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McGill, News

McGill Student Services announces new approach toward psychiatric care and fentanyl crisis

by Fionn Adamian on

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In a press conference on Sept. 14, Hashana Perera, director of Student Health Services, took the floor to present updates on the office’s strategy for addressing the emerging threat of fentanyl in Montreal. The deadly synthetic opioid is up to 100 times more powerful than morphine and has been found laced into powdered drugs at growing rates across Canada. Following recent discussion over students’ growing risk of mistakenly ingesting fentanyl-laced drugs, Perera explained that Student Health Services’ goal was to provide naloxone and drug-testing kits for students, as soon as Quebec legislation permits.

“What we would have wanted to do is have [naloxone] available to you,” Perera said. “Public Health said no. Right now, the only people who can administer it are doctors, nurses, and ambulance [technicians….] We do have it in health services [….] That being said, the best bet is to call 911 right away [in the case of an overdose].”

McGill Student Services addressed other policy changes, announcing the completion of the integration of Counselling and Mental Health Services into a single unit called Counselling Services—a process which began in Fall 2016. As part of this integration process, all psychiatrists have been moved into the new Psychiatric Services unit at the Brown Student Services Building, Suite 5500. Psychiatric Services is working to resolve confusion regarding the appropriate resources for students facing psychological challenges, and to reduce wait times.

“Something that students had said is really confusing [was] ‘we don’t know if we’re supposed to go to Mental Health Services,’” Student Services Executive Director Martine Gauthier, who spearheaded the reform, said at the press conference. “I decided […] to do away with what is called a ‘mental health unit,’ but we're actually expanding mental health services.”

The integration is the latest of many efforts to streamline mental health support at McGill. Before last September, students had to figure out on their own whether to book an appointment at Counselling Services or at Mental Health Services, the latter of which offered both psychiatric care and therapy, while the former offered therapy and advising. Last year, Student Services unified the two departments’ procedures for scheduling and intake. Under that system, known as the Stepped Care model, Client Care Clinicians work as caseworkers for individual students, referring them to the option most suited for them. With the integration of the two departments completed, SSMU Vice-President (VP) University Affairs Isabelle Oke echoed the hopes of Student Services to lessen students’ confusion regarding scheduling and intake.

“It's hopefully going to prevent any bouncing around between services that do similar things,” Oke said. “If you're going to psychiatric services, you'll still have that support from counselling, but it'll be for a very specific reason you'll be going out of counselling. It'll be harder for people to fall through the cracks if they're doing different things.”

The final phase of the integration, which has now been completed, was to bring all clinicians together into adjacent offices on the third floor of the Brown Building. As Gauthier explained, Psychiatric Services will only support students who have a note from a family general practitioner or from a McGill counselor indicating that they require medical assistance.

Last March, an open letter by the McGill Students’ Health Working Group criticized the lack of student and staff consultation over mental health policy, the opacity of Student Services’ overhead funding, and the mismatch between many students’ needs and caseworkers’ skillsets.

In response to these criticisms, Student Services aims to integrate feedback from clients in McGill’s counselling system, establishing positions for students on hiring committees, and adding students to advisory committees on mental health. Gauthier noted that the McGill Community Health and Wellness Strategy includes 22 students on its committee. Gauthier's research indicated that the integration of Counselling Services will reduce wait times.

Baseball, Basketball, Football, Sports

Buckets of cash: Comparing wages in the NFL, NBA, and MLB

by Sam Wendel on

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As the NBA continues to raise its wage cap, players’ salaries have exploded. Just last summer, Stephen Curry, arguably the most valuable player in the league, signed a contract promising him US$40 million a year. This gargantuan sum shocked the sports world, and further emphasized the wage gap between NBA players and their peers in other American sports leagues, most notably the NFL and the MLB.

But, when evaluating the salary difference between the three, it is important to consider the wide range in revenue, roster size, and season length among the leagues. During the NFL season, each team plays only 16 games. Conversely, the NBA season spans 82, coupled with longer playoffs. It’s no surprise that NBA players make more money, as their longer season allows teams to generate more revenue. The MLB, however, has the longest season of all three with 162 games, which is almost double the length of the NBA season. As a result, the league enjoys the second-highest set of television ratings and revenue—nearly $10 billion per year—of all American major sports leagues.

Given the gaping disparity in volume of games between each sport, it is more informative to examine how much the average player for each league is paid per game. The NFL leads the three leagues with ease, as the average player makes $131,000 per game, easily more than the NBA’s $76,000 and the MLB’s $27,000. It makes sense that NFL players make the most per game, when considering both the number of games on each league’s schedule and the NFL’s stellar television viewership numbers—a fundamental element in a professional sport’s profitability. This difference helps to explain why the NFL earns a revenue of about $14 billion a year, dwarfing the NBA’s $5.87 billion, and sitting comfortably ahead of the MLB’s $10 billion.

Despite the NFL’s large revenue, team roster size negatively affects individual athletes’ paychecks. After the final cuts, there are 53 players on each NFL roster. In comparison, NBA team have 15 rostered players. With fewer competitors, each NBA player gets a larger share of the salary pie, more than making up for the NBA’s smaller revenue stream. By that logic, one would expect the MLB with its 25-man rosters to pay individual players more than the NFL, so it’s surprising to see the average MLB player earn just $27,200 per game.

Each MLB team plays an astounding 162 games per season—plus the playoffs—which makes it much harder to raise per-game wages. Still, the world’s best baseball players are not hurting for money. The biggest annual contract in baseball is Clayton Kershaw’s $33 million, not much less than Curry’s $40 million in the NBA. Additionally, the average MLB player makes $4.5 million a year, which is only $1.6 million less than the average NBA player, despite the fact that MLB rosters nearly double the size of those in the NBA.

The injury risk and physically taxing nature of football keeps the league from being able to increase revenue by adding more than 16 games. Furthermore, this sum must be shared between 53 teammates. Meanwhile, in baseball, drawn-out seasons mean players aren’t getting near as much money for the time they’ve invested. Overall, pro basketball players get the best deal. Their season is neither too long nor too short, their teams are not very big, and they’re third in television views in North America. When it comes to the money-to-work ratio—something everyone tries to maximize—NBA players seem to have it all figured out.

Commentary, Opinion

Gaining a financial education early is an investment in the future

by Samantha Ling on

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In the months leading up to their first year, undergraduates will hear several not-so-glorious bits about the ‘glorious’ college years that await them. They’ll learn about the clichéd—yet inevitable—‘Freshman 15,’ they’ll be warned of the self-sabotage that is an 8:30 a.m. lecture, and likely, they’ll be introduced to a persona we all know too well: The broke college student. While it is difficult to adjust to a lifestyle of instant foods and early mornings, financial security requires more than just adjustment. Making responsible financial decisions requires long-term fiscal savviness. Educators have suggested implementing mandatory personal finance courses in undergraduate curricula, but in reality, financial education needs to start years before university does.

In a society where at least a Bachelor’s degree is required for most professional careers, one would think that there would be a greater focus on teaching youth how to manage realities like tuition payment timelines and student loans. Given that the average student debt of a Canadian graduate is over $25,000, and that, according to a 2015 U.S. Bureau and Labor Statistics study, there is a correlation between high student debt and early-adulthood mental illness, it’s time that youth are given resources to take finance into their own hands. Climbing tuition rates paired with a lack of education on how to pay them mean that students will experience the dreaded effects of this burden long into earning a salary. By gaining the skills and knowledge necessary to make financially responsible decisions sooner rather than later, students develop the essential foundations needed to adapt to the continuous challenges in managing their personal finances. 

It is not sufficient to teach today’s youth how to add together two paycheques, and then tell them to find a job and start saving.

To develop lifelong literacy in such a complex field, students must begin their financial education well before university. Every single elementary school student in Canada learns basic equations and simple phrases within the first few years of schooling, giving them the ability to build on these concepts in future years. Financial skills that can be applied to almost every individual’s situation should be treated the same way.

It is not sufficient to teach today’s youth how to add together two paycheques, and then tell them to find a job and start saving. Educators need to use these mathematical foundations to teach children the hard skills of applying their calculations to real-life situations, such as the withdrawal of student loans, along with soft skills such as negotiation and risk-analysis. Furthermore, a 2011 Statistics Canada study shows that there is a visible correlation between time devoted to financial literacy education and future annual income. The benefits of basic finance education live on for years after the teaching ends.

Even with all the benefits of an early financial education, there remain critics of teaching financial literacy at all. The reason cited most often is that economic policy, rather than the individual, makes the ultimate decision when it comes to a person’s financial state. Though these critics raise the valid point that policy shapes the overall financial health of a population, financial savviness continues to be the ultimate way to gain an edge over those subject to the same policies. Additionally, continuing to teach financial literacy in a world dominated by multiple financial institutions allows individuals to become engaged in the political economy—recognizing the institutions that work best for them while combating hidden fees.

In a rapidly advancing society, understanding personal finance is more important than ever. A comprehensive financial background will benefit Canadian university students’ fiscal and corresponding mental health, career prospects, and overall well-being. It’s time that Canada’s school boards begin to embrace and promote long-term financial literacy.

 

 

 

 

 

Samantha Ling is a U0 Arts student. She loves a good laugh and spends a lot of time on social media.

 

@mcgilltribop | [email protected]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Off the Board, Opinion

In search of a nice Jewish boy

by Ariella Garmaise on

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When I was 13, my mother told me that she would kick me out of the house if I got a tattoo, or if I married non-Jewish. Her first fear never came to fruition, and her second was something I supported—if not ideologically—at least pragmatically. I grew up in a predominantly Jewish neighbourhood in Toronto, attended Jewish Day School, and during the summer months, went to a Jewish sleepover camp. My mother had no reason to fear me dating non-Jewish boys, for the simple reason that I did not know any.

While not all students come from backgrounds as culturally homogeneous as I do, university is a time when one gets to leave the confines of one’s upbringing and meet people with entirely different experiences. And while the people I’ve met at McGill may not be as in tune with the particularities of the Toronto Jewish experience, I often find we relate in ways that are much deeper. This is the first time I have truly encountered the issue of dating outside of my culture.

There’s certainly nothing wrong with individuals of different backgrounds’ decisions to intermarry, and it is a choice on which I am presently undecided. However, I am discouraged by the mainstream perception that the decision to marry within one’s culture is outdated and narrow-minded.

The reaction of most of my Caucasian, non-religious peers is that dating based on faith or culture is “dumb” and people should be free to love whomever they choose. It’s a fair stance, to some degree. Many of these expectations are suffocating—in some ultra-orthodox Jewish communities, there exists a nefarious tradition to hold a funeral for a child who has married outside of their faith. However, such broad-sweeping statements also oversimplify the innate value of culture and religion, and frame these traditions as forced upon modern generations. If I resent the hours I spent bored at synagogue as a kid, then I am equally as grateful for the traditions and sense of community that grew out of that sanctuary.

Love is important, but so is culture, and the two need not always be portrayed as a point of conflict.

The modern-day narrative is that love conquers all. Especially in pop culture, where intercultural relationships increasingly exist as a subgenre of the star-crossed lover trope. For example, in their summer film The Big Sick, Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon tell their love story—and the pressures they felt from Nanjiani’s Pakistani parents—who wanted to arrange his marriage. In its first season, Aziz Ansari’s Master of None follows protagonist Dev, reluctant to tell his parents about his white girlfriend. Even going back to Woody Allen films like Annie Hall, Allen is hypnotized by the differences between him and his ultra-WASP-y girlfriend.

Each of these stories are easy to root for, but each also buys into Hollywood’s portrayal of love as the only thing that can complete a person. Moreover, they pose love and culture as antithetical: We see Nanjiani, Ansari, and Allen discard their religious practices as they immerse themselves in their new relationships. Watching Nanjiani go on countless dates set up by his parents, I couldn’t help but think he could probably be equally as happy with each of these Pakistani women as he would be with his blonde wife.

Of course, my experience navigating romantic relationships is very skewed—as all experiences are—in that my Judaism is non-visible and I am straight. Restraints around dating become much more challenging when considering the implications of race and gender. Moreover, my mother’s threats are mostly empty, and while it might not always feel like it, I am privileged to have a tremendous amount of autonomy in this decision.

Love is important, but so is culture, and the two need not always be portrayed as a point of conflict. Mainstream media often depicts religion and nationality as dividing forces, when in fact, these cultural values bring a strong sense of unison and community. If anything, I’d love to see a blockbuster rom-com about a non-white or non-secular couple that falls in love, and the challenges they inevitably face regardless of a huge cultural divide.

 

 

 

 

 

Ariella is a U2 English Literature and History Student, and Arts & Entertainment editor at the Tribune. She plays hockey but no one believes her.

 

@garmaiseariella | [email protected]

 

 

 

 
Student Life

The faults in our stars: Diving into the horoscope debate

by Sanchi Bhalla on

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The word ‘astrology’ brings to mind images of new-age hippies making major life decisions based on whether or not Mercury is in retrograde. From the second millennium BC, the stars have drawn believers, but my experiences with astrology don’t extend that far back. Instead, astrology and I date back to my childhood. Growing up in India, I witnessed many couples who wanted to get married comparing kundlis, astrological charts that prove compatibility by comparing the position of celestial bodies at the time of each partner’s birth. My family members have pundits, or astrological experts, on speed-dial to help them make major life decisions, like figuring out the most auspicious day to buy a new stove. But regardless of the beliefs of those around me growing up, I have always been a skeptic of the powers of astrology, and have grown to notice divisions in belief–people either put their full faith in their horoscopes, or they turn to astrology only when they need answers. And for some, the stars have no significance. Whether you’re part of the population that has faith in the powers of celestial divination or not, everyone knows that astrology gets a bad rep.

The most obvious reason for astrology’s less-than-respected reputation is its status as a pseudoscience. Much of the population glances over such sources solely to amuse themselves and exercise their eye-rolling muscles. According to a survey conducted by astrologer and historian Nicholas Campion, less than a quarter of the general population believes in astrology as a method of prediction. The same study showed that over 40 per cent of people confessed that they look up potential romantic partners’ sun signs to ensure that it will be a good relationship, and over 90 per cent admitted to knowing their own zodiac sign and feeling that it matches their personality. These results suggest that for many horoscope readers, believing in horoscopes is one thing, but admitting to believing in them is quite another.

Why do so many horoscope readers seem to be stuck between full and part-time believing? Furthermore, why has astrology sustained a following despite the gaps in its believership? For the most part, this is due to a desire to explain past life events while validating one’s hopes for future events to occur. And while finding meaning in the happenings of daily life by looking to the night sky is certainly a romantic idea, the reality of most horoscopes is that they are written to vaguely apply to almost any reader.

Yet many people still choose to believe their horoscope is tailored to them specifically. This is the Barnum Effect, a psychological phenomenon occurring in the ‘vague’ sciences–like astrology, tarot cards, graphology, and fortune telling. Humans want to be able to explain almost everything; a convenient way to understand the happenings of our lives is to look up at the stars–or down at the latest horoscope–especially if they tell us what we want to hear. “Today, romantic encounters await you,” is an obvious sign from the universe to ask the cute person in your class out for dinner. “Today is a day of relaxation,” totally justifies spending the day in bed, holding a carton of Häagen-Dazs and binge-watching Netflix. Horoscopes act to validate our decisions–good or bad–but because they are ‘based on the facts of nature,’ there’s no reason to question them. Though there’s comfort in knowing that what’s happened was ‘meant to be,’ readers should approach the stars with caution.

The phrase “correlation is not equal to causation” is a major argument of non-believers but for many the correlation between the stars and one’s life is causation. But how accurate is it? Can the stars instruct you how to go about the present and can they predict the future? In an attempt to answer that question, I’ve created a game. I’ve listed everything I did for three whole days and have noted down my horoscope for those days, but in a random order. Try to match the day to the horoscope. If it helps, I’m a Cancerian born in the year of the Rabbit, on the 16th of July at 12:13 pm EST.

DAY

HOROSCOPE

1

Binge-watched American Horror Story, baked a pan of brownies with my friends and went out to a club at night.

A

Pace yourself, and assess how much ground you have to cover. Understanding evolves to a new level, as long as you don’t go overboard trying to make your point. You could experience a rebellion if you push too hard.

2

Went for an early yoga class, started a bullet journal, and watched two movies (The Breakfast Club and a Bollywood flick).

B

Others easily might say that you are overly emotional, but they do not understand you. You are willing to let go and embrace your feelings, whereas many people are not. This quality is your strength, not your weakness; use it well.

3

Read a couple chapters of The Handmaid’s Tale, met up with a friend for coffee and walked around my neighbourhood.

C

You will want to accomplish more, but others seem insecure and unwilling to join you. Distance yourself, for the time being. Issues that arise now may dissolve by tomorrow! Someone might take your words differently than you had intended.

Answers : 1 – B, 2- C, 3 – A.

Any luck? If not, blame the stars.

Horoscopes were taken from The Toronto Star (Day 1, Day 2, Day 3).

Album Reviews, Arts & Entertainment

Alvvays – Antisocialites Review

by Luke Sarabia on

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Alvvays, Toronto indie favourites, first made waves in 2014 with their self-titled debut and its breakout single “Archie, Marry Me,” a brazenly tongue-in-cheek young love song. Their newest album, Antisocialites,  lacks a hit as anthemic as “Archie,” yet Alvvays’ pop sensibilities remain razor-sharp throughout. Antisocialites thrives off of apparent contradictions; its saccharine pop hooks and dreamy guitars disguise tales of urban melancholy and romantic longing rife with self-deprecating wit.

Each song on the album walks a careful line between the joy and melancholy of urban young adulthood. Longtime live staple, “Your Type,” finally makes an appearance on this record, and is the album’s sweetest and most danceable pop tune. Its lyrics, joyously delivered, are hilariously gloomy: “I die on the inside […]I will never be your type,” belts frontwoman Molly Rankin. Conversely, “Not My Baby” finds Rankin feigning resilience post-breakup— her heartache betrayed by her downcast delivery and the track’s overpowering moody synths.

“If I saw you in the streets, would I have you in my dreams tonight?” asks album highlight “Dreams Tonight,” with a lyric that would fit right in any of the most wistful Smiths songs. The influence of generations of indie pioneers is evident on Antisocialites. There is a track dedicated to Jim Reid of the Jesus and Mary Chain, whose band’s hazy guitars and layered synths act as blueprints for many of Alvvays’ sonic textures.

Though these 10 tracks might be pop-y, this is not to diminish the brilliance of the songwriting. Rankin’s lyrics can be dreamy, silly, poetic, and tragic—usually all at once. There are tracks for dancing and there are tracks for moping, all blended together seamlessly across the album. Antisocialites is Alvvays’ most cohesive release yet, leaving none of the band’s signature ethereal soundscapes or impossibly catchy hooks behind.

Sports

Citius, altius, fortius: The cost of hosting the Olympic games

by David Rankin on

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Hosting the Olympic games can be an expensive, corrupt, and unpredictable business. It is a very high-risk but potentially high-reward proposition: Effective hosts see their cities enjoy substantial economic boosts and an upgraded image, while poor hosts risk wasting just as much money and tarnishing their reputation. The Olympic games should only be assigned to cities that can shoulder the financial burden. The recent announcement of two developed tourist hubs, Paris and Los Angeles, as hosts for the 2024 and 2028 summer games might be indicative of the lessons learned from past host selections. 

The 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro were a disaster for Brazil. An uninhabitable Olympic Village, literal sewage in the water used for the rowing events, and body parts washing up on the shores next to the beach volleyball court were just some of the issues that plagued the Rio games. The problem was that Rio de Janeiro had too many problems to fix, too many projects to build, and not enough resources or time to do so before the games.

That's not to say there wasn’t much invested—the costs of Rio 2016 were estimated at a staggering US$4.6 billion, with $1 million still owed to creditors a year after the games. While that figure was lower than those of previous summer games—such as London in 2012, costing $10.4 billion—it does not paint the whole picture. What’s more important is that London has continued to make use of the buildings it developed for the games. The 2012 Olympic stadium is now a soccer stadium inhabited by a Premier League team, and the Olympic village was converted into apartments.

Meanwhile, in Rio de Janeiro, the iconic Maracana Stadium sits in a state of disrepair and ruin after its use in the 2016 games and 2014 FIFA World Cup. The concept of Olympic venues being treated as one-time-use facilities is not a new one for the Olympics: In Beijing, the baseball stadium, kayaking facility, cycling arena, and volleyball courts have all been abandoned. The recent trend is that fully-developed countries tend to host better-organized games than developing countries and make better use of their venues once the games have ended.

The good news is that the hosts of the upcoming summer games look promising, with Tokyo set to host in 2020, followed by recently-announced Paris and Los Angeles in 2024 and 2028, respectively. These three locations present a possible new direction for the future of Olympic city selection. Each host city is fully-developed and looks well-equipped to handle the events. Furthermore, France and the United States are the two most internationally-visited countries in the world, per the World Tourism Organization. The countries already have the infrastructure to handle millions of people descending upon their cities and, if London is any indication, will be able to make good use of new constructions once the games are over.

In fact, representatives from the Olympic committees for both Paris and Los Angeles estimate that around 90 per cent of the required facilities have already been built. This existing infrastructure ensures that the summer games will be hosted by competent and prepared groups for the next 12 years.

Traditionally, host cities are announced one at a time, instead of the double announcement of Paris and Los Angeles last week. The punctual announcement is good for Paris, which will have nearly seven years to prepare. The advantage is greater for Los Angeles, which now has over 10 years to build the necessary infrastructure for the games. It’s easy to be optimistic about these upcoming games. If the games live up to their promise, they could serve as a shining example for the rewards of effective city selection for the International Olympic Committee. 

Arts & Entertainment, Film and TV

First Impressions: Safdie Brothers’ ‘Good Time’ not the best of times

by Leo Stillinger, Jordan Foy on

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Leo Stillinger: At the beginning of the Safdie brothers’ (Daddy Longlegs (2009), Heaven Knows What (2014)) new feature-length film Good Time, two brothers have just robbed a bank. One asks the other: “Are you feelin’ this?” Good Time is not a good movie, but perhaps it can be justified in terms of this question.

Jordan Foy: “I don’t know what to tell you,” Robert Pattinson’s character Connie says at one point in the film, and I think this encapsulates exactly how I feel about it. I just don’t know. It was all over the place. There were things I appreciated, and things that drove me crazy. 

LS: I’m feeling that high adrenaline confusion as well. Thanks to the convulsive soundtrack and claustrophobic cinematography, the unrelenting intensity quickly becomes too much. I spent most of the film feeling more exhausted than entertained. The film’s most memorable scene takes place in a darkly lit funhouse, where Connie finds a Sprite bottle filled with LSD. The scene can be taken as a metaphor for the movie itself—a bad trip.

JF: Bad trip indeed—this film significantly heightened my anxiety. For one thing, almost every shot is a close up on somebody’s face. And the soundtrack, produced by electronic artist Oneohtrix Point Never, is jarring and unfitting at times. These two factors—along with the haphazard and almost improvisational feel of the plot— resulted in a seriously unsettling viewing experience. 

LS: Disorienting as it was, though, the style of the film is distinctive enough to hold it together as a work of art. Unfortunately, its protagonist is an unsympathetic plank. As Connie, Robert Pattinson is not much more expressive than he was as Edward in the Twilight series (2008-2012). Yet the camera remains glued to his face, which often fills the entire screen, perhaps in the futile hope that he will show any emotion. Pattinson himself described the film as a “really hardcore kind of Queens, New York, mentally-damaged psychopath, bank robbery movie.” It would be hard to argue with any of that; it’s just a shame that the mentally damaged psychopath wasn’t made to be more interesting.

JF: Not going to disagree with Rob on that one. Connie is a grade A, sociopathic piece of shit. His goal in the film is to free his mentally handicapped brother from police custody, but at various points in the movie he recklessly endangers him, and spends most of the film ruthlessly manipulating people. Perhaps Connie was intended to be a morally grey character, but I had extreme difficulty sympathizing with him. I really didn’t like him.

LS: What makes the film more of a shame is that there is an interesting, sympathetic character, in the form of Connie’s brother Nick (Ben Safdie), whose mental turmoil and relationship with his grandmother seemed to promise a much more emotionally-complicated plot arc. Yet, Nick spends the majority of the film off-screen in a psychiatric hospital, and viewers are left with his soul-dead brother instead. The final scene, which depicts Nick participating in group exercise at the psychiatric hospital, is genuinely bittersweet. Moreover, it gives a glimpse into what this film could have been if taken in a different, more sensitive direction. 

JF: The film has its moments though. There were some scenes that made me laugh, and there were times when I felt like maybe I was liking the movie. But ultimately the experience was too intense. There’s an audience for a film such as this, and maybe I would enjoy it a second time through, but I certainly did not have a ‘good time’ on my first watch. 

Laughing Matters, Opinion

McTavish? It’s just not that into you

by Madison Palmer on

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It always happens: You finally come to terms with how things ended with a questionably-motivated ex, you think you’ve moved on—then you see them again post-break up—and all you can think is, “Damn, they look good.”

The McTavish Street $56.6 million glow up is a case in point of this cliched response. Merely months ago, the street was the cause of so much grief among McGill students, especially after the announcement of construction delays. But now, stepping onto the newly refurbished walkway after years of construction is to have the chasm in your heart filled, just as Grand Canyon McTavish has finally been repleted. Its evident facelift and upped contour game are at a level Montreal Instagram models wish they could achieve, and looking out at the pedestrian activity brings a reminder of why students fell in love with McT in the first place. The new and improved McTavish has won back the hearts of Montrealers and McGillians alike, but it’s hard to forget the emotional rollercoaster of this relationship over the past couple of years.

The end of everyone’s romance with McTavish can be traced back to the beginning of construction in 2016. The last year clawed an ugly scar across McGill’s downtown campus and the hearts of its students. The street became void of the ‘girl next door’ comfort it brought in navigating campus and instead became the cold hearted femme fatale in a film noir—broken and unattainable.

But now, McTavish looks so good it makes people want to slide into its DM’s like Flood Girl slid down the very same street four years ago. The view of the new-and-improved walkway from Dr. Penfield Avenue is stunning, with the rose gold Scotiabank building capturing the late afternoon sun. The warm tones it casts over the scene almost erase the memories of the hideous construction site. The McGill Farmer’s Market breathes even more life into this unfeeling and apathetic former lover every Thursday.

The glow up of an ex is equal parts entrancing and infuriating. The iconic phrase “beauty is only skin deep” rings true of this fickle promenade. This collective McGill ex still hasn’t resolved its financial issues either. The original cost of this project was estimated to be around $42.4 million, but as is usually the case with a petty quondam sweetheart, it went way over budget.

Yes, McTavish is looking more fine, and trying to tell you that even the most toxic people (and streets) can change with time. It’s scary to give an ex a second chance, but it seems like McTavish is attempting a healthy relationship again. It looks as though this boulevard of broken dreams could become the street of everyone’s fantasies once again.

McGill, Montreal, News

Montreal indigenous community gathers to celebrate 16th annual Pow Wow at McGill

by Jesse Wu on

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On Sept. 15, the McGill First People’s House (FPH) hosted the 16th annual Pow Wow on Lower Field. Members of the indigenous community from Montreal and other parts of Canada sang, danced, and socialized with students and families to celebrate to their indigenous culture.

For FPH Administrative Coordinator Dana-Marie Williams, an organizer of this year’s Pow Wow, the event has served as an opportunity for indigenous and non-indigenous students alike to learn about the heritage and network of First Peoples year after year.

“[We want] the students to come enjoy and see the culture, gain experience, and get great food or arts and crafts,” Williams said. “I hope the indigenous students come to see what kind of indigenous organizations are out there. It’s a great place for other indigenous people to come meet friends and family.”

(Emma Hameau / The McGill Tribune)

 

As part of the festivities, 12 Aboriginal organizations set up booths on Lower Field to advertise their counselling services, promote upcoming cultural events, and sell clothing and jewelry. Native Montreal, an organization dedicated to the improvement of the health and development of the culture of Aboriginal communities in Montreal, used their space at the Pow Wow to promote programs like their free Aboriginal language classes and social interventions for resolving personal, domestic, social, or psychological problems among indigenous youths. Wayne Robinson, Social Intervention Officer at Native Montreal, explained the organization’s objectives at the Pow Wow.

“We know a lot of the indigenous community comes out to the McGill Pow Wow,” Robinson said. “We’ve been here for the last few years, and there have been a lot of families who haven’t known about our services because we’re a relatively new organization. [The Pow Wow] is a big part of our mandated friendship center movement [to assist Native people making a transition into urban communities and…] to do some of the bridging between the indigenous people and the non-indigenous community.”

(Emma Hameau / The McGill Tribune)

 

As executive director of the Rising Sun Childcare Center–the only indigenous childcare facility in Montreal–Alana-Dawn Phillips brings the children from her daycare to the McGill Pow Wow every year to immerse them in Aboriginal festivities.

“It’s important that children are exposed to as much of the indigenous culture and language as possible, to have pride in who they are, and to accept who they are,” Phillips said. “[It is crucial that the children] have that initial thought of ‘This is who I am’ and…that they have a positive identity as an indigenous person.”

(Emma Hameau / The McGill Tribune)

 

This year’s Pow Wow coincided with Prime Minister Trudeau’s visit to McGill for a press conference on the opening of Facebook AI Research (FAIR) Montreal, an artificial intelligence lab in the city led by McGill Associate Professor of Computer Science Joelle Pineau. Student leaders gathered in protest of Trudeau’s failure to acknowledge the Pow Wow, while tribal leaders at the Pow Wow, such as former McGill student and army veteran Ray Deer, felt unsure if Trudeau would keep his promises to the Indigenous peoples.

“What [Trudeau will] do as he goes through his term and if he comes through with all [his] promises [remains unknown],” Deer said. “[The Pow Wow’s purpose is] to acknowledge we were here, we are here, and we want to continue to participate on the land of Montreal. Justin Trudeau, if he can help [to acknowledge our presence], I think all of us as First Nations people will be very proud to participate with Canada.

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