Marina Djurdjevic

Global study finds species can adapt to cities

As cities expand and are home to more people, scientists are exploring how these landscapes can influence the wildlife that coexist among us. University of Manitoba researchers Colin Garroway and Aleeza Gerstein have contributed to the largest ever field study of parallel evolution. The expansive new study, recently published in the journal Science, looked at whether cities can shape species evolution.


NDP-Liberal agreement a victory for cooperative politics

The Liberal-NDP agreement is not solely a political victory, but rather a triumph for low-income Canadians who need assistance to cover their pharmaceutical necessities and require adequate and affordable dental-care plans. Though imperfect, this agreement puts citizens’ interests over partisanship.



PCs throwing province off a cliff by dropping masks

On March 15 the Progressive Conservative party (PC) dropped Manitoba’s mask mandate. The PCs are facing what looks to be an inevitable demise come next provincial election and it appears the party is finding it increasingly futile to play along with public health measures it so clearly resents. The result may culminate in yet another self-destructive attempt at returning to pre-COVID life. We’ve been here before, and it didn’t end well.



Fame is beating experience in upcoming byelection

As the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba (PC) continues to lag behind Manitoba’s New Democratic Party (NDP) in province-wide polling, the Fort Whyte byelection could not have come at a better time for the traditionally conservative electoral division. The riding, which has remained vacant since the resignation of former premier Brian Pallister, is set to hold its election on March 22.




Grade-school system should embrace critical literature

There is a strong tendency in the Canadian public school system that assumes teaching curriculums that maintain the status quo in our social lives is somehow politically neutral. Teachers steer clear of hard and polarizing topics in the humanities and social sciences to avoid angry parents who might disagree with them. As a result, high school often consists of preparing students for the sciences while leaving social topics to English class and a selection of outdated western literature that has little relevance to a large portion of the class.


Single-use fees are for waste reduction, not profit

Businesses should not stand to profit from climate initiatives. Instead, businesses should be required to contribute all fees collected and put them toward climate action plans. Without mandates on how to spend these fees, franchise owners may be tempted to pocket the money to make up for revenue lost as a result of COVID-19. Worse, they may be tempted to hoard the extra income for a rainy day fund to offset potential losses in the event that COVID-19 restrictions lead to more closures. We cannot afford to leave the decision up to businesses any longer — with the climate emergency we find ourselves facing, it is imperative corporations prioritize the environment over profit.