Capital Pride director demonstrates solidarity with anti-black racism protesters
By Mira Williamson — When he attends Ottawa’s No Peace Until Justice march to honour George Floyd on Friday, Osmel Maynes said he will be doing it to help make life better for his young nephew and black people across the world. “I’m attending because I’m a black man, whoContinue Reading
COVID-19 highlights education gaps for special needs students
By Adriana Vicic — Normally, Emily Brunka works as a server in Toronto. But since schools closed in March, she has been a tutor for her younger sister Ela, 14, who has Down Syndrome. “It’s hard because it wasn’t something I was ever trained on,” she says. “And at schoolContinue Reading
Two worlds, one city: Old East, Old South and the gap in between
VICKY QIAO – String lights, Christmas trees, garlands and wreaths – holiday spirit hit the City of London as soon as December arrived. Yet walking down Dundas St. in Old East Village, nothing seemed festive other than the Michael Bublé song playing through my headphones. Abandoned shopping carts; scattered newspapers andContinue Reading
‘I survived the Holocaust but I might not survive coronavirus’: how one elderly couple is coping with love and positivity
SOPHIE STEKEL – Talking to my grandparents from the bottom of their driveway, it is as if I was on the other side of a barbed-wire fence. I couldn’t get too close. During this COVID-19 outbreak, there are those who have limited freedoms like going to the grocery store orContinue Reading
Student Study Distractions: Age-Old Problem or New-Age Culprit?
HAYLEY TUBRETT – The notification bell rings and your phone lights up. You see that someone snapchatted, messaged, or sent you a follow request. Is your immediate impulse to pick up your phone and check your notification? If so, then you’re not alone. For many university students, that reaction isContinue Reading
COVID-19 put this student’s internship in jeopardy. Now he’s not sure where to go.
EVA ZHU – For months, Lev McKinney was excited to move to San Jose for the internship of his dreams. But as COVID-19 rages on, his future could be in limbo. McKinney, a 19-year-old Computer Sciences student at the University of Toronto, was supposed to start a four-month internship forContinue Reading
Climate activism in a time of pandemic – divestment and digital organizing
With the COVID-19 pandemic escalating and spreading across the world, information on the outbreak has been dominating news media and the public discourse. Many student organizers and climate activists are having a challenging time spreading awareness and fighting for their cause. University students across North America have been protesting theirContinue Reading
Edgar and Joe’s Café is using inclusive employment to strengthen the London community
MARIAH BRENDERS – The large, bright café is filled with sounds of chatter, clinking crockery and a whirring espresso machine while employees steadily serve the morning rush. A line forms in front of the long granite counter as customers peer at the daily special scrawled on the massive chalkboard menu.Continue Reading
Keeping up with kindness: How one Londoner is making a difference
MEGAN KING – An anonymous Londoner is encouraging her community to compliment each other in 280 characters or less. A Twitter page called “Kindness Matters” works to encourage the London community to exchange niceties and support one another. The page founder, a London journalist who wishes to remain anonymous, foundedContinue Reading
How therapists are dealing with the switch to online counselling during COVID-19
MONIKA SIDHU – Paitra Marsh was in the middle of conducting an online therapy session when she realized she needed to put things on pause. Her client was sharing information that was revealing itself to be traumatic. Though Marsh has been practicing psychotherapy for over a decade, she is relativelyContinue Reading