McMaster sports teams, including field hockey, women's curling, men's baseball and fencing among others, fundraise to offset team travel costs and upgrade equipment

First announced on Nov. 23., the McMaster University Athletics and Recreation Department advertised an annual event called Giving Tuesday to fundraise for U Sports, Ontario University Athletics and club teams.

In order to raise funds for teams, the department has urged McMaster alumni, members of the community and university sports fans to pitch in and donate to teams.

Prior to the event, each of the Marauders sports teams identified a fundraising goal they hoped to earn through donors. Some teams had high aims, such as men's volleyball and football who aimed to fundraise $5,000, while others such as women's field hockey aimed to fundraise $300.

Participating teams also posted their reasons for fundraising and what they hoped to accomplish with their donations. Numerous OUA teams looked to offset travel costs, such as field hockey, women's curling and figure skating. Several teams also wanted funding for upgrades to equipment, including men's baseball, fencing and Nordic skiing.

Numerous OUA teams looked to offset travel costs, such as field hockey, women's curling and figure skating.

As Giving Tuesday kicked off on Nov. 28., many student athletes took to social media to garner support and awareness toward their cause. Many Marauders reposted an image by McMaster Sports on Instagram to urge the community to donate.

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The event ended successfully with an overall fundraising total of $101,655.22 provided by 667 different donors. In addition to base funding, McMaster Athletics and Recreation awarded prizes for reaching certain donation amounts and donor goals.

The event ended successfully with an overall fundraising total of $101,655.22 provided by 667 different donors.

The department gave an extra $500 to teams that reached $1,000 in funding, the team that had the most donors and the team with the highest donation amount. The women's soccer team was able to capture the most donors while the men's water polo team was received the highest donation amount.

The hope is that this funding will help all teams involved in Giving Tuesday to achieve their set of goals and support athletes for the upcoming season.

Photo from Silhouette Photo Archives

By: Adriana Skaljin

For the past five years, the McMaster men’s rugby team has been running their own Movember campaign, raising money for men’s health initiatives. Last year, the team collectively raised around $6,100, motivating them to increase their goal for 2018 to $7,000.

The Movember Foundation is the leading charity that focuses on men’s health. They focus on issues such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health and suicide prevention. This initiative was started in 2003 and has funded more than 1,200 men’s health projects worldwide.

C/O @mcmaster_mens_rugby

[spacer height="20px"]Callum MacLeay, a fifth-year kinesiology student, is leading this year’s Movember campaign. As the club captain on the rugby leadership team, it was his responsibility to take over the Movember initiative, since the club captain is involved with coordinating any off-field fundraising and team bonding. MacLeay has raised over $1,400 since 2015 and has set a personal goal of $1,000 for this year.

“Seeing as last year’s goal was $6,000 and this year’s is $7,000, it would be awesome to reach the realm of raising $10,000,” said MacLeay.    

MacLeay has been participating in Movember for four years now and was inspired by the fact that his grandfather had prostate cancer.

“[This] made [Movember] something easy to engage with because it was something that I personally connected to,” said MacLeay.

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Seeing as Movember raises money for men’s health, it is something that connects and affects everyone on the men’s rugby team. This creates a sense of motivation towards making a difference in this area of charitable work.

“[Movember] has ranged to a new focus on mental health, which is a big push that made us want go support [this initiative],” MacLeay explained.

When they first started the campaign, they had around 20 players participating; they now have around 50. This increase in participants shows an increase in support, thus bringing awareness to this initiative’s importance.

“On the field, we come together to achieve a common goal, but to have the camaraderie that comes with a community sense is great, and it is nice to see the newer players join [in helping with Movember],” said MacLeay. “The more you bring awareness, the more people want to get involved. This is due to a sense of empowerment.”

What comes with this sense of empowerment is the understanding that no one is alone and that we are all going through things. With focuses on issues such as mental health, we can remove stigmas and transition into a world that disallows people from suffering in silence.

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Not only has the men’s rugby team worked towards removing stigmas and promoting men’s health, but they have banded together with other Marauders as well.

“Men’s volleyball, basketball, baseball, and football have joined us in our Movember initiative here at McMaster,” said MacLeay.

“Movember has been a meaningful experience for me since we get to engage with coaches, alumni, and student field therapists in the fundraising, so it [goes beyond] the players. Having everyone come together on something that is bigger than rugby is important, and I think that it helps build camaraderie both on and off of the field.”

On Nov. 29 and 30, the men’s rugby team will be setting up an information table in the David Braley Athletic Centre on campus. They will be selling t-shirts, wrist bands and will be holding a raffle as well. All proceeds will go towards their Movember campaign.

It is without a doubt that the amazing efforts of the McMaster men’s rugby team are instrumental in changing the ways in which we view men’s health, while sparking a conversation around mental health. Change is possible, with some Marauder spirit, camaraderie and a sense of empowerment.

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Photos by Catherine Goce 

Autumn is a cozy time. The blistering heat of summer is receding but the freezing cold of winter has not yet dug in. A month of school has allowed us to settle into our environment and our routines. It’s a time for a little tradition, a little Thanksgiving and a lot of community.

While many of us will settle into familiar spaces, Eternal Collective wants you to settle into a larger and perhaps slightly unfamiliar community of music and art lovers with their October music festival, Eternal Autumn.

Eternal Collective is a collaboration between Emily O’Rourke and Vince Soliveri. It came out of their desire to build community and create more space for intimate live shows in Hamilton. The first of these events is Eternal Autumn.

The festival launched last Friday at The Little Grasshopper Cafe with disk jockeys Kristen Archer, Smooth Transitions and Seema. Each Saturday in October will feature live performances, pop-up shops and interactive elements. Every week will showcase artists of different genres.

“I feel like all of these scenes operate in parallel but they don't really intersect and…if they did intersect people would realize ‘oh I didn't know I liked dream pop’…I feel like this allows people to explore that without having to really do much work,” explained Soliveri.

Autumn is a lazy time. It’s tantalizing to be able to attend a show with one artist that you may know and discover a couple more on the same night. O’Rourke and Soliveri have created shows where none of the bands playing sound quite the same, allowing music lovers to fall in love with something new.

[spacer height="20px"]Another important part of the shows is that they will all take place in alternative venues. Not only will it allow audiences to learn about spaces in the city that they were not aware of, but it will add to the comfortable vibe of Eternal Autumn.

“I think house shows are a lot more comfortable for a lot more people. So making sure that people are comfortable and safe in a more intimate space, I guess, that way community can be built,” said O’Rourke.

Safety is O’Rourke and Soliveri’s key priority at the festival. Soliveri is part of a group called Safer Gigs Hamilton. They do harm reduction outreach at shows and will be set up throughout Eternal Autumn.

However, it takes more than two to make a safe show. They are putting on bands referred by people who are safety advocates. They have established a zero tolerance policy for any bigoted behaviour. The festival as a safer space to enjoy live music and creates a secure and welcoming environment for diverse audiences.  

[spacer height="20px"]Attending the show is also a great way to give back to the community. A portion of the proceeds will go toward local non-profits, SACHA Hamilton, NGen Youth Centre, the AIDS Network, Internal House and Neighbour to Neighbour Centre. These organizations mean a lot to both O’Rourke and Soliveri.

“[T]hey're putting in a lot of work in the city and I think a lot of it [is] unrecognized sometimes. So I think that it comes down to the fact that we're putting on this thing…it might as well go towards something good,” explained O’Rourke.

[spacer height="20px"]O’Rourke is excited to meet the people that come out to the shows. Soliveri hopes that the shows appeal not only to the musical and artistic sides of the audiences but also to their socially conscious sides. In this way, the festival will create spaces as warm as autumn.

The festival begins on October 6 with performances by Jaunt, Ginla and The Crowleys. Contact Eternal Collective for the location and keep up with their Facebook page for announcements of the upcoming shows.


[spacer height="20px"]Eternal Collective Facebook

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By: Imran Dhalla and Rachel Connell, 5 Day participants

Homelessness: it is not an uncommon phrase or an unrealistic life, as one in five youth in Ontario identify with this phrase. How about hopelessness? I’m sure you can relate to that one. Somebody you know has been homeless at some point in their life, and someone you know feels hopeless every day as they struggle to find food, a safe space to sleep, and sit lost in a town full of people passing by.

The DeGroote School of Business’ “5 Days For The Homeless” is taking on one of the biggest struggles faced by our community as well as communities all around the world. This initiative is working to make a small but crucial difference by advocating the voices of those who feel hopeless and without a safe space to turn.

Recently criticized for giving a false idea of what street homelessness looks like, it should be noted that the “5 Days For The Homeless” campaign hosts sleepers who are not pretending to be homeless in any attempt to force sympathy from passers-by. The world doesn’t need to give their sympathy, we’ve all passed by and sympathized with these issues for years now. The world needs action, and that’s what we’ve sparked here at McMaster. One in 11 Canadians have been homeless in their lifetime, and these middle class campaign sleepers are pledging much more than “poverty porn.” You’re most definitely not donating your dollars or chicken noodle soup cans to suit their needs, but on the contrary, “5 Days for the Homeless” has been working directly with The Good Shepherd house in Hamilton. The Good Shepherd house is a centre dedicated to helping distressed youth in Hamilton. The space is not just for the homeless, and not just troubled youth, but it also addresses physical and mental health concerns and needs.

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In the past few years, the “5 Days for the Homeless” has worked with the Good Shepherd house to help distressed youths in a number of ways. This includes: helping replace beds and mattresses, supporting to their homework program, and giving financial assistance to the 716 admissions they’ve seen this year alone. 260 of those were able to remain in the youth shelter, and 301 through Ontario Work were able to pay rent, afford meals and do their laundry independently.

It might seem like a nuisance or a contradiction for some to see middle class students sleep outside the Student Centre collecting money and other items for their campaign, but the reality is, they aren’t the focus. The focus of the campaign is not to glamorize the lifestyle, or suggest that we could ever have a clue what these people face in their day to days, but the focus will always remain embedded in the desire to help the youth in our own backyards who remain on the streets. To act out on the terrible hardships they’ve been handed, and to do something with the resources we have on campus to better our community.

The world doesn’t need to give their sympathy, we’ve all passed by and sympathized with these issues for years now. The world needs action, and that’s what we’ve sparked here at McMaster. 

It is vital for these impressionable kids to tangibly see that we care and give them hope that what we’re doing has more value in society than an acting skit or sympathy scheme. The money 5 Days raises annually, and the advocacy this club brings are proof of a program that works. The sleepers not only pledge to commit a huge chunk of their time towards participating, but proudly stand alongside these youth with the opportunity to become mentors, provide in-house assistance, and create friendships that continue to have positive impacts long after the time of the campaign.

Is it a false idea of what homelessness is? Or is it false to assume that good people bringing good change must have some sort of loophole? It is justified to be skeptical about any campaign that claims to make a difference, but we can’t expect to change anything if we believe the change is too big for us. 5 Days for the Homeless tries and succeeds with a strong impact on the community and city.

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By: Sophie Geffros

Someone you know has been homeless.

This can be hard concept to wrap your head around — if you’re lucky, homelessness is something that happens to other people, and we can only conceive of homelessness as what housing advocates call “street homelessness.” According to a 2013 report by the Wellesley Institute, for every individual identified as street homeless, another four are part of what advocates call the “hidden homeless” population.

Think of your high school friend who surfed couches when his parents kicked him out after discovering he was gay. Think of the sibling that struggles with addiction and is in and out of halfway houses. Think of the friend who confessed tearfully that she and her mother spent the summer in a women’s shelter after leaving a violent spouse. The majority of the homeless population is intermittently homeless, and therefore hidden. Even if you don’t know anyone like I just described, I promise you that statistically speaking you have worked with, or attended classes with, or been friends with someone who has been homeless. It’s not the kind of thing you talk about, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t present.

The Degroote School of Business’ “5 Days for the Homeless” both ignores these populations and gives a false idea of what street homelessness looks like. 20 percent of the street homeless population are youth 16-24, of whom at least 40 percent are LGBT and about 60 percent are Aboriginal. When surveyed by Covenant House, they identified the greatest risk to their lives to be physical and sexual assault while sleeping rough or in shelters. Spending five nights sleeping outside the Student Centre gives a false idea of what homelessness is, and is far safer than the conditions street homeless youth actually experience.

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It is good to raise money for charity. Nobody is denying that. But donating food to middle class students so they can pretend at homelessness borders on self-parody. If you have a genuine desire to alleviate suffering in the Hamilton community, donate your time or money directly to the Good Shepherd, or the Hamilton Dream Centre, or the Hamilton Community Core, or any of the dozens of other neighborhood food banks and housing programs that assist the vulnerable in our community. The campus OPIRG runs an excellent program called “Food Not Bombs,” and you can begin the process of helping them out without even leaving campus.

Programs like 5 Days for the Homeless appeal to us because they sanitize housing insecurity. They make us feel good about ourselves for caring, without having to be confronted with the unpleasant realities of homelessness. Advocates for the campaign will say that it raises awareness of street homelessness, but raising awareness for street homelessness is absurd. If you are honestly unaware that people are sleeping on the streets in our city, you are willfully ignoring the men and women sleeping rough by every downtown bus stop.

Spending five nights sleeping outside the Student Centre gives a false idea of what homelessness is.

I want to ask you a question: do you look at street homeless people when you see them on the sidewalk? How many of you are willing to donate your food and converse with the students aping at homelessness outside of MUSC, but ignore the man at the bus stop asking for change? How often do you justify not helping when you are confronted with the need by saying “well, they’re just going to spend it on drugs anyway?” How often do you willfully look away when you are confronted with suffering? Too many of us fail to recognize the humanity and dignity of others when confronted with their pain. We can all strive to be better at this. Pretending to understand a struggle that is not ours so that we can write heart-warming Facebook posts about what we’ve learned is not the way to go about it. The unkempt street homeless man who asks you for a dollar is just as human as the commerce student sleeping outside the student centre.

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On Jan. 28, Bell once again completed another successful “Let’s Talk” campaign, working to challenge the stigma associated with mental illness, and add to the $67.5 million they have already raised in support of mental health initiatives across Canada.

While anyone who advocates for mental health issues will tell you Bell is making a positive change, its efforts are far from perfect. If Bell truly wants to effect change in society and tear down the barriers experienced by sufferers of mental illness, they cannot limit themselves to focusing their efforts on combating “stigma” alone, as this wording neglects the systemic discrimination that those with mental illnesses experience.

To those unfamiliar, stigma and discrimination might seem interchangeable, but they actually have important differences. Stigma is the negative stereotype a person receives, and discrimination is the behaviour that results from this stereotype. This distinction might seem small, but language is powerful and subtle differences can drastically change something’s meaning.

In the case of Bell’s “Let’s Talk” by outlining “anti-stigma” and not “anti-discrimination” as one of their campaign’s four pillars, it undervalues and potentially ignores the existence of mental health discrimination. By only ever using the word “stigma,” and basing your entire campaign around it, you are effectively presenting the idea that those with mental health disabilities may face many negative stereotypes, but they experience little or no actual behavioural consequences. For a campaign that explicitly describes how “language matters” on its second page, it seriously fails to acknowledge the importance of this distinction.

This choice of wording and its resulting popularity becomes incredibly problematic when you read reports like those made by the Ontario Human Rights Commission on Nov. 7, 2012.  The OHRC surveyed 1,500 people in Ontario, and found repeated examples of laws that actively allowed for discrimination against those with mental health disabilities. These examples included multiple accounts from sufferers who had been denied housing, employment and even medical care because of their mental health.

One example from the report says that significant research exists that supports the fact that many private landlords deny housing to people with mental health disabilities. The report cited multiple sufferers who were forced to sign contracts that stated that if their condition worsened, they would be evicted from their residence.

One victim even describes intense discrimination within the healthcare system: “after surgery, my surgeon told me, ‘had I known you were crazy, I wouldn’t have operated on you.’”

These examples reflect only some of the harsh discrimination those with mental illnesses face, and yet Bell and others advocating for mental health issues limit their discussion and focus to combating stigma alone.

It’s easy to see a simple choice of words as a relatively minor issue, but the difference between “stigma” and “discrimination” is a deeper issue than a mistaken campaign by Bell. If you don’t believe me, take a second to consider how other issues of prejudice in our society are described. When discussing racism, sexism, or homophobia, discrimination is the word of choice. However, when describing mental illness, “stigma” is the overwhelmingly popular term.

Don’t believe me? Try typing the word “stigma” into Google. You’ll find page after page discussing mental health issues, and a list of related searches pertaining to that same subject. Try that again with the word “discrimination.” Here the examples address race, homophobia, and human rights concerns, with no mention of mental health even after five pages. It quickly becomes clear that Bell’s decision to use the word “stigma” instead of “discrimination” reflects a much larger cultural issue.

I’m not the only one who feels this way. In fact, the very first resource Bell directs you to is a document from the Canadian Mental Health Association. Within the second paragraph the CMHA makes it clear that they have the same concerns:

“The problem with the word ‘stigma’ is that it puts the focus on the person’s difference instead of on the people who are setting them apart. Using the word stigma makes it seem different than racism, homophobia or sexism. It isn’t. So it’s time to talk about stigma for what it really is: prejudice and discrimination.”

Even organizations directly supporting the campaign feel it is crucial to distinguish the problematic nature of the word “stigma,” and yet Bell remains one of the many that make no such effort.

So why is it people seem to be uncomfortable with associating “discrimination” with mental illness? Do we really believe not receiving medical treatment because of one’s race is that different from not receiving it because of one’s mental health disability? While it’s pointless to compare whether one type of discrimination is worse than another, it’s unsettling to see that we as a society seem intent on labelling mental health as a separate issue, to the point where it even has its own distinct terminology.

We as Canadians need to aim higher than simply combating the stigma surrounding mental illness, and must work to remove the systemic barriers to success that exist for those affected by mental illness.

If Bell really wants to get people talking, ask Canadians why they’re so afraid to acknowledge mental health discrimination that they won’t even use the same words.

By: Grace Kennedy

One morning this past summer, I was walking downtown when a woman smiled at me and said “good morning.” Regrettably, I was caught off-guard, bogged down in my thoughts, and barely managed a gibberish-sounding “good morning” in return.

After taking about ten more steps, a pair of men observing a car turned to look at me walking by. One waved and the other said “good morning.” Again, I was caught off-guard by this unexpected interaction and I merely smiled back at them. As other women will agree, we often have our backs up and can be quick to judge attention we receive from the opposite sex as being unwarranted. In this instance, the greeting was genuine and I felt remorse that I had not given a response in the same warm manner they had reached out in.

A few minutes later, I walked past another man and he smiled and greeted me with “good morning.” This time I was present enough to send him a genuine smile and return the greeting. However, by this third interaction, I was so alarmed by the friendliness that paranoia kicked in and I contemplated the chances of me being part of some hidden-camera social experiment. I even pictured my first-year sociology professor as the probable culprit.

Something is either severely wrong with my level of paranoia, or some of you may agree, we don't often expect smiles and friendliness from strangers.

As you've probably assumed, I wasn't the victim of a social experiment. I just happened to experience three people consecutively say “good morning” to me. The most flabbergasting thing is just how shaken I was by this experience. What does this say about how I'm used to interacting with strangers?

There are certain incidences when I expect greetings from strangers. When I'm out for a jog on a Sunday morning, I come across many seniors who say “good morning,” and I'm always well-equipped to instigate this greeting or respond. However, if I'm heading out for a jog after the rest of the population has awoken from their slumbers or escaped their hangovers, eye contact and a smile from fellow humans is almost nonexistent.

Are we too cool/too busy/too different from one another to say “good morning”? Are we too engulfed in thinking about how we did on our term paper or staring down at our Instagram feed to acknowledge others? What is it that causes us to briskly pass each other, look at the ground, or shift our eyes away as soon as they meet?

I didn't research the benefits of smiling before writing this article. Instead, I just sat on my couch smiling to try and grasp what exactly smiles have the power to do. Once I got past the mildly weird feeling of this exercise, I found that happy thoughts flowed into my mind, merely by embracing my own smile. Or it could have been the chance of hilarity of my roommate walking in, but I'll go with the former.

It's really hard to dwell on negative thoughts, like the fact that you just burnt a pizza in the oven, when you're smiling. My mind wandered to how funny it was when I fell asleep on the bus and missed my stop the day before.

Smiling is a pretty amazing natural gift we all have. We've all heard it's contagious and we know what it's like to receive a smile from a friend or a loved one. But what if we used this smile superpower on a more regular basis? I don't have a witty answer to this semi-rhetoric question, so I suggest that we all just smile on.

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Internationally and locally, non-profit organizations are looking for assistance, but often it is difficult to cut through the clutter of the many fundraising projects fighting for attention.

Audrey Tan, a third-year student in the Health, Aging, and Society program decided to take a unique approach to fundraising for two organizations, by starting her own used jewelry sale called All that Glitters.

“I got the idea because my friend in Ottawa held a similar [project] last year called All that Glam, which was in support of a children’s breakfast program up north. She raised $9,000 in one morning,” said Tan. “I thought, wouldn’t this be a great opportunity for us to replicate something like this in Hamilton.”

In partnership with the McMaster Campus Ministries Council and McMaster University’s Anti-Violence Network, All that Glitters will collect jewelry, scarves, and hand bags in support of two organizations, one international and one local.

Internationally, All that Glitters supports Atzin, a non-profit humanitarian group founded by Dr. Susan Smith, who was formerly involved in McMaster’s nursing department.  Atzin supports people in rural Mexico and aims to help citizens obtain better life opportunities.

In particular, the scholarship program that provides financial support to young girls who would otherwise be unable to attend middle school is in need of assistance.

“They’ve lost their major sponsor,” said Tan. “This program is in a very precarious position right now, which makes the fundraiser all the more important.”

Locally, proceeds from the sale will support the Native Women’s Shelter in Hamilton.

“November is also Women’s Abuse Awareness and Prevention month, so we want to use this fundraiser not only to raise funds for these two great organizations but raise awareness about the issue of women abuse in Canada,” said Tan.

Donations will be collected until Nov. 11 at various locations across McMaster’s campus and downtown Hamilton. On Nov. 22, the items will be sold at Freeway Coffee House, with all proceeds donated to the two organizations.

“It’s been really positive so far,” said Tan. “We’ve got some momentum going and hopefully it just keeps on going through until November.”

By: Alex Liu

A new eatery on Barton Street is taking a unique approach to the restaurant business. 541 Eatery & Exchange, a registered charity, offers no meal priced above $5.00 and is staffed by 80% volunteers.

The restaurant, which opened in June, also serves as a safe space where people can meet to connect with each other and the community.

“We’re more than an eatery,” said Michael Bowyer, co-founder of 541 Eatery & Exchange. “We’re an exchange of ideas to empower people in the neighborhood.”

In a neighborhood without many alternatives other than fast food, 541 is a refreshing and welcome change, with over 360 customers served per day.

It took Bowyer’s team six years of planning and work to transform the idea behind the social enterprise into a reality. The eatery and exchange is now a sustainable not-for-profit business, buoyed by their pay-it-forward button bank system. At 541, these buttons are a form of currency, each valued at $1, which can be purchased from the cashiers and used by those who cannot afford food or drink.

“I love the concept of the things that they do here. If I don’t have money I can come in and take up to four buttons and get myself something to eat. When I do have money, I like to be able to hand that in and donate,” said Phil, a local resident and regular customer of 541.  “This has been an uplift for the neighborhood. I wish that there was a little bit of this everywhere.”

541, as a registered charity, is also using its space as well as the proceeds from food sales to hold educational initiatives for the community. 541 manager Miranda Crockett explained that a homework club, health classes for mothers, and financial planning workshops are currently being developed. All of these initiatives are open to the public, regardless of people’s background.

For their volunteers, many of whom are regular customers, 541 also offers resume-building opportunities, comprising of culinary, custodial, and hospitality skills training.

Bowyer and his team believe that what they have done at 541 is a reproducible model, which they will share and facilitate with others.

“Organizations are realizing that we can do a for-benefit business, and make it sustainable. It’s working.”

Temperatures have risen, the undergraduate HSR pass has expired and now we’re left to figure out a cheap way to get around. Walking limits you to either a short radius or painful blisters and $2 (with a presto) for the HSR adds up quickly. I ventured out to get a bike for the short trips within town and the longer eighteen kilometre commute I would have to do from the GO bus stop to my work. Until you go to buy your own bike, you never quite realize how expensive bikes are. Road bikes can cost upwards of $300, sometimes going into the thousands. Even most of the used road bikes on Kijiji were over $200.

As always, my mind drifted towards do-it-yourself and I found a cheap bike on Kijiji in rough shape but with a perfect frame and wires for $50 but needed somewhere to get parts and/or labour cheap. After talking to a few enthusiasts, I discovered New Hope Commuity Bikes, a not-for-profit charity in Hamilton aiming to educate, advocate, teach new skills, and provide affordable means for people to get around while staying active.

“We take donated bikes and refurbish them. We also teach people how to fix their own bikes and provide a space where they can do that. When you have a bike you want to work on, we will give you access to space and tools and we will help you along the way”, says manager Andrew Hibma, who has been with the shop since its second year.

Used parts at New Hope are $5 and new parts start at a fraction of the cost at a bike shop in the Hamilton or Toronto area. Refurbished bikes start at $150 in perfect condition.

“We’re one of the few places that you can come to if you need a repair but can’t afford new parts. We can usually do it for less than half the price, even less if you want to put in some sweat equity and do some manual labour yourself,” said Hibma.

For $60, I got two new tires, two new tubes, two new brake pads and they even did it for me. If you take the opportunity to learn how to fix your bike yourself, you can rent tools from zero to ten dollars an hour, on a sliding scale. If you just need the tools and the space without instruction, you can rent tools from zero to five dollars an hour.

Walking in there with a bike that warranted laughter from the staff and pictures taken of my tires that had exploded, I didn’t know what to expect. As soon as I walked into the shop, I was immediately greeted. A selection of bikes lined the front room, the workshop was upstairs, and the customer repairs were downstairs. A week later, I had a functional bike that is going to end up saving me a ton of money this summer and reduce my carbon footprint.

The only thing needed now is for Hamilton to improve its roads for bikers. There are only a few bike lanes and motorists don’t like to share the road. The bike culture is improving though, even avid cyclist Hibma agreed. New Hope educates the community on safe cycling, hoping that both motorists and cyclists can learn how to get along on the road.

“[The bike culture in Hamilton] is growing, but it’s nowhere near where it should be. I think there’s a lot of mindsets we need to get past with drivers and cyclists. It’s too much ‘us versus them’ mentality. As more cyclists take the road, it will become more commonplace and people will get used to it. It’s no different from [driving with] construction or a bus. It’s about teaching cyclists how to ride in a manner that’s safe and predictable so drivers aren’t fearful or annoyed but at the same time drivers need to respect that cyclists have a right to be on the road to get places. I think it will improve with the bike share the city is putting in, I think that should help with developing the culture. The City is installing some bike lanes this summer too, I think that’s one very important missing link.”

Advocacy for cyclists is one of the things that sets New Hope apart from other bike shops.

“We are also one of the few shops that engage in cycling advocacy. We go to city council meetings and are almost kind of a voice for cycling.  Our main goal is education and getting more people on bikes where at a bike shop it’s almost like a secondary goal, they are a for-profit business primarily,” said Hibma.

Many in the community have taken to using New Hope as their primary bike shop and it’s easy to see why. Some have even rented out New Hope’s cargo bikes to start a business, like Jen Vanderherberg, a Hamiltonian who has started a mobile bicycle ice cream parlour named Icycles.

New Hope’s annual bike festival runs this year from June 8 to 15. Check out New Hope at 1422 Main Streeet East near Main and Kennilworth and try and find the Icycles bike.

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