Georgia Straight • 8th May 2024

Are private parking companies taking Vancouverites for a ride?

Between how much it costs—ranging anywhere from one dollar to $11 per hour—and how difficult it is to even find a spot, parking in Vancouver is a struggle.

When it comes to private parking lots, people are at risk of being wrongfully issued parking tickets by companies like EasyPark, Impark, and Diamond Parking. These companies have also made the process for paying and disputing tickets extremely convoluted.

The Japan Times • 6th May 2024

How a Japanese scientist is turning the climate crisis into music

The climate is changing in the here and now, and consequences have already been severe. But for scientists, a major question persists: How do you make people care? Dire warnings and images of melting glaciers and burning forests — the list goes on — have become standard tools, but people are arguably becoming desensitized to these approaches.

So how else can you communicate the most pressing issue of our lifetimes? It turns out that music offers a way.

Imagine sitting down at one of the world’

Georgia Straight • 29th December 2023

For people with autism, ICBC’s testing system is inequitable

Caitlyn Peterson has taken the ICBC driving knowledge test eight times over the past four years, and has failed every time.

Peterson has autism, which means she requires enhanced and equitable support in order to operate and excel in stimulating situations. According to the 29-year-old, what ICBC currently offers autistic people hoping to get licensed is inadequate.

“The lights are so bright, people’s cell phones are going off, lights are flashing,” she says of the test-taking environment. “Pe

Grist • 4th August 2023

Did plastic straw bans work? Yes, but not in the way you’d think.

It was the face that launched a thousand plastic straw bans.

The video begins with a close up of the turtle’s head, its dark green, pebbled skin out of place against the stark-white boat deck. Robinson’s hands approach, moving the pliers toward the turtle’s nostril. The tool clamps down on the edge of something — A barnacle? A worm? — barely visible within the dark tunnel. The creature squirms and dribbles blood as the pulling begins. A long, thin object begins to emerge, inch by excruciating inch.

Concordia University Magazine • 21st November 2022

Concordia entrepreneurs are taking the startup world by storm - Concordia University

It takes a significant amount of skill, courage and determination to create a startup that pushes forward-thinking technologies. Concordia is at the heart of bringing this change to action, providing students and graduates with opportunities to explore new possibilities across sectors. For the first time ever, Concordia was named by PitchBook’s annual rankings among the top 100 universities in the world with the largest number of entrepreneurs with venture-capital backed startups among their alu

Concordia University Magazine • 6th October 2022

Alumna Brigitte Laganière among first players to sign with Montreal Force - Concordia University

Heading in her first season, Laganière already has some clear objectives in mind.

“My personal goals are just to get to know new teammates and really bond with them and create new relationships.”

Laganière says she models her game on the ice after a few players, including former and current assistant coaches for the Stingers’ women’s hockey team, Lauriane Rougeau (2016-20) and Erin Ambrose (2018 – present), both former defenders who have competed for Canada’s national women’s team.

“My team g

Concordia University Magazine • 15th September 2022

Meet the Executive MBA grad helping to connect people with products online - Concordia University

With computers and smart devices making it easier than ever to purchase a product, the demand for eCommerce is steadily increasing. And, to help bring mom-and-pop shops into the digital world, there’s a Concordia graduate on a mission.

"What we want to do is help out the brick-and-mortar stores that have a harder time competing online," says Dan Facciolo, EMBA 20, founder of Locoshop, a global product search engine with a "local-first" approach. Unlike Google or Amazon’s deliberately engineered

Concordia University Magazine • 13th September 2022

For Barbara Kaneratonni Diabo, ‘dance is good medicine’ - Concordia University

Indigenous dancer, choreographer and educator Barbara Kaneratonni Diabo, BFA 91, says she can’t remember a time when she wasn’t dancing.

“In my culture, we often say that dance is good medicine, and to me, that’s a great way to describe it,” she says. “It is such an essential part of my daily life that it is so good for my health. It’s great for connecting with others — and for inspiring.”

In 2021, Diabo was awarded the Prix interprète de la danse at the annual Prix de la Danse de Montréal cer

Concordia University Magazine • 9th September 2022

Concordians shine at 2022 Commonwealth Games - Concordia University

When Canadian athletes competed in the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England from July 28 to August 8, a number of Concordians were among the teams that helped contribute to Canada’s 92-medal count. Learn about the outstanding students, alumni and coaching staff who participated in this year’s games.

An undergraduate student in Concordia’s Department of Geography, Planning and Environment, Tammara Thibeault is currently majoring in urban planning and hopes to pursue a PhD. Her gold-med

Truthout • 13th June 2022

Canada’s Predictive Policing Tech Is Poorly Regulated Under AI Policy

As surveillance has become a fact of life, digital privacy must become a human right.

In February 2019, Nijeer Parks was arrested in Woodbridge, New Jersey, based on a facial recognition match that linked him to several crimes. Parks faced charges of aggravated assault, unlawful possession of weapons, using a fake ID, possession of marijuana, shoplifting, leaving the scene of a crime and resisting arrest.

In November 2019, the case against him was dismissed — there was no evidence of him commi

The Concordian • 26th February 2022

The state of Quebec’s supply chains in the face of climate disasters – The Concordian

The motion was passed unanimously and will go in effect in late June. In a significant pivot towards…

The Concordian • 16th December 2021

Decolonizing Canadian journalism – The Concordian

Gabby Petito’s case has received national spotlight in the United States, and deservedly so. It is important as a society to be aware of cases involving missing and murdered people.

However, her case has also received national spotlight in Canada, and this country has its own pressing issues with the news coverage of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, two-spirit, and trans women (MMIWGTSTW).

Indigenous women account for only 2 per cent of Canada’s population but are overrepresented as victims of physical and sexual violence and murder. In fact, Indigenous women aged 25–44 are “five times more likely to experience a violent death than any other [group of] Canadian women,” wrote researcher and community organizer Kristen Gilchrist-Salles in her research paper. Indigenous women and girls also represent 50 per cent of all sex trafficking victims in Canada. On top of this, there is a lack of statistics for Indigenous two-spirit and trans women, but that is another issue.

Despite these harrowing statistics, MMIWGTSTW receive disproportionately low news coverage in Canada compared to missing or murdered white women in terms of the amount and ways in which the coverage is formulated.. This speaks to how Canadian journalism fails Indigenous people and why the industry must be decolonized.

The Peak • 30th July 2021

Ghana set to expand its chocolate-exporting industry

Ghana is the world’s second-largest producer of cocoa. During a state visit to Switzerland, one of Ghana’s most important trading partners, Ghana informed Switzerland they would no longer export cocoa to them. Instead, Ghana plans on expanding its domestic chocolate-exporting industry to further industrialize the country.

“There can be no future prosperity for the Ghanain people in the short, medium, or long term if we continue to maintain economic structures that are dependent on the productio

The Peak • 13th July 2021

Dutch court orders Shell to reduce carbon emissions by 45% by 2030

In a landmark case, Royal Dutch Shell, more commonly known as Shell, was ordered by a court in The Hague to reduce their carbon emissions by 45% by 2030. The case was brought forth by the Dutch branch of international environmental organization Friends of the Earth and over 17,000 individual co-plaintiffs.

Shell’s arguments in the court proceedings included new carbon emission targets that were set in February 2021 for the corporation to transition its business to net-zero by 2050. This include

The Peak • 2nd July 2021

Canadian banks reported to have invested $726 billion into oil and gas industries since 2015

According to the latest Banking on Climate Chaos report, published in March 2021, Canada’s five largest banks have invested $726 billion CAD into the fossil fuel industry since the Paris Agreement — a legally binding international treaty regarding the climate crisis.

From 2016 to 2020, the breakdown of investments in CAD were:

While these banks reduced their fossil fuel financing in the past few years, RBC and TD respectively rank 23rd and 25th in the world in terms of their total assets contr

The Peak • 18th June 2021

SFU researcher leads team for lunar rover exploration mission

The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) announced plans for future lunar exploration. On May 26, 2021, the CSA declared a team of researchers from SFU, the University of Manitoba, and McGill University will develop the micro-instruments to be used by a newly-designed Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV).

Led by associate professor Dr. Behraad Bahreyni from SFU’s School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering, the project aims to expand upon existing knowledge about the moon’s seismicity (earthquake activity) and addr

The Peak • 15th June 2021

Stop iconizing serial killers in popular culture

Ted Bundy is receiving yet another take on his horrific life in the form of a film. Chad Michael Murray — yes that Chad Michael Murray — has been cast to play Bundy in American Boogeyman.

According to the film’s synopsis, “American Boogeyman follows the elusive and charming killer and the manhunt that brought him to justice involving the detective and the FBI rookie who coined the phrase ‘serial killer.’”

This film and the myriad of other Bundy-related productions, including 2019’s Netflix Ori

The Peak • 7th June 2021

Words are not enough, the NHL needs to invest in Indigenous youth

Edmonton Oilers defencemen Ethan Bear, an Ochapowace Nation hockey player in the NHL, was recently subjected to racism by Oilers fans. This news is not surprising given the NHL is a league with racism embedded in its history. Still, it doesn’t make it any better. The NHL must learn from its mistakes in the past and make more of an effort to address the situation.

This news came to light on May 26, 2021. Bear’s girlfriend made a public statement on her Instagram story about what Bear had been ex

The Peak • 30th May 2021

Spending an afternoon in Abbotsford? Visit Banter Ice Cream

Growing up in Abbotsford, I associate some of my fondest memories of the city with eating ice cream in summer. While that could be said for almost any city, 72% of Abbotsford is located within the Agricultural Land Reserve, meaning farms (and dairy farms) are central to its culture.

There are lots of good ice cream shops throughout the Lower Mainland, but Banter Ice Cream, which opened in Jubilee Park in July 2020, has quickly become my favourite. Created by a local couple, Laura and Zach Janz,

The Peak • 19th March 2021

Clearview AI and 48 Canadian law enforcement agencies violate Canadian privacy laws

Clearview AI, the US technology company, recently came under scrutiny for their violation of Canadian privacy laws. A joint investigation from four Canadian privacy commissioners (BC, Alberta, Quebec, and federal) discovered the company indiscriminately compiled a database of over three billion images, including those of Canadians.

Illegally obtained photos, as well as biometric facial arrays, were collected without consent, and then disclosed to law enforcement agencies for them to compare and

The Peak • 13th March 2021

BC NDP’s misleading policy regarding the protection of old-growth forests

One of the most significant ecological challenges in BC has been the conservation of old-growth forests — BC’s ancient forests. Their conservation is synonymous with protecting biodiversity, and the cultural practices and ways of life for many BC First Nations. However, just as important is how these forests act as reservoirs of carbon — carbon that increases global temperatures if released into the atmosphere.

The conservation of old-growth forests is essentially to protect humans from themsel

The Peak • 10th January 2021

SFU alumni reduce electric vehicle battery waste and provide renewable energy to remote Canadian communities

Over the past several years, the popularity of electric vehicles has steadily increased. This is due to the low cost required to run and maintain them, as well as the low environmental impact compared to gas-powered vehicles which rely on extracting and processing fossil fuels. As the demand for electric cars rises (sales of electric vehicles surpassed 2.1 million in 2019), their market is projected to dramatically increase. Though the pandemic may affect this projection in the immediate future,

The Peak • 13th October 2020

SFU fails to properly consult Indigenous students (again) and peoples regarding new First Peoples’ Gathering House (again)

On Orange Shirt Day, SFU held a ground awakening ceremony for the First Peoples Gathering House (FPGH), which will open in 2023.

The FPGH will be a space on the Burnaby campus that is meant to create a “safe, welcoming[,] and supportive environment for Indigenous students, staff, faculty, and community members,” according to the Office of Aboriginal Peoples.

But to accomplish that, wouldn’t input from Indigenous students, staff, and faculty, and Host Nations, be required to create a culturally

The Peak • 21st September 2020

Scholar Strike Canada: A cause for hope and a missed opportunity

“Education isn’t about teaching students how to make the trains run on time.” said Min Sook Lee, Associate Professor at Ontario College of Art and Design University, during the first scheduled digital teach-in, Abolition or death: Confronting police forces in Canada. ”It’s about working with students to engage in the issues of our times.”

On September 9 and 10, 2020, academics across Canada participated in the inaugural Scholar Strike. The idea of the Scholar Strike originated in the United Sta