As of Apr. 1, all Canadian passport renewal applicants will be eligible to receive a full refund if Service Canada takes more than thirty business days to process their applications, not including mailing times. The new “30 days or free” policy provides a “clear and consistent” standard for applicants, according to a news release published on Mar. 31 that is from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

The “30 days or free” regulation was designed to improve Canada’s service accountability and consistency for passport processing. Processing times for passport applications, on average, “vary between 10 to 20 business days.” 

“Canadians expect reliable services from their government. While most passports are processed within our service standards, our new refund policy reflects our commitment to maintaining excellence in our passport delivery system,” Immigration Minister Lena Diab outlined in the news release. 

The Government of Canada stated that one of the intended outcomes was to build a more trusting relationship between Canadian citizens and the government. Another planned outcome was reducing the uncertainty for applicants waiting for their passports, as well as helping relieve the passport backlog during peak travel times. 

According to the Government of Canada, Service Canada faced heavy passport demand in 2024-2025, issuing 5 million passports. Additionally, passport demand was projected by the IRCC at around 4.5 million for 2025-2026. Backlogs were evident in 2022-2023 since only 70 per cent of applicants met service standards, far below the 90 per cent target. 

“By making services more efficient and better suited for the needs of Canadians, the ‘30 days or free’ passport guarantee reinforces that they can expect timely, predictable service, and it ensures Service Canada remains accountable for meeting established standards,” added Minister of Jobs and Families Patty Hajdu in the government’s news release.

However, the government also recently introduced increases to the fees for obtaining passports, effective Mar. 31. According to CityNews, the cost of a 10-year adult passport for Canadians living in Canada increased from $160 to $163.50, which has drawn criticism from opposition parties.

"I think a lot of Canadians who have had challenges getting their passports processed in a timely fashion are going to wonder why they are paying more to get worse service," Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel Garner told CBC.

After months of planning and deliberation over a possible theme, Hamber’s Student Council (StuCo) hosted a Paris-themed dance on Apr. 16. 

StuCo member Stephanie Lee (10) shared that the planning for the dance was a process that took multiple months, starting in September at StuCo’s retreat. “[We] spent a lot of our weekly meeting time discussing ticket sales, poster-making — which often happens at lunch and FIT blocks — our budget, and decorations.” She added that “a huge part of the planning process goes to brainstorming themes, which all StuCo members are very involved in.”

According to Sizakele Mkasi (12), StuCo’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion representative, “another [theme] idea was 2016. We did a poll with the whole school, and in general, most of the students voted for the Paris theme.” From there, StuCo Secretary Yuree Na (11) explained that StuCo members took inspiration for decoration by searching Pinterest for Parisian images, which were then incorporated into this year’s dance theme. The dance featured an Eiffel Tower backdrop, French props, and a themed photo booth.

And, the photo booth ended up being a highlight for many of the students who attended the dance. 

Maya Sato (11) said that while she wasn’t there for the entire dance, she especially enjoyed “taking pictures in the photobooth.” Krista Shum (11), one of the yearbook photographers at the event, also noticed that the photobooth drew many attendees who were “taking really cute photos with their friends.”

Mikayla Fung (8) attended the dance and described the event as “fun, loud, enthralling, and bright,” although she wished there were more food options. Similarly, Alex Lovett (8) commented on the bright and energetic vibes. “Everything was super fun and hype,” he said. Similarly, Christina Wyllie (8) found the experience “amazing and very memorable.”

However, Sato said that while “it was a good price and [she] liked the setup,” she wished the dance floor could have been a little darker, with less natural light flowing in.

This year, ticket prices were lowered to help increase sales. “We’ve heard a lot of complaints about tickets being too expensive. So we lowered the prices, hoping that more people would come out, said StuCo Co-President Tony Chow (12). 

Na said that she hoped that with the cheaper tickets, “more people [would] feel more inclined to go.” She added that the resulting ticket sales were higher than expected.

For decades, Advanced Placement (AP) courses have been a symbol of academic ambition, but for many students, they also mean stress, long hours spent studying, and intense pressure. As enrollment rises, so does a key question. Do AP classes truly offer an advantage, or are they overwhelming students who are trying to keep up? 

For many students, the decision to enroll in AP courses is driven by ambition and long-term goals for the future. Lydia Choi (11) chose to enroll in AP Chemistry, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Statistics, AP Physics, AP Microeconomics, and AP Macroeconomics, only some of which are offered at Hamber. Choi explained that she “decided to take them because I want to go into sciences, and so I tried to take all the sciences I could this year.” 

Similarly, Finley Kamimura (11) shared that his main motivation behind taking AP classes is university admission. He chose rigorous courses like AP Calculus BC, AP Physics C, and AP Chemistry to “impress… universities [I] want to go to.”

Zoe Gao (12) echoed this goal but also emphasized exploration, stating that she is taking AP courses because she wants to pursue studying math or physics-related majors in university, and wants “to get a sense of what college-level courses look like.”

Like Choi, students often choose AP classes to explore interests, especially in fields like science, while also strengthening their academic profile. Others are motivated by the opportunity to earn college credit or to challenge themselves alongside like-minded peers. Gao highlighted this benefit, noting that “getting a 4 or 5 in the exams can get college credit,” allowing students to potentially skip certain university courses.

The difficulty of AP courses varies widely depending on the subject and the student. Choi noted, “I think it depends on the class honestly […] some AP courses are easier than regular [courses] in my opinion, but some are definitely way harder.” 

Kamimura shared a similar perspective, saying that although AP courses are usually harder, they can feel about the same level of difficulty depending on a student’s strengths. Gao reinforced this by explaining that “AP courses are definitely more challenging” because “the teachers teach at a faster pace, and the material often goes into more depth.” One standout challenge for Choi is math. “AP Calc [...] that’s like the hardest AP I’ve ever taken,” she said.

Beyond the nature of the content, the sheer workload associated with AP classes is another major factor in assessing their difficulty. “It definitely takes more time than just regular classes,” Choi said, adding that she relied on strategies like watching College Board videos and practicing free-response questions to keep up. 

Kamimura emphasized the importance of consistency, noting that success in AP courses comes from “working consistently” rather than cramming before exams. Gao similarly relies on structured habits, explaining that she would “listen carefully in class, then review my teacher’s notes after class and finish the homework,” using additional resources when needed. 

Despite the stress, many students find value in AP courses. Choi shared that she appreciated how she can “challenge herself and meet peers that also motivate me to study.” Kamimura agreed, noting that one of his favorite aspects is bonding with classmates over challenging work. However, the drawbacks are just as clear. Gao adds that there are “a lot of tests,” which can become overwhelming when taking multiple AP classes at once.

Still, there are unexpected benefits. Choi points out that taking AP classes has improved her time management skills. “There’s too much coursework, and I actually have to keep track of all of it and not procrastinate.” Kamimura similarly explained that AP courses helped him build strong work habits and daily study routines.

Their advice to first-time AP takers is to choose wisely and build good habits. Choi recommends taking AP classes that align with your interests, while Gao suggests “not to take too many AP courses [when doing them] for the first time,” and to start with one or two.

Choi believes that AP courses can make a difference for university applications. “It obviously looks better on college applications […] colleges [think] the student can handle college-level work,” she shared. Kamimura agrees, stating that AP courses show initiative and prove that students can manage rigorous workloads. Gao added that they show “a student is willing to challenge themselves academically,” and can demonstrate their interests.

The defending American League Championship Series (ALCS) winner Toronto Blue Jays are back on the diamond for the start of the 2026 Major League Baseball (MLB) season. After a heartbreaking game-seven World Series defeat to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Jays are undoubtedly hoping to make a return to the playoffs.

However, the season has been off to a shaky start for the club. As of Apr. 27, the Blue Jays’ record stands at 12 wins and 16 losses, and they sit in second-to-last place in the American League East Division, according to ESPN. 

The Jays’ run in the 2025 World Series was the team's first World Series appearance since 1993, and the team was determined to bring the Commissioner's Trophy, which is awarded to the World Series Winner, back to Canada.

Almost every player contributed significantly to their run. Notable hitters included Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, George Springer, Alejandro Kirk, and Ernie Clement, who scored a combined 104 hits and 19 home runs during the postseason. The Jays’ pitchers performed exceptionally well too, according to Fox Sports. Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, Max Scherzer, and Trey Yesavage all won at least one game in their run for the Jays. Yesavage, in particular, who is a young, 22-year-old star, pitched and won two games in the World Series for the Jays.

Blue Jays management had a busy off-season, looking to improve their roster for a potential return to the World Series. Some key moves included bolstering their pitching core by signing free agent right-handed pitchers Dylan Cease from the San Diego Padres, Cody Ponce from the Korea Baseball Organization, and Tyler Rogers from the San Francisco Giants.

Some other key moves were signing third basemen Kazuma Okamoto from the Nippon Professional Baseball League in Japan, and trading for outfielder Jesus Sanchez from the Houston Astros.

Some players also left to free agency, including star shortstop Bo Bichette, pitchers Chris Bassit, and Seranthony Dominguez.

The Jays made a strong effort to sign star free agent right fielder Kyle Tucker from the Chicago Cubs, with reports saying the contract offer was for 10 years for $350 million, but Tucker ultimately signed with the L.A. Dodgers on a four-year, $240 million contract. 

Fast-forwarding to the start of the season, the Blue Jays already encountered some challenges, even before their first game. Pitchers Jose Berrios, Shane Bieber, Yimi Garcia, and Trey Yesavage all began the season on the injured list. Berrios, Bieber, and Garcia have all yet to step onto the mound this season, as of Apr. 28, and Yesavage made his season debut on April 28.

The Jays’ first series of the season were three home games against the Athletics, a team that formerly played in Oakland, but is currently in the process of relocating to Sacramento. The Jays came out victorious in all three games, and the starting pitchers in the series — Gausman, Eric Lauer, and newly acquired Cease — combined for a total of 32 strikeouts across the three games.

The start looked promising and convincing, however the Jays’ performance soon started to go south. The Jays would go on to lose two out of three home games in their next series against the Colorado Rockies, who had the MLB’s worst record in the 2025 season.

Not only did they lose those two games, but they also lost newly-acquired pitcher Ponce in his first game with the club, who sprained his ACL while trying to make a play to first base. Ponce underwent successful ACL surgery, and is expected to miss six months.

The Jays then had a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox, who had the second worst record in the 2025 MLB season. They lost all three games, and also lost their star catcher Alejandro Kirk, and right fielder Addison Barger to injury. Kirk suffered a thumb injury, underwent surgery, and was given a recovery timeline of six weeks at the time after his surgery. Meanwhile, Barger was placed on the 10-day injured list with an ankle injury.

And the injuries kept piling up. Designated hitter George Springer suffered a fractured toe against the Minnesota Twins, and he’s currently on the injured list as of Apr. 27.

Trying to deal with all the injuries, the Jays traded for infielder Lenyn Sosa from the Chicago White Sox.

The Jays’ record is 9-18 since their promising three victories against the Athletics. However, it hasn't been just injuries affecting them. The quality of their baseball game has not been the same from the club compared to their stats from their World Series run.

When looking at team offensive stats, all stats according to ESPN as of Apr. 27, the Jays collectively have only scored 110 runs this year, which is ranked 27th out of 30 teams in the MLB, and only have 25 home runs this year, which is 25th in the league. 

When looking at pitching stats, the team is 22nd in earned run average with 4.45 runs given up in a game on average, and are 20th in opponent batting average at .246.

As well, defense and fielding have been a major problem for the Jays this season. The club is 27th in fielding percentage, and they have committed the 4th most errors in the league with 20. In some cases, these errors have resulted in valuable runs for the other team.

Individual player stats have not been the same compared to the 2025 season. First baseman Guerrero Jr., who is the Blue Jays’ highest paid player, is off to a slow start this year. Guerrero Jr. had just two home runs in his first 28 games, after hitting a total of 31 in 2025, including postseason.

Pitchers Brendon Little and Jeff Hoffman have also experienced slumps this season. Little has only pitched 3.2 innings out of the bullpen this season, and has given up 10 earned runs in that span. Little was sent down to the Jays Triple A Minor League team after a game against the White Sox where he gave up back to back homeruns just after being put in the game.

Hoffman, the Jays’ pitching reliever/closer, on the other hand, has also struggled this year. After giving up the tying home run in the top of the ninth inning in Game 7 against the Dodgers. Hoffman has given up nine earned runs and two home runs in crucial late innings, including a grand slam in a tie game in the eighth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks. In fact, on Apr. 24, Blue Jays General Manager Ross Atkins announced that Hoffman would be removed from the closer role amid his struggles.

Although the start of their season hasn't been exactly what the Blue Jays have hoped for, there are still well over 120 games left in their MLB season, and there is no need for Jays fans to hit the panic button this early.

In parliamentary elections held in Hungary on Apr. 11, Péter Magyar, the leader of the TISZA party, defeated incumbent Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, ending his 16 year tenure as prime minister.

The elections resulted in a landslide victory for TISZA, with the party capturing 141 seats and 53 per cent of the popular vote. With more than two-thirds of the seats in Hungary's National Assembly, TISZA now holds a supermajority, allowing the party to pass legislation without the support of opposition parties, including Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Alliance, the previously ruling Christian nationalist political party. 

The Apr. 11 election saw the highest turnout since the fall of communism in Hungary in 1989.

From 2002 to 2024, Magyar was a member of Fidesz, but resigned following the Novák presidential pardon scandal in 2024, when then-Fidesz president Katalin Novák pardoned Endre Kónya, a former deputy director of a children's home in Bicske, a small town near Budapest, who had been convicted of helping cover up child sexual abuse commited by the centre’s director. It also saw both people who signed the pardon, Novák and Judit Varga, the minister of justice, resign.

Orbán’s coalition also became mired in controversy in late March, during a scandal involving his foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó, who was revealed to have shared information with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov about recent European Union meetings. This caused outrage among politicians in EU countries, as well as pro-EU voters.

In order to prevent vote splitting, many opposition parties did not run, and backed TISZA instead. Due to the high concentration of votes between TISZA and Fidesz, many minority parties lost their seats, with only the far-right Our Homeland Movement party getting seats other than TISZA, Fidesz, and the Christian Democratic People's Party (KNDP), which is allied with Fidesz.

The Fidesz–KDNP alliance is an electoral alliance that has been described by political experts as Christian nationalist and far-right. The alliance was initially described by political experts as centre-right but it has increasingly shifted to become more radical over time. According to political scientist Peter Kreko, “Since the [2015] refugee crisis, Fidesz has become much more radical and even more prejudiced than it was before.” It was founded in 2005 and has been governed by Orbán of Fidesz and Zsolt Semjén of the KDNP since its founding. 

The Fidesz–KDNP alliance had won every election with a supermajority starting from the 2010 elections. This was in part due to the infamous Őszöd speech, which occurred after the 2006 elections. It was a leaked private speech spoken in May 2006 by Ferenc Gyurcsány, the Prime Minister of Hungary from 2004 to 2009. In the speech, addressed to his party, the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP), Gyurcsány said many profanities and said, “We lied in the morning, we lied in the evening and we lied at night." This caused protests in September, when it was leaked by The Hungarian Radio, calling for Gyurcsány to resign. Despite surviving the initial outrage, mostly by releasing the full speech and giving more context, the MSZP lost 131 seats in the 2010 elections.

TISZA is a centre-right, pro-EU party. It had previously run in the 2024 European Parliament election and won 29.7 per cent of the vote in Hungary.

Orbán, along with several others, founded Fidesz in 1988. The party had initially started out as a centre-left, liberal party. He had previously been prime minister from 1998 to 2002. Under Orbán’s government, analysts and political experts have described Hungary’s rapid shift away from democracy, becoming increasingly Euroskeptic.

On Apr. 13, Prime Minister Mark Carney and his Liberal Party secured a parliamentary majority in the House of Commons. This majority was achieved after five opposition MPs crossed the floor to join the Liberal caucus, and three federal by-elections in Ontario and Quebec were won by Liberal candidates.

A parliamentary majority occurs when a political party occupies more than half of the seats in the House of Commons. Right now, to have a majority government, a political party needs to secure 172 seats out of the current 343 seats in the House of Commons.  

With 174 seats, the Liberals can now independently pass legislation through the House of Commons without needing to negotiate with and win the votes of Members of Parliament (MPs) who belong to opposition parties. As a result, the current opposition parties — including the Bloc Québécois, the Conservatives, the NDP, and the sole Green Party MP — have lost the power to influence or block any future legislation the Liberals wish to pursue. 

Furthermore, opposition parties have lost the potential to force an election if they no longer support the ruling party. As a result, Canada’s current parliament is likely to last until 2029, when Canadians will have to go back to the polls for a national election. This is both helpful and stressful for the Liberal Party, because as a majority government, there is added pressure for them to execute past policy promises.

For instance, this new majority gives Carney’s Liberal government more time and allowance to pursue the “Build Canada Homes (BCH)” housing plan. According to the Liberal Government website, they pledge to “double the pace of construction to almost 500,000 new homes a year.” To do this, the Liberal party promises to provide “over $25 billion in financing to innovative prefabricated home builders in Canada” and “$10 billion in low-cost financing and capital to affordable home builders.” As well, they agree to “build on the elimination of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) for first-time homebuyers on homes at or under $1 million.”

Some of Carney’s other plans include investing in and rebuilding the Canadian Armed Forces and transforming Canada into “the world’s leading energy superpower,” as per an April media release from the Liberals. 

The last time a federal majority government was secured in Canada was 2015, when former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals won 184 seats. The 2019, 2021, and 2025 elections all resulted in minority governments.

According to the BBC, this is the first time in Canadian history that a majority government was formed with a mix of MPs crossing the floor and by-elections.

Young Canadians currently searching for employment are faced with one of the highest unemployment rates that Canada has ever seen, according to CBC. The most recent labour force survey conducted by Statistics Canada reveals that the unemployment rate for Canadians aged 15 to 24 was 13.8 per cent in March, compared to the national average of 6.7 per cent overall. 

While that is lower than the recent high of 14.6 per cent in September 2025, it is basically unchanged from the 13.9 per cent in March of last year, as per CBC.

Charles St-Arnaud, chief economist of the Servus Credit Union, told CBC that “in the economic context where businesses are less willing to hire, it will be the youth that is going to take the brunt of it.”

Three months into 2026, the economy lost approximately 95,000 jobs. However, despite representing 14 per cent of the labour force, young workers accounted for 53 per cent of those losses.

25-year-old Jayden Wight told CTV he spent months searching for stable work. “It’s definitely discouraging. You kind of feel like you’re not going to have a future in this country,” he said.

Opportunities for summer employment are also declining. Job postings in Canada were down 11 per cent at the end of March compared with a year earlier, according to Indeed, as per CBC.

Brendon Bernard, Indeed’s senior economist, told CBC that first jobs impart valuable skills, whether it's accountability or experience in a workplace dealing with co-workers.

“Even if they aren’t career-track jobs […] it’s time missed,” Bernard added. 

In response, the federal government announced on Apr. 20 in a news release that 100,000 job positions will be available for youth aged 15 to 30 to apply to through the Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) program. This is an increase from the 75,000 job openings offered by the CSJ in 2025. 

Since 2019, CSJ has created more than 460,000 job opportunities for youth by supporting employers, according to the federal government in a separate news release from June 6, 2025. The CSJ program is part of the Government of Canada’s $1.5 billion investment in youth employment programs, which aims to create 175,000 youth opportunities between 2026 and 2027. The 2026 CSJ program’s hiring period runs until July 20, with opportunities posted for Canadian youth on the Job Bank website and mobile app. 

“As young Canadians are working towards their future in difficult times, they will not be left behind,” said Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families, in the Apr. 20 news release. 

Furthermore, in the news release, Anna Gainey, Secretary of State for Children and Youth, said the program will help young people “explore career interests, earn income, and take important first steps towards high-paying, long-term careers.”

On Feb. 21, the 2026 Major League Soccer (MLS) season commenced. As the first ten games of the year were played, the standings unfolded with the Whitecaps among the top, even though they played one less game. Impressively, the Whitecaps have emerged from last season’s Cup Final heartbreak with an 8-0-1 (W-T-L) record.

With this great start, hope is building among the Vancouver fanbase for the upcoming season. As of Apr. 26, the Whitecaps have 24 points, and they also have the highest goal differential. These stats alone make them one of the most feared opponents for this season.

Yet, the stats aren’t the only reflection of the Whitecaps. In the past eight games, they’ve been able to dominate every minute. They control the game by adding two of four wide players, one from each side, into the middle of the field. This creates a numerical overload in midfield. With more passing options available, Vancouver can combine quickly and progress the ball toward the goal.

With overloads in the middle, the opposition has to shift wide players into the middle. This creates isolation on the wing for the wide player who hasn’t gone inside. Even with the loss of star winger Ali Ahmed, the Whitecaps are still capitalizing on the wide channels with the use of overloads and one vs one situations.

This season, Vancouver has also been incredibly strong on defense. As the Whitecaps have their wingbacks push very high in the middle or wide, there is much more space for the opposing teams on the counterattack. Yet, most teams have been struggling with creating goal-scoring chances. 

This is because the Whitecaps play a very high defensive line. If the Whitecaps lose the ball, there is an instant reaction from attackers to counterpress and win the ball back. This allows for the wingbacks, who previously pushed as high as the attackers, to sprint back to have greater defensive numbers. 

However, this set-up has its weaknesses. When a team can pass through the high line, there is a lot of space for opposition attackers to move into. Oftentimes, when the Whitecaps concede, it’s due to a counterattack when a team plays through the counterpress.

In the victories against Minnesota, Portland, and Kansas City, these strategies were applied effectively. Against Portland, the opening goal was scored by wingback Édier Ocampo when goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka played a long through ball, as he was positioned very high, while the winger Cheikh Sabaly drifted into the middle. In this game, the Whitecaps also demonstrated non-strategic factors when they went down a goal going into the second half, but scored two in the last five minutes by never giving up.

The 6-0 victory against last season’s quarter-finalists, Minnesota, was most likely the Whitecaps’ best performance of the year. At the first opportunity given, the Whitecap’s showed off their core strategies: midfielder Andrés Cubas won the ball back in the high line, the ball went through the middle to the wide player Ocampo, who crossed it into the box, where it fell to Aziel Jackson for an open net shot that he missed. Although the play didn’t result in a goal, it displayed brilliant tactics. Their fourth goal of the game was also created in the same manner: the ball was won back in the middle by Cubas and Jeevan Badwal, it was played to midfielder Sebastian Berhalter, and he played a through ball to winger Emmanuel Sabbi, who took the shot that resulted in the fourth goal.

The first goal of the 3-0 victory versus Kansas City was produced using an amazing team passing string. When Kansas City played long by kicking the ball far down the pitch, it was intercepted by the Whitecaps and passed into the midfield. In the blink of an eye and only five short touches, Berhalter passed to Sabbi, who laid the ball to Thomas Müller, and he played a one-touch pass through the defenders to Brian White. White took a shot that was saved but deflected out to Sabbi, who smashed it in. The next two goals were scored in quick succession — only 15 minutes separated all of the goals — and both were scored from the wide channels. The first followed after winger Bruno Caiceido intercepted a pass, dribbled into the box, and curled the shot around the defender and the keeper into the bottom right corner. The third ensued after another interception, this time from Defender Tristan Blackmon, and he played a lofted pass over the defence to Sabbi, who sprinted to retrieve the ball. He slid to keep it in play and played a powerful cross into Müller, who headed it past the keeper and into the back of the net.

In the ongoing season, the Whitecaps have proven themselves to be a top team once again. But this season’s result could be a crucial factor in whether the Whitecaps stay in Vancouver or relocate. According to Vancouver Magazine,  in 2024, the first signs of a franchise sale became apparent, and these signs have stayed strong as time has gone on. The Whitecaps are still at risk of being moved to another city, even though last season’s performance was their best in years. However, if the Whitecaps win the MLS Cup this year, it would decrease the possibility of a move occurring, as attendance in games, general sales, and financial investment would increase. 

The Vancouver Whitecaps squad is not the only group fighting for the franchise. Many fans have displayed their support for the team, specifically at in-person games. In the most recent home victory on Apr. 25 versus the Colorado Rapids, the “Southsiders, a Whitecaps fan group, went on their famous pre-game march with a new chant. They held up signs with “Save the Caps” written on them and chanted “Save the Caps” during the march, but also during the game. 

Southsiders Board Member Wyatt Tierney told the Daily Hive before the game versus the Rapids, “If we get out there, we mobilize, we action, we as a community, as a city, we know the ‘Caps are not going to go anywhere.” 

This fan action prompted a response from the team, as the Whitecaps Social Media account posted “We see you. Thank you, Vancouver,”  following the game.

Disclosure: Co Editor-in-Chief Suhani Dosanjh was not involved in the editing of this piece.

Hamber students have turned fundraising into a competition, as eight teachers race to raise money for childhood cancer, knowing that the top four will have their heads shaved in front of spectators on Apr. 30. 

The event, organized by STEM Sorority, is a part of the Balding for Dollars Foundation, a registered charity partnered with BC Children’s Hospital. This foundation raises funds to provide support programs, bursaries, and organized trips for children in BC living with cancer or a blood disorder. Balding for Dollars also partners with Wigs for Kids BC and Eva & Co Wigs to ensure that every patient in need of a wig receives one, with the help of volunteer hair donations. 

At Hamber, the fundraiser is part of a contest. Eight teachers have volunteered to try to meet individual donation goals, which vary according to each teacher. For example, Mr. M. Todd (Math) has a goal of raising $300, but Mr. K. Lee (Math)'s goal is to raise $1,500. And the first four teachers who meet their goal will get their heads shaved on Apr. 30 in the main gym. As of Apr. 26, a total of $4,149 has been raised, more than half of the initial goal of $6,200, according to the Balding for Dollars website.

STEM Sorority executive Maya Koenigbaur (11) started the fundraiser in honour of her brother, a brain cancer survivor who got his treatment at BC Children’s. “I want to give back,” Koenigbaur said, “because almost everyone knows someone who’s gone through something like this.”

Koenigbaur’s story touched others as well, including Bryony Prior (12), another STEM Sorority executive. “I found a parallel between [Maya’s] story and one of my close family members who was also treated at the Children’s Hospital,” she explained. “So, yeah, I think it was really inspiring,” Prior added, referring to Koenigbaur’s story. 

To raise help awareness, STEM Sorority members advertised the fundraiser in a variety of different ways, including on the morning announcements, on Instagram Reels, and during in-person donation collections held on Fridays in April. 

They began recruiting teachers in November.

“We were going around at FIT and lunch, trying to find teachers who had hair, basically [...] Lots of teachers said no,” Koenigbaur explained. “[But] other teachers were really into it, and it was nice to get that validation. Like, oh, this might actually work.” 

In the end, eight Hamber teachers volunteered to participate in the fundraiser, including Mr. R. Lam (Business), Mr. E. Lau (LALS), Mr. Lee, Mr. D. McDonald (Technical Studies), Mr. C. Smith (Counselling), Mr. Todd, Mr. A. Wightman (Social Studies), and Mr. R. Worth (Music)

Many of these volunteers emphasized the importance of this fundraiser’s cause–not just spreading awareness, but giving back to BC Children’s Hospital, too. 

“I've had family members that died of cancer, and I've lost some friends too, and [I want to do] just like anything I can, to just, in a way, join that fight, fight that disease,” Mr. Lau said. As a student support worker, Mr. Lau said that he has worked with multiple students who have been through cancer and have been treated by BC Children’s Hospital.

Mr. Todd had similar views. “The cause is very worthy, and I am also excited [because this is] something that the school can work on [...] to bring people together to say that we did this.” He continued, adding, “If [Hamber] can get together and donate some thousands of dollars, then that’s something that we can be really proud of, 100 per cent.”

Mr. Lam added a personal connection to why Balding for Dollars was important to him. “As a parent with a child, and having used the facilities at the Children’s Hospital,” he said, “it’s important for me that they get enough funding to still keep being the best children’s hospital in North America.”

“Beyond a doubt, it’s a great cause,” Mr. Worth shared when asked why he agreed to join Balding for Dollars. His family has also been impacted by cancer; his father passed away because of colorectal cancer. “I know so many people [who have had] cancer rip apart their lives.” Humorously, he added, “And I think I look really good [with] a bald head.” 

As well as this, Mr. Worth’s old guitar student from 15 years ago reached out after finding out he was participating in Balding for Dollars on social media. “[The student] said, because I posted in my bio that my father passed away from colorectal cancer, and she saw that, she went, ‘my mother [and] grandfather passed away from the same exact cancer [...] so I know where you’re coming from,’” he said. Mr. Worth added that one of his students had also recently lost one of their grandparents to cancer. “I wouldn’t have known [about] that being their teacher,” he said. “But because of this event, I now have a different kind of connection with that student,” Mr. Worth stated. “I feel like it’s really bringing the community together.” 

Other teachers also shared a more personal connection to this cause. Mr. Smith spoke of a former student who was a childhood cancer survivor, but relapsed during his time in high school. However, the student never complained and returned to school in time for graduation. “I never saw that kid without a smile,” Mr. Smith said. “I just found out my next-door neighbour has breast cancer as well […] Cancer, it impacts everybody.” 

Many of the teachers are not scared to go bald. On the contrary, they are excited. Most shared the same sentiment: hair grows back, meaning that one shave isn’t permanent. Some even said that it was more comfortable being bald, like Mr. Worth, a self-employed house painter, who was “totally stoked” that his head would be cooler in the summertime. Mr. Todd thought the same and shared that he has actually been bald several times in his life. 

For many of these teachers, Balding for Dollars isn’t their first time participating in a fundraiser at Hamber. These seasoned volunteers have seen it all, from Mr. Lau and Mr. Lam’s participation in Student Council’s Spicy Noodle challenge to Mr. Todd’s appearance on Canada Sings, a reality music competition for charity featuring coworker glee clubs.

Due to the size and scale of Balding for Dollars, STEM Sorority ran into a few challenges. Koenigbaur said that for her, one of the largest difficulties she faced was actually starting the fundraiser in the first place, as a new student who started at Hamber in September, 2025.

“I didn't know anyone, I didn't know how to even start a fundraiser, because the school that I came from was really small,” she explained.

Koenigbaur discussed her idea with the Student Council, but instead found out that working with a club could help her meet her goal. Though she had a few options, she decided on STEM Sorority because she was already a club member. “I was really lucky to have Bryony and Suhani helping me,” Koenigbaur said. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it without their help and without the club.” 

As well, Prior described the struggle to actually start gathering donations. “Once people know about [Balding for Dollars], then they’re more willing to donate,” Prior said. “But the thing is our website [is] only online, and you can only pay with credit cards. So for a lot of students, it’s going to be hard for them to pay for that.” This led to gathering in-person donations on Fridays, where club members encouraged students to donate with candy. 

And, Prior hopes that Balding for Dollars will continue again next year. “Hopefully our club can carry [this fundraiser] on,” Prior said. “I think it would be amazing if we could make this a yearly event, getting new teachers to volunteer each time.” 

Talks have already begun between STEM Sorority’s current executives and their successors about this idea, according to Prior, and Koenigbaur also wishes for Balding for Dollars to become a Hamber tradition. “I definitely want to continue this next year and maybe make it even better, and there will be more awareness, because people will know about it from last year,” Koenigbaur said.

For the first time since the 1982-83 season, Vancouver reported its first snowless winter, which was also the second warmest winter of the city's history. Experts say the lack of snow demonstrates the impact of global warming, and they worry that the warm winter will lead to a worse forest fire season and additional water shortages.

During winter, the temperature in Vancouver usually averages 4.3 degrees Celsius, but according to reports made by Environment Canada, the 2025-26 season saw an average of 6.0 degrees, second only to the 6.3 degrees average reported in 1958.

However, Vancouver’s 2025-26 winter also did not see a major decline in precipitation levels, with 88 per cent of the average rainfall recorded during the season.

Although residents did report seeing some snowfall, Environment and Climate Change Canada meteorologist Brian Proctor explained that although parts of the city saw snowflakes, snow was not observed where the weather station is located, at Vancouver International Airport. 

For an official snowfall to be recorded in Vancouver, it must snow at least one centimetre of snow accumulation at YVR airport.

Furthermore, Rachel White, an assistant professor in UBC’s Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences,  says that the 2025-26 winter was visible evidence of climate change and its impacts on citizens’ lives. 

“This doesn’t really surprise me in terms of the effect that we know that climate change is having on warming temperatures,” she said, according to CTV News.

She explained, “This doesn’t mean that from now on Vancouver isn’t going to get snow in the winters. We’ll have winters again where there is snow, but it will start to become more common that we have these snowless winters.”

The lack of snow has also led experts to consider the impact of snowless winters on the severity of wildfires in the summer months.

Researchers from Western Colorado University’s Clark School of Environment and Sustainability found that a lack of snow during winter increases both the length of the fire season and the severity of the fires.

The researchers also found that low snow water content — the water stored in winter snowpack — was connected to more severe fires, causing higher tree mortality, greater impacts on ecosystem functions, and an increased chance of long term forest loss.

“Snowpack acts as a kind of seasonal water savings account for forests,” stated the study’s lead author, Dr. Jared Balik, according to the school’s website. “When that account runs low, soils dry out earlier, vegetation loses moisture, and forests become more vulnerable to severe fire.”

“As snowpack continues its long-term decline, we should expect not just more fire, but more severe fire,” said Dr. Jonathan Coop, a researcher at Western Colorado University’s Clark School of Environment and Sustainability, according to the same article. “Understanding those connections not only allows us to plan ahead in years like this one but also compels forest management interventions like prescribed fire that can reduce wildfire impacts.”

A lack of snow during winter can also impact water shortages during the summer. John Richardson, professor emeritus at UBC’s Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, explained to CTV News in March how exactly the snowpack affects BC’s water supply during the summer months.

“This time of year, there’s nobody thinking about water shortage,” he said. “It seems very rainy, but the last four months have all been below average, not even at the average rainfall, based on the last 40 or 50 years’ records.”

“And while we really like the long, dry, warm summers, that’s also exactly the problem with water; it’s that warmer conditions, more evaporation, less water into the system is going be something that will catch us up sometime.”

Richardson explained that a lack of water will have multiple consequences for drinking water supplies, sewage disposal, and hydroelectric power generation. “If there’s not much water, all of those things get impacted,” he said.

2026 has been a year of physical media resurgence, bringing renewed attention to vinyl records and paperback books, and also restoring an interest in films. Movies are once again being appreciated not just for their content, but as a reflection of viewers’ personal tastes and interests — a trend that is echoed in Hamberites’ individual film preferences.

Camille Le (9), a passionate movie fan, has a handful of recommendations. “First, Forrest Gump,” she said. “[Gump] is just genuinely so funny. It’s so interesting what he does.” She then recommended Little Women and Pride & Prejudice, saying that they were both “really cinematic, and also artful and meaningful.” Finally, Le said that the horror-thriller film Get Out was also among her top movies. “I think [it] just had really good symbolism,” she commented. 

As someone who watches films often, Le also recommends using the app Letterboxd to track recently watched films and keep up with friends’ viewings. “It gives good recommendations, and it’s free,” she stated.

Simone Rizek (9), another Letterboxd user, has two favourites: Bones and All and Marty Supreme, both starring Timothée Chalamet. “The movies are both really good, and both made me cry,” she said. “I just love [Chalamet].”

Ben Thiessen (10) recently watched and enjoyed Memento, a Christopher Nolan-directed psychological thriller. “It’s a story about this guy who has no short-term memory, and it’s told in reverse. So the story starts when you see him shoot this guy, and you’re like, ‘why is this happening?’ and the rest of the movie is just finding out why he did that,” said Thiessen. However, he does caution that the movie contains a fair amount of gore and violence.

Farah Berkson (9) enjoyed watching Run, a psychological thriller. “It’s a horror [movie], but it’s not too scary,” she said, stating that she liked it because “it doesn’t keep you waiting,” and that “it [goes at] a nice pace.”

Annelies Stolk (10) said that the manga-to-anime adaptation Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc made an impression on her. “The storyline was quite emotionally compelling [...] [and] you feel wholesome in scenes that don’t appear to be, well, wholesome,” she states. “If you’ve seen it, you’ll know what I mean,” said Stolk, not wanting to spoil the film’s contents for interested viewers.

Isaac Manery (9) prefers fantasy-adventure movies more, namely The Lord of the Rings. “I think it’s underrated,” he said. “The worldbuilding in it is very interesting.” The trilogy of films, starring Elijah Wood, are adaptations of the famous novels by J.R.R. Tolkien.

A comfort movie for Mia Vu (9) is the Pixar-produced movie Coco, which she enjoys because of its weighty emotional themes. “It’s really good and really sad, and I just like the storyline,” she said. “Also, it’s really good for long flights.”

Olivia Leung (9) suggests watching the classic romantic-comedy musical The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, released in 1964. “[It] was really good. The production design is just great, and the opening credits are really cool,” she said. Leung also found the aesthetics of the movie to be pleasing and interesting. “The colour work is really nice, and it’s in French.” 

Mr. M. Vatta (English) also followed the classics route and recommended Casablanca for a myriad of reasons. “It’s many films in one,” he said, stating that the film is a drama with comedic elements, while also having a great romance plot. “[It’s] one of the greatest indelible love stories of all time. [...] It’s [also] filled with great lines and meaningful acting performances. And it has maybe one of the top ten final lines of any film.”

While staples of the city, springtime in Vancouver includes more than mountain views and cherry blossoms. This spring, the arts scene encompasses a variety of interesting acts, with everything from ballet to Shakespeare available for interested viewers.

From May 7–9, Ballet BC is showing “UNITY” at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, which is their last program of the season. The performance is choreographed by Bobbi Smith and Or Schraiber, a duo who recently debuted works for the National Ballet of Canada and the Little Island amphitheatre in New York City. The work displays Ballet BC’s entire cast, and the dancers are accompanied by a quartet playing a score composed by Philip Glass.

Running from May 28 to Jul. 26, The Arts Club Theatre Company is presenting Come from Away, a Tony-nominated musical that takes place in the tiny town of Gander, Newfoundland. Based on true events, the town’s size nearly doubles after 7000 stranded passengers arrive, who are then welcomed with an overwhelming amount of love and hospitality. The show is hosted at the Stanley BFL CANADA Stage, and tickets start at $39 each.

Western Canada’s largest Shakespeare festival, Bard on the Beach, returns on Jun. 9 with four new shows. Firstly, The Merry Wives of Windsor, a comedic and lighthearted play set in a fictional and soccer-obsessed suburb of Vancouver, is playing on the BMO Mainstage. As a counterpart, Bard on the Beach presents a classic: Macbeth, directed by Stephen Drover, which provides a reliable choice for more traditional Shakespeare fans. Additionally, the festival is hosting a play titled Goblin: Oedipus, which is categorized as a clever and hilarious twist on one of Greece’s most tragic myths. Lastly, the festival is putting on Antigone, which is another retelling of Sophocles, this time following Oedipus’ daughter Antigone. The play was adapted by Kate Betsworth and directed by Ming Hudson, taking place at the Douglas Campbell Theatre.

The performances on the main stage take place in an open-air tent with a stunning backdrop of English Bay, the city, and the mountains.

Also playing at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Broadway Across Canada will present the famous musical Mamma Mia! from May 28-31. Set on a Greek island, a daughter ventures to reunite three men from her mother’s past in search of her father before her looming wedding day. Tickets for the show can be purchased on Ticketmaster.

With spring’s arrival, Hamber’s fields, courts, and tracks have come to life. Less than two months remain before summer break, and the spring sports season is in full swing. Fifteen teams are competing this season, and Hamber’s athletes are looking to build on their progress and make the most of the experience.

The Senior Girls Soccer team started their season off strong, coming together as a team quickly. “There's a lot of grade 8 players now, so a lot of younger players,” shared Hamber soccer player Madi Wong (12). “I think the new players really stepped up, and they’re doing really well. [They’ve] melted into the team very nicely.” Wong stated how everyone knows each other’s playing style, which helps with moving the ball up the field and scoring goals, she said. 

The team has won most of their games so far, and their season is shaping up nicely. Reflecting on a recent highlight, Wong shared that they “had a penalty shootout against Churchill that we won […] because our goalie made some really amazing saves and everyone who got to take a penalty scored. It was really nice to see.” She also emphasized the positive environment that the team creates, adding, “I get to be friends with some people who I would never even talk to […] and everyone on the team is super nice and super welcoming.”

On the Bantam Ultimate team, Bradley Gingras (8) has had a season full of growth, teamwork, and unexpected success against older, more experienced opponents. “We have a team made of Grade 8 players, so going [up] against Grade 9 and 10 teams is pretty hard,” he said. With growing interest in the sport, Hamber introduced an exclusively Grade 8 team this season, meaning they often face older opponents. 

“We can do all the things the Grade 9 and 10 players can, but we’re just a bit smaller physically.” Gingras also described how the team has become more coordinated and confident over the season. “At the start of the season it was very disorganized […], but now we’ve put it together […] and got some really good plays going.” The team exceeded expectations in their first tournament at Empire Field; they won multiple games and finished fifth out of twelve teams.

Kingston Tam (10), who plays on the Junior Boys Badminton team, said that Hamber has had great success with badminton. As of Apr. 17, the team had only lost one game, which Tam shared was by a very small margin. “Our game against Lord Byng was a really close turning point [...] where we barely lost, and this helped push us to work harder for the rest of the season.” Tam shared how the team’s focus for the rest of the season was consistency in cheering each other on. “Now [..] we’re [...] very supportive of each other and giving each other feedback on what we should do differently.”

For the Bantam Boys Volleyball team, success has come quickly, as they remain undefeated in league games, as of Apr. 15. Reflecting on the team’s progress, Kento Sasaki (8) said, “We started off not very great, but as the team got closer together, our communication and teamwork [got] way better than what we started with.” The team’s biggest strength this year is their attacking line, though they aspire to continue developing their communication, defensive line, and serve receive.

According to Cara Rudolph (12), the Track and Field team has had a strong season of performances so far, as well. “I feel like [...] the runners who do sprints are really strong in our team,” she said. So far this season, the team has competed in a mix of events, including one sprint and one long-distance race.

Disclaimer: The author of this opinion column was a student of Eric Hamber’s Challenge Studio Mini School from 2021–2024.

While senior students all over the country are currently awaiting university admission decisions with baited breath, it was only a couple months ago that hundreds of 12-and 13-year-olds across Vancouver were in a similar position. They’d completed rigorous applications, crafted portfolios, and undergone intensive interviews. To many, their entire lives hinged on one result. The pressure was on. The decision they so greatly anticipated being whether or not they had been admitted to one of the city’s exclusive Mini School programs.

Mini Schools are enriched cohort-based choice programs within certain Vancouver public high schools, designed to provide “opportunities for enrichment for students who are [...] highly motivated and would benefit from a learning environment with highly motivated peers,” according to the VSB website. These programs feature a specialized and often accelerated curriculum, smaller class sizes, and a rigorous application process. As stated by the VSB website, “Each year, over 1,400 [grade seven] students apply for approximately 500 Grade 8 spaces in the Mini School Programs.” Once admitted, students typically stay together for relevant core subjects throughout high school, often having the same teachers for multiple classes. Some programs have cohorts take all courses together, while others feature a hybrid of mini and mainstream classes. Depending on the program, each Mini School has its own specific acceleration focus, such as the Fine Arts Program at Lord Byng Secondary; the Ideal Mini at Winston Churchill Secondary, which teaches social responsibility and leadership; or Eric Hamber’s Challenge Studio Program, which focuses on the humanities and critical thinking.

In theory, these district programs are an excellent way for students with specific interests to access an enriched curriculum that meets their abilities, motivation levels, and academic needs, while also widening the scope of public education to include those that would otherwise be overlooked by a “one size fits all” system. But in reality, VSB Mini Schools don’t work in the way they’re intended to. Fundamental flaws — caused by the system’s structure and design, the elitist and exclusionary ethos of individual programs, and the evolution of these programs’ reputation and status — render Mini Schools counterproductive and ineffective.

Most problematically, academic Mini programs foster deep-rooted intellectual elitism. Through consistent rhetoric and special treatment, educators indirectly create an us-versus-them dichotomy, which can result in students developing superiority complexes. By segregating intellectual classes, Mini Schools effectively act as echo chambers; students spend their entire high school career surrounded by the same people and taught by the same teachers, which prevents them from encountering and contextualizing diverse perspectives. The insular nature of these programs can enforce a sense of homogeneity and conformity within cohorts that further entrenches the marginalization of the mainstream population. Mini Schools are essentially built on the idea that being around people of mixed skill levels somehow detracts from or harms the learning of those who work at a more advanced level, and that those at a higher skill level are more deserving of a greater-quality education. This sentiment is inherently divisive and harmful to the greater school culture and community, as it ingrains already inherent divisions between Mini School and mainstream students.

Some Mini School students not only have access to an enriched curriculum and accelerated classes, but also numerous additional opportunities and leisure events that serve no real educational or enrichment function. Eric Hamber’s Challenge Studio Program, for example, has hosted events such as pumpkin carving, game nights, Secret Santa, beach parties and lunch time sports, according to their website. The Prince Wales Mini School travels yearly to a ski resort for one of their “enrichment trips,” as stated by their website. These parties, camps, and trips — often justified as “necessary” for team-building or cohort bonding — go beyond the actual purpose of the program, essentially giving special treatment to high-achieving students, which those in the mainstream can clearly see.

This preferential treatment is greatly divisive in school communities by causing mainstream students to resent the Mini cohort. By so overtly favouring and rewarding Mini pupils, program educators are committing a grave disservice to all students, clearly demonstrating another way that Mini Schools have drifted from their original mission.

While the VSB’s Mini School system was created in the 1970’s by parents and educators to satisfy the unmet needs of high-achieving students, it has since evolved into a status symbol for academic superiority, likely influenced by the socio-economic demographics they serve. 

Jennifer Katz, a special education expert at the University of British Columbia, told The Globe and Mail that specialized education programs are “almost always” made up of “middle- and upper-class kids whose parents have had them tutored for who knows how many years. And so you’re really streaming kids by socio-economic status.” While these programs continue to serve their intended demographic — students who desire enrichment — they now also attract families who simply want to reap the superficial benefits, like the bolstering of one’s resume and post-secondary prospects. 

Due to the now widespread idea that being a part of a Mini program gives students a leg up on their mainstream counterparts, and is a predictor of future academic and professional success, some parents push their children into applying, forcing them into a specialization before they have had the chance to figure out their interests. Others hire consultants to help craft their applications, assemble their portfolios, or prepare for interviews. 

As the reputation of the Mini system has grown, its application process has inherently become more inequitable. How can a student whose family can’t afford tutors, or impressive extracurricular activities to embellish their resume, or coaches to help them craft their application, compete with students who do? Are Mini Schools looking for applicants to demonstrate their abilities and interests, or simply their access to resources? If one can’t get into a Mini program solely based on their willingness and desire to learn, then the system is no longer able to achieve its goal, therefore rendering it defective.

Additionally, these status-based perceptions of the Mini programs, along with the competitive application process, place extreme amounts of pressure on young applicants who are only in the seventh grade. With many perceiving their future success as tied to getting accepted into one of these highly coveted programs, rejection can be demoralizing and undermine confidence. The scarcity of Mini School spots also forces competition between peers, leading to insecurity and constant comparison, which can have lasting impacts on one’s self-esteem. Mini Schools can also place pressure on students by forcing them to choose a specialization at such a young age, which restricts them from exploring a variety of subjects in-depth, and from gaining enrichment in areas outside their program. While some grade seven students may already know what fields they want to pursue, others may desire acceleration and enrichment alongside choice and options. Our current school system forces them to choose between challenging courses or variety in curriculum.

After getting accepted into a Mini program, the pressure only gets worse. The cohort-based approach fosters unhealthy levels of competition and comparison between peers, creating an academic hierarchy within individual programs, which is aggravated by the value some educators place on extrinsic outcomes. This can lead the system to fail the very motivated learners it was designed to support, by causing feelings of inadequacy and academic burnout.

In order to build a truly merit-based enrichment system that fosters community rather than exclusivity or hierarchy, the VSB must invest equally in each student’s potential, not just those who demonstrate advanced capabilities. As such, Mini School programs should be dismantled and replaced with individual learning pathways. 

Instead of students needing to belong to a specialized program to gain access to an enriched education, opportunities for engagement and acceleration should be equitably distributed throughout the mainstream school system, allowing everyone access, regardless of academic standing, ability level, or socio-economic status. The VSB should integrate this into the mainstream curriculum by running more academic and ADST electives, and dedicating additional funding to running opt-in field trips, events, and other opportunities, so every student is able to pursue areas of interest, likely increasing overall in-school engagement and performance at all academic levels. By placing academic enrichment in the hands of the many instead of the hands of the few, it would further democratize education and allow each student to flourish.

Additionally, the VSB should prioritize acceleration opportunities over cohort enrichment programs for students who require additional challenges in specific academic subjects. According to A Nation Deceived: How Schools Hold Back America's Brightest Students, a report from the University of Iowa’s Belin-Blank Center, academic acceleration entails “matching the level and complexity of the curriculum with the readiness and motivation of the student. Accelerated students feel academically challenged and socially accepted, and they do not fall prey to the boredom that plagues many highly capable students who are forced to follow the curriculum for their age-peers.” This can be done by allowing students who demonstrate ability to skip grades in certain subjects, as well as offering more advanced courses at the senior level. Allowing easier access to acceleration pathways would allow each student to have their specific needs met, and would remove the exclusion, intellectual elitism, and siloing that occurs in Mini programs.

As summer creeps nearer, tourists flock to Vancouver, and especially with the upcoming FIFA World Cup, everyone will want to visit our city. But instead of taking your out-of-town visitor to English Bay or Queen Elizabeth Park, try these niche spots across Vancouver. 

Breka Bakery & Café - W Hastings

A Breka stop is crucial for any Vancouver visitor. Breka has so much variety. From 16-inch apple strudels to protein shakes, Breka is able to satisfy any of your cafe needs without breka-ing the bank. Be sure to take your tourist to the West Hastings location — there's barely ever a line to order, and there’s always empty tables available. Their customer service is good, but there is this one worker, Gabriel, who is the GOAT of all Breka employees. The best thing on the Breka menu has got to be the iced matcha latte. The way they make the matcha brings out its flavour so well; it’s a must-try! 

Slice of Life 

Also known as vintage photobooth heaven, Slice of Life is a great place to take photos with your long-distance friend. They have little trinkets and many vintage items to browse, and a skeleton who is very friendly and LOVES hugs. Slice of Life has five photo booths, and at least two of them are vintage analog booths. Photographs are ways of preserving memories, and what better way to remember an amazing visit to Vancouver than with a photobooth strip? Besides photobooths and vintage items, Slice of Life also doubles as an art gallery and has many pinball machines worth checking out. 

Earnest Ice Cream

Better than any other ice cream shop in Vancouver, Earnest Ice Cream is a crucial stop on any hot summer day. The flavours are always good, and samples are unlimited; one could just go to try the samples instead of actually buying a scoop for $7. An exchange student from Sweden once threw up near the Quebec St. location because she was extremely excited to try Cereal Milk. Make sure to wear a baseball cap when going. It will help you fit in, but you might be confused for a worker, so be careful. 

Stanley Park Drive

What's a visit to Vancouver without a trip to Stanley Park? Many think Stanley Park is overrated and boring, but it is SO much more than boring, it's SUPER boring. Besides running or biking along the seawall, Stanley Park really has nothing to offer, except for the road that goes through it. Driving on Stanley Park Drive is bound to impress anyone that you are in a long-distance low-commitment situationship with, especially with all the trees lining the road and the chance of ending up in traffic on the way to North Vancouver. Just imagine blasting your favourite songs with the warm summer wind blowing.

Eric Hamber Secondary School

You’re probably at this location while reading this, so why not bring your visitor to the place you spend 30 hours every week? Notable sights worth visiting at Hamber include the Library Learning Commons and The Griffins’ Nest Office Hours in Mr. A. Wightman’s (Social Studies) classroom on the second floor. To ensure the maximum amount of entertainment during your visit, try to conduct your tour while Mr. J. Lauzon (Administration) is doing his rounds through the hallways.

On Apr. 1, NASA’s Artemis II mission launched, setting off a ten-day mission around the far side of the moon, which had previously never been observed by the human eye. Artemis II set off with the objective of running tests and collecting samples for future flights. On board the Artemis II Orion spacecraft, nicknamed “Integrity,” Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and astronauts Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen travelled 406,771 kilometres away from Earth, breaking the record set by Apollo 13 in 1970. 

The rocket launched on Apr. 1 at 3:24 PDT from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, and splashed down on Apr. 10 in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of San Diego.

The journey achieved many milestones in the realm of space travel. It was the furthest humans had ever travelled into space, the first time humans had travelled to the moon since 1972, and the first time a Canadian had left Earth’s orbit.

However, the trip saw a few mishaps, including temporarily losing communication during takeoff, and some toilet malfunctions once the rocket was in orbit.

The first malfunction with the toilet occurred an hour after the launch, when the Universal Waste Management System had been backed up, but the crew succeeded in fixing it. A few days later into the mission, on Apr. 4, they ran into another problem where the vent lines froze over and became jammed. As such, the crew was forced to use emergency manual collection bags.

The overall energy on board Integrity was light and fun, and the astronauts even completed a live question-and-answer session supplemented by questions from Canadian kids, as per CBC. 

Large-scale space missions like these are largely collaborative, with help from the European and Japanese space agencies alongside NASA and the Canadian Space Agency. Like the work on the International Space Station (ISS), the mission demonstrated international cooperation and collaboration.

This trip came in preparation for the future goal of landing on the moon in 2028, and eventually reaching Mars. Artemis III, a mission designed to test lunar landers from SpaceX and Blue Origin, may start as soon as 2027.

In December 2025, Australia banned social media for anyone under 16. A recent poll by the non-profit Angus Reid Institute suggests that Canadian citizens would support a similar decision. 

The poll, which surveyed 1812 Canadians over the age of 18, discussed the topic of social media bans. Seventy-five per cent of the respondents support social media not being used until the age of 16. Adults without kids and parents with kids aged 10-12 support it the most, at 73 per cent, while parents with children aged 16-17 are less supportive, at 63 per cent. When asked about what Canadians worry about most, they stated addiction (94 per cent), mental health impacts (94 per cent), and predators (93 per cent). Despite the overwhelming support for bans, only 20 per cent say it should be the government's job, while 72 per cent say parents should be encouraged to regulate it themselves. 

Social media has become increasingly ingrained in Canadian society throughout the 21st century. The poll found that 89 per cent of children aged 16-17, 77 per cent of children aged 13-15, and 49 per cent of children aged 10-12 currently use social media. A complete ban would affect many children’s lives significantly. When polled on ideas for restrictions, parents agreed far more on required parental consent for accounts rather than a complete social media ban. Specific apps also had more suggestions for individual bans than others, such as TikTok (88 per cent), X (86 per cent), and Snapchat (84 per cent). On the other hand, less than half of parents suggested YouTube for full bans (48 per cent), showing parents’ perspectives on the variety of safety between apps.

Another frequently noted topic is how companies gather the info to check your age. Previously, many sites labeled as 13+ would just let users pick an age, and if they discovered that a user was younger than stated, they might ban their account. However, if a social media ban for youth were implemented, more accurate age verification methods, like ID verification and AI face checks, may be deployed. However, these methods can pose severe security risks, as many sites implementing these checks have had data breaches exposing people's private data. According to Yahoo News, a data breach of IDMerit, a digital identity verifier, that occurred on Nov. 11, 2025, exposed three billion pieces of private information, which could cause many to distrust these verification processes.

Soon before the Angus Reid poll was taken, the Liberal Party planned to discuss the idea of banning social media. According to CBC, on Apr. 11, they voted on two proposals: one banning social media for users under 16 and another banning artificial intelligence (AI) software such as ChatGPT for users under 16. Both eventually passed, though they are not guaranteed to occur. 

Concerns about youths’ exposure to AI chatbots arose after the Tumbler Ridge shooting that occurred on Feb. 10. Before the shooting, OpenAI banned the account of the shooter, who had asked the chatbot questions related to shootings; however, the chatbot did not alert any authorities about this. This event brought up questions about how the AI should be moderated, and if police should be alerted about potentially dangerous topics that users chose to discuss with AI.

After Jagmeet Singh’s resignation, Avi Lewis was elected leader of Canada's New Democratic Party on Mar. 29 in Winnipeg. He received 56 per cent of the vote on the first ballot, with a total of 39,734 votes.

Lewis is the grandson of David Lewis, a founding member of the federal NDP, and the son of Stephen Lewis, former leader of the Ontario NDP. He spent much of his career in broadcasting, hosting shows on Citytv, CBC, and Al Jazeera English. He also co-directed documentaries with his wife, author Naomi Klein. He ran as an NDP candidate in Vancouver in both 2021 and 2025 but lost both times.

The leadership race was triggered by the NDP's 2025 federal election results. According to The Walrus, the party dropped from twenty-five seats to seven, losing official party status in the House of Commons. Jagmeet Singh, the longtime party leader, resigned on election night after losing his own seat, and Don Davies served as interim leader until the race concluded.

According to the NDP website, the leadership race ran from September 2025 to March 2026. Candidates were required to pay a $100,000 entry fee and stay under a $1.5 million spending limit. Five candidates ran, including Edmonton MP Heather McPherson, union leader Rob Ashton, city councillor Tanille Johnston, environmental volunteer Tony McQuail, and Lewis. As reported by CBC, data from Elections Canada showed that Lewis raised $1.23 million from over 10,000 donors, the most during this NDP leadership race.

One policy that Lewis is promising, according to CBC, is a Canadian "Green New Deal" that would invest two per cent of the country's GDP into addressing climate change and create one million jobs. He is also calling for a national rent cap, public-funded grocery stores to combat corporate monopolies, and a wealth tax on the top one per cent of earners. As per the CBC, he is also calling for a moratorium on AI data centre construction to rein in an industry which he says threatens jobs and harms the environment. Lewis has not addressed nuclear power in his platform, which is an increasingly prominent issue in Canadian politics, according to Jacobin.

Vancouver will host seven FIFA World Cup matches at BC Place from Jun. 13 to Jul. 11, which is estimated to bring over one million visitors to the province. This increase in tourism is predicted to benefit hotels, restaurants, retail stores, and thousands of local businesses across the city. However, it may also limit housing availability, increase demand for police and emergency services, and strain public transit systems and infrastructure. 

According to the Host Committee Lead, Jessie Adcock, preparing for the World Cup has been a years-long process, beginning in early 2024. “While the Host Committee is leading coordination and delivery, an event of this magnitude takes a collective effort from countless people and organizations,” she said, according to a FIFA press release. 

To prepare for the event, the City of Vancouver is working with provincial and federal partners to expand transit services and improve infrastructure. Some of the plans include increased SkyTrain and bus frequency and road closures near BC Place to manage traffic and improve pedestrian safety. City officials, transit agencies, and event organizers are also developing “last mile” plans to help people safely travel from transit stations to BC Place through designated walking routes, signage, and crowd-control measures. To ensure the games run smoothly, the city also plans to increase security at venues, implement coordinated crowd control, and designate areas where fans can gather to watch matches throughout the city.

The PNE Amphitheatre, which is currently being redeveloped, will be one of the main fan areas, hosting the FIFA Fan Festival, where fans can watch matches and attend events between games. Officials say the site will also serve as a long-term cultural space after the tournament ends.

The Nest spoke with FIFA Vancouver’s head of security, Jay Richard, who is in charge of ensuring the safety of everyone at the World Cup matches and within the BC Place vicinity.

Richard said that his team is “responsible for looking after the operational staff that the RCMP will be deploying during games.” To do so, they have a team of staff working to keep police officers safe during the games. In addition, the staff also provide services such as database checks and other safety-related tasks. 

“During the event, police officers from across the West will be deployed throughout the Lower Mainland to ensure the safety of all who reside or are visiting here,” he shared. “I will have approximately 50 staff working on my team to ensure officer safety. That will only be a small part of the several thousand staff working together with all policing agencies in the [Lower Mainland] to ensure that the games are safe and enjoyable for all.” 

For athletes’ training, Killarney Park is undergoing significant upgrades to ensure that it can adequately support players. It will include a temporary team facility with locker rooms, recovery areas, and support spaces for players and staff. Many of these upgrades will remain after the tournament and continue to be used for community sports programs and public recreation. 

“I’m delighted to see the progress made on the new Venue Specific Training Site at Killarney Park,” said Laura Christensen, the Chair of the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation, as per the FIFA website. “The training site will offer a world-class location for teams as they train and prepare for matches at BC Place. We can’t wait to welcome the world’s best to one of our many beautiful parks next summer!”

In addition, the city is preparing a Host City Dressing Program to transform streets, bridges, transit stations, and public spaces with World Cup branding. This will include banners, signage, and visual displays. 

This year, the tournament will feature 48 teams from all around the world, with seven matches total taking place in Vancouver. Additionally, the tournament will use a new format of 12 groups of four, where the top two teams in each group, plus the eight best third-placed teams, will advance to the round of 32. This new format was chosen over the 32 teams in groups of eight because of the number factors, team and fan experience, player welfare and sporting integrity. The final match on Jul. 19 will determine the winning team, which will have played eight games over the course of 39 days.

FIFA has drawn interest from students across Vancouver. Emma Stott, a grade 12 student from John Oliver Secondary School, said she is most looking forward to the Vancouver soccer community coming together and having a friendly rivalry.

According to her father, Darren Stott, the process to buy the tickets was very difficult, and he went through a few rounds of lotteries, but was unsuccessful. 

“I logged on for the final sales where I could buy any ticket I wanted, but the price was astronomical, so I didn’t buy any tickets apart from the cheapest one in Vancouver for New Zealand versus Belgium. Others were $700, $1,000, and even over $8,000 for final tickets,” he told The Nest. 

Madi Wong (12) has tickets to see a few games at the World Cup, and she’s most excited to see Team Canada play. “Like anyone else who plays soccer, I really wanted to go when I found out the World Cup was here. I didn’t think there was any chance that I would get tickets, though,” she shared. 

“They’re in such high demand, and people from across the world are going to be travelling here to see the games. Seeing any professional game of the sport you play is always something amazing because you get to see practically the highest level of the sport possible.” Wong attended a Women's World Cup game when she was younger, but she found that it was much smaller-scale, because men’s sports are more advertised.

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said the city continues to build momentum ahead of the event, describing it as “an incredible opportunity to celebrate our communities, share our culture, and highlight the incredible experiences that make Vancouver unique,” as per the FIFA website.

From Feb. 26 to Mar. 1, Rosy and Victoria Hogan, two identical twins from Hamber, attended the 2026 Trail-Rossland BC Winter Games. Competing as speed skaters representing Special Olympics BC, Rosy and Victoria were awarded five medals apiece; Rosy won four silver medals and one bronze, and Victoria won one silver medal and four bronze medals.

Founded in 1978, the BC Winter Games are a biannual celebration of sports and community, gathering over 1,200 athletes, trained officials, and coaches for five days of competition. Special Olympics BC, the organization that the twins represented, is a sports program dedicated to supporting athletes with intellectual disabilities across British Columbia. At the BC Winter Games, athletes from Special Olympics BC competed in their own bracket.

Rosy and Victoria Hogan’s experience at the BC Winter Games spanned all four days, full of both challenges and successes. Day one was spent attending the opening ceremony, days two to three were spent competing, and the final day was committed to the closing ceremony.

Rosy recalled her experience at the BC Games fondly. "I was really surprised even to find out that I had [a] qualifying time for the BC Cup." The BC Cup competitions refer to province-wide racing opportunities for speed skaters who have met a minimum qualifying time. 

Victoria also enjoyed the BC Games. “[The BC Games are] a massive opportunity,” she said, “and it’s very fun, which was the main reason why [Rosy and I] started.” 

Rosy and Victoria shared how they felt while racing at the competition. "[I was] so terrified before and exhausted after even the long-distance races. I was out of breath," Victoria recalled. She added that the 1500 metre race was especially exhausting. 

The twins had to overcome many challenges during the Games; Rosy recalled a 777 metre race where she fell midway through a lap. "Even though I fell, I was ahead of [a fellow speed skater] at the start," Rosy said. "I got up, sprinted my heart out, and still got my silver." 

As well, Victoria shared her strategy for pushing through long races. "I [would think about] something else other than the race, basically something random," she explained. “It depends on what distance the race is and how long I would have to keep on skating for.” She gave an example, saying: "If it's the 1500 metre, I would keep on thinking of our cat [...] Thomas." 

To Victoria, being an athlete at the BC Games isn’t just a chance to go head-to-head against other athletes, but an occasion to meet new people who are just as dedicated to their sport as she is. 

"[The BC Games are] inclusive, and you can make new friends and compete against each other," Victoria said. "[You also] have a lot of opportunities to get stronger and build everything up so you can go to BC competitions, nationals, [and] even world competitions." 

To prepare for the Games, both Rosy and Victoria participated in seven practice meets with their skating group, the Vancouver Velocity Speed Skating Club. "I did [...] eight meets within the whole season," Rosy said. "Seven of them were before the BC Winter Games." 

"We trained a lot," Victoria said when asked about how she prepared for the games. "For the BC Winter Game[s], we were [training] three days a week." One day was dedicated to strength training off the ice, while the other two days were for skating practice. These skating practices consisted of numerous drills, including crossovers. 

Rosy and Victoria also reflected on their support systems during the BC Games. Rosy shared that Faith, another speed skater, was especially supportive of her. "She'd never [been] to any games before, but she volunteered at the BC Winter Games. She made bracelets. There [was] also a Vancouver figure skater, Lina, and I could hear her voice saying, 'Go Rosy!' and 'Go Victoria!'"

Similarly, Victoria said that she also felt well supported by coaches and friends from other teams.

Both Rosy and Victoria first stepped onto the ice when they were just three years old. When they were ten, they began to venture into speed skating, supported by their father, who acted as their coach.

Ever since their introduction to the sport, Rosy and Victoria's love for speed skating has only grown stronger. When asked what she liked most about the sport, Victoria shared an anecdote about how her skating has progressed over the years, and how her perspective on speed skating changed as her skills improved. 

"The first time I did a [1500 meter race], I was like, 'I don't want to do this again,'" Victoria said. "And then the next year, [I thought], 'I [do] want to do this again [...I felt] the total opposite." 

"Once we were on the 111 [metre] track, it was like, 'I'm so much faster and better at this [than before].”

Rosy held a different favourite aspect of the sport. "There's no speed limit," Rosy said. "There is no minimum or maximum. [...] You can go as slow as you want, and you can go as fast.”