The Book Nook: Cookbooks from Cameroon to the islands of Comoros

February 7, 2025

A wooden chopping board, black mortar and pestle, various spices, knives, and a cast-iron skillet on a wooden surface. — PHOTO: Todd Quackenbush / Unsplash

By: Izzy Cheung, Arts & Culture Editor

In Bibi’s Kitchen
Hawa Hassan and Julia Turshen
Available to borrow from the Vancouver Public Library

Published in 2020, this book collects recipes from Eritrean, Somalian, Kenyan, Tanzanian, Mozambican, South African, Madagascan, and Comoran bibis (grandmothers). Ma Kauthar’s mango chile sauce is a hit in this cookbook, combining the sweetness of this tender fruit with the kick of jalapeños. She uses this sauce “with every main dish, from her chicken biryani to stews, curries, and more.” In this book, you’ll also read about cinnamon-spiced zanzibar pilau and Ma Gehennet’s hearty vegan shiro.

A Spicy Touch
Noorbanu Nimji
Available for purchase at Black Bond Books

A Spicy Touch is Noorbanu Nimji’s love letter to her Ismaili Muslim and Kenyan heritage, fusing recipes from both cultures to create her own unique tastes. After initially moving to Calgary in 1974, Nimji began teaching the Ismaili community how to cook. This soon blossomed into creating and publishing her recipes. A Spicy Touch features Nimji’s takes on creamy bharazi (pigeon pea curry), pillowy-soft mandazi (coconut donuts), and tomatoey chana wagharia (chickpeas and eggplant). Consult her book for hearty dishes sprinkled with warm cardamom or tangy chutneys to spice up your meal.

Yawd
Adrian Forte
Available to borrow from the Vancouver Public Library

Canadian-based chef Adrian Forte puts a modern spin on Afro-Carribean dishes in his first cookbook, Yawd. Forte’s penchant for cooking runs in the family — as a child, he would help out in the kitchen of his grandmothers’ restaurant in Jamaica. The book showcases recipes with “African ancestral ingredients” such as ackee and saltfish fritters with a crispy, tater tot-like exterior. Be sure to check it out for Forte’s fiery rendition of coq au vin made with a juicy jerk-chicken marinade.

Saka Saka
Anto Cocagne
Available to borrow from the Vancouver Public Library

Anto Cocagne’s Saka Saka is not just a cookbook stuffed full of delicious recipes from Gabon, Cameroon, and more, but it’s also a lush collection of landscape and food photography of the cuisines’ regions of origin. With the recipes come “the main characteristics of these cuisines, the specialties of each region, the produce, [and] the ideal pantry.” Plantain fufu, a simple snack needing only plantains, cassava tuber, and red palm oil in this book, is featured with a fun twist — each piece is cut into cookie-like shapes. Typically, this dish is served as a ball or rolled.

IMAGE: Courtesy of Page Street Publishing

Black Rican Vegan
Lyana Blount
Available to borrow from the Vancouver Public Library

Published in 2023, Black Rican Vegan combines Black and Puerto Rican tastes to create dishes like bronx fried oyster mushrooms. Every recipe in this book is vegan, meaning that you can enjoy these dishes without consuming any meat — yes, that means getting to eat pollo guisado (braised chicken) sans the chicken! Chopped cheese is a New York classic, and chef Lyana Blount puts a delicious vegan spin on it that includes ground beyond meat and sazón for an extra kick. If you’re looking to avoid meat while savouring rich flavours, give this book a read!

IMAGE: Courtesy of WORKMAN PUBLISHING COMPANY

Black Power Kitchen
Ghetto Gastro
Available to borrow from the Vancouver Public Library

Presented by Ghetto Gastro, a culinary group with origins in the Bronx, Black Power Kitchen is “part cookbook” and “part manifesto.” Founded by Jon Gray, Pierre Serrao, and Lester Walker, the collective “layer[s] flavour the same way hip hop layers samples and interpolations: as a way to expand, comment, shake up, share, and revel in our collective memory.” Nose-tingling seasonings are plentiful in recipes like their king jaffe jollof, which combines curry powder, tamari, soy sauce, cinnamon, and more.

Bright-er Side: Campus Community Shuttle

Peak Web

February 6, 2025

This is an illustration of the campus community shuttle, a colourful bus with bright doodles on the sides. — ILLUSTRATION: Bithi Sutradhar / The Peak

By: Abigail Streifel, SFU Student

If you need a free, accessible, and quick way to get across campus, the Campus Community Shuttle is perfect for you. Starting at 8:00 a.m. every weekday, the shuttle takes students across the Burnaby campus and drops them off at one of seven stops along its route. It leaves Residences every 30 minutes and continues throughout the day until 10:30 p.m., so that it’s practically always available.

The Community Shuttle is seriously underrated for how helpful it is. It can take you from one end of campus to the other in a couple of minutes — you can make it to class when you’re running late! It’s also a lifesaver in rainy weather. Staying completely dry outside isn’t always possible, so the shuttle keeps you from getting drenched. Furthermore, it’s a good accessible option if you aren’t able to easily travel across campus.

There’s also the added benefit of getting to go on a little adventure. It can be exciting to watch the trees and buildings fly by and appreciate the view! If walking around SFU sometimes feels monotonous, taking the shuttle offers a bit of variety.

The shuttle service is an amazing resource that allows us to travel to any location at the Burnaby campus, free of charge. Next time you have somewhere to be, consider taking the shuttle!

A letter to the girls pursuing sports

Peak Web

February 6, 2025

Six diverse women and girls gathered around each other: three of them are holding hockey sticks, two are speaking into microphones built into broadcasting headsets, and one holds a scoreboard while wearing a cap. — ILLUSTRATION: Yan Ting Leung / The Peak

By: Dani Santos, SFU Student; Kaja Antic, Sports Writer; Izzy Cheung, Sports Editor

Dani Santos

As an 11-year-old girl still discovering herself, I started playing soccer after my best friend invited me to join her team. With months of learning the sport and shaking off the pain of a few cuts and bruises, I quickly grew to love the fast pace, camaraderie, and excitement of playing the game. Soon after, soccer became a part of my identity as a defender for my club and varsity teams while I also fulfilled my duties as a student.

Soccer became an escape for me and my teammates. After a long and tiring day at school, all we wanted was to get into our cleats and kick a ball. I can’t possibly count how many times soccer has served as an outlet for my stress and frustrations.

I played soccer for seven years, until my playing career was unexpectedly cut short in high school because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although this was devastating for me, I decided that the only way for me to bounce back was to stay connected to the sport even after playing. I coached youth soccer teams for a bit, but ultimately decided I wanted to go into sports journalism.

Some advice I can give to girls interested in playing soccer (or any team sport) is to value your connection with others. A player’s relationship with their team and opponents influences their character outside the field and long after they finish playing. Not many people realize that until later on.

My relationship with soccer has changed immensely since the last day I played, but one thing that will never change is how I’ve learned to communicate, cheer people on, and support others when they’re down. That’s the biggest thing that I will thank soccer for.

Izzy Cheung

Hockey was the sport I first fell in love with, back when I was about as tall as a pair of skates. I’ve never played it — the closest I’ve gotten is partaking in toonie skates at my local rec-centre — but somehow, this sport has given me the opportunities of a lifetime.

I first started writing about hockey when I entered university. I started a weebly.com blog and wrote about my hometown Vancouver Canucks, only sharing the website link with my dad and my close family. Part of me thinks I was too insecure to put myself out there at the time — I was never the most outgoing person growing up, nor did I like being in the spotlight. At the end of the day, however, my reluctance to involve myself in the sports media community could be chalked up to one thing: I didn’t think I could make something out of it.

I was introduced to The Peak in the fall semester of 2022. I had a couple of classes with our former Sports Editor, Isabella, who encouraged me to submit something and get my name out there. It took awhile, but a few months later, I did. Maybe I finally felt like I could make a difference in the industry, even if it was miniscule. Regardless of whatever it was, the community that introduced itself to me made me feel comfortable enough to make that leap. My first big piece written for The Peak was about hockey. This later led to me covering a game for the Canucks, as well as securing a job with The Hockey News thanks to the support of fellow women in the industry.

I won’t sugarcoat it for you — the sports industry is a hard one to enter. You don’t work regular hours, your jobs won’t always be stable, and you won’t always be selected for the role you want regardless of whether your résumé is longer than the men who applied for your job. It’s a tough industry that asks a lot of you. But trust me when I say that if it’s really what you want to do, reaching those plateaus makes every tough moment worth it. You don’t have to start big — write that little column in your school paper, start live-tweeting during your favourite sports matchups, or offer to take photos for your local rec-league’s teams. Put your name out there and watch with pride as your dreams start to take flight.

Kaja Antic

I wouldn’t describe myself as a sporty child, preferring to pick at the grass rather than play during my U7 soccer days. Despite my horrific athletic abilities, I loved watching sports, no matter what was on. I was blessed (or cursed, depending on the day) with Canucks fandom from the time I was born, and have loved hockey as long as I can remember. I also loved soccer, even though I was doing anything but emulating my hero Christine Sinclair on the rainy fields of Newton Athletic Park. As I got older, I left these “sporty” interests behind in favour of my band and theatre alliances, but they still remained in the back of my mind.

Once I reached university, I started diving deeper into the sports-fanatic traits I had left behind in childhood. I started more with audiovisual media, getting the opportunity to host my first podcast, Game Over Vancouver, where I’m now on my third season doing postgame live shows after the Canucks play. It wasn’t until I came across The Peak table on Clubs Day in 2023 that I decided to apply to be a Sports Writer for the newspaper. I’ve been able to write about sports from Burnaby Mountain and beyond since then, even getting the opportunity to take a chance at sports photography.

I’ve had my own ups and downs in my time in the realm of sports. It’s certainly taught me a lot about my personal resilience and perseverance, having been in this industry since I was 19. As a queer, femme person in sports, there have definitely been some moments where I’ve thought the sports world would be better off if I left it alone, though something I heard in my first year in this industry still sticks out to me now: “Nothing changes if I leave.” By being in an industry dominated by men, by continuing to put yourself out there, by continuing to disrupt the status quo, you are making a difference in the present and future of sports. Also, if a man can do it, how hard can it be?

What Grinds Our Gears: Slimy-handed kids

Peak Web

February 6, 2025

this is a digital illustration of a parent holding up a phone to take a photo of their child at their birthday party. — ILLUSTRATION: Victoria Lo / The Peak

By: Soap, SFU Student

I’m a type-A germaphobe. Opened the door and grabbed the handle? Straight to the sink. Tapped my compass card, or really, anything in my wallet? Sanitize me now. I wipe my phone and laptop keyboard with isopropyl alcohol after being out with them all day — when I’m home, I’m clean.

It’s hard enough dealing with my own grossness, but the second I’m handed back a device and my skin touches the greased, sticky fingerprints on the glass, I bluescreen. My whole face feels like it’s been drenched in cooking oil. My hand burns, or at least, it may as well, and suddenly no surface is safe.

I grew up around lots of kids, and as the oldest, I was inevitably the target of every single possible rendition of “Can I play on your phone?” known to man. I get it, I was a kid once, too, surrounded by adults with gadgets that looked cooler than mine.

But seriously, if I can see and feel your fingerprints on my phone screen after you use it, it’s not gonna happen.

Dear Peakie aids those in need

Peak Web

February 4, 2025

Two professionals doing a handshake. — PHOTO: Mikhail Nilov / Pexels

By: Sarah Sorochuk, Peak Associate and C Icart, Humour Editor

Dear Peakie,

I love merch! People think my favourite slogan is “fight, fight, fight,” but it’s actually “monetize, monetize, monetize.” I can sell anything! Candy, robes, guitars . . . I would sell the whole country for profit if I could (wait . . . )! So, could I interest you in some of the most great merch on earth?

You know you want some,
The shipping is free!

Dear The shipping is free,

Canada is in an economic crisis, so it would be foolish to purchase anything at this time. Though Canada is not the only one struggling, my bank account is constantly screaming every time I pull it out for a coffee at Tims. But my lack of double-double money is nothing compared to your financial issues. I would advise you against selling stolen land, and I wouldn’t be caught dead in your merch. Good luck, though!

Hustling,
Peakie

Dear Peakie,

Help! The last day to add classes has passed, but I want to enroll in Mandarin Chinese I. I’ve never been interested in it before, but the 12-hour TikTok ban really changed me. Even though I guess I’m no longer a TikTok refugee, I still have FOMO about all the jokes I don’t fully understand on Xiaohongshu. How can I convince the university to make an exception just for me? It’s important!

Sincerely,
How do I write my name in Mandarin?

Dear How do I write my name in Mandarin,

I understand your dilemma, and the university should definitely make an exception for this situation. Unfortunately, it looks as if they disagree. Don’t worry, TikTok never left our side of the border and you’re still able to get your daily dosage of dopamine (or as I like to call it “DDD”). As for the Mandarin class you want to attend, might I suggest Duolingo as a start. Yes, the green bird is mean looking and for sure possessed. But it will definitely help catch you up in the meanwhile, aside from that take it up with the student union.

From your bro,
Peakie

Dear Peakie,

Why is everyone so obsessed with me??? I wrote in my bullet journal that in 2025, salary transparency was out, but apparently no one read that! What they did do is snoop through the public records and tell everyone how much money I make which was so unnecessary. Any advice on how I can keep dodging this question in interviews until this all blows over?

Wealthily,
Definitely not Malcolm Brodie

Dear Definitely not Malcolm Brodie,

I am truly sorry to hear that people are doing deep dives into your personal life. I would suggest going on a trip to avoid all the questions. Take a vacation to a place away from social media and the internet. Consider it your own personal detox from the world, and the world from you. You seem to have enough money to go off the grid for a while, and the best part of being gone is if you’ve disappeared long enough, then the media will surely forget about you too. Or they’ll have a field day estimating how much of your $362,000 you spent on your getaway!

Poorly,
Peakie

The cure to that heartache is Strange Medicine

Peak Web

February 4, 2025

A girl with beaded dreadlocks holds a banjo in front of a blue background. — PHOTO: Courtesy of @kaiakater / Instagram

By: Yasmin Hassan, Staff Writer

Grenadian Canadian musician Kaia Kater, born in Montréal, tells the story of her roots through music. She released her first EP, Old Soul, right out of high school in 2013. With a jazz-inflected voice and masterful songwriting, she plays into a more bluegrass, roots genre of music that hits the soul’s soft spot. Her music reflects her father’s childhood in Grenada and her years immersed in traditional Appalachian instruments like the fiddle and harmonica. Deeply connected to Canadian folk music, she also incorporates the rich sounds of her hometown and the Caribbean into her work. Recently, Kater has expanded her artistic horizons into film composition, working on original music for The Porter and My Dead Friend Zoe. At the core of it all is her deft banjo playing and lush songwriting, a testament to her ability to seamlessly blend her influences into something entirely her own!

With Strange Medicine, Kater turns transformation into an art form, weaving grief into joy and sorrow into hope. The 10 captivating songs celebrate the resilience of oppressed people, like “Fédon” — a song about Fédon’s Rebellion in 1795 in Grenada against British colonists, and push back against centuries of fear, greed, and exploitation. The album features guest appearances from artists such as blues veteran Taj Mahal, lyrical poet and activist Allison Russell, and Grammy award-winner Aoife O’Donovan. The intricate layers of Strange Medicine pull inspiration from everywhere — Steve Reich’s minimalist rhythms, Brian Blade’s fiery jazz drumming, Jonny Greenwood’s haunting film scores, and the hypnotic melodies of the West African kora. Deep, dramatic strings mixed with curious trumpets and flutes creep into majestic melodies. Her banjo work is as unexpected as it is masterful, pushing the instrument into uncharted territory. The project captures the full spectrum of her artistry, offering a space for both collective mourning and celebration, while honouring the voices of those who came before.

“The project captures the full spectrum of her artistry, offering a space for both collective mourning and celebration, while honouring the voices of those who came before.”

I loved “The Witch” for its gentle but insistent melody, powerful yet sly lyrics, and the comforting drum beats that sound like a slow, rainy day. I’ve been listening to a lot of The Sundays lately, and this song reminds me of exactly something off Reading and Writing Arithmetic. “Often As The Autumn” gives me Björk vibes with the airy and tender vocals, loose synthy background noise, and the gentle strings dancing in the corners of your ears, peeking through the hitches of Kater’s voice. Finally, lyrics wise, “The Internet” really caught my attention. “I spy the satellites of the internet / Above me like human-made stars / Concentrically circling the internet / But never enough / To touch / To feel any rush / Out beyond the pull of the internet.” Beyond her comforting and ever-emotional voice alongside the soft plucking of the banjo, the heart-tugging strings rising and falling, her poetry is something to behold! It’s only a few words; but to me, in a world filled with artifice and an overwhelming reliance on technology, I find it refreshing to see this sentiment reflected in such a beautiful, touching way.

I’m not usually a partaker of the Midwest in the form of music, especially a banjo, but Kater’s sound is captivating in such a remarkable way that I couldn’t stop listening. I’m also a sucker for meaningful lyrics, and after listening to the first song on the album, I already knew it was going to be banger after banger (I was right). If you’re free this February 11 at 7:30 p.m., do yourself a favour and go see this gem of an artist at The Cultch Theatre!

Section 33 of the Canadian Charter lets the government legally violate your rights

Peak Web

February 4, 2025

this picture is of the inside of the house of commons, and it is empty. — PHOTO: A Yee / Flickr

By: Yildiz Subuk, Staff Writer

Section 33, also known as the notwithstanding clause under the Canadian Charter of Rights and freedom, allows the provincial and federal government to override certain components of one’s human rights. When section 33 is invoked, the government can override certain sections of the charter including; section 2 (fundamental freedoms, including freedom of thought, belief, and expression), section 7-14 (legal rights), and section 15 (equality rights). In recent years, the use of this section has become increasingly irresponsible as politicians try to push for more authoritarian policy and less individual freedom. The conversation around section 33 is even more relevant now, as Conservative party leader, Pierre Poilievre, has revealed his intention to use the clause for making punishment on crime harsher.

Like most of his policies, the specifics remain unclear, as he doesn’t adequately point out what part of the criminal justice system he wants to fix. This could range from harsher punishments on automobile theft to further penalizing drug users, many of whom are already marginalized. While there should be critical discussions about the efficacy of our criminal justice system, using this clause should not be the approach, especially when there hasn’t been clear communication about how it will be used. Poilievre’s careless parading of the ability to invoke section 33 toes the line of a blatantly fascist agenda. “All of my proposals are constitutional,” Poilievre told the Canadian Police Association. “We will make them constitutional, using whatever tools the Constitution allows me to use to make them constitutional. I think you know exactly what I mean.”

This section is often put into effect when a government wants to pass a law that has been previously fought against, and when used, the notwithstanding clause is valid for five years until it is lifted. There is no limit on the amount of times a government can use this section. To ensure that this section doesn’t corrode every facet of democracy, one of the most significant sections the notwithstanding clause can’t touch is democratic rights, like one’s right to vote.

The Canadian Liberties Association has outlined that to invoke section 33, a majority vote is required. However, they argue this should not be decided by a majority vote, as a mere half of lawmakers should not have that much power. Instead they propose that a supermajority vote must stand in order to invoke the clause — this would mean that anywhere between 66% to 80% of lawmakers must agree to use it. Section 33 has never been used by the federal government, but has been invoked 26 times since its conception in 1981. The clause’s original intent was only as an absolute “last resort.” The section is not something that the government is entitled to use freely, however, there have been multiple instances where different provincial governments have used the notwithstanding clause in undemocratic ways, though even more so in recent years.

In 2019, the notwithstanding clause was used by the Quebec government to ban public sector workers, such as teachers and lawyers from wearing religious symbols, which specifically targeted Muslim women wearing hijab and also forbade turbans and yarmulkes. This ban is a direct violation of people’s religious rights, punishing specific groups whose religious symbols are intertwined with personal identity.

Ontario used section 33 in 2022 to force striking workers back to work as a way to erase their bargaining power. Ontario premier Doug Ford also used the notwithstanding clause more recently to limit the amount of spending third parties can use for a campaign to $600,000. This bill was considered to be “unconstitutional” by the Ontario Court of Appeals, as it limits the information voters get about different political parties and what they stand for. Despite the critiques, this policy was still passed.

In 2000, Alberta attempted to use the clause to limit the definition of marriage to only apply to heterosexual couples, specifically discriminating against same-sex couples. The federal court managed to strike down this rule as marriage was a federal matter, not a provincial one. In this case, the clause was regulated, and the federal government was able to reasonably stop such bigoted actions. But what happens once the federal government is controlled by a party of bigots? Those who plan to exercise their power to violate the rights of citizens, to push their backwards agenda forward? As of recent years, the section has been used to infringe on human rights and proven to be nothing but a revolting display of power, which may reach newer heights after the next federal election.

Business Council of BC launches Stay With BC campaign

Peak Web

February 4, 2025

This is a photo of a Stay With BC ad that says “Thinking of answering?” The ad features a phone where Alberta is (literally) calling. — PHOTO: Courtesy of Business Council of British Columbia

By: Mason Mattu, News Writer

Launched in 2022 by the Albertan provincial government, the “Alberta is Calling” campaign was seen nationwide on newspaper covers, radio stations, and other advertisements. The goal of the campaign? To convince Canadians, especially those with “high-skilled jobs,” that the province’s “affordability, lifestyle, and careers” are worth the move from their current province. High-skilled labour involves “specialized know-how, training, and experience to carry out more complex physical or mental tasks than routine job functions.” According to Global News, Alberta is “laser-focused” on recruiting high-skilled labour to build “Alberta’s houses, schools, hospitals, and job-creating infrastructure.”

Canadians seem to be answering Alberta’s call. In 2024, Alberta’s interprovincial migration was the largest among Canadian provinces. In 2023, 67,944 Canadians left BC, with 37,650 of them moving to Alberta. Statistics Canada also estimates that in 2024, “7,693 people moved from BC” to Alberta from July to September — a number just behind Ontario’s fleet to Alberta. “For the first time in more than a decade,” BC lost more people than it gained to interprovincial migration.

To counteract this, the Business Council of BC (BCBC) launched the “Stay with BC” campaign on December 18. They aim to convince British Columbians to stay despite “rising costs, limited job opportunities, and strained public services.” Ads take the form of billboards, transit banners, and online ads which direct viewers to a letter from BCBC that presents a “hopeful vision for the future.” Some ads mimic the appearance of dating apps, asking viewers if they are “thinking of swiping right” on Alberta.

50% of young British Columbians thought of leaving the province in 2024. BC is also currently facing a shortage of skilled workers in certain industries as Alberta has targeted them with financial incentives for moving.

“Housing and commercial real estate translate into high costs for all local goods and services which, in turn, makes life even less affordable.” — Andrey Pavlov, professor of finance, Beedie School of Business

The Peak reached out to Andrey Pavlov, professor of finance at the Beedie School of Business and expert on “implications of policy announcements for the [BC and Canada] economy.”

Pavlov said BC is facing a “stagnant economy in which it is exceedingly difficult for small businesses to operate.” A shortage of skilled workers also often causes added costs for businesses, like raising salaries — passing on the price burden to the consumer. Pavlov expressed that if the result of almost 70,000 people leaving BC in 2023 continues in future years, BC’s economy will “only get worse” and make “life even less affordable than it already is.

“Marketing only works if the product/service is good,” said Pavlov in reaction to Stay with BC’s messaging. “As it stands, BC does not offer particularly attractive opportunities for young people and it would take a comprehensive change in our economic policies, not a marketing campaign, to retain young high-skilled people.” According to Pavlov, the highest priority for BC to attract skilled workers and support the province’s small businesses is “reverse the highly misguided economic policies based on high taxes [and] excessive regulation.”

Pavlov said one way the provincial government can attract more skilled workers and maintain the current population is through better housing policies. “Housing and commercial real estate translate into high costs for all local goods and services which, in turn, makes life even less affordable,” said Pavlov. This includes high operational costs such as paying rent for commercial spaces. “We need to entirely reverse course and eliminate the heavy-handed and costly regulation of the last few years in order to see sufficient supply and eventual resolution of our housing shortage.”

The Vancouver Tenants Union (VTU), an organization representing over 2,500 members, called for more government intervention “to be concerned with providing and preserving affordable, safe, and secure rental housing.” The VTU seeks to “establish political power to create change.” For one, the VTU supports vacancy control — a “form of rent control” that limits “rent increases to once every twelve months.” They stated vacancy control will “disincentivize evictions issued for a profit motive.”

They also advocate for tenant’s rights to “put in a first offer when buildings go up for sale” and turn them into co-ops. Co-ops are housing units “controlled by members who have a vote in decisions.” They “operate on a break-even basis,” meaning they “charge their members only enough to cover costs, repairs, and reserves.” This makes co-ops “much more affordable than average private sector rental costs.” The BC Green Party also proposed more government intervention “to address the housing affordability crisis,” such as limiting “between-tenant rent increases to 3.5%.”

New contract negotiations begin for dining staff on campus

Peak Web

February 4, 2025

This is a photo of the SFU dining commons where food service workers are pictured interacting. The photo faces toward the ceiling and there’s a sign that says “breads.” — PHOTO: Roshi Chadha / The Peak

By: Lucaiah Smith-Miodownik, News Writer

Editor’s note: in a news article published last week titled “CWJ hosts rally to continue pushing for in-house food and cleaning contracts,” we wrote that SFU contracts dining service workers through Chartwells Canada. Chartwells is a subdivision of Compass — the company mentioned in this piece.

As the calendar shifts into the new year, the SFU dining and cleaning staff’s push for better pay continues. In late January, UNITE HERE Local 40, the union representing food staff on campus, began negotiating a new contract for its members. SFU contracts dining hall workers through the food service company Compass. This means food workers are outsourced and Local 40 is negotiating with Compass, not SFU.

The Peak spoke with union organizer Kyra Gauthier, a Local 40 organizer, for more information. While Contract Worker Justice @SFU (CWJ) has been fighting to “end the outsourcing of food and cleaning services at SFU” by demanding in-house contracts, Gauthier said “wages are the main point of contention almost all the time” for Local 40. In a statement to The Peak, Local 40 campaigner Nate Holers explained that the union would “welcome in-house contracts with SFU if it meant securing the wage increases and benefits [workers] deserve.” Holers added that an increase in wages “would likely be the case” if SFU were to switch to in-house contracts, citing contracts at UBC.

In July 2022, SFU announced they would move toward becoming a certified “living wage employer.” Living Wage BC defines a living wage as “the hourly amount that someone needs to earn to meet their basic expenses (including rent, food, and transportation) once government taxes, credits, deductions, and subsidies are taken into account.” The living wage for Metro Vancouver is $27.05.

Despite SFU’s transition to a living wage, “a lot of the workers were really shocked” when they noticed the change in their paychecks. “They fought for that living wage, they got it, then they got their paycheck, which is $22.60,” said Gauthier.

“The big push is to get to that living wage value without any of these deductions.” — Kyra Gauthier, organizer, UNITE HERE Local 40 union

The discrepancy between this number and the Metro Vancouver living wage lies in Living Wage BC’s definition. The organization states that a living wage can decrease when benefits are paid for by the employer. Gauthier explained that when SFU’s living wage shift occurred, Compass “gave the worker a bump to $22.60,” but the remaining $4.45 that would push employees to $27.05 was directed towards benefits and pension. “That all gets deducted from that living wage total,” Gauthier explained. The $4.45 workers should receive as their wage should be “coming out of Compass’ pocket,” she said.

“On paper, [SFU is] a living wage employer — they haven’t done anything that they weren’t supposed to do, but morally, it’s not really the right thing to do for the workers,” Gauthier explained. “It’s not inherently wrong what they did, it’s just the way that the living wage is calculated should be changed,” Gauthier added.

In a statement to The Peak, SFU reiterated that “the living wage takes into account the total compensation package including wages and the value of non-mandatory benefits such as paid sick leave, vacation leave, education benefits, and extended health and dental coverage. As outlined by Living Wage BC, employer-paid benefits reduce out-of-pocket costs for families, which reduces the hourly rate needed to meet family expenses.”

In a press release from January, SFU stated that specific benefits include “a tuition waiver program” as well as “access to recreation and fitness facilities, library borrowing privileges, and priority access to on-site childcare at Burnaby campus through the SFU Childcare Society.” In last week’s interview with The Peak, Cristina Figueroa, CWJ campaign research assistant, stated “food and cleaning employees don’t ‘benefit from the same services as other staff, such as childcare, parking, they don’t even get Wi-Fi on campus.’” The Peak was not able to obtain more details about childcare benefits.

“The big push is to get to that living wage value without any of these deductions. $27.05 and the employer pays all of your benefits and your pension, which is how it’s supposed to be,” said Gauthier. “We’re very hopeful that we will push for a very strong contract this year.”

This is a story that The Peak will continue to cover.

Student Updates: Work hard now and reach your peak!

Peak Web

February 3, 2025

Graphic that reads “Student updates.” — ILLUSTRATION: Courtesy of The Peak

By: Hana Hoffman, Peak Associate

Say hello to February, SFU! Unfortunately, it’s not a leap year, so you all have one less day to catch up on assignments. With that being said, don’t procrastinate on reading these important student updates!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Motivation of the Month: Give up!

Already being inconsistent with your New Year’s resolutions? Still stuck on your January weekly readings? So are the rest of us! You fit right into SFU’s vibrant community of slackers and that’s something to be proud about! Don’t be conceited by turning this February into FebYOUary. Instead, think of others. Don’t make them feel bad about themselves by sticking to your goals. Give yourself a twenty-twenty high-five, sit back, and embrace mediocrity.

Looking For Actors — Dear Peakie: The Musical

Do you have a passion for asking Peakie questions? This is your chance to do that in real life, in real time, with Peakie on a big stage (maybe, we haven’t secured the venue yet)! Just a sneak peak, the storyline will be based on the backstory that started the mastermind Peakie’s question–answering career. Sign up to be a part of Dear Peakie! Auditions will be happening all weekie

UPCOMING DATES

February 7: National Periodic Table Day

O Mg, how Ge Ni U S! Enjoy this holiday as it only comes periodically.

February 10: National Umbrella Day

A day to appreciate how many times our umbrellas have saved us in rainy weather from catching a cold, having a bad hair day, and dissolving our homework in rainwater that seeped through our backpacks.

February 10: Ring Around the Reflection Pond Day

Join your fellow students in a giant lighthearted game of Ring Around the Rosie around the reflection pond. This free activity is held in collaboration with the department of history to reminisce on the historical period a long long time ago when plagues happened.

OPINIONS | JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Valentine’s Day: Is it romantic to cover anything in chocolate?

Who says we need to have a valentine in order to celebrate on February 14? All you need is chocolate! Chocolate-covered strawberries are the most well-known romantic treat, but should we stop there? This February, give chocolate-covered broccoli a try to be festive, while also getting in some fiber.

Poll Time: Starbucks or Tim Hortons?

We want to replace the last Renaissance standing with a generic, mediocre coffee shop that already has multiple locations on campus. So, we need the coffee lovers out there, to help us make this difficult decision. Who serves the better coffee? The chain that everyone thinks of when they hear the phrase “boycotts work?” or the chain everyone says “used to be good.” Vote for which place you like more overall!

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