Lennoxville has enough bars as it is. Most students are aware of the limited choice between the Gait, the Lion, the Maysen and Mulligans. But few are aware of the possibility that one of these establishments may soon be gone.

Owner and operator of the Maysen Pub, John Maysen, was reluctant to discuss what will occur in coming months because a lot is still up in the air. A week ago, it was all but certain that the lease would not be renewed when it expired in June. But recent developments have created the possibility of an extension on the lease until the lucrative coaster weekend.

Maysen was willing to say that, “whatever happens, I want to continue.”

The possibility of moving the Maysen to the vacant unit next to the McDonald’s was explored. But the deal McDonald’s has with the property owner does not allow any establishment that serves food or beverage to occupy the other unit.

Although neither Maysen nor the building’s landlord could confirm the fate of the bar, the possibility of it being shut down should be seriously considered. Maysen suggests that students come down and enjoy the place “while it’s still here.”

Although the concert did not end up turning a profit, the SRC is standing by the decision to hold a big-name concert at Bishop’s. “We were pretty happy with the way it turned out,” said Director of Finance and Operations, Stefan Lemieux.

This sentiment is shared by Gait Manager, Nick Venditti, who said the event “was still a success.”

Ticket and bar sales produced about twelve thousand dollars in revenue, but large expenses resulted in a total loss of $182.69 for the night – ten tickets away from breaking even.

Booking Classified was pricey, Lemieux admitted, but there were numerous other expenses. “The one that was more expensive than we originally thought was the stage and setup. [It was] a beautiful setup, but it cost us $3000. That was not what we were originally planning for. When we had thrown concerts in the past, it had only been $1000.”

The high-end sound equipment used for the event required that technicians be hired to operate it.

Lemieux speculated that turnout would’ve been better if the Lion had not chosen to hold its customer appreciation night on the same night as the concert. He suggests that this planning was purposeful, based on the fact that a similar situation occurred last year, and feels that future events could be better coordinated with the Lion management.

Turnout also suffered because of the ill timing of the concert. “It’s a bad time to hold a concert, we didn’t really want to hold it in March,” Lemieux confessed. The concert was originally scheduled for an earlier date, but it was pushed back when the tour was delayed.

Given these circumstances, Venditti believes he and his team “pulled it off.” For next year, he vows to “begin searching for suitable artists right after exams, so that we could put on a big show in September and/or just after midterms, when people still have money from their summer jobs and stress levels aren’t as high.”

Despite the loss, Lemieux maintains that the concert can be considered a success, as more than 450 people, mostly students, enjoyed it. He attributed this turnout primarily to the promotion of the event in the SUB, “which was instrumental to getting the word out.”

But more could be done to attract first year students, suggested Vinditti, who noticed “most of the crowd consisted of second to fourth year students.”

Lemieux is optimistic that similar big-name events could take place in the future without facing a loss. He notes that the drama department and SRC are in the process of purchasing $40,000 worth of audio equipment that could be used for future concerts.

Bishop’s supports a number of important organizations aimed at green projects for sustainable development as well as community charity. What is less evident, however, are the projects set out by students on an individual and independent base to contribute to the positive change they would like to see. One such project has found great success in the past year and a half and is in want of expansion.

The ‘community food’ project was initiated by Bishop’s sociology student, Marie-Pier Aubuchon, at the beginning of this semester. It operates in partnership with Sodexo and Dewhurst Dining Hall to provide an adequate diet for women at a local women’s shelter in the Fleurimont area.

The center is one of the only women’s shelters in Quebec focusing on community reinsertion. The women are surrounded by a quaint family setting and are pleased to receive these generous food donations. “I go see the Dewies cooks about once or twice a week and ask them if they have any good left-over food. When they do, which is almost always the case, I put it in containers and bring it to the shelter myself,” says Aubuchon, who works at the women’s shelter.

“I got the idea of doing this when I saw how much food was always left over at the end of the day. I thought, what a waste, there are needy people out there who could really use a nice warm meal like this one,” she explains. Marie-Pier also adds that it was really easy to start up a project like her own, she simply spoke to the Sodexo supervisor on campus, and the deal was done. It was much easier than she expected, and she reports that there is still enough food left to feed at least a few more people.

Not only has this project contributed in helping fill the stomachs of hungry community members, it’s also an important movement towards sustainability and waste reduction.

It’s in Marie-Pier’s plans to expand this project by incorporating other local shelters in the project until Dewies virtually knows no more food waste at all. The only glitch is that she will be graduating at the end of the semester and, much to her regret, she won’t be able to continue this charitable endeavor.

So if you are interested in giving an hour of your time each week to help the local community, or know anyone who might be, be sure to contact Marie-Pier.

Aubuchon urges students to pursue their own initiatives as well, saying, “You can go a long way with only an idea and a little bit of motivation!”

This response given by most students on campus demonstrates the lack of awareness students have of the beautiful conservation area that exists here. Peter Curry marsh, which is located at the southeast corner of the Bishop’s property, has been attracting birds and waterfowl to the area for two decades.

A gravel path behind Paterson gets people to the site during the summer so that one can walk around and enjoy the ambiance. However, there is no path around the pond, so visitors must be prepared to walk through tall grass.

The idea of having a formal path was originally suggested in 2005, when what is now the Sustainable Development and Land Use (SDLU) committee was looking into rebuilding the dam that retains the duck pond. Heavy flooding had compromised the integrity of the previous dam.

Staff and faculty further considered this proposal, but the development of the duck pond trail was postponed until the university was ready to undertake a greater plan to expand and improve paths on campus.

However, recent efforts to uncover information seems to have re-ignited interest, and a meeting to discuss this project further has been tentatively scheduled for this summer.

A nature trail would permit students to more easily enjoy the natural beauty of the site. Biology Professor Michael Richardson, who oversees the management of the marsh, said that, “putting a path around it would really nice.” The path would be placed far enough away so as to not disturb nesting sites and could loop around the pond up onto a hill where ”you get a beautiful view looking down,” Richardson suggested.

This would be a great place for students and faculty to relax between classes, but the noise and (unfortunately) litter that typically comes with student visitors may conflict with the original purpose of the site – to raise waterfowl.

In 1989, Bishop’s University was approached by Duck’s Unlimited to turn what was then a wheat field with a stream running through it into a small pond, which would serve both as a spot for waterfowl to breed and as a natural laboratory for biology students. A donation by Bishop’s Alumnus and long time Ducks Unlimited member, Peter D. Curry, made this project possible.

Waterfowl such as Mallards, Blue-winged Teal, and Wood Ducks were immediately attracted to the site when it was completed in the spring of 1991. Diverse types of vegetation, birds and insects soon followed, said a report by Ducks Unlimited.

In more recent years, several nesting boxes have been put in around the pond. These boxes are 80-90% occupied, according to Prof. Richardson, mostly by Tree Swallows. He anticipates work will begin soon on planting various types of vegetation.

A nature trail through this little known corner of Bishop’s would serve a great service to students and the community as a whole. But this benefit will surely be weighed against potential environmental costs in future meetings of the SDLU committee.

On Friday the 13^th in the fall of 1998, the Black Cat bookstore strolled into town. Since then, it has provided a myriad of second-hand books to English readers here.

In addition, the store carries new books by local authors and artists. “When I opened this store, I knew I wanted to carry books by local writers,” says Janice LaDuke, the owner and operator who’s also an art history graduate of Bishop’s.

Black Cat attracts a variety of customers, including students. LaDuke notices a lot of English literature and education students coming in, or those seeking some leisure reading. “When exam period ends, students are in looking for something else to read,” La Duke says.

But students make up only a portion of the clientele. Cottagers and others who come to visit family or enjoy the townships drop in regularly to pick up some reading material, some times more often than others.

LaDuke recalls, “two summers ago, we had a very rainy summer, and everybody was complaining about all the rain. I hate to admit it, but this was really good for me. What do you do when you’re stuck in a cottage with three branches of your extended family and you can’t go out on the lake or anything? – You get a good book.”

LaDuke receives a lot of requests for special orders – either books that are out of print or hard to get, or new books. Although these types of orders face stiff competition from online bookstores, like Chapters and Amazon, they have the disadvantage that “you can’t browse,” she points out.

In 2002, the closing of the last English bookstore in Sherbrooke, W. H. Smith, created an opportunity for Black Cat to widen its inventory, so there’s now a selection of popular new books. Current hot picks include The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis, which won Canada Reads 2011, and the Sentimentalist by Johanna Skibsrud, which is set in Flagstaff Lake, Maine, about an hour east of Lennoxville.

LaDuke travels far and wide to find quality books to stock her shelves, going as far as New Hampshire to visit a book sale. But she also finds gems close to home at the refugee sponsorship committee book sale.

She feels good about spending money at this sale because she’s buying new stock, and the money is going towards scholarships. “It’s a win-win situation,” she exclaimed.

The art of acquiring quantities of good books is no easy task, but LaDuke has decades of experience and expertise to draw on. She initially honed her skills as a book hunter for a store in Montreal, before eventually coming to open shop in Lennoxville.

Initially, LaDuke hoped that her bookstore could have a ‘resident cat’, as many other bookstores do, to greet customers and complement the store’s logo. But, alas, the nearby train tracks posed too great a risk for Hazel and Monky.

Jobs in the precious metals industry have a bright future, as soaring commodity prices widen profit margins.

The value of gold is five times more that what it was a decade ago, and silver is worth seven times more. Unlike most industries, gold and silver firms benefit from increased economic uncertainty. Investors and savers looking for a safe bet will turn to gold and silver, which drives up prices and profits.

Simon Quick, a Bishop’s Economics Graduate, managed to find work in this lucrative industry. In the summers prior to his third and fourth year, Quick worked for McEwen Capital, a private venture capital firm that primarily manages large percentage ownerships of publically-traded gold and silver mining companies.

After working as a research analyst for two summers leading up to graduation, Quick was offered a full-time position as Director Projects, Mexico for one of McEwen Capital’s largest investments, US Gold Corporation.

He commented on his experience, saying that ”it really helps if you can get your foot in the door in a sector you are interested in during your summers off.

Act like a sponge, learn everything you can, take some risks, and run with the opportunity. You gain a major advantage over other fourth year grads applying for the very same job that don’t have the extra months of industry exposure. As insignificant as one might think an extra few months are, they really do make a difference.

I have been very fortunate. My timing entering the labour market, although it certainly was not planned, was ideal for the mining sector specifically gold and silver. Prices are at record highs and poised to increase with the worldwide geopolitical volatility, record low interest rates, rising country deficits, and terrible government policies.”

Quick recalls spending about of four and half months, off and on, in Sinaloa State, Mexico helping to develop a recent silver discovery. He’s based in Toronto and spends about 70 percent of his time on project development and the rest of the time evaluating prospective mining investments.

“I’ve been very lucky. My boss is still young and I’ve had the pleasure of learning from him for three years now. He has extremely high expectations, but is a fantastic person to gain direct industry exposure from.

Being able to manage people and relationships has proven to be critical. Only a very small percentage of people can be successful without working cohesively in a teamwork environment. The Bishop’s education model couldn’t foster this skill any better and it proved to be a great test tube for the working world, so be sure to utilize every resource you have offered to you.”

Just on the edge of the student ghetto, there is a hair and beauty shop where one can go for a trim, a manicure/pedicure, or a massage.

L’air du temps is located in a quaint red house at the intersection of Conley and Little Forks. It’s proprietor, Vivian Dumas, has helped keep students looking sharp for the past twenty-six years.

The business moved to its current location six years ago. Before that, it was located on Reid St – the site of many rowdy student parties. Although she enjoys the energy that comes with operating in the heart of the student community, broken glass and other issues eventually led Dumas to move the business from 5 Reid to 5 Conley.

“The customers didn’t want to move,” said Dumas. The previous location had a riverside view and scenery that clients were fond of.

The new location lacks the same natural ambiance, but still enjoys the sights and sounds of student life. Dumas and her employees often enjoy the entertainment offered by student neighbours and tipsy students staggering down Conley.

However, this prime location comes at a cost.

Dumas recalled a few incidents like one that occurred during a recent convocation where students displaced some freshly planted flower boxes. But she retains no hard feelings. She noted that the rowdiness of student parties has improved significantly in the last two years.

In the end, the joys of student culture are worth it. “There’s a good side and a bad side,” Dumas said. “I love having students, but it’s sad when they leave.”

Student clients make things more interesting, but they are not essential. Dumas estimates that students make up only 20% of her client base, so there is no noticeable slowdown in the summer months. “We’re always busy,” she said.

Contrary to what the on-site beauty services may suggest, this hairstylist caters to a lot of male students. “We don’t have as many girls from Bishop’s, but we have a lot of guys,” Dumas said.

She speculated on the reason for this, saying that female clients may seek out more expensive hairstylists, thinking that an affordable price necessarily means poor quality. But this price/quality prejudice is consistently overturned. “Once they come, they always come back,” Dumas remarked.

She stressed her high quality/low price model, saying “you can look like 1,000,000 dollars for less than 100”. The price of a haircut is 22 dollars for women, and 14 dollars for men. Beauty treatments are also reasonable: a manicure and pedicure together will set you back only 50 dollars, as will an hour-long massage.

The actual cost of a massage may be even less, since most insurance policies cover the cost of “therapeutic treatments” to some degree.

L’air du temps serves a diversity of clientele including students and faculty from Bishop’s and Champlain, people from all over the Eastern Townships, and even people from other provinces.

Dumas recalls one couple from Ontario who always drop in to get their hair cut when they are visiting their cottage located in the area.

Although she regularly works 11-12 hour shifts, Dumas does not seem at all stressed by the duty of running a salon. She happily claims, “There’s never a dull moment.”

Canada’s asbestos mining sector was shocked earlier this month when it lost the support of a Quebec labour union, as the federal government announced it would no longer provide funding for the pro-asbestos Chrysotile Institute.

The whole of Canada’s industry consists of a batch of mines located in Asbestos, Quebec, 45 km north of Lennoxville. This single operation was able to provide one sixth of the global supply of asbestos in 2000.

Nearly all developed countries regulate the use of asbestos, which is known to cause respiratory cancers. Many countries, including Canada, have significantly reduced the use of this cheap, practical fibrous material in past decades, but demand is growing in developing countries.

Chrysotile asbestos has been banned in 50 countries, but not in Canada, where the Hazardous Products Act regulates its use.

Although it’s legal to use, most of the asbestos mined in Canada does not stay here. 95 percent is exported to other countries – mostly China, India and Thailand.

The international community has criticized Canada for it’s continued exports and support of the industry. Canadian representatives have fought to prevent chrysotile asbestos from being added to a list of hazardous substances in the Rotterdam convention.

Industry advocates claim that chrysotile asbestos, specifically, is not necessarily dangerous. “The [federal] government, so far, has preferred to stress that asbestos is not dangerous, if manipulated properly” Professor Gilbert Gagne commented. “The problem is that in many developing countries, the workers are not trained.”

In an attempt to distance itself from the industry, the Harper government announced on March 1 that they will not continue funding the Chrysotile Institute, which advocates the sale of asbestos products to countries willing to buy it.

Despite this reform, the Canadian Cancer Society was unsatisfied, stating it was “deeply disappointed” that the government would still pay the institute approximately 250,000 dollars this fiscal year, which ends on March 31.

The industry also suffered last month when the confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN) announced that it was reversing its position. A March 11 press release states that it supports recommendations to prevent any new development. As well, it will push the government to have asbestos added to the list in the Rotterdam convention.

However, there are signs that the industry may not be dead yet. The Quebec government may still go through with its plan to provide a $58 million loan to a consortium that is planning to reopen a Jeffery mine just outside Asbestos, QC.

The future of Quebec’s shale gas industry is in jeopardy as the government intervenes in response to public concerns. Environmentalists fear that hazardous chemicals used in extraction techniques may contaminate drinking water.

The Environment Minister, Pierre Arcand, announced a ban on any new development on March 8. The decision came in response to a report prepared by the bureau d’audiences publique sur l’environnement (BAPE).

After six months of studying the issue, the commission announced that it does not have sufficient information to make a decision about shale-gas development in Quebec. It recommended that a moratorium on development be applied while a lengthy study is performed.

The moratorium also applies to a production-boosting technique called hydraulic fracturing (or ‘fracking’), in which a slurry of water, sand, and chemicals is injected into the ground at high pressure.

A primary focus of the government’s continuing research will be to assess the health and environmental risks associated with fracking. The BAPE report did reveal that 19 out of 31 of Quebec’s wells were leaking.

Debate over the industry has also taken place south of the border, where toxic algae blooms in a creek in Pennsylvania were said by some to have been caused by contaminants from shale gas operations. Fracking has even been accused of causing a small 4.7 magnitude earthquake in Arkansas – a typically earthquake-free region.

Professor Gilbert Gagne claims that these “horror stories” from south of the border took some part in motivating the Quebec public to demand a ban on shale gas development.

The government has decided to err on the side of caution by imposing restrictions before anything serious happens. “Until the industry can prove that shale gas can be extracted safely, [the government] prefers to have a moratorium,” Gagne said.

He explained that revenue from shale gas industry is not so valuable as to be worth the risks. “We’re not even sure if it’ll be profitable, because you have shale gas in almost all countries in the western world…so it’s not particularly exceptional.”

However, the province is making it clear that they’ll get their fair share of any future gas revenue. “If the gas potential can be developed economically, and respectfully in regard to the environment and the public, Quebecers will benefit from their fair share of this resource,” Finance Minister Raymond Bachand said in his budget speech.

Gas companies currently give the Quebec government 10 to 12 percent of their revenue as royalties. When the current ban is lifted, they’ll be paying 35 percent royalties, according to the Globe and Mail.

If the industry assessment finds measures that would ensure public and environmental safety, then the province may yet profit from this resource. This is indeed plausible, since British Columbia has been exploiting this resource for decades in the absence of public opposition.

Although the moratorium may eventually be lifted, the damage to the investment prospects of the industry may already be done. Calgary-based Questerre Energy Corp., which operates numerous wells in Quebec, lost a quarter of its equity value in response to the government’s announcement.

Sometimes there’s no better way to relieve the stress of school work than by spending some time playing your favorite video game.

Typically, the gamer community of Bishop’s would have to travel into Sherbrooke to buy new games or trade-in old ones. But now there’s a location that’s walk-able, on Queen street in the Tim Horton’s building.

Le Fou du Jeu Vidéo opened on August 26^th 2010, just in time to serve the incoming student crowd. But we are not the store’s only focus. Owner/operator, Ghyslain Fortier claims that students make up about half of the target consumer group, with the rest consisting mainly of children (and adults) who reside in Lennoxville year-round.

The store features a variety of video games for all consoles, new and old, priced at as little as $4. Most decent games, however, are in the $30 to $70 range. One can also find console accessories, board games, and video game character figurines.

If you’ve gotten bored with your old video games, you can go to Le Fou to trade in or sell them. They may only yield as little as $5, but more popular games for current consoles can be worth as much as $40. As well, the value of several cheaper games can really add up.

Fortier hopes “to build a good relationship with the student populations at Bishop’s and Champlain.” He feels as though he has to fight the tendency of students to go to big chain stores, such as EB games.

“A lot of people don’t know we are here. We need to work on that,” Fortier admitted. He is planning to have an advertisement at Coulter field in the near future, but the store’s current publicity strategy is focused mainly on ads on French-language radio.

Fortier also has plans to create a Facebook group that would offer promotional deals to its ‘fans’.

A colorful, fan-blown ‘waving man’ advertisement caught many students’ attention when it was displayed late last year. Whether this ad was effective at drawing in potential customers is debatable. Regardless, it succeeded at making the store more visible to students.

While significant benefits would come from attracting more students, Fortier is pleased that the store currently operates well by drawing on a “good base” of customers from the year-round residents of Lennoxville and the surrounding towns.

Appealing to a local ‘base’ can be advantageous because Le Fou does not have to plan for a severe decline in demand during the summer months, as many businesses in Lennoxville do.

Fortier decided to start Le Fou du Jeu Vidéo after he had children. He previously worked in the automotive industry, but decided to open a store that would offer good prices for a product that he had enjoyed, himself, as a child. He plans to introduce more products in the future, to turn Le Fou into more of a hobby store.