Home Blog Page 334

Canadian banks reported to have invested $726 billion into oil and gas industries since 2015

By
News
-
0
PHOTO: Marcin Jozwiak / Unsplash

Written by: Harvin Bhathal, Peak Associate 

According to the latest Banking on Climate Chaos report, published in March 2021, Canada’s five largest banks have invested $726 billion CAD into the fossil fuel industry since the Paris Agreement — a legally binding international treaty regarding the climate crisis.

From 2016 to 2020, the breakdown of investments in CAD were:

  • RBC — $208 billion
  • TD —  $157 billion
  • Scotiabank — $148 billion
  • BMO — $126 billion
  • CIBC — $87 billion 

While these banks reduced their fossil fuel financing in the past few years, RBC and TD respectively rank 23rd and 25th in the world in terms of their total assets contributed to fossil fuel companies since 2016.

RBC was also the “top funder of tar sands oil in 2020,” with their Line 3 pipeline. The bank has financed existing facilities and pipelines; they have also invested $79 billion into companies actively expanding their fossil fuel production.

In February, RBC committed $500 billion to sustainable financing by 2025. TD, Scotiabank, BMO, and CIBC have also committed varying investments into sustainable financing. 

According to earth scientist David Hughes, the continued investment of RBC and other banks in the oil and gas sector will make Canada’s 2030 carbon emissions target difficult to reach. “A stark change in direction is needed,” he said in his Canada’s Energy Sector report.

In an interview with CBC, RBC discussed how its net-zero transition must be gradual and “done in an inclusive manner that brings all sectors and communities along or we won’t achieve the support we need to meet these goals.”

Stephanie Bertels, director of the Centre for Corporate Governance and Sustainability told The Peak, “A huge challenge right now is in articulating what would qualify as a sustainable asset.”

According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), sustainable assets range from those “that seek to do no harm” to “seeking positive impacts.” Impact-based investments are “the only form of financing that requires an actual assessment of positive impact.” A majority of investments are not defined as impact-based, meaning there is a “lack of transparency” in the process.

RBC’s most recent fossil fuel investment was issued the same month as their sustainability commitment: a $1 billion sustainability-linked loan for Enbridge’s Environmental, Social, and (Corporate) Governance (ESG) goals. ESG goals are criteria corporations must meet to make environmentally and socially conscious investments. 

However, the increase in loans linked to ESG has brought questions about their legitimacy as the criteria and standards are fragmented. They can differ from institution to institution as one may have different criteria or standards for what is sustainable than another.

Along with their commitment, RBC joined the Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF) and RMI’s Center for Climate-Aligned Finance. 

The PCAF “provides methodologies for financial institutions to measure the [carbon] emissions financed through loans and investments.” This can be seen in Vancity’s pilot carbon accounting work on residential mortgages and their associated emissions.

Bertels said the next challenge is creating universal frameworks for what constitutes sustainable financing.

Hughes found, “The oil and gas sector alone will cause Canada to exceed its Paris Agreement emissions target.” The agreement aims for an 80% reduction from Canada’s 2005 emission levels by 2050. The sector is an obstruction to Canada’s net-zero targets adopted in Bill C-12. ”

Currently, oil and gas production “account for 26[%] of Canada’s total” carbon emissions and Canada has “only reduced its emissions by 1.2[%] from 2005 levels,” according to the most recent data from 2019.

Bertels said banks have a civic responsibility to address the impacts of the climate crisis. 

“More importantly, they have a fiduciary responsibility to do so.”  

Bertels noted that this responsibility has been made “abundantly clear” through the work of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and the UN’s Net-Zero Banking Alliance. They are the two biggest actors “that have influenced financial institution behaviour with respect to climate change.”

The Banking on Climate Chaos report is a collaboration between Rainforest Action Network, Banktrack, Indigenous Environmental Network, Oil Change International, Reclaim Finance, and Sierra Club. More information on the fossil fuel financing of Canada’s banks can be in the Banking on Climate Chaos report.

Council Meeting — June 16, 2021

By
News
-
0

Written by: Jaymee Salisi, News Writer

Return-to-campus student accommodations discussion

Councillors of the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) discussed their plans to accommodate COVID-19 safety protocols and learning accessibility in the fall when campus reopens. 

Chaired by SFSS president Gabe Liosis, the Student Union Building (SUB) reopening working group will prepare COVID-19 safety plans to eventually be approved by Council.  

Vice president (VP) equity and sustainability Marie Haddad said their plans will go through a two-level consultation process. They will first take recommendations from marginalized groups such as the Students of Caribbean and African Ancestry, First Nations Student Association, and the Disability Neurodiversity Alliance. 

The second level of consultation involves receiving recommendations from the general student body. Haddad said this is “a good way for us to figure out the needs of folks in terms of the SUB building.”

According to Haddad, SFU started their own working group last month.

“They weren’t centred around marginalized students — it was almost as if it was a last thought,” Haddad said. 

Disappointed with their initial lack of preparation, Haddad said she expects an update from them soon and hopes to see progress.

The SUB working group advised the university to “centre their working groups around specifically Black, Indigenous, and disabled students — especially international students.”

In regards to in-person classes, VP university and academic affairs Serena Bains said she was told learning accommodations will not be handled by the Centre for Accessible Learning (CAL), but will vary among professors. During the June Senate meeting, vice president academic and provost Catherine Dauvergne said CAL will work to address accommodation requests. 

Bains said this is concerning because “there’s not a lot of information about whether these things will be mandated or standardized.” 

She said the SFSS is considering the creation of a centralized space for students who might encounter learning accessibility barriers in the fall. She said the space would provide a “network of people who can rally around behind that student and then advocate for their needs.”

Haddad added professors should give students more leniency during the transition to in-person classes in the fall. Haddad and Liosis discussed a hybrid learning model and asked BC health officials in a separate meeting how they would “ensure the burden isn’t on the student to access accommodations, and prove they need them in the first place.”

The SUB working group was created by last year’s SFSS board. Recommendations from the group will be coming to Council for approval soon, according to Liosis.

Access For All campaign

On June 2, 2021, the SFSS created Access for All to draft letters to SFU and the province of BC. These letters advocate for student accessibility accommodations to be made during the transition back to in-person classes in Fall 2021.

Brought forward by Bains, this motion called for Council to approve and sign onto the drafted letters to be sent to SFU and the province of BC.

International studies student association representative Deanna Short suggested the calls to action be more demanding and specific. 

“From other advocacy work I’ve done, I’ve noticed that the province in particular doesn’t really like to take action, unless it’s clearly laid out for them,” she said. Short recommended they list distinct capacity limits and specifically indicate mask mandates.

Bains agreed to add the suggestions and work with Short on any further edits. Bains added they had been looking into COVID-19 emergency funding for ways to support students in need. 

“These lists are definitely not exhaustive and there is absolutely always more we can do in terms of our demands for SFU as an institution or the province, as well as what we can do internally as an organization,” Liosis added.

Bains invited Council members to send potential recommendations for further steps the working group should take as they continue to decide on official plans.

The motion was carried unanimously. 

SFU350 and Climate Justice UBC pressure universities to stop funding fossil fuel projects

By
News
-
0
Unsplash/Chris Leboutillier

Written by: Jaymee Salisi, News Writer

SFU350 is a student organization campaigning against climate change and working to realign SFU’s investments to reflect sustainability and integrity.

SFU350 and Climate Justice UBC (CJUBC) are partnering to launch the Community Reinvestment Campaign. They hope to push both universities to reinvest their funds into local climate solutions, centre the needs of marginalized communities, and give economic ownership back to local communities.

In an interview with The Peak, students from both groups elaborated on the campaign.  Community Reinvestment Campaign leaders Rachel Cheang and Sarah Salloum said, “As students of UBC and SFU, we share the same goal — for our universities to divest from fossil fuel and extractive industries and reinvest in solutions to build the world we want to live in.”

They added that a joint effort gives student groups a bigger opportunity to push for community reinvestments and show there is a high demand for change. “A collaboration between our universities’ climate justice advocacy groups provides a true model for partnership between our universities, rather than competition,” Cheang and Salloum said.

“Climate justice is both a term and movement that seeks to acknowledge and identify how climate change affects those made [disproportionately] marginalized,” SFU350 co-president Abigail Herd said.

“This campaign calls upon the university to divest its endowment fund from all companies that extract, process, and transport fossil fuels,” she said. SFU’s December 2020 endowment report showed investments into Enbridge, among other fossil fuel companies. 

As the group pushes SFU to be more transparent about their fossil fuel industry investments, they have been successful in convincing the SFU Board of Governors to increase their carbon footprint reduction target to 45% by 2025.

Aiming to benefit historically marginalized local communities, community reinvestment involves SFU350 and CJUBC pushing their respective universities to allocate 5% of their endowment funds into community development institutions. 

The institutions would include “credit unions, co-operatives, community bonds, and loan funds,” Cheang and Salloum said.

Community reinvestment would be a form of non-extractive financing, meaning it would benefit communities.

SFU has been “continuously increasing the carbon footprint reduction target of the endowment. This is by no means divestment and is in fact a false solution, as the methodology of carbon footprinting does not consider the full emissions of a product/company,” Herd and anti-Trans Mountain pipeline expansion (TMX) campaign organizer WeiChun Kua said. 

In addition, SFU350’s goals include raising awareness about the risks of the TMX pipeline expansion and the Coastal GasLink pipeline, and to push SFU to “declare a climate emergency.”

The group is asking to have SFU include SFU350’s and CJUBC’s demands in their climate emergency declaration letter.

SFU350 has been active in climate justice advocacy at the university since 2013. Kua and Herd said the student group organized the SFU community’s attendance in multiple climate strikes, including the 2019 Climate Strike in Vancouver.

In support of Indigenous rights and the sovereignty of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation, the group also arranged two student walkout marches in January 2020. Under the #StudentsAgainstTMX campaign, they organized rallies and informational sessions to take a stance against the TMX pipeline expansion.

SFU350 is currently looking for students to join their climate emergency declaration campaign. Those who are interested can contact [email protected] to get involved.

Courses SFU should introduce

By
Humour
-
0
PHOTO: Joshua J. Cotten / Unsplash

By: Kelly Chia, Staff Writer

Not needing parental validation | 48 credits (B-Soc)

Do you find yourself having to justify your degree and its “worth” to your parents? This short 16-semester-long course will be valuable as a FASS student. You’ll finally learn how to stop tearing up when you’re asked what minimum wage job you want. You will learn how to confidently tell your peers what you major in, even if it’s philosophy and you refer to yourself as a stoic. This course even provides a brief introductory overview of how to mentally prepare for the question, “What do you even plan to do with your life?” 

 

Just pet dogs | 5 Barkbox credits (B-Hum)

What does this university substitute for a functional and accessible mental health care system? 

Right, puppy therapy! So many puppies. Inspired by this counselling “alternative,” this course offers just a truckload of fluffy babies who can’t wait to snuggle up with you and take your exam worries away. Study pup-ular culture with these friends by your side. 

Dander allergy medicine not included. Bring your own leash.

 

Alternative physical education | 10 imaginary credits (B-Sci)

Are you tired of the barrage of staircases at our illustrious campus? Always pretending the trek between Saywell and AQ isn’t exhausting? Alternative physical education teaches you to ascend beyond your mortal body so you can astral project your way around classes. Astral projection is almost a completely safe way to travel*, leaving your body to focus on classes as it should be.

*Please be aware you may experience the sleep paralysis construction demon if you do not take the proper steps taught in the class to avoid them.

 

By: Marco Ovies, Features Editor 

Wildlife Handling | 4 credits and a Wildlife Warriors newsletter subscription (B-Sci)

Learn to deal with Burnaby Mountain’s wildlife! Brave the great outdoors with confidence (and by the outdoors, we don’t just mean hiking trails around the campus. Critters often appear inside classrooms). 

One SFU student (who asks to remain anonymous) proudly advocates for this new course. In an interview, they told us, “My professor had to stop because a raccoon had waddled right to the front of the classroom. A real-life raccoon. What shocked me was how calmly he tapped the raccoon with his foot and it turned around and walked away.” Upon reflection, this student thinks their professor’s calm demeanor in this situation means this was not an isolated incident. 

Additionally, security footage found that raccoons have discovered how to use the automatic sliding doors outside of West Mall Centre. Just like when the velociraptors learned how to use doors in Jurassic Park, the raccoons simply step on the mat outside the building and are granted full access.

Lesson plans include: “Do I actually play dead when I see a bear or is that a lie Hollywood has told me?” and “Is that a raccoon in line at Starbucks, or is it just your sleep-deprived friends needing a caffeine fix again?”

Internet addictions keep us from focusing on valuable experiences

By
Opinions
-
1
The intentionally addictive structure of the internet can impact our mental well-being.  ILLUSTRATION: Alyssa Marie Umbal / The Peak

By: Jacob Mattie, Peak Associate 

The development of the internet was revolutionary, but don’t let its impact fool you. Internet traffic is routed through an increasingly narrow selection of websites and services and is owned by even fewer companies. Content favours ease of access over depth; it is designed to keep us glued to our screens, which pushes us away from other activities such as hobbies, projects, or studies. 

Not considering the streaming and gaming services which account for almost 70% of global internet usage by volume, the internet is largely dominated by three websites: Google, YouTube, and Facebook. These three sites together amass more monthly views than the following 47 most-visited websites combined (including other such giants as Twitter, Instagram, and Wikipedia), and their parent companies rank among the top 20 most profitable companies worldwide. 

Clearly, there is some financial clout in internet traffic. As online profit is driven by advertising, it is in the companies’ best interests to put tremendous amounts of resources into designing websites. This is intended to keep visitors as engaged as possible, for as long as possible — which it certainly does. 

 The problems with this arise from our inherent diversity. People have a huge array of interests, forms of expression, social structures, and other quirks, which require an entire life’s worth of experiences and interactions to satisfy. The catch-all internet experience offered by the largest websites fails to do this. Regardless of the possibilities that the internet contains, these experiences are hardly achievable through a screen.

Internet use is inherently a solitary activity. Even in social situations, such as video calling a friend or posting on message boards, many of the cues that we would otherwise rely on (like eye contact or a shared environment) are lost. Simultaneously, the emphasis on online relationships serves to isolate us from people in the offline world. As we develop and engage further with online communities, it can become more difficult to break out of the habit of internet addiction as our support network.

In order to produce content that draws and maintains as wide an audience as possible, websites focus on a structure that prioritizes ease of access and curates content to mirror what we have liked. This is done instead of exposing us to new ideas. As we’re coerced into spending more and more time browsing and scrolling through the content specifically designed to catch and hold our attention, we lose time for other more enriching activities. As a result, we may find that being addicted to the internet impacts our well-being and quality of life. But by any definition of internet addiction, there is a reported correlation with a host of mental health issues; depression, anxiety, and ADHD are among the more prominent.  

The internet is harmful, not for what it is, but for what it takes away from us. We spend so much time captivated by endless scrolling, it keeps us from pursuing other, sometimes more enriching, activities. As we visit our favourite sites, soaking up bits of information, and as we ride the emotional roller coaster of a well-made piece of media, we need to consider them as the metaphorical golden handcuffs which are fantastic in the moment, but leave us with little to keep. 

You need to sit down and start giving music your full attention

By
Opinions
-
2
Listening carefully will help you appreciate all the details in your favourite music. PHOTO: Ilias Chebbi / Unsplash

By: Sara Brinkac, Peak Associate

Our complete attention is invaluable, and in a world of infinite distractions and worries, rarely do we give one thing our undivided attention. Take how we listen to music, for example. It’s often through a streaming service with an almost infinite catalogue of music. Instead of fully paying attention to a song, we jump from playlist to playlist discovering new music. Or, we end up shuffling the same songs over and over again. But that doesn’t mean we don’t love music. So why don’t we give this truly precious part of the human experience more of our attention? 

It is important we practise mindful listening when appreciating music. Musicians tirelessly hone their craft just to play us a song. That song then goes through countless iterations with the utmost attention poured into each instrument, note, mixing level, and silence. But too often, we take for granted that commitment and attention and rarely give the artist our focus in return. 

Practicing mindful listening with music is the practice of sitting down without any distraction and concentrating on every aspect of a song. Listen to every instrument, every change of beat, every whisper from the left headphone, and each note from the right. We may already be familiar with this practice when we listen to our favourite song, but rarely do we listen mindfully for long periods of time. That is why we need to begin mindfully listening not only to individual songs, but to entire albums.

Just as a good song is carefully crafted to hold an artist’s soul, a good album is carefully curated to hold the same. A great album creates an enriching and fulfilling experience for the focused listener. The tracks are ordered with intention, to show range and emotion, to be a slow melodic breath of fresh air or a booming electric punch in the gut. Some songs flow effortlessly together, sweetly setting the tone for the next track, while others harshly juxtapose to create a surprising new direction. True care is marked by artists setting out to challenge the traditional album format, genre norms, and listener expectations. It is only fair we show the same care when listening. 

Not to get nihilistic in the middle of a student newspaper, but life is meaningless and our time is fleeting, so every moment we are present in both body and mind truly holds meaning. I’ll be the first to admit that being present is hugely difficult. I often find my mind being consumed with issues out of my control, or that I’m unable to wholeheartedly experience life with others. But the simple act of sitting down and giving an album my unadulterated attention is something that temporarily fills this meaningless existence with joy. So give it a shot; choose to give the precious gift of music your full attention.

Consider these albums to get you started:

 

Simon and Garfunkel – Bookends (1968)

Mood: “Did those guys just create psychedelic folk?”

Top Song: “America”

 

The Strokes – The New Abnormal (2020)

Mood: Turns out indie alt-rockers have an emotional side

Top Song: “Ode to the Mets”

 

Ron Gallo – PEACEMEAL (2021)

Mood: An indie-Buddhist-punk with a great sound and even better lyrics

Top Song: “All the Punks are Domesticated”*

 

Billy Joel – The Stranger (1977)

Mood: A haunting, rocking, melodic 42 minutes

Top Song: “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” 

 

LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver (2007)

Mood: “I don’t really know what genre this is but I can’t stop my body from moving”

Top Song: “All My Friends”

 

Childish Gambino – Because the Internet (2013)

Mood: A joyously creative experience from beginning to end

Top Song: “Zealots of Stockholm”

 

Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon (1973)

Mood: A visual landscape created purely by sound and helped by drugs

Top Song: “Time”

 *Please, just listen to this song. 

Better celebration alternatives for July 1st

By
Humour
-
0
PHOTO: Sanjoy Saha / Unsplash

By: Nancy La, Staff Writer

Are you still whipping out the maple leaf flag and proudly shooting fireworks to celebrate Canada Day? Honey, you have to wake up! Countries are not real. You’re technically living on stolen land! Instead of celebrating Canada Day, here are some different but equally befuddling holidays for your July 1st celebrations.

 

“Oops! . . . I Did It Again” Day

Ever need a day where you’re finally excused for doing the same problematic thing over and over again without acknowledging you’re hurting others? Look no further than “Oops! . . . I Did It Again” Day! Much like how the government continually contradicts itself with COVID-19 restrictions versus their practices, you too can do whatever the heck you want. Better yet, try shunning those who trust you to guide them through a pandemic while you’re at it! Bonus points if you play Britney Spears’ iconic anthem of the same name all day. Oh baby baby, how was I supposed to know?

 

Go Back On Your Word Day

Forget Canada Day and look forward to Go Back On Your Word Day. What better way to celebrate the nation than to remember its litany of broken promises to do better for Indigenous peoples? Think about Trudeau’s promise that the commission report on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls “will not be placed on a shelf to collect dust,” only for two years of dust collection to happen before a national action plan on Indigenous crises is released. Keep in mind that, according to Indigenous advocates, the action plan is not enough to do much of anything. You do not need to look far to learn how to go back on your word here — and don’t forget to cry when someone calls you out for it.

 

Geese Hug Day

Instead of waving the flag around, why not celebrate this July 1st by giving this iconic animal a good ‘ole hug? Sure, they might honk quite angrily and potentially attack you, but that’s usually what happens when you violate animals’ living space — much like what this country wants to do with its pipeline plans! If you have ever wondered what it looks like for an animal to flee its own home after watching it be destroyed, try and hug a goose and see for yourself. 

 

Mask Wearing Appreciation Day

Enough attention has been paid to non-maskers and their rallies, so how about a holiday to celebrate those who actually have been following the rules for the past year and a half? There won’t be any violation of COVID-19 rules since mask wearers are (for the most part) reasonable people who would not stand less than two metres apart. Best part yet, the speakers to this event will not get caught violating COVID-19 rules! Hey, let’s all just stay at home, drink some $18 lukewarm champagne, and pass out on the couch by 10:14 p.m.

The tales of a stranded SFU student

By
Humour
-
0
Image: Chris Ho / The Peak. Stock courtesy of Global News

By: Paige Riding, Copy Editor

11:33 a.m.

If you’re reading this, it’s too late.

It appears I’m past the point of saving out here. The sun is beating down on me. This heatwave is proving worse than I ever imagined. I took a wrong turn walking to Cornerstone from my dorm, I think. It’s all been downhill from there. Literally. It’s such a steep descent. Sure hope I’m heading back to my house on top of the mountain.

Mom, if you’re reading this, I love you. Also, please don’t look through my nightstand drawer. You’ll only be overwhelmingly disappointed with what you find in there. 

 

1:41 p.m.

I kinda jumped the gun. It wasn’t too late two hours ago, but it might just be too late for me now.

Why? I just remembered I had a quiz due at noon, but I’m stuck out here with 20% battery and 3G. 3G?! You can’t ask me to do anything with that. Also, that battery is needed to send out this SOS on my private Snapchat Story and play “Photograph” by Nickelback seven more times. It’s in my head, OK? You’d do the same.

I have no idea where I am. I was confident that RapidBus I took was the one to send me to the Transportation Centre. I got off at the end like I thought I should, but this doesn’t feel quite right. It’s just too hot out here to focus.

 

3:22 p.m.

I thought there was an oasis, but it was a cruel trick of the eye. Someone turned off this natural concrete water fountain. Am I suffering from heat stroke, or did that goof have a hoodie on in this heat?! And a UBC one, at that!

 

3:38 p.m.

I’ve found a trail that looks just like the one that leads me to the Towers residence buildings. Off I go. You can’t get rid of me that easily! I’ll crawl if I have to.

 

4:57 p.m.

The last I checked, there was this steep hill I walked up. There are no signs of civilization anywhere. Good thing I found this carved wooden post with a metal sign to sit on for a while. I’m boiling.

 

5:05 p.m.

Hey, I didn’t know SFU’s campus had such a beautiful view of the ocean! I could take a quick dip, but it’s almost dinner time and my roommate is making soft tacos.

 

5:07 p.m.

That was the R5 I took . . . right?

Your weekly SFU Horoscopes: June 28–July 4

By
Humour
-
0
An illustration of a girl with long flowing hair. Astrological signs and stars shine around her.
ILLUSTRATION: Marissa Ouyang / The Peak

By: Marco Ovies, Features Editor

ARIES: I have no groundbreaking recommendation for you because I know you’re going to ignore me and jump headfirst into the latest pop-garbage tune playing on the radio. Maybe give Olivia Rodrigo’s new album a chance — and no, I don’t mean just listen to “good 4 u” on repeat.

TAURUS: Just like Aries, are you really going to listen to my suggestion, or will you just replay the same punk-rock songs you listened to at 15? While Paramore’s self-titled album might encompass your whole personality right now, they do have new music. For the sake of everyone around you, please listen to some new music.

GEMINI: You’ll listen to absolutely anything, which makes your playlists the most chaotic thing I’ve ever seen. I promise you, there is no smooth transition from Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” to Childish Gambino’s “Sweatpants.” Since you’re open to listening to anything, why not try some hyperpop like “money machine” by 100 gecs? I’m sure it’s what the inside of your brain sounds like already.

CANCER: I know you’re looking for something to get you into your feelings, Cancer. Try listening to Bo Burnham’s album Inside (The Songs), or watch the Netflix special. Unsure if you should laugh, cry, or do both at the same time? Personally, I cocooned myself in a blanket and stared at a wall until I fell asleep. Sounds great, right?

LEO: Bleachers just released the upbeat summer tunes you’ve been waiting for. Songs like “How Dare You Want More” are perfect to scream along to as the main character. Like all indie artists, the peppy tune is just a mask for agonizingly sad lyrics you’ll need an English degree to understand. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. 

VIRGO: I’m not going to give you anything too all-over-the-place this week, Virgo. You should try listening to Lorde’s new single “Solar Power.” You can pretend you’re indie because it’s Lorde. In reality, this is the most mainstream pop song Lorde has ever produced in her life. 

LIBRA: You should listen to that TikTok cover of “As the World Caves In” by Sarah Cothran — specifically, the version with the girl who duets by singing “in dissonance.” You can join in on the argument about whether this rendition is good or terrible. But in all honesty, you have no idea, do you?

SCORPIO: Just because you’re a Scorpio does not mean I’ll assign you some death-metal band and leave it at that. No, you get to listen to the Cocomelon theme song on loop. Nothing is scarier than a tired 20-something-year-old who has a children’s song in their head.

SAGITTARIUS: You can choose any coming-of-age movie soundtrack this week, Sagittarius. It doesn’t matter as long as it’s indie. Add it to your playlist titled “Road Trip Mix” and listen while you drive five minutes to get an iced coffee. You haven’t gone anywhere in the last year and a half. Don’t lie to me. 

CAPRICORN: Writing 12 different entries is tough work, and unfortunately, you got the short straw this week. You’re like a goat or something, right? Go listen to goat music from The Mountain Goats or whatever comes up first when you search “goat” on Spotify. 

AQUARIUS: Elevator music. Like really bad jazz.

PISCES: Go to a bar, get drunk, and just scream “Bennie and the Jets.” Unlike 27 Dresses, you will be kicked out before even finishing the song. You’ll quickly forget what happened because your sister’s marrying the love of your life. Go stop her before it’s too late! (Or discover love was in front of you the whole time.)

Food for Thought: The rich Indigenous history of maple syrup

By
Arts
-
0
Distilling Indigenous peoples’ roots to this sweet resource. Illustration: Alyssa Marie Umbal / The Peak

By: Sara Wong, Arts & Culture Editor

Of all the Canadian symbols in pop culture — poutine, plaid, polar bears, etc. — maple syrup is arguably the most iconic. It’s a source of national pride. There are even festivals devoted to this sweet, sticky substance. But despite its popularity, a majority of people do not know about the maple’s roots in Indigenous communities. 

Thanks to a recent ethnobotany course I took with SFU’s Indigenous studies department, I learned that maples are widely considered the leaders of trees. Maples are more than a symbol or resource for Indigenous peoples; they are a valuable connection to the land that is part of their cultural identity.

In Oneida culture, sugar camps hold ceremonies both before and after producing maple syrup. This is done “to honor the maple tree and for creation’s cooperation during the harvesting of the sap.” And in Anishinaabe oral history, maple sap comes with a lesson from Nanabozho (the Original Man). Robin Wall Kimmerer, member of the Potawatomi Nation, writes about Nanabozho’s teachings in her book, Braiding Sweetgrass. According to the book, people became obsessed with the abundance of syrup and forgot to care for the rest of the land. In response, Nanabozho diluted the syrup with water.

“Today, maple sap flows like a stream of water with only a trace of sweetness to remind the people both of possibility and of responsibility [ . . . ] we participate in its transformation. It is our work, and our gratitude, that distills the sweetness,” Wall Kimmerer writes.

When settlers learned how to extract maple syrup from the Indigenous peoples, they understood the work, but not the significance behind a harvest. And rather than respecting time-honoured practices, colonizers aimed to destroy them. Clearcutting land for urban development and forced assimilation resulting from the Indian Act of 1876 severely affected traditional maple sugaring. 

Settlers were eager to industrialize maple syrup because of its economic benefits. That remains the case today. The price of 100% pure Canadian maple syrup is noticeably more expensive than its artificial counterparts. At my local Whole Foods, a 360ml bottle of SweetLeaf’s “maple flavoured” syrup costs $8.49. Meanwhile, a similar-sized bottle of real maple syrup from Shady Maple Farms costs double. 

If you’re going to invest in the good stuff, consider looking outside the big box stores. Across Canada, Indigenous groups are reclaiming maple syrup, including here in BC with Kleekhoot Gold Bigleaf Maple Syrup.

A vast majority of Canada’s maple syrup is produced in the eastern and maritime provinces, so Kleekhoot Gold is truly something to treasure. Made by the Hupač̓asatḥ peoples on their traditional territories in the Alberni Valley, this maple syrup gets its unique vanilla and caramel flavours from local bigleaf maple trees. These are Canada’s largest maple trees, and in BC, they only grow on Vancouver Island’s west coast. 

Like other pure maple syrup makers, Kleekhoot Gold condenses the sap to a sugar content of 66%, so the syrup’s sweetness level is akin to other varieties. The one difference is that bigleaf maple syrup provides twice the amount of calcium and magnesium (read: extra health benefits) than other sugar maples. 

For more information on bigleaf maple trees, how the syrup is made, and when it can be purchased, check out Kleekhoot Gold’s website.

1...333334335...1,421Page 334 of 1,421

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