Plante and Coderre talked construction, Montreal 375 spending and Bill 62
Montreal mayoral candidates Denis Coderre and Valérie Plante faced off on Monday in the campaign’s only English-language debate.
The Oct. 23 debate was organized and hosted by CJAD, CTV Montreal and the Montreal Gazette at Concordia’s Oscar Peterson Hall. Host and moderator Leslie Roberts presented the candidates with questions based on those submitted to each outlet by Montrealers.
Roberts first asked the candidates how they planned to ease the burden placed on Montrealers by construction. Incumbent Mayor Coderre said his administration’s investment of more than $21 billion in infrastructure over 10 years is “short-term pain, long-term gain,” and “a necessary approach that we have to do for the future generation.”
Plante—the leader of Projet Montréal—criticized what she called “a lack of organization, coordination and communication” in construction projects. She said the city needs a “quality squad” to ensure projects are done properly and efficiently.
Both candidates promised compensation for business owners who have been negatively affected by construction.
On the topic of public transport, Plante said her proposed pink metro line from Lachine to Montreal North could transport up to 250,000 people per day. Coderre said the light rail system, the Service rapide par bus (SRB) and an extension of the blue metro line are better transit alternatives.
Mayoral candidate Valérie Plante spoke in favour of her proposed metro line at the English-language debate on Oct. 23. Photo by Alex Hutchins
Coderre later responded to criticism about the pit bull legislation he introduced in 2016, saying it’s not about loving or hating dogs but “a matter of public safety.” Plante denounced the legislation, claiming breed-specific legislation creates “a false sense of security,” adding that the legislation is “not even based on science.”
The candidates were then asked about their positions on the renaming of landmarks named after controversial historical figures. Although Coderre said “there are some times where we have to take that kind of decision to recognize the bad things that happened in the past,” he also spoke out against removing John A. MacDonald’s name from buildings and landmarks, saying Canada’s first prime minister “did some great things too.”
Plante said any name changes must be undertaken by “listening, understanding history, connecting with the different communities and finding the proper place for a proper name.”
Coderre was challenged by Plante and moderator Roberts on the lack of English signage on Montreal roads and public transit. Roberts suggested the lack of English signage on Camillien-Houde Way may have contributed to the death of 18-year-old cyclist Clément Ouimet who was struck by a car making an illegal U-turn on Mount Royal on Oct. 4. In response, Coderre said the pictograms along the road were sufficient. “There’s no reason not to understand that a U-turn is illegal,” he said.
On the subject of Montreal’s 375th anniversary celebrations, Plante criticized what she called a “lack of transparency” in the way money was spent. “Right now, it is a non-profit organization that manages the money, and so we don’t have access,” she said, referring to the Society for the Celebrations of Montreal’s 375th Anniversary. “We don’t have access to information, we have no idea where things are at. And so people feel like it’s just this big hole that we’re just throwing our money into.”
Plante pressed Coderre to reveal the total ticket sales for the Formula E electric car race that took place over the summer. “Everybody wants to know, and you have the ability to tell us how many tickets were sold,” Plante said. According to Coderre, a report would be released and “it will show that everything is well transparent.”
Incumbent Mayor Denis Coderre was criticized by candidate Valérie Plante for the lack of organization and coordination at Montreal’s construction sites. Photo by Alex Hutchins
Roberts also asked the panelists about the possibility of baseball returning to Montreal, a project Coderre has been advocating for since his election in 2013. Plante said no such initiative would be undertaken by the city without a city-wide referendum.
Both candidates spoke out against Bill 62, which prohibits the wearing of face coverings by anyone giving or receiving a public service. “To provide services with an unveiled person is OK,” Coderre said. “But to receive services, I think it’s ludicrous, and it won’t pass the court.” He also criticized Plante for not speaking out against the legislation more immediately. Plante said the law is “ill-conceived. It is not connected to Montrealers’ reality. It is not applicable.”
The candidates also had the chance to ask their opponent one question. Coderre asked Plante whether she was for or against the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS). Without taking a clear stance, Plante responded with: “I think it is important to understand the international context of this,” adding that it was something that needed to be discussed with “the whole team.”
Plante asked her opponent whether or not he would serve as leader of the opposition if she won the election. “I’m running, and I’m going to be the mayor,” Coderre responded.
A settlement has been reached between CJLO and a former employee after a complaint was filed last March. Photo by Mackenzie Lad
Complaint filed under the Canadian Labour Code closed, non-disclosure agreement signed
A settlement was reached between Ellen Smallwood—a former CJLO employee—and the university radio station last week, according to the Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR).
CRARR represented Smallwood, the station’s former director of promotions, fundraising and sponsorship, when she filed a labour complaint against her former employer last March. Smallwood claimed the station’s executive team created a hostile work environment for women and that she was fired without just cause.
In an email to The Concordian, CJLO station manager Michal Langiewicz wrote that the settlement was done “to the satisfaction of both parties.” According to CRARR executive director Fo Niemi, the final approval of the settlement by the Canadian Human Rights Commission is pending.
“The complaint filed with Human Resources and Social Development Canada under the Canada Labour Code has been closed as part of the settlement,” Niemi added.
Neither Langiewicz nor Niemi commented on the settlement, citing a non-disclosure agreement between the two parties.
Smallwood, worked at CJLO from January 2015 to November 2016. She told The Concordian in April that tensions began between her and the station’s executive board and management team in June 2016.
According to Smallwood, certain employees opposed putting up posters condemning sexism, racism and other forms of bigotry intended to promote the office as a safe space because they believed it interfered with their freedom of speech.
She told The Concordian that their refusal was an indirect form of oppression against minorities.
She added that Langiewicz eventually decided to ask the station’s volunteers whether or not they approved of the poster via an online poll. Smallwood said Langiewicz refused to put the posters up, despite the staff voting overwhelmingly in favour of displaying them.
Another female employee, who remained anonymous, corroborated some of Smallwood’s claims regarding the work environment and tension created following the safe space poster debate.
While Smallwood did not name any particular board executive in her complaint, she described Langiewicz’s leadership as being “paternalistic and sexist.”
According to the former CJLO employee, she was told by another employee that she wasn’t fired in person or given advanced notice because she would have “cried like a baby.”
At the time, Langiewicz told The Concordian it was the first labour complaint CJLO had dealt with in 17 years. “We cannot comment on any details at this point for reasons of confidentiality, except to say that we are seriously disputing the allegations,” Langiewicz said at the time.
Niemi said the complaint was filed not only to correct past actions but to protect future employees from the same conditions Smallwood faced.
Feminist radio group to provide a space for women working in the media
The first time Safia Ahmad felt discriminated against in the workplace was through an e-mail chain. Early in her career, she had pitched a sports story to an editor and was told that she could run the story as long as she didn’t “fangirl” over it.
Ahmad is the current media relations manager for Les Canadiennes de Montreal, the city’s professional women’s hockey team. She is also a freelance journalist, a Concordia alumna with a graduate diploma in journalism and a former reporting intern for the Montreal Gazette. In the one sentence shot back at her by a male sports editor, all of her qualifications were seemingly outweighed by one detail—she happened to be a woman.
For many female journalists like Ahmad, sexual harassment, discrimination and condescension have always been consistent and frustrating obstacles in the workplace.
“Whether you’re a woman working in sports, politics, business or all of the above, you will unfortunately face some form of discrimination by virtue of your gender,” Ahmad said. “There’s not a month—or week, quite frankly—that goes by without someone questioning a woman’s intelligence or credibility.”
Ahmad said she has seen this often throughout her work in sports journalism. She said when men make mistakes in their work, they are often simply dismissed as errors. When a woman makes a mistake, however, her entire intellectual capacity is brought into question.
“A woman has to work twice as hard as a man to prove herself and it’s unacceptable,” Ahmad said. “This is a double-standard that women continue to face every day.”
Ahmad is not alone in her beliefs or experiences. Allison O’Reilly and Mackenzie Smedmor of CJLO have experienced similar hardships due to their gender identity while working in the media. This inspired them to team up and create the new CJLO Women’s+ Collective.
According to their Facebook page, the collective was developed to encourage the involvement of self-identifying women and other gender minorities in community radio. Whether they participate as programmers, hosts, producers or artists, members strive to shed light on women’s issues and diversify the voices heard on air.
“Allison and I started the CJLO Women’s+ Collective because we aren’t satisfied with [the current gender representation at the station], as male hosts outnumber women on the programme grid,” Smedmor said. “We were also upset to learn about a lack of feminist student groups at Concordia, so we created one.”
O’Reilly is currently the program director at CJLO. She said that when she first got the job, she learned that only 20 per cent of the DJs at the station were women. O’Reilly said she knew something had to be done to make the numbers more proportional.
“I honestly believe that, since women are a minority in media jobs, especially technical jobs such as audio engineering and recording, they are treated negatively,” O’Reilly said. “They are seen as not being able to perform as effectively as the men in the industry, therefore making it a hostile industry for women to break into.”
O’Reilly said she has experienced this hostility herself throughout her career in radio.
“I’ve had people come to my board and try to tell me how to work it. I’ve had people try to take over while I’m setting up equipment and tell me what I’m doing wrong. I’ve had people not believe me when I tell them my profession. They are almost always men,” she said.
The CJLO Women’s+ Collective will play a large part in combatting these injustices, according to Smedmor.
“It’s very important to Allison and me to create an environment where women and non-binary folks can learn and express themselves and unapologetically fill airtime,” Smedmor said. “It’s not enough to bring media-trained women into the community—they need to feel confident that their contributions are valuable and important.”
Among other things, Smedmor and O’Reilly said the collective mainly aims to benefit the community by bringing forward feminist issues and focusing on women and non-binary artists who are usually marginalized by mainstream media. They plan to do so by hosting two shows—Yonic Youth and Femme AM—that rotate every Thursday at 2 p.m., and developing future projects that will be announced soon.
To young women entering the workforce in fields like journalism and communications, Ahmad says it’s important to stand up for what you believe in.
“There will be times when people will criticize you or make comments that target your gender. I would encourage you to speak up,” Ahmad said. “Women have been socialized to internalize and keep quiet. I think it’s time we break that cycle because we deserve as much respect as our male counterparts.”
Students interested in the CJLO Women’s+ Collective can contact Smedmor and O’Reilly by e-mail at womenscollective@cjlo.com or like them on Facebook.
Protesters gathered at Snowdon metro on Oct. 22 to protest Bill 62, a provincial religious neutrality law. Photo by Mackenzie Lad
AVEQ condemns religious neutrality law, Concordia admins uncertain of impact on campus
The Concordia Student Union (CSU) condemned Bill 62—a provincial religious neutrality law—in a motion passed at a special council meeting on Thursday, Oct. 19. The law—which was approved by Quebec’s National Assembly on Oct. 18—requires people to uncover their face when receiving public services or working in Quebec’s public sector.
The special council meeting was originally called to hire a new CEO, however, the motion to oppose Bill 62 was presented without warning and voted upon by CSU councillors.
“Our official position is we reject [the bill]. We demand the Quebec government change it because it’s unconstitutional,” said Ahmed Badr, the CSU’s external affairs and mobilization coordinator. He said it conflicts with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Section 2a of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms states that everyone is entitled to fundamental freedom of conscience and religion.
“Normally [at] special council meetings, we don’t pass [a motion] unless we give them a notice beforehand, but we didn’t,” Badr said. However, he said the CSU council was supportive of the motion.
According to Badr, now is time for the union to take action. “We will have a petition and we will write letters to the [members of Parliament] who voted for it,” Badr said. “We need Concordia students to sign these letters, and we will send it to the [MPs] telling them that we denounce [the] new law.”
The letters will begin circulating for students to sign as early as Tuesday, Oct. 24, however, Badr said the petition release date is to be determined.
Over the weekend, Badr presented a motion at the Association for the Voice of Education in Quebec (AVEQ) congress for the association to condemn the law.
Following the CSU motion, AVEQ officially opposed the religious neutrality law as well. Sophia Sahrane, the AVEQ coordinator of education and research, said religious neutrality laws infrige on values that AVEQ has endorsed since its establishment. She said the organization takes a feminist, anti-racist and anti-discriminatory position.
Kristen Perry, AVEQ’s coordinator of mobilization and associative development, said the association will be releasing a public statement to announce and clarify their position against Quebec’s new law.
Response from administration
“Bill 62 is such a new law, we don’t even have the final text of the law, and we certainly don’t have any of the government’s requirements yet,” Concordia president Alan Shepard told The Concordian.
The bill applies to provincial public-sector services and provincially funded institutions, such as universities and schools, the CBC reported. According to the same source, Justice Minister Stéphanie Vallée advised that amendments be added to include municipalities, metropolitan communities and public transit organizations in the bill.
Shepard said the university has not been provided any guidelines or explanation of how to interpret or implement the law. He said he is not certain if the religious neutrality law affects Concordia.
“I’m in no rush to implement a law in which I have no regulations,” Shepard said. “So for now, it’s completely status quo—as if the law weren’t there.”
“The niqab is the first step. They will [eventually] move onto every other religious symbol,” said Bara Abuhamed, a Concordia industrial engineering student and former Muslim Student Association (MSA) executive. He said Bill 62 is likely the first step of many, and he wants to stop it before it starts.
Abuhamed said the fact that the bill is officially identified as a religious neutrality law is problematic. “It’s clear discrimination and a move against religious freedom,” he said.
“We’ve welcomed women before some other institutions, we’ve welcomed religious minorities—we’ve welcomed everybody,” Shepard said. “And we fully intend to keep welcoming everybody.”
TRAC president Alexandre St-Onge-Perron talks financial negotiations. Photo by Alex Hutchins
Upcoming bi-weekly meetings between the two parties to sign new collective agreement
Negotiating the negotiation. That’s the way Teaching and Research Assistants at Concordia (TRAC) president Alexandre St-Onge-Perron described the first of a series of bi-weekly meetings between the union and Concordia. The two parties hope to sign a new collective agreement to replace the one that expired on April 30, 2016.
On Oct. 13, according to St-Onge-Perron, Concordia and TRAC determined the way they wished to negotiate and established a protocol. They’re now ready to go, with the negotiations set to start on Oct. 27.
“The discussions have been very positive,” university spokesperson Mary-Jo Barr told The Concordian.
Concordia will be represented by an employee from the human resources department, vice-provost of faculty relations Nadia Hardy, and professors from the political science and engineering departments, St-Onge-Perron explained.
Once agreed upon, the new collective agreement will apply retroactively to the 2016-17 academic year and be effective until the end of the 2018-19 academic year.
Seven demands—described by St-Onge-Perron as “big themes”—are on the table. Some are minor issues, such as changing the word “handicap” when talking about people with disabilities in the collective agreement. Four other demands are featured on a flyer TRAC executives will be distributing to the student body this week. They include transparency with regards to teaching and research assistant appointments, higher wages for research assistants, a stop to unpaid work and a ban on contract splitting.
St-Onge-Perron said the last two are especially important to him. According to TRAC communications and mobilization officer Eunbyul Park, the issue of contract splitting was brought up when TRAC executives met with union members from the history department.
St-Onge-Perron explained that contract splitting consists of a teaching assistant being paid a wage for his time in class, and a second wage for marking papers—which is lower than the wage for being in class.
“It makes no sense. If you’re only marking for a course, it’s fine to have a marker contract, but if you do both for the same course and you’re the same human being, it makes no sense to have two contracts,” St-Onge-Perron said.
In an email to The Concordian, Barr wrote that “all contracts are managed in accordance with the collective agreement, which is negotiated by the parties.”
Article 15.05 of the 2013-16 collective agreement for teaching assistants reads that “marking duties may be the object of separate marker contracts.”
St-Onge-Perron wrote in a subsequent email that, while contract splitting has been allowed since 2013, the measure has only become the norm recently.
“Human resources now encourages departments to split contracts, which has been done in numerous cases in the fall semester,” the TRAC president wrote. “We expect an even higher number of contract splitting in the winter [semester].”
“You pick up [the students’] assignments, you walk to your office and you’re doing a marking job so we’re going to give you a separate marking contract for these hours,” St-Onge-Perron said, describing the situation of teaching assistants who have two contracts.
According to St-Onge-Perron, teaching assistants are paid approximately $24 per hour, and markers are paid approximately $20.
The issue of unpaid work is also important to the TRAC president. “Right now, some people sign contracts for 130 hours for example, but their workload is so big that they have to [work] 150 or 200 hours, and they’re not paid for these hours,” St-Onge-Perron claimed.
The union is already going into arbitration with the university, advocating for higher wages for its invigilators—one of two groups represented by TRAC, along with the teaching and research assistants.
Some of TRAC’s executives were also present at Montreal’s International Workers’ Day march on May 1, where marchers insisted on raising the minimum wage in Quebec to $15 per hour.
Hoping for more delegates
There are few delegates—liaisons between members and executives—at TRAC. There are “a bit more than 10 [active delegates]”, St-Onge-Perron explained. Adding delegations “is one our priorities,” Park added. The delegates report to the seven TRAC executives.
TRAC delegates can be self-appointed or mandated by their student association, according to St-Onge-Perron. The president said delegates are asked to organize “one meeting per semester per department or faculty.” In these assembly-like meetings, TRAC members are free to express their concerns to delegates, who then inform the executive team.
“Sometimes, [the executives] think ‘this department is going well, there’s no big problem,’ but then when you let people talk, you realize that there are a lot of problems,” St-Onge-Perron said.
A meeting was organized on Oct. 20 by the delegate for the department of mechanical, industrial and aerospace engineering (MIAE), Hossein Kalbasi. St-Onge-Perron said he believes one will soon take place at the John Molson School of Business.
According to St-Onge-Perron, some departments are more contentious than others. Consequently, some complaints come up more often in certain departments than others. “Departments sometimes have different work cultures,” St-Onge-Perron said.
TRAC recently changed the formula for the delegate meetings. “People have more space to speak,” St-Onge-Perron said. “We’re giving more power to the delegates because we want to improve accountability of the executives.”
Number of TRAC members hard to track
There are currently about 2,000 TRAC members, according to St-Onge-Perron, 1,600 of which are teaching or research assistants.
“It changes from one semester to another,” Park explained, “because sometimes research assistants sign contracts midway through the semester.”
According to Barr, the university “keeps data in the payroll system and archives the contracts that are sent by the departments and faculties.” But, according to St-Onge-Perron, the “system is from another century.” St-Onge-Perron said TRAC has access to the list of members on the payroll system.
“We can know today how many TAs and RAs there are […] but for a whole semester it depends because sometimes the RA could be hired for a month, for a semester,” St-Onge-Perron said.
When teaching and research assistants sign their contracts, they must sign the TRAC members form, which is then sent to the union, according to Barr.
“They send us membership forms, on paper form. Not all of them do though. And that has to be put in by hand,” Park said.
Montrealers marched in support for the city’s homeless during the annual La Nuit des Sans-Abri. Photo by Alex Hutchins
Annual event urges Montreal politicians to raise awareness about homelessness in the city
It was chilly on Oct. 20, but nothing like the cold Montreal’s homeless population faces every winter. This year, hundreds of Montrealers chanted and marched in solidarity with those who inhabit our city streets in the 28th edition of La Nuit des Sans-Abri.
With the approach of Montreal’s municipal elections, Pierre Gaudreau, a spokesperson for La Nuit des Sans-Abri and director of Réseau d’aide aux personnes seules et itinérantes de Montréal (RAPSIM), said the organization will be pressuring politicians in the coming days to address issues of homelessness in their platforms and policies.
According to Gaudreau, the group’s advocacy doesn’t stop there. “We are asking the federal government to invest money to support all of the actions that are needed to help homeless people and to prevent homelessness,” he said.
The purpose of La Nuit des Sans-Abri is to raise public awareness about homelessness in Montreal, Gaudreau said.
The event began in Phillips Square at 6 p.m. The crowd walked towards Cabot Square following a brief opening speech from Bernard St-Jacques, the host of the event and director of Clinique Droits Devant, a non-profit organization that works with homeless people.
Gaudreau said one thing Montrealers can do to help the cause is support initiatives, like La Nuit des Sans-Abri, that seek to inform politicians running in the upcoming election about issues related to homelessness.
During the march, Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre said, when he first ran for mayor, the welfare of homeless people was not a prominent topic. “I decided that [the homeless situation in Montreal] was the priority because it’s a matter of making sure that everybody is a first-class citizen,” he said.
Coderre said he and his team are focusing on creating an action plan that protects the lives of homeless people in Montreal. “We’ve also been focusing to get all the power in housing. So now, with the new status of metropolis, we have that capacity to create all the housing and respect the diversity,” he said. “There is a lot to be done still, but we set up a good four years to improve the situation.”
According to Gaudreau, the biggest misconception the public has about the homeless is that they chose to be in that situation. “That is just not the case,” he said, adding that Indigenous homeless individuals are becoming more prevalent due to poor domestic situations. “We are seeing more Native people [on the streets] who lived violent situations coming from a poor neighborhood.” According to Gaudreau, Indigenous people make up 10 per cent of Montreal’s homeless population. “So it’s a big number because they do not represent that much of the population in Montreal, so they are overrepresented on the streets,” he said.
Some of the city’s current dilemmas around homelessness include a lack of social housing, social profiling of homeless people and the need for help in day centres, Gaudreau told The Concordian. “One of the major achievements that we hope to have in the next four years is to do more housing for the people who do not have any home,” Gaudreau said. “The houses will be situated everywhere in Montreal. We need some downtown and some also in Montreal North.”
Concordia’s Grey Nuns Motherhouse was granted $851,000 in federal funding as part of Parks Canada’s National Cost-Sharing Program.
Downtown residence granted funding under Parks Canada initiative to support National Historic Sites
Concordia’s Grey Nuns Motherhouse was granted $851,000 for preventative and restorative maintenance earlier this month as part of the Parks Canada National Cost-Sharing Program for Heritage Places.
Concordia spokesperson Mary-Jo Barr said the funding will be invested in measures to reduce deterioration to the 146-year-old building. Barr said planned restoration efforts include replacing the building’s masonry and thoroughly cleaning all the surfaces in the Grey Nuns Chapel.
On Oct. 12, Marc Miller, the member of Parliament for Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Sœurs, made the funding announcement on behalf of Environment Minister Catherine McKenna, who oversees the cost-sharing program. The funding was granted after an application process in which the university outlined the need for and costs associated with restorative work. According to Parks Canada records, Grey Nuns is one of 143 National Historic Sites that are receiving funding from the cost-sharing program.
“Our government has taken a leadership role in the protection and promotion of Canada’s invaluable and irreplaceable heritage such as the Motherhouse of the Grey Nuns in Montreal,” Miller said in a public statement. “This new funding will ensure the preservation of one of Montreal’s treasured heritage sites for future generations and help foster a healthy local economy and thriving tourism industry.”
Completed in 1871, the building was originally the Motherhouse for the Sisters of Charity of Montreal, commonly known as the Grey Nuns. For decades, the Grey Nuns used the building to serve the poor and take care of community members, including in times of hardship, such as the Great Depression and the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic. According to Concordia’s website, the building was officially designated a historical monument under Quebec’s Cultural Property Act in 1976.
In 2007, Concordia University purchased the building. It was renovated and refurbished before being officially opened as a campus building in September 2014. Currently, the building offers a reading room, cafeteria and daycare centre, and serves as the only residence building on the Sir George Williams campus.
According to Barr, the restoration budget and projects will be managed by the university’s facilities management department. While the current project will focus on restoring the building’s chapel, the university is planning on restoring the facade and interior of the building’s other wings in future years.
“As stewards of this historic building, the university’s goal is to ensure that minimal restoration work is required over the next 100 years,” Barr said.
CRARR executive director Fo Niemi is offering legal support to a Concordia student who is taking her alleged harasser to the Quebec Human Rights Commission. Photo by Alex Hutchins
CRARR and individual considering filing a civil rights complaint against Concordia
It’s Monday April 18, 2016. Concordia student Maria* checks her phone and sees a text message: “Hey Maria, my names [sic] Eric*, I saw you on [Plenty of Fish], how’s it going? (:”
She asks the man where he got her number. He answers with a screenshot of what Maria realizes is a fake account with her name on the dating app. “This is fake. Someone has been stealing my info,” she quickly replies.
A day earlier, according to documents obtained by The Concordian, a post appeared on the Concordia University subreddit—a forum dedicated to the university on Reddit—claiming Maria had been seen performing sexual acts in a university office.
Soon after the post was published, she was contacted by a student she had met a few months earlier. He informed her about the post and attempted to start a conversation. Maria told him she wasn’t interested in talking.
Less than 24 hours later, a second post was made on the Concordia University subreddit, describing Maria as a “whore.”
These interactions are included in a report written on April 22, 2016 by Concordia security investigator and preventionist Lyne Denis. The report documents weeks of alleged cyberbullying, online sexual harassment, intimidation and threats Maria faced from a fellow student.
The Center for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR) offered Maria legal support following the recommendation of the Concordia Student Union Legal Information Clinic. On Sept. 2, the centre’s executive director, Fo Niemi, told The Concordian they would be filing a complaint against the alleged harasser to the Quebec Human Rights Commission.
In a press release sent out 19 days later, CRARR wrote that Maria was also “considering” filing a civil rights complaint against Concordia “for discrimination and failure to protect and support.”
Maria, a 21-year-old international student, first met her alleged harasser after posting a message on a Facebook page for new Concordia students. “I made a post [to introduce myself] trying to make friends in the group,” she said. She was 19 at the time. “We met up in person, and we became friends. We were on and off in that friendship.”
The harassment began when Maria ran for an elected position in a student association in 2016. A few months into her campaign, she said abrasive messages were being posted about her on Yik Yak, a now-defunct social media app that allowed users to anonymously post messages viewable by users within a certain radius, such as on or around campus.
Maria said she would receive messages from the alleged harasser shortly after the posts were made on Yik Yak. This behaviour became a recurring pattern.
“He messages me with, ‘Oh, look what’s being said about you.’ ‘Oh, I’m so sorry that this is happening to you,’” Maria said, referring to any time a message about her was posted on Yik Yak.
A Reddit account with her full name and the words “TheWhore” was also created around that same time. “He would always be the first one to message me with links to that,” Maria said. “It was posted five minutes ago, and he already knew. He already saw it, and he already had the time to text me about it.”
In April 2016, Maria said she confronted the student when another Reddit thread about her was created. “I know it’s you,” she recalled telling him. “Just stop. I’m going to go the police. If there’s a paper trail, I want it to lead to you.”
Maria explained that, “within five minutes of that conversation online, [the thread] was deleted.” During the same month, she allegedly got calls from men on several occasions because her Facebook pictures and phone number had been associated with fake online accounts under her name.
“I was walking to class, I would receive calls from strange men like, ‘Hey baby, I know you’re in the H building, just wait for me,” Maria explained. She said she also received rape threats “not from [the alleged harasser] but through the accounts he created,” yet she claimed little was done by the university to protect her.
A visit to Concordia’s security on April 22, 2016 was not the first step Maria took to address this ongoing issue. Two days prior, she went to the university’s Office of Rights and Responsibilities (ORR) to file a complaint for harassment, sexual harassment and threatening or violent conduct, according to CRARR’s Niemi.
The ORR’s annual reports indicate the office saw a steady increase in the number of reported infractions of the university’s Code of Rights and Responsibilities—which include cases and consultations handled by the office—between the 2012-13 and the 2015-16 academic years.
Graphic by Zeze Le Lin
In 2012-13, according to the office’s annual report, 59 harassment infractions and 16 sexual harassment infractions were reported to the office. Two years later, in 2014-15, 63 harassment infractions and 29 sexual harassment infractions were addressed by the ORR.
The academic year Maria filed her complaint with the ORR, 99 harassment infractions were reported, according to the annual report, as well as 33 sexual assault infractions.
Concordia’s Code of Rights and Responsibilities reads: “Formal complaints by students against other students shall be adjudicated by a hearing panel consisting only of students.” When a formal complaint is made, the secretary of the Hearing and Appeals Panel selects three graduate or undergraduate students from the Student Tribunal Pool, as well as one non-voting chair.
The Student Tribunal Pool is nominated by the Concordia Student Union (CSU) each year in June. A maximum of 15 undergraduate students are chosen by the student union, in addition to a maximum of 10 students selected by the Graduate Student Association (GSA), according to Concordia’s Policy on the Establishment of Tribunal Hearing Pools.
Every student hearing panel (SHP) also has a chair, whose role is “to preside over the proceedings, keep order and ensure fairness,” according to the Code of Rights and Responsibilities.
In November 2016, Niemi compiled an unofficial list of lawyers who have acted as student tribunal chairs, including Roanne C. Bratz, Emmanuelle Demers, Sandra Mastrogiuseppe and Angela Onesi. The Concordian confirmed the four to be acting chairs.
The chair for Maria’s case was Vincent Lesage, whose appointment had been proposed by the then-university counsel, Bram Freedman, in 2002.
“They tend to be from big law firms,” Niemi said. “And in dealing with sexual violence and harassment, we start to raise questions about whether these people are trained enough to deal with this issue.”
University spokesperson Mary-Jo Barr explained that tribunal chairs were chosen “due to relevant experience” and because they agree to chair the tribunals on a volunteer basis. “They are trained by our tribunal office on all our processes and policies,” she added.
Maria’s SHP did not take place until October 2016, four months after her visit to the ORR. In April, the same month she visited the ORR and Concordia Security, Maria filed a report with the Montreal police’s 20th precinct, near Concordia’s downtown campus.
An employee from Concordia Security accompanied her to the precinct on April 25 at 10:30 a.m., according to the incident report filed by Concordia Security’s Denis’s incident report.
When asked if Concordia had a copy of that report, Barr said the university would “not comment on a specific case.” “We can confirm that when a student brings to our attention a concern for their safety, with or without a police report, we look carefully at how we can support that student,” Barr explained.
According to Maria, the university offered her very little support.
“Pending the trial, at the beginning of April last year, [Concordia Security] offered to walk me to the metro [at] night, but that was it,” Maria said, adding that her alleged harasser could still approach her on campus.
Maria said she also received no follow-ups from the police regarding her report. “The Sexual Assault Resource Centre [SARC] offered to get me support, offered to be there for me, offered to email my professors asking for extensions, but that’s it. There were no continuous follow-ups.”
On April 20, Maria’s alleged harasser received an email from the ORR informing him that the office wanted to schedule a meeting with him and Concordia Security “to discuss […] concerns regarding his alleged behaviour involving another member of the university.”
A meeting was set up between the alleged harasser, ORR and Concordia Security on May 5, 2016. In her report, Denis wrote that the individual said “he would be available at any time after his last final.”
“The university accommodates him and his final schedule, but no accommodation was given to me,” Maria said.
On Oct. 25, 2016 at 1 p.m., Maria entered a room in Concordia’s GM building for the hearing.
Niemi and Maria later criticized the trial’s procedure. Maria told The Concordian there was a power imbalance. “I was represented by two CSU student advocates. He was represented by two university advocates paid by the university,” she said.
In addition, Maria had to sit at the same table as her alleged harasser. “If I wanted to go to the restroom, I would have to almost touch him because the room was very narrow, [and] he had his friends sitting outside, his witnesses, laughing. I could hear myself being called a whore,” she recalled.
According to Barr, “any party or person who feels uncomfortable in the physical setting can bring this up and solutions can be sought.” She added that survivors can be provided with information and support from the SARC coordinator throughout the process. According to the SHP decision, Maria’s advocate said SARC coordinator Jennifer Drummond would act as a witness. However, Drummond did not testify at the trial because “she had a prior commitment,” the SHP decision reads.
CRARR executive director Fo Niemi is offering legal support to a Concordia student taking. Photo by Kirubel Mehari
During the hearing, the respondent claimed he gave Maria’s phone number—which eventually ended up on fake online accounts—to an individual who used the alias William.
The respondent said he met the individual through the online gaming platform Steam but had never met him in person throughout their five years of acquaintance.
Maria’s advocates asked the SHP to expel the respondent, arguing that “if the respondent is not adequately sanctioned, the complainant will not be able to continue her studies at the university.”
In response, the respondent’s advocates argued that “the complainant’s advocates failed to establish a direct link between the respondent and the charges contained herein.” For that reason, they added, a sanction of expulsion “would be very severe.”
After a deliberation, the SHP unanimously upheld charges of harassment and sexual harassment, and a majority of the panel upheld the “threatening or violent conduct charge.”
In light of the decision, the SHP imposed a written reprimand and compensation for the cost associated with Maria’s need to change her cellphone. However, Maria said this was not an issue, since phone companies have policies to replace phones for free in cases of harassment.
Maria said it was very stressful for her to inform her family about the harassment. “I come from a very conservative family [and] the culture is not very feminist,” she explained. “Just the fact that I had to call my dad [and] having to explain to him, ‘I’m being called a whore. I can’t walk to campus without someone wanting to rape me.’” According to Niemi, Maria’s alleged harasser has also threatened to sue her.
In its Sept. 21 press release, CRARR wrote that “common patterns of the university’s failure to protect and support [students include] being kept in the dark about the aftermath once a decision is rendered, especially where personal safety is concerned.”
In its conclusion, the tribunal decision read that the “majority of the SHP recommended that the present file be forwarded to the appropriate department(s) for its assessment and management.”
Niemi said he doesn’t know where the file was forwarded. In an email, Barr wrote that the file “could be forwarded to Security, the Office of Rights and Responsibility and/or the Dean of Students—all depending on the circumstances.”
According to Niemi, Maria has been suspended from her program. Maria said she is not attending classes at the moment because her grades suffered too much throughout the ordeal. “In the middle of my finals, I was walking with security to the police department, spending five hours with them to write reports. How was I expected to do anything? Concordia was aware because I was going with [them] to do all these procedures,” Maria said, adding that the university did not unenroll her from the classes she expected to be excused from. “Classes that were supposed to be dropped were not dropped,” Maria said, and her GPA suffered as a result.
According to Maria, she only knew about the support available to her on campus because she was involved in student politics. “Had I just come to my class and then went home, I would not have even been aware of these bodies, and would have had effectively no support,” she said.
Niemi said the Quebec Human Rights Commission “will investigate the harasser [and] gather all the evidence to eventually rule whether she has been a victim of harassment and discrimination.” Despite the SHP’s decision to uphold the charges of harassment and sexual harassment, Niemi said he and Maria are not satisfied. As the SHP decision acknowledges, the tribunal “does not have the authority to impose conditions restricting the respondent’s movements on campus.”
If the Human Rights Commission recommends damages, Niemi said CRARR “is looking at five figures.”
Maria said she “wanted to make sure [her] experience had some good come out of it.”
“I want to make sure that this person will not go out in the world and perpetuate those same actions to someone else.”
*Names have been changed to ensure the individuals’ privacy and protection.
An infrastructure renewal project for a generator and boiler at the Loyola campus will cost around $8.37 million. Photo by Alex Hutchins
Infrastructure project to include new generator and boiler at Loyola campus
An infrastructure renewal project for a generator and a boiler needed to power and heat certain buildings connected to the centralized systems of the Loyola campus is projected to cost a maximum of $8.37 million, according to documents obtained by The Concordian through an access to information request.
The authorization for the renewal project was given following the recommendation of the university’s Finance and Real Estate Planning Committees. It was one of three resolutions concerning the renewal project that were passed during a closed session of the April 19 board of governors meeting.
In an email, university spokesperson Mary-Jo Barr wrote that the amount “is based on an estimate, and the final cost will be confirmed as part of the tendering process.”
Part of the projected cost—$3.1 million—will be funded by the federal government’s Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund (SIF). The SIF and Quebec’s Plan québécois des infrastructures 2016-2026 (PQI) will also fund the research centre due to be built on Concordia’s Loyola campus.
According to Barr, the remaining cost of the $8.37-million renewal project will be “funded by a separate fund paid for by the PQI.”
“Concordia is contributing [approximately] $930,000 to the Loyola Campus Infrastructure Renewal Project,” Barr said.
Funding for the $52.75-million research centre, to be built behind the existing Richard J. Renaud Science Complex will also be split three ways. “Approximately 40 per cent is covered by the federal government, 30 per cent by Quebec [provincial government] and 30 per cent by Concordia,” according to Barr.
The research centre, named Applied Science Incubator in the documents obtained, is a 8,700 square metre extension of the campus’ current science facilities.
An internal memo reviewed by The Concordian confirmed a fund was created for the project on May 27, 2016 by Nancy Sardella, a senior financial officer in the university’s Restricted Funds department.
The principal investigator of the project—who is “responsible for the management of the research project, both financially and operationally,” according to Concordia’s Researcher’s Guide to Financial Management—is Roger Côté, the university’s vice-president of services.
The fund was created approximately a year before the announcement of the Applied Science Incubator. According to Barr, it was created “to allow the university to prepare its submission to the governments for project funding.” As well, the fund included “expenses related to feasibility studies, such as conceptual architecture drawings, estimates and technical studies.”
In response to The Concordian’s request for the science building’s architectural plans, secretary-general and general counsel Frederica Jacobs wrote that, because “the project is in its preliminary phase, final architectural plans are not available at this time.”
According to the board of governors’ resolution during the April 19 meeting, the cost of the research building project “will be paid from a combination of funds received from the federal government through its Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund (SIF), contributions from the government of Quebec and the university’s own capital budget.”
A decision-making summary signed by Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough director Stéphane Plante on June 30 indicated that 54 more parking spaces will be needed for the new project, according to a study done by the engineering firm CIMA+.
The summary reads that “it is very probable that [the borough] will need to add parking spaces on street parking reserved for residents when the project is done and to answer to the demands of residents.”
In early September, the C.D.N.—N.D.G. borough determined the project could proceed despite opposition by N.D.G. residents, including Irwin Rapoport, who created a petition requesting a referendum to determine whether or not it should be built.
Rapoport and other N.D.G. residents said they hoped to preserve the green space on which the building would be constructed. “The residents are seeking a moratorium on any development of green space on the campus,” Rapoport told The Concordian at the time.
On Sept. 11, borough officials discovered a clause in Bill 122, a new provincial law adopted in June, which states “public property intended for collective use in the education sector is no longer subject to approval by a referendum.” Consequently, the project was able to move forward without the threat of a referendum.
Concordia’s Sexual Assault Resource Centre’s campaign poster. Photo by Alex Hutchins
University receives D- grade in student-led evaluation of sexual assault policies
Concordia’s sexual assault policies are the worst out of 15 major Canadian universities, according to a recent student-led study.
Our Turn: A National, Student-Led Action Plan to End Campus Sexual Violence, which was published on Oct. 11, looked at the sexual assault policies of 15 Canadian universities and graded them on a 100-point scale.
The best-ranked university was Ryerson, with 81 per cent, or an A-. Ryerson was followed by the University of British Columbia, with 78 per cent, and Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, with 75.5 per cent. With a score of 52 per cent, or a D-, Concordia was the lowest-ranked university on the list.
The study based its scores on 45 weighted criteria. Among other reasons, Concordia’s policy had points deducted for failing to reference rape culture, punishing students for making false claims and for not processing faculty and staff claims using the same policy as students.
The evaluations were carried out by members of each university’s student union, using the 45-item checklist. According to CSU general coordinator Omar Riaz, the Concordia evaluation was overseen by academic and advocacy coordinator Asma Mushtaq and student life coordinator Leyla Sutherland. Neither executive could be reached for comment before publication.
Concordia University spokesperson Mary-Jo Barr said the university is “surprised by the findings of this particular report, as there appear to be several inaccuracies.” Six points were deducted from Concordia’s score for not having a standalone policy on sexual violence, even though such a policy has existed since May 2016. “We will follow up with the study authors to better understand the criteria employed and to seek corrections where necessary,” Barr said.
The study was authored by Our Turn, a collective of students from across Canada, chaired by Carleton students Caitlin Salvino, Kelsey Gilchrist and Jade Cooligan Pang. Our Turn started with a campaign to improve the new Carleton University Sexual Violence Policy in the fall of 2016. Three human rights students, including Salvino, drafted an open letter to the Carleton administration suggesting reforms to the incoming policy.
Despite collecting thousands of signatures from students, student groups and faculty, the changes were not implemented. As the students researched student-led solutions to campus sexual violence, they discovered other universities were facing “a crisis of campus sexual violence and an administration reluctant to work with students to address the issue,” according to the study.
To date, 20 student unions, including the CSU, have signed onto the National Our Turn Action Plan. There are three components to this plan: prevention, including awareness campaigns and support training; support, including the creation of a campus survivor network and academic accommodations for survivors; and advocacy, including student-led campaigns to reform existing sexual violence policies.
According to Barr, “this fall, the university will ask for online community input on the university’s Sexual Assault Working Group’s report recommendations, and members of the community will be encouraged to share their thoughts, concerns and perspectives.”
The Concordia engAGE research centre is focused on interdisciplinary research to improve the lives of elderly people.
Photo courtesy of Shannon Hebblethwaite
Concordia research centre explores music therapy, community programs, technology
As Concordia’s newest research unit, the engAGE centre has one very specific focus: interdisciplinary, innovative research that aims to improve the lives of elderly people.
Funded by the office of the vice-president of research and graduate studies, the engAGE centre features research from all four of Concordia’s faculties.
According to Shannon Hebblethwaite, the director of the engAGE centre and an associate professor in the department of applied human sciences, the centre specializes in diverse and community-focused research that “aspires to change how we think about aging.”
“EngAGE researchers partner with older people and their communities to address challenges and facilitate opportunities in all realms of life—social, physical, cognitive, emotional and political,” Hebblethwaite said.
She also explained that the research conducted at the centre is separated into four groups: culture, creativity and aging; community, care and connectivity; health, well-being and the lifecourse; and politics, policy and the economics of aging.
Culture, creativity and aging is focused on fine arts approaches to elderly care, including art and music therapies in long-term care facilities and research about how cultural factors influence obituaries and the remembrance of the elderly.
The Concordia engAGE research centre is focused on interdisciplinary research to improve the lives of elderly people. Photo courtesy of Shannon Hebblethwaite
Community, care and connectivity focuses on community programs and improving elder care, while the remaining two groups focus on medicine and policy.
Specific research projects include a study on how technology influences the relationship between older people and their family members, coordinating “Art Hives” (free, public art sessions open to all community members), and research on how music therapy can impact elderly people living with dementia.
Despite the centre only receiving Senate approval in June, engAGE researchers have already developed connections with local, national and international partners.
EngAGE is working with community non-profit organizations, including the advocacy group RECAA (Respecting Elders Communities Against Abuse) and Group Harmonie, a Quebec organization focused on assisting elderly people struggling with addiction and substance abuse.
Additionally, Eric Craven, the project coordinator for the Atwater Library’s Digital Literacy Program, serves as the centre’s community representative on the engAGE governing board.
EngAGE has also conducted research in partnership with a number of hospitals, including Sacré-Cœur Hospital and the Sir Mortimer B. Davis Jewish General Hospital, and has worked with residents in long-term retirement homes, including Chartwell Retirement Residences, a company with nearly 180 residences across Canada.
According to Hebblethwaite, the centre’s researchers will be focused on a number of events over the next few months. Several engAGE researchers are preparing to present some of their findings next weekend at the annual Canadian Association of Gerontology conference in Winnipeg.
Additionally, the centre will be co-sponsoring Age 3.0: Aging in the City, a public educational event on Nov. 1 that will feature panels and workshops given by the centre’s researchers. EngAGE’s governing board is also planning a symposium during the winter 2018 semester, although a topic and date have yet to be chosen.
Ultimately, Hebblethwaite’s primary focus is the research the engAGE centre facilitates. She said the centre’s main goal for November is to “explore opportunities for new and innovative collaborations among Concordia researchers and community partners.
Concordia Animal Rights Association advocates for a vegan lifestyle
For the average university student, finding the time to eat—let alone eat healthy—during a busy school day can be challenging. For a student eating a plant-based diet, it can be downright impossible.
Lucky for veggie-lovers, Concordia University is one of the best places in the city to study as a vegan, according to the Association Végétarienne de Montréal (AVM). In 2010, the Concordia Student Union (CSU) passed a motion requiring the university to ensure all activities on campus offer vegan options. According to the AVM, the initiative was brought forward by Concordia alumnus Lucas Solowey when he was a member of the Concordia Animal Rights Association (CARA).
According to Caitlin Yardley, CARA’s current volunteer coordinator, CARA members are still “huge promoters of the vegan lifestyle.” As the university’s official animal rights club, CARA’s mission is to work towards the protection of all animals through awareness, activism and encouraging compassion towards all living beings. “[Veganism] can be a very positive lifestyle change,” Yardley said.
While she has practiced a vegan lifestyle for six years, Yardley has been a vegetarian since she was eight years old.
“I originally became a vegetarian purely out of no longer enjoying meat,” Yardley said. “As I researched more about the harm caused to animals […] and the health implications animal products can have [on humans], I eventually became vegan and have never wanted to go back.”
When she began her studies at Concordia, Yardley became involved with CARA to bring awareness to animal rights issues and encourage students to get involved with the organization.
“We get to inform Concordia about injustices animals face, which [students] may be unaware of or ignore,” Yardley said.
As a partner of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), CARA definitely cannot be ignored. PETA provides CARA with free media and goods to distribute to students attending their events. The student group also offers a variety of volunteer opportunities, such as working with Guardian’s Best Animal Rescue Foundation, Chatopia (a Montreal-based non-profit cat rescue) and many other animal-oriented organizations.
CARA holds a variety of events each semester. Earlier this month, they hosted their annual Vegan Thanksgiving, where students could enjoy vegan treats while learning more about the food industry.
“The Vegan Thanksgiving was a great success this year,” Yardley said. “People really enjoyed the food we were giving out, which included veggie sausages, mini pumpkin pies, brownies and banana bread. Even those who were skeptical about the faux meats ended up liking them.” Yardley added that many people who were already vegan or vegetarian came to the booth to express gratitude for the event.
“[It] was great to see,” Yardley said. “When I first became vegan, I knew no one else who even expressed interest in taking part in the lifestyle. Within the past few years, there has definitely been a huge shift towards people becoming vegan.”
This shift has become increasingly apparent at Concordia. With the People’s Potato, the Green Beet, the Hive, le Frigo Vert and a number of other conveniently located veggie-friendly food stops, eating a plant-based diet is becoming increasingly accessible on Concordia’s campuses.
Concordia student Sara Shields-Rivard has been a vegetarian for over two years.
“At first, I found it difficult because many of my friends at the time were not vegetarian, so when we went out to eat, we could never agree on a place,” Shields-Rivard said. “However, since then, I’ve discovered the vegetarian gems of Concordia […] These places have made being a vegetarian in university much easier.”
Shields-Rivard said, with the readily available vegetarian options on campus, avoiding animal-products is often the easier, cheaper option. “If you go to the People’s Potato, all you have to bring is a Tupperware and some change for donation.”
As a Concordia student following a mostly plant-based diet, Hannah Gold-Apel said she does not have a problem maintaining her diet at school.
“I find it pretty easy to eat plant-based at school, especially with the free vegan lunches provided at both campuses,” Gold-Apel said. “All in all, I think Montreal is a pretty good city to be a broke, vegetarian student in.”
For students interested in animal rights or a plant-based diet, Yardley said there are a multitude of events to look forward to in the near future. This Wednesday, Oct. 18, CARA will be hosting a coffee break event in the JMSB lobby, where students can sample a variety of dairy-free milks. On Oct. 26, CARA is partnering with Anonymous for the Voiceless to hold an anti-fur event called “Who Are You Wearing?” that will take place in the JMSB lobby from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For Halloween, CARA will be hosting a themed event where they will be giving out cruelty-free makeup.
More information can be found on CARA’s Facebook page or at their office on 2020 Mackay St., P-303.
