Water will be shut off for several hours in many campus buildings, resulting in the temporary closure of washrooms, food services and laboratories
At around 11:00 a.m. this morning, Jan. 13, 2025, a water main outside of Mills Library ruptured.
According to an email from McMaster's Facility Services, water was to be turned off at 5:00 p.m. today in the McMaster Student Centre, Mills Library, Divinity College, Gilmour Hall, the Life Sciences Building, L.R. Wilson Hall and Media Production Services. Water to these buildings is expected to be turned back on by 3:00 a.m. on Tuesday Jan. 14, 2025.
All impacted buildings will remain open during normal hours, though washrooms and drinking fountains will be closed while the water is turned off. Eyewash stations and showers will also be temporarily unavailable. As a result, laboratory activities and experiments involving splash hazards or requiring hand washing cannot run during this time.
Due to the water being shut off, food services at the McMaster University Student Centre will be limited to grab-and-go options at La Piazza, as Tim Hortons, Booster Juice, Starbucks and Teriyaki Experience will be closed. Online, hospitality services has a list of open food services in other areas on campus.
This is an ongoing story.
This Anishinaabe ceremony calls for perseverance in connecting with the water, giving hope for healing the polluted water of Hamilton Harbour
The Hamilton Water Walk is a four-year Anishinaabe ceremony that inspires participants to connect with a body of water, in this case the Hamilton Harbour and Cootes Paradise. Once a year during the cycle, a multi-day walk around the body of water begins at daybreak and concludes when the whole of the body of water have been encircled.
This year, the Hamilton Water Walk completed its second cycle on Oct. 12 and Oct. 13. Throughout the two days, a sacred fire was kept ablaze at Princess Point while participants walked around the perimeter of the harbour. To commemorate the end of the ceremony, a feast was held at Princess Point.
The water walk ceremony was developed by Josephine Mandamin in 2003 for the Great Lakes. Mandamin, an Anishinaabe elder, was a water activist famous for walking around the entirety of the Great Lakes starting from the Wikwemikong First Nation in Ontario.
Danielle Boissoneau, who has had the teachings of Mandamin passed to her, is a McMaster alumna and an organizer of the Hamilton Water Walk. She cites the connection that Indigenous women have with the water as a motivation for the ceremony. "Indigenous women, particularly, have a very close relationship with the land and the water in terms of observation and relationships and experiences," said Boissoneau.
Indigenous women, particularly, have a very close relationship with the land and the water in terms of observation and relationships and experiences.
Danielle Boissoneau, organizer
Hamilton Water Walk
The first cycle of the annual water walk around Hamilton Harbour began in 2017. Boissoneau explained how the walk came to be in Hamilton with her fellow activist Kristen Villebrun. "Kristen was able to determine that something was wrong with the water in the harbor because of the amount of human waste that she was seeing on the shorelines," said Boissoneau.
Boissoneau shared that she and Villebrun wanted a way to draw attention to this issue that would disrupt people's everyday lives. "Historically that would have been through protests, rallies or marches and at that point in time Grandma Josephine Mandamin started to do water walks, she inspired me so greatly because she was so peaceful, so determined, but she was still making such a huge presence," said Boissoneau.
The second cycle was initiated in response to information about the water quality of Hamilton Harbour that was reported by a 2019 article by The Hamilton Spectator. The piece exposed a four-year cover up of 24 billion litres of human waste being leaked into Chedoke Creek and Cootes Paradise over that period of time. This news incited Boissoneau and the other organizers to begin the second water walk, this time around Cootes Paradise in addition to the Hamilton Harbour.
Boissoneau outlined her frustration with the increased development around the harbour and its effect on the ceremony. "There's not much to see and be grateful for because of the amount of destruction and the industry. Around Burlington side, you just see country clubs and golf courses. Both of these things stand in the way of us getting close to the water, and our ability to maintain our focus, a huge part of our ceremony," said Boissoneau.
There's not much to see and be grateful for because of the amount of destruction and the industry. Around Burlington side, you just see country clubs and golf courses. Both of these things stand in the way of us getting close to the water, and our ability to maintain our focus, a huge part of our ceremony.
Danielle Boissoneau, organizer
Hamilton Water Walk
Boissoneau added that the water walks and their work are not complete. "The situation in the harbour is not getting better, there's still sewage being leaked, especially when it rains a lot. I don't believe that the wastewater system that Hamilton has is equipped to deal with the population or the industry that it currently has," said Boissoneau.
Boissoneau encourages anyone to make a connection with the water and give offerings through one's presence. "It doesn't need to be this gigantic ceremony for you to go down and make a relationship with the water and make your own offerings for the water. Just let the water know that you're there," said Boissoneau.
It doesn't need to be this gigantic ceremony for you to go down and make a relationship with the water and make your own offerings for the water. Just let the water know that you're there.
Danielle Boissoneau, organizer
Hamilton Water Walk
The importance of making a personal, individual connection with the water was emphasized by Boissoneau. She emphasized that the work is not finished and that a third cycle of water walks is likely.
Land-based learning group Kahnekanoron hosts WATER TALKS! event to share calls to action and encourage discussion on water quality and access in Hamilton
Kahnekanoron commemorated the first issue of their WATER TALKS! zine with a town hall event on Sept. 6, 2024 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. outside Hamilton City Hall. The 19-page zine contains reflections, poems, songs and calls to action about water quality.
The evening began with a few speeches, followed by a collaborative activity. Attendees were invited to respond to a series of questions including “What can you do to help protect water?” and “How has your access to clean water changed over the years?” To end the event, the group sang Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee water songs to honour and heal the water.
In an interview with the Silhouette, Sonia Hill, founder of Kahnekanoron explained that they started the organization in 2019 with a group of their fellow Indigenous students. Hill completed an Honours B.A. in Indigenous studies and sociology in 2017 and is currently completing a masters degree in Indigenous studies. They were born and raised in Hamilton and are Mohawk, Lebanese, Scottish, Irish and Tuscarora.
The name Kahnekanoron is from the Mohawk language Kanien'kéha and translates to “water is precious.” “The water is connected to everything and the water is our first sustenance. When we talk about our creation stories, they’re centred around water. Water is the first element. It’s what’s here before everything else. It’s in everything. And without it nothing exists,” said Hill.
The water is connected to everything and the water is our first sustenance. When we talk about our creation stories, they’re centred around water. Water is the first element. It’s what’s here before everything else. It’s in everything. And without it nothing exists.
Sonia Hill, founder, Kahnekanoron
“That’s what I want people to walk away from the town hall with and from the zine as well. This idea of if we treat the water as sacred and precious, how would we act differently? How would we walk in the world differently knowing that water is part of every single being, knowing that water is part of every single person and knowing that every single body of water is sacred?” said Hill.
When it was first founded, Kahnekanoron hosted a series of workshops in partnership with McMaster Elder-in-Residence Renee Thomas-Hill and wellness counsellor Brittany Vincze. The sessions focused on understanding and healing our relationship with water and the Earth. This program was based around reclaiming sustenance skills and building community. Registration was limited to Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQ+ students.
Hill discussed the need for accessible sustenance programming, a term which encompasses traditional food and medicine practices. “It was a bunch of Indigenous girls and gays who were living in Hamilton going to McMaster University. We were all students at the time and we were looking for on-the-land sustenance programming that we didn’t have to pay for,” said Hill.
Kahnekanoron is no longer based at McMaster and is open to Indigenous community throughout and around Hamilton. “That was a conscious choice by the group as we all aged out of being students, to be honest, and our lives became centred elsewhere,” said Hill. Specific events such as community days are also open to non-Indigenous folks.
In Aug. and Sept. of 2023, Kahnekanoron organized a town hall for Indigenous people in Hamilton to discuss water quality and access, in addition to grief and healing ceremonies. The first public town hall on water, which was open to non-Indigenous people, was held on Sept. 6, 2023.
The zine launch and town hall this September was intended to continue the discussion surrounding water, specifically surrounding the city of Hamilton. “We were really just hoping to be able to share Indigenous folks’ experiences around water quality or access. That hasn’t really been done, not only in Hamilton but within urban Indigenous communities in general. A lot of the time when we see research with Indigenous communities it’s with on reserve communities. And it’s great that we have so much research with on-reserve communities but we also need research with urban, Indigenous communities,” said Hill.
A lot of the time when we see research with Indigenous communities it’s with on reserve communities. And it’s great that we have so much research with on-reserve communities but we also need research with urban, Indigenous communities.
Sonia Hill, founder, Kahnekanoron
Hill said that Kahnekanoron has conducted some community-based research and water testing, but had inconclusive findings. “We’re still working on water testing in Hamilton. I want to focus on open water sources,” said Hill.
Water quality and access is not limited to drinking water. It also includes having clean bodies of water to swim, fish, and practice ceremonies. “As Indigenous people, our relations with the natural world are so important to us. Growing up not being able to touch water is pretty messed up. You think how that impacts your psyche, you think how that impacts your wellbeing. I’m 29 years old and fished for the very first time this past spring because our water is so unclean. If our water was clean, we would have grown up with those practices,” said Hill.
At the time of publication, the City of Hamilton website reports the beach at Pier 4 Park on Hamilton Harbour is closed due to toxin-producing blue-green algae. According to the Hamilton Public Health Services 2023 beach monitoring report, Hamilton Harbor is on the Great Lakes areas of concern list. The report also details that 2020 was the only year in the last decade that the beach remained open for more than 80% of time.
The zine calls for greater education and research into the impact of human action such as sewage spills and stormwater runoff. In 2022 and 2023, the City of Hamilton discovered leaks that resulted in 337 and 59 million litres of sewage flowing into Hamilton Harbour since 1996. The zine also calls for Hamilton city council to take accountability for the state of the water.
“A lot of our city leaders, a lot of researchers at public institutions seem to not care about water in Hamilton because they’re not affected by it. They get to leave, they get to go enjoy water elsewhere, whereas Indigenous folks who are here in Hamilton, we don’t have that luxury of going elsewhere and enjoying water elsewhere, so we kind of have to care about the water here,” said Hill. They mentioned that water access becomes a class-based issue because car and property ownership can greatly increase access to water.
A lot of our city leaders, a lot of researchers at public institutions seem to not care about water in Hamilton because they’re not affected by it. They get to leave, they get to go enjoy water elsewhere, whereas Indigenous folks who are here in Hamilton, we don’t have that luxury of going elsewhere and enjoying water elsewhere, so we kind of have to care about the water here.
Sonia Hill, founder, Kahnekanoron
The zine also included lyrics and QR codes that link to YouTube videos for two water songs, “Wichita Do Ya” and “Kahnekanoron.” Hill explained that these songs are used as prayers and offerings to the water. “We shared those songs so that people could learn them and bring them to water because that is helping the water to heal as well. We hope that people access these to learn them in good ways and share them with water and within Indigenous communities,” said Hill.
In addition to water songs, the zine listed other ways to care for water including contacting local politicians about water-related issues and attending events like the Hamilton Water Walk. “That’s kind of what we were hoping to tell while also sharing teachings and also empowering people to care about water. It’s not too late, the damage isn’t completely all done,” said Hill.
Hill stated that Kahnekanoron will release a new issue of WATER TALKS! annually. Contributions from this year’s town hall will be incorporated into the next issue, which is planned to be released in Sept. 2025. Copies of the zine were available at the town hall by a pay-what-you-can donation and $100 were raised to support the Hamilton Water Walk. Donations will also be used to pay for printing future zines.
Copies of the zine will be available for donation at the Hamilton Anarchist Bookfair on Sept. 28, 2024. If you are interested in learning more about Kahnekanoron, you can visit their Instagram page.
While Indigenous communities still lack access to safe drinking water, we continue to pollute and take for granted our most precious, life-sustaining resource
If you are a citizen of a major urban city who is lucky enough to have four walls and a roof to come home to and a livable income, it is likely that without even realizing it, you take water for granted. If you ever feel the slightest bit of thirst, you merely turn on the tap, maybe even run the water through a Brita filter and just like that your thirst is quenched.
People might not think about where that water comes from or what happens to it when it passes through our sewage systems. Nor about the fact that not far from us are Indigenous communities which do have to worry daily about the safety of their drinking water.
Although we all live within the same country, Indigenous communities have faced and continue to face a lack of access to clean drinking water, posing a prominent health concern for decades.
Although we all live within the same country, Indigenous communities have faced and continue to face a lack of access to clean drinking water, posing a prominent health concern for decades.
Since 1995 the Neskantaga First Nation community has been living under a drinking water advisory. For 29 years this community, much like other Indigenous communities, have had to boil their water before consuming. The uncertain health risk has led to some communities only drinking bottled water. Imagine the only trustable source of water you have access to throughout your life was water that came in plastic bottles.
On top of this, Ontario has been and continues to release only partially treated sewage water into Lake Ontario. This has led to our waterfronts being unsafe to drink from or even swim in. In addition, the Great Lakes are now polluted with microplastics.
Recently in Hamilton there has been an increase of sewage flowing into Lake Ontario. Not only has this been an ongoing issue, but it’s becoming worse as the years progress. As wastewater spreads into our waterways, it negatively impacts the biodiversity found within these ecosystems which further feeds into the negative spiral of poor water quality.
Recently in Hamilton there has been an increase of sewage flowing into Lake Ontario. Not only has this been an ongoing issue, but it’s becoming worse as the years progress.
The Hamilton sewage leakage in 2019 was reported to leak approximately 24 billion litres of wastewater into Chedoke Creek over four years. The latest reports on the progress of addressing this issue state that the city is still working on cleaning up the contamination of sewage.
We all share Earth’s water supply because water is fluid. How one region of the globe pollutes its water supply impacts all of us. Just because our pollution is localized to the Great Lakes doesn’t mean that this water hasn’t travelled internationally.
Our communities are all connected. Thus, we need to do better in how we treat our water before we return the water we have used to nature. If you have not yet experienced direct impacts of this issue, we can assure you that consequences are beginning to appear.
For example, there have been frequent E. coli warnings at the Ontario beaches this summer preventing people from enjoying the water. The dangerous levels of E. coli have been attributed to the poor management of rainwater during storms, leading to a backlog of sewage seeping into our beach water.
We hope that we can safely assume our readers believe that access to safe drinking water is a human right. Water being a human right means that we ought to ensure everyone has access to it and that we treat it with great care.
The next time you go to turn on the tap, think about why you and not someone else doesn’t have to fear they won’t be hydrated one day.
The next time you go to turn on the tap, think about why you and not someone else doesn’t have to fear they won’t be hydrated one day. We encourage you reflect on the immense privilege so many of us possess and speak up about what today should no longer be an issue.
During the repairs for the initial break, water was turned off in many campus buildings and forced washrooms, food services and laboratories to close temporarily
On Feb. 27, a water main on campus ruptured, disrupting McMaster University campus life, food services and academic facilities.
Water services were shut off around 2 p.m. on the same day to the Life Sciences Building, McMaster Museum of Art, McMaster University Student Centre, Mills Memorial Library, Psychology Building and many other buildings so that repairs could be completed.
According to Alvin Baldovino, director of engineering operations at facility services, facility services was first informed of the break between MUSC and Mills Library near parking lots B and C around 10 a.m. on Feb. 27. A third-party contractor was then quickly brought in to fix the break.
“We had to hire a third-party contractor because we don’t have the equipment to address a water main break,” said Baldovino.
We had to hire a third-party contractor because we don’t have the equipment to address a water main break.
Alvin Baldovino, director of engineering operations, facility services
As a result of the break and the water being turned off, food services and washrooms were closed in the affected buildings. The university and food services provided an online list of the eateries on campus that were available in unaffected buildings.
The university also stated in an online post that laboratories requiring running water would be temporarily shut down until the repair of the break was complete.
When asked about the suspected cause of the break, Baldovino said it was difficult to say for sure what happened.
“The infrastructure is aging. . . It could have been a pressure fluctuation in the past, [but] you can’t really say exactly what the cause was. When we did uncover the pipe, it was corroded,” said Baldovino.
The infrastructure is aging. . .It could have been a pressure fluctuation in the past, [but] you can’t really say exactly what the cause was. When we did uncover the pipe, it was corroded.
Alvin Baldovino, director of engineering operations, facility services
Essential repairs to the water main were completed overnight and running water was restored in all affected buildings by the morning of Feb. 28. The university also stated that facility services would be cleaning and changing the filters of all water fountains in the affected buildings.
The area where the break occurred was still gated off as of the week of Mar. 4, though all affected services have since returned to normal operations.
When Baldovino was asked about the progress of the work at the site of the break and when it is expected to be fully completed, he stated that though the pipe has been fixed and the hole dug to conduct repairs had been filled in, the concrete pad at the area still needs to be replaced. He stated that it will take some time to complete this final step of replacing the surface concrete and could not provide an estimate as to when this will be done.
This is an ongoing story.
Following a strong start to their season, the women's water polo team hopes to conquer the NCWP Championship tournament for the second year in a row
Beginning their season on Sept. 29, the McMaster University women's water polo team knew they had big shoes to fill; the previous women's water polo team was able to finish in third place in last year's National Collegiate Water Polo championships.
The team has been able to record some great scores thus far. The Marauders won a close 6-4 game against McGill University on Sept. 30 and nabbed an outstanding victory against the University of Guelph on Nov. 12 with a score of 8-1.
The team is made up of predominately first-year players as well as some from other years who are joining for their first season.
“For a large portion of the team, it’s our first year playing on the team. So it's been a harsh adjustment at the beginning. But taking that into consideration, I think we’ve done super well getting to know each other and working as a team to build our offensive and defensive game,” said first-year player Karima Al-Aoussi.
For a large portion of the team, it’s our first year playing on the team. So it's been a harsh adjustment at the beginning. But taking that into consideration, I think we’ve done super well getting to know each other and working as a team to build our offensive and defensive game.
Karima Al-Aoussi, first-year player, women's water polo team
The team also has a new coaching staff this year. Former players Jordan Brydges and Nicola Colterjohn have come back to McMaster to fill the recently vacated coaching position left by Quinn Fairley.
Fairley was a long time coach with the Marauders' water polo program and left a strong legacy after his 26 years coaching the team. He was key part of the Marauders' last NCWP run, helping them win a bronze medal and showing strong support for the women's team.
“We have a new coach as two graduated players, Nicola and Jordan, are coaches now. So it's nice to have players who have played on the team who know how it is and what the other teams are like,” said Al-Aoussi.
Even with these changes, the team is looking to compete in a big way in the upcoming NCWP championship, which will be hosted by the University of Ottawa from Nov. 24 to Nov. 26. Per Al-Aoussi, the team is working to improve their weaknesses, particularly on the offensive end in front of goal.
“I think one of our biggest struggles is our offense. We get the opportunities and we do the work, but we don’t always get that finishing goal,” said Al-Aoussi.
In preparation for the upcoming championships, the Marauders have worked hard in practices to make themselves a stronger unit.
"I think that looking at past games and how we’ve practiced, in the upcoming tournament [the team will] have good results," said Al-Aoussi.
I think that looking at past games and how we’ve practiced, in the upcoming tournament [the team will] have good results," said Al Aoussi.
Karima Al-Aoussi, first year player, women's water polo team
As the season comes to a close, the team along with their coaches hope to finish their season with a strong finish in Ottawa.
C/O Yoohyun Park
Concerns raised surrounding clean drinking water access in Indigenous communities
At the beginning of October, Iqaluit residents began noticing an odour in their tap water and some expressed feeling ill. After an initial inspection of the treatment plant and water samples on Oct. 4, the city of Iqaluit determined that the water was safe to drink. However, a second investigation on Oct. 12 yielded different results.
Since Oct. 12, Iqaluit has been under a state of emergency and residents have been advised not to drink tap water, even after boiling or filtering it, due to a presence of fuel in the water supply.
Since Oct. 12, Iqaluit has been under a state of emergency and residents have been advised not to drink tap water, even after boiling or filtering it, due to a presence of fuel in the water supply.
Amarah Hasham-Steele, News Reporter
On Oct. 24, the Canadian Armed Forces arrived in Iqaluit to set up a reverse osmosis water purification system. The CAF is purifying water from Iqaluit’s Sylvia Grinnell River and transporting it to a city water truck, which then transports it to water filling depots.
Until the arrival of the CAF, residents were receiving bottled water from distribution sites and collecting water from the Sylvia Grinnell River.
While the CAF is providing residents with potable water, trucked water deliveries in Iqaluit will no longer contain potable water as of Tuesday, Nov. 9. While residents can still use trucked water deliveries for bathing, laundry, handwashing and dishwashing, they are no longer able to drink it.
The state of emergency in Iqaluit is currently set to last until Nov. 23.
At McMaster University, Makasa Looking Horse is actively involved in projects that address water needs for Indigenous communities. One such project is the Global Water Futures project, which Looking Horse is the educational lead for.
Global Water Futures is a Canadian university-led research project aiming to manage water futures in areas with cold climates, such as Canada, and landscapes changing due to global warming.
“Global Water Futures aims to position Canada as a global leader in water science for cold regions and will address the strategic needs of the Canadian economy in adapting to change and managing risks of uncertain water futures and extreme events,” stated the Global Water Futures website.
Looking Horse highlighted that water crises in Indigenous communities are not uncommon and that they can happen for a multitude of reasons. She explained that water crises occur when there are problems with treatment plants and when there are problems piping water from treatment plants to households.
“Infrastructure within Canada for Indigenous communities is in really bad shape,” said Looking Horse.
“Infrastructure within Canada for Indigenous communities is in really bad shape.”
Makasa Looking Horse, Educational Lead of the global Water futures project
In 2015, 126 drinking water advisories existed in First Nations, prompting the federal government to commit to resolving them by March of 2021. However, inadequate funding was allocated to meeting this goal and many advisories remain in effect. Water-borne diseases occur within First Nations 26 times more than the national average and people living on reserves are currently 90 times more likely to have no access to running water compared to non-Indigenous people living off reserves.
On Nov. 3, the Cooperative Indigenous Students Studies and Alumni at McMaster shared a post about the Iqaluit water crisis and noted how the federal government has not kept their promise to eliminate water advisories in Indigenous communities.
Mainly, CISSA referred to the fact that 58 advisories still remain despite prime minister Justin Trudeau’s promise to eliminate all long-term boil water advisories by March of 2021.
“It has become abundantly clear that one cannot disentangle social conditions from health conditions and that the causes of recurrent Indigenous water insecurity are rooted in sociopolitical neglect. The lack of access to clean, safe water is a reflection of long standing political and economic marginalization,” stated CISSA in their post.
For McMaster students, Looking Horse noted that there are always ways to help make clean water more accessible in general.
“Whether it's donating water to the food bank or cleaning up [garbage], whatever you want to work on, whether that's writing or doing something physical, you can definitely do something to make a difference,” said Looking Horse.
“Whether it's donating water to the food bank or cleaning up [garbage], whatever you want to work on, whether that's writing or doing something physical, you can definitely do something to make a difference.”
Makasa Looking Horse, Educational Lead of the global Water futures project
Looking Horse has extensive experience protecting access to water for Indigenous communities. Beyond her role in Global Water Futures, she did a lot of advocacy work to protect the Six Nations water supply when she found out that Nestle was taking 3.6 million litres of water from the Six Nations aquifer without the community’s permission.
Within Global Water Futures, Looking Horse has been part of multiple community projects, such as tracking snapping turtles on Six Nations to collect more data about the environment.
“This kind of project really hasn't hasn't existed before and so we're super proud [of it]. It's a water project on Six Nations that all of these different professors at McMaster University and other universities and different departments are working [on] together,” said Looking Horse.
The water crisis continues to be a significant issue in Iqaluit and across Indigenous communities, with many long-term water advisories still in effect and goals to resolve them not being met. McMaster students interested in taking action can refer to CISSA’s social media posts with more information on petitions to sign and links where donations can be made.
On Jan. 30, 2017, the McMaster Students Union announced plans to eliminate single-use plastic water bottles from Union Market as part of a strategy to work towards a more sustainable campus.
However in the fall of 2017, the newly elected board of directors decided to return single use bottled water to Union Market. Soon afterwards, boxed water was pulled from shelves.
Proponents of the boxed water project say that it was the first step of a plan to work towards sustainability on campus. According to others, the project was doomed from the beginning.
Former MSU president Justin Monaco-Barnes introduced boxed water as a more environmentally friendly alternative to bottled water. Monaco-Barnes was elected on a platform of sustainability, and had included the implementation of boxed water in his campaign.
Boxed water cartons are recyclable and made from well-managed forests. Furthermore, less energy is required to ship, produce and package boxed water bottles.
Prior to making the decision to phase out single use plastic water bottles, the MSU Advocacy team, led by Blake Oliver, had compiled a research report considering the sustainability, marketability, and financial considerations of implementing boxed water.
According to Monaco-Barnes, boxed water was meant to be the first step in a long-term plan to push the university to eliminate single use plastic water bottles altogether. By taking a moral stance against single use plastic water bottles, the board of directors hoped to encourage the rest of the university to follow suit.
Monaco-Barnes stated the next step in the project would have been to implement a water bottle filling station at Union Market complete with options for adding flavour and carbonation.
“By selling plastic water bottles again and undoing this ban, the MSU has effectively undone not only the work that was put into this effort, but has also undone the planned multi-staged process by removing the underlying principle,” stated Monaco-Barnes in a letter responding to the decision.
According to Jeffrey Campana, the current Union Market manager, the main issue with boxed water was the financial losses. Bottled water had been one of Union Market’s top selling items, and the switch to boxed water led to revenue losses resulting from both a lack of student interest and a lower profit margin on boxed water.
Campana was a cashier at the time that boxed water was introduced. He stated that the lack of interest in boxed water was a result of a higher cost, reluctance to purchase an unfamiliar product and an ineffective advertising campaign.
Boxed water was more expensive than the least expensive bottled water. For example, Eska was sold for $1.13 for a 500 mL bottle, while a box of water the same size cost $2.49.
Additionally, Campana noted that students were hesitant to purchase boxed water due to its unusual design. Since there were other places on campus that continued to sell bottled water, consumers were not forced to make the switch to boxed water.
Campana also stated that students were not effectively incentivized to purchase boxed water. In early January the MSU produced posters and infographics giving information about the environmental impact of bottled water. The graphics were displayed in Union Market.
However, according to both Campana and the 2016-2017 Union Market manager, a more robust and long term marketing campaign might have made boxed water sell more successfully.
The previous Union Market manager stated that she had not been properly consulted when deciding to phase out bottled water and market boxed water. The decision to transition to boxed water came as a directive from the board of directors instead of being a result of collaboration with Union Market Management.
Generally, the part time manager of Union Market is responsible for deciding what items to stock. However, since Union Market is owned and operated by the MSU, the students union president and board of directors can make decisions about what is sold.
If she had been consulted, the previous Union Market manager stated that she would have worked towards a long term advertising plan in preparation for the introduction of boxed water.
“I don't think it would have had the same results had I been a part of it like effectively,” she stated.
In addition to being more expensive for consumers, boxed was also more expensive to produce. This meant that Union Market made less money off of each unit of boxed water sold than what they made off of bottled water.
“I think it's a great product, I just would never sell it. Simply because I don't make money off of it, the MSU doesn't make money off it,” said Campana.
For Monaco-Barnes however, the overall purpose of the campaign was not to sell more boxed water. Ideally, students would switch to reusable water bottles and would therefore stop buying water from Union Market altogether.
Monaco-Barnes had anticipated that a revenue loss was likely to occur. However from his perspective, the environmental considerations outweighed the financial losses.
“Because it's such an important cause, becoming more sustainable and reducing carbon footprint, I think it's okay if it's going to take a bit of a financial hit,” said Monaco-Barnes. “That's the crux with sustainability […] if it was an easy, cheap, simple solution, everyone would be doing it," he added.
To help offset some of the financial losses from the removal of bottled water, the board of directors decided to raise the costs of other best-selling items at Union Market such as chocolate milk. In 2017, the price of chocolate milk increased from $1.86 to $2.25.
According to MSU General Manager John McGowan, prices were raised so that Union Market could continue to financially support its cost centres. However, they not raised to the point of recoupling the lost revenue from bottled water, as this would have made prices unaffordable.
According to the Union Market manager at the time, however, this price increase was not enough to make up the losses from bottled water sales.
Bottled water has since been reintroduced, meaning that Union Market is no longer facing revenue losses resulting from its absence. However, the price of chocolate milk has not been brought back down, despite being raised to help compensate the loss of bottled water.
Campana noted that the price of chocolate milk may still have increased due to inflation.
“$1.86 is miles away from being financially sound in 2019,” stated Campana.
Monaco-Barnes noted that the structure of the MSU makes continuity difficult. Due to the high rate of turnover in student government, long-term projects often do not get seen to completion.
While the overall project was ambitious, the implementation gap and lack of year to year continuity meant that the boxed water plan was short-lived.
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By: Graham West
After a tremendous end to the season in which the men’s water polo team won bronze and the women’s water polo team finished fifth at the Ontario University Athletics tournament, the team looks to have a great season ahead next year, guided by the water polo OUA Coach of the Year Quinn Fairley.
This is the fourth time coach Fairley has received this award, and when asked about what winning coach of the year meant to the venerated coach’s response was quick to point out how much the team was involved in the award.
“The team really looked together,” Fairley said. “The way the guys operated in the water, the way that they communicated with each other. They were just a really together unit, and for me to win Coach of the Year, it’s an absolute compliment to them.”
Part of coach Fairley’s success can be attributed to his past experience as a player for the McMaster water polo team.
“I can relate to exactly what they’ve done,” Fairley said. “Especially as a McMaster player, you know going through the OUA season, going through midterms and all of the external stresses that a varsity athlete would have.”
He took a different approach with playing time for the season, to get more players in the pool. This tactic was successful as the players believed in each other’s abilities to make an impact in the pool, even though some players received less playing time for the purpose of chemistry.
“When I think of character, we put in a different system of substituting,” Fairley said. “Which meant some people actually played less than they might have in years past, because we just took a little different focus and a different way of going about it, and this is where the team brought in to it and then brought in to each other.”
Chemistry, camaraderie and depth are what coach Fairley attributes to their success during the season and at the OUA championship. Utilizing everyone's capabilities and having a great foundation of trust in all of his players, regardless of experience, has been a great contribution to the water polo teams.
“What we’re building on more so is camaraderie, using a couple of key pieces but, the other side of our team especially by the minutes and by playing time we were without a doubt one of the deeper teams in the league,” Fairley said. “We made a huge step in culture, we made a huge step in the way that we operate together, and that’s really what the result is.”
After battling through adversity such as injuries and other issues over the past few seasons, getting a medal at the OUA tournament was really important to many players on the team. As something that has escaped the team for a few years, making the podium was definitely one of the highlights of the tournament.
“We’ve had teams that I’ve thought, and think still to this day, should have medaled prior to this year for circumstances, whether it be a poor performance or injuries or whatever, we just never got it done,” Fairley said.
The water polo teams will look to repeat their success next year, building off of this year’s newfound success while continuing the new culture of trust developed by coach Fairley as they strive to receive a medal once more.
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Flint is one of Hamilton’s sister cities. It is located in the state of Michigan, and it has a population of 102,434. It would take roughly four hours to fly there, and like Hamilton, it was built upon a prominent trade industry (in our case, steel; in theirs, lumber). We don’t typically have much to do with Flint, and most of the time the idea of a “sister city” seems like something arbitrarily assigned across the globe.
Our status as sister cities was made official by Sister Cities International, and we have been linked to them — along with our other sister city, Fukuyama, Japan — for close to 60 years.
We aren’t very close, geographically or socially, but we hold a connection with them that is beyond our local bounds. For those who do not know, the citizens of Flint are currently the victims of a water crisis. Their only sources of water have been contaminated due to old and poorly maintained piping infrastructure made of lead, and their water is currently considered poisonous. They need $55 million dollars to fix the existing damage, and their citizens, including children, the elderly and animals, are falling ill at a rapid pace.
We know that they need help, and we know that we’re intrinsically on their side, but why aren’t we, as a community, doing anything?
Hamilton’s Mayor Eisenberg has reached out to the mayor of Flint, offering to provide necessary aid, but aside from one dedicated citizen donating a few thousand water bottles to the city, we don’t have much else to show for ourselves in terms of providing tangible help in any form. And when I refer to “us” or “our,” I don’t necessarily just mean the city as a whole, but the separate McMaster community as well.
It’s an age-old fact that McMaster students have found it difficult to assimilate into the city and become members of the community. But so long as we are living, working, or being educated here, we are part of the “City of Hamilton.” And with that being said, we are more connected to our brothers and sisters in Flint than any other university community.
Our lack of initiative related to helping Flint speaks to the rough connection we have as a university to our city and municipal responsibilities.
Flint has multiple colleges and universities within its borders. Students and faculty are people who are being affected by this lead poisoning, and if we were in their place, the support of our sister university could mean a lot and make a difference.
The University and its hospital are two of the largest businesses in the city. Even if the city may not necessarily be able to provide some form of financial support to the citizens of Flint, it could be possible that the lucrative business of our institution could be able to provide help in some way, shape or form.
Our lack of initiative related to helping Flint speaks to the rough connection we have as a university to our city and municipal responsibilities, a shortcoming that we have been trying to mend. Many people have no idea that Flint is Hamilton’s sister city, let alone that Hamilton has sister cities. While most students can get away with going a full undergrad not getting to know their city, when something like this comes up, as members of this community, we should be proactive (as we are with many other initiatives on campus) in doing something to help or raise awareness for this cause. As a campus, the biggest thing we have going for us, outside of our finances, are our numbers. We have bodies, and lots of them, who can stand up and make a difference for a municipality that doesn’t have a lot of support from elsewhere, and one that is an innate part of our own city culture.
Not too far from us, and not too long ago, the town of Walkerton, Ontario was in a somewhat similar situation with an E. coli problem. The town benefited from the help of its neighbours, and Flint is now in an even worse situation that needs dire help. We may not always identify with this city we live in, but when Hamilton and its related communities needs us, we need to be there to help facilitate action and effort.
Photo Credit: Rebecca Cook/ Reuters
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