Photo by Cole Breiland

Budget ratified and CUPE challenges board

Stacey Goyan

News Editor

Vice-president finance drama erupted at board on Thursday night when issues surrounding VP finance-elect Chris Vaillant’s ability to fulfill his term were brought to light.

Outgoing Chief Returning Officer, Tomas Valiquette, distributed packages to the board containing emails received from Dr. Phillip Allingham, an associate professor in the Faculty of Education.

The emails revealed that because Vaillant did not complete one of his crucial education courses, he is required to retake it before being allowed to do his teaching placement.

While Vaillant would be permitted to take courses as a LUSU executive, if he took his placement later than March 2011, he would be forced to graduate in November of that year and be unable to teach until September of 2012.

Valiquette presented the board with two options: first, the board could vote to allow Vaillant an additional 15 days of holidays above the 10 that are allotted, and the second option would be for Vaillant to either put off graduation or resign the position of VP Finance.

Vaillant argued that he felt able to fulfill his responsibilities as VP finance despite having to complete his placement.

President-elect Mike Snoddon admitted he was torn regarding the situation, but stressed that the board should think of students when making their decision.

Concern was raised around the precedent set if Vaillant was allowed the additional time off. Some members of the board argued that if Vaillant were permitted the additional time off, then this would allow both present and future executives to have extended time away from the office.

The board explored various options, including revoking pay for the days off, or requiring Vaillant to make up the time. Once the question was called, the board decided in a tight vote not to allow Vaillant the additional days off. The vote was 7 for, 6 against, and 1 abstention.

Vaillant agreed that he would notify LUSU of his decision by Monday.

CUPE talks back

In response to last week’s decision to revoke their space, members of CUPE came to board to question their decision.

CUPE president, Ron Berg addressed the board, offering that they were willing to share space with the chemistry club, despite concerns about confidential documents that the union houses.

VP finance, Josh Kolic, admitted that he did not know that a chemistry club existed prior to the controversy. Kolic noted that he had not received a constitution or club package from a chemistry club, or permitted them to have the space.

Despite this, the VP Finance revealed that after meetings with the chemistry club, it was agreed that the two groups would share the space until the end of the year. LUSU would then look into a new space for either the chemistry club or CUPE. Kolic said this would be decided when the two clubs meet with LUSU to discuss the issue.

Berg retorted that the chemistry club has been using the space for study purposes, while CUPE has used it to run their day-to-day operations. He argued that not all faculties have access to exclusive study space.

Vice-president student issues Trevor Cava felt that it was inappropriate to privilege CUPE’s work over the chemistry club’s work.

Budget frozen, approved, but not available online

Kolic presented board with next year’s operating budget to be ratified. The VP Finance stated that despite small increases, the budget will be frozen, or relatively unchanged from last year. Kolic noted that any increases in the budget were made to reflect the actual costs of the budget lines, as opposed to what had been projected.

One exception was a substantial cut from $50,500 to $18,000 in the sustainability budget. Sustainability’s budget returned to the original $18,000 that was provided by the referenda, after a $27,000 grant that allowed the initiative to operate full-time expired.

Director Louise Haukeness argued that the board should take a week to review the budget, because many board members had only received it a few hours before the meeting.

Kolic pointed out that with the last meeting of the year taking place the following week, board could risk ending the year without a ratified budget. The board voted and accepted the budget.

Representative from BDO Dunwoody, Blair Smith, attended the meeting to discuss the feasibility of putting LUSU’s operational budget online.

Smith said that it is not common practice among student unions and non-profit organizations to put operational budgets online, because it could release confidential information such as wages, which are protected by privacy laws

As well, Smith pointed out that making budgets for The Outpost, and The Study available online could give important information away to competitors, hurting business.

The board voted down the motion to put the budgets available online later in the meeting.

Photo by Cole Breiland

Lakehead’s president reflects on the last twelve years before stepping down

Stacey Goyan

News Editor

After twelve years at Lakehead University, President and Vice Chancellor Dr. Fred Gilbert will be stepping down at the end of July 2010.

Since Dr. Gilbert took office in 1998, Lakehead has seen the introduction of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, the Advanced Technology and Academic Centre (ATAC), the Orillia campus, and a strategic plan for Lakehead’s future. At the same time, Gilbert’s term has not gone without controversy, including international attention regarding the “Yale Shmale” campaign and the ban of wireless technology on campus, and local criticism regarding the land swap deal in 2007.

Love him or hate him, Dr. Gilbert has had a profound effect on Lakehead University. The Argus sat down with Lakehead’s fifth president to reflect on the last twelve years.

Argus: So how do you feel coming to the end of your term?

Fred Gilbert: Mixed emotions I think anyone would have. A sense of both relief and disappointment I guess, disappointment that it’s over, because it has had its moments, no question about it. Relief that I can actually do something different and not have the obligations, and there are an awful lot of obligations that go with the position that are always there and always part of my personal agenda.

A: Do you feel that anything has been left unfinished?

FG: Well the one thing that’s still unfinished is the law school and there’s no question that it’s going to happen sometime. It would have been nice to have it in place by now. The other thing we’re still working on is research building. So in terms of the kind of agenda that I had set out in terms of my expectations of finishing major things before I step down, those are the two important ones, in my mind, that are still outstanding.

A: What are your plans for retirement?

FG: I don’t have any. I think the worst thing you can do while you’re still working is plan for your retirement. I don’t intend to stop working. I’ll find something else to do. I’m not someone who’s not going to go into a life of leisure now. I’ll find some things that I find personally attractive and put my energy into those. Some of those may be consulting opportunities, some of those might be opportunities to engage in things that I find particularly relevant and important to pursue.

A: What do you consider your greatest accomplishment over the last twelve years?

FG: The University has changed over the last twelve years. I think its more confident institution. I think that the expectation that the university now has is perhaps greater than it was when I first arrived. I do believe that all relates to people. Not to say there’s anything wrong with the people who were here when I arrived, it’s just that they had different expectations at that time than they might have now. So [my] greatest accomplishment might be attracting people, including students, to the university.

A: How would you describe that change in thinking?

FG: We’re now truly a research-intensive university. I think we’re a full dimensional university. The university always had broad programming but it was predominantly undergraduate. To ensure that you have all of the attributes of a fine institution, you have to have that research component. You don’t put it above the teaching, but you have an expectation that your faculty are engaged in meaningful research. I think we’ve reached that and we’re still looking to grow even more in that direction.

A: Looking back, if you could have done something differently, what would it be?

FG: I would like to have been able to fully explain tri-party proposal for the high school on the Thunder Bay Country Club, and in effect, the provision of some land temporarily for the country club. This is the key component that we couldn’t make public at the time, with the expectation built into any legal arrangement, that the university would have the first right of refusal on any country club when it went up for sale and in some time in the future its’ going to go up for sale.

What that would have done was two really important things for the university. One was land for expansion, land that would meet any needs that we could foresee for the institution for any time in the future. Secondly since much of that land is flood plane land, it would allow the opportunity to grow the natural area on the campus. [What] most people could see at that point in time was the short term potential losses opposed to the long-term gain. Since it was tied up in the legal discussion at the time, I couldn’t make that part public. It would have been nice to have been able to somehow get the full message through to both this community and the Thunder Bay community in terms of what the long-term benefits were.

That’s one. Other things that I might do differently… this position engages so much of your time that you don’t have the opportunity to spend as much time just interfacing and interacting with individuals around the campus. In a less fraught and less demanding environment it would be nice just to go around on a regular basis and interface with people on the campus. Most of what I get is a “hi” to people as I walk around campus from one meeting to another meeting, as opposed to dropping in and seeing how things are going in particular labs and in classrooms. I think that’s the part that maybe I find most disappointing in terms of the last twelve years.

A: So on this topic, you’ve had your share of controversy, including the land swap deal, wireless, the faculty closure. Do you think students will remember you for your successes or your controversies?

FG: People tend to remember the things that impact them the most. I suspect that it’ll likely be the wireless controversy that I’ll [be] remembered for, primarily with the students. I think that history will determine whether the president was right or whether the students were right. I feel very confident that we did make the right decision in invoking the precautionary principle, because all the evidence has simply mounted to indicate that there are long-term health issues that are there. If you can do some things that avoid the accumulating exposure that people are having to EMF microwave radiation, then you’re doing a service. All the students [can see], for the most part – and there are exceptions– that we’re making things inconvenient, and in their minds there isn’t an issue. I can assure you there is an issue, and the issues will become more clear and more pronounced as we start to get into litigation just as we did with tobacco in the early days.

A: What’s something that student’s don’t know about you?

FG: They don’t know a lot about me, some of them don’t even know who I am. At the end of the day we are all individuals with our own foibles, our own strengths and our own weaknesses. I don’t think very many students got to know me as a person, and for whatever it’s worth, I think that I’m not ogre, I’m not a egomaniac. I’ve done what I’ve done hopefully to try and make Lakehead University a better place everyone.

A: Any parting words for students?

FG: You’ll never have the level of freedom and opportunity for growth in your life again, whether it’s at the graduate and undergraduate level, that you’ll have as a student. So many students don’t appreciate that and don’t take advantage of that. The social opportunities, the learning opportunities are wonderful and you don’t’ realize just how important those opportunities are until you are locked into a job later on. All of those freedoms tend to become constrained by the job itself. So the advice to students is to appreciate, enjoy and take advantage of the opportunities, whether they’re academic or social, that you have as a student.

Alice in Wonderland is a mixed bag of nuts

Derek Wall

A&E Editor

There is much to like about the film Alice in Wonderland, aesthetically speaking; Tim Burton has added his unique flair to all of Wonderland’s inhabitants, including the Queen of Hearts, the Cheshire Cat, and The Jabberwocky to name a few. The Cheshire Cat especially, and the way he vaporizes in and out of scenes, is particularly breathtaking. If this was a stand-alone film, I might have been thoroughly satisfied.

However, Alice in Wonderland is not a stand-alone film, it is the sequel to Lewis Carroll’s classic novel from 1865, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

And that was one of the first issues with the script, or rather the title. Despite being entitled “Alice in Wonderland,” the title that Carroll’s novel is often nicknamed and the name of the classic Disney cartoon that is based off of said novel, Burton’s “Alice” takes place 13 years after the original story. This would be like titling Spielberg’s sequel of Barrie’s Peter Pan as “Peter Pan,” not “Hook.”

Speaking of Hook, Burton’s Alice draws many parallels to Spielberg’s film. They are both sequels of classic works of children’s literature, for a start, but they also both feature a protagonist that returns to their childhood fantasy world yet cannot recollect their initial visit.

Another issue with the script is that it feels as though Burton’s Alice has a difficult time remembering what exactly it is a sequel to. Whereas Barrie’s Peter Pan focused on the dichotomy between childhood and adulthood, as did Hook but added the additional layer of adult Peter struggling to remember his childhood and the importance of it. Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland” is primarily about language.

Aside from the episodic and often unrelated experiences Alice has in Carroll’s novel, the story offers young readers insight into limericks, wordplay, puns, riddles, and fables. However, none of that was present in Burton’s adaptation. I am not suggesting that the scenes in the film should have been detached and episodic like the book, as I understand that a film needs to have an arc and complete story in order to appeal to an audience, but none of the wordplay found in the original novel was brought forward to the film.

The movie was also plagued by the formulaic staleness that seems to have been haunting Tim Burton lately. Many have commented on the repetitive qualities Burton’s movies have taken on lately. Johnny Depp has appeared in the last four consecutive films by Burton making a grand total of seven appearances in Burton’s entire filmography. Depp is also scheduled to appear in the next film directed by Burton, Dark Shadows. Helena Bonham Carter (also Burton’s wife) has been appearing a bit too regularly in Burton’s film.

Speaking as one who considers himself a true Burton fan, the repetitive nature his films have taken are quite saddening. While growing up, the prospect of a new Burton film being released was akin to being invited to meet with an old insightful friend. The magic and morbid curiosity that was Tim Burton’s trademark was something that I felt spoke to me directly. I recall the sense of wonder that washed over me after completing Edward Scissorhands, the sheer horror that surged through me during Sleepy Hollow, and the dark morbid side of my own sense of humour that Beetlejuice wrung from me.

I still consider myself a Burton fan and I do still look forward to his upcoming features. I hope that Burton returns to a method of experimentation rather than sticking to a successful (or not so successful) formula. The future also foretells that next year Burton will be directing an animated feature film entitled Frankenweenie based on the short film Burton created in 1984.

A food-lover’s guide

Ian Kaufman

Features Editor

There are many reasons to take stock of how we eat, ranging from the grandiose to the personal: an interest in combating the environmental and social destruction that so often accompany the production of our food, health concerns, or simply a penchant for deliciousness. An answer to many aspects of these issues is the relocalization of food. Local food is by no means a cure-all for environmental or social ills, and it is not necessarily any healthier or more delicious – but it certainly tends in all of those directions.

Localization can create stable regional employment, as well as reducing dependence on fossil fuels used in food production and distribution. Aside from the economic advantages, it also means forging relationships in the community. Buying food from a local farmer (or growing it yourself) is far different from grabbing packaged goods at Safeway or Walmart. It affords us an awareness of the food’s quality and its social and environmental impacts – and it can be a lot more fun and satisfying.

Realistically, though, it can also be a lot harder. The siren song of convenience, in the form of fast food and well-stocked, 24-hour grocery chains, makes it difficult to stick to resolutions of local, healthy diets. With the right information and a little planning, however, you can steer clear of the neon glow of the Metros and McDonald’s of the world, eat better, and help foster a sustainable local economy. This guide lays out some of the best ways to go local in Thunder Bay: visiting farmer’s markets, frequenting stores and restaurants that stock local food, participating in CSAs and community gardens, and growing and preserving some of your own food.

Farmer’s markets

Country Market

The first and easiest stop for local food is the Country Market. If you do it right, you can pick up a significant portion of your groceries here. If it can be grown, raised, or made in the region, you will likely find it here: fruits and veggies, cheese, meat and fish, flour, bread and other baked goods, jams and preserves, honey, and a lot more – all produced within a few dozen kilometers of Thunder Bay.

In the summer, Derek Lucchese of Both Hands Bread serves pizza, freshly baked out of his innovative wood-fired oven/trailer; you can sit and enjoy breakfast from Nature’s Choice and a coffee from the Great Northwest Coffee Co. all year round. The market additionally hosts local potters, woodworkers, knitters, and other craftspeople.

Where: Dove building on the CLE grounds (Memorial St., beside Silver City theatre)

When: Saturdays 8am-1pm, Wednesdays 4pm-8pm

Downtown Artisan and Farmer’s Market

A relative newcomer, this market has quickly made a name for itself, helping to add some spice – literally and figuratively - to downtown Fort William. “You can see the front door of City Hall,” points out market owner Jim Garriock. “When towns first started, that’s where farmer’s markets were, in the hub of the city.” The market brings thousands of people through the downtown core, says Garriock. Although its focus is more on local craftspeople and artisans, it hosts its share of local food producers as well – mainly small farmers and bakers.

Where: 507 Victoria Ave. E

When: Saturdays 9am – 3pm

Community Supported Agriculture

Boreal Edge Farm CSA

Based out of Nolalu (40 km west of Thunder Bay), Boreal Edge has brought the increasingly popular Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model as an option to area residents. Members buy a share in the year’s harvest and receive 14 weeks of produce, which conveniently enough is dropped off at the university every Wednesday. Shares cost $600, which breaks down to just over $40 per week. Boreal says that shares comfortably provide a week’s vegetables for a family of four. But for those looking to save money, there is the additional option of a work share, which substitutes a weekly four hours of work for the cost of a share.

The farm offers a smattering of other options: they are partnering with other local food producers to provide bread and eggs with their shares for those who want them; for students who leave for the summer, there are “fall shares” that provide $100 worth of food at their Country Market booth for $85; there are also “storage shares” at that time including preserves, honey, and crops like potatoes, carrots, and onions for winter storage. There are still shares remaining for this year – check out their website (http://sites.google.com/site/borealedgefarm/home).

Community gardens

Every spring, Thunder Bay residents have the option of participating in a community garden. While some of these gardens operate on a principle of work-sharing and harvest-sharing, most prefer to allot individual plots within the garden. Some are free, and some charge a marginal cost. Here at the university, we have the campus community garden, a Food Security Research Network (FSRN) project. The campus garden offers over a hundred plots on a first-come, first-serve basis and is already booked for this year. If you are interested in an on-campus plot for next year, you would be well-advised to sign up early! The garden welcomes beginners as well as experienced gardeners.

Other community gardens are springing up more or less informally across the city. More information on these emerging opportunities for urban agriculture can be obtained through the city’s Community Garden Collective on the Thunder Bay District Health Unit website.

Grow it yourself!

Of course, there is always the option of starting your own impromptu vegetable garden in a backyard or a planter. Herbs like basil, mint, and parsley are a good place to start for beginners; tomatoes and beans are also relatively low-maintenance, and can be grown indoors by a windowsill.

Grocery stores

Despite paying lip service to organic and local food, large grocery chains have yet to really follow through. Smaller local operations are a little more open to the idea. George’s Market, for example, distinguishes itself by carrying local produce in the summer as well as local cheese, meat, and eggs. Baking is done on the premises. Maltese grocery, meanwhile, features some local meats, including lamb, rabbit, and beef. You can also find herbs, Thunder Oaks cheese, and baked goods.

Eating out

Thunder Bay’s restaurants, like its grocery stores, have yet to catch on to the growing demand for local food. There are a few exceptions, however. Partnerships between Thunder Bay’s farmer’s and some of its more imaginative restaurants have begun springing up.

The Growing Season Juice Collective

Don’t let their name fool you – The Growing Season offers a lot more than juice. They offer fresh, local pizza and bread courtesy of Both Hands Bread. Other baked goods are provided by Renate Nitsche of Nature’s Choice, who is also behind the Country Market Café and The Study’s baked goods. Local cheese and veggies are supplemented by sprouts grown in-house, and sometimes, local elk sausage.

The Organic Garden Café

A well-kept secret mostly known for their Friday veggie burgers, the Organic Café also serves a fair amount of local food. Besides a partnership with Both Hands Bread, the café apparently grows much of their own produce. Worth a visit, especially for the vegetarians and vegans walking amongst us.

Caribou Restaurant & Wine Bar

Although its higher prices mean students usually reserve their visits for special occasions, Caribou finds itself among the handful of restaurants making an effort to incorporate local produce into their menu. In the summer months, they use produce from Belluz farms and Debruin’s greenhouses, while Thunder Oaks’ famous gouda graces some dishes, including their popular mushroom crepes. They have also recently added beef from Terrymore Farms (located in South Gillies) and local maple syrup for desserts.

The Good News Café

Another good option for local dining is the Good News café, located in downtown Fort William. With a cozy atmosphere and a moderately fancy tone, it’s a comfortable compromise between fine and casual dining. It’s also vegetarian-friendly.

Community Auditorium to host popular program

Esa Keltamaki

Copy Editor

In 1994, the Vinyl Cafe began as a summer replacement show. Host Stuart McLean, who at the time was working as a frequent guest of another CBC program, Morningside, created the show as a variety hour of writing and music. The Vinyl Cafe became a regular feature in 1997. Luckily for Thunder Bay, the show is poised to hit our shore of Superior.

This Thursday, the widely popular program, which is heard in 18 of the United States and 80 different markets, will be recorded at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium. The Vinyl Cafe has evolved to become an independently produced touring sensation McLean sells to the CBC.

“I have to give the CBC credit,” McLean said in an interview with The Argus. “They gave [the Vinyl Cafe] support through all of its incarnations.”

The CBC’s support has been well placed.

“I’m always taken up with the story – is it good, good enough, can I make it better?” McLean noted. “It isn’t draft one, it’s draft eight or nine, and with the help of others, things get better.” McLean noted that the Vinyl Cafe “evolved organically” with “not as much inspiration as hard work” into its current independent, travelling form.

The Good Lovelies, a musical trio described as “flirty-bluegrass,” are on the current journey with the rest of the crew. The Vinyl Cafe is rarely without a resident indie music accompaniment.

“A few years ago, we made a decision to focus on singer/songwriters from the indie music scene who don’t get as much exposure as they should,” McLean revealed. “Most of us stop listening to new music at 30,” he added. “I had to relearn music and reintroduce myself to new music.”

McLean and co. are in the middle of a “medium town tour.” They’re visiting places like Dryden, Thunder Bay, and Timmins. Past tours have included stops in cities as big as Toronto, and hamlets with as few as 80 people.

“We tripled the population of the town for that show,” McLean said. “We get around to the cities and the small towns. We’re trying to paint a portrait of Canada. We try to touch each part.”

Photo by Cole Breiland

Another successful year for LUNSA pow wow

Amy Szybalski

News Writer

Last Saturday and Sunday, the CJ Sanders Fieldhouse was packed with dancers and observers alike for the annual Lakehead University Native Students Association Spring Pow Wow.

A pow wow is a time for Aboriginal people to come together and share their culture, and the LUNSA Spring powwow was most definitely a display of Aboriginal culture at its best.

The Lakehead powwow is, a “traditional gathering of many different people. It’s the beginning of the powwow season where all these different communities and people get together and take place in traditional activities,” as described by Will Robinson, organizer of the powwow.

The LUNSA pow wow has grown significantly since its humble beginnings as a small gathering in the Agora

“We’re trying to stay with the tradition of it being a student driven powwow, by the students for the students, and encourage the aboriginal community to get involved, we want to bring everybody together,” said LUNSA president Thomas Grinnell.

The pow wow kicked off last Saturday with the grand entry, “the time when the host drum takes control of the Powwow, to kick off two or three hours of solid Powwow” described Will Robinson. The host drum, the Little Bear Singers, initiated the grand entry, with the Eagle staff leading the first dance.

Throughout all of Saturday and a good chunk of Sunday, the pow wow continued on with many dancers, young ad old taking part.

Many people in the community have an image in their minds of what a powwow is, but to someone outside of the Aboriginal community, the terms and customs of a Powwow may be a little foreign.

For instance the term “Drum,” refers to a group of performers who play a large, specially designed drum and sing traditional songs. Each drum has a Lead Singer who runs his or her drum and leads the singers while singing. The number of members of a drum group may vary, but is usually at least four people, and can be far more.

Throughout the day men and women, ranging from toddlers to elders, took part in traditional dress took part in a variety of different traditional dances. Throughout the weekend smudging ceremonies also took place to purify the air in the building.

As a great kick off to the pow wow season, spectators can only wait for next year’s celebration to be even bigger.