Provincial-wide minimum wage increases to $14.25 on Oct. 1, 2020
As of Oct. 1, 2020 the new general minimum wage in Ontario will increase for the first time since the increase to $14.00 per hour from $11.60 per hour on Jan. 1, 2018. That minimum wage increase was put in place by Kathleen Wynne's government in 2017 and the minimum wage was set to increase to $15.00 per hour on Jan. 1, 2019.
The increase to $15.00 per hour was cancelled in September 2018 by the then-newly elected Doug Ford government. The Fight For $15 and Fairness organization, as well as other community and labour groups, opposed the cancellation due to concerns for low-income workers and the high costs of living. The Ford government cited the impact of the $2.40 per hour – nearly 20 per cent – increase on businesses as the reason for the cancellation of the next increase.
The Ontario Living Wage Network is an organization to promote and highlight living wage campaigns across Ontario. The Network has defined a living wage as “the hourly wage a worker needs to earn to cover their basic expenses and participate in their community.”
“The hourly wage a worker needs to earn to cover their basic expenses and participate in their community.”
The website has a Living Wage Employer Directory of certified businesses and organizations that pay their employees the regional living wage or more.
The 2019 living wage in Hamilton, Ontario was $16.45 per hour, an increase from the 2018 living wage of $15.85 per hour. The wage is calculated based on the monthly costs of a family of two adults and two children, both adults work 37.5 hours per week and have no savings or debt repayments.
In March 2020, Ward 3 Hamilton councillor Nrinder Nann presented a motion to increase the minimum wage for all summer students and non-union part-time city employees. The proposed minimum wage was the 2019 Hamilton living wage of $16.45 per hour. The vote was defeated by 10-4. If passed, it would have increased the hourly wages of nearly 1,000 people.
“But if this is socialism as its worst then let's pay for everybody’s bills,” said Councillor Terry Whitehead of Ward 14 who opposed the motion.
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In an email statement, McMaster Students Union vice president (Finance) Jess Anderson sent the new MSU wage grid effective Oct. 1, 2020. The MSU wage for all part-time employees was above minimum wage, the lowest current hourly rate at $14.10 and will increase each hourly rate by $0.25.
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Part-time MSU employees, all full-time students, work variable hours. The Union Market customer service representative job description specified 8-15 hours per week. However, it is unclear if and how hours per week have changed at MSU business units, such as Union Market and TwelvEighty Bar & Grill, have changed due to reduced operating hours.
The McMaster Student Work Program, also known as Work/Study, is available for students with financial need to work a maximum of 10 hours per week during the school year.
The placements offered through Work/Study require minimum wage but, according to the Registrar, many employers pay above the minimum wage. Of the 27 positions still available as of Sept. 28, 2020, the majority offer above the $14.00 per hour and $14.25 per hour minimum wage.
The team now gets its chance to compete for the provincial championship over a full season
Up until the 2016 season, the McMaster University women’s field hockey team competed in exhibition games and tournaments strictly as a club. In 2016, the team entered the Ontario University Athletics tournament still as a club, but not the league; they were allowed to play exhibition games, but could not be involved in the league standings with the other seven teams.
“It’s extremely hard to grow a program when you’re not getting enough of that game experience. All these other teams are playing their whole season but then we show up with maybe a couple of exhibition games of playtime. The rest is just practicing,” said Briana Wice, a fourth-year kinesiology student and current co-president of the team.
“It’s extremely hard to grow a program when you’re not getting enough of that game experience. All these other teams are playing their whole season but then we show up with maybe a couple of exhibition games of playtime. The rest is just practicing,” said Briana Wice, a fourth-year kinesiology student and current co-president of the team.
Now, the team is officially an OUA team, meaning they can participate in the entire league and its entirety of games. There is still limbo on when the season will resume. Regardless, training will commence with fitness programming during virtual Zoom sessions. As tryouts cannot be done right now, members will be recruited as part of the training program and then will have to try out once they are given the green light by the OUA and McMaster. Thus, members will have great conditioning prior to their first interaction on the field.
With regards to how the team functions, the team is a full-year team, playing in both the outdoor (September to October) and indoor (January to March) seasons. The team operates in a similar function to an MSU club, with two co-presidents who manage the administrative and financial responsibilities; they report to their club coordinator in part of the McMaster Athletics department.
Whereas U Sports has coaches who are hired on full-time contracts with a predetermined salary, OUA coaches are recruited as volunteers, sometimes being rewarded with compensation, as Wice explained to us.
“I think another thing is that other teams have conditioning and strengthening trainers that are not their coaches. So we have to plan all the fitness training by ourselves,” said Rebecca Jiang, a third-year health sciences student on the team.
Financially, the team is self-funded either through individual payments or through fundraisers.
“We try to fundraise as much as we can to offset [team costs], so paying to play isn’t a major stressor on our athletes,” said Wice. “The big financial burden is going to be all of the travel costs associated with games for a full outdoor season. So that’s travel for every week. Either taking a bus or reimbursement for gas and parking costs . . . As part of OUA sports, it’s required for us to stay in hotels. So when travelling to McGill [University in Montreal], as it’s in the OUA league, there are big hotel costs with that. Financially, we have done a lot of budgeting. We expect our expenses to double the next year; it’s really the travel and hotel costs that increase the cost of the season,” said Wice.
“The big financial burden is going to be all of the travel costs associated with games for a full outdoor season. So that’s travel for every week. Either taking a bus or reimbursement for gas and parking costs . . . As part of OUA sports, it’s required for us to stay in hotels. So when travelling to McGill [University in Montreal], as it’s in the OUA league, there are big hotel costs with that. Financially, we have done a lot of budgeting. We expect our expenses to double the next year; it’s really the travel and hotel costs that increase the cost of the season,” said Wice.
Despite these challenging logistics, the team has high aspirations for its first full OUA season.
“We’re hoping to place higher than previously in the OUA championship. Another goal is to increase the visibility of McMaster field hockey everywhere . . . A lot of McMaster students and athletes are not aware we have a field hockey team so we hope over the upcoming years, we hope a lot of people learn about us and have a couple of home games to raise awareness,” said Jessica Lim, a third-year software engineering student. The team plans to also conduct community outreach for high school students and give more recognition for the sport in its entirety.
“We’re hoping to place higher than previously in the OUA championship. Another goal is to increase the visibility of McMaster field hockey everywhere . . . A lot of McMaster students and athletes are not aware we have a field hockey team so we hope over the upcoming years, we hope a lot of people learn about us and have a couple of home games to raise awareness,” said Jessica Lim, a third-year software engineering student.
As they now prepare for their first season, while a medal would be wonderful in the short run, the overall movement of field hockey to become a global sport remains the ultimate goal. An official announcement from the team regarding their OUA status will be released in the coming weeks.
Sous Bas is offering an online dance party in partnership with DJ Donna Lovejoy and WEFT Projects
Nightclubs are about escapism. As you abandon your body to the loud music, your senses become overwhelmed by the flashing lights and the thumping rhythm of the heavy bass. Your brain shuts down, but you feel completely present and alive in the moment. Although it may be difficult to experience this nightlife in the near future, Main Street East bar Sous Bas has come up with a solution to bring the dance party to your home.
Bedroom Dancing is a freestyle dance and movement series co-hosted by Sous Bas owner Erika McMeekin, Rachael Mae, also known as DJ Donna Lovejoy and WEFT Projects founder Jen Anisef. The three have been friends for a long time and collaborated in the past. The six free dance sessions occur bi-weekly from Sept. 21 to Nov. 30 over Zoom.. In place of a fee, the co-hosts are requesting a donation of $10 per session to one of the local and national initiatives listed on Sous Bas’ website.
The dance series initially launched last year featuring Dallas Walzak, professionally known as DJ Gelled Hare, at the physical location of Sous Bas. Unlike most club events, it was held on early Monday evenings. McMeekin, Mae and Anisef created the series to provide a stage for dance lovers who are unable to go out at late hours or who are uncomfortable being in the crowded club scene. Anisef is among them.
“I’ve loved dancing since I was a little kid. Sometimes I’m happy to go out [and] stay up until 2 a.m. for that perfect dance moment, but sometimes I just want to dance outside of a club setting, and I don’t always find [the places to do] that,” said Anisef.
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Last year the event was a hit and attracted a wide age range of folks between 20 and 60 years old who came to dance their heart out.
Following its successful inception, the series was brought back online this fall to recreate the therapeutic and cathartic experience of ecstatic dancing, a neo-hippy form of dance in which you free your body and mind and let the music guide your movement. The event was also created to remind people of what it’s like to be at Sous Bas.
“[Sous Bas] is about just being yourself, dancing, [without] judgement . . . It’s truly about creating a community and an environment for people to feel good and safe, make friends and have good experiences that make them happy,” said McMeekin.
“[Sous Bas] is about just being yourself, dancing, [without] judgement . . . It’s truly about creating a community and an environment for people to feel good and safe, make friends and have good experiences that make them happy,” said McMeekin.
Ontario’s stage three of reopening allowed bars and nightclubs to reopen, however only for the purposes of serving food or drinks. Dancing remains banned both indoors and outdoors at these venues.
To simulate the club experience as closely as possible online, McMeekin, Mae and Anisef have provided tips on Bedroom Dancing’s social media showing how to improve the lighting, sound and vibe of your home for the dance party. Many of these tips are insights they have picked up from their first online dance event, The Good Foot, in March. Some of the advice includes using an essential oil diffuser, placing tealights in a glass cup to create shadows, throwing a colourful scarf over your lamp and using an auxiliary cord to connect your device to a stereo.
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The first Bedroom Dancing session held on Sept. 21 had over 30 people sign up. Although the physical component of the club is missing, McMeekin, Mae and Anisef appreciate being able to reach and engage with more people on an online platform. Anisef recalls community members asking to do a live stream of Bedroom Dancing when it was held in person last year. They hope a virtual dance party where cameras can be turned on or off at attendees’ discretion will help lift some of the physical accessibility barriers and social anxiety about coming to a club.
“I really hope . . . these sessions can create an hour where you’re not worrying about anything and you’re connecting back with yourself and . . . getting grounded in your body. For me, that’s the power of dance,” said Anisef.
“I really hope . . . these sessions can create an hour where you’re not worrying about anything and you’re connecting back with yourself and . . . getting grounded in your body. For me, that’s the power of dance,” said Anisef.
Mae shared a similar sentiment. More than anything, she was the most thrilled about “DJing” and being able to share an energetic exchange with people through music and dance again.
“I hope that [the attendees] can feel invigorated to move a little more in their own way . . . [and] connect with the community. That’s my ultimate goal,” explained Mae.
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As someone who deeply values the analog experience, McMeekin did not have plans to host online events prior to Bedroom Dancing. She missed all the physical aspects of Sous Bas, from the smells to the interactions with the old and new faces at the bar. However, launching the dance series has inspired her to think about a more long-term online strategy for the bar.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many have felt stressed, worried, confused or overwhelmed. Bedroom Dancing offers an outlet to de-stress, reconnect with the community and share an exhilarating sensory experience that we thought was lost to the past.
C/O: Silhouette Archives
How McMaster’s COVID-19 Research Fund enables scientists and students alike to engage in exciting research to fight the pandemic
Universities across the world have come together to conduct COVID-19 research. Some research projects have even entered phase three clinical trials. The brightest minds around the globe are all hard at work in the lab or hunched over a computer sifting through collected data to put an end to the ongoing pandemic. In the midst of all the headlines boasting of some institution’s cutting-edge research, have you perhaps wondered how McMaster is fighting against COVID-19?
McMaster holds the title of the most research intensive university in Canada for good reason. Like many of the most advanced research institutions across the world, McMaster’s faculty and students have been working intensely on COVID-19 projects, from exploring the potential for new diagnostic tools to exploring potential drugs that inhibit the virus’ ability to infect human cells. Many such projects have been made possible by many grants and these include the McMaster COVID-19 Research Fund, a program whereby the university itself and donors are able to support research projects conducted at McMaster.
One recipient of the McMaster COVID-19 Research Fund is Dr. Richard Austin, a professor in the medical sciences graduate program. He is the research director at St. Joseph’s Healthcare for the Hamilton Center for Kidney Research and has been at McMaster for 25 years. His research interests are focused on understanding why those with chronic kidney disease are at a higher risk of death due to cardiovascular complications. While waiting for his lab to reopen after facing setbacks from COVID-19 regulations, Austin became interested in the potential of a connection between his work prior to the pandemic and the novel virus itself.
C/O: Dr. Richard Austin. Richard Austin pictured here.
“We had stumbled upon a couple papers that were published actually showing that one of the cell surface proteins that we work on – GRP78 – was actually identified as a receptor that can combine to spike proteins on the virus and bring it into cells,” explains Austin.
Austin’s research lab has been hard at work looking further into the potential of this discovery he made when looking through the medical literature. His lab has since paired with a large scientific company in order to have access to different molecules that can bind to GRP78 and potentially block it and ultimately the entry of SARS-CoV-2 into human cells. The goal is to find out whether such a molecule may be used as a potential antiviral agent.
C/O: Michal Moshkovich. Pictured here is Dr. Richard Austin’s research team.
“We have small molecules from another company that we're working with that bind to surface GRP78,” said Austin. “So we're going to [ask whether] if we take some of these small molecules, can they actually disrupt the interaction of GRP78 with the spike protein so it doesn't get into the cell; so it could be an antiviral agent? That's what we're thinking.”
Austin’s research project has since grown and now involves an interdisciplinary team of researchers across McMaster. The team is now a collaboration of different faculties all working together to potentially uncover an antiviral agent. The team includes Dr. Karen Mossman, a virologist and professor in pathology and medicine, as well as a medicinal chemist. “One great thing about McMaster is the collaborative efforts we have,” explains Austin. “Here's a product that's sort of spurred out of an idea at three in the morning, when I was doing nothing and wanted to check on PubMed, into now, three investigators at McMaster that are actively looking at this whole process of GRP78.”
Another recipient of the McMaster COVID-19 Research Fund is Dr. Nikhil Pai, an assistant professor in the department of pediatrics, division of gastroenterology & nutrition, for his current project, “A Prospective, Observational Study on the Diagnosis of COVID-19 Infection from Stool Samples of Children and Adults.”
The project involves many collaborators across McMaster: Dr. Marek Smieja, Dr. Jeffrey Pernica, Lee Hill, Emily Hartung, Jelea Popov, Jodi Gilchrist, Julia Maciejewski, Dr. Mark Larché and Dr. Karen Mossman.
C/O: Michal Moshkovich. Pictured here is from left to right: Dr. Nikhil Pai, Dr. Jeffrey Pernica, Dr. Marek Smieja.
However, also participating in this exciting project are two undergraduate students in the Bachelor of Health Sciences (Honours) Program, Michal Moshkovich and Melanie Figueirdo, in second and third year, respectively. Indeed, it is not only professors and PhD students who are invested in the fight against COVID-19, but the student community as well.
C/O: Michal Moshkovich. Pictured here is Michal Moshkovich and Melanie Figueiredo, the undergraduates involved in Dr. Pai’s project.
The study will help determine whether COVID-19 infection can be detected from stool samples, which could potentially revolutionize current diagnostic methods. This is especially important considering the high prevalence of asymptomatic patients or COVID-19 positive patients who test negative through nasopharyngeal swabs.
“We are testing stool obtained from patients across eight major adult and children’s hospitals serviced by south western Ontario’s regional virology laboratory,” explains Moshkovich. “This study will better define rates of community infection, increase diagnostic accuracy, broaden our understanding of disease transmission risks and potentially offer more economical approaches to COVID-19 testing.”
The study, which involves a large multidisciplinary team, has garnered attention from across the globe and professionals from abroad are reaching out to offer their own data to assist the study. This just goes to show the importance of collaboration in science, a field which can often seem uber-competitive, during global emergencies.
“What's really incredible is how quickly we and the research community were able to pivot when there’s a global crisis happening to get important, relevant data out immediately,” explains Figueirdo. “We are doing this with a pediatric infectious diseases specialist, clinical pathologist, Director of lab medicine professional; we’ve gotten ministry of health support, McMaster university support and had phone calls with collaborators from Brazil back in February who wanted to share diagnostics with us. It’s very global and rapid; it feels great!”
What better way to spend your undergraduate career than by lending a hand to global COVID-19 research? Moshkovich and Figueirdo have definitely made the most of the pandemic and have had the unique experience of being involved in the nitty gritty of research that might eventually lead to COVID-19 patient care and global implementation of diagnostic techniques. For students also interested in getting involved in the fight against COVID-19 or simply impactful research in general, Moshkovich has an important message.
“The world is evolving — everything is changing,” says Moshkovich. “Do not hesitate to reach out to specialists, practitioners, laboratory heads and offer a hand in making this change. Because that is exactly what we did!”
A list of ways for students to adjust to online classes
The start of the 2020-2021 school year has been an adjustment for many students. This adjustment period may continue into the winter semester now that classes are confirmed to be online. As you start to prepare for midterms and major assignments, here are some tips to help you move forward in a virtual learning environment.
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Creating the ideal study space
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Attending virtual classes
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Keep up your good study habits
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Ask for help
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Cultivate community
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Take care of yourself
This year is going to be strange. We’re all learning how to manage this new situation and it’s not going to happen overnight. It will take the time it takes, so be patient and kind with yourself as you navigate your virtual university experience.
The virtual event will feature movement and discussion intended to build community and address service gaps
Working in her capacity as a 2SLGBTQIA+ mental health clinician with Good Shepherd Youth Services, Catherine McCormack noticed that almost all of the trans youth she serviced also had chronic pain or disabilities. As general services for trans folks are already limited, she knew that there weren’t a lot of specialized services for those who exist at this intersection. Seeing an opportunity to build community, McCormack set out to plan an event that would bring together trans and non-binary youth with chronic illnesses and disabilities.
“What I saw was traditional pain services didn't really speak to the youth I was working with. A lot of them came from more of a critical disability perspective, like it's society that disables us, questioning our worth coinciding with productivity, all of that kind of stuff. I was like, “wouldn't it be really neat to connect all these amazing folks that are so isolated and struggling so much – especially during COVID – with each other”,” explained McCormack.
"I was like, “wouldn't it be really neat to connect all these amazing folks that are so isolated and struggling so much – especially during COVID – with each other”,” explained McCormack.
As McCormack doesn’t have these lived experiences, she reached out to movement studio Goodbodyfeel to help her find facilitators. She was connected with a tarot reader, artist and Goodbodyfeel Movement Teacher Clairandean Humphrey and Relationship Coach and Trans Inclusion Educator Mela Swayze. Both are looking forward to leading the free event, which will take on Oct. 13, 2020 over Zoom.
McCormack wanted the event to be a mix of body positive movement and facilitated discussion. The event will likely begin with a framing of why the participants have gathered and a discussion of participants’ expectations. Humphrey will then lead a hybrid of pilates and yoga, using everyday items such as pillows, blankets and rolled up socks as props. After that Swayze will facilitate discussion among the participants. The discussion will give participants a chance to state if they want further programming and what they would want this programming to look like.
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“Folks might just want a place to come and move weekly, folks might just want . . . to just come together the one time and meet each other and then kind of go off on their own and now they know each other and they can connect and self-direct that way. Or it might be the case that people are looking for a more directed, more structured psychoeducation workshop series, for example, that paired education about . . . chronic pain and marginalization and a movement piece. So there's an option that that might be something people are interested in, but we don't want to force it on people,” explained Swayze.
For McCormack, Humphrey and Swayze, it was important that the discussion was combined with movement. While movement has helped some people with disabilities and chronic pain manage their pain, many movement spaces are inaccessible to disabled people. Movement spaces then compound their inaccessibility by not being inclusive of and welcoming to racialized and queer individuals.
With Tender Flow, McCormack, Humphrey and Swayze wanted to help queer youth with disabilities reclaim their bodies in a society where their bodies have been made to be unsafe spaces. They hope the movement portion of the event will help participants in their journey of healing from trauma.
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“[When] I was looking for therapists, of course I had [a] struggle doing that and I decided to see an expressive arts therapist. So a lot of what we do is talk and move with the body. We use the body in order to process emotion and really difficult things and I found that more liberating than just like sitting and talking . . . [I]t's just nice to . . . communicate differently, again between the body and other forms of communication, instead of limiting it to just talking where sometimes you just don't have the words or language to express the complexity of existing in a marginalized body in this system. And that movement can be liberating, slowly, with time,” said Humphrey.
"[I]t's just nice to . . . communicate differently, again between the body and other forms of communication, instead of limiting it to just talking where sometimes you just don't have the words or language to express the complexity of existing in a marginalized body in this system. And that movement can be liberating, slowly, with time,” said Humphrey.
The online platform will help make the event more accessible to folks who don’t have transportation money, have too much pain to leave their houses and for those who have anxiety around attending events like these. However, McCormack acknowledges that those without stable internet access will be unable to access the event. She hopes that, if it continues, Tender Flow can be offered in multiple formats. The accessibility needs that participants express will guide how they continue to provide programming.
McCormack, Humphrey and Swayze hope that participants will leave the event feeling a sense of community. By listening to participants’ concerns and ideas, the facilitators will be able to create programming that enables trans and non-binary youth with disabilities and chronic pain to feeling supported and heard.
Local sustainable business owners comment on the influence of COVID-19 on the sustainable fashion industry
The pandemic has made many people more aware of social disparities and world issues. As people have slowed down, spent more time on social media and realigned their priorities, it’s become nearly impossible to ignore this wave of social movements. One of the movements that have drawn consumers’ attention is the rise of sustainable fashion brands.
Sustainable fashion encompasses secondhand or upcycled clothing, ethically-made clothing where all workers are paid a living wage and clothing made from natural, renewable or locally-produced materials. The pandemic has highlighted that brands that do not consider these factors are not sustainable.
The fashion industry used to produce about 150 billion garments per year. But when COVID-19 hit, it changed how often people shopped for clothes. Spending on clothing has decreased, with many people now facing financial difficulties and others spending the day in pyjamas. Many no longer have the desire to, nor see the necessity in, constantly purchasing new clothing.
The fashion industry used to produce about 150 billion garments per year. But when COVID-19 hit, it changed how often people shopped for clothes. Spending on clothing has decreased, with many people now facing financial difficulties and others spending the day in pyjamas.
“I think when everything slowed down and COVID first hit, people had time to stop and think and to get out of their everyday rushing from here to there. We just had so much time to do nothing that a lot of people cleaned out their closets . . . It just gave everyone a second to develop a new perspective and a new relationship with their clothing,” explained Priya Mohan, founder and owner of Sari Knot Sari, a sustainable fashion brand in Hamilton.
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As consumers’ relationship with their clothing has changed, the pandemic also revealed major issues within the fashion industry. Consumers have been able to observe how a decrease in clothing demand translates into a reduction of the fashion industry’s carbon footprint. At the same time, garment workers have been among the hardest hit by the pandemic. Especially as stores closed and some large brands refused to pay their manufacturers, many workers were laid off without adequate severance payments.
Awareness of these issues within the fashion industry has led some shoppers to seek more sustainable alternatives. Unfortunately, sustainable businesses were also hit hard by COVID-19. With the pause on bring-your-own-containers initiatives at many grocery stores, coffee shops and other businesses, many had no choice but to buy products in plastic packaging or accept plastic bags instead of reusable ones. Additionally, a great deal of personal protective equipment is only single-use or wrapped in plastic packaging to be sterile.
Sustainable businesses had to alter their business models in order to adapt and remain compliant with pandemic protocols. The Pale Blue Dot, a general store for sustainable living, used to host regular clothing swaps, but these have been interrupted by the pandemic. The pandemic also negatively affected the supply chains of local sustainable businesses, especially as suppliers closed offices and negotiated continuing production while complying with social distancing standards.
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However, Morgan MacDonald, who owns slow fashion clothing line Mettamade, doesn’t see this slowdown as an entirely bad thing.
“[T]he supply chain is still to this day delayed. Things are taking much longer than they were pre-COVID. And I think it goes to show that this slow fashion model is . . . almost non-negotiable at this point . . . [I]t means that people can be more intentional with their shopping . . . They can take more time to research what they want to purchase and where it's coming from. I think it's a good thing. I think it’s making people realize clothing is not disposable and we don't need to be consuming it as quickly as we were told that we should have been until now,” said MacDonald.
This increasing intention around shopping during the pandemic has been paired with a push to shop locally and sustainably. More than ever, people are concerned with combatting the climate crisis. However, as individuals, this issue can often seem overwhelming and the impact of our own actions too small. It’s important to know that small actions like shopping at local businesses or choosing sustainable fashion do matter, if only in that they get people thinking.
“What I’d really like people to come away with — even if they don't buy anything — is just to have stopped and thought about “Hey, where does my clothing come from? Have I ever thought about pollution in waterways when picking my clothing?” . . . So I think even if I just get people thinking about that, it's sometimes just the seed that gets planted that you know, may or may not bloom into a greater consciousness of the choices that we make around fashion,” said Mohan.
“What I’d really like people to come away with — even if they don't buy anything — is just to have stopped and thought about “Hey, where does my clothing come from?""
For many consumers, especially students, the price of sustainable fashion has always been a barrier. However, people are beginning to realize that buying less and buying secondhand is also a way to shop sustainably.
“For me, I start with secondhand because a lot of the ethically made clothing [that] we all aspire to — locally made, Canadian-made, natural fibers — it's not always accessible for everybody. Especially if you want to slowly convert your wardrobe towards that, right? So for me, I have found this love affair with buying secondhand for over 10 years. Because it’s just so affordable, and it makes so much sense: these pieces of clothing are in perfect condition so why not extend the wear of them?” said Mary Luciani, owner of The Pale Blue Dot.
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The pandemic has highlighted the importance of working within one’s means and focusing on doing the best you can at the present time, rather than the best you could do in an ideal world. It’s important to remember that the world doesn’t need a few people living sustainably perfectly, but rather it needs everyone to do their best.
“It’s about balance. That's what I've learned from everything. Living a more mindful lifestyle you'll drive yourself insane if you try to find the perfect solution. So I would say just do your best, within your means,” said Luciani.
Innis library to be replaced by the McLean Centre for Collaborative Discovery
After 46 years, McMaster University’s Innis Library closed its doors on March 19, 2020. As the primary library for the Degroote School of Business, Innis Library in Kenneth Taylor Hall was one of McMaster’s smaller libraries.
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The decision to close Innis Library came after a gift from the McLean family to spearhead a new project of more than $50 million. In place of Innis Library, a new building known as the McLean Centre for Collaborative Discovery will be built as an addition to the DeGroote School of Business.
Aside from the new building, the gift will also be combined with other private, public and university funding sources.
Three generations of the McLean family studied various subjects at McMaster and on behalf of the family, Paul McLean expressed that the gift came from the positive impact education at McMaster has had on the family’s lives.
“We looked at what was most important to us, and we’re focusing our efforts on the priorities we identified. Education is certainly one of our highest priorities because it touches everything,” said McLean.
In July of 2019, McMaster announced that the Toronto-based architecture company Sweeny&Co was selected to design the new building.
“According to the firm, modern postsecondary buildings like the McLean Centre are moving beyond chair-and-podium configurations to more closely resemble the collaborative spaces found at today’s leading companies,” the University wrote within its announcement.
“According to the firm, modern postsecondary buildings like the McLean Centre are moving beyond chair-and-podium configurations to more closely resemble the collaborative spaces found at today’s leading companies,” the University wrote within its announcement.
McMaster states that the McLean Centre for Collaborative Discovery is more than just a new building. It will also begin a new teaching model for business students at the university.
The university will transform the Bachelor of Commerce program by allowing students to connect with working business leaders, instructors and students from all disciplines. McMaster stated that emphasis will be placed on problem-based discovery, interdisciplinary study and interaction with business leaders.
“Under the new model we’re creating, a lab manager, an engineer and an ethicist could all be joining business students to work on the same business problem, for example. This new space will be a home for our undergraduate students, where they can develop the soft and hard skills that will prepare them to thrive in a market that is constantly bombarded by such changes as artificial intelligence and blockchain,” said Len Wavermen, dean of the Degroote School of Business.
The new building is designed to be nine-stories high and a library will be reopened on the third floor. Currently, the building is slated to open in 2023-2024.
Although the building is an addition to the Degroote School of Business, the university also stated that students from all faculties will be able to use the space.
McMaster is shifting the blame of COVID-19 to students and the government is prioritizing money over safety
In light of the increasing COVID-19 cases in Ontario, Premier Doug Ford has put further restrictions in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Some restrictions include limiting indoor gatherings to 10 people, bars and restaurants closing at midnight at the latest and closing strip clubs across the province.
In addition, McMaster University has also acknowledged the rise in COVID-19 cases through social media posts on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our community. The post advises students to wear masks, stay home if you are unwell, keep your distance and also to avoid holding or attending parties.
Mac students -- don't be the reason COVID-19 spreads in our community. Wear your mask, keep your distance, and give parties a hard pass. Please. pic.twitter.com/NoVapxnGUD
— McMaster University (@McMasterU) September 22, 2020
All of this is important — we have a responsibility to keep our community safe. I’m not disagreeing with any of that. However, institutions such as Mac and our municipal and provincial governments have been shifting most of the responsibility of preventing COVID-19 to the individual level when they have a large responsibility to keep us safe, too. If institutions and governments continue to prioritize financial gain over people, this pandemic is going to last a lot longer than it has to.
I can’t bring myself to fully blame the individuals who are out clubbing, eating indoors and not following the physical distancing guidelines set out by Public Health. We’ve heard a lot of mixed signals from the government — Ford mentioned that anyone who breaks the rules surrounding gatherings can be fined $10,000 as an organizer or $750 if you are an attendee. The government has been setting these rules so that we can protect everyone’s health. Yet, events that are held in staffed facilities, such as restaurants, gyms and convention centres are excluded from these gathering limits. So if an individual holds a gathering with 11 people who are all wearing masks, they can face a large fine, but if a restaurant has up to 50 people indoors who are eating without masks, it’s okay. How is one safer than the other?
So if an individual holds a gathering with 11 people who are all wearing masks, they can face a large fine, but if a restaurant has up to 50 people indoors who are eating without masks, it’s okay. How is one safer than the other?
If we’re really focused on safety, bars and restaurants shouldn’t be open, period. I’m not sure why the Ontario government thinks that closing bars and restaurants at midnight will help prevent the spread of COVID-19. As far as I’m aware, COVID-19 doesn’t spread more easily after midnight and Ford admitted that not many people eat at restaurants at night — so why is the government focusing on time restrictions when they should be focused on limiting the number of people who can dine indoors? It seems like the government is focused on keeping our economy running to the point that they’re willing to give businesses a free pass when it comes to restrictions. Yes, people should try to avoid going to restaurants and bars as much as possible. But the government is the reason why these businesses are open in the first place.
McMaster’s actions deserve to be critiqued too. While I commend the university for making most of our courses online, Mac has made it clear on social media that students must protect our community by not participating in house parties and avoiding campus when possible. It’s true that there has been an uptick in student parties, but it’s not always possible for students to remain at home. Students may visit coffee shops to take advantage of reliable wifi or different study spaces. Maybe their home isn’t a safe or easy place for them to study. But because classes are running, these students have to find a way to study — even if it’s unsafe. Just because something seems non-essential to you, doesn’t mean that it isn’t essential to someone else.
Just because something seems non-essential to you, doesn’t mean that it isn’t essential to someone else.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CE_z1_iACoD/?igshid=cwenavlhg9
To me, it feels like McMaster is acting as though they play no part in the spread of COVID-19, distancing themselves from their students’ actions. This is patently false; restaurants on campus such as The Phoenix, TwelvEighty Bar & Grill and The Grind Café continue to be open. There’s quite a dissonance between having McMaster telling its students to stay away from campus but keeping restaurants open and even going as far as promoting them. Although the latter two are run by the McMaster Students Union, there has been no public communication from the university to close these restaurants to keep students safe. At the end of the day, the MSU is part of the university, so they should be included in the guidelines that McMaster has put in place.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CFaGZBxFlN8/
A second wave is approaching us. While we have a responsibility to continue physical distancing and wearing masks to keep everyone safe, institutions and governments need to understand that their restrictions and rules allow for this virus to keep spreading. Our actions are important, but McMaster and the Ontario government shouldn’t be absolved of their responsibility in keeping us safe.
Our actions are important, but McMaster and the Ontario government shouldn’t be absolved of their responsibility in keeping us safe.
