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Not all sex workers have the same experience

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Peak Web
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a photo of a protest in solitary with sex workers. There is a person holding a sign that reads: “sex work is work.”
PHOTO: Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona / Unsplash

By: Heidi Kwok, Staff Writer

There are sex workers who engage in the consensual exchange of sexual services of their own volition; some out of the prospect of financial freedom and bodily agency, others in a journey to explore their own sexuality, among other motivations. While sex work is very much a legitimate form of labour, it’s also an industry that’s exploitative. A wide body of research suggests that vulnerable demographics, including women, racialized individuals, Indigenous Peoples, and people with disabilities, are unduly overrepresented in the sex industry. A 2021 sex worker survey conducted by local advocacy organizations had 73% of respondents reported having a disability, while 45% of street-level sex workers in Vancouver identified as Indigenous women. A product of colonial violence — some Indigenous women engage in sex work as means of survival because of racism and limited economic opportunities. Therefore, narratives that frame sex work as empowering and a form of bodily autonomy, while ignoring the harmful side of the sex work industry, can be problematic. This framing doesn’t fully depict the range of the realities of economic coercion, migrant precarity, racism, and/or gendered violence that pushed these disproportionately represented minority groups into this industry. 

Recognizing the nuance of sex work is the first step to attaining justice and equity for these vulnerable groups, and must be followed by supporting their health and well-being. This requires going beyond sex-positive narratives, which champion personal choice and eliminating judgment from sexual pleasure. Instead, we should advocate for amended legislation, increased social support funding, and efforts to address the root causes of sexual exploitation while addressing the needs of those who are willingly participating in sex work. 

General public perceptions surrounding sex work have been shaped by overly simplified end-demand narratives that promote criminalization as the only solution to eliminating sexual exploitation and sex trafficking. However, research shows that criminalization has only contributed to further stigma, marginalization, and violence against sex workers. This especially affects those working in street-based environments who are exposed to excessive policing and possible prostitution offences. Combatting exploitation requires changing existing legislation, such as Bill C-36, the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act. This bill outlaws the purchase of sexual services and limits certain conditions of the transactional process (such as the procurement of services in public spaces) from both buyer and seller, to the effect of making it more difficult for workers to screen potential clients to ensure their own safety. 

Criminalization is plainly an ineffective solution to exploitation of sex workers. But decriminalization on its own is not enough either. The Canadian Public Health Association has called on local governments to invest in stronger and long-term social services to safeguard against the associated risks of sex work. Moreover, organizations such as PACE Society, WISH Drop-In Centre Society, and the Health Initiative for Men provide and advocate for more accessible avenues of reporting harmful experiences, expanded peer-based programs, sex-worker-specific healthcare programs, provision of legal aid, provision of public washrooms, and more. This demand couldn’t come at a more urgent time when numerous sex-worker-serving organizations in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside have been forced to suspend operations because of uncertain future funding.

In an interview with The Tyee, Susan Davis, the executive director for the BC Coalition of Experiential Communities and sex worker of 38 years, told the publication that, “the government should provide stable, ongoing funding for organizations supporting sex workers, rather than less predictable annual grant-based funding.”

Social supports aside, concrete actions to address structural inequalities underlying coercion into sex work are the key to promoting the rights and safety of unwilling sex workers. Some researchers have promoted structural interventions over legal reform to secure social justice for precarious individuals who enter into the industry out of financial hardships, limited educational attainment, improper housing, and lack of mental and physical health supports, to name a few. 

While different people have different experiences with sex work, ranging from empowerment, perhaps a discovery of enjoyment, to dislike — sex workers need better rights and legal protections. Empowerment is one aspect but exploitation is another looming aspect that lives within the industry and shapes the work. As we learn more from the horrific release of the Epstein files where women and children were sex trafficked, it’s abundantly clear how much exploitation is enmeshed within the industry and better structures are needed to protect marginalized folks who are most affected. It is so systematically engrained that conversations about autonomy are beyond empowerment, and should be about financial and personal safety. The industry does not support and protect our most vulnerable, and we must do better for them at a systemic level.

We should be providing an environment that’s safe for those who want to stay and a pathway for those who want to leave.

“Science lost to fear”: BC’s halted drug decriminalization program

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Peak Web
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A photo of the parliament building in Victoria.
PHOTO: Parsa Mivehchi / The Peak

By: Olivia Sherman, Peak Associate

In January 2026, the BC government announced their drug decriminalization policy “has not delivered the results we hoped for” and that the province would not seek renewal from the federal government. The three-year pilot program, an exemption to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA), began in 2023 and allowed adults over 18 to carry a cumulative 2.5 grams of illicit drugs, such as cocaine, methamphetamine, and opioids, without police confiscation or seizures. As drug deaths increased through the province, it was intended to treat substance use and addiction as a health issue and not a criminal one. With the policy repealed, confiscations and arrests for drug-related charges for personal use have resumed in BC starting January 30. 

BC Premier David Eby stated that the policy “didn’t work and we ended that.” However, Dr. Kora DeBeck, distinguished professor of drug policy and substance use at SFU, told The Peak the program “accomplished what it was set out to do,” which was to address, “that criminalizing people who use drugs is a real failure.”

Dr. Kennedy Stewart, professor of public policy at SFU, told The Peak that, in his term as mayor of the City of Vancouver, he would receive weekly emails noting how many people had died in the city of toxic drugs that week. He added, “That’s really what prompted me to have an overdose task force to pursue decriminalization.” Since it was declared a public health emergency in 2016, the toxic drug crisis has claimed over 16,000 lives. It’s important to note that Indigenous communities have been disproportionately impacted by substance use. The intergenerational trauma of settler colonialism via institutions like residential schools and the foster care system are partly responsible for Indigenous people dying from toxic drugs 5.4 times more than other BC residents. 

According to Stewart, the drug decriminalization program was not intended to address the toxic drug crisis in the province, but was a tool to allow people leeway to access services judgment-free. Decriminalization “was never intended to fix the entire problem,” he explained, saying the province understood “that it was just going to make a small difference.” He said, when drugs are criminalized, people who use drugs may not seek the help they need in fear of retaliation, arrest, or drug confiscation. This necessary help can include rehabilitation services or more dire medical attention, as well as reluctance to visit drug testing services at the risk of their own safety from toxic and tampered drugs. Since decriminalization, BC has seen an increase in utilization of overdose prevention sites and supervised consumption sites, as well as drug checking services. 

Within the first year of the policy, several amendments were made, which Stewart says reduced the potential for the policy to save lives. Bill 34 prohibited consumption of drugs in public. Shortly after, it was amended to restrict drug use to legal consumption sites and overdose prevention sites, as well as people’s own residences and legal shelters. The Harm Reduction Nurses Association filed an injunction arguing the Bill would lead to more people using drugs alone and in private, which poses a greater risk for overdose. Bill 34 was repealed a year later.

In the context of Vancouver’s ongoing housing crisis, DeBeck noted that many supportive housing facilities are small, have harsh restrictions on guests within units, and often prohibit drug use. Homelessness and the toxic drug crisis are what lead to more public drug use and street disorder like mental health crises, crime, and people sheltering on streets. Debeck noted that despite this narrative that drug decriminalization caused “street disorder,” there is no evidence to confirm this. DeBeck raised concerns about an increased police presence on not just individuals who use drugs, but surrounding communities. “When people have their drugs seized, they’re quite likely to go and commit crime to raise funds to replace their drugs,” she said.

“Policing doesn’t stop the trajectory of drug use. It doesn’t stop the trajectory of addiction.”

— Kora DeBeck, distinguished professor of drug policy and substance use at SFU

Stewart suggested the policy was reversed due to widespread political pressure following that visibility, and “politicians capitalizing on misery for political gain, which is totally shameful.” 

Stewart, who carried the drug decriminalization policy to the federal government in 2018 noted the province saw a decline in a number of arrests for possession offences in the first year of decriminalization. With the policy repealed by January 30, the BC RCMP claims to maintain “a measured approach” to enforcement efforts against offences to the CDSA and is committed to “working with our partners to find solutions” to mental health and addiction issues. “They caved in to the opposition’s demands and the misinformation that’s been spread,” he continued. “Science really lost to fear.” 

“Police have always been a very poor tool for addressing street disorder and public drug use and homelessness,” DeBeck said. “Those are not issues that we can arrest our way out of. We can’t ticket our way out of them. These are very systemic, structural problems. In the long-term, the key really is housing, making sure people have alternative spaces to be, making sure they have homes, making sure they have other places to be right now.” Stewart added, “Innovation has never come from the RCMP, it has always come from independent police services,” such as safer supply.

Solutions to Vancouver’s drug crisis can’t work independently of each other, as factors such as increasing homelessness, mental health concerns, and toxic drugs exacerbate the substance use and overdose crisis. DeBeck explained that added sedatives in drugs that are circulated in BC often have a “destabilizing effect” on people which strains “their ability to engage with health services, their ability to get housing, to maintain housing, to just function and take care of themselves.” 

Alongside expanded resources and phone lines for help services, BC is also expanding involuntary care in order to provide care to those “so unwell they can’t make decisions about their own safety,” announced Eby. However, drug policy scholars like DeBeck and Stewart say that involuntary care does more harm than good, especially to marginalized groups with histories of institutionalization and incarceration. “As a scientist, I am certainly incredibly opposed to it as a policy,” said DeBeck, concerned that the threat of involuntary care will deter people from seeking and receiving necessary help. She also referenced how 300 nurses have signed a petition opposed to the NDP’s expansion of involuntary care. As Thea Sheridan-Jonah, a member of the Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy, told Global News, “involuntary treatment is a traumatic experience that increases someone’s overdose risk and does not support long-term recovery or mental health.”

“I have spent time with people in involuntary care and it’s a pretty horrendous experience,” Stewart elaborates. “You’re restrained, often given treatments against your will. 

“The province really isn’t giving any solutions and just seem content to watch the bodies pile up. And that’s not what a responsible government does.” Stewart claimed this is considered a “state failure.” He added

 “If the government can’t solve this problem, this current crop of politicians aren’t up to the job.”

— Dr. Kennedy Stewart, professor of public policy at SFU and former Vancouver mayor

“And yet, today, one person will die in Vancouver and six people across the province will die. That’s the reality we’re in.”

Celebrating Black Futures 2026 at the Vancouver Art Gallery

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Peak Web
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PHOTO: Courtesy of Kika Memeh

By: Jonah Lazar, Staff Writer

Throughout February, the Vancouver Art Gallery, in partnership with the VIFF and the Black Arts Centre, is hosting Celebrating Black Futures 2026. It looks to spotlight Black and African artists, while sparking meaningful discourse and critical reflection among its guests. This public programme began on February 7 with Haitian Canadian poet Junie Désil leading a generative writing workshop, with a BC premiere of the film Black is Beautiful: the Kwame Brathwaite Story four days later. Then, former members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee led a panel discussion on photography and social justice on February 14. The programme concludes on February 28 with a BC premiere of Michèle Stephenson’s True North and a concert by the composer of the documentary’s score, Canadian jazz pianist Andy Milne. I spoke with the curator and organizer of Celebrating Black Futures 2026, Kika Memeh via email, to learn more about the programme and its ambitions: 

What drew you to the events you selected for Celebrating Black Futures 2026?    

It’s necessary to create multiple, accessible entry points for people to engage with art. With most of the events being interdisciplinary, writing and film, it’s an avenue to get guests to actively participate in personal interpretation, draw connections between our exhibitions and the world around us, and discover new artists that are outside one’s field of vision. 

  

A few of these events aim to start conversations on the intersections between Black experiences and the experiences of other marginalized groups. What role do you see art as having in these conversations?    

Art plays an essential role in thoughtfully provoking these conversations. Either through offering space for a multiplicity of interpretations, which often reveals intersections in thoughts and experiences, or through the subject matter of the work being universally relatable across different groups. 

  

What do you want audiences to take away from these events? 

The foremost goal is for the audience to become acquainted with artists beyond their purview. Another goal is for audiences to leave with an expanded understanding of the works on view at the gallery. The writing workshop, for instance, invites guests to reflect deeply on the works of Indigenous artists featured in the gallery’s exhibition We who have known tides: Indigenous Art from the Collection, but through the words and musings of writers such as Dionne Brand, Toni Morrison, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, and the thoughtful guiding of Vancouver-based poet, Junie Désil. The last but not the least takeaway should be a whetted appetite for engagement in global conversations beyond Canadian contexts. This is paramount for sustaining a well-rounded, conscientious cultural sector.

“A thriving metropolis like Vancouver requires consistent participation in cultural dialogues, especially those concerning Black and African experiences.” — Kika Memeh, curator of Celebrating Black Futures 2026

Because Canada — and specifically Vancouver and BC — has longstanding historical ties to the African diaspora and the African continent. 

Lastly, do you have any final words for potential attendees?   

Continue to nurture an honest curiosity for a world beyond what you’re accustomed to. Your curiosity and interest in art and artists beyond your field of vision is necessary in continuing these conversations at the gallery and expanding our art landscape into one of fully global relevance.

Check out the concluding act of Celebrating Black Futures 2026 with jazz pianist Andy Milne’s concert, followed by the BC premiere of True North, on February 28.

Races covers resilience

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Peak Web
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PHOTO: Courtesy of Goose Lane Editions

By: Heidi Kwok, Staff Writer

Content warning: Brief mention of domestic abuse. 

The year is 1964. Black Canadian track and field sprinter, Harry Jerome, just took home a bronze medal for the 100-metre dash in that year’s Tokyo Summer Olympic Games. His unlikely rise from obscurity to sports stardom is disclosed in Valerie Jerome’s memoir Races: The Trials and Triumphs of Canada’s Fastest Family. Valerie is Harry’s younger sister, and a great track and field competitor in her own right. Her 2023 autobiography oscillates between an inspiring and heartwrenching recollection of a young family’s difficult upbringing in the racist suburbs of 1950s and ‘60s Winnipeg and Vancouver, and the experiences of underdog siblings who defied all odds to emerge victorious in the international spotlight. 

Fundamentally, Jerome’s memoir is a story of unrelenting perseverance. Growing up in an unforgiving environment perforated with racial discrimination, childhood abuse, and intergenerational trauma, the Jerome siblings found solace and glory in the freeing world of track and field.

The first few chapters chronicle the Jerome family history and their turbulent childhood years. Harry had displayed an aptitude for sports from a young age, far exceeding the athleticism of his peers. He was involved in extracurriculars such as minor-league soccer and baseball before entering track and field. Valerie was no different — participating in competitive sports allowed her to gain a sense of visibility of which she was denied elsewhere. Their natural athletic ability should come as no surprise given that both Harry and Valerie were descendants of an accomplished (but unrecognized) athlete. Their maternal grandfather, John Armstrong “Army” Howard, was the first Black Canadian Olympian, having competed in the 100- and 200-metre heats in the 1912 Olympic games in Stockholm. Despite such a feat, Howard’s eligibility to compete in the 1912 games was repeatedly questioned solely because of his race. 

Army Howard’s abhorrent treatment by Canadian sports officials laid bare the prejudice caused by historical (and ongoing) anti-Black racism in Canada. Before being finally allowed to compete, the coach of the 1912 Canadian Olympic Track and Field Team made multiple attempts to try and disqualify him, while Canadian news outlets belittled and infantilized him, framing his self-confidence as arrogance. His outspokenness on the racist treatment and remarks hurled at his way was met with even more racism. Two generations later, Harry and Valerie faced strikingly similar racist treatment. Their Blackness is disregarded only when their athletic achievements made it convenient to do so — an implicit message that Black people are valued insofar as they excelled. Such forms of treatment are best represented by the Canadian press, whose racist reporting and demeaning portrayal of the siblings offered a baffling insight into the intrusive world of sports media. 

Their white-passing mother, Elsie, was physically and verbally abusive, both to her Black husband, Harry Vincent, also to her children. Elsie’s violent behaviour and rejection of her own children’s Black identity is a visible example of how racism becomes internalized and proliferated across generations. 

Races is a worthwhile read. My only criticism is that, because so much of the narrative was centred on Harry’s life, I felt Valerie was rendered a spectator in her own memoir, overshadowed by her brother’s success. But then again, Races appears to have been written as an unconditional familial love letter — a testament to Valerie’s admiration for her older brother. Harry’s impact on Valerie is clear: his frequent encouragement and brotherly lectures coaxed her out of her shell and convinced her that she, too, could succeed. With that being said, the emphasis on Harry’s mentorship feels like it is more dominant than Valerie’s agency, and I found myself wishing she gave herself more credit for her equally impressive accomplishments.

Finding comfort at Harambe

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PHOTO: Yoona Charland / The Peak

By: Maya Barillas Mohan, Staff Writer

Situated a block away from Commercial-Broadway, I enjoyed a fashionable late lunch at Harambe. The restaurant has a long facade, fitting about 20 tables between jewel-toned walls adorned with art. There was one server working at 4:00 p.m. (when it opens on weekdays), and I noticed a distinct lack of sharp edges in the interior design. The doorways had been softened into sloping arches, and the tabletops matched. A series of low-slung lamps with large shades are poised over each table and frame the bar in the northwest corner of the restaurant. Each free ledge housed a floral arrangement bursting with tropical flowers; I saw white moth orchids, birds of paradise, and some sort of allium variety.

I took a table for one by the window facing the street. I noticed the offerings included vegetarian and gluten-free options, but I still wasn’t sure just what to try. After introducing myself to the server, she recommended the “one-person chef’s combination,” so I could try a little bit of everything. “You’ll love it,” the server beamed as she took away my menu.

While I stalked around the restaurant taking photos of the décor (and realized I needed to see an optometrist, none of them were in focus) my platter landed on the table. There was yebeg wot (stewed lamb), doro wot (stewed chicken), and alicha wot (stewed beef), accompanied by kik alicha wot (split lentil), and tekil gomen (cabbage). Alongside it was a generous basket of rolled injera, an Ethiopian soft bread that has a sharper tang than sourdough but the airy texture of a Swiss roulade. 

All the juices from the meat and vegetables soaked up nicely into the injera unrolled on the plate. Alicha wot, a mild beef curry with some chew to it, was my favourite. The atakilt component has cabbage’s signature slippery mouthfeel, but also a smooth, almost creamy texture while chewing. When the server returns to refill my water, she tells me her favourite is the doro wot, or maybe the gored gored: fried beef cubes. “I’ll try that next time I visit,” I reflected.

I don’t dine alone often, but found the experience enticing at Harambe because the place was almost entirely empty during the gap between lunch and dinner, and the traditional Ethiopian wedding music was voluble as it filled the space. Ethiopian food doesn’t come with a fork because it’s meant to be shared by hand. I would agree that most food and new experiences taste better with someone you love, but I didn’t feel alone in the brightly decorated restaurant. As the sun set outside and the restaurant lights enlivened, it felt transportive; Harambe felt like a cocoon away from the grime and bustle of Commercial Drive. 

Only $25 lighter, I left Harambe completely sated, and educated.

Book Nook: Across borders and memory

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IMAGES: Courtesy of Emblem Editions (No New Land), Waveland Press (When Rain Clouds Gather), Anchor Canada (Our Story), and McClelland & Stewart (I've Been Meaning to Tell You)

By: Zainab Salam, Opinions Editor

Looking for books that explore migration, identity, and history across different communities? This short list offers four thoughtful reads that move between continents and perspectives while remaining grounded in deeply human experiences. These works span space, while following a common thread of exploring one’s identity in connection to land. 

No New Land by M. G. Vassanji follows a South Asian family navigating life between Tanzania and Canada. Set in Dar es Salaam and Toronto, the novel captures the emotional dislocation that can accompany immigration, as characters confront questions of belonging in spaces that are liminal — the characters grapple with their shifting sense of identity and belonging in regards to their old and new land. The title itself provides a hint into the tension between past and present, suggesting the physical relocation doesn’t necessarily create a clean break from earlier identities. Narratively, the novel centres on the protagonist, Nurdin Lalani’s gradual unravelling as he struggles to secure stability for his family, using everyday encounters in Toronto’s immigrant communities to reveal the pressures shaping his sense of self. Through an intimate look into the characters’ lives in the novel, Vassanji illustrates how diaspora communities negotiate memory, cultural continuity, and adaptation. 

When Rain Clouds Gather by Bessie Head takes the reader to Botswana, where a South African man, Makhaya, seeks refuge from apartheid and attempts to rebuild his life within a rural community. The story unfolds through Makhaya’s efforts to integrate into village life, particularly his involvement in an agricultural cooperative that becomes a focal point for collective change. While the narrative emphasizes cooperation and development, Head also traces Makhaya’s internal struggle with trauma, mistrust, and hope. Overall, the novel discusses the psychological toll of exile, discrimination, and identity struggles experienced by those displaced by political violence. It also showcases how shared labour and mutual reliance can be the foundation for belonging. 

Our Story: Aboriginal Voices on Canada’s Past by Tantoo Cardinal, Tomson Highway, Basil Johnston, Brian Maracle, Lee Maracle, Jovette Marchessault, Rachel A. Qitsualik, and Drew Hayden Taylor. This anthology brings together multiple Indigenous writers to retell historical events through fiction. Each story is introduced with a brief note from its author, helping situate the readers within the piece’s purpose, context, and conceptual grounding. The stories roam memory, myth, and historical reality to emphasize how understandings of the past are shaped by cultural worldview. The collection’s narratives present moments such as first contact, resistance, and survival through character-driven storytelling. The anthology invites readers to examine whose stories are prioritized in national narratives. It also highlights storytelling as a tool for dialogue and reconciliation. 

I’ve Been Meaning to Tell You: A Letter to My Daughter by David Chariandy offers a reflective, personal meditation on race, belonging, and family in Canada. Written as a letter to his daughter, the book examines how histories of migration and anti-Black racism shape everyday life and intergenerational identity. The narrative progresses through a series of intimate reflections, as Chariandy recounts formative experiences that have shaped his understanding of home. Chariandy’s approach blends memoir with cultural critique, encouraging readers to think about how love, vulnerability, and conversation can challenge inherited silences and overt and covert exclusions. 

SFUnexplained: Disappearing service tickets

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PHOTO: Ali Imran / The Peak

By: Sasha Rubick, SFU Student

You can’t throw a rock at SFU without hitting an abandoned facilities services project. We all know that sign, posted in SFU letterhead, adhered with masking tape: “a service ticket has been submitted.” It mocks you as you pass by, daily, for months on end. Who can forget that the automatic doors in the WMC remained broken for the better part of last school year? Or months of walking through the SUB to see no headway on a shattered glass divider? Or the campus’ code blue phones, which have been out of order for more than a year? Most recently, the sign went up when they caution taped off that blue ink spill next to WMC’s courtyard. 

“A service ticket has been submitted.” Yeah, right. Where’s the work, then? Wake up, sheeple! If the service tickets aren’t going to facilities services, then where are they going? It’s a conspiracy, so you know The Peak’s SFUnexplained is on the case. 

Ad break: The Peak is selling red-white-and-blue anabolic steroids. These food-colouring-enhanced injections are way safer than vaccinations. Sign up for a month’s supply, only for $3000, on our website. 

Welcome back to the Real Truth That They Don’t Want You to Know!™ I’m your host (information redacted). You know I’m trustworthy because I’ve been banned from Twitch 17 times — THEY are trying to censor free thinkers, and I refuse to be silenced. I surveyed SFU’s free-thinking patriot population, asking what they thought about the service ticket conspiracy. 

One theory we saw floating all over the place is called “tam-gate,” which claims that the missing service tickets are stored in that hat Joy Johnson wears to graduation. Said hat is used to discreetly transport the service tickets to the dining commons, where Joy drops them off. They’re then tossed with a little vinaigrette and served for dinner to unsuspecting undergrads. However, a conflicting source tipped us off that it’s also possible that Dr. Joy Johnson drops off the service tickets at a Purolator, where they are annually “sent to Minnesota like Quinn Hughes.” What a delightfully Wild theory. 

One of our genius respondents theorized that Burnaby Mountain is actually an active volcano, and that the SFU Board of Governors, dressed in cultish robes, throw the service tickets into the lava (Lord of the Rings style). Now that’s the type of theory we’re looking for here at SFUnexplained. But The Peak did some digging on our own and we think we’ve found our own shadowy cabal at the heart of all of this. 

According to ChatGPT, SFU policy was to throw service tickets directly into the trash, but the university administration recently pledged to recycle the service tickets instead as part of their ongoing commitment to sustainability. You heard that right — environmental initiatives. Orwellian. This is exactly like the Sparknotes for 1984. This, right here, is exactly what postmodern pre proto ultra meta hypo-hyper neo-Marxism does to a society. 

SFU may have its nose in the woke-coke, but you don’t have to. Boost our engagement analytics — ahem, I mean, read more SFUnexplained, you fearless truth seeker — on our website.

When your chai latte order goes wrong

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Peak Web
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ILLUSTRATION: Yan Ting Leung / The Peak

By: Michelle Young, Co-Editor-in-Chief

I will not say chai tea, I will not say chai tea, I will not say chai tea. I chant in my head as I approach the barista. If I say “chai tea,” she will frown upon me with disdain because I will be ordering “tea tea.” I will sound uneducated and uncultured. The line thins in front of me, and my turn is approaching. I am sweating. “Hello,” I say in my most cheerful tone of voice to indicate that I am a friendly person. “Can I have a chai tea latte with oat milk?” I gasp. My eyes enlarge, I scan her face, in anticipation of reaction to my foolish ways because I just ordered “tea tea.” 

As she punches in the order without a word, eyes bulging, I can hear her screaming inside, thinking to herself, “Would you order a café coffee latte milk?! Ridiculous!” I can feel her aura completely change, darkness emanating off her body and clouding the air with each tap. When she looks back up, I’m crushed by the weight of her judgemental stare. I move to the side of the counter, in shame, waiting for my drink. 

On the counter, miniature spirits of a Buddhist monk, King Harshavardhana, and Emperor Ashoka materialize before me. “How dare you insult my creation?!” Harshavardhana shrieked. Not only was my poor barista judging me, but now I was being haunted. Emperor Ashoka began waving his arms, “Chai latte isn’t even South Asian. It was popularized by Starbucks! Not only do you ask for tea tea, but you add milk to it!” Harshavardhana began, “If you add milk to chai, you will never be able to stay awake during your long hours in court — as I originally intended! You will dilute the chai!” Appearing very concerned, the monk added, “Those who earn their living by . . . destroying the environment, exploiting nature and people, or producing items that bring us toxins may earn a lot of money but they are practising wrong livelihood. We have to be mindful of protecting ourselves from their wrong action.” 

Holding a rag, a giant hand smacks all the spirits away. I continue waiting. Silence. They are rebelling against my ignorance. They are ignoring me for ordering a “tea tea.” Perhaps it’s better this way. I can leave and pretend none of this ever happened. I turn away, until a voice booms, “Excuse me!” I turn around to find a tall man with a beautifully groomed beard. “I am so sorry miss, I think we misplaced your order. What was it?” I start sweating profusely. I have to say it again?! The “tea tea?!” Now my eyes are bulging. The cashier stares at me. She’s giving me another chance. I breathe deeply, thinking I should make the spirits proud. I will say it properly, “A chai tea latte.” AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. Tears begin welling up inside me. “Of course,” he smiles, taking a warm cup from the side and giving it to me. “Enjoy!” Carefully taking my drink, I rush out of the café, with no intention of returning after such an embarrassing ordeal. I sip the frothy tip of the cup, and warmth spills into me. The perfect balance of sweet, spice, and a creamy texture.

Perhaps . . . I will come again . . . 

Does your love life need a nudge in the right direction?

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ILLUSTRATION: Cliff Ebora / The Peak

By: Sonya Janeshewski, Peak Associate

Have you always dreamed of a fairytale romance like the ones in the movies? That famous story of love at first sight that feels straight out of a Hallmark rom-com? 

I have the answer for you. Meet-cutes! Every good meet-cute starts with a shared mishap, like someone falling, tripping, or losing their balance; because, like the saying goes, you can’t fall in love unless you fall on your face in a large and preferably public setting. And lucky for you, I’m here to provide that final shove towards destiny. 

We all know how it goes — one minute you’re just going about your day . . .  but the next you’re thrown into an endearingly awkward mishap with a stranger (a hot one, of course), and feel a sort of connection right from the very first glance. Those electrifying moments when eyes lock and hearts race, and you could have sworn their hand lingered just a bit too long when they helped you up. When you blush and say something like, “Sorry, I probably look really unconventional and quirky right now,” and bashfully tuck your hair behind your ear like Debby Ryan in Radio Rebel. Except, then you would remember that real life doesn’t work like it does in the movies. But that’s about to change thanks to my new innovative solution — pushing people.

Here are some of the packages I offer! Remember, hiring someone like me to exert brute force on strangers  is 100,000% more likely to work when compared to the boring standard of “accidental” meet-cutes.

Package A: I shove you into someone, either a specified individual or a person at random. Keep in mind that I cannot be held legally responsible for any injuries you receive upon impact. 

Package B: I shove someone into you, either a specified individual or a person at random. By purchasing, you agree to be held legally responsible for any injuries the other person receives upon impact. 

The possibilities are endless because people can be shoved anytime, anywhere, making real-life love stories more accessible than ever. And rest assured —  I will get the job done. As a customer, you’re 100% guaranteed to be shoved aggressively into a passably attractive person in a large public area. Our commitment to reputable, high-quality service is what makes our company stand out, in addition to our flexible services as detailed below. 

    • Coffee Conundrums: Meet your cutie while waiting in line for your cute pink drink. Maybe there’ll be some red in the mix after someone falls . . . 97% of these meet-cutes end in a first date. $999/hour.
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Burnaby Mountain’s wildfire prevention system to undergo revamp

By
Peak Web
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A bird’s-eye view of Burnaby Mountain, where you can see the SFU Burnaby campus, is pictured during sunset.
PHOTO: edb3_16 / Adobe Stock

By: Heidi Kwok, Staff Writer

On January 14, the City of Burnaby announced they will be investing in an “autonomous early wildfire detection system” for Burnaby Mountain to address growing wildfire risks amid warmer and drier summers. The Peak interviewed Scott Alleyn, chief staff officer of the Burnaby fire department, for more information. 

Alleyn cited past wildfire activity along the Burnaby Mountain corridor as the reason to implement a modernized wildfire detection system. The existing wildfire management system is largely reliant on reports made by the public, which Alleyn said slows down emergency response times. This new technology is meant to expedite the detection of wildfires before they escalate by automatically detecting them. The program was initiated following the recommendations of Miles Ritchie, fire chief for the Burnaby fire department, the City’s mayor and council, and SFU. 

SenseNet, a Vancouver-based tech company that offers artificial intelligence (AI)-driven wildfire solutions, will supply the early detection software as part of a $250,000 contract. Their smoke detection cameras and ground sensor nodes are to be integrated into existing firefighting applications within the Burnaby fire department’s communication centre and the City’s emergency operations centre. 

“Our city consulted with the City of Vernon, who has completed a two-year trial,” Alleyn said. He revealed that over 200 potential wildfires were detected during the trial, saying, “The technology is proven. It’s just making sure that we integrate it into our communication centre so we can mitigate the situation as quick as we can before it turns into something a lot larger.”

A press release from the City of Burnaby detailed, “Devices will be strategically placed at urban-wildland interface boundaries, evacuation corridors, and near industrial infrastructure such as the Trans Mountain tank farm (Burnaby Terminal) and the Shell Burmount Terminal.” Concerns have been raised for years about the potential safety risks if a wildfire occurred on Burnaby Mountain due to the construction of the tank farm and its limited spacing, which could cause wildfires to spread quickly. The press release noted, “The project will also include installation of a detection system near the Parkland Refinery in North Burnaby.”

“Our camera selection locations are encompassing all of Burnaby [ . . . ] We’re looking at locations throughout Burnaby that give us the best view of Burnaby Mountain, UniverCity, and SFU,” Alleyn said. He told The Peak that the cameras will provide a peripheral view of the mountain in addition to forested areas in Deer Lake Park and Burnaby Lake. “We’re best off having the cameras further away [throughout the city] so that we can see the Burnaby Mountain SFU landscape in its entirety instead of just certain sections of it. So the cameras are positioned so that we can see the whole landscape from north, south, east, west, in its entirety.

“We’ve been experiencing hotter and drier summers historically throughout the recent years,” Alleyn explained.

“We did our research and the reason it’s [the project] being pushed now is because of those early detection capabilities that allow our firefighters to mitigate a situation a lot quicker than what we’ve experienced in the past.”

— Scott Alleyn, Burnaby fire department’s chief staff officer

“It also gives our command staff predictive modelling of the fire’s behaviour so our responding crews can protect critical infrastructure along UniverCity and SFU, and evacuate residents well before the wildfire has the opportunity to spread.”

The system will be fully operational this coming April or May, before the next fire season.

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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