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1, 2, 3, 4, We don’t want Outlook no more!

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Peak Web
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Student wearing a grey sweatshirt and green backpack holding up a sign that reads: “SFU Students Against Outlook.”
ILLUSTRATION: Victoria Lo / The Peak

By: Hana Hoffman, Peak Associate

I apologize for bringing this up because I’m sure most of you are still grieving the discontinuance of the old SFU Mail system. However, due to my frustrations with Outlook, I need to rant.

I spent my first two years at SFU using the old SFU Mail, and I was so attached. It was perfect. Transitioning to Outlook just made life so much more complicated. For the first three months or so, I kept forgetting about the change, and I would waste so much time just trying to find the old SFU Mail (old at SFU but young in my heart). How can I “navigate [my] way towards academic success” under these conditions? This transition has negatively affected my grades by eating up my study time. I would love to do my schooling without having to check Outlook every day, but unfortunately, that’s where the profs and TAs always contact me.

To this day, I still don’t know if it’s called Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Exchange, Outlook Exchange, or Microsoft Outlook Exchange. Which one am I supposed to search up so I can find the right link to my inbox? My oh my, what a hassle it’s been.

Here’s another anti-Outlook point. Having a new email platform means adding another section on the favourites bar. Back when SFU Mail had the red icon, it was way easier to find. That cute little red logo has been embedded in my head and is irreplaceable. But now, no matter what I name the bookmark, the blue will never catch my eye. What should I call it? NEW SFU MAIL, SFU MICROSOFT INBOX, or LOOK OVER HERE? I just don’t want to look at the word Outlook anymore; it hurts my eyes. When I read that word, I actually read “Out-lookaway.”

Other than the issues already mentioned, what’s your outlook on Outlook? Do you see any benefit from it? Maybe we should all just contact each other through the Canvas inbox so that we only need one app instead of two. Are you impressed by any aspect of Outlook? One thing it needs to do ASAP is to make the unsend option last longer because right now, if you send an email and you don’t click “unsend” within the blink of an eye, then it’s permanently out there. It’s just another piece of technology that mocks the slowness of human reaction speed.

Outlook, get out, bro!

How to dress like a professor

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Peak Web
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Three professors on a runway. There is a sign behind them that reads, “Tenured Prof Fashion Week.”
ILLUSTRATION: Cliff Ebora / The Peak

By: Yasmin Hassan, Staff Writer

If you’re looking for inspiration for a niche fashion archetype, you don’t have to look to your fave celebs; the professors of SFU are underrated fashion icons. Here’s an essential guide to help you find your true academic chic.

Starting with bottoms, the hottest looks of most tenured profs are usually some form of khaki, cargo, or loose denim jeans. These pants are functional — 15 different pockets for keeping pens, sticky notes, and granola bars — and extremely versatile. They keep everyone around them guessing: are they going to class, or are they going for a hike down the mountain? If you’re not feeling pants, wear a timeless long skirt or dress that goes to your ankles, usually argyle, some funky print, or single–coloured. You could say profs are promoting quiet luxury.

For tops, tenured profs are all about layering. To emulate this style, you’ll want to layer a t-shirt that has been through multiple finals and grad ceremonies, a flannel or unbuttoned dress shirt, and a dark raincoat. You also have the option to wear a raincoat that is neon orange for extra visibility as you’re strutting down the halls of the AQ. Layering is the answer to all your problems. You can professorize any shirt with this method. The only clean top you have is a Hawaiian shirt? Wear an extremely professional blazer to balance it out.

Now for shoes, tenured profs are embracing the theme of sports casual. Almost all the profs I’ve had wear chunky hiking boots, aerodynamic running sneakers, or clogs. They want to be able to withstand hours of seminars, office hours, travelling from campus to office, and everywhere in between. Personally, if I were a prof, I’d wear slippers because I couldn’t be bothered to try. But in reality, profs aim to balance swag with comfort in a functional but weird way. All the profs that wear heels or heeled boots have a different kind of strength, so it’s not for the weak, wear at your own risk. 

You’ll need a large canvas, messenger bag, or leather handbag that carries your lunch, notes, and everything else you might need, except for that one student’s assignment because it’s sitting on your office desk (whoops). You can wear quirky earrings, chunky necklaces, and perhaps even a bangle or two. Never forget about the infinity scarf that has survived from 2013 and the toque that’s either Arcteryx or North Face. Optional accessories include unconventional king-sized coffee mug, glasses, sunglasses, glasses that turn into sunglasses, sports backpack, biking helmet, and smart phone that has lasted you at least seven years. 

As the weather keeps getting colder, don’t be afraid to change things up when keeping warm. Profs take on fashion with practical, cozy, and effortless looks. If you dress like a prof, you get in the mindset of one. You’ll unlock the secrets of scholars, the way of the academics, one cardigan at a time. Do you think if I dress like my economics professor, I’ll start understanding supply and demand curves . . .? Yes? No? OK.

Nutritious nibbles, Diwali edition: spicy tomato cheese squares

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Peak Web
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Illustration of people celebrating Diwali by eating small, deep-fried cube snacks
ILLUSTRATION: Winnie Shen / The Peak

By: Dhrumi Mayur Shah, SFU Student

As a child, I remember watching from the living room as my mother prepared delicious, crispy, deep-fried spicy tomato cheese squares — reminiscent of a thicker version of a chip. She learned this recipe from one of her friends who knew my family’s love for the snack. She decided to prepare it every Diwali, and it eventually became a staple at my house during these celebrations! The flavourful bursts of the tangy tomato, hints of the gooey cheese, and the spice from the various masalas are still fresh in my mind even as a teen. Before moving out, I was really fond of this snack, as every flavor reminded me of the festival of joy, lights, and prosperity. As a parting gift, my mother taught me this recipe — even today, every bite reminds me of home. Let’s dive into it!

Ingredients: (makes about 20 squares)

  • All purpose flour (1 cup) 
  • Cheese of your choice (1 cube about the size of a lime) 
  • Salt (a pinch, to taste) 
  • 2 tomatoes 
  • Chaat masala (2 teaspoons) 
  • Chili powder or seasoning of your choice (1 teaspoon) 
  • Beetroot (quarter piece) 
  • Oil (1 tablespoon) 
  • Cream (1 teaspoon) 

Recipe: 

  1. Place a tablespoon of oil in a deep pan or wok at low flame. 
  2. In a bowl, add and mix one cup of all purpose flour, a pinch of salt, a whole cube of cheese, one teaspoon of chaat masala, and chili powder or a seasoning of your choice. 
  3. Separately, boil two tomatoes along with a quarter piece of beetroot for colour. Once boiled and al-dente, strain them into another bowl. 
  4. Blend the tomatoes and beetroot together until it becomes a rich, thick puree. 
  5. Add the puree into the bowl with the dry ingredients. 
  6. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together. Once the dough is thoroughly mixed and has a pinkish colour with the consistency of play dough, start making small golf ball-sized balls of the dough. 
  7. Roll the balls of dough into a thin flat bread. Once these are flattened to your satisfaction (ideally as thin as possible), begin cutting them into diamond-like shapes. 
  8. Once the squares have been cut, fry them in the pre-prepared oil. When the squares start to rise to the top of the pan, put them in a box. For a healthier alternative, the squares can also be air fried in an air fryer for seven minutes. 
  9. After being fried and set aside, let the squares cool to room temperature. 
  10. Sprinkle a teaspoon of chaat masala over the squares, close the box, and shake it well so the seasoning mixes. Once satisfied, open the box, and viola! You have some spicy tomato cheese squares to enjoy for Diwali.

The surreal story of masks and an art movement

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Peak Web
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Three masks. The farthest left mask has stringy brown hair drifting from its top, and green, black, brown, and red splotches creating a face. The middle has black hair as well as black eyebrows and a black moustache. On the right is a black mask with a red mouth, big eyes, and thick white lines.
ILLUSTRATION: Winnie Shen / The Peak

By: Tam Nguyen, staff writer

Content warning: mentions of racial discrimination, cultural genocide, and colonization. 

One of the best documentaries I saw this year was So Surreal: Behind the Masks, which played during the 2024 Vancouver International Film Festival. Created by Cree Canadian filmmaker Neil Diamond and director and actor Joanne Robertson, it follows the modern-day journey of the people of the Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw Nation trying to retrieve masks that were stolen from them in the ‘20s. It also explains how these masks helped ignite the artistic movement known as surrealism. 

The documentary starts with the Potlatch — a traditional dance ceremony of the Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw Nation to “celebrate life” and important events such as “birth, marriage, name giving, standing up a new Chief, and death.” Potlatches are practiced as “the essence of Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw culture.” The practice was criminalized with the amendment of the Indian Act, which banned Potlatches starting April 19, 1884. This lasted until 1951, with anyone engaged in the Potlatch being imprisoned for two to three months. 

In 1921, during a big Potlatch at Mimkwa̱mlis (Village Island), 45 people were arrested by two so-called “Indian agents” (individuals who “implemented government policy” within reserves, including overseeing the adherence to the Indian Act). The tribe’s Chief signed an agreement to give up their Potlatch masks and ceremonial objects in exchange for the suspension of 22 people. This event marked a turning point for the masks, as they started being sold to private collectors and art dealers. 

The documentary goes on to follow one noticeable art collector, Georges Duthuit, who bought the collection and brought it to Paris, France. During this time, an art movement called surrealism began emerging, with pioneers such as Leonora Carrington, Max Ernst, and Roberto Matta to name a few. The movement quickly spread through Europe, with the main focus being the unconscious, dream-like, and non-conforming nature that allows artists to express themselves freely in painting, literature, and film. 

Moving from Europe to New York City, the documentary travels to where the mask collection would reside for the coming years. Some of the masks were sold at a boutique on 3rd Avenue on the East Side of Manhattan. Surrealist artists who fled Paris to New York at the same time due to World War II were mesmerized by the spirituality and silhouette curves of the masks. Artist Breton even proclaimed that “the masks were more surreal than the surrealists.” As a result, these artists began incorporating these patterns into their paintings. 

Lots of the masks finally ended up in the collection of Indigenous artifact collector George Heye, founder of the National Museum of the American Indian. During this time, pairs of masks that were supposed to stay together were separated due to the ignorance of the collectors. These collectors thought they “accidentally” had two duplicates, so they exhibited one of them and stored the other or sold it for a cheap price to antique stores. 

The quest for the collection to be brought back to their rightful owners has been going on since the ‘60s after the Indian Act was revised in 1951. In the documentary, the people of the Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw Nation are shown working with allies like art dealer Donald Ellis to negotiate with private owners who have the masks. They have also contacted museums and exhibits to retrieve the masks. However, the raven transformation mask is still in the possession of the Duthuit family in Paris. 

This documentary explores Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw history, Potlatches, and their stolen masks with thorough research, beautiful cinematography, and the occasional hand-drawn map. It also shows us the detrimental effects of colonialism and imperialism on Indigenous peoples, and the absurdity of fighting so hard for what is rightfully theirs. 

Climb the mountain of flavours at Karakoram

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Peak Web
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Against a dark background, a bright, white light-up sign reads ‘we keep it halal’ in cursive. Beside the sign is a Palestinian flag.
PHOTO: Yasmin Hassan / The Peak

By: Yasmin Hassan, Staff Writer

On a quiet Thursday evening in October, I found myself walking the streets of a humble Fraserview Vancouver neighborhood. In the midst of this unassuming area, warm orange and yellow-ish lights peered through large windows belonging to what used to be a kebab shop, luring me in without a word. Karakoram — a name derived from the mountain range in between Central and South Asia — is a restaurant offering traditional Pakistani dishes and flavour, opening late and closing even later, from 4:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. This is home cooking reimagined in a fine dining restaurant. I grew up eating halal food from Middle Eastern cuisines of all kinds, and I had my occasional Indian food here and there, but no former tasting experience could’ve prepared me for the Pakistani fusion of a little bit of everything.

PHOTO: Yasmin Hassan / The Peak

One thing to note before we ordered: we spent a good 15 minutes deciding what to get — that’s just how big their menu is. There’s something for everyone! After paging through each section of the menu, my friend and I decided to start with the paneer tikka. Paneer is a soft, unaged cheese made from curdled milk, and this appetizer called for it to be grilled in spices and served with a fragrant green chutney. If you’ve ever had haloumi, think of it as similar to that but much milder on the palette. It was firm on the outside, softly chewy on the inside, and provided a lightweight, vegetarian-friendly start to our dining experience.  

PHOTO: Yasmin Hassan / The Peak

The special thing about Pakistani cuisine is that it’s a unique blend of regional, Indian, Middle Eastern, and Central Asian influences. Although many compare the similarities between Indian and Pakistani cuisines, there are distinct differences in the use of dairy products and meat. Where Indian dishes mostly use ghee (clarified butter), Pakistani dishes call for butter and cream, which make them richer. 

We asked our server what she recommended, and we were told that the house karahi is their most popular dish. Karahi is a thick, gravy-like masala curry with a tomato-green chili-ginger base. This dish originates from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region of Pakistan, and is named after the deep pot in which its cooked in; the karahi or kadai. We chose the lamb Karakoram special, which came with fresh buttery naan and roti. Tender lamb stewed in a medley of aromatic spices, vegetables, and garnished with green chilies and coriander, scooped up in warm naan and roti . . . what more do you need to warm you up on a cold autumn night?

When I thought the delights stopped there, I was gravely mistaken. A mango lassi was in our sights, and we both agreed it’d be worth it; boy, were we right. The sweet and tangy mango puree blended with smooth yogurt soothed our mouths and stomachs after all the savoury goods. It was a reminder to never skip dessert. We were interested in the falooda — a popular Mughlai dessert made with vermicelli and milk — but they unfortunately didn’t have it, as delicious as it sounded. The Gulab Jamun looked like the next best thing, and I hate to pat myself on the back, but it was. Fried khoya dough soaked in fragrant rose-water and a sugary syrup, garnished with almond slivers; what a way to end off the night. For those of you who are seasoned vets or are curious in exploring halal cuisines, give Karakoram a try! You won’t regret it!

Protestors across Canada demand Indigo to stop funding the Israeli military

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Peak Web
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This is a photo of a recent protest against Indigo showing people outside an Indigo bookstore.
PHOTO: Kmo Foto / Flickr

By: Yildiz Subuk, Staff Writer and Hannah Fraser, News Editor

On September 25, thousands of protestors gathered at 50 Indigo bookstores across Canada, calling for the company’s divestment from the Israeli military. A week before the protests, Indigo pursued a lawsuit against the campaign’s website, IndigoKillsKids.ca, now rebranded as boycottindigobooks.com.

The campaign accuses Indigo CEO Heather Reisman and her husband Gerald Schwartz of funding the Israeli military by funnelling nearly $200 million of Indigo’s profits into the HESEG Foundation. CBC reported that this foundation aims to provide “scholarships and support for living expenses to former IDF lone soldiers, who are recruits with no family or support system in Israel.” Lone soldiers are soldiers in the IDF who are recruited from other countries. Boycott Indigo Books explains that the HESEG Foundation incentives Canadians to join the IDF as mercenaries, who serve in militaries solely for financial gain. The campaign calls for a “renewed push to boycott Indigo due to its CEO’s involvement in the oppression of Palestinians and its complicity in Israel’s genocide in Gaza.”

Indigo’s lawyers stated the campaign’s website is defamatory and “falsely implies Indigo is ‘complicit in the death of children.’” Lori Shapiro, co-president of the Gerald Schwartz & Heather Reisman Foundation, which funds the HESEG Foundation, stated Indigo does not support the Israeli military. She added that the HESEG fund is “exclusively for charitable purposes.”

A court injunction allowed Indigo to shut down IndigoKillsKids.ca temporarily. A court injunction is “a court order requiring a person to do or cease doing a specific action.” The campaign demands that Indigo “drop its lawsuit against the Indigo Kills Kids campaign.” They also call for the CRA to hold “Heather Reisman, Gerald Schwartz, and the directors of Canadian charities accountable.” 

The campaign also calls for Heather Reisman to “drop the charges against the Indigo Peace 11 protestors.” The Peace 11 protestors are a group of “professors, community organizers, legal workers, and labour activists” who allegedly put up posters and splattered “washable red paint on the window of a Toronto” Indigo bookstore in 2023. One protestor was arrested on November 14, 2023, and the other ten were arrested on November 22 for “criminal mischief.” As of May, four charges out of 11 have been dropped by the Crown. 

The Peak interviewed Gur Tsabar, an advocate from the Palestinian solidarity group Jews Say No to Genocide. When asked why he thinks Indigo pursued the lawsuit, he said “I always like to tell friends that guilty people act guilty, and I think the same holds for corporations.” He believes the company is “scrambling to attempt to save themselves and their reputation and do whatever they can to remain legal.” Tsabar added that the fund has been “illegal this whole time,” as funding lone soldiers is against Canadian law, which states “it is not charitable to support the armed forces of another country.

“At this point, Indigo has no choice but to state they are not directly supporting lone soldiers because that’s the only way to stay within the law,” he continued.

The $200 million funneled into HESEG from Indigo are tax-subsidized dollars. These are tax credits donors receive when they donate to certain charities. Tsabar stated that “tax laws all over the world have been systematically used by the World Zionist Organization and people who support the Israeli war machine to steal money from local residents.” For instance, the Jewish National Fund sent money to Israel to build infrastructure for the Israeli military. 

As far as protests from Palestinian solidarity groups go, “every corporation’s fair game and should continue to expect they’re going to be hounded and have their assets manipulated to get them to stop participating in a genocide,” said Tsabar.

The Peak reached out to Indigo for comment but did not receive a response by the publication deadline. 

Voting “yes” on the TSSU BDS referendum is a concrete step towards ending the genocide

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Peak Web
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A waving Palestinian flag
PHOTO: Houssem Bouaza / Unsplash

By: Nick Gottlieb and Omri Haiven, SFU students

“It’s like we’re watching Auschwitz on TikTok.” That’s how Canadian physician Dr. Gabor Maté, himself a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust, described the horrific videos coming out of north Gaza this week.

We are Jewish graduate students at SFU who share Dr. Maté’s horror at the violence being perpetrated by the state of Israel. We are also members of the national organization Independent Jewish Voices (IJV), a group that advocates for an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory, Israel’s apartheid system between Jews and Palestinians, and, most urgently of all, to the ongoing genocide of Palestinians. We have recently launched an IJV chapter at SFU.

Every day, Israel escalates its killings in Gaza and expands its territorial ambitions. Israeli newspapers are now reporting publicly that the Israeli government is “eyeing Gaza annexation.” The threat of an all-out regional war — that could easily become a world war — grows greater by the day as Israel invades Lebanon and attacks parts of Syria and Yemen. Thankfully, after more than a year of live-streamed genocide, famine, and torture, more and more Jews understand the reality that Israel’s interests are not our own, and more people across the world fight for a path to justice and peace that does not involve these kinds of crimes against humanity.

The Teaching Support Staff Union (TSSU) here at SFU has an upcoming referendum focused on one of the strongest actions we can take here in a country like Canada: Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS). The BDS campaign was launched in 2005 by a broad swathe of Palestinian civil society as a way to escalate social and economic pressure against the Israeli state’s apartheid regime. It does this by asking the international community to exclude Israeli institutions from a range of activities in order to apply pressure on the Israeli government to end apartheid, stop the illegal occupation of the West Bank, and free the people of Gaza from the military siege that has existed since 2007. All of these Israeli practices are illegal under international law, and BDS is a way for us to enforce international norms that countries like Canada and the US are currently ignoring.

The BDS campaign is modeled after the boycott campaign that helped end the apartheid regime in South Africa in 1990. While there were undoubtedly supporters of apartheid South Africa who accused the boycott campaign of bias at the time, it’s now obvious that to accuse that campaign of “anti-Afrikaner” racism would have been absurd. The same applies today, despite what supporters of Israel’s apartheid might say: BDS is not anti-semitic; it’s non-violent, and it is one of our best hopes for peace and justice.

It has become abundantly clear over the last year that generating economic and political pressure from within the Global North is the only way we can win an arms embargo, stop Israel’s genocide, and force the country to change its course. The path toward peace begins with an immediate ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories. Only from there can Jews, Palestinians, and everyone else in the region begin the long, hard journey toward reconciliation and peace.

The TSSU has passed several motions in solidarity with the Palestinian labour movement and in opposition to the genocide. The Simon Fraser Student Society, the Graduate Student Society, and the Simon Fraser University Faculty Association (SFUFA) have as well. SFUFA’s June motion urged for an institutional and cultural boycott, particularly relevant for our academic context, and it highlighted the devastating “scholasticide” that Israel has committed in Gaza over the last year. As the motion notes, “Israel has destroyed 396 educational facilities, including all 12 of Gaza’s universities.”

The TSSU’s expressions of solidarity are important, but this last year has made it very clear that they are not enough: we need to take concrete actions. This upcoming BDS motion is one of these concrete actions. We are calling on our fellow TSSU members to vote “yes” on the digital referendum and ensure that our union and our broader academic community can contribute to ending these horrors.

Author bios:
Nick Gottlieb is a writer and a graduate student in the Geography Department whose research focuses on the links between fossil fuel infrastructure and imperialism.

Omri Haiven is a researcher and graduate student in the School of Communication. His research is on renewable energy systems, agriculture and democratic/economic renewal.

How my goalkeeping dreams began

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Peak Web
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a pink soccer ball sitting in green grass. In the corner, the frame of a soccer net can be seen.
PHOTO: Joshua Hoehne / Unsplash

By: Tam Nguyen, Staff Writer

I have a low tolerance for pain and hardship. Somehow, I managed to become the sole goalkeeper on my high school’s girl’s soccer team, the only position that I was half decent at. I took a few balls straight into my face, and ended up with a bloody nose on my first match and broken glasses on my second one. After that, I quit, bruises and all, but at least I had an honourable reason as to why I joined in the first place. 

Back in high school, my friend and I went to My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi, Vietnam, to watch a women’s soccer game. The two competing teams were mainly trying to train their rookies. There wasn’t much of an audience compared to the men’s soccer game, as people in Vietnam didn’t take women’s sports very seriously. 

As the game progressed, a golden haze lit over the stadium. Soft laughter floated here and there, as people were more absorbed in their thoughts than the game. The background was a blur. Spending the night with my friend and enjoying the fall breeze was all that mattered, until the referee blew the whistle aggressively, the sound a sharp “tweet!” signaling something exciting was happening. The goalkeeper successfully saved a very dangerous, upper-corner shot from the striker on the left wing. It pulled the audience out of their heads, drawing their attention back to the field. It was a badass moment saturated by her outfit — a bright yellow uniform and short hairstyle. I liked the way the audience seemed to awaken from sleep to catch the euphoric moment where they didn’t know if she could save it or not. 

I didn’t even know this goalkeeper’s name, but it was enough to spark a curiosity in me to try out something new — something that, over time, has turned out positively for me. As a goalkeeper, I had good moments with my coach and team, and I was especially fond of my neon catching glove and the late evening dinners. Admittedly, the coach knew I was a lost cause since the tryout, but there weren’t enough girls signed up to the team, so he decided I could become the goalkeeper. It was a very fun experience to me, and the cardio and skill activities were very beneficial to my training. 

I guess this is a thank-you letter to the goalkeeper that night. Even though I didn’t become the next Alisson Becker, at least I tried something new (and I looked good with those soccer-sustained bruises on my face). I hope you are still playing and becoming famous, and I look forward to seeing you one day when Vietnam Women’s Soccer competes in the FIFA World Cup.

Horoscopes October 21–27

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Peak Web
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An illustration of a girl, stars and astrological signs strewn in her hair.
ILLUSTRATION: Marissa Ouyang / The Peak

By: Hana Hoffman, Peak Associate

Aries
March 21–April 19

It’s not easy to find a matching top and bottom of a swimsuit when you wake up 10 minutes before you have to leave. Summertime is when you have daily outings and no time to reorganize your drawers. It’s just like how sometimes people come to school with two different socks. So don’t worry about what you came wearing today; the two different colours and patterns are as spectacular as beautiful multi-coloured fish in the sea!

Taurus
April 20–May 20

You will thank me for what I’m about to say. A gigantic umbrella should always be on your checklist when going to the beach. If it’s too hot, that’ll be your shade; if it’s raining, it’ll keep you dry. If it’s raining meatballs, they’ll bounce off the umbrella and keep you safe. But most importantly, if you get bored, you can be Mary Poppins.

Gemini 
May 21–June 20

If I could give you any advice, it would be to never trust the weather forecast. The predicted sunny days keep getting sudden cloudiness and rain, and sometimes, when it’s supposed to rain, the sun starts to show. However, I don’t blame the weather for feeling under the weather sometimes, and the temperature also has its ups and downs. A beach day is just one of those things you can’t plan in advance. You must look out the window, call your friends, and go immediately!

Cancer
June 21–July 22

Please fill in the blanks of these song lyrics with whatever words you like.
I got that summertime, summertime _______. All I need, is a beauty and a ______  , who can make my life complete. I don’t know if I could ever go without, ______ sugar, high. 
Real Cancers answered “mango” for all three. Don’t argue with me. I don’t make the rules; the stars do. 

Leo
July 23–August 22

Take this quiz to find out what you should do today!

  1. Do you like the sound of waves?
  2. Do you like collecting shells?
  3. Do you want some natural Vitamin D?

If you answered mostly “yes,” it’s your sign to go to the beach. If you answered mostly “kind of,” it’s still your sign to go to the beach because it means you don’t mind it. If you answered mostly “no,” too bad, I’m already parked on your street so I can drive you to the beach!

Virgo
August 23–September 22

I want to know, in your opinion, which of these is the worst thing to experience at the beach?

  1. When there’s always sand in your socks and in between your toes
  2. Accidentally swallowing salt water while swimming
  3. Accidentally stepping on a rock with barnacles
  4. Running after an ice cream truck, and then they say they’re sold out

Didn’t mean to be all cold and list these downpours, but at the same time these situations make me feel nostalgic about summer.

Libra
September 23–October 22

Sand castles are the most underrated thing in youth culture. SFU students rarely build sandcastles at the beach, so even little five-year-olds are better architects than them. Libra, you will be the first to build an outstanding sand castle and prove to everyone at the beach that university students are just as talented as kids. Thank you in advance.

Scorpio
October 23–November 21

Your friend drove you for 45 minutes to the beach! But then, while you and your friends are swimming, you suddenly realize you forgot to bring a towel. What will you do now? I have some ideas: get out of the water and pass the beach ball until you dry. Go to the public washroom and use the air dryer. You can’t go back in your friend’s car and leave a wet spot on the car seat!

Sagittarius
November 22–December 21

You’re a brave one for saying “yes” to sun tanning with your buds . . . because, in case you don’t know, there are many cases of bird poop incidents annually. Ugh, what a pain it is when you’re having the most relaxing time lying on your towel on the soft sand, and suddenly you hear a splat on your leg. Well actually, I heard getting pooped on by a bird means good luck, so I guess there’s a positive on both outcomes.

Capricorn
December 22–January 19

It’s your first time surfing and your uncle is teaching you. You’re a bit wobbly but getting the hang of it. Then all of a sudden you see a school of small fish do little jumps out of the water and a beautiful dive back in. What a cute occurrence and I think it would also mean good luck!

Aquarius
January 20–February 18 

Snorkeling season is the best season! A break from land creatures for once. I’m tired of being chased down by dogs, spied on by crows, and bitten by mosquitos. I can’t wait to get underwater by the colourful coral and greet the beautiful lionfish, parrotfish, flagtail. . . wait, I forgot I’m in Vancouver and not on vacation in Miami :’(

Pisces
February 19–March 20

I have a serious question for you, Pisces, and I think it would be helpful to have already made your decision before a situation like this occurs so you can act fast. Picture this: you’re playing beach volleyball in the middle of the last round which determines the winner because the teams are currently tied. Suddenly you see an eagle snatching snacks out of your backpack! Would you rather stay in the game and save your team from losing or run after the eagle to save your snacks? I already know the answer of course. But I wanted to test how well you know yourself.

Affordable housing — where it all went wrong

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Peak Web
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Two women looking at a phone with a worrisome expression on their faces. A house on the background with the illustration of a an arrow plummeting downwards overimposed
ILLUSTRATION: Den Kinanti / The Peak

By: Yildiz Subuk, Staff Writer

Housing as a necessity

In 1976, Canada agreed to recognize housing as a human right, adhering to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) drafted by the United Nations. A right to housing does not necessarily entail that the government has to provide every single person with housing, but it does mean the government must uphold proper policies that allow citizens to have an adequate place to live. Some rules governments must abide by are: ensuring marginalized groups do not face barriers regarding access to housing, having access to services such as water, electricity, schools, and employment, as well as not having to worry about bad-faith evictions or displacements from residence.

According to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), housing that is affordable should take up less than 30% of a household’s monthly income. A recent report by Royal LePage finds that nearly 53% of Canadian households will spend more than that 30% standard on housing. 33% of Canadians specifically spend over 40% of their income on housing. Housing is clearly no longer affordable. 

Current social housing programs help ensure that people have affordable housing. Social housing provides low-income individuals with housing options that are below current market price. In Canada, social housing is provided by provincial governments and non-profit organizations, however before 1996, the federal government was in charge of the housing sector. The Canadian government during the ‘90s had already begun to allow private investors, including real estate investment trusts (REITS) and landlords, to have more freedom over the housing market. With the cut of the co-op housing program in 1992, the start of a worsening issue was set in motion.

A historical overview of housing policies

Before the ‘90s, Canada had a couple different plans put in place to help lower to upper middle income citizens with housing needs. The 1930s brought government assisted aid for housing to Canada. It all started with the 1935 Dominion Housing Act, which mainly provided $20 million in housing loans to Canadians. The Federal Home Improvement Plan of 1937 helped finance interest rates on homes. In 1938, the National Housing Act (NHA) was introduced, and it allowed for the construction of low–rent housing units. The root of social housing can be traced back to the NHA, as it marked the beginning of the Canadian government prioritizing housing for low-income people.

Gregory Suttor, housing research consultant and lecturer in UofT, outlined the changes in housing policies from the ‘60s to the ‘90s in section 5.4 of his PhD thesis “Canadian Social Housing: Policy Evolution and Impacts on the Housing System and Urban Space.” During the ‘60s, the goal of social housing was to expand the range of the program to help a diverse range of Candains. The ‘70s and ‘80s saw the growth of government involvement in the housing sector.

Three temporary federal programs were introduced in the ‘80s to help Canadians with housing affordability. The Canadian Homeownership Stimulation Program offered grants to homebuyers. The Canada Mortgage Renewal Plan helped cover part of mortgage and property tax costs when renewal rates high. The Graduate Payment Mortgage Plan reduced monthly mortgage payments. The Canadian government stepped up when housing affordability reached a point of exhaustion. There were plans put in place to ensure housing cost does not exceed 30% of a household’s monthly income, so what changed after the ‘80s? Why did the Canadian government deprioritize housing affordability? The answer lies in neoliberalism infiltrating Canadian thinking.

Housing as capital gains

During the ‘90s, there was a clear shift in how the Canadian government viewed housing — before this period, housing was viewed as a necessity. The government had policies put in place that helped Canadians buy houses at an affordable rate, and provided forms of aid for lower-income Canadians, such as grants for homeowners and an emphasis on social housing programs.  

“It took the severe [recession] of the mid-1990s and the global triumph of neoliberal ideas rippling across Canada to end the social housing era,” writes Suttor in his thesis.

Neoliberalism is the belief that the government should not interfere in the economy, promoting a focus on individualism. It follows the argument of “if you are poor, it’s your fault,” as if people are free to move up in society through hard-work alone. Neoliberalist thinking has been critiqued for its ignorance of social inequity, as it does not account for the fact marginalized groups tend to have barriers that disadvantage them significantly compared to others. 

In 1992, Conservative leader Brian Mulroney announced that the co-operative housing program, which had built 60,000 homes for lower to middle income families, was to be cut. This decision provided short-term economic growth, but a long-term problem. Providing affordable housing, a basic necessity, was no longer the concern of the federal government. During the ‘90s, REITs were introduced. REITS, which were created in the ‘60s by US President Dwight Eisenhower, combine the finances of multiple investors to buy out different properties. This is done so investors can generate income from properties, without having to do the work of managing the property itself. 

Due to the recession of the ‘90s, the federal government decreased its interventions from the housing sector, allowing private investors to buy large amounts of housing units in Canada. REITs began renovating housing units, driving up the property value significantly as well as the amount to rent the properties. A lot of landlords began benefiting from policies that made rent laws less strict. The “1991 Loophole” was a policy introduced in 1997, which omitted rent control on any houses built after 1991. The plan was to not place constraints on new developers looking to build more rental units, but this plan backfired as more units were not built, and instead the developers set the rent prices high. This loophole indicated how housing had shifted from being a necessity to becoming more of an investment during the ‘90s.

The shift in government policy, as well as the introduction of REITs — which have collectively over nine companies, generated $39 billion in capital — has indicated that the government does not view affordable housing as a priority. Instead, housing has become focused on providing actors such as REITs and landlords with assets. Shifting focus from providing housing for everyone to making it a hot commodity has had a long-term impact on many Canadians, one that’s increasingly worse today.

Steps forward

There are solutions to fixing the current housing affordability issue. With better government regulations, more stringent laws protecting tenants such as rent increase regulations, as well as not allowing private investors the ability to buy up so much of the housing sector, the government can provide many Canadians with better housing. The Canadian government has the solutions right in front of them, but they still allow greedy private investors to occupy such a large portion of the housing sector. This negligent decision has proved to be reckless — actively depriving many Canadians from access to affordable housing.

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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