news // no. 4 theotherpress.ca Douglas recognizes student leaders >» Student Leadership Award winners announced Atiba Nelson Staff Reporter Fe year Douglas College honours several students with Student Leadership Awards; however, 2020 brought two large changes to the annual tradition. First, the event—which is usually a gala in the La Perla Ballroom—was postponed, and second, there was a new award created—the Up and Coming Leaders of the Year award. The Student Leadership Awards Eats out? selection committee chose the winners for this year’s honours. Award winners were recognized on the Douglas College website, and some created short homemade videos accepting their prize and acknowledging their nominators. Three student awards were up for grabs this year: Living Big Student Leader of the Year Award of Distinction, Community Builder of the Year, and the Up and Coming Leaders of the Year. The newest award, the Up and Coming Leaders of the Year award, was given to » Food delivery services struggling because of coronavirus Craig Allan Staff Writer I the midst of COVID-19, food delivery services like Skip the Dishes, Uber Eats, and Foodora are proving to be the saving grace of the restaurant industry. With no ability to provide sit down service, food delivery groups are giving restaurants the ability to make some money in these difficult times. It would seem wise to predict that all food delivery companies are making money hand over fist, but that could be deceiving. On April 27, Foodora announced that they were ceasing operations in Canada effective May u, citing a $4.7-million dollars of money owed to restaurants. On May 4, Uber Eats announced that they were pulling out of eight markets (Canada not one of them) by June 4, citing low sales and that they were the subject of boycotting by Toronto area eateries due to their high commission fees. Why are food delivery services struggling in a time when they should be thriving? When it comes to the restaurants, the oasis that food delivery provides is actually a hindrance. In a New York Times article, many restaurants say that they lose money on the services. This is because these food delivery apps cost so much to deliver these items that by the end of an order, the restaurant has already taken a hit to their profit margin. Another issue for food delivery apps is in the form of the technology. The last decade was defined by investors putting millions of dollars of investment into technology-based apps and industries believing that they were the future. However, in recent years, the failure of sites like the office space sharing WeWork have soured investors on the mad scramble to invest in computer-based models. This includes food delivery apps. When analysed against the metric that restaurants are not making money off food delivery apps, leaves many wondering if the food delivery apps themselves are not sustaining a high profit. It’s possible that the business model for these apps may not be sustainable even in perceived “good times” like today. Surely, they will still exist in the future, but the model will need to change to ensure that the business is able to properly pay its couriers, restaurants, and other critical workers while still turning a profit. If this does not happen, food delivery apps will have trouble bringing home the bacon. three Douglas College students who “have shown a commitment to the Douglas College community in a volunteer or student assistant capacity,” as per the award announcement. The winners were Amrita Ramkumar, a Bachelor of Business Administration student; Angelo Toledo, an Associate of Arts student; and James Nguyen, a Computer and Information Systems student. The winners of the Community Builder of the Year award were Paula Andrea Mendoza, a Bachelor of Applied Illustration by Sonam Kaloti Psychology student, and Ashley Smith, a Bachelor of Child and Youth Care student. Smith's recipient video was heartfelt as she thanked her nominators and detailed her commitment to an often-neglected group then revealed her passion for the work. “I’m super passionate about creating community and spaces for former youth in care, as 1am one myself, and I know how difficult it can be to navigate post- secondary without the proper supports and services,” she said. Recipients of the Living Big Student Leader of the Year Award of Distinction were Bachelor of Physical Education and Coaching student John Paul Escala and Bachelor of Science in Nursing student Hayley Biller. Escala’s nominator described him as “extraordinary in his involvement in campus activities and volunteering [and] making a difference in the community.” While Biller’s nominator stated that “[her] energy and enthusiasm to be involved in the broader nursing community is something her classmates admire and look up to her for’ Biller, in her selection video, thanked her nominator for acknowledging her work in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Peer Mentorship Group, and reinforced the importance of peer mentorship and community in nursing. A new and convenient way to return or repay your CERB payment >» CRA’s new strategy to speed up the repayment process EG Manilag Staff Writer Bam May u, the CRA will offer an online way to return or repay Canada Emergency Response Benefit or CERB payments. This repayment option of CERB is for those individuals who no longer meet the eligibility criteria “for the 4-week period in question,” but are still receiving CERB payments. This could happen if these individuals earned employment or self-employment income earlier than expected; if they applied for CERB but later realized that they are ineligible; and if they receive payment both from the CRA and Service Canada. Using CRA My Account, individuals who no longer meet the eligibility requirement can now return or repay their CERB payment online. Another way to repay the CERB is through mail. Make sure to follow the appropriate steps in writing the mailing address, further instructions can be found at Canada’s official website (Canada.ca). If you still have the unused original CERB cheque, you can also send it through mail. Just be sure to include the reason why you want to return the cheque (i.e. overpayment or not entitled) and your Social Insurance Number or Temporary Tax Number—further mailing instructions can still be found on the website. According to Canada’s website, the CERB is taxable. This means that you will receive a T4A tax slip based on the amount of CERB payment you receive. However, if you repay the CERB, you would not be taxed and would not receive a T4A tax slip from the CRA. Furthermore, to avoid improper issuance of slips, “you need to repay your CERB before December 31, 2020.” If you need more time to repay, do not hesitate to contact the CRA. For more info, visit the website.