Niveja Assalaarachchi

Picture of the SFU Kendo team in uniform at the SFU gym
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SFU Kendo Club gears up for national championships in August

Peak Web August 6, 2026

By: Niveja Assalaarachchi, News Writer Editor’s note: The Peak’s Arts & Culture editor Phone Min Thant is a member of the SFU Kendo Club, but was not involved in the writing of this piece.   From August 7 to 9, the BCIT Burnaby Campus will host the 23rd annual Canadian National Kendo Championships. The tournament will see 190 kendo practitioners gather, with competition split into three main competing categories: an individual bracket, a club bracket, and a provincial club bracket.   Nine university clubs from BC will compete in the tournament, including the SFU Kendo Club. The Peak reached out to PJ…

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Photo of an updated Progress Pride Flag, which includes the intersex symbol
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2SLGBTQIA+ campus groups celebrate $50,000 coverage for gender-affirming healthcare

Peak Web August 3, 2026

By: Niveja Assalaarachchi, News Writer On July 16, the Graduate Student Society (GSS), in a joint Instagram post with the SFU Queer Collective, announced that per-procedure caps were being removed from gender-affirming healthcare benefits. These caps previously set a $5,000…

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Illustration of child and adult looking at each other smiling, surrounded by swirling pages and pamphlets drawn with bright hues
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Vancouver Public Library offers employment resources for persons with disabilities

Peak Web July 19, 2026

By: Niveja Assalaarachchi, News Writer In The Compass, a man named Ernest shared his story. He grew up in foster care, and at age six he started to lose his hearing. As a young man, he looked for jobs to…

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Aerial view image of Strait of Hormutz in colour. The ocean is deep blue, and turquoise near land. Land is pictured in tan, brown, and muddy red.
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Memorandum of understanding for US-Israel war on Iran up in the air

Peak Web July 13, 2026

By: Niveja Assalaarachchi, News Writer On June 14, US and Iran announced they had come to a provisional ceasefire deal to end the state of conflict between the two countries. A memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed on June 17…

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Photo of mossy trail on Burnaby Mountain
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New wildfire detection system opens on Burnaby Mountain and beyond

Peak Web June 22, 2026

By: Niveja Assalaarachchi, News Writer Ahead of the expected wildfire season, the City of Burnaby has opened a new wildfire detection system across different points of the city, including on Lhuḵw’lhuḵw’áyten (Burnaby Mountain). The system includes new technology such as…

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Wide shot of construction along Broadway and Cambie
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Road closures on Broadway causes uncertainty for local businesses

Peak Web June 15, 2026

By: Niveja Assalaarachchi, News Writer On May 6, the BC government announced the latest detour developments along Broadway in Vancouver. A road closure and a subsequent road detour is set to occur in July on West Broadway between Cambie street…

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Wide shot of dragonboaters in False Creek
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Annual dragon boat festival cancelled due to FIFA World Cup

Peak Web June 7, 2026

By: Niveja Assalaarachchi, News Writer Dragon boating in Vancouver is a significant part of the city’s history, dating back to 1986. The first dragon boat races were held at Expo 86, a celebration of the 100th year of Vancouver’s official…

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A collage of photos from top left to bottom right: a Buddhist altar, a childhood photo of the author with his father standing in front of two large hanging Vesak lanterns, a string of lanterns hanging outdoors from the overhang of a roof, a Sri Lankan temple surrounded by trees, a Buddhist altar inside a temple, and the Buddhist flag
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Buddhists celebrate the teachings of Vesak 2,570 years on

Peak Web May 24, 2026

By: Niveja Assalaarachchi, News Writer Vesak is a religious celebration that marks the birth, enlightenment, and parinirvana (passing away) of Siddhartha Gautama, the Lord Buddha. The day is regarded as the most important religious day of the year for the…

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A still from A Sad and Beautiful World
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War and peace through the lens of young adults in love

Peak Web May 24, 2026

By: Niveja Assalaarachchi, News Writer On May 1, the Centre for Comparative Muslim Studies, Beirut Film Society and Lebanon Cinema Days Canada premiered the film A Sad and Beautiful World (نجوم الأمل والألم) by the award-winning Lebanese director Cyril Aris…

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Photo of a SFU residential building on a sunny day.
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GSS and SFSS express concern over heating conditions in student residences

Peak Web May 10, 2026

By: Niveja Assalaarachchi, News Writer On April 27, the Graduate Student Society (GSS) and Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) issued a joint letter to SFU Residence and Housing regarding concerns over heating and cooling facilities in student residences. The letter…

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