Police break up student protest in Montreal

Thousands gathered in the streets of Montreal last Thursday, April 3 to protest austerity in Quebec’s economic policies. The demonstration had been declared illegal by Service de police de la ville de Montréal (SPVM) before it even began. The march proceeded for three hours before the authorities intervened.

The Association pour une solidarité syndicale étudiante (ASSÉ) is a student union at McGill which was key in mobilizing the student protest of 2012 and organized this most recent demonstration after approximately 60,000 students voted in favour of it.

The SPVM broke up the march with a charge and used tear gas and rubber bullets as a means of dispersing the crowd. At least two people were injured and six arrests were made.

With files from The McGill Daily

Can employers friend you before hiring you?

Marketing agencies and the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario recently spoke to students at Ryerson University regarding whether employers are legally permitted to ask for social media account names in job applications.

In the past few years, more and more employers are requiring candidates to include their social media account information. However, since students have a right to informational privacy, the legality of this depends on whether the hiring company is a public or private organization.

Public organizations are allowed to do background checks when they are authorized and necessary to the hiring process, but private companies can only do background checks with the candidate’s consent.

Still, district manager at Launch! marketing agency Kyle Tettman encourages students to “be mindful” of what they post online, since “doing a keg stand isn’t illegal, but it doesn’t look great as your display picture either.”

With files from The Ryersonian

International students work under the table

As tuition rises at George Brown College, under the table “cash jobs” are gaining popularity. These illegal jobs appeal particularly to international students, who are trying to support themselves financially in Toronto.

Examples of cash jobs include, “[t]utoring, editing classmates’ work, dog walking, working in repairs, [and] being a handyman.” These types of jobs do not require students to provide work permits or social insurance numbers, making them an attractive option for students from outside of the country.

The problem with cash jobs is that students may end up being paid less than minimum wage or working longer than the legally acceptable number of hours. Furthermore, students are sometimes not paid on time, or even paid at all; however, with so many restrictions on work permits, and the high price of living, it’s a risk some are willing to take.

With files from The Monologue