“Oh, she’s tough!” shouted one of the boys during our 11v11 McGill intramural soccer game at the Molson stadium this October. This “insightful” observation was sarcastically directed toward one of the women on the opposing women’s team as she took a missed shot to the stomach. When I played in[Read More…]
Commentary
Point-counterpoint: What should stay in the post-COVID-19 world?
Courtney Squires Caution should come first With restrictions being lifted and parts of the world returning to in-person routines, many are anxious to get back to their pre-pandemic normal. However, preventative measures like mask wearing and physical distancing have proven to have a multitude of non-pandemic related benefits. After the[Read More…]
Cabinet criticisms coincide with McGill’s concerning treatment of faculty
On Oct. 26, Governor General Mary May Simon swore in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s new cabinet. As Canada faces its second consecutive Liberal minority government, the cabinet will become a focal point of debates over the future of the nation. Notably, Trudeau appointed Member of Parliament (MP) Anita Anand to[Read More…]
Pandemic prison conditions emphasize need for reform
Throughout the pandemic, prisons have faced a reckoning, and Montreal’s Bordeaux prison is no exception. The prison has seen some of civilians’ worst fears play out, from multiple COVID-19 outbreaks, to inadequate resources, and more recently, to more than 1,000 inmates locked in their cells for over 24 hours while[Read More…]
Facebook’s blackout should inspire us to reevaluate our relationship with the internet
On Monday, Oct. 4, at approximately 11:30 a.m., the entirety of Facebook shut down due to an internal malfunction. Its 3.5 billion users were denied access for approximately six hours, resulting in global panic and complaints. With WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, and all the other Facebook-owned platforms also down, many of[Read More…]
Quebec’s hospital vaccine mandate deadline extensions highlight a crumbling health care system
Quebec recently extended its deadline for the mandatory vaccination of all health care workers until Nov. 15. Additionally, the province announced that all people over the age of 13 would need to show proof of vaccination or their vaccine passport before entering health care facilities for non-essential reasons, such as[Read More…]
McGill should reduce harm, not safety
University is a time of experimentation, exploration, and self-discovery. For some students, this includes experimenting with drugs. However, users rarely have access to comprehensive education regarding safe drug use—a necessary component of a harm reduction approach. For many first-year students, their only “harm reduction” measure is an informal tradition: Floor[Read More…]
A secure campus requires open communication
On the morning of Sept. 14, several campus buildings were evacuated and morning classes were cancelled as police responded to a suspicious package in the McCall MacBain Arts Building. Four days later, two men were stabbed just steps away from campus on Sherbrooke Street, and one of them later died.[Read More…]
SSMU’s failed activities night undermines its integrity
On Sept. 13, over 1,000 students barricaded the virtual entry doors to the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU)’s Fall 2021 Activities Night. Internet disconnection alerts flooded the screens of many confused students and club leaders. Although students might have anticipated a mediocre gaming platform with thousands of live participants[Read More…]
When being deemed ‘non-essential’ threatens cultural existence
On Sept. 16, Grévin Montréal, the famous Montreal wax museum, permanently closed its doors. It had been temporarily closed since March 2020 as public health protocols forbade non-essential activities like cultural exhibitions from fully opening. Numerous Black-owned businesses faced similar circumstances after being deemed “non-essential,” exposing how such arbitrary labelling[Read More…]
