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Editorial, Opinion

Broadening the scope of sustainability at McGill

by McGill Tribune Editorial Board on

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On Sept. 23, McGill hosted the first in a series of open forums to discuss sustainability with members of the McGill community. The forums were agreed to in the wake of Divest McGill’s sit-in at the James Administration Building in Winter 2016. The forums were structured to include segments on sustainability on campus, in academic research, and in investment practices, yet the majority of the conversation was focused on McGill’s investments in the fossil fuel industry.

The issue of sustainability at McGill is a complex and multifaceted one, in which the administration, faculty, and students all have a role to play. In assessing McGill’s progress in sustainability, it is necessary to examine the wide range of initiatives and policies adopted at all levels in the university community.

In an email sent to all students on Sept. 25, McGill announced that it has received a Gold rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)—an upgrade from its 2012 Silver rating. The timing of the announcement stood in contrast to the other two events that took place within the same week—the Open Forum on Sustainability and Fossil Free week—both of which stemmed from dissatisfaction among certain student groups.

The university highlights developments in several key areas as the reason for its high rating. These include the maintenance of the Sustainability Projects Fund―the largest of its kind in North America―to provide funding to student and faculty sustainability initiatives; the inclusion of sustainability in the curriculum through a variety of Arts, Science, Engineering, and Management programs; as well as sustainable food sourcing, energy conservation, and procurement services. The extensive and diverse criteria in the AASHE report—including categories of academics, engagement, operations, planning and administration, and innovation and leadership—is a reminder of the numerous ways a university can strive to be sustainable.

McGill should be commended for the areas in which it has successfully implemented sustainable practices, and held accountable for those where progress is lacking.

Judging McGill’s commitment to sustainability by considering only one criteria―such as divestment―would be a mistake. Instead, members of the McGill community must take a holistic approach to sustainability. Indeed, the McGill Office of Sustainability acknowledges that sustainability is multifaceted and complex. Its vision is framed around five key concepts—research, education, connectivity, operations, and governance and administration. McGill should be commended for the areas in which it has successfully implemented sustainable practices, and held accountable for those where progress is lacking.

For example, in the AASHE report, McGill scores notably low in certain criteria—specifically, sustainable investment, water use and rainwater management, and waste minimization and diversion. These are areas in which students can demand to see an improvement from the administration and expect an active response to.

Members of the McGill community should keep in mind that sustainability is a shared responsibility. While conversations about sustainability at the university can centre heavily around the administration’s role, faculty and students are also an integral part of McGill’s sustainability efforts. As the foundation of the university community, students are in a unique position to implement grassroots initiatives to promote sustainable, environmentally-friendly practices at McGill. Successful projects such as Plate Club, Fight the Power, and the Arts Undergraduate Society’s Snax’s on-site compost were all the result of mobilization at the student level.

A sustainable university is not just the result of administrative decisions, but of the efforts of all members of the university community. Administrators can set long-term sustainability goals―like McGill’s Vision 2020 Sustainability Strategy, faculty can incorporate sustainability into their research and course content, and students can work at the grassroots level to create sustainable campus initiatives. In turn, faculty and administration should encourage students to continue pursuing such initiatives; however, at the same time, students can and should continue to lobby the administrations on its big picture decisions, whether or not it chooses to listen. All three of these pistons must be firing for McGill to make substantial progress on the road to sustainability.

On campus, conversations about sustainability must acknowledge the many ways in which it can be achieved, and the roles of all members of the university community in achieving it. A proper assessment of McGill’s progress on this issue needs to take all relevant criteria into account. Administrators, faculty, and students must be aware of the unique ways in which they can each promote sustainable practices at McGill.

 

 

 

News, SSMU

SSMU Council discusses the role of sponsorship in budget report

by Emma Avery on

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At the Sept. 29 Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Legislative Council, an initial report on the Society’s budget was presented by Vice-President (VP) Finance Niall Carolan. Additionally, executives gave reports on the formation and progress of various committees as well as upcoming plans for the year.

2016-2017 SSMU budget overview

Carolan reported on the budget, which will be finalized and presented at the Oct. 13 Council meeting after SSMU has been audited. Carolan addressed issues of sponsorship, the Student Run Cafeteria (SRC), and Gerts.

“Sponsorship is something that we’ve always used at the SSMU, and […] it has […] come into public light recently,” Carolan said. “However, I just want to provide a little context [….] There are two main allocations of sponsorship [….] A small portion of sponsorship is [for] general administration, and that’s used to pay for our sponsorship coordinators [….] The remaining portion of the sponsorship revenue goes directly to the events that it’s used to […] sponsor. And then more general sponsorship […] around the building and […] specific tabling events [….] goes directly into offsetting the costs of running this building.”

Carolan acknowledged one of the challenges with sponsorship lies in figuring out its impact on the student body. According to Carolan, the goal is to add to the student experience, not to detract from it.

“[Balancing that impact is] something we’re focusing on acutely now, after hearing input from students and […] campus media,” Carolan said. “Also, finding ways to make sponsorship more student-centred and ultimately […] ways that sponsorship can add value to students’ lives on campus[….] Some opportunities we have include getting students more involved in the reviewing of sponsors, and again, just trying find ways to add value to students’ lives through sponsorship.”

According to Carolan, SSMU has been exploring avenues to make the SRC more profitable. Although sales more than doubled in 2016 to approximately $221,000, this was accompanied by a rise in expenses, which in turn led to a deficit of $120,000 in the same year.

“A lot of [why that happened] is to do with how the SRC was set up,” Carolan said. “Advertising, for instance, as per [SSMU’s Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), the SRC is] not allowed to advertise anywhere on campus. This heavily restricts our promotional capacity to McGill students [….] Other issues are some of the mandates the SRC has [….] Things like using locally-sourced produce, sustainable produce, [and] paying workers fair wages. All of those things are good mandates, however, [they do] restrict our ability to be profitable.”

In order to regain profits in the SRC, SSMU is tracking sales on an hourly basis. Carolan emphasized that making the SRC profitable is a priority for all of the executives this year.

“I think having a student operation in this building is […] of paramount importance and I’ve always said that having a profitable student-run operation is always our […] top goal,” Carolan said. “However, we have been working through just about every executive portfolio and permanent staff member available […] on ways we can increase sales and more accurately attribute our costs to those sales.”

Other current and planned initiatives for the SRC include targeting off-campus sales, increasing catering, and introducing McGill ID card scanners to draw in first-years.

Executive Reports

VP Internal Daniel Lawrie addressed some of the positive feedback regarding this year’s Frosh. He also identified aspects of Frosh that could be improved for next year.

“We came up with a few key things that we could work on for next year. We found that [the] communication between all our faculties had improved significantly, but we could still work on that further […],” Lawrie said. “We also had a meeting with the administration about the street teams. Again, that was extremely positive.”

Lawrie also explained his upcoming projects, namely Four Floors and the McGill app. Lawrie plans to integrate SSMU services like the listserv into the app, as well as use it for event ticketing this year.

VP University Affairs Erin Sobat commented on the current state of the Draft Policy for Sexual Violence, which will be presented at the Oct. 19 Senate meeting, and voted on at the Nov. 19 meeting.

“We’re doing a wide range of consultation on this,” Sobat said. “We’ve got a whole bunch of focus groups that have been happening last week and this week until about [Oct. 3], which we are going to be compiling a report on to take to Senate.”

President Ben Ger explained a possible new initiative to increase attendance at the General Assembly (GA) by providing academic accommodations during the assemblies.

“The idea of potentially having some sort of academic amnesty, which would mean that [students] could not be graded during days in which the GA is happening,” Ger said. “That would be a McGill policy so that students could come out to attend the GA without fear of […] grades or missing class [….] The other option is having all classes cancelled or moved that day—with the exception of some […] labs.”

Ger explained that Associate Provost (Policies, Procedures, and Equity) Angela Campbell and Provost and Dean of Students Christopher Buddle both seemed receptive to the idea.

“Having more representation at the GA was something that they were behind—more engagement with debates on campus […],” Ger said. “ Moving forward, it will be brought to the Student Life and Learning team, as well as some other areas.”

 

A previous version of this article incorrectly identified that advertising on campus is against the SRC MOA. In fact, it goes against the MOA of SSMU. A previous version of this article also incorrectly identified that Associate Provost (Policies, Procedures and Equity) Angela Campbell and Vice-President (Academic) Christopher Manfredi both seemed receptive to the idea of academic amnesty during SSMU GA periods. In fact, Associate Provost (Policies, Procedures and Equity) Angela Campbell and the Dean of Students Christopher Buddle have both seemed receptive to the idea.

McGill, News

McGill launches pilot initiative for budding startups

by Raseel Ghoul on

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Over the summer, the McGill Office of Innovation began working on realizing a new McGill Startup Space, a physical place for student entrepreneur groups to come together and develop ideas and initiatives. The Office is launching the space through their partnership with the Notman House, a non-profit organization that offers office, event, and conference space to a large number of entrepreneurial startups in the Montreal community.

The motivation to establish the startup space came from research conducted by the Office of Innovation in the summer of 2016. According to Associate Vice Principal of Innovation Angelique Mannella, an important finding was the need for a startup space on or near campus; a place where McGill-based entrepreneurs could discuss ideas, work on logistics, and network within the greater Montreal community.

“The idea to launch the initiative came from feedback I received from many students and researchers that highlighted the desire for a startup space on campus […],” Mannella wrote in an email to The Tribune. “While there are some great initiatives [at McGill], such as [the McGill] Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship, we definitely need to take things to the next level.”

Campus Director at the Notman House, Emma Williams, discussed the role of the organization in assisting entrepreneurs in the local community, particularly through the numerous services it has to offer.

“The Notman House was created to offer the startup community a physical place to assemble,” Williams said. “It houses offices, event spaces, [and] eight ‘services for startups,’ such as Investors, Accelerators, [as well as] a public café. Its goal is to remove barriers to entry to entrepreneurship by providing startups with an open and collaborative environment where everyone feels welcome.”

Williams also mentioned the value that universities such as McGill bring to the Notman House and to the greater Montreal community, outlining her appreciation for student initiatives in the area.

“We wanted to work with McGill because it’s important for us to have strong partnerships with local universities,” Williams said. “Our main mission is to help develop and promote entrepreneurship in Montreal and we recognize that the next generation of founders and builders are coming out of institutions like McGill.”

A student and entrepreneur, Zoey Li, U4 Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, applauded McGill’s efforts at creating spaces dedicated to entrepreneurs, outlining the importance of a guaranteed physical space for entrepreneurs juggling the challenges of school and running a business. Li is the founder of YUMiBOX, a startup that provides the delivery of whole grain products to customers in order to motivate consumers to base their diets on healthier carbohydrate choices. The foundation of Li’s startup came from her participation in McGill’s Dobson Cup.

“Entrepreneurial initiatives at McGill like the Dobson Cup gave my team the confidence to move forward with our startup,” Li said. “The Notman House space is an amazing idea. Ultimately, every startup needs a place to start and grow, and having a designated place for your business takes off a lot of pressure for student entrepreneurs trying to balance between their initiatives and their schoolwork.”

The McGill Startup Space initiative launched on Saturday, Oct. 1 and will support three to four entrepreneurial groups as a pilot initiative until Jan. 2017.

Legal Information Column, Student Life

How to survive in the McGill ghetto: Noise complaints and neighbourly troubles

by Legal Information Clinic at McGill on

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As the semester unfolds, problems with noise and neighbours emerge. The downstairs neighbour may be excited to have moved away from their parents’ place, and has decided to put together a band. While this in itself may not be so bad, they decide to practice during ideal study moments. To top it all off, the upstairs neighbour is hosting nightly parties. The noise is nearly as unbearable as trying to navigate construction on McTavish Street. While earplugs might work in a pinch, the following are ideas for a more long-term solution to noisy apartments based on what Quebec law says about the rights and responsibilities of tenants and landlords.

What can a tenant do when they are faced with noise problems?   

Landlords are legally obliged to provide tenants with peaceable enjoyment of the dwelling. This means that, in certain situations, the landlord may be called upon to correct disruptive situations. For example, noise that is beyond the normal level of neighbourhood annoyance may be considered a violation of the tenant’s right to the peaceable enjoyment of the apartment

According to the Régie du logement, Quebec’s rental board in charge of overseeing residential lease disputes, tenants should initially try to speak with their neighbours and request that they lower their noise levels. That said, the landlord is responsible for trying to remedy conflicts between tenants, and, as a result, may be responsible for the inconveniences and damages suffered by a tenant due to the disruptive behaviour of others. However, because landlords often live elsewhere, they won’t know about noise issues unless informed by an occupant. Therefore, if speaking with the neighbours doesn’t work, a tenant can complain to the landlord, either verbally or through a formal notice by registered mail.

This notice would lay out all the facts relevant to the dispute and formally demand that the landlord take action within a reasonable period of time. It is useful for the tenant to keep a record of when the disturbance occurs and to gather any relevant evidence, such as sound recordings or even police reports. If necessary, the landlord could ask the Régie to cancel the remaining time on the troublesome party’s lease, thereby requiring the noisy individual to move out.

If all else fails

If, after notifying the landlord, the problem persists, a tenant can ask the Régie du logement for a reduction in their rent. The tenant could even ask for their own lease to be cancelled. If the landlord fails to act with prudence and diligence, the tenant may also ask the Régie to order the landlord to pay money to compensate for any injury the tenant suffered, such as emotional stress and expenses incurred in trying to fix the problem that the landlord was ignoring. Finally, when a noisy tenant disturbs other tenants’ enjoyment of their dwelling, a court may find the troublesome tenant liable for damages that result from the disturbance created for other tenants. If a landlord or noisy tenant won’t pay under a court order, the person entitled to the money can follow legal procedures to enforce the court judgement. While taking people to court is possible, tenants must bear in mind that they are required to formally advise the landlord of the disturbance before pursuing legal action.

 

Each borough in Montreal has adopted its own regulations that define the types of noises that are forbidden and the options that are available to assert one’s rights. To inquire about these, or to ask your own legal question, contact the Legal Information Clinic at McGill (LICM) with the directions found on our website. According to the Act respecting the Barreau du Québec, only lawyers and notaries can provide legal advice or counsel. The LICM, therefore, only provides legal information. For legal advice, please contact a lawyer. 

McGill, News

#ConsentMcGill annual campaign teaches students about consent, sexual violence, and healthy relationships

by Domenic Casciato, Julia Metraux, Sara Cullen on

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The #ConsentMcGill campaign kicked off its third year with a week of speaking panels, workshops, and other activities designed to educate members of the McGill community about consent, sexual violence, and how to build healthy relationships. Events were scheduled from Sept. 26 to 30 and covered a variety of topics related to consent on the university campus. Included in the week’s programming was a workshop on how to intervene in cases of sexual assault and a symposium that covered the topic of caring for survivors of sexual violence. Other events included a pottery class that promoted therapeutic self-care and a speaking panel on the power dynamics that contribute to sexual violence at the university.

Coordinated by the Office of the Dean of Students, #ConsentMcGill has been hosting the annual week-long campaign since 2014. The initiative works with students, staff, and faculty, and seeks to promote the three key principles of consent: Ask, listen, and respect. Organized largely by Liaison Officer (Harm Reduction), Bianca Tétrault, #ConsentMcGill is run by volunteers year round.

Consent McGill Panel

The Consent McGill Panel consisted of four speakers, each with different experiences with sexual violence and power dynamics. The speakers included Adrienne Piggott, one of McGill’s harassment assessors; Jason Opal, an assistant professor from the Department of History; Nina Hermes, a floor fellow at RVC and sexual violence survivor; and Claire Michela, the president of the Association of McGill University Support Employees (AMUSE).

The panel’s topics ranged from the responsibility of faculty to create a safe space for students to the efficacy of the university’s sexual harassment policy, as well as the role of witnesses of sexual violence.

“From a professor standpoint, it should be said particularly of professors that whether they like it or not […] they are in a position of privilege,” Opal said. “That privilege therefore means that you have to generate healthy boundaries, and guard healthy boundaries and be there as a form of respect and service to your students.”

Students were invited to ask the panel questions and participate in discussions. Aside from the speakers’ prepared introductions, the conversation was spontaneous with new questions being posed by both the host, the Equity and Diversity Commissioner of PGSS, Angela Yu, and audience members. Students participated in discussions about the role of McGill’s drinking culture, the role of parents in teaching their children about healthy relationships, and the effectiveness of McGill’s policies.

One of the central topics of the night was about the ability of McGill to pursue allegations of sexual harassment. Piggott is directly involved with the investigation of harassment complaints and with redrafting the university’s sexual harassment and discrimination policy.

“[The harassment policy] was written by people, so we adjust as we go,” Piggott said. “We don’t necessarily get it right the first time we draft.”

In response to one of the final questions of the night, however, Michela pointed out that this is not a hopeless message.

“Work together,” Michela said. “Speak up. It took that straw that broke the camel’s back for people to finally get together and be like ‘alright, we’re going to work on [the policy….]’ Make enough noise and you can maybe get that.”

How to Respond to and Support Disclosures Workshops

On Sept. 28 and 29, two workshops, titled “How to Respond to and Support Disclosures,” were hosted by Tétrault.

Tétrault, who has been running this campaign for three years, said it is essential to hold workshops like these because it is important to be prepared to support a survivor of sexual violence.

“Students look to certain members of the community,” Tétrault said. “It’s important to be prepared to support a student.”

In Tétrault’s presentation, she emphasized the importance of supporting survivors, whether as an active listener or as a source to help them to find the right resources. Tétrault also highlighted information on rape kits and important legal details, such as McGill’s current process for dealing with sexual violence.

Susanne Baumann-Moroy, human resources advisor in the Department of Engineering, said that the information shared in the “How to Respond to and Support Disclosures” presentation should be more widely known among the McGill community.

“Information for people who are sexually assaulted, like [the fact that you] only [have] 72 hours to get a [rape kit], is very important and should be common knowledge,” Baumann-Moroy said.

During the workshops, Tétrault noted that she was disappointed with the gender disparity of the attendees. Around 15 people attended the Sept. 29 workshop, but only two were male.

“It really speaks to who the advocates [for] those who are assaulted are [at McGill],” Tétrault said.

Baumann-Moroy believes that presentations like “How to Respond to and Support Disclosures” should be mandatory for the McGill community.


“What we learned today was not only about sexual assault, but also about respecting each other,” Baumann-Moroy said.

Ask a Scientist, Science & Technology

Ask a Scientist: How is spider silk so strong?

by Daniel Galef on

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How is spider silk so strong? It’s so thin and light!

The properties of spider silk—also known as gossamer—can seem mysterious if we try to think of it as a kind of string; however, the strength of spider silk comes primarily from its complex structure on the microscopic scale.

Gossamer is actually so materially and structurally complex that humans have only very recently been able to—imperfectly—synthesize spider silk in the lab or engineer it inside of a goat. But spiders have been doing this without difficulty for millions of years. What’s their secret?

First of all, people don’t always mean the same thing when they say strong. For example, something that’s strong seems like it should be hard. However, eggshells are a much harder material than rope, and are simultaneously also much weaker. For the purposes of this article, we’ll take strong to refer to tensile strength, which indicates how well something can withstand being pulled apart by outside forces.

It’s no scientific distortion or misrepresentation to say that spider silk has a tensile strength about equal to that of steel—a strand of steel the same width as a thread of spider silk would break under the same pressure.

Gossamer has two main structural components that make it so impressive: Crystalline blocks of protein in a rigid molecular structure, which are connected by and suspended in a stretchy matrix of the same proteins in a looser structure. In addition to the crystalline blocks and stretchy matrix, a variety of trace substances have their own effects: Saltpetre acts as a chemical preservative, phosphoric acid keeps the pH low enough to ward off bacteria, and tetrahydropyrrole keeps the thread from drying out and snapping.

What happens inside a spider to create a substance so much better than human efforts could produce for millennia? The answer, like so many flies, lies in a spider’s gut. Spiders don’t extrude silk the way mammals extrude hair; their abdominal organs––known as spinnerets––manipulate and craft the silk from an already-prepared liquid solution created in the spider’s silk glands.

The starting ingredient of silk is a protein soup known as silk dope, a liquid crystal composed of the same biochemicals that will ultimately be spun into the super-strong thread, but not yet in the peculiar structure that will give it its remarkable properties on a larger scale.

The molecules of silk dope are in what is called a nematic arrangement, which means they naturally align themselves into a roughly parallel formation because of their electric charges. It’s because they do this that the twists in the spider’s spinnerets will be able to further order the silk dope into tougher, stronger silk.

Spiders don’t just make one kind of silk, either. By altering the rate at which they spin or intertwine silk strands in different ways, spiders can customize the strength and elasticity of their web. For example, a spider might spin a thinner silk for day-to-day web repairs, then a more rugged and bulky silk when constructing the protective shielding for their eggs. Spiderwebs are both versatile and still one of the strongest biomaterials in existence.

McGill, News

Dr. Cindy Blackstock joins McGill’s School of Social Work

by Alexia Martel-Desjardins on

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Dr. Cindy Blackstock will be joining McGill’s School of Social Work starting in Sept. 2017. Dr. Blackstock is famous for her work as an advocate for indigenous children, namely during a case brought before the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal regarding equal access to child and family services for indigenous children.

Dr. Nico Trocmé, director of the School of Social Work and Philip Fisher Chair in Social Work, are pleased that Dr. Blackstock is joining the department.

“This builds on a longstanding collaboration between [Dr. Blackstock and I], from the work we have done on the overrepresentation [of] indigenous children in [the] child welfare [system, and] documented by the Canadian Incidence Study of reported Child Abuse,” Dr. Trocmé said.

As Executive Director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada (FNCFCS), Dr. Blackstock worked to end the Canadian government’s discrimination against First Nations children in the child care system.

“Going back decades, the federal government has provided less public funding for services like education, health care, and child welfare [for First Nations children] than all other Canadians receive […],” Dr. Blackstock said. “Depending on the program, 50 […] to 70 cents on the dollar for First Nations kids.”

In Jan. 2016, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal recognized the FNCFCS’s claim. The Tribunal ordered the Canadian government to end the discrimination against indigenous children in the provision of government services.

“We said that failures to act on the available solutions and the perpetuation of these inequalities for children is racial discrimination, and in January 2016 the Tribunal agreed with us and ordered Canada to stop,” Dr. Blackstock said.

Since then, the Tribunal has issued two orders concerning the lack of action to end the underfunding of child and family services for indigenous children.

“We [sent] a compliance order [in April] to Canada that [notified them that] they failed to comply with the January order […] and then we have another compliance order that was issued on [Sept. 16] again because Canada failed to comply,” Dr. Blackstock said.

If the government does not respect the order, Dr. Blackstock and the FNCFCS plan on taking the issue a step further.

“We are always hoping that Canada […] complies with these orders, but if it fails to do so, then we are within our rights to file an application for contempt in federal court […] because we simply cannot allow 163,000 children to suffer,” Dr. Blackstock said.  

“It’s been shown and sold out to audiences all over Eastern Canada, and this week is going to Calgary,” Dr. Blackstock said.

Dr. Blackstock is currently completing speaking engagements and will begin to teach at McGill next September. She will teach a course about advocacy and changing public policy in change-resistant environments.

“I don’t think very many people in academia actually have those skills because they’ve never learned how to actually create systemic change [….],” Dr. Blackstock said. “Without those skills, we can’t really expect people to be able to make those changes. So I want to be able to pass along what I do in 20, 30 years to another group of folks on how you change things in peaceful, respectful ways.”

According to Dr. Trocmé, in addition to the advocacy course, Dr. Blackstock will contribute to the development of an indigenous social work course–the first of its kind in the province of Quebec.

“We also are the first school in Quebec and one of the first in Canada to add a required Indigenous Social Work course to our [Bachelors of Social Work] program; [Dr. Blackstock] will play a major role in developing this course,” said Dr. Trocmé.

Moreover, Dr. Blackstock intends to seize every opportunity she has to pass on her knowledge in order to raise awareness and engage Canadians in the fight for the protection of indigenous children’s rights.

“I’m also blessed with the frequent opportunity of being in the media, both in written media and in broadcasting, and so I take whatever opportunities I have there to spread the word,”  Blackstock said.

Dr. Blackstock also starred in the movie We Can’t Make the Same Mistake Twice, following the story of the tribunal case. Produced by Alanis Obomsawin, the film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in Sept. 2016.

Despite being one of only a few indigenous-Canadians to be hired at McGill, Dr. Blackstock remains focused on her advocacy. In her new role as a professor, she is motivated to bring the unfair treatment of indigenous children to public consciousness.

“I really do believe that our students at McGill and people in the Canadian public more generally would be appalled if they actually knew that there’s racial discrimination that is going on and would stand up against it,” Dr. Blackstock said. “But it’s been so normalized in our society that people make excuses for it or they minimize it.”

Private, Science & Technology

Quebec promises to abolish health care accessory fees by early 2017

by Clare Fogarty on

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On Sept. 14, Quebec Minister of Health Dr. Gaetan Barrette announced that as of January 2017, Quebec doctors will no longer be allowed to charge accessory fees—additional fees on services already provided by the Quebec health insurance.

Accessory fees have generally been charged for services such as eye drops, injections, and stitches. According to Barrette, these fees sum up to approximately $83 million dollars in charges per year, guaranteeing a large profit margin for physicians who pay less than one-seventh of that cost to provide these services.

Many argue that this violates the principle of “accessibility” outlined by the 1984 Canada Health Act (CHA), which states that all medically-necessary services shall remain free-of-charge for Canadian citizens. The Canadian government provides this funding in the form of Federal Health Transfers to the provinces on the condition that they respect the principles of the CHA.

Dr. Amélie Quesnel-Vallée, Canada Research Chair in Policies and Health Inequities and associate professor in the Departments of Sociology, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, explained that since the end of the 1980s, the federal government has done little to monitor the provinces’ compliance. However, this no longer appears to be the case: Canada’s Minister of Health Dr. Jane Philpott recently stated that Quebec would be penalized for violating the CHA through deductions in transfer payments.

“The strong stance adopted by Minister Philpott [regarding] the Quebec user fees and the threat of clawbacks is thus a break from the past and signaling that the federal government really means business,” Dr. Quesnel-Vallée explained. “This could be a strategic move in anticipation of the Health Accords meetings that are to take place between the federal government and the provincial or territorial counterparts […] indicating to other provinces that the laissez-faire attitude of the past […] will no longer hold.”

The issue of excessive fees is not new to Canadian health care discourse. Extra billing—which occurs when physicians billing both patients and the government for the same services—was banned across Canada in 1987 as a violation of the CHA. Dr. David Wright, chair of the McGill Department of History who specializes in medical history, explained that unlike extra billing, accessory fees fall into a /”grey area” of Medicare regulation.

“Patients […] do not want to pay “user fees” for what are supposed to be “free” medical services covered by provincial insurance plans,” Dr. Wright said. “And governments expect that the fees that they reimburse for insurable services include the cost of related activities and medical items.”

Historically, this grey area has created opportunity for questionable additional billing practices, proving factious amongst the Quebec public.

“Sometimes, doctors have billed for specific non-insurable services, like writing a medical note for students,” Dr. Wright added. “In other instances, some doctors, or groups of doctors, have tried charging ‘registration’ or ‘annual membership’ fees for patients. The latter practice has proved to be particularly controversial in Quebec.”

This matter became increasingly more contentious with the 2015 enactment of Bill 20 in Quebec, which was proposed to regulate accessory fees that would minimize social and health inequities.

“[Bill 20] brought attention to the fact that the province was aware of user fees, and was implicitly legitimizing them by wanting to regulate them rather than abolish them,” Dr. Quesnel-Vallée said.

The distribution of power and funds between the federal and provincial governments in Canadian health care thus continues to prove an excessively complicated issue. More information on the specifics of this regulation will be made public in the coming weeks. In the meantime, policymakers in other provinces will continue to walk the tightrope between health care accessibility and affordability.

“There are always going to be differences in policy and practice between provinces,” Dr. Wright concluded. “I would expect that other provincial ministers of health will be watching closely to judge how this policy change is received, both by doctors and by the general public.”

Private, Science & Technology

Advances in veterinary practice: Doggy acupuncture and the technological future

by Kate Lord on

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Anyone who has ever taken an introductory biology class probably recalls the effort that goes into learning a few evolutionarily basic phyla characteristics. Those who remember will likely appreciate a profession that builds exponentially upon that introductory class in order to diagnose and treat species across the animal kingdom.

“Veterinarians are an essential part of civilization,” Morgan Rauscher, the principal consultant in Technology and Business for the Young Women’s Veterinarian Association (YWVA), said. “They’re connected to food production, sustainability research, wildlife conservation—it’s not just your cat or dog at home, although that’s part of it, too.”

Veterinary medicine has evolved into a dynamic field, encompassing much more than check-ups for pets.

“Before, maybe 50 years ago, once you graduated you either started your own clinic or partnered up with [a colleague], ” Véronique Thivierge, Director of Operations for the YWVA and a fourth-year veterinary student at the Université de Montréal, said. “But today, […] you have to collaborate with biologists, people in agriculture, [and] business people. It’s crazy the number of options [available].”

Veterinary science, as a study of the natural world and health science, has inextricable links to sustainability and a duty to keep up with technology. Rauscher explained that while environmental sustainability and advancing technology often compete within their industries, in veterinary medicine, the two advancing spheres help push each other to progress even further.

Veterinary treatments to cure the diseases of pets, farm and wild animals are constantly subject to innovation.

“There are so many different alternatives,” Thivierge said. “If [the client] is not so interested in the classical way of treating an animal, [they] can try acupuncture, hydrotherapy, massage, alternative food, organic food, [and] plant-based food [….] The possibilities are expanding as veterinarians […] with what type of practice you want to have, and as clients, with what kind of service you want for your animal.”

Even with the constantly evolving field of veterinary medicine, Rauscher and Thivierge agree that intuition is still a key component when diagnosing and treating an animal.

“I’ve personally seen Ms. Thivierge next to a horse, and it’s a bit shocking,” Rauscher said. “When she approaches the horse, the whole animal just relaxes. There’s this connection that veterinarians have, and I think that’s what motivates them into the veterinary sciences.”

For students interested in pursuing studies in the veterinary sciences, Thivierge stressed the obvious importance of having a passion for animals. Furthermore, there are other skills required to sustain a veterinary practice in the modern era.

“It’s very important to also think about how you’re not only going to be a health care professional––you’re going to be a business person, a manager, a PR person, [and] you’ll have to deal with families,” Thivierge said.

Thivierge further suggested that those interested should spend some time volunteering at a veterinary clinic, wildlife center, or farm.

“If you’re ready to do it, it’s a great profession [and it’s] so diverse,” Thivierge said. “You can really build what you wish to build and have the impact you want around you.”


The International Conference on Sustainable Veterinary Practice, featuring keynote speaker Dr. Jane Goodall, is taking place on Oct. 6th from 9a.m.-7p.m.in Marché Bonsecours.

Arts & Entertainment

Pop Dialectic: Snapchat Spectacles and the rise of wearable social media

by Morgan Davis and Anna St. Clair on

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Snap to it

When Snapchat first arrived on the social media scene, it was hard to see its purpose beyond sending nudes. The app started as a project created by a group of Stanford students. On Snapchat, the user snaps a picture and sends it to a friend who can view the picture for up to ten seconds before it disappears—of course, someone can always take a screenshot. Now worth over $3 billion USD, Snapchat has added a host of other features, like chat, geotags, and filters that make for a spontaneous and fun social media platform. It’s no surprise that Snapchat’s latest invention, Spectacles, further integrates social media with real life in a positive way.


The concept of Spectacles is simple: They are a pair of sunglasses with a video camera embedded in the frame. They allow the user to take videos from their perspective, which can then be uploaded to the app via Bluetooth or Wi-fi. Once uploaded, the videos go to the ‘Memories’ section of the app, meaning they are saved and users can choose to send it to friends. Spectacles sell for $130, whereas other wearable tech are significantly pricier: Go-Pros are in the $200 to $400 range and the Google Glass, an Android device resembling a pair of eyeglasses, which went for $1,500 USD. Snapchat also announced that they are changing their name to Snap Inc., suggesting that Spectacles are just the first innovation of many. The home page of their website describes Snap Inc. as a camera company. Snap Inc. could veer further into the wearable tech industry by focusing on creating more cameras and camera accessories that are equally affordable and easy to use.


The comparison to Google Glass­­—which stopped selling to the public last year—has already been made; however, Spectacles are much closer to a Go-Pro. Google Glass allowed users to access all of their phone’s features, including internet, apps, and camera, on a glass screen right in-front of their eyes. They were meant to be worn all the time. Google Glass distracted and alienated people from the world around them, whereas Spectacles allow one to capture videos without the distraction of pulling out one’s phone.


The video announcement of Spectacles features a group using the device to capture footage while skateboarding. The handsfree video camera is a great way to capture video in situations where pulling out a phone could be dangerous—biking or skateboarding. Yet, the low profile of the glasses allows Spectacles to be used while casually walking around.


The major objection to Spectacles is the issue of personal privacy. With Spectacles, people can discreetly take pictures of anyone anywhere. Yet, taking pictures of strangers has been easy for years. Spectacles will do little, if anything, to escalate this problem. Think of all the people in photos, videos, and memes that have gone viral. How many of those people were aware they were being photographed? The issue of privacy and social media is far more complex than a pair of sunglasses.  


For a company that has managed to bring out the best in social media and communication, Spectacles are a step in the right direction. Sometimes it’s just nice not to stare at a screen.

 
—Anna St. Clair

Contributor

Snap back to reality

Unsatisfied with its status as a ‘messaging app,’ Snapchat is venturing into the world of wearable tech. ‘Spectacles’ are sunglasses with an integrated video camera allowing users to transfer their memories onto the app via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Snapchat, in changing its name to Snap Inc., is trying to broaden their brand; one that has been  working just fine already. With over 100 million daily users and approximately 8,796 photos shared every second, it’s easy to see where Snapchat gets the confidence to expand. Transitioning from software to hardware, however, is a high-risk move—one that Snapchat hasn’t proved that it’s ready for.


The idea behind sunglasses that film your vision is an exciting premise. With the steady advancements of technology in our society, something as futuristic as a wearable social media device seems only appropriate. What Snapchat doesn’t want its users to remember is that a very similar product was released only a few years ago. Compare the Snap Spectacles to the lack of success of Google Glass. Released in 2012, many people raised their concerns over Google Glass; public places, such as movie theatres and bars, went as far as banning the product due to privacy issues. In fact, Google Glass had significantly more powerful filming capabilities and built-in Wi-Fi when initially released; however, it was still unable to maintain market share. By Jan. 2015, Google officially announced that they would be taking Google Glass off the market in a humble retreat, and the product is now little more than a memory.


The other issue concerning Spectacles is their very limiting style. While sunglasses seem ideal for the function of inconspicuous filming during the daytime, it limits the events a user can wear them to without looking ridiculous. Not to suggest that Google Glass was any more stylish, but at least the clear glass was less of an eyesore.


Much of the concern for Spectacles comes from the fear of unknowingly being filmed. Today the ethics of recording unaware people is a grey area. While it is legal to film someone in a public space, the idea of someone’s sunglasses recording video would make anyone uncomfortable. This isn’t the first time Snap Inc. has found itself questioned for privacy. Recent complaints arose when the company released their new privacy policy stating they have the right to reproduce users’ snaps. With the expansion to include Spectacles, Snap Inc. opens itself up to potential legal implications.


At $130 dollars USD, the sunglasses are being marketed as affordable and accessible. When considering alternatives such as the Go-Pro, which does cost about $300 but films for over two hours and gives you a very high quality image, spending $130 on Spectacles appears fiscally irresponsible. Additionally, it’s inconvenient that Spectacles can only transfer the footage to the app when connected to Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Ultimately, Snap Inc. Spectacles would be a misguided venture and an exhaustion of the company’s resources. Snapchat should focus on what it knows in order to remain one of the number one social media apps.


—Morgan Davis
Staff Writer

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