The Link

The nuances of cannabis legalization

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 30, 2024 / Andraé Lerone Lewis, cannabis, legalization, Marco Deveaux, SQDC

The SQDC on Crescent Street is one of 100 locations in Quebec. Photo Andraé Lerone Lewis

Marco Deveaux,
Local Journalism Initiative

Stigma around cannabis continues to plague its full-fledged legalization

A five-leaflet plant known by many names, with a deep history mired in controversy, has been shaping cultures and societies far beyond its recent century of prohibition.

On Oct. 17, 2018, Canadians awoke to a new era as cannabis was legalized, making its return to the public sphere after being banned in 1923. Since then, the stigma surrounding cannabis has persisted, creating a positive face-value effect, but an underlying apprehension.

Cannabis has a rich history, with studies indicating its use in Central Asia dating back 11,700 years. Although recreational use primarily relies on the compound THC for its cerebral high, hemp served practical purposes such as making ropes and nets.

Additionally, cannabis, specifically that with low THC content, was used among Indigenous and First Nations people for thousands of years. Earliest evidence suggests hemp was used by the Mound Builders of the Great Lakes and Mississippi Valley.

In India, myths described cannabis as a divine ingredient. Known as ‘Vijaya,’ cannabis was recognized for its ayurvedic medicinal benefits, alleviating pain, nausea, anxiety, hunger and sleep issues for thousands of years.

Yet in the 1900s, cannabis became a subject of growing controversy. Its use became increasingly stigmatized due to racist attitudes and legislation, despite its cultural and medicinal background.

The racial and political climate surrounding cannabis deteriorated under Harry J. Anslinger, the first commissioner of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Narcotics, who launched a campaign against the substance. By using the term “marijuana” to link it with Mexican immigrants and associating it with jazz music—an art form largely associated with Black artists—Anslinger fuelled racial biases and unfounded claims about its criminal influence.

Lailaah Wilson, a 23-year-old Montrealer of Caribbean descent, touched on the association that cannabis has had with the Black community.

“Weed has been smoked by everyone for God knows how long,” Wilson said. “I just think a lot of times, it was just a way for white cops to unfortunately criminalize and lock up a lot of Black youth.”

This association became a stereotype, one that is rooted in efforts to single out Black and Latin Americans. With that effort, Ansligner created the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, which imposed strict regulations on cannabis and hefty fines. Cannabis subsequently became a Schedule I drug in the United States in 1970 under the Controlled Substances Act, meaning cannabis was classified as a drug which had no acceptable medical use and was defined as having a high potential for abuse.

“Criminalization, it really puts a negative connotation towards weed in general and to the Black community in general,” Wilson said. “It really put a lot of people in jail for more than decades for crimes, with reasons that are not warranted.”

Growing up in a Trinidadian family, Wilson was used to seeing weed around, much like how alcohol is a normal staple in other households.
Despite legalization, Wilson said the stigma surrounding weed hasn’t disappeared.

Similar to the U.S., Canada’s federal government has not always had a favourable position with cannabis either.

Former Canadian prime minister William Lyon Mackenzie King added cannabis to the Act to Prohibit the Improper Use of Opium and Other Drugs to criminalize the herb. The act never actually passed through parliament, but it still became law. At the time, few Canadians knew what cannabis was, and it wasn’t until 1932 that the first seizures of cannabis occurred. Possession charges weren’t made until 1937, 14 years after the substance had been criminalized.

Since its return, weed has brought a new influx of money to the economy. According to a 2021 Deloitte study, Canada saw $11 billion in cannabis sales between 2018 and 2021.

Christopher Mennillo, CEO of Prohibition, a Quebec-wide shop selling cannabis paraphernalia, emphasized the economic impact of legalization on his stores; it led to a noticeable uptick in sales. However, it also brought new legal challenges, particularly in Quebec.

“A bunch of products had to go in the garbage,” Mennillo said.

According to the Quebec Cannabis Regulation Act, sellers are prohibited from selling items with cannabis-related logos or slogans in the province. Before legalization, selling these products wasn’t an issue.

Mennillo also noticed a negative shift in the public’s education regarding cannabis.

“The education toward the public was a little bit better pre-legalization because the Cannabis Act didn’t exist and there was nothing particularly illegal about selling [products related to cannabis],” Mennillo said. “For example, a book on cannabis or how to consume cannabis or how to grow cannabis. All of that was fine, but now post-legalization in Quebec, all of those things […] are illegal.”

Mennillo doesn’t think that the same standard is applied for different stores. A pharmacy or book store selling a product with hemp oil, or a book about growing cannabis, that has a logo related to weed, won’t be inspected.

“Theoretically, their mandate is to kind of dissuade you from consuming cannabis,” Mennillo said. “So if you walk into an SQDC and they see you showing any hesitation towards buying cannabis, that’s a prompt for them to try to convince you to leave the store.”

“It’s just a completely different philosophy here in Quebec, and one of the things that goes with it is our inability to grow our plants,” Mennillo said. “Federally, the government permits up to four plants per person. The idea being that, ‘Hey, if it’s legal, you don’t have to buy it.’ You might not have the means to buy it. You can just grow it yourself right on your balcony, in your backyard, whatever. And in Quebec, we don’t have that.”

Mennillo sees this stigma in Quebec as being a roll-on effect from the racialization of cannabis.

There are currently eight other countries that have legalized recreational cannabis use, including Germany, Mexico and South Africa. It is also legal for recreational use in certain U.S. states, such as Colorado and California.

Despite legalization, Wilson said she still feels self-conscious about smoking weed in certain public spaces because people often give judgmental looks, reflecting the lingering stigmatized attitude towards cannabis use.

Wilson recalled a time at work when she lit a joint during a meeting, where alcohol and cigarettes were common. She was quickly criticized.

“They were like, ‘Lailaah, you’re smoking weed in a meeting,’” Wilson said. “It wasn’t like I was interrupting the start of the flow of the meeting.”

Wilson was then brought to a meeting with higher-ups where she was reprimanded. She recalled the story as being a testimonial moment, reminding her that cannabis is still not accepted.

Outside an SQDC in Anjou, The Link spoke with cannabis consumers about how legalization changed their lives.

Some consumers told The Link outright that legalization had no effect on their smoking routine. However, car builder Antonio Vittoria expressed a different perspective on legalization.

“[Weed legalization] didn’t change anything, but it kept me safe,” Vittoria said. “I didn’t have to worry about getting arrested or hiding it—which was my main concern.”

Many can feel safer consuming cannabis. According to Statistics Canada, about 29.4 per cent of cannabis users obtain their cannabis from a legal source which is nearly three times higher than before legalization.

Canada’s Department of Justice website highlights this advantage of cannabis legalization with an 85 per cent decrease in the criminalization rate since before the legalization of cannabis.

“You can’t just wash away stigma that’s been breathing in people’s subconscious for 100 years,” Mennillo said. “This will take a very, very long time to go away.”

This article originally appeared in Volume 45, Issue 4, published October 22, 2024.

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Nouvel Établissement announces its permanent closure

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 30, 2024 / Alice Martin, Anya Tchernikov, La Tulipe, Mile end, Nouvel Établissement

The bar is closing after three years of operation. Photo Alice Martin

Anya Tchernikov,
Local Journalism Initiative

Due to residential renovations and noise regulations the bar is unplugging the turn tables

Nouvel Établissement, a bar in Montreal’s Mile End, will permanently close on Nov. 2 due to noise regulation policy as its upper floors will be repurposed into residential spaces by the building’s owner.

This changes the noise regulations for the bar below, known for its lineup of sets every weekend.

The closure comes after legendary music venue La Tulipe announced it was temporarily closing as section 9 of Plateau-Mont-Royal’s noise regulation prohibits any amplified noise from being heard outside an establishment.

Ariane Roy Geromin has co-managed Nouvel Établissement with partner Charles Étienne Pilon since its inception.

“That’s something that I feel saddened me a bit, is that the people that were coming to a safe space—and there’s a lot of people that were really coming often,” Geromin said. “I know it’s really bad now that they won’t have this space anymore.”

The venue welcomed visitors in September 2021, before it officially opened December of that year.

Before Nouvel Établissement was formally opened, there was a regular “Drink and Draw,” where visitors could come to the bar and partake in exactly what the name entails: illustrating at the establishment with a drink in hand if desired. It quickly grew to foster a community and regulars.

“I think we were lucky with that, [with] creating a place where people could really come be themselves,” Geromin reflected. “It was really nice to see that happen at Nouvel.”

DJ sets and artists played every weekend, with new talent constantly on the mixer. For many, this venue came to be familiar.

“I had never seen other clubs that had this sort of decor and also had very cheap cover. I went to some of their Drink and Draw events,” Nouvel attendee Micha Paradis reminisced. “[It was] a great place where I knew I could go out and see people that I know and hear music that I loved.”

As the lease approaches its end, the rent is set to increase, already too high for the co-owners, with profits from the business low. Having known about the incoming closure since June, Geromin has accepted it.

“It was good timing,” Geromin said.

For many, Nouvel Établissement shutting its doors means losing a space that was dear to them.

Walid El Majidi, aka WALIDord, is a vinyl DJ from Morocco who immigrated to Montreal eight years ago as a student. Venues such as Nouvel Établissement allowed him to meet friends and cultivate a community.

“I couldn’t go back home and see my family for six years,” Majidi said. “Great relationships get built inside these communities and these events. It is actually how I made myself my own family in Montreal.”

Beyond Nouvel Établissement, nightlife in Montreal has been a lifeline for Majidi.

“I feel stronger because I am not alone in it. We built a community where what harms me, harms everyone around me,” Majidi said. “It is not only about partying and going crazy. It is also about this feeling that it creates. […] If I’m sad, then I have this community around me, which brings up this ray of hope that makes me stand up again.”

As Nouvel is pushed out, what is next is unclear. The creators intend to keep in touch with the community they have connected with.

“We are Montrealers. You shut one place down, we are gonna open 10 others,” Majidi said. “If there is any way we can help, we will. That is the power of the community.”

This article originally appeared in Volume 45, Issue 4, published October 22, 2024.

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City of Montreal announces expansion of EMMIS squad amidst criticism

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 30, 2024 / Andraé Lerone Lewis, EMMIS, Équipe mobile de médiation et d’intervention sociale, Houda Kerkadi, Projet Montreal, Valérie Plante

The city’s announced EMMIS expansion will cover all 19 boroughs of Montreal. Photo Andraé Lerone Lewis

Houda Kerkadi,
Local Journalism Initiative

EMMIS threatens the trust between social workers and the unhoused population

Projet Montréal, the municipal political party led by Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, announced the expansion of the Équipe mobile de médiation et d’intervention sociale (EMMIS) initiative last month, covering all 19 Montreal boroughs.

This decision came amidst criticism from urban experts and the unhoused community, who believe the initiative threatens trust between street workers and the unhoused.

Expansion of EMMIS

EMMIS is operated by the Société de développement social, an organization that promotes the involvement of the private companies in responding to the houselessness crisis. In 2021, the City of Montreal introduced the EMMIS project as a solution to cohabitation issues arising due to the housing crisis.

“There’s [been] more violence, [EMMIS] is really a way to prevent things from escalating,” Notre-Dame-de-Grâce City Councillor Despina Sourias said.

Citizens, businesses and residents can call on EMMIS to de-escalate and provide support with cohabitation issues that may arise between unhoused and housed individuals. The EMMIS team has social workers and police working in tandem in response to these calls. According to Sourias, EMMIS aims to deploy approximately 90 intervention workers across the city by 2025 to work in partnerships with existing local organizations.

With the expansion, teams would be able to offer services such as car rides to shelters and referrals to community resources, as well as provide support tailored to the unique realities of each borough.

The expansion is set to cost $50 million, with funds coming in from both the city and the Ministry of Public Security, which Sourias said supports the SPVM investing in local initiatives.

Criticism of the squad

Ted Rutland, an urban politics and policing expert, said that the EMMIS team destroyed the bond community members had with social workers.

In 2023, he published a report alongside the Réseau d’aide aux personnes seules et itinérantes de Montréal (RAPSIM), in which 38 street outreach workers who work with unhoused people were interviewed about EMMIS. The report found that EMMIS impaired the workers’ ability to gain the trust of the unhoused population and form long-term relationships.

Rutland said that the starting point of EMMIS’s intervention comes from a complaint regarding an unhoused person, with the resolution often being removing that person with or against their will.

“They’re not working for unhoused people,” Rutland said.

According to the city’s website, EMMIS does not offer any follow-up interventions to unhoused individuals.

Rutland said that EMMIS workers do not seek to build relationships with the unhoused to help them in their goals—neither the short term nor long term—but instead seek to respond to complaints from residents or businesses. He argued that Projet Montréal’s investment in projects such as EMMIS help create a sanitized view of downtown Montreal.

“It’s fundamentally a middle-class and largely white vision of what it means to live in a city,” Rutland said. “They want the police to ensure that anyone who wants to enjoy a pedestrianized view, or a cute cafe, or move into a neighbourhood and renovate a complex or tower downtown, never have to feel uncomfortable.”

Investing in long-term solutions

John Wright has been unhoused for the last two years, ever since he said he lost his wallet and keys. Today, he sleeps in a makeshift shelter outside of the Open Door, a drop-in service centre for low-income and unhoused people in downtown Montreal. Wright said that the centre does not always have room for him.

Wright believes that only social workers should be working with unhoused folks.

“I’m not scared of the cops, but [for] someone that’s a crackhead or on panic [and is] scared, it’s wrong. The social worker that’s on-site should make the call for the cops if they need help,” Wright said. ”If not, you’re doing [it] wrong. These people are on drugs, they don’t want the cops, they’re scared shitless of the cops. I think calling the cops is just wrong, get them out of our life.”

Wright said there are two social workers who support him regularly, but he still believes that the city should be investing in long-term solutions if they want to support the unhoused population at large.

“Build more [and] more homes, more social housing, it’s not enough man, it’s not enough,” Wright said.

For the city, dealing with the root causes of houselessness is not only a municipal problem.

Sourias said that, as the provincial government controls housing and health services, the municipal government is limited in what it can do in this domain. She added that all levels of government need to invest and care about houselessness.

“To work on all these issues, the city does not have all the means to do it. We don’t have all the competencies either,” Sourias said. “[The provincial government] has the funds and the competencies to act globally on it. What we work on is what we call cohabitation.”

Sourias emphasized that investing in EMMIS is essential because it prevents escalation, but Rutland argued that EMMIS does not truly prevent escalation since they do not answer 911 calls directly but instead are referred to by police.

“We haven’t solved the problem of the police ending up in these situations where they’re not trained to respond, where there’s a high risk of violence,” Rutland said.

Rutland argues that the decision to expand EMMIS instead of offering funding to community organizations is a reflection of the city’s ultimate goal of simply removing the unhoused off the street; an extension on the “Not In My Backyard” mentality. He said that EMMIS ultimately can remove somebody from a public space, even if they do not want to move.

“You can make a source of discomfort disappear if a person disappears for a while,” Rutland said, “but if you don’t address the fundamental needs, the problem doesn’t go away.”

This article originally appeared in Volume 45, Issue 4, published October 22, 2024.

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McGill contracts private security firm to dismantle pro-Palestine encampment

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 6, 2024 / Cheï Lévesque, Deep Saini, Maria Cholakova, SPHR McGill

McGill hires private security firm to dismantle pro-Palestine encampment. Courtesy Cheï Lévesque

Maria Cholakova,
Local Journalism Initiative

Dozens of students and advocates call out McGill and its allies for the demolition

On July 10, after more than 70 days since its establishment, McGill University’s pro-Palestine encampment was dismantled by a private security firm hired by the university.

The private security firm entered the encampment early in the morning and began its demolition. Bulldozers and trucks entered McGill’s campus. Additionally, a large number of police officers—some wearing riot gear—were seen by campers on site on horseback and bicycles as early as 4:45 a.m.

Between 4:46 a.m. and 7:42 a.m., individuals in the encampment were “advised three times that they would be escorted off campus if they did not leave of their own accord,” according to McGill’s Emergency Operations Centre. The majority of the 35 campers present were escorted out.

The university’s campus was shut down for the day and blocked off by police.

At 1:15 p.m., McGill’s Emergency Operations Centre announced that the encampment’s dismantlement was largely completed.

According to Montreal police media relations officer Jean-Pierre Brabant, the police were present only for support and made one arrest of a man for assaulting a police officer.

Concordia professor Ted Rutland said the police’s presence should not be overlooked.

“McGill has managed to negotiate […] a side agreement with the police because the police role here is essential. I don’t think the security firm would be doing [the dismantlement] without police protection,” said Rutland. “The idea that the police aren’t involved in this is misleading. They are here, they are enabling this.”

In a press statement, McGill’s President and Vice-Chancellor Deep Saini stated that the “camp was not a peaceful protest. It was a heavily fortified focal point for intimidation and violence, organized largely by individuals who are not part of our university community.”

Saini alleged that a firm the university hired to investigate the encampment discovered two overdoses, syringes, illegal narcotics being sold, rat infestations and fire risks, including a propane canister and flammable materials next to the tents.

Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) McGill has denied claims about the presence of illegal drugs at the encampment, claiming that the university is leading a defamation campaign against its own students.

“In their statement, McGill mischaracterizes the camp and has utilized photos of syringes that are present on the public street of Sherbrooke and pretended it was inside the camp,” SPHR McGill’s official spokesperson said.

The university’s decision to dismantle the camp via a private firm has come under fire from protesters and organizers.

SPHR McGill said the university has never had the well-being of students in mind.

“Instead of moving money from companies that are actively facilitating war and occupation and genocide, the administration has taken every drastic measure to repress the movement for liberation,” SPHR McGill’s official spokesperson said.

The group also accused the university of cutting off all electricity from the campus at night, along with dragging students into legal battles and accusing the encampment of violence.

Sam, a camper who preferred to use a pseudonym for safety reasons, alleged they were forcefully escorted from the encampment with no warning by the private security firm.

“Our struggle to get McGill to divest from genocide, from the brutal massacre of Palestinians [shows] that [McGill] is scared and is resorting to violence,” Sam said.

Sam added that the university’s actions have given clarity to students on the university’s priorities, stating that violence is their “modus operandi.”

Rutland said that McGill’s hiring of a private security company shows McGills intent.

“The depravity of sending a bulldozer, the same bulldozers that are destroying Palestinian homes, the symbolism of that is going to last a while,” said Rutland. “What does this university stand for? It stands for genocide.”

According to Zeyad Abisaab, SPHR Concordia’s general coordinator, the removal of the encampment will not stop the organization’s work.

“The students are determined and motivated that they will not stop fighting for a just cause,” said Abisaab “Demanding McGill, Concordia and all universities to divest from genocide, divest from the state of Israel, from the Zionist entity as a whole and specifically weapons companies.”

McGill contracts private security firm to dismantle pro-Palestine encampment Read More »

Montreal community takes to the street to defend trans rights

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 6, 2024 / 1MM4C, Andraé Lerone Lewis, Francis Turcotte, LGBTQIA2S+, Trans Resistance 4ever

Demonstrators gathered at 8 a.m. on Sept. 20 to counter the “1 Million March 4 Children” protest. Photo Andraé Lerone Lewis

Francis Turcotte,
Local Journalism Initiative

Anti-trans protests across the country are being met with resistance

Demonstrators gathered at 8 a.m. on Sept. 20 to counter the “1 Million March 4 Children” (1MM4C) protest, a nationwide anti-trans rights protest taking place on the same date as last year.

The anti-trans protest was organized by far-right groups like Hands Off Our Kids, who are campaigning to ban sexual orientation and gender identity curricula in public schools across the country.

Trans-rights activists gathered at Place Vauquelin whilst the anti-trans group formed across rue Notre-Dame E. at Place Jacques-Cartier.

The 1MM4C started marching and the counter-protest attempted to follow, but after being blocked by police, they went through Champs de Mars towards rue St. Antoine.

The counter-protest was met by riot police, preventing protesters from moving west toward St. Laurent blvd. The counter-protest moved back up towards rue Notre-Dame and towards the Palais de Justice, where they caught up with the 1MM4C group again. Tear gas was fired toward counter-protesters twice at around 11 a.m., then the police pushed toward the group without warning.

A spokesperson for the SPVM told The Link that she could not comment on the use of violence at the protest as the SPVM does not comment on police intervention.

*Protesters and counter-protesters gathered across the street from each other on rue Notre-Dame E. Photo Andraé Lerone Lewis*

Montreal-based trans rights activist Celeste Trianon, who has been organizing pro-trans marches and protests across the country, said these recent anti-trans movements could lead to major consequences for the community.

According to Trianon, the main potential consequence would be that these groups would manage to occupy a much more public space, which would allow anti-trans rhetoric to spread further and seep its way into the Canadian mainstream through media, politics, or other avenues.

“We’re seeing how [anti-queer groups have] led to public opinion of LGBTQIA2S+ existence in Canada going down, which used to never be the case,” said Trianon.

Zev Saltiel, a trans parent and activist, said police brutality has escalated recently. “In the past, when we had these protests, police have intervened, but they never deployed tear gas on us,” Saltiel said.

“I was monitoring about six different counter-protests last year, and people all across the country were talking about it,” said Trianon on the 1MM4C protests last year. “We had Prime Minister Trudeau weighing in for the counter-protest and saying that transphobia has no place in Canada.”

Saltiel believes that most people influenced by the nationwide transphobic group are not educated on trans issues and lack an understanding of what it really means to be trans.

“Have [transphobic protesters ever] had a conversation with a trans person? They probably have–they just don’t know that they have,” said Saltiel. “People are afraid of things they don’t understand.”

*Counter-protesters held up signs with slogans such as “Protect Trans Kids” and “Trans Resistance 4ever.” Photo Andraé Lerone Lewis*

According to Saltiel, anti-trans protesters used children as a tool to persuade others to join their cause, by chanting taglines such as, “Protect the children”, and bringing their young children with them to the protest

“It’s an easier target,” Saltiel said. “People don’t really understand that children don’t have access to gender-affirming care, […] but people are convinced, for some reason, that the kids go to school and get surgery.”

Still, Trianon said she thinks there has been an increase in groups looking to protect queer and trans folks.

“People have actually formed more and more groups in order to help defend trans people in these times of heightened violence against them,” she said.

Montreal community takes to the street to defend trans rights Read More »

Wearing out the frontline

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 6, 2024 / Hayley Carolan, Intervention workers, Myriam Ouazzani, OTSTCFQ, unhoused population

Graphic Myriam Ouazzani

Hayley Carolan,
Local Journalism Initiative

Intervention workers in downtown Montreal are struggling

Disclaimer: The author has volunteered at Face à Face since November 2023.

Today is welfare cheque day and volunteers walk quickly down a narrow, beige corridor, fetching mail for clients waiting in a line that trails out the front door.

Most of those waiting are sociable, chatting with the people behind them and thanking the volunteers. But one client paces back and forth, shaking his head.

His cheque hasn’t arrived, and he shouts at the woman sitting at the front desk.

Heads turn towards him, and the volunteers stop handing out mail. He slams his hands onto the desk. The moment is tense, and no one seems to know what to do.

Then, Akira Buhaina enters the room.

The volunteers seem relieved as she walks out of the back office. She strides quickly to the front desk, hurried but confident.

She greets the client, asks him to be polite with the volunteers and assures him that she’ll do her best to help him. Leading him into a small counselling room a few feet away, she offers a tired smile to her volunteers, before taking a seat across from him and closing the door.

Buhaina is the lead intervention worker at Face à Face, a non-profit organization offering mail reception for people without a fixed address and crisis intervention for anyone in need. Workers also help clients find housing, search for apartments on the private market and help them fill out complex applications for social housing.

Since the pandemic, soaring housing costs have resulted in increased homelessness in Quebec. From 2013 to 2022, the number of people experiencing visible homelessness in the province grew from approximately 3,149 people in 2018, to 10,000 in 2022. Nearly half of this population lives in Montreal.

The growing population of unhoused people has put unprecedented pressure on the city’s frontline services. Over the last two years, five staff members have left Face à Face. Buhaina has stayed on for over three years.

She is the go-to person for every question, and clients specifically request her by name. She says that despite the hectic and at times stressful environment, she loves her job. But sometimes she’s so run off her feet that she doesn’t get a chance to go to the bathroom until the last hour of her shift.

“It’s hard when someone comes in and they’re getting kicked out of their apartment and they’re basically suicidal,” Buhaina says.

Clients face various systemic barriers and are often in immediate need of support when they arrive at the centre, making it difficult for staff to take breaks.

“There’s a lot going on at the centre, but we do our best to make time for everyone,” Buhaina adds.

Recently, she has noticed the job taking a toll on her mental health. Despite trying to manage her stress through hobbies, like playing in her band and taking care of her garden, she sometimes leaves the centre with a tightness in her chest.

“A lot of my stress comes from being very frustrated, either with the government or the fact that there’s not enough housing, and all these systemic issues that are going on right now,” Buhaina says. “It gets me more angry when I think about how desperate people are, how little help they have and how we’re working with a very broken system.”

In an effort to protect her mental health, she decided to take a two-month leave of absence over the summer. She is unsure if she will return.

Buhaina is not alone. Social service providers across Quebec are burning out at an unprecedented rate. Within the next two years, close to 2,400 social workers in the province are planning to leave their jobs, according to the most recent survey from the Order of Social Workers, Family, and Marriage Therapists of Quebec (OTSTCFQ).

In a press conference, Pierre-Paul Malenfant, the outgoing president of OTSTCFQ, spoke on the results of the survey. He stated that the province is currently seeing a “deep distress among these professionals which the Quebec government must address immediately.”

“This trend worries us greatly, because in the end, if social workers break down and leave the profession, it is the population who will pay the price,” Malenfant said. “Not only could the quality and availability of services be compromised, but the pressure on the shoulders of the remaining healthcare workers will be exacerbated.”

A brief from the Canadian Association of Social Workers says that the emotionally challenging work performed by intervention workers can make it difficult for them to maintain good mental health. After years of supporting struggling clients and extending empathy at every turn, fatigue can set in.

Sophie Meunier, an organizational psychologist who studies strategies to reduce intervention worker burnout, says that while self-care strategies can help reduce the negative impacts of emotionally intense work, they should not be the only avenue used to address worker well-being.

She explains that it would be more efficient to change the entire system that perpetuates worker distress than to improve the well-being of one individual at a time.

She adds that in addition to the emotional stress inherent to the job, the lack of resources that intervention workers have to help their clients can make them feel powerless and lead to burnout. Low compensation rates, a lack of extended benefits and ever-changing funding requirements further exacerbate the issue. She says that changing these factors would significantly improve intervention workers’ well-being.

Last month, the federal and provincial governments pledged $115 million over the next two years to develop housing for people experiencing homelessness in Montreal. The money will go towards 520 new emergency and transitional housing spaces in the city.

Edward Eberle-Sinatra, another intervention worker at Face à Face, says this is a step in the right direction, but doesn’t think it’ll make the lives of intervention workers or their clients any easier.

“It’s not really going to do much for us,” Eberle-Sinatra says. “The housing will just go to people at the top of the (Office municipal d’habitation de Montréal) list.”

Currently, most new applicants placed on this social housing list must wait several years before being allocated a subsidized apartment, depending on factors including their income and number of children.

He explains that organizations like Face à Face need more funding to offer quality services to their clients. With it, they could hire more people to spread out their workload and avoid losing the knowledgeable staff they already have.

However, Buhaina isn’t waiting for the system to change. During her break, she’s planning to take care of herself by reading, journaling and spending time in nature.

“I’m trying to find center and balance within myself and give myself the care I need, because so much of what I do is about taking care of others,” Buhaina says. “I really advise anyone in this field to take moments to remember who you are.”

Wearing out the frontline Read More »

Montrealers take to the streets for Lebanon

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 6, 2024 / ceasefire, Gabe Elliott, Hannah Scott-Talib, Lebanon, Palestinian Youth Movement

Hundreds of Montreal residents gathered in Dorchester Square to march towards the Israeli Consulate on Sept. 25, in protest of Israel’s escalated attacks on Lebanon. Photo Hannah-Scott Talib

Gabe Elliott,
Local Journalism Initiative

Protesters demanded an end to attacks on Lebanon and a ceasefire in Palestine

On Sept. 25, hundreds of Montrealers gathered downtown at Dorchester Square to protest Israel’s escalation of violence against Lebanon.

The protest, organized by the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) Montreal, began at 6 p.m. Protesters banged drums, played Lebanese music and led chants such as, “Say it clear and say it loud, resistance, you make us proud” and, “Up, up with liberation, down, down with the occupation.”.

PYM speakers addressed those gathered at the square, before the march began along René-Lévesque Blvd., turning onto Stanley St. and then heading along St.-Catherine St. towards the Israeli Consulate.

“For 365 days, we have taken to the streets to demand an end to the genocide and an end to the criminal Canadian complicity,” one PYM speaker said. “From Lebanon to Palestine, we will continue fight[ing] until the end of the genocide in Gaza, until every prisoner is liberated, until every refugee returns home, and until every single inch of Palestine is free, from the river to the sea.”

Since Sept. 23, Israel has escalated its attacks on Lebanon, killing at least 620 people, including at least 50 children, and injuring over 1,800 others. More people died on Sept. 23 than on any other day since the end of the country’s civil war 34 years ago.

Community members handed out plums to the crowd gathered in front of the Consulate, as more speeches began. Speakers directly connected the escalation of attacks on Lebanon to Israel’s occupation of Palestine and the ongoing genocide in Gaza, stressing that to oppose one is to oppose all.

One protester, who was granted anonymity for safety reasons, spoke about their personal connection to recent events.

“I’m Lebanese and from the south, my village has [already] been getting bombed for the past 11 months,” they said. “[The current situation] means a lot to me because now it’s getting intensely bombed.”

Another attendee, who left Lebanon in 2020 after the explosion in Beirut and was also granted anonymity for safety reasons, said that it’s important to attend protests demanding that Israel be held accountable for actions committed since the country was founded in 1948.

“Israel has been committing injustices since it was created. Its creation is an injustice,” they said. “[Israel] has committed massacre after massacre, they’re committing ethnic cleansing, genocide, they occupied the south of [Lebanon] as well, and they just get away with impunity because they’re an extension of the American imperial core.”

The protest dispersed at 8:40 p.m., with Muslim community members joining in collective prayer. Organizers made a final address to the crowd, urging those in attendance to stay engaged and continue their protest and advocacy as the one-year anniversary of the genocide in Gaza approaches.

Montrealers take to the streets for Lebanon Read More »

Thousands of Montrealers march for climate activism

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 6, 2024 / Andrea Caceres, Climate Activism, Macintyre Strudensky, Montreal, Paris Agreement

Over a thousand protesters marched through downtown Montreal on Sept. 27 on a national day of action for climate change. Photo Andrea Caceres

Macintyre Strudensky,
Local Journalism Initiative

Protesters rally for climate action, calling for improved efforts to reduce fossil fuel emissions

Over a thousand protesters gathered at the George-Étienne Cartier monument on Sept. 27 for a national day of action for climate change. The protest, organized by Fridays for Future Canada, was one of many occurring simultaneously across Canada.

The Syndicat des Cols bleus regroupés de Montréal, a labour union group focused on promoting social justice, facilitated the march. A multitude of organizations were also present in solidarity, including the climate organization Coalition québécoise des lacs incompatibles avec l’activité minière and the Québec solidaire political party, with an appearance from its leader, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois.

Protesters were loud and lively as they marched down Park Ave. before turning on Sherbrooke St. W., making their way across downtown Montreal towards Place du Canada. Among the crowd, some protestors pounded drums and played instruments while others waved signs with slogans such as “We are not fossil fools,” “Let’s leave the dinosaurs alone” and “Lets burn capitalism, not the planet.”

“The climate is in a disastrous state at the moment,” said Jennifer, a climate activist at the protest who has been granted anonymity. “The Paris Agreement stipulated 1.5 C as the maximum increase for global warming. In 2023, the Earth surpassed warming beyond that point. Unfortunately, the governments of the world have not made the necessary changes to bring that back down again.”

*Protesters at the march sought to advocate for climate awareness and demanded governmental action to reduce fossil fuel emissions. Photo Andrea Caceres*

Frustration, unrest and urgent calls for action were the themes of the protest. Many protestors expressed disdain at what they feel is government inaction towards climate change mitigation efforts.

“It’s important for us because, the more people that resist the status quo, the more changes will occur,” said Mikellena Nettos, a former employee at The Climate Reality Project Canada who attended the march. “Hopefully we can reduce emissions to move towards a greener and more communal future.”

Mehramat Kaye, a volunteer for multiple NGOs and organizations such as Environnement Jeunesse, described her experience in advocating for climate action.

“I’ve started volunteering for NGOs since high school now, so three years. It’s a core value of mine,” Kaye said. “As an optimistic person, I think it’s very important for people to be here today and spread awareness for the cause.”

Jennifer expressed her optimism in seeing so many young faces at the protest.

“I think it’s amazing that so many young people are here today taking a stand,” she said. “Unfortunately, I don’t think my generation has been effective in caring for the environment. We’ve been complacent.”

As a woman in her sixties, she explained that compared to younger generations, she feels much of the older generation are more guilty of supporting banks and other big companies that are titans of the oil industry.

“[My generation has] been siding with three Canadian banks among the strongest supporters of the oil industry in the world,” Jennifer said. “That includes RBC, TD and Scotiabank.”

Ending the march just outside Bonaventure metro and Place du Canada, activists finished with a closing round of drumming to complete the parade through the city.

“I think what people need a lot of the time is the right avenues for action,” Nettos said. “And I think this [march] is a good place to get started.”

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Montreal’s interconnected ecosystem of community kitchens

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 6, 2024 / community, community kitchen, CultivAction, food inflation, Loyola campus, Zachary Cheung

Volunteers tending to the crops at CultivAction’s farm on Loyola Campus. Courtesy CultivAction

Zachary Cheung,
Local Journalism Initiative

How food groups collaborate to grow, cook and serve hot meals for free

Tucked away in Concordia University’s Loyola campus, surrounded by the monochrome of the university’s brick and concrete, is a lush expanse of green. Lettuce, radishes, kale, scallions and beets have been basking in the sun since they were planted as seedlings in May. They now peek their heads from the ground, ready to be harvested.

Caleb Woolcott, the microgreens coordinator at CultivAction, arrives at the quarter-acre farm at 6 a.m.; it is late June, the first harvest of the summer season. In a few hours, Woolcott will be joined by a team of 10 volunteers to help him and the other workers collect the produce that will be sold at the farm’s weekly pay-what-you-can market later that day.

For CultivAction, a solidarity co-operative of urban farmers, selling produce at accessible prices is a deliberate choice. The farm’s sustainably-grown ingredients seek to nourish communities in a move away from a centralized for-profit food system, Woolcott said.

“There’s no owner that’s, like, reaping a profit,” he said. “Community building, in that way, is the most meaningful part.”

Today, in the midst of a cost of living crisis, local organizations providing accessible food appear to be more vital than ever. CultivAction is not alone in the fight against food inflation. With grocery prices increasing, community food groups have found themselves relying on each other to continue addressing food insecurity.

“If we’re trying to move away from grocery stores that pay farmers cents on the dollar, we need to figure out how to build relationships in a community food system,” Woolcott said.

Many meals served by Montreal’s community kitchens are cut from the same crop. On top of selling directly to community members, CultivAction also supplies produce to 13 different food banks and community kitchens. The morning after the farmers market, Woolcott drives around the city to donate around 135 kilograms of produce to organizations partnered with the urban farm.

But CultivAction only occupies one step in a larger network of urban farms, community kitchens, and emergency shelters. Through sharing resources, these organizations form small volunteer-driven supply chains, where everything from growing ingredients to cooking meals is done by the community.

CultivAction’s ingredients arrive in the fridges of organizations like Community Cooks Collective (CCC), which prepares and delivers meals to emergency shelters across the city. While the community kitchen also buys in bulk from big grocery stores like Costco, CultivAction’s donations help CCC maintain its ability to provide hot meals for free.

After CCC receives a delivery, volunteers use the ingredients to cook big batches of food at home. These meals are then gathered in large buckets and shipped off to be donated in bulk.

Tatiana Townsley, an organizer at CCC, said that Montreal’s community kitchens thrive off of collaboration. She said that smaller kitchens like CCC, which do not have the capacity to distribute meals directly to clients, depend on larger organizations like emergency shelters to do so. In return, CCC’s volunteers commit their time and energy to increasing the total amount of food that is distributed.

“Having community resources that provide free food or cheap, well-priced food is so important,” Townsley said. “It’s a great little ecosystem.”

According to Aisha Abdunnur, a volunteer at both CultivAction and the People’s Potato, Concordia’s vegan soup kitchen, interdependence is an important aspect of the work. She believes that community members can only count on themselves to create a network capable of supporting people struggling to eat.

“Every single organization plays a part,” said Abdunnur at a community event hosted by Le Frigo Vert, a pay-what-you-can grocery store in downtown Montreal. “One of the organizations facilitates the events, the other ones literally grow the food and then some of them prepare the food.”

The strong bonds that tie together Montreal’s food groups often mean that volunteers extend their help to multiple organizations. Such is the case for Abdunnur, who offers her support across the board. She believes that, despite every organization’s distinct role, the task of fighting food insecurity is equally shared by everyone.

“All the volunteers like me are kind of passed around,” Abdunnur said. “We go to every event and every organization because at the end of the day, we need each other to facilitate everything.”

Patrick Cortbaoui, the managing director of the Margaret A. Gilliam Institute for Global Food Security, said that community kitchens have had to rely on each other in the face of Canada’s concentrated grocery industry. Loblaws, Sobeys, Metro, Walmart and Costco hold roughly 80 per cent of grocery market sales in Canada. Cortbaoui expressed that when the supply of food is held in the hands of a small number of companies, there are no barriers to stop prices from going up.

“Canadians are food insecure due to several reasons,” he said. “The main reason is not due to food availability, it’s because of food inaccessibility.”

As a result, Cortbaoui said that Canadians have had to turn to community organizations to access affordable food. Community kitchens have followed suit, relying on each other to address the shortages caused by inaccessible produce.

“I’m starting to see a kind of food revolution in Canada. People are starting to think outside the box and finally realize that our food system is not sustainable,” Cortbaoui said.

The Open Door, an emergency shelter in Milton Park, is one of the organizations that CCC is partnered with. Dan Marré, the shelter’s weekend team lead, said that the shelter primarily receives its food supply from big food banks like Moisson Montréal. Despite these donations, Marré said that the support from big donors is not always enough to stock The Open Door’s fridges with the necessary ingredients to build a well-balanced menu.

“It’s not like we get everything we want. Sometimes we have to get creative when preparing a menu,” he said. “For example, if we want dairy, we might get milk, we might get almond milk, we might get powdered milk.”

However, The Open Door’s relationships with smaller community kitchens help bridge the gaps in food supply that larger donors cannot fill.

Deliveries from CCC arrive at The Open Door twice a month. Ready-made meals from chili to pasta to burritos are donated to the shelter to supplement what they already offer. Marré said that The Open Door’s partnerships supply the shelter with enough food that the only ingredients they have to buy themselves are ones that are necessary for cooking, like salt and spices.

For volunteers like Abdunnur, community grown, cooked and distributed food is the most impactful way to fight against rising grocery prices. This network of interdependence, she said, is a necessary step to moving away from a for-profit food system.

“I feel whole,” Abdunnur said. “[This is] how human beings are meant to live, every action affects everyone else. We’re all connected.”

Montreal’s interconnected ecosystem of community kitchens Read More »

Montreal community unites to show solidarity with Sudan

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 6, 2024 / Ivan Baron, Shayam Ragavan, Sudan fundraiser, Sudan Solidarity Collective, Zoleh Curations

The ‘Dine for Sudan’ fundraiser on Aug. 29 saw guests gather for a night of food and activism. Photo Ivan Baron

Shayam Ragavan,
Local Journalism Initiative

Fundraiser dinner raises awareness about the ongoing humanitarian crisis

On Aug. 29, activists and community members came together for the Dine for Sudan fundraiser dinner at Café La Place Commune.

The event was organized by Zoleh Curations, a community initiative dedicated to organizing third space events and experiences.

All proceeds went to the Sudan Solidarity Collective, a volunteer collective formed by the Sudanese community at the University of Toronto. The collective seeks to launch a Sudan Solidarity Fund and to challenge the barriers people are facing due to war-related loss and trauma.

Café La Place Commune, a non-profit solidarity cooperative in Parc-Extension, volunteered to help cook traditional Sudanese cuisine for the event.

Sarah Khalid, one of the lead organizers of the event, grew up eating the food that was served at the event.

“We wanted to make sure that we were highlighting the main ingredients and flavours that represented the country,” Khalid said.

One of the ingredients showcased at the dinner was ‘Shamar,’ a ground fennel used in almost every single Sudanese dish. Another dish was ‘Fuul,’ which consisted of fava beans cooked in onions and tomatoes.

Aug. 27 marked 500 days since intense conflict broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and a paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Sudan is facing a dire humanitarian crisis.To date, at least 15,500 people have been killed and over 12 million people have been forced to leave their homes, with children representing around half of the people displaced.

Duha Elmardi, an organizer from the Sudan Solidarity Collective, said her parents in Khartoum are heavily impacted.

“We have a responsibility to make sure that we are doing what we can from this part of the world [to] ensure that our governments here are not supporting [the war],” Elmardi said.

Dr. Khalid Mustafa Medani, associate professor of political science and Islamic studies at McGill University and speaker at the event, said that the war has displaced everyone in the country.

“None of us sitting here who are Sudanese have any houses left to call our own,” Medani said. “There is not one single Sudanese family whose home has not been taken over by militias.”

The conflict started due to the 2018-2019 Sudanese revolution. In Dec. 2018, millions took up a nonviolent revolution to overthrow an authoritarian regime.

“I think that no Sudanese [person] had expected this kind of expansion—a revolution and popular mobilization across ethnic groups, classes and regions,” Medani said.

This revolution overthrew the regime of the National Congress Party, which was involved in killing over a million Sudanese nationals. The military attempted to use their power to restore their authoritarian rule in Sudan, but protests continued, resulting in over a hundred deaths.

According to Medani, the conflict in Sudan is not a civil war as it is not supported by any Sudanese—it is against both civilians and the revolution.

“There is no support because [the SAF and RSF] for 20 years had allied together to kill as many Sudanese as they could in the context of putting down an insurgency in Darfur,” Medani said. “Both of them combined their forces to put down the revolution. [Leader of the RSF] General Hamdan Dagalo was financed by the army he’s fighting against right now.”

According to Elmardi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is responsible for funding the conflict.

“There’s a lot of documentation out there to support that the RSF is funded by the UAE,” she said. “The UAE gets a lot of its gold from Sudan, [often] gold that gets smuggled from the gold mines in Sudan run by the RSF.”

Medani added that other governments are involved too.

“Egypt monopolizes the Nile waters that come from Sudan, Russia has signed an agreement to have a logistical base on the Red Sea, and the US is deeply concerned about the Red Sea region because of the war in Gaza and the West Bank,” he said.

Sarah Elobaid, another organizer from the Sudan Solidarity Collective, said she believes that creating awareness about the situation in Sudan is important.

“[You can help by] attending such events, giving Sudanese people visibility at a time where our suffering is rendered invisible and is purposely not spoken about because it benefits so many imperial powers,” Elobaid said.

Upcoming events and fundraisers for Sudan can be found on the Sudan Solidarity Collective’s website.

Montreal community unites to show solidarity with Sudan Read More »

Concordia Flag Football Tournament takes over Stingers Dome

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 6, 2024 / Alice Martin, Concordia, Conor Tomalty, Flag Tournament, Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec

Concordia flag football team lines up pre-snap. Photo Alice Martin

Conor Tomalty,
Local Journalism Initiative

Third annual Concordia Flag Football Tournament wraps up 2024 season

The dull, lifeless aesthetic of the Concordia Stingers dome was illuminated with vibrant spirit on April 7, as the Concordia Flag Football team held their third annual Concordia University Flag Football Tournament.

Twenty teams from high schools, CEGEPs and universities across Quebec entered through rotating dome doors to participate in this year’s tournament. The event was organized by the Concordia team, who set up multiple booths of sponsors, such as Invictus Gloves, and Grit Protein water, to sell merchandise. The tournament is a main source of financing for the team given their non-varsity status.

“It means the world to us,” said Concordia receiver and organizer Amélie Brisebois Bentler. “We’re players paying for this, all of this from our pockets. We’re students, all full-time students […] if we can get sponsors to help us out it goes a really long way.”

As it currently stands, flag football does not have a league inside the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ), according to Concordia head coach Alexis Labonté. The RSEQ initially gave a three-year trial period in 2021 but has extended it to four years, meaning that the flag teams will have to wait one more season before varsity status, and proper funding will be met.

“It’s a big year next year,” said Labonté. “It’s crazy because we are still recruiting as if we are a Stinger team, but we’re not. The girls have a mindset that the project’s going to work, it’s going to be a varsity team.”

Members of the team hold out hope for a league to be formed soon. In the meantime, the growth of the sport itself is marvellous.

“When I graduated CEGEP, I was unsure if I would continue or if my journey was over. Now, I’m in my third year here,” said Concordia receiver Amy Deuel. Deuel added that with the addition of flag football set to debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, the sport has received a surge in participation. “It brings a lot of energy. More girls want to play. Every year we have more and more girls, so it’s super fun.”

The tournament also signified the last round of games for the Concordia team for the season. It was also a swan song for members leaving the team.

“It’s a rollercoaster,” said Deule. “[Amélie] has a big part in the tournament, contacting all the teams, making the schedule. This year, she’s given a lot of roles to all of us because she’s sadly leaving.”

“It’s bittersweet. I think I’ve done my time, in a sense,” said Brisebois Bentler. “It’s a hard piece to swallow, to be leaving that in people’s hands.”

Brisebois-Bentler touched upon the growth of the team since its inception back in 2021. “I was there from building the team from the ground up, so it’s really like leaving my little baby to someone else, but it’s going to be in good hands for sure.”

By the end of the day, the three tournament winners were crowned. For the high school division, the Citadins won over the Voltigeurs 14-0; The collegiate division, which was divided into two winners, the Collège Montmorency Nomades and the Cégep Édouard-Montpetit Lynx won their championships 14-3 and 7-6 respectively; The university winners were the Citadins, hailing from the Université du Québec à Montreal, winning over the Université de Montreal Les Bleues 20-12.

The Concordia team themselves found success in the 2023-24 campaign. The team finished with a record of 11-1, captured the provincial championship for the first time in the team’s history, and won the Université Laval tournament in February.

The garnered success helps with recruitment, according to Labonté. The majority of flag programs at the collegiate level stem from French CEGEPs, according to Labonté. Given that Concordia is an English university, winning makes it an attractive destination for athletes looking to make the jump to the next level.

“It’s kind of a loop, eh? If you do well, if you promote yourself well, if you show that you’re a good team, well, people will be engaged to come to your team,” Labonté said.

Concordia Flag Football Tournament takes over Stingers Dome Read More »

AFL Quebec introduces Australian football to Quebecers

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 6, 2024 / AFL Quebec, Alice Martin, Emily Douris-Blondin, LGBTQIA2S+ community

Photo Alice Martin

Emily Douris-Blondin,
Local Journalism Initiative

As soon as they arrive for their weekly practice, Australian Football League (AFL) Quebec players greet each other and spark conversations. Some have known one another for years, and others are completely new to the sport.

Everyone gathers before heading into practice drills, where the newcomers are encouraged to introduce themselves. Although initially nervous about participating, they still feel accepted by their fellow players.

Caroline Leduc, the vice-president of the league, is proud to be part of such a welcoming program.

“Our organization has always been very inclusive and supportive, regardless of a player’s athletic, physical or other abilities,” said Leduc. “We have members from various socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic backgrounds as well as many members from the LGBTQIA2S+ community, with disabilities, or who have different maternal languages.”

Leduc’s best friend introduced her to Australian football, and she fell in love with the league’s sense of community. Leduc played college basketball, where there was always pressure to be the best, so she was taken aback by how everyone in AFL Quebec accepted each other regardless of their skill level.

Australian football is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field twice the size of an NFL field. Originating from Melbourne in the mid-19th century, the roots of the sport are planted in early forms of rugby and Gaelic football, but it is uniquely Australian.

Australian football is played with a ball similar to a rugby ball but longer and more pointed. Games last 80 minutes, split into four quarters of 20 minutes each.

Two sets of posts indicate the scoring areas at either end of the field. Players can either get six points for a goal when the ball travels between the inner set of posts, or one point for a behind when the ball is sent between the outermost set of posts.

The ball can be propelled in any direction through a kick or a clenched fish, called a handball or a handpass. When in possession of the ball, players must either bounce or touch it on the ground at least once every 15 metres while they run with it.

AFL Quebec is a nine-a-side football league—meaning nine players are on both sides of the field—founded in 2008 to capitalize on the popularity of Australian football in Montréal.

The league has men’s and women’s 18-a-side teams, the Quebec Saints, which compete against other representative teams across Canada and the United States.

The league also has a men’s and women’s division, which comprises teams from Montréal and its surrounding areas.

The regular season generally runs from May until early September, followed by a series of finals that last until late September. The preseason runs from February until April, consisting of training sessions and games.

AFL Quebec prides itself on focusing on inclusiveness and accessibility.

“We do everything possible to keep participation costs to a minimum,” said Leduc. “We are also helping with the integration and social support of newcomers in Montreal. We have many newcomer players, primarily from Australia but also from elsewhere, who have recently moved to Montreal and join us in an effort to make connections and grow a community in their new home.”

Morgan Whyte, the president of the league, was born in Canada but spent some time in Australia as a child. He enjoyed AFL Quebec from the first training session he attended.

“I don’t really have any other friends outside of [AFL Quebec],” said Whyte, chuckling. “You come in, and you get into a position where everyone is so nice and so welcoming… When I’m thinking about what I’m going to do on the weekend, I think about my footy friends first.”

AFL Quebec is partners with Équipe Montréal, an organization bringing together LGBTQIA2S+ sports clubs and their allies in the greater Montréal region. They participate each year in the Montreal Pride Parade and the Community Day that takes place the day before.

AFL Quebec also won the 2022 Équipe Montréal Event of the Year for their 2022 Pride Round. The Pride Round is an annual event held by AFL Quebec that includes Australian football sessions, games and other activities. This year, it will be held on June 9 at Collège André-Grasset.

But AFL Quebec’s diversity goes beyond Pride.

“I like the diversity because [all players are] not the same shape, but we all have our place on the pitch,” said David Marra-Hurtubise, a league member and board member. “There’s a big mix of personalities and every origin, too.”

Marra-Hurtubise learned about Australian football from his Australian brother-in-law. He had played soccer for the last 25 years, but he now loves getting to play with both his hands and feet.

Similar to Marra-Hurtubise, most AFL Quebec players said they found the sport through friends and family, but Carmela Jerry discovered the game about a year ago on Reddit.

Jerry loves the positive attitude everyone has, whether they are experienced or new players. Although she knew nothing about the sport, she liked how she could join even though she had no knowledge of it.

”You don’t have to even know the rules of the game before you join, so that’s been super great,” Jerry said.

Newcomers can join any sessions, even in tournaments like the Pony Platter.

The Pony Platter has been the traditional pre-season kick-off tournament since 2012. Hosted by the Ottawa Swans, it is held at the Manotick Polo Ground.

“I wasn’t there when the tournament started, but I heard some players went to a thrift shop and found a plate with some engraved horses on it, so they called [the tournament] the Pony Platter,” said Leduc. “Since then, the women also started playing as well, and we bought a small red horse statue.”

The Quebec Saints and other teams across Canada visit Ottawa each year for the anticipated tournament, an all-day event with multiple games of men’s and women’s Australian football throughout. This year, the 2024 Pony Platter is held on May 11.

“The Pony Platter is a very friendly game when you start the season,” said Leduc. “It’s always a great time and good for new players to experience the game for the first time.”

This article originally appeared in Volume 44, Issue 13, published April 2, 2024.

AFL Quebec introduces Australian football to Quebecers Read More »

Indigenizing healthcare in Tiohtià:ke

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 6, 2024 / Hannah-Scott Talib, Healthcare, Indigenous Health Centre of Tiohtià:ke, Iness Rifay

The Indigenous Health Centre of Tiohtià:ke is currently located on the second floor of the Queen Elizabeth Health Complex. Photo Hannah-Scott Talib

Iness Rifay,
Local Journalism Initiative

The IHCT, by and for Indigenous people, seeks expansion following increasing demand

n 2008, the health committee under the Montreal Urban Aboriginal Community Strategy Network held a meeting where the foundations of the Indigenous Health Centre of Tiohtià:ke (IHCT) began to materialize.

Co-founder and executive director of the IHCT, Carrie Martin, attended this meeting, and along with the other members, agreed that there should be no more “patchwork services,” such as Indigenous cultural sensitivity training in mainstream health entities.

“Those things are not working,” Martin said. “We see it time and time again. We really need self-determination in health, to take back control and make spaces that are safe for Indigenous people to seek healthcare.”

The meeting concluded with a resolution to go big—to start their own health centre, inspired by other Canadian cities, such as Ottawa’s Wabano Centre.

Martin’s drive to see the centre come to life was reinforced by her own experience working in frontline healthcare with Indigenous communities.

“I saw so much discrimination and racism when I was accompanying people to medical appointments, and [saw] all the access barriers they were experiencing,” she said.

Not having a RAMQ card, not speaking French or English, and not having a status card are all barriers to accessing public health services for the urban Indigenous community.

Fifteen years following that meeting, the IHCT officially opened its doors in August 2023, and it is dedicated to being holistic and barrier-free. The centre’s services are run in tandem with the community to best meet their demands, a system that brought in the optometry clinic, for instance.

“When the optometry clinic [came] around, a client came to pick up her glasses and she looked so happy when she put them on,” said Alyssa Isaac, the IHCT’s receptionist. “Finding eye care as an Indigenous person isn’t always easy, and it was a good feeling to know that we are helping people here.”

According to Isaac, their clinic days, Wednesdays and Thursdays, are very busy and see many clients. The centre’s rapid growth and lack of onsite equipment requires the IHCT to send referrals to their patients.

On the other days of the week, the IHCT offers various services such as counselling, spiritual healing sessions and addiction support. The centre grows its own sage and sweetgrass, two traditional Indigenous medicines, and offers them freely to clientele, alongside tobacco and cedar. All can be used within the waiting room.

Certain IHCT staff can also accompany Indigenous people to other clinics and hospitals around Montreal to advocate for them when needed.

“The gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities is still very large,” said Sylvain Beaudry, an outreach worker at the IHCT who operates in the domain of sexually-transmitted blood-borne infections.

Beaudry once accompanied an Inuit person to the ER who had trouble being understood and felt disrespected. Beaudry advocated for them, but the person left without getting care after feeling uncomfortable and unwelcomed.

“It was a hard moment, but reminds me of how important my job is, to be there for them when they can’t advocate for themselves,” said Beaudry. “The centre is here to remediate this.”

A 2024 study review in Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada: Research, Policy and Practice found that Indigenous people living in urban spaces expressed the need for culturally sensitive empathic care and the recruitment of Indigenous public healthcare providers.

The centre’s current major concern is securing operational funding, which, if granted, could help the IHCT secure its own space and become a hub for holistic healing in Montreal. Currently, the centre is renting out a space in the Queen Elizabeth Health Complex.

“We would love for the government to provide financial security to keep this operation long-term, but there is no concrete action towards granting us that,” Martin said. “No one’s said no, but no one’s said yes, either.”

Martin envisions the IHCT to resemble the Wabano Centre, which has its own building with architecture that alludes to the two rivers in Ottawa, a traditional gathering place for Indigenous people across Ontario. The ceiling is shaped after a medicine wheel, and each level represents an element: earth, fire, water and sky.

“That is our dream,” Martin added, “to have our own space, that looks Indigenous, that provides everything in its holistic centre.”

Indigenizing healthcare in Tiohtià:ke Read More »

Community kitchens are collaborating to fight food insecurity

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 6, 2024 / Community Cooks Collective, Community kitchens, Food insecurity, Zachary Cheung

Montreal food organizations are uniting to help those in need. Graphic Myriam Ouazzani

Zachary Cheung,
Local Journalism Initiative

High grocery prices lead food security organizations to share ingredients

Several food security organizations in Montreal have banded together to help ease the burden of food inflation on residents. But as grocery prices rise, community kitchens have had to depend on each other to address the scarcity created by expensive ingredients.

Elizabeth Fraser, an organizer for Community Cooks Collective (CCC), believes that addressing food insecurity is a collective endeavor. According to Fraser, partnerships between organizations often consist of sharing ingredients and pooling money in order to supply more food than a single community kitchen could produce individually.

“I think that community groups are part of a systemic change,” she said. “People are saying that they’re not going to let this happen. They’re going to try to meet a need in the community that’s not being met by businesses.”

The organization prepares and delivers meals to other community kitchens across Montreal. Community members cook using free ingredients supplied by CCC which are then gathered and donated in bulk.

However, according to Patrick Cortbaoui, the managing director of the Margaret A. Gilliam Institute for Global Food Security, community kitchens are only a temporary solution to a larger issue of rising food insecurity.

“I believe that [community kitchens] are doing extraordinary work,” Cortbaoui said. “But the burden is not on their shoulders. It’s on the government, on the policies, on local awareness.”

According to Cortbaoui, food is becoming inaccessible because the supply of Canadian groceries is held in the hands of a small number of companies. Loblaws, Sobeys, Metro, Walmart and Costco hold roughly 80 per cent of grocery market sales. Cortbaoui said that the monopolization of the grocery industry has led to a surplus of food that is becoming increasingly difficult for many Canadians to access.

As a result, Cortbaoui said Canadians have been leaning on community organizations to fulfill the needs that grocery stores are unable to meet. Community kitchens have followed in a similar fashion, relying on each other to fill the gaps caused by the lack of access to affordable produce.

The Open Door, an emergency shelter in Milton-Parc, is one of the organizations that CCC is partnered with. Dan Marré, the shelter’s weekend team lead, said that The Open Door is not always able to supply the community with certain nutritious foods like dairy and meat.

Marré said that The Open Door’s partnerships with smaller community kitchens is sometimes the deciding factor in whether they can offer a well-balanced menu.

“Let’s say we have a lot of vegetables – that often results in less protein in our menu,” Marré said. “Another organization might have meat on their menu, so we can combine these two and provide something that’s more fulfilling for the rest of the community.”

According to Tatianta Townsley, another organizer at CCC, donating meals helps address the “imbalance of resources” between different community kitchens across the city. Smaller organizations like CCC may not have the capacity to serve clients directly, but the kitchen’s volunteers donate their excess time and energy to make food that other organizations can then distribute.

Regardless of the quantity of food an organization is able to provide, Townsley said that building connections between kitchens is the first step to creating a network that can support people struggling to eat.

“In an individualistic society, we aren’t taught to value helping our neighbours,” Townsley said. “I think there’s just a lot we can do for each other, and it’s important to remember that.”

Community kitchens are collaborating to fight food insecurity Read More »

Concordia to consider adopting the IHRA antisemitism definition

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 6, 2024 / Alice Martin, Canadian Universities, Housefather, IHRA, Maria Cholakov, Parliament

Concordia University will consider the implementation of the IHRA definition of antisemitism. Photo Alice Martin

Maria Cholakova,
Local Journalism Initiative

IHRA’s definition of antisemitism has been widely debated

On May 27, Concordia University, McGill University, University of British Columbia and University of Toronto (UofT) presidents attended a House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights meeting to speak about antisemitism on Canadian university campuses.

During the hearing, criminal defence lawyer Mark Sandler presented 14 recommendations to the members of Parliament (MP) that aim to address antisemitism in Canada.

One of the recommendations constitutes the implementation of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism in all levels of government, educational institutions, police services and human rights commissions.

IHRA’s definition of antisemitism has been criticized by 128 scholars, who have described it as aiming to “discredit and silence legitimate criticism of Israel’s policies as antisemitism.”

Concordia President Graham Carr spoke in front of Parliament on how the university has been handling antisemitism on campus.

In his testimony, Carr highlighted the Nov. 8, 2023 Hall building altercation, when an escalation between Concordia’s Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights and Israeli student club StartUp Nation led to two arrests, due to tensions between the clubs.

“That incident gave Concordia a black eye,” Carr said.

When MP Anthony Housefather asked if Concordia would adopt the IHRA definition, Carr said that he will “consider it going forward” and that his team has already had a meeting regarding the potential implementation of the definition.

Of the four universities, only UofT rejected the implementation of the IHRA definition of antisemitism.

According to Concordia’s spokesperson, the university expects that the Standing Together against Racism and Identity-based Violence (STRIVE) Task Force’s subcommittee on antisemitism will evaluate whether the IHRA definition needs to be implemented.
Housefather also asked Carr if he opposed the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement, also known as BDS, with Housefather describing it as “demonization and delegitimization of Israel.”

Carr explained that “the university’s position, since 2014, has been in opposition to BDS.”

Later in the meeting, Carr also testified to the importance of combating hate speech while not limiting freedom of expression.

According to Carr, the university has seen over 70 academic events by both Pro-Palestinian and Pro-Israeli students. During the 2023-24 academic year, the university cancelled four Pro-Palestinian events and one Pro-Israeli event, all of which aimed to bring external guests on campus.

MPs encouraged university presidents to enforce their Codes of Conduct, prevent hate speech on campus and fight antisemitism.

Several MPs and speakers talked about the importance of conflating antisemitism and anti-Zionism.

Concordia to consider adopting the IHRA antisemitism definition Read More »

Motionball Con U raises funds for Special Olympics

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 6, 2024 / Alice Martin, Anthony Colonna, Michael Kuczynski, Motionball Montreal, Robert Lemieux, Special Olympics

Left to right: Anthony Colonna, Michael Kuczynski and Robert Lemieux pose for the picture. Photo Alice Martin

Alice Martin,
Local Journalism Initiative

Marathon of Sport brings Special Olympics athletes together with community

Special Olympics athletes and participants of Motionball Concordia’s Marathon of Sport took the field at the Stingers Dome on March 30 to raise funds for Special Olympics Quebec and Special Olympics Canada.

During this year’s iteration of the Marathon of Sport, Motionball Concordia raised $4,500, despite their goal of $10,000.

Shelley Craig, the mother of Leo Soudin, explained how important the funds were to athletes like her son. Soudin, who was present at the event, has been a Special Olympics athlete for 12 years and started out doing downhill ski racing.

“[Special Olympics Quebec] decided for downhill ski racing, that it was important that they had the proper [helmet] because there’s a certain specific helmet for racing,” said Craig. “And they decided that it was important to protect the athletes, so they would have these helmets, but they’re very expensive. So they gave money towards it to purchase it.”

The evening of activities included bowling, spikeball, Q-tip hockey and soccer. Around a dozen Special Olympics athletes attended the event alongside participants and organizers.

Robert Lemieux and Michael Kuczynski are both Special Olympics athletes who are well accustomed to Motionball and have been attending the organization’s events around Montreal for a long time.

Lemieux, who plays mostly bowling and soccer, explained his favourite part of Motionball was the people. “The friendships, meeting new friends, meeting old friends. Motionball’s like a family to me,” he said.

Kuczynski, who plays floor hockey, softball and golf, has been going to Motionball events since 2018 and has been involved with the Special Olympics since 2003. He echoed Lemieux’s sentiment, saying he loved “meeting new people, the activities, the whole nine yards.”

Anthony Colonna, who is the event director for Motionball Montreal and has become a good friend of Kuczynski through Motionball, admired Kuczynski’s love for the organization.

“Every year since I’ve been running [Motionball Montreal’s] Marathon of Sport, [Mike] knows our events are done in the morning. Our events usually start at 8:30 a.m. [and] Mike is there before I’m there—at 6 a.m.—to set up,” Colonna said.

Although many old faces were present, the Marathon of Sport still suffered an underwhelming turnout, according to event director Chelsea Morgan. She explained that the event taking place on Easter weekend was the main cause.

“It was just a little disappointing to not have the numbers that we typically do,” she said. “But overall, we still have a good base of people that are very invested in what Motionball is, and keep up the key parts of it, which is integration, celebration and inclusion.”

Morgan, an athletic therapy student, still felt happy with the event, especially considering other athletic therapy students had joined to help out in the Marathon of Sport.

“We know the importance of being active and the joys that playing in sports bring,” said Morgan, when asked about the large proportion of athletic therapy students. “We understand how sports brings people together.”

Motionball events happen all over the province during the year. Motionball McGill is set to hold their own version of the Marathon of Sport on April 7 and the larger Motionball Montreal event is held annually in September.

This article originally appeared in Volume 44, Issue 13, published April 2, 2024.

Motionball Con U raises funds for Special Olympics Read More »

Potential policy change could harm U Sports men’s hockey

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 6, 2024 / Alice Martin, Canadian Hockey League, hockey, Jared Lackman-Mincoff, U Sports

Stingers centre Gabriel Proulx, faces off against a Gee-Gees player. Both are formerly from the QMJHL. Photo Alice Martin

Jared Lackman-Mincoff,
Local Journalism Initiative

Potential policy change could harm U Sports men’s hockey

U Sports men’s hockey could have a major obstacle coming its way.

Hockey writers have begun wondering about the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)—which governs varsity athletics in the United States—possibly changing its amateurism policy to allow eligibility to junior hockey players from the Canadian Hockey League (CHL).

The NHL’s agreement with the CHL forces NHL teams to send their prospects back to their CHL teams if they are not yet ready for the NHL. Therefore, the junior level is filled with top NHL prospects already signed to their entry-level contracts.

CHL players receive stipends for their services, and go toe-to-toe with players already under professional contracts, deeming the entire league professional by NCAA standards. As such, players relinquish NCAA eligibility by playing a single CHL game.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said in February, “We are headed towards a future of where CHL players are going to be able to play NCAA hockey. The question is when.”

CHL players that don’t make it to the NHL or another professional league often turn to U Sports hockey to continue playing hockey while pursuing higher education.

As a result, former CHL players make up the majority of U Sports men’s hockey rosters. Twenty-one out of the 25 members on the Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team previously played in the CHL.

“[The current policy] kind of protected us a little from losing talent down to the U.S. colleges,” said Concordia Athletics Director D’Arcy Ryan.

However, the NCAA’s inception of the name, image and likeness (NIL) rules in 2021—which allows athletes to receive compensation for their personal branding—incited a shift in leniency regarding amateur versus professional status of athletes.

CHL players would be attracted to American colleges rather than Canadian universities should they have the choice, largely because of the discrepancy in allowable scholarships.

Ryan explained that U Sports only allows scholarships to cover tuition and other compulsory academic fees, meaning that Canadian universities cannot offer much money to entice an athlete. “Whereas in the States, making living accommodations, room, board, all that would be covered. We can’t compete with that,” he said.

However, an NCAA policy change is not as simple as it may seem. The earliest the policy could be discussed is in April at the annual college hockey coaches conference. By that time, the U Sports men’s hockey recruitment cycle for 2024-25 will have mostly run its course.

It would also take some time yet for the policy to be changed. The decision would need to go through several different committees within the NCAA for approval and execution, according to Jim Connelly of United States College Hockey Online.

“This is something that we’re gonna talk about in April. We might vote on it in June, and then next December there’ll be a conference where somebody else will hear it and they’ll vote on it,” he said, adding that NCAA operations mimic parliamentary order.

But Adam Wodon, managing editor of College Hockey News, does not believe that the change will come from the NCAA itself. He thinks it is more likely that a CHL player sues the NCAA and demands to be made eligible.

“The NCAA keeps losing every court decision that there is,” he said. “That takes some kid playing [in the CHL] to say, ‘I want to go play in the NCAA. They’re not letting me, so I’m going to sue them.’ to do that. And then some court will say, ‘Yeah, you can’t stop them from going.’ And then it’s just open season at that point.”

U Sports declined The Link’s interview request and indicated that it has “no comment to make about media reports on a potential coaches association vote in the United States.”

UPDATE: In an earlier version of this article, Adam Wodon’s quote was mischaracterized. The Link regrets this error.

This article originally appeared in Volume 44, Issue 13, published April 2, 2024.

Potential policy change could harm U Sports men’s hockey Read More »

Students set up indefinite encampment for Palestine at McGill

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 6, 2024 / Concordia University, divestment, Hannah-Scott Talib, McGill Encampment, Palestine

Photo Hannah-Scott Talib

Hannah-Scott Talib,
Local Journalism Initiative

Hundreds of students demand that McGill and Concordia divest their funds supporting Israel

Starting at 1:30 pm on April 27, students from McGill and Concordia University banded together to create an indefinite encampment by the Roddick Gates on McGill’s main campus.

The coalition of students that organized the encampment contained members of Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) groups from both universities as well as participants of the McGill Hunger Strike. It was also co-organized by both Concordia and McGill chapters of the Independent Jewish Voices group. At the time of the start of the encampment, around one hundred students were within and picketing around the space. The number drastically increased by the end of the afternoon as passers-by and marchers from a nearby protest led by the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) joined in.

This encampment comes at a time when student demonstrations to liberate Palestine are at a high at universities around the globe. This week marks the second week of this spike in student protest movements, with students at New York’s Columbia University being some of the kickstarters of the student revolution for Palestine.

“We are here to follow the revolutionary student movement and demand divestment at McGill and Concordia — it’s the demand of pretty much all the students in North America,” said Ali Salman, spokesperson for the student encampment movement at McGill. “We’re here indefinitely, we’re here until our demands are met, so let’s hope that the community can not only sustain it but also defend it.”

Salman added that the encampment will not end until the students’ demands for McGill and Concordia to divest from funds contributing to the genocide in Gaza are met by the universities.

In a statement released by McGill University on April 29, it was acknowledged that the amount of protesters within the encampment has tripled since it was first set up. The statement equally included a claim that “video evidence of some people using unequivocally antisemitic language and intimidating behaviour” had been seen, and also states that the encampment violates both the “right to freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly”. McGill administration representatives were eventually sent to the field to make a ‘final warning’ asking for the encampment protesters to leave. The speech was drowned out by the demonstrators.

Police presence increased on April 29, but were effectively prevented from entering the encampment.

The PYM Montreal march that coincided with the encampment’s first day began at 2 p.m. at the Guy-Concordia metro station. Protesters made their way up Sherbrooke Street towards McGill University, reaching the encampment at around 3:30 p.m.

Upon reaching the area, marchers joined the picket line around the encampment, shouting chants such as “Until schools divest, we will not stop, we will not rest” and “listen to the (International Court of Justice) ICJ, genocide is not okay.”

Kanien’kehá:ka activist, artist and filmmaker Ellen Gabriel gave a guest speech at the encampment.

“We are here to say that all human rights are universal, all human rights are applied to each and every one of us equally, not because we belong to a certain sect or to a certain race, but because we are all human beings and for that, what you are doing today is important,” said Gabriel, addressing the students within the encampment and the crowd gathered around it.
On the picket line, protesters held up banners that read “Ceasefire”, “Free gaza now”, “Jews against genocide” and more.

“The warmongers are listening to you right now — they see you, they’re scared of you. Don’t be scared of them, because fear is what they feed off of. Fear is what they want you to feel,” said Gabriel. “What you are doing today is for humanity and what you are doing today is not just for Palestinians but for all people.”

Outreach for the encampment attracted a crowd beyond just McGill and Concordia students as well.

“I got the news on social media,” said one protester who was granted anonymity for safety reasons. “In the first few hours I think it’s very important to show our support and say that [this cause] is serious, [and] to support legitimate demands.”

The student added that they felt it was heart-warming to be a part of the ongoing global student revolution and seeing the increase in action to push for divestments and a permanent ceasefire in Palestine across North America this week.

“[The fact] that students can possibly have the time or the capacity to be somewhere — to be at this encampment, to always show up to protests […] I think it’s amazing,” said one Concordia student protester. “Everyone should be doing it but I think students [in particular]. We’re at university to learn, to share ideas, to think critically about situations, and it doesn’t take much critical thinking to see what’s going on is just genocide.”

The encampment is accepting donations of tents, batteries, blankets and more from the general public. Updates on the needs of the protesters can be found on Instagram at the accounts @pymmontreal, @sphrconu and @sphrmcgill.

Following the publication of this article, The Link was made aware that the Concordia and McGill Independent Jewish Voices chapters also participated in the organizing of the encampment. The article has been modified to reflect this information.

Students set up indefinite encampment for Palestine at McGill Read More »

Understanding eating disorders in BIPOC communities

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 6, 2024 / BIPOC, Cole Cooper, Eating disorders, Myriam Ouazzani, Nutrition

BIPOC individuals with eating disorders are likely to have their condition overlooked. Graphic Myriam Ouazzani

Cole Cooper,
Local Journalism Initiative

Dieticians say people of colour with eating disorders are half as likely to be diagnosed or receive treatment

At one point during her anorexia recovery, Stephanie Ng texted her nutritionist to ask how a specific dim sum fit into her meal plan. Her nutritionist didn’t have an exact answer and told her to eat the dim sum regardless, to lean on the side of abundance to help her recovery.

“That was like, a nightmare for me to hear because I’m like, ‘I need to know how that fits into the prescribed meal plan that you’ve made.’” Ng says.

Although BIPOC people develop eating disorders at nearly the same rate as white people, they are half as likely to be diagnosed and significantly less likely to be screened for symptoms. Eating disorders are extremely dangerous psychological and physical afflictions — anorexia nervosa is, after all, the most deadly mental illness — but stigma often prevents BIPOC people from receiving the treatment they urgently need. Those who can access treatment often find it lacks cultural competency.

“Personally, I’ve tried to look for a therapist for myself who is of Asian descent and I could count the number of people I’ve found in Quebec on my hands,” says Jamie Lee, a registered dietitian at the Sööma clinic in Montreal.

“There are a lot of people who come see me. Specifically because I might know their food more,” Lee says.

Sööma is one of Montreal’s two dietary clinics specializing in eating recovery. Lee has been with Sööma since the clininc’s opening four years ago.

“I was the first one hired. It was just me and my boss,” Lee says. “Now we’re a group of seven dietitians. So it really grew a lot over the last three, four years.”

In retrospect, Sööma’s growth is predictable —opening a dietary clinic in 2019 is akin to opening an engineering firm the day before an earthquake. Between March 2020 and December 2022 there were more than double the predicted ER visits for eating disorders, per a 2023 Canadian Medical Association Journal report. In-patient Canadian hospital stays for eating disorders increased by nearly 60 per cent among adolescent girls over the same period, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information. Those patients needed dietary plans, and to be guided through the refeeding process.

“A lot of people think directly to a psychologist to help with eating disorders,” Lee says. However, renourishing the brain is often a precursor to genuine psychological progress.

Eating disorder recovery is often difficult and sometimes life-threatening. According to data from the South Carolina Department of Mental Health, approximately five per cent of patients with anorexia will die within four years of their diagnosis. That rate increases to about ten per cent after ten years and about 20 per cent after 20 years, according to the organization Eating Disorder Hope.

Lee compares the recovery process to climbing a mountain, with the dietitian acting as a guide.

“I can see your mountain, so I know, like, ‘Oh, put your left foot here and put your right there,’” she says. “We work at the pace that the client works at.”

Lee and her colleagues repeatedly reinforce that, as emotionally and physically difficult as treatment can be, patients who don’t fit the stereotypical image of an eating disorder are often overlooked.

Elsa Chu is another dietitian at Sööma. Chu began her career working with athletes and competed on the winning team at the Canadian Ultimate Frisbee Championships in 2018.

“BIPOC people in general are a lot less likely to be asked about eating disorder symptoms. The big stereotype with eating disorders is that we think of a thin white woman,” Chu says. She warns that anyone who doesn’t fit the stereotype has a good chance of being overlooked.

“BIPOC people with eating disorders are half as likely to be diagnosed or to receive treatment,” Chu says.

According to Eating Disorder Hope, 20 per cent of untreated eating disorders result in death.

This is an issue with a lot at stake.

For BIPOC people who are able to seek treatment, there is yet another obstacle: the unlikelihood of finding treatment that sees and suits them.

Ng recalls telling her college therapist that she didn’t know how to say no to her mom when they had disagreements over food.

“My therapist was like, ‘Just tell her,’ and I was like ‘I can’t.’” Ng says. “It doesn’t work that way, you can’t say that stuff to your mom.”

Chu also says that eating disorder symptoms can be misdiagnosed and misunderstood based on a patient’s cultural background.

“So, for example, Hispanics and Asians are more predisposed to diabetes and insulin resistance,” Chu says. “It may not be necessarily right off the bat an eating disorder thing, it might be a predisposition just because of where they’re from.”

“All the training that we’ve done (for nutrition interventions), it’s based off of studies that were done on white people,” Lee says.

For example: “In East Asian cultures, dairy and wheat are much less of a thing than they are here, and those tend to be foods we recommend a lot in Eurocentric approaches,” Chu says.

Ng experienced that exact challenge firsthand when she began anorexia treatment as a preteen in Hong Kong. Her recovery was centered around Eurocentric foods, and that lack of cultural sensitivity just made the process harder.

When Ng was studying in America, she founded the organization Body Banter as a platform for youth to have difficult conversations about body image and mental health. When she returned to Hong Kong, she realized Body Banter’s efforts were even more necessary there.

“What happens in public hospitals in Hong Kong is that there is minimal to no psychological support. Your physical body is seen as the main problem,” Ng describes. “And that’s all that gets addressed.”

For those who couldn’t afford professional psychological help, or who weren’t ready for it, Body Banter became a solution.

Ng says one of Body Banter’s biggest powers is giving people the language to understand their feelings and talk them through. She describes being unable to explain her emotions to a therapist,

simply because she didn’t have the words. Her world opened up when psychology classes gave her the language to make sense of it. She finds youth with more nuanced language to discuss body image allows them to have more informed conversations and to develop more comprehensive understandings of their experiences.

“Helping our profession become more culturally competent is just having more access to this information, more awareness,” Chu says. “We can’t fault people for not knowing a culture that is not their own.”

Having an open-minded approach is what Chu classifies as the key to recovery. “Collaborating and gently modifying through cooperation,” Chu adds.

Understanding eating disorders in BIPOC communities Read More »

Secularism in action

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 6, 2024 / Bill 21, Fatima Khan, Hannah Vogan, hijab, Muslim Women, Quebe, Securalism

Fatima Khan’s course material. Courtesy Fatima Khan

Hannah Vogan,
Local Journalism Initiative

Bill 21’s consequences on Muslim women wanting to teach in Quebec

Fatima Khan is the definition of a powerhouse, with an indestructible dedication to her passion as an art educator. However, due to Quebec’s secularism law, none of Khan’s devotion or skills matter because her religion makes her ineligible to work in the province’s public school system.

Khan’s current norm consists of working more than 12 hours everyday, five days per week, with her weekends booked up with a part-time job. Anytime Khan finds herself in a rare moment of quiet, she leverages her peace to prepare her art lessons for her students.

She is about one month away from graduating with a degree in art education specialization at Concordia—her second degree from the university.

“It’s so intense, I don’t know how I am doing it,” Khan said, exhaling.

To graduate, Khan must complete four internships for her degree: two at an elementary school and two at a high school. She must accomplish 700 hours in internships throughout her entire degree. Her final year consisted of 140 hours in her fall semester and 350 hours in her winter semester, all while still attending classes, keeping up with course material, preparing lesson plans for her students and maintaining a steady income by working from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends at a library.

Most days, she leaves her house at 7:15 a.m. and doesn’t get home until close to 9 p.m.

By their second internship, students in the art education specialization can begin substitute teaching, or in other words, start getting paid for the work they already do.

Khan was eager to start substitute teaching. To become a registered substitute teacher, she had to fill in the required documents with the help of her supervisor or principal, and Khan did just that. However, overcome by busyness, Khan couldn’t complete the forms.

She would try again the following year, just in time for her final internships.

Khan started her final internships in September 2023. She taught two classes per week in the fall semester and, in the winter, led a total of seven art classes for five days per week.

When it came time for Khan to choose her final internship placement, her decision was a no-brainer. Khan sought to finish off strong at the English primary and secondary school St. Johns in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, where she and a sizable chunk of her family are former students. The school is well known to her, as are the staff, the community and the space. She could have chosen any school but chose St. Johns for its familiarity.

With one placement to go, familiar faces, and a comfortable environment where she’d frequently be teaching, Khan felt it was time to try again with her substitute teaching application. Upon giving her completed forms to the school’s secretary, the secretary assured Khan that she would have nothing to worry about; her forms would be taken care of and she was on the cusp of becoming a registered substitute.

About an hour after submitting her forms, the secretary came to the art class Khan led. “The principal wants to see you,” she told Khan.

At the time, the principal was Colleen Lauzier, who already knew most of Khan’s siblings and her parents.

Khan had no idea what to expect of her summoning; what came next never even crossed her mind.

When Khan sat down with Lauzier, the principal began explaining the parameters of Bill 21.

Bill 21 was established in 2019 and declares Quebec a secular state. The law prohibits public sector workers in positions of authority from wearing religious symbols on the job, such as judges, police officers and teachers. Those exempt from the law include members of the national assembly and public sector workers employed before March 2019 as long as they remain in their positions.

Khan recalled Lauzier underlining how she could not be hired and that submitting her documents was pointless.

Khan said Lauzier asked whether she would remove her hijab when she came in as a substitute. This meant Khan could wear her hijab on days she is interning, yet she must set aside her faith on the days she is substitute teaching and being financially compensated. Lauzier denies that she asked Khan to remove her hijab.

Khan was appalled.

To Khan, Lauzier knew of her Muslim faith and knew removing her hijab was not an option.

“To answer your question, no, I will not be removing my hijab on the days I will be subbing or anywhere else,” replied Khan.

According to Khan, Lauzeir apologized, affirming to Khan that she must abide by the law and refused to hire her.

Khan then asked Lauzier if she could at least put her name in the system so that if the law were to be abolished, Khan could start substitute teaching.

Khan recounted Lauzier’s denial again.

Khan said Lauzier told her that if the law were to be abolished, she would hire Khan right on the spot—even if her documents were not entirely completed—and that Khan would have Lauzier’s full support.

Lauzier’s comments confused Khan, “I was thinking, ‘Why would I need your support then? By the time I graduate, I am going to be a qualified art educator, I don’t need your support then. Right now, we are trying to fight this discriminatory law, and you are not being supportive.'”

Khan was enraged. She thought the interaction in the principal’s office was racist and that Lauzier demonstrated no care for her situation.

“If I can’t teach, and I know I can’t teach here, the least you could do is support me in this whole process,” Khan told The Link.

Khan at least hoped Lauzier would pretend to show solidarity by trying to speak with the school board and seeing what she could do. Yet being told upfront that she could not be hired because of her hijab left Khan disheartened, questioning the time and effort she had put into St. Johns.

“I’m giving so much,” stressed Khan. “She could have just pretended or been a little more sympathetic. She could’ve made that little gesture of kindness.”

Khan questions working in a community setting when its foundation is based on exclusion and secularism. She noted how barring her from teaching impacts her and the students.

“Right now, in secondary three, there is a student who is fairly new and Muslim. When I’m in class, his face lights up because representation matters,” Khan said, stressing the word representation.

Growing up, Khan did not have representation in the classroom. “For Colleen to make that decision without even a second thought for me or the students or the community was very evident of a privileged place,” said Khan. “When you are privileged enough, you don’t have a second thought for the other person’s struggle.”

“I can do my internship totally fine because I am not getting paid. But suddenly I want to sub, I want to teach, my hijab is an issue,” Khan said.

Khan recounted multiple scenarios where she primarily led the classes, and the teacher would sit back and supervise. “You tell me, how is that fair?” said Khan. “I will take full responsibility of the entire class, and someone else will come just to sit there. And then they get paid?”

To Julius Grey, a constitutional lawyer for about five decades, the contradiction Khan describes “is classified under the rubric of idiocy.”

Idil Issa, a Muslim law student at McGill University, who founded Femmes Musulmanes du Québec, believes Khan’s situation is a prime example of “how impossible it is for Muslim women to create their careers as teachers in Quebec right now. It is just so impossible, so unfair. Even if she is super qualified, she is met with these tumbling blocks.”

Issa noted that the law creates a norm within Quebec society of who is a good citizen. “To be a good citizen, you are not allowed to publicly express your faith,” she said. “It creates an environment of permissiveness. Because the government introduced Bill 21, people who may be Islamophobic, antisemitic, really have a sort of green light in order to continue with their views and goals. If there is a law that actually enshrines these values of intolerance, then individuals really feel enabled to express those Islamaphobic views because the government is really co-signing that type of view.”

Bill 21 was recently challenged in the Quebec Court of Appeal, with many advocates stressing that the law is unconstitutional and infringes on section two of the Canadian Charter, which guarantees everyone’s right to freedom of conscience, religion, thought, belief, expression and so on.

“Any violation of an individual’s conscience is unethical,” argued Grey. “The conscience of the individual must be given priority. That’s the essence of liberal democracy.”

In February 2024, the court ruled Bill 21 constitutional after exploiting the notwithstanding clause, a section of the Canadian Constitution that protects legislation from most court challenges over violations of fundamental rights.

“There is no doubt that if there was no notwithstanding clause, this would be struck down in five minutes,” said Grey, one of the intervenors on behalf of the plaintiff for the recent appeal. He argued before the court that the law was unconstitutional. “What the Bill does is it says ‘this law operates notwithstanding the charter,’ both Quebec and Canadian charter.”

Khan’s colleagues who were to be interviewed for the article were not permitted to speak to The Link, nor was The Link permitted on St. Johns’ premises.

“[The school and Board] talk about all of this diversity, and they talk about all of this accountability, all of this fancy stuff that only looks good in books. But when it comes to a controversial situation like mine, then they just want to sweep it under the rug and not talk about it,” Khan said.

The Link contacted Lauzier and Riverside School Board (RSB), which administers St. Johns, to comment on the principal’s encounter with Khan and the board’s stance on equality and diversity.

The statement received, penned by Lucie Roy, the director general of RSB, was written on behalf of the school board and Lauzier. The statement reaffirms RSB’s stance of valuing and honouring “all faces, voices, realities, and experiences, and ensure that ours is an organization where children, youth and adults are acknowledged, respected, welcomed and empowered. We commit to the ongoing work required to keep equity and inclusion at the forefront of our reflection and decision-making […] Supporting equity, diversity and inclusion is an ongoing endeavour at Riverside.”

The statement continued highlighting that RSB is compelled to abide by Bill 21 and strives to apply the law with sensitivity and compassion. The statement concluded with the Board denying Khan’s recollection of events, writing, “Conveying this information was perceived as a request to remove a religious symbol which was not the case,” adding Lauzier navigated the legislation with “great care and respect.”

However, according to Khan, the request to remove her hijab is far from false. She feels the denial of her claim confutes their statement. “Stop promoting diversity, because you really don’t believe in it. When somebody is speaking up for justice or against discrimination, you shut it down right there,” she said.

March 28 marked the final day of Khan’s internship and possibly the last time she would ever lead a class at St. Johns or in Quebec again. Typically, following graduation, interns are invited to teach at the schools where they worked, and if it weren’t for Bill 21, Khan would continue to work with the school where she and her family had deeply rooted themselves.

“I don’t have a choice but to leave Quebec,” said Khan. “If I can’t teach. If I cannot continue to pursue my career and my goals and my passion, what am I doing here?”

After graduation, Khan will move away from her home, siblings and parents. She has family outside of Quebec and plans to move in with them to begin teaching the subject she loves most.

Upon Khan’s departure from St. Johns, she had to explain to her students why she would not be returning. Khan shared how her students were heartbroken that she wasn’t able to teach because of her hijab. In her three months interning at St. Johns, Khan noted how the students really took to her.

“You can see it in the students; if I was not a good teacher, if I was not fit for this [they would not have this reaction]. They all enjoyed having me as their teacher,” Khan said.

Many of her students did research on the law because of Khan’s situation.

“If I leave Quebec and I didn’t speak up about this law, I would have this huge regret. I want to speak up, even if things don’t change or stay the same or get worse. At least I know I did my part as a Quebec citizen, as a Canadian citizen, as a human being.”

This article originally appeared in Volume 44, Issue 13, published April 2, 2024.

Secularism in action Read More »

Jessymaude Drapeau chosen for coaching program

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 6, 2024 / Caroline Marsh, Concordia Stingers, Jared Lackman-Mincoff, Jessymaude Drapeau

Stingers forward Jessymaude Drapeau manoeuvres past X-Women players. Photo Caroline Marsh

Jared Lackman-Mincoff,
Local Journalism Initiative

She becomes the third Stinger selected since 2021

Alexandra Boulanger, Emmy Fecteau and now Jessymaude Drapeau.

Concordia Stingers women’s hockey forward Drapeau is one of the nine players country-wide who will take part in the Creating Coaches program, U Sports announced on Sept. 19.

“It’s a great opportunity,” Drapeau said. “There aren’t a lot of people who have access to this training, so I’m really happy to have been chosen.”

The program runs for two years. Drapeau will receive training through the end of the 2025-26 season. Stingers head coach Julie Chu and associate head coach Caroline Ouellette approached Drapeau about applying for the program over the summer.

“[Drapeau] has continually shown how dedicated she can be […] as a student-athlete and I have no doubt that she will be that as a coach,” Chu said.

Drapeau becomes the third Concordia Stinger selected for the program since its inception in 2021. Boulanger was included in the program’s inaugural cohort in 2021, and is now an assistant coach at Bishop’s University. Fecteau was part of the 2023 cohort and was selected 31st overall by New York in the 2024 Professional Women’s Hockey League draft.

“The fact that we’ve been able to have three really great people and candidates within our program that are interested in coaching and really want to put that extra time and effort into it, it’s really special,” Chu said.

The program usually selects eight women’s hockey players from across Canada, two from each of the four conferences. However this year, nine players were selected, with Drapeau being the only representative from the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec.

“By stepping into coaching roles, they are helping to build a stronger, more inclusive sports community across Canada,” U Sports chief executive officer Pierre Arsenault said in the Sept. 19 press release.

Drapeau will undergo her training with the under-13 Lac St-Louis Warriors, a peewee double-A girls’ team in Montreal. On top of her student-athlete schedule and regular meetings with other members of the program, Drapeau’s responsibilities with the Warriors include attending one practice per week and being behind the bench for at least three games per month.

“[Creating Coaches] knows that we’re university athletes,” Drapeau said. “School and our hockey come before this, so they try to be accommodating to our schedules.”

Drapeau has been coaching since she was in CEGEP. She coached midget under-18 and she coaches during Concordia’s summer camps alongside Ouellette.

Chu said she is excited that Drapeau’s selection will give more exposure to the Stingers program, and that it will also help her better understand the many aspects of coaching and how the game is different from a peewee level up to the university level.

“[Drapeau]’s going to love it, and she’s going to be very excited to be able to grow in those capacities,” Chu said.

Drapeau said she is looking forward to being an example for young athletes to follow, on top of sharpening her own abilities.

“I’ve started to understand more in recent years that the more women role models they have, the more young girls will want to stay [in hockey],” Drapeau said. “They’re going to follow your example as well.”

Jessymaude Drapeau chosen for coaching program Read More »

Our Ways: Peel trail installation receives new additions

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 6, 2024 / Hannah Beach, Indigenous history, June 3, Kyra Revenko, MC Snow, Peel train installation, public art

Indigenous art trail along Peel Street features 21 spherical sculptures. Photo Hannah Beach

Hannah Beach,
Local Journalism Initiative

June 3 launch marks completion of 21 sculpture trail celebrating Indigenous history of Tiohtià:ke/Montreal

The City of Montreal launched a new addition to a public art installation on June 3 as part of its ongoing long-term strategy for reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples. The launch followed the installation’s first release in June 2023.

The trail, called “Tsi niion kwarihò:ten” in Kanien’kehá:ka or “Our Ways: Peel Trail,” is composed of 11 stations running along Peel Street from the Lachine Canal up to the base of Mount Royal Park.

The event was the culmination of about eight years of work to set up all 21 spherical sculptures, said MC Snow, a Kanien’kehá:ka visual artist featured in the exhibition.

“It’s about time we all know a little bit of our history,” said Snow. “There’s not a lot of art or anything like that related to who was there before the city.”

The sculptures were inspired by the Kanien’kehá:ka ceremony of thanks (Ohén:ton Karihwatéhkwen), which translates to “Words Before All Else.” The installation also includes an audio component accessible through the application Portrait Sonore, featuring different recordings at each station available in both English and French. The clips include various Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists and historians discussing Indigenous legends. They also compare Indigenous and European settlers’ knowledge systems in areas such as botany, human anatomy and navigation. The clips are blended with music to provide a historical account of Tiohtià:ke/Montreal since European colonization.

Archaeological work on Peel Street from 2016 to 2019 unearthed the remains of a 14th-century Iroquoian village. This discovery was the catalyst for Our Ways, with one piece of pottery even inspiring the cast iron tree guards.

The spheres were a collaboration between Snow and non-Indigenous artist Kyra Revenko. They were designed to foster dialogue between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.

“It’s about dialoguing between the Indigenous nations that still live here and the nations that came after, and that we all share the island of Tiohtià:ke (Montreal) with,” Snow said.

The installation’s urban planning and design teams, members of the Kahnawà:ke band council and historians joined the inauguration, alongside visual artists and city council members who contributed to the project.

Chief Ross Montour from the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke spoke at the launch, and a recording of the late Chief Christine Zachary Deom, who passed away in February, was also played. In 2017, Deom was presented with a key to the city—a distinction given to individuals who have contributed to the good of Montreal—for her work designing the new City of Montreal flag.

Industrial engineer Christian Sanchez was excited to learn about the installation, which has its first two stations just across the street from his condo building.

“This idea is magnificent,” he said. Sanchez said he plans to return to show his girlfriend the spheres and incorporate the trail into his running route.

Like Sanchez, Leilani Shaw lives in Griffintown just steps away from the trail. Shaw is the executive director of the Montreal Indigenous Community Network, a Kanien’kehá:ka artist who was mentored by Snow when she was a teenager and has since been featured alongside him in a 2023 Segal Centre exhibition.

“I would love to see a lot more work moving forward, a lot more work by Indigenous artists,” said Shaw. “Montreal has a deeper history than post-colonization.”

Our Ways: Peel trail installation receives new additions Read More »

The palette of protest

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 6, 2024 / Alice Martin, divestment, Gaza, Palestine, Pedestrianize Mackay, Tuition Hikes

Protesters picket the Hall auditorium. Photo Alice Martin

Alice Martin,
Local Journalism Initiative

Rarely will you see protests without art, and often will you see it go beyond symbolism

Most of the time, protesters don’t march in the streets empty-handed.

They brandish handmade signs, banners or anything to get their message across. In any protest, art serves multiple purposes to strengthen the broader cause.

“I personally really love the use of art in organizing and protests,” Arts and Science Federation of Association (ASFA) academic coordinator Angelica Antonakopoulos said. “Art in protest is a very eye-catching way to send a message, instead of having to go person-to-person and tell them what you’re trying to accomplish.”

Tuition hike strikes

Over five days last March, the tuition hike strikes mobilized students from select student associations to enforce hard picket lines. Hard pickets require students congregating in front of a classroom to dissuade other students from entering.

With dozens of classes having to be picketed at the same time, and only so many students, protesters used hand-painted banners with dual purposes: displaying their demands and protecting protesters.

“[Banners] are big, they’re flashy,” Antonakopoulos said. “They have a message on them. [Students] don’t have to come up and talk to you and they still get the gist of what the protest is about.”

According to Antonakopoulos, Concordia’s Code of Conduct prohibits students from physically blocking a classroom. She said banners act as a bypass.

“[Students] were more than free to lift the banner and go underneath if [they] really want to go into class,” she said. “It protected both students that were picketing and students that were dissenting towards the cause.”

She said that banners help students “think twice” before crossing a picket line, as well as avoid physical confrontation.

“There was a lot of verbal engagement with students with flyers and FAQ sheets coming out,” she said, noting that that was what picketers were told to do. “[But banners] send a poignant message in a non-confrontational, peaceful vehicle.”

Students paint Mackay Street to advocate for its pedestrianization. Photo Alice Martin

Pedestrianize Mackay

In September 2023, the Pedestrianize Mackay group staged a protest demanding that Mackay St., between Sherbrooke St. and Maisonneuve St., be closed to vehicles and converted into a pedestrian area for students.

For Mowat Tokonitz, communications vice president with the Urban Planning Association, it was one of the first student mobilizations he was part of.

“It’s something that really interests me and it relates to my program,” Tokonitz said. “I think it’s important to have actual campus space outside that we can use, while also having less cars.”

The protest consisted of blocking Mackay St. at the intersection of Sherbrooke St. Demonstrators also painted an enormous version of the vibrant pink, green, blue and yellow Pedestrianize Mackay logo on the road.

Tokonitz said painting the road was a good way to appropriate the street and show its potential to a wide range of Concordia students who pass by daily.

“The fact that we also had the street blocked off, and we had picnic tables and banners and things in the street, it gave a very basic example of what that space could be in the future,” he said. “It really didn’t take very long for there to be street furniture on Mackay and for people to be out eating lunch. I can only imagine what it would be like if that was permanent.”

Looking back on the tuition hike strikes and Pedestrianize Mackay, Antonakopoulous said the mural painting was a great way to engage students in the cause.

“It’s always really a fantastic way to build community because mural painting is not like a picket. It’s not like a protest,” she said. “We need to be cognizant that there are a lot of people that don’t engage with that, right? They don’t engage with noise, they don’t engage with confrontation.”

Ned Mansour’s sixth chalk drawing, made on Aug. 30. Photo Alice Martin

Divest for Gaza

The pro-Palestine student encampment at McGill University stood strong for over 70 days before being demolished on July 10. To protect itself and the privacy of campers, the encampment used a variety of colourful handmade signs from different student movements on the gates.

When a private security firm dismantled the camp, the colour didn’t stop. Activists still gather daily in front of the Roddick Gates to repeat their demand: for McGill to divest from companies involved in arms manufacturing and the settlements in Gaza and the West Bank.

This is the case of Ned Mansour, a Montreal artist whose father is Palestinian. He has been coming to the gates for over a week—a new tradition for him. He aims to go to the Roddick Gates every day, barring rain and other engagements.

Mansour was working on his sixth painting when he met with The Link. This painting was inspired by a photo he took.

“I try to choose something that has to do with what’s happening right now, with the genocide, and just a reminder of how many days it’s been since the genocide has started,” he said. “I try to pick images that are visually striking and can fit on this thin column.”

Mansour’s paintings are made with chalk, something protesters have been using every day to write messages and demands on sidewalks and university grounds. As a wedding photographer with experience in drawing, Mansour applied his skills to McGill’s walls.

Despite squabbles with security, his motivation to keep drawing remains steadfast.

“Every day that passes, somebody’s being killed in Palestine, and the genocide is happening in real-time,” Mansour said. “So I wanted to do something that’s in real-time as well. We feel here, it seems like it’s almost a mirror image of what’s happening in Palestine. Obviously, we’re not being killed, but there are forces that are trying to silence us.”

Mansour’s chalk drawings, like the days that go by, are ephemeral. Every night after he finishes drawing, security washes them away, providing him with a fresh slate for another drawing.

“They think that by erasing our work and our message, that we will stop, but what they’re doing is actually encouraging us to come back and remind them again of what’s happening,” Mansour said. “Just like the Palestinian people that are being erased right now.”

This article originally appeared in Volume 45, Issue 1, published September 3, 2024.

The palette of protest Read More »

MAI’s 25th anniversary unveils its first exhibition

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 6, 2024 / Geneviève Wallen, India Das-Brown, MAI, My-Van Dam

A spectator watches performers Miranda Chan (left) and Aurélie Ann Figaro (right) at MAI. Photo India Das-Brown

India Das-Brown,
Local Journalism Initiative

Connecting From the Inside Out is a space of love, healing and vulnerability

As the summer festival season winds down, the Montréal, arts interculturels (MAI) is celebrating the start of its new season Returning to Love with the exhibition Connecting From the Inside Out.

The vernissage on Sept. 5 featured the work of My-Van Dam and was curated by Geneviève Wallen. The event marked the start of the exhibition with a small crowd and speeches from Dam, Wallen and MAI artistic and executive director Camille Larivée.

“It starts from my own personal journey of healing,” said Dam, whose vision was born from her experience with Somatic Experiencing, a form of alternative therapy that tackles both the psychological and physical symptoms of trauma.

“When you think about trauma, it’s something that is stored in your body and that is still,” Dam said, gesturing to the bubbles ornamenting one of her sculptural works, Becoming Fluid. “Becoming fluid is a way to refine some energy in your body, to be able to be free from trauma.”

The main piece of the exhibition is a video installation composed of four large screens displaying four performers interacting with Dam’s sculptures, which she calls Objects of Solidarity. The performers are depicted moving slowly through a white space, first solo and then coming together, making guttural noises with their throats.

“We’re making sure that space is ethereal [and] infinite because we really wanted [it] to feel almost like a dream space,” director of photography Nadia Louis-Desmarchais said. “When we pressed ‘record,’ it was super quiet in the studio. We would just see the performers move in the space, making noises with their throats. It was really, really peaceful, and it was really healing.”

Dam’s Objects of Solidarity guide the dancers towards each other.

“[The performers] come together under a theme of healing, and therefore, they come together with this idea of love and tenderness between each other,” Wallen said. “What I find really mesmerizing about this video is to see those little moments of closeness.”

Dam synthesizes somatic practices of voice and movement, bringing together her dance and visual arts practices for the first time. In a work that is at once notably delicate and powerful in its effect, Dam creates a space for the spectator to rest, reflect and unfreeze.

“It’s not just individual trauma,” Dam said. “It stems from a system. It stems from oppression. It stems from a whole structure [of] collective trauma. […] Everything is connected.”

Dam’s exhibition will be displayed at MAI until Oct. 26.

MAI’s 25th anniversary unveils its first exhibition Read More »

Tech start-up satire hits the stage at the Segal Centre

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 6, 2024 / How To Survive in the Wild, Manuel de la vie sauvage, performance, Phia Dolgin, satire, Segal Centre for Performing Arts

How To Survive in the Wild closed the night off with ruckus cheering and standing ovations from the crowd. Photo Phia Dolgin

Phia Dolgin,
Local Journalism Initiative

How To Survive In the Wild, previously Manuel de la vie sauvage, has been given new life in its English-language debut

Manuel de la vie sauvage, a 2018 French novel adapted into a play and French-language TV show, returns translated with the English-language play How to Survive in the Wild at the Segal Centre for Performing Arts.

Set in modern day Montreal, the show is a social satire that parodies the format of tech mogul conferences and tackles themes such as AI and tech industry culture, which have only gotten more topical since the release of the original novel in 2018.

“It’s a show with a lot of bite,” assistant director David Noël said. “[It] takes place in a dog-eat-dog world that is also a mirror to society. […] I would hope it would bring people to reflect on what matters most to them. Is it success, is it money, is it relationships?”

The play, which premiered Sept. 14, opens with the announced introduction of fictional tech mogul, Kevin Bérard. As he comes out on stage, he addresses the audience directly, and begins to talk about his own success and how we, too, may succeed like he has.

Kevin’s conference is repeatedly interrupted by flashbacks of the events that led him to this moment: the creation and outcome of his app and company, Huldu. Huldu is an AI chatbot that allows users to communicate with artificial versions of deceased loved ones.

Technology plays a key role in the production, with the set designed to resemble a tech conference stage featuring four large TV screens mounted to create two columns. Oumy Dembele, who plays the character Claude, emphasized the challenges of working on such a technically demanding show within a tight six to seven week rehearsal period.

“It’s a show that is very, very, very technological,” Dembele said, “and so the production of the play took centre stage near the end of the process.”

As the play dives into the high-stakes world of tech and success, it gets you thinking about what you might give up to make it big.

“There is a, ‘What are you willing to sacrifice in order to succeed?’ question,” director and translator Rebecca Gibian said. “But then there’s the more specific question of, ‘Would you download this app?’”

The English-language adaptation has breathed new life into How to Survive in the Wild, originally written by Jean-Philippe Baril Guérard. It also bridges the historical divide between French and English theatre in Montreal.

“Jean-Philippe Baril Guérard and the story were so well known on the French side, and completely unknown in my world of anglophone Montreal,” Gibian said. “He is such a figure in Quebecois art and culture, and it felt like such an opportunity to share that figure and that art.”

The translation process brought elements of French culture into the anglophone production, both literally and in underlying cultural quality.

“Most of the cast is bilingual,” Gibian said. “It just sort of happened that way; it wasn’t an intent. […] There’s something about that that really made the process richer, and made the translation better.”

Both the cast and crew stem from diverse backgrounds.

“I love the idea of bridging the gaps,” Noël said. “The text takes place in modern-day Montreal, and it’s such a Montreal show. […] English and French really do collide.”

The diversity of the cast can also be attributed to the production company that put on the show, Persephone Productions. The Montreal-based theatre company is dedicated to serving emerging and local artists.

“Our company is about giving those people opportunities and a platform, that’s something I always want to emphasize when I talk about the play is to talk about the company and these people,” said Gibian, who is also the artistic director at Persephone Productions. “It’s something that I’m really proud of.”

Performances of How To Survive In the Wild are currently running at the Segal Centre for Performing Arts until Sept. 29.

Tech start-up satire hits the stage at the Segal Centre Read More »

Honouring Egbert Gaye

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 6, 2024 / Black Community, Desirée Zagbai, Egbert Gaye, Journalism, Montreal Community Contact

Egbert Gaye. Courtesy Montreal Community Contact

Desirée Zagbai,
Local Journalism Initiative

Gaye’s activism for the Black community through his journalism lives on

Egbert Gaye, founder and editor of Montreal Community Contact, did not back down on challenges. He instead used those moments to evoke his passion for journalism.

Gaye was born in Grenada, grew up in Trinidad and Tobago, and came to Montreal in 1980. Twelve years later, in 1992, he founded the Montreal Community Contact, Montreal’s only Black newspaper. He had written for the Montreal Gazette as well as being a commentator for the radio station CJAD 800. He wrote about politics, discrimination of all kinds, and education, highlighting Black people’s achievements throughout the years.

Throughout his career, Gaye wrote a number of opinion pieces that lifted up Black voices, while pointing out the systemic racism the community goes through. Opinions such as “Premier Francois Legault has mastered the politics of division”, “The Black man’s burden”, “About Haiti and Haitians and US presidents” and “The thing about the Black Entrepreneurship Loans Program” show the injustice and struggles that Black people are facing daily, not only in Canada but globally as well.

These articles go deep into the issues Black people endure and look at the history behind them. They show how politicians’ promises do not always go through and how that could affect a Black person’s opportunities, such as having difficulties getting a loan for one’s upcoming business.

Rosie Awori, managing editor and columnist of the Montreal Community Contact worked with Gaye for five years, and there are only good memories that she remembers of him.

“Egbert had one of the most amazing work ethics and passion that I have ever experienced or had the privilege of witnessing,” said Awori. ”He was driven by the passion for the community and to tell the stories that would otherwise have fallen through the cracks.”

Gaye used his voice to inform people of the history behind the discrimination against Black communities and emphasized why it was important to be aware of the ongoing problems in today’s society.

He elaborated on the fact that Black people should be equal to everyone else and how they do not have the same possibilities as others. Despite their talents, experience, and education, members of the Black community still need to stand up against social injustices. The seismic marginalization that Black people have faced universally has led to an increase in high school dropouts, immense unemployment, a lack of representation at higher education institutions and Black people being an “over-representation in the criminal justice system” as Gaye wrote.

According to Awori, Gaye always made sure people felt welcome. He helped aspiring journalists become great writers by giving them feedback, and always sought to find solutions to problems.

Awori explained how Gaye could have continued writing for major publications such as the Gazette since he had the qualifications, but he decided to create a newspaper that would focus on his community. The Caribbean and Black communities became the center of the publication to ensure inclusivity.

In 2023, Gaye’s goal was to create a digital archive for written work on the newspaper’s website.

However, Montreal Community Contact stumbled upon some challenges. In June 2023, Bill C-18 was introduced, which restricted all media accounts on META platforms. Before the bill, the newspaper had a Facebook and Instagram account where they would share updates on different news productions. Additionally, before he passed away in June 2023, Gaye wanted to create an app for the newspaper where people could log in and get all the information they needed.

“He pushed me to be the best that I could be, so he didn’t settle for mediocrity, and one of the words that he kept on was that writing is hard enough, so you have to fight for this article. Fight until you’ve given it your everything,” Awori said.

For some journalists, Gaye was a mentor and someone to look up to. Melissa Murphy, a contributing journalist for Montreal Community Contact, saw him as a father figure.

“I think that his superpower is being able to speak to you […] directly to you, no matter how many people were in the room. He made his interactions with you feel personal,” Murphy said.

Murphy explained how Gaye fostered a room for her to grow, no matter what her interests were. After graduating from Concordia University in English literature with a minor in professional writing, Murphy was not sure about being a writer. Gaye, however, saw her potential.

“But he always said that to be a good editor, you have to be a good writer. So I need you here tomorrow morning, you know? So that’s why around 2017-2018, there’s an uptick in my contribution,” Murphy said.

Murphy expressed how Gaye emphasized that mentors who guide young journalists, writers, and those with a passion for storytelling are needed and that aspiring journalists should not shy away from those opportunities.

“That’s what he taught me—to show up. For the big guy, for the little guy, to give people power to tell their stories in their own voices,” Murphy said.

She mentioned how running a newspaper for 30 years contributed to Gaye’s resilience. Whether it was about financial hardship or any other issue, what motivated him was what kept him grounded. Murphy remains thankful that he believed in her when she was 17 years old and not confident enough to believe in her ability to become a great writer. He never gave up on her dream and always told her how good she was despite her doubts.

Murphy expressed how Gaye inspired her through his community impact and that she will apply this to her future literacy consulting firm. Now, when she works with editors and writers, she understands the impact of lifting up local and Black voices while also giving them the power to tell their own stories in their own words.

Murphy hopes that people see the beauty in what he did, the lives he touched, and the legacy he could not leave behind, which surely will keep living on.

Honouring Egbert Gaye Read More »

Concordia creates new task force to tackle racism on campus

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 6, 2024 / Concordia University, Maria Cholakov, Matthew Daldalian, Standing Together against Racism and Identity-based Violence, STRIVE, task force

Due to rise of racism on campus, Concordia has created a new task force which promises to create a safe campus space. Photo Matthew Daldalian

Maria Cholakova,
Local Journalism Initiative

The university promises to create a safe campus for students of diverse backgrounds

On April 3, Concordia President Graham Carr informed students by email that a new task force called Standing Together against Racism and Identity-based Violence (STRIVE) has been formed.

The creation of the task force comes after months of increasing tension on campus. On Nov. 8, 2023, a confrontation in the Henry F. Hall building between Israeli and Palestinian students turned violent. More recently, on March 13, a few students from the Muslim Student Association (MSA) expressed that they do not feel safe on campus, due to claims of Zionist students verbally harassing them on a regular basis. Several members of MSA accused students of calling them terrorists, pro-Hamas supporters and MSA terrorists.

According to Carr, since October 2023, there has been an increase in “manifestations of hate, acts of intimidation and other instances of identity-based violence.” In his statement, Carr said these incidents are unacceptable.

The university created STRIVE as a result of increasing identity-based violence on campus. According to the university’s website, the task force will aim to address identity-based violence, strengthen anti-discrimination efforts and develop new policies and initiatives to combat discrimination at Concordia.

The task force will consist of one overseeing body and six subcommittees. Each subcommittee will consist of one lead and three members representing staff, students and faculty. The subcommittees will tackle key issues, including antisemitism, anti-Arab racism, Islamophobia, anti-Asian racism, transphobia, as well as campus climate and campus engagement.

For each subcommittee, the university will examine existing campus policies and systems in place for complaints. The university will also evaluate the community’s access to campus services and speak to the relevant Concordia and Montreal communities to deduce what measures are needed.

According to Concordia’s website, the committees are seeking participants to join the task force.

This isn’t the first time the university has created a task force. Concordia currently has one task force, the Task Force on anti-Black Racism. Alongside the task force, Concordia also created a committee on Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Violence in 2018—the latter of which has been heavily criticized by students. These criticisms involve being non-student-centric and unable to adequately deal with cases or listening to student complaints.

Carr promises to notify the student body of any advancements or progress made by STRIVE.

Concordia creates new task force to tackle racism on campus Read More »

Hundreds gather for trans day of vengeance

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 6, 2024 / Andraé Lerone Lewis, Coalition Avenir Québec, Nous ne serons pas sages, queer, trans day of vengeance, transphobia

Around 700 people gathered on March 31. Photo Andraé Lerone Lewis

Andraé Lerone Lewis,
Local Journalism Initiative

Montreal’s queer community united against Quebec’s transphobia

On March 31, around 700 demonstrators marched from 600 Fullum St. through downtown Montreal, donned in transgender and non-binary colours.

The protest was organized by the group Nous ne serons pas sages, and dubbed the “trans day of vengeance.” The group’s name is a play on words on the Coalition Avenir Québec’s (CAQ) “comité des sages,” or wise men committee.

In light of trans visibility day, various transgender, queer, and allied people demanded the axing of the committee, meant to advise the provincial government on gender-related topics.

Protesters denounced the CAQ wise-men committee and asked for its dissolution. Photo Andraé Lerone Lewis

Protesters denounced that the committee does not include a gender-diverse person, and that subsequently, the decisions carried out aren’t representative of the genderqueer community in Montreal.

One speaker cried out, “In creating this committee, the CAQ enables the latest wave of transphobia that has been rising everywhere around the world.”

Transgender and genderqueer people and allies were united under the fight against province-wide transphobia. Photo Andraé Lerone Lewis

The protest made a stop next to the Radio-Canada offices, where attendees expressed their frustration against the “Trans Express” documentary that aired on Feb. 29. The video has received nationwide backlash for its transphobic messages, such as calling young trans men who seek out gender-affirming care “little girls who often struggle with mental illness.”

Demonstrators held signs reading “Transphobia kills,” and “No discussion on trans people without trans people” while chanting “Everyone hates transphobes.”

TERFs, trans-exclusionary radical feminists, oppose trans inclusivity. Photo Andraé Lerone Lewis

This article originally appeared in Volume 44, Issue 13, published April 2, 2024.

Hundreds gather for trans day of vengeance Read More »

Tackling gendered violence head-on

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 6, 2024 / Inclusion Sport, Laura Bolanos, Réseau d’Autodéfense Féministe Laura Bolanos, self-defence

The organization teachers gender-diverse people self-defence. Courtesy Réseau d’Autodéfense Féministe

Laura Bolanos,
Local Journalism Initiative

The Réseau d’autodéfense féministe’s fight for women and trans people’s safety

While teaching martial arts classes at Black Flag Combat Club, Woodie Choquette saw the need to build a program for gender-diverse people.

“We realized that there was a great demand from people living through gender-based violence.”

In response to the demand, Choquette and other volunteers created the Réseau d’autodéfense féministe (RAF), a program under the non-profit organization Inclusion Sport.

The program offers gender-diverse people an opportunity to apply self-defence in more realistic scenarios. “Martial arts did not always meet the need in which we could not implement the day-to-day life scenarios,” Choquette said.

According to Choquette, while there is a focus on learning to recognize potentially violent situations, the main purpose of the course revolves around breaking isolation around victims of violence. The RAF aims to provide a space for people to talk freely and without prejudice about violence. “It is to have places where we could talk about sexual violence and patriarchal violence with people who would have empathy and would not be embarrassed to talk about it,” they added.

The space is exclusive to trans, non-binary, two-spirited people and women from a large range of ages. The self-defence lessons are not only addressed to survivors of violence but to anyone who wants to learn how to protect themselves from any type of violence.

Transgender and gender-diverse people are 1.5 times more likely than cisgender people to have been physically or sexually assaulted since age 15, according to the Survey on Safety in Public and Private Spaces in 2018.

The basis of the program is to prevent scenarios of violence and to promote de-escalation. “It’s a lot of conversation about how to express boundaries, how to deal with catcalling…, how to notice violence within relationships with your intimate partners,” said Sphynx Crunch, a contributor to the curriculum of the self-defence courses.

These courses also aim to “help more people feel safe and comfortable, developing a sense of agency and feeling safe in their bodies,” she added.

The program offers the support and training necessary to fight back against any type of violence with physical, emotional, psychological, and verbal self-defence techniques, through a 12-hour program taught monthly by two to three coaches simultaneously. Spots are limited to 12 to 15 people. Each course is divided into three sections which include emotional, physical, and somatic techniques.

An essential part of the RAF relies on the coaches’ involvement in the program. Belant, who was granted anonymity upon request for safety reasons, became a coach after putting the program together with other volunteers. In her classes, she aims to validate any way participants use to defend themselves. “There aren’t good or bad ways to fight against violence,” she said. “They shouldn’t judge themselves and feel guilty for having acted differently.”

Another coach, Gauthier, also kept anonymous for their safety, makes sure everyone learns self-defence techniques that they are comfortable with using in real-life situations. After people practice, they go around to see which technique they prefer and help them learn to escape from different positions.

In contrast to Belant, Gauthier got involved after participating in the 12-hour program. People are encouraged and welcome to become part of the RAF after the courses, as having coaches from different backgrounds make all the difference. Some have experience in martial arts and others in feminist intervention, and their personal experiences with violence impact their approaches to teaching, according to Belant.

“The majority of us who aren’t cis men have experienced street harassment and experiences where our limits have been exceeded,” she said. “We shared our experiences that are rooted in us and what we’ve been through. We are all going to teach differently because of our different experiences.”

By the end of the program, people who have gone through gender-based violence will regain control over their lives and themselves through the RAF program. “I hope people will leave with a feeling of self-confidence, security and solidarity,” Choquette said.

In the long term, Choquette aspires to see structural changes in society through the program. “I hope we can reach a point where we bring social changes that eventually mean that people no longer have the responsibility of defending themselves against violence.”

But, the ultimate goal would be that “one day violence against people disappears.”

The RAF is in the first stage of its mission. They are working on future initiatives for the program, such as the creation of affinity or territorial communities of feminist self-defence, as well as a men’s group to facilitate discussion of gendered violence and the assumption of responsibility by men.

In addition, the RAF organizes different activities such as a reading club, screenings, and self-defence drop-in classes for sex workers. They announce their monthly activities on their social media platforms.

With the growing popularity of the RAF, they have been receiving demands from everywhere. “The demand keeps growing. We were asked to go to Quebec to train. We’ve also gotten requests from the Maritimes and Ontario,” Choquette said.

In Montreal, they are looking for a new space to welcome more people and provide an adequate area for their activities and courses.

Currently, the self-defence courses are at full capacity each month. People who want to participate in the program must register fast to secure a spot.

To register for their events and self-defence courses, visit the link in their Instagram or Facebook bio @reseau_autodefense_feministe. For more details, they can be reached directly by email at acces.autodefense@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared in Volume 44, Issue 13, published April 2, 2024.

Tackling gendered violence head-on Read More »

Concordia hosts its third annual powwow

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 6, 2024 / Concordia University, Indigenous, Joy Benyamin, Otsenhákta Student Centre, Powwow

Elder Delbert Sampson dressed in regalia waiting for the opening ceremony to begin. Photo Joy Benyamin

Joy Benyamin,
Local Journalism Initiative

The event celebrates Indigenous students at Concordia

On Sept. 13, Concordia University hosted its third annual powwow at the Loyola Campus, a celebration honouring Indigenous cultures.

Organized by the Otsenhákta Student Centre, the event highlights the success of First Nations, Inuit and Métis students via a showcase of tradition, music and dance. It aimed to highlight Indigenous voices and teach attendees about Indigenous culture.

The diversity of Indigenous cultures was represented through traditional songs and dances such as hoop dancing, a Métis jig and a smoke dance demonstration. Throughout the afternoon, the crowd was given the opportunity to participate in the powwow by joining several performances.

A dozen tables were also set up for the event with local Indigenous vendors selling a variety of goods, accessories and artworks such as beadwork, bags and pendants. In collaboration with the powwow, the Hive Free Lunch program served various Indigenous dishes, such as Three Sisters Soup and bannock biscuits.

The powwow ended at around 4 p.m. with a closing ceremony.

Local indigenous vendors, such as Cree Stones Jewelry, set up tables around Loyola Campus selling various goods. Photo Joy Benyamin

Performers, staff and attendees mingled throughout the Pow Wow event. Photo Joy Benyamin

Powwow staff member Savannah Matteinu-Gabriel is helping a performer secure a feather in their hair. Photo Joy Benyamin

Attendees watching performers demonstrating a traditional dance during the powwow. Photo Joy Benyamin

The powwow ended around 4 p.m. after the closing ceremony. Photo Joy Benyamin

Concordia hosts its third annual powwow Read More »

Michaëlle Sergile weaves together the history of Black women in Montreal

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 6, 2024 / À toutes ces femmes que l’on ne nommait pas, Black women, McCord Museum, Michaëlle Sergile, To All the Unnamed Women

Michaëlle Sergile stands beside her woven work at the McCord Stewart Museum. Courtesy Roger Aziz

Maya St-Antoine,
Local Journalism Initiative

To All the Unnamed Women seeks to restore the legacy of marginalized Black women

On Sept. 13, the McCord Stewart Museum began hosting Michaëlle Sergile’s exhibition, À toutes ces femmes que l’on ne nommait pas (To All the Unnamed Women). This collection of woven works and archival finds aims to piece together the lives of Black women in Montreal between 1870 and 1910

According to museum president Anne Eschapasse, the exhibit is the first of the fall season and the first of a new series of collections.

“[It’s] to amplify the voices of marginalized communities,” Eschapasse said.

To All the Unnamed Women is part of the museum’s Artistes en résidence project, which invites artists to research and critically examine the museum’s archive collection and create works that relate history and art.

The exhibition features seven beautifully woven recreations of archival photos and a timeline of handpicked pictures from the photographer, both from William Notman’s collection. These works place Black women in time and space from 1834 to 1910. The exhibition also displays a short experimental film done by Sergile, shot on a 16mm Bolex camera, and aims to recreate what the lives of the anonymous women would have been like.

The title of the exposition is literal. Most of the women featured are anonymous, and there is very little information available about them other than their photographs. This anonymity is also represented in a few woven pieces where the faces of the women are blacked out, symbolizing everything unknown about them and the depth of what is left to learn.

Sergile believes that, although it is unfortunate we cannot know more about those women, there is something symbolic about it.

“There is something beautiful in getting to imagine what their lives could have looked like, and reconstructing them,” Sergile said.

Sergile’s exhibition shines a light on those women’s lives while also acknowledging the difficulties of learning their stories through the museum’s archives. This difficulty is due to what she calls “archival violence,” which describes the lack of interest in preserving Black women’s history.

An important section of the exhibition is centered around the Coloured Women’s Club of Montreal (CWCM). Founded in 1902, the organization played a significant role in Montreal’s Black community by helping newcomer families find housing and financial support. The exhibition allows attendees to learn more about the club and its impact while also acknowledging how little is known about those women as individuals.

A collage wall displays photos of the women, including members of the CWCM, standing alongside objects Sergile chose from the archives to represent them. Visitors can also visit a small room and watch interviews with Sergile discussing her weaving process and the inspiration behind the project.

Sergile’s passion for her work is felt throughout the exhibition through her art, of course, but also through the time and care she put into researching and organizing it.

Archive conservator, Mathieu Lapointe, explained how fortunate he felt to access the Notman Photographic Archives. Lapointe explained that it is rare to find photos of Black women from this time period that feature their names or provide insight into their lives. “[Black women] were often photographed with their husbands or as governesses,” Lapointe said.

Some photo inscriptions only have the husband’s name–such as one image which shows a Black woman holding a white baby, that reads, ‘Baby Paikert and Nursemaid.’ Another similar photograph has the inscription ‘Mrs. Farquharson,’ but it is unclear whether the name refers to the picture’s subject or the person the picture is for.

Sergile wants visitors to understand that these women existed, to gain insight into the context of their lives. She also wants us to become aware of the challenges and limitations of working with archives concerning marginalized communities.

Sergile’s new website, Black Samaritan, which she developed with Nancy Oliver-MacKenzie, will launch on Nov. 8 of this year. The site aims to improve access to archives and information about key contributors and historical figures in Montreal’s Black community.

The exhibition will be open to the public until Jan. 12, 2025.

Michaëlle Sergile weaves together the history of Black women in Montreal Read More »

Montreal debuts its first trans film festival

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 6, 2024 / Ariana Orrego, EXPOSURES, gender-diverse, Hannah Beach, Iris Pint, Montreal, Trans film festival

Montreal’s first trans film festival went on from Sept. 19 to Sept. 22, and showed 80 films from all around the world. Photo Ariana Orrego

Hannah Beach,
Local Journalism Initiative

EXPOSURES presents a diverse array of films by trans, two-spirit and gender-diverse creators

Montreal’s inaugural trans film festival EXPOSURES was held at Espace Transmission between Sept. 19 and Sept. 22, showcasing 80 works created by or in collaboration with trans, two-spirit and gender-diverse filmmakers.

The event featured 13 screenings that included three features and 37 short films, attracting a large audience with its diverse lineup of films across different genres and languages. The theme of EXPOSURES was “breaking new ground,” which recognizes its inception as the first festival devoted to trans cinema in Montreal, and one of six to exist globally.

EXPOSURES was founded in 2023 by Iris Pint, a PhD candidate at McGill University studying trans and queer cinema. Since its inception, the collective has organized 20 screenings across Montreal, inspiring Pint to curate the four-day festival. The collective is dedicated to providing easy access to queer and trans-made media.

“I’m bringing these films to Montreal and I’m making them accessible,” Pint said. “We always have solidarity tickets to give for events; people who need a discount or who need to come for free can always e-mail us or DM us. […] We always try to accommodate.”

Among the highlights were several Canadian premieres, including Dog Movie, which opened the festival on the evening of Sept. 19. Chicago-based director Henry Hanson joined a Q&A session after the screening of his improvised cringe comedy. About 150 people filled Espace Transmission’s loft space to see Dog Movie, which tells the story of a trans couple who have been hosting their friend Blue on their couch for six months, only to decide suddenly to adopt an elderly dog—also named Blue.

On Friday, Sept. 20, One Day League: Dead Mother, Dead All made its Canadian debut. The film was directed by Eugene Torres, a Manila-based filmmaker, and is a dramedy about an adoptive family coming together to reunite their all-queer volleyball team to fulfil the dying wish of the protagonist’s late gay adoptive mother.

That night brought another full house of about 150 people for Video Nasty, a body-horror-themed collection of shorts. Eleanor Anderson-Lafleur, one of the Video Nasty programmers and a self-proclaimed transfeminine movie nerd, introduced the screening.

“Body horror is a very trans genre, both because you know it’s dealing with kind of the body not doing what you want it to and […] it offers up the possibility to consider new ways of inhabiting that body,” Anderson-Lafleur said. “It offers the possibility of the radical reconstruction [of] our bodies, and that’s something we are very familiar with as trans people.”

Throughout the screening of Video Nasty, there were squeamish reactions and gasps of surprise from the audience, but continuous laughs throughout.

“When you have enough body horror on your own, it can be helpful to externalize it,” Anderson-Lafleur said.

One of the most talked-about short films was “Tastes Like Pork,” directed by Dante Dammit, about a cannibalistic cis woman determined to eat the penis of a trans woman. The film provoked many laughs, as well as grimaces and groans.

Another short film that caused strong reactions was “The Princess and the Peacock,” directed by Daniel Baker-Wells, which tells the story of Mona Guyard, a transfeminine “freak-show” performer. The film chronicles Guyard’s upbringing and her performance art practice in Berlin, which involves piercing her skin with peacock feathers.

Mia Poirier, an aspiring filmmaker, commuted from Longueuil for the Video Nasty screening.

“If they do it next year, I’m going to want to go,” Poirier said. “It’s interesting, the whole link between queerness and weirdness and horror.”

Molly Maliszewski is the other Video Nasty programmer and one of the festival organizers. She said that having a festival focused on trans and two-spirit creators and stories is important in the current moment. Maliszewski explained that mainstream films, especially of the horror genre, tend to depict transness on the outside. She found it refreshing to see films that moved beyond the trope of transness being used as “shorthand for what is scary because it’s like a transgression against a norm.”

“All those films together in a space full of trans people who were willing to engage with horror, that created something really special,” Maliszewski said. “It’s horror movies made by trans people […] for other trans people, [without worrying] about explaining themselves to another audience.”

Montreal debuts its first trans film festival Read More »

Cooking for a cause: Mama Khan’s flavourful feasts fuel social impact

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 6, 2024 / Abdul Raziq Khan, community, Islamic Relief, Mama Khan, Menel Rehab, Montreal, Pakistani Cuisine, Ramadan

The mother and son duo restaurant will be providing free Iftar boxes for Ramadan. Photo Menel Rehab

Menel Rehab,
Local Journalism Initiative

Pakistani restaurant’s Iftar gatherings change lives one meal at a time

Providing nourishment, comfort, and a sense of belonging to those in need, Pakistani restaurant Mama Khan’s initiatives extend beyond culinary delights to create a positive impact.

For the month of Ramadan, Mama Khan is offering special Iftar boxes as part of their ongoing charitable efforts. These Iftar boxes provide a complete meal experience, including appetizers, main courses, desserts, and drinks, allowing patrons to break their fast with nutritious and delicious food.

The restaurant is continuing its commitment to giving back to its community during Ramadan by donating a portion of the proceeds from the Iftar boxes to charitable causes.

Through these initiatives, Mama Khan aims to foster a sense of unity, compassion, and generosity while providing nourishing meals to individuals and families observing fasting traditions.

Owner Abdul Raziq Khan explained that his restaurant’s journey took off as a ghost kitchen during the COVID-19 pandemic. They started with the intention of testing the waters, unsure of whether it would be successful or not. However, they received exceptional feedback, prompting them to expand their operations to a physical location on St. Denis Street.

“We actually started two doors down,” said Khan. “We started there in a small area and we would get a lot of people and sometimes we would get overbooked. So, the previous person who owned this space approached the restaurant and asked if we wanted a bigger space. The restaurant has been at 4135 St. Denis St. for nearly a year and a half.”

The restaurant’s name pays homage to Khan’s mother, who serves as its head chef. “I reopened Mama Khan on her birthday, Oct. 13, so it is also our annual opening,” Khan added.

Over time, Mama Khan evolved its menu and dining experience, transitioning from take-out to a dine-in restaurant. Khan emphasizes the importance of experimentation and adaptation in the restaurant industry, viewing each day as a learning opportunity.

Additionally, he highlighted the authenticity of Mama Khan’s cuisine, rooted in Peshawari culinary traditions.

“It’s Pakistani cuisine, but more specifically from Peshawar,” added Khan. “We’re from the northern province of Pakistan. So you get the butter chicken palak paneer, that’s more Indian Pakistani dishes. But then you also get the Pishawi curry, which is from my city, and you get the kebab which is specifically for my city as well. These are dishes that you probably find somewhere else but it wouldn’t be truly authentic to where it’s from.”

Khan encountered challenges in collaborating with other organizations due to a lack of recognition of his restaurant at first. To overcome this, he took the initiative during critical moments, such as providing free food during power outages and extreme weather conditions, which garnered attention and recognition for Mama Khan’s charitable efforts.

This led to the establishment of the Mama Khan Pay it Forward program, where customers can donate $5 to provide a free meal to someone in need. This initiative evolved into offering Iftar boxes during Ramadan, continuing the spirit of giving back to the community.

The restaurant has collaborated with organizations like Islamic Relief and local student clubs, such as the Muslim Student Associations of Dawson and Concordia, in organizing fundraising events and charity activities. These partnerships demonstrate Mama Khan’s commitment to supporting charitable causes and fostering community engagement.

“I had an event that happened on March 16 and 17 with the Islamic Relief,” said Khan. “We raised almost over $4,800 for Palestine; we did an auction, and we did a fundraiser.” Attendees enjoyed a curated menu featuring appetizers like Chana Samosa, main courses including Kebab and Chicken Curry, and dessert with Kheer (rice pudding). Additionally, a refreshing Mango Lassi was served as a drink. The event also included activities such as auctions, with proceeds contributing to fundraising efforts.

On March 31, Mama Khan hosted another special Iftar event in collaboration with Islamic Relief. This event aimed to raise funds for Palestine through a four-course meal. The event raised over $12,000.

A mother of one of the volunteers, who was granted anonymity for her safety, said she was impressed by the way younger people seem to be involved. “I am Palestinian and I have lost family members. It’s been war for so long over there you kind of become numb. It gives me hope when I see younger people throwing events like this,” she said.

“Mama Khan is a humanitarian restaurant,” said Ahmad Mousattat, leader of Islamic Relief’s collegiate-level operations in Quebec. “Our values align and (Khan) gave us all the food for free.”

“The whole fabric of the restaurant is woven through community,” added Khan. “You get that vibe that it’s more than just a restaurant.”

With files from Gabrielle Laperrière-Leblanc.

This article originally appeared in Volume 44, Issue 13, published April 2, 2024.

Cooking for a cause: Mama Khan’s flavourful feasts fuel social impact Read More »

The cedar and olive tree are forever interlinked

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 6, 2024 / Andraé Lerone Lewis, ceasefire, Civil War, Lebanon, Olive Tree, Palestine, Syria, United Nations, Yasmine Chouman

Lebanese and Palestinian protesters unite at a protest to denounce Israel’s attacks on both countries. Photo Andraé Lerone Lewis

Yasmine Chouman,
Local Journalism Initiative

In January 2024, Salima Telal, 48, was sitting on her couch with her shisha in hand. The TV was playing while her dog ran around the house. One of her sons was cooking in the kitchen, while the other sat across, listening as she spoke about their 2006 trip to Lebanon.

“We went all the way to Syria, afraid [our car] would get bombed,” Telal said, “with my 8-month-old with 40-degree fever on one side and my 5-year-old on the other.”

The day was July 12, 2006, when Israeli forces invaded Lebanon with air strikes after Hezbollah succeeded at a cross-border raid during an ongoing conflict over land. This resulted in what is called the Second Lebanon War.

Telal and her family drove from Lebanon towards the Syrian border, avoiding impact holes left in the ground by airstrikes. Cars were being bombed left and right. Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport had been bombed. Civilians had few chances to escape.

Telal was one of the few who managed to flee the war in its early stages, returning to Montreal.

“Everybody was scared. It was hell and back,” she said, exhaling the smoke from her shisha.

Telal lived in Beirut, Lebanon for most of her life. She grew up there before coming to Montreal around 25 years ago where she raised her kids. During her visit to Lebanon in 2006, she recalled buildings being destroyed, civilians being bombed and people trying to flee. Water and electricity were restricted and there was no cell service.

“They emptied the city so they could take it over,” Telal said, “like they’ve been [trying to do] to Palestine for years.”

The conflict ended with a ceasefire that was brokered by the United Nations, which came into effect on Aug. 14, 2006, after a month of bombings.
Since 1948, after hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forced out of their homeland, they have continued fighting for their lives in response to Israel occupying their land and turning cities like Gaza into open-air prisons. As for Lebanon, it has had a strained relationship with Israel since 1982, when it invaded southern Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War, and with the 2006 Second Lebanon War.

This is why many people in the Lebanese community in Montreal have stood in solidarity with Palestine and continue to do so. This was the case when The Link spoke with Telal in January, and has become especially true now.

On Sept. 23, Israel fired airstrikes across Lebanon. At the time of publication, Israel has killed over 1,000 and wounded at least 6,000 Lebanese people in the attacks, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health. These are the heaviest tolls since 2006.

In response, Hezbollah fired missiles targeting Israeli military air bases.

From the south of Beqaa to Beirut, hundreds of thousands of residents have been forced to flee, leaving behind their beloved homes, with seemingly nowhere to go. At least 58 towns have been hit with over 1,300 Israeli airstrikes. Before the escalation, Israel had detonated pagers used by Hezbollah, killing 37 and injuring about 3,000 people.

In an interview with CBS, former CIA Director Leon Panetta called the targeted pager attacks on Lebanon a “form of terrorism.”

Reina Sinno, a Lebanese LaSalle College student, said the media does everything in its power to dehumanize Arabs.

“Western media is good at manipulating,” Sinno said. The 20-year-old student sat on the school floor during her break between classes to talk about how she thinks the media views Arabs. Sinno was born in Montreal but lived in Lebanon for the first few years of her life until her family moved back to Quebec.

She keeps in contact with her father, who lives in Lebanon. Over the past 11 months, border skirmishes between Hezbollah and Israel have been happening almost daily, with little to no coverage in the media, Sinno said. Her father said he received daily alerts on his phone about incoming missile strikes.

Sinno said the media only portrays Israel bombing Lebanon as a two-time occurrence, referring to the civil war and the 2006 war, when in reality, it has been happening on and off for the last 37 years.

“They’re portraying it in a lie,” Sinno said.

On Jan. 3, Israeli forces attacked the Lebanese capital with drone strikes, killing seven people, including Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri. While this made some noise in the media for a few days, Israel has not officially accepted responsibility for the attack. Israel has been known to censor information in the media regarding their actions.

Jean Balka, 61, was not surprised at the avoidance of accountability. In a phone interview, he alleged, “Habibti, the media is controlled by Israel. How could you put stuff out against yourself?”

Balka is a former fighter in the Lebanese Civil War and fought for the Christian side. They were called the Lebanese Front and consisted of national Maronites who were against Palestinian militancy in Lebanon. Despite disagreeing with the politics, Balka was forced to fight for the Lebanese Front rather than the Lebanese National Movement.

After the war, he went to New York and has been living both there and in Montreal since.

He spoke on his recent experience of being an Arab man in the Western World after the current war broke out. Sometime in early January, Balka was on his way to New York, a drive he has routinely done for the last 33 years, when he was stopped at the border.

“I’m going to ask you some questions,” the man in the uniform said. “Are you Muslim or Christian?”

He had never been asked this question before.

“Since 9/11, us Arabs are viewed as terrorists and murderers,” Rayane Sakr said as she sipped her coffee at the local Second Cup Cafe in the cold December weather.

Sakr is the child of Lebanese immigrant parents and has felt the struggle of being an Arab-Muslim woman in today’s society. Over the sound of coffee beans getting ground, the 19-year-old said, “We aren’t viewed as humans.”

“They have lives, they go to school, they have hopes, they do birthday parties, they get married, they do their makeup, they dance,” she added, her voice trembling. “They are human!”

In January, there were over 250,000 Palestinian refugees in Lebanese refugee camps. Now, with many camps being destroyed, the stateless refugees have the possibility of living in poverty and facing harsh legal discrimination in Lebanon.

Despite the daily fear, many individuals in the Lebanese community are confident in their nation’s ability to defend itself if the occasion arises.

“Our people, being depressed and struggling for so many years, are ready to die for the cause of Palestine,” Balka said.

The Arab community in Montreal has mobilized for Palestine with protests drawing hundreds to thousands, raising awareness of the situation.

“At the protests, you see so many Lebanese flags because we know we can expect it too,” Sinno said.

Balka believes going to protests in support of the Arab community won’t make a difference.

“Free Palestine! Free Palestine!” Balka shouted, “Free Palestine, but no one listens!”

“The more awareness you spread, the more people will try to help and put pressure on foreign governments to go for a ceasefire,” Telal said.

However, spreading awareness both online or in person brings hope to those worried about their communities. Telal said the media is finally giving a voice to the Palestinian people and the Arab community.

“You don’t have to carry a gun to be a fighter for a cause,” Telal said. “A fighter can be a musician, a writer, a politician, a protester, a donator. Could be anything.”

For privacy and security reasons, the name ‘Salima Telal’ is a pseudonym.

The cedar and olive tree are forever interlinked Read More »

Concordia vandalized after demonstration

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 6, 2024 / Alice Martin, Concordia, Palestine, vandalism

Henry F. Hall Building windows smashed following demonstration on Sept. 29. Photo Alice Martin

Alice Martin,
Local Journalism Initiative

Demonstrators smashed windows and threw Molotov cocktails at police officers

During the evening of Sept. 29, the lobby windows of Concordia’s Henry F. Hall Building were shattered as part of a demonstration and march organized by autonomous students.

Demonstrators also spray-painted pro-Palestine messages like “Free Gaza” and “C = Complicit” on the windows of the Hall building lobby. As they marched, demonstrators also held a banner that read “Hope lies in the fight” with an anarchy symbol next to the message.

Around 50 demonstrators had gathered on De Maisonneuve Blvd. for an “impromptu demonstration,” according to SPVM spokesperson Jean-Pierre Brabant. He said the windows were broken using blunt objects like baseball bats and hammers.

Four arrests were made on the scene, police later identified the arrestees to be in their 20s. The demonstrators were released without charges conditional to the results of an ongoing investigation.

“I am extremely concerned about the violent escalation of recent protests,” said Concordia President and Vice-Chancellor Graham Carr in a statement sent out to students on Sept. 30. “Concordia students, faculty and staff can certainly express themselves in a civil and respectful manner, but we cannot, as a community, tolerate intimidation or hatred in any form on our campuses.”

Montreal police arrived on site after 911 calls reported broken windows at the university, but by then demonstrators had already begun walking down De la Montagne St. The march continued down Sainte-Catherine St., with demonstrators breaking the windows of multiple store fronts, according to Brabant.

The SPVM representative said that multiple police officers attempted to scatter protestors who were committing criminal acts, with some officers chasing after demonstrators.

“During the pursuit, demonstrators threw at least two Molotov cocktails and incendiary objects in the direction of the police officers,” Brabant said. He added that no one was hurt in the demonstration.

According to videos circulating on social media and shared by accounts such as @clash.mtl on instagram, fireworks were also set off during the march.

“We will aim to gather evidence and see with surveillance cameras if we can find any information to know who did what and if anyone committed criminal acts,” Brabant said.

According to police, the demonstration died down at around 11 p.m.

In his statement, Carr said that Concordia is assessing the events and will take “appropriate action” in accordance with the university’s Code of Rights and Responsibilities.

This event follows a Sept. 25 pro-Palestine student walkout where Concordia students demanded the university divest from Israel. The walkout saw severe police intervention, as well as three arrests.

This article originally appeared in Volume 45, Issue 3, published October 1, 2024.

Concordia vandalized after demonstration Read More »

One year since Oct. 7

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 6, 2024 / Activism, Andraé Lerone Lewis, Beirut, Encampment, Gaza, Hannah Scott-Talib, October 7, Palestine

Protesters marched through downtown Montreal for the Palestinian liberation cause on Feb. 18, 2024. Photo Andraé Lerone Lewis

Hannah Scott-Talib,
Local Journalism Initiative

Reflecting on the heights of activism this past year and the future of the movement

It will soon be one year since Oct. 7.

Exactly 357 days ago, the Palestinian militant group Hamas fired rockets into and re-entered the occupied territory known as Israel, killing over a thousand Israeli civilians, according to Israeli officials. Israel’s retaliation of the event continues, with the displacement of over 2 million Palestinians and 42,000 confirmed Palestinian civilian murders to date, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Reflecting on the past year, advocates for Palestine in Montreal talk about how the Palestinian liberation movement has progressed and discuss where it is now.

Peaks of activism

Last year, the first peak in mobilization came immediately after Israel’s escalated attacks on Gaza.

“In the heat of the moment, everyone just wanted to do something for Palestine. They didn’t care what we were doing [or] how we did it, as long as we did something,” said Hassan Ridha, a member of Concordia University’s Thaqalayn Muslim Students’ Association and an active advocate for Palestine.

“We hadn’t mobilized this quickly and this efficiently until an attack happened, until we saw the death numbers rise significantly within a matter of days,” Ridha said. “So this is when we reacted.”

Ridha added that, over the past year, another key point in the liberation movement was the establishment of the encampment at McGill University.

“When students came together to say ‘No, we’re not going to get used to what is happening in Gaza, until the university meets [our] demands we’re not just going to sit idly,’” he said, “I think this revived the spirit of many people who weren’t as involved anymore with the movement.”

Ridha isn’t the only one that feels like the encampment was a key step towards liberation.

“The encampment set a precedent,” said a member of Students for Palestine’s Honour and Resistance Concordia (SPHR ConU), who has been granted anonymity for safety reasons. They said that the encampment saw a huge surge in student mobilization in particular, and that it set a precedent for what was considered fair protest in Montreal through McGill’s two rejected injunctions to dismantle the encampment.

According to Ridha, throughout the year, collective activism for the Palestinian cause was the most prominent directly following Israel’s heaviest attacks. He said there was a surge in activism most recently following Israel’s air strikes on Lebanon that began on Sept. 23.

“People came back together after they saw the heavy bombardment of Beirut,” Ridha said, “which at least shows consistency, that we are able to come back together [and mobilize].”

The future of the Palestinian cause

“Over the last year, I think we’ve seen action from the masses at, what I would say, is an unprecedented and an inspiring level,” said Haya, a member of The Palestinian Youth Movement’s (PYM) Montreal chapter, whose last name has been kept anonymous for safety reasons. “People have responded to the fact that the genocide has been going on for a year and continue to respond to it.”

Now, Haya added, PYM is looking to shift to more long-term forms of activism. She said that PYM recently launched a new campaign entitled “Mask Off Maersk.” which aims to target one of the largest shipping companies in the world, the A.P. Moller-Maersk Group.

“[Maersk] acts as a middleman for arms and weapons shipments to Israel,” Haya said. According to her, by interrupting the logistics of shipping, this campaign will attack weapons and arms manufacturers “across the board.”

Meanwhile, the SPHR ConU member said they feel that—through heightened awareness for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement—successfully pressuring Concordia, McGill and other large Montreal institutions to divest from Israel is a realistic goal for 2025.

“We’re closer to divestment than ever,” they said. “[The] BDS movement has grown so much it’s become a [central] topic in the city.”

They added that, in relation to the BDS movement, the next step after divestment would be an academic boycott of institutions such as Concordia.

“Everyone has the freedom to learn whatever they want, but if it’s at the cost of the occupation of a people, or if it’s at the cost of killing people, then I don’t think that’s academic freedom,” they said.

Still, activists like Ridha believe that certain important accomplishments have already been made since Oct. 7, 2023.

“The biggest achievement, for me, is awareness—it’s something you can’t lose,” Ridha said. “Over time, people might lose interest in participating in protests or in doing active work for Palestine, but no one is going to go home and forget about the companies to boycott.”

He added that new activists for the Palestinian cause have learned so much more about the movement as a whole over the past year, from the meaning of the keffiyeh to the history of Palestinian resistance.

“This, I think, is the best thing we have achieved since Oct. 7,” Ridha said. “It’s the gaining of knowledge that gives us a foundation for the next time.”

With files from Menna Nayel

This article originally appeared in Volume 45, Issue 3, published October 1, 2024.

One year since Oct. 7 Read More »

MUZ festival brings world music to Montreal’s stage

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 6, 2024 / India Das-Brown, music, MUZ festival

Maracujá will be among the first MUZ performers on Oct. 3. Courtesy MUZ

India-Das Brown,
Local Journalism Initiative

From Brazilian samba to West African beats, MUZ promises a journey through global rhythms this October

For fans of jazz, world music or contemporary rhythms, this year’s MUZ festival will take you on a journey of meandering soundscapes from Oct. 3 to Oct. 6 at Montreal’s Quartiers des Spectacles.

The festival is presented by Vision Diversité, an organization founded 18 years ago by artistic director Paméla Kamar and her mother, Aida Kamar.

Seventeen years before the organization’s founding, Kamar’s family immigrated to Montreal from Lebanon. Her mother worked with Francophone ministries upon arrival, helping immigrants from all over the world integrate into Quebec society. The mother-daughter duo soon recognized there were many visionary immigrants without opportunities to flourish.

“There were a lot of people who were talented, but there was no place for them,” the younger Kamar said. “We realized that we had a place for that and there was a credibility with our path.”

Kamar and her mother decided to push what she calls “a courant of mixed music” into Montreal’s artistic sphere.

“We decided to start [with] little events,” Kamar added. “We had to do it step by step because everybody wasn’t really ready for [mixed music].”

Kamar is driven to help artists find their paths, build their momentum and continue to grow.

“We’ve helped a few hundred artists to take their place [through MUZ],” Kamar said, naming Dominique Fils-Aimé, a Montreal-based singer-songwriter who has won two JUNO awards, among others.

MUZ’s 14th edition will present 17 groups with diverse backgrounds and rich influences. Among the headliners kicking off the festival on Oct. 3 is Maracujá, a four-member ensemble self-described as “the undisputed standard-bearer for Brazilian music in Montreal.”

Elie Haroun, Maracujá’s singer, first discovered Brazilian music through the band’s drummer, Sacha Daoud, almost 30 years ago.

“I fell in love with it because it just has a natural happiness to it, from as much the melody standpoint as the rhythm standpoint,” Haroun said. “It’s just a type of music that is universally appreciated, universally loved.

Maracujá takes a bossa nova, samba approach to the wide umbrella of Brazilian music.

“[Our music] is very tied to the sound of the ‘60s and ‘70s, but has a very strong prominent jazz influence because of our pianist,” Haroun said. “And it’s never gone out of style.”

Haroun believes that playing in a festival like MUZ, which is specifically created to showcase cross-cultural music, means that Maracujá’s sound is less diluted than in a larger festival like the Montreal International Jazz Festival.

“It gives us a chance to put more value on the kind of music that we do,” Haroun said.

“I really feel like it’s a festival that revolves around helping the artists and […] putting the artists at the forefront,” added Daoud, who has performed at MUZ before as a sideman for other projects.

Another aspect that makes MUZ unique is its short set times of around 20 to 25 minutes, compared to a festival where artists play hour-long sets, according to Daoud.

“You have to bring out the best of what you do and have, that will have the greatest impact,” Daoud said. “It brings another kind of thought process and a way of building your show for that kind of event. And I think the public is lucky because it’s […] able to taste a bit of different artists in one evening.”

“Psychomusical tapas,” Haroun interjected, both he and Daoud laughing.

Maracujá is inspired by traditional Brazilian repertoire, as it is inspired by what Daoud describes as “a great musical diaspora” in Montreal.

“Brazil is such a big country, and there’s more than 150 rhythms in Brazil. If somebody comes from southern Brazil, his tradition and his ears are completely attuned in a different way than somebody that comes from the north or Amazonia,” Daoud said. “[It] influences the variety of rhythms and interpretations of Brazilian music that exist.”

Maracujá hopes to embody a sense of pure joy, kinship and communion in their performance on Oct. 3.

“[We have a] sixth sense of how to communicate amongst [each other],” Daoud said. “I think that’s always something very strong that transcends the stage and really reaches the public, because I feel like people can really have a very strong sense of that kinship, and […] it’s infectious.”

“If music is not about people,” added Haroun, “if music is not about getting together and having some sort of community together, then I don’t know what music is for.”

Haroun and Daoud are excited to see MUZ’s other acts and mingle with people who are in the same vein of music as themselves.

“It’s always great to be inspired by other people,” Daoud said.

Among the other artists performing will be Carine au Micro, who will be on stage Oct. 5 for the second time with MUZ—the first being in 2015 at the beginning of her music career.

“I find in this girl a really beautiful voice,” Kamar said, emphasizing her words. “Really, you should hear her.”

Carine au Micro is from Benin, in West Africa. Her roots are integral to her music, manifesting in its rhythms and language.

“We are not that many artists from that part of the world,” she said. “My music is a mix of different styles. It’s a mix of gospel—because in gospel, you have a certain strength in the voice. And then I mixed that with jazz, because my parents were very interested in jazz. […] And then I mixed that with my African origin.”

Carine au Micro’s onstage performance will comprise only four people and two instruments—the acoustic guitar and a traditional African percussion instrument called the calebasse. She will be joined by a deaf artist who will interpret her singing into sign language in real-time.

“It’s just a try,” said Carine au Micro, who will be incorporating sign language into her show for the first time. “If it works, I want to keep proposing a show like that. […] For me, it’s important to put different people together.”

MUZ is an immersion of musical worlds, including but not limited to Brazilian music, African music and Carnatic music from southern India, along with instrumentals, guitars, flamenco and ancestral hand percussion. It is a festival founded on rhythmic diversity, blending the modern with the traditional—a true celebration of musical fusion.

“Just during a night, you can do a trip all over the world, but from local artists who are not well known [to] the large public,” Kamar said. “During an evening, you have like six universes. That’s what makes the beauty of these evenings.”

This article originally appeared in Volume 45, Issue 3, published October 1, 2024.

MUZ festival brings world music to Montreal’s stage Read More »

Marching for Truth and Reconciliation

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 6, 2024 / Andrea Caceras, Indigenous, Montreal, Native Women's Shelter, Residential School System, Truth and Reconciliation

Hundreds marched through downtown Montreal on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Photo Andrea Caceres

Andrea Caceras,
Local Journalism Initiative

Montrealers mobilize for fourth annual Every Child Matters march

Hundreds of Montrealers marched on Sept. 30 to commemorate the Indigenous Survivors and victims of the residential school system in Canada.

People gathered in Mount Royal Park at 1 p.m. and marched to Place Ville Marie in downtown Montreal while chanting phrases such as “Land back” and “No pride in genocide.”

“The importance of this march is to honour the Survivors of residential schools and how they impacted the Indigenous population,” said Selena Martineau, a protestor and employee at Resilience Montreal. Resilience Montreal is a shelter for Montreal’s unhoused population, who co-organized the march. “We are here to uplift them as much as possible and honour what they’ve gone through,” Martineau said.

This march was additionally co-organized by the Native Women’s Shelter, a shelter dedicated to providing support and frontline services to Indigenous women and their children.

Nine speakers as well as a residential school Survivor spoke to the crowd preceding the march. Demonstrators marched through Parc Ave., Sherbrooke St. and Mansfield St. to René-Levesque Blvd.

“[Indigenous peoples] gave up their lives, they gave up their language, they gave up their cultures, as lessons for us to take,” said Alex McComber, assistant professor of family medicine at McGill University. “We say never again, this will never happen again to any of our children.”

Philippe Tsaronséré Meilleur is the director of Native Montreal, an organization specializing in offering services and community connection to Indigenous children and families.

“It’s important for Indigenous people and allies to have a moment to be able to say, through society, that the changes have not already taken place to stop intergenerational harm for Indigenous children,” Meilleur said. “It’s important for us to feel that we’re all together to say this message and to allow allies that have moments to also come and support us.”

From the 1830s to 1996, Christian church organizations and the Canadian government forcibly removed children between the ages of 4 and 16 from their family and forced them to attend residential schools in Canada. The goal was to erase Indigenous cultures and to assimilate Indigenous children into European settler colonialism.

The orange shirt is an emblem, with rich history, which raises awareness of the abuse that Indigenous children had endured in residential schools.

As a girl, Phyllis Webstad was forced to attend a residential school. On her first day, she wore a bright orange shirt given to her by her grandmother. Residential school administrators cut off her hair and stole her belongings, including Webstad’s orange shirt, which she never wore again.

According to research conducted by the Save the Children Canada organization, residential schools had a rate of mortality rate between 40 and 60 per cent, and the majority of children experienced severe physical, emotional and sexual abuse.

In Canada, hundreds of unmarked children’s graves have been discovered on the sites of old residential schools in recent years.

According to Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer, former grand chief of the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke, this is not the only problem. Sky-Deer said the Canadian government often makes empty promises regarding the needs of Indigenous communities. She stressed how boil advisories and a lack of infrastructure and housing are problems for many First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities.

“We have to do something, we have to get them off their feet to make some real substantial changes to our nations, to our communities,” Sky-Deer said. “It shouldn’t be like this in 2024, our people have been through so much.”

This article originally appeared in Volume 45, Issue 3, published October 1, 2024.

Marching for Truth and Reconciliation Read More »

McGill Hunger Strike for Palestine enters its seventh week

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 2, 2024 / divestment, Kara Brulotte, McGill Hunger Strike, Palestine

McGill students and hunger strikers seated on the stairs to McGill University. Courtesy McGill Hunger Strike

Kara Brulotte,
Local Journalism Initiative

Students protest university’s ties to Israel as McGill refuses to divest

nterviewed students withheld their last names for their safety.

On Feb. 13, a new student group called McGill Hunger Strikes announced on Instagram that a number of students would not eat until McGill divests from Israel. Now, over a month later, students are continuing their efforts as a part of their indefinite strike.

“What drove me to do it is really the outrage and the sadness that everyone is feeling right now and the need for something to be changed,” said Zaynab, a hunger strike member.

According to Zaynab, the hunger strike is a direct response to McGill’s refusal to listen to its students, despite criticism and protest from the student community.

“We have exhausted every single other avenue,” said Zaynab. “We tried it the democratic way and it was put on hold. We tried manifesting, we tried sit-ins, we tried talking to admin, we tried everything.”

On March 23, one hunger striker was hospitalized and has since no longer been able to continue her strike.

“[The goal of the strike is] to get the demands of divestment met, to get back $20 million that is being invested into genocidal weapon manufacturing companies, and to have a full academic boycott of Israeli institutions,” said Kris, a member of the McGill hunger strike.

McGill University has continued to economically support companies such as Lockheed Martin, Safran and Airbus Aerospace, all weapons manufacturers, as well as several other companies that have more indirect ties with Israel, such as Coca-Cola and L’Oreal, which both operate factories in Israel settlements on Palestinian land. McGill has also collaborated with several Israeli academic institutions like Tel Aviv University and collaborations such as the McGill-Israel Entrepreneurship Program. These programs have been long protested by pro-Palestinian student groups.

Despite the protest from student groups and the hunger strike, Angela Campbell, the Associate Provost at McGill stated that will not sever ties with academic and research institutions in Israel.

In a statement to The Link, McGill’s media relations team said that “McGill respects students’ rights to pursue political objectives and express political convictions,” the statement read. “We have reminded the students that there is a process in place for expressing their concerns about any investment holding of the university.”

According to the McGill Hunger Strikes Instagram account, on March 18, McGill asked for private meetings with the hunger strikers, with a maximum of eight people present. However, the McGill hunger strikers declined the invitation, as students are adamant to host the meeting in public.

The university emailed the group to discuss an offer to meet privately, but no meeting has taken place as of the day of publication. The post adds that McGill’s administration had previously agreed to a 90-minute public meeting, but later cancelled.

“We have offered more than once to meet with them, but they have refused to meet on the terms proposed,” the media relations spokesperson said.

“Our first demands were that we want a public meeting, because it’s a public matter,” said Kris. “And it’s not just hunger strikers who have been asking and demanding for this, it’s many student groups and many people and the community as a whole.”

According to the striking students, the communication between strikers and the administration has been inconsistent, with periods of contact followed by silence for weeks. As of publication, the McGill administration has not been in contact with the group since March 18.

“At one point, communication was cut off for 19 or 20 days so nothing from the McGill administration for 20 days while students were starving,” Zaynab said.

Although the university’s administration has shown concern over students’ health, the university’s inaction has led to frustration and outrage from many, expressed through repeated support for the students.

“I think they’re very much an institution, like many others, that really only care about money,” said Kris. “I’d say they’re more of a corporation than a space of education.”

According to the statement from McGill University, they “continue to work daily on this issue,” but since change is not evident, at least in the present time, the hunger strike will continue indefinitely, connecting more and more with the Canadian and international community.

“What’s happening with the Mohawk Mothers, with the hunger strikers, it’s getting global attention,” Kris said.

The hunger strike has also collaborated with other pro-Palestinian student groups, sharing resources and working together towards their common goals.

“All the protesting groups on campus, we’ve been in contact with them, we’ve worked with them and it truly has been a great proof of unity,” Zaynab said.

The support for the hunger strike has been widespread, with the group’s Instagram accumulating more than three thousand followers in a little more than a month.

“Just the response of so many organizations and people willing to help and offer space and time and commitment in some form, I feel a lot of hope in our movement,” Kris said.

The McGill hunger strike has no set end date and no clear end game, as the McGill administration has yet to meet the strikers’ demands. In the meantime, the strikers continue to experience and document the serious health issues that ensue on their Instagram.

This article originally appeared in Volume 44, Issue 13, published April 2, 2024.

McGill Hunger Strike for Palestine enters its seventh week Read More »

Armenian student union sends appeal to Concordia President

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 2, 2024 / Andraé Lerone Lewis, Azerbaijan, Concordia Armenian Students’ Union, COP29, Julia Cieri

Images hung on the door of the Concordia Armenian Students’ Union’s office. Photo Andraé Lerone Lewis

Julia Cieri,
Local Journalism Initiative

The appeal concerns Concordia’s decision to send delegates to climate conference in Azerbaijan

On Sept. 15, the Concordia Armenian Students’ Union (CASU) sent an appeal to Concordia University’s President and others, urging them to reconsider sending delegates to Baku, Azerbaijan for the 29th session of the United Nations’ (UN) Conference of the Parties (COP29).

The university sent out emails to students and faculty in select departments, offering them the opportunity to sign-up for the in-person or virtual delegation.

Azerbaijan has been accused of ethnic-cleansing by Armenia. The country filed a case with the International Court of Justice in 2021, contending that Azerbaijan has been subjecting Armenians in the contested Nagorno-Karabakh territory to “systemic discrimination, mass killings, torture and other abuse.”

In 2023, multiple international organizations have expressed alarm regarding the humanitarian situation in Azerbaijan following the country’s blockade of the Lachin corridor connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia, stopping all humanitarian goods transport.

CASU’s vice-president internal, Matthew Doramajian, believes the country is hosting COP29 as a method of greenwashing. “The hope for Azerbaijan is that, by hosting this kind of prestigious event, they can get people to look at their cause with more sympathy and have a better opinion [of] Azerbaijan,” said Doramajian.

The UN has opted to hold the climate conference in Azerbaijan due to the country’s claimed commitment to “developing its renewable energy potential.” According to the International Trade Administration, oil and gas production is the anchor of Azerbaijan economy, with the fossil fuels accounting for around 47.8 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product in 2022.

CASU is not alone in their concerns. Armenian activists and Concordia alumni, Yon Nersessian, in partnership with his sister, Maria Nersessian, created a petition to protest the university’s decision to send delegates to COP29. “This is unacceptable and the fact that university is supposed to represent a lot of Armenian students […] it’s insulting,” said Yon Nersessian.

Maria Nersessian hopes the petition makes Concordia reevaluate their stance. “We want them to withdraw their participation and be aware of what it means to be participating in such an event,” she said.

Doramajian feels similarly, as someone who considers Concordia students and faculty to be part of his community. “We feel that it is our responsibility to educate them where it is necessary for their own safety and for righteousness,” Doramajian said.

Concordia University spokesperson, Vannina Maestracci, said that one or two students and faculty members at the university attend COP each year.

“We believe we are fortunate to have observer status with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) which allows faculty and students to attend the primary global forum that addresses climate change,” Maestracci said.

Maestracci added that Concordia is not responsible for choosing the country hosting the climate conference. “Our association is with the [UNFCCC],” said Maestracci. “The UNFCCC chooses the host-country for their annual COP meetings.”

With files from Matthew Daldalian

A previous version of this article stated that Matthew Doramajian was CASU’s vice-president external. Matthew Doramajian is CASU’s vice-president internal. The Link regrets this error.

This article originally appeared in Volume 45, Issue 2, published September 17, 2024.

Armenian student union sends appeal to Concordia President Read More »

Lebanese Concordia students keep soccer dreams alive

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 2, 2024 / All Star Xperience, Jad Harb, Jared Lackman-Mincoff, Soccor, Talal Selman

Concordia students Jad Harb (left) and Talal Selman (right) are co-founders of All Star Xperience. Photo Jared Lackman-Mincoff

Jared Lackman-Mincoff,
Local Journalism Initiative

Jad Harb and Talal Selman foster the soccer community they wish they had with All Star Xperience

Jad Harb and Talal Selman may have had their dreams uprooted by circumstances outside their control, but nothing was going to keep the two soccer lovers down.

Originally from Beirut, they both started playing soccer from a young age. For Selman, the pitch became his home at four years old, and he began playing for his school teams as a defender. Harb played with his friends on the street, soon following suit and becoming a goalkeeper at school.

“Going into it, I started thinking more that I want to do this as a living,” Harb said.

Saad Balhawan coached Harb starting in first grade and all the way through various levels of the Lebanese national team. Balhawan believed that Harb had the dedication and skill set for a successful soccer career, being one of the best national team players he had ever seen.

“He has passion. He loves football too much,” Balhawan said.

Balhawan trusted Harb so much that, during one tournament match, he had Harb play as a striker when his team needed a goal, and had him retreat to goalkeeper when he wanted to preserve the result.

Harb and Selman often faced each other, playing for rival schools and club teams. Both got to know each other well, but their friendship only truly took off when they became teammates on the under-20 Lebanese national team.

After joining the national team, they quickly adopted a new routine that included several practices and games per week. They felt comfortable. It felt as if their dream of playing professional soccer was within reach.

But their world came crashing down when they least expected it. The 2019 Lebanese financial crisis, one of the worst in recorded history, dashed their dreams.

“Everyone’s money got stuck in the banks and a lot of people who had money woke up the next day and didn’t have any more,” Selman said.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the Beirut port explosion in August 2020 only exacerbated this.

Harb and Selman were teenagers who, by their own admission, did not fully understand what was going on. But it became brutally clear once the crisis altered their life paths.

“One day, I wake up, and my father tells me, ‘Listen, you’re not going to do your undergrad here. It’s too unstable. We don’t know what’s going to happen the next day,’” Selman said.

In the fall of 2021, Montreal became their new home. Currently, they are in their fourth year of industrial engineering at Concordia University. Sticking closely together, both share the same courses and assignments.

“If you go to any of our lectures,” Harb said, “you’ll see us sitting right beside each other, just talking about school or business.”

After arriving in Montreal, they were eager to keep soccer alive in their daily lives. They entered several tournaments and small leagues until they found teams that would take them in.

Selman began playing in 2023 for Mont-Royal Outremont, a semi-professional club in Quebec’s Ligue 1. Harb suited up in the same year for the Club de soccer Montréal Centre in the Ligue de soccer élite du Québec, one tier below Ligue 1.

With these new teams, they were able to keep doing what they loved most. However, they found it hard to find a sense of community within their respective roles.

“We noticed that there was something missing,” Harb said. “We went into many tournaments here and leagues where you just go, pay the registration fee and then [organizers] don’t really listen to you.”

It was glaringly obvious that they were completely on their own.

Many of their friends were not as lucky as they were. Several had come to Montreal and, despite looking for ways to continue playing soccer, drew the short straw and eventually gave up.

“They were just [quitting],” Selman said. “We felt like it shouldn’t happen, and we should give them what they want.”

This is how All Star Xperience (ASX) came to be.

Harb and Selman founded the company in late 2023 with the goal of fostering a community of soccer players and giving newcomers more opportunities to continue on the pitch.

“The first couple of tournaments we did were short tournaments. So, one-day tournaments or two-day tournaments,” Selman said. “We were just doing them to put our name out there.”

Their first tournament had only eight teams, composed exclusively of friends of Harb and Selman. Over time, ASX grew. People they didn’t know began sending them messages asking about their tournaments. They also decided to give out cash prizes, not because it attracts more people, but as a way of giving back and showing appreciation to their participants.

“We really touch on the emotional side of the base where we love our players,” Harb said. “And it’s not only just about playing soccer, it’s about building a whole community.”

The Concordia Student Union (CSU) reached out to the inseparable duo to set up the CSU All-Star Cup for Concordia students, as part of Orientation Week for the Fall 2024 semester. It is their biggest tournament yet, spanning two days with 20 teams and roughly 250 students participating.

Many who took part appreciate having an accessible tournament on campus.

“It’s a positive experience,” participating student Faysal Dandashli said. “It’s something that hasn’t really been done before. It’s a great way to meet others, connect with people.”

ASX is also putting on the 10-week ASX Premier League at Montreal’s Lower Canada College starting in early October.

Both Harb and Selman are happy with their playing careers at the moment. Harb mentioned that receiving a semi-professional contract would be a nice milestone to achieve, but he remains content with his current position.

The only thing truly missing from their sporting careers is donning the Concordia Stingers maroon and gold in their final two years of study.

“We played at elementary, middle school, high school level with all the teams,” Harb said. “It’s nice to represent our university.”

On the business side, they hope to grow ASX and host tournaments across Canada, perhaps even worldwide eventually.

“Soccer is the worldwide language of sports,” Harb said. “It should be open for everyone.”

This article originally appeared in Volume 45, Issue 2, published September 17, 2024.

Lebanese Concordia students keep soccer dreams alive Read More »

A culinary homecoming

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 2, 2024 / Claudia Beaudoin, culinary tradition, Perogie Lili, Ukranian heritage

Nestor Lewyckyj, founder of Perogie Lili, sitting in front of Kur & Kul Arts’ mural. Photo Claudia Beaudoin

Claudia Beaudoin,
Local Journalism Initiative

Perogie Lili offers more than food—it’s a tribute to Ukrainian heritage and family tradition

In the 1950s, in an apartment on Waverly St. in Montreal, Lili Lewyckyj, a Ukrainian mother, prepared meals for her four boys. Her goal was to offer them a taste of their distant home and culture.

Little did Lili know, she was leaving a deep and lasting impact on her youngest son, Nestor Lewyckyj. Her tradition of preparing classic Ukrainian meals would shape the Mile End neighbourhood long after her passing. This inspiration culminated in Perogie Lili, a new restaurant dedicated to sharing Ukrainian dumplings, known as ‘varenyky’ in Ukrainian, or more commonly, perogies.

Lewyckyj had long dreamed of opening a restaurant that would present Ukrainian cuisine in a fresh way to Montreal. It was only after seven years of planning and the onset of war in Ukraine in 2022 that his dream truly began to take shape.

Alongside his business partner Gregory Bedek, who previously organized the last nine years of the Montreal Ukrainian Festival, Lewyckyj meticulously brought every detail of the restaurant to life, from the food and decor to the location itself—just a block down from where he grew up.

“I wanted it to look like some Ukrainian grandmother’s kitchen,” Lewyckyj said. “We want to give people that vibe, that they’re coming back to something wholesome, something real.”

Perogie Lili opened its doors in August 2024, revealing a restaurant with multiple layers of significance.

At its heart, the restaurant serves as a tribute to Lewyckyj’s mother, after whom it is named.

Lili was part of a wave of immigrants who fled Ukraine during the Second World War. She spent five years in a displacement camp in Germany, with immigration proving to be no easy feat. When the war ended, many like her were reluctant to return, fearful of what awaited them under Soviet occupation. With no place to truly call home, Lili boarded a ship to Halifax in December 1950, then took a train to Montreal, where she settled at just 19 years old.

Lili passed away in 2022.

Honouring the culture Lili passed down to her family, Perogie Lili serves recipes that taste as authentic as they are familiar to those of Ukrainian descent.

The cosy diner also highlights Ukrainian artistry, from the music playing in the background to its striking murals. The current art features work by Kur & Kul Arts, a Ukrainian couple known for their vibrant representations of Ukrainian culture. At Perogie Lili, they’ve created a mural that spans the seasons, blending traditional Ukrainian symbols like Easter eggs and carolling with Quebec icons such as apple trees in fall. The mural even includes a nod to Lewyckyj’s dog.

Lewyckyj plans to refresh the mural every six months to keep the restaurant dynamic and engaging; this is just one of the ways he aims to create a constant flow of change at Perogie Lili.

Another way is through the menu. While offering traditional Ukrainian flavours, he also plans to introduce new varieties of perogies regularly.

“My pinnacle would be to make a foie gras perogie,” Lewyckyj said with a laugh.

The restaurant is also actively involved in humanitarian aid efforts related to the war in Ukraine, with 2 per cent of their sales going to the Canada-Ukraine Foundation.

“The whole point is to create something real and also to advertise to people that Ukrainians are here. We’re part of the community,” Lewyckyj said. “The war is still going on and the genocidal invasion by Russia is still real; there’s still people dying.”

Lewyckyj notices that many young Ukrainians have embraced the restaurant as a meeting spot, and he already sees groups coming in to find a sense of community. Among the six employees are three Ukrainian refugees who have found their place at Perogie Lili.

Anna Semenova Kozak arrived in Montreal in 2022 as a refugee. She initially struggled to find employment in Quebec due to the language barrier. She spent her first year focusing on French language classes before finally coming across Perogie Lili.

“It helps me to connect to my own culture and also to discover more people,” Kozak said. “We have here a very vibrant mix of Canadians, immigrants [and] Ukrainians, so it’s just delightful.”

The restaurant is the first of its kind in Montreal. Customers have flocked to the restaurant, drawn by curiosity and radio buzz. Some even make the journey from as far as the West Island just to experience the Ukrainian dish.

For Helen Mourikis, a regular customer, Perogie Lili has become a weekly Saturday tradition. She was there on their Aug. 23 opening day and keeps returning.

“I look forward to it,” she said, noting that she often thinks about the food in the days leading up to Saturday.

“The best reaction that we have, which happens multiple times per shift, is people will come and they’ll get one option—maybe potatoes because that feels safe and familiar. And then they’ll eat it and be like ‘That was so good,’ and they’ll get another one or try something else,” said Hannah Kirijian, one of the Montreal workers. “I find [this] shows just how good the food is, that people are coming back in an hour to get more.”

Lewyckyj explains that, for many, the taste of perogies evokes their own pasts. It transcends time and space, transporting people back to their childhood homes or homeland with a simple taste of soft dough and potato filling.

Perogie Lili’s logo features a woman holding a perogie close to her chest with a warm, inviting expression.

“Ukrainian culture in general has a very positive, warm kind of feeling,” Lewyckyj said. “Like our logo, it’s a maternal kind of soft, something you would have at home.”

Lewyckyj is always deeply touched when clients tell him his perogies are as good as the ones their grandmothers or mothers make.

“I always say, you could not pay me a better compliment,” he said.

Amid the bustle of Fairmount Ave., Perogie Lili begins its story, grounded in a history far richer than its new look suggests. As Lewyckyj reflects on his mother’s legacy, he simply says, “I’d hope she’d be proud.”

With each perogie served, the restaurant not only honours Lili’s memory, but also continues a timeless tradition, bringing a piece of the past to the present with every taste.

This article originally appeared in Volume 45, Issue 2, published September 17, 2024.

A culinary homecoming Read More »

Canada has a rampant South Asian racism problem

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 2, 2024 / Anti-immigration, Hannah Scott-Talib, Racism, South Asian

A spike in racism towards South Asians has been seen in Canada this year. Graphic Myriam Ouazzani

Hannah Scott-Talib,
Local Journalism Initiative

Anti-immigration sentiment in Canada is fuelling South Asian racism online

There has been a steady rise in racism towards South Asian communities in Canada over the past couple of years, and one of the main culprits might be social media.

This year, xenophobia can largely be traced down to anti-immigration rhetoric being spread in online comment sections without regulation, as well as Tik Tok trends that mock South Asian cultures.

“There’s so much normalized hate towards South Asian communities [in Canada],” said 19-year-old Bangladeshi Concordia student Afra Azreen, who moved to Montreal in 2022.

Dipti Gupta, professor of Cinema and Communications at Dawson College and Fine Arts at Concordia University, said she believes that this racism stems largely from a lack of acceptance towards immigrants. It’s a sentiment that she said she has experienced herself throughout the past couple of decades living in Canada as an immigrant.

“I think people feel a sense of anger and fear in thinking that somebody is coming here and not following a certain culture,” Gupta said. “They feel that somebody is less than [them], not realizing, at the end of the day, we all need to treat each other as human beings first.”

During the months of January, February, May and June 2024, Canadian immigration officials refused more visitor visa applications than they approved. The ratio of refused applications to approved ones was the highest recorded since the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A recent poll from the Leger for Association of Canadian Studies revealed that, in cities such as Toronto, targeted racism towards Sikh Indian immigrants in particular has been on the rise this year.

Indians are currently the largest demographic of immigrants coming to Canada.

“There’s a lot of ‘Othering’ in general [towards South Asian immigrants],” Gupta said, referring to Edward Said’s notion of Orientalism. The phenomenon describes how Western culture intellectually holds itself above the East, or Asia.

“This ‘Othering’ has only accelerated in some ways, and has become more prominent,” Gupta said. “[It] stems from a fear that the ‘Other’ is not as educated, or is less than [Westerners].”

According to Azreen, it’s not uncommon to find social media videos mocking South Asian culture in some way or another these days, particularly when it comes to videos of street food being made in countries like India.

“They’ll be [making] a cultural dish, and then people are hating on it in the comments,” Azreen said. “People are very quick and harsh to make these comments, it gets blown out of proportion and that wouldn’t have happened if it had been a different culture.”

“It tends to be [seen as] different, and usually it’s a bad type of different,” Ayaaz Esmail said on the topic of South Asian food. The 23-year-old grew up in Vancouver with Indian and Ugandan heritage. “It’s that fear of the unknown, and fear perpetuates hate, which makes people ignorant.”

Both Azreen and Esmail expressed that, throughout their lives, they have experienced being stereotyped as a result of their ethnicity.

“I’m generalized under a picture of people who hate women, or who hate gay people,” Esmail said.

As an Ismaili Muslim, Esmail said his identity gets mixed into stereotypes pertaining to people from certain Middle Eastern countries, despite him having no relation to these countries.

“We’re rarely shown the really positive pictures of my faith, [or] of other people’s faith,” he said. “It really sucks because we’re all just generalized as brown.”

On her end, Azreen said she believes that gender plays an important role when it comes to stereotyping South Asians online. She said her experience as a woman differs from those of South Asian men.

“Gender does play a huge role, and it works in a way that’s kind of opposite to what you’d think,” Azreen said.

According to her, South Asian women fall on either side of the coin—either they are fetishized for qualities that are similar to Western beauty standards such as minimal body hair and white skin, or they are considered undesirable if their South Asian features stand out and are perceived as masculine.

“The more cultural someone looks, the more this hatred is there,” Azreen said, adding that she believes that brown women often have to go out of their way to prove their femininity when it comes to appearance.

On the other hand, she mentioned that South Asian men are almost always perceived as being undesirable according to Western beauty standards. As an example, she stated that well-known TikTok accounts such as CityBoyJJ, known for doing street interviews in Canadian cities, reveal these harmful stereotypes to be prevalent.

“[The interviewers] go around and ask, ‘Which ethnicity would you not date?’ And it’s always South Asian,” Azreen said. She specified that, from what she sees, these answers are often given by white women about South Asian men.

In addition to the normalized appearance-based racism she’s noticed and experienced, Azreen said that videos of violent and destructive situations from her home country have recently surfaced online, leading to a rise in ignorant and hateful comments. Bangladesh is currently undergoing a revolution, and the online response to social media footage of buildings burning and collapsing as a result of the revolution left Azreen feeling afraid.

“It’s real footage from my country, and the comments were just making fun of it as if it wasn’t real,” she said, citing comments from the video that stated things like “average day in Bangladesh” or even “average day in India.”

But when it comes to social media, this type of reception is unsurprising to Gupta.

“We are all sucked into this kind of vortex of social media now,” Gupta said. “If [social media] is used in the best way, it can impact a lot of people. But does that happen all the time? A large cross-section of us believe that it is [solely] a mode of entertainment.”

In general, Canada has a reputation for being an immigrant-friendly country. But people like Gupta believe that with the all-too-common instances of racism and xenophobia that South Asians experience, this reputation might not be accurate.

“Despite all the efforts that we put into our system, into our policies, into our education and everything else,” Gupta said, “we’ve not been able to rise above this [racism].”

This article originally appeared in Volume 45, Issue 2, published September 17, 2024.

Canada has a rampant South Asian racism problem Read More »

The key is social housing

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 2, 2024 / FRAPRU, Montreal, Social Housing, Zosia

Thousands attended a housing rights protest in Quebec City on Sept. 14 to 15. Photo Zosia

Zosia,
Local Journalism Initiative

Thousands participated in a weekend-long protest for more substantial housing rights in Quebec.

The Front d’action populaire en réaménagement urbain (FRAPRU) organized a two-day series of events from Sept. 14 to 15 calling for the Quebec government to address the ongoing housing crisis by increasing social and community housing within the province.

FRAPRU aims to advocate for the right to housing, focusing specifically on funding for social housing projects and the regulation of the private housing market. The demonstrations are part of the organization’s “La clé, c’est le logement social” campaign.

The protest began on the evening of Sept. 14 with an encampment in Quebec City. Protesters had intended to camp at Parc de l’Amérique-Française before police threatened them with arrest despite the FRAPRU stating they had been in discussion with the city regarding the encampment.

“[The police officers] were quite aggressive in letting us know that if we dared to put up one tent that they would seize it, fine us, [and] arrest us,” said Citizen Action Committee of Verdun (CACV) representative Kay Lockyer.

The group relocated to the grounds of the National Assembly after police endorsed the move. At the parliament, the Sûreté du Québec had already set up barricades, threatening protesters with arrest should they attempt to sleep on the premises.

Around 60 people slept on the ground in front of the National Assembly, with some symbolically putting up tents. The group was surrounded by police presence, including several large police vans. Protesters reported unease with the heavy surveillance by the police, but no arrests were made during the demonstration.

Catherine Lussier, a coordinator at FRAPRU, says that this police interference is indicative of the larger sentiment of the government’s lack of willingness to hear the concerns of citizens. “It feels like they don’t want to hear the message,” said Lussier. “That’s why we pushed back and we are still here.”

On Sept. 15, housing committees across the province including those from Outaouais, Bas-Saint-Laurent, Québec-Chaudière-Appalaches, Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, and Montréal came to Quebec City to support the provincial action.

Labour unions, feminist organizations, and housing advocacy organizations participated in the protest to show solidarity with the movement.

“The fight for housing is a social issue but it is also a labour issue. An injustice faced by one person is an injustice to all,” said François Proulx-Duperré, a representative of the labour union Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN). “The fight for unionism and for housing is interrelated, they are integrated, one into another. Count on us in your fight because it is also ours.”

According to the FRAPRU, around 1,300 people attended the march which started at the Parc de l’Amérique-Française and ended on the grounds of the National Assembly of Québec. Protesters lined the barricades with drawings of keys and threw keys into the fountain outside the parliament in protest.

“If we’re not investing in social housing, we are going to see more homelessness,” said CACV representative Lyn O’Donnell. “We’re all experiencing housing precarity. Everyone is talking about the housing crisis because everyone is living it.”

This article originally appeared in Volume 45, Issue 2, published September 17, 2024.

The key is social housing Read More »

Fighting back against transphobic movements in Montreal

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 2, 2024 / Andraé Lerone Lewis, Anti Génocidaire et Solidaire, Celeste Trianon, Fierté Montréal, Hannah Scott-Talib, pinkwashing, transphobia

Hundreds marched for trans rights in Montreal last September. Photo Andraé Lerone Lewis

Hannah Scott-Talib,
Local Journalism Initiative

Here’s what to know about the wave of anti-trans protests happening this month.

A nationwide set of annual anti-trans rights protests are set to take place on Sept. 20. Here’s what to know about this oppressive movement, and what is being done in Montreal to counter it.

What is ‘1 Million March 4 Children’?

Under the name “1 Million March 4 Children,” the anti-trans rights protests taking place throughout various Canadian cities on Sept. 20 seek to silence trans voices and prevent children from learning content within the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) curriculum in Canadian schools.

Those involved with the movement have expressed that they believe that the SOGI curriculum in Canadian schools is “adult-themed content” synonymous with sexual education classes, and is inappropriate for children to learn about. According to Montreal-based trans rights activist Celeste Trianon, this movement peaked in popularity at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic alongside the Freedom Convoy movement.

Over the years, these protests have been backed by far-right conspiracy theorists and anti-public education groups. One such group, known as “Hands Off Our Kids,” states in its mission that it “refuses to stand by while the government and school system allow sexually explicit content and gender ideology to be distributed in our classrooms,” and that it strives for a school system “free from biases and indoctrination.”

“They’ve successfully fear-mongered a lot of concerned parents,” Trianon said about these far-right groups. According to her, several of these parents are not inherently transphobic but have been pressured into believing that the SOGI curriculum is harmful to their children. However, she added that the majority of those involved with the Million March 4 Children movement are people who have “absorbed anti-trans rhetoric” and now identify with it.

How is the Montreal community fighting back?

In retaliation for this year’s 1 Million March 4 Children protest in Montreal, queer and trans rights advocates like Trianon have been spreading the word about a counter-protest also taking place on Sept. 20. Faction Anti Génocidaire et Solidaire—a queer collective focused on “denouncing Fierté Montréal’s pinkwashing” as stated on their website—is organizing this Montreal counter-protest.

Trianon said she is hopeful that the turnout for this year’s counter-protest will be better than last year’s.

“Last year with the community, the response was unfortunately not sufficient,” she said. She added that most people in attendance didn’t know what to expect, and didn’t anticipate how many people would be part of the anti-trans movement. According to her, counter-protesters were significantly outnumbered by the anti-trans rights protesters. This year, however, she believes there is more of a sense of clarity and mobilization.

“Show up if you can,” Trianon said, “and I’m speaking especially to all the people who call themselves allies.”

Attending the counter-protest on Sept. 20 is not the only way to support the queer community at large.

“[That protest] is not the only option, and I want to make that very clear,” Trianon said. “There are other ways to support queer and trans communities.”

Trianon said that an important way to provide support is to spread awareness through the sharing of knowledge on resources for the queer community. She also encouraged people to check in on trans friends and family.

“Ask them if they’re doing okay, which is very important right now. A lot of trans folks are not doing okay,” Trianon said. “Be there for them.”

“The anti-trans hate machine runs on billions of dollars,” she said. Contrarily, Trianon added that many resources and facilities for the queer community have little to no funding.

“Go support a local organization and movement if you can,” she said.

The Protect Trans Kids counter-protest will begin at 8 a.m. on Sept. 20 at 275 Notre-Dame St. E.

This article originally appeared in Volume 45, Issue 2, published September 17, 2024.

Fighting back against transphobic movements in Montreal Read More »

Old Port tourist season foiled by heavy construction

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 2, 2024 / Dexter Pahmer, Old Port Montreal, Panos Michalakopoulos, Tourist Season

Montrealers raise concerns about construction. Photo Panos Michalakopoulos

Dexter Pahmer,
Local Journalism Initiative

Philippe Dubuc, a fashion designer for Sarah Pacini in Montreal’s Old Port, has watched the year’s most anticipated season pass him by. Ongoing construction on St. Paul St. W. significantly diminished access to his store, resulting in disappointing sales numbers.

“Of course there was a decrease,” Dubuc said. “We’re trying to be conciliatory, but there are strong financial disadvantages; it’s unpleasant.”

Since the spring of 2024, pedestrians on St. Paul St. W. have been forced to move about on narrow walkways, wedged between shops and construction fences as they attempt to shop on Old Montreal’s foremost tourist street.

The road itself has been ripped open while construction workers operate on the aging water main, repair the sewer, and finally aim to rebuild the sidewalk and roadway. In addition to utility repairs, the project looks to render St. Paul St. W. more appealing to pedestrians by enlarging its sidewalks and removing parking on the street.

In Montreal, as summer blooms construction, it is also peak season for Old Port boutiques. As a result, many business owners have reported negative impacts from construction near their businesses.

Camille Albri, manager of Le Walk-In Montréal, a lifestyle and fashion accessory shop on St. Paul St. W., estimated that business has decreased “a good 35 to 45 per cent” due to the construction.

“We had no sidewalk. It was extremely noisy, so of course, far fewer people came,” Albri said.

Business is decreasing everywhere. Max Labé, an employee of Le Petit Duck Shoppe—a store selling a wide variety of rubber ducks—believes there are fewer people who want to walk on St. Paul St. W.

“The construction has led to very long lulls for businesses,” Labé said. “There’s absolutely no one in the store because of it.”

In the anticipatory phases of the project to redevelop St. Paul St. W., the city vowed to keep businesses open and accessible during construction, as well as maintain clear lines of communication with business owners.

“We’re doing one sidewalk at a time,” said Sébastien Breton, head of planning for the project. “If the sidewalk is done on the north side, then we’ll set up walkways so people still have access. There should be no problem when it comes to pedestrians.”

“It’s not always easy to walk about the construction,” said Émilie Thuillier, borough mayor of Ahuntsic-Cartierville, “but assuredly the businesses remain open; all the entrances are always open. If work needs to be done on these entrances, then it is done at night.”

Yet many say that, in practice, this was not the case. Albri explained that construction workers did not warn businesses before closing down their sidewalks.

“They put up a walkway, but it was still impossible to pass while they were pouring concrete,” Albri said. “It clearly wasn’t their priority. We had no idea what they were going to do on any given day. The only notices we got were when they cut off our water supply. For anything else, we arrive in the morning and we pray there isn’t too much noise, and that we can enter our business.”

Likewise, Labé said that no one from the site would warn business owners about forthcoming noise.

“If we open the door,” Labé said, “the noise is strident. It hurts. Often we’ll get headaches from it.”

“It’s a pain in the ass,” resident Christiane Berzi said. “There’s always something that pops up that [the city] wants to do, so it’s like never-ending. We don’t see much results because everything is always under construction.”

Dubuc explained that there were several days when he had to close up shop because the store was basically impossible to access.

“The fences change depending on the work they’re doing. So sometimes it’s a bit more possible to walk around, but other times it’s basically impossible to get anywhere,” he said. “It’s a labyrinth.”

When it comes to dealing with losses incurred by long-term construction work, the city has a compensation program that allows businesses to receive up to $40,000, provided the work lasts longer than six months and owners can prove a financial loss of 5 per cent or higher.

However, business owners must wait until the end of the construction to request the amount. If a business goes bankrupt while there is ongoing construction, it is not eligible for compensation. The city also offers a lump sum of $5,000, which business owners can access immediately at the beginning of construction.

However, according to Dubuc, this sum is often not enough for independent store owners, who cannot necessarily lose a full season of business and remain solvent.

“A business might fail because of a construction site,” Thuillier said. “It’s not impossible, but it’s probably never the only reason. Sometimes the business is already doing quite poorly and perhaps the construction is the straw that breaks the camel’s back.”

Some business owners understand that these kinds of hardships are necessary in the long run.

“It has to be done,” Dubuc said. “But it’s just sad that, as it’s happening, it has to be so difficult and cause the closure of so many businesses.”

The CBC reported that between 2019 and 2023 there were 419 claims submitted for compensation, and only 189 were approved.Thuillier said this rate is not an indicator of the program’s efficiency, but rather because business owners often cannot provide the numbers proving a sufficient decrease in business.

Ahuntsic resident Hassoun Habib believes Montreal’s current “construction blitz” is due to poor municipal management.

“Montreal has deteriorated [at the expense of construction]. It is no longer the way it used to be,” Habib said. “It’s an old city and it’s been neglected by previous municipal governments.”

Per the city, due to low budgets and long-lasting unpopularity, “maintenance work on Montréal’s infrastructures was postponed, resulting in a maintenance deficit.” The intensity of the city’s current construction aims to compensate for this neglect.

The pressure of construction felt by businesses across the island also weighs on residents. Maham Nahim, a Montreal native, doesn’t remember a time when the city wasn’t under construction.

“I understand doing this to make Montreal a better place […] but it’s just that it’s been that way for so many years,” Nahim said. “Sometimes you don’t need to change everything.”

This article originally appeared in Volume 45, Issue 2, published September 17, 2024.

Old Port tourist season foiled by heavy construction Read More »

The fight against tuition hikes must continue

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 2, 2024 / anglophone Montreal, Macintyre Strudensky, Tuition Hikes

Students need to keep fighting against austerity.

Macintyre Strudensky,
Local Journalism Initiative

The provincial government continues to attack anglophone students under the guise of protecting the French language

In October 2023, the provincial government proposed what seems to be a mean-spirited attempt to hinder the admission rates at English universities in Quebec, under the pretense of protecting the French language.

Following the proposed tuition hike for out-of-province and international students looking to study at anglophone universities in Quebec, the response from the student population in Montreal was swift and direct.

The students in Montreal protested this vehemently during the last academic year. However, students must continue to advocate in opposition to this tuition hike in synchronicity with the legal action being taken by Concordia and McGill University. As legal action is a lengthy process, sitting idly by would only serve complacency.

During the Winter 2024 semester, thousands of students from Concordia and McGill took to the streets to protest, conducted boycotts, urged administrative action and made their voices heard.

But consistency is key. We must not take the first implementation of this tuition hike as a sign of defeat. Student protests and activism have proven repeatedly to be effective in matters of social austerity. A notable example are the Maple Spring protests in 2012, which ended with a successful halting of proposed tuition hikes after the next Premier was elected.

Over a decade later, governmental policies targeting university students persist. However, a key difference between the current situation and that of Maple Spring is that this tuition hike is an attack on anglophone, out-of-province and international students.

In looking at the success of Maple Spring, it’s important to note that gradual progression contributed to its effectiveness. It took time, organization and effective communication to rally some 200,000 students to boycott and protest at its peak. Collective action is a marathon, not a sprint.

In the past decade since the Maple Spring, connectivity and means of communication have greatly improved. We, the anglophone student population, must, above all, communicate effectively and coordinate our next move. This can be done through spreading the word on social media, talking with our friends and attending future meetings in solidarity. Our real strength is in numbers.

When looking at the different facets of this issue, it becomes clear how simple this battle truly is. The provincial government and its infamous French rhetoric have once again tread into the infringement of rights territory. There is no evidence to support that discouraging prospective English students from studying in Quebec serves to protect the French language.

The provincial government has even made exceptions to the language law for international companies based in Montreal to not hinder operations. The irony. They are enforcing rules under an ideological rhetoric of apparent dire importance, yet bending said rules once the real-world effects demonstrate nothing but a hindrance.

One of the key attractions of this beautiful city is its diverse culture and wide variety of people with many coming to Quebec to learn the French language and to appreciate its beauty. Because it is, in fact, beautiful.

The austerity, absurdity and foolishness of this rhetoric lie in the notion of protecting a language that is not threatened by anglophone universities. Raising tuition and targeting young intellectuals serves no benefit to society and does absolutely nothing for the preservation of the official language of the province. We must not allow this to continue.

This article originally appeared in Volume 45, Issue 1, published September 3, 2024.

The fight against tuition hikes must continue Read More »

SPHR Concordia is going independent

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 2, 2024 / Maria Cholakova, Palestine, SPHR Concordia, Student activism

SPHR is now independent, but their goals for divestment are still their priority. Photo Maria Cholakova

Maria Cholakova,
Local Journalism Initiative

The club will continue to fight for Palestine until divestment

Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) Concordia has established itself since 1999 as one of the primary voices supporting Palestinians at Concordia.

Now, 25 years later, they are still fighting for the same cause.

From fundraisers to sit-ins, walkouts, protests and a contribution to the encampment at McGill University, the club has made its stance clear: There will be no rest until there is a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and Concordia University completely divests from Israel. However, divestment is currently not a priority for Concordia.

On May 27, Concordia President Graham Carr testified at a House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights, stating that “the university’s position, since 2014, has been in opposition to BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions).”

However, Concordia’s current position isn’t stopping SPHR. According to an SPHR member, who was granted anonymity for safety reasons, the 2023-2024 academic year was a build-up towards BDS being a central topic of the discussion.

“[Now] you can’t go a few days or a few articles without Graham Carr or Deep Saini mentioning BDS,” they said. “That’s something that’s very important,” they said.

Zeyad Abbisab, SPHR’s general coordinator, expressed that Concordia’s pushback on BDS and SPHR is more complex than just keeping the campus safe.

“[Institutions try] to suppress our voices because we are a threat to Zionism,” Abisaab said. “This is, yes, orientalism, but also economic incentives.”

Although Concordia’s investments are not shared publicly, the university has affiliations with companies that have been accused of being complicit in genocide. One of these companies is the Bank of Montreal, which in 2021 loaned an estimated US$90 million to a company that makes weapons and surveillance equipment used by the Israeli military.

Concordia also has academic connections to universities in Israel. The Azrieli Institute offered a field trip program in the summer of 2023 that allowed Concordia students to explore Israel in collaboration with Bar-Ilan University. Bar-Ilan is an institution that has allegedly been involved in “work with the Israeli military to develop unmanned combat vehicles and heavy machinery used to commit war crimes like home demolitions.”

SPHR is not alone in fighting against genocide and for BDS on campus. In the past year, the Arts and Science Federation of Associations and the Fine Arts Student Alliance passed a BDS motion. Additionally, the Quebec Public Interest Research Group, The People’s Potato, the Muslim Student Association, Solidarity Economy Incubation for Zero Emissions as well as hundreds of students across campus have all been demanding that Concordia divest from companies complicit in genocide.

Although SPHR is continuing its activism work, it is also going through structural changes. Effective Sept. 3, SPHR will become an independent club, funding itself solely through community donations. SPHR has accused the university of not allowing them to sign up to become an official club this year.

In June, the club received an email from the current acting dean of students, Katie Broad, as well as the director of the Office of Rights and Responsibilities (ORR), Aisha Topsakal. The university explained that SPHR will not be signed up as a student club anymore due to violations of the Code of Rights and Responsibilities. In the email, Concordia asked SPHR to remove three posts from its Instagram page as a condition for allowing the club to sign up once again. SPHR says that their independence won’t deter them from continuing their advocacy.

Tension between the university administration and SPHR is nothing new. According to Abisaab, March and April were intense months for him and the club.

On March 12, pro-Palestinian students picketed a talk by a professor from Tel Aviv University. The Israeli university was accused of offering special benefits and scholarships to student soldiers who participated in a 2014 military assault on Gaza.

Although SPHR claims they did not organize the picket, the student group did participate in the strike.

A month later, on April 10, Abisaab received two ORR complaints. One of the complaints was filed by the director of Campus Safety and Prevention Services because of SPHR’s involvement in the March 12 demonstration. The complaint alleged that Abisaab broke eight articles of the Code of Rights and Responsibilities.

The second complaint was filed by a professor in the university, whose name The Link has not included for safety reasons. The complaint accused Abisaab of targeting the Azrieli Institute of Israel Studies. At the time of publication, the complaints are still ongoing.

According to Abisaab, the complaints were targeted towards him mainly due to his status as general coordinator of SPHR.

“It’s also an instance of profiling and discrimination,” Abisaab said. “Instead of actually looking at people who were there, or actually doing an investigation, or actually finding out what was said […], they just pin things to me.”

According to Concordia spokesperson Vannina Maestracci, over the past year, the administration has tried to keep the university safe by implementing changes across campus. Changes include increased personnel and monitoring of events and demonstrations; meeting with student groups to discuss de-escalation during events and taking disciplinary actions against students who have violated university rules; increased workshops on anti-discrimination and the establishment on April 3 of the Standing Together against Racism and Identity-based Violence Task Force.

Although the university is making changes, the anonymous SPHR member still has concerns with the escalating number of Concordia Safety and Prevention Service officers during pro-Palestine events.

“We’ve definitely seen throughout the semester security watching us specifically when you walk [with] your keffiyeh on your shoulder,” the member said.

Additionally, they believe that Palestine solidarity and the divestment movement are now much bigger than SPHR itself.

“Concordia should understand that all of these efforts [with security] do not help with reducing unrest on campus because it’s simply not just SPHR anymore,” the member said. “[Students] passed BDS motions.”

Abisaab is hopeful that the movement will stay strong and continue to fight for Palestine.

“We cannot be deterred by administrations, nor the courts, nor the SPVM, nor the city, nor the province, nor the country. No one can deter us, especially not the Zionists. Concordia and McGill and all administrations will be forced to adhere to our demands,” he said. “And the only thing between us and them are days.”

This article originally appeared in Volume 45, Issue 1, published September 3, 2024.

SPHR Concordia is going independent Read More »

Stingers fueled by $100,000 alumnus donation

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 2, 2024 / Al Fiumidinisi, Alice Martin, Football, Jared Lackman-Mincoff, Montreal, Stingers

Stingers quarterback Olivier Roy loads up for a pass during the Stingers football home opener against the Laval Rouge et Or. Photo Alice Martin

Jared Lackman-Mincoff,
Local Journalism Initiative

Former Concordia football player sets up student-athlete scholarship

When Al Fiumidinisi played for the Stingers football team in 1985, he faced a reality much different from his comfortable CEGEP life.

Playing football for Champlain Lennoxville in CEGEP, Fiumidinisi and all of his teammates lived on campus. They had a practical daily routine that allowed them to do everything they needed to on a given day.

“Classes would finish at 4 p.m. We’d have our practices from 5 p.m. until about 6:30 p.m., 7 p.m. Afterwards, we’d go to the cafeteria to eat and study, and go to bed,” Fiumidinisi said. “It was the perfect scenario.”

Not to mention that he was playing for one of the best CEGEP teams in the country at the time.

But once he arrived at Concordia, all of that changed.

He realized that, like himself, most of his teammates lived off-campus. He lived on Montreal’s North Shore and had to commute roughly three hours per day to and from the Loyola Campus, where his games and practices took place.

“It was taking me about an hour to an hour-and-a-half to get to school. And then I would go to my practices,” he said. “[B]y the time I got home, it would be 11:30 p.m., 12 a.m. I was exhausted.”

He really wanted to continue playing football, but quit after one year.

“I just couldn’t do all the travelling,” he said.

In June, almost 40 years after his time at Concordia, he donated $100,000 to the university, designated as a scholarship for student-athletes. For the next 10 years, one member of the Stingers football team and one member of a Stingers women’s team will each receive a $5,000 scholarship.

Fiumidinisi—currently a senior portfolio manager at the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce—majored in finance and minored in accounting at Concordia. As such, he also instructed that the scholarships be awarded to student-athletes enrolled in a John Molson School of Business program.

Fiumidinisi remembers the difficulties of balancing his studies and sports, and wanted to help those who are going through the same struggles.

“Some people just like to build their bank account and get as much as they can. That’s not my game,” he said. “My kids are well taken care of, and everybody’s good. I think it’s good karma to give back.”

Fiumidinisi took out student loans to pay his tuition. He is hoping that the scholarship will help alleviate the recipients’ financial stress, and perhaps allow them to afford slightly higher rent.

“Instead of paying $1,000 [for] someplace really far away, maybe they could spend $2,000 and be much closer to campus and be able to do the sports they need to do,” he said.

The Stingers are used to receiving small, recurring donations from their alumni. Receiving large sums of money all at once usually only happens once a year on Giving Tuesday, an annual and well-known November tradition where the university encourages students, staff, and alumni to donate to its various departments.

“It’s always uplifting when we see alumni giving back based on the importance that they found and derived from the non-academic aspect of their time at Concordia,” Recreation and Athletics director D’Arcy Ryan said.

Ryan says that the new scholarship also holds practical value for the department.

“If we’re using it on the front end and deciding beforehand what team will get it on the women’s side, it can be used as a strong recruiting tool,” he said.

This is the single largest donation the Stingers have received since late 2022, according to Ryan, when Montreal-based Power Corporation of Canada donated $1.3 million to Concordia Stingers athletics. It aimed for the department to develop resources in women’s sports for nutrition, mental health and mentorship.

One member of the Stingers women’s hockey coaching staff, Devon Thompson, was able to hone her coaching skills and leadership abilities thanks to the donation.

In late 2021, former Stingers basketball player George Lengvari donated $1 million each to Concordia and McGill basketball programs.

“I’m kind of hoping [Fiumidinisi’s donation] has trickle-down effects with regards to other alumni looking to do something in a similar vein,” Ryan said.

The Stingers football coach will make a recommendation to the Concordia financial aid and awards office each year, while the women’s scholarship recipient will be decided by the Athletics department.

“These kids work hard. They spend 35 hours a week just doing football and they go to school,” said head football coach Brad Collinson. “Some of them have part-time jobs, so anytime we can relieve some financial stress from them, it’s important.”

The Stingers football team is allowed to hand out a maximum of 33 scholarships per academic year. This new scholarship does not add to that total, but it gives the team another one to work with.

Nevertheless, Collinson hopes that the winners will be inspired to pay it forward when their time comes.

“The winner of that will be very happy and very appreciative of what an alumnus did for them,” Collinson said. “And hopefully moving forward when they graduate, they’ll do the same.”

Fiumidinisi shares the same wish. He believes that everybody—not just Concordia alumni—should do their part in helping others.

“If everybody gave back, I think we’d live in a better place,” Fiumidinisi said.

This article originally appeared in Volume 45, Issue 1, published September 3, 2024.

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“Plight through art”: How a Palestinian artist reclaims her heritage

Local Journalism Initiative / The Link / October 2, 2024 / Art, heritage, Najat El-Taji El-Khairy, Palestine, Sarah-Maria Khoueiry

Najat El-Taji El-Khairy points to the Palestinian cross-stitch motifs she has painted on porcelain tiles. Photo Sarah-Maria Khoueiry

Sarah-Maria Khoueiry,
Local Journalism Initiative

Montreal-based artist Najat El-Taji El-Khairy on preserving and adapting traditional Palestinian embroidery

In her kitchen, Najat El-Taji El-Khairy stirs a hot apple and lemon cider on her stovetop. On her hand is a ring with the cross-stitch pattern of the flower of Ramla—her hometown in Palestine.

She wears it, along with a pendant with a similar shape, to keep her homeland close to her. She strains the liquid into two teacups and sits on an armchair next to a cushion she cross-stitched in 1986, embroidered with several Palestinian flowers originating from different cities. They all stand side by side, tightly interwoven and connected by colour and history. The pink and blue threads complement each other, and she looks at it proudly, saying she hopes it will be passed on to future generations in her family.

Born in Egypt in the year of the Nakba, in 1948, El-Taji El-Khairy has made it her life’s work to advocate for the liberation of her people. The first time she heard the word “Nakba,” the event marking the violent displacement of roughly 750,000 Palestinians for the creation of the Israeli state, was when her family was discussing her birth year. She had no idea what it meant; it was a bad word, she recounts, one to avoid. It wasn’t until she grew up that she understood its meaning and relation to preserving her heritage.

“I [clung] to Palestinian art,” El-Taji El-Khairy said. She described a cloth runner her mother had for the table, made with traditional Palestinian embroidery—tatreez fallahi—from Ramallah.

“When I asked who had made this, she said it was one of the village women,” she recounted. “I wondered what became of that woman and I really felt sad.”

She learned more about embroidery by watching women in her family work. She decided, however, that for her own art, she wanted a medium with more longevity, as a symbol of Palestinian resistance.

Tatreez—the Arabic word for embroidery—is a common practice in Palestine that dates back to the Canaanite era in the Southern Levant. It is most commonly used on clothing to decorate and express cultural heritage. Palestinian thobes―long-sleeved, flowy, ankle-length traditional garments, are embroidered using elements and colours depending on geographic location, occasion and social status. They are usually black or white, and incorporate an intricate chest panel that extends to the bottom of the garment. Thobes often include a belt that is designed with the same motifs.

Mostly developed in Palestinian rural areas with motifs and patterns belonging to different regions and traditions, Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery has evolved to represent Palestinians’ attachment to and ownership of their land and history. As of 2021, the art form has been added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

After moving to Montreal from Riyadh in 1988, El-Taji El-Khairy developed her own unique art practice thanks to a Hungarian master who taught her how to paint on porcelain tiles. She was trained with classical European techniques—typically focused on flora—but she found that her heart wasn’t entirely in it. Wanting to give a more personal touch to her art and bring visibility to an issue important to her, she incorporated Palestinian cross-stitch symbols and colours into her paintings.

“It was a success,” El-Taji El-Khairy said. “I want the embroidery to survive no matter what, no matter where we are, no matter where we go. I left the flower art, and I thought, ‘This is why I was born.’”

Having found her purpose, she copyrighted her invention—Palestinian cross-stitch motifs painted on porcelain tiles—and committed to advocacy-centered art. She focused on conveying a message and fighting for a free Palestine. She says the copyright affirms Palestinian ownership of a Palestinian art form. In a time when her people are being uprooted and her culture is being eradicated, she can provide documented proof of the origin of her work.

Both she and her husband, Mazen El-Khairy, believe in the power of art to reinforce a cause and move people.

“Empires rise and empires fall,” said Mazen El-Khairy. “Art thrives even during catastrophes. Art is a sign of duration and value.”

For this reason, the olive tree has become a recurring symbol in El-Taji El-Khairy’s work. Palestinian olive trees are among the oldest trees on earth, symbolizing Palestinian identity, with their roots representing generational ownership of the land. Their meaning in relation to Palestinian people is something that has led her to include them in several of her pieces—in both joyful circumstances and other, darker ones. She puts her cider cup aside and walks around her apartment, looking at the pieces she has hung on her walls.

One of her favourite tiles is inspired by Lebanese writer Khalil Gibran’s Les esprits rebelles. It depicts olive trees uprooted by the Israeli occupation, with one in the middle still standing strong.

“The spirits of the dead olive trees are coming to defy the uprooting of their sister,” El-Taji El-Khairy said.

She proceeds to point out a few of her other signature symbols on the tile. Her finger hovers over the Bethlehem stars with their blue lozenges arranged in a circular pattern, the orange and brown mountains of Jerusalem in the background, the green and yellow palm trees in a zigzag pattern, the red grape motif, and the map of Palestine hidden in the standing tree’s roots. She says they are there to remind her audience that this issue concerns Palestine in its entirety.

El-Taji El-Khairy strongly believes in the importance of the representation of Palestinian joy to counter the dehumanization seen in the media, and she doesn’t see how she can separate her art from politics.

“You cannot talk Palestine without talking politics,” she stated. “We have been robbed [of] our culture, and our culture is something that talks about us.”

She quickly learned that people knew little about her country and became determined to oppose its erasure. She found that it was easier to attract an audience by displaying the beauty of her country and then educating them about the meaning of her subject matter.

Dr. Raouf Ayas, who has known El-Taji El-Khairy for over 30 years, says her art has had an impact on him and the community. It is a reason why he invited her to participate in a roundtable in February to give her perspective on the war on Gaza. He believes there are different ways to spread awareness and fight for a cause, and including art in the debate is one of them.

“Everyone expresses themselves differently,” he said. “[The roundtable] is our way to express ourselves and to think. Some people protest every week, but it is not our style. With this event, we could sit and listen to five Palestinian women’s truths and learn from their stories and individual expertise.”

One issue important to El-Taji El-Khairy is Arab complicity in Palestine’s occupation. She and her husband mention how some governments are openly normalizing the Israeli state and negotiating with its leadership, like Jordan’s trade deals which exported $566 million to Israel in 2022, or the now-paused Saudi Arabia-Israel dialogue. But she says complicity also occurs on a more personal level.

A year or so after she started selling mugs and other items with her copyrighted cross-stitch painting technique on her website, she discovered places in Dubai that sold mass-produced mug sets copying her style without permission. Though she says it is not a direct imitation of her work, she believes the designs were similar enough that they were based on her art.

But El-Taji El-Khairy says she doesn’t really mind, as it still serves to promote Palestinian identity and culture.

“Any ideas are always prone to be imitated and stolen,” she said. “Even designers of haute couture have the guts to do it. They still steal our Palestinian embroidery and claim [it as] their own. I do my best to reclaim [it]. This is the ultimate purpose of my idea or invention.”

The cider has gone cold. El-Taji El-Khairy studies the embroidered porcelain she has dedicated her life to—her and her people’s “plight through art.” Just like the 1986 cushion, they are her legacy, her contribution to the world. She hopes they will be passed down to her descendants, never forgotten, until they see a free Palestine.

This article originally appeared in Volume 45, Issue 1, published September 3, 2024.

“Plight through art”: How a Palestinian artist reclaims her heritage Read More »

Author name: The Link