Fossil fuel companies shouldn’t influence education

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May 14, 2025

photo of a k-12 classroom, kids raising hands or writing while a teacher stands at the front — PHOTO: CDC / Pexels

By: Yildiz Subuk, Staff Writer

A recent report from the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment revealed that 39 different fossil fuel companies across Canada have significantly influenced youth’s climate change education — that is 39 too many. Enbridge, TC Energy, and Fortis BC were among the companies named. Young children are our future collaborators and leaders in a climate that is rapidly changing in harmful ways. Children are especially vulnerable to pollution as they breathe more and have smaller airways; pollution increases their chances of respiratory infection. Still, the education surrounding pollution is hardly ideal — it’s funded by the very companies that profit from it. Young people deserve a wiser approach to a factor that will not only impact but dictate their futures.

“Petro Pedagogy” is used by the report to describe the different messaging strategies employed by fossil fuel companies. Since the 1990s, the industry has shifted from climate denial towards climate delay. The industry initially focused on attacking climate science, but soon realized that growing activism and public doubt in fossil fuels meant they needed a new approach to combatting climate change evidence. They resorted to strategies like “greenwashing” and “bias balance” to exert their influence. Greenwashing is the use of misleading information to make a company’s product appear sustainable, and a biased-balanced approach ensures that lesson plans are framed to include the industry’s perspective to appear less “biased.” This false neutrality positions the industry’s right to destruction as equal to our right to sustainability. Among these approaches peddled to Canadian classrooms, there is also a focus on lessons that shift environmental responsibilities to the individual consumer rather than addressing harmful policies and corporations.

The curriculum successfully uses greenwashing to make oil extraction seem sustainable, while also shifting the blame to consumers for needing and being economically dependent on fossil fuel energy.

For example, Imperial Oil has hosted workshops for tree planting in Sarnia, Ontario, a community they have actively harmed with pollution from their oil refinery. The company gloats about sustainability on its website while polluting so heavily that Sarnia has an area known as the “chemical valley.” Through educational sponsorships and “opportunities” like these, companies build a seemingly respectable rapport with educational institutions and in communities. They appear charitable as a way to divert criticism. In 2014, Suncor partnered with Alberta’s provincial government to create curricula for kindergarten to grade three students, while Cenovus partnered to take care of grades four through 12. As of 2024, the province’s curriculum is to include that Alberta has a “reputation as the most ethical producer of oil in the world” while also reinforcing that energy is essential for the economy. The curriculum successfully uses greenwashing to make oil extraction seem sustainable and further shifts the blame to consumers for needing and being economically dependent on fossil fuel energy. What if instead, we encouraged our youth to innovate alternatives in the face of ecological disaster?

According to Statistics Canada, 62% of Canadian youth agreed climate initiatives should be a top priority. Organizations like Climate Education Reform BC have also emerged as youth mobilize — clearly, they are concerned. However, only 34% of educators feel confident when it comes to teaching about environmental issues. Provincial budget cuts to education are a major factor when it comes to addressing the gap in climate education. Because of these cuts, schools lose valuable funding which would otherwise go to strengthening educational plans. This makes room for the fossil fuel industry to invest in education. Sustainability within the curriculum can only be achieved once schools do not rely on funding and sponsorships from private corporations. Instead of allowing industries to influence and damage our futures, the provincial government should focus on providing adequate resources for educators to tackle the issue. But first, that means we need to convince our peers that education is worth voting for.

An alternative perspective on small businesses

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May 14, 2025

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Illustration of a row of small businesses including a barber shop, coin laundry, bookstore, and farmer’s market. — ILLUSTRATION: Cliff Ebora / The Peak

By: Yildiz Subuk, Staff Writer

Small businesses contribute to local economies by offering unique products, innovations, and creating job opportunities. In Canada, they employ over five million people throughout the country and make up nearly 98% of all businesses. However, the narrative around small businesses often focuses on the owners, and ignores the employees.

CEOs and small business owners have some key differences. CEOs are often chosen by a Board of Directors, which is made up of investors who oversee a company’s entire vision. Small business owners are those who create and manage a business at a smaller scale, and tend to be more “hands on,” as they take charge of hiring, payroll, and other administrative roles. Both positions share a key similarity: they rely on the labour of others to grow their companies. Employees are the ones putting in the labour to sustain and grow the business. Businesses are built on the backs of the workers, who are often subjected to lower wages and limited benefits. While the growth of small businesses is important, emphasis must also be placed on improving conditions for the workers who are directly responsible for their success.

Conditions for employees

Although small businesses open up new job opportunities for locals, that doesn’t inherently mean they ensure the best labour conditions for employees. While there are obvious exceptions to this idea, there is clear evidence that small businesses don’t provide better work environments compared to large businesses. This doesn’t excuse the fact that many large corporations engage in unethical practices, but it does provide perspective into how small businesses are part of a capitalist system that relies on the control and exploitation of workers.

Small business owners have a tendency to micromanage, monitoring their employees day-to-day tasks. Micromanagers often focus on critiquing instead of providing productive feedback. A small business owner wanting to micromanage makes sense because most small business owners are hard workers, who want to ensure everything is up to standard. The problem lies in the fact that micromanaging can cause a drop in job satisfaction and morale. While it is understandable for business owners to prioritize quality, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness, constant micromanagement can be extremely frustrating for their employees. At the end of the day, workers remain the driving force to success. In order to succeed, a team of competent employees is needed, and most importantly a manager who can allow their employees to display such competence. Micromanaging can often lead to employees feeling like the owner has doubts about an employee’s competency. It can be condescending and devaluing, as it shows the owner’s lack of trust in his employees capabilities.

Business blogs such as First Reference and CFIB have made the argument that minimum wage increases can be harmful to small businesses. As minimum wage increases, small business owners may struggle to keep up with paying their employees the legally required amount set by the province. While this is a valid argument, it ignores a crucial component of the discussion — the employee. This rhetoric prioritizes the well-being of the business while neglecting the employees who drive the business forward. While it is important for small businesses to receive support when minimum wage is increased, ensuring employees receive fair and adequate pay should take priority.

Minimum wage is increased to improve the standard of living. It’s important workers are supported through a rising cost of living. Even then, minimum wage does not equate to livable wage. A livable wage is one that guarantees employees, live a comfortable life, not having to worry about whether they will be able to afford food, make rent, and have access to social benefits and education. This should be considered the bare minimum. The average liveable wage in BC is currently $27 per hour. The minimum wage, however, is only $17.40 per hour. So, those making less tend to have more difficulties with affordability.

While businesses may take a hit when it comes to increasing minimum wage, we must ask what’s more important — the business or the quality of life of the employee? The latter is both the most reasonable and the most morally just choice.

The responsibility

So, while small businesses provide society with benefits, they have a responsibility to ensure their employees are put first. Small businesses aren’t perfect, or entirely ethical either. Ultimately, the entire point of a business is to generate revenue. So, when there is discourse about protecting small businesses, it often focuses on the owners, and less on the employees. The accomplishment of a business is communal, which means that discourse about supporting businesses should include, first and foremost, advocacy for the workers.

Monday Music: When soft weather brings hard feelings

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May 14, 2025

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ILLUSTRATION: A person with headphones contemplating the various aspects of life, in a state of wonderment (but not sad). — ILLUSTRATION: Noah Jozic / The Peak

By: Ashima Shukla, Staff Writer

Driving through X̱wáýx̱way (Stanley Park) this morning, I noticed something that jolted me out of my usual daze of cherry blossoms and sunkissed daydreams: trees, felled and fallen. The ones standing didn’t look much better, thin and brittle with decay. Their slow death is thanks to hemlock looper moths. Some have been removed. Others stand with abated breath, one spark away from igniting, a few moments away from decomposing and breathing new life into the soil. They stand there, witnessing their own undoing.

The quiet horror of the remaining stumps of the once majestic trees mirrors the disquiet brewing in my mind for months now. Spring time in the city is a renaissance of pink confetti and community. But one thought has always clung to me like floating pollen during these few months. Are we also standing in witness to our own undoing?

If you find yourself filled with a gnawing existential dread this spring, know that you are not alone. In the spirit of indulging in the absurdity of it all, I offer a soundtrack for sitting with your discomfort. These songs might not soothe you but they will offer you company as you look into this beautiful and broken world, and prepare for all your battles ahead.

“Fruits of Disillusion” by Yves Jarvis

To start, “Fruits of Disillusion” is a slow and meditative unraveling. Montreal-based multi-instumentalist Yves Jarvis creates music that feels like watercolour running across Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit, the famously unreadable guide to human consciousness. Whether you are sitting watching a dying tree or staring at the bumps and cracks in your ceiling, Jarvis helps you get in touch with what it feels like to watch the world bend out of shape.

“Room Full of Human Male Politicians” by Ruby Gill

Born in South Africa and raised in Australia, Ruby Gill’s music is sharpened by her classical training and feminine rage. In “Room Full of Human Male Politicians” she disarms you with acoustic guitar strings and follows it with gut-punching lyrics. At once confessional and furious, she captures the all too familiar feeling of unbelonging.

“The Big Machine” by Angélica Garcia

With Salvadoran and Mexican American heritage, Garcia stirs dread and hope with her every note. Blurring genres, “The Big Machine” combines a Latinx futurism with haunting synths in both protest and prayer. Otherworldly with hypnotic vocals, this song recalls Bob Dylan’s “jingle jangle morning” if the Tambourine man were a cyborg.

“I am a Mountain (don’t be afraid)” by Thanya Iyer

Blending jazz, chamber pop, and experimental textures, Iyer’s songs are like spells. “I am a Mountain (don’t be afraid)” offers a slow burn of revolution — a reminder that sometimes resilience is all about allowing the flow of change. Iyer invites us to ground ourselves but also to reach up, to come to terms with our fears but not be ruled by them.

“Nada” by Lido Pimienta

Colombian Canadian artist Lido Pimienta’s influences vary from traditional Indigenous to Afro Colombian, part electro to part soul. With grief and the grit of survival, “Nada” is a quiet anthem of soft and stubborn strength.

Instead of finding in the spring blossoms a mockery, let us learn from their stubborn survival. Let these songs remind you that sometimes resistance looks like embracing absurdity in the face of collapse. As Camus has said, “The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.” I hope these songs help you achieve just that.

Research assistants integrated into TSSU Collective Agreement

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May 13, 2025

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This is a photo of a black-haired girl researching on her laptop, with a textbook and notebook open on her table as well. — PHOTO: Surface / Unsplash

By: Corbett Gildersleve, News Writer

On March 28, SFU announced they reached a Memorandum of Settlement with the Teaching Support Staff Union (TSSU) to add about 1,000 research assistants (RAs) to the current TSSU collective agreement. This is a historic agreement as it is the first one in Western Canada. The Peak spoke with Kayla Hilstob, chief steward, and Derek Sahota, member representative, from TSSU to learn more about the history and impact of this change.

TSSU members include sessional instructors, teaching assistants, faculty of education mentors, and graduate facilitators. The new members will now include up to 1,000 “RAs, and then research support, and other types of grant-funded researcher workers,” said Hilstob. This number may increase following an upcoming BC Labour Board decision. Those added to the collective agreement will now receive the same core benefits as other TSSU members. This includes extended health and dental, WorkSafeBC protections, job security, union representation during disciplinary meetings, an increase in wages, access to the TSSU member child care fund, and many other benefits.

Hilstob said it was a “key priority” for TSSU that all RAs receive the same benefits—something SFU had resisted. In the event that a research grant does not cover RA benefits, a special fund set up by SFU opened May 1 for people to apply to. TSSU was also able to negotiate an international student health fee cover for RAs that will be implemented on November 1, as Hilstob stated SFU refused to cover it now. The Peak reached out to SFU for a statement, but they stated they did not have a statement to provide aside from their press release.

Those who have been added to the collective agreement will now receive the same core benefits as other TSSU members.

The unionization of research assistants has been a long road, going as far back as 1978. The latest effort started in 2014 with TSSU’s “Research is Work” campaign, which involved internal discussions between RAs and TSSU. Summer 2019 saw the campaign go into full gear with mapping departments and card signing, and a public launch with postering, social media, information sessions, and rallies. After SFU voluntarily recognized RAs in November 2019, several unsuccessful bargaining sessions occurred centering a debate around who should be considered a research assistant and what work was being done.

TSSU escalated their strike action in 2023 to a full work stoppage, followed by bargaining being renewed for the fall 2024 term. The recent Memorandum of Settlement is the result of this latest round of bargaining. This is a “legal document that forms part of the collective agreement and highlights changes from the previous collective agreement.”

Sahota said there are still around 800 graduate students and workers funded through specific SFU grants yet to be counted as employees. This decision was to be made by the Labour Board mid-April, but has not been announced. Sahota noted that recognizing these students has been the “crux of the issue back all the way to 2019,” with RAs being “critical to the research enterprise of SFU, but they [SFU] continue to object.”

The current SFU-TSSU collective agreement expired on April 30, however, its provisions will carry forward until a new agreement has been bargained. TSSU has submitted notice to SFU to begin bargaining, hoping to begin this summer.

TSSU rejects SFU’s proposed changes to its IP policy

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May 13, 2025

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This is a vibrant poster with yellow and red colours that reads, “SFU Plans to Steal Your IP Rights” as the main text. A lightbulb is the main graphic, with the rest of the text inviting the reader to read the new policy and sign the TSSU’s petition against it. — PHOTO: Mason Mattu / The Peak

By: Corbett Gildersleve, News Writer

Earlier this year, SFU released an updated version of their Intellectual Property (IP) Policy for community feedback. The Teaching Support Staff Union (TSSU) released a public petition on March 14, stating that, among other things, the new policy would “see the university steal the IP of teachers, researchers, and students across the university, without our consent.”

The current policy, approved in 2004, defines that IP is “the result of intellectual or artistic activity, created by a university member in a scholarly, professional, or student capacity, that can be owned by a person.” It goes on to state that this kind of activity can include “inventions, publications (including scholarly publications), educational materials, computer software, works of art, industrial and artistic designs, as well as other intellectual property rights.” This includes copyrights, trademarks, and patents.

After the draft policy was posted online, TSSU provided their concerns to SFU directly and later launched the petition. Sometime afterward, SFU’s draft was removed from their website, and an FAQ response was put up on April 10. SFU cited that the policy is over 20 years old and they aim to amend it to “enhance innovation, creativity, and transparency in research and innovation.”

In the current policy, SFU notes it “retains a royalty-free perpetual right to use for scholarly, academic, and other non-commercial purposes all IP created through use of university resources.” According to the new proposal, a commercial purpose would involve a third party and could involve “assignment, licensing, manufacturing or production of IP” as well as creating a separate company. While the new policy states that educational material belongs to the creator, SFU also added a clause stating they receive a royalty-free non-commercial license.

The Peak spoke with Kayla Hilstob, chief steward, and Derek Sahota, member representative, to discuss their concerns around section 5.1.1a of the draft policy. “The new policy proposal says anything arising from employment duties is SFU’s, and that’s a very, very broad capture. It doesn’t even mean you actually do it as part of your employment duties, it just arises from,” said Sahota.

“The new policy proposal says anything arising from employment duties is SFU’s, and that’s a very, very broad capture. It doesn’t even mean you do it as part of your employment duties, it just arises from.” — Derek Sahota, member representative, TSSU

Comparing the current policy with the proposed changes, details have been reduced. The Peak reached out to SFU for a statement, and was directed to their Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page. In question four of the FAQ, SFU responds to concerns about IP ownership by stating that it gains the IP rights to anything developed under employment duties, but that “faculty retain full ownership of their creations outside of university-assigned work.” The FAQ lists a few examples, such as “brochures, commissioned studies, or descriptive handbooks, whose production was commissioned by the university,” though voided from the new draft. As such, TSSU raised concerns as to whether course material created by an instructor today would be used by SFU in the future after that person has moved on. In 2021, at Concordia University, a student took a course overseen by one instructor and two TAs, only to find out the course videos they were watching were created, recorded, and presented by an instructor who had passed away two years prior.

When asked about the benefits of SFU’s current IP policy, Sahota said, “Giving [workers] control over their own IP allows for the greatest amount of innovation, development, collaboration, and the best resources. It’s a grassroots model of those workers, whether they’re faculty, researchers, students together, not a corporate model of ownership from the top-down directing everything.

“That is different, but it’s what’s made universities so successful across the world — to become these developers of knowledge, developers of places of education, places of learning. And so it is different, it has worked at SFU for decades,” he continued. The current policy stresses the responsibilities of the university to provide safeguards for the equitable protection and distribution of property, collaboration, and fairness. Sahota stated that “the existing policy and SFU’s model of IP is it’s really egalitarian, that reflects the radical roots of the university. It applies to all, whether you’re a student, or you’re a faculty, staff, you’re precarious, or continuing, you get these rights.”

With the change in SFU’s IP policy concerning different groups at SFU, Sahota noted, “This process is completely and fundamentally flawed” by not directly involving TSSU, the Faculty Association of SFU, and others in developing the changes. “The changes that are being made to policy should be coming from us, not be directed at us. This policy change isn’t addressing a need that the community has found, and that should be the start of the policy process,” he said.

When asked what TSSU’s next steps were, Sahota said the petition has been submitted to senior administration, and SFU has paused the update to the policy. TSSU wants to “build pressure and momentum” to ensure that if the policy is brought back, the community is “aware and prepared to make sure the policy meets the demands of workers, meets the needs of the university and doesn’t have this corporatization built into it.”

All hail the artificial sun

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Peak Web

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May 13, 2025

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A picture of a restaurant with three bright lights and a child under them. — PHOTO: Ksenia Chernaya / Pexels

By: Yasmin Hassan, Peak Associate

When I’m driving late at night, and there’s a Ford F-150 beaming its stark white LED deathray high beams at my mirrors, I do not shun away; I assert my dominance by staring directly into the light because I am not afraid. My retinas are troopers, OK? Just like I stare down the piercing white lights from a car, I am NOT scared of the big light in rooms!

Society loves to villainize overhead lighting. We are constantly told that it is too harsh, sterile, and unforgiving. People act as though sitting under a well-lit ceiling fixture is akin to being interrogated by the FBI. But what if — stay with me here — the big light is not the enemy stand user? What if, instead, it is a beacon of clarity, a champion of productivity, a bold defiance against squinting and trying to figure out whether that is, in fact, a coat on my chair or the Hat Man?

Somewhere along the line, dim lighting became synonymous with sophistication and coziness. “Mood lighting,” as the kids call it, is pushed as the superior choice, a warm and gentle glow designed to lure you into a relaxed state while the boogeyman plots in the shadows. Sure, I’ll admit it: there’s a time and place for it — candlelit dinners, movie nights, and when you’re trying to disregard the film of dust accumulated on your furniture. But is it truly practical? The answer, my friends, is NO!!

Reading without straining your eyes? Big light. Making spaghetti without mistaking salt for sugar? Big light (unless you’re Buddy the Elf). Finding the sock that somehow wedged itself under the couch? Big li — wait . . . whose sock is this? I . . . don’t have a pair this colour, and I haven’t invited anyone over in months. Um, anyway, these are the fundamental aspects of life that should not be taken for granted!

Does my love for the big light stem from my innate fear of the dark? What utter nonsense! What if I like to see the room I’m in? What if I don’t want to exist in a dimly lit purgatory, unsure if I’m reaching for my phone or the remote or . . . Larry the Cat? Have y’all seen The Foot from Diary of a Wimpy Kid? Yeah, just know THAT’S the type of malicious energy you’re inviting into the room with your 40% illuminated.

Of course, there will always be the die-hard lamp enthusiasts, those who will fight tooth and nail to ensure a room is vibey. Also part of the reason why I quit the lamp game, I refuse to be out of check with my surroundings. For those of us who refuse to live our lives in a semi dark haze, it’s time to embrace our love for the big light with pride. No more shame, no more quiet suffering as you struggle to walk down a “moody” hallway looking like Velma searching for her glasses. Let me be clear: we like our rooms fully illuminated, and we will not apologize for it. Next time you end up having wine with Samara Morgan who you mistook for your goth friend because of the “ambient lighting,” do NOT call me for help! Kisses!

Gossip Peakie: First week on campus

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May 13, 2025

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Illustration of SFU president Joy Johnson looking up at a sky full of stars. — ILLUSTRATION: Victoria Lo / The Peak

By: Gossip Peakie

Hey Burnaby Mountain dwellers. Gossip Peakie here. Your one and only source for the scandalous and juicy tea being split all over campus. You might be wondering, who am I? First of all, thanks for the question. I love living rent free in that cluttered mind of yours.

Think of me as your friend — the kind of person you’d share a plate at the Dining Commons with. Yet, I am also your enemy. I’ll hype you up on Instagram and then come here to blog about how hideous that new cardigan looked on you. So, Peakies, I guess you can call me your newest frenemie.

Watch out and keep your head on a swivel, because I have eyes everywhere. On the back of the 145, in the stairwells of the AQ, and even in your residence’s broken laundry machine.

And the tea? It’s real. Your reputation if one of these stories is about you? Hanging by a thread. Enjoy my debut column as we enjoy the start of a new semester.

Illustration of a person bathing in a water fixture. — ILLUSTRATION: Victoria Lo / The Peak

Spotted: A computer science student bathing in the convocation mall fountain before the start of the semester. The worst thing is the water fixture wasn’t even on when he first jumped in. I get the need for these guys to take a bath, the comp-sci stench is real. He had to wash off those Dorrito-stained fingertips and avoid another bout of carpal tunnel from all that typing. But like, during a semester break? Make it make sense. Maybe he was too busy building his AI-generated portfolio.

Just in the nick of time, someone from facilities ran over to try to stop Fountain Dude. “You know this is recycled toilet water!” the custodian shouted. He just continued to splash around in the shallow water. I feel bad for the water for having to be exposed to this guy.

Spotted: Joy Johnson in the Trotterier Observatory at 2:00 a.m. staring at the stars. With the door left ajar, one of our correspondents asked Joy what she was looking for. Her answer: hope.

With the university deep in a $20 million deficit for the upcoming school year, perhaps our favourite president thought the stars were deceased Hollywood stars. Sorry, Joy. I don’t think the iconic Marilyn Monroe is ready to cough up $20 million to increase your salary.

Illustration of a man inside the SFU bookstore giving mouth-to-mouth to a mannequin on the ground. Behind him is a shelf full of merchandise, a clothing rack, a cash register, and shirts pinned to the wall. — ILLUSTRATION: Victoria Lo / The Peak

Spotted: Lonely Boy performs mouth-to-mouth on a mannequin from the SFU Bookstore. At least, we thought it was mouth-to-mouth. Within a matter of seconds, it was a full on make out sesh in front of students who were picking up their textbooks.

The mannequin was absolutely plain with no facial features. Maybe that’s his type — mannequins that don’t speak.

Rumour has it that the guy began playing the full-length Grey’s Anatomy theme music on his phone to set the mood. “I’m not going to lose you! Stay with me!” he cried. To be fair, that’s the most commitment we’ll see from any SFU student this semester. It’ll probably be the most action he’ll get all semester.

That’s all for now, besties.

You know you love me. XOXO, Gossip Peakie.

Election results: A rock wins in Burnaby Central

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May 12, 2025

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A red Liberal party election lawn sign. The candidate’s name is “a rock” and the riding name is Burnaby Central. — ILLUSTRATION: Bithi Sutradhar / The Peak

By: Mason Mattu, Chief Political Correspondent

Election night 2025 was a joyous one for Prime Minister Mark Carney, boomers, and the Liberal party, winning a minority government with 169 seats in Parliament. Perhaps one of the biggest surprises of the night was in Burnaby Central where a rock received 98% of the vote, ousting NDP incumbent Jagmeet Singh.

The “campaign” to elect the rock in Burnaby Central had a grand total of one polling station (located at SFU, even though we aren’t even in its riding) and only spent around $3 — on a temporary tattoo of the Liberal party logo to place on its torso.

“At first, I was kind of confused why a rock was running in this riding. I wondered how exactly this candidate would best represent me,” said Heather Joaness, who voted for the rock on election day. “My friends talked some sense into me and made me understand that Mark Carney has a plan to unite our country and defeat Trump! If he’s running a rock in our riding, it’s for a good reason. I’d trust that guy with my life.”

The Peak proceeded to ask Joaness whether she thought the Liberal platform would benefit working class Canadians. She stated that even though she is three months behind on rent and can barely afford groceries, Canadian sovereignty is still her number one concern. “Mark has a plan. Mark has a plan. Mark has a plan,” she repeated while lighting a prayer candle with a picture of Carney winking.

According to an anonymous source from the rock’s campaign, the team knocked on a total of two doors this election season, including the window of a McDonald’s drive-thru. In a poll asking residents if this would influence their voting intention, 100% said no.

On election night, The Peak caught up with Singh to see his response to losing the riding. Singh and a few of his staffers were hiding at Rev’s Bowling, trying to bowl away the pain of election night as results came in. Of course, The Peak was able to hunt them down.

“I served this community for over seven years! Seven years! Gave you free medications, free dental care so you look your best, and anti-scab legislation. But I’M NOT GOOD ENOUGH? You choose a ROCK and Mark the MILLIONAIRE to represent you?” cried a very distraught Singh before throwing his tenth bowling ball in a row into the gutter. Sounds like he’s hit rock bottom (too soon to crack a joke?)

Strategic voting hurt Singh and New Democrats across the country. Many former NDP voters we conversed with told us they used the website “strategicvotingrocks.ca” to learn who had the best chance of winning the election in the riding. The site features propaganda posters of the rock and projected it to win 5,000% of the vote in the riding.

“I mean, I looked at the website and I knew I had to vote strategically. I am #AnythingButConservative and hate Poilievre,” a working class resident said while glaring at a mountain of overdue bills. “Do my values align with those of a sedimentary object with no mouth or ears? No. But at least it isn’t a Conservative.”

In a statement to The Peak, the Liberal party defended their decision to nominate the rock in Burnaby Central. “This rock has the same characteristics as every single Liberal Member of Parliament. Silent, unresponsive to constituents, and steadfast in maintaining the status quo.” When we asked about the Carney government potentially pushing for proportional representation after the destruction of the NDP this election, we got a “ha, ha, no, lol you wish — just like a rock’s erosion, we love eroding democracy,” in response.

With his constituents and the rest of the country awaiting what happens next, the rock has been sent to Ottawa via an express delivery through Canada Post.

Student spotlight: SFU wall advocate

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May 12, 2025

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A young man wearing a green t-shirt with the text “I love SFU walls.” — PHOTO: Sanket Mishra / Unsplash

By: Zainab Salam, Correspondent for Misguided Student Movements

As Canada’s top university for innovation, it’s unsurprising that SFU attracts visionary students. Today, we’re highlighting an SFU student with the potential to change the world.

I am reporting from the Student Union Building, where a student activist group has begun a passionate campaign with one mission: to protect the grey of SFU’s walls. They declare the grey concrete aesthetic as a vital aspect of SFU’s identity. The group plastered posters all over the Burnaby campus to advocate for what they deem to be the superior university design. I can see the confusion of passerbys, as they see the “Make Concrete Cool Again” protest sign, held by a student activist in Convocation Mall.

I managed to snag one of the group’s unofficial spokesperson and SFU psychology student, Xan, for an exclusive interview.

Q: What inspired you to join today’s protest?
A: A vision of structure. I was walking down AQ halls last month, and I was overcome. The beauty of the grey walls. The quiet dignity of poured concrete. I knew then, I must serve!

Q: Serve . . . concrete?
A: No. Serve the students. Through concrete.

Q: Right. OK . . . What is your favourite part of the university?
A: The walls are my favourite part. Specifically, the right side wall of room AQ 5007. There is a water damage stain on the fourth quadrant. I also have a soft spot for the second level of the Bennett Library. The vibes there are immaculate!

Q: What are you proposing to improve?
A: I am highly committed to making this campus better. Since I started attending this university, I found myself enamoured by the structure and colour. It’s soul-soothing. I believe all renovations on the Burnaby campus should be halted immediately as they pose a risk to the tradition and promise of our walls. Instead we should focus on making the Vancouver campus more natural. More grey. We need to do away with the whitification of walls!

(Xan leans over and strokes the wall beside us with unnerving tenderness.)

Q: So, who inspires you?
A: I think no one is as brilliant as Arthur Erickson! He revolutionized the way we approach educational spaces. May his angular legacy never be forgotten. Do you know what inspired his design for SFU? Brutalism. True brutalism. Not the watered-down minimalism they’re peddling downtown. Think of your experience walking down the halls of Vancouver’s campus or, worse, the Surrey campus. Too bright. Too uncultured. It’s like being attacked by a fully bright screen right as you wake up at 1:00 a.m. for a midnight snack. Both campuses are missing the distinctive grey that pulls people to carpe diem. I propose we erect a 15-foot-tall statue of Erickson mid-sketch. It’s necessary to commemorate the legendary fellow. I also think a mandatory concrete appreciation course in FASS would do us some good.

Q: That’s bold! And what would you say to critics who might not like your focus on SFU’s walls?
A: I say — without walls, what is a university? Just a gathering of people. Maybe attaining knowledge and forming connections. But how helpful is that?

Q: Do you have anything to say to the students of SFU?
A: Next time you’re braving the storm with an overpriced Blenz coffee cup in one hand and a Monster energy drink in the other, think about the battles that were fought to provide you with the perfect grey environment. Join our movement. Help us restore the concrete, my dear comrades.

Note: Xan urged me to ask all of you to follow his TikTok account: @Loving.the.Walls_SFU

Need to Know, Need to Go: May Events

By

Peak Web

-

May 12, 2025

0

an illustrated calender that says "Need to Know, Need to Go" — ILLUSTRATION: Courtesy of The Peak

By: Osna Hadef, SFU Student

Turkish/Syrian Coffee on Hot Sand & Boardgames
Kids Market, 1496 Cartwright Street, Vancouver
May 17, 11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Free registration via Eventbrite

Soumak Boutique’s Turkish Coffee on Hot Sand pop-up is happening on May 17, bringing the traditional art of coffee brewing to Vancouver for all coffee lovers! With just $5.50 for Turkish coffee or $2.50 for Turkish tea, you can sip your coffee, soak in the atmosphere filled with Middle Eastern music and tradition, all while enjoying a complimentary piece of Turkish delight! While you’re there, make sure to try your hand at a handmade Syrian mosaic board game, and don’t forget to browse the boutique’s collection of handmade ornaments, wall decor, kaftans, Turkish towels, and more.

view of a cottage at Deer Lake Park, Burnaby — PHOTO: Emily Le / The Peak

London Drugs Photo Walk with Fujifilm
Shadbolt Centre For The Arts, 6450 Deer Lake Ave, Burnaby
May 17, 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.
Free registration via Eventbrite

Explore the Century Gardens of Shadbolt Centre at Deer Lake through your film camera lens with London Drugs and Fujifilm. While enthusiasts are encouraged to bring their gear to capture awesome photos of the garden on film, it is also an opportunity for everyone to test-run a good selection of Fujifilm camera gear and their latest offerings. A reminder to bring a piece of government-issued ID and a credit card, and geek away at your favourite film photography gadgets! Passion for film photography is all it takes to participate — no pro skills needed!

poster for the dead pony comedy event — PHOTO: Courtesy of @cant.fox.this / Instagram

Stand-Up by Dead Pony Comedy
1181 Davie Street, Vancouver
May 22, 8:00 p.m.–9:30 p.m.
Tickets: $11.98 and $17.31 via Eventbrite

Start your semester on a joyful note — with real laughs, not the stressed-out kind. Featuring a hilarious lineup including Aryn Mott, Nora Vision, Conor Meadows, PIOTR, Anaheed, Anna K, Eden Kaminski, and Gabriel Vill, Stand-Up is sure to be a show of non-stop fun and positive energy before you dive back into your laptops and textbooks!

close up of a microphone at an event — PHOTO: Kane Reinholdtsen / Unsplash

Public Speaking In-Person Practices
1055 West Georgia Street, Vancouver
Every Wednesday, 6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.

Burrard Toastmasters has been one of Vancouver’s leading public speaking clubs, helping individuals develop their communication and leadership skills in a supportive environment since 1958. The club meets every Wednesday for a two-hour session, where members practice public speaking, present their speech on any topic of their choice, and receive constructive feedback from the club’s speech evaluators. This is the place for you if you’re looking to boost your self-confidence and public speaking, as well as if you are keen on expanding your network. And the best part? You can drop in sessions for FREE, as many times as you’d like as a guest!

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