Victims take action against UBC's broken and flawed system » Sexual assault complaints taken to BC Human Rights Tribunal against UBC Aaron Guillen Staff Reoorter BC is in hot water in regard to the sexual harassment complaints that have been hidden and quieted by its administration for nearly two years. The stories of six women who had been sexually assaulted over a year ago have recently painted dark clouds above the Vancouver university. The events were recounted in an investigation by The Fifth Estate, with incidents ranging from aggressive inappropriate touching to sexual assault. The confessions began trickling in one by one, and soon the victims connected the dots and realized they were abused by the same “predator,” Dmitry Mordvinov, a 28-year old PhD student enrolled in the history department at Green College. When they asked UBC to deal with their complaints, the institution said they would investigate but simply suggested that unless they would want to deal with a lawsuit, then a face-to-face confrontation with the accused would be the best : solution. : In each incident, Mordvinov : : allegedly attempted to make : amends with the women, and, at : times, tried to make sense of it : all. In most cases, he apologized : for his actions, but he tried to : defend himself by saying that “an : : invitation to someone’s place is : usually meant for sex.” Mordvinov ! : offered to donate to a women’s : : organization of the victim’s : choice in order to “make worth of! : the pain felt.” : Unsurprisingly, the women : rejected the offer, and, having : : been previously told to keep quiet } : by UBC’s Equity Inclusion Office, : brought the string of assaults : to public attention. Although : Mordvinov has been recently : expelled from the university, the : victims are seeking to prevent any : further instances in the future. “The women are launching : acomplaint with the BC Human : Rights Tribunal over sexual : misconduct on campus over the : past 20 years,” explained Tanya : Beja, a CBC reporter. According to the Huffington : Post: “Interim president and vice- : : chancellor Martha Piper issued : a statement apologizing to any : women who felt let down by the : university’s system for reporting : sexual harassment. She pledged : the school would launch an independent investigation into : the matter.” Caitlin Cunningham, one of : to really cared, and everybody : said, “We want to do the right : thing here, : during a news conference. and Glynnis Kirchmeier the victims, said that the apology : was a figurative representation of : : the overall problem. “I felt that everyone I spoke » Cunningham said Caitlin Cunningham PHoto credit Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press “And what’s been really, really troubling and really : difficult and really disappointing : is that I trusted and I believed : that, and then it took thema year : anda half to follow through.” Canada’s climate change consolidation » Canada’s premiers discuss climate change with Trudeau before Paris conference Aaron Guillen Staff Reoorter Cee hasn't been able to meet climate targets since 2005, but that may soon change under the new federal government, with the help of Canada’s premiers. Ten years have passed, and PM Justin Trudeau is now in charge. He has adopted the goal of a 30 per cent decrease in emissions by 2030, and the Liberal government still has a long way to go to meet it. With the Paris-hosted UN climate change conference, COPa1, rapidly approaching, Trudeau is determined to find his country’s stance on such an important topic. Last week, provincial, territorial, and federal leaders converged in Ottawa to get a conversation going about how to deal with the effects of climate change on our nation as a whole. With multiple voices chiming in, one that stood out to many was Saskatchewan’s Premier Brad Wall, who voiced his concerns to the press pertaining to the tens of thousands of employees who recently lost their jobs in the : energy sector. “As we prepare for Paris and : to present a constructive and : national front to the world, we : need to be mindful of that fact, : we need to work hard to ensure : that we're doing no further harm ? toan industry that’s facing great : difficulty,” he said to on-looking : press, CBC reported. “I don’t : think those things are necessarily: : mutually exclusive.” : Premiers from across the : country, along with Wall, are : supporting Trudeau’s initiative : to have provinces and territories : formulate individual plans to : solve such a huge dilemma. : With such a wide collection : of individuals living in diverse : environments across Canada, : it’s understandable that one : mould can’t fit the entire nation. : Nonetheless, a general consensus : on common climate goals is : necessary. Though no specifics : were hashed out, Trudeau : promises a plan within go : days post-Paris. Meanwhile, : climate change awareness is : revolutionizing Canada into a : more environmentally-positive : nation. While Alberta has : recently implemented a carbon : tax of $30 per tonne on carbon : emissions, matching BC’s, : Ontario and Québec have already : : agreed to a cap-and-trade system : with California in order to reduce : greenhouse gas emissions. According to CBC: “Justin 4 PARIS2015 a : Trudeau says he’s heading into : the much-anticipated climate : change talks in Paris next week : to climate change, one that : recognizes the work the provinces : : have already done.” RTS” Snes DAE RENCE “ COP21-CMP11 with a “Canadian approach” “Tt is clear that the way Image Via Reuters/Stephane Mahe : forward for Canada will be ina : solution that resembles Canada, : that is shared values and shared : desires for outcomes and different : approaches to achieve those outcomes right across this great : ” : country.