Commercial fishers spark violence as anger builds toward Mi’kmaw fishers’ fishery
In September, Sipekne'katik First Nation launched a self-regulated fishery in Southern Nova Scotia, distributing licenses and regulating harvest amongst Mi’kmaw persons without the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
According to the Supreme Court Marshall ruling in 1999 and the 1760s Peace and Friendship Treaties, Mi’kmaq people are entitled to fish outside of the DFO regulated season.
However, as Mi’kmaq fishers began to harvest outside of the commercial session, many non-Indigenous people were angered, sparking violence and ultimately, a rehearing of the previous Marshall ruling in November 1999.
A clarification was issued by the high court, stating that the federal government can still regulate the Mi’kmaq fishers if there are concerns over conservation. The clarification also noted that there should be consultation with the First Nations groups first and the government should be able to justify its concerns.
Although the Supreme Court ruling stated that they have the right to hunt, fish and gather in pursuit of a moderate livelihood, the ruling did not clearly define what a moderate livelihood entails. Sipekne'katik First Nation Chief Michael Sack said that the definition of their moderate livelihood should be defined by Mi’kmaq persons themselves.
Canada doesn’t have the right to tell Indigenous people what ‘moderate livelihood’ means, my column #MikmaqRights https://t.co/s5rcJsZmhK
— Tanya Talaga (@TanyaTalaga) October 22, 2020
While non-Indigenous fishers claim to have concerns over conservation, conservation has been and continues to be a priority amongst Mi’kmaq persons. Others have also pointed out that the number of traps non-Indigenous fishers hold are extensively greater than Mi’kmaq fishers.
Now, with the launch of the fishery, non-Indigenous people are once again opposed to the idea of allowing the Mi’kmaq community to fish outside of DFO regulation.
Anger from non-Indigenous fishers has been high since September when dozens of Mi’kmaq and commercial fishers gathered at a wharf in Saulnierville, Nova Scotia.
"We're just here to exercise our right. We don't want to fight with anyone and we ask the commercial fishermen to please respect that,” said Sack.
"We're just here to exercise our right. We don't want to fight with anyone and we ask the commercial fishermen to please respect that,” said Sack.
Over the next few weeks, hostility from commercial fishers continued to escalate and on Oct. 5, a Mi’kmaw fisher’s vessel was destroyed in a suspicious fire. The vessel was used for commercial fishing and the owner of the vessel was one who received new licenses for the Mi’kmaw fishery.
In the next week, non-Indigenous commercial fishers and their supporters raided and vandalized Mi'kmaw lobster storing facilities. Several hundred non-Indigenous fishers had gathered together and made their way to a lobster pound in New Edinburgh. A van was later set on fire, lobsters were stolen and the facility was damaged.
Another raid took place in Yarmouth, a neighbouring county, where Mi’kmaw fisher Jason Marr had to hide within a lobster pound as his vehicle was vandalized by a mob outside. The group called on the fisherman, telling him to give up the lobster that he had harvested.
“They totally annihilated that building, just tore it all apart. They took all the lobster," Marr told CBC.
“They totally annihilated that building, just tore it all apart. They took all the lobster," Marr said.
Marr also noted that the RCMP did not respond efficiently to the situation and did not try to stop the vandalization.
On Oct. 16, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defended the government’s response, saying that they are active in trying to resolve the situation.
Across social media, there has been a call to action to support Mi’kmaq fishers in standing their ground and spread awareness about the ongoing hostility toward the Mi’kmaq.
Activists are encouraging people to contact the DFO, asking them to stand by the Mi’kmaq, as well as reach out to various politicians such as the Prime Minister, Minister of Indigenous Affairs and Minister of Justice.
“The Canadian government is completely complacent and responsible in their allowance of violence to continue. They uphold the racism, violence & genocide Canada was founded on. It’s time to be actively anti-racist. We need to stand up for the Mi’kmaq as allies & in solidarity to colonial violence that oppresses our Black kin in the same breath," wrote an activism-focused Instagram account, notanotherblacklife.
"... It’s time to be actively anti-racist. We need to stand up for the Mi’kmaq as allies & in solidarity to colonial violence that oppresses our Black kin in the same breath,"
McMaster students bring light to truly thoughtful conversation with Potential Excellence podcast
True, meaningful conversation is a gift. It involves profound, open and encouraging discussion, a sense of feeling heard and an opportunity to learn and grow. Through their podcast, Potential Excellence, second-year McMaster University students Brian Osei-Boateng and Tevin Wellington exemplify this wonderful kind of conversation to support and encourage.
Initially having met in high school, Osei-Boateng and Wellington are the co-creators of Potential Excellence. Described by both as more of a message than just a brand or a podcast, Potential Excellence began initially as a project for the pair’s Grade 11 leadership class where they were asked to invent a brand to address a real cause. They did well on the project and then months later, when they were getting ready to head off to university, the idea came back up again.
“We came to the conclusion that if we could do this good on a fake brand about a real cause as a team for just a school project, imagine if we made this a real thing?” said Osei-Boateng.
We’ve shown our potential to a few, we’ve shown that we can be excellent to some, but to many we have a lot of things to prove #JourneysNeverOver
— Potential Excellence (@PotentialExcel) September 30, 2019
They went back and forth with ideas, drawing on their initial project. They considered their own strengths and past experiences to determine what message and topics they wanted to include.
Gradually it all came together and Potential Excellence began to take form. They officially launched just over a year ago, publishing their podcast in September 2019. Within the last year, they have continued to grow, expanding to more platforms and gaining more followers.
Each podcast episode is centred around a conversation between Osei-Boateng, Wellington and an occasional guest. They have covered a wide variety of topics in their podcast, ranging from dating advice to diversity. When choosing topics they rely on a variety of sources, including input from their followers and also world events.
“It sucks to have an easy topic [because] something tragic is going on in the world, like a certain movement or a certain issue in the political environment or the social environment. We hate to talk about it, but [in] our roles as influencers, we have to bring awareness to various conflicts and issues. So those are the easiest times to think of a topic when there's a big thing happening,” said Osei-Boateng.
While the topic for each episode is selected and roughly outlined ahead of time, the conservation itself is not scripted, flowing organically and feeling as if the audience was just listening to an everyday conversation between the two.
At its core Potential Excellence is about highlighting people’s potential. It’s about making people more aware of not only what they could do, but who they could be and encouraging them to pursue their potential.
Described by both himself and Wellington as a motivational speaker, Osei-Boateng brings enthusiasm and an encouraging spirit to the podcast, emphasizing the importance of openness and growth in all aspects of life when it comes to developing one’s potential.
“I hope someone can become more aware of how they're feeling about their lives, instead of going through the motions and just pushing all the hate and negativity down. I hope someone could become a lot more open-minded about certain topics that are going on and take the time to just really take in what's going on and . . . what they could do to help while also building the best version of themselves in that process,” explained Osei-Boateng.
Described by both himself and Osei-Boateng as being knowledgeable about a wide range of topics and interested in the art of conversation, Wellington is often the facilitator of the conversation, asking the questions to encourage reflection and further thought.
“I want someone to walk away with the ability to understand that I have my opinion, I have my way of seeing things, but that does not automatically mean that my way of seeing things is correct. That does not automatically discount other views and whenever you're in a conversation, whenever you're talking about something you should always be willing to accept that there is a possibility . . . that you could be wrong. You should always be willing to accept that and you should never sacrifice a good conversation, the opportunity to learn, for the sake of being correct,” explained Wellington.
Though they may seem to be approaching the podcast from different angles, their strengths complement each other well and have helped them to create something that is authentic and thoughtful as well as informative and uplifting.
It’s important for the pair that they are not only helping people to recognize their potential but also that their audience comes away with what they were looking for. They recognize that different people at different points in their life will be looking for different things and they hope they’re able to provide whatever is, especially during these difficult times.
“Depending on the mindset you're in, if you're feeling more melancholic at a point in time, you obviously lean more to the motivational side of the podcast as opposed to the actual social aspect and opinionated sides of the podcast,” said Wellington.
Potential Excellence is a wonderful example of not only what good conversation looks like, but also the power that kind conversation has and the ways in which it can be used to encourage and inform people.
McMaster University completes its review of systemic racism in the Athletics Department.
This past July, McMaster University announced they would be conducting an external review of Black athletes' experiences following accusations of systemic anti-Black racism in the Athletics Department brought forward by several Mac alumni.
The review predominantly looked at the individual experiences of Black student-athletes, institutional gaps limiting their student experiences and suggesting improvements to address these gaps while also mitigating any discriminatory issues on an intersectional spectrum.
The review was led by Ivan Joseph, vice-president of student affairs at Wilfrid Laurier University and former athletics director at Ryerson University. A task force composed of five members — one faculty, two staff and two students — assisted Joseph with regards to the interviews and producing observations and recommendations based on the data.
The data would consist of interviews with current and former Black student-athletes, non-Black student-athletes, Black coaches/staff and non-Black coaches/staff. Upon successful completion of the interviews, the final report of the review was sent to Sean van Koughnett, associate vice-president and dean of students at McMaster University.
On Oct. 27, McMaster announced that the review was completed by Joseph, with the assistance of the task force.
“I view this process as an exercise in understanding. Together, our job is to use this as an opportunity for learning, for expanding the way we think and for seeing more clearly, more deeply, more broadly,” stated Joseph to McMaster Daily News.
“I view this process as an exercise in understanding. Together, our job is to use this as an opportunity for learning, for expanding the way we think and for seeing more clearly, more deeply, more broadly,” stated Joseph to McMaster Daily News.
The review of the Black student-athlete experience in McMaster Athletics & Recreation is complete. Evidence collected during the review, which was conducted by @DrIvanJoseph of Wilfrid Laurier University, reveals a culture of systemic anti-Black racism within the department. 1/8
— McMaster University (@McMasterU) October 27, 2020
The report outlined various experiences faced by these athletes, the process of the review, the persistent culture of anti-Black bias in the department and the lack of accountability by authority, by both athletics staff and university faculty/staff.
While discussing the impact on the student-athletes, Joseph stated in the review, “[t]hey believe that ‘nothing was done’ or it was ‘swept under the rug’ to ‘avoid drawing attention to it.’”
“They believe that ‘nothing was done’ or it was ‘swept under the rug’ to ‘avoid drawing attention to it,’” stated Joseph in the review.
During an interview, an anonymous staff member from the department told Joseph and the task force, “[d]iversity training within the Department is non-existent. We don’t spend any time on it.” Per the recommendations of the task force, implementing an anti-racism policy statement with specific attention to anti-Black racism will help “create a culture of accountability” within the department.
“Diversity training within the Department is non-existent. We don’t spend any time on it,” said an anonymous staff member.
The review concluded that this report is made public with its recommendations. Ideally, such news would further entice the university to conduct more reviews and other universities’ athletics department to follow likewise.
“This issue is not something unique to McMaster. Our opportunity with this action plan is to be a leader in this area,” said van Koughnett.
“This issue is not something unique to McMaster. Our opportunity with this action plan is to be a leader in this area,” said van Koughnett.
The main recommendations include increased Black-identifying representation among coaches, counsellors, leaders; produce a safe, encouraging environment for accountability; establish a scholarship program for Black student-athletes, create a new advocacy role to allow for a third-party group to act on behalf of such athletes; and implement a consistent support and training program in partnership with the values of equity, diversity and inclusion.
Upon receiving the report, van Koughnett worked alongside Arig al Shaibah, associate vice-president of the Equity and Inclusion Office at McMaster, to help produce a five-point action plan, based on the aforementioned recommendations stated in the review. This plan would be implemented by a newly hired role, Senior Advisor of Equity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism, where they will be working closely with the Athletics Department, the office of Student Affairs and EIO.
These include hiring a senior advisor of equity, inclusion and anti-racism, who will be responsible for collaborating with key contacts within McMaster’s Black community, including a new Black Student-Athletes Council. 5/8
— McMaster University (@McMasterU) October 27, 2020
“We are establishing a couple staff positions: a Black student services advisor which will handle a variety of issues, such as academics and careers. They will also refer to them with other resources and help advocate for them. Another new role is a Senior Advisor in the EIO, who will be engaged with Black student populations and student populations in general and have the authority to reach out to higher senior figures in the university,” said van Koughnett.
“We are establishing a couple staff positions: a Black student services advisor which will handle a variety of issues, such as academics and careers. They will also refer to them with other resources and help advocate for them. Another new role is a Senior Advisor in the EIO, who will be engaged with Black student populations and student populations in general and have the authority to reach out to higher senior figures in the university,” said van Koughnett.
With regards to increased representation, hiring members will now include an Employment Equity Facilitator and other racialized community members; paid internships in the department will also be emphasized for up to three recent Black graduates. A Black Student-Athlete Council will now be formed, alongside the formation of a Black student services and 10 new Athletics Financial Aid awards for Black-student athletes.
We know we have work to do, and this is where we’ll start
Here are some points from the action plan following the external review of the black student-athlete experience. pic.twitter.com/2VNfHc4MCo
— McMaster Marauders (@McMasterSports) October 29, 2020
Black student-athletes will also have the opportunity to receive support from Black faculty members and a non-profit organization, Onyx, to provide career development opportunities for Black students.
Lastly, policies such as the Code of Student Rights will be updated to reflect these experiences and address it immediately. Van Koughnett is also working with al Shaibah to create comprehensive education training by fall 2021 for athletics and recreation coaches, staff and student-athletes to give them the capabilities and understanding to discuss anti-Black racism.
As the news of the review and action plan came out, Kwasi Adu-Poku, who interviewed with us earlier this year, shared his thoughts on the review. Adu-Poku is currently a member of the McMaster men’s basketball team.
“Just looking through the review and I participated in it, it was a lot to go through and I’m just talking about reading it. But not even the length, but processing a lot of these experiences that not just I experienced. I just had to sit back and think of all the things that have been going on for a while. But with regards to the action plan, it's a really good step to create a better future, but more things need to be done. It's not a one-step process. It's a good thing student-athletes to have their voices heard but I know even just regular students would love to have their voices heard,” said Adu-Poku.
“Just looking through the review and I participated in it, it was a lot to go through and I’m just talking about reading it. But not even the length, but processing a lot of these experiences that not just I experienced. I just had to sit back and think of all the things that have been going on for a while. But with regards to the action plan, it's a really good step to create a better future, but more things need to be done. It's not a one-step process. It's a good thing student-athletes to have their voices heard but I know even just regular students would love to have their voices heard,” said Adu-Poku.
Adu-Poku explained that with this action plan, he hopes that the needs of Black students are accounted for outside of the athletics population. He believes that with the creation of the Black Student-Athlete Council, it will be something that carries a greater impact in the future.
— McMaster Marauders (@McMasterSports) October 29, 2020
“I hope its function is something more internalized than tokenized,” said Adu-Poku.
“I hope its function is something more internalized than tokenized,” said Adu-Poku.
After speaking with fellow Black-student athletes, Adu-Poku explained a shared sense of sadness resonated between them.
“I don’t even know the word to put on it. In a sense, it’s a form of grief. At the end of the day, it was overwhelming. As much as we have been accustomed to these experiences, but seeing it on paper, it just brought so much more weight to it. Despite action being taken, we need to make sure this is not a short term thing and make sure our kids are not dealing with this when they enroll in university. We want to make sure it’s a better world for them,” said Adu-Poku.
“I don’t even know the word to put on it. In a sense, it’s a form of grief. At the end of the day, it was overwhelming. As much as we have been accustomed to these experiences, but seeing it on paper, it just brought so much more weight to it. Despite action being taken, we need to make sure this is not a short term thing and make sure our kids are not dealing with this when they enroll in university. We want to make sure it’s a better world for them,” said Adu-Poku.
During Adu-Poku’s tenure as a Welcome Week representative for 2020, he was part of a Black student panel for incoming first years, the first of his entire undergraduate journey of five years. The panel shared their experiences with the students but also provided them with the comfort, support and resources they need. Adu-Poku also explained that relationships with various members of the Black community at McMaster have been fostered in virtual check-in spaces.
There have also been two meetings headed by van Koughnett and al Shaibah to allow more Black students to express their opinions of the review.
“We have an ongoing conversation with the African Caribbean faculty associate and their focus is on the students. They are interested in supporting them through creating a mentorship program . . . We are having sessions for Black student-athletes. It doesn't replace face to face, but we are doing best virtually,” said van Koughnett.
“We have an ongoing conversation with the African Caribbean faculty associate and their focus is on the students. They are interested in supporting them through creating a mentorship program . . . We are having sessions for Black student-athletes. It doesn't replace face to face, but we are doing best virtually,” said van Koughnett.
With regard to accountability, there still may be fear by students from reaching out to a formal complaint process.
“Even when I reflect on certain experiences that I disclosed, I wouldn’t have had that window if it wasn't for this review. At the end of the day, a lot of these reporting processes are uncomfortable because you're confronting an issue, but fear that you might be outed stepping forward with this. Just ways that ensure confidentiality and security as students take this uncomfortable step,” said Adu-Poku.
Ultimately, while the action plan is comprehensive and has detailed tangible steps to address systemic racism in the department, this is still an ongoing process in establishing an inclusive environment.
Shop Boho is carving out space in the Bohemian market and supporting Black business owners along the way
Stories build communities and celebrate cultures by bringing together ideas, emotions and experiences in a meaningful way. Some stories are told through books or movies, others are told through artifacts or products. At Shop Boho, each accessory paints a landscape and tells a story of a different culture from around the world.
Shop Boho is an e-commerce, Bohemian-inspired accessory and lifestyle brand that was launched in July 2020. Each jewelry is unique and handpicked from vendors by Shop Boho’s founder and McMaster alumna, Yosra Musa. The names of the pieces are inspired by cities whose landscape, aesthetic or culture is reflected in the design of the piece. It is how Musa integrates diversity and breathes life into all of her products.
“I don't want to be wearing what everybody else is wearing. I like to think of my pieces as a statement and as a talking point,” explained Musa.
Musa started the brand because she noticed a lack of representation of people of colour in the market for bohemian lifestyle products.
Bohemian lifestyle describes an unconventional life often lived by constant travellers, artists or other creatives. Bohemian style captures this way of living through objects, colours and patterns from many different cultures. However, a quick Google search of “Bohemian style” yields results that are rather disappointing. Instead of the diversity that you would expect to see, the vast majority of the images are of white blonde women wearing colourful and patterned dresses.
So undeterred by the current pandemic, Musa decided to use her strong background in supply chain management and her interest in alternative lifestyles to address this gap in the market.
Support from the community was a significant factor in successfully opening Shop Boho. Musa was promoted by local platforms such as Blk-Owned Hamont and received a microgrant from Black Artists Union, an art collective that showcases work by Black creators. The microgrant allowed her to expand her resources and have more creative freedom.
As a way to give back to the community, Musa is planning workshops and sharing YouTube videos documenting the challenges she faces as a small business owner and how she overcomes them. She is also sharing other lessons from her supply chain management experience. Musa understands that the initial learning curve of opening a business can be a financial burden and setback for many new business owners or discourage people from pursuing their entrepreneurial goals altogether.
“There's so many people that want to start an online business and anybody can do it. But I'm hoping that people can bypass a lot of the challenges that I faced by sharing that information,” said Musa.
One of the critical values of Shop Boho is representing and supporting Black women-owned businesses. Musa has always been an advocate for anti-racism movements. When she was a student at McMaster, she received the Lincoln M. Alexander Award for her contributions toward removing racial barriers in the community. She helped to establish McMaster’s African and African Diaspora Studies minor and co-founded Nu Omega Zeta, the second Black-focused sorority in Canada.
Musa realized early that it wasn’t enough for her as a Black woman entrepreneur to support and celebrate Black Girl Magic, a movement that highlights the beauty, power and resilience of Black women. She realized that she had to support an entire ecosystem of Black business owners. For example, for her upcoming winter collection, she purchased from women and/or Black-owned vendors.
“It's time for people, especially during this Black Lives Matter movement, to really think about their purchasing decisions. Purchasing from a small Black-owned business shouldn't feel like charity. They should be products that you genuinely enjoy and love. But as a consumer, you just need to be aware of where you're really putting your dollars and who you're supporting,” said Musa.
Currently, Musa is most looking forward to her winter collection, which will feature gold-plated, minimalist and classic jewelry pieces as well as staple everyday accessories such as tote bags and travel mugs. In the future, she hopes to host in-person pop-up shops in the Hamilton and Toronto areas.
Local artist explores Indigenous identity and resurgence with her beadwork
Art has long been a way for artists to create a space for themselves in a world where they feel one doesn't exist. It’s a way of carving out a tangible space to explore and reclaim who you are. For several Indigenous artists, including Kanien'kehá:ka beadwork artist Darien Bardy, art is an act of expression as much as it is an act of resurgence.
Bardy was born and raised in Hamilton. Growing up, she struggled with her Indigenous identity and history. She regularly faced racism and often had to act as if she didn’t know much about her culture in an attempt to avoid such encounters.
As she got older, Bardy became involved with a number of groups for Indigenous peoples, including the Hamilton Regional Indian Centre, the Aboriginal Health Centre and the Native Women’s Centre. It was through this work that she was first introduced to and became interested in beadwork.
Beading is a traditional Indigenous art form with a long history. The final pieces are considered a manifestation of the artist's good intentions. It’s also an art form that has gained a lot of attention recently for its prominence in projects supporting Indigenous resurgence.
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For Bardy, beading served as an important connection to her history and she didn’t expect it to grow into something more. People began to ask her where they could purchase her pieces, she made her Instagram page Beads in the Trap and things really took off.
“It really just took on a different shape because at first I was like, “this is going to be my page for just documenting my beadwork journey and see how I'm improving over the months”. . . But then it just kind of turned into something bigger,” said Bardy.
“It really just took on a different shape because at first I was like, “this is going to be my page for just documenting my beadwork journey and see how I'm improving over the months”. . . But then it just kind of turned into something bigger,” said Bardy.
Now Beads in the Trap has almost 4000 followers and Bardy’s products sell incredibly quickly, often on the day she posts them. But even as her business continues to grow, Bardy’s personal connection to beading has not diminished. If anything it has grown and taken on a larger meaning. It is no longer solely about helping her connect to her own history and understand her identity, but it is also a way for her to help other Indigenous youth do the same.
“I describe it as Indigenous resurgence in contemporary colonialism because my stuff is not very traditional but I think it represents a lot of urban Native youth or Native youth in younger generations that don't necessarily conform to the traditional ways, but still are influenced by traditional ways,” explained Bardy.
This is seen even in the name of Bardy’s business, which is a reference to the Nicki Minaj song Beez in the Trap. For Bardy, these pieces are another way in which she reconciles the different aspects of her identity.
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“In our culture, it's like when you're touching the beads…the good thoughts that are happening in your mind come out through your fingertips and into the beads. So while you're beading, you're literally creating a physical piece of your good thoughts and your good intentions. Those intentions and those good words and thinking good thoughts and wanting good things for whoever wears them – that’s in every single piece that I put out. So, even though my pieces aren't traditional looking . . . the intentions and the good mind is still behind it,” explained Bardy.
Bardy also sees her business as a starting point for conversation about Indigenous histories and resurgence. Especially because many of her pieces can be worn, people often ask her — or her friends and family — about them, creating an opportunity and an opening for these important conversations.
“What I want people to get out of it is just a symbol of like, we're still here, you can be an ally to us by supporting Indigenous artists . . . [I want people to] walk away with a sense of we're still here. Indigenous people are still here and we’re still trying to figure out where to go from here. We're still trying to figure out what it means to be Indigenous in the world now. Now that we're not a targeted people all the time. Now that we actually have space to breathe and be who we are, who are we?” said Bardy.
"[I want people to] walk away with a sense of we're still here. Indigenous people are still here and we’re still trying to figure out where to go from here," said Bardy.
Brady’s art, the histories and traditions it merges as well as the conversation it encourages are very much an act of expression and resurgence on both a personal and a community level.
Despite COVID-19, Hanes Corn Maze and Tiny Shop Bakery is still open for Halloween fun
By: Sharang Sharma, Contributor
With spooky season now upon us, many look for fun outdoor activities to do before the cold sets in. One particular activity that has become popular during this time is the exploration of corn mazes, such as the Hanes Corn Maze and Tiny Shop Bakery in Dundas.
Hanes Corn Maze is a family-run business that has been operating for 21 years. It began when farmers and current owners Shelley and Kevin Hanes saw a corn maze on the news. Since farming is a difficult business, they decided to build their own four-acre corn maze to help keep a more stable income.
Now spanning between 18 and 22 acres, the Hanes Corn Maze is Canada’s largest corn maze. This year, the maze is 20 acres large. It involves a game where you have to find all 17 checkpoints in the maze, 12 of which are marked on a map. Each of these checkpoints has a special code on it, which you use at a code-breaker board to figure out the maze’s theme for the year.
This time of year tends to be very busy at the Hanes Corn Maze, with many families visiting for Thanksgiving and Halloween. During Halloween, one can find the maze decorated with pumpkins and various spooky ornaments adorned throughout. Though there aren’t any actors jumping out at those traversing the maze, the dark and eerie atmosphere at night more than makes up for this. On top of that, towards the end of September they also open up the pumpkin patch, where customers can go and pick up a pumpkin in preparation for Halloween.
However as with many businesses, Hanes Corn Maze has had to adjust to the changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“[In August,] when we first opened for the sunflower maze . . . the restrictions were all lifting quite a bit at that point . . . So we were maxing out at 100 people. But we were finding that we were allowing walk-ins at that point and we noticed that it was starting to get a little bit too much and too many people were showing up and had to be turned away. So when we started to hit the most recent outbreak, again, we really tightened everything up. We reduced the number of people that were going to be allowed in any particular slots,” said Seamus Connors, director of sales and marketing at Hanes Corn Maze.
"So when we started to hit the most recent outbreak, again, we really tightened everything up. We reduced the number of people that were going to be allowed in any particular slots,” said Seamus Connors, the director of sales and marketing at Hanes Corn Maze.
Adapting to COVID-19 hasn’t just been a single large shift for businesses, but constant little changes alongside the ever-evolving situation. For Hanes Corn Maze, that now means guests need an online booking to go to the corn maze and the maximum group size is 10.
Fortunately, the pandemic has led to some unexpected positive outcomes for Hanes Corn Maze. Connors notes that the maze is more popular this year than it has been in the past. They have welcomed visitors from across the Greater Toronto Area and as far out as Barrie.
“Having an outdoor activity with a really large space is something that everybody's looking for right now. So it gives them an opportunity to be outdoors, to be active, but also be able to easily stay in their circle and follow social distancing guidelines, ” said Connors.
“Having an outdoor activity with a really large space is something that everybody's looking for right now. So it gives them an opportunity to be outdoors, to be active, but also be able to easily stay in their circle and follow social distancing guidelines, ” said Connors.
Connors also spoke about the importance of community in these times. Many Hanes Corn Maze’s customers are families that return every year, and youth groups tend to use the farm for large events.
For Hanes Corn Maze, it is important to give back to the community that keeps them running. Over the past few years they have donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the Tim Hortons Children Foundation. Even when they weren’t sure if they were going to be able to open the corn maze, they continued to stay involved in the community.
“We have a lot of people from group homes, who reach out to us and say, “I have these 12 boys who've had a hard life and we want to come and take them to the maze, but we really can't afford the sticker price” and the owner is amazing. Like she'll say, “tell them to just come, don't worry about paying, just come on by”,” said Connors.
Hanes Corn Maze has managed to adapt itself to our current set of circumstances and continues to be a fantastic activity for the end of autumn. It only goes to show the multiple and incredibly varied ways in which businesses have changed and adapted in these strange times.
The history of the things that haunt us at Halloween
As with many Western holidays, Halloween is associated with several traditions whose history has been long forgotten. Last year, the Sil looked back at some of these traditions in our first iteration of Spooky Facts. This year we’ve returned to examine the history of some haunting Halloween traditions.
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Haunted Houses
The origin of haunted houses as we know it comes from the Great Depression. At the time, Halloween in the United States had become known as a holiday where youth concocted elaborate pranks.
In 1933 when the pranks escalated to include property damage, vandalism and harassment, parents came together to find ways of distracting their kids. Along with trick-or-treating, parents created haunted houses in their basements and had their children go from house to house to experience different scary settings.
The beginning of the haunted house industry however came about when Walt Disney opened the Haunted Mansion attraction at Disneyland California in 1969 and Walt Disney World in 1971. Much more impressive than the basement haunted houses, the mansion featured a ballroom sequence of dancing ghouls in its Grand Hall, a seance room with a talking crystal ball and a graveyard full of grim grinning ghosts singing about spooking the living. From here, alongside the horror movie industry, the professional haunted house industry continued to grow.
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“Boo!”
Did you think of a ghost? Have you ever wondered why we associate this sound with ghosts? One of the first times that the word was found in text was in the 1560s poetic thriller Here Begynneth A Treatyse Of The Smyth Whych That Forged Hym A New Dame where it used more as a statement of one’s presence than a way to startle.
It was only later that the word was associated with fright. In 1738, the word appeared in Gilbert Crokatt’s Scotch Presbyterian Eloquence Display’d and this and an 1808 text noted that the word was used to scare children in North Scotland. By the 1820s, the word was known as the exclamation of real ghosts and those dressed up as ghosts. Another early example of ghosts saying “boo” was in the 1963 play Punch and Judy.
Why this sound? It is likely meant to imitate the mooing of a cow, but how and why this evolved into a word with ghostly connotation is unknown.
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Ghost Stories
As long as there have been ghosts, there have been stories about them. There are ancient ghost stories from Egypt, Greece, Rome, China, India, Scotland and many more places. Ancient Roman writings tell tales of ghosts who frequently showed up and rattled chains. Early ghost sightings include the first reported poltergeist (a ghost that causes physical disturbances) in 856 A.D. and the sightings of Anne Boleyn’s ghost after her 1536 death.
With his 1765 novel Castle of Otranto, Horace Walpole was credited with inventing the gothic novel and legitimizing the horror story as a literary form. Following this, gothic horror novels such as Frankenstein (1818), A Christmas Carol (1843) and Dracula (1897) were released.
In the Victorian era (1837-1901), ghost stories became increasingly popular. One of the potential reasons for this is that the industrial revolution led many people to migrate to big cities and move into houses with servants who, much like ghosts, were expected to move around the house without being seen or heard.
The Victorians also used gas lamps, the carbon monoxide from which could have caused hallucinations. Another factor could have been the introduction of the telegraph. The ability for messages to be transmitted across oceans using Morse code made it much less of a leap to believe a dead person was tapping out Morse code to you.
The Victorians told their ghost stories on long, cold and dark Christmas nights. However, because it was based on the supernatural, the Puritans frowned upon this tradition and it didn’t gain the same traction in America.
Nonetheless, Christmas issues of American magazines still carried ghost stories until as late as 1915. Eventually, as Americans took on the originally Scottish holiday of Halloween, they emphasized the scary elements and integrated ghost stories into the celebrations.
Ghost stories have gone on to take many forms, laying the foundation for the Halloween movies and horror films that we know and love today.
Mother-daughter duo’s travelling tea trailer continues to deliver tea and comfort during COVID-19
Autumn is the season of change. Leaves begin to change to brilliant, bright and beautiful colours and the warmer temperatures give way to cooler, wintery weather. This is also the season of good company. It is the time to sit down with a friend, share a pot of tea and enjoy good conversation. While gatherings may look different this year, taking place often over Zoom rather than in person, businesses like the mother-daughter-run Tea Amo are still finding ways to bring people together.
As part of a big Irish family, tea has always played an important role in Marian Peter’s life. This love of tea is something she passed down to her daughter, Heather Peter. In 2013, Heather purchased a vintage trailer with the intention of setting up a tea service. When Marian retired from her job as an English as a Second Langue teacher, the mother-daughter duo went into business together, selling tea out of the trailer at parks and private events.
“Having tea with people [is] a lot about [the] memories that you have around tea and making new memories. I think a lot of people have that nostalgia [towards tea] and they already love the memories around afternoon tea, so they want to bring that back,” said Heather.
“Having tea with people [is] a lot about [the] memories that you have around tea and making new memories. I think a lot of people have that nostalgia [towards tea] and they already love the memories around afternoon tea, so they want to bring that back,” said Heather.
Many of the loose leaf teas that they offer are made in-house. As their business continues to grow, the duo hopes to blend more of their teas themselves to create new flavours. Those not made in-house are sampled and then carefully selected from importers. All of their blends are free of artificial flavours, preservatives and added sweeteners.
Tea Amo sells their teas and a number of thoughtfully selected tea-related products on their website. These include traditional products such as teacups and teapots, as well as novelty items, such as perfume oil and teapot-shaped earrings. The latter they opted to include because they felt these items would make nice gifts for tea lovers. Many of these products are locally made.
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However, the pandemic has forced them to pivot their approach. Many of the events they would have attended are now on hold and they can no longer bring the trailer around to parks as they had previously done.
In conjunction with their online store, the duo is now offering afternoon tea boxes. Each afternoon tea box includes finger sandwiches, cookies, fruits and vegetables and two bags of loose leaf tea. These boxes are created in-house and delivered weekly in the trailer.
Especially during this time when many are having socially distant gatherings, the afternoon tea boxes are fitting because everyone can have their own box. As there is no need to share food, individuals are still able to gather safely. For those connecting via Zoom or other video platforms, the tea boxes are also convenient in that they can be ordered individually and then enjoyed together during the call.
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“[W]e're bringing happy to people. So many people have sent this afternoon [tea] box to a friend that's been depressed or a mother that’s sick . . . Or just to themselves with a couple of friends, distancing. So it was just a perfect idea for this time to do the afternoon tea box. So, we're doing quite well with that and enjoying it. It's like a feel-good kind of service for sure,” said Marian.
"So many people have sent this afternoon [tea] box to a friend that's been depressed or a mother that’s sick . . . Or just to themselves with a couple of friends, distancing."
In these trying times, Tea Amo continues to spread the warmth and comfort customary of tea. They are also bringing people together, reminding them of better times as well as providing them with the opportunity to create bright, happy memories that they will look back on fondly for years to come.
Hamilton Artists Inc., Factory Media Centre and Centre[3] for Artistic + Social Practice continue to bring creativity to the community during COVID-19
By: Sharang Sharma, Contributor
James Street North is known as the hub for Hamilton’s arts scene. Artist-run centres such as Hamilton Artists Inc., Factory Media Centre and Centre[3] for Artistic + Social Practice have made it their mission to make art accessible to everyone in the local community. However, this has become a more difficult task due to the COVID-19 pandemic and physical distancing protocols. Nonetheless, these three centres have found ways to push forward.
In March, Hamilton Artists Inc., Factory Media Centre and Centre[3] had to close their physical locations and cancel planned in-person exhibitions and workshops due to the Stage 1 lockdown. The first few months were especially difficult because some of the centres experienced a decrease in funding.
In March, Hamilton Artists Inc., Factory Media Centre and Centre[3] had to close their physical locations and cancel planned in-person exhibitions and workshops due to the stage one lockdown. The first few months were especially difficult because some of the centres experienced a decrease in funding.
“Our rentals don't really make up a big amount of our revenue . . . For that reason, we didn't lose enough funding to qualify for any of the grants that were available. But our membership is also mostly comprised of emerging artists and working-class artists, including myself before I worked there. So we noticed a decline in membership renewals and obviously equipment rentals because people either weren’t get[ting] paid to make work for people . . . or they were anticipat[ing] having to tighten their budgets and save money . . . So the first months from an organizational standpoint were really a little bit worrisome,” explained Kristina Durka, the operations coordinator at the Factory Media Centre.
Despite these initial challenges, these artist-run centres have found ways to move their workshops, exhibitions and other programming online. In June, Centre[3] presented the work of the students who would have been involved in its annual Art Education and Community Arts Exhibition on their website. In July, Hamilton Artists’ Inc. moved its annual outdoor summer screening series to a Facebook livestream. Centre[3] and Factory Media Centre have continued to host Artist Talks, the most recent one at Factory Media Centre being livestreamed on Facebook on Oct. 8.
Despite these initial challenges, these artist-run centres have found ways to move their workshops, exhibitions and other programming online.
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“For example, we have a program called 360[4]Youth . . . and we teach soft skills to the youth using arts-based programming . . . [O]ne of our programs is to do filmmaking and that wasn’t possible but we translated it to stop motion animation. So we actually dropped supplies off to the youth . . . [and] we could still have the same lesson, the same workshop . . . because a lot of our work, a lot of lessons are about collaboration . . . You could still have a group working on a collaborative project,” said Julie Shea, the operations director of Centre[3].
The centres also found new ways to use their physical spaces. Hamilton Artists’ Inc. is currently hosting the Hamilton-based contemporary dance company Aeris Korper as their performers-in-residence. They have also continued to activate the exterior of their space, such as billboards on Cannon Street and the two exterior walls of their building. Factory Media Centre is hosting a video series on a screen inside their street-level window. By using their space in new ways, the centres are giving artists a space to engage with their art in these trying times.
At the same time, this challenging year has also enabled the creativity of the artists at these centres to flourish in a new way as they explore possibilities outside of what they traditionally have done. For example, Factory Media Centre ended up with around 500 people watching one of their Cell Phone Film Festival screenings, many more than they could fit in their 42-person capacity gallery. Hamilton Artists’ Inc. is also hosting new special projects, which are activities that are not regular exhibitions and instead can be one-off or off-site projects.
“[T]he [special project] that we did most recently was our colouring book that was derived from a program that we had called Incoming. So we are able to print colouring books, with different artists’ drawings in them and then we get those out for free to the public with some art supplies. So that was a creative way that we engaged with our community but it wasn't about physically attending an exhibition in our space,” explained Julie Dring, executive director at Hamilton Artists Inc.
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As the second wave of the pandemic hits Ontario, each of these centres is preparing to continue their new and modified programs. Factory Media Centre is planning to continue with remote residencies such as the one they currently have with artist and McMaster PhD student, Luis Navarro Del Angel. Centre[3] is currently working on an audio booth to make it more accessible for artists to record podcasts and engage with audiences virtually.
Art and community are two facets of everyday life that have been hit hard by the pandemic. However, Hamilton’s artist-run centres have demonstrated the benefit of working with a group of creative people in this strange time. These artists have found ways to turn this strange moment into artistic community events that they otherwise would not have imagined.
The Art Gallery of Hamilton Film Festival moves online amidst the COVID-19 pandemic
By: Samantha McBride, Production Assistant
Every year film enthusiasts and creatives alike descend on Hamilton for the Art Gallery of Hamilton Film Festival. This event promises local and international feature films, short films, competitions and other programming. The festival is also an opportunity for the Hamilton community to support independent artists and engage with an international circle of storytellers.
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s festival has undergone major changes. The festival is currently running from Oct. 16-25, 2020 and is entirely online using the platform, Eventive. Most of the films are available on-demand but there are also live online events.
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“It's very important for us to continue to support the creators as well as help the community to see new films that they might not see anywhere else . . . [Films are] a window into someone else's world and someone else's experience and it's an important medium for us to understand the world around us and the experiences other people have in our world,” said Art Gallery of Hamilton Film Curator Ryan Ferguson.
“It's very important for us to continue to support the creators as well as help the community to see new films that they might not see anywhere else . . . [Films are] a window into someone else's world and someone else's experience and it's an important medium for us to understand the world around us and the experiences other people have in our world,” said Art Gallery of Hamilton Film Curator Ryan Ferguson.
One of the more notable live events is the festival’s youth film challenge, an opportunity for anyone under the age of 25 to submit their short film to the festival. The youth challenge is a chance for young filmmakers to showcase their work to the community and beyond. One film from the category will be selected to receive the audience choice award for standout film. This year’s youth and family film challenges will be livestreamed on the last day of the festival.
The festival’s 21 short films are being offered at no cost in categories of six to seven films. These short films are eligible for the audience choice award, given to the film voted best by the audience.
The festival also includes a number of works from local and Canadian filmmakers. One of these works is the world premiere of La Toccata created by Hamilton interdisciplinary artist Radha Menon. La Toccata is set in Sicily and explores the Western obsession with youth and beauty. It is particularly fitting at this time when the pandemic has exposed the individual and systemic lack of care for the lives of elderly individuals.
“[I]t’s all about beauty so [the film is] made to look beautiful . . . because we are obsessed with beauty and it's that beauty that draws us in . . . [I]t has been created in our mind that the ageing process is something to be feared, mine included, everybody, it's so drilled into our psyche . . . [I]n my culture elders – well especially used to be, not so much maybe anymore because Western influences – were revered and the grey hair meant wisdom. But now, we shove our elderly behind closed doors, segregate them so we don't have to see them or be with them and it’s quite foolish because we could be learning from all the wisdom that they have,” Menon explained.
Menon was excited to premiere this work in the city that she calls home, even if it is only online. While she knows audiences will be missing the experience of being in a theatre, she thinks it is valuable to have the opportunity to see what creators are working on during this time.
Ordinarily, the festival is geared toward the Hamilton community but as it shifts to an online event, other audiences have the opportunity to partake in the diverse programming lineup offered by the AGHFF. The move to online creates a more inclusive festival for those who would not ordinarily be able to visit the Hamilton area.
“It's exciting for us to have the opportunity to share what we do every year here in Hamilton with people all over the province," said Ferguson.
“It's exciting for us to have the opportunity to share what we do every year here in Hamilton with people all over the province," said Ferguson.
Overall, the festival promises an interesting online experience for audiences with exciting ways to get involved. Although audiences are not together to watch the films, the community remains united by the stories told.
