concordia’s independent newspaper my pants go THUD since 1980 C’est full cool THE POP INVADES MONTREAL • PAGE 14 • News page 3 The double-cup dilemma: sustainability and Tim Hortons Concordia grad wins big at art competition • Fringe Arts page 13 Will the cities of the future have sidewalks? • Literary Arts page 19 volume 29, issue 7 • Tuesday, September 30, 2008 • thelinknewspaper.ca volume 29, issue 7 • Tuesday, THE LINK • SEPTEMBER 30, 2008 • THELINKNEWSPAPER.CA/NEWS NEWS 03 Bittersweet charity Tim Hortons Controversial calendar causes problems for CEMA petition running • CLARE RASPOPOW out of time The Concordia Entrepreneurship Three-year deadline Management Association found itself at the centre of a shit storm this week after coming to a close the launch of their latest philanthropic venture—a calendar whose proceeds are meant to benefit the Montreal Autism Centre. You may have seen their promotion- al posters around campus last Tuesday. Featuring a sexy co-ed female with the words, “This may be the girl sitting next to you in financial accounting,” the posters and their wooden easels disap- peared the next day as the launch of the calendar was postponed. “It was the logo that we used that caused problems,” explained Christopher Calkins Jr., the CEMA member assigned as project manager Jacqueline Leung hopes to stop the production of the for the calendar. The John Molson non-recyclable coffee cups. PHOTO JONATHAN DEMPSEY School of Business had objected to the use of their logo on the posters as they • JOSE ESPINOZA are in no way associated with the proj- ect. “This is completely a CEMA proj- There are 2,851 Tim Hortons coffee shops operating ect,” Calkins Jr. clarified. across Canada. Only one of these, located in Owen But the delays caused by the logo Sound, Ontario, has a recycling station for the paper mix-up were only the beginning of cups and lids. CEMA’s problems. The future of the cal- Loretta Lau and Jacqueline Leung observed the daily endar was called into question when the CEMA finds themselves in hot water for printing a racy calendar. waste that the chain was producing at their downtown MAC learned of the content of the cal- stores on the corner of University and Sherbrooke three endar this Monday. their services, the centre can’t fundraise maybe publicize the centre a little.” years ago. They started a petition to limit the use of dou- “I’m shocked,” said Erwin Neumark, in a traditional manner—which can Many of the posters mounted in the ble cups on Nov. 15, 2005 and aimed to get 10,000 sig- a member of the board of directors for make things pretty tight financially. school had been defaced or covered natories by their Nov. 13, 2008 deadline. Their cut-off the MAC, of the intended “Concordia “Because we don’t ever turn children with anti-abortion posters in the course date is just over six weeks away and the petition stands Illustrated” theme, an obvious allusion away, we’re constantly in the red,” of the day that they were on display. at 2,249 names—a long way from the required 10,000 to the Sports Illustrated magazine. explained Neumark. “It was never our purpose to offend goal. The last time anyone at the MAC had Though less than happy with the anyone,” defended Calkins Jr., directing “The paper cup is not sustainable,” said Leung. “We heard from CEMA concerning the cal- subject matter of the calendar, mem- his comments not only to the MAC but need to eliminate [it].” endar was in May of this year. bers of the MAC decided not to inter- to the Concordia community-at-large. The paper cup became a central focus of Leung and “I wouldn’t have wanted this,” vene in the publication of the calendar “We realize that not everyone will Lau’s study because Tim Hortons had a policy of dou- Neumark continued. “We were just told as long as CEMA made it clear that the like [the calendar],” he said. “But we bling cups for tea. Apart from the waste generated they were going to raise money.” MAC was in no way responsible for the hope that if you have a problem with through this practice, very few students are aware that The MAC, a non-profit organization, content. what we do, that you’ll come talk to us the paper cup is not recyclable in Quebec. strives to help autistic children inte- “We never wanted to represent an about it.” According to Leung, lack of environmental aware- grate into society through family- image of the Autism Centre,” explained The calendar will launch later ness is a part of a larger problem: lack of sustainability focused intervention. In order to pro- Calkins Jr. “This was just supposed to this week with all proceeds going to education. Change should start with the youth, Leung tect the privacy of the families who use be a fun project to raise money and the MAC. said, more specifically at the university and college level. Double-cupping is common at Tim Hortons. Recyclable paper sleeves are not used because they are too “trendy,” said Greg Skinner, manager of corporate Independent candidate gets the boot communications for Tim Hortons Canada, in an inter- view with Lau and Leung. He said that the corporation • TERRINE FRIDAY Rovins confirms that he tried to campaign inside class- does not have a double-cupping policy and that it is up rooms in the law, science and medicine complexes, but was to the customer to decide if they would like a second cup It was the first time that a Canadian university barred a prevented by campus security. to protect their hands form being burned. candidate in the federal elections from campaigning on-cam- “It is sad [that] a university does not allow free speech,” Currently, Tim Hortons offers a 10-cent discount for pus, says David Rovins, independent candidate for the Rovins said. “One security guard said ‘I agree’.” anyone who wants their coffee in a travel mug. This is Westmount-Ville Marie riding. However Rovins argues he had the legal right to campaign not enough for Leung, who says giving money back to Rovins, a graduate of McGill University, was campaigning on campus. He claims he was “told on the phone by one of the individuals who bring a travel mug is not the right across the McGill campus last week when he was asked to most senior officials at elections Canada that this is not the incentive. leave, he said. He said he was campaigning in McGill’s first time the law has been violated, but it is the first time a The fight for sustainable cups may be a losing battle McIntyre Medical Sciences Building when security got the university has broken the law.” and Jacqueline concedes that she has not achieved the call to usher him out. Rovins made headlines recently when he wrote a letter to goal that this petition had envisioned. She does, howev- McGill’s associate vice-principal, Jim Nicell, said the the Queen of England denouncing the prime minister’s deci- er, admit that although she has not been actively University was justified in asking him Rovins to leave because sion to cancel the federal by-elections. involved, she has done her part to spread the word on he was disruptive and violated protocol by entering campus “Mister [Stephen] Harper is equal to every other citizen sustainability through the petition and her everyday without permission or notifying administration. and does not have the power to destroy people’s right to habits. McGill requires that candidates show proof of registration vote,” Rovins wrote to the monarch, unhappy to see the by- and details of their intentions—steps Nicell claims Rovins elections for the Westmount-Ville Marie riding cancelled. To find out more about the petition, or to sign it, please skipped before campaigning on campus. Rovins is still awaiting a response from the Queen. visit: thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/232854687. “All we’re asking is for people to follow our process,” said Nicell. —with files from Mookie Kideckel, The McGill Daily —with files from Lauryn Kronick THE LINK • SEPTEMBER 30, 2008 • THELINKNEWSPAPER.CA/NEWS NEWS 05 Montreal talks trash Here today, hopefully City unveils high-tech gone tomorrow garbage disposal plan Student-run organization informs Con U of the dangers of drinking bottled water • SARAH TOOTH Enjoy that bottle of water because it could be your last, if members of Tap Thirst have their way. Affiliate of the Quebec Public Interest Research Group, Tap Thirst, a student-run work group, lobbies against the distri- bution and consumption of bot- tled water. With bases through- Overflowing garbage bins in Montreal are the target for the city’s new action plan. PHOTO ELSA JABRE out downtown Montreal, Concordia and McGill universi- • PALOMA FRIEDMAN sort of thing,” Poulin said. ties, Tap Thirst’s initiative focus- The city touts the system as es on spreading awareness about Vacuum-powered garbage sustainable and safe. Separate the negative affects of buying the bins may soon render traditional openings will sort waste into seemingly harmless beverage. trash cans obsolete in Montreal. recyclables, organic matter and Tap Thirst co-founder and The city has inked a deal with trash. And by having the garbage Concordia student Laura Beach Envac, a Swedish waste manage- removed at the source, the need Tap water may prove to be less harmful than bottled water. PHOTO ELSA JABRE said the inflated costs of bottled ment firm, to install a pneumatic for garbage trucks will be cut, water are not even the most con- said Beach.