Tag: The Concordian

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News

Montreal freezes to a stop

On April 5, Montreal was hit by a freezing rain storm. Photo by Marieke Glorieux-Stryckman/ THE CONCORDIAN

Many students had to find new ways to study, as households lost power and internet

As finals approach, students are mustering up the strength to open up their textbooks one last time. However, nature decided to create some bumps in the road.

The city of Montreal ground to a halt two weeks ago due to freezing rain, forcing students to find creative new ways to study. The freezing rain started on Wednesday, April 5, and it soon created a spectacular landscape of ice. On Thursday morning, 1,114,750 households throughout Quebec did not have power. 

That night, Concordia alumni Danny Gold was walking home from his French class. As he walked down the street towards his home, he noticed that fallen branches were blocking the way. 

He hesitated, wondering if he should climb over them or find another way home. He eventually decided to go over the branches. 

“About two seconds after I step over these branches,” he recalled, “I take three steps, I hear ‘snap snap snap’ and then ‘boom!’ five feet behind me, a whole tree branch just came off the top of a tree and slammed on top of a car.”

The branch was around six inches thick, Gold estimated. It was thick enough to crack the windshield of the car behind him. 

The timing of the outages also coincided with Passover. Gold explained that offering help is an important part of the holiday, and of Judaism.

“If somebody knocks on your door, randomly, or messages you, someone you know, someone you don’t know, and they’re asking for shelter, for some food, any sort of help that you can provide from your home, it’s the biggest thing in Judaism to invite that person in your home, for nothing.”

Gold lives on the Plateau Mont-Royal, and his apartment was spared by the outages. So when a friend texted him asking for a place to warm up and charge their electronics, Gold was happy to help. He extended the invitation to coworkers, friends, and family. At some point, six people were crowding Gold’s Plateau apartment. 

For many Concordia students, losing power and heat was only part of their worries, as the threat of finals loomed on the horizon. 

Abilash Gunaratnam, a first-year Concordia science foundations student, lives in the West Island. He lost power from Thursday afternoon to Sunday morning. He also lost cell reception at the beginning of the outage. 

“The first two days, I was waiting for the power to come back on,” he said. “I had to get back to my school work, exams were coming, and I was stressed out. Exams weren’t too far away, and I needed to study.”

Gunaratnam initially thought the power would be back by early Friday morning. When that did not happen, he and his family decided to go stay with family members in Laval. 

“I was already behind, and then I got even more behind,” he said. “Since I had no power, I couldn’t study, so on Saturday I had to cover eight chapters [twice as much as planned.] And I had work on that day too.”

Matthew Erskine is a first-year computer science student. He lives in Pierrefonds and lost power from Wednesday night to Saturday morning.

Erskine was not overly worried about losing study time over the weekend, since most of his final assignments and exams were at the very end of the semester. He decided to go into school on Thursday morning to study and charge his electronics. 

“After the power came back on, I was just focused on not stressing too much,” he said. 

“In the grand scheme of things, it was just an inconvenience,” he added. “But needing food, that was the number one thing. Everything in our fridge was basically gone.”

Concordia itself was spared from the worst of the storm. According to the university’s spokesperson, Vannina Maestracci, neither campus lost power, and the facilities were open to students in need of power or internet.

Further accommodations like extensions were left in the hands of professors, said Maestracci, as the effects of the outages were very different throughout the island. 

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Community

Community Food Centre’s “numbers have skyrocketed” post-pandemic

Entrance of the Depot Community Food Centre restaurant and kitchen on 6450 Somerled Ave, Montreal, Quebec. Photo by Jacqueline Lisbona/THE CONCORDIAN

Team members discuss new innovations at the NDG Depot since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Throughout the past 30 years, the Depot Community Food Centre has worked day and night to provide food for low-income families. Originally founded as a temporary emergency food measure in 1986, the Depot has now grown into a crucial resource to ensure food security in NDG and the surrounding areas. 

While its primary purpose is a food bank, their Marché Depot also acts as a grocery store. Volunteers help cook food, serve participants, and stock pantries. Additionally, the centre is solely donation-based. Most of the money comes from grants from the federal and municipal government, individual donations, or charitable foundations. 

A volunteer scoops apple butter from the pot and separates sliced apples with spices. Photo by Jacqueline Lisbona/THE CONCORDIAN

Karima Dajani is the communications coordinator for the Depot. She explained that customers are given a certain amount of “depot dollars” once a month to purchase food depending on how many people are in their household. 

“The depot dollars are split, they have a budget between fresh produce and dry ingredients, and they come for their appointment once a month and shop,” Dajani said.

However, after the pandemic, the Depot Community Food Centre adapted and improved their safety measures and distribution system. According to Randa Abu Hakima, a volunteer of six years, one of the changes is that the depot no longer accepts food donations from the public.

“It’s a much better image to present to people in the community. It is food that we would eat rather than outdated cans of food or stuff people rejected from their homes,” Hakima explained. 

Dajani said the demand for their food has increased since the pandemic.

“Our numbers have skyrocketed. Not just because of COVID, but also because we’re seeing a lot more immigrants. December was by far our busiest month ever. We provided emergency food for around 2,770 individuals,” Dajani recalled. 

Dajani also explained that a new “award-winning healthy food policy” has been implemented since the pandemic. “We only serve meat at the restaurant once a week, and everything is as clean and healthy as possible, she said.” 

Okra is chopped to add to the vegan curry. Photo by Jacqueline Lisbona/THE CONCORDIAN

The COVID-19 outbreak also gave the community food centre the opportunity to reflect on their food distribution system.

“During COVID we were delivering to people, so we had to change the way we operated. We had to shift super quickly,” Dajani said, explaining that they had to stop their delivery services post-pandemic.

Despite the changes, Hakima still feels at home when she volunteers.

“I feel part of a community, a very special community and it relates to food. I love my food so I want everyone to enjoy their food and to have food so it’s a very happy and rewarding place to be.”

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Opinions

Can mental illness be an addiction?

Fanny Lord-Bourcier/THE CONCORDIAN @cartou.che

Finding comfort in anxiety

Mental illness can be addictive. I know that is a loaded, very serious statement, but allow me to explain. Ever since I was a kid, I have struggled with generalized anxiety disorder. It usually manifested itself in very normal stressful situations and everyone figured it was just a part of growing up.

Though overtime, it worsened. In high school, I’d feel nauseous before hanging out with friends or I’d spend hours crying because I felt overwhelmed and overstimulated. I started to avoid going out, gaining a reputation for being “anti-social.” 

At the height of my anxiety I developed an intense fear of being murdered, which still lingers today. I spent nearly a year constantly looking over my shoulder and imagining different violent scenarios to see if I could plan a way to get out of them. 

I barely slept. I’d cry over every single assignment I’d submit because I knew I could barely manage to get it done in the first place. I didn’t go out unless it was to my best friend’s place where we’d just stay in. 

My mental health was at its lowest. The problem, though, was I didn’t want to change. 

I knew my fears were irrational. I knew I should’ve forced myself to try harder at school. I knew getting out of the house would make me feel better. But I had no interest in doing that. 

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, the definition of addiction is “a compulsive, chronic, physiological or psychological need for a habit-forming substance, behaviour, or activity having harmful physical, psychological, or social effects.”

Looking back, I’d say I was addicted to my anxiety. Don’t get me wrong, I am in no way saying that mental illness is addictive, or that this applies to every mental illness. However, in my experience, it did — and it’s come to my attention that I’m not the only one who has felt this way. 

I found comfort in my anxiety, I was so deep in it for so long that it became what I centred my life around. My anxiety felt like that childhood stuffed animal, the one you couldn’t sleep without as a kid. I saw no reason to change.

The prospect of trying to fight my way out of my worst episode, just to fall back into another potentially even worse episode, was terrifying. 

In an interview with CBC, psychiatrist Dr. Judson Brewer said that humans can become addicted to worry and anxiety, and just like any other addiction our brain can learn to crave the sensation of worry.

I am only comfortable enough in saying this because of those lovely, deep 3 a.m. talks with friends. Those conversations were part of what helped me realize I was not alone in this experience. 

That’s the good news: You’re not alone.

There are places you can turn to for help.


If you’re struggling, please consider reaching out to Concordia’s Counselling and Psychological services.

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Concert Reviews Music

HEAD: Concert Review: Sophia Radisch, The Space Wizards, and Steve Creep at Petit Campus

Triple threat bill hits Petit Campus

Last Friday, Petit Campus showcased three bands with different energies. If you got to the show in between acts it wouldn’t look like it, but once the bands got on the floor it was packed!

Steve Creep and The Wildcards opened the show, and they were tight. It was their first concert ever, let alone playing for the first time at Petit Campus! They had the energy of a band that was able to show their confidence onstage and prove that they were ready for this show. 

The Space Wizards came on next. They are a Montreal-native trio that mainly dabble in heavy blues and rock. It was their first show in ages, and they performed spectacularly. 

The trio has a sound that incorporates a dark, octave tone with drums that produce crash-heavy waves, filling the venue up. I remember watching them perform “Fill My Cup” pre-COVID and they were all the more tight, which is saying something. After the song, frontman Will said “My wah pedal was extra wah today, and that’s okay.”

In my opinion, the most memorable songs were “Mind In Tatters,” “Tonight,” and “On The Loose,” which sounded like a fight just broke out between the Greasers and the Socs and I loved it. The intro for “Tonight” came straight out of a porno, and the chorus’ line “let’s get down tonight” pushed that thought into my head each time they would sing it.

The last band that stormed the stage was Sophia Radisch, who walked onstage to shouts and screams from the crowd. She performed with tight and explosive session musicians: Zack Sarkissian on guitar, Sandro Ferraro on bass, and Justin Piedimonte on drums.

Radisch’s vocals are like the love child of Melissa Etheridge and Sinéad O’Connor. She employed that raspy voice of hers over the heavy chugs of Sarkissian’s guitar and the gritty Stingray bass of Ferraro. Piedimonte supplied the group with metal-influenced drumming that was off the board. 

The sixth and most memorable song on their setlist was “Ignite,” which featured a guitar change from Sarkissian. When they started to play, it “ignited” my memory, taking me back to when I was listening to songs from the band Our Lady Peace and The Smashing Pumpkins. It was eerily reminiscent of their song “Soma,” because they’re both littered with similar suspended chords, notably the verses. Guitarist Sarkissian laid in the licks and solos as a call and response to Radisch’s lyrics.

Overall, these bands added their own type of fuel to fire up the crowd. Quite frankly, you should have been there to see it. 

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Concert Reviews Music

HEAD: Concert Review: Static-X with Dope, Mushroomhead, Fear Factory and Cultus Black at MTELUS

Static-X performing at MTELUS

 Nu metal is so back. 

Static-X are back on the road again, celebrating the 20th anniversary of their album Machine. The California group, formed in 1994, is accompanied by a stacked lineup composed of Dope, Mushroomhead, Fear Factory and Cultus Black. It’s just a big old happy nu metal family reunion! 

On the night of March 23, MTELUS was packed with nu-metallers, a sea of Korn hoodies and Static-X t-shirts pouring out the doors and onto the street. It’s been a while since a show like this happened, a show akin to the notorious Family Values Tours of the ’90s. I wasn’t surprised at the turnout, especially considering the show had to switch venues because of popular demand and capacity. Oh man, there are a lot of nu-metallers in Montreal. For once I’m not the only one!

Cultus Black opened the night, proclaiming to be “new around here.” For a new act, their set was really impressive, and I wished I’d been in the crowd to conjure up some more hype for them. Sometimes a crowd just won’t move during an opening band’s set and it absolutely sucks to watch. The band, however, did not disappoint. Their cover of “Negative Creep” by Nirvana was such a pleasant surprise. 

Dope, boasting their new album Blood Money Part Zer0, jumped right into their set without wasting much time. I was just as excited to see them as I was for Static-X, thrilled to finally get to hear the song “Die MF Die” live. I think their set was my favourite besides the headliner. 

Now, I’d never really gotten into Mushroomhead despite their steez in nu-metal circles, but they were great to see live. No need to rehash old Slipknot vs. Mushroomhead fan wars. Their stage presence is incredible, I really wish MTELUS’ stage was big enough for a band of that size and magnitude. They had quite the handful of set decorations and it just looked so cramped together. 

Fear Factory marked their return to the stage on this tour since their vocalist change in 2020. I was pretty pumped to see them back in action, and even more pumped to see them play “Zero Signal” off the Mortal Kombat soundtrack. 

Finally, Static-X dominated the stage with classics like “Push It”, “Cannibal”, “Wisconsin Death Trip”, and my personal favourite, “I’m With Stupid”. Towards the end of their set, they took a minute to dedicate “Cold” to Wayne Static, the original Static-X frontman who passed away in 2014. 

Overall the show was a blast, and I think the crowd was probably the only downside for the most part (not really the moving and shaking type, eh?). Yet another piece of nu-metal history in the making, this show couldn’t have come at a better time because… face it, nu-metal is so back.

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Features

The reality of social cohabitation in Milton-Parc

Cornor of Milton and Du Parc streets in Montreal, photo: Evan Lindsay edits: Catherine Reynolds/ THE CONCORDIAN

Everyone has a role to play in ensuring a harmonious coexistence between housed and unhoused residents

On the sidewalks of Milton Street and Parc Avenue, several individuals sit in groups in makeshift camps. They’ve come to know this territory well and call it home. Nonetheless, they share the neighbourhood with housed residents, businesspeople, and students.

Milton-Parc, a Plateau-Mont-Royal neighborhood, is known for its high concentration of homeless communities. Due to their clashing realities within the borough, these communities struggle to cohabitate.

“It’s a reality that’s been around a long time and the situation has only evolved since then,” said Sami Ghzala, a planning consultant for the city of Montreal. Ghzala lived in Milton-Parc for 25 years before moving to Little Italy.

This feeling is shared by many, including Jonathan Lebire, a street worker of 20 years, who has noticed the neighbourhood that he knows well evolve into what it is today.

“We’re talking about a crisis right now, but the problem has been known for over 10 years,” he said. 

The approach of  “social cohabitation” — the coexistence between housed and unhoused people — led residents of Milton Park to denounce the situation to the Ombudsman de Montreal (OdM), a resource for citizens dissatisfied or adversely affected by the City of Montreal’s decisions or services.

According to residents interviewed in an OdM report, instances of drug consumption, sanitary issues, as well as physical and sexual assaults have contributed to a growing feeling of insecurity among housed residents of Milton-Parc.

The OdM outlined several recommendations to solve what they now call a “humanitarian crisis,” notably the implementation of a citizen’s committee on social cohabitation. During a Plateau-Mont-Royal council meeting on Feb. 6, the borough approved the committee, dubbed the “Comité de bon voisinage de Milton-Parc.”

Ghzala was tasked with creating the committee and now facilitates and coordinates its meetings. So far, the committee has met twice.

“In our second meeting, we established that tackling the feeling of insecurity was the committee’s first objective,” he said. “Many housed residents and businesspeople expressed that concern.”

However Kody Crowell, a street worker at Plein Milieu, an organization that deals with homelessness in the Plateau, added that insecurity is felt on both sides.

“When neighbours talk about how they feel unsafe, I usually turn it back on them and ask them if they think this individual feels safe sleeping on the street at constant risk of harassment by police, having their things stolen, violence, or getting hit by a car,” Crowell said.

The Comité de bon voisinage de Milton-Parc is made up of seven people who have lived in Milton-Parc for several years. Accounting for the overwhelming proportion of Indigenous unhoused people, the Native Friendship Centre of Montreal also takes part in the meetings. While Indigenous people only make up one per cent of the Plateau-Mont-Royal population, they make up 12 per cent of the unhoused population, according to the OdM report.

According to Crowell, this is a result of many factors.

“With Indigenous homelessness, you know, we’re talking about hundreds of years of colonization,” Crowell explained. “We’re talking about a housing crisis up north. We’re talking about addiction, domestic violence.”

Over the course of its mandate, the committee will discuss ways to improve the coexistence between both populations, cleanliness, and the sharing of public spaces.

“We are all supposed to have the right to safely occupy public spaces,” said Annie Savage, director of the Réseau d’aide aux personnes seules et itinérantes de Montréal, an organization that defends the rights of unhoused people and provides them with resources. “Unfortunately, someone living through homelessness will constantly be displaced.”

Savage also added that they’ve received reports of a growth in the unhoused population from Plein Milieu.

However, defining good social cohabitation is difficult. As Savage pointed out, the term is mostly used by housed people while unhoused people will rather talk about sharing public spaces. 

Crowell even further nuanced the term. “They’re fighting for their life, they’re not thinking about cohabitation,” he said.

The Comité du bon voisinage de Milton Parc aims to ensure everyone can safely occupy public spaces. However, the responsibility doesn’t fall on the committee alone.

“Everyone, every organization, has a part to play in social cohabitation,” said Catherine Lessard, chief administrator of community organizers at the Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal (CIUSSS). “It isn’t relevant to someone more than another and everyone has a part of the solution.”

The CIUSSS supports community groups that promote social cohabitation, like the Comité de bon voisinage de Milton-Parc. They bridge the gaps between services and demand, while also employing a team that works directly with unhoused people.

“Just like a social worker works on an individual level, we work at the scale of the community,” added Lessard.

While Savage agreed with Lessard that everyone carries a responsibility to ensure harmonious social cohabitation, she saw a lack of willingness from the government in solving the problem of homelessness.

“The municipal and provincial governments constantly pass the ball back and forth on who has responsibility,” Savage said. “Montreal keeps saying that it’s up to Quebec to finance initiatives regarding mental health and community groups specialized in homelessness.”

While government officials and community groups share a considerable load of the responsibility, Ghzala, who coordinates Milton-Parc’s social cohabitation committee, said the committee found that there are there are gestures any housed resident can do to promote social cohabitation.

Ghzala relayed the thoughts of one committee member.

“[They said] conversing with your neighbours, housed or not, [would help],” said Ghzala. “Do you know their names? How many people know the names of the unhoused people who have lived next to them for years?”

Crowell echoed the need to listen to unhoused people.

“These people know what they need and it’s on us to listen,” he said. “Listen to the people who are actually affected by this situation. They know their needs.”

For Lebire, however, the solution to homelessness in Milton-Parc is indeed cohabitation.

“You want for those people to want to reintegrate [into] a society that marginalized them,” he explained. “We’re always defending their rights without ever giving them responsibilities or opportunities for them to be more than victims.”

It’s with that idea in mind that Lebire created his own grassroots organization, Comm-Un. Its aim is to empower people experiencing homelessness and to communicate with them on equal footing.

Lebire says that “it takes a village” to address homelessness. Whether it’s through organizations that empower or give resources to people experiencing homelessness, or by taking the time to know your neighbours, everyone can make a difference in social cohabitation.

Correction: A quote from Sami Ghzala has been modified to attribute the opinions of a member of Milton-Parc’s social cohabitation committee, not Ghzala.

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HERstory Lesson Opinions

HERstory Lesson: Sir Lady Java

Carleen Loney/THE CONCORDIAN @shloneys

How she fought against the transphobic Rule Number 9

Sir Lady Java is an American transgender rights activist and performer. She performed in the Los Angeles area from the mid-1960s to 1970s.

Java was born in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1943 and transitioned at a young age with the support of her mother.

After singing and dancing in local clubs, she moved to Los Angeles to further her career and by 1965, performed in a nightclub owned by Comedian Redd Foxx that welcomed other great entertainers of the time like Sammy Davis Jr., Richard Pryor, Flip Wilson, Rudy Ray Moore, LaWanda Page, and Don Rickles.

In September 1967, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) ordered Redd Foxx’s club to cancel Java’s performances, but they didn’t comply. The LAPD then threatened to fine the club and arrest Foxx if they continued hosting her, using a city ordinance against cross-dressing.

Before today’s war on drag shows and the fight to ban them, there existed laws like Rule Number 9. The city ordinance in Los Angeles, California, stated, “No entertainment shall be conducted in which any performer impersonates by means of costume or dress a person of the opposite sex, unless by special permit issued by the Board of Police Commissioners.”

As part of the rule, performers had to wear a minimum of three “properly gendered” items on them.

Even though any form of public gender nonconformity had been outlawed in Los Angeles since 1898, the Board of Police Commissioners developed Rule Number 9 in 1940 to require bar owners to get special permission to host entertainment which included any sort of cross-dressing.

As a response to LAPD’s crackdown, Foxx’s club applied for a permit to host Lady Java in October 1967, but was refused.

On October 21, Java protested against the rule by picketing in front of Foxx’s club advocating for her right to work. With the help of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), she challenged Rule Number 9 as unconstitutional in court.

The court rejected her case, stating only club or bar owners could sue the police department. Java and the ACLU could not find any owner willing to join them in their fight.

In 1969, Rule Number 9 was ultimately struck down by the California Supreme Court in a separate case. Although Java’s case was not the one to dissipate the transphobic rule, she is recognized as a trailblazer for transgender performers and drag queens.

As stated on the ACLU’s website, police at the time were not just cracking down on a couple of drag queens — their fight against “deviant” activities actually targeted the whole LGBTQ+ community. 

“They were attacking drag performers in order to target bars and clubs that often served as the only public places where gays and lesbians could gather. The police made no real distinction between gay people and transgender folks,” reads the website.

With today’s political climate in the US directly targeting the drag community, it is important to remember Lady Java’s activism and fight against Rule Number 9.

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Music Quickspins

QUICKSPINS: The Great Escape – Larry June & The Alchemist

Veteran producer The Alchemist teams up with friend Larry June to bless our ears in time for Easter.

American record producer, DJ, rapper and songwriter The Alchemist released his latest collaboration album on March 31, this time with San Francisco rapper and affiliate Larry June. It was only a matter of time before the release of this project, since The Alchemist has been on a collab album streak. 

The legendary producer dropped The Elephant Man’s Bones in August 2022 with Roc Marciano, as well as Continuance with Curren$y in February of the same year, the latter of which features rapper Larry June. 

Curren$y also appears on The Great Escape, teaming up with Joey Bada$$ to feature on the penultimate song “Barragán Lighting” — a personal favourite on the 15-track project.

The Great Escape is already in the top five of the year for me. Some people may say that Larry June has a lazy monotone flow and lacklustre pen game. Real ones, including myself, know that his voice, bars and flow are perfectly homogeneous with the smooth soul loops that The Alchemist concocted. 

The album paints a perfect picture of what Larry June is doing after his success. It’s exactly what is displayed on the album cover: driving around California’s bay area in a classy expensive car. It feels like a victory lap around the hills in a Porsche 911, and The Alchemist is piecing everything together in the passenger seat.

The Alchemist’s curation for lyrical talent is always outstanding, grabbing artists that are forever slept on like Boldy James, Jay Worthy, and Curren$y. It always makes my week whenever I see Action Bronson create anything, especially when he teams up with The Alchemist, and this time it’s for his feature on “Solid Plan”, and it’s as if his best bud made the beat for him. The strange ’80s synth had the loop sounding like it could be found on a hypothetical deluxe version of Blue Chips 7000. 

This kicks off a three-banger streak. The following song, “Palisades, CA” is just gross, easily the best song on the record. It keeps the same uniform vibe of the album, feeling bright yet mysterious and dangerous. Big Sean, who I usually find corny and think of as someone who does too much, absolutely popped off. The Detroit rapper uses a crazy triplet flow while talking about his new luscious long hair and how he tells the truth “like a polygraph in a booth.” A true masterpiece. 

The third elite song in the streak, “Summer Reign,” makes me want to reminisce on the beach with the wind in my hair, maybe with a tear rolling down my cheek. And it’s all because of the wawa-guitar loop paired with the God-given voice of Ty Dolla $ign.

All in all, there is not one skip on this album. No song is lower than a 7.5/10. That being said, The Alchemist will forever be on the hip-hop producer Mount Rushmore, and this album definitely deserves a listen.

Trial Track: “Palisades, CA”

Score: 8.5/10

Categories
News

Four decades since the start of the HIV pandemic: Then versus now

now over four decades since the start of the HIV health crisis, how is it being handled in Canada today?

During the summer of 1981, a headline from The New York Times warned people about a “rare cancer” found in young, healthy gay men. Nine months later, the first case of this mysterious illness was reported in Canada. This turned out not to be cancer at all but human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, and could infect people of any age, race, and sexual orientation.

In 1983 alone, there were an estimated 3,000 to 7,000 new cases of HIV in Canada. Nearly 40 years later, there were approximately 1,520 new cases of HIV in 2020, and 1,722 new cases in 2021, according to reports by the Government of Canada.

In 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) established the 90-90-90 targets to tackle this pandemic. Their aim is to ensure that 90 per cent of people with HIV know their status, 90 per cent of those who know their status are receiving treatment, and 90 per cent  of those who are on treatment have an undetectable viral load. 

Recent research published by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease has found that people with undetectable levels of HIV cannot transmit the virus through sex.

Canada has made significant progress since the beginning of the HIV pandemic. In 2018, 87 per cent of people with HIV knew their infection status, 85 per cent of those who knew their status were taking treatment, and 94 per cent of those taking treatment for HIV achieved viral suppression. 

Despite this progress, Canada still has much to improve on. Montreal did not sign on to the Paris Declaration on Fast-Track Cities Ending the AIDS Epidemic, which put forth a new 95-95-95 target. As a result, HIV/AIDS organizations within the city feel as though Montreal is not doing enough to combat the pandemic. 

Another highly contested issue is Canada’s laws on HIV non-disclosure, which state that an individual’s HIV-positive status must be disclosed to their partner prior to any sexual activity that poses a “realistic possibility of transmission,” or risk being charged with sexual assault. This law has faced significant backlash due to overcriminalization, particularly among marginalized communities. 

Furthermore, many marginalized groups continue to struggle disproportionately compared to the rest of Canada. According to the Ontario HIV Epidemiology and Surveillance Initiative, in 2019, African, Caribbean and Black women represented 61 per cent of new diagnoses among women in Ontario. Out of 169 women, 21 per cent were reported to use injection drugs. 

A cohort study published by the Ontario HIV Treatment Network highlighted that individuals who experienced intimate violence from a partner were up to 50 per cent more likely to contract HIV. 

In 2018, the Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange reported that only 78 per cent of Indigenous people in Canada who inject drugs were aware of their HIV status, with 83 per cent of those who knew their status receiving treatment, while only 64 per cent of those on treatment had an undetectable viral load.

Marginalized groups encounter barriers to access to treatment care for multiple reasons: the costs, the types of clinics and services available and the stigmas related to alcohol and drug use, to name a few. 

HIV organizations that provide support services witness this disparity first-hand. Kimberly Wong, the programs development manager at AIDS Community Care Montreal (ACCM), believes community organizations need more funding to help marginalized people living with HIV. 

“There are major shortages of resources and many post-lockdown crises that our sector has to deal with, so having more money to hire skilled workers would help a lot,” she said. 

ACCM provides a wide array of other services to the community. “Currently, we offer rapid HIV testing by appointment,” said Wong. They also offer one-on-one support for those living with HIV or hepatitis C, including referrals to other resources and individual counseling. 

For those interested in volunteering at ACCM, you can see their list of volunteer opportunities here. 

For more information regarding other support services, such as STI testing available in the Montreal area, including Concordia University, please refer to the list below.

Concordia University 

514-828-2424 ext. 3565

CLSC Metro (next to Sir George Williams campus)

1801 de Maisonneuve West

AIDS Community Care Montreal

2075 Rue Plessis

514-527-0928

info@accmontreal.org

Créa-MeD

2055 Mansfield 

514-900-5674

info@crea-med.ca 

Prelib 

Locations: 

Montreal – Berri-UQAM 1485 Saint-Hubert Street 

Montreal – Crescent 2121 rue Crescent, Suite 2117

Quebec – 2360 Ch Ste-Foy, Suite G031

Sherbrooke – 30 Rue Marchant

info@prelib.com 

L’Actuel Medical Clinic 

1001 de Maisonneuve Est 

514-524-1001 

courriel@lactual.ca

Categories
News

Students moving nightmares

Concordia students talk about the challenges they face finding housing

In 1973, the Liberal Party of Quebec declared July 1 as the province’s unofficial moving date. Since that decision nearly half a century ago, March 31 has become the deadline for tenants to notify their landlords if they intend to terminate their lease.

The period between the beginning of April and the end of July can be particularly challenging for university students, especially those from outside of Montreal. 

Sierra McDonald is a first-year political science student at Concordia University. She said she had difficulties trying to find an apartment before starting school. 

“I’m from the Northwest Territories, and that’s pretty far away from Montreal,” said McDonald. “I found it really difficult having to find apartments online that fit my budget.”

According to Adia Giddings, an assistant for Concordia’s Housing and Job Resource Centre (HOJO)  out-of-province students like McDonald are in a vulnerable position when searching for housing because they often cannot visit apartments in person.

“Specifically international students who are trying to sign a lease from another country and can’t visit the apartment, they enter into the lease and then they look at the apartment, and it is not what it looks like in the pictures,” she said.

 A common issue thatGiddings deals with relate to students struggling to find leases outside of the standard lease duration of one year. 

Dana Hachwa, a second-year journalism student at Concordia, said she has noticed that  the vast amount of short-term accommodations on advertised Facebook Marketplace are for “apartment swaps.” 

Hachwa believes the practice is exploitative in nature and blocks students like her from entering the housing market.

“You see a nice apartment in a great area. It’s big, it’s affordable. The person’s looking to transfer their lease, but it’s only a swap. So if you’re not giving them something in return, you can’t have the apartment,”

said Hachwa.

Another scam that students should be on the lookout for, Giddings warned, is promotional deals or limited time offers that include discounts on rent. 

“Big landlords will advertise a month free of rent or a little bit off every month that you live in the apartment for your first year,” said Giddings. “Those fields are especially worrisome because a lot of them have clauses that are considered punitive by the tribunal.” 

Giddings explained that many of these deals include provisions that allow landlords to negate on these terms if the tenant attempts to conduct a lease transfer or pay rent late.
Students looking for more information about their renting rights can go to HOJO’s website or visit their offices at the Henry F. Hall building, room number 224.

Categories
Opinions

“Where are you from?” is a bad question

James Fay/THE CONCORDIAN @jamesfaydraws

How growing up with an international background altered my perspective on identity

Growing up internationally is hard. Although there is no place I could call home apart from physical places, like my room in my apartment or my parent’s house, growing up internationally changed my life forever. It completely altered my perception of the world, exposed me to multiple cultures and provided me with the open-mindedness I have today. 

So why does a simple question like “Where are you from?” have such a negative impact on me? 

Like many others, I was born in a different country than the one on my Canadian passport. I was born in Belgium, and moved to two different cities in Switzerland before experiencing the culture shock that was New York City and Boston. Growing up, I found myself adjusting to a new country or community so frequently that it became part of a rhythm in my life. 

Sometimes it was pretty rough to adjust, like when I moved from a small town in Switzerland to NYC. I had to adjust to the number of people around me, a new language, new habits, and the NYC subway. I felt so overwhelmed at first, with the amount of people everywhere all the time, and words people used that I had never learned in my English classes before. 

The plus side of moving was that I always gained the same things: familiarity to new cultural elements, and being exposed to new people and languages, all of which has helped shape who I am today. 

Transitioning between schools and cities in different countries frequently made me feel as though I was a stranger, always the “new kid.” 

“Where are you from?” reinforced the feelings of not belonging I have felt each time I moved. 

When I finally arrived in Canada nine months ago for university, saying I was Canadian became easier, it meant more than just a document I held. But imposter syndrome was still very much present. How could I be more Canadian after living in other countries for years? It’s simply not possible. 

Humans crave validation and in turn crave to belong. I sometimes also wish I had a set nationality that I could be so proud of. 

Often I look at my Balkan father and the way he talks about his country, the people, the food, and the culture. I admire the way he can always scope out a community of Bosnians and feel pride in his country. I know, however, that I will never feel so attached to one country. 

I’m sure I’m not the only one. Maybe you, too, feel like you don’t fit in where you were born, or where your family comes from. Maybe you feel like you’re not “enough” to truly be accepted. 

We should change the meaning behind the term “home” and the idea that we should fiercely represent one country or culture, or consider our home to be the country printed on our documents. We should be able to argue that our home is in multiple places without turning heads. 

In a way, having an answer when asked about our nationality takes weight off our shoulders and allows us to belong to a “club” or a community — a cheat code to having a particular identity. 

The catch is, in the midst of globalization, I believe there is no way to identify with only one place, or belong in only one community. In fact, I strongly believe that seeing yourself as coming from one definite place immensely restricts your experiences and potential future connections. After all, you’re the sum of the many segments of your life. 

Should we not be more concerned about where we could go than with where we have been in the past? Should we not focus on how we could shape who we are by learning from others and exploring new faces in this world we live in? 

In a world where we are so interconnected, a question like “Where are you from?” should never hold as much weight as it does today, nor should the answer ever contribute to who we are. 

Categories
Concert Reviews Music

 Concert Review: Cindy Lee at Les Foufounes Électriques

Cindy Lee playing at Les Foufounes Électriques. Picture taken by Jake Beacock

Making their awaited return to Montreal, the enthralling Cindy Lee takes the stage at Les Foufounes Électriques

Dreamy, movie-tragic and esoteric, Cindy Lee is the dazzling drag persona of Canadian musician Patrick Flegel, best known for their work as the lead singer and guitarist of the band Women. Creating atmospheric “confrontation pop”,  Lee sings delicately like a vintage starlet over glimmering guitar riffs and static, encapsulating themes of mystifying melancholy and romance. 

Their March 18 show at Les Foufounes Électriques was opened by Montreal band Born Winner, a duo laying down puffy, funky basslines and classic guitar over an ’80s mall pop vibe. Their work suggests a grunge persuasion, resulting in a great live set for spending any extra energy on dancing. Knowing Cindy Lee’s set would be one of a more mellow, lightweight tone, I absolutely danced my heart out to “average boy” and “too cool for school.” 

On-time and dressed in a white fur-trimmed coat with shiny gogo boots to match, Cindy Lee quietly graced the stage, politely waving and gently acknowledging the crowd of eager spirits. Only mere centimeters away from me, Lee set their own equipment up briefly before easing into their first song. Falling into the embrace of the ethereal tunes, I couldn’t help but close my eyes and sway to the rhythm until Lee smoothly interjected with a tastefully improvised guitar solo.

Lee danced around the stage in a glistening gold dress, bundles of baby’s breath in hand, to the weeping guitar in “I Don’t Want To Fall In Love Again.” The sweet song of distant longing and lost love rang through the venue. Between politely sheepish “thank you kindly”s, they strolled through the set of primarily unreleased and hidden tracks. It was difficult even for me, as a huge fan of their work, to discern which songs were being played! Though I’ll admit, it really adds to the elusiveness of Cindy Lee as both a persona and a project.

I had the privilege of meeting Cindy Lee themself, up close. When their gogo boots were not inches from my hands on stage, they were an incredibly kind and approachable person to speak to. Friends I had attended the show with were keen on telling them how we purchased their album, Cat O’ Nine Tails, which is unavailable on streaming platforms. Their response was somewhere along the lines of “Great! I’m going on strike!” which means we are in for another mystery upon Flegel’s next release as Cindy Lee. I will simply wait patiently until then, and I hope you will too. 

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