Reading Time: 2 minutesOccupy movement turns its focus to holiday consumption WITH THE OCCUPY movement staggered by camp break-ups across the continent, a Canadian non-profit magazine that sent out the first Occupy call has issued a new twist. Adbusters, the Vancouver-based monthly magazine, has long advocated in favour of Buy Nothing Day in the place of Black Friday, when individuals consider their consumption habits and …
Reading Time: 3 minutesU of O researcher examines sexual relationships among youth ACCORDING TO JOCELYN Wentland, a PhD student at the University of Ottawa in experimental psychology, casual sexual relationships can be placed into one of four categories: The one-night stand, the booty call, the friend with benefits, and the fuck buddy. Her study, “Taking Casual Sex Not …
Reading Time: 2 minutesNext Stop ON NOV. 30, the National Post reported on a series of false byelection phone calls made by the Conservative party. The calls were made in the riding of Mount Royal Liberal MP Irwin Cotler, falsely claiming he had resigned and that a byelection would be called. During their calls to residents in the …
Reading Time: 3 minutesLocal brewery and Operation Come Home team up AFTER THE PROGRAM was shut down by provincial authorities, Buy Your Beau’s Online (BYBO) is up and running again. The home-delivery service for the Ottawa area, initiated by Operation Come Home and Beau’s beer, originally launched Nov. 24, only to be shut down later that day. BYBO …
Reading Time: 3 minutes Parliament debates the future of gun control in Canada ON OCT. 25, the Conservative government introduced Bill C-19 to the House of Commons, an act designed to end the long-gun registry. Heavy opposition from both the New Democratic Party (NDP) and the Liberal Party of Canada greeted the bill, adding to the dialogue accompanying …
Reading Time: 2 minutesStudents show their contempt for omnibus crime bill DESPITE FREEZING TEMPERATURES and snowfall, the Young Greens at the University of Ottawa dressed up as policeman and prisoners, taking turns being locked up in mock jail cells—all to protest Bill C-10, the Harper government’s omnibus crime bill, on Tabaret lawn Dec. 2. The bill, also known as the Safe Streets and Communities Act, consists of nine separate …
Reading Time: 2 minutesConstance Backhouse awarded prestigious Canadian research grant ON NOV. 25 University Research Chair and university professor Constance Backhouse was awarded the Gold Medal for Achievement in Research by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). She received the award for leadership and dedication in the fields of feminist history, human rights, legal history, and …
Reading Time: 2 minutesArts could win $1,000 donation towards campaign SINGING, DANCING, AND fundraising—all that and more can be seen in the Student Association of the Faculty of Arts’ (SAFA) video entry into a national Shinerama video competition for the grand prize of a $1,000 donation to Cystic Fibrosis Canada made on behalf of the winning university. SAFA …
Reading Time: 2 minutesWhat’s he building in there? The problem EVERY CELL THAT makes up our body carries genetic information needed to create a human being. Before birth, those cells become specialized—some cells are blood cells, some are kidney cells, some are neurons, and some are stem cells that have the freedom to become any cell the body needs. …
Reading Time: 3 minutesCASA concludes advocacy week OTTAWA (CUP)—LAST WEEK, THE Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) conducted over 120 meetings with members of Parliament, senators, and bureaucrats. Discussion focused on four main areas of concern: The Canada Student Loans Program and unmet student need, copyright legislation and digital locks, the Post-Secondary Student Support Program, and improved access …
Reading Time: 3 minutesU of O competed against 165 schools at world championships NOV. 5–7, THE University of Ottawa’s International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) team won a gold medal at the first-ever World Championship Jamboree, an iGEM competition, at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), beating out 165 other schools for the title. iGEM is an undergraduate competition in synthetic biology. Students are responsible for working with the …
Reading Time: 3 minutesSemi-annual general meeting held just outside Ottawa OTTAWA (CUP)—THE CANADIAN FEDERATION of Students (CFS) celebrated its 30-year anniversary last week at its 60th semi-annual national general meeting held just outside of Ottawa. Nearly 250 delegates convened Nov. 22–25 in Gatineau, Que. to discuss student issues and offer solutions. Feb. 1, à la rue! Campaigns, budgets, and executive reports were …
Reading Time: 2 minutesNext stop SINCE THE HARPER government claimed a majority on May 2, rumours about defunding the CBC began floating around. The national broadcaster has also taken heat from Quebecor, a Montreal-based news company, who filed freedom of information requests over the course of the past three years. The requested documents could reveal CBC’s sources, compromising …
Reading Time: 2 minutesCity hall graded on green initiatives ON NOV. 23, Ecology Ottawa, a local non-profit organization that advocates for sustainability, released their Council Watch report card, grading the city’s councillors and mayor on their green initiatives. The report was started by local organizations, like the Sierra Club of Canada-Ottawa Group, the Greenspace Alliance of Canada’s Capital, and the Coalition for a …
Reading Time: 3 minutesGreen Engineers develop new design for wind turbines GREEN ENGINEERS, A club for professors and students, has been developing an innovative wind turbine over the past three years. The invention, already published in academic journals, features two sets of blades to increase efficiency and decrease noise—problems associated with current versions of wind turbines. “We are building a source of energy,” said Riadh …
Reading Time: 2 minutesNext stop WHAT IS IT with the U-Pass? Since its inception in September 2010, it has endured an impressive amount of complaints from students and OC Transpo staff alike. First it was the pricing, then the lack of an opt-out option, and now the $70 price increase. Is it time to rethink the program altogether, …
Reading Time: 2 minutesCity urges youth to get tested THIS MONTH, THE City of Ottawa released a report on sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the city, citing gonorrhea and chlamydia as the most common infections among 20- to 24-year-olds. Christiane Bouchard, a project officer with the Healthy Sexuality and Risk Reduction unit of Ottawa Public Health, said one of the problems with the two STIs is the lack of symptoms in 70 per cent of the cases. “You can have them and not know it, which means you can spread them more …
Reading Time: 3 minutesOntario university considers teaching students one course at a time TORONTO (CUP)—ALGOMA UNIVERSITY IN Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. is considering the switch to a “block plan” that would allow students to study courses one at a time instead of the usual four or five courses per semester. “You spend 15 hours per week on a …
Reading Time: < 1 minuteWhat the F?! A MOUNTAIN IN South Carolina made from roughly 250,000 tires covers more than 50 acres on satellite images and can be seen from space. Authorities have no idea how the tires ended up there, but this isn’t the first time the man-made mountain has sprung up, said David Summers, Calhoun County council …
Reading Time: 2 minutesResearch shows omnibus crime bill is in need of amendments ON SEPT. 20, the House of Commons heard the first reading of Bill C-10, an omnibus crime bill known as the Safe Streets and Communities Act presented by the Conservative government. The act, which has received criticism in the House of Commons and from experts in the field, the provinces, and the public, consists of nine bills seeking harsher sentencing for criminal offenders in an effort to lower the crime rate in Canada. Experts in crime reduction don’t think the bill will have the expected impact on the crime rate, which, according to a report by Statistics Canada, is at an all-time low. Irvin Waller, criminology professor at the University of Ottawa, explained a focus on prevention, not punishment, is needed to reduce crime rates. …
Reading Time: 3 minutesExperts question the impact of the initiative IN THE SPRING of 2011, community members came together to form Fair Trade Ottawa, a group dedicated to achieving fair-trade status for the city. The status, designated by Fairtrade Canada, has been awarded to 15 cities across Canada and about 20 more, including Ottawa, are pursuing it. “We started in early spring with a …
Reading Time: 2 minutes Protesters stay in park past set deadline ON NOV. 21, Occupy Ottawa protesters received an eviction notice from the National Capital Commission (NCC) requesting the group vacate Confederation Park by 11:59 p.m. that night. Although the encampment has shrunk after receiving the notice, not all tenants have complied with the NCC’s request, some barricading the fountain in …
Reading Time: 2 minutesSFUO collaborates with administration FROM NOV. 14 to 18, the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) conducted a week-long survey on student life on campus. SFUO representatives, volunteers, and board members collected student opinions to find out where there’s room for improvement. Amalia Savva, SFUO president, said the federation created the 10-question survey in an effort …
Reading Time: 2 minutesThree sides disagree on costs and effectiveness of pass DISAGREEMENTS WERE SPARKED between the City of Ottawa, students, and citizens when Charlie Taylor, mayoral candidate in the past municipal election and recent Carleton University graduate, declared the numbers determining the new cost of the U-Pass don’t add up. Taylor presented the data he collected to the city’s transit commission on Nov. 16, intensifying the discussion between the universities’ student unions and the city. “Basically, [the city’s transit report] is a propaganda document being put forward to try to frame [the report] in a positive light,” said Taylor, who thinks the program costs more than students are paying. “Every page of the report is flawed. It is either seriously poor scholarship or deliberate misrepresentation.” According to …
Reading Time: 2 minutesGSAÉD’s finance commissioner resigns AFTER NEARLY TWO years with the University of Ottawa’s Graduate Students’ Association (GSAÉD), Patrick Imbeau announced he will resign his post of the finance commissioner on Nov. 15. Since beginning his employment with GSAÉD in December 2009, Imbeau has worked as the association’s university affairs commissioner, external commissioner, and most recently, …
