C/O David Menidrey, Unsplash

As fall holidays approach, the Ontario government releases guidelines for Thanksgiving, Remembrance Day and Halloween events

Given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, last year’s Halloween looked very different than a regular year’s, as was the case for other fall holidays such as Thanksgiving. 

In 2020, traditional door-to-door trick or treating was not recommended for York, Peel, Toronto and Ottawa public health regions. Although some other regions were allowed to celebrate Halloween trick or treating, the Ontario government asked that extra precautions be taken. 

This #Halloween, traditional door-to-door trick or treating is not recommended for @YorkRegionGovt, @cityoftoronto, @regionofpeel & @ottawacity #PublicHealth regions due to high transmission of #COVID19. Stay safe & follow public health advice. https://t.co/eXAwIUuTz6 pic.twitter.com/rzXCHffTBc

— Ontario Ministry of Health (@ONThealth) October 19, 2020

This year, due to vaccinations and lower case counts, individuals of all age groups should find themselves able to celebrate Halloween this year. These precautions are important for McMaster University students to consider, whether they go trick or treating alone or with friends and family. 

For children in Ontario, this means that trick or treating will be able to go ahead, but with some precautions

These precautions include remaining outdoors as much as possible, wearing masks, avoiding crowds, maintaining physical distancing when possible, interacting with others for only brief periods of time and using hand sanitizer.

“Be creative; fashion a face covering into your costume design, but remember a costume mask is no substitute for a proper face covering,” said Kieran Moore, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer, in his address to the province. 

“Be creative; fashion a face covering into your costume design, but remember a costume mask is no substitute for a proper face covering.”

Kieran Moore, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer

Disinfecting pre-packaged candies is not among the precautions necessary for those going trick or treating this year.

Along with Halloween-related guidelines, the province also released similar sets of guidelines for Thanksgiving and Remembrance day. These guidelines emphasize minimizing the number of people attending events, using outdoor spaces and sanitizing regularly.

Hosting #Thanksgiving dinner at your house this year?

Remember that knowing someone does not reduce the risk of transmitting #COVID19. Keep following good #PublicHealth practices: https://t.co/391DaQMi5I
#CelebrateSafely pic.twitter.com/3w2GkrpJN1

— Ontario Ministry of Health (@ONThealth) October 9, 2021

People should also adhere to the current provincial gathering limits set at 100 people outdoors and 25 people indoors. 

If a gathering includes vaccinated and unvaccinated people, Moore advises that masks stay on even indoors. This is especially important for older people and those with chronic medical conditions. 

For all three holidays, the province emphasized the importance of staying home and engaging in a virtual celebration for individuals showing any symptoms of COVID-19.

Moore noted that this applies to all individuals, regardless of the severity of symptoms. 

“If you are sick, even with mild symptoms, you should not be participating in social events like Halloween,” said Moore. 

“If you are sick, even with mild symptoms, you should not be participating in social events like Halloween."

Kieran Moore, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer

As well, the province emphasized that, especially for those individuals who are unvaccinated or at an elevated risk for COVID-19, the safest way to gather continues to be on virtual platforms. 

“We know from experience [that] it is exactly these kinds of events that can lead to spikes in transmission. But, provided we do our best to follow the guidelines in place, we can enjoy some well-deserved time with friends and family while also keeping our community transmission low,” explained Moore. 

“We know from experience [that] it is exactly these kinds of events that can lead to spikes in transmission. But, provided we do our best to follow the guidelines in place, we can enjoy some well-deserved time with friends and family while also keeping our community transmission low.”

Kieran Moore, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer

As of Oct. 8, the Ontario government has now administered 22 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Those who are not vaccinated can book their vaccination on the Ontario website at: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/covid-19-vaccines-ontario

It is important for McMaster students to consider all necessary precautions as they plan their fall festivities. By remaining aware of government recommendations and regulations, students can ensure that they are protecting themselves and those around them.

Jovan Popovic has shown that he’s serious about his business in an industry that has found itself growing quickly amid the pandemic.

More often than not, university students solely focus on their studies for the four years that they spend in their undergraduate programs. For many, the only vision that they have in mind is schoolwork and graduation and they avoid pursuing their dream career on the side for this reason. However, this isn’t always the case. There are students around who have their own business success stories and have translated their entrepreneurship into serious and impressive endeavours. 

A third-year business student, Jovan Popovic, has developed his passion for sports memorabilia into a serious business. Also known as the Sports Editor of the Silhouette, Popovic has been running his paid private signings business, Pop Sports Memorabilia, for 3 years. His business first began as a card flipping venture, but later changed focus, implementing a strategy to target a niche with sports fans by offering private autograph signings. 

The business is based on Popovic finding various popular players and arranging private autograph signings with them. The business student would then collect items from all interested clients, and meet with the player on a predetermined date to get them signed. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Popovic found this unique opportunity to develop his business, and by taking advantage, his business gained much momentum. 

In an interview, Popovic explained how autographs became a rarity during the pandemic as face to face meetings were limited and players avoided in-person physical contact, whether it be by choice or as a result of league protocol

“Ever since the pandemic began, the business sort of took off. People couldn't see each other as much face to face, so autographs really became a delicacy. That’s where my business came in.”

Jovan Popovic, Pop Sports Memorabilia Founder

Since autographs became much less common, private signings took over. As business continued to grow, Popovic continued looking for more players to sign, having included as many as 12 players in a single wave of signings before. 

When explaining his business model, Popovic described himself as the one who “connects” the two parties — players and fans.

“The way the business works, I would conduct research and find players that I believe are in high demand. I would reach out to them using my connections, or by contacting their agents. As soon as I get in touch with them, I’d negotiate a deal, and once it's set I would bring it to my customer base and start collecting items for the player,” explained Popovic.

Although Popovic is currently in contact with dozens of different baseball players, getting in contact with all of them was not easy. He explained that when he first broke into the business, he messaged 150 different players over Instagram, only to receive a reply from one.

“It didn't start off well. Generally [for] every 150 players I’d message, I would get one reply. Once I finished off with the first couple players, I offered them referral fees to get me in contact with others. That was what helped my business propel forward,”

Jovan Popovic

Through his connections and his negotiations with sports agencies such as Apex Baseball and True Gravity, Popovic has managed to gather an impressive pool of talent from the baseball world. Among the players with whom he has done business are Daniel Nava (World Series champion, 2013), Reese McGuire (Blue Jays catcher), Kris Bubic (Royals starting pitcher) and Ross Stripling (Blue Jays starting pitcher and former All-Star). 

Although players may be slowly returning to normal signing more often now than through a majority of the pandemic, Popovic has found himself able to maintain a high business volume. After having grown the business from scratch, Pop Sports Memorabilia has made a name for itself in the industry over the course of the year. To learn more about the business, or to get in touch with Popovic, you can message him through the business Instagram or visit his website

C/O Yoohyun Park

The Marauders field hockey team describes new challenges and hopes for their first season

McMaster’s field hockey team has made their debut as varsity players in the Ontario University Athletics. Due to COVID-19 restrictions this year, the OUA has divided the eight Ontario field hockey teams into two divisions, East and West, with each team playing eight regular season games. The Marauders are in the West division and play against the Guelph Gryphons, Waterloo Warriors and Western Mustangs. 

Due to these changes, the Marauder field hockey team has many challenges for this season as they fight to make a name for themselves within the OUA. Rebecca Jiang is one of the captains of the field hockey team. 

“I'm just looking forward to having a good season and being able to prove ourselves in the OUAs, I feel like we've been underestimated a lot in previous years. So, I just want to be able to come on strong and prove that we can play and compete,” said Jiang.

As a result of school taking place virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic, many sports teams, field hockey included, were unable to practice. Jessica Lim, Jiang’s co-captain, also speaks on this issue. 

“It's been different and I think that's been true for all of the sports teams. It's a huge transition, going from having light practicing, if any practice at all, and just doing conditioning, to having games practically every week . . . The games are twice every single weekend now, which is a huge jump than during the pandemic, [when] we didn't have anything,” Lim explained.

This year, the field hockey season only lasts for one month, making the level of intensity a lot higher, which can easily take a toll on the players. Playing a high performance sport at the provincial level is not easy and it requires a tremendous amount of individual and group effort. Since the team was previously not able to practice in-person, the team dynamic has changed with many members having graduated over the past two years and new first- and second-year teammates joining. 

Briana Da Silva, a member of the field hockey team, described the comparison. 

“Last year, we did a lot on Zoom, but obviously that’s nothing compared to in-person. We would do team workouts and team challenges, we’d group up that way to do a little team bonding, but I really don’t think Zoom has anything on being in-person when it comes to team building,” said Da Silva. 

In addition, being a good teammate helps maintain a positive team spirit. 

“Everyone has their bad days and everyone has off days on the field and off days just in their personal life. And the great thing about a team sport is that there's always 20 other girls who are with you . . . That's really the thing to remember, that if someone's down you don't have to be down with them, you can just take your energy and help bring them up,” explained Lim.

Da Silva too prides herself in her team spirit and contributing to the team’s positive disposition. 

“I pride in team dynamic, so I really am always trying to keep the morale up. But also I know those girls have my back like a family and I know if you show up in a positive mood, it’s just [going to] reflect on the whole entire team,” 

-Briana Da Silva

The team is more than halfway through the season, with their next home game on Friday, Oct. 22, 2021. If interested, be sure to watch them play on Alumni Field against the Western Mustangs. 

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C/O Ro's Shaded Lenz, Instagram 

After spending all of September breaking barriers, Mac Divest is back and here to stay

It is no secret that the climate is changing before our very eyes. From increasing heat waves in the summer to a predicted violent winter, the typical weather patterns of our past are slowly ceasing to exist. "Climate doomer-ism,” a nihilistic belief in the irreversibility of the climate crisis is becoming increasingly common as people become desensitized to a slew of time sensitive statistics. This mentality can especially be seen when natural disasters hit other countries. After all, what is there to do as one individual, when a disaster of epic proportions appears to become more and more of a reality? 

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Organization and mobilization are the philosophies adopted by McMaster Divest, a campus-based climate advocacy group dedicated to ending McMaster’s $40 million in investments in fossil fuels. Mac Divest is funded by the Ontario Public Interest Research Group. The group does the necessary research, policy, and protest organization work to facilitate conversations around divestment in order to encourage the university to divest. Fall 2021 has been significant for Mac Divest, who after a summer of campaigning, have been tirelessly protesting McMaster’s investment decisions through murals, speaking with those in charge, expanding the goals it addresses and coordinating actions to address the climate crisis with local grassroots organizations.  

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“Divestment is ridding McMaster of all of its investments in fossil fuels . . . Divestment is becoming more and more likely to happen at McMaster since many prestigious universities, states, provinces [are] divesting. Given Mac’s prestigious reputations, we are hoping divestment becomes a reality here as well,” said Maymoon “Moon” Bhuiyan, a material sciences student extensively involved with Mac Divest. 

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In addition to striving towards its long-term divestment goals, Bhuiyan and his co-executive of Divest, arts and science student Adeola Egbeyemi, are actively coordinating protests, speaking at protests, voicing solidarity and cooperating with Hamilton climate organizations. 

“We do direct action work such as speaking events, protest by art and of course support divestment campaigns across Canada. McMaster Divest is one of the bigger movements, as we grew very fast. We want to lead by example and so getting McMaster so close to divesting shows solidarity with the work of other universities as well,” explained Bhuiyan.  

Bhuiyan and other McMaster students have been arranging a series of protests to not only put pressure on the McMaster community, but also policymakers in Hamilton. Bhuiyan believes that protesting and making establishments uncomfortable with their environmental decisions is crucial to passing legislation in favor of mitigating the climate crisis. This rings true now more than ever as policies and awareness surrounding climate change are on crossroads of transitioning away from fossil fuels. 

Currently, Mac Divest is working with other environmental clubs across McMaster and Hamilton to urge the City of Hamilton to sign the Fossil Fuels Non-Proliferation Treaty, a treaty designed to end all new investments and production of fossil fuels. Bhuiyan hopes pushing against the municipality will pressure Mac to consider divestment. 

Photo C/O: Maymoon Bhuiyan, @bhuiyanmymoon , Instagram

Photo Caption: Bhuiyan stands at Hamilton City Hall at the “Canada Is On Fire” protest. 

Sept. 8 marked the day of the “Canada Is On Fire” protest led by Mac Divest and Hamilton 350 at Hamilton City Hall. Bhuiyan spoke at city hall, urging officials to sign a policy decreasing their use of fossil fuel consumption to varying responses. While Some city officials were reluctant, divest saw success after compelling Matthew Green, a New Democratic Party member of Parliament to sign with other politicians present at the protest.  

On Sept. 24, Bhuiyan organized the Hamilton Climate Strike march with his friend Felicia Mikrogianakis, a material sciences student at McMaster who works with Fridays for Future Hamilton, an international youth-led climate organization started by Greta Thunberg. The march had over a hundred attendees despite only a week of advertisement, demonstrating that the climate crisis is not brushed aside by Mac students, or the Hamilton community at large. It is gaining traction. 

Divest plans on holding a meeting with the McMaster University Board of Governors on Oct. 28 to vote on the divestment of fossil fuels. Chair of the board, Bradley Merkel, is the former ExxonMobil Director. As the Chair and with years of experience in fossil fuel industries, Merkel’s vote will be monumental to determining if McMaster is convinced to reorient its investment strategies.  

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“We will not endorse a partial divestment as divestment. We will continue to fight for full divestment, and we will get it soon,” said Bhuiyan.  

Bhuiyan, an activist who specializes in racial justice, credits his experiences and learning to major activist movements prominent in his home state of New York, such as Black Lives Matter. He is determined to ensure Mac Divests’ goal expands beyond sole divestment and is inclusive of all social issues intrinsically connected to climate justice, namely racial climate justice. 

Divest is expanding its long-term goals to collaborate with Indigenous groups, believing climate justice to be tied to Indigenous sovereignty. 

Bhuiyan is currently working with organizations such as Greenpeace Hamilton and Hamilton 350 addressing the impact of Baffinland Iron Mines Corporations’ mining operations on Inuit land in Nunavut. Namely, Divest and Bhuiyan intend on opposing the expansion of these open iron ore mines proposed by ArcelorMittal, a steel conglomerate. 

“This expansion will change everything. It will impact Inuit food security, safety, the Inuit way of life. We are currently drafting a letter to the next honourable minister of Northern Affairs and then the Nunavut Impact Board to voice on university support to stop this expansion,” said Bhuiyan.  

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On par with its new mandates to further racial climate justice, Divest is also currently involved with the International Coalition of Human Rights in the Philippines to address Canadian investment of fossil fuels in the country. Divest is focusing on bringing to light the actions of two major Canadian mining giants OceanaGold Corp and TVI Pacific and their subsequent social and environmental impact on the Philippines.  

“Many groups including the Filipino McMaster Student Association are speaking up. This is a big push against mining. Canadian mining in the Philippines is a perfect example of neocolonialism, where these large companies are making money off of the backs of people in the Philippines, while the people continue to suffer. McMaster is just giving executives to these horrible companies. There are two executives on OceanaGold with McMaster degrees,” said Bhuiyan. 

Mac Divest intends to keep its momentum up with many other projects planned for the academic year. One of their main goals is to focus on increasing collaboration with the other environmental groups on campus.

C/O Markus Winkler, Unsplash

How social media has tampered with our perceptions of love and relationships

By: Ana Mamula, Contributor

Rom-coms are my favorite, especially The Notebook. I couldn’t even fathom a man writing me a letter every single day until we meet again, a man who would wait his whole life for me. Today, love is if he likes your Instagram picture, slides into your DMs and is your number one friend on Snapchat.

It’s matching on Tinder with strangers hoping for that Notebook kind of love. However, in actuality, love this way is superficial and impossible.. Love is non-existent today. Love is transactional; it's a like, a comment or a FaceTime. It’s getting jealous over your significant other liking another person’s picture, it’s cheating coming in so many different forms and becoming so accessible

I hate it.

Love has turned into lust. Today, we are just focused on physical attraction rather than having a genuine relationship. Hookup culture is the norm and seeing someone just for their appearance is the norm due to social media. As a result of the media uprise, men and women have lost the acceptance of themselves today and feel they must live up to society’s expectations. 

And maybe that's why I love rom-coms so much, and why girls love rom-coms so much. Rom-coms liberate us from regular concerns and dump us straight into that beautiful space, a fantasy featuring no real responsibility or risk. 

Rom-coms liberate us from regular concerns and dump us straight into that beautiful space, a fantasy featuring no real responsibility or risk. 

ANA MAMULA, CONTRIBUTOR

Then we have social media that dumps us into a space full of anxiety, jealousy, low self-esteem and so much more. It is so rare to actually meet someone out and about and just click and then start dating. Nowadays, a swipe right is all it takes. Individuals do not even look for relationships anymore. It starts and ends with a hookup and if it escalates into a relationship, well you’re in luck!

Social media has created such a toxic space for relationships that bring out the worst in us. Jealousy and self-esteem issues are on the rise and the accessibility to cheat is so much more pronounced. With Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, webcams and other such social media platforms, partners can carry on affairs from the comfort of their couch, illuminated by the light of their computer or smartphone screen.

Social media is meant to highlight the best parts of one’s life, including the positive aspects of their relationships. This restrictive positivity does not allow for a person’s negative aspects to be brought to the light until we get to know someone. We never truly know how someone is or what someone’s relationship is like until we see it in person.

We never truly know how someone is or what someone’s relationship is like until we see it in person.

ANA MAMULA, CONTRIBUTOR

All of these false representations of love, from rom-coms to modern dating on social media, make it difficult to understand what a relationship should look like due to our clouded judgments. The media has shown us such an unrealistic standard of love that we do not even know what to believe anymore — and that is scary to me. 

What even is love anymore?

Yoohyun Park/Production Coordinator

The social awkwardness many have gained over the pandemic is affecting our conversations in person

By: Ardena Bašić, Contributor

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has changed our lives in more ways than we could have ever imagined, one of the most potent impacts have been on our social lives. While the most obvious changes have been with regards to the way we interact with those around us regularly, either by a physical or virtual distance, our more casual, everyday interactions have also been significantly affected. 

Before the world was forced to respond to a global health crisis, it was seemingly easy to start general, unprompted conversation. Walking through a library, hallway or even classroom meant endless opportunities for communication. However, as we changed to a virtual platform of school and work operations, this was almost impossible. One would have to deliberately present themselves online in a way that would advance the proposition of small talk. In other words, turning on one’s camera and microphone on zoom, despite how uninviting it may be for some. Being deprived of such interactions for a prolonged period means that we do so now with less confidence and find it increasingly unnatural

This notion likely sounds all too familiar to students who are slowly acclimating to being on campus again. Seeing classmates and friends around campus and town was exciting at first, but the social engagement was ultimately quite draining considering the lack of such meetings for the past year and a half. Furthermore, initiating casual interactions with strangers around campus is much less enticing. As appealing as it may sound to say “hi” or find solidarity in the endless amount of schoolwork university seems to entail, it is daunting after a long period without such practice. 

As appealing as it may sound to say “hi” or find solidarity in the endless amount of schoolwork university seems to entail, it is daunting after a long period without such practice. 

Ardena Bašić, Contributor

The other negative implication of this lies in the idea of mentorship. Having an upper year student, regardless of whether they are in your program or not, is invaluable in terms of guidance and advice. Knowing what a professor may prefer for assignments, what study methods to use for a particular class or what lectures to never miss is especially helpful for first- and second-year students, many of whom are still adjusting to the expectations of university. Through our newfound discomfort in casual interactions, we are missing out on the opportunity to build these relationships while out on campus. Whilst virtual mentorship programs are providing one solution, the solidarity that arises from meeting someone in public who you can relate to is unobtainable through online platforms. 

Whilst virtual mentorship programs are providing one solution, the solidarity that arises from meeting someone in public who you can relate to is unobtainable through online platforms.

Ardena Bašić, Contributor

Lastly, after being at home for so long, many of us are excited about the opportunity to make new friends on campus. Yet, given our trepidation to approach new faces, this is made even more difficult. As a result, we are still relying on social media and virtual platforms to interact with one another, increasingly diminishing our tangible sense of friendship. As eager as we are to return to a semblance of normality, the habits and routines we have developed over the past year must be conquered — or at the very least revised — first.

 COVID-19 has given us yet another obstacle that we must overcome in order to live regular lives once again. There is so much benefit in being able to spontaneously interact with those around us. A slow, gradual approach to such encounters will likely be most comfortable for some, but don’t forget that we are all experiencing this same effect to some extent. As a society, we can find solidarity in the fact that we are going through this ordeal now, just like we will find solidarity in experiencing a re-introduction to a more social society together in the future.

C/O Visual Stories on Unsplash

A&C editor shares a recipe for red pepper, cherry tomato and mushroom gnocchi

When I moved back to Hamilton earlier this year, I was really looking forward to cooking for myself again. This gnocchi recipe is one of my favourite things to make, because it’s full of vegetables, comes together quickly and also often makes more than enough leftovers for a busy week. It’s also the perfect recipe for students who have come back from reading week and are now busy with assignment deadlines and midterms to study for. 

Like store-bought gnocchi, the recipe is also versatile and it’s easy to make adjustments depending on what other ingredients you have on hand or how much time you have. For example, if I’m in a rush or when they’re not in season, I substitute some tomato sauce for cherry tomatoes, adding it after the red pepper and gnocchi. Or if you want to add some leafy greens, you can omit the cherry tomatoes and add some chopped baby spinach after the mushrooms.

As it is, provided you can find vegan gnocchi, the recipe is also vegan, though if you like you’re welcome to add cheese or some chicken to it as well to suit your tastes. My sister loves this recipe and she’ll often add heaps of Parmesan to her servings, though, to be fair, she does that with just about every food she can. Feel free to make as many substitutions as you wish and to make the recipe aligned with your tastes. 

The Chef: Arts & Culture Editor, Nisha Gill

Ingredients

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

Yield: 3 - 4 servings

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Chop a large red onion, mushrooms and a red pepper. Set aside, each in a separate bowl.
  3. Put cherry tomatoes in a baking dish or on a pan, drizzle with one to two Tbsp olive oil, sprinkle three to four cloves of garlic and salt and pepper. Mix and spread evenly across the pan.
  4. Roast cherry tomatoes in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, checking periodically because they might sizzle a bit.
  5. Meanwhile, cook store-bought gnocchi according to package directions.
  6. Then, heat one Tbsp of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. When hot add red onion and cook for about four to five minutes. Add mushrooms, cooking for another two to three or until they've browned a bit. Add red pepper, tomatoes and gnocchi and cook for another four to six minutes. 
  7. Serve warm and enjoy!

It’s important to take breaks from studying and engage in activities you enjoy and find fulfilling. For seasoned chefs as well as those looking to improve their culinary skills, this quick recipe is the perfect way to get busy in the kitchen in between studying and enjoy a great meal! 

Please comment down below with your twists on the recipe or let us know what recipes you would like us to see featured next in our next issue of In the Kitchen with Arts & Culture.

C/O @unshelteredthezine

“UNSHELTERED”: the zine shares the experiences of unhoused women and gender diverse folks

Homelessness across Canada became more widespread and visible during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, visible homelessness mostly describes homeless men. For unhoused women and gender-diverse folks, homelessness remains a largely hidden issue. With a lack of safe, adequate and appropriate shelters dedicated to these folks, they are more likely to avoid shelters, couch surf and remain in unsafe and/or abusive situations to access shelter. 

Witnessing this unfortunate reality has inspired Samm Floren, a student in McMaster University’s post-degree bachelor of social work program, to bring to the limelight the experiences of homeless women and gender-diverse folks through the launch of her community project, “UNSHELTERED”: the zine. UNSHELTERED is a community art project aimed to sharing the stories of chronically unhoused women and gender-diverse folks who don’t access the shelter system in Hamilton for reasons including, but not limited to, restrictive service and shelter rules, being labelled as Do Not Admit or fear of discharge due to their mental health crisis, substance use or possession of harm reduction gear. 

The zine’s goals are to instill creativity, provide a safe space for unhoused folks to voice experiences and raise public and institutional awareness of what it is like to live outside of the Hamilton shelter system. The first issue of the zine can be accessed through a Google Drive link and a physical printed copy can be found at Centre[3], Girl on the Wing, Handknit Yarn Studio and Partizanka Press, or requested via UNSHELTERED’s Instagram page on a pay-as-you-can basis.

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To gather contributors, Floren, along with two other social work students, Stephanie Milliken and Alannah Maye, would reach out to those sleeping on the streets or living in encampments who were accessing drop-in spaces and programs at the YMCA and Mission Services in Hamilton. Mission Services has been especially helpful in providing her with contacts to folks with a history of being denied or unable to access shelters.

Those who agreed to contribute their artwork to the zine were provided a consent form and asked to express their experiences of being unhoused in Hamilton. After finishing their pieces, they were interviewed to describe what their pieces are about and to share their story. Their descriptions and experiences were included in the zine along with their artwork. All participating folks were remunerated with an honorarium consisting of a $30 gift card to Dollarama or Tim Hortons, art supplies and harm reduction kits. 

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The idea for the zine came about while Floren was working as a frontline shelter worker at a low-barrier program during January and February of this year. Seeing folks who were constantly being denied access to adequate housing, reading about homeless encampments, working the shelter system and not seeing any changes made to better support unhoused women and gender diverse folks motivated her to create a platform through which they could tell their stories to the larger community.

“[Folks] would become so frustrated and a lot of the time what they would say is, ‘I’m going to die out here on the streets.’ So that’s where the inspiration came from. But I think it’s important to note that folks have been telling their stories this entire time and UNSHELTERED is just a tool to do that,” explained Floren.

“[Folks] would become so frustrated and a lot of the time what they would say is, ‘I’m going to die out here on the streets.’ So that’s where the inspiration came from. But I think it’s important to note that folks have been telling their stories this entire time and UNSHELTERED is just a tool to do that."

Samm Floren, founder of UNSHELTERED

UNSHELTERED was also inspired by Floren’s love for art and her belief in the capacity of art to act as an outlet for self-expression. She had run an arts session a few years ago as part of the Transitional Living Program at the YMCA for unhoused folks and seeing first-hand the fulfillment art could bring to them was one of her favourite moments in the program. 

“Just being there, being with folks and doing art, was just fun and I’ve carried that with me. The joy that people get from being able to just create is huge and I think that’s where a lot of [folk’s engagement with art] came from. We don’t have a lot of art supplies, it’s not something that people think of, but it’s something people love and cherish and use,” said Floren.

“Just being there, being with folks and doing art, was just fun and I’ve carried that with me. The joy that people get from being able to just create is huge and I think that’s where a lot of [folk’s engagement with art] came from. We don’t have a lot of art supplies, it’s not something that people think of, but it’s something people love and cherish and use.”

Samm Floren, founder of UNSHELTERED

The first issue of the zine included works from over 20 contributors, but it would not have been possible without strong community support. UNSHELTERED received monetary and supply donations from the community and organizations and lots of help from volunteers and partnerships. McMaster faculty and teaching assistants who were involved include Laurie Sherry-Kirk, Mary Vaccaro, Jennie Vengris and Jennifer Crowson. It was featured on the McMaster Social Work website and professors have been reacting positively to the zine by helping to spread the word and donating gift cards for honoraria. 

Supporting organizations of the zine include Keeping Six, Mission Services, YMCA Transitional Living Program and Carole Anne’s Place and CUPE3906. Keeping Six in particular has been a major supporter of the initiative through inviting UNSHELTERED to the Unity Jam concert, which occurred in September. There, Floren was able to promote the zine and host harm reduction information sessions and naloxone training. 

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So far, Floren’s favourite responses have been from folks who contributed their artworks to the zine. She says it was exciting to see them receive a physical copy of the issue and react with so much positivity.

“I’m still tracking down a few people to give a hard copy of the zine and they were really excited — that was the biggest impact and that’s the goal. We want people to be excited and see other folks read it. So the feedback’s been pretty positive,” said Floren. 

Floren wishes for UNSHELTERED to become a long-term initiative while staying true to sharing the stories and artwork of folks who are living outside the Hamilton shelter system. Additionally, she hopes she can organize more art drop-in sessions.

“The goal of UNSHELTERED is the artists and the people who are sharing their story. It’s amazing that it has support, but that’s where the focus needs to stay. What’s important is that UNSHELTERED is just a tool. It’s another way to get things out there and what people need to realize when they read it is that these stories have been there this entire time. Hopefully now they’ll be more willing to open their ears to it and listen if they weren’t before and make an effort to continue to do that,” said Floren.

Here’s hoping that UNSHELTERED is able to not only support those living outside the Hamilton shelter system, but also effect larger, more permanent change in the city and in relation to people’s perceptions of unhoused individuals.

C/O Stepan Unar, Unsplash

Man arrested following an attack on Caleb’s Walk

CW: assault 

Hamilton is home to a number of hiking trails and waterfalls, providing community members with the opportunity to head outdoors and enjoy nature views. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, outdoor activities have also garnered rising popularity as people search for activities and recreation to entertain themselves with. 

However, heavily wooded areas in Hamilton have also been susceptible to dangerous activity in the last several years. Given the popularity of hiking among the student body, students at McMaster University should remain aware of the potential dangers associated with visiting trails. 

Most recently on Sept. 30, 2021, an individual was assaulted while walking alone on Caleb’s Walk trail. Caleb’s Walk is one of the many trails of the Cootes Paradise sanctuary and is located next to the Westdale neighbourhood, off of Dalewood Crescent and Oak Knoll Drive. 

Hamilton Police Service released a request for assistance in identifying the assault suspect the next day, detailing suspect descriptions and asking residents to review their video surveillance footage. 

On Oct. 5, 28-year-old Tony Robert Gordon was arrested for the assault. Gordon is facing charges of assault causing bodily harm, four counts of failing to comply with probation and drug possession. 

According to HPS, the assault was a random attack of violence. 

Gordon is facing charges of assault causing bodily harm, four counts of failing to comply with probation and drug possession. According to HPS, the assault was a random attack of violence.

Unfortunately, this assault was not the only one that has taken place in Hamilton trails. In April of 2019, a woman was struck with an object and sexually assaulted on another Hamilton trail, Bruce Trail. 

Bruce Trail is Canada’s oldest and longest trail, running 900 km from Niagara to Tobermory, passing Hamilton in-between. 

The victim was assaulted while walking from the Dundurn stairs down the Bruce Trail when she stopped after hearing someone call out to her. 

The HPS did not release any further updates to this investigation nor was an arrest announced. 

Also on Bruce Trail, an arrest was made in 2017 after an individual walking alone was approached by a man with a knife and forced into a quiet area. 

The suspect was arrested in this case and HPS charged 28-year-old Shane Stevens with sexual assault with a weapon and two times of breach of probation. 

With the Cootes Paradise area in close proximity to McMaster University, hiking on trails has been a popular outdoor activity for many students. However, the danger associated with walking alone on Hamilton trails has not been foreign to students. 

A number of recreational trails are also available within the McMaster Forest. McMaster has noted that such trails, however, are mainly unmaintained. 

Random assaults, such as the ones mentioned above, are unfortunate occurrences that most do not expect when visiting trails. It is important that students remain vigilant as they visit trails and take the necessary precautions to keep themselves safe.

C/O Travis Nguyen

With about two weeks into the new soccer season, Dusan Kovacevic has already made a name for himself. 

It is not uncommon for athletes to progress well throughout a season. Certain players impress both on individual and group levels, but the story of Dusan Kovacevic, a member of the men's varsity soccer team, has impressed at an unprecedented level.

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The first game that the Marauders men's soccer team played competitively was against the Algoma Thunderbirds. Expectations were high for the boys, considering the successful history with the Thunderbirds from previous years, so they had to put their complacency aside to ensure a win. 

Sure enough, the Marauders swept the Thunderbirds seven to zero at the Ron Joyce stadium on a rainy Saturday. Although the team represented McMaster University welland went above and beyond, Kovacevic was the man on the pitch that stood out. Scoring a whopping four goals throughout the 90 minutes, he was the man of the match. Not only did he score four goals, but Kovacevic managed to get off ten shots, which was by far the largest tally in the game. 

Shortly after the first game, the Marauders played the Thunderbirds once again. The Marauders won seven to two, marking another significant and impressive win for McMaster. Once again, the man of the match was Kovacevic, scoring three goals and bagging one assist. There's no doubt that the sharp shooter loves a goal against the Thunderbirds. 

Shortly after the weekend during which these impressive wins occurred, Kovacevic earned himself an Ontario University Athletics team of the week award. Speaking to Kovacevic about his award and his general reaction, he expressed his satisfaction and cited that it was an honour.

“To be honest with you, I only found out because I got tagged in an Instagram photo. At that moment, it was very surreal and it felt amazing . . . To win this award was truly an honour,” said Kovacevic. 

When asked about the effect of COVID-19 on his progress, Kovacevic discussed how often he unfortunately had to delay training due to regulations.

“I did have my regular soccer training up until March 2020, but it all went to a standstill from there on. I did have some pick up games here and there with my friends, but it was no match for the actual training we had before the pandemic. I had hopes last year that by the summer of 2020 this will be done and that we will resume the season, but that did not work out either, so I am very happy to finally be back,” explained Kovacevic. 

Many new faces have joined the Marauders varsity soccer team, meaning the team’s faring was unpredictable. However, the first five games have gone off to a good start for them; the team has a total of three wins, one draw and only one loss. Out of the 22 goals that McMaster has scored so far this season, Kovaceic accounts for ten of them, making him the top scorer of the central division. Additionally, the Marauders are currently leading the central division with ten points. 

Although Kovacevic is very fond of the team’s current success within the league, he said that they have just begun.

“Everything against Algoma and the first game with Laurentian seemed to go our way, but we have just begun. The game against [University of Toronto] was very entertaining and they’re very good opponents. We’ve also got Nipissing and Ryerson to play soon, so it will not be an easy couple of weeks but I am confident that we will do well,” explained Kovacevic

When asked about the team chemistry and his confidence in the squad, Kovacevic was very excited to talk about how much he believes in them.

“I personally think that the squad we currently have is one of the best ones that I’ve been a part of. Although we have many [first- and second-years] coming in due to the COVID gap, they are very talented and fit in with the team well. All of the older ones, including myself, also get along really well and that is why I think that we are going to have a very successful season,” said Kovacevic. 

The Marauders’ season is not over yet — far from it. After the regular season, if the Marauders place high enough in their conference table, they’ll play in the play-offs and eventually fight for the OUA title. 

You can follow the men’s soccer team games and all statistics here

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