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September-October 2022

Counsellors, caretakers, and cops

They're barely older than the peers they support, and they’re always on the clock. Resident assistants in Canadian universities speak up about a crushing emotional toll

Carly Penrose

The phone rings. It’s the call Alanna Stewart has been waiting for. One of her residents passed out at a party across campus. Stewart saw them down six shots of absinthe earlier in the night, so she isn’t exactly surprised. She ventures out to find the student, who is dangerously drunk, and then escorts them […] More »
March-April 2022

Skin deep

Why we need more BIPOC dermatologists in Canada

Dorcas Marfo

Butterflies and flowers. Butterflies and flowers. Butterflies and flowers. I would repeat this phrase until I had forgotten that my skin was tingling for a scratch. My sister taught me this. She would tell me to think of lush green grass, with flowers too pretty to ignore and butterflies dancing with the wind. I stuck […] More »
March-April 2022

Not your perfect victim

A new law seeks to educate judges on social context and sexual assault—but there are reasons to believe it’s not enough

Samantha Peters

I am a non-binary Black queer femme survivor of sexual violence who has never gone to the police or engaged in a court process in order to seek justice and accountability. Every time that I have disclosed that I am indeed a survivor, I am seldom believed. Why would anyone do that to someone who […] More »
March-April 2022

Keep on truckin’

Long-haul drivers fight for safety

Nicholas Sokic

For years, Ontario’s long-haul truck drivers have decried their unsafe labour conditions, among them the inadequate number of rest stops off of Southern Ontario highways. A petition for more truck parking in Ontario created by private policy group SPR Associates of Toronto aims to improve working environments and safety for the long-haul drivers on the […] More »
January-February 2022

Grappling with grief

Experiencing loss during the pandemic

Bhanwar Dhanoa

I haven’t suffered loss nearly at the scale of many people since the pandemic started. But I have suffered loss. And I’ve been preoccupied with what to do with that feeling, during a time when touch and physical presence are treated on par with the deadly disease that they could spread. I’ve struggled to process […] More »
January-February 2022

The right to leave

People experiencing pregnancy loss deserve employee protections

Vanshika Dhawan

When Julia Horel presented a report at an Annual General Meeting (AGM) for the non-profit where she worked, she had a secret. Less than 24 hours prior, she received gut-wrenching news. Sometime between the first ultrasound at eight weeks into her pregnancy and the follow-up two weeks later, she experienced a miscarriage. The embryo she […] More »
September-October 2021

We need period policies now

An open letter to Canadian employers

Kirti Vyas

Dear Canadian employers, I come to you with a plea from menstruators across the country: please implement period policies at your place of business. Actually, let me rephrase that—we need period policies in the workplace now. Periods are an incredible phenomenon in which a person bleeds from their nether regions every 21 to 35 days […] More »
July-August 2021

Overdose prevention sites come to New Brunswick

Advocates want to see more than Band-Aid solutions

Hannah Rudderham

New Brunswick’s Health Minister, Dorothy Shephard, announced in February 2021 that the provincial government plans to implement overdose prevention sites this year. But Debby Warren, executive director at Ensemble Greater Moncton, wants the government to work toward a robust set-up that allows people dealing with addiction to leave with more than just a surface-level solution. […] More »
May-June 2021

A little house to call home

This tiny home community in Whitehorse assists people experiencing homelessness

Karen Longwell

A 240-square-foot house may not seem like an ideal living situation, but for some people who are unhoused, tiny homes can be a creative solution tackling a small part of the issue. According to a 2018 Canadian government report, approximately 35,000 Canadians experience some form of homelessness on any given night, and the Territories face […] More »
May-June 2021

How New Brunswick has restricted out-of-hospital abortions for over 200 years

Inside the fight for safe, fully-funded abortions

Julia Mastroianni

In 2021, New Brunswick remains the only province in Canada that refuses to fund out-of-hospital abortions. Currently, only three hospitals in the province can perform abortions—one in Bathurst and two in Moncton. While the province is finally being taken to court by a civil liberties association for this lack of funding support, which violates the […] More »
March-April 2021

How to survive a dystopia

Lessons from the disability justice movement

Mari “Dev” Ramsawakh

For some, we are entering a dystopian-like era, with pandemic and zombie movies feeling uncannily familiar. In May 2020, the BBC noted that the public has had an increased interest in dystopian fiction as a way to cope or understand the pandemic. But, if we really want to learn about how to survive this newfound […] More »