IT’S NO SECRET that religion is largely on its way out—at least amongst North Americans. Though a whopping 77 per cent of Canadians identified as Christian on the last census that measured religious affiliation, the closest runner-up was no religion at all, and studies suggest that number is on the rise. According to a study …
ON MARCH 13, former U.S. vice-president Dick Cheney decided to cancel an April 24 speaking engagement in Toronto on the grounds that, as the Ottawa Citizen’s headline put it, Canada is “too dangerous” for him. A spokesperson explained it was because the risk of “violent protest” was too high, alluding to the events of Sept. …
HISTORY SHOWS US when groups with similar aspirations band together, great things can be accomplished. From something as universal as women’s or civil rights movements, to the more small-scale and local, such as the designation of Ottawa’s gay village late last year, the mobilization of people to fight for a common cause can create real …
WE SEE THEM every day, on street corners, in shelters, outside storefronts. Oftentimes we ignore them, only occasionally tossing change into their worn down paper cups. Homelessness is an important issue, but one that is often overlooked or ignored. It is estimated that youth make up one-third of Canada’s homeless population, meaning close to 65,000 …
WITH THE OFFICIAL first day of spring coming up, March is a month full of happenings; the mathematical constant 3.14 has a spotlight on the 14th with Pi Day, the Lenten season, and St. Patrick’s Day festivities are on the 17th. So other than the number enthusiasts, Christians, and pub-goers, is there another day in …
DEAR PRESIDENT ALLAN Rock, Last week I and fellow student senator, Hazel Gashoka, wrote to you requesting that you agree to allow students and the public to observe your upcoming cross-examination in the defamation lawsuit of St. Lewis v. Rancourt, which is currently before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. You will be cross-examined by …
ON MARCH 12, the Ontario government announced their decision to begin accepting private-sector bids for the opening of a fully outfitted casino within Ottawa city limits. This isn’t the first time there have been talks about a casino in Ottawa: In the early ’90s Jacqueline Holzman, former Ottawa mayor, had plans and approval from city …
IT HAS BEEN over a year since the sale of bottled water at the University of Ottawa was banned entirely. For some, the once-controversial ban was a step toward a more sustainable campus, a smaller ecological footprint, more access to public water fountains, and less money spent on something that is virtually free. For others, …
BIRDS CHIRPING, CAR engines revving, first years griping: These are the sounds of the U of O campus. And after five years of hanging around listening to the same tired soundtrack, it gets boring. Confession: I am an iPod user. That girl ordering coffee with her headphones still on? That’s me. The person too enthralled …
A FACT LITTLE known amongst University of Ottawa students is that their own beloved campus newspapers are members of a greater organization of student news media called Canadian University Press (CUP). This past week, one of our fellow CUP papers faced a disconcerting proposal from their student union regarding their method of print. The Xaverian …
AFTER WATCHING INVISIBLE Children’s promotional video Kony 2012, I was left feeling like something wasn’t quite right. This wasn’t the first time I had heard about the horrific use of children as soldiers. An unforgivable act places Joseph Kony into a realm of evil few people can understand—myself included. But something beyond the heinous acts …
Stopping the outsourcing LAST YEAR, BARACK Obama allegedly asked Steve Jobs what it would take to bring employment back to U.S. soil; the late Apple CEO replied that jobs aren’t returning—which may have been a wrong assumption. The rising labour costs in China coupled with advances in computerization have allowed more jobs to return to …
WE’VE ALL SEEN it before: A new type of social media comes out, gains popularity, and before you know it we’re all flocking, convinced the new venue will help us to better market ourselves. But then something strange happens. In the midst of writing about yourself in 140 characters or less on Twitter, updating your …
CONFESSION TIME: I have a cat. This is a confession, because more often than not I discourage my friends who are students from getting pets. I cringe when I hear about the break-up cat adoption. I grind my teeth when I hear about the couple moving in and getting a dog—in third year. I want …
SINCE INVISIBLE CHILDREN’S Kony 2012 awareness video went viral last week, the Internet has been awash with discussion of the plight of Ugandans at the hands of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Knowledgeable reporters, celebrated columnists, concerned world citizens, and would-be activists have been weighing in with their own praise and criticism of the video and the group that produced it. Over one week later, the film has largely accomplished its goal. The world is quickly becoming aware of the destruction, murder, and abuse committed by the LRA, and is just as swiftly becoming impassioned about a cause that, until recently, many of us were content to ignore. So now what? Awareness is important—that can’t …
Re: Niqab ban oppresses new Canadian citizens (Opinions, March 8) MINISTER JASON KENNEY’S controversial ban on the wearing of the niqab during citizenship ceremonies has been an effective red herring, distracting from the government’s many questionable policies. But it would arguably be acceptable even if he sought to extend the ban toward all public life …
STUDENTS ACROSS THE country are facing barriers to access to post-secondary education. Recently, the Charest government in Quebec passed a proposed increase in tuition fees by 75 per cent over the next five years in their budget, imposing new barriers to students in the province. Though their tuition fees will still remain amongst the lowest …
THE LONG-PROPHESIZED END of the world is upon us—if you buy into the mania surrounding the end of the Mayan calendar, that is. Though we’ve known for a long time Dec. 21, 2012 will mark the end of humanity, the exact means of our destruction has yet to be decided. Making the case for nuclear …
Cool habitat, bro THANKS TO THE miracle of Apple products, orangutans at the Toronto Zoo may be getting a lot more social. The zoo is next in line for a program that gives iPads to the massive monkeys so they can socialize with their species over social media apps like Skype. Designed to enrich the …
TORONTO (CUP)—IMMIGRATION MINISTER JASON Kenney—best known for his support of deportation policies—is in the spotlight once again. This time, it’s for his recent implementation of the niqab ban at Canadian citizenship ceremonies. Coincidentally, Kenney made this an issue last December, when the Supreme Court of Canada was hearing arguments in the case of a woman …
IT’S STORYTIME. A few weeks ago, Canadian economist Don Drummond released his much-anticipated report, outlining a series of recommendations for the Ontario government to avoid hitting a projected deficit of $30.2 billion by 2017–18. Among the list of cost-cutting initiatives, Drummond recommended post-secondary education (PSE) funding be contained to an increase of 1.5 per cent …
ALMOST TWO WEEKS ago, the Conservative government made an unusual decision to refer to a committee for amendments before a bill was read a second time by the House of Commons. Vic Toews, Canada’s public safety minister, unveiled the Conservative government’s Bill C-30 last month, otherwise known as The Protecting Children from Internet Predators Act. …
THOUGH DIVORCE RATES are on the rise, and knocked-up high-school sweetheart couples are at the bottom of the list when it comes to quality marriages, there is one couple that’s been making it work for 23 years and counting. This pair has survived all the highs and lows of marriage, including botched holiday plans, rebellious …
IN THE TRANSITION between high school and university, free, easily accessible WiFi is one of the biggest differences post-secondary offered. Access to a wireless connection everywhere at university means freedom to roam Facebook, browse memes, read the news—pretty much do anything but pay attention to your prof. Still, unlimited internet access is something universities value—not …
IN A RECENT ruling by an Ontario Superior Court of Justice judge, Leroy Schickle was saved from a three-year mandatory minimum sentence for gun possession. Schickle, who boasted an unblemished record prior to the conviction, was charged with possession of a handgun when he posted a Facebook profile picture of himself holding the weapon in …
