Horoscopes January 13–19
By: Phone Min Thant, Staff Writer
Aries
March 21–April 19
This week, you will wake up all motivated to go to the one required lower division course you have ignored for two whole years. Then, as you wash your face, you will remember why you avoided that course in the first place — packed lecture halls, professors that talk too fast, and TAs being overwhelmed by confused first years during tutorials. Then, you will crash back into bed and hope the summer term will have fewer students. My advice? Go to the class before SFU lays off the professor.
Taurus
April 20–May 20
Visit West Mall, forget about class, get some Timmies, and go right home. Actually, just take advantage of the DashPass or Uber One you have (and I know you do) and order in your iced capp and timbits — no one really goes to West Mall at 8:30 a.m. anyway.
Gemini
May 21–June 21
The only thing you are looking forward to is club days. Making awkward small talk and acting interested in random clubs is your way to train for tutorial discussions and case competitions. Get some free stuff while you’re at it. Keep that free SFU BASS pen for your final exams but don’t worry, you probably won’t use it much during the semester. Unlike last year, the snow won’t ruin your club days heist in 2025.
Cancer
June 22–July 22
Please don’t trauma-dump on your TA. As you find it hard to finish your 2,500 word research essay, they are crying under their blankets trying to organize the data they collected for their 100+ page thesis. If you crave TA validation, just talk during your labs and tutorials instead of playing Wordle on your iPad and browsing Pinterest for cute winter fits.
Leo
July 23–August 22
This is the week for you to plan what to wear to your morning IAT class at Surrey. This is also the week for you to realize that you have the commitment to watch One Piece in its entirety but not the commitment to commute to Surrey by 9:30 a.m. once a week. Since you will plan your outfits more than you go to class, maybe it is time to tidy your wardrobe instead. Repeat “I’ll go next week” three times a week.
Virgo
August 23–September 22
Instagram notes aren’t the place to complain about your horrible group project teammates. Take some time to calm down, meditate, watch some ASMR, and tell yourself, “This too shall pass.” Or not. Write a long email to your professor asking if you can kick them out and question your life decisions that have led you here. I hear SFU Kendo is running trial days soon if you want to scream your lungs out without any judgement.
Libra
September 23–October 22
Start a crochet business. Yes, devote your academic career to selling those tiny crocheted octopuses and Sanrio keychains. Why? Because I, the stars themselves, love crocheted plushies and over rely on the SFU Bookstore every time there’s a birthday gift.
Scorpio
October 23–November 21
Scorpio sounds a lot like scorpion, and scorpions sting. There is an energy drink with the same name — which reminds me, don’t forget to stock-up on your favorite energy drinks this semester. Why fear a slight chance that you will get a heart attack if you can have your own Kay Chung all-nighter moments, right?
Sagittarius
November 22–December 21
You should take a break. That’s it. This just isn’t your week so stay home and keep the negative energy away from packs of newcomers getting lost in the AQ.
Capricorn
December 22–January 19
Did you spend all of last week obsessed with Squid Game season 2? Are you behind on your chores and laundry? Did you even check your emails to see if your waitlists have been resolved? It’s OK, get the holiday binging all out of your system before you inspire fellow lecture-mates to watch Netflix at the back of the hall.
Aquarius
January 20–February 18
You will go to every single class. Yes, you will be the one sign that will make SFU your true second home. Then you will visit the Central Gym and sigh as you ask yourself why you didn’t choose a university that wouldn’t take over two years to refurbish a swimming pool. As someone who might also graduate before I can inhale the sweet chlorine of a university pool, I feel you.
Pisces
February 19–March 20
You have two fishes as your symbol, this is your “sign” to go get sushi at Cornerstone. See the pun? While Japarrito’s huge sushi burritos are filling, there is nothing that compares to a succulent plate of a spider roll (soft-shell crab roll) from Togo Sushi. Wait, this isn’t the Arts and Culture section!
Community Days at SFU
By: Phone Min Thant, Staff Writer, Izzy Cheung, Arts & Culture Editor
Editor’s note: The Peak acknowledges that Chloë Arneson, who was interviewed, was a News Writer for The Peak in 2023. However, the writer and editor of this piece have no personal affiliation with Arneson.
“A sense of community is an important part of our university experience,” Simon Fraser Student Society’s vice president of equity and sustainability Chloë Arneson told The Peak. “Shared experiences give us the opportunity to have important conversations, forge new ideas, learn from one another, and grow as individuals.” With this in mind, she came up with “Community Days” every Thursday in the Student Union Building for students to mingle with clubs and organizations on campus.
Like a smaller version of Clubs Days, these are set up with the aim of bridging the wider student body by holding activities such as craft-making, self-help, and performances. With a backdrop of campus radio jams, some of the clubs will also be presenting paid and volunteer opportunities so you might even be able to take away something for your resume.
“This weekly event gives us an opportunity to meet students where they’re at,” Arneson added. “We can chat with them about their university experience or just sit together and do crafts.”
The SFSS is the organizing body of student unions at SFU. They coordinate many events — most notably Club Days, free breakfast programs, and cultural festivals like Ujjwal. They maintain the Student Union Building and have campaigned against issues affecting students such as tuition hikes.
“Each of the student groups is bringing something different to the table,” Arneson said.
Community Days take place every Thursday, from January 9 to February 6, between 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the social stage beside the GO Desk in the SUB, on the third floor.
Here are some of the groups you can expect to meet, with more yet to be confirmed:
The Peak
If you are reading this article, you are probably already familiar with The Peak. We’re SFU’s one and only independent weekly newspaper, allowing students easier access to the comings and goings around the university as well as the wider world. Tired of writing papers for your courses and want to write news stories, film reviews, or quizzes? Or maybe you want to turn your photography hobby into a career? The Peak is happy to chat with you about freelance paid opportunities. Stop by the table to test out a Peak-themed wordle and grab some merch!
Embark
Embark is for any member of the SFU community striving for a better world. They promote equitable and sustainable lives for students in two key areas — climate equity and food justice. Embark organizes many events and campaigns to achieve these goals, such as climate workshops, and their community kitchen and gardens. If you strive to be a changemaker one day, also consider volunteering or joining the team in a paid capacity!
CJSF
CJSF is SFU’s very own community radio station. As a representative of the campus community, they pride themselves in expressing non-mainstream voices, which is reflected in their choices of music. CJSF also works to connect the university and students by taking on various news announcements and press releases. They are also open to eager volunteers!
The Simon Fraser Public Interest Research Group (SFPIRG)
The SFPIRG is an independent research body run by students for students. Their main interests are on social and environmental justice, which they have organized many events and activities around to increase the student body’s knowledge. If you are a student with a keen heart for activism and justice and a willingness to expand your knowledge for change, consider checking out the SFPIRG’s resource library!
“The connecting thread each of our groups shares is an ideology centred around community,” Arneson explained. “In order to advocate for our community, we must actively strive to nurture a sense of community.”
As SFU undergoes budgetary issues, Arneson said the resources that were once used to promote student well-being have been slashed. Against this backdrop, Arneson is hopeful that behind Community Days lies a desire for “creating something that speaks to [students]” and “resistant communities [that] help us take care of one another.
“This event is more like a love letter to my time at SFU, and these student groups are responsible for making this school into an experience that I’m truly grateful for,” she added. “I’m in my last semester of my degree and if I’m being honest, I’m most looking forward to spending time with the leaders that I’ve had the privilege of working with during my time here.”
Community Days is an embodiment of what makes SFU a community. In this spirit, we reflect Arneson’s wishes that they will continue beyond the planned deadline of February 9. Support this effort by giving Community Days a visit every Thursday!
From grassroots movements to thriving campus communities
By: Yasmin Hassan, Staff Writer
Some students might focus solely on grades and finishing courses as quickly as possible, slipping through the seams of this transitory institution that is colloquially compared to a prison complex. Though, like the winding vines that grow on the side of the W. A. C. Bennett Library, some students choose to root themselves into the student society. Student-led clubs, unions, and organizations are the heart of a thriving university community, where connection, collective support, and advocacy are built from the ground up. The university as we know it wouldn’t exist without them — they’re not just a part of campus life, they’re what bring it to life.
The roots of campus life
There’s a big difference between a student body — a group of students who happen to go to the same university — and a student society. Picture this: it’s September 1965 and SFU has just opened its doors to its campus sitting on Burnaby Mountain. Though thousands of students quickly filed up the hill and into the buildings, seeking out their educational prowess, it took quite some time for them to coagulate into a real student society. According to The Tartan, a former student-led publication, it took over a month for the first student government to be established and it’s been developing ever since.
Donald Arthur Pulsford, former SFU student, was instrumental in shaping SFU’s student community. He stepped up to the plate and championed student voices, laying the foundation for what is now the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS). As the first SFSS Public Relations Officer, he set up park-ins and sit-ins against tuition hikes and pushed for the creation of the Student Union Building (SUB). He was also co-founder of The Peak, originally named S.F.View.
In 1994 came the first meeting of Students of Caribbean and African Ancestry (SOCA), which created a space for students of African and Caribbean heritages ever since. They’ve tackled issues such as racism, advocating for hiring and amplifying the voices of Black professors, and more. SFPRIG has rallied around critical issues through action groups, such as the committee to end ableism, racialized resistance and healing, and no cops on campus. And let’s not forget how these two and several other groups brought systemic change to the student government to include marginalized communities and fought for their space in the SUB. If only Pulsford could see what would come decades later from his idea of the SUB.
When the First Peoples’ Gathering House began construction in 2019, SFU First Nations, Metis & Inuit Student Association (FNMISA) condemned SFU for failing to adequately consult them on the plans, even going as far as barring Indigenous students from entering discussions. Thus began the Let Us Speak campaign, backed by tens of allied student-led groups who amplified their mission: “Indigenous students should be the centre of reconciliation work on this campus, as we are the ones on the front lines of fighting systemic issues that continue to create barriers to achieving our academic goals,” the group wrote.
These efforts remind us that a student community is shaped by the collective will and solidarity of its members.
“A student community is shaped by the collective will and solidarity of its members.”
The SFSS, clubs, student societies, and more
The SFSS is the central organization representing and advocating for students. They also administer the student society fee towards student-led groups and resources like the health and dental plan, BC U-Pass, several grants, and more. The SFSS is present everywhere, from maintaining the SUB to student-led events, but many don’t know what goes on behind the scenes. In an interview with Sam Killawee, vice president internal and organizational development, we get an inside look at his role and the work that goes into supporting student initiatives and the challenges they face. As Killawee explains, “My connection to the student body is a little bit more tenuous than that of some of the other executives as my role is very much an internal facing one.” He is one of two executive members overseeing student health and dental plans and focuses primarily on reviewing the SFSS’ policies to assess governance structure.
For context, clubs are groups with a specific interest and mandate, student unions represent students within a certain department or faculty, and constituency groups “represent and serve its members who share an experience or condition of oppression and systemic discrimination.” FNMISA provides resources such as safe spaces, Elder visits, cultural workshops, academic support, and more to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit students.
There’s also independent student societies, which operate autonomously to serve the broader student body. Embark Sustainability, for instance, is a climate-driven group which provides essential food security resources to students.
Killawee highlights how student-led groups offer essential spaces and resources for marginalized communities beyond the academic institution. He also recalls the Tuition Freeze Now movement, which he says “stands out to [him] as a moment when a lot of student societies banded together in solidarity.” Despite these successes, Killawee underscores the challenges student societies and clubs face, particularly in terms of stagnant funding. Membership fees (Student Society Membership Dues) haven’t increased since 2006. Since their last fee adjustments, many student-run services and societies have experienced significant inflationary erosion. Almost two decades have passed and there hasn’t been a membership increase while inflation has risen by 48% since. Campus radio station CJSF has not adjusted fees since 2009, while The Peak fees have remained unchanged since 2003, and the most striking being SFPRIG, whose fees have remained stagnant since 1995.
“At some point, we’re going to get to a place where the funds that we have no longer have the same buying power that they used to.” Killawee stresses the importance of student engagement like “coming out to student events and events run by your student society,” reminding students, “these are your societies . . . and they work for you.”
Voices of the community
So, what do students have to say about the importance of student societies? The Peak sent out a survey to students to share their thoughts. Yulissa Huamani, an arts and social sciences student, said “student led organizations allow students to find like-minded people.” Huamani also notes on memorable experiences, “I remember assisting many events organized by clubs such as the career night hosted by the International Studies [Student Association] allowing me to hear professionals’ perspective and experience.” Paiton, a student majoring in history and member of the Association of Latin American Students, said, “I made a majority of my life-long friends from clubs run by students,” and that clubs and societies “foster community and create a space outside of the classroom for people to meet.” Sena Isik, a member of Embark Sustainability, mentioned the impact of their society, citing the reduction of CO2 by reducing food waste on campus. One student mentioned how having organizations for and by students is “a good way for students to be engaged with university life and to be a part of the community, by either joining or designing their own organizations.” Education major Katie Wilkie said student-led media “impacts the way I receive information. I like to know fellow students or local journalist are where I’m getting my information.”
SFU student verbally harassed on campus by group of teenagers
By: Mason Mattu, News Writer
Content warning: details of harassment, and racist and sexist language.
The safety of SFU students is being questioned after an incident of verbal harassment against an SFU student occurred on the Burnaby Campus on November 24, 2024. Following this incident, she posted her experience on Reddit to r/simonfraser. The Peak reached out to learn more about her experience and opinion on campus safety. Jane’s name has been changed to protect her identity.
At 5:00 p.m. on a Sunday night, Jane took a break from studying and went to order food from a restaurant at UniverCity. While walking from the Student Union Building, she encountered a group of boys “smoking marijuana and vaping” in the 3000 level of the academic quadrangle (AQ). Upon seeing Jane, the group of teenagers began to hurl racist remarks and sexist slurs at her, going as far as to say they could take her “to the stairwell and fuck [her] up so easy” and that “nobody would even know what would happen” to her.
Jane then said she ran from the group of boys and called security near the education building entrance of the AQ. “When I called the security guards, I felt there was no urgency to actually catch these boys. They were walking to these boys as they were running away,” she said. The group of teenagers then started “running around campus” as Jane accompanied security. When Jane spotted one of the boys, a security guard jogged toward him. Jane said she then stood alone for “seven or eight minutes,” when she called campus security again. She wanted to know if she could leave campus and how the boys would be dealt with. Jane felt “there was no sense of communication” between herself and security. She also expressed her disapproval of the school’s Safe Walk service as she stated security escorted her to the UniverCity area, where they had also escorted the teenagers off campus.
“One way or another, the reason why I wanted to share this was so it could spark discussion about the way that SFU handled this.” — Jane, SFU Student
This incident is not the first safety violation arising on campus allegedly involving the same group of teenagers. In March, an SFU student was bear-sprayed on the Burnaby campus. According to an interview with City News Vancouver, the student intervened to stop the harassment of a custodian by a group of teenagers. He was then shoved and bear-sprayed by them. This student stated that when he reached out to SFU, “they did not provide any support or information regarding how they would prevent similar instances from happening in the future.” There were also reports of police responding to a pepper spray incident in late March, but The Peak wasn’t able to confirm the details of the incident, and whether or not it was separate from the bear spray incident. Many anonymous Reddit users and an anonymous City News interviewee suspect these teenagers are linked to several other incidents throughout 2024 involving violent threats, racial slurs, and shooting BB guns.
Jane also added that a security guard told her the group of teenagers she encountered had “12 to 14” incidents involving campus security in the past. Both Jane’s original Reddit post and the post about the bear mace pictured the suspects. The photos were forwarded to the Burnaby RCMP by Reddit users. Reddit users reacting to the bear mace incident were able to find the social media handles and full names of the alleged suspects. The Youth Criminal Justice Act makes it illegal to publish the identity of minors, including publishing their names on social media.
Jane said that when she filed a report with the Burnaby RCMP, they forced her to delete the pictures of the teenagers online. She said she felt “very much pressured into it because of the boys being minors.” The police proceeded to ask her to “give the boys an apology and sit down with their parents” for posting a photo of them. After Jane refused to do so, the case was closed with the Burnaby RCMP. The Peak reached out to the RCMP Burnaby district for more information but did not receive a response by the publication deadline.
In a statement to The Peak, SFU stated that the “campus public safety team continues to offer support to those impacted by these incidents and is working with the Burnaby RCMP to aid police in all avenues of their investigation.” The Peak also reached out to SFU security for a statement but did not receive a response by the publication deadline.
“Perhaps other women [or people] could have similar stories to share about this,” said Jane, when asked what prompted her to share her story. “One way or another, the reason why I wanted to share this was so it could spark discussion about the way that SFU handled this,” she continued.
Jane and another Reddit user alleged that only four guards work the Burnaby campus per shift. The Reddit user said that two guards are stationed at specific areas on campus, while two other guards conduct campus-wide patrols. The user said in their conversation with security, they learned that security staff believe it is unreasonable to only have two guards on campus-wide patrols to respond to emergencies. Jane added there were only two patrol security guards on campus the night of her harassment. The Peak was unable to verify the number of campus security working per shift, as SFU security did not respond by the publication deadline.
SFU Faculty for Palestine responds to senior administrators meeting with Israeli ambassador
By: Mason Mattu, News Writer
In September 2024, a group of SFU senior administrators met with Israel’s ambassador to Canada, Iddo Moed. This information was published in an open letter from SFU Faculty for Palestine (F4P) on December 10 titled “Does SFU Support Genocide?”
This meeting occurred during the ambassador’s visit to Vancouver, where his goal was to “establish and expand collaborations between Israeli and Canadian academic institutions in the fields of medicine, agriculture, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and applied research.” The president’s office stated that BC and SFU’s tech and innovation work were discussed with ambassador Moed. The office also stated that “no new [institutional] partnerships were proposed at this meeting.”
The person overseeing Moed at the time, Israeli minister of defense Israel Katz, called for the immediate “cut off of water supply from Israel to Gaza,” on X. He also stated, “We will win. They will not receive a drop of water or a single battery until they leave the world.” F4P believes that “these are the values that ambassador Moed represents.”
The F4P letter claims SFU president Joy Johnson was also present at this meeting. In a statement to The Peak, SFU stated that “the meeting was attended by members of the provost and vice-president research offices” and not Johnson.
The Peak corresponded with Alberto Toscano, a term research associate professor at SFU’s School of Communication and author of Late Fascism: Race, Capitalism and the Politics of Crisis. Toscano said F4P was “shocked and upset by the fact that the meeting took place, and by the failure of leadership and moral intelligence it represented.” SFU continues to invest roughly $7.2 million in companies that supply “military arms and war-related products” to Israel, including “BAE systems, Booz Allen Hamilton, and CAE inc.” In November 2024, SFU told The Peak they expected to bring a “proposed timeline for community consultation” to the Board of Governors for approval that month. They also planned to begin community consultation with the “Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS), Graduate Student Society (GSS), and employee groups” in December, with a “full community consultation” in early 2025.
In a recent statement to The Peak, SFU confirmed that the community consultation took place “to provide information on the policy update process for the university’s Responsible Investment Policy.” A full community consultation to revise and provide feedback for this policy “is expected to take place in January and February. Feedback and proposed policy updates will be shared with the SFU Board of Governors in the spring.”
“Given the integral part played by the Israeli tech sector in the ongoing genocide, it is disturbing that SFU leadership would treat this as an unproblematic topic of discussion.” — Alberto Toscano, term research associate professor, SFU’s School of Communication and member of Faculty 4 Palestine
“Given the integral part played by the Israeli tech sector in the ongoing genocide, it is disturbing that SFU leadership would treat this as an unproblematic topic of discussion,” said Toscano. Israel’s tech industry continues to aid in the state’s mass surveillance of Palestinians and creating weapons of war. For example, according to The Guardian, Israel uses the AI system Lavender to identify Palestinian men as suspected militants and locate their homes as bombing targets. Last year, the Israeli tech sector grew its capital by 38%, making it the “second-largest behind Silicon Valley.”
Toscano said SFU treated the meeting with ambassador Moed as “business as usual.” In a message addressed to the SFU community, Johnson expressed that SFU “must refrain from taking public positions on topics unrelated to the business of the university, including partisan matters and world events.” The University Act — a law governing the operations and structures of universities — declares that universities must be “non-political in principle.” In their open letter, F4P asked if institutional neutrality extends to neutrality regarding genocide.
SFU told The Peak that it has “a process in place to accept meetings with ambassadors from any country that has a diplomatic relationship with Canada.”
“It is absurd to suggest that it would be in breach of the University Act to decline a meeting with the representative of a state which is being prosecuted by international legal bodies for war crimes, apartheid, and genocide,” said Toscano. “It pushes the university into a kind of moral nihilism, which in this case means a dangerous indifference even to minimal standards of international law and human rights.”
Toscano stated that if these meetings are required as part of university procedure, administration should consult the broader community, “detailing the conditions for university leadership taking meetings with representatives of foreign states.”
Read SFU Faculty for Palestine’s letter on page five.
Leaving the house costs too much
By: Phone Min Thant, Staff Writer
Regret was the first of many emotions I went through as I saw $9.98 on the cashier screen for my lunch — a slice of cheesecake, and that was just a dessert item. Imagine a whole meal! Many people say Vancouver is getting too expensive and they aren’t wrong. The core solution lies in addressing the increasing scarcity of free or affordable public spaces in Vancouver. It’s crucial that we have a “third place” aside from work and home to socialize and build community.
Fancy a dinner with your loved ones? Be prepared to spend upwards from $20 to $50 per person, and the former will most likely be fast food. Want to go to the movies? Ditch the overpriced popcorn and drinks and it will still cost you at least $16 for a ticket (but let’s be real, we aren’t ditching those). Still too pricey? Settle for bubble tea. Nevermind, it starts at $6 and only goes up from there.
Perhaps you want to get fit and do some self-care. The lowest-end of gym memberships costs around $20 a month, but typically goes beyond $70 while other fitness activities like pilates often cost much more. Universities like SFU also offer public sports and athletic clubs, but prices only go up from $50 per semester.
This is all ignoring the fact that transit to get to these places already costs $3 to $6 per ride and our gas prices have consistently remained above provincial and federal averages.
Not all hope is lost. From Stanley Park to Burnaby Mountain, the city’s well-maintained greenscape is ideal for jogging, cycling, or a picnic with your friends. We also can’t forget Vancouver’s many beaches offering more picnics, volleyball, swimming, and sightseeing. These beaches are also the home to Vancouver’s annual firework celebrations. On the other hand, public libraries are a good choice for anyone who desires some peace and community without having to pay an entry fee. You can also choose to visit the nearest university library to do the same! While you are there, try to find out about SFU trial week. Who knows? You might even end up with a new hobby!
While the government has the authority to revamp “third places,” we can also create our own inside pre-existing boundaries.
However, free-to-use public spaces like these are disappearing, and we need more.
There are several reasons for the decline of these “third places.” The digital age brought with it the rise of internet commerce and social media, fundamentally changing how we consume products and interact with one another. As well, the onset of COVID-19 forced us to reduce our in-person interaction while delivery services eliminated the need to leave the house at all.
While businesses have the authority to charge entrance fees or fully redesign their space to reduce comfort and loitering, we can find other third places inside pre-existing boundaries. Maybe you might want to have a nice day at the Vancouver Art Gallery. Explore the museum from 4–8 pm on the first Friday of every month when it offers free admissions. The Burnaby Arts Museum and the Village Museum also offer admissions priced by voluntary donations, don’t just leave them to the tourists. It is time to recognize these museums and galleries for what they are — places for socialization and interaction on top of numerous learning opportunities.
Finally, create third places outside of the city (and your comfort zone). Go hiking or trekking with friends on Vancouver’s many trails and forests. Some of them are extremely beginner-friendly if you are just planning to start soon. The only downside is the exposure to weather, so go prepared.
In a time where “third places” are fast disappearing, we have to create our own inexpensive bubbles of joy. Just because we live in one of the most expensive Canadian cities, it doesn’t mean we have to break the bank to have fun!
Travel the world through these local restaurants
By: Phone Min Thant, Staff Writer
Amay’s House (Burmese)
3293 Kingsway, Vancouver
Wednesday–Monday 11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m.–8:30 p.m.
Amay’s House is one of the only restaurants in the Vancouver area that serves Burmese food, a cuisine best described as a melting pot of Indian and Chinese flavors. The menu is huge and the food is authentic (this is coming from a Burmese). The smell of the charred wok and fish sauce will transport you to the bustling streets of Yangon. My favorite dish is the nan gyi thoke, a dry thick noodle salad topped with fresh vegetables and nuts, also known as royal noodle salad on this menu. For those willing to try something exciting, I always recommend the laphet thoke (pickled tea leaves salad) and the tofu thoke (tofu salad). Served with a bowl of hot jasmine rice, these spicy and tangy salads make for great comfort meals on rainy, colourless winter days. There is also a selection of familiar Indian and Malaysian dishes from the classic biryani to laksa. Plus, you can get a whole meal for less than $16!
La Querida (Mexican)
4500 Kingsway, Burnaby
Wednesday 12:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.
Thursday–Sunday 10:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.
Located in Crystal Mall, La Querida is the place for anyone looking for a quick and tasty lunch without having to resort to fast food. The hole-in-the-wall location is home to a quaint atmosphere of two-seater wooden tables topped with the smell of freshly-cooked carnitas in the air. If you’re having a hard time deciding what to try, go for the lunch set of four tacos and a drink. There is nothing better than sour, spicy tacos (with huge bowls of sauce) and a glass of refreshing horchata on a winter day.
Gojo Cafe (Ethiopian)
2838 Commercial Dr., Vancouver
Monday–Thursday 4:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m.
Friday–Sunday 12:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m.
Gojo Cafe’s menu is an overwhelming deep-dive into Ethiopian cuisine, but it truly shines in its key wat (stews). As the restaurant has options for individual dishes and combos, it’s perfect for lone foodies or big groups. Groups are better though — who wouldn’t want to share, get a little taste of everything, and find their Ethiopian food fixation for the future? It doesn’t end there. Gojo also has a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony for groups by-request, perfect for fostering face-to-face friendship as it was intended to.
Peaked Pies (Australia)
4114 Hastings St., Burnaby
Sunday–Wednesday 8:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m.
Thursday–Saturday 8:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.
Anyone familiar with the Vancouver food scene has to know Peaked Pies, one of the very few restaurants here serving Aussie cuisine. While you may not find kangaroo steak here, it does host a great variety of Australian pies with both vegetarian and meat options. Located right in front of an R5 bus stop, it is convenient for a quick bite before a lecture or a hearty meal after (this works for both SFU’s Vancouver and Burnaby campuses). Not feeling a heavy meal? Peaked Pies also has sweet pastries and caffeinated drinks. It has always been a spot I hang out at after morning classes at Harbour Centre, both for lunch and studying!
El Inka Latin Deli (Peruvian)
3826 Sunset St., Burnaby
Monday–11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
Tuesday–Sunday–11:00 a.m.–6:30 p.m.
Tucked away in a quiet neighborhood in Burnaby, El Inka is the definition of a “hidden gem.” While it specializes in Peruvian tastes, the menu also serves dishes from all around Latin America, including Colombian and El Salvadorian. The mondongo (tripe) soup, a hearty concoction of chorizo, tripe, and chunky vegetables, is a fan favourite. If you’re planning on stopping by, be sure to try their ají de gallina, a creamy chicken stew served with warm rice and crunchy walnuts. Since the restaurant is small and seating is limited, make sure you time your visit well!
Coquette Brasserie (French)
2685 Arbutus St., Vancouver
Monday–Thursday 12:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m.
Friday 12:00 p.m.–11:00 p.m.
Saturday 10:00 a.m.–11:00 p.m.
Sunday 10:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m.
Looking for a cute, cozy date spot? Coquette Brasserie has a tiny but delicious menu fit for weekend brunches and candle-light dinners. While my personal favourite is their la morue charbonnière (sea bass with saffron), you simply can’t miss out on their special bison tartare. Pair it up with a glass of wine and experience a unique blend of Canadian and French tastes. Dessert, personally presented by the servers, is the best part of the dining experience. It may seem niche, but not having to worry about ordering dessert from a menu with no pictures is a total plus. For those feeling financially conscious, visit the restaurant during their happy hours (3:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.) for discounts and deals.
What Grinds Our Gears: Non-removeable promotional stickers on books
By: Yildiz Subuk, Staff Writer
While it’s important not to judge a book by its cover, the consumer has every right to be upset by non-removeable promotional stickers. These stickers usually advertise an accomplishment the book has achieved, like an award, or a television or film adaptation. The problem is these stickers ruin a perfectly fine book cover by making it look like a cluttered space for advertisements, instead of letting the cover speak for itself.
While they grab one’s attention, there’s other ways to advertise these things. This could include putting the sticker inside the book, having a sign at the bookstore, or a smaller sticker on the spine. Not everything we need to know about a book should be listed in the front. What’s the harm in allowing a clean book cover to exist?
Most books already have the acclaim and accomplishments written inside or on the back of the book, so a sticker on the front page is overkill. Besides, you don’t need a sticker to tell me Dune is a Major Motion Picture. As if I didn’t already know?
We are no better than our neighbours down south
By: Yasmin Hassan, Staff Writer
Content warning: mentions of the transatlantic slave trade, segregation, anti-Indigenous violence, and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
There’s a tendency to compare Canada and the US on the issue of police brutality, and the sentiment I usually hear is, “Oh, well at least it’s not as bad as down south.” These kinds of ideas are extremely harmful and dismissive. Minimizing systemic violence because of numbers pushes the responsibility to acknowledge the horrors of a system away from ourselves; it’s complicit ignorance. Comparing numbers alone overlooks the deeper systemic issues at play, as well as the experiences of victims of police brutality in both countries.
While both countries share similar root causes, namely systemic racism and colonialism, they each have their own historical contexts. In the US, the institution of policing is inseparably tied to the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade, where the system evolved from slave patrols designed to enforce racial hierarchies. In Canada, policing serves a similar purpose, mainly by defending settler property rights. Canadian law enforcement is rooted in anti-Indigenous violence and colonial policies, including the establishment of the RCMP as a tool to control Indigenous communities, enforce segregation on reserves, and suppress resistance to colonial expansion.
Canada’s policing history reveals glaring systemic inequalities, particularly concerning Indigenous communities. Policing of Indigenous Peoples on reserves has long been a tool of surveillance and control, bolstering marginalization and alienation. A harrowing example is the long and ongoing crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. The disproportionate rates of violence against Indigenous women are not coincidental but rather a reflection of a system that devalues their lives so blatantly that these acts of violence go unknown and unseen. Overpolicing and the overrepresentation of Indigenous Peoples in the criminal justice system is also an example of how intentional the system was created to work against marginalized and racialized groups. There is a never-ending list of unsolved and neglected cases of murder, highlighting the failures of the policing and justice system. With this in mind, can we really say that Canada has no police brutality problem?
“Minimizing systemic violence because of numbers pushes the responsibility to acknowledge the horrors of a system away from ourselves; it’s complicit ignorance.”
The systemic spatial segregation of racialized and marginalized communities into specific physical areas, such as inner-city neighbourhoods or reserves, is rooted in racist rhetoric and discriminatory policies. Practices like redlining, forced relocation, and “ghettoization” stem from colonialism and structural racism, reinforcing cycles of poverty and limiting access to adequate resources. These systems were often justified by stereotypes and the dehumanization of these communities, perpetuating inequality through urban planning, environmental neglect, and underfunding. Today, these patterns persist and reflect the lasting impact of systemic bias in shaping social and physical landscapes.
While crime rates in these areas may be statistically higher, this is not due to inherently criminal characteristics of the communities, but to the systemic neglect and structural inequalities that create conditions where crime is more likely to occur. These rates stem from urban disinvestment and lack of access to resources, which create the justification for heavy surveillance, racial profiling, and the criminalization of poverty. Policies like the Indian Act forced Indigenous Peoples into cycles of poverty on reserves and heightened police presence to enforce colonial control. Even the details of the law, such as mandatory minimum sentencing for certain crimes, disproportionately affect marginalized communities as they are more likely to be targeted and less likely to afford strong legal defense. As well, something we see all too often is a failure to address systemic housing inequities, leaving many facing homelessness and housing instability, or left in areas with heavy policing. Overpolicing only serves to exacerbate these issues instead of addressing their root causes.
We must aim to promote transparency and heavier accountability for police officers and the state that serves to protect their actions. Black and Indigenous communities need better resources to reduce the heavy influence of policing and to relieve the impacts of harmful policies as much as possible. These improvements can look like adequate mental health services, community advisors, material resources like food, environmental and infrastructural upgrades to communities, healthcare, education, economic restructuring, and much more. There are organizations, local initiatives, and advocacy groups that work to aid the effects of discriminatory policies and behaviours, like the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, Idle No More, Black Lives Matter Canada, and many more. Above all, our attitudes toward the matter need to shift, and we need to put a spotlight on issues like these so they don’t just end up as a short news story that everyone forgets about.
