With a surplus of $94 million in the 2020-21 fiscal year the university — regardless of the fact that the University of Manitoba Graduate Students’ Association (UMGSA) advocated that graduate student fees should not go up, particularly during the ongoing pandemic — upped graduate student summer fees by at least 464%.
Though Zoom memberships have now expired without an expected renewal, sweatshirts are wearing thing, and restrictions are essentially fully eased, one issue persists: the toll the pandemic has taken on the student body.
Early in the pandemic, Manitoba’s COVID-19 response was exemplary. It took five months from the initial outbreak for the provincial death toll to even hit double digits and another eight months to hit 100. Those numbers seem almost unbelievable in today’s context, where the premier seems to be actively trying to infect as many people as possible.
The church supposedly feels remorse for its actions, yet it continues to act and uphold colonial institutions and practices. Unlike the Pope’s apology makes it seem, it was not simply a few misguided Christians that contributed to residential schools — it was and continues to be an institutional effort that began with two racist papal bulls. The continuity of this institutional colonialism lives on in the Vatican’s private collection of cultural material. If the church truly wants to take its first steps toward reconciliation, it should return what was stolen and tear up the papal bulls that made this theft possible.
Winnipeg should strive for accessible living of all types. Whether it be single or family living, our downtown should be able to accommodate residents at the barest of minimums. Further, Winnipeg should seek to build a stronger sense of character and consistency in our urban identity and provide a more meaningful execution of communal programming that works with our seasonal variation. Ultimately, we need to redefine Winnipeg.
War is terrible no matter who it affects. And where there is conflict, inevitably there will be people that are forced to flee for their lives. Although it is unrealistic to expect to save everybody from the perils of war, Canada and other western countries have not stepped up to support as many people as they should.
My first impression of the VR universe was that it was wholesome and inviting. While still isolated in the real world, I was happy to find a community of people that I could gather with.
By not treating these issues equally, sporting groups demonstrate the lack of concern they have for racialized people. Those who are complicit in murdering the innocent and pursuing wars of conquest have zero place in athletics. It is time that the Olympics, FIFA and the rest of the sporting world take a stand against large-scale violence. If nations forge a path of destruction and division, then they should not be permitted to participate in the unifying nature of sports.
Comparing the past year or two to the end of a world war is distasteful. The conclusion, however, of the 1919 editorial excerpted below may fall on ears in which it rings true. Given the opportunities for the eventual return to classrooms, lecture theatres, buildings and spaces, it remains a timely call for the administration and the government to take responsibility and accountability “in developing a greater and finer University of Manitoba — Floreat.” The alternative: commarceat. The U of M must choose to bloom or wither.
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.