Opinion pitches!

Hey everyone! Here are the pitches for this week. I also want to remind everyone that if you ever read something you disagree with in the opinion section, you're more than welcome to write a response to it. I want to make sure The Gateway remains a platform for dissent and differing opinions, so it's super cool when two opinion articles disagree with each other. Just reply to this email if you want to pick up any of these pitches, or if you want any more information about these stories. And as always, if you have an idea for an article, feel free to send it my way. Articles are due Friday at 5pm.

SU elections are coming soon

One of the biggest jobs of the Gateway is to cover SU elections, since we're the only news source that can! This is a really cool opportunity to get involved with student politics, meet lots of interesting people across campus, and do some super-cool, hard-hitting journalism.   If you're interested, but worried you don't know anything about the SU, fear not! Sofia (the News Editor) and I will be going over some SU basics with everyone, and giving you all the background you need. You're also welcome to come with us to Student Council sessions in the lead-up to elections! There's free food and we have fun group chats where we meme and have a good time. The next council session will be Tuesday February 13th.

Council is held at 6pm in Council Chambers, right next to Van Vliet. If you don't know where that is/are afraid to go alone, never hesitate to email or text me

(587-437-8583

) and I will show you the ropes.

Gateway hiring is coming soon

If you're interested in working at the Gateway next year, now's the time to start thinking about applying! I cannot recommend it enough. I'm super happy to talk to you in detail about the Opinion Editor position, or any of the other jobs at the Gateway, so feel free to reach out if you have any questions or want more information.

Safewalk goes incognito

Right now, Safewalk volunteers accompany people in bright yellow reflective vests, which makes them incredibly conspicuous. Apparently, they're launching a new version of Safewalk where the volunteers wear their normal clothes, so that you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between someone getting accompanied by Safewalk and someone just heading home with their friends. What do you think of this new change? Will people be more likely to use Safewalk if people don't know they're using it? Is it embarrassing to be walked home by someone in a reflective vest?

Alberta and BC wage war over wine

Disputes over pipelines have escalated to the point where Premier Notley has declared that Alberta will no longer be importing wine from BC. More info here.

Iveson says that cities need to take the lead on climate change

Edmonton will be hosting the Cities and Climate Change Science Conference in March, and Iveson says that while countries argue about treaties and agreements, it's cities' job to work with businesses to find immediate solutions to the problem. More info here.

Drama at Trudeau's town halls

Two major news stories came out of Trudeau's series of town halls last week. First of all, two hecklers at a town hall in BC were escorted out by RCMP after repeatedly being asked to leave. Some people say it was a fair move, since the hecklers made it impossible for anyone to participate in asking questions to the PM, but others have concerns about free speech and freedom of peaceful assembly, and see the removal of protestors as a dangerous precedent. More information here. Secondly, Trudeau apparently corrected a woman who said "mankind" stating that he prefers to use the term "peoplekind" to refer to all of humanity, regardless of their gender. This has also raised controversy, with people divided about whether it was a dumb thing to say or a progressive thing to say. More information here.

National anthem is gender neutral now...but will anyone know about it?

Five days ago, the government confirmed a change in Canada's national anthem from "all our sons command" to "all of us command." However they have also confirmed that there will be no awareness campaign or money put towards educating people about the change. What do you think of the change? Is it useful without some kind of promotion?

Is yoga cultural appropriation?

I read this Vox article the other day about a Catholic blogger who criticized Christians who practice yoga, despite it being "Hindu worship." Is yoga cultural appropriation? Should people of other faiths and cultures be practicing it? Why do only white yoga moms seem so obsessed with it?

Doritos to launch "lady-friendly" chips

Doritos immediately faced criticism for their proposal to make chips that don't crunch loudly and that don't produce crumbs (which would be more ladylike). Lots of people on Twitter have responded that this is yet another unnecessarily gendered product that stereotypes women and doesn't provide them with any value. What do you think?

Controversial RAM truck ad uses audio from an MLK speech

RAM used audio from a Martin Luther King Jr. speech in one of their ads for trucks that was aired during the Super Bowl this weekend. Some have criticized it for co-opting MLK's message in order to sell things, while others think the ad is perfectly in line with the message. You can watch the ad and get more info here.

Amnesty International releases 2018 Human Rights Report Card for Canada

The report praised the Trudeau government for its work to protect trans rights, support of refugees, and other initiatives. It did point out some areas of concern, however, including:

"Serious concerns include the failure to halt construction of the Site C dam in British Columbia, authorization of the $15 billion sale of armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia, various rights violations experienced by refugee claimants and migrants within Canada, and continuing secrecy with respect to Canada’s assessments of human rights in other countries.”More information and the full report here.

The Gateway Presents!

As you may already know, every second Friday from 5:30-6:30pm, CJSR airs a segment of our radio show, The Gateway Presents. Each segment includes an Opinion piece where two people debate on a hot-button issue. Along with pitching Opinion stories for the website or the magazine, please also feel free to pitch me content for The Gateway Presents! Whether you know someone who'd be interested in debating on the show, you have a topic you'd like to see presented, or you'd like to produce a segment all by yourself, let me know and we'll make it happen.

Shorter segments

Don't have time to write a whole 500-word article this week but still want to write something? Write one of these! They're about 200-300 words and a really good time. - Burlap Sack: Rant about something that bothers you! - Marble Pedestal: Rant about something you love! - Adulting 101: Either tell us how to do something adult (how to use an iron, how actually make food, etc.) or tell us about a time you failed to do something adult (like that time you put the red sock in with the whites and now everything is pink).