City considering limited online voting in municipal elections OTTAWA—OTTAWA IS LOOKING to let some people vote online in the next municipal election. The vote tabulators put into use in 1997 are now at the end of their suggested life cycle and need to be replaced. Voters currently fill out paper ballots that are tabulated by …
Ottawa
BEFORE MARCH 5, not many people knew who Joseph Kony was. Today, a video titled Kony 2012 has over 74 million views on YouTube. Kony 2012 is a campaign started by Invisible Children, an American organization fighting for the rights of Ugandan children who have been forced into active membership in Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance …
AS THE GRADUATE Student Association (GSAÉD) election draws near, the candidates, all of whom are running unopposed, have begun their campaigning. The Fulcrum sat down with the five hopefuls and asked them why graduate students should cast a ballot in their favour March 19–21. INTERNAL COMMISSIONER Caitlin Campisi, internal commissioner candidate Caitlin Campisi, current internal …
The problem CYBORGS AREN’T SCIENCE fiction. All around us people with pacemakers, insulin pumps, and prosthetic implants continue to live normal lives because of mechanical and electronic parts within their bodies. It’s not sci-fi; it’s mundane. But that doesn’t mean combining human bodies with technology is scientifically simple. Even relatively straightforward implants need to be …
GRADUATE STUDENTS AT the University of Ottawa will go to the polls to elect the executive of the Graduate Students’ Association (GSAÉD) and representatives to the University Senate March 19–21. Nominations closed and the campaigning officially began on Feb. 29. “The only contest that will be contested is the senate sciences seat,” said Peter Schalk, …
ZAPHOD BEEBLEBROX, THE self-proclaimed “bar at the end of the universe,” sits quietly in the heart of the ByWard Market—yet on the inside it is anything but quiet as the iconic bar is gearing up to celebrate its 20th birthday. Having seen the rise of grunge, hip-hop, boy bands, and recently dubstep, owner Eugene Haslam …
IT’S BUDGET SEASON—a time for our governments to figure out where they want to spend cash and cut funding. The Harper government has made it clear jobs will be cut, which means Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson has some damage control to do. Watson has already sprung into action. He recently introduced Invest Ottawa, a plan …
OTTAWA IS PERHAPS considered a less creative city than most—known better for its bureaucrats, frigid winters, and poutine than its artistic community. The Ottawa Creative Collective (OCC), founded by two local designers, aims to change that image. “We want to be known as the organization that nudges Ottawa into the realm of good design—to be …
STUDENTS ARE USED to being graded. On essays, assignments, and final exams, students must synthesize and reiterate everything they’ve learned. For professors, the evaluation process is no less demanding or comprehensive. There are many surveys and organizations focused on monitoring the quality of education in Ontario, and at the University of Ottawa specifically, to ensure …
Canal closed to skaters OTTAWA—THE RIDEAU CANAL skateway officially closed for the season on Feb. 24 after a week of warm weather. This year’s skating season lasted 28 days, the shortest since a 26-day season in 2002. Despite its relatively short run, 19 consecutive skating days in addition to Winterlude activities marked this year as …
ON FEB. 14, the Copyright Modernization Act (Bill C-11), was submitted to committee for review and amendments. The bill aims to update copyright laws last altered in 1997 and make breaking digital locks illegal. Time for an upgrade Kathleen Simmons, co-owner of Van Loon Simmons, a law firm specializing in copyright, broadcasting, and government law …
ON FEB. 7, the Ottawa Citizen announced that the University of Ottawa made the 2012 list for the National Capital Region’s Top 25 Employers. The 2012 ranking marks the third consecutive year the U of O has been included. “Being recognized in this way for the third year in a row is truly a reflection …
ON FEB. 5, the Students’ Association of the Faculty of Arts (SAFA) Board of Directors withdrew the motion to impeach Jozef Spiteri, SAFA vp social affairs and candidate for vp social in the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) elections. “At our exec meeting, which we hold every Sunday prior to our board …
RESIDENTS OF WESTBORO will have access to bicycles with the purchase of a membership starting May 2012 with the launch of Right Bike, a bike-share program run by the Causeway Work Centre. The centre put the program together with help from the community, local businesses, the City of Ottawa, and Earth Day Canada, an environmental …
ON DEC. 9, the Ottawa Police Service made a public announcement stating they had observed a pattern of violence against women involved with street-level sex work. Tyrus Cameron, chief of Major Crimes, later noted the police believe a single predator is responsible for the deaths of several female sex workers in the Ottawa area over …
THIS MONTH, LUC Cormier, president of the Undergraduate Nursing Students’ Association, addressed university President Allan Rock in a letter published in the Fulcrum on about the lack of attention toward the Faculty of Health Sciences. Cormier hopes his faculty will be unified under one roof like every other faculty on campus. “The administration didn’t reply …
MARCO KUYU WITHDREW his candidacy for the position of Student Federation of the University of Ottawa vp student affairs after realizing the demanding nature of the job. Kuyu, a first-year common law student, said he is required by his program to take two mandatory classes, which he wouldn’t be able to commit to if he …
CFS holds National Day of Action to drop tuition fees THE CANADIAN FEDERATION of Students (CFS) and its member schools will see thousands of students rally against high tuition fees across the country, including University of Ottawa participants who plan to march to Parliament Hill to make their message heard on Feb. 1. “The day …
‘Smooth sailing’ so far: CEO JAN. 16 MARKED the beginning of the election period for students who want to run for the Student Federation at the University of Ottawa (SFUO) executive and its Board of Administration (BOA). According to the SFUO Election Office staff, the nomination period is progressing smoothly, with significant interest from students. …
Troubles with texting The problem LOOK AT THIS article. Now at your phone. Now back to this article. Chances are, you have plenty of text messages saying something like, “OMG, ttyl, g2g”—or at least that’s what some people might expect. Expectations aside, there isn’t much scientific knowledge surrounding texting habits. Texting is private, and finding …
Broken water main floods Elgin businesses OTTAWA—A WATER MAIN on Elgin Street broke on Jan. 18, making it the second broken water pipe to burst in Ottawa over the past two weeks and forcing the city to close down Elgin Street to replace the pipe. An estimated $30 million will be spent on …
OTTAWA’S FIRST HOMICIDE of 2012 was discovered on Jan. 22 at 2:20 a.m. Navid Niran, a 24-year-old Ottawa man, was found on the intersection of Dalhousie Street and Besserer Street, minutes away from the University of Ottawa bookstore, Agora. Niran was transported to hospital by ambulance, where he died of his injuries. As of Monday …
Can I get a side of common sense, please? Re: “Can I get a side of English, please?” (Opinions, Oct. 13) I AM WRITING to the Fulcrum in response to Ms. Lytle’s opinion piece about bilingualism at the University of Ottawa. There is a reality amongst French communities in Canada that I don’t think everybody …
Students raise awareness about U-Pass price increase ON OCT. 31, students at Carleton University, led by the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA), dressed up as zombies and attended a mock funeral for the loss of important transit routes while getting students to sign postcards petitioning against proposed fare hikes for the U-Pass. “Because it was …
Survival of the same The problem NATURAL SELECTION IS one of the cornerstones of modern science. Genetic mutations cause organisms to be more or less fit to survive; those who can’t compete die, while the strong pass on their genetic strengths to a new generation. Still, genomes are complicated things. Genes can react to internal …
