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Metro Vancouver passes pared-down budget

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A wide shot of downtown Vancouver on a bright sunny day is pictured. False Creek and the mountains are also pictured.
PHOTO: Luke Lawreszuk / Unsplash

By: Niveja Assalaarachchi, News Writer

On October 31, the Metro Vancouver Regional District passed its budget for the 2026 fiscal year. It focuses on “drinking water, waste management, solid waste management, regional planning, regional parks, and more,” according to a Metro Vancouver press release. 

Initially, the draft budget faced public scrutiny due to significant projected increases in spending. It would have raised average household costs by up to 5% compared to the previous year. However, following the completion of a financial review on April 9, the Board approved a plan that eliminated nearly $364 million in operating savings and $1.1 billion in capital expenditures from the budget. This occurred by “lowering debt servicing costs through reducing capital infrastructure spending, adjusting project timelines, and optimizing work plans.” These steps reduced the burden on households from $918 to an average of $897. 

Despite the efforts to reduce spending, critics have questioned whether these cuts address the region’s underlying financial pressures (such as the cost of living) and raised concerns about long-term infrastructure investment and the future of transit projects. The Peak interviewed Kennedy Stewart, an associate professor of public policy, to learn more. Stewart also served as the mayor of Vancouver from 2018 to 2022 and was a member of parliament. 

Stewart condemned the budget, stating it would only benefit the richest in the region and would lead to massive service cuts, disproportionately affecting renters and lower-income residents. He also pointed out that the timing of the budget was inappropriate, with the Canada-US trade war and lower-than-anticipated growth in the global economy creating uncertainty. Stewart wished the budget would allow for an environment where people would not be overtaxed or experience any service cuts.  

Among the budget’s various cuts, Stewart highlighted a service for “general government zero waste collaboration initiatives” that was eliminated for the upcoming year. He said the district’s direction “reflects the political agendas of the mayors and the councillors sitting on that Board. They are very keen to reduce services.” Here, Stewart referenced climate change and transit proposals that he and the community fought hard for.

“We are seeing a very herky-jerky kind of approach to policy making” 

— Kennedy Stewart, former mayor of Vancouver and SFU associate professor

Metro Vancouver covers 21 municipalities and other local government authorities in the Lower Mainland. The body has faced heavy criticism for its slow speed in developing projects and infighting between municipalities. This situation has led to Vancouver’s mayor, Ken Sim, boycotting all regional district meetings, and the Surrey City Council passing a resolution disavowing some of the policies brought forward by the Board.

Stewart also argued that, through his experience as mayor, the separation of the Lower Mainland into different local authorities has driven away investment from the region as a whole.

Considering this, he has advocated for amalgamating all the municipalities of the Lower Mainland into one, leading to the eventual abolishment of the regional district. “I think it’s completely outlived its usefulness now,” Stewart said. “You have all the little mayors from little municipalities with very little capacity in their own organizations trying to navigate billion-dollar contracts, and failing.” So, “it’s not a recipe for success and the province should really review this.” Former BC premier Mike Harcourt and leader of the BC Conservatives John Rustad also share this perspective.

First Nations Health Authority reports on phase one of “Indigenizing Harm Reduction” study

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Two people extend their arms from opposite sides of the photo and hold hands in the middle. The photo reflects the community support aspect of the study.
PHOTO: Ruthson Zimmerman / Unsplash

By: Lucaiah Smith-Miodownik, News Writer

Content warning: mentions of substance use and death. 

Across Canada, the toxic drug crisis persists as a social issue faced by thousands of citizens each year. In BC alone, over 14,500 people have died from toxic drug use since 2016. First Nations people bear the brunt of these casualties. From January to June 2024, they had 6.7 times the rate of death compared to other BC residents. At the same time, Canadian governments have historically outlawed or otherwise restricted First Nations’ health and wellness practices, with this disproportion and systemic racism applying to Indigenous Peoples in general.

Now, the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) is working to combat the toxic drug crisis through an Indigenous approach to harm reduction. The BC-focused organization “works with First Nations, government partners, and others to support First Nations individuals, families, and communities to achieve the highest level of health and wellness.” In 2018, the FNHA initiated the “Indigenizing Harm Reduction” study. Partnering with SFU for funding, the project “seeks to determine the current community needs, priorities, and wise practices in harm reduction, with the goal of developing a provincial harm reduction framework specific to BC First Nations.” The Peak reached out to the FNHA for an interview, but did not hear back by the publication deadline.

Most recently, the FNHA released the first phase of their project. Researchers carried out a literature review of existing Indigenous harm reduction methods in the US, Canada, Australia, and Aotearoa (New Zealand). Then, they conducted interviews with “56 service providers and people with lived and/or living experience of substance use.” Four unique aspects of First Nations harm reduction emerged: relational practice, wholistic health, strengths-based approaches, and person-centred care.

Relational practice involves harm reduction that is “rooted in relationships, connection, and love.” The report noted First Nations harm reduction “acknowledges that a relational approach to care is foundational in building trust and creating a sense of safety for our relatives who use substances.”

Wholistic health involves “providing care that wraps around the person to support their physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional wellness on their healing journey.”

Additionally, strengths-based approaches “draw on the ancestral strengths of culture, community, and kinship to provide unconditional and inclusive care for all community members.”

And lastly, person-centred care “respects an individual’s needs, priorities, and autonomy in determining their care plan and allows for the flexibility to meet each individual’s unique needs.”

The study also asked First Nations communities, organizations, and agencies to analyze the FNHA’s “Framework for Action,” a four-pillar system for addressing the toxic drug crisis. The third pillar, “create an accessible range of treatment options,” was referenced by 68.6% of respondents as a priority.

“Participants often spoke of the need for a full spectrum of options, including culture and land-based programming, to tailor care to the individual” 

 — First Nations Health Authority

Moving forward, phase two of the study “will involve community-based research to assess the effectiveness of community-led interventions to reduce harm and promote healing.”

 

 

 

Cultural appropriation isn’t quirky, it’s deeply problematic

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a woman walking down the street wearing an Osariya (saree) going past a shop with a sign that advertises a similar dress, but is advertised as a "new" thing.
Fall 2025 Editor Tracker Fall 2025 Editor Tracker 100% 10 L12 ILLUSTRATION: Victoria Lo / The Peak ILLUSTRATION: Victoria Lo / The Peak

By: Niveja Assalaarachchi, News Writer

What is a culture? Various things: customs, food, language, and among many other significant aspects — clothing. Clothing visually represents its people and is shaped by the environment it’s crafted and worn in, in addition to resources and trade with other cultures. For these reasons, cultural clothing speaks to the rich histories of humans. Yet, these same cultural expressions are being taken and repurposed in ways that strip them of their origins. 

As a South Asian, I often think about the colourful dresses that are found throughout the subcontinent. From the Osariya variant of the saree in Sri Lanka, to the lehenga choli in India, these items of clothing are iconic. Increasingly, however, these garments are not being worn while respecting their rich history, but are being co-opted into something that deprives them of their origins.

Recently, the brand Reformation released its “blouse and skirt set.” The set drew the condemnation of many online who saw the articles of clothing too closely resembling a lehenga. However, this was not the first time such cultural appropriation has happened in recent history. Last year, the fashion rental brand Bipty tried to whitewash dupattas into “Scandinavian scarves,” (which aren’t really a thing). And one can’t forget the long-term theft of Indigenous clothing, where there are countless examples of sacred cultural motifs being commercialized in a way that does not credit or benefit the original community.     

Sadly, appropriation goes beyond clothing, and extends to sacred belief systems. As a Buddhist, I can attest to growing up seeing the Buddha associated with things that had nothing to do with the faith. From Buddha-themed restaurants, to spas, to individual menu items. This idea that Buddhism is “exotic” was first popularized in the West during the early 2000s, along with warped Western interpretations of “zen.” Unfortunately, since then, this fetishized idea of Buddhism has festered, perpetuating the use of the Buddha in places it never should be seen in. For example, Buddhism strongly warns against drinking, and yet there are Buddha-themed bars. 

Really, appropriation runs deep, and shows a serious lack of respect and effort to try and to learn about the culture it targets. Unfortunately, the disservice appropriators cause themselves runs even deeper. Think of all that is lost because they refuse to learn about a faith or a culture. What’s even worse is the hypocrisy of it. While marginalized groups often face racist attacks for simply practicing their culture, it can be co-opted and used to appear “exotic” by people who would not face the same level of scrutiny. 

Guess what though?

Cultures are not “new.” They’re reflections of people’s values and rich histories. So, if you want to wear clothing or use parts of other cultures, do it respectfully!

 

It’s time to ditch the norms of songwriting

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Peak Web
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A man sitting in the back seat of a car, writing song lyrics in a notepad.
ILLUSTRATION: Stella Laurino / The Peak

By: Mason Mattu, Section Editor

This summer, I wrote a bunch of songs from the back of a car on a super-long family road trip. Through speed bumps and all, I found a certain solitude in writing — a comfort that connected me to a greater purpose. I have always thought of myself as a poet, first, and as someone with a musical aptitude, second. Thus, the tradition of free verse poetry has always grounded my songwriting. 

Take an example from one of the songs I wrote this summer, “Motel Bible.” 

Truckers and their dirt leave a mark on the cover / They say it’s a Heather’s Pick or a Times bestseller / But did they actually give you a closer look, to see the shadows behind your soul? / Mothers and their mothers lifting youngsters into a broken shower / Mildew stains gloss all over the cover / While father’s reading you high on ecstasy / Is he really reading about the story of Adam and Eve / While on ecstasy?  

There’s a beauty in a lack of a consistent rhyme scheme, syllable count, and the unpredictable progression in the verse.

In many ways, these lines both betray and revolt against what we have typically thought of as essential components of a song. There’s a notion out there that if your song lyrics don’t adhere to the principles of rhyme, metre, and a chorus-verse structure, then what you have is not a song — it’s only a work of sloppy, unedited poetry. Fickle, I say. 

Part of this idea comes from today’s mainstream pop. When you hear songs with predictable rhymes, such as Alex Warren’s “Ordinary,” or Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso,” it is clear that they’ve been engineered to stick inside their listeners’ heads. Popular artists follow songwriting conventions because it is the most commercially viable path for their record labels. Given that the three largest labels in the music industry are responsible for 69% of music’s revenues, experimental or unconventional songs are pushed out of the mainstream. As a result, artists quickly learn that creativity is a liability within the music industry, pushing them to follow the standards of the mainstream artistic echo chamber. 

However, we need to view songwriting as an introspective experience based on our memories, lived experiences, and observations. Are our thoughts and emotions filled with perfect rhyme schemes, cadence, and structure? No, they aren’t. Placing highly structured and conventional lyricism on a pedestal, and thus setting it as an objective standard, is a betrayal of artistic expression, and so detached from reality. 

When I write songs, I channel inspiration from songwriters who have defied the artistically watered-down view of musicality, like Joni Mitchell and Lana Del Rey. For example, Mitchell’s 16-minute song “Paprika Plains” is a masterful piece that gracefully and entirely abandons structure. Its words flow like a diary, yet still present as emotionally complex and artistic. In a conversation with Elton John, Mitchell said that the music industry was initially afraid of how “intimate” her songs were. 

I also draw inspiration from Lana Del Rey, who rejects formulaic songwriting in songs such as “Fingertips” — a piece that lacks a consistent verse-chorus structure. Her words linger in your soul, and they are not selected for rhyme or convention. They are selected as a replication of her inner thoughts. 

The world deserves to hear raw, authentic, and creative voices — and the only way we can make this change is by actually taking action. If enough people stand up to conventional music and choose to write and listen to songs that push break norms, we can collectively shift the tide of the music industry. 

No, my em dash is not an AI

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A close-up photo of a typewriter.
PHOTO: Dzenina Lukac / Pexels

By: Rehana Hayat, SFU Student

Due to the rise of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), there’s been talk of how to spot plagiarism. Many have claimed an em dash is a dead giveaway. Certainly, there are cases where the misuse of the em dash is a sign they used GenAI tools to create their work. However, using its presence as the only evidence is a problem because it hurts honest students, who rely on their writing skills to create their papers. The em dash should not be considered a clear indicator that anyone’s writing had been produced by GenAI — since it’s an incredibly helpful punctuation mark. 

I have been consuming English books since I was three years old, and have developed a love for reading once I did learn how to read. Since then, I’ve continued to expand my knowledge of the English language through elementary school, high school, and now university. As a writer, I’ve learned about many aspects of dynamic writing — everything from the use of passive and active voice to Latin abbreviations and disciplinary conventions. My em dash is certainly no exception! 

I often use it to create emphasis or dramatize multiple ideas within a sentence. For example, Simon Fraser University is Canada’s top comprehensive university — it attracts students from over 120 countries around the world — which has earned it international popularity. The em dash is a punctuation mark used by proficient writers who have a deep understanding of how to convey ideas efficiently. Overall, it adds a touch of elegance, which makes whatever we’re reading a bit more refined and engaging. 

Research labs must support students over artificial intelligence

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a robot, dressed in a lab coat, and standing next to a table with a microscope on top of it.
ILLUSTRATION: Stella Laurino / The Peak

By: Noeka Nimmervoll, Staff Writer

Research assistant positions in labs are a key entry job for students looking to enter research. These positions are critical for a student’s career development, and to maintain the quality of academic research; without them, both students and the research ecosystem suffer. These paid opportunities provide hands-on experience, which may help open up the opportunity to be a lead researcher. Now, in the age of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), some research labs are integrating GenAI into their toolkit. Will this lead to a decline of entry-level research jobs, or eliminate some altogether? The speculative answers are worrying, at best. Let me be clear: the integration of GenAI in entry-level positions should be treated with caution, and its users should always have its future impacts in mind. 

The basic steps of an experimental research process can be as follows: identify a specific topic, research it, select a niche, design and conduct an appropriate experiment, analyze findings, and write a paper to summarize this process. This work requires a combination of technical knowledge, creativity, and interpersonal skills — which is not yet replicable by GenAI. Moreover, these skills take time to develop by researchers, and the use of GenAI undermines this learning experience for budding professionals by removing the steps of data analysis. Companies claim that GenAI is skilled at identifying correlations and clusters of data, sorting large amounts of data quickly, and providing predictions based on the data it’s fed. Still, it will not have the ability to interpret the root cause of data from a culturally sensitive perspective, identify the causes of clear outliers in data, or problem solve when faced with complications. Other than that, there are issues that may arise related to research integrity due to concerns of ethics. 

Currently, approximately 76% of researchers have admitted to using AI in some capacity in their research — according to a survey by the Oxford University Press. Even in other contexts, it seems that researchers are increasingly integrating GenAI in ways that may change the research assistant’s role, shown by the growing number of artificial intelligence (AI) tools designed for research, and the increasing AI use guidelines provided in research companies’ websites. As AI adoption grows, the question of the displacement of students from these positions becomes more concerning. Some suspect it is likely these assistant positions will be limited if AI is used widely, since AI is more efficient than humans with certain tasks, and can produce helpful analyses in short periods of time. 

However, other than the impact on students’ careers, it’s also important to note the environmental impacts of AI. By 2040, it is anticipated that the AI industry will produce 14% of the global emissions of greenhouse gases. A student in the research assistant role will consume roughly the same amount of water they would have without this opportunity; whereas AI will consume fresh non-renewable water to cool off its data centres while occupying a student’s potential work experience position. 

Moreover, it is already understood that AI poses high levels of privacy breach risks. Which sounds frightening in general, but is even more problematic in research. For one, protection of data guarantees the protection of participants of any given study. But, would a participant be willing to share their answers if there’s a possibility their answer wouldn’t remain confidential? No, they wouldn’t be as willing to answer truthfully when the answer is related to sensitive topics. Which poses a significant issue, considering how important it is to provide rigorous literature that represents marginalized communities. There’s a valid reason why standards regarding privacy and confidentiality are considered a cornerstone of ethical research. 

Which takes us back to the relevance of having ample opportunities for students to enter research. The quality of future research depends on the quality and quantity of entry-level positions now. Students pursuing a career require relevant experience in research to qualify for more ambitious research positions. While in school, it is imperative that these paid opportunities remain an option for students with limited time and finances. Financial hardships are already a prominent problem for students in the current economy and housing markets. Taking away another opportunity is not a good way to go from here. 

Budding researchers are the next generation, and it is the responsibility of all education institutions to ensure the protection of entry-level positions.

Institutions need to remain vigilant of the importance of research, and remember that their research exists in an ecosystem of past, present, and future academics. Ultimately, maintaining these entry-level roles is about both supporting students and preserving the integrity of the research field.

Spotlight on SFU Vocal Jazz

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A photo of Kiara Bender and Sage Fleming smiling by the railing by the staircase in MBC. Kiara is wearing a brown shirt and Sage is wearing a bright green shirt.
PHOTO: Audrey Safikhani / The Peak

By: Julia Nijjar, SFU Student

For the past few years, I’ve felt like a soprano singer trapped in the body of a student. How wondrous would it be to sing again like I once did in the good old choir days of high school? My longing to sing again sent me on a quest. I began my expedition at the SFSS club directory, searching for information about the SFU Choir when I stumbled across another choir, the SFU Vocal Jazz. 

I reached out for an interview to find out more. “We’re getting bigger every year but we’re still smaller than the SFU Choir,” Sage Fleming, the co-marketing coordinator for the club, told The Peak. “Our choir is completely comprised of SFU students, which is not the case for the SFU Choir. So, we are a club run by students for students.” 

Kiara Bender, the club’s president, shared that

“SFU Vocal Jazz is like “a get-together of friends, and we all sing together.” 

 — Kiara Bender, club president

“You need no experience to join,” adding, “that’s what I appreciate the most about this club.”

The SFU Vocal Jazz is the perfect opportunity for those who don’t just love music, but, more specifically, adore the genre of jazz. Fleming said, “We do some choral holiday songs. And then there’s some variation; there’s some more bossa nova jazz, some more swing jazz, upbeat, slow.” Fleming later shared, “I have fun every time. It’s also not too stressful. We’re all busy with school so we’re coming in to learn and we do hope that members learn and practise a little bit outside of rehearsal with some of the tools we give them, but everyone’s stressed, so it’s not like we come to choir and stress about not practising. It’s a chill environment.”

The SFU Vocal Jazz typically holds rehearsals once a week, at a time that works best for members each semester. When asked about rehearsals, Fleming said, it’s a “It’s very supportive. We are very open to members with all experience levels, so some people have taken music lessons and have really learned how to sing, and some people have never done it before.” Bender added, “If you can’t read music, that’s fine. We have ways to work around that and we really just try to get as many people as we can to just come sing with us.”

The SFU Vocal Jazz comprises around 50 students. It’s divided into sopranos, altos, tenors, and basses. Bender explained the leaders “talk people through” the various vocal ranges and get them to self-assess and place themselves in the vocal range they think would suit them best. “We tell them, ‘Try it out for our first rehearsal. If you find that you’re singing too high of a range, or too low of a range, next rehearsal, you’re free to switch to another one that you think you might do better in.’ Usually, by the second rehearsal, people will have sorted themselves out.”

When asking Bender about her favourite thing about working with the SFU Vocal Jazz, she said, “I love how passionate everybody is about music and I think I really enjoy the dedication everybody has to the club. You know, people have really busy lives and everybody’s studying.

Whether it’s midterms or final season, people choose to come to my club and people choose to be involved and have fun and make friendships. It makes me so happy to see people just enjoy, enjoy singing and enjoy music.”

Fleming said her favourite song the club has performed is “You’re Looking at Me” by Nat King Cole. “I didn’t like it when we first started doing it. But then I just came to love doing it so much that it’s one of my favourites now. So that’s what I think is so special about the choir too. If you don’t like jazz that much, you might discover some songs that you actually do from the jazz repertoire.”

You can see the talented SFU Vocal Jazz for yourself, as they perform their Christmas concert on Saturday, November 29 at 6:00 p.m. on Burnaby campus in the Diamond family auditorium! Tickets are $10. “I love our concerts because we work with the SFU Jazz Band and usually have a joint piece. So, just having the dynamics of singing and live instruments — it’s like a whole band — is pretty phenomenal,” said Bender. “It’s one of the most magical fun things ever to do a joint piece with them.” The concert will also include some solo pieces sung by vocal jazz members.

 

SFYou: Dr. Shivaji Mukherjee

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A photo of Dr. Shivaji Mukherjee.
PHOTO: Harmeet Gill / The Peak

By: Niveja Assalaarachchi

Editor’s note: In the printed version of this article, The Peak mistakenly noted that Mukherjee is an assistant professor at SFU. This is incorrect, as he is an associate professor at SFU, and the piece has been updated accordingly. 

Dr. Shivaji Mukherjee is an associate professor in the department of political science here at SFU. He’s focused on South Asian politics, specifically political violence and colonial legacies. This fall, he’s teaching POL 339, a selected topic course on South Asia’s political environment. In it, he takes a look at the colonial period of the Indian subcontinent and its impact on conflict and struggle, such as the Sri Lankan Civil War. 

As a former student of his, I regard Mukherjee as passionate about what he teaches and helping his students. He also has sly humour and brought his students sugary treats to every class. 

He sat down for an interview to recount his personal and academic journey, as well as hopes for South Asian politics at this university. Mukherjee was born in the city of Kolkata, in India’s West Bengal state. The state was ruled by the Left Front, a coalition of left-leaning parties which formed the world’s longest, democratically-elected communist government until 2011.

He described the “revolutionary imagination” of that time and place:

“[revolutionary imagination” is well known in folklore and a part of our culture, through movies and literature amongst Bengalis.”

— Dr. Shivaji Mukherjee, associate professor of political science at SFU 

The West Bengal village of Naxalbari is also the origin point of the Maoist-Naxalite insurgency, which would become a focus of Mukherjee’s research. He explained this movement is a “radical leftist insurgency” aiming to topple the Indian government, which began in 1967 and continues today. It also “fights for the rights of lower castes and Indigenous Peoples” of India, he continued, known as Adivasis. Inspired by the communist Maoist principles of peasant alliances against state power, the Naxalite revolt set off a chain of armed insurgencies across Eastern India, fighting for things like economic equality and land ownership.

“In Kolkata itself, there was a lot of violence. I heard stories from my school teachers about when they were young and the police and the Naxalites fighting each other. So, I’ve grown up and all Bengalis grew up hearing this. I don’t know if that really led me to study the Naxalite movement, but probably it was in my subconscious.” 

Growing up, Mukherjee went to Catholic school. He said the general message of “good moral character building, being honest and hard-working” shaped him. The ethnic diversity of his school also helped him believe in a “secular vision of Indian politics,” he said. He explained how India has many ethnic groups that have long co-existed; however the rise of Hindu nationalism and the idea of the “nation state” is detrimental to peace.

“It’s possible to have a multi-ethnic society where minority ethnic groups are given the necessary empowerment,” 

— Dr. Shivaji Mukherjee, associate professor of political science at SFU 

Mukherjee’s tertiary education at Delhi University exposed him more to the political realities of India, one of which was caste. 

“I was in economics, but I was sitting in the residences, the halls, and there was ragging so I could not study initially,” he said. “But, I learned a lot about politics in an indirect way because in the [residences] there were a lot of different people there from different parts of India. I could clearly see the influence of caste for the first time and there used to be all these tensions and conflicts between students.” 

Caste is a system of social categorization that originated thousands of years ago in Hinduism, intending to determine working roles, and abilities that people could do in society. When I took this course with Mukherjee, we learned about how British colonization impacted the caste system. Previously, caste included thousands of different categories and allowed people to move between said categories. The British used caste as a codified social categorization during their rule and made it difficult to change. The changes made caste more salient and controversial in India, leaving millions shunned from interacting with one another. Despite being illegal in India since 1950, caste still plays an important role in Indian society today. 

Mukherjee sought his master’s in international relations at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), also in New Delhi. JNU considerably impacted his political viewpoint, where he became more involved in student politics. “There were a lot of these left-based as well as right-wing groups there, and it was very politically active at that time,” he said. “I used to help support the candidates in indirect ways. I used to know some student political leaders there, then I was urged to run for office, but I refused because I wanted to study.” 

At JNU, Mukherjee interacted with some notable figures in Indian society. His friend at JNU was future actor Sujith Shanker, who is the grandson of E.M.S. Namboodiripad, the first communist Chief Minister of an Indian state in history. He also interacted with prominent Indian Supreme Court attorney Sunil Fernandes, at JNU. He viewed his time at the institution positively; doting on the teaching staff, stating they greatly influenced his views and the way he teaches. 

Following this, Mukherjee went abroad to the US to pursue further studies. He initially studied at the University of Michigan-Dearborn but later transferred to Yale University. It was at Yale where he developed an interest in insurgency movements. This was due to the influence of Dr. Elisabeth Wood, a senior scholar at Yale who specializes in them, particularly in the Latin American and African context. Mukherjee said taking her class on the FMNL Maoist insurgency in El Salvador, helped him draw links to the Naxalite movement, which was expanding during 2005–2006, coinciding with his stay at Yale.

Mukherjee first began his teaching career at the University of Toronto’s Centre for South Asian Studies, serving as a faculty associate. He would later become an assistant professor at the UofT department of political science, as well as be a part of the graduate faculty and other institutions. 

His previous research and work at the university would eventually lead him to publishing a book, Colonial Institutions and Civil War: Indirect Rule and Maoist Insurgency in India. He did extensive fieldwork in two Indian states, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh, researching the effects of Maoism there. He wrote about how “historical legacies of British colonial indirect and direct rule created land qualities and how that persists,” he said. “But the book is more qualitative research, where I’ve analyzed various interviews I did in the field with bureaucrats, politicians, human rights activists,” and even “Maoist leaders in jail.” He also noted several times where he faced interference, phone-tapping, and other threats. For example, police commanders misled him in pursuing interviews with Maoist leaders, in an attempt to prevent his research.

He was at UofT when he saw an opportunity to come to Vancouver to teach. SFU’s Somjee chair of Indian political development was vacant at the time. The position is named after A.H. Somjee, a professor emeritus at SFU department of political science, who has been pivotal in teaching South Asian politics at the university. However as Mukherjee noted, his absence left a void in the university. “He retired in the 1990s and after that SFU political science [had] never had a faculty working on India or South Asia, so he created an endowed chair and they were trying to hire someone. I saw the job and I applied for it and luckily, I got it,” he said. The position entails not only conducting research on South Asia, but also teaching it, which is what he’s been doing since 2023.  

Mukherjee also noted the importance of teaching South Asian politics to students at SFU. Since Metro Vancouver has a large South Asian international student population and diaspora, they should have the opportunity to learn about their cultures. “I can always sense that they feel very enthused and excited to learn about it and I’ve had students tell me ‘Oh, now I can go and have discussions with my uncle or father.’” He also noted that with globalization, learning about Asia, especially countries like India and China, is important, this is because they are “large market economies, so it is necessary to understand the politics, economics, and societies of these member-nations to engage with them effectively.” 

When he’s not deep in research and academia, you may find Mukherjee watching cricket and European soccer, with FC Barcelona being his favourite team.

“Anyone who supports Real Madrid, they go from A to A-,” 

 — Dr. Shivaji Mukherjee, associate professor of political science at SFU 

Mukherjee also shared his current favourite work of literature on South Asian Politics: Theft of an Idol: Text and Context in the Representation of Collective Violence by Paul R. Brass.

VIMFF draws inspiring speakers and energetic crowds

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PHOTO: Ali Kazal / Pexels

By: Jonah Lazar, SFU Student

The Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival (VIMFF) ran its hit Fall Series from November 12 to 19 across Vancouver and Squamish, before expanding their tour across Canada until April.

VIMFF, which has been running since 1998, showcases short films relating to mountain adventure sports, such as climbing, skiing, cycling, and even kayaking, while also promoting messages of environmental sustainability and inclusivity in the mountains. 

The Fall Series — “a mini-festival featuring select speakers and films” — was celebrated across four venues in Vancouver and Squamish, with a total of 11 in-person shows; multiple of which sold out in the weeks leading up to the festival. These shows also featured acclaimed guest speakers such as four-time rock climbing world champion Jakob Schubert and Himalayan alpinist Mingma Tsiri Sherpa.

I attended the Rock Climbing Show at the Rio Theatre, where an excited crowd of hundreds of rock climbing enthusiasts welcomed films from Chile, France, Switzerland, and, of course, Canada. These films, through their inspiring narratives, revealed deeply personal experiences of the climbers featured. Notable screenings included A Guide’s Book — a short film which followed the life of a mountain guide in Chamonix, France, revealing the pressure and responsibility surrounding the guides tasked with ensuring the safety of people in the high alpine, and the years of training and discipline required to do so. 

Another film presented was Zahir, which follows Katherine Choong and Eline Le Menestrel, who embarked together on a quest to climb a highly-respected route in the Swiss Alps named Zahir, while getting there only using sustainable modes of transportation to raise awareness about fossil fuel consumption. 

For me, the highlight of this show was guest speaker Sonnie Trotter, a world-renowned Canadian rock climber famed for his plethora of first ascents — the first ever time a mountain has been successfully climbed — in Squamish, BC. Trotter shared stories from his new book Uplifted: The Evolution of a Climbing Life, a memoir recounting his many experiences earned through climbing, all the while reflecting on how his relationship with the sport has evolved as he juggles family life and adventure. 

In his presentation, he recalled stories of climbing routes with legendary figures in the sport such as Tommy Caldwell, along with the star of the Oscar-winning documentary Free Solo, Alex Honnold. Through these stories, he explained the importance of enjoying the process of working towards achieving a goal, rather than obsessing over the end results. He also pondered how his objectives in climbing have changed now that he has a family, making him more cautious in the face of risk.

While this year’s Fall Series has wrapped up, the VIMFF will return for their international 10-day line-up in February, undoubtedly with more breathtaking films.

Hung Dance’s Birdy soars to the world stage

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Peak Web
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PHOTO: Courtesy of MPMG Media Relations Campaigns

By: Heidi Kwok, Staff Writer

Birdy is a dance performance created by Hung Dance, a Taiwanese contemporary dance company founded in 2017 with the belief that “movement can transcend limitation.” The Mandarin character “翃” (Hóng), which means “to soar,” inspired the name of the group. The production follows eight dancers who draw on elements from traditional and modern dance styles, cultural symbols, Chinese opera, and martial arts. Birdy will make its local debut at the Vancouver Playhouse on November 28 and 29. The Peak corresponded with Hung Dance’s artistic director and choreographer, Lai Hung-Chung, to learn more.

What is Birdy about? 

Birdy is about freedom — about the desire to fly beyond the boundaries that try to contain us. At its core, the work examines how individuals and communities navigate the tension between restraint and liberation.

The piece explores freedom on multiple levels: the freedom of the body, the freedom of the mind, and the freedom of a society searching for its own sense of balance. It asks a simple but urgent question: how do we keep moving when the world around us is full of uncertainty?

Through a language that blends stillness and turbulence, softness and strength, Birdy reveals the quiet resilience that lives inside all of us. 

— Lai Hung-Chung, Artistic Director and Choreographer at Hung Dance

It isn’t about a single narrative — it’s about the universal human instinct to transcend limitations, to find grounding amid chaos, and to breathe fully even in moments of struggle.

​​Where did the inspiration for the choreography, sound design, and use of the “Ling Zi” and rattan poles come from? Was the dance informed by any other artistic influences? 

The creative inspiration came from many layers — from my memories of Taiwanese temple festivals, where Taiwanese opera troupes perform on the streets as offerings to the gods, and from the physical discipline I received through my dance education.

The Ling Zi (pheasant feathers) and rattan poles come directly from traditional Chinese opera imagery. Traditionally, the feathers represent authority and power. I wanted to deconstruct that symbol — to let every dancer hold a Ling Zi as an extension of the spine, a physical and energetic continuation of both alignment and strength, so it becomes a channel for emotion rather than dominance. The rattan poles, once spears, have lost their sharp tips and have been transformed into something softer, more reflective — symbols of both limitation and support.

Beyond traditional roots, Birdy was also influenced by Sir Alan Parker’s film Birdy and by Francis Bacon’s paintings. The film’s exploration of trauma and liberation resonated deeply with me, while Bacon’s treatment of distorted bodies and stark lines inspired elements of our lighting design. These artistic references shaped the emotional landscape of the piece — its fragility, its tension, its unspoken humanity.

Musically, the work blends electronic soundscapes with simulated textures of traditional instruments, creating a sonic world that reflects Taiwan’s unique convergence of Eastern and Western cultural influences.

What was the extent to which Taiwan’s history and ongoing political instability shaped the performance?

I think it might be the other way around. It’s not that Birdy was directly shaped by history — rather, when people look back at this work years later, they might see in it the emotions and tensions of our time.

I don’t intend to make political statements. What I want to express is the feeling of uncertainty — the kind that comes from living in a place constantly shifting between identities, realities, and futures. That sense of instability seeps into the movement, the breath, and the silence between gestures.

Birdy reflects how we find calm amid turbulence — how we, as individuals and as a society, seek grounding when everything seems to be in motion.

See Birdy at the Vancouver Playhouse on November 28 and 29.

 

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Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

Contact us: [email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society 1965-2024

Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

Contact us:
[email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society 1965-2024