CIS is a student- and faculty-run initiative that, according to coordinator Tina Oh, aims to “fill in the gaps that we’re seeing [that] are quite bare, especially where the university is not filling the gaps, [nor] even the students’ union.” Oh and Shannon Power are the current student coordinators for CIS.

Carmella Farahbakhsh, a queer, non-binary, mixed-race, Bahá’í, Iranian person from South House Sexual and Gender Resource Centre, and Louise Lyman, a queer, white femme from HeartWood Centre, are both activists based out of Halifax who were invited to Sackville to facilitate the event.

The workshop opened with a community check-in as a way to introduce people’s names and pronouns. This was followed by group guidelines that shaped how everyone interacted throughout the session. It was important that these guidelines were developed collectively to create a space where everyone could engage in ways that were safe and made sense to them. Over the course of two hours, the facilitators centred the workshop around decolonizing communication, active listening, navigating trust in power imbalances, gaslighting and allyship.

When asked to loosely define what the workshop was about, Power said, “Very generally, it’s a framework that aims to be incorporated into your life in all kinds of different aspects, that fights against any kind of system of oppression, whether it be racism, sexism, ableism or transphobia. It’s not just a set of things that you know, facts, or a checklist of things to do or not to do; it’s a framework for understanding how to go about doing things and engage with other people.”

Jill MacIntyre, a fourth-year student who attended the event, described the workshop as a largely reflective learning experience that avoided just “talking at” participants for the duration of the event. MacIntyre said the experience “focused more on pre-formative allyship, so [the workshop] was trying to develop and teach genuine intentions so we are not just sharing an article on Facebook and never acting on it in real life.… I think it’s really good because it will validate people’s experiences and make them recognize their own privileges in ways in which they can grow from and become a better ally.”

“We need these workshops to learn how we are oppressive in our everyday lives and the ways that we can correct that,” MacIntyre added.

The event was free and open to all members of the community, as an attempt to break down barriers that not only exist between the town and the University but across socio-economic and hierarchical access inequities. Oh noted that this was intentional and vital in the planning process: “It was important for us to make sure that the community was invited, not just for this particular event, but all events. We wanted to make a space that is not so university-centric.”

Community member and town council member Megan Mitton attended the event after recognizing the gap the community has yet to fill. “I attended because I feel that since I have been out of university I have had less opportunities to engage in these kinds of frameworks,” she said. “It can be harder to access this type of workshop. These types of conversations unfortunately aren’t really happening out in the community.”

On a wider scale, Power acknowledged that the application of anti-oppression is important, no matter what you engage in. “We all do so many different things and [are] engaged with so many different people, so I think it’s important that people understand how to apply that framework to everything they do in this community,” she said. “You don’t need to be engaged with social justice to be able to use this framework. For me, it’s something that I try to do on a daily basis.”

As a community member, Mitton believes that “to move forward there are going to be some uncomfortable conversations and a lot of this [anti-oppression learning] isn’t going to be very formal. I think that’s something we need to recognize, because it isn’t always a parade or a workshop: It’s the one-on-one interactions that we’re having with people by being aware of our assumptions and reactions.”

With hopes of future engagement, Oh closed by saying, “We’re seeing at other universities students are taking initiatives, especially students’ unions, by making mandatory workshops for clubs’ and societies’ executives….So hopefully we are setting a precedent by starting up this first anti-oppression workshop into something that is consistently free and more mandatory for certain groups.”

Often simply referred to as “the Commons,” the Sackville Commons Co-op recently celebrated its first anniversary on Wednesday, Sept. 20 with its first annual general meeting (AGM). The meeting, while intended to highlight and inform community members and stakeholders of the past year’s progress, was also a celebration of innovation and collaboration within Sackville.

Julia Feltham, the Commons executive director, along with Melody Petlock and Rachel Mathis (the two other founding partners) all had different reasons for starting. “I saw a need and a willingness to collaborate, but it wasn’t part of anyone’s mission to co-ordinate together,” said Feltham.

Currently, the Commons is located at both 62 and 64 Main St. in the former fire hall and police station. In just one year, the Commons has expanded to 75 members, which, Feltham explained, means that “as of year one, we are over 70 per cent member-funded, which is really rad.”

The Commons, Sackville’s first co-working space, is a place “built for collaboration and to help people reduce the cost and risk of starting their own business or running an NGO.” The space enables business people to “sort out ideas and get less scared about trying something new and exciting.…Part of our mandate is to have great things start in Sackville,” said Feltham.

Current members and businesses range from a small craft brewery (established by Mount Allison students), a mental health drop-in centre for adults, the Sackville Farmer’s Market, an abundance of local farmers and a workers co-operative focused on cleaning services. The Commons is host to many other diverse and innovative individuals and businesses, which ultimately creates a facilitative environment for new and ongoing entrepreneurship.

The future of the Commons looks toward “normalizing entrepreneurship in Canada,” said Feltham. “People are worried about you when you try and live your dreams and I think as much as New Brunswick has a mandate about becoming the most entrepreneurial province, we haven’t realized yet how we talk to each other about each other’s dreams and hopes.”

As a result of the AGM, Feltham said that she feels reassured about the work that the Commons has done in the last year. Written testimonials from members and community stakeholders have solidified the Commons as an integral cog in Sackville’s co-working wheel.

“In the past couple of months we have also helped over ten families find food or navigate services in town … and also [had] over thirteen business consultations, and at least half of those people have explicitly said ‘it would have taken me twice as long’ or ‘I would not have ever started or tried without the Commons,’” said Feltham. “So yeah, we’re pretty exciting.”

As for the connection between Mt. A and the Commons, “Honestly, we are excited to develop that relationship more,” said Feltham. “Mt. A, explicitly spearheaded by Tina Oh, got us one of our start-up funds. [The University] gave us $500 in our first couple months of existing, which was huge.”

For students as well as community members, the Commons provides a safe space where ideas and businesses can incubate and grow collaboratively. Membership also minimizes the risk new start-ups can face by providing access to “inexpensive meeting spaces and very confidential areas.”

As a message to students, Feltham said, “the more we can collaborate and communicate, the less we have to reinvent the wheel, because students are the heart-blood of Sackville and if we can’t amplify their impact and also help [students] … then it actually is robbing greater Sackville of the richness [that they can provide].”

The Commons is always looking for new ideas and meaningful partnerships with students and community members to create social impact. To get involved or volunteer, reach out to us at coworkingsackville@gmail.com or visit their website at www.coworksackville.com.

People often misunderstand what vegetarian and vegan diets entail and exclude. Vegetarians omit meat and obtain nutrients from fruits, vegetables and animal byproducts such as cheese and eggs, while vegans refrain from eating all meat and animal byproducts.

The reasons people may choose to alter their diet can vary from health issues to ethical concerns.

“I started [eating vegetarian] because I was researching the environmental impact of the agricultural industry, especially beef, [which] has huge impacts in terms of land usage and the release of methane gas,” said Anna Jamieson, a third-year Mount Allison student involved with the on-campus group Eco-Action.

Fourth-year student Kathleen Cowie began her vegetarian diet differently.

“I became a vegetarian when I was 11. My sister and I thought the easiest way to become a vegetarian was to have a competition to see who could be one [to last] the longest, and now we’re both still vegetarian,” Cowie said.

The production of animal meats and byproducts significantly contributes to global greenhouse gas emissions and the overall degradation of the planet. However, of total global greenhouse gas emissions, animal-based food production doesn’t break 20 per cent. While 20 per cent is a significant amount in million metric tons of carbon dioxide, choosing to omit meat from your diet is not the most effective way to combat climate change.

Eating a plant-based diet can allow people to live more sustainably, but a eco-friendly subsistence is fully effective only when implemented alongside other choices that combat climate-change.

“At what point are you doing it just…for a status symbol? At what point do you turn your attention to eating local?” said Cecilia Stuart, a third-year Mt. A student. “Is it really better to be vegan if you’re getting almond milk, taking B12 pills, [and] consuming nutritional yeast when you could be turning your attention to trying to find local eggs and making connections with local farmers?”

Compared to other small towns, whose limited access to local produce creates both physical and economic barriers to a more eco-friendly diet, Sackville offers residents an impressive, well-functioning farmers market every Saturday. The market allows buyers to minimize the distance their food travels (thereby decreasing additives to global emissions) and support local businesses.

“Since I moved to Sackville I definitely make a conscious effort to go to the market every week… [and]buy all my produce on Saturday, if I can,” said Katharyn Stevenson, a fourth-year Mt. A student. “I think it goes beyond being a vegetarian or a vegan, especially living in a small town. [It involves] support[ing] local farmers and growers in our own community, because a lot of people who are selling at the market each week, that is their livelihood…it adds a special relationship to the food you’re eating.”

While it is important to be passionate about food and care about what goes into your body, the ultimate way to champion a vegan or vegetarian mindset is to also be considerate of the other choices you are making. Choosing to abstain from eating animals and animal-based products does not absolve someone of their other environmental responsibilities.

The cars we drive, the plastic we use, the miles our organic avocados travel and non-divesting university we attend – all of our everyday consumer habits – must be considered if we wish to create a sustainable world and food system.

First, it must be clarified that this article in no way intends to undermine the work of the students, faculty and town members who organized this year’s Pride parade. However, some community members have raised concerns about the presence of a police car at the event and see this as an opportunity to think about specific interactions that are often taken for granted by privileged members of society.

“For so many reasons, it’s just not appropriate anymore to have police presence at any queer event. They don’t protect us, and their presence is traumatic to a lot of people and symbolically unacceptable,” said Tasia Alexopoulous, a professor of women’s and gender studies at Mount Allison and attendee of the parade.

“It’s not to say that every cop is a bad cop, but when we look at the institution of policing right now, we are starting to see, in fact, that there are not as many good cops as we think there are…there is something in the institution that does not allow good cops to do good,” Alexopoulous said. “We can’t individualize the problem.We have to look at the bigger issue.”

Some argue that with the presence of police, the parade lacked a critical awareness of the institutional problems that are being demonstrated across North America. Pride is intended to be a physical manifestation of taking back the space that often excludes LGBTQA+ members.

SHARE intern Shannon Power assisted in organizing Pride week and was unaware that police would be leading the parade.

“It makes me feel uncomfortable because so many marginalized communities and LGBTQA+ people don’t feel safe around police. They have reason not to trust the police…not the Sackville police specifically, but police as an institution across the country,” Power said.

“I had six volunteers that blocked off the smaller side streets and that was fine. It’s Sackville…you don’t need a major police presence at our pride parade,” Power said.

“I figured [police presence] was just standard practice….any [Pride] parade I’ve ever been to is usually led by police,” said Mt. A Students’ Union President Ryan LeBreton.

“I won’t be around to plan it next year…but it is definitely a conversation that I think the town would be fine to have,” LeBreton said. He later added that he would be happy to pass the information along to the next organizers.

Lack of communication and a missed opportunity for a critical conversation about the parade’s organization resulted in a space that some feel lacked internal safety.

“We have to ‘queer’ the issue and ask the question[s], ‘what does it mean to be a queer community? What does it mean to have Pride? Does it mean that we follow a cop car to City Hall with its lights pinned and completely ignore all of the social justice issues that are implicated in that?’” Alexopoulous said.

These are questions that will continue to be asked and will possibly be reflected in the planning of next year’s parade.

Song of Songs is a controversial religious text containing a series of romantic and sometimes-erotic poems. Laden with sensory detail, the poems describe a couple’s sexually intimate relationship. Over the years, Song of Songs has been interpreted as a religious treatise, literary text and musical piece. It has even been analyzed through feminist and queer lenses.

Fiona Black, a professor of religious studies at Mt. A, opened the festival with a humorous and accessible lecture on the various contexts and interpretations of Song of Songs. She examined modern renderings by both the Pixies and the New York Polyphony, an all-male vocal group that performs Renaissance-style madrigals (vocal songs without instrumental accompaniment).

Black also presented visual interpretations of Song of Songs by artists Marc Chagall and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and medieval illustrations of the text from the Winchester Bible. She concluded with feminist and queer readings of the text, and an overview of how the piece has been received historically.

On Friday the New York Polyphony, Black and Andrew Wilson, a professor from Mt. A’s religious studies department, hosted a panel discussion in the Chapel that focused on textual understandings of Song of Songs and the Polyphony’s style of blurring the line between modern and ancient sound.

Obvious differences emerged between the musicians, who seek to evoke emotion, and the scholars, who strive to uncover meaning in text. The Polyphony cheekily said, “for us as interpreters, frankly, most of the time we’re just worried about singing the correct notes and rhythms.”

Responding to a question on how musicians can best ensure proper representation of old texts, the musical group said, “we have this expression to not over-ice the cake. We have to toe a line with composer intents, in being stylistic, in being respectful…We try to make the musical gesture as passionate and powerful as possible, and [at] the same time, we don’t want to inject something into the music that is not actually there.”

The Polyphony followed the panel discussion with a concert later that night. The performance featured poems from Song of Songs and antiphons praising the Virgin Mary, a figure often featured in allegorical interpretations of Song of Songs. The quartet’s engaging and intimate performance bridged the 600-year gap between today and the time the works were composed.

Presenting the livelier side of early music, Ensemble Constantinople took over Brunton Auditorium Saturday night, transforming it from a concert hall to a Renaissance theatre. While the Polyphony had presented the sacred and serious works of the Renaissance, Ensemble Constantinople performed the light-hearted music of the era: dance tunes, love songs and improvisations.

Ensemble Constantinople performed music from the Renaissance and Baroque eras, played on period instruments. Acadian soprano Suzie Leblanc, who accompanied the ensemble, sang a variety of dance and love songs by Monteverdi, Barbara Strozzi and more. Full of sighing descents and haunting plunges to the low register, Leblanc’s expressive and tragic performance of L’Eraclito amoroso (the love of Heraclitus) easily stood out as the evening’s highlight.

The festival’s five-day duration managed to bring out admirers across eastern Canada. The collaboration between the town and the Mt. A community was no doubt a success in showing that early music has a place in modern society.

With a new logo looking like something right off of a Shredded Wheat cereal box, the Fair committee boasted its biggest year yet. Hypnotist Ian Stewart opened the festivities Wednesday night by charming the crowd with his mystifying skills. The event took place at the Vogue Theatre, one of Sackville’s landmarks.

Thursday’s events offered a leisurely evening, beginning with a book sale at the Sackville Public Library and followed by the gallery opening of Camp Cyanotype at the Visitor Information Centre. Over the summer, Rachel Thornton, Waterfowl Park’s summer artist-in-residence, taught herself how to make cyanotype photographs. She later held a group class to teach community members how to capture the magic of the marsh through cyanotyping.

Local hotspots kicked off the weekend festivities on Friday by offering chili by the bowl, blueberry treats and barbecue. The day ended with a free evening concert in the main tent, located between local pizza favourite Goya’s and the Canadian Postal service office – luckily, no postal strike interrupted the celebrations.

Two bands continued to light up the town long after the sky had exploded with colourful fireworks. The first, Halifax psychedelic punk band Walrus, had the crowd throwing up rock hands and dancing with reckless abandon. The tent filled up quickly towards the end of their set, the growing crowd buzzing in anticipation of Plants and Animals.

After a withdrawn set-up, Plants and Animals performed with loud instruments and barely audible vocals, producing sounds heavily nostalgic of bad 2000’s rock, clearly showing signs of a four-year hiatus. The performance had an acquired taste.

Saturday promised an expanded farmers’ market, but it was surprisingly empty. There were no more than the normal number of vendors, possibly fewer––and understandably so, since the Doncaster Farm’s annual family day was in full swing. The farm was home to distressed petting-zoo animals and too many puppies for two hands to pet at once.

The rest of the weekend featured events for revelers of all ages, ranging from music, dancing, laser-tag and sandcastle-making. The town made sure to hit almost every Sackville landmark, from Bridge Street to Silver Lake.

The 16th celebration of the Fair had its bumps, not unlike any teenage year, but it nonetheless provided the town with five days of exploring and bonding. It is important for Mount Allison students to engage in their new hometown, or at least to experience it as less of a space to get locked in the library for 10 hours, and more as a community brimming with Maritime culture.

To refrigerate Sackville’s blistering back-to-school heat, local bar Thunder and Lightning (T&L) offered a refreshing three-band set on Friday, Sept. 8. Local artists Steve Haley and Devarrow opened with lustrous sounds that came directly from the heart of the Sackville marsh. The third and final act was Vancouver-based artist David Simard.

Haley took to the stage with a soft confidence that reminded the crowd exactly why Sackville is a home to so many of us. His effortlessly high tunes, in sync with the bowling alley’s slowly rotating disco ball, offered the modest crowd’s tired legs a night of idle peace.

Haley’s earnest songwriting was filled with elements from favourite Sackville spots. He filled pauses between songs with quick stories, leaving everyone with bellies warmed by gratifying music and beer.

At the end of Haley’s short setlist, the crowd was eager to replenish empty pints as Devarrow set up for the second slot. Sackville was one of his stops on a “back-East” tour.

In front of enamoured T&L regulars checking Friday night’s Tinder prospects, Graham Ereaux – under the stage name Devarrow – took to the stage, guitar and harmonica in hand.

Devarrow charmed with sincere stories about past adventures and his coined expression, “long-haired folk.” He played a mix of old and new music, including songs from his sophomore album, “The Great Escape.” These songs stirred the embers of T&L into a comfortable campfire glow.

Simard and his band filled the final slot of the night. Accompanied by a French horn, keyboard, and cello, Simard’s rich croon carried listeners to a cosy place somewhere between the feelings of twangy campground storytelling and a dimly lit street.

He then roused the crowd with more playful music, which varied from dark, moody hauntings to environmental country songs. The band’s dynamics teemed with silken bursts reminiscent of old Parisian streets.

Simard’s show was part of his cross-Canada tour to promote the release of “The Heavy Wait.”

The blend of sound created by all three acts left showgoers with the same feeling you get holding a pack of cigarettes and listening to your dad’s old folk cassettes, swearing to your best friend that “those must have been the days.