ALBERTA – On Thursday, April 2nd, Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw gave recommendations for how staff that work in congregate settings can prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Dr. Hinshaw’s recommendations were primarily aimed to those working in continuing care facilities. However, Dr. Hinshaw stated that “by limiting the spread, we can help keeping the virus out of nursing homes, shelters, and countless other places.”

Kaylee Cheladyn, who is the communications and marketing coordinator at Boyle Street Community Services, says that staff are trying their best to educate clients that visit the centre, as well as the Expo Centre, the best that they can. “I think that any of our service delivery, despite the virus, it’s just a matter of clear communication and making sure that staff set an example to clients,” says Cheladyn.

With the Expo Centre being used as a temporary shelter as of March 27^th, Cheldayn says that they needed more space due to physical distancing restrictions. “In the early stages, our Community Centre was only allowing 50 people (staff and clients), in our building at a time,” Cheladyn says. “We can see an average of 300 people go through our doors on any given day. So we definitely needed the space.”

According to the Boyle Street Community Services blog, many clients have chronic illnesses that put them more at risk in regards to becoming exposed and infected by COVID-19. As those who experience homelessness do not have the ability to self-isolate, the post states that “if a community member is experiencing symptoms, we will be working closely with public health officials to determine next steps for that individual.

“[We need to] limit the risk of spread while ensuring residents can continue to receive the care they need,” says Dr. Hinshaw. These recommendations state that staff who work at multiple care facilities must notify their supervisors if they are working at a facility with a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19.

In British Columbia, care workers are required to work in only one facility, and are not allowed to work in multiple facilities. Dr. Hinshaw suggested that by doing this in Alberta, there would be “significant workforce loss.” Dr. Hinshaw clarified the recommendation stating that “the staff that work in the outbreak, would be working in only that facility and not any other facility. We need to balance the need that facilities need to stay staffed and that will limit exposure.”

As of April 2^nd, the total of global COVID-19 cases reached to 1 million. “The way we go about our lives has changed. We must continue to adjust,” says Dr. Hinshaw, “we are all in this together.”

#COVID19AB has shown how much our individual actions—no matter how small—can impact the lives of others. We are in this together, and we all have a role to play in keeping each other safe.

— Dr. Deena Hinshaw (@CMOH_Alberta) April 3, 2020

The 2002 film Beneath Clouds, directed and written by native Australian Ivan Sen, tells the story of two alienated youths and the conflict of race within Australian society. Lena (Danielle Hall), a white-passing half aboriginal girl, struggles with her identity and longs to be reunited with her Irish roots as she is often repulsed by the aboriginal community that she lives in, including her own mother. Vaughn (Damian Pitt), a juvenile delinquent who feels the constant oppression of being a visible minority, has intense resentment towards all white people. Not only does he feel isolated by racism, he also has no contact to the outside world because he is imprisoned.

            Vaughn is informed that his mother has become gravely ill and reluctantly breaks out of prison to see her. He crosses paths with Lena,  who is fed up with her family and decides to break out of the prison that she calls home. The two youths walk through rural Australia together, at first begrudgingly, then as necessity, and finally with enthusiasm. During their journey, they both learn about themselves and each other’s struggles with identity and race.

            Sen lends our eyes to the rural landscape of the Australian country side as Lena and Vaughn walk down the often desolate highway. With wide shots of the two youths walking between fenced fields down a long tarmac, we sense that they are both fugitives of the constraints of society, unable to break free from the boxes they are put in. These shots also imply the long road to reconciliation and equality.

            The dialogue between both characters is very monotone, implying that they are both hardened by the struggles that they have faced as well as their reluctance to open up. Although their emotionless demeanors are deliberate, it is difficult to determine whether or not the actors are conveying intense stoicism, or if the quality of acting is poor. Both Hall and Pitt are first time actors, and at times it is terribly evident.

            Both characters are written with polarizing differences, Sen does this to prove to the audience that we are all prisoners of our own circumstances. Lena has the disadvantage of being a woman, but the advantage of being visibly white. Whereas Vaughn has the advantage of being a man, but the disadvantage of a person of colour. Sen further illustrates the ubiquity of racism in Australia with blatant micro and macro aggressions towards Vaughn from white folks throughout the film. Police brutality is also prevalent in the film, bringing to mind the violence and ferocity brought on to people of colour by the police in the United States.

            Despite their differences, Lena and Vaughn build an understanding for each other by their shared experiences and dilemmas. Both youths have strained family relationships and struggle with their own identities. They both wish to be freed of the confines that society has put them in, and come together because of it. Sen further shows the audience that despite our differences, whether they be race or gender, unity and acceptance are possible if we take the time to understand one another.

Directed by Billy Wilder, the 1944 film Double Indemnity, follows the classic film-noir trope throughout its every facet. Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray), a successful insurance salesman, fits the weak protagonist role that exists within many films of this particular genre. Neff is relatively socially isolated, and is therefore easily manipulated by those he interacts with. We see this early on in the film when Neff lays eyes on femme fatale, Phyllis Dietrichson, while making an automobile policy house call. He is immediately titillated by Phyllis, a beautiful young woman, who is attempting to purchase life insurance for her husband without his knowledge. Soon, Phyllis and Neff are partners in a diabolical plan to murder Mr. Dietrichson, in order to receive a large insurance claim so that Phyllis can be free from her weak and insufferable marriage and take on Neff as her lover. Everything seems to go according to plan until Neff’s colleague, Barton Keyes (Edward G. Robinson), who is known to be adept at solving insurance fraud cases, catches on to their scheme.

            Double Indemnity takes place in Los Angeles, California. Just as many other film noirs, Double Indemnity is filmed in black and white and has distinct light contrasts. Shots of automobiles driving are often very dark, with the lights shining so bright, they become the focal point. This is because the night scenes were actually filmed during the evening (known as night-for-night), which was uncommon during the 1940s. Film noirs, which are almost always filmed in an urban setting, have various industrial elements in them, particularly when the crime is being committed. Although most of the scenes from the film are shot in either Walter Neff’s apartment, the Dietrichson’s Spanish-style home, or the insurance office, the crime committed takes place on a train that is going through an industrial area.

            Another common trope that Double Indemnity fulfills is the pessimistic worldview that film noirs often portray. Phyllis and Neff are both morally ambivalent characters, risking their livelihood so they can be together. Neff endangers his career and virtually destroys the trust that Keyes had in him, simply because he was wooed by Phyllis, the great dame. Phyllis, who appears to have no morals whatsoever, allegedly killed her husband’s former wife, then her husband himself, turning on Neff in the end, all for her own personal and financial objectives. Phyllis and Neff’s corrupt intentions (murder and fraud), are to be rewarded in vice (sex and money), until they fulfill each other’s demise. Characters in film noirs often have an ill-starred fate, usually by death, but incarceration and/or heart break are not uncommon genre standards.

            Double Indemnity fulfills the film noir trope in nearly every way. This is not a bad thing. Double Indemnity seeks to stroke the anxieties and feelings of isolation felt after World War II, while presenting the moral ambiguity of individuals, who are corrupted and motivated by vice.

Director Sergei Einstein’s infamous film Battleship Potemkin (1925), is a silent political film about the crew members of the Potemkin Battleship overthrowing the guards and creating a mutiny over poor quality and rations of food. As powerful as this film may be in terms of being a political propaganda tool (specifically during the rise of communism), I find the film to be dull and have little impact in terms of evoking emotion or virtually any interest beyond its historical influences.

            Perhaps Battleship Potemkin is purely outdated. Perhaps my attention span has been worn do too much to enjoy or appreciate montages of mechanical parts continuously moving, or masses of people scurrying about for minutes at a time. Perhaps the lack of dialogue simply bores me. These things may all be true. But, the fact of the matter is, Battleship Potemkin is boring and irrelevant. It remains to be seen whether it is boring because it is irrelevant, or it is irrelevant because it is boring. The acting is campy and repetitious and at times, so silly that it’s difficult to determine whether or not what you’re watching is actually a parody of Battleship Potemkin.

            Scathing judgements aside, the score of Battleship Potemkin compliments the narrative of the film extremely well. This is what I like about the film the most. The rhythmic and mechanical score was the dialogue to the otherwise silent film. It gave Battleship Potemkin the emotional and atmospheric movement that it lacked in acting, and in monotonous scenes. The absence of dialogue allows the audience to build their own narrative and imagine what we would say to our oppressors, given the opportunity. There are no three dimensional characters in the film to avoid any conflict with the political message that Einstein is trying to emit. That way, it is easier for the audience to put themselves in the shoes of the rebels.            The fervent blur of large numbers of people throughout the film creates a feeling of unison and togetherness, compelling the audience to feel merged with the rebels.

            Battleship Potemkin is known to be one of the greatest films of all time. What makes a film great? Who gets to decide? I would not say that Battleship Potemkin is one of the greatest films of all time. I would however, say that it is one of the most influential political films of all time. To the people that say they love this film, you don’t have to say that you love it just because of its influence or because Roger Ebert gives it a 4/4 rating. This film is painful to watch, no matter how great of an impact it had on the world. However, respect is due where it is earned and Einstein earned it with every industrial montage and every angry fist thrown in the air.

Not Your Final Girl Film Festival, hosted by Metro Cinema, is a showing of three feminist horror films at the end of October that challenge the classic “final girl” trope. The festival is put on by local feminists Georgia Coughlan and Nicole Boychuk, who both have a passion for horror films. I sat down with Coughlan to ask her a few questions about the festival which takes place on October 26^th, 27^th, and 28^th at the Garneau Theatre.

What does the name (Not Your Final Girl), mean?

A typical “final girl” trope in horror can be really empowering depending on what the movie is but, a lot of slasher flicks are really one-dimensional and the final girl is really over-sexualized, runs around half naked for the entire film and it’s not really an empowering thing. But you get certain movies that are really about reclaiming hysteria, reclaiming mania, and challenging the typical visual narrative trope that is the final girl.

What can you tell me about the films that you’re showing?

The choice for Goodnight Mommy came into play because we wanted something that was a negative depiction of motherhood. We really wanted to show Rosemary’s Baby but we’re not going to show a Roman Polanski movie at a feminist film fest, that would be dumb. Ginger Snaps follows the theme of puberty and kind of taking back feminism. I mean the girls start their periods and that’s right when they become werewolves and things just get crazy. Suspiria is kind of our wild card, it was kind of an obvious choice especially since the remake is coming out the following week. I mean it is a film about witches and a film that is exclusively about women.

Where are the proceeds from the event going to?

So there’s a portion of all the tickets that will go to SACE as well as the proceeds from the raffle and the silent auction. We really wanted it to be charity event, that was something that was really important to us and to kind of make it more than a just a film fest. We wanted it to follow the mantra that we were following with it. SACE is a really good cause and a really underfunded cause. They were a very obvious choice for us.

Do you think that there will be more NYFG fest’s in the future?

We would like to do it every year if possible, but of course it depends on the success of the landmark year. So we’re trying really hard to get our ducks in a row, and really have heavy promotion which is really tough when it’s just Nicole (Boychuk) and I. We’ve never really done anything like this before. We’ve gotten a lot of support and there definitely seems to be quite a bit of hype surrounding it. We’d like to see it grow into something more than just an annual film festival.

It has been just over one year since Brittany Rudyck publicly disclosed an assault that lead to the shutdown of downtown music venue The Vinyl Needle Tavern. Since then, Rudyck has taken the steps to heal and to use her voice and experiences to help the community.

            Rudyck is originally from Choiceland, Sask., population: 381. “I was the only vegetarian; I was like the freak-girl. I moved away as fast as I could because it was just not the place for me,” Rudyck says with a laugh. She moved right after highschool to study broadcasting at the Western Academy of Broadcasting College in Saskatoon. After receiving a diploma in radio and television, Rudyck moved on to work at a country music radio station in Whitecourt, Alta., where she worked as a sports and news broadcaster, advancing quickly at the station. “I got to be the boss of a newsroom when I was nineteen and flail and struggle in a leadership position without really any other experience,” says Rudyck.

            Following her move to Edmonton in 2010, Rudyck worked in the hospitality industry at bars and music venues throughout the city. While doing this, she was also an editor and freelance journalist for the Edmonton edition of BeatRoute Magazine. Since she started living in Edmonton, Rudyck has been heavily involved in the music scene. “I’m not from here so I kind of injected myself into the music scene by going to a lot of shows and just being interested and enthusiastic,” states Rudyck. By working for BeatRoute, Rudyck became even more immersed in the music scene, “there’s so much more going on than I thought there was from my tiny little bubble that I was normally attracted to before doing that.”

            Rudyck is now a digital strategist for the University of Alberta and continues to volunteer at CJSR doing the History of Punk radio show which she just returned to after a month’s long hiatus over the summer. “It’s nice to be back, I missed it,” says Rudyck. After Rudyck made her public disclosure against The Needle Vinyl Tavern in November 2017, the venue closed indefinitely and the owner that assaulted Rudyck while she was working there, was charged with sexual assault.  Due to many of the events that took place over the following months, Rudyck left BeatRoute and took a break from CJSR. “I just kind of erased all involvement in the music scene for a little while because it was just too much,” says Rudyck. After being bullied online, Rudyck says that “they kind of made me stop caring. Like why do I do this if I’m so unwelcome?” The paranoia, trauma, and anxiety that came with making a public disclosure was overwhelming for Rudyck, she knew she needed to step back and to give herself time to heal.

            Rudyck didn’t completely stop however. She immediately galvanized into action and started seeking out places to get involved within the community like the Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton (SACE). Rudyck values the importance of being involved and after being publicized in the news, it began to matter even more. “My face has been plastered all over the place so I might as well use what platform that I’ve been accidentally given to do something good for the community,” says Rudyck.       

            Rudyck has big plans to start a revolutionary non-profit organization that works specifically in hospitality and spaces in regards to consent and sexual violence in the workplace and within the scene. “It’s been a really intense year,” says Rudyck, “things are finally starting to take form after a year of drowning.” Some of the things that Rudyck’s organization will provide are support systems for victims, policies and training programs for businesses, and possibly a hotline for victims in the industry with a database of businesses and repeat offenders.

            Although Rudyck has had an intense year of having a traumatic event publicized in the media, something good, and perhaps revolutionary has come out of it.

Conservative incumbent, Matt Jeneroux won just under 50 per cent of the votes in Edmonton’s Riverbend in 2015, he’s projected to have a similar, if not more successful turnout this year.

            Despite Edmonton being a stronghold for the NDP in the provincial election, it appears that Conservative MP’s are doing exceptionally well in the polls with a great likelihood of winning multiple seats in Edmonton. As of October 17^th, 2019, the Conservatives are leading in the polls for the Riverbend riding by 7.5 points, with a projection of 59.1% of the votes. The NDP’s are tailing behind with only 20.2% of the vote in the same projection.

            The Riverbend area has a growing and diverse population with many young families. The average annual household income is $108,788, making the area one of the wealthiest in Edmonton.

            Since 2015, eight new schools have been built in Riverbend as a response to the growing population. Jeneroux has also been pushing hard for the construction of the Terwillegar Expressway, which was approved in December 2018. The expressway will cut down commuting times for professionals that work more central to the city, and connect Riverbend to the rest of Edmonton. A new fire hall and police station were also built in the area during Jeneroux’s time as MP.

            As an advocate for men’s mental health, Jeneroux holds an annual mental health awareness event in Ottawa called Father’s Day on the Hill: Conversations About Mental Health. The event was created to generate awareness for men’s mental health with a focus on young men and fathers. Statistics show that 80% of suicides are committed by men.

            In Ottawa, Jeneroux has supported the conversion of orphan wells in Alberta to geothermal production sites in an attempt to expand Alberta’s energy sector and increase renewable energy in Canada. Motion 122, that supports Jeneroux’s enterprise, would also help put Alberta oil workers back on the job.

            Freedom of speech on university campuses is a controversial topic that has been thoroughly debated since University of Toronto professor Jordan Peterson refused to use gender-neutral pronouns. Jeneroux is known to endorse freedom of speech on campuses despite backlash.

Returning candidates include Tariq Chaudry from the Liberal Party and Valerie Kennedy from the Green Party. Newcomers Audrey Redman of the NDP and Kevin Morris of the People’s Party of Canada are also candidates in the Riverbend riding.

It’s not just the bushfires that are devouring Australia. National security powers are trumping freedom of information rights for citizens and journalists in what’s regarded as a democratic flu.

Unlike Canada, Australia has no bill or charter of rights that allow people to freely express themselves.

This is due to the tightening of national security laws since 2001.

Currently, Australia holds the world record for new national security laws that have been passed and/or amended since 2001.

Johan Lidberg, Swedish-Australian journalist and Associate Professor at Monash University says that freedom of speech in the country is the weakest he’s ever seen in a modern democracy.

Lidberg spoke at MacEwan University on Monday, January 27^th to a group of journalism and communications students and faculty.

With such strict national security legislation, whistleblowing in Australia is illegal, with blowers facing up to three years in prison.

“If they disclose anything to anyone, be it a journalist or a private citizen, anything rating from how many paperclips they have in their department to where we’re going to buy our next submarines, if they disclose that to anyone without having authority from their superior they can face time in jail,” says Lidberg.

“We’re on this quite slippery slope that goes way beyond national security,” says Lidberg.

In June 2019, an Australian reporter’s home was raided by the Australian Federal Police (AFP), who was investigating a plan that the government had to spy on Australian citizens.

“That’s not worthy of a mature, liberal democracy,” says Lidberg.

While national security laws are a massive issue in Australia, it’s extremely difficult for journalists to report on them due to rigid whistleblowing laws.

“It all boils down to privacy,” says Lidberg.

The “democratic flu” as Lidberg calls it, is detrimental to climate change and the nation’s ability to reduce carbon emissions.

National security laws have consumed Australian parliament.

Lidberg says that the current government, which was elected in 2019, will only look at a 26-28 per cent reduction of carbon emissions until 2050, and will roll over their Kyoto credits.

“The current climate is dire,” says Lidberg

In 2016, the dying of the Great Barrier Reef had no impact on the election and barely any impact on the 2019 election.

Lidberg says that climate change is in the top three issues for Australians, however, climate change still lost in the 2019 election.

A 2019 poll from the Lowy Institute reveals that two-thirds of Australians think that climate change is a bigger threat to society than terrorism.

Lidberg suggests that while there were such enormous efforts towards national security, the government could have been creating legislation to reduce carbon emissions.

Lidberg is hopeful, but says “I’ll believe the turning point when I see it.”

Johan Lidberg, Swedish-Australian journalist and associate professor at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, spoke about the bushfires devouring the country, and the democratic flu consuming the media at MacEwan University on Monday.

“It’s like reporting in a war zone,” says Lidberg.

Australian journalists are under fire from the federal government as there are strict rules and regulations that go against the civil liberties of journalists, making it nearly impossible to effectively report on climate change.

Lidberg says that Australians may be the first climate change refugees, as many are forced to relocate and drastically adapt due to the bushfires.

Since 2001, more than 80 national security laws have been passed or amended, a world record.

Lidberg says that while all of these national security laws were being made, there could have been more focus on climate change legislation, possibly changing the dire state of the nation.