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What to know what’s wrong with policing? Compare the treatment of Indigenous land protectors to the trucker convoy response.

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Police car lights
Canadian police remain more comfortable exercising force against Indigenous protestors. PHOTO: Scott Rodgerson, Unsplash

By Olivia Visser, Staff Writer

Content warning: mentions of police brutality and anti-Indigenous violence

Police shouldn’t take public stances on political issues, yet they do on a regular basis. Beyond displaying on-duty support for controversial symbols like the thin blue line, officers showcase their beliefs in the way they police different groups of people. The overwhelming disparity between their treatment of Trans Mountain Pipeline protesters and Freedom Convoy participants underlines a broader systemic problem with Canada’s policing.

In 2016, the Trudeau government approved the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain Pipeline (TMX) expansion, backtracking on its campaign promise to protect the environment and community land rights. Two years later, the BC Supreme Court granted an injunction preventing obstruction of TMX work in Burnaby. Since then, more than 248 people have been charged with contempt for demonstrating against the pipeline’s expansion. 

Four members of the Indigenous youth warrior group, Braided Warriors, were violently arrested after a peaceful sit-in protest in February 2021. They gathered for a ceremony at BMO’s downtown Vancouver building, which hosts TMX insurer AIG. This was enough to prompt their forceful removal by “approximately 25 Vancouver Police Department officers.” Video footage shows police throwing one person to the ground and pulling another’s hair.

Official RCMP documents suggest violence isn’t the last resort in policing TMX protesters. In their notes from a strategy session for a militarized raid of Wet’suwet’en Nation lands, the RCMP requested “lethal overwatch,” which refers to an officer who is ready to use deadly force. Officers were told to use “as much violence towards the gate” as they want, referencing a roadblock led by Wet’suwet’en people. For Indigenous land protectors, police violence is a familiar reality. 

Other, less peaceful protestors benefit from a more privileged experience with police. The so-called “Freedom Convoy” which occupied Ottawa this past winter is a prime example of how our police fail to provide fair and effective protection. At least 196 people were arrested by the end of the convoy, but they received favourable treatment when compared to Indigenous protesters. 

The Ottawa Police Service’s Interim Chief Steve Bell said the truckers were warned “all week” they were going to be arrested, and even on the morning of the arrests “all unlawful protesters were given many, many opportunities to leave.” This came after nearly three weeks of horn blaring that plagued the city and required an injunction to stop. That’s to say nothing of the harassment, including threats and hate crimes, endured by Ottawa residents. Text messages from an affidavit reveal an Ottawa police officer even gave protesters parking advice ahead of time and offered to devise for them a “plan.”

The Freedom Convoy and Indigenous land protests have significant distinctions. There’s a big difference between protesting the corporate and colonial degradation of Indigenous land and aggressively occupying residential streets en-masse because you don’t want to get vaccinated. Beyond that, the clear contrast in policing tactics and attitudes reflects an anti-Indigenous bias that is not just harmful but dangerous.

There’s no denying the far-right ties held by many Freedom Convoy attendees. The fact that Ottawa police were so slow to publicly distance themselves from the participants within their ranks and take action against the convoy is alarming. Peaceful protests shouldn’t end in arrest, but Indigenous land protectors face this reality regularly despite causing a fraction of the disruption the Freedom Convoy generated. 

This is a systemic issue, but it still requires awareness. It’s easy to be distracted by the spectacle of the Convoy and its obvious political implications, but we can’t let ourselves get sidetracked from working against Canada’s colonial policing history and its far-reaching consequences. 

A look into the SFU Cheer Team

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Democracy inaction: The SFSS’ toxicity is spilling out of its meetings

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SFSS Board Office
Who’s paying for all the SFSS drama? PHOTO: Gudrun Wai-Gunnarsson / The Peak

By Andrea Steveson, SFU Studen

The SFSS has power over student life, policies, and our money. It is cause for concern, then, when we have several councillors and executives alleging the Society has become toxic and is abusing their power — and by extension, our money. 

The SFSS plays an important role in advocating for undergraduate student rights and providing many of the essential services students need. Besides managing the Student Union Building (SUB), they also provide students with free legal services, an emergency food bank program, an extended health and dental plan, as well as the U-Pass program. All these responsibilities, and the power associated with them, means the Society deserves scrutiny. That scrutiny must include the SFSS workplace. 

Students pay hefty fees that go towards supporting the SFSS’s initiatives. Full–time students cough up over $300 each semester to the SFSS. That’s a lot for cash-strapped students. You might assume the responsibility associated with managing student money would make for a solemn environment, but you’d be wrong. Increasingly, SFSS meetings are scenes of devolution. 

But don’t just take it from me. The SFSS will admit their meetings have fallen into disrepute. Vice president equity and sustainability Rea Chatterjee and vice president external and community affairs Eshana Baran recently released a statement condemning the SFSS’s work environment. They claim that meetings can devolve into personal arguments and they have tried to remind members of community guidelines and etiquette.

They note at the June 3 executive meeting, that “concerns were raised on multiple occasions about the importance of having respectful dialogue and work environment.” In other words, the governing body of SFU’s most powerful student society is looking less like the seat of student government, and more like a playground.

So, in light of a toxic work environment, what has the Council been able to accomplish since the new executives took over in May? Well, according to their Notices of Motions page, fixing typos in policy documents. I can’t imagine many students cast a ballot during the 2022 election thinking they were voting for the person that’d be best at tackling typos. Instead of devoting time to passing a motion to correct something as straightforward as a spelling error, we need a student government that’s legitimately concerned with advocating for students. SFU’s student body has any number of concerns that extend beyond typos. With the SFSS’ $3.1 million budget, they could make a real difference on climate change, climate justice, protesting the Trans Mountain Expansion, fighting for Research Assistant rights, and, of course, pushing back against the school’s routine tuition raises. 

SFSS arguing about petty issues — from those personal issues to questions of etiquette and typos — are ridiculous issues to devote any energy to, particularly when students are paying their salaries. We want student services, not meaningless debates on the most insignificant issues. 

No one else but Council knows what goes on behind closed doors and in-camera meetings, but, at its core, the SFSS should exist to serve the student body. An Executive Committee that’s rife with infighting isn’t working in the best interests of the student body. The current executive team needs a reminder that the students who are critiquing, asking questions, and demanding answers are the ones paying their bills. They work for us — and right now, they’re underperforming. 

Multiple councillors resign from the SFSS

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The photo is of the outside of the Simon Fraser Student Society's office. The office has large windows that have their logo printed out.
Some councillors say the dominant political party is targeting the minority. PHOTO: Gudrun Wai-Gunnarsson / The Peak

By: Chloë Arneson, News Writer & Karissa Ketter, News Editor

Three Council members, English representative Gabe Liosis, Indigenous studies student union representative Nebula (Anita) Shen, and Diversity and Neurodiversity Alliance representative Vivian Ly, have recently announced their resignations from the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS), citing improper working conditions as their reason for leaving. One of their main concerns is a lack of transparency in the SFSS’s governing processes. 

Gabe Liosis:

On July 8, Liosis announced his resignation due to upcoming career obligations and the harmful work environment he said he has experienced in this role. 

In his resignation letter, he said, “I find myself unable to serve on a governing body led by an executive that has created a toxic work environment, that fails to be transparent with Council and our membership, and treats other councillors, executives, and members with blatant disrespect.”

Liosis will continue to serve the SFSS as associate vice president external and community affairs. The Peak reached out to Liosis for a statement on his resignation. Liosis declined to comment.

Vivian Ly:

Ly commented on the SFSS’s working conditions in Ly’s resignation letter dated July 13. “The environment is damaging and reactionary; pernicious attacks are common, underhanded, targeted, and personal,” Ly stated. “Misuse of power is rampant, and accessibility need requests have been repeatedly ignored.”

Ly is one of several councillors who have come forward to criticise the society. Ly states the resignation is “an objection” to the harm Ly has witnessed. “I have raised concerns multiple times that processes [ . . . ] have not been transparent, fair, independent, and democratic.

“I am tired of the lies, half-truths, and corruption.”

The Peak reached out to Ly for a comment. Ly declined to comment. 

Nebula (Anita) Shen: 

In a statement regarding their resignation, Shen noted, “I stepped down from my role as a Council representative a few weeks ago as I recognized that the environment is deeply toxic and there is continuous harm being perpetuated on individuals who do not conform to the politics of the dominant group.” 

Shen reported there has been “a culture of secrecy and bullying that threatens the health of our SFU and SFSS community.” They noted this is specifically harmful to those who represent minority groups such as DNA, Out on Campus, Women’s Centre, First Nations, Métis, & Inuit Student Association, and Students of Caribbean and African Ancestry.

“Democracies are only strong when they are diverse, and the current SFSS president and Executive Committee are deliberately and maliciously silencing the voices of those speaking out against the harm and attacks on democracy,” said Shen. 

In an interview statement to The Peak, Shen noted “democracy at the SFSS is broken.”

Shen added they joined the SFSS to represent their department “and be part of important decisions which affect students.” However, during their time on Council they found voting to be “more of a popularity contest, based on whose friends with whom or who dislikes whom.

“Executives such as president Helen Pahou and vice-president internal and organizational development Judit Nagy belittle councillors who disagree with them, stonewall staff and students with differing views from speaking, [and] socially exclude and ostracize Progressive councillors,” said Shen. They also claim Pahou and Nagy withhold important information from the Progressive councillors “so that they are unable to do their work and are caught off guard by new motions and absurdly tight deadlines.”

During Shen’s time as councillor, they said, “Several councillors have shared with me that they feel exhausted and burnt out being on Council, and they’re scared to express unhappiness or any criticism as they’re scared to get on [Pahou] and [Ben Tischler’s] ‘bad side,’ fearing the president and vice chair might target them next.” Tischler is the math councillor and vice chair of the SFSS Council. 

Shen believes the SFSS deserves “democracy, transparency, and a safe working environment. SFSS staff deserve good leadership who listen to their concerns and don’t ghost them for months when they request a meeting.”

Executive Team Makeup:

The current SFSS executive team is split between members who ran against each other during the election. 

The Stronger Together Party (STP), who are “politically diverse,” include president Helen Sofia Pahou, vice president internal and organizational development Judit Nagy, vice president finance and services Abhishek Parmar, and vice president university and academic affairs Nicole (Nikki) Kirigin. Pahou’s platform states the previous SFU Progressives leadership “[lacked] empathy for others’ differences” and that the SFSS should be designed to “place its students first before its own self.” One of their running points was creating an “open dialogue” with students to listen to their needs.

The Progressives include vice president external and community affairs Eshana Baran and vice president equity and sustainability Rea Chatterjee. Their platform ran on creating an “equitable, intersectional, and justice-centred university where students belong and will not be ignored” and hoped to “defend student power, and build solidarity and community across campus.”

Statement from Eshana Baran and Rea Chatterjee: 

Chatterjee returned from a leave of absence to release a joint statement with Baran to Council regarding allegations of misuse of investigative power and lack of transparency within the SFSS. 

One of their main concerns is the overuse of investigative powers related to an ongoing investigation by the Committee on Councillor Breaches of Confidence (CCBC). They said the CCBC is using this process as “a political witch hunt opportunity.” 

They allege the committee has been investigating the contents of a private group chat that are unrelated to any legitimate breaches of confidentiality in an attempt to “[slander] certain individuals.” They also allege some members of the private group chat have encountered suspicious activity on their personal social media accounts. The current investigation involves a letter that was sent to multiple organisations about a complaint regarding a senior authority at SFU. 

These investigations can be kept out of the public’s eye through the use of “in-camera” discussions, meaning the Council or each individual committee has deemed the information sensitive in accordance with policy R-9. In their joint statement, they said the SFSS is “using in-camera to silence and weaponize these processes” and “a student would have no idea what is being discussed.

“Actual legitimate investigations should be few and far between, and be used in cases where the Society is at risk of reputational and legal harm.”  

Statement from Nicole Kirigin: 

The SFSS vice president university and academic affairs and STP member, Nicole Kirigin, sent a statement to The Peak. Kirigin stated she has experienced “bullying and intimidation tactics” during her time as an executive member. 

“I noticed that internal temperature between certain members of the executive committee seemed to increase,” said Kirigin. She noted she had fears to come forward with a statement to The Peak citing “past experiences with my words being twisted in a bad faith manner for the purpose of supposed political gain.”

She added, regardless of “whatever fears I may hold, my intentions to promote transparency, authenticity, and student involvement within the society takes precedence.” 

Moving forward it is Kirigin’s priority to promote an open dialogue between the Progressives and STP leadership. “I strongly believe that the tumultuous relationship between those associated with the Progressives caucus and their supposed enemies would be resolved with open and patient conversation.

“I am willing to forgive the provocation, bullying, and harassment conducted and perpetuated towards myself by the Progressive caucus,” said Kirigin. She stated her forgiveness is only possible if they can work together to create “a landscape of mutual understanding, open dialogue, and respect, in which no other individuals would ever be subjected to similar turmoil and harm.”

Statement from Raghava Payment: 

In an interview with The Peak, world languages and literature councillor said they felt the allegations of a lack of transparency “are a bit unfounded.”

“What it boils down to is [ . . . ] personal issues that people have with each other that, I think, they’re using transparency and other accusations to pursue the problems they have.”

Payment believes “the only losers in this situation are the student body.” They said the situation occurring within the SFSS is slowing their ability to deliver services and support the students.

Statement from Maren Elizabeth (pseudonym):

One councillor submitted an anonymous statement to The Peak about the work environment of the SFSS. “There is no problem with transparency. The people with the problem with transparency are the ones who are not being transparent themselves.”

The Peak sent an open call to Council inviting everyone to submit statements — with an option to remain anonymous — regarding their work environment and the allegations of the SFSS executives lack of transparency.

The Peak also reached out to president Pahou three times to comment on the resignations and concerns of transparency but did not receive a response by the publication deadline. 

Concerns arise surrounding SFSS organization officer’s leave of absence

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The photo is of the outside of the Student Union Building.
According to Liosis, SFSS staff are already reporting significant amounts of overtime. PHOTO: Kriti Monga / The Peak

By: Chloë Arneson, News Writer

During the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) Council meeting of July 6, the current operations organizer, Ayesha Khan, raised concerns regarding the SFSS’ lack of action regarding the coverage of the position for when she goes on maternity leave. 

The representative for the Disability and Neurodiversity Alliance, Vivian Ly, asked president Helen Sofia Pahou to grant Khan time to speak on this issue. Pahou stated the matter would be best suited for in-camera discussion out of concern for the well-being of staff. Pahou noted she wanted to go in-camera so councillors could have full confidence when they are speaking. When asked to elaborate on her concerns by English councillor Gabe Liosis, Pahou said “I’m just going by Council policies and how I’ve interpreted [them], that is the only reason why.” Pahou believes it was in violation of policy R-9 to not move in-camera because human resource matters are included in their in-camera policies.

During Council meetings, some discussions can be moved in-camera, meaning the public is not permitted to listen to the conversation. “This is liable for ex-camera and [Khan] has confirmed that nothing she wants to share is sensitive,” said Ly. “This topic has been the topic of ex-camera discussion at executive meetings and the last Council meeting, so I think that should continue to be the case. I don’t understand why we need to move in-camera.”

Khan told Council she had announced her intention to take leave in March. At the time she was working with the past SFSS executive and had created an initial plan for backfilling her position. This plan was not enacted, however, as she was told no commitments could be made that would impact the current executives. The Peak could not confirm who told her this. 

These intentions were communicated to Pahou who, at the time, was in her transition period. “I had a discussion about the backfill with the current president in April and we revisited that plan in May, when her presidential term started,” said Khan.

Khan reached out to Pahou again at the end of May supplying the executive with a timeline of her planned leave, but noted she never received a response from Pahou. 

As her leave approached, she sent another recommendation during the first week of June, encouraging executives to act swiftly as she had not received a response regarding the issue. 

During the previous Council meeting on June 22, Khan attempted to add the subject to the meeting agenda, but was not recognized to speak. 

“The president knew that [Khan] was taking leave and a temporary replacement was needed, but no action was taken,” Liosis said. “Even if they started hiring a temporary replacement now [on July 6] there would not be enough time for training or transition.”

The Executive Committee intended to chose John Walsh, the current SFSS building manager, to take on the operations organizer’s duties. 

“The two roles are completely different from one another, and require completely different skill sets,” Liosis said in an email to the entire SFSS Council prior to their meeting on July 6. Liosis’ email expressed major concerns regarding the Executive Committee’s handling of the operations organizer’s leave of absence.

“The operations organizer position is simply way too much work to do alongside another position,” Liosis explained. The SFSS building manager is responsible for the student union building, with duties including overseeing maintenance, repair, security, and renovations. This position requires them to perform a variety of daily tasks in-person, dealing with issues such as security issues and building emergencies that may arise within the building at a moment’s notice. 

The operations organizer, whose duties would have been added on top of the existing expectations of the building manager, is responsible for providing support to the SFSS through human resources. The operations organizer supports the executives and Council with daily administrative tasks including financial management, addressing councillors’ needs, and ensuring the SFSS is operating well. 

Liosis voiced concerns about the society’s ability to provide adequate services and advocacy to its membership given the “operational implications and effects these decisions will have on the SFSS staff team.”

In his email to Council, Liosis said he disapproves “of the Executive Committee’s plan for the operations organizer portfolio to be undertaken by the building manager on top of his existing portfolio.”

Liosis predicted burnout will spread throughout the SFSS, specifically burdening the president, who “will be required to put in a lot more time focusing on the HR side of the organization.” In his email to the Council, he expressed concerns this decision will restrict the SFSS’ ability to improve their advocacy and services. “It will undermine the quality of support we can provide for the rest of our staff,” Liosis added.

He further noted the SFSS Executive Committee has demonstrated a “lack of transparency” on this matter.

The Peak reached out to Pahou for more information, but she declined to comment, citing the issue involved “HR matters that are sensitive to staff well-being.” She stated in her written response to The Peak that councillors are to refrain from commenting on this issue, writing they are in “no position to be speaking on this matter.”

Liosis criticized the president’s response. “It’s quite undemocratic, actually,” he said. “As a former SFSS president, I would never even begin to ask members of Council not to speak to the media if that’s what they wished to do. It’s a democratic right.”

The Peak also reached out to Liosis to find out more about his concerns.

“This Executive Committee ran quite heavily on a platform of transparency and frankly I’m not seeing that,” said Liosis.

If councillors are discussing the position itself or Council’s inability to “meet critical and minimal operational requirements in order for this organisation to run effectively,” Liosis stated. “The president has no right or authority to tell a member of Council or anyone for that matter not to comment on this issue.”

Liosis mentioned Khan had reached out multiple times to the president and the Executive Committee to form a plan for her leave. The Peak was unable to independently verify this. Along with multiple emails, she attempted to bring up the subject at a previous Council meeting, but was not recognized to speak. Liosis explained one of the reasons this decision to amalgamate positions might have been made is because Khan was not able to advise Council against the ramifications it might have. Liosis’s email noted Pahou “undemocratically, failed to recognize her to speak [in the June 22 Council meeting]. This is against the Council Policies (R-7.12), which stipulate that all staff members have speaking rights at Council meetings.”

To resolve the situation, Liosis suggests the simplest solution would have been to hire a temporary replacement to fill the position during the current operations organizer’s absence. 

On July 29, The Peak received notice that “Sindhu Dharmarajah has been appointed to the position of Temporary Operations Organizer.” 

This is a developing story and The Peak will be following up in future issues.

Re:Orientations is the diverse queer Asian documentary we needed

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Peak Web
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Asian person appears to be in the middle of a dance performance on the floor with their back arched, while holding up a white mask to their face and a rope tied loosely around their neck and waist.
The documentary returns to chronicle Queer Asian Narratives across generations. PHOTO: Richard Fung / Re:Orientations (2016)

By: Meera Eragoda, Features Editor

On July 20, Love Intersections, a queer arts collective, hosted Yellow Peril: Reimagining Queer Asian Futures with sponsorship from Vancouver Pride Society and SFU’s Vancity Office of Community Engagement. The event was named after Kendell Yan’s, aka Maiden China’s, film of the same name. The event also incorporated an hour-long documentary titled Re:Orientations which presented a diversity of Asians.

In 1984, director Richard Fung filmed Orientations which followed 14 Asians in Toronto as they navigated their race and queer identity. Re:Orientations followed seven of those in the original film, 30 years later, to see how their experiences had changed. Fung and assistant Nathan Hoo also interviewed younger members of the queer community.

Watching this, I was struck by how much this film captured Toronto’s diversity of Asians including brown Asians. I moved from Toronto to Vancouver when I was 14 and I remember implicitly understanding that I had gone from being Asian in Toronto to being “brown” in Vancouver. To this day, I still have to explain to people here that, yes, South Asians are indeed Asian. Seeing brown Asians being represented in Re:Orientations allowed me to feel seen in a way I haven’t in BC. 

I haven’t watched Orientations, but Re:Orientations featured clips from it along with the reactions of participants watching their younger selves on screen. It also included more recent interviews with returning and new participants. In an article for CBC Arts, Fung wrote his purpose in making the film was to “represent contradictions and to open up questions that face our communities in the future.” This was reflected in the embarrassed and disbelieving reactions participants had about what their younger selves had been thinking. Many reflected on how much they’d grown in the intervening decades and how their opinions had become more nuanced.

The film explored issues such as the understanding that younger generations of queers don’t really recognize how difficult it was to be queer and Asian in the 1980s and how much fight had to be put in. One participant explained how even the activism around HIV/AIDS excluded Asian men who had to fight against the gatekeeping of access to treatment. Towards the end of the film, Re:Orientations paid tribute to four participants who had passed away as a result of the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s. We now know that while HIV/AIDS was stigmatized as a gay disease and used to justify not providing treatment, it does not in actuality only target gay men. So it was surprising to me to see parallels to how monkeypox is being spoken about today, and while treatment is being provided this time, once again, an infection that does not see sexuality is being used to further anti-queer conservative beliefs.

The film covered lots of ground. A few of the other topics addressed were navigating dating and Asian stereotypes, marriage and the idea of homonormativity, the need for adequate supports for aging queers, and having conversations about queerness within Asian communities. This remake and the continuity of concerns the queer Asian community has to contend with makes Re:Orientations a film worthy of further discussion.

Food for Thought: Making Gnocchi

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Peak Web
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Homemade gnocchi being prepared on a baking sheet
What do you mean you don’t eat a three-course meal every night? PHOTO: Moira Nazzari / Pixabay

By: Isabella Urbani, Staff Writer

I’m half Italian, but it’s hard to feel like anything but Italian with the way I was raised — with gnocchi running through my veins and family being more important than life itself. My Nonna is my next door neighbour and my aunt is just down the street. That random Italian person I just met? Yeah, that’s my fifth cousin. When my Nonna immigrated from L’Aquila to BC when she was just 16, speaking no English whatsoever, she created her little version of Italy at home. I didn’t realize how European my upbringing was until I had friends over for dinner. The multi-course meals that I was accustomed to on a nightly basis were only reserved for special occasions for my friends. 

Almost every cultural tradition in Italy stems from family, especially the food. Breakfast consists of Italian coffee with a small biscuit or pastry. But be warned, Italian coffee is strong: one cup goes a long way. The biggest meal of the day is lunch. In Italy, shops close every single day at this time so families have the opportunity to prepare food and eat together. Most food is prepared from scratch using vegetables harvested from the garden to prepare a nice side salad and create a tomato sauce from scratch. No crumb is left uneaten. Whatever Nonna puts on your plate must get eaten. 

In Italy, dinner usually consists of light fare such as a small bowl of soup to hold you over until the next day. But since most of my family comes home in the evening from work and school, we replicate the same Italian lunch traditions at dinner. For the last few years, my family has eaten at my Nonna’s house every Monday and Tuesday. The first course always consists of a pasta or soup dish. Followed by a main course of various meats, vegetables, more carbs (obviously), and salads (yes, plural). And who could forget the dessert? Sometimes, your stomach will get lucky, and it will just be sugar-coated strawberries with ice cream or just plain fruit. Other times, it’s a full-blown cake. 

One of the most well-known Italian dishes is gnocchi. Although it’s filling enough to be its own meal, it’s typically served as an “appetizer.” Gnocchi is pasta made with potato instead of grain and originates in Northern Italy, where there is a much cooler climate. Its pasta pieces are oval shaped and bite sized enough to be compared to a petit dumpling. Traditionally, it’s served with a basil tomato sauce and is best served when made from scratch. You can buy premade packages at the store but I can guarantee it won’t quite taste the same. Also, don’t tell your Italian friends you cook gnocchi any other way if you don’t want to be accused of blasphemy. 

My Nonna likes to make big batches of gnocchi at one time so she can freeze them and pull them out when she needs them. Here is my Nonna’s recipe for gnocchi and her homemade tomato sauce. 

Nonna’s Gnocchi

  1. Cook as many potatoes as you’d like in a pot. My Nonna likes six. Once they’re done, smash them up. 
  2. Add eggs. For this recipe, two should be sufficient.
  3. Add some salt and 3 1⁄2  cups of flour. Do be wary about your flour. Too much can cause the gnocchi to become chewy.
  4. Now, you can form your dough. Roll your dough into strips. Then, cut them into small pieces, just over an inch long. 
  5. Freeze for a few hours. 
  6. Cook your gnocchi in a pot. When they begin to rise to the top of the water, wait one minute, and then take them out. The actual cooking process only takes a few minutes, since the potatoes were already cooked during step one. 
  7. Add the gnocchi to your sauce, stir it in, and serve to guests with a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese.

Nonna’s Homemade Tomato Sauce 

  1. Fry onions in a pan. 
  2. Once your onions are caramelized, add in your canned tomatoes. Make sure you squash them up in the sauce. 
  3. Season your sauce: salt, pepper, and a few basil leaves. You can choose to remove the basil after the sauce is complete or leave them in. 
  4. Nonna’s tip: add in a carrot and some celery for flavour. Remove the celery but keep the carrots. 
  5. Nonna’s tip: add just a tinsy bit of sugar.
  6. Let simmer for an hour.

Four Asian bakeries for when you want to treat yourself

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Peak Web
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Kanadell’s new storefront interior, themed with green foliage and wick furniture
These bakeries each have their own unique take on sweets! PHOTO: Sara Wong

By: Sara Wong, Peak Associate

Dessert has always played a meaningful role in my life. Of course, there are special occasions like birthdays and holidays, but usually what I think of first are those “just because” moments. My parents often pick up pastries for me if they know I’ve had a tiresome day at work or school and our weekends are often full of spontaneous food adventures. For me, that’s what the four bakeries listed below represent — places you turn to on a whim because you know they’ll make your day sweeter. 

 

Kanadell Japanese Bakery

Photo Credit: Sara Wong

At Kanadell, you’ll find an array of Japanese sweets, as well as western desserts with East Asian flavour profiles. I’m most obsessed with their melon pans and black sesame nanaimo bars. It’s been incredible to see Kanadell go from an online social media sensation (you’ve probably seen their “bear bread” on Instagram) to a brick and mortar shop. But the journey wasn’t exactly a cake walk. Keiko, Kanadell’s owner, recently appeared on the Food Network show Project Bakeover, which helps struggling bakeries redesign their space and streamline their menu. Now, Kanadell has seating for customers! The mix of wicker furniture and lush greenery creates a cozy, relaxing atmosphere. I love coming here for a late lunch, where I can take the time to indulge in a crispy, savoury kare pan (curry bread) and warm hojicha latte.

 

Heritage Baking

Photo Credit: Heritage Baking

I first met Martha Naguiat-Ebro, chef and owner of Heritage, at a local farmer’s market. One taste of her “bad boy” ensaymada, a Filipinx bun tinted with activated charcoal and topped with pork floss, and I was hooked! The brioche was pillowy soft and packed with more umami than expected, thanks to a hidden sriracha togarashi smear. Heritage offers other traditional favourites, like sans rival cake and pandesal bread, but the ensaymadas are a must-order. I’m also a huge fan of their pain au chocolat, which uses 70% dark chocolate from another small, local Filipinx business, Kasama Chocolate. This isn’t on the regular menu, but stay tuned for updates. Heritage operates out of Coho Commissary in East Vancouver, so the quickest way to get ahold of their treats is to order online and pickup at the commissary.

 

Pine House Bakery

Photo Credit: Sara Wong

There’s no shortage of Chinese bakeries around Metro Vancouver, but Pine House — specifically, the one on Kingsway — will always have a special place in my heart. It’s my family’s go-to spot for gai mei bao (cocktail buns; also known as coconut buns) and char siu bao (barbecue pork buns). The quality is consistently good, with a fluffy milk bread base and rich fillings. I’ve also found Pine House more affordable than their competitors. You’ll find a good variety of classics here like cow ear cookies, swiss rolls, egg tarts, and apple turnovers. Part of the joy of going to a Chinese bakery is picking up a plastic tray and piling it with whatever piques your interest! 

 

Kourosh Bakery

Photo Credit: Sara Wong

Growing up, most of my figure skating practices were in North Vancouver, where I saw a number of Persian bakeries, including Kourosh. I recently returned to check them out and was delighted to see Kourosh’s display cases full of cookies and other delicious baked goods. When I visited with my parents, we got an assortment of just about everything. Our bakery boxes were stacked with chickpea cookies, rice cookies, and shortbread, alongside jalebi, baklava, coconut macaroons, doughnuts, and éclairs. The latter three items were quickly devoured (we didn’t even make it out of the parking lot). While everything was delicious, the coconut macaroons were on another level. Aside from the textbook qualities of good macaroons — golden on the outside, moist and chewy on the inside — these macaroons featured a sandwiched layer of pistachio cream, adding texture contrast and extra flavour. I also enjoyed the cookies, which all had that buttery, melt-in-your-mouth quality.

Radio silence: The SFSS shouldn’t have kept SFU’s SUB legal challenge from us

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Opinions
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Student Union Building
You can’t be selective about the type of information you share: give us the good, the bad, and the ugly. PHOTO: Allyson Klassen / The Peak

By Isabella Urbani, Staff Writer and Luke Faulks, Opinions Editor 

Boredom, if not outright animosity, is a common reaction to SFU politics. The most explicit example of our distaste for student politics is th low turnout for student elections. Case in point, the 2022 Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) elections saw just 8% of SFU students cast a ballot for their choice of president. But it’s worth mentioning there are still plenty of interesting twists and turns our politics holds — it’s just that they’re hidden from us. SFU’s potential lawsuit against the SFSS for the Student Union Building (SUB)’s closure is an example of the chilling effect withholding information from students can have. 

Let’s recap the high-level politics that were denied to us. Back in March, The Peak reported that legal action was being threatened by SFU after the previous SFSS Board voted to close the SUB from January 24–February 18 to protect staff from contracting COVID-19. The school argued the closure breached the lease agreement made between SFU and SFSS by withholding access to the SUB during normal operating hours. 

That was stated in the first of three letters SFU sent to the 2021/2022 SFSS Board starting on January 20. By the third and final letter, SFU was threatening a default on the SFSS’ lease on the SUB. Two days later, as The Peak reported, the SFSS voted to re-open the SUB. 

Now, my gripe isn’t with the SFSS for closing the SUB. It’s not with SFU for threatening a student organization. It’s with the fact that a culture of secrecy around SUB decisions stifles students’ conversations about student politics. Although this was a few months ago, the private predicament unfolded while an online petition for online learning was circulating at SFU, and just when BC had just removed capacity limits. As a student body, we were engaged on the issue of the SUB’s closure, but were denied information about issues that might have contributed Board’s decision. As constituents, we should have been made aware of factors, including the lawsuit, that might have had an influence on the process. 

The SFSS also censured three councillors, and later impeached one of them. This is another extension of the problematic culture of secrecy in student politics. The punishing of leakers, as apparently enshrined in SFSS’ bylaws, chills the dispersal of information to the student population. While letting violators get off scot-free is not a good option, impeachment ensures that potential whistleblowers will be forced to choose between losing a career in student politics and informing the student body. The SFSS has yet to release a report on the incident. The same goes for the current Council’s recent motion to remove Rea Chatterjee, vice president external and community affairs, from her position. We’ve been kept in the dark there, too,

The SFSS needs to be transparent. You may be getting sued? You’re our student representatives, let the people know! We want the good, the bad, and the ugly. Send emails! Post it on social media! List out all your concerns and conditions on a piece of paper and stick it on the SUB door! Just address the situation. Don’t let the problem snowball and then proceed to brush it under the rug. 

SFSS is supposed to be for the students. By making the factors that contribute to their decision-making public, they can better involve the student body. As it stands, the group is doing less to enhance political discourse at SFU, and more to stifle it. 

Five local BIPOC and/or queer-owned businesses

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Peak Web
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Colourful balloons forming a rainbow arch on the streets of New York
In the spirit of Pride, treat yourself and support your local queer businesses! PHOTO: Melissa / Pixabay

By: Jos Stevens, Peak Associate

With farmer’s markets and festivals popping up all over the city this summer, there is no better time to explore small local businesses. Spending your money on local businesses has a myriad of benefits over shutting yourself in a corporate mall. These benefits can include ethical material sourcing, financing the livelihoods of people rather than corporate structures, and connecting with your community. Here are five BIPOC and/or queer-owned businesses I’m excited to order from! 

For COVID-19 safety, I recommend sticking to smaller and outdoor markets in your community and showing up either right when they open or very close to the event end time. However, even these can get crowded with very few people wearing masks so this list also includes vendors who do online or social media based orders.


Qthreadz


Photo Credit: @qthreadz
Based in Victoria, BC, this cute queer-owned thrift store handles all of your clothing needs with upcycled pieces. You can find items like shirts, pants, shoes, and backpacks on their Instagram page, all of which can be yours with a simple direct message. They ship products out to you wherever you are located in Canada, so this is perfect for folks who aren’t comfortable thrifting in person yet. They also donate a portion of their profits to other queer organizations — queers supporting queers! I try to shop as sustainably as possible, and thrifting is one of the many great ways to do this. If you like this Instagram-based thrifting style, @cerealthrifter_ on Instagram is another queer-owned Vancouver business who operates in a similar way.


Devi Arts Collective


Photo Credit: @devicollective
Created in Vancouver by Ethiopian founder Bayoush Mengesha, this BIPOC women-led jewellery brand strives to give you a little bit of soft glam that is “an expression of the bold, the confident, and the vibrant qualities in our truest selves.” Devi Arts uses sustainable materials with all of their products including necklaces, earrings, and rings. All are minimalist pieces which can be worn to compliment basically any look. I’m always on the hunt for more rings, and Devi Arts has just what I have been looking for. You can check out their website for all of their items and have them delivered to you.


Hungryminis


Photo Credit: @hungryminis
Created by hand in Langley, BC, this LGBTQIA2S+ owned Etsy business serves you earrings that look like pieces of cake. They’re incredibly cute, detailed, and realistic enough to eat! The preset cake earrings use layers of colours to depict queer flags. They also have many colour options for customization, so you can curate the perfect pair for your identity. Simply message their Etsy page, request the number of layers and colours you’d like, and you have yourself a unique pair of earrings. Mini versions of things, especially food, always excite and satisfy me, so I’m looking forward to wearing a pair of little cakes on my ears.


Munea Wadud


Photo Credit: @artbymunea
Owned and operated by a non-binary, Bengali, queer person, this little shop on Esty creates art with the purpose of making a statement. From pins to prints, their products promote LGBTQIAS2+ rights, racial equality, and body positivity to help you express your passion for advocacy in a unique and bold way. Anytime I get to view local art and prints like this, I have to stop myself from buying all of them due to how amazing it all looks. I might have to let myself cave on this one though.


Karibu Handcrafted Soaps


Photo Credit: @karibusoaps
Locally made in New Westminster by Kenyan founder Ken, these handcrafted soaps are made using locally sourced plant-based ingredients. They focus on “keeping it safe and simple, crafting each item with just basic ingredients needed for a clean, healthy product that is gentle and nourishing on the skin, long lasting, and pure.” One thing I found strikingly unique was how they use recycled items like milk cartons to mould their soaps. How crafty is that? Knowing that Karibu strives for locally sourced ingredients really sold me. Some of their soaps are available in-person at Old Crow Coffee Co. or you can place an order online through their website.

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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