Tag: COVID-19

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News

Breaking News: Premier Franḉois Legault announces Montreal is now in “red zone”

With 797 new cases confirmed on Saturday, the city goes into high alert

 

Montreal, Quebec City and Chaudière-Appalaches have been placed in the “red zone,”  the highest-risk zone for COVID-19. New restrictions will be put into place as soon as Thursday September 30, and will last until October 28. Restrictions are subject to be extended if necessary.

Legault announced this change only a week after placing these high-risk areas in the orange zone, the second-highest alert level.

“The situation has become critical, the number of cases are rising. If we don’t want our hospitals to be submerged, if we want to limit the number of debts, we must act strongly now,” the premier said.

The new restrictions are as follows:

  • Dining rooms and patios in restaurants will be closed.
  • Theatres, cinemas, and other similar public places will be closed.
  • In red zones, places of worship will be open, but only 25 people will be allowed inside at any given time.
  • Social distancing measures will be enforced when outside. When within two meters of other people, masks must be worn.

These measures hope to slow down the second wave, and allow schools, workplaces and our health care system to stay afloat for as long as possible.

Hospitals appear to be feeling this second wave, with 37 people already in intensive care units due to the vicious virus.

Categories
Sports

Stingers preparing for an uncertain season

Olivier Simon is among the Stingers athletes who changed his university plans for 2020–21 because of COVID-19

When Concordia University announced its closure from March 16 to 30, 2020 as a precaution against the spread of COVID-19 in Quebec, we were far from where we are today.

We’ve known since Sept. 14 that university football and rugby won’t have a season this year. As other winter and indoor sports are still waiting for their fate with a Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec’s (RSEQ) announcement expected Oct. 15, athletes have been training and preparing for an uncertain 2020–21 season.

With COVID-19 cases steadily increasing, and with the fall semester proceeding online, some Concordia Stingers players have changed their plans for the upcoming school year.

Olivier Simon of the men’s basketball team is one of them. Simon, one of the team’s few fifth-year players for 2020–21, was accepted in a Graduate Diploma in Business Administration, and decided to complete just two courses per semester for fall and winter.

“We need to be full-time students to play with the Stingers,” Simon said. “I’ll therefore be full-time for the 2021–22 school year, and will be eligible to play my last season next year. I thought it was the best decision I could [make], and still think it is.”

Simon described his choice to take fewer courses now in order to possibly play later as difficult.

“It’s a big decision because I don’t want to end my career with perhaps a half-season and no tournaments,” Simon said. “Yet, it’s also a tough one, as we don’t know what the future is going to be like right now.”

It took time before the Stingers teams could start training together again in person. Simon said it’s been rough these past few months not knowing if and when they would be able to go back to the gym as a team. He said the team has been training in many places recently, without necessarily knowing what would happen with their season.

“We had workouts with our coach on Zoom throughout the [quarantine],” Simon said. “We’ve been training at the Stinger Dome for two weeks, and had the court of a high school in Saint-Laurent for about a month.”

Despite some return to normality, Simon said it’s been rough to train and keep the motivation high.

“It was difficult at first, especially not knowing when we could play again, or simply just be in the gym,” Simon said. “We now understand better that we can’t do much about it, and don’t have control over [what’s going to happen].”

 

Photo by @cmarsh.photos

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News Uncategorized

Montreal back in “orange zone” as COVID-19 cases climb

After a spike in COVID-19 cases, Montreal takes precautions

On Sunday, Health Minister Christian Dubé announced that due to the rise in COVID-19 cases — 462 on Sunday, the highest number since May — Montreal, Quebec City and other surrounding “orange zones” are being asked to respect stricter COVID restrictions.

“The number of cases is increasing, outbreaks are multiplying and our capacity to treat the sick is decreasing,” said Dubé in a press conference Sunday. This means many things for the day-to-day operations of Montrealers:

  • Indoor gatherings are limited to six people at a time, down from 10. More than six people may gather if they come from two families or less.
  • Bars and restaurants are to stop serving alcohol at 11 p.m. rather than 12 a.m., and must close at 12 a.m. rather than 1 a.m. A maximum of six people may be seated at the same table, also down from 10.
  • Outdoor gatherings are down from 250 to 50 people across most of the province. Orange zones, like Montreal, are down to 25 people.

What this means: stay home! Now is not the time for going out and catching up. Social distancing is more important now than ever if we want to avoid confinement.

Horacia Arruda, a Quebec health public officer, added at the press conference, “I don’t want to be in a bad situation (at) Christmastime because we haven’t done what we’re supposed to do.”

Graphic by @sundaeghost

Surviving the pandemic: How a local restaurant owner managed to stay afloat

JMSB student Daniel Lomanto tells us about the highs and lows of opening his own business at 23 years old

Months into the pandemic, we’ve seen its devastating effects on our economy and local businesses. Though the federal government has been scrambling to offer guidance and financial support for business owners, the sharp decrease in clientele and consumers’ continuing aversion to retail therapy has hit hard.

As COVID-19 spread, the situation evolved rapidly everywhere: within days of the announcement of the first case of the virus in Canada, the federal government announced a countrywide lock down, and Quebec ordered to close all non-essential businesses. For Daniel Lomanto, the owner of  Italian deli-grocery shop BOSSA, it was the ability to react quickly to the new measures that spared him from needing to close shop and allowed his store to flourish. Located on Wellington Street, the main artery in the borough of Verdun, the store serves a large portion of the neighbourhood; it was therefore crucial for him to adapt not only for his customers, but also to make a living with the business he is passionate about.

However, the pandemic was only one of the many adversities faced by Lomanto, who, as he opened the business at the age of 23, lost everything to a fire. In true socially distanced fashion, we discussed his store’s story over the phone, and how he was able to overcome difficult times.

EL: Tell me about when you first opened the restaurant.

DL: We opened for the first time about two and a half years ago. We chose Verdun because I’m a resident of Lasalle, and all my friends growing up were from Verdun, so it was always close to home. When I started working in restauration, four to five years ago, I was always working on Wellington Street. I always saw that there was a potential for an Italian prêt-à-manger and catering place because there was nothing in the area like that. So I got together with my mom — she’s my business partner — and we opened this place.

EL: What did opening this business mean to you?

DL: Honestly, it’s family to me. My mother’s here all the time, my grandparents come here to help. We always make all of our sauces at home. I have a pretty big garden in my backyard that they help take care of. It just brings everyone together, and I couldn’t think of a better thing for us to be doing right now.

EL: What hardships did you encounter when you first opened BOSSA?

DL: Starting a business at 23 is really hard. I was at John Molson at the time — I still am, but studying part-time — but managing, building everything up, making everything come together, and even just having people take me seriously at that young of an age, those were some of the hardships I had at the beginning.

Then, two months into opening, we had a fire: one of my freezers short-circuited overnight, causing an electrical fire, and we had to close for seven months. We renovated the place and had to settle everything with the insurance company.

EL: How did you feel?

DL: It was a very low time. But at the same time, I tried to be optimistic about things and I saw it as an opportunity to figure out what was and wasn’t working. We sort of redesigned and reorganized the entire business after the fire, so I always look at it as a blessing in disguise.

EL: How did you react when COVID first hit in March?

DL: When COVID happened a couple of months ago, we made the decision to stay open — obviously while taking precautions. But having closed for seven months the year before, I wasn’t about to close down again. We powered through and it ended up working in our favour. We were one of the only places that stayed open on the entire street, so our clientele was really happy; they were extremely grateful.

EL: Did you find that you were prepared when COVID hit?

DL: Yeah, I could say that. When the fire hit… it changes your mentality. You just want to go through with it and nothing can stop you, you’re invincible. So when COVID hit around mid-March, the second they shut the city down, people were lining up down the corner to buy our sauces, our pasta. So from then it was just we’re going straight through, we’re not stopping anymore. The fire didn’t really help us, but it did give us the drive to keep going.

We’re pretty lucky because we were always a take-out and grocery place, we never really had seats inside. Within the first couple of days, we were able to implement having two people at a time, wearing a face mask, hand sanitizers everywhere, and we put up plexiglass everywhere.

EL: How did you feel having your family help you throughout the crisis?

DL: It’s tricky, it was a bit stressful. I don’t want to say I was risking anything, but at the same time, my mom was here. I was always making sure that she was being very careful, and I had to be very careful as well.

EL: Do you have any upcoming projects for your business?

DL: We’re always trying to improve, and I definitely embrace the feedback from my clientele. They’ll sit down and talk to me and give me new ideas, so it’s a real personal relationship with all my customers. We’re constantly working on projects, but other than coming up with new menu items, it’ll have to be day-by-day for now — we’ll have to look into picking things up once everything settles.

EL: What has been the most rewarding part of owning your business?

DL: Just having fun, every day. When I walk into work, it never feels like I’m working. It’s weird to say, but it almost feels like I’m doing a big school project. There are always new things that we want to try, and even just getting customers’ opinions — it’s really fun.

 

Photos by Christine Beaudoin

Categories
Opinions

The case for cash: why turning away cash in the midst of a pandemic is a bad idea

Refusing cash payments disadvantages Canada’s most vulnerable populations

It’s an experience most of us have become accustomed to: you step into a cafe, mask on, hands freshly sanitized at the front door. You order your drink, whip open your wallet, and pull out your debit card to seal the deal. You’re playing by the rules — as you should — and this includes your decision to pay with plastic. After all, there’s a sign taped to the sheet of plexiglass separating you and your barista that reads: “TO PROTECT BOTH YOU AND OUR STAFF, PLEASE PAY WITH DEBIT/CREDIT ONLY.”

It’s no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic has led many vendors to favour card over cash in hopes of slowing the spread of the virus. For a lot of people, this transition is no big deal. We’re so used to tapping our cards and completing transactions in a matter of milliseconds that now even entering our pincodes feels like a chore, let alone counting out bills and taking back the change. Even before COVID hit, paper (or rather, polymer) money was on the outs: in a 2018 survey, a quarter of Canadian cash users reported a decrease in their usage over the previous year. Evidently, the rise of credit-rewards, online-shopping, and mobile payment technology has caused many consumers to cut down on cash, leaving their piggy banks to collect dust.

For some Canadians, however, the transition from paper to plastic isn’t so simple. According to data from the World Bank, nearly one per cent of Canadians are unbanked, meaning they’re entirely unserved by banks or similar financial institutions. Other sources, such as ACORN Canada, report that up to three per cent of the population are unbanked — that’s roughly 1.1 million people. While it’s true that opening a bank account is usually free, keeping it isn’t; most accounts charge monthly fees that, for many people, aren’t worth the added expense. Plus, opening a bank account requires sufficient identification, which thousands of homeless and precariously-homed Canadians don’t possess.

In mid-March, just as COVID’s first wave began to take off, the Bank of Canada asked vendors to continue accepting cash to avoid putting an “undue burden on those who depend on cash and limited payment options.” Despite this statement, there are still signs with dejected-looking emojis on them that read “NO CASH” taped to storefront windows, even as we reach the end of September. Although vendors, workers, and consumers are doing everything they can to keep their interactions as contactless as possible, experts say banning cash isn’t necessary. According to the experts, handling bank notes is no riskier than touching other surfaces such as doorknobs, handrails, and the buttons on debit machines. As long as appropriate safety measures are respected following the use of cash, such as thorough handwashing, it’s considered a socially responsible way to spend money.

The barriers preventing vulnerable populations from achieving security and stability are endless, and putting up another barrier will only further escalate these inequalities. For too many, the freedom to pay cash isn’t a choice, but a means of survival. If you’re able to choose debit or credit, then by all means, do. But if you’re someone with the power to refuse or accept a bank note, it might be time to change your mind about change.

 

Graphic by Lily Cowper

Categories
News

Anti-mask protest or freedom conspiracy rally?

They’re protesting their displeasure about COVID-19, but it seems like there’s more than meets the eye.

Thousands of people gathered on Sept. 12 in downtown Montreal to share their displeasure with the Quebec government’s handling of the COVID-19 virus.

One of the largest anti-COVID-19 restrictions protests in Montreal to date started outside Premier François Legault’s office. At its peak, the estimated 8000 person crowd spanned through more than five blocks of downtown Montreal.

Protesters young and old not only attempted to share their displeasures with how the province has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, but also other issues that aren’t usually highlighted in the public spotlight.

From 5G deniers to Trump supporters to anti-vaxxers, the message was clear: in their eyes, their freedoms have been violated, and patience is wearing thin.

“Listen, it’s about free choice, I’m not against the mask, I just want us to have the right to choose whether or not we can wear it,” said Daniel Klein, one of the protestors.

“If you’re at risk or scared, put a mask on. But for kids, where we have seen no deaths in that age group in Quebec, there shouldn’t be a reason for them to be wearing a mask,” said Klein.

Few people were willing to be interviewed on the record, as the majority did not want to be questioned, especially from journalists.

With every thud of the drums and tap of the tambourines, the crowd loudly chanted “Liberté,” which echoed throughout the dense crowd of protesters. While the protesters marched down Sherbrooke Street, a countless amount of Trump and Patriotes flags waved in the wind behind them. With no masks in sight, attendees were clearly not worried about contracting or spreading the COVID-19 virus.

“When the vaccine comes out, I will not be taking it and no one can force me to take it either, I’m a free person,” said Steve, who preferred not to disclose his last name. “When it comes to the government threatening people in their own homes with these new laws, it’s unethical. It’s a small percentage! Is there a virus? Yes, there is, but there are viruses everywhere around the world that kill people that are even worse than COVID-19,” said Steve.

Many protesters were seen Saturday with QAnon signs and flags. Often distinguished by the capital letter ”Q,” QAnon is an American alt-right website promoting theoretical, non-factual and sensationalized stories. With a tacit endorsement from President Trump, the website is known to share unverified information to an absurdly wide audience. Before their admin was revealed and the website was ultimately shut down, they amassed over 10 million visitors in the month of July alone.

The march ended in front of the Radio Canada building. Speakers accused the government of exaggerating the dangers of the disease to spread fear amongst the public, as well as blowing the virus out of proportion altogether.

The most recognizable amongst the speakers was actress Lucie Laurier, known for her brief role in Bon Cop Bad Cop; she is one of the major front runners for the anti-mask movement in Montreal.

“Yes, there are people who won’t like us, and our words will bother some,” said Laurier. “We’re causing a stir because we’re telling the truth!”

On the day of the protest, Quebec public health recorded 244 new COVID-19 cases in Montreal, the highest number of new active cases in the city since June 4.

 

Feature photo by Gabriel Guindi.

Categories
Sports

Martial arts are back

Quebec allows the resumption of combat sports in gyms, with additional health measures.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is a martial arts discipline that is considered a staple in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) for its effectiveness and reliability in both grappling offence and defence. At its core, the practice involves controlling opponent posture in numerous wrestling situations, and utilizing leverage and momentum in order to minimize energy consumption.

The discipline enables high-level practitioners to neutralize much larger unskilled opponents. The best are able to turn a compromising situation into a submission (victory by way of surrender) by catching opponents in chokeholds or joint locks.

The combat sport requires constant application of techniques to instill learned concepts, and requires at least one sparring partner. As a result, public classes of up to 20 students were commonplace before the shutdown.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, martial arts gyms face unique challenges in reopening to the public. Unlike other activities that can be practiced independently, BJJ and grappling — by nature — does not adhere to social distancing protocol.

On Sept. 1, the Quebec government allowed combat sports gyms to reopen, so long as they follow public health standards. For passionate BJJ instructor and decades-long practitioner Vittia Thong, owner of the Jiu-Jitsu school Studio Momentum in Brossard, the announcement was a pleasant surprise.

When the announcement came out for weight lifting gyms to reopen earlier in the summer, the government [put] it in effect the week after,” Thong said. “I was shocked to learn that we could open the day after the announcement.”

On top of his love for BJJ, Thong is a trained kinesiologist and osteopath. During the gym’s shutdown, the facility was temporarily re-designed to better accommodate his clients seeking physical aid. Things now have to be rearranged again, a process which has already delayed the gym’s reopening by a week.

Despite the reopening announcement, there are a number of limitations that martial arts gyms must heed. Members in such clubs must train in organized bubbles of up to four people. Individuals within these bubbles train exclusively together, and cannot swap groupings without proper justification. Each member must sign a consent form acknowledging the health risks, and no more than 10 people can be in the facility at any given time.

Junior Education Minister Isabelle Charest made it clear in the announcement that reopening these institutions does not permit care-free behaviour, as combat sports are dangerous from a transmission standpoint.

Luckily, Studio Momentum’s premise is large enough to accommodate two bubbles while maintaining social distance under the latest government guidelines. Thong’s plan for the future involves expanding the gym to the studio next door for additional space that could be used for his clinical work or for BJJ classes.

I really want to expand but I think it’s most important now to be smart about the virus situation,” Thong said. “I’ve wanted to expand the business since last year, but you never know these days.”

Before the shutdown, members would attend classes on average twice a week. Thong has been working on a structure that would separate his students into bubbles that would have strict individual schedules. Each grouping will have two specific weekly time slots of classes.

Thong has also invested in training dummies that will serve as backup in the event of absences, or if a student is uncomfortable with being in close proximity to another person. While masks are highly encouraged, they can be omitted if everyone in a given bubble consents to doing so.

In theory, learning the discipline will remain the same, as the techniques and strategies taught are unaffected by these new training conditions; however, Thong believes that the biggest change will be felt in practice.

Students will build camaraderie within their own bubbles as they will continuously be training with the same partners. As a result, Thong envisions his students to pick up on each other’s habits and make the necessary adjustments. The education that comes with observing multiple people in larger varied groups will be eliminated, however.

“A student’s knowledge will expand as he or she will encounter more different experiences,” Thong said. “That’s why learning amongst 20 peers versus three is a big drop off, but we have no choice but to accept these conditions and live with the consequences.”

While the new procedures may represent a challenge at first, passionate martial artists will happily embrace this new hindered training reality after being away from their gyms for nearly six months.

 

Photo by Liam Sharp

Categories
Sports

Soccer without fans is a different game

Without spectators, the home advantage loses most of its sense

COVID-19 brought all kinds of new protocols and season rearrangements to sports leagues and associations. One of the most drastic changes for those resuming their season amidst the pandemic might be the absence of fans in the stands.

Head coach of both Concordia Stingers soccer teams Greg Sutton said players always want to do well, and having fans to watch them play makes players push themselves harder.

“I think when you add family, friends, or even students in the stands, players want to impress [more],” Sutton said. “It’s only natural, as they simply want to do well in front of others. It makes a difference for sure. It’s also an extra motivation when times are a little bit more challenging.”

Sutton added that he thinks teams playing in front of their own fans have a better chance to win, and that’s something that will never change.

“Let’s think about an important game at the end of a season, in which you know you need the victory,” Sutton said. “You want that big intimidating crowd on your side, not against you. It can be difficult to play visiting stadiums with loud crowds. There’s no such thing as the home crowd advantage. Even if you’re playing in your own stadium, it’s much less of an advantage without fans.”

Concerning the experience of playing inside what we call the “bubble,” which asks team members to avoid contact with anyone outside their team, Sutton said the challenge of playing without fans is even greater for first-year players.

“It’s a lot about the young players, who haven’t really had that experience of playing in front of fans at that level,” Sutton said. “First-year players playing their first games with their team this year … are yet to experience a game with fans of that magnitude. It would be more challenging for them, but of course also for the senior players because it’s much more enjoyable to play in front of your fans.”

Sutton said that playing well in such circumstances also depends on your professional experience. He explained that players who have been on professional teams for long enough understand the level it takes to be successful on a regular basis, even if this time they’re not playing in regular conditions. For the head coach, it’s imperative to find that extra motivation when there’s no fans.

 

Graphic by Taylor Reddam

Small Steps: learning to value time alone

Though it may seem counterintuitive, forced isolation can help you realize how good spending time alone can be

Throughout my life, there have been many things I learned so late that I kick myself for never doing earlier. There are even more things I have yet to learn. In this new column, I plan on exploring the importance of these changes and asking myself why it took so long to get to the modicum of maturity I currently have.

In my teen years, I was painfully extroverted. Not in the sense that I was loud or especially outgoing — but in the true sense of the word extrovert: I gained all my energy from being around my friends. If I didn’t have some sort of social engagement at least once per weekend I would start to go a little bit insane. I didn’t understand how to use my spare time, and the thought of being stuck in my bedroom on a Friday night made me feel like a social failure. Not that whatever a 17-year-old could do in suburban Virginia would be all that thrilling anyway, but at that time, anything was better than trying to entertain myself for a night.

So why, for so many years, did the idea of spending extended time alone scare me so much? Years of untreated anxiety disorders? Well yes, but we can put a pin in that one. But I think in a more “big picture” sort of way, I valued my time in relation to others, not on my own terms. When you’re so worried about what other people are doing, it’s easy to forget to listen to your body’s alerts that you’re overstimulated or that you need some time alone.

Breaking the cycle of fear-of-missing-out or “FOMO” dictating my behavior came slowly with age and then rapidly with COVID-19, the great social-life equalizer. During COVID, especially in the beginning of lockdown, most of us had no choice but to stay home and entertain ourselves. At first, lockdown hit me with the realization that everything I did for fun involved going outside and socializing — going to bars, shows, or restaurants. But soon, it made me realize how much I had been craving time just alone with my thoughts.

Sometimes it takes a major outside force to make you realize you’ve been ignoring shifts and changes in your personality all along. Spending a lot of time alone made me realize that I had just been running away from spending time with myself, and that’s a skill that I’ll need to continue building up. Over the past months, I’ve been able to gain an appreciation for solitude as a time to reconnect with my emotions, assess my goals, and process my week. It’s an ongoing process, but I’ll pin it as a COVID highlight of sorts.

 

Graphic by Taylor Reddam

Categories
Student Life

Concordia, I love you, but you’re bringing me down

Concordia’s new online system glosses over student needs

Concordia is asking students to invest in a community which has largely abandoned lofty goals of equitable access, in favour of a new remote model which fails to meet student needs.

When the pandemic began, I didn’t have a lot of time on my hands, and I certainly didn’t have a lot of resources to manage my mental health. I was working part-time as a barista near campus, attending school full-time, and struggling to balance a relationship and extracurriculars on top of it all. I honestly hadn’t heard about COVID-19 until it came up in a class discussion about whether we would be transitioning to online classes. To say it was a wake-up call is an understatement.

In the months that followed, I would lose my barista job, end my relationship, my internship would be cancelled, and plans for a summer directed study with my favourite professor would disappear with the melting snow. My life, previously entirely defined by school, my work, and my relationships with my peers and mentors, has completely changed; and I’m not the only one. COVID-19 has had far reaching impacts on every aspect of life, including the mental health of staff and students alike.

Concordia has made a lot of promises since the pandemic hit, jumping into action with a public relations response that has left many feeling disappointed with the reality of online classes as the fall semester begins. Access has become a positive buzzword that many universities have been utilizing to frame this transition to digital learning — but what is access, really?

Access can be understood as the absence of barriers; it is active in its commitment to enabling success through resolving conflicts with diverse strategies. What does access look like in an academic institution? This is a question universities have been struggling to address since long before the pandemic began.

Concordia has always had issues with creating access. Concordia’s Access Centre for Students with Disabilities (ACSD) is designed to aid this problem, but there are barriers to the average student’s ability to become registered with the centre. The ACSD requires official documentation for medical conditions, mental health conditions, attention deficit disorder, and learning disabilities. Many Concordia students come from outside of the province or country, and do not have access to their family doctor. Students are encouraged to use Health Services, but wait times create barriers to getting the assistance and support they need. In an emergency, students can pay out of pocket to visit a local doctor, but that creates an additional financial barrier to getting the support needed.

I am lucky to have had a diagnosis for my mental illnesses before coming to Concordia, and registering with the ACSD was relatively easy. The ACSD guarantees a certain level of support and protection, but the process of registering, on top of struggling with school work and the additional stress of being in crisis can create additional inhibitors to success. While the university continues to pilot programs intended to support students, they do not have the capacity to support the sheer number of students that require assistance. I fear for the possibility of how students will be impacted by this lack of mental health resources, and the ways in which remote learning will absolve Concordia’s responsibility to student’s mental health.

Administrative response to the rising pressure to reduce tuition fees and address issues of fiscal access was the introduction of Concordia’s COVID-19 Student Emergency Relief Fund. Concordia invested $1 million to create this fund, though, given the university had 46,000 students in the 2019-2020 annual year, this would be equivalent to roughly $21.74 per student. The school is encouraging donations from the community to support this fund, while the university president receives a salary equivalent to the Prime Minister of Canada.

The official administrative response to general inquiry into the preservation of regular tuition fees is that remote courses are being designed to “the highest possible pedagogical standards” and that students will have access to academic advising and one-on-one mentoring, resources which were available prior to COVID-19.

Remote access is theoretically liberating, but the reality of virtual learning is much more complex than what the university administration is addressing. How are students with inadequate access to wifi supposed to access course materials? How is Concordia supporting the many students who cannot afford rent and no longer have a designated learning space? What about parents struggling to manage the responsibilities of their own education while homeschooling their children? What is Concordia doing to incorporate these access needs into the university’s “high pedagogical standards?”

Myself, like a number of other students, considered not returning to school this year. I considered the possibility of taking time off from school, focusing on work, but unfortunately this is not a reality I can afford; I do not have a choice. Concordia is reliant on students like me to continue enrolling so that the school can pay its necessary fees and salaries. I’d be happy to continue contributing to supporting my community, if only I felt more valued rather than a resentful prisoner to the new order of things. It’s possible to have successful remote learning, but the plans put forward by Concordia do not warrant the claim of “accessibility” that the administration is purporting.

 

Graphic by Rose-Marie Dion @the.beta.lab

Categories
Arts

Les Encans de la quarantaine: from small project to big success

A collective shows how beneficial it is to support local artists

It all started as a small initiative to provide local artists with a source of income during the pandemic. Now, les Encans de la quarantaine has become something bigger. The outcome was unexpected.

Sara A. Tremblay, a Concordia alumna who graduated in Photography in 2014, launched the initiative in late March. The initiative is a virtual platform that promotes works from Canadian-based artists and offers a source of income to them by connecting them to potential buyers. When the project began, Tremblay looked for artists that wished to sell their artwork; it instantly became a success. Tremblay has received many artworks since the opening of the collective. Many came from artists attending universities, like Pardiss Amerian, an Iranian-Canadian visual artist who is currently completing her Master’s in Fine Arts at Concordia.

“I was constantly overwhelmed by the size of the collective. It became bigger than I thought,” Tremblay said.

Although Tremblay resides in the Eastern Townships, she was able to connect with Montreal’s artistic community easily online. Since the beginning, Tremblay has been working on the collective remotely with other members that reside in Montreal.

“It’s great to be able to work with the artistic community of Montreal and not live in the city,” continued Tremblay.

Little by little, Tremblay found people who would be willing to help her manage the collective. Tasks include drafting press releases, helping conceptualize the initiative, and managing the collective’s Facebook page and Instagram account. At first, applications were sent to her personal Facebook account. Instead, she redirected applicants to an email linked to the collective.

Over the course of the summer, lots of work started to pile up on Tremblay’s desk. In response to the collective’s growth, Tremblay decided to register the collective as a non-profit organization. She has an advisory committee from the artistic community to guide her with grant applications, and is in the process of creating an administrative council.

Since July 13, the collective has asked for a contribution of between $20 and $30 from both artists and buyers after each time a piece is sold to help fund the collective.

“That gives us a little money,” Tremblay  said. “It’s not much for now, but eventually we will be raising funds.”

As a result of the first call for applications, 425 artworks were received, of which 275 were selected. The collective took up the challenge of selling 96 per cent of the works chosen from the first callout. Most artists have many artworks, which gives them a chance to reach a wider audience.

For the second call for artworks, Tremblay wants to attract more of an audience of seasoned collectors, and will do so by increasing the quality and maintaining a tighter selection of works.

“The success that the initiative has generated proves that it was necessary to distribute, for free, the work of artists who are not represented by art galleries,” said Tremblay. “At first, we did present the work of artists that were already represented, but we had to clarify our mandate to not interfere with art galleries. Now, we represent independent artists that can be spotted by galleries.”

Tremblay will be teaching an introductory digital photography course at the University of Sherbrooke this fall and will participate in an online residency project called 3 fois 3 from le Centre d’exposition de l’Université de Montréal on Instagram. In order to stabilize her other projects, she has delegated some of the collective to other members of the team.

“My purpose is to promote artists that don’t yet have a platform. This can be a first step for them,” she said. “The people who follow us on social media have an interest in discovering new talents. Not all of the artists are new in showing their artworks, but they may not be represented by an art gallery. My team and I circulate art and that’s my goal.”

Les Encans de la quarantaine’s second call for applications is open until Wednesday, Sept. 30.

 

Photo credit: Pardiss Amerian

Back to school: How to trick your brain into being okay

In case you’re waking from a mirage, we’re in a global pandemic. Here are some tips to train your brain into navigating this new semester.

Welcome new and returning students to all of the hopeful back-to-school energy, the seasonal start-of-term jitters, and the wonderful opportunity to learn!

Reflecting on my life, I feel deeply grateful in this moment, for the millions of instances of good luck and hard work that have led me to pursuing my degree, where I’m learning skills and life lessons that will fulfill and nourish me. All is well and I am safe.

This sentiment may feel like a bit of bullshit considering everything that’s going on — a literal pandemic, remote learning, social distancing and isolation, in case you forgot  —  but it’s a useful bit of bullshit. Repeat an affirmation of gratitude to yourself, like the one you just read, and you will slowly trick your brain into being happier, according to neuropsychologist Dr. Rick Hansen. The technique is called “hardwiring happiness” and it operates by undermining the negative bias that our brains create, where the brain remembers negative experiences more readily than positive ones. You can counteract this negative bias by developing a “gratitude practice” like doing meditations grounded in all of the things going right in your life, or keeping a journal of the things you’re grateful for.

Coming back to school, things are going to be “different if not difficult,” according to Dr. Yaniv Elharrar, psychologist at the West Island Therapy & Wellness Centre. “Different if not difficult” sounds like 2020 summed up in a jingle.

If you want some more tips on how to “get your shit together, Carol,” read on.

According to Dr. Elharrar, if you want to combat anxiety, depression, distraction, isolation, and create a home advantage to learning remotely, make a plan. Give yourself a period of trial and error, and don’t get down on yourself for messing up. It’s about getting to know yourself  —  how you work best, where you work best, when you work best — and organizing your schedule to suit your needs.

Everyone’s different, so you need to do what works for you. However, generally speaking, while the portions may vary person-to-person, the ingredients in your routine should include consistent exercise, healthy eating, an early bedtime, and a social life.

I know it’s nothing less than cliché, but exercise! It will trick your body into all types of good feelings.

“Exercising in the morning actually kick starts your body so it helps you get earlier rest,” says Dr. Jade-Isis Lefebvre, psychologist and yoga instructor at Concordia University.

“Cardio exercise is good for long-term health,” adds Dr. Lefebvre. “After a cardio-based exercise, your focus actually increases.” To sum it up, students can focus better in their windowless apartment that smells like hot sushi if they just do a bit of cardio first.

Plus, if you want to improve focus and concentration long-term, yoga and breathing exercises will help practice the “mind skill that can transition to your daily life,” says Dr. Lefebvre.

So, in case you need a cue card summary of this information, yoga equals long-term focus. Cardio equals short-term focus. Love it. Next.

If you’re looking for a quick fix, there are some subtle cues you can give your body to focus, according to Dr. Lefebvre. “Just pressing your hands on your knees and extending your arms straight,” will ground you in the moment and keep you activated in class.

Now that focus is covered, how can students trick the stress away, too?

“Breath (sic) can help you deactivate the stress response in your body,” says Dr. Lefebvre. You can do it while you’re at your desk. “Inhale bringing your shoulders up towards your ears and then roll them back and down. That’s a really good way to open up your chest and get into your body and remind you that you’re here in the moment.”

Anxiety is a survival-based stress response. In order to reduce your stress, you need to communicate to your body that you’re not under attack, because your body is listening. This next tip will teach you how to speak the language of the body.

Techniques called soothing breath and soothing touch are great ways to disarm your stress response and speak to your body.

“Soothing touch is when you put your hands on a specific spot on your body. You can hold your hands on your cheeks, put your hands in a hug around you, put your hands on your heart,” says Dr. Lefebvre. “One of the ways that is less obvious is if you just cross your hands together and lay them on your lap.”

Soothing breath is when you bring a conscious attention to your breath and just slow it down and deepen it. My personal favourite mantra to support a soothing breath is “in deep, out slow.” These cues subconsciously tell your body you are not under attack. By consistently practicing this, you give your body the sense that it is safe on a biological level.

Now, as long as I’m living, I’m breathing all day every day. Might as well mix in some slow breaths, maybe even a deep one for kicks, sure. With all that said and done, if I don’t plan my schedule so that it’s both flexible and disciplined, I’m just not maximizing my potential to learn and achieve. The thing about a plan is that it needs goals, and goals need to be informed by your personal values. This is as good a time as any to take a look at the values presently dictating your goals.

Research shows that you are more likely to stick to your daily routine if it is realistic, fun, and something you look forward to. It will unlikely be any of these things if you don’t consider what your values are, and what motivates you. Start by identifying what is “really meaningful to you,” says Dr. Lefebvre. Ask yourself what matters most, then orient your goals in this direction.

But with all these tricks down pat, the thing we have to keep in mind is that we’re in this together. Hold on, we got this. Also go outside. Your place smells like hot sushi.

 

Graphic by Taylor Reddam

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