COVID–19
SFU study finds that street sweeps reinforce systemic harm
November 9, 2025By: Niveja Assalaarachchi, News Writer A study conducted between 2021 and 2023 by SFU found that street sweeps by the City of Vancouver lead to higher rates of violence, disrupted access to services, and overdose risk. Street sweeps involve police officers and city workers clearing public areas, displacing unhoused individuals, and often seizing belongings in the process. The study noted these practices first appeared in Vancouver in 2008 and are typically carried out under the pretext of tackling crime and dismantling illegal settlements, such as tent cities. In early 2024, residents of the CRAB Park tent city were forcibly removed…
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Summer COVID-19 surge looms
June 16, 2025By: Ashima Shukla, Staff Writer Public health researchers warn of a potential global summer surge as a new highly transmissible COVID-19 variant spreads across Asia. NB.1.8.1 has been classified as a “variant under monitoring” by the World Health Organization and…
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Suspicious coughing in the classroom
March 5, 2025By: Phone Min Thant, Staff Writer People like to boast about ditching class, and honestly, why not? Why would you spend two to three hours of your life — that is 180 minutes — stuck in a room with people…
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The climate’s health is ours
January 15, 2025By: Sofia Chassomeris, Opinions Editor There it is again, that funny feeling. Climate change is causing catastrophic floods, droughts, wildfires, atmospheric rivers, bomb cyclones, and extreme temperatures around the world. In seemingly unrelated news, the US just reported the country’s…
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Vancouver’s Clean Air Festival returns for its second year
September 16, 2024By: Sofia Chassomeris, News Writer On September 15, the second annual Clean Air Festival was hosted at Slocan Park. The Clean Air Festival is an “immuno-inclusive,” hybrid event put together by a team of community members and organizations. Some organizations…
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Protect Our Province BC holds briefing on COVID-19 infections in hospitals
June 26, 2024By: Yashita Dhillon, Peak Associate and Petra Chase, Editor-in-Chief On May 30, Protect Our Province BC hosted an online event where a panel of healthcare researchers discussed the prevalence of COVID-19 in healthcare settings, the lack of protective measures against…
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Masks should be mandatory in healthcare
May 22, 2024By: Yasmin Hassan, Staff Writer As of April 8, 2024, masks are “no longer required in healthcare settings” in BC. This decision comes after data showing decreased COVID-19 levels in the province. However, COVID-19 hasn’t suddenly become less dangerous, nor…
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BC health advocates demand return of mandatory masks in healthcare
May 14, 2024By: Yashita Dhillon, News Writer In response to April’s removal of mandatory mask mandates in healthcare settings, BC’s health advocacy group DoNoHarm BC, joined by Protect Our Province BC and Masks4EastVan, are leading a campaign to urge the provincial government…
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SFU study highlights need for Long COVID awareness
May 9, 2024By: Yashita Dhillon, News Writer A report published in April by SFU’s newly-founded Pacific Institute on Pathogens, Pandemics and Society (PIPPS) emphasizes the need for broader awareness and understanding of Long COVID among healthcare professionals and the general public in…
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Clean Air 604 aims to create safer arts spaces
March 12, 2024By: Michelle Young, Opinions Editor Clean Air 604 is currently fundraising to make Vancouver venues safer by “providing events with free masks, air purifiers, and more” in response to the lack of COVID-19 precautions at arts and culture events. “The…
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