McGill parties. Besides the floor fellows, we also provide training for the Residence Life Managers, McGill Security, and [the McGill Student Emergency Response Team] MSERT.”

Currently, naloxone can be administered as both an intramuscular injection and an intranasal spray, the latter of which McGill provides. The floor fellow training sessions, led by McGill Clinic nurses, lasted 45 minutes, and consisted of a basic introduction to fentanyl, naloxone, and the emergency procedures for the management of fentanyl poisoning. New Residence floor fellow Aden Feustel, U3 Science, is now equipped with the knowledge to save students in emergencies following the training.

“I think the biggest thing is recognizing an opioid overdose,” Feustel said. “We were told it’s usually the shallow, slow breathing that’ll give it away.”

Residences will now possess two naloxone kits, each containing one single-use naloxone intranasal spray. In an interview, New Residence floor fellow Corinne Bulger, U2 Arts, highlighted the safety of naloxone intranasal sprays.

“Once the first dose of naloxone is given, a second dose could be administered if emergency services do not arrive in time,” Bulger said. “A good thing about naloxone is that it does not cause any harm to the body, so there is no risk related to using it, even if you use up both kits.”

There have been no reported incidents of drug overdose related to fentanyl at any McGill residence. Although floor fellows say the likelihood of such incidents is unknown, they agree that Naloxone training is necessary for prevention in the future.

“There is never enough training,” Bulger said. ‘Even if there is only one case, or no case at all, the possibility of any outliers makes the trainings totally worth it.”

SHS is also working on information campaigns on fentanyl education for students, which will be carried out across campus by Healthy McGill in the upcoming weeks.

 
Science & Technology

Daylight savings affects industry and human health

by Sam Min on

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On Nov. 5, Daylight Saving Time (DST) ended, and we were gifted with an extra hour of sleep. 2 a.m. reverted back to 1 a.m., and clocks were changed.

Benjamin Franklin first suggested the idea of implementing DST in 1784, joking that extended daylight would save candles. He also found several people around him sleeping and waking up late. Franklin speculated how much more productive people would be if the local time were to be set one hour ahead of Standard Time, forcing everyone to wake up early and thereby ‘saving candles.’

George Vernon Hudson, a New-Zealand astronomer, officially proposed DST for the first time in 1895. Then, golfer William Willet supported DST, which would reward him with an extra hour of golf after work. Up until his death in 1915, Willet lobbied the House of Commons for DST, but to no avail.

Germany and Austria were the first countries to opt for DST in 1916. Soon after its implementation in 1916, support for DST spread across Europe. The United States followed suit in 1918 to conserve electricity during World War I. After the world wars ended, DST fell from federal to state jurisdiction. Some neighbouring states follow different time systems. Although these were the first countries to implement DST, the people of modern day Thunder Bay in Ontario turned their clocks back in 1908.

However, DST affects our lives beyond the extra hour. Some studies show that workplace productivity diminishes significantly for an entire week after DST has begun, because workers lose one hour of sleep. The number of admitted patients for heart attacks has also been known to spike during DST shifts, linked loosely to a lack of sleep. According to a study completed at the University of Colorado, the incidence of traffic accidents increases by 17 per cent on the Monday after DST. Despite these burdens, DST has now been implemented in 76 countries around the world.

Furthermore, despite having a longer day, studies argue that DST does not actually reduce energy consumption. According to Michael Downing, lecturer in the Department of English at Tufts University and author of Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time, an extra hour of daylight from DST would allow consumers to spend more time outside by shopping, driving, or even honing their golf skills.

“This change was spurred by a large number of lobbies: golf and golf equipment, home improvement, the Hearth, Patio and Barbeque Association and the gas and fuel industries, which saw a potential boon to their sales,” Downing said in an interview at Tufts University.

As people spend more time outside in daylight, they could negate the reduced cost of energy from fewer hours of indoor lighting.

The sweeping momentum for DST laid out by the retail industries led to the Energy Policy Act of 2005 in the United States, which extended DST to eight months from seven. Candy retailers also lobbied for a DST extension by giving out Halloween candies to every senator to extend DST to the first week of November.  

DST spans from the second week of March until the first week of November, leaving us with eight months of DST and four months of Standard Time. Students should take advantage of the hour gained over the next week, and work on adjusting to the time difference. The aforementioned studies show health risks from the one-hour sleep deprivation, and the harms could be prevented if we applied DST all year round.

Commentary, Opinion

Made in Canada doesn’t mean Canadians will watch

by Gabriel Rincon on

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On Sept. 28, the federal government announced a partnership with Netflix. The online streaming service agreed to invest $500 million over the next 10 years to create “Canadian content” as part of Justin Trudeau’s cultural strategy, which will in turn pledge $125 million towards promoting Canadian content. Netflix will be creating a Canadian production house. However, “Canadian content” is hard to define, particularly because pop culture in Canada is strongly influenced by the United States, making popular Canadian entertainment often just repackaged American content. This lack of a unique identity makes it unclear what will make the Netflix content distinctively Canadian, beyond a “Made in Canada” label. Thus, the government’s deal seems more like a quid pro quo trade with Netflix to subsidize the Canadian film industry than a way to promote Canadian culture, as Trudeau has claimed.

In Quebec, where there is a strong sense of cultural identity tied to the French language, there have been many Canadian-made French-language shows that have drawn fantastic ratings in the province. Outside of Quebec, however, Canadian content isn’t very popular. In 2017, ratings were very poor for Canadian entertainment: The 50 most-watched network series were all American, the most watched was the National Football League—a staple of American culture. Of the most-watched Canadian-made shows in 2015, several are remakes of American competition shows, and the others—with the exception of The Book of Negroes—lack distinctly Canadian identity. Rookie Blue is just a cop show; Vikings is set in Scandinavia.

Canadian television pop culture doesn’t contribute to the uniqueness of broader Canadian culture or identity. Canada is a relatively small consumer market, so Canadian superstars, like The Weeknd and Drake, have to appeal to the U.S. market to make significant sales and achieve real fame. To make original content to specifically target the Canadian market is risky, since this kind of entertainment rarely goes international, making it less profitable. For example, The Trailer Park Boys never achieved international acclaim. Unless Canadian content becomes a Canadian cultural staple––say, Tragically Hip––it’s hard to sell. It’s easier to make a profit simply repackaging American entertainment.

 

Surely the government can think of better ways to promote Canadian culture—like direct sponsorship of public art—than by subsidizing Netflix and the film industry.

When Melanie Joly, Canadian Heritage Minister, announced the Netflix deal, she promoted it as support for the Canadian film industry and part of Trudeau’s “culture strategy.” But, it is unclear what exactly Netflix will do to support Canadian culture––nor what is meant by Canadian culture––other than buying Canadian services. So the deal’s benefits for the film industry—and Netflix—appear to be the central goal. There are really only two reasons Netflix would agree to this partnership. After all, Netflix is a for-profit company and must be benefiting somehow. Either the Canadian market is a profitable investment, so Netflix was already going to invest and just got some free press; or the investment isn’t profitable without some sort of subsidy. It remains to be seen what exactly Netflix is receiving for partnering with the government. However, it is noteworthy that a June 2017 parliamentary report recommended a uniform broadband high-speed internet tax to correct for a trade disadvantage faced by Canadian streaming firms competing with Netflix. The disadvantage comes from nuances in how sales taxes are collected in Canada, but ultimately Trudeau dismissed the proposal. In the meantime, Netflix continues to benefit from the trade imbalance.

Trying to analyze the Netflix deal from the perspective of promoting Canadian cultural content is fruitless. Canadian pop culture is, as near as makes no difference, American pop culture, which calls into question what exactly Netflix is going to pass off as Canadian content. Surely the government can think of better ways to promote Canadian culture—like direct sponsorship of public art—than by subsidizing Netflix and the film industry. Hopefully, Trudeau isn't surprised when the Canadian content Netflix makes is strikingly similar to Stranger Things, except you can catch a glimpse of Toronto or Montreal in the background.

 

 

Gabriel is a U2 Economics student at McGill. He loves cooking and sharing his food with his friends and family.

 

 

@mcgilltribop | [email protected]

 

 

 
Laughing Matters, Opinion

Lies I tell myself about my upstairs neighbours

by Sydney King on

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At 19 years old, it seems like I’ve lost the privilege of deciding when I go to bed and when I wake up. No, I don’t live with my parents, and no, my roommates aren’t dictators. I just have really loud, obnoxious upstairs neighbours. Their anonymity makes it easy to bash them in the relative privacy of my own apartment, but standing up to them would shatter my otherwise painstakingly friendly exterior. Not being one for confrontation, I prefer to share my opinions in a newspaper and pray they don’t read it. However annoying they may be, there is always more than one way to look at the story.

So your upstairs neighbours are loud. They stomp. They might be bodybuilders—based on the weight of the stuff that they throw on the ground. You can track their heavy footsteps throughout their apartment, and maybe they shake the hangings on the walls. This behaviour is categorically inconsiderate, but not necessarily intentionally rude. Sure, at night, after a couple hours of sweet peace and quiet, they reappear in the early hours of the morning to yell at each other, and do some late-night home improvement or possibly demolition. But, at least you know that they are home safe, and you don’t have to be up all night worrying if they’ve been kidnapped. You’ll still be up all night because they’re building a roof-top garden shed in their living room, but peace of mind comes at a cost.

On one hand, hearing “Call Me Maybe” 20 times a day might make you want to pull your hair out. On the off chance you actually like their music, it can save you money on your electric bill!

One of the most common complaints about living with upstairs neighbours is their music—specifically their volume control. While blasting rap music may help them study, you are often left out of the decision-making process. Maybe you are trying to fall asleep, or work on a paper, or just listen to your own music. But, your neighbours leave no room for sonic discourse. They simply dominate the discussion. On one hand, hearing “Call Me Maybe” 20 times a day might make you want to pull your hair out. On the off chance you actually like their music, it can save you money on your electric bill! Your neighbours have spared you the trouble of hooking up your own speakers to blast deep house remixes at all hours of the day. Moreover, if your upstairs neighbours like to rehearse their acoustic, breathy dream-pop music covers, and somehow they make it big, you now have the material to write a bestselling memoir about your experiences living underneath greatness. Aren’t you lucky?

If you think your obnoxious upstairs neighbours are probably playing sports inside—hockey, soccer, basketball, you name it—remember that there might be more to the story. Maybe their squash partner bailed on them, or they’re just too lazy to get off the couch to play outside. It’s hard to know what people are going through.

Last, and probably worst of all, upstairs neighbours seem to have a proclivity for loud sex. Honestly, I cannot spin this one. I am sincerely sorry to anyone who has to deal with loud sex noises at all hours of the day and night. This is the more explicit aspect of the intimacy of the relationship with our upstairs neighbours, definitely to the detriment of others’ mental wellbeing.

If you don’t have annoying upstairs neighbours, then you are probably the annoying upstairs neighbour, and there is nothing I can do for you. If you’re like me and you, too, suffer from the heavy-footedness of those above you, these are some lies that I tell myself to suppress the temptation to call the cops on them.

 

Sydney King is a U1 Political Science major. She is perpetually debating dropping out and going to culinary school.

 

 

@mcgilltribop | [email protected]

 

 
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