Unofficial ban on critiquing minority cultures allows dictators to flourish: Banoo Zan
By Saloni Bhugra Three years after journalist Jamal Khashoggi was assassinated, an “unofficial ban” on critiquing minority cultures is allowing dictators to flourish, says Iranian-born poet and author Banoo Zan. On Dec 7, 2021, a suspect in the murder of Khashoggi was arrested in France. The arrest took place... Read more
Advocates call for safer public spaces for gender minorities
By Saloni Bhugra On Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021, a woman was harassed, groped, and raped in a SEPTA train near Philadelphia. Initial reports indicated that it happened in the presence of other passengers that filmed the incident and failed to intervene, though Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer later... Read more
Toronto restaurant preserves 5,000 year-old culture with Egyptian cuisine
By Saloni Bhugra Maha Barsoom is preserving Egyptian culture in Toronto by using ingredients that were a part of ancient Egyptian cuisine 5,000 years ago. Barsoom opened Maha’s Fine Egyptian Restaurant in 2014 with the help of her son, Mark, and daughter, Monika. “The Egyptian cuisine’s history goes back... Read more
Retirement home residents complain about mistreatment and food quality
By Saloni Bhugra Residents at a Chartwell retirement home say they are receiving bad treatment and subpar food even after writing letters to the officials. Samantha, an 82-year-old resident at a Chartwell home who asked to use a pseudonym, wrote in an email to Skedline that she was asked... Read more
Service industry workers face harassment by anti-vax protestors
After the first few weeks of the vaccine passport system enforcement, service workers in Ontario speak up against harassment caused by anti-vaxxers and anti-maskers. The manager at Nadege Patisserie, Lauren Shelton said her staff has faced serious aggression by anti-vaccine protesters. She said there are regular instances of people... Read more
It might be time for a new party to vocalize BIPOC concerns, says poet George Elliott Clarke
As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals return to parliament with a minority government, some communities might be looking for a new party prioritizing agendas of equality and protection of ecology, says George Elliott Clarke, former poet laureate for the City of Toronto and the Canadian Parliament. In an email... Read more
Racialized Canadians look to federal parties for leadership — and real change
In 2016, The Human Rights Commission of Canada revealed that 43 per cent of all hate crimes in Canada were motivated by hate of a race and ethnicity. According to Stats Canada, homicides against Indigenous people were seven times higher than non-Indigenous, and there was a 37 per cent... Read more
Why victims of assault can’t say no — and can’t speak up
By Saloni Bhugra Low rates of reporting sexual assault are tied to societal power structures that normalize abuse, experts say. According to SexAssault Statistics Canada, only six out every 100 sexual assault incidents are reported. And those that do come to light often lead to blowback against the victim.... Read more
Offshore wind farm energy deal gets $1.6B investment from Norway
(Reuters) – Norway’s $1.3 trillion sovereign wealth fund has directly invested in a renewable energy project for the first time. The fund purchased a 50 per cent stake in the Borssele 1 and 2 wind farm off the Netherlands for $1.63 billion from Denmark’s Orsted, which will resume to... Read more
Indian Domestic Helpers Considered “Dirty”: 70 years after untouchability was banned
By Saloni Bhugra At five in the morning, Sandhya Karwal, 16, woke up to get ready and cook breakfast for her husband. She wore pink trousers with a yellow and green kurta — a long shirt. She then walked 20 minutes to the house that she worked at as... Read more