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Studenthaus study examines SFU students’ housing decisions

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Peak Web
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This is a photo of the exterior of an SFU residences building, with the picture taken from the ground.
PHOTO: Audrey Safikhani / The Peak

By: Hailey Miller, Staff Writer

Studenthaus is an organization that conducts studies “about how young people make housing decisions to shape the future of housing in Canada.” So far, they’ve surveyed 850 students in five Canadian cities and are currently leading a survey for SFU students. The survey includes questions about how students make transportation decisions, what their rental and living costs are, whether students receive family support, and more. Through this, Studenthaus aims to understand why SFU Burnaby is considered a “commuter campus” and help advocate for more housing surrounding the Burnaby campus. 

The Peak interviewed Julian Wells, co-founder of the Victoria-based organization and UVic political science and economics graduate, for more information.

“I think one of the biggest issues in our housing market right now is the lack of student housing in general,” said Wells. Desjardins and the Toronto Star used some of Studenthaus’ research that concluded “only 10% of [Canadian] students live in student-specific accommodations,” such as residence halls or shared apartments. Wells explained that this leaves about 90% of students to live in surrounding communities. Students living away from family often face high costs when it comes to housing, transportation, and food. 

Studenthaus conducted studies over the last two years in Calgary, Kelowna, Toronto, Vancouver, and Victoria. Wells explained that their data is used to help “stakeholders in the housing community” better cater to young people in need of housing. They also publish a bi-weekly newsletter “featuring education about housing, student rental stories, and good news updates.”

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation aims to provide 3.87 million new housing units across the country by 2031. Wells said for progress to be made, students need to be included in the narrative: “We need to get back to a place where students are making educational decisions based on education,” he said. Specifically, Wells means being able to choose an institution based on the experience it’ll provide without concerns for financial constraints. Or, limiting “the negative impact associated with housing.” He also mentioned wanting to continue conducting studies every year, as housing costs change and students adapt to different environments: “It’s really fascinating to see how student opinion adjusts over time.”

“They’re trying to build for the next generation, but the next generation doesn’t have a seat at the table to tell [stakeholders] what they want.” — Julian Wells, co-founder of StudentHaus

Beyond the studies, Wells said Studenthaus plans to start “a campaign to help the City of Burnaby recognize that student housing is crucial” both on and off the mountain. He said Studenthaus wants students to be able to better integrate themselves into their communities. “If we move the needle on diverse housing that works for students, we move the needle on diverse housing that works for everyone,” said Wells. 

He explained that cities are now at a stage where they recognize they “need to be building for the next generation,” but don’t have feedback from students and adults to do this effectively. Wells described public hearings as an “archaic form of public comment” for citizens to “provide their views to their elected representatives” on housing. He said that most of the feedback was received from “privileged, older demographics” available on the weeknights of these hearings. “They’re trying to build for the next generation, but the next generation doesn’t have a seat at the table to tell them what they want,” he stated.

While the recent “provincial policy to remove public hearings [for most housing proposals] is a great start,” he explained, more voices need to be heard “in this process for new housing and for new city building.” Under Bill 18, residential development projects will now need to adhere to municipal guidelines informed by interim housing needs reports. “We’re trying to do all this research and bring our own chair,” he explained.

“By building more housing we create optionality in the market that allows people to self-select into housing that works the best for them,” said Wells. “And right now, one of the biggest issues is there’s no choice.” Wells also expects political parties to want to “court the youth votes” in the upcoming federal election, arguing they “should build a political platform around making change for young people.” He said parties can do this by proposing “funding for the student housing sector,” and that Studenthaus will push for this in the next six months.

For more information, follow @studenthousinginitiative on Instagram. To take part in the Studenthaus study, visit their website here. The survey closes on February 7. Any students interested in the campaign can email Wells at [email protected].

Watching sports should be affordable

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Peak Web
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The inside of a hockey rink lit up in blue and purple as well as individual phone lights.
PHOTO: Izzy Cheung / The Peak

By: Hailey Miller, Staff Writer

Like everything these days, the cost of living has skyrocketed. As well, the expense of sports has gotten out of hand — what do you mean it costs a couple of hundred dollars to check out a professional sports match?

Currently, the average price of a Canucks game goes for well over $300 in Vancouver. Half-season passes and memberships for last season started around $300 per payment (with five required in the season), and went all the way up to $4,800 for a package of single club-section seats. The Canucks’ Student Rush program offered discounted tickets for post-secondary students, with prices as low as $50 last season, but those have since leaped to around $100 per ticket. Season passes for BC Lions games are more manageable, starting at $85 per game and exceeding $1,200 for premium tickets. On top of that, other expensive aspects of attending live sports includes parking, food, and merch — and all of those add up. Bigger events such as Rugby Sevens and the Stanley Cup playoffs have an even pricier tag, often seen as high sports entertainment that’s only accessible to elites.  

“The entertainment side of the sports industries are focused on making profits, believing that money is more important than the games and athletes.”

For as long as I can remember, the sports industries have no longer simply been about sport, the athletes, and the rules of the game. Sports entertainment is a massive conglomerate that functions on ticket sales, popularity, consumption (both with regards to in-person attendance, and streams or views from home), and the success of a team. The entertainment side of sports are focused on making profits, believing that money is more important than the games and athletes. With that, the levels of enjoyment and entertainment are often based on how accessible — or, in this case, inaccessible — a sport is, and who can access it, not just out of interest but affordability.

With the average fans often unable to pay for the typical game-day experience, or even a ticket in some cases, the sports industry is becoming increasingly pricey. Not only does this cause financial stress on sports consumers, but it has become a luxury that not many people have and miss out on regarding socialization, activity, and camaraderie. Some cheaper alternatives to watching sports and attending games include supporting smaller, local leagues like the BCHL and PJHL (with games at $10–20 to attend), and university matches that are often free for students, including at SFU. The Vancouver Whitecaps offer tickets as low as $19 per match as part of their season ticket passes. You can also check out the Vancouver Bandits of the Canadian Elite Basketball League, with season ticket passes starting as low as $15 per game. Some community centres will stream games for free, too.  

If you’re lucky enough to score a season pass, shoot for a good seat, or take a header into a once-in-a-lifetime game to cheer on your team, consider yourself a wildcard when it comes to winning the sports entertainment lottery.

Indie games you need to play

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Peak Web
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a collage of each game’s cover set against a wrinkled purple background. Top left: a sketched boy holding a torch as he traverses a forest. Bottom left: a child face-to-face with a white wolf. Middle: a black and white depiction of a little girl holding a stuffed animal with crumbling buildings in the background. Top right: a dark setting with orange cards depicting animals and words like “survive.” Bottom right: metal gears and a tomato with a rubix cube at the front.
COLLAGE: Gudrun Wai-Gunnarsson / The Peak, with images courtesy of Klei Entertainment, Rasheed Abueideh, Daniel Mullins Games, E-Line Media, and Hazelight Studios

By: Yasmin Hassan, Staff Writer

We’ve all probably heard of Terraria and Stardew Valley as some of the most iconic indie games. But, here are some other options that aren’t as well known yet just (if not more) worthy!

Don’t Starve
Klei Entertainment
Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, PS4, PSVita, Wii U, iPad, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS, Xbox One, PS3
$11.49 (on Steam)

Starting off strong with a Vancouver-based game studio, this Tim-Burton-esque wilderness survival game thrusts players into a darkly whimsical world with no hand holding or instructions. As Wilson, a gentleman scientist trapped by a demon in a bizarre world filled with all kinds of creatures, you must rely on your wits to craft, hunt, farm, and fight for survival. The game’s 2D characters and eerie creatures come to life in a striking 3D environment, blending charm with the foreboding. With randomly-generated maps, every playthrough offers a fresh, hostile world that dares you to outsmart it, ensuring no two adventures are ever the same.

Inscryption
Daniel Mullins Games
Windows Linux macOS PlayStation 4 PlayStation 5 Nintendo Switch Xbox One Xbox Series X/S
$22.79 (on Steam)

Content warning: brief mentions of self-mutilation. 

Inscryption is a haunting blend of deckbuilding, roguelike escape room puzzles, and psychological horror, crafting a chillingly unique experience. As you build a deck of eerie woodland creature cards — through draft, surgery, or even self-mutilation — you’ll uncover the dark secrets hidden within the main villain, Leshy’s, cabin. With its unsettling atmosphere and unpredictable twists, this game takes you on a deeply disturbing journey where every card reveals a new layer of mystery. No, seriously, when you think the game is over and you beat it, it keeps going. Please play this game all the way through because you won’t be disappointed!

Kisima Ingitchuna (Never Alone)
E-Line Media
Linux, Windows OS X, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii U, Xbox One, iOS Android, Nintendo Switch 
$16.99 (on Steam)

Kisima Ingitchuna is an award-winning atmospheric puzzle platformer that weaves a traditional Iñupiaq story into a breathtaking journey through the Arctic. Developed in collaboration with “Alaska Native community members and game developers,” the game follows Nuna and her companion Fox as they search for the source of an eternal blizzard threatening their world. You can switch seamlessly between the two characters or team up in local co-op to traverse frozen tundra, navigate treacherous ice floes, and explore underwater caverns. The game’s stunning environments, narrated in the Iñupiaq language, bring legendary characters and cultural values to life. This game offers not only an unforgettable adventure but also deep cultural insights through unlockable videos, bridging the gap between storytelling and interactive play.

It Takes Two
Hazelight Studios

PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch
$54.99 (on Steam)

It Takes Two won Game of The Year in 2021 for its beautiful storytelling about a married couple dealing with challenges in their relationship and being turned into their daughter’s toys. Together, Cody and May must navigate their relationship amidst rampaging vacuums and eccentric love gurus. This game demands teamwork in order to progress through the wildly imaginative genre-bending gameplay, which offers a whimsical, unforgettable journey that proves we’re better together!

Malartic, a town suffering at the hands of the Canadian mining industry

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Peak Web
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Yellow mining trucks face South as if falling. In the background is a mountain landscape with a greenish tone.
PHOTO: Courtesy of National Film Board of Canada

By: Yildiz Subuk, Staff Writer

The documentary, Malartic (2024), presents us with the story of the titular soul-stripped town. Located in Quebec, it has suffered socially and environmentally since its transformation into a commercialized mining project in 2011. The small town is built around mountains of wealth, with tons of precious metals readily available for the taking. As of now, the Malartic mine (owned by Agnico Eagle) is considered Canada’s most valuable mining site. While the site itself generates an excessive amount of wealth, the residents of Malartic face a sinister reality filled with ecological impacts, health concerns, and poverty.

There is a desolate feeling and look to Nicolas Paquet’s feature-length documentary. The sound of the film ranges from melancholic to haunting, mixing the somber tone of an acoustic guitar with an inescapable droning noise. These tones evoke a feeling of loneliness that slowly erodes into a bareness that oddly feels overstimulating. It mimics the mundane yet clamorous dissonance of mining equipment at work. Before the audience can fully grasp the visual, the opening tone sets the scene expertly.

With a documentary like Malartic, one would expect a guerilla style of filmmaking — with a handheld aesthetic, a shaky camera, and a bit of disorienting visuals — as the narrative focuses on exposing the issue through a more radical approach. Instead, audiences are presented with a film that feels reserved with its camera movements, by lingering on a shot and letting them absorb it rather than footage that feels constantly in motion. Paquet is intentional with how everything is framed. We see buildings, landmarks, and overhead drone shots, where the suburban component of the town is put in contrast to a large mining site. There are shots of construction vehicles and the grey inner regions of the mine. The isolating look of both the mining site and the town accompanying it becomes noticeable. 

“So much wealth, yet there is poverty in Malartic.” — Ginette Trudel

The documentary weaves in important testimonies of town residents, researchers, and others who oppose the mining project. Paquet manages to put every side of the story on full display. Many of the residents elaborate on how the presence of the site is a significant burden, and express their frustrations with the fact their hometown has seen an increase in poverty. There are noise complaints about the site being issued regularly, concerns about dust blowing in, and as many residents attempt to bring their complaints to court, they are forced to accept out of court settlements, because the mining corporation has access to more experienced lawyers. The mine wields a clear power because of its ability to generate wealth. As of 2025, the mine is projected to produce up to 3.6 million ounces of gold. The project continues unabashedly, while the residents of the town are subjected to its downsides. Paquet attempts to get the testimonies of those involved in the project, but many individuals refuse to comment. We hear the monotone sound of voicemails and rejections over the phone, played over the image of the town. 

Malartic is eerie because it exposes the mundaneness of a town slowly being turned into a commercialized entity. The mining industry not only presents the residents with negative environmental implications, but strips any bit of liveliness from the town itself.

Paquet’s decision to focus on a small town makes the issue clear. We see a community impacted by unethical mining practices within the scale of the Canadian border. Malartic shows the everyday impact of ecological exploitation, which is not just limited to countries outside the west, as smaller communities here in Canada are often brushed aside in favour of extracting capital. 

Watch Malartic for free on nfb.ca 

Simulating poverty is not advocacy

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Peak Web
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this is an illustration of a really old, breaking-down converse shoe.
ILLUSTRATION: Victoria Xi / The Peak

By: C Icart, Humour Editor

Have you ever been told not to judge someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes? The Making Ends Meet Poverty Simulation (MEM) that will be held at 312 Main St. on February 11 is seemingly designed to let participants do just that. According to their event page 50–80 participants will spend one hour trying to “‘make ends meet’ for a simulated month.”

This description reminded me of the virtual reality (VR) simulations academic Lisa Nakamura criticizes in her article, “Feeling good about feeling bad: virtuous virtual reality and the automation of racial empathy.” Nakamura is a leading scholar whose work centers around race and digital media. She noticed that VR was being marketed as an “empathy machine” because it claims to allow users to experience marginalization. Users just need to put on a headset and they are suddenly transported to a refugee camp or a prison, for example. She argues that this encourages a toxic embodiment that makes users erroneously believe they have experienced authentic empathy for marginalized others. 

“One of the key differences between a simulation of marginalization and the reality of it is control.”

I don’t see how the MEM Poverty Simulation can do anything other than reproduce that problematic dynamic. Participants will be “sorted into one of twenty-six diverse families with their own unique economic challenges [ . . . ] and navigate various [. . . ] systems and procedures designed to represent the daily experiences of those who live in poverty.” Not unlike VR simulations, this gamifies the issue of poverty by turning into a novel activity people can choose to participate in. It is in no way similar to the experience of living in poverty. 

In his criticism of VR as empathy machines, Paul Bloom states one of the key differences between a simulation of marginalization and the reality of it is control. Participants get to choose to be a part of the simulation. It has a set start and end time, and presumably they can stop participating when they want. This is not the case for living in poverty. Pretending to have been evicted for one hour simply doesn’t feel the same when you know you’re heading home later, and instinctively we know this. Think of a time someone responded, “I know how you feel” when you were telling them about a struggle you know they don’t have. Instant eye roll, right? 

Walking a mile in someone else’s shoes may not be possible, but that does not mean that we can’t be empathetic. It is possible to discuss the “potential causes, consequences, and solutions for poverty”without feeding into the illusion that simulations affect us the same as lived experience or give us the authority to speak about living in poverty.

The CFL’s first trans alum, Maven Maurer

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Peak Web
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A group of people posing for a photo with the Grey Cup, including a woman with brown hair directly to the trophy’s right.
PHOTO: Courtesy of @pipeline4change / Instagram

By: Kaja Antic, Sports Writer

On September 13, the BC Lions hosted the Toronto Argonauts and honoured some of their alumni for their Wall of Fame night. The 2000 Grey Cup-winning team were the special guests that night, with the team reuniting 24 years after taking their sub-.500 winning percentage team to the top of the Canadian Football League (CFL) — the first team to do so.

It was also the first time Maven Maurer heard her chosen name over the loud speaker at BC Place, 15 years after retiring from the CFL.

Maurer played 13 seasons in the CFL, including two with the BC Lions in 2000 and 2001. She won a Grey Cup with the Lions in 2000 and the Edmonton Elks in 2005. A legend in her own right for Edmonton’s special teams, Maurer was named to the Elks’ 2000s All-Decade Team.

Maurer first came out publicly on Instagram in 2023, and this was her first time facing her former Lions teammates since her transition. She later told Canadian football news site 3DownNation she found “near-complete acceptance” from her former colleagues when she appeared on the turf field in downtown Vancouver. 

“Sports like football that notoriously carry hypermasculine stereotypes can be slow to accept change, though Maurer’s acceptance from her former CFL compatriots is proof that these harmful cultures can be shifted.”

“So many said, ‘You know what, we’re proud of you. We’re family. We bled together, we sweated together, and achieved,” Maurer told CBC of her experience reuniting with the 2000 Lions squad.

Sports cultures have been slowly accepting 2SLGBTQIA+ identities, though it is still an uphill battle in many communities. Maurer is the first former CFL player to come out as trans, and hopes to pave the way for more 2SLGBTQIA+ acceptance in Canadian football. Other than Maurer, the only publicly queer CFL alum is Michael Sam, former Montreal Alouettes defensive end and the first openly gay player drafted into the NFL. Sam now coaches American football in Europe. 

Maurer hopes to be a beacon of hope for past or present football players struggling with their identities by being open about her true self in the public eye. Sports like football that notoriously carry hypermasculine stereotypes can be slow to accept change, though Maurer’s acceptance from her former CFL compatriots is proof that these harmful cultures can be shifted.

“I want to try to reach more people. I want to be more visible. I want to use any voice that I have to raise awareness,” Maurer told 3DownNation. “Sometimes you don’t know that things are a possibility until you see someone else doing it.”

Maurer also hopes to use her status as a former professional football player to dissuade negative stereotypes about trans identities and combat transphobia in the modern age, especially as hate crimes against 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals in Canada are on the rise. She looks to add a familiar face for those who may not be as knowledgeable about trans identities, in football spaces and beyond.

CONFESSIONALS: I wish my students were more creative

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Peak Web
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Student sitting in a lecture hall with their laptop open. The webpage they are looking at is titled “101 ways to cheat.”
ILLUSTRATION: Yan Ting Leung / The Peak

By: C Icart, Humour Editor

I’m a TA. Some might even say I’m the best TA (and they would be so unequivocally correct). So naturally, academic integrity (only second to graphic design) is my passion. I spend all my free time looking for new ways to instill “the values of honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility, and courage” into my students. AND YET! Once in a while someone tries to bamboozle me. 

This type of behaviour disappoints me. It makes me sad because I make all my students pinky swear they won’t cheat on day one. That way I have grounds to send them the “I was rooting for you” GIF if they betray me. It also makes me sad because the experience is never fun. It’s all ChatGPT and no creativity. 

It’s always, “Oops! I accidentally submitted the wrong file!” and never, “Tina Knowles’ hacker also hacked me and submitted the wrong assignment!” If you’re going to lie, COMMIT! Why would you choose an excuse that has its own WikiHow page? Booooooorinnngggggg! Do not submit corrupted files to Canvas in 2025. It’s so passé and you could do SO MUCH BETTER! 

Don’t send your TA a picture from a positive COVID-19 rapid test you got from Google Images in 2025. Instead, walk your (masked) butt to the damn pharmacy, get yourself an actual rapid test, and use it for real! I’ve seen how many of y’all are in the packed lecture halls unmasked, and I’ve seen the wastewater data. DENIAL IS A RIVER IN EGYPT! You are actually sick! 

Finally, let’s talk about the “Dead Grandmother Problem.” This one is old school. There’s a theory that students’ grandparents are more likely to die before exams than any other time of year. Some might think it’s because students are lying. Mike Adams theorized that it’s because “family members literally worry themselves to death over the outcome of their relatives’ performance on each exam.” Personally, I think students resort to killing their grandparents because you cannot be asked to take a final exam in jail. And while that’s absolutely evil behaviour, I cannot say it’s not commitment to the bit. 

BUT IT’S NOT CREATIVE (yes, I’m screaming again. Go cry to your mom about it)! Cheating is almost always more complicated and convoluted than just doing the assignment (which is so embarrassing for you unless you embrace being extra). Come up with an excuse I haven’t heard before! Gather all your friends to film an elaborate video of you getting abducted by aliens (no CGI, do all your own effects). Go to magician school so you can learn how to make everyone pass out in class like Elphaba. Innovate in the field of cheating. I’ll still catch you but at least I’ll get a good story out of it! 

Experiencing Oshougatsu

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Peak Web
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A pot of green tea decorated with pink cherry blossoms is poured into two ceramic cups. Two shogi pieces sit above the words “happy new year” written in black brushstrokes.
ILLUSTRATION: Victoria Xi / The Peak

By: Jin Song, Peak Associate

Oshougatsu, which is Japanese for New Year, is celebrated at the start of January. It is also known as shougatsu. Typical traditions include house cleaning to symbolize new beginnings, viewing the first sunrise, and the consumption of special dishes like herring roe, pickled lotus root, and candied chestnut. On the fourth day of 2025, I attended Oshōgatsu: Japanese New Year Celebrations at the Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre with my brother.

It was a somewhat dreary morning with light rain, and I was grateful that the majority of this event took place indoors. At the entrance of the museum was a station for kakizome, also known as New Year calligraphy. There were references for characters associated with blessings, such as “happiness” and “fortune.” I, along with other participants, used traditional brushes and black ink to try replicating characters of our choice. My family is Chinese, and I have tried Chinese calligraphy in the past. Curious about the differences between Chinese and Japanese calligraphy, I asked volunteers at the station and learned that the art itself is very similar, but kakizome is calligraphy specifically done to celebrate the New Year. One volunteer told me that teachers often assign their pupils this type of homework over the break. 

“Curious about the differences between Chinese and Japanese calligraphy, I asked several of the volunteers at the station and learned that the art itself is very similar, but kakizome is calligraphy specifically done to celebrate the New Year.”

Next, I tried Igo. This classic board game is also known as Go, Weiqi, or Baduk, among other names, and originated in ancient China. The rules are simple: there are two sides, white and black. Players use stones according to their colour, and must try to capture as much territory as they can. There are no restrictions to how one can place stones and there is only one type of piece, unlike chess. However, this game has incredibly complex emergent strategies. The volunteer told me that in ancient times, games could go on for weeks, with students watching their teachers play against each other and discussing the game for long hours during breaks. 

Another board game I tried for the first time was Shogi. I had heard about this game in Naruto, an anime I watched as a child. Shogi is a lot more similar to chess; it also features different pieces with different abilities. I found it remarkably similar to Xiangqi, or Chinese chess, which I often play with my grandfather. Major differences include the shapes of the pieces (flat and rectangular-like plaques), the specific abilities, and how all pieces can “ascend,” or upgrade their abilities upon reaching the enemy’s last rows on the board. 

In all, I was glad to attend this event. Despite being a longtime appreciator of Japanese culture, I hadn’t participated in cultural events like this before. I was surprised by the similarities between Japanese culture and my own. Even with the unique aspects of both, I enjoyed making connections and seeing the familiar activities from a different lens.

Don’t give up on seasonal produce

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Peak Web
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A farmer holds their harvest: eggplant, cucumber, tomatoes, carrots, beets, and more vegetables are pictured
PHOTO: yanadjan / Adobe Stock

By: Yasmin Hassan, Staff Writer

Seasonal eating entails consuming foods that are naturally grown and harvested during their peak season in a specific region. This approach to food emphasizes eating ripe, locally sourced produce, which is often better for the environment and for your appetite! While globalized farming has accustomed us to the convenience of accessing any produce year round, buying imported goods comes at the expense of nutrition, flavour, and environmental health. 

Imported produce emits large amounts of carbon emissions due to the long distance transportation and special care for storage that it most often needs. As Agriculture Canada reports, “In 2019, the top five agri-food and seafood suppliers to Canada represented $40.3 billion or 77.3% of total imports.” In Metro Vancouver, trucks usually are the preferred mode of transport, though Canada as a whole generally relies on cargo planes and container ships. Worldwide, 36% of carbon emissions come from transportation of fruits and vegetables alone. We are blessed to have a taste of imports from all over the world on the west coast, but we often take for granted what we already have growing right under our noses. Buying from local farmers right here in BC creates a sustainable food system by supporting them and, in turn, consuming the freshest produce.

“Locally sourced, seasonal produce is fresher, tastier, and more nutrient dense than imported goods.”

Locally sourced, seasonal produce is fresher, tastier, and more nutrient dense than imported goods. A meal that comes to mind is the Three Sisters soup, which combines squash, beans, and corn. It’s filled with everything you need during these colder months, tied directly to the land we inhabit, and it is so delicious! The “Three Sisters” originate from Indigenous cultures of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy composed of the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora Nations, who used this companion planting method for centuries. Corn provides structure for beans to climb, beans enrich the soil with nitrogen, and squash covers the ground to retain moisture. As the seasons and weather changes, so do the needs of our body. There are so many ingredients that can provide essential nutrients to your body while still being kind to the land it comes from. 

Shopping locally isn’t without its challenges. Prices for some local products can be higher, and access to fresh, seasonal produce might be limited depending on where you live. It’s one thing to urge people to eat locally, but realistically it is a privilege that many don’t get. Regardless of its source, fresh produce is still an integral part of keeping good health. Dietary restrictions can add complexity, and many people feel unsure where to start due to a lack of knowledge or unfamiliarity with seasonal options. Groups like Embark Sustainability, an SFU-based student-led non-profit, rescue produce that would be discarded by grocers and redistribute it to students for free or by donation, providing an accessible option. They also have a free community kitchen to facilitate cooking meals “through the lens of justice, culture, and shared experience.” 

To embrace seasonal eating, start by identifying what’s in season in your area. In Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, look for produce like berries in the summer, apples and squash in the fall, and hardy greens in the winter. Farmers’ markets are a great place to find local produce with famous options like the Shaxshax-nmi (Trout Lake) and Kitsilano farmers’ markets, but also the North Shore and Fraser Valley locations. Right now, the Kitsilano and Riley Park locations are open for the winter season! To preserve your seasonal bounty, try freezing, canning, or dehydrating fruits and vegetables, or store them in cool, dark places to extend their freshness.

Brighter side: As time goes by

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Peak Web
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An old woman holds up a camera as she photographs herself in the mirror
PHOTO: Tiago Muraro / Unsplash

By: Sofia Chassomeris, Opinions Editor

As a girl, I feared the merciless spectre of age. I was taught it would tarnish me — crow’s feet, smile lines, stiff limbs and fingers all blemishes in contribution to decay. 

But when I am watching friends’ faces stretch into expressions I’m slow to place, my own lips beaming before I know I’m happy; when I notice the creases beneath my mother’s eyes as she greets me, or until I’m opening a jar her arthritis gave up on; I realize this is how the body remembers. 

There are things I cherish now that I know I won’t have forever. I’ll lose them to time like a river cuts through stone, and I need not worry. I’m not losing, only changing. I’m curious to see how my face will remember each year, or how my own hands will remember the turning of every jar lid. I wonder if my hair will become more white, grey, or silver, and when I’ll change my mind about styling it next. 

To age is to live, and so I refuse to be disappointed by it.

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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