Top candy sellers make big bucks during Halloween by exploiting people and the planet and our purchases are only helping them succeed
We spend over half a billion dollars on Halloween candy each year, generating big bucks for large corporations that are more frightening than the holiday itself. Child labour, unfair treatment of workers and detrimental environmental impacts are just some of the unethical practices the top winners of Halloween such as Mars, Nestle, Lindt and Hershey, participate in.
Several high-profile cases have revealed chocolate and candy manufacturers indirectly or directly benefit from forced and child labor. For example, cocoa plantations in West Africa, which supply major chocolate makers including Mars, Nestle and Hershey, have faced allegations of using child labor in hazardous conditions.
More specifically, excessive plastic packaging used by these corporations also contributes to global plastic pollution crisis, especially since they often use non-biodegradable materials that end up in landfills or oceans.
The palm oil industry, frequently used in the production of chocolate products, has also been significantly associated with deforestation and habitat destruction. Many of the aforementioned companies source palm oil from unsustainable suppliers, such as those involved in illegal land clearing, further contributing to this issue.
On top of this, there have also been instances of workplace discrimination and unfair compensation among these corporations. Employees, particularly in lower-wage positions, may experience wage disparities and discriminatory practices based on their gender, ethnicity or other factors.
While we enjoy a short-lived moment of joy, indulging in the sweet treats of Halloween, these companies get away with exploiting other communities across the world, depriving individuals of their human rights.
While we enjoy a short-lived moment of joy, indulging in the sweet treats of Halloween, these companies get away with exploiting other communities across the world, depriving individuals of their human rights.
As consumers, we need to recognize that when we support these companies through our high volumes of purchases at Halloween, this choice ultimately drives their sales, profits and their ability to maintain their unethical operations into the future. Our decisions contribute to the consistent perpetuation of these business practices, and we have the power to hold these major corporations accountable.
Although creating such large-scale change seems daunting, it’s our collective efforts that matter. For one, consider doing some research into and choosing ethical brands as much as possible. Prioritize businesses with transparent and ethical practices, such as those that support fair labour, use sustainable materials and have a commitment to social responsibility/ESG.
In addition, take the opportunity to support local businesses. Opt for local costume shops, bakeries, and artisans who often maintain higher ethical and quality standards due to their smaller and community-focused scale.
To further prevent corporations from perpetuating harms, express your concerns to businesses that may be involved in these unethical practices. Consumer feedback can lead to positive change and get more people involved in supporting the greater cause.
While Halloween is meant to be an exciting break during the fall season, it is also a day to reflect on the consequences of our consumer choices.
By being conscious consumers, we can send a message to businesses that we value ethical and responsible practices. Let’s focus on enjoying Halloween with awareness and ensure that the season's treats and tricks don't come at the expense of people, the planet or our own ethical values.
By being conscious consumers, we can send a message to businesses that we value ethical and responsible practices. Let’s focus on enjoying Halloween with awareness and ensure that the season's treats and tricks don't come at the expense of people, the planet or our own ethical values.
The 2023 class of studio arts takes on intersectionality and decolonization through their graduating exhibit at the McMaster Museum of Art
From Apr. 6 to 28, SUMMA 2023: Where We Intersect will showcase the work of this year's bachelor of fine arts graduating class.
Where We Intersect: Identities, Environments, Activisms has a focus on the stories of the artists. They each created works that fall into one or more of these three realms. The media of the exhibit is made up of a large variety, including drawings, paintings, photographs, installations, printmaking sculptures, projections and sound based works. The aim of the exhibit is to exemplify the newer generation’s resilience in the face of a global pandemic, violence, environmental devastation and existential angst.
“It's a very turbulent time that we're in and I think that this work conveys a kind of a sober, but also a hopeful kind of collective inquiry into how do we cultivate resilience in these turbulent times,” said Mosa McNeilly curator of SUMMA 2023.
“It's a very turbulent time that we're in and I think that this work conveys a kind of a sober, but also a hopeful kind of collective inquiry into how do we cultivate resilience in these turbulent times,”
Mosa McNeilly, curator of SUMMA 2023
McNeilly first met with the students in January to begin preparations for the exhibit. The first meeting was dedicated time for studio arts students to consult with McNeilly on their progress on their pieces and to plan an overarching theme for the exhibit. The students came up with the title, Where we Intersect, and after consulting with them she decided on the subtitle, Identities, Environments, Activisms.
The title is a very important aspect of the exhibit. For SUMMA 2023, it was important to the artists to explore intersection and intersectionality. The students of this exhibit were aware of this concept and as they discussed their positionality within current society, the conversation sparked the finality of the theme of the exhibit.
“There's an intersectional ethic in how [the students are] seeking to understand their relationships with each other and in their analyses of how they position themselves in terms of race, place, ability, spirituality, sexual orientation, gender and ethnicity,” said McNeilly.
The students in this exhibit truly impressed McNeilly over the time she has spent working with them. She believes they took the many forms of media to accentuate their own thoughts. Moreover, she was impressed at how they all had a focus on decolonization within their work.
They each had ideas for how they wanted their work to be presented and to step away from traditional practices. It gave her hope that the future generation of artists will embrace intersectionality in their work and question their position relative to it.
“What I find compelling about this group of emerging artists is [that there is] impetus towards decolonizing . . . [The students] were not interested in conventional, formal museum aesthetics, some of them, they wanted to push against those standards of presentation,” said McNeilly.
“What I find compelling about this group of emerging artists is [that there is] impetus towards decolonizing . . . [The students] were not interested in conventional, formal museum aesthetics, some of them, they wanted to push against those standards of presentation,”
Mosa McNeilly, curator of SUMMA 2023
Five McMaster students are striking for divestment and to suspend the Cootes generator project
On Monday, McMaster Divest announced that five McMaster University students have officially begun hunger striking. The strikers are located in the MUSC atrium, where they have set up signs and posters advocating for divestment from fossil fuels.
The strike began with a rally at 11:00 a.m. on March 20. The rally featured speakers from McMaster Divest and from other community organizations, including Environment Hamilton and Grand(m)others Act to Save the Planet.
The strike began with a rally at 11:00 a.m. on March 20. The rally featured speakers from McMaster Divest and from other community organizations, including Environment Hamilton and Grand(m)others Act to Save the Planet.
Amarah Hasham-Steele, News Editor
Speakers led chants and discussed the impact that fossil fuels have on the environment.
Don McLean, representative of Hamilton 350 and an honorary degree holder at McMaster University, expressed his support for the strike. He emphasized in his speech the disproportionate impact of climate change on the Global South, highlighting that investment in fossil fuels harms the home countries of many international students.
“What the students in Mac Divest are doing is right, it’s just and it’s brave,” said McLean, in an interview with the Silhouette.
In an email to the Silhouette, McMaster University stated their commitment to a net-zero carbon campus and to divestment, but they also acknowledged that their approaches and timelines differ from McMaster Divest. The university also stated that they will be providing striking students with physical and mental health services, as well as regular checks with McMaster's Emergency First Response Team.
Dr. James Quinn, who has been a professor at McMaster since 1992, spoke at the rally about the urgency of the climate crisis, advocating for more immediate climate action.
In an interview with the Silhouette, Quinn also discussed the gas-powered generators being built at Cootes Drive, arguing that the desired result of peak-shaving could be achieved through conservation instead.
In an interview with the Silhouette, Quinn also discussed the gas-powered generators being built at Cootes Drive, arguing that the desired result of peak-shaving could be achieved through conservation instead.
Amarah Hasham-Steele, News Editor
According to Quinn, the university attempted conservation as a peak-shaving method once in 2016, shutting down air conditioning units during select peak times. This, Quinn said, negatively affected ongoing lab experiments at the time and received some negative attention.
“They didn’t do it the right way. But, in this day and age, when people understand what a climate crisis [is], if it was handled properly, it would be easy to repeat [the conservation] approach,” said Quinn.
On Mar. 15, McMaster Daily News released an article stating that McMaster has remained committed to divestment from fossil fuels and that fossil fuel companies make up 2.7 per cent of McMaster’s investment portfolio, down from 4.5 per cent in 2018.
“The university has committed to reducing the carbon exposure of our investments by 65 per cent by 2025; 75 per cent by 2030 and the rest as soon as possible after that,” reads the article.
According to a McMaster Divest Instagram post, McMaster Divest is advocating for a commitment to total divestment by 2025 and reinvestment in clean energy, with full public disclosure.
This is an ongoing story.
This article was updated to include a statement from McMaster University
For more than 70 years, the victims of environmental racism have been neglected, but mounting evidence and community-based advocacy could help propel governmental action
When I first came across the term “environmental racism”, I was puzzled by the idea of how the environment and racism coincided to cause injustice. It seemed absurd that Black, Indigenous and other racialized communities would be subject to poor environmental conditions based on the colour of their skin, but the evidence adds up.
Take for example, the African Nova Scotian community of Africville, where a hazardous open dump runs through black neighbourhoods. And that’s not all. The Black community, which lacks basic amenities such as sewage, clean water, waste disposal and emergency services is also surrounded by an infectious disease hospital, a prison and a slaughterhouse – all because local authorities did not find appropriate locations that white residents would find acceptable.
Since the 20th century, Black community members have been treated as second class citizens in their own homes, and like many other communities, they continue to fight for their right to be free from the toxicities plaguing their homes, but their needs have only been met with empty promises.
Unfortunately, the story of Africville is just one of the many horrendous examples of environmental racism in Canada. The Aamjiwnaang First Nation, often referred to as Chemical Valley, is polluted with 60 petrochemical facilities. And the Grassy Narrows First Nation continues to deal with mercury poisoning due to contaminating pipelines.
Communities that are low-income, poor, and racialized, and have been subjected to colonialism, tend to be more vulnerable [to environmental racism]. It’s much easier to engage in extraction and environmental racism over time when you have communities that [are] … seen as having less value, less worth and inferior.
Dr. Ingrid Waldron, McMaster professor in the Faculty of Humanities
Environmental racism is defined as the disproportionate siting of polluting industries, hazardous facilities, and other forms of environmental degradation in the vicinity of Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color. This practice may be intentional or unintentional but is often a result of systemic racism and other inequities.
Collectively, these toxic exposures amount to poor health outcomes. Research has revealed associations between proximity to hazardous chemicals and health conditions such as altered sexual development, breast and prostate cancer, neurological and learning disabilities, obesity, and type 2 diabetes.
Environmental racism also accounts for the exclusion of diverse perspectives in political decision-making, as well as poor urban planning, lack of recreational green spaces, inaccessibility of clean drinking water and much more within racialized communities.
In many ways, environmental racism perpetuates inequities through resource-related disparities that hinder opportunities for economic growth and development.
The proximity of hazardous sites to these communities makes them less profitable or desirable among potential investors or businesses, leading to poor job prospects and ultimately, making life unsustainable.
As a result, environmental racism directly and indirectly poses consequences for well-being including higher rates of suicide, addiction, fatalities, and mental illness.
Dr. Ingrid Waldron, McMaster professor in the Faculty of Humanities, HOPE Chair in Peace and Health and author of “There’s Something in the Water: Environmental Racism in Indigenous and Black Communities”, explained that the disproportionate placement of hazardous sites among communities of color also involves factors such as colonialism,socioeconomic status, and residence in rural regions.
“Communities that are low-income, poor, and racialized, and have been subjected to colonialism, tend to be more vulnerable [to environmental racism]. It’s much easier to engage in extraction and environmental racism over time when you have communities that [are] … seen as having less value, less worth and inferior.”, explained Dr. Waldron. “The other aspect of this issue is that [impacted communities] are in out of the way, isolated places … African Nova Scotians are very different in many ways from Black people in Toronto, Montreal, and other urban centres.”
Environmental racism is an oppressive form of structural violence hurting people across the country. Yet, the Canadian government, on multiple occasions, has refused to admit the problem, let alone address the long-standing crisis plaguing BIPOC communities.
“[Environmental racism] is a symbol of racism in this country. There [is] racism in the school system. There is racism in employment. There is racism in immigration … And Canada has a problem with admitting this issue.”, said Dr. Waldron when highlighting the importance of addressing environmental racism.
Dr. Waldron contributed to the development of Bill C-226, An Act Respecting the Development of a National Strategy to Assess, Prevent and Address Environmental Racism and To Advance Environmental Justice.
[Environmental racism] is a symbol of racism in this country. There [is] racism in the school system. There is racism in employment. There is racism in immigration … And Canada has a problem with admitting this issue.
Dr. Ingrid Waldron, McMaster professor in the Faculty of Humanities
The federal bill is currently on track to complete the third reading in the House of Commons, where it has the potential to be considered for legislation. However, the federal government has been slow to make progress, with staggered activity on the bill.
As post-secondary students pursuing an education, we have the opportunity to use our privilege to effect positive change by listening to and amplifying the voices of BIPOC communities to support their fight against this injustice.
Whether it be sending a letter to your local MP to support Bill C-226 or volunteering with community organizations dedicated to addressing environmental racism, each of us has the power to contribute to this cause in different ways shared Dr. Waldron.
Despite the failures of our government to act on environmental racism, we can step up to support the dialogue and advocacy on this issue and build momentum to push the federal government to make some real progress on the systemic inequities that have repeatedly harmed and poisoned the souls, spirits, minds, and bodies of BIPOC communities.
Green Venture’s stewardship program is devoted to supporting youth climate activists in the Steel City
C/O Emma Shemko
By: Emma Shemko, Arts & Culture Contributor
Climate anxiety is increasingly becoming a universal experience. In the face of severe climate events, there is a sense of impending doom weighing us all down. From the devastating floods in Pakistan to the wildfires in British Columbia and the degradation of Indigenous lands, many of us are beginning to wonder if we’re watching our futures go up in smoke. However, organizations such as Green Venture, a local not-for-profit, are providing ways to take action.
One way Green Venture offers youth to take action is through their stewardship program, YouthQuake. The program aims to engage youth aged 14 to 24 in leading environmental conversations and hands-on activities.
“The best way to alleviate climate anxiety is taking action and YouthQuake can be a great place to do just that,” said Heather Govender, program manager at Green Venture.
YouthQuake runs both online and in-person on the second and fourth Wednesdays of every month. Long-term commitment is not required to attend these meetings and in-person meetings take place at the EcoHouse on 22 Veevers Dr., the home base of Green Venture.
Youth are a critical component in the fight to mitigate the climate crisis. Although their concerns about climate change are often cast aside, they continue to fight, inspire and demand climate justice and young people often have far more influence on elected representatives and big corporations than older generations realize.
“I think it's important to give [youth] a platform to find and use their voices and to tell our elected representatives what they want to see if that's where things go and just learn how they can make a positive impact,” said Govender.
I think it's important to give [youth] a platform to find and use their voices and to tell our elected representatives what they want to see if that's where things go and just learn how they can make a positive impact."
Heather Govender, program manager at Green Venture
Giving youth a spotlight to express their concerns and always showing them their voices matter is one important step older generations can take to help create a healthier planet for all.
“Regardless of whether you consider yourself an environmentalist, you're completely dependent on the planet. This is where we get our food, our water. Good food to eat, clean air to breathe and clean water to drink is absolutely essential to every single person on the planet,” said Govender.
The Silhouette attended YouthQuake’s Sept. 28 meeting. Young activists—Aria Dalla Pasqua, Emelea Shaua, Isabella Goldner and Jasmine Montrichard—led a gardening activity to promote the idea of maintaining healthy forests and increasing wildlife diversity.
They practiced how to properly plant seeds to grow food from home and reduce energy consumption. They also made planter boxes intentionally designed to increase the variety of plant choices for pollinators. In previous meetings, activities and conversations were centered around gardening, supporting bee and bird populations, foraging, waste management and fast fashion.
There is lot of pressure is placed on individuals, particularly youth to change the world, but not everyone has the resources to do so. Sustainable consumer choices such as avoiding fast fashion brands, going vegan, or purchasing natural products are too expensive for many university students who are on a budget. But YouthQuake can be a great starting point for those who are new to environmentalism and want to kickstart their journey as activists.
"Remember to be forgiving of yourself. It does not rest solely on your shoulders to save the planet. We're limited by the options that are available to us,” said Govender.
"Remember to be forgiving of yourself. It does not rest solely on your shoulders to save the planet. We're limited by the options that are available to us."
Heather Govender, program manager at Green Venture
She also kindly encourages McMaster students to get involved.
“McMaster students should join YouthQuake because it is a safe, positive space to decompress and talk about whatever environmental topics are on your mind,” explained Govender.
Climate doomism doesn’t have to signify an ending. Instead, fears can be turned into positive action, through programs such as Green Venture's YouthQuake.
Ikhuiwu details his mayoral platform, focusing on the housing crisis and the importance of unity
The Silhouette sat down with mayoral candidate Solomon Ikhuiwu to discuss his platform and experience running in the upcoming municipal election.
An evangelical preacher, trained paralegal and author, Ikhuiwu is a candidate in Hamilton’s mayoral race who is excited about unifying the city and advocating for its residents.
Ikhuiwu outlined the four key pillars of his platform as integrity, affordability, environment and community. Practically, the issues Ikhuiwu highlighted as being central to his platform are addressing the housing crisis and unifying the city.
In particular, Ikhuiwu identified housing as being one of the most important issues in this election. In the past he has donated clothing to unhoused residents of Hamilton, cleaned up parts of the city for them and spent a lot of time talking to them. He expressed that these experiences have driven him to prioritize the housing crisis in his platform.
"Winter is coming and [unhoused people] don't have a place they can call home and many of them complain that the shelter system is worse than prison,” said Ikhuiwu.
Winter is coming and [unhoused people] don't have a place they can call home and many of them complain that the shelter system is worse than prison.
Solomon Ikhuiwu, Hamilton Mayoral Candidate
Ikhuiwu did not provide more details regarding his plan to address the housing crisis. In their article, CBC Hamilton noted his platform also includes developing transition programs for unhoused folks.
In terms of unifying the city, Ikhuiwu spoke about hoping to increase collaboration between different parts of the city. He did not provide further details on how this unity would be achieved.
Ikhuiwu did, however, speak about his desire to be an accessible and open mayor. Despite not having prior political experience, he believes his experiences as an author and a preacher have given him the ability to connect with many people and help them with the different circumstances of their lives, making him well-equipped for the job of mayor.
“Let me clarify that I'm not a politician. I represent the everyday, hard-working people,” said Ikhuiwu.
Finally, Ikhuiwu emphasized the importance of the student vote in this election, emphasizing that student voices matter for the path of the city. He also urged students to give Hamilton a chance, rather than rushing to leave the city upon completing their degrees.
"[Students] tell me things like I can't wait to leave the city of Hamilton, I can't wait to move somewhere else, I can't wait to take my talents to a different place because we don't want to be a part of [this city]. So, my plea to the students is: be patient with city hall. Be patient. I'm bringing change. Give us a second chance,” said Ikhuiwu.
[Students] tell me things like I can't wait to leave the city of Hamilton, I can't wait to move somewhere else, I can't wait to take my talents to a different place because we don't want to be a part of [this city]. So, my plea to the students is: be patient with city hall. Be patient. I'm bringing change. Give us a second chance.
Solomon Ikhuiwu, Hamilton Mayoral Candidate
Solomon Ikhuiwu is running for mayor in the Oct. 2022 municipal election. His candidate profile has be posted as part of a series the Silhouette is running to build student awareness about the municipal election. Candidate profiles will continue to be posted in alphabetical order over the next few weeks. Election Day is Oct. 24 and more details on how to vote can be found here.
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?
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.
“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.
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.
“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.
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.
The Holland Marsh Highway proposed by the provincial government plans to increase connectivity in the region but at the expense of the wetlands’ well-being
C/O Bryan Hanson
Plans for the Bradford Bypass, also known as the Holland Marsh Highway, is an east-west, four-lane highway between Highways 400 and 404 that has been in the works for decades. The proposed highway would connect York Region and Simcoe Country, to ease traffic congestion and support commuters from both communities. Environmental groups say that these benefits would be at the expense of the well-being of the Holland Marsh Wetlands.
Initial studies were conducted by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s. All of the studies concluded that there was a need for this type of provincial highway.
The ministry studies cited expected significant population growth in the region. An environmental assessment was conducted in 1997 and the project received approval in 2002.
The project was then shelved due to its incompatibility with the provincial A Place to Grow Act. It was not until August 2019 that the Ministry of Transportation approved its re-commencement.
The highway is one of two controversial transportation projects resurrected by the provincial government in 2019. The other was Highway 413 which was shelved by the previous Kathleen Wynne Liberal government due to similar concerns regarding its potential to harm the surrounding natural environment.
The Ford government sought to fast-track these developments by exempting them from the Environmental Assessment Act. It has also recently been reported that there are nearby large expanses of real estate owned by eight of Ontario’s most powerful land developers.
Half of these developers — which include John Di Poce, Benny Marotta, Argo Development and Fieldgate Homes and the Cortellucci, DeGasperis, Guglietti and De Meneghi families — are connected to the Ford government through former members of the party or current officials. Most have donated a great deal of money — at least $813,000 — to the Progressive Conservative party since 2014.
The Bradford Bypass had and continues to have strong support from municipalities, which have grown substantially over the past four decades. These areas are expected to continue to grow in the future.
"For decades, commuters in York Region and Simcoe County have been demanding a connecting link . . . The Bradford Bypass will bring relief to drivers, support development in York Region and Simcoe County and bolster Ontario's economy following this pandemic,” said Natasha Tremblay, a spokesperson for Ontario Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney, in a statement to the CBC.
While the main benefits of the highway will be less traffic congestion and the connection of York Region and Simcoe Country, supporters of the project have pointed to its economic benefits, particularly as part of the province’s economic recovery from the pandemic.
The project will generate a number of jobs during its construction. Once completed, it would further support the creation of more local jobs by connecting communities to major job centres in the Greater Toronto Area and encouraging more business within the area.
However, the Holland Marsh Highway would pave over the provincially significant wetlands. It would impact endangered species, migratory birds, aquatic life and generate significant groundwater contamination.
“Lake Simcoe is stressed by development impacts, salt from the expanding road network and excess nutrients already. Historically, the Holland Marsh filtered pollutants from the waters that flowed into the lake. It is extremely sensitive and a wholly inappropriate place to put a highway,” said Claire Malcomson, the Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition's executive director in an interview with Barrie Today.
Local groups, including the Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition, have consistently voiced their concerns about the project and called on the government to reconsider, at the very least, conducting a more up-to-date environmental assessment.
Student organizations on campus, including Mac Climate Advocates and McMaster Outdoor Club, also have similar concerns about the project and its impact on the marsh.
“So because it's been in the works for quite a while, [because of] the connectivity issues, I think the actual standards that they've been using to conduct these assessments is probably even older [than the initial 1997 assessment]. As mentioned before, just to reiterate, so much has changed in the last 30 years or so,” said Vidushi Saxena, co-president of Mac Climate Advocates.
Students also raised concerns about how the construction of this project might encourage urban sprawl and new housing development, further damaging the wetlands and its impact on farms in the area. Holland Marsh is considered a significantly productive specialty crop agricultural area.
“[The highway] will encourage housing developments in rural areas and that will damage wetlands and farms and those are two things that have been really important throughout the pandemic . . . Having local agriculture is super important to climate change and it's been important throughout the pandemic because it's more affordable to transport food locally,” said Jenn Cross, the other co-president of Mac Climate Advocates.
Additionally, Cross noted that given the rise of remote work due to the pandemic that many have noted is likely to continue, it is possible that the need for such a highway is no longer quite as high.
“There'll always be a reason to go through with [projects such as the Holland Marsh Highway] but we have to be sure that we're looking at it holistically, looking at the big picture and recognizing the significant consequences that might arise . . . There is always an alternative as well” said Saxena.
“There'll always be a reason to go through with [projects such as the Holland Marsh Highway] but we have to be sure that we're looking at it holistically, looking at the big picture and recognizing the significant consequences that might arise . . . There is always an alternative as well.”
Vidushi Saxena, co-president of Mac Climate Advocates
Madeleine Hayes, the environmental coordinator for McMaster Outdoor Club, also stressed the importance of students being aware of developments and projects such as this highway.
“I think it’s important for students to get involved . . . There are students from that area too, right? The more you get involved in local [advocacy], the more — globally — different things are going to happen, right? Because that's how change happens, a little bit at a time. So by bringing attention to local issues like this, I think it really makes a difference,” explained Hayes.
A week of sustainability focused events from the MSU
Last week, the McMaster Students Union held an online event series to encourage students to pay more attention to and recognize sustainability issues. From Oct. 25 to 30, McMaster Earth Week was a week of various sustainability-themed activities.
This event was hosted by the MSU, but involved other campus and community organizations such as Nature at McMaster, the Student Sustainability Ambassadors Program, McMaster Veggie Club, McMaster Academic Sustainability Programs Office and Trees for Hamilton.
Starting off the week, McMaster Veggie Club ran a meatless Monday event on their Instagram page. The club said meatless Monday is an event series that they will be hosting once a month. For the event, a representative from McMaster Veggie Club shared a meatless recipe via their Instagram story. This week, the recipe was a meatless chilli.
On Tuesday, the MSU hosted a virtual tree planting event. This event was in collaboration with the SUSTAIN 3S03 Implementing Sustainable Change course’s solitary bees and tree planting student groups, as well as Facility Services.
As an experiential learning course, SUSTAIN 3S03 asked community members to pitch project ideas on the first night of class. The projects that they eventually work on are their focus for the rest of the semester.
Callum Hales and Crystal Zhang are students of the Solitary Bees and Tree Planting student project groups respectively. Both Hales and Zhang’s groups collaborated on this event to increase the biodiversity of plant species and the number of solitary bees on campus.
Unlike honey bees or bumble bees, solitary bees are not aggressive and they do not produce honey. However, they are excellent pollinators. Hales and Zhang’s student group works to educate the McMaster and Hamilton community about solitary bees as well as inspire initiatives such as this one.
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Following the initiation of the Solitary Bees Project in 2019, 50 bee boxes are now posted around the university campus. With this event, native plant species are planted around the posts and Hales and Zhang expressed that the plants can help to support the bees.
Last year, 80 trees were planted on McMaster Sustainability Day in October. This year, a total of 100 trees were planted. In addition to the student groups, the tree planting was facilitated by Trees for Hamilton, Nature at McMaster, and Facility Services.
Due to the ongoing pandemic, the event could no longer encourage volunteers from the community to participate. Hence, the Grounds Department of Facility Services at McMaster handled the tree planting, while Abbie Little, community relations coordinator of the Academic Sustainability Programs Office, overlooked the event.
Other events included a nature bingo game on Wednesday, an eating seasonally and locally talk on Thursday morning, a sustainable art night on Thursday night and an autumn earth hour on Friday.
The nature bingo event asked participants to seek out specific items outdoors and complete a bingo card to be entered within a draw at the end of the week.
Thursday morning, in collaboration with McMaster Hospitality Services, Wellness and Sustainability Manager and Registered Dietitian, Liana Bontempo, shared a video about reasons why people should buy food locally.
Bontempo noted that buying local foods can mean great variety, cheaper and fresher produce as well as the ability to support local farmers.
Although not the first sustainability focussed initiative that McMaster has held, this is the first time the MSU is holding Earth Week. In planning for this event, Little said that the team considered how students are dealing with the pandemic.
“We know that 2020 has been a strange year and that it could be a tough time for students with midterms and adjusting to online school, so we wanted to encourage students to get outside, think about the food they eat, the nutrients they get, relax with some fun crafts and switch off their power, lights and laptop to conserve energy and unwind,” Little explained.
“We know that 2020 has been a strange year and that it could be a tough time for students with midterms and adjusting to online school, so we wanted to encourage students to get outside, think about the food they eat, the nutrients they get, relax with some fun crafts and switch off their power, lights and laptop to conserve energy and unwind,” Little explained.
Correction: Dec. 1, 2020
A previous version of this article wrote that SUSTAIN 3S03 course asked "students" to pitch project ideas, rather than "community members". This has now been fixed.
Correction: Nov. 23, 2020
A previous version of this article misstated the names of two participants. The article has now been corrected and The Silhouette regrets the error.
Graphic by Elisabetta Paiano/ Production Editor
The threat of climate change was made clear by the fires that spread across Australia earlier this year. Heat waves and drought caused bush fires that permanently altered the country’s landscape, which were made at least 30 per cent worse by the impacts of climate change.
Australia’s devastating fires are only an early example of the consequences of the climate crisis. Although, across the world, Hamilton has its own possibilities for disaster. In November it came to light that 24 billion litres of sewage spilled into Chedoke Creek from 2014 to 2018, which the city kept hidden despite possible impacts on the local environment and residents.
In addition to the Chedoke Creek contamination, the city was charged in late 2019 to clean up toxic chemicals that had been seeping into local waterways. The city-owned John C. Munro International Airport had years-old chemicals in surrounding soil which leached into nearby water during wet weather. The spills make it clear that Hamilton needs to be prepared for the environmental impacts of climate change, especially flooding, which will become the city’s main concern along with extreme heat.
Rising temperatures bring the possibility for droughts. Conversely, increased precipitation could lead to flooding, rising lake levels and could negatively impact shoreline erosion.
Hamilton also has to worry about greenhouse gases, which are largely produced in the city by burning fossil fuels, transportation and industry. In 2018 the city committed to five points of action which include creating a greenhouse gas emissions inventory and an emissions reduction target.
In March 2019 Hamilton declared a climate emergency along with hundreds of other municipalities across Canada. Along with the declaration, the city committed to a climate vulnerability and risk assessment, which has yet to be completed. In December 2019 city councillors approved a climate action plan, but they have yet to include any deadlines or costs associated with the project.
One important change is that the city will try to apply a climate lens to future actions. According to Kate Flynn, the acting director at the centre for climate change management at Mohawk College, the city is using a climate lens to prevent some of the worst effects of climate change and adapt to impacts we can’t avoid. For example, when the city makes an infrastructure improvement, they must consider the future environmental impact of chosen supplies and processes.
Flynn also pointed out that infrastructure changes are necessary to prepare for climate change, specifically in transportation and public works. She noted that over time Hamilton will be at risk for increased precipitation which would lead to flooding and harm water quality, so updates to city infrastructure and residential homes are necessary to avoid damages.
“I think one of the things that's really important to dispel is this myth that Canadians are going to be okay,” said Flynn, “the thing about climate change is that it's a global issue, but the effects of it are going to be hyperlocalized.”
“I think one of the things that's really important to dispel is this myth that Canadians are going to be okay [. . .] the thing about climate change is that it's a global issue, but the effects of it are going to be hyperlocalized.”
While the economic and physical effects of climate change are becoming more of a concern for the city, the social impacts are still largely overlooked. Caitlin Thompson and Joann Varickanickal, volunteers with Climate Ready Hamilton, a community organization, stressed the importance of social cohesion for disaster preparedness.
Thompson and Varickanickal suggested that students get to know their fellow community members and think about how vulnerable populations, like elderly, homeless and low-income community members, will be disproportionately impacted in times of climate crisis. One project CRH worked on sought to map out spaces open to the public for food and shelter in times of disaster. If a heat wave occurred, vulnerable residents without air conditioning could find a place to cool down through the community-sourced resource hub.
Beyond cases of climate disaster, CRH also works to help communities improve the environmental conditions brought on by local pollution.
“Look at communities that are in the industrial core . . . we know that they have poor air quality, but a lot of people in those neighborhoods don't know that they can work together and you can report those things to the government . . . part of this project now can be going into neighborhoods and supporting neighborhoods and understanding their rights,” said Thompson.
Thompson and Varickanickal also noted the importance of preparing a 72 hour kit.
“If there's a massive emergency . . . aid will begin [about] 72 hours after,” said Thompson. “Basically you need to be able to be prepared and stay okay by yourself for 72 hours because you may not get help.”
According to the city of Hamilton website, residents should prepare a 72 hour supply of food and water, along with a “go bag” with items like a first aid kit, blankets and more.
Preparing for 72 hours only works in case of an emergency, but we have to prepare for a future where climate disaster is a regular part of our lives. According to the Centre for Climate and Emergency Solutions, climate resilience is a framework for thinking about climate change and our ability to prepare for, and bounce back from, climate-related disaster. Climate resilience accounts for the irreversible damage already done to our climate, along with possibilities for mitigating some of the worst effects we could see in the future. Flynn noted that climate resilience isn’t only about infrastructure, but also how we can improve our social systems to better support one another through the impacts of climate change.
“If you're talking about climate resilience, well we should be talking about resilience in other ways too? Like making sure . . . everyone has access to good food no matter what happens, right? So it's kind of a framework for thinking through solutions through the lens of equity,” said Flynn.
Despite possibilities for climate resilience, the state of climate change is dire and sometimes frightening. Flynn reflected on how she continues to work in climate change management despite the cataclysmic effects on the climate.
“I think why people are like, how do you get out of bed every day and think about climate change? And I'm like, because believe it or not, there's so many opportunities within climate change to just like do all the things that we've always thought about doing, but never really prioritized. There's no more excuses,” said Flynn.
"There's so many opportunities within climate change to just like do all the things that we've always thought about doing, but never really prioritized. There's no more excuses."
Hamilton will face unique challenges from climate change that the city will have to manage. To create a climate resilient city, community members will have to come together to care for one another. Whether it’s creating a 72 hour kit or a map of resources, knowing who needs help in your community and how will be integral.
