By: Drew Simpson
The Division of Labour exhibit portrays sustainable ways of creating art while also looking at the difficulties of creating a sustainable art career. Housed in the Workers Arts and Heritage Centre’s main gallery space until April 20 and accompanied by a panel discussion, Division of Labour warns of the scarcity of resources, labour rights and living wages of artists.
Division of Labour also serves as an educational tool to communicate and start discourse around the issues regarding sustainability. The Socio-Economic Status of Artists in the greater Toronto and Hamilton area discussion, which was facilitated by Divisions of Labour curator, Suzanne Carte, and included panelists Sally Lee, Michael Maranda and Angela Orasch, encouraged artists to be vocal and seek action.
“People want to be around artists, but they really don’t. If they were living in the reality that a lot of artists are living in, it would not be favourable. What they want is the pseudo creative lifestyle. They want to be around beautiful things and smart people, but they don’t really want to be assisting with making sure artists are making a living wage and that artists are being supported financially,” explained Carte.
[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id="257" gal_title="Division of Labour Exhibit 1"]
For emerging artists, this exhibits presents a valuable learning experience as it informs them of community issues. This topic is particularly important since emerging artists are often asked to work for free, often under a pretense that the work will add to their portfolios or lead to exposure. However, Carte argues that asking artists to work for free devalues the work they do.
“Because you are emerging, and because you’re new to the practice does not mean that any institution, organization or individual business, whatever it might be, can take advantage of you and use it as exposure… it’s not about gaining experience — I can gain experience on the job. I can gain experience while being compensated for what I do,” explained Carte.
While Carte encourages individuals to stand up for themselves, she understands that many artists may not be in a position to be able to reject sparse opportunities. She, alongside the panelists at the discussions, further discussed ways emerging and established artists can fight for their rights.
Lee gave an overview of organizations and advocacy groups that focus on bettering labour and housing situations and are making communities aware of gentrification and the living experiences of artists in Hamilton and Toronto.
Maranda added that lobbying for bigger grants or funding is not enough. The community also needs to be advocating for the improvement of artists’ economic status through establishing a basic or minimum hourly wage, affordable rent and transportation.
[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id="258" gal_title="Division of Labour Exhibit 2"]
Recently, Maranda was a quantitative researcher for the Waging Culture survey. The survey investigated home ownership in Hamilton compared to Toronto. Maranda concluded that Hamilton artists are less reliant on the private market and contribute more to the public art community.
The survey also suggested an artist migration from Toronto to Hamilton due to Hamilton’s lower rent and higher artist home ownership. This leads to a domino effect as real estate agents and developers follow the migration and aid gentrification.
Orasch stated that real estate agents and developers have secretly attended similar panel discussions. The panelists speculated they do so to learn how to market housing to artists. However, the overall sentiment was that they crossed into an artist-designated space to further exploit artists.
“Developers are taking advantage of the language that we have been able to construct for ourselves, to be able to be attractive to other artists or other individuals who feel as though they want an “artsy” experience out of life,” explained Carte.
Lee emphasized how all these surveys and discussions need to reach key decision makers. The Division of Labour exhibit and the panelists at the discussion have repeatedly stressed that talk is merely educational, the true goal is action and change.
[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
Finding off-campus housing can be a stressful experience for McMaster students for a variety of reasons, and it does not look like that will change anytime soon. With the increased number of students enrolled at the university, off-campus housing is becoming harder to find.
According to McMaster University official statistics, more than 27,000 full-time undergraduate students are enrolled at the university this year, a figure 20 per cent higher than the 22,558 undergrad students enrolled five years ago.
According to Andrew Parashis, a property manager at Spotted Properties, the largest property management in the McMaster community, the student housing supply has not been able to keep up with the rising demand.
The number of students seeking housing through Spotted Properties has tripled over the past year, easily surpassing the number of new properties the company has taken on.
“With McMaster taking on so many people, there are a lot of people saying they can’t find a house,” Parashis said.
Much of the increase in demand can be attributed to the increase in international students, who Spotted Properties work with regularly.
In 2014-2015, McMaster had 1,499 full-time international undergraduates. This year, that number has doubled.
According to Parashis, another contributing factor this year is the higher number of first year students that have come to Spotted Properties to find accommodation.
McMaster currently cannot accommodate all first-years in residence. Instead, only incoming first-years with an average of 83.5 per cent or higher are guaranteed residence placement.
To accommodate incoming students, the university is developing two new residences: the Peter George Living and Learning Centre, slated to open this fall, and an off-campus residence, scheduled for August 2021.
Yet, with the Peter George Living and Learning Centre adding only 500 beds, some first-year students will likely still have to find non-residence accommodations next year.
One of the byproducts of increased housing demand is higher prices.
“We’re renting houses out for an average of $550 dollars right now,” Parashis said. “Our most expensive places are about $700 a room, which is very high. The problem is there’s such a lack of good quality homes, so it allows landlords to demand high prices if they offer premium product.”
Students are also forced to live further from McMaster.
“We have people going as far as Dundurn to rent,” said Parashis.
These issues are compounded by existing problems in the student housing industry, such as pervasive landlord discrimination.
"Many landlords have negative stereotypes of people and have made judgement based on race, gender and even university program, which isn't fair,” said Parashis.
These biases make it frustrating for students, who are often not given an equal chance at securing a house.
An especially frustrating situation can occur when landlords break an agreement with students before a contract is signed or a payment is made.
Parashis says students independently negotiating with landlords are susceptible to this problem, leading them to employ companies like Spotted Properties, which use a standardized transaction process.
Spotted Properties, which is run by former McMaster students, is working to address these issues by ensuring contracts and policies align with current best practice guidelines and providing 24/7 service to tenants.
In addition, the company is working closely with agencies abroad to reserve homes for international students at the university.
The McMaster Students Union has also been working to improve students’ experiences with off-campus housing, pushing the city of Hamilton to go forward with a landlord licensing pilot project.
The MSU municipal affairs committee also launched a landlord rating website in January.
Despite these efforts, student housing issues are many, and the solutions remain unclear. Addressing them will likely require concerted efforts from all parties involved.
[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
Hamilton city council has committed to taking an equity and inclusion lens to municipal decisions going forward.
Two weeks ago, Mayor Fred Eisenberger brought a motion to city council to implement a new equity, diversity and inclusion lens into city policies.
The motion passed unanimously and calls for a report to be brought forward on how to introduce an EDI lens to all city initiatives.
Attached to the motion was a draft version of an equity, diversity and inclusion handbook.
The motion also includes an allocation of $5,000 for city council to hold an EDI summit.
The new lens builds on the recommendations highlighted in Hamilton’s equity and inclusion policy implemented in 2010.
Ward 1 councillor Maureen Wilson said an EDI lens will require the city to be more specific and concrete when it incorporates equity and inclusion into different policies.
According to Wilson, it is not about quotas and targets, but about a shift in decision-making that will require city council to include the perspectives of all communities.
The EDI lens will first be applied to issues concerning housing and homelessness.
However, Wilson sees potential for it to affect how the city envisions issues like transit, helping to consider the ways that different communities, like women or bikers, get around in Hamilton.
Eisenberger’s motion followed debate at city councillor over the city manager search committee and interview process, which some individuals, including Wilson and Ward 3 councillor Nrinder Nann, criticized for not taking a diverse and inclusive approach.
Denise Christopherson, the CEO of the YWCA Hamilton and chair of the status of women committee, has called for city council to adopt an EDI framework for years.
Christopherson said she is encouraged by the support for the motion at city council and appreciative of the efforts of Wilson and Nann in pushing this forward.
“It’s been in the works for a long time,” Christopherson said. “To develop a framework, this is going to be a multi-year work project that hopefully gets ingrained in everything they do at city hall. So when they're putting forward a proposal, it’s about, have they gone through the lens of inclusion? Who have they consulted with?”
The YWCA Hamilton currently runs multiple programs providing housing for non-binary people and women without places to stay.
Christopherson is hopeful that the new lens will result in more funding for programs like these.
“I like to say that the city should have a hand in all marginalized communities,” Christopherson said. “Hopefully we see more investment in those necessary programs.”
Community organizer Sophie Geffros is also optimistic about the new lens and what it could mean for current city council issues.
“I’m cautiously excited about it, because it signals to me that the city is at least beginning to acknowledge that designing a city around the needs of straight, white, middle class, able bodied men is not just ineffective but can be actively harmful for its marginalized citizens,” Geffros said.
As the city still awaits a report on how the lens will be implemented, activists and supporters of the motion are hopeful about the many policy areas a city-wide EDI framework could effect change in.
[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
By: Tanvi Pathak
In March, McMaster Students Union is slated to release its second annual municipal budget submission to Hamilton city council.
According to Shemar Hackett, the MSU associate vice president (Municipal Affairs), the budget submission will prioritize transit, student housing, student employment, bylaws and enforcement and lighting.
After consulting students and reviewing data from The Your City survey, the MSU decided these key areas were ones that stood out as issues that needed immediate attention.
The committee’s decision to focus on these areas is also linked to the rising demand for off-campus housing.
According to Andrew Parashis, a property manager at Spotted Properties, the largest property management in the McMaster community, demand for student housing has soared in recent years.
Parashis notes that with the increase of local and international students attending McMaster, the waiting list for students seeking accommodations through Spotted Properties has tripled in the last year alone.
The municipal budget submission will also focus on accessible employment opportunities.
The union’s education department and municipal affairs committee’s recommendations aim to offer proactive solutions for each issue and improve Hamilton’s attractiveness to students and recent McMaster grads.
One of the committee’s recommendations is for the city of Hamilton to implement a lighting audit across Ward 1.
Hackett emphasized that there are neighborhoods off-campus substantially lacking in visibility. As a result, many students do not feel comfortable walking home late at night after classes.
A lighting audit would reduce these issues in these neighborhoods and identify priority locations for new street lights.
The committee reached out to the Ward 1 councilor Maureen Wilson, who was receptive to the committee’s recommendation and is confident that the proposal will be valuable to McMaster and Ward 1.
Another recommendation calls for city council to move forward with the landlord licensing project discussed in December.
Hackett and Stephanie Bertolo, MSU vice president (Education), articulated their stance on landlord licensing to Ward 8 city councilor Terry Whitehead, who sits on the Rental Housing sub-committee.
Since then, the motion to implement a pilot project was brought to council and endorsed by many councilors.
Prior to the development of the budget submission, the committee consulted city officials.
The committee plans to continue to meet with the city staff and councillors to push for their recommendations and make them a priority for the council.
Thus far, they have met with Terry Cooke, CEO of the Hamilton Community Foundation, to discuss student engagement and retention and the ways in which organizations can support one another in the future.
The municipal affairs committee has also been successful in implementing its Landlord Rating system, a platform developed by the MSU education department.
The landlord licensing project, which the committee has also been lobbying for, got the Hamilton city council rental housing sub committee’s stamp of approval and will be put forth into discussion during the next city council meeting.
“The council has been extremely receptive to all our points about the agreements we put forth,” said Hackett, adding that the MSU budget submission has proven to be a valuable resource for lobbying municipal stakeholders.
Over the next few weeks, the municipal affairs committee will meet with city councilors and community stakeholders to advocate for their budget submission proposals.
[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
On Jan. 17, the McMaster Students’ Union hosted a debate featuring the 2019 MSU presidentials candidates four candidates. Here are some of the highlights.
The first question of the debate concerned whether the candidates are more focused on advocacy or student life.
Josh Marando said he would be more focused on advocacy.
Jeffery Campana explained that the limited one-year term of a president would mean smaller initiatives are more important to him.
A1: Campana: Platform aims to engage students to get them more involved; focuses on both advocacy points and student engagement. "I am more out for student engagement, but I don't sacrifice advocacy"
— The Silhouette (@theSilhouette) January 17, 2019
The debate quickly turned to Ontario government’s decision to restrict Ontario Student Assistance Program grants and make some student fees optional, a move that was announced the morning of the debate.
Madison Wesley pointed to the announcement as proof of why advocacy is central to the MSU president’s role. Justin Lee and the other candidates were also quick to condemn the new changes.
Q10: Campana - "The PC government is not for students like us". The option to opt out of student fees will cause a reduction of funding to services that the MSU needs in order to thrive.
— The Silhouette (@theSilhouette) January 17, 2019
When the topic reasserted itself later in the debate, Marando noted the need for students to be “prepared to mobilize.”
When candidates were asked to outline their main platform priority areas, Wesley pointed to the need for improved mental and physical health support systems, while Lee chose his “HSR Drivers Accountability” platform point.
Marando said he is focused on making students feel welcome, and Campana spoke about his plan to place free menstrual products in all-gender bathrooms.
On the subject of off-campus housing, all the candidates said they were in favour of the new MSU landlord rating system.
Marando pushed the need to continue supporting landlord licensing, while Wesley and Lee talked about continuing housing education programs for students.
The discussion became more heated when candidates were asked to critique an opponent’s platform point.
Marando pointed to the logistics of Campana’s on-campus ice rink proposal.
Campana, Lee and Wesley criticized Marando’s proposed increase of the maintenance budget and various advocacy goals.
A6: Wesley - Most critical of Marando's point on lobbying to freeze tuition. Previously, OSAP is a provincial legislation issue, problem is that there are entire groups of lobbyists that dedicate time to this and they haven't gotten very far.
— The Silhouette (@theSilhouette) January 17, 2019
One audience member asked how the candidates would increase campus safety.
Ideas ranged from Wesley’s call for improved police response to the need to upgrade lighting and fix emergency poles on campus, put forth by Campana and Lee, respectively.
A7: Wesley - Student safety big concern. Main issue is that Hamilton police have not been involved, advocating for students to Hamilton police important. If we have concrete advocacy coming from the school, we may be able to change a lot for the better.
— The Silhouette (@theSilhouette) January 17, 2019
When asked about sexual violence on campus, all of the candidates agreed that training for students, Welcome Week reps and staff needs improvement.
Marando pointed out that none of the other candidates’ platforms addressed sexual violence.
Campana countered by saying that the issue could not be fixed in a one-year term.
A11 Rebuttal: Campana - Didn't address the issue in his platform because it is not a problem that one president can fix. Several different groups across campus must be involved; it is not enough to put a "bandaid solution" on a platform
— The Silhouette (@theSilhouette) January 17, 2019
The candidates were also given the opportunity to explain what made them unique.
Marando cited his comprehensive MSU experience. Campana did the same while stressing his experiences outside the MSU.
While acknowledging their relative inexperience, Lee and Wesley stressed the creativity of their platform and noted that they represent the only ethnic minority candidate and only female candidate, respectively.
The full debate can be found on the MSU Facebook page.
[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
“Experience. I think it’s a combination of my schooling…and then my practice of working in local government. And also my love of cities and my fascination with space, movement and the relationship to people and how cities should and can work better for more people.”
“I love coming to Mac [with my kids] and watching the women and men play volleyball. Anytime I can bring my kids on campus, it’s a good day.”
“I don’t think I have heard anyone in the community say they are opposed to having students living in the community. Most people enjoy that. The challenge is the number of absentee landlords who use and accumulate what were single family homes and turn them into student dwellings and sometimes don’t have proper approvals for doing so.”
“It starts with whether we value public transit. And if we’re not prepared to put money into public transit, then fewer people are going to use public transit…so I would be looking in our budget discussions to ensure that this council maintains a commitment to its ten-year transit strategy.”
“If we don't make those investments now, the [Hamilton Street Railway] wait times will just get more challenging because the buses are going to be have to competing with more cars on the road. [The LRT] will add to our assessment base, it will address matters related to air quality, and it will provide for an improved transit ride.”
“I'm not very prescriptive in what it should look like… I have a very strong commitment to growing the capacity of citizens to understand how local government works and understand how city building works.”
“There needs to be a poll on campus. To me, that’s a no-brainer.”
“I believe in shared safe shared streets. That means that we have to go back to looking at the street as a commons area that should be available for different types of use. So it should be safer to walk along the street and it should be safe to cycle on the street, and those choices should be available to you and conveniently so.”
“I hope that they would engage in their city to learn more about Hamilton…Get off campus. Visit your city. Pick a neighbourhood. How might your studies be applied to that neighbourhood? Explore. Show curiosity and interest and make a difference.”
[spacer height="20px"][thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
Since May 1, a group of 100 tenants from Stoney Creek towers in Hamilton’s east end have been protesting proposed rent increases and uncompleted repairs in their apartment complex.
Stoney Creek towers is a four building, 618-unit complex owned by InterRent Real Estate Investment Trust and managed by CLV group.
The rent strike demonstrates ongoing issues with housing in Hamilton and across Ontario.
A 2018 report from the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario found that rent is unaffordable for nearly half of all Ontario tenants.
Hamilton has experienced significant rent increases in recent years. The average cost of rent in Hamilton has increased at double the rate of inflation since 2012.
Rent increases come as a result of both rising house prices and decreasing rental vacancy rates, according to a 2017 report from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. As a result of increased demand, apartments are more expensive and harder to find.
“Because of the real estate situation, rent is going up everywhere, people from Toronto and Mississauga are choosing to move here,” said Syed, a tenant at Stoney Creek Towers.
Despite higher rent, living conditions often remain the same. Many low to medium income renters across Hamilton experience substandard living conditions.
According to a study of low to medium renters across Hamilton conducted by Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, 43 per cent of tenants across Hamilton reported a lack of heating in the winter.
Unresponsive landlords are also common across Hamilton. Fifty-nine per cent of tenants surveyed by ACORN reported having problems getting their landlords to conduct repairs.
According to Sarah Wahab, a volunteer with the Hamilton Tenants Solidarity Network, leaving units in disrepair is an intentional strategy to push current tenants out so that the landlord can increase rent for new tenants.
The Ontario rent increase guideline restricts the amount that rent can be increased on occupied units each year. However, there is no rent control on empty units.
“The landlord will neglect repairs in order to push the tenant out of the unit so that they can raise the rent for the next tenant that comes in,” said Wahab.
Tenants living in Stoney Creek towers say that long-standing repairs in their units are often left uncompleted.
The Stoney Creek Towers website states that, “24-hour professional maintenance staff are just a phone call away”. However Rita*, a resident at Stoney Creek Towers, found the property management to be difficult to access and unresponsive to requests.
When Rita experienced structural problems in her unit, she had to call multiple times over the course of a week before anybody came. After three or four visits over the course of a month, it was finally determined that there was an underlying problem.
Syed says that his apartment building has an ongoing bedbug problem. He also identified issues with plumbing, lighting and mold in the building.
According to Syed, rent for new tenants is often double what current tenants pay.
CLV group makes repairs to units before renting them out to new tenants. However, Syed says that these repairs are minor. Flooring and baseboards are replaced, and the apartment gets a new set of paint. However, the underlying structural issues remain.
The Ontario rent increase guideline protects tenants from sharp rent increases. The guideline limits the amount that a landlord can increase tenants’ rent in a year. In 2018 the maximum rent increase was 1.8 per cent.
In order to increase the rent on occupied units beyond the 1.8 per cent limit, landlords can apply to the Landlord Tenant Board for a rent increase above the guideline.
If a landlord can demonstrate that significant repair, renovation or replacement has been undertaken in the building, they are eligible for an Above Guideline Increase, which allows rent to be increased beyond the yearly limit.
CLV has applied to the Hamilton landlord tenant board to be approved for a rent hike of 9.6 per cent over the next two years.
According to Roseanne MacDonald-Holtman, community relations manager for CLV, investments have been made to improve heating, air exhaust and plumping, among other repairs.
However, tenants at Stoney Creek towers say the repairs have been primarily cosmetic and have not adequately addressed underlying structural issues.
“CLV is doing superficial work that's completely cosmetic, just to attract newer tenants,” said Syed. “Painting the lobby, putting in a fake fireplace that's completely digital, it doesn't even give off heat, it gets you to think are they really thinking about the tenants?”
Furthermore, if approved, the AGI increase would make rent unaffordable for many of the current residents at Stoney Creek towers.
According to Wahab, the Stoney Creek towers buildings are home to a lot of immigrants, poor people and people with disabilities.
“The issue is that this issue in Hamilton, the demographic cannot afford this price rate,” said Syed.
To demand that CLV drops the AGI and does repairs in all the units, tenants in the Stoney Creek towers began a rent strike.
According to Wahab, a rent strike involves withholding rent. Tenants set their rent aside with the understanding that they will pay it back once the landlord agrees to the demands.
By engaging in the rent strike, tenants aim not only to appeal to their landlord and property manager, but also to the general public.
“Everybody should know what is going on in the apartment,” said Rita. “People will not know what is going on until people open their mouths.”
Tenants, supported by HTSN, have been engaging in campaigns and rallies to engage their landlord and property management company over the course of the campaign.
Rent strikes have been a protesting tactic since the early 1800s. One of the largest rent strikes occurred in New York city in 1907, and led to the establishment of rent control.
More recently, tenants in Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood engaged in a three month long rent strike to protest a proposed AGI increase and unfilled work orders in their buildings. Their efforts paid off when the landlord withdrew their AGI application in August 2017.
So far in Stoney Creek, neither CLV nor REIT has agreed to meet with the tenants to negotiate. Instead, Wahab says that they are engaging in a “campaign of harassment”.
On Sept. 12, CLV staff posted letters to tenants’ doors stating that loitering was not permitted in the lobby, stairwells, or common areas. Soon afterwards, CLV group erected walls in the lobbies of two Stoney Creek buildings that block access to meeting spaces. According to the HTSN blog, this is meant to prevent tenants from holding meetings in their building lobbies.
According to MacDonald-Holtman on behalf of CLV, the walls were part of a lobby renovation.
“When complete, residents will benefit from upgraded facilities and services,” stated MacDonald-Holtman in an email.
On Oct. 9, rent strikers received eviction notices. According to Wahab, this is a strategy to scare people into not going on rent strike.
Tenants are supported by lawyers from the Hamilton Community Legal Clinic and have raised money to cover the cost of potential filing fees. Over the course of the campaign, nobody on rent strike has been evicted.
The Landlord Tenant Board will decide whether or not to approve the AGI in a meeting Nov. 1-2. For the tenants in Stoney Creek Towers, the issues go beyond just money.
Tenants will continue to organize, regardless of the outcome.
“We're a part of this community,” said Syed. “We've been part of this community, and we're trying to protect this community and the people coming into it.”
* Names have been changed
[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
By Maanvi Dhillon
On Oct. 22, Ontarians will be heading to the polls for the second time this year to cast their ballots in an election. Hamilton’s municipal election will decide the mayor and ward councillors for the next four years, and the McMaster Students Union has been working hard on a campaign aimed at increasing student voter turnout.
In particular, the MSU Education team will be rolling out another #MacVotes campaign to keep students informed about the upcoming election and to motivate them to cast a vote. An important initiative will be the Ward 1 candidates’ debate, which will be happening in the MUSC atrium on Oct. 16.
As Shemar Hackett, associate vice president (Municipal Affairs), explains, it is crucial that voters are informed when they cast their ballot.
“The candidate who wins this election will represent Ward 1 for the next four years, which is why it is imperative that students are critical and research all the candidates before going to the polls on Oct. 22,” said Hackett.
The Municipal Election is Monday, October 22 - in addition, there are 5 ADVANCE poll dates available for voters. Full Election details: https://t.co/tt4eeHHe9x. #HamOnt #HamiltonVotes18 pic.twitter.com/4rcLntjLa1
— City of Hamilton (@cityofhamilton) September 20, 2018
The rest of the #MacVotes campaign will involve extensive promotion, both online and in-person. An official website will highlight advanced polling locations, platforms summaries and identification needed to vote.
In addition, the MSU will advocate for issues that have been selected as priorities under the umbrellas of transportation and housing.
One transit priority entails eliminating area rating, a controversial system that allows wards to pay different tax rates for municipal services. This initiative allows suburban and rural communities to pay less than older Hamilton wards to compensate for their purported decreased access to certain services.
With respect to housing, the MSU will be pushing for Hamilton to toughen up housing regulation by moving forward with a bylaw that requires landlords to be formally licensed. This would help protect off-campus students who often encounter unsafe living conditions in their rental homes but are left vulnerable by the lack of proactive enforcement of safety standards and bylaws.
In the wake of a string of break-ins in Westdale, safety has also become a growing concern for off-campus students. Questions are being raised about the effectivity of police responses to these incidents and to student safety at large. This may also become a deciding issue for student voters.
Overall, students make up a large and influential portion of the electorate in Ward 1. According to a profile of the Ward, the fastest growing demographic are those between twenty and twenty-four. This means McMaster students can have a significant sway in the election results should they turn out in large numbers.
However, it remains unclear whether many students will actually vote. The most recent MSU presidential election had an unusually low turnout rate of 28 per cent. Despite this, Ward 1 has historically has had some of the highest turnout rates in the city.
Stephanie Bertolo, MSU vice president (Education), understands the potential power of student voters.
“By voting in this municipal election, students are able to have a major impact on the decisions made in the City of Hamilton over the next four years,” Bertolo said. “Each individual vote adds up to better transit, safer housing, and more opportunities for students before and after graduation. It shows the city that we are a major stakeholder and that they must listen to us.”
The stakes are high for students in this municipal election, and the MSU will be pushing to spread that message. Whether that is enough to get students out to vote, however, is a question that can only be answered on Oct. 22.
[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
By Daniella Mikanovsky
A string of prowling incidents and break-ins stretching from Aug. 2018 to Sept. 11 continues to rock Westdale. In the wake of these events, students and organizations on campus have been stepping up their advocacy for landlord accountability in the community.
The first incident occurred on Aug. 3, when an intruder broke into the second story window of McMaster Integrated Science student Connor MacLean’s home. After the incident, MacLean and his roommates called their landlords.
“We felt unsafe in that house, so the landlords agreed to put in motion lights. A month later, there was still nothing. We ended up buying our own motion lights, our own security camera, and we installed it ourselves,” MacLean explained. “Safety should not be the student’s responsibility alone. The landlords need to be the first people looking out for that.”
Shemar Hackett, associate vice president of municipal affairs on for the McMaster Students Union, is planning to tackle the issue of unaccountable landlords. The committee he leads is focused on improving off-campus life for students, including housing safety.
One initiative the committee hopes to implement is the Landlord Licencing System, a city-run program that would fund annual housing inspections and certify that any tenant complaints are taken seriously. This system would encourage landlord responsibility, with the goal being for students to have safety features in their homes, including functioning locks on all windows and doors.
An additional initiative that the committee has been undertaking is a Landlord Rating System, which will exist as an online forum for students to rate and report their housing units. Similar to the website Rate My Professor, this website could incentivize landlords to take responsibility when maintaining their houses.
“Once the website gains traction and students begin to report their experiences, irresponsible landlords will begin to see a decline in students seeking their properties. In return, students should see safer living conditions as landlords are now motivated to upkeep their rental units, which increases the quality of living for students and ensures their safety,” said Hackett.
With a host website confirmed, Hackett expects to have the program available for student use in the new year.
There are also programs on campus available for students who feel a lack of security. For instance, a skill students may want to acquire is self-defense. McMaster Athletics and Recreation is offering two 10-week classes for “Krav Maga Self-Defense” this fall.
It is worth noting that “Women’s Self-Defense” has not been scheduled this term. The Athletics and Recreation department is facing difficulty with locating a space for this class due to the renovations occuring in the David Braley Athletic Centre. Although classes may return in the winter term, in light of the Westdale break-ins, the lack of classes may be a significant issue.
For female students who are looking for a women’s-only class, the Equity and Inclusion Office may offer it. Pilar Michaud, director of human rights and dispute resolution at the EIO, explains that in the past, the EIO ran a women’s self-defense workshop.
Michaud also points to several other services available to students, including Meagan Ross, McMaster’s sexual violence response coordinator, the MSU’s Women and Gender Equity Network and Good2Talk, a free and confidential 24/7 helpline that offers professional support for university students in Ontario.
Just a friendly reminder that Good2Talk is a 24/7 Confidential Helpline for post-secondary students. Call 1-866-925-5454 or visit https://t.co/TERu6Z9JUe #MentalHealthMatters
— OUSA (@OUSAhome) February 1, 2018
[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
In recent years, several North American cities have seen a major spike in the number of
bed bug reports. From increased travel and stricter laws surrounding the use of pesticides, bed bug infestations have become a common occurrence.
Bed bugs are oval-shaped insects and are visible in all stages of life. Adult bugs are around the size and shape of an apple seed, flattened and brown. Although these bugs are not known to transmit infectious diseases to humans, some people may have allergic reactions to their bite.
The insects typically attach themselves to surfaces including clothing, furniture and luggage and can affect anyone, anywhere and at any time. Bed bugs are attracted to the carbon dioxide that we exhale and our blood as a food source. They are not necessarily related to a lack of proper hygiene in those affected.
In 2014, Hamilton’s bed bug problem was nearing an epidemic after seeing a 600 per
cent increase in the issue since 2006. In 2015, city councillors approved a $1 million, three-year strategy to eradicate the problem.
Entering its second year, Hamilton’s Community Bed Bug Strategy sees six points of action in the elimination of bed bugs. Of the six points, which include public education, workplaces, assistance and advocacy, the focus on the Integrated Pest Management protocol ensures prevention and to treat the affected space with heat, vacuuming and pesticides.
Hamilton's bed bug strategy hopes to break the stigma associated with the issue through public education in the form of advertisements.
To ensure its effectiveness, the integrated approach depends on the cooperation of building residents, the building owner and the pest control company. If followed correctly, this approach is said to minimize disturbance to residents and business operations, in addition to lowering long term pest control costs.
The assistance aspect of the strategy provides help to some residents of Hamilton who are of low income or on disability who are unable to do their part in pest control treatment. It typically takes a landlord, a pest control company and a tenant to eliminate bed bugs, and the tenant is typically responsible for preparing their unit. If they are unable to, however, the city is able to provide them with some assistance.
Within the strategy’s first year, the city assisted 48 people to eliminate bed bugs from their home, provided consultation to 66 residents and trained approximately 300 property staff representing around 12,000 apartment units.
A key element in the fight against bed bugs surrounds education and ending the stigma
attached to the issue. The stigma is attached to the notion that these pests are due to a lack of proper hygiene and is typically associated with those who live in low-income neighbourhoods.
Terry Quinn, the manager of Hamilton’s bed bug strategy, notes that breaking the stigma
surrounding bed bugs is challenging. Hamilton’s bed bug strategy hopes to break the stigma associated with the issue through public education in the form of advertisements.
“You may have seen some bus shelter ads that talk about a ‘no shame, no blame policy,” said Quinn. “We’ve been working with a number of landlords on that and landlords have been on board in recognizing that they can’t be blaming people for pests; [tenants] are allowed to report it. Bed bugs can find anyone anywhere any time, so there is really no reason to be ashamed for having bed bugs.”
The stigma is often a reason as to why more people are reluctant to talk about the issue, or to reach out for assistance in eliminating the insects from their home. Quinn notes that the city often hears from landlords when tenants are afraid to report the issue.
A major player of the prevention of bed bugs is the understanding that anyone can be affected by the issue, and the issue is not exclusively subject to poor hygiene.
Bed bugs are not a threat to one’s physical health, but have been known to take a psychological toll on those who are affected. Margaret Howard*, who asked for her name to be changed due to the stigma associated with the issue, is a student at McMaster who experienced bed bugs in her student house and the psychological trauma that came with it.
“I was extremely anxious about the issue, and had trouble sleeping at night because I imagined them crawling all over me,” said Howard. “Multiple coworkers noticed that I was sleep deprived, looked terrible and that my performance at work was deteriorating. I reacted very badly to their bites, and they swelled up to the size of a nickel to a quarter and did not disappear completely until two months after the initial bite.”
Matt Thomson hosts community events in the downtown core. Within the past year, Thomson has hosted community socials surrounding the issue of bed bugs and has created a network of peer support for individuals who are affected by the problem.
These events are typically casual, consisting of outdoor campfires or craft beer nights
and serve as a way for those affected to discuss the issue freely and without fear of stigma.
“One way to blow apart awkwardnesses is to just name it and the social awkwardness
around bed bugs is a big concern,” said Thomson. “Unless you have a personal connection [to bed bugs], the stigma it doesn’t really go away. While the city’s messaging is important, it’s that face-to- face connection that that’s super important.”
As the issue of bed bugs continues to grow, it is important to be able to recognize the insects and to act quickly. A major player of the prevention of bed bugs is the understanding that anyone can be affected by the issue, and the issue is not exclusively subject to poor hygiene.
“I think one of the main barriers to the public educating themselves on this topic is that
they believe if they are clean, hygienic and earning a sufficient income, they will not have to deal with the issue of bed bugs,” said Howard. “They think they are protected, when in reality, they are not.”
Hamilton’s Community Bed Bug Strategy will be focusing on the elimination of stigma through ad campaigns and public education while equipping landlords with the tools that are necessary to eradicate the problem. The city is also distributing posters and videos regarding how to do laundry if you are affected, or why you should not pick up discarded
furniture.
There is no real way of knowing if the strategy is working until resident reports of bed bugs have diminished, but taking necessary precautions to preventing an infestation and educating oneself on the severity of the issue is the first step.
[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
