Full steam ahead The LRT debate is tired, so why was it the only prominent issue this election?
This past municipal election came with special significance. It served as a pivotal moment for Hamilton, a moment that would decide whether the city would be moving forward with the $1 billion light rail transit system or not. While I’m grateful for those who fought tirelessly to bring something so obviously important to a city like Hamilton, I’m disappointed. I’m disappointed that so few councillor candidates discussed the issue of...
A call to keep the planned wage increase The MSU needs to follow through with their initial wage increase, despite the cancellation of Bill 148
A few weeks ago, the provincial government froze the minimum wage at $14 per hour and cut the planned increase to $15 per hour that was planned for January 2019. With this cut, many businesses, but not all, have decided to forgo the planned increase they had set up for employees. The McMaster Students Union should not be one of them. Studies have shown that the actual living wage in Hamilton is $15.85. The cost of tuition ranges, but...
Believing survivors How the Kavanaugh hearings reach further than the Senate Judiciary Committee
CONTENT WARNING: Discussion of sexual assault and rape. These past few weeks have been tough to watch. On Sept. 27, Prof. Christine Blasey Ford gave a testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee against Judge Brett Kavanaugh, whom she says sexually assaulted her when they were teenagers. Since Prof. Blasey Ford spoke out, three more women have made similar reports against Kavanaugh, who, by the time this piece is published, may be...
What a drag How McMaster’s smoking ban prioritizes health and wellness concerns over safety and accessibility for smokers
In September 2017, McMaster released a statement saying it will attempt to ban smoking on campus that following January, establishing itself as “Ontario’s first 100 per cent tobacco and smoke-free campus.” The ban was to take effect in January 2018. In its initial months, anyone smoking on campus was to be given a verbal warning and a reminder of McMaster’s smoking cessation policies. Eventually, enforcement was set to include...
Social issues and you Why you should care that our city is being left out of the provincial government’s plans
Doug Ford and the Progressive Conservative Party’s attacks on social services have been leaving a resounding effect on our city with every cut, threat or announcement that comes to. From announcing their plan to reduce planned increases in rates from the province’s largest social programs or cancelling Ontario’s basic income pilot project, which was meant to provide money to 4,000 low-income people in three cities, including Hamilton,...
Home for now This place doesn’t have to feel like home yet, despite what the reps have been yelling at you all week
A few weeks ago, I flipped through a journal that I wrote during my first Welcome Week at Mac. I was excited as ever for this huge chapter of my life to start. I wrote about how excited I was to meet my new friends in real life after meeting them in the Class of 2018 Facebook group. I wrote out my plans, from parties to outfits to events that I didn’t want to miss. The next few pages had a wildly different feel to them. I wrote about...
