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Science & Technology

Frozen zero-cement backfill may cement a carbon-free future

by Russel Ismael on

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In 2022, cement production accounted for eight per cent of the world’s total carbon emissions, releasing 1.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. As climate change worsens, reducing carbon emissions becomes more necessary than ever. As such, many researchers are seeking alternative methods to produce cement-like materials without the expensive carbon cost.

Fatemeh Tavanaei, a PhD candidate at McGill’s Department of Mining and Material Engineering, recently published a study in the journal Applied Thermal Engineering focusing on alleviating carbon emissions in the mining industry by developing a “frozen zero-cement backfill.” This novel method aims to replace traditional cement with an environmentally-friendly solution, helping make mining operations more sustainable.

Tavanaei’s approach involves using ice sourced from the Arctic region to create a new material mixed with mine tailings—the leftover waste from mining activities. This material provides the necessary structural stability for backfilling, a process where excavated areas are refilled to prevent the collapse of tunnels or shafts. 

“The objective is to explore the feasibility of using frozen water from the region to create a new mixture with mine tailings, which would be environmentally compatible and minimize disruption to the ecosystem,” Tavanaei wrote to The Tribune. “By taking advantage of the natural freezing conditions, this approach eliminates the need for cement, thereby preserving the integrity of the surrounding environment and reducing the carbon footprint of mining activities.”

Tavanaei’s research team conducted a case study for this material in Nunavut’s Chidliak diamond mine, which can only be accessed by air or by trail. Located in the Hall Peninsula of Baffin Island, the area is surrounded by continuous permafrost extending several hundred metres into the ground. 

Since transporting material to such a remote location is difficult, Tavanaei’s group tried to minimize the logistical challenges by using the natural Arctic environment in their favour.

“The water required for the frozen zero-cement backfill is readily available in the area. Furthermore, the water used [primarily comes] from the wastewater produced by the processing plant,” Tavanaei wrote. “This approach not only reduces the need for additional water but also contributes to effective wastewater management, making it an environmentally responsible solution.”

Tavanaei and her team are also working to ensure that the frozen zero-cement backfill remains durable long-term, making sure it can withstand changing conditions including climate change effects. Although further research will be needed to fully understand its long-term impacts, Tavanaei is optimistic about its potential.

“While the method is still relatively novel, we have carefully planned for its long-term viability,” Tavanaei wrote. “Our research team is committed to ensuring that the frozen zero-cement backfill can be used effectively and sustainably over extended periods.”

Tavanaei is also hopeful that this backfill method can be adapted to other parts of the world with similarly cold climates. She emphasized the need for careful evaluation to determine if it can be cost-effective and environmentally sound in other regions.

“Each case requires an extensive feasibility study to ensure cost-effectiveness and assess potential environmental impacts,” Tavanaei wrote. “Artificial freezing is already used in ground stabilization techniques, and our research group has been involved in developing and optimizing such methods.”

Although frozen zero-cement backfill is still in its early stages, Tavanaei envisions it as a promising solution for a more environmentally conscious future.

“Sometimes, nature provides us with solutions that we may not fully appreciate until we take the time to observe and understand them,” Tavanaei said. “We believe that by closely studying natural processes, we can uncover innovative and sustainable approaches to mining and environmental preservation.”

McGill, News

Student activism for weapons divestment persists following ceasefire between Hamas and Israel

by Kaitlyn Schramm on

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On Jan. 19, Israel and Hamas began the first six-week phase of the ceasefire in Gaza including a hostage release deal. The first phase is meant to entail Israeli military withdrawal and the allowance of Palestinian refugees back into Gaza alongside humanitarian aid into the strip. Hamas will also release 33 hostages in the first phase, dispersed across the six-week period, and Israel will release 1,900 Palestinian prisoners. 

This ceasefire deal has brought a tentative end to Israel’s 15-month siege on Gaza which killed at least 45,000 civilians, wounded over 100,000, and destroyed 90 per cent of the housing units in Gaza. Al Jazeera reports that 1,706 Israelis were also killed throughout the period. 

Negotiations for the next phases are slated to begin on the 16th day following the commencement of the second phase. While the second and third phases are anticipated to continue the release of hostages and further Gaza’s rebuild, some worry the ceasefire may not persist beyond the first phase of the deal. 

In light of the ceasefire, student activists at McGill are continuing to demand the university cut ties with companies involved with funding Israel through weapons manufacturing.  

Students for Palestine’s Resistance and Honour (SPHR) at McGill, alongside Engineers for Palestine at McGill, launched an email campaign demanding the removal of weapons companies complicit in the genocide in Palestine from the McGill TechFair, which will be held Jan. 29 and Jan. 30. Companies like MDA Space, Galvion, and Cisco have aided Israel in the engineering of weapons and surveillance technology used in the genocide. 

“We will keep holding McGill accountable for its complicity in the genocide of Palestinians and ongoing complicity in the settler-colonial Zionist project,” a representative from SPHR at McGill wrote to The Tribune. 

On Jan. 22, SPHR at McGill hosted a fundraising poster sale, donating proceeds to La Fondation Canado-Palestinienne du Québec’s Emergency Gaza program.

Independent Jewish Voices (IJV) McGill also reaffirmed its commitment to anti-Zionism following the ceasefire, emphasizing that it still aims to hold McGill accountable for its continued financial involvement with companies complicit with Israel’s genocide of Palestinians. 

“As a group, we want to keep trying to educate people about the ongoing history of this conflict, continue to build progressive Jewish community with anti-imperialist values, and protest the ongoing complicity our universities and governments have in the forced displacement and mass murder of the Palestinian people,” an IJV representative wrote to The Tribune. 

IJV also spoke to the importance of critiquing McGill’s colonial actions. The organization noted that McGill removed a Great White Pine sapling planted by a group of Kanien’keha:ka women last November as an example, demanding McGill commit to anticolonial efforts beyond divestment. 

“Our administration has spent the last 15 months bankrolling an active genocide, and that responsibility does not disappear with a ceasefire, it can only be addressed through divestment,”  IJV wrote. 

In a written statement to The Tribune, McGill’s Media Relations Office (MRO) explained that the university’s Board of Governors Committee on Sustainability and Social Responsibility (CSSR) has committed to assessing its investments in companies manufacturing weapons. The committee has yet to present its findings to the Board. In December, the CSSR did not recommend McGill divest from companies with ties to  Israel’s siege on Gaza on the grounds that such actions did not constitute social injury. In regard to its academic ties with Israeli institutions, the MRO echoed President and Vice-Chancellor Deep Saini’s remarks from February 2023.

“McGill will not unilaterally sever its research and academic ties with Israeli institutions,” the MRO wrote. “Moreover, McGill will not interfere with the academic freedom of individual members of the university community to engage or partner with an institution simply because of where it is located. To do so would be wholly opposed to our institutional principles.”

Students from other universities in Montreal are also demanding change. A representative of SPHR Concordia stated that students will continue to push for divestment regardless of the ceasefire. 

“The demands to cut ties with five weapons companies partnerships (Lockheed Martin, CAE, Pratt & Whitney, Bombardier, Airbus) in addition to completely divesting from blood money remains,” the SPHR Concordia representative wrote to The Tribune. “Concordia’s responsibility is to not fund this occupation and listen to its students who clearly haven’t given up on divestment.” 

McGill, News, The Tribune Explains

The Tribune Explains: McGill’s carbon offsetting program

by Mahin Siddiki on

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In 2020, McGill launched the Bayano-McGill Reforestation Project, a carbon offsetting program, alongside the university’s Vision 2020 Climate and Sustainability Action Plan, to help reach its carbon neutrality goals by 2040. The Tribune breaks down what the program is and how it ties into McGill’s long-term sustainability targets.

What are carbon offsets?

Carbon offsets are a mechanism aimed to neutralize the impact of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Polluting individuals and organizations can purchase carbon offsets through a third-party organization to fund agriculture or forestry projects that help remove atmospheric GHGs, or technology-based initiatives such as direct air capture. Once a polluter has measured and quantified their carbon emissions, they can buy equivalent amounts of carbon offsets to compensate.

Those who oppose carbon offsetting claim that organizations may overstate the benefits of their contributions. For example, an investigation from The Guardian found that up to 90 per cent of carbon credits from the Verified Carbon Standard—a prominent crediting program—were “phantom credits,” given for projects that were never implemented. Other critics say that carbon offsets focus on minimizing the impacts of carbon emissions, as opposed to eliminating them altogether.

What is McGill’s commitment toward carbon neutrality? 

The university outlined three long-term targets for sustainability in its Climate and Sustainability Strategy 2020-2025. First, McGill aimed to receive a Platinum Sustainability Rating, which it achieved in March 2024. Second, McGill seeks to become zero-waste by 2035, and third, to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040. 

McGill is taking a three-fold approach to achieving carbon neutrality. First, it intends to reduce GHG emissions wherever possible, including by undertaking large-scale energy efficiency projects such as installing electric boilers. Second, McGill plans to sequester carbon on its forested properties, such as the Morgan Arboretum and the Gault Nature Reserve. Third, McGill seeks to purchase carbon offsets to mitigate the harms caused by air travel and commuting. According to the Climate and Sustainability Strategy, these goals are ranked in order of priority and fall in line with guidelines from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. 

What is McGill’s carbon offset project?

McGill’s carbon offset program is based in eastern Panama, created in partnership with the Indigenous authorities of the Ipetí- and Piriatí-Emberá called the Congreso General Emberá de Alto Bayano, and the Asociación de Mujeres Artesanas de Ipetí-Emberá—an Indigenous women’s NGO. The project aims to reforest a watershed in Panama called the Upper Bayano. 

In a written statement to The Tribune, Shona Watt, Associate Director of the McGill Office of Sustainability, explained that the project is overseen and monitored by local leaders and technicians, alongside professors and students involved in McGill’s Panama Field Study Semester.

According to Watt, since the project’s implementation in 2020, Emberá community members have planted more than 44,500 trees in the area, with McGill providing the seedlings and finances needed for planting. As a result of this reforestation, McGill estimates that approximately 925 tonnes of carbon emissions are sequestered each year. Watt also explained that the project “provides an important source of livelihood for its participating families, which became especially critical during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

In addition to the Bayano-McGill Reforestation Project, McGill also supports two other carbon-offsetting projects. One of the projects, Bourse du Carbone Scol’ERE, aims to educate youth and their families in Quebec about their carbon footprints. The other project, Carbone Boréal, is a forest plantation research project which works to restore poorly regenerated forest floors in the Canadian Boreal Forest.

McGill’s Climate and Sustainability Strategy for 2025-2030 will be released between Jan. 27 and Jan. 31.

Features

Beyond the Bottle: Craft Beer and Community in Quebec

by Eliza Lee on

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Exploring passion, community engagement, and sustainability in microbreweries

When I first moved to the Plateau, I started to encounter craft beer in what felt like every store I went to. Microbreweries are very visible in the neighbourhood. You can find their fare all over the place: Beside the register on coffeeshop counters, through the windows of Lejeune & Frères on Duluth, piled high in dépanneurs. I remember the first time that I visited the Intermarché on Mont-Royal; I was surprised to turn the corner of the store’s final, narrow aisle and find a wall of brightly-coloured cans staring back at me.

It can be easy to see craft beer as just another can on the shelf, but I wanted to go a step further and explore the possibilities microbreweries might open up for reorganizing our society. In an increasingly atomized world where large companies dominate over small businesses, how might microbreweries present other ways of relating to workers, communities, and the environment?

Crafting “The Good Stuff”

L’Association des microbrasseries du Québec (AMBQ) is an organization that aims to support the work and represent the shared interests of member microbreweries to the government. Éric Grypinich, a project manager at AMBQ, explained in an interview with //The Tribune// that an important feature that sets microbreweries apart from larger ones is the sense of passion that brewers bring to their product. Grypinich believes that this passion not only enhances the beer itself, but also serves to better connect breweries to their workers and customers.

“The passion is felt in the quality of the beer, in the way that we talk about beer, and how we engage about people,” Grypinich said. “You go to a brewery, you go see the brewers. They’re always proud of their product. They’re always talking about beer, and […] relating to people [….] Because we’re not into mass marketing, so our best marketing is how we get in touch with people.”

For Vice Presidents of McGill Brewing Club Haley Janvrin, U4 Engineering, and Laura Hebert, U5 Engineering, the intention that goes into craft beer is a key takeaway from their time with the club. The group brews small batches of fermented drinks like beer, wine, and kombucha and regularly partners with microbreweries in Montreal for events. Most recently, the club participated in Saveurs de Génie, a competition at l’École de technologie supérieure where students create a recipe and collaborate with a local microbrewery to brew it. The McGill club’s brew—made in partnership with Benelux—will soon be available for purchase in the brewery’s location on Sherbrooke. 

Janvrin and Hebert told //The Tribune// that getting the chance to learn about how to achieve certain flavours through the brewing process is a highlight of working with microbreweries. In this way, the craft-beer-tasting experience stands in contrast to beer consumption at many other student events, where the priority is often drinking large quantities of brew for cheap. 

“I think we’ve come out of it with a much better understanding of not only the work that goes into beer, but how what you do really changes the flavour of it, and how it creates this kind of experience of tasting beer, as opposed to, say, binge drinking,” Hebert said. “I think it’s given me more of an appreciation for the beverage, and also an appreciation for the [microbrewery] community.”

“If the craft beer drinkers saw someone chugging a craft beer, they’d be like, ‘Oh my God, what are you doing?’” Janvrin said later on. “‘You’re wasting the good stuff.’” 

“It’s a lifestyle”

The sense of community Janvrin and Hebert discuss is something that Anne Claude Thivierge, a sales representative and event coordinator at Microbrasseries COOP, emphasized in an interview with //The Tribune//. Microbrasseries Coop is an association that supports cooperatively owned microbreweries in Quebec. The group is a part of Réseau COOP, a larger network that promotes cooperatively-owned businesses (coops) and offers resources to help create them. 

As Thivierge pointed out, microbreweries frequently collaborate to organize events and brew beers together. Many also source local produce for brews or for food at restaurants attached to their breweries. She noted that having a cooperative structure further connects a brewery to the local community in several ways: Sharing decision-making power amongst workers, providing livable wages, and allowing employees to reinvest their earnings in other local businesses. Thivierge stressed that supporting the community is a crucial value for coops.

“It’s not only beer, it’s what beer is made with, and it’s how the profit or the wealth generated can provide salaries, and it also make other local businesses benefit from the dynamism that it brings to a community,” Thivierge said. “It’s not just alcohol.”

For small communities, breweries do not only draw local residents together, but they also bring visitors to the area. Crowds of visitors come to St. Tite each summer for Festival Western, but Thivierge believes that local breweries such as À la Fût can also bolster the community economically throughout the rest of the year. 

“It’s amazing to see that the breweries sort of have replaced the church, where everybody would gather and meet one another,” Thivierge said. “Breweries have this role as well in smaller communities in this gathering of people.”

These appeals to the local community can also affirm their authenticity to consumers. Daphne Demetry, an associate professor in McGill’s Faculty of Management who studies organizational authenticity, explained in an email to //The Tribune// that authenticity hinges on the notion that “an organization’s claims align […] with what they are actually doing.” Demetry also confirmed that appealing to a sense of local identity is a “major” way many businesses earn this attribution from consumers. 

“Terroir and wine is a classic example,” Demetry wrote. “The idea is that a product gains some sort of ‘essence’ from a location.” 

According to Grypinich, it’s this sense of community and love of brewing that motivates people to continue working in the industry, despite the increasingly crowded beer market in Quebec; in 2002, there were just 33 breweries in the province. In 2024, there were 332.

“Unfortunately, there’s no money [in the market] [….] but there’s some friendship. There’s a way of building your life and having satisfaction towards brewing nice product, the community that supports you, your family, your friends,” Grypinich said. “It’s a lifestyle, basically.”

Many microbreweries reflect the same community-oriented values, though not all follow the coop business model. Thivierge went on to explain that one of the mandates of the Réseau Coop is to promote coops as a viable business model, not just as an “alternative” model chosen by few businesses and often overlooked at business schools. 

“[The coop model] goes well with values that [microbreweries] already have,” Thivierge said. “They just don’t know that there is a structure that would allow them to be [consistent] in their business structure.”

At the same time, Thivierge stressed a distinction between microbreweries and what she calls “fake craft breweries.” These businesses owned by large beer companies are designed to appeal to the values that craft beer espouses despite their lack of commitment to community, such as by brewing products outside of Quebec. 

“The small craft breweries always try to educate the consumer, to say, ‘Well, it’s not only about drinking a good IPA. It’s about a beer that also brings wealth to a community that is respectful of sustainable development and that has care for the people that make the product.’”

Sustainable Brewing

Thivierge noted that among the microbreweries Brasseries Coop represents, environmental efforts can differ depending on their unique needs. Les Grands Bois, located in Saint-Casimir, limited the brewery’s transportation emissions by increasing their warehouse space. La Chasse Pint in L’Anse-Saint-Jean uses heat produced by the compressor during the brewing process to warm the brewery during winter, diverting this heat from the building during the summer. 

Breweries also share strategies for common sustainability dilemmas. One example concerns how breweries dispose of cleaning chemicals that may harm the environment if sent directly down the drain.

“One thing that they share a lot is, ‘What do you do to make your water with chemicals easier on the environment in the city water installation?’” Thivierge said. “There are ways to [dispose of] less chemicals, either by using them more than once, or by neutralizing the chemicals before putting it back into the environment.”

For Grypinich, a commitment to sustainability is a key way that microbreweries distinguish themselves from larger breweries. While the latter simply seek to stay within government parameters, Grypinich believes microbreweries take more active steps to minimize their environmental footprint. Among the AMBQ’s sustainability efforts is an initiative which allows microbreweries to use 500-millilitre reusable glass bottles instead of aluminum cans, cutting down emissions. 

“We have internal committees that are really working on the process and helping all the microbreweries to be better,” Grypinich said. “There are many gestures that you could do to lower your emissions, even though you’re smaller [….] It’s about willingness to make a difference.”

This is not to say that microbreweries are idyllic, communal fantasy lands where people can escape the realities of neoliberal life. Microbreweries cannot fix our world’s growing wealth disparity or solve climate change. However, in prioritizing local engagement and sustainability, they normalize alternative ways of doing business that foreground responsibility and prioritize care for workers, the community, and the environment. These values even go hand-in-hand with business models based on collective ownership, which stand in stark contrast to the nested subsidiaries you might find with big beer companies. Considering this, perhaps we can look to microbreweries for ways to move towards broader, more just social and economic arrangements. 

The work of craft breweries, then, is not just visible on the shelves of coffeeshops, grocery stores, and depanneurs—it’s in the streets.

Editorial, Opinion

Healthcare for all? Not if you’re 2SLGBTQIA+ at McGill.

by The Tribune Editorial Board on

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A recent study revealed that discomfort among Quebec youth regarding friendships with 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals has doubled since 2017, highlighting an alarming rise in anti-2SLGBTQIA+ attitudes in the province. A broader, growing shift toward conservatism has fueled this surge in intolerance and serves as a threat to the safety of 2SLGBTQIA+ people. Homophobic microaggressions and casual transphobia are increasingly common, often perpetuated by online “alpha male” content creators and their “anti-woke” rhetoric. The corresponding resurgence of traditionalism, a trend rooted in modern economic instability and nostalgia for the rigid norms of the past, scapegoats 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals and makes meaningful discourse on their rights—in Quebec and abroad—taboo. 

At McGill, the growing momentum of conservatism and anti-2SLGBTQIA+ attitudes has coincided dangerously with the temporary leave of Dr. Hashana Perera, who is reportedly the only doctor at McGill’s Student Wellness Hub (SWH) willing to provide Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). HRT is a critical form of care that allows individuals to align their physical selves with their gender identity. Perera has also identified gaps in support for transgender students at the university, making her presence crucial to the well-being of 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals. In her absence, students seeking HRT face referral to the Hygea endocrinology clinic, where wait times can be up to a year long.

The fact that gender-affirming care at McGill relies on a single doctor is particularly egregious, as it creates a precarious system where a single practitioner’s leave disrupts access for the entire student body. Furthermore, even when such staff are available, McGill’s health insurance policy requires 2SLGBTQIA+ students to jump through unnecessary hoops to access care for treatments, even outside of HRT. For example, diagnosed gender dysphoria is a prerequisite for most gender-affirming care, but few doctors are willing to provide this diagnosis. 

The lack of urgency and support, compounded by an overloaded SWH, forces competition for appointments, exacerbating financial strain and hindering students’ ability to engage fully with their communities. Even once students are finally able to access treatments, the costs—including those of repeated HRT or gender-affirming surgery—are not fully covered by insurance.

The fragility of the gender-affirming healthcare system reflects a lack of institutional commitment to equity and inclusion. To truly serve its 2SLGBTQIA+ students, McGill must do more than vocalize its support; it must listen to organizations advocating for gender-affirming care and invest in training more practitioners, expanding healthcare access, and addressing systemic barriers across the board. The university must enforce protections against transphobia, deadnaming, and discrimination to create an environment where all students feel supported.

McGill’s Public Health Masters program also plays a critical role in this process in their duty to prepare future healthcare professionals to work inclusively and effectively with diverse populations. Students in this program should be trained not only to provide sensitive care but also to identify and challenge implicit and explicit biases that uniquely impact the health of marginalized communities. Courses on medical racism, transphobia, homophobia, and implicit bias should be core components of the curriculum, even starting at the undergraduate level. Healthcare students must be taught how to engage with patients in vulnerable moments and to advocate for policies that ensure equitable care. This interdisciplinary approach, which combines technical skills with social and ethical considerations, will better equip future healthcare professionals to address the complex needs of 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals.

Gender-affirming care is not a luxury; it is a right that can save lives, allowing students to feel like themselves and succeed in school and beyond. Until the university prioritizes employing more doctors capable of offering gender-affirming care, offering further guidance for accessing this care, and expanding insurance coverage to these treatments and procedures, the SWH will remain an unreliable and inequitable healthcare provider. This moment calls for collective action to address the barriers faced by 2SLGBTQIA+ communities and to counter rising anti-2SLGBTQIA+ biases through education and advocacy. By fostering a healthcare system and campus culture rooted in inclusion, awareness, and solidarity, McGill can combat rising intolerance and, in turn, pioneer meaningful change for its 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and that which extends beyond McGill’s gates.

Martlets, Soccer, Sports

Two McGill Women’s Soccer alumni sign with Montreal Roses FC

by Anoushka Oke on

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Montreal Roses FC, one of the inaugural clubs of the newly established Northern Super League (NSL), announced the signings of McGill Women’s Soccer alumni Mara Bouchard (BA ‘24) and Stephanie Hill (MSc ‘24, BSc ‘23) on Jan. 9. 

Both Bouchard and Hill initially planned to pursue professional soccer following their McGill graduation, either in Europe or elsewhere. However, the announcement of the NSL—as well as the news that one of its teams would be based in Montreal—opened up a new pathway for them.

“[The announcement] hyped me up,” Hill told The Tribune, when asked about her initial reaction to the NSL’s creation. “It gave me hope and made me think about it for real […] would I have gone and played in Europe if not for this league? Probably, but that comes with a lot of secondary and tertiary thought processes. Now that there is a Canadian league, it makes that thought process a little more simple.”

The scouting procedure started while the players were still at McGill, with scouts attending Martlets games since the start of the season. Hill noted that NSL teams have appeared to be very committed to securing university talent, with scouts present at university games both in Canada and internationally.

Bouchard and Hill both expressed their excitement to meet more of their teammates and the Roses staff, especially as both the roster and the staff list continue to evolve. The players’ first few days as Roses included a quick meeting, but at the time of their interview with The Tribune, Bouchard and Hill had otherwise met very few people associated with the team, as their signing was announced a couple of days before the weekend. 

“I’m just excited to see who the Roses are, and to get to become a team and feel like a team,” Hill said.

The Roses currently have a 10-player roster that includes French international Charlotte Bilbault and former SC Freiburg goalkeeper Gabrielle Lambert. NSL teams will kick off their season in April 2025.

As the start of the season approaches, Bouchard shared her hopes for her first professional contract.

“As it’s my first pro contract, I am not putting any expectations on myself, because I don’t know what to expect,” she said. “It’s mostly about bringing this Québecois side of playing at home and bringing these people in [….] creating this strong bond with fans is a main goal for me, in my first season especially.”

Similarly, Hill explained her desire to foster what she described as a “sentiment d’appartenance” (‘sense of belonging’). She aims to bring everything she learned from playing at McGill into her professional career and give it her all this season.

With the establishment of the NSL, Canadian university graduates now have a stronger pathway to professional soccer, reducing the need to move abroad, especially in the early stages of their careers.

“The league in the United States is not really looking at university players here in Canada,” Bouchard said. “[The NSL is] creating this opportunity for people here to have this experience, and then eventually, if you want to, take the step to go [abroad].”

“It was about time to demonstrate just how much talent there is here, and the fact that there is a league has really made that tangible,” Hill added. “The potential of women’s sports, and of us, as soccer players, to reach that higher level, makes it possible.”

There are also several Canadian players in the American National Women’s Soccer League who have returned home to sign for an NSL team—most notably, former Seattle Reign FC player Quinn, who has over 100 caps was part of the gold-winning Canada side during the 2020 Olympics. 

These Canadian players now have the opportunity to represent their home cities and to play in a local setting. Furthermore, soccer fans and players growing up in the country have women’s players to look up to, even beyond the national team.

“When going pro in another country, you are mainly going there for soccer, and not thinking very largely about inspiring people,” Bouchard said. “But with staying here—yes, there is playing, but there is also inspiring the generations under us.”

McGill, News, Private

McGill implements new room booking procedure in wake of controversial speaker

by Ella Paulin on

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Following a five-week pause on room bookings for speaker events, McGill has released an updated procedure for event bookings on campus. The room booking pause was enacted after a talk featuring Mosan Hassan Yousef was moved online in response to a death threat—which came as part of backlash against the talk due to the speaker’s prior Islamophobic comments on social media. The procedure, which went into effect on Jan. 1, involves a new form for room booking requests and codifies the security measures McGill may implement in response to concerns about safety at an event. 

The guidelines centralize the room-booking process, using a single form to book any McGill-administered space. The new process also requires a room booking request to be submitted 10 days in advance, rather than the previous five-day window. The guidelines do not explicitly state that McGill may modify or cancel an event on the basis of its content or the speaker’s past statements, although they do note that “Requestors are responsible for ensuring that their events’ proceedings, speakers, etc., remain in accordance with applicable laws and university policies.”

Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Vice-President (VP) University Affairs Abe Berglas commented on the policy’s lack of language outlining a path to cancel an event based on the past statements of invited speakers or the content of the event in an interview with The Tribune. 

“I think maybe [the policy] is trying to depoliticize the issue, and that’s why it’s framed in terms of security alone and not reasons why people may be protesting a speech,” Berglas said. “I’m […] waiting to see what McGill does in its actions, like what events it tries to cancel or make more difficult to happen, and then what events it facilitates.”

Additionally, the revised room booking procedure states that, in response to security concerns, McGill reserves the right to require organizers to implement ticketing, limit attendance to McGill community members, or relocate to a different room. Should these adjustments fail to resolve the security concerns, McGill also reserves the right to move an event online. 

Although she has not yet had any experience with McGill implementing security measures through this policy, Arts Undergraduate Society VP Internal Sophie Nguyen has used the new booking form and told The Tribune that it has been an improvement so far. 

“It has been smooth sailing this semester,” Nguyen wrote in an email. “There have been a couple of kinks that needed tinkering but otherwise the system seems to be faster and more efficient.”

Despite this, several members of the McGill University Senate have raised criticisms about McGill’s communications around their pause on room bookings this November. In a written statement to The Tribune, the McGill Media Relations Office (MRO) stated that the decision to pause new room bookings was taken seriously and announced in response to the severity of the security concerns, which included reports of a death threat, surrounding the talk featuring Yousef. 

“In the interests of security and stability, notably for students heading into the examination period, a pause was announced […] for five weeks, more than three of which fell in the examination and winter holiday period,” the MRO wrote. “We saw this as the only viable option in the circumstances.”

SSMU Arts Senator Vivian Wright submitted a question at the Jan. 15 McGill Senate meeting alleging that many students interpreted the phrasing of McGill’s initial email announcing the pause in room bookings as including events like final exam review sessions and end-of-semester parties. The university did not clarify until several days later that it was only intended to apply to speaker events. SSMU Arts Senator Anzhu Wei spoke with The Tribune about this confusion. 

“Amongst the student senators and the Senate caucus, we had heard a lot of complaints from different student departments about how this really had a very big negative impact for a lot of their events,” Wei said. “It sounded like this really was a breakdown of communication where the administration either didn’t fully think through the full impact of their decision, or that they just didn’t communicate it effectively.” 

Album Reviews, Arts & Entertainment, Music

Bad Bunny’s new album fuses Puerto Rican music, culture, and politics

by Beatrice Moen on

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Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Released on Jan. 5th, Bad Bunny’s sixth studio album, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (“I Should Have Taken More Photos”), has been celebrated as an “unabashed,” “determined,” “resonant,” and “triumphant” tribute to Puerto Rico. Beyond critical acclaim and chart-topping success—it currently holds the top position on Spotify’s Top Albums Chart—the album is Bad Bunny’s vibrant and impactful testament to loving his home, capturing the spirit of Puerto Rico in every track. 

The album opens with “NUEVAYoL” (the Puerto Rican pronunciation of “New York”), a lively track beginning with a sample of “Un verano en Nueva York,” the 1975 classic by El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, before layering on an infectious Dembow beat. This fusion of sounds is a defining feature of the album, where traditional Puerto Rican genres like salsa, plena, and jíbaro music are seamlessly interwoven with contemporary reggaeton, Dembow, and hip-hop beats. This artistic ambition and innovation has sparked intergenerational connections, with many TikTok users posting videos of their parents and grandparents reacting to the album, pleasantly surprised that younger artists and audiences are enjoying these sounds. The album also exclusively features Puerto Rican collaborators, including RaiNao, Chuwi, Dei V, Omar Courtz, Los Pleneros de la Cresta, and students from the Escuela Libre de Música Ernesto Ramos Antonini in San Juan, the territory’s capital.

Lyrically, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS reflects Bad Bunny’s immense pride in Puerto Rico while shedding light on the challenges the region faces. As residents of an unincorporated U.S. territory, Puerto Ricans do not benefit from the same rights as other American citizens. Since “comedian” Tony Hinchcliffe referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage” during a Donald Trump rally in October 2024, Bad Bunny’s pride in his island and support for its independence has only strengthened. In “LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii” (“What Happened to Hawaii”), he criticizes the destructive effects of American imperialism on nature, culture, and communities in both Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Despite these challenges, Bad Bunny celebrates his Puerto Rican identity with gratitude and pride, declaring in “LA MuDANZA”: “De aquí nadie me saca, de aquí yo no me muevo” (“No one will take me from here, I’m not moving”). 

The visual elements accompanying DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS further reinforce its cultural, historical, and political depth. The album cover, which may appear simple at first glance, has evoked profound nostalgia among Latin American and diasporic communities, as seen in yet another viral TikTok trend where users showcase pictures of family or community gatherings centred around these white plastic chairs. The album’s Spotify visuals further extend this theme, featuring animated videos of the sapo concho, a toad native to Puerto Rico that is now endangered. These symbols serve as poignant reminders of the need to protect and cherish the elements that make Puerto Rico so special. Additionally, in the lead-up to the album’s release, Bad Bunny debuted a short film starring legendary Puerto Rican filmmaker Jacobo Morales. The narrative follows Morales as an elderly man reflecting on life in his native country, with the central scene taking place in what was once a local cafe, now replaced by an American chain restaurant. There, the man encounters a cashier who speaks only English and sells “cheeseless quesitos” for $30. When he learns that the establishment doesn’t accept cash, a fellow Puerto Rican steps in to pay for him, before proudly declaring: “¡Seguimos aquí!” (“We’re still here!”). This striking short film serves as a powerful commentary on the realities of gentrification in Puerto Rico, whilst simultaneously celebrating the resilience and solidarity of its people.

DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS fuses music, culture, history, and politics to serve as a touching and lively tribute to all that Bad Bunny’s home island embodies. To produce such a proudly Puerto Rican album at the height of his career is perhaps the artist’s most ambitious decision yet. 

Basketball, Soccer, Sports

The Tribune’s sports highlights of the week

by Zain Ahmed, Reuben Noam on

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From stunning McGill Martlets home games to historic soccer rivalry matches, The Tribune Staff Writers share their sports highlights of the week

McGill: Martlets Basketball secures a comfortable win at home against Concordia Stingers on Jan. 16

With the Stingers pressing high and the Martlets looking to reset, Emma-Jane Scotten, U5 Arts, saw it coming before it happened. Concordia’s #23 telegraphed the pass, and Scotten jumped with perfect timing to get a fingertip on the ball. The deflection sent it flying toward midcourt, and that was all the invitation Daniella Mbengo needed.

Mbengo, U2 Social Work, plays guard for the team and has already racked up 16 points for the Martlets this season. 

Already in motion, Mbengo turned on the jets and scooped up the loose ball in stride. The crowd roared; Mbengo surged forward, the open court ahead of her. She left Concordia’s Nelly Owusu behind quickly and easily. First two hard dribbles, then three, before she laid the ball off the glass.

The ball dropped through clean, and McGill’s bench erupted. Concordia’s frustrated defence was disarrayed.

Mbengo shouted, triumphant, as she turned back toward her teammates. Scotten was there first, and they met in an explosive chest bump. Erica Simeone, U1 Science, sprinted over, clapping Mbengo’s hand approvingly. The Martlet energy surged.

That single play—Scotten’s anticipation, the speed and poise of Mbengo—was more than just two points. It was a momentum-pin, and Mbengo’s strength of presence may well have won McGill the game. A spark that ignited the Martlets, as they ricocheted into the next possession, already in control of the game.

The game closed out 69-62, and put the Martlets above 1,000 points recorded this season. With an 11–7 record, the Martlets have continually impressed and made McGill proud—despite suffering a loss away against Concordia Jan. 18, two days later. 

The Martlets will play the Bishops Gaiters on Jan. 23 at Love Competition Hall.

International: Barcelona’s five-star fiesta in El Clásico comeback stuns rickety Real Madrid

In a historic Spanish Super Cup final in Jeddah, FC Barcelona mounted a stunning comeback to dismantle Real Madrid 5-2, securing their record-extending 15th title. The match epitomized everything great about El Clásico: Goals, intense rivalry, and moments of individual brilliance.

Madrid struck first through Kylian Mbappé, who showcased his trademark pace by breaking free from the halfway line after regaining possession on account of Vinícius Júnior’s defensive acumen. The French forward made no mistake, clipping the ball past Wojciech Szczesny to give Los Blancos an early lead. However, Barcelona’s response was swift and decisive.

Seventeen-year-old sensation Lamine Yamal equalized the match with a brilliant individual effort, cutting in from the right and finding the near post with a precise low finish. The momentum shifted further when Eduardo Camavinga’s late challenge on Gavi resulted in a penalty, which Robert Lewandowski calmly converted to put Barcelona ahead.

The floodgates opened as Raphinha added a third, connecting with a cross to head home. Before halftime, Barcelona’s counterattacking excellence was on full display as Yamal and Raphinha combined to set up for the fourth. After the break, Raphinha notched his second, completing Barcelona’s five-star performance.

The drama was not over, as Szczesny received a red card for his reckless tackle on Mbappé outside the area. Rodrygo offered Madrid a glimmer of hope with a well-executed free kick past substitute keeper Iñaki Peña, but it proved merely a consolation. Despite Madrid’s numerical advantage, Barcelona’s commanding lead proved insurmountable. Carlo Ancelotti’s post-match assessment was telling: “We defended badly and that cost us the game.” For Barcelona, this victory not only secured silverware but also reinforced their dominance over their eternal rivals, following their 4-0 triumph in October’s league encounter.

Student Life

Soft power in hard times

by Jamie Xie on

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Over the holiday, I visited the New York Public Library’s Polonsky Exhibition, a permanent collection of “treasures” that includes the original Winnie the Pooh stuffy—a surprisingly familiar Farnell Alpha bear model donated by Christopher Robin himself. Though nearly a century older, the plushy beared resemblance to my own childhood teddy. While we think of time as fixed in sepia tones, the reality of history is dynamic—relentlessly and perpetually “in the happening.” Stuffed animals have always occupied the heart-shaped, rose-tinted blindspot in our rearview mirror, capturing moments of sentimentality that transcend time. 

Though Richard Steiff of the Steiff company made the first stuffed bear in 1902, they had not come to be known as “Teddy Bears” until a historical moment involving renowned sportsman and American president Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt had gone on a bear hunting trip in Onward, Mississippi, with Governor Andrew Longino. While many people in his party managed to find game, Roosevelt was down on his luck. Hoping to uplift the president’s spirits, the group’s guides captured a bear to present to him. Upon finding the defenseless bear tied down to a tree, Roosevelt refused to kill the animal, declaring it unsportsmanlike. His act of mercy was quickly immortalized in newspaper headlines and political cartoons. The bear, depicted as increasingly small and more endearing with each iteration, perfectly framed Roosevelt as a tenderhearted, everyman-father archetype. Inspired by Clifford Berryman’s Washington Post cartoon of the story, Morris Michtom, a Brooklyn candy maker, manufactured a popular series of toy bears called “Teddy’s Bear” in honour of Roosevelt’s compassion. 

Stuffed animals surged in popularity around the Great Depression, when resources were scarce and the United States grappled with widespread economic hardship. Unlike the utilitarian woodblock toys typical of the time, plushies offered something more human: Unconditional love, soft solace and a friendly face—a much-needed emotional refuge from the harsh realities of a then-insecure world.

Today, stuffies occupy a similarly special, bear-shaped hole in the hearts of students navigating the pressures of academia. For science students especially, balancing rigorous coursework, intensive labs, and the emotional weight of studying a world in perpetual crisis can be overwhelming. Sukaina Haider, U0 Science, suggested that these challenges make moments of plush respite all the more necessary.

“In science, we’re going through the trenches. I think if anything, we’re more inclined to run home to something comforting,” she said in an interview with The Tribune.

Jorey Alharbi, U0 Engineering, reflected on how their beloved teddy bear brought familiarity and sentimental warmth to their bare-walled dorm room.

“I don’t have a lot, just one big teddy bear that my grandmother gave me before she passed. It’s the first thing I move; it helps establish home,” they shared. 

It’s integral to recognize that stuffies aren’t just inert toys—they’re transformed by the process of play. Naiya Delprat, U2 Arts, has a massive collection of 106 stuffies, nearly all named—of which she brought 28 from New York to Montreal.

“When you play with your stuffies they become your friends, you never outgrow your friends,” she said.

For some, stuffed animals provide a sense of companionship. Grace Caldwell, U1 Arts, reflected on her relationship with her stuffies, highlighting that wanting the best for them is a form of self-care.

“I feel like we take care of each other,” she told The Tribune. “A stuffy is a false hug and real hope. Every kid should have a stuffy, whether or not you want to hold onto it is your decision, but everyone is entitled to comfort.”Born and raised in Winterpeg, Manisnowba—where the grass isn’t quite greener, it’s probably just dead or dying—I’ve always had a soft spot for Winnie the Pooh. Named after her Manitoban caretaker Harry Colbourne’s hometown of Winnipeg, “Winnie” was a real black bear who served as the inspiration for Christopher Robin’s stuffed animal, and the timeless children’s character it became. The humble origins and international success of the character along with all its plush peers represent a whispered promise: Even the smallest things in life have their way of leaving a mark on this big world.

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