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Arts & Entertainment, Music

Artist Spotlight: Elliot Sinclair

by Alfie Crooks on

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With the emergence of Montreal as a hotbed of indie music, a number of up-and-coming musicians have migrated here, looking to make it in the plethora of bars and clubs the city has to offer. Montreal still holds the title as one of the independent music capitals of North America, and has attracted a number of creative minds to the Milton Gates. U0 Arts students Elliot Sinclair, the musician behind Alright, Lights, is no exception.

Coming from Kingston, Ontario, the singer-songwriter’s impressively sophisticated and haunting album, Bloom was released this past January via Soundcloud. For him, coming to McGill wasn’t just about getting an education, but was also about finding a bigger stage for his creative voice.  

“Really [I wanted to come to McGill] because of Montreal,” Sinclair said. “I really wanted to break onto the music scene over here [….] I really like how it’s a hub for music in Canada.”

While Sinclair notes that he is spoiled by the number of venues in the Montreal music scene, he has yet to play any live shows outside of McGill-run coffee houses. Instead, Sinclair is choosing to wait on finding a band before looking for venues to play. 

“I haven’t made much of a conscious effort to search out for ways to expand on my music here, but there are so many places which I can start out,” Sinclair acknowledged. “Right now I’m in a bit of a lull because I’m playing on my own. I enjoy the energy of playing in a live band where people are building off each other’s energy, so I’d really like to find some people to play with first.”

Sinclair’s fascination with the Montreal music scene comes off the back of years of musical experience. After starting to play piano when he was six years-old, Sinclair began writing songs when he was 13 or 14—mainly “because of girls.” Since then, Sinclair has been writing avidly, yet sporadically. Bloom is in fact a compilation of his best works throughout high school up to this point. It reflects the adolescent angst and emotion that many feel at that time, and writing seems to be a therapeutic outlet for these emotions. 

“I didn’t start writing [Bloom] with the thought in mind that I would be creating an album, but then sometime last year, I thought that high school was a pretty crazy time, so I wanted to tell the story of what had happened over the last four years,” he said. “There aren’t clear linear stories or anything like that, but they’re very reflective of times when I was feeling stressed out by things. That’s when I typically find writing easiest.”

While Sinclair’s album may deal with reaching maturity, his awareness of his own creativity is already markedly precocious. He labels his work practices as “scatterbrained,” and readily acknowledges how Bloom is a project that can’t be replicated, given how tied up it is in his past experiences. This kind of outlook is indicative of the organic nature of Sinclair’s music, an entity which develops with his own growth, and is never forced.

“It seems these days, so many young musicians try too hard to appeal to what’s popular, and the stuff that they feel they have to be making in order to gain more listeners,” Sinclair said. “But, I think you just make the music you truly want to be making then it becomes a lot more fun, and less restrictive.”

Sinclair really does seem to be having fun. Whether it’s his occasional partialness to dancing in his bedroom to ’80s hits, seeing punk bands called Diarrhea Planet, or remixing “lullaby” versions of ’90s rap hits, there is a carefree feel to the way Sinclair both consumes and creates music. Because of the kind of organic and comfortable creative process Sinclair has, it might mean that another project won’t come out for a while. Yet behind the scenes it seems like his creative engine is constantly whirring, even though the results may not be as prolific.

“I’d really like to make a concept album at some point,” Sinclair said. “I really like the idea of actually connecting a full on story through an album.”

While this strange mixture of relaxation and passion for music means Sinclair probably won’t be releasing something else for a while, what listeners will see will most likely be a very thoughtful and meaningful project.

Arts & Entertainment, Film and TV

Fokus Film Festival showcases student creativity

by Evelyn Goessling on

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Time and time again McGill students prove that the lack of a formal visual arts department is in no way an obstacle to fantastic productions. Fokus Film Festival is just one example of the wealth of creativity at this school, and as the only festival of its kind the submissions are particularly rich and interesting. Now in its 10th year, Fokus showcases student films made in and around the McGill community. The following is a list of a few true standouts of the night. 

Moscow I Miss You by Sashka Avanyan 

The festival opener, Moscow I Miss You by Sashka Avanyan, is a short but sweet tribute to the filmmaker’s homeland. Via screen grabs of Google Street View the audience travels through the streets of Moscow, stopping at personal landmarks along the way. At each landmark an old home photo pops up: The filmmaker in her old apartment, posing in front of the water, or as a child, with her mother. There is a strong sense of duality in this film technique. Google Street View is extremely public and accessible to anyone, but Avanyan’s use of the technology makes each location intimate and personal. On this virtual tour of the city it becomes apparent that revisiting one’s homeland, even virtually, is both painful and comforting. 

Waterway to Stardom: Who is Flood Girl? by Lou Gatti

Lou Gatti’s tongue-in-cheek TVM Special Report seeks out the elusive story behind Flood Girl, the iconic McGillian who in 2013 was swept away by sudden flooding on McTavish. Who is this girl? What were her motives? Her desires? Hopes? Dreams? A former classmate, who preferred to remain anonymous, related her derring-do nature. The source said that they weren’t surprised by this after her “reckless interpretation of metaphor and allusion” in their German literature class. Maybe it was drunkenness, or an unprecedented desire to get across the street to Gerts. Maybe it was bravery, or an ill-informed attempt at internet fame. Whatever the motivation, Flood Girl found her place in McGill lore. Gatti’s short film captures the wonderfully kitschy essence of Flood Girl and McGill’s culture around the tale. 

Smoke Dreams by Cody Lieberman 

Cody Lieberman’s entry into the Avant Garde category is a cross between a nightmare and dream sequence. The short film, like many dreams, cuts between seemingly unrelated images, but seems to follow some sort of subconscious thread. In this case, the apparent thread is highly influenced by David Lynch: viewers see several clips from Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks. There’s also a general sense of disjointed paranoia (Lynch’s signature) that comes through in the film. Clouded by smoke, darkness, and obscured by almost too-loud patches of dialogue, the film doesn’t appear to have a plot. Instead the audience is left with a mysteriously spooky representation of the dream world. 

Karma Police by Ben Koring

Like the documentary entry Waterway to Stardom, Karma Police doesn’t seem to take itself too seriously, and this pays off immensely in laughs. The film features two guardian angels of karma, watching our every move to see if we return that wallet we found on the street, or correct the cashier when they give us too much change. The angels, one an optimistic newbie, the other a cynic who’s reportedly been on the job for 75,000 years, watch their target to determine if he’s a decent guy or a “lost cause.” This clever film gives voice to the eyes in the sky that keeps our consciences in check—although they may not be as straight-edge as we’d expect. 

Basketball, Men's Varsity, Sports

Basketball: Redmen come away from CIS Nationals empty-handed, despite excellent season

by Zikomo Smith on

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The McGill Redmen basketball team suffered two heartbreaking losses at the CIS National Championships in Vancouver; the Redmen gave up a lead in the final minute to lose the quarter-final game 72-69 against finalist Calgary Dinos on Thursday, and then lost the consolation semifinal game 69-68 against the UBC Thunderbirds.

The two tightly contested defeats capped an excellent Redmen season that saw the team go 12-4 in the RSEQ regular season, and storm to an RSEQ title. McGill played with remarkable flexibility all season: They had one of the strongest benches in the country, were dominant rebounders, and were the best fourth-quarter team in the RSEQ.

On Thursday, McGill went up 69-66 courtesy of junior guard Dele Ogundokun’s three-pointer with a minute left. Calgary responded with three big plays, hitting a layup with 46 seconds to go, drawing a foul with 26 seconds to go, and then making a steal with 10 seconds left on the clock, ultimately sealing the game.

“We came here to win the title this year, we didn’t come to play for fifth or sixth, we came here to win,” Coach Dave DeAveiro explained, per McGill Athletics. “To not execute down the stretch is extremely frustrating[….] We can’t help Calgary win games, and I thought tonight we helped Calgary win this game.”

It was back and forth the entire game. McGill led the first quarter 19-15, but trailed by two points at the half. McGill and Calgary were constantly trading leads, taking it to the wire and providing riveting entertainment for the 1,250-strong crowd.

Ogundokun stood out for the Redmen with 19 points on 8-14 shooting, and added four assists. Junior point guard Jenning Leung connected on 5-10 from the three point line to add 15 points for the Redmen, as well as recording five steals. Both players were key for the Redmen all season: Leung’s three-point shooting and ball handling contributed to McGill’s dynamic offence, and Ogundokun’s defensive play on the perimeter and on the boards was a cornerstone of McGill’s defensive dominance.

Against UBC on Friday, McGill dug itself out of a 16 point halftime deficit, only to lose in excruciating fashion 69-68. Ogundokun and Leung starred once again with 15 points apiece. Junior guard Michael Peterkin also contributed 10 rebounds off the bench in a spirited performance. McGill, however, was always playing from behind. The Redmen only led once in the entire game, with a minute and a half left on the clock. The comeback, however, was encouraging and indicative of their mental strength. Redmen Head Coach Dave DeAveiro also used the game as an opportunity to play younger players, and other players who did not see much game time during the regular season.

McGill maintained its rebounding advantage against UBC, and also won the turnover battle 25-17. McGill, however, only shot 35 per cent. from the field in comparison to UBC’s 49 per cent.

The Redmen may have come away from the weekend empty-handed, but they demonstrated all the qualities that will make them an RSEQ and CIS powerhouse in years to come: Excellent, dogged rebounding, accurate three point shooting, and incredible temperament in the fourth quarter. Senior guard Vincent Dufort played his final game as well as guard Tychon Carter-Newman. 

McGill is in a good place, having exhibited consistent RSEQ success. On a national scale, a deep CIS run is required to vindicate the program’s talented foundation.

“We were pretty good this year,” DeAveiro said, per McGill Athletics. “I think we’re getting closer. We played against two very good teams [….] I was proud of what we’re doing and I expect us to be competing for a provincial championship next year and back at Nationals in Halifax.”

Minds and Matters, Podcasts, Science & Technology

Minds and Matters EP. 2: Donald Trump’s psycholgical tactics

by Chloe Nevitt and Lydia Kaprelian on

[audiotrack title=”Minds and Matters EP. 2: When SSMU is confronted with “external” and “divisive” issues” songwriter=”Chloe Nevitt and Lydia Kaprelian” date=”March 21, 2016″ width=”700″ height=”200″ src=”https://24f2041bb5b609d25f1a97039f71682cc9154421.googledrive.com/host/0B9rQxTeDv2duM0FmSjBSYkZFS1k/TrumpMindsMatters.mp3″ autoplay=”on”]

In Episode 2 of Minds and Matters, the McGill Tribune's Science & Technology podcast, editor Chloe Nevitt and contributor Lydia Kaprelian dive into the psychological tactics that US presidential candidate Donald Trump uses to get people to support him. They look into the nature of these techniques which include repetition, fear-mongering, and ambiguity. 

Montreal, News

Panel discusses legal euthanasia in Canada

by Joseph Timan on

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McGill's Freethought Association hosted a panel on assisted suicide on March 15 to discuss the federal decriminalization of physician-assisted dying, which will come into effect on June 6 this year, and how this policy will affect Quebec. This follows the Feb. 2015 ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada, instating the right to physician-assisted suicide. Prior to that, Quebec had been the only province to allow terminally ill patients to determine how their life ended..  The panellists addressed issues raised by opponents to medically assisted dying, and discussed necessary changes to Quebec law as a result of federal decriminalization.

Public opinion

Susan Desjardins, who spoke on behalf of Dying with Dignity Canada, an organisation that advocates for physician-assisted dying, addressed concerns of various groups in opposition to the Court's ruling. In one example, she criticised the Catholic Health Sponsors of Ontario for instructing institutions within its purview not to provide access to medical assistance in dying.

"This flies in the face of the views of Catholics polled regarding assisted dying," Desjardins said. "In October 2014, 85 per cent of Catholics polled supported physician assisted dying."

Dr. Carolyn Ellis, associate professor at the McGill Biomedical Ethics Unit, highlighted the difficulties for healthcare professionals to publicly support medically assisted dying even though many polls indicate that most physicians in Quebec are in favour of it.

"It's harder to speak up in favour of it, in fear that then you'll be stigmatized as a doctor who kills,” Ellis said. “The fear factor of human nature leads people to not go public about some important values, but they're willing to participate."

Federal legislation

Desjardins discussed a report by the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Physician Assisted Dying, published on Feb. 25, which made 21 recommendations to assist the Canadian government in its efforts to legislate the decriminalization of physician-assisted dying,.

"The recommendations ensure that the conscience rights of healthcare professionals are protected, that access to assisted dying is monitored, and that the laws and protocols associated with medical assistance in dying are reviewed by parliament on a regular basis" Desjardins  said.

Ellis, who testified at the Joint Parliamentary Committee, discussed the recommendations made on eligibility. She argued that an individual's capacity to consent should be the driving factor in whether or not they're granted authority to consent on their own behalf.

"In Quebec and two other provinces age is a legal factor in whether you can consent for medical interventions,” said Ellis. “The more consistent view would be, if one is able to make the particular medical decision at hand, that they should do so."

Legislation in Quebec

Jean-Pierre Ménard, a specialist in the defence of victims in the health system and professor at Université de Sherbrooke, Université de Quebec Á Montreal, and Université de Montreal, addressed a concern expressed by an audience member regarding abuse of medical assistance in dying.

"Under Quebec Law, nobody can suggest or propose that the patient should have assisted death," Ménard said. "A doctor has to make sure that the patient is totally free of any kind of outside pressure, and that they're fully informed, and a second doctor has to confirm the process."

Ellis mentioned Quebec's role as a leader in this field being the only province currently that permits medically assisted dying. Nevertheless, she claimed that the scope of the provincial law will have to be broadened in order to avoid inconsistency with the forthcoming federal legislation.

"It's very clear from our comments that Quebec Law is inconsistent with this [federal] law," Ellis  said. "It's a much more conservative view and it will need to somehow bring itself into compliance with the forthcoming federal law."

 

Hockey, Martlets, Sports

Hockey: Martlets fall to Thunderbirds, Tommies despite valiant effort

by Nicole Spadotto on

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Thursday

The McGill Martlets hockey team dropped its first game of the CIS Championship weekend against the UBC Thunderbirds. The loss dashed the team’s medal hopes, giving them a best-case-scenario fifth place finish in Calgary, the site of the National Championships.

The Thunderbirds dominated early on in the game, taking a quick 2-0 lead by the end of the first period off of goals by Hannah Clayton-Carroll and Kathleen Cahoon on the powerplay.

McGill looked as though it was going to stage a resurgence after forward Gabrielle Davidson converted on a Stefanie Pohlod opportunity on the powerplay, roofing the puck past UBC’s fruitlessly-sprawled goaltender, Danielle Dube. Less than four minutes later, however, Logan Boyd of the Thunderbirds got a quick shot over the right shoulder of McGill goaltender Taylor Hough to close the second period.

Despite a quick third period goal from centre Melodie Daoust to pull McGill within one goal, UBC played tight defensively and outplayed the Martlets for loose pucks. With just over a minute left, and with Hough pulled for an extra attacker, Cahoon scored an empty net goal for her second of the night, barring McGill’s hopes for a podium finish in the tournament.

“We fought hard all game long,” McGill Head Coach Peter Smith said. “We battled right until the very end. We outshot [UBC], but they kept us to the outside a lot. We needed a bounce and we didn’t get one. Unfortunately, sometimes that’s how the game goes.”

Fifth-year forward Erika Pyke received player of the game honours for the Martlets.

Friday

The Martlets were upset by the St. Thomas Tommies 2-1 in the consolation round, which led to an early exit for last year’s national runners-up.

Near the end of the first period, Davidson got a quick snapshot goal from below the hashmarks, beating Tommies goaltender Taylor Cook blocker side to put McGill up 1-0. Davidson’s goal marked her second of the tournament for the McGill scoring lead on the weekend. After the goal, however, the Martlets took a penalty, shifting momentum towards the Tommies. Kelty Apperson pounced on a rebound on the powerplay, edging the puck past Hough to tie the game.

The second period remained scoreless, despite McGill outshooting St. Thomas 14-9.

Midway through the third, Tommies forward Lauren Henman slipped a pass from Caley Steinert through Hough’s five-hole to jump ahead 2-1. St. Thomas would hang onto the lead for the win.

“I thought there were a lot of good things in that game,” Smith said. “We had so many scoring chances [but] we just couldn’t put the puck in the net.”

Senior forward Olivia Sutter of Red Deer, Alberta was awarded player of the game for McGill.

Stat corner

McGill outshot their opponents 71-49 over the course of the two games. Despite their dominating advantage in shots, the Martlets only managed to score 3 goals on the weekend, two of which came off the stick of graduating forward Gabrielle Davidson.

Quotable

“For our graduating players, they’ve had a great run. They all graduate with a National Championship back in 2014. For our returning players, they see what it takes to get all the way to the top. Quite frankly, I don’t think there’s anything but positives coming out of it”— Smith on the Martlets early exit, and finding the positives in the losses.

Play of the weekend

Davidson scored the first goal of the weekend for McGill, during the team’s attempt to come back from a 2-0 deficit at the hands of UBC.  Davidson roofed the puck from inside the crease over the Thunderbirds goaltender Dube. The goal shifted momentum in favour of the Martlets and set the stage for an attempted resurgence.

Basketball, Martlets, Sports

Basketball: RSEQ Champion Martlets place fourth at CIS Nationals

by Nick Jasinski on

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The 2016 RSEQ champion McGill Martlets traveled to the CIS Final 8 at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, New Brunswick as the No. 1 seed. It was their fifth straight RSEQ championship, only the first time that McGill has entered Nationals as the first seed. Last year the Martlets progressed to the final game, but lost in the finals in a tight game to the Windsor Lancers, who won their fifth straight title. This year, McGill went into the tournament last Thursday with a 22-2 overall record against CIS opponents this season. They also had the best defensive record of any team–allowing an average of only 50.7 points per game, and riding a 15-game win streak.

“[We’d] had a target on our back all year so [we were] familiar with the pressure of being a top-ranked team,” veteran Head Coach Ryan Thorne, who is in his 13th year at the helm, said.

The Martlets’ first outing of the weekend came in the quarterfinal against the eighth-seeded hosts UNB. The Martlets came out firing, scoring 20 points in the first quarter with seniors Mariam Sylla and Dianna Ros and junior Alex Kiss-Rusk leading the way, scoring 12, 11, and 10 points apiece for the night. McGill let the home team come back a bit in the second half, but comfortably won 58-52 to progress to the semifinal against the Ryerson Rams.

Thorne, won was named the 2016 CIS Coach-of-the-Year, praised his co-captain Ros’ influence on the players around them.

“That’s veteran leadership out there, that’s maturity,” Thorne said. “There were some key decisions that changed the momentum of the game and that’s why you need her out there in crunch time.”

Saturday’s semifinal against fifth-seeded Ryerson, who were the highest scoring team in the country this year, proved to be a harder challenge for McGill. The Rams’ offence came out strong, outscoring the Martlets 45-28 in the first half for the Martlets’ largest deficit of the season.

“We lost it in the first half,” Thorne said. “We weren’t focused and disciplined and they took advantage of that, creating turnovers and getting transition baskets.”

The Martlets were unable to find an answer in the second half, trailing by 20 at the end of the third quarter and finishing the game down by 15 with a score of 87-72. Ryerson had three players with over 15 points, while junior forward Jennifer Silver’s 21 points led McGill’s losing effort.

“I’m disappointed,” Silver said. “We didn’t do the little things that we talked about pre-game, we didn’t execute the gameplan and we got hurt on the things we were trying to avoid.”

McGill entered the bronze-medal game against the No. 3 seed Saint Mary’s Huskies without Sylla, who succumbed to a knee injury the night before against Ryerson. Kiss-Rusk put up her ninth double-double of the season–scoring 16 points and registering 11 boards–but it wasn’t enough to make up for McGill’s offensive difficulties. The Martlets fell 56-43, their lowest offensive output in four years. Coach Thorne summed up the team’s sentiment after the loss.

“Disappointed, I think that’s the one word,” Thorne said. “We didn’t play well at all through this whole tournament, and having our best player out really showed today. For a team that battled and worked so hard all season long it’s unfortunate, the outcome, but you have to look across the board: Players and coaches, we all could have done better.”

Arts & Entertainment, Theatre

TNC’s The Flood Thereafter feels entirely washed up

by Ian Rodgers on

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The Flood Thereafter was a risky choice for a student production. Tuesday Night Café Theatre (TNC) Directors Daphné Morin and Cleo da Fonseca chose a complex piece that weaves surrealism, small-town identity, and Greek myth together. Coming in closer to two hours than the promised hour and a half, The Flood Thereafter plods along its way to an unsatisfying conclusion, with brief flashes of insight scattered throughout.

The play tells the story of a small fishing town in rural Quebec, told primarily through the lens of a young stripper named June (Camille Banville). June is beloved by the people of the town but feels trapped. When a young trucker named Dennis’ (Jérémy Benoit) truck breaks down, she chases after him and the freedom he represents. June acts as a kind of siren, drawing Dennis ever deeper into the twisted affairs of the town even as she tries to win him as her way out. Their relationship shakes the town out of its established order, allowing hidden stories and secrets to rise to the surface.

The most glaring issue with the production was one of representation.The play features several old, worn-out small town characters that student actors did not show a complete understanding of. Pierre-Luc Senécal plays Homer, a disabled fisherman torn between his duty to his wife and his attraction to June. Senécal’s voice begins with a raspy quality, but loses that along the way. His portrayal never hits the emotional levels available within the text. The agony and confusion of the character don’t come through. Several times throughout the play, his character joins his drinking buddy, George (Thomas Khullar), to watch June dance, a performance that is supposedly so beautiful it makes the men cry. These scenes succeed in a certain way: June is placed behind a screen behind the audience, leaving a bit of uncertainty whether to look at the men or her. This questioning in alignment is a nice touch, but unfortunately the men ham up this scene with over the top gestures, failing to capture anything that looks like genuine desire.

There are multiple moments during the performance where the actors’ performances come off as robotic, rather than indulging in the deeper meaning of their actions. For instance, early in the play George’s character is said to rip up napkins in a diner. In a later scene, George enters the diner and begins to methodically tear the napkins as if it’s part of his job, not as someone taking his frustration out on the environment around him. His partner in that scene, Grace (Morin), plays a mother from a rural town in Quebec. Throughout the show she deftly switches between French and English, but her English is so perfect that it makes her character’s background difficult to believe.

Amalea Ruffett plays Homer’s wife, Penelope, who waits at home as per her namesake. Ruffett utilized a very traditional “Theatre Voice,” which worked when she acted as a storyteller but did not really fit her character. Even though she is made up to look like an older woman, she doesn’t carry herself with any kind of weight that her character’s age suggests. In a scene of seduction where she flirts with Dennis—a much younger man—she manages to seem somewhat seductive but the pent up desire of a loveless marriage is missing, and Benoit and her don’t interact well enough to make the scene compelling.

Benoit and Banville do play the young lovers well—they have enough chemistry to make a sexual pantomime late in the play effective. Benoit is drawn into the whirlpool of the sleepy town, showing his curiosity and frustration successfully, making both his attraction to June and responsibility to his girlfriend believable. Banville aptly captures the innocence of her character, if not her sexuality. A minor gripe with her performance is how she was made to wear a textually significant wig clumsily on top of her hair rather than covering her hair up, another small but significant error that harms suspension of disbelief. The play has a few more of such errors—glasses which are supposed to have ice and don’t, hair that is supposed to be like rope but has clearly been conditioned within a day, and injuries that haphazardly appear and disappear.

These minor errors compound an uninspired direction of dialogue. For a play with an enormous amount of dialogue and long monologues, there are far too many scenes blocked with two characters simply sitting next to each-other looking out into the audience. Furthermore, these scenes of dialogue have far too many pauses, making moments where silence could be powerful less so and slowing the pace even more. While, perhaps this directorial decision was to make the audience feel trapped in the small town with the townspeople, it ultimately comes out boring. Surrealism from the source text is almost absent, only shown through lighting in the dance sequences and the play’s ending.

The Flood Thereafter will be at TNC from Mar. 23-25 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $6 for students.

News, SSMU

Ben Ger wins SSMU presidency amid low voter turnout

by Regina Wung on

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Following the second-lowest voter turnout since 2005, the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) elected Ben Ger as SSMU President with 65.4 per cent of the vote over his opponent, Jordan Sinder. 17.5 per cent of the undergraduate student body participated in the Winter Referendum and SSMU elections.

Ger’s colleagues on the executive team will be Vice-President (VP) Operations Sacha Magder, VP Internal Daniel Lawrie, VP Finance Niall Carolan, VP External David Aird, VP University Affairs Erin Sobat, and VP Student Life Elaine Patterson. Ger is optimistic about delivering his campaign promises.

“I am unbelievably thankful,” Ger said. “I’m excited the student body trusts me with this position. I’m looking forward to [next year], hopefully the best year that SSMU has ever had. Council Reform Committee will come through, we are going to include more voices at the table, whether that be exactly at SSMU council or somewhere else. Our finances will be balanced, we’ll figure out a way to make sure everyone’s happy.”

Sinder praised his campaign team and its efforts and declared his continued support for Ger in the future.

“I’m honestly very proud,” Sinder said. “We did everything that we could as a campaign team [….] We raised important issues, we engaged students who otherwise might not have been engaged in SSMU politics […] and I have absolutely no regrets with the campaign that we ran. But with that said, Ben is a great guy, he’s been really involved with SSMU, he’s well-experienced for this position, and he’s going to be a great president. I’m going to be the biggest supporter of his presidency next year, and I look forward to working with him.”

Patterson, the only woman on the incoming executive, pointed to equitability as priority for next year.

“I’m really thrilled and so thankful that I get to be in this position next year, and I hopefully get to lay down the groundwork for it,” Patterson said. “As far as being the only woman on the executive next year, I am certain that all of the men that I will be working with next year have good heads on their shoulders and that I will be able to convey things to them about […] gender equality, but also hopefully just equitability in the general sense.”

Winter 2016 referendum questions

The question on whether or not SSMU will affiliate with the new Quebec student federation, the Association for the Voice of Education in Quebec (AVEQ), failed, with 62.1 per cent voting “No.”

Aird, as incoming VP External, expressed disappointment in the motion’s failurer. 

“I think that it was tough to communicate the true value of joining AVEQ to the student body,” Aird said. “I think that the texts that were […] on the ballots didn’t do justice to the true value of joining a federation [….] I think people were reluctant to pay a new fee that they weren’t convinced that it would actually benefit them. For that reason, I fully intend on revisiting the question next year, once students have had more time to talk about it,w more time to see what goes on with AVEQ and revisit the arguments in favour and against.”

The proposed general constitutional amendments were passed, with 72.7 per cent voting “Yes.” The proposed amendments to Articles 13.2 and 13.3, which would have created a General Assembly (GA) steering committee failed, with 52.6 per cent voting “No.” The Motion Regarding the Creation of a Club Fund Fee passed, earning 57.4 per cent “Yes,” while 81.6 per cent voted for the creation of a mental health fee. The proposal for an increase in the SSMU health plan fee to cover mental health passed, with 73.6 per cent votes in support.

The motion regarding the TVM: Student Television at McGill Fee renewal passed with 54.9 per cent voting “Yes.” However, the Motion to Increase the TVM fee failed with 61.9 per cent dissenting. The motion to renew the SSMU equity fee passed with a majority of 65.8 per cent. The motion to renew the SSMU Access Bursary Fund also passed with 67.9 per cent voting for renewal.  Both the smoke-free campus plebiscite and the on-campus bike facility plebiscite passed, earning majorities of 73 per cent and 83.1 per cent, respectively.

Senators for the 2016-2017 academic year include Science Senator Sean Taylor, Arts & Science Senator Guy Ettlin, Music Senator Mitchel Russo, Engineering Senator Alexander Dow, Education Senator Parvesh Chainani, Medicine Senator Joshua Chin, Law Senator Shannon Snow, and Arts Senators William Cleveland, Casarina Hocevar, and Charles Keita.

An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated in a typo that turnout was 7.5 per cent. The Tribune regrets this error. 

SSMU
McGill Matters, Podcasts

McGill Matters, EP. 1: When SSMU is confronted with “external” and “divisive” issues

by Zachary Carson, Albert Park, and David Watson on

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In Episode 1 of McGill Matters, Zac Carson, David Watson, and Albert Park discuss the referendum question on the motion regarding amendments to SSMU’s Constitution. McGill students will be voting on minor corrections to the SSMU constitution, as well as the fate of the much more controversial articles, 13.2 and 13.3. These articles would allow an unelected Steering Committee, made up of the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) President, the Vice President of University Affairs, and six other council members, to block any motion of deemed “divisive” and “external” to SSMU’s mandate from being discussed at the General Assembly (GA). This referendum question comes in the wake of the contentious Boycotts, Divestments, and Sanctions (BDS) motion that was brought to the Winter GA, and which resulted in disagreements among those in favour and against the motion.

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