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Immersive art as a call to action in Interglacial

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A photo of Desirée Patterson in front of a panel of artworks at Interglacial
PHOTO: Courtesy of Desirée Patterson

By: Marie Jen Galilo, Staff Writer

Glaciers are not only rivers of ice, but also ancient, geological reflections of time. We are currently living through interglacial — the stage of the ice age characterized by warmer temperatures. Through her exhibition Interglacial, environmental artist Desirée Patterson explores the impacts of climate change and our responsibility to protect not only glaciers, but also diverse ecosystems. The Peak spoke with Patterson to learn more about Interglacial and her artistic practice leading up to the exhibition.

After being inspired by Mission Blue — an acclaimed documentary that highlights the work of marine biologist Dr. Sylvia Earle — Patterson recognized “the environmental degradations to these ecosystems that [she] deeply loved and connected with.” This was monumental for her; she became passionate about environmental mindfulness and protecting the natural environment, which “organically permeated into [her] practice.” She added, “I came to this place as an artist — you make work from your heart, you make work from your soul.” 

Patterson joined the United Nations International Year of Glacier Preservation initiative as an artist-in-residence, where she worked with eminent environmental scientists across northern Turtle Island (Canada), to translate geological data into immersive artistic visualizations to produce Interglacial.

Interglacial explores deep time, wildfires, and deglaciation through five pieces. Each piece involves a “video didactic,” in which the scientists explain their research and remind us that not all hope is lost — we can protect our ecosystems if we understand the gravity of our impact and choose to act now.  

For deep time, Patterson collaborated with ecologist Dr. Eric Higgs, and used repeat photography, which involves taking a picture of a place from the same spot at a different time. The piece consists of “eight different pairs of deglaciated repeats,” which the audience can directly lift to reveal the more recent glacial pictures below.

The wildfire section consists of three sculptures and multimedia installations, and was made in collaboration with wildfire ecologist and tree ring scientist Dr. Lori Daniels. One piece, “From the Ashes” consists of speakers made of “charred wood that was taken mostly in Mount Currie in a cultural burn with the Líl̓wat Nation,” which play the sounds of returning birds in a forest following a wildfire, a manifesto that displays the “resilience of nature and the ability of ecosystems to regenerate.” 

“Still in Place” is the heart of the exhibition and was made in collaboration with glaciologist Dr. Brian Menounos. Patterson made “the glacier a direct collaborator in the process,” by creating the textile art piece at Place Glacier, using a tarp as a “barrier” between the ice and the fabric. She used cyanotyping, which involves coating the textile canvas in an iron solution that turns the fabric blue when exposed to UV. The audience walks under the canopy of “blue and white striations,” while listening to the sound of melting ice.

“I really hope that this inspires other people to step into their own power and use their voice in their own unique ways.”

— Desirée Patterson, environmental artist

Patterson hopes that experiencing this exhibition will inspire audiences to take action against climate change. “I really hope that this inspires other people to step into their own power and use their voice in their own unique ways,” Patterson said. “We all need to rise to this call to act.”

Interglacial will be on display at The Reach Gallery until March 20, 2027.

Exploring queerness across Southeast Asia

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A photo of several Filipino activists protesting for queer rights
PHOTO: Ruie Botron / Pexels

By: Phone Min Thant, Arts & Culture Editor

“Queer Asia does not have a great history; it has never found an institutional home in the region.” This quote is one of the last sentences in Queer Southeast Asia: An Afterword, in a section about finding hope through the study of queer experiences. It is a wonder, of course, why I chose to start with this quote. It does not sound particularly hopeful. I chose it because it perfectly describes queerness across Southeast Asia: a largely grassroots network of movements fuelled by activism, passion, collective reimagination, trial and error, and language reclamation against institutions that have prevented queer expression and quelled social dissent.

Queer Southeast Asia can be best described as a collection of both academic research and personal experiences inside Southeast Asia, and to a lesser extent, by its diaspora abroad. The book does not try at all to generalize queerness in Southeast Asia, something I appreciated as a researcher of Southeast Asian studies myself. It lays out the history of some of the region’s most prominent activist movements and sheds light on the less visible forms of expressing queerness in a region which has largely remained conservative. The book covers covert distribution of queer films inside Singapore, building community at night-clubs in Bangkok, and practicing freeform expression in an increasingly-populist regional political landscape. 

While I suggest the whole book  for a more comprehensive and intersectional outlook on advocating for, and being, queer Southeast Asians, I found a few chapters to be particularly intriguing. The first was a chapter by Dr. Benjamin Hegarty, a prominent Australian expert on Southeast Asian gender, sexuality, and reproductive health. Hegarty explores the politics of reclaiming the word “transpuan,” an activist word for transgender women in Indonesian, from the oppressive language describing trans and queer communities coined by the Indonesian government. Coming from a nearby state that also lacks a word for queer women, it was inspiring to see queer activists and allies challenge discriminatory narratives imposed by authoritarian governments against those simply practicing their rights. I was also drawn to the chapter by Dr. Quah Ee Ling Sharon and Dr. Shawna Tang, two queer academics of Southeast Asian heritage, exploring the nuances behind Southeast Asian queer migrants’ search for “utopia,” a safe haven where they are able to freely, safely, and visibly exist, usually meant to generalize democratic Global Northern states. In this chapter, however, Sharon and Tang explore the intersectionalities of being queer Asian migrants, who can express themselves freely, but are then victims of xenophobia, racism, and homophobia. This rejects the assumption that queer diaspora “would find freedom and a happy ending,” post-migration. Other favourites also include Dr. Sim Jiaying’s explorations of how queer Singaporeans find community and recreation through discreetly-distributed queer short films, as well as Dr. Anthony Langlois’ discourse on how queer activists remain resilient against the rise of surveillance states.

Queer Southeast Asia reminds us that there is a community actively trying to unearth the complex roots of queer communities in the region, and that there is hope for its future tree of knowledge to grow.

It is here that perhaps the first quote may be recalled; in Southeast Asia, queerness has little institutional support, particularly for those attempting to study it. However, Queer Southeast Asia reminds us that there is a community actively trying to unearth the complex roots of queer communities in the region, and that there is hope for its future tree of knowledge to grow.

Do’s and don’ts to have a great backpacking experience this summer

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A man wearing a backpack running from a porta-poty that reads “WASHROOM” on it. He is running from a huge flood.
ILLUSTRATION: Olivia Blackmore / The Peak

By: Jonah Lazar, Staff Writer

Throughout my time at SFU, I’ve had the luxury of taking summers off and the irresponsibility to max out my student loans so that I can backpack. During these summers, I’ve visited a lot of places that taught me a lot of lessons. For those of you who decide to travel during the last few weeks of summer, or who are gearing up for a big trip next year, I figured I’d impart a few do’s and don’ts that I’ve learned during my summers abroad. 

Don’t: skimp on hotels, you may end up naked and afraid.

Two years ago, after a few nights sleeping on buses in Italy with my brother, I ended up in Baku, Azerbaijan. Upon arriving at my $10 a night Airbnb, I stripped down and passed out instantly, waking up sometime around 1:00 a.m. disoriented and naked. Upon rolling out of bed, I took a piss, and flushed the toilet to a very strange rattling and choking sound. Before I could even process what was wrong with the toilet, the water heater in the bathroom exploded into a million pieces, steam instantly filling the whole apartment. In a panic, I ran out into the street and slammed the automatically locking apartment door behind me, calling out for help. Standing ass-naked in the middle of downtown Baku, police and onlookers circling the building due to the sound of the explosion, I wondered if I remembered to put my passport and phone on the bedside table of my rapidly-flooding Airbnb. 

Do: carry cash, unless you want to get really drunk, really fast.

That same summer, I did a four day-long solo hike across a mountain range in Albania, stopping at hostels in remote villages overnight. Trying to be clever and save my money, I brought half as much cash as I was advised to bring, in order to limit my spending. To my great surprise, I ran out of money on day two. With no cell service and the nearest card reader at the end of the hike, 60 km away, I hiked 30 km to the next village, where my prearranged hostel for the night promised complementary dinner. With a handful of wild strawberries and a drink from a creek as my only sustenance in the past 24 hours, I staggered into the hostel famished, only to find that the complementary dinner was endless vodka refills, a half bowl of soup, and some lettuce. 

I threw up the soup and lettuce about three refills later. 

Do: be wary of friendly animals — some want to be more than friends.  

With a very rational fear of flushing toilets still lingering within me, I went solo traveling to Southeast Asia last summer. On a warm summer afternoon in a seaside cave near Ao Nang, Thailand, I was drifting in and out of a nap, smoking far too much of a joint (so glad it was legal in the country), and sipping lychee juice, when I felt my drink wrenched out of my hand. 

As I turned around in my inebriated haze, I came face to face with a macaque who had stolen not just my lychee juice but my wallet as well, and had jumped up onto a ledge to where we were now eye-to-eye. I inevitably jumped to my feet in panic. As I yelled at him to give me my stuff back, fighting back a full-blown, weed-induced meltdown, I saw the macaque’s little red penis extend like a toy lightsaber, dropping my stolen wallet so that he could stroke it to the excitement of the situation we’d landed ourselves in. 

Unfortunately I did not get my lychee juice back. But I did avoid weed for quite a while afterwards.

Flirting with cute rock climbing girl

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Peak Web
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A woman rock-climbing.
PHOTO: Yns Plt / Unsplash

By: A hopeless romantic

Day 1:

I picked up climbing because I want to make more queer friends. Starting as a total newbie at the activity will be fun. I want someone to show me how it’s done!

Day 2:

The girl at the front desk is literally a dream come true. She gave me some advice about climbing — but what really got my heart racing wasn’t the steep climb ahead, it was her smile. Her delicate ear piercings framed her perfect face like a halo. I probably didn’t have a chance with her, but I was happy to see her regardless.

She showed me how to shimmy up the problem and she was so graceful I was fully enchanted. “All yours now,” she said, gesturing up the climb.

Day 3: 

I asked her if the white Jeep out front was hers. She said yes, but then said, “Me and my boy go up to Squamish from time to time. I just got it. Super spacious for packing all our gear.” BOY? Is there a Mr. Climbing Girl of my Dreams?! I didn’t know how to ask that, so instead I tried to suss out if the Jeep was manual. She said it was. Her dad taught her, and I should get someone to teach me how. I asked if she would, prompting her to quip back that lessons aren’t included with my membership.  

Day 4:

Dream Girl noticed my nubby nails when I scanned in today. “Keeps us climbers humble.” US? Is there an US?! She asked how my new callouses were going, and before I could show her, she grabbed my hand to take a peek. My heart skipped a beat. She called over to a coworker and asked him to bring a file from the display. Instead he tossed two. He beamed when she caught it. “Keep the spare for the next Squamish trip. We’ll definitely want it when away from civilization.” So . . . these two climb . . . together . . . 

Day 5: 

Today she was wearing a sweater with holes in the knit. “I didn’t know you had a tattoo,” I said. Totally a coincidence, but I can’t lie that it feels like fate when she rolls up her sleeve. She has the same tattoo I’ve wanted for years, but was always too indecisive to actually get. I told her, and she said it was a pretty basic design, but she’s flattered. I don’t know how to make it more obvious I want . . . to be with her. 

She quickly asked me if I heard Dean Brody’s latest work. Apparently he’s some country singer? Fuck. I’m losing her . . . there’s no way she’s a lesbian. 

Day 6: 

A week of pining must make us friends now? I asked her to go for a matcha before my climb tomorrow. Throughout my climb, I could see her catching glimpses at me. When I returned my shoes, she agreed. 

Day 7: 

“So, I’m glad we’re doing a hangout. You’re a chill friend,” I told her with my usual sparkly eyes. 

She looked at me blankly. “What do you mean . . . hangout? This isn’t a date?”

I couldn’t believe my luck. Turns out she is queer . . . and her “boy” was actually her “bro.”

 

 

The breakdown of the modern gaydar

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Peak Web
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Three photos in polaroid printed style. One of someone wearing keys on their belt, another of a man with a mullet/moustache combo, and another of a haircut.
ILLUSTRATION: Victoria Xi / The Peak

By: Dina Bounine, SFU Student

Imagine, you’re on the bus and you see a guy (ew). He’s got a good mullet (as in one you would see scrolling on Pinterest instead of on a hockey player). His mustache is straight out of an ‘80s porno. He’s wearing the tightest tank top paired with some nice baggy highrise jeans and a singular earring. Five years ago you could’ve bet your limited-edition brat vinyl that this guy is one of them queers. Now you find yourself wondering whether he works out to impress other men in a gay way or in a manosphere gymbro way, and whether his canvas tote bag contains poppers (the one thing straight people will never steal), or an unread book on feminism he’s going to poorly mansplain to a woman he wants to sleep with later.

Or what about that shredded lady with a good mullet at your rock-climbing gym (who you definitely don’t have a crush on)? She drives a Subaru, wears her keys on a carabiner, and a flannel around her waist. She’s always going on about her “partner.” She has a naked woman tattooed on her arm. But when you ask if she listens to girl in red, she says she tried women in college before meeting her husband and it just wasn’t for her. Another L for the lesbian community.

Our society has been besieged by an epidemic. As they say, “they’re putting chemicals in the water to turn the frickin’ frogs gay.” I don’t see more gay people (or gay frogs), but I do see our fashion everywhere. Especially our good mullets (seriously, when did they figure that out)? Queers are reeling as our once semi-reliable gaydar is now leading us astray. 

Straight men have so long tried to avoid looking gay and now they’re following straight women into gay clubs and getting angry when they get hit on. Buddy, that yellow hanky in your right back pocket means something specific here so don’t be surprised if someone asks to pee on you.

This problem is so severe that the gays have been forced to abandon everything we hold dear. The gay men are tragically getting buzzcuts and shaving their mustaches. The femme lesbians have been forced to abandon the cottagecore aesthetic lest they be mistaken for trad wives. The butches? Well the butches still dress like Adam Sandler . . . but unfortunately jorts are trendy too now. 

Perhaps even more problematic than the heterosexual assault on our eyes is the stream of nonsense the straights are hitting our ears with. I do not want to hear how your incredibly basic outfit is “giving clock it house down boots” or how your average boyfriend is “DL trade.” This is the gay “chai tea.” I’m embarrassed for you.

In truth maybe this is partially a good thing. This is a sign that rigid rules around gender and self expression are loosening and association with our identities is less taboo. At the same time I will crash out if one more combat boot, funky earring-wearing woman I hit on is straight. 

 

All gays are hockey players

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Peak Web
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A white woman dropping the puck between two hockey players. Behind them are other hockey players in a similar position.
ILLUSTRATION: Cliff Ebora / The Peak

By: Linda Hazzbumple, Vancouver woman 

How did I, a straight middle-aged white woman, end up at a gay club during arguably the busiest season of all time — Vancouver Pride? Well, to tackle that question, you’ll have to understand the last few months of my life. 

Ever since Heated Rivalry started streaming, I’ve been eating, sleeping, and breathing that steamy show. I like how relevant it is to contemporary Canadian culture. Since the ‘90s, many gays have been popping up everywhere. Maybe something’s in the air? I also found the show to be a way better reflection than them deciding to put lesbians in Bridgerton — that on the other hand is not historically accurate. Lesbians didn’t exist before Brittney Spears kissed Madonna. 

I think I understand more about gay culture than they do. So much so that I learned something particularly interesting that not a lot of my friends in the Heated Rivalry Facebook group know. All of my friendly gays (you ice-skating queens!!) are professional hockey players. Yes, you heard that right. 

I felt so ignorant. So blatantly out of touch with the realities of 21st century Canada. When my gay neighbour told me that he was seeing someone, I thought he was going on a date — not being forbidden lovers on the ice. When I heard someone say they were together for six years, I had no clue they meant six seasons. When I read an article on the best dildos to use in bed from Queerty, I didn’t know they were all hockey sticks.

I told myself: Linda, you are such a bad gal. How could I have been so ignorant? So fervently discriminatory? To make up for my clear transgressions, I decided to act in the only way possible. Celebrating gay culture by participating in their most sacred tradition. Clubbing.

I pulled up to Celebrities Nightclub on Davie Street, my son’s hockey stick in tow so I could fit in with the rest of the gang. I paid my cover, walked past the bouncer, and pranced onto the dancefloor. 

“Hey, hockey players! My name is Linda. I’m a huge fan and ally,” I said, waving my hockey stick in the air. 

Around them, I could see other people dressed in their hockey apparel. I waved to get their attention over the loud EDM music . . . we had a good time dancing.

“And the winner of the Heated Rivalry lookalike contest is Jack and Ralph!” an announcer proclaimed. What? Lookalike? Surely these people couldn’t be dressing up for a contest . . . how rude of them to appropriate gay culture. Suddenly, everyone on the club floor ripped off their hockey jerseys and began dancing. And why were there lesbians at a gay club?? I was so confused. 

I thought for a split second that perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps not all gay people are hockey players. You see, that’s what your average loser would say. I am enlightened. 

I climbed up onto the DJ’s stage and took the mic from one of those fake gay who lacked their signature hockey stick. “HOW DARE YOU APPROPRIATE THE CULTURE OF MY GAY FRIENDS!” I screamed, recording all these bigots on Facebook live. “GRAB A HOCKEY STICK —” 

Then, I tripped and fell over my own hockey stick. Really on theme, huh? When I woke up in the hospital, I made a vow to continue fighting against these frauds. Justice for Shane and Ilya!

Ferdinand Marcos Jr. visit to Vancouver sparks local outrage

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Protest against Filipino President Marcos Jr. with police presence
PHOTO: Kej Andrés (Ryomaandres) / Wikimedia Commons

By: Tomos Land, Staff Writer

From July 1 to 4, Filipino President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. visited Vancouver to meet with Prime Minister Mark Carney to discuss the growing partnership between Canada and the Philippines. Carney reportedly spoke with Marcos Jr. about the Canada-ASEAN free-trade agreement. This agreement, which has been in negotiations for five years, is slated to open new markets for Canadian goods. Additionally, Carney and Marcos Jr. continued negotiations on a Canada-Philippines free-trade agreement. This deal would theoretically reduce barriers to trade between both countries and expand bilateral cooperation in key sectors.

Local Canadian organizations were critical of Carney’s willingness to meet with Marcos Jr. He is the son and namesake of the Philippines’ former dictator Ferdinand Marcos, whose administration was marked by “political repression, human rights abuses, and the curtailment of freedoms, leading to public unrest and a growing opposition” from 1965 to 1986, according to EBSCO. The current president is accused of censoring his father’s past misdeeds from public record, selling off the country’s natural resources to outside interests, and committing a number of human rights abuses. Dahlia, a local activist group, organized protests in response to Carney’s invitation to Marcos Jr. The group is affiliated with Friends of the Filipino People in Struggle, a global organization that aims to support the rights of Filipino people. The Peak corresponded with B, a spokesperson for Dahlia, to learn more.

“Marcos Jr.’s visit, the first visit to Canada by a sitting Philippine president in 11 years, coincides with a dramatic increase in military and economic collaboration between the two governments through the Canada-Philippines Strategic Partnership,” B stated. “On the military side, these new agreements are poised to increase the lethality of a regime that has become notorious for its violations of international humanitarian law.” Pacts such as the Status of Visiting Force Agreement pave the way for the Canadian and Filipino Armed Forces to take part in joint-military exercises together, which increases capabilities and offers capacity support.

On the economic side, B shared that this partnership was likely to “further position the Philippines as an exporter of raw materials (like nickel and copper)” while allowing Canada to “control the financing, technology, and higher-value industries.” In 2025, copper was the top export from the Philippines to Canada. 

“Canada’s collaboration with the GRP in building ‘peace, resilience, and security’ reflects at best [ . . . ] ignorance and at worst blatant disregard for the government’s dismal human rights record.”

— B, Dahlia spokesperson 

For organizations such as Dahlia, this month’s visit raises questions about Canada and Carney’s commitment to international law and human rights. In light of the agreements signed in Vancouver, B stated that Canada’s partnership with the Government of the Philippines shows “at best [ . . . ] ignorance and at worst blatant disregard for the government’s dismal human rights record.” B shared, “The Philippines is one of the most dangerous countries in the world to be a journalist, labour organizer, or land defender.” 

B highlighted the Toboso killings that occurred in April, which was the result of a military operation carried out by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, purportedly against the New People’s Army, a Maoist Guerilla Group. The operation, however, led to the killings of 19 people, including nine civilians, and was denounced by many individuals and organizations. B shared, “Carney continues to remain silent on this massacre.”

 

Wildfires burn across BC

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A fire burning on the side of a road
PHOTO: Sean Boyd /Unsplash

By: Michelle Young, Copy Editor

BC summers bring an elevated risk of wildfires, exacerbated by climate change, and this summer is no exception. As of July 24, evacuation orders have been issued for multiple communities in the interior, including a fire in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, which is quickly expanding. “89 blazes” are estimated to be active across the province. 

In addition to the destruction of homes and forestry, these fires bring health risks due to smoke. Exposure to wildfire smoke can result in headaches, chest pain, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, and more. The BCMJ reports that “physical impacts of climate change and environmental disasters are exacerbated by underlying health determinants such as poor housing, overcrowding, and geographic proximity to areas more prone to wildfires.” 

They add, “Indigenous communities have been overrepresented in wildfire evacuations, experiencing 42% of evacuation events, despite representing only 5% of the country’s population.” Indigenous families are also displaced and separated due to different evacuation phases. PreventionWeb explains: “The first phase includes pregnant women, the elderly, and people with medical conditions, while subsequent phases include those with lower risk. This phasing can mean elderly grandparents are evacuated first to shelters hundreds of kilometres away from grandchildren in their care.”

Though “forest fires are naturally occurring disturbances that contribute to the health and renewal of many forest ecosystems,” the Canadian Climate Institute says “fires are burning hotter and wilder as the climate warms, causing much greater destruction.” They report that as a result of the climate crisis, snowfall is trending down, “leading to drier conditions which increase wildfire risk.”

Many have reported on the potential of Indigenous knowledge and leadership to aid in controlling wildfire risk. However, they face “barriers to joining provincial response efforts due to safety regulations and protocols,” such as a consensus around what counts as enough personal protective equipment. 

As reported by Indiginews, cultural or controlled burns entail “low-intensity controlled burns, carefully planned to maintain and replenish the health of the land and its ecosystems” and reduce wildfire risk. In BC, this practice was banned in 1874 through the Bush Fire Act, which “contributed to a loss of firekeeping knowledge and impacted the ecosystems and landscape we see today,” according to BC Wildfire Service. Currently, the BC Wildfire Service is working with the First Nations Emergency Services Society to re-implement cultural burns. 

“Indigenous people have always been on the front lines because our communities are just so close to the boreal forest and other fire-prone areas.”

— Brady Highway, wildfire consultant from the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation

Brady Highway, a wildfire consultant from the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation, says in a video for Land Needs Guardians, “Indigenous people have always been on the front lines because our communities are just so close to the boreal forest and other fire-prone areas. Indigenous guardians are going to need to start assuming some of that responsibility for managing fire.

“What we want to protect, what we want to save for future generations, might not exactly be what the provincial priorities are.” In 2022, Highway told The Star Phoenix, “This is what I do for a living.” He added, “We can’t be waiting for the government to grant us that authority. We have to make it happen on our own.”

Opinions-in-Dialogue: Accessibility in journalism

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Person curled up sleeping on a couch
PHOTO: Hosein Solimani / Unsplash

By: Zainab Salam, Editor-in-Chief and Michelle Young, Copy Editor 

Journalism is becoming increasingly precarious in Canada. For years, The Peak has tried to create a workplace environment where student journalists can learn and thrive, especially by creating an accessible workplace. However, as chronically ill editors come closer to graduation, they reflect on whether journalism could be a viable career, despite journalistic experience. 

Zainab: As I near my graduation date, I am finding myself growing increasingly nervous about how I will navigate the professional world. As a person with chronic illness and frequent flare- ups, I have faced an array of discrimination in the workplace that placed me at a disadvantage. I have been overlooked for promotions, even when I was the most well-suited person for the job. I have also had to call in sick to managers who had only curt and rude replies; which does wonders to my stress levels. All while the overwhelming fatigue makes me struggle to lift my head off the pillow to take my medications on an empty stomach. In the past, I’ve been told to “try to not call in sick” because it ruins the way shifts are scheduled. As if I had the option to opt-out of a flare-up? As if I chose to be in pain? As if I like having my body ache so badly that I can’t sleep properly? It’s hard to speak up when I am in this situation, because managers have HR on their side. They can find a way to target me, and make it seem like I was at fault. Even with legal protections, the workplace is still a hostile terrain for myself, as I’m sure it is the same for other people with disabilities. 

Michelle: There is a wide array of possible accommodations when it comes to disability. For someone in a wheelchair, this might include a wheelchair-accessible space. Disability journalist Bailey Martens spoke about how she “couldn’t get in the door” at her student publication. Instead, she was told to “sit in the hallway and listen to meetings from there.” Martens was later offered a different job but was denied a “remote start,” despite the need to “find wheelchair-accessible housing.” Martens noted everyone was working from home at the time. This is beyond ridiculous. If someone with such a straightforward accommodation request, and an obvious need for it, is being denied this way, it’s terrifying to think about what other accommodations could be denied. Physical disabilities undoubtedly come with discrimination from employers, but chronic illness has such a fluid nature that it can be hard to predict. Remote work is one way to accommodate this, however there’s a push towards in-person work to “boost real estate demand.” A few years ago, I was on the waitlist for ovarian cyst removal. I waited months for surgery, and it was painful to walk around. After the surgery and subsequent endometriosis diagnosis, I still had months of chronic pain trying to find a treatment plan that worked for me. I would have never been able to work at The Peak if it wasn’t for our ability to work from home. COVID-19 has created an influx of people with disabilities and chronic illnesses — new conditions and disabilities can crop up at any time. Accommodations are helpful to all of us.

Zainab: From my experience, disclosure of my disability, especially when I’m new at a job, is what I struggle with the most. It’s true that legally I don’t have to disclose the details of my chronic illness to my employer. However, at my current state I’m guaranteed to have to call in sick due to flare-ups, which means my health issues will make themselves known quickly. During the probationary period, it takes time and effort to be in a more stable position in the role. Frequent sick calls when I’m flaring up don’t make me seem reliable enough to keep. It looks like I’m not alone in my worry, and it doesn’t stop after the probationary period. A fellow journalist, Emily Fagan, has communicated how difficult it is to advocate for herself with her invisible disability. In an interview with CanCulture, Fagan said, “I typically don’t mention when I’m in pain or having issues with my Crohn’s to coworkers, out of fear that it might make me seem unreliable.” I understand there is some legal protection with a doctor’s note. You can get your so-called “absence” excused, and could get some accommodations met if the workplace allows. However, it is difficult to see the doctor. I have to beg to get an appointment squeezed in every few weeks. Also, it’s expensive to pay for those doctor notes, which currently cost $50 a note at my family doctor clinic. 

Michelle: Being disabled is expensive: doctors’ notes or medications may not be covered by insurance. Though BC mandates five days of paid sick leave, this doesn’t cover all types of employees and it feels wasteful to use paid leave for the appointment they booked you in for six months in advance. For many, five days isn’t enough. A stable income is deeply important to me, because I need to be able to cover medical costs. The ability to access medication is a necessity. The rates of houselessness among disabled people is high due to a number of factors and disability assistance doesn’t cover the cost of living. Getting a degree and breaking into the workforce is a challenge for anyone right now, but being chronically ill adds another barrier. 

Zainab: That’s what makes this situation so frustrating. Years of hard work don’t seem to guarantee stability. Which is true for even the able-bodied graduates, but it does seem to feel and be more pronounced for people with disabilities. In the world of journalism, it’s hard enough to have to compete with more well-known journalists for a spot in a newsroom. For a person with a disability, it’ll be difficult to compete with new able-bodied journalists. According to the Canadian Journalism Foundation, geographical mobility would greatly help in career advancement. Being able to move from one location to another could help polish a resume, and in some cases it might be the only way to land a more stable role in a newsroom. For a chronically ill person, this is difficult to do. 

Ableism is rampant in society, and hiring people with lived experience and chronic illness is valuable — not for the DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) statistics, but because we understand how to navigate these stories.

Michelle: The thing is, we do need people with disabilities in newsrooms. Ableism is rampant in society, and hiring people with lived experience and chronic illness is valuable — not for the DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) statistics, but because we understand how to navigate these stories. It’s not lost on me how many people are scared of using the word “disability” for its negative connotations. We aren’t going to go away. Space for disabled journalists needs to be made now. This could include flexibility around remote work, better paid sick leave for all, and a general increase in understanding from management that being a good employee and being disabled or chronically ill are not mutually exclusive. 

Celebrating the journalists who got their start at The Peak

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Peak Web
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A photo collage of older The Peak issues
PHOTO: Gudrun Wai-Gunnarsson / The Peak, with photos courtesy of SFU archives

By: Jonah Lazar, Staff Writer

Since 1965, when The Peak first started rolling out weekly issues for the good people on the mountain of Lhukw’lhukw’áyten and beyond, many incredible students have worked for this little publication. Through the valuable learning experience of working for a university newspaper, many of The Peak’s former writers, editors, and contributors have made a name for themselves in the field. From novels, hiking guides, war reporting, and hockey podcasts, these writers have found success down various paths. Yet, their first tastes of the writing and reporting world started here at The Peak, where they put together their first articles, sweat over their first deadlines, and pitched their first ideas. So if you ever find yourself wondering about writing an article or attending a pitch meeting, just remember:

you never know where The Peak might take you.  

Michael Hingston

Michael Hingston’s time at The Peak as copy editor and writer in the mid-2000s was the inspiration behind his novel The Dilettantes, which recounts a fictionalized version of his time working for our publication. In this book, we follow Alex and Tracy, two editors who are battling a mass-produced newspaper stealing the attention of SFU’s students. When a disgraced Hollywood star enrolls at SFU, Alex, Tracy, and the team at The Peak see an opportunity to restore their status by covering his tumultuous behaviour at the university. The Dilettantes was a #1 regional bestseller after its release in 2013, and won awards from The Tyee and Winnipeg Free Press for its sarcastic, coming of age whimsy. Since then, Hingston has enjoyed quite a multidisciplinary career, writing another book in 2022 called Try Not to Be Strange. He has also worked as a journalist, contributing to papers such as The Washington Post, The Walrus, and The Guardian among others across his journalistic career dating back to 2013. Outside of writing, he also co-founded a publishing house called Hingston & Olsen, and now runs a bookstore in Edmonton called Porch Light Books. 

Luke Faulks

Luke Faulks admitted to us that he “only planned to contribute the handful of articles to The Peak necessary to get into UBC’s journalism program,” but in doing so, he ended up falling in love with The Peak. Faulks started as a staff writer before serving as the opinions editor in 2022. During this time, he worked on a wide range of topics, like the ethics of SFU claiming credit for student movements, to humour articles, like the “danger” of umbrella awnings. This experience at The Peak has since supported him in becoming a reporter for Pemberton’s local news outlet Pique News Magazine. After going from The Peak to The Pique, Faulks has written extensively on environmental, community, and local politics. He has also written for other BC-based publications like The Tyee, where he wrote a brilliant piece about how Indigenous oral history and archeological technology are used in tandem to uncover lost villages. Speaking to The Peak, Faulks said, “The Peak taught me the value of positive writer-editor relationships, honest post-mortems on a paper, collaborative newsrooms, and going the extra mile to seek out voices that are too often overlooked by mainstream outlets. Those are the qualities I look for in a newsroom. I’ve since worked in broadcast and travel writing, but I always return to the hard-news outlets I first fell in love with at The Peak.”

Michelle Gomez

Michelle Gomez was at the helm of The Peak’s news section during the beginnings of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. During her time as News Editor, Gomez oversaw The Peak’s coverage of how this global pandemic impacted SFU and SFU students. “I had no idea I wanted to pursue journalism when I first contributed to The Peak,” Gomez told us, “I was in my third year of undergrad on an exchange semester in Barcelona during a politically tumultuous time in the city, and was encouraged by one of my professors to write about it for my local student newspaper. One article led to another, which led to a staff writer position, which eventually led to me leading the news team. It was initially just a fun part-time job, but somewhere along the way I realized it was my passion,” she added. “My time at The Peak taught me to stay curious, always be skeptical, and keep an open mind.” After moving on from The Peak, Gomez went on to report for local news outfit CityNews Vancouver. She is now a reporter for CBC News, continuing her coverage of the Metro-Vancouver area that she started in our news section. She has written recently about search and rescue operations, such as a hang-glider being saved by an onlooker after crashing into a cliff and hikers rescued from a fall on Brunswick Mountain. 

Stephen Hui

Another former news editor, Stephen Hui worked for The Peak in the early 2000s, where he reported on the need for Indigenous student housing among many other things. Since then, he has written a few books about hiking in the Southwest of BC, including 105 Hikes In and Around Southwestern British Columbia. This book functions as one of the most comprehensive guides to some of the unceded Coast Salish territories’ most beautiful hiking terrains. It offers detailed maps, descriptions, and locations of trails, supported by Hui’s personal anecdotes as he has hiked every single trail featured in the book. It also offers some of the history behind these trails, and the second edition features a foreword by Indigenous Stó:lō historian Si:yémiya, Dr. Sonny McHalsie. Hui has also served as the web and technology editor at the Vancouver-based publication The Georgia Straight, and has been named a fellow at Canadian Geographic. Reflecting on his time at The Peak, Hui told us, “Before I showed up at The Peak offering to write (really bad) music reviews, I never considered a career in journalism. I got to cover myriad campus controversies, go inside a wildfire, and see a premier cry after being caught drunk driving. In retrospect, it’s hard to imagine my life story (so far) without The Peak. It’s where I became a writer and found my voice.” 

Izzy Cheung

Izzy Cheung managed both the arts and culture section from April 2024, and the sports section from August of the same year until April 2025. During her time at The Peak, Cheung wrote many articles about hockey, including writing a letter to two former Canucks players covering Red Leafs hockey games, and summaries of the Canucks’ season. This fascination for hockey did not fade! After her graduation, she has moved on to reporting extensively on hockey and the Vancouver Canucks. Her journalistic work about the Canucks has led to her becoming the site editor of The Hockey News; she also co-hosts the podcast Hockey, Actually. Cheung also spent some time working as an editorial intern at Explore Magazine. You can follow her on Instagram to see her sports interviews and other journalistic endeavors: @izzycheung37

Michelle Lang

Michelle Lang began her career as a journalist writing for The Peak in the mid-90s. Following her graduation, Lang went on to write for the Calgary Herald. Lang drummed up a career in journalism in Prince George, Moosejaw, and Regina, before settling in at the Calgary Herald. It was here where she won the National Newspaper Award for the best specialized reporting as a beat reporter covering Alberta’s health industry and national health care issues. Lang’s prolific work was well recognized in the national journalism scene. This success quickly led to Lang being sent overseas to report in Afghanistan as a war correspondent in 2009. Tragically, only 20 days after she arrived, Lang would be the only Canadian journalist to lose her life during the Afghanistan war in Kandahar. Lang was profoundly impactful as a journalist: over a thousand tributes poured in on the Calgary Herald in an online condolences page to remember her. Lang was awarded the Canadian World Press Freedom Award shortly after her death. The Calgary Herald editor-in-chief at the time, Lorne Motley, wrote, “It creates this hole, not only for the Herald, obviously, but also for Canwest and any other news organization.” Today, a fellowship in her name continues to support up-and-coming journalists. 

 

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Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

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For promotional inquiries: [email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society

Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

For advertising inquiries: [email protected]
For promotional inquiries: [email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society