Interview Archives » Page 6 of 8 » CHMA, Voice of the Marshes

Tara Thorne on gender disparity in East Coast Music Awards winners

“The ECMA’s were supposed to be in May and they were canceled because of the pandemic and they sort of did this show instead in the middle of July, which is really why I think this is getting traction, because I’ve been yelling about gender disparity at the ECMA’s my whole career as a journalist for like 20 years. It almost always happens but people are really picking up on it now because they did the show on the weekend and with the actual performances on the show you can tell they went out of their way to include more women and to be more diverse. There was still the man with the guitars and the banjos and whatnot but Neon Dreams was on there, Rose Cousins, and [then] of course it ended with Wintersleep, the five men. But to me that shows an awareness that they knew how bad it looked and yet they still went with the winners anyway, when this is the year that they could have done nothing and awarded nobody and then reframed and regrouped for next year and no one would have held it against them for there to be no ECMA’s in 2020.”

Despite many non-men being nominated for East Coast Music Award’s this year, only 4 out of 27 total awards given out were given to women or bands with women in them. CHMA reached out to journalist Tara Thorne as to her thoughts on this years awards presentation (listen to the full interview above) and how she thinks we can diversify the ECMA’s moving forward.… Continue

Students concerned about rising costs for mostly online learning

By Erica Butler and Meg Cunningham

Mount Allison Student Union president Jon Ferguson is concerned about the combined increases in tuition fees and residence costs for some Mount A students. Photo: Facebook.

Mount Allison students will be facing more than just increased tuition costs in September, says Student Union president Jon Ferguson.

Ferguson is concerned for students experiencing hundreds to thousands more in unexpected residence fees on top of the tuition increase.

He explains that students are no longer able to share rooms due to COVID-19 risks.

Click to listen:

“There’s a lot of students that were going to be in double or triple rooms and they had to upgrade to single rooms. In certain scenarios it would be somewhere from $500 to $1000 for a lot of students that would have to upgrade. If we’re talking about the worst-case scenario, you’re looking at an upgrade of well over $2000. I think it was closer to $2500 or actually even higher for one student living in residence for those eight or nine months.”

Mount Allison’s media relations officer Laura Dillman says students who are impacted “will be able to apply for bursary assistance based on financial need.”

Mount Allison student Alison S. is concerned about the increased tuition fees for herself and fellow students.

Alison could not find a summer job due to COVID-19.

She is relying exclusively on student loans to pay for the increased tuition and fees this year, which she says is, “very unsettling.”… Continue

Music in the Making: Freya Milliken on Pride NB and the versatility of genre

CHMA’s Christina Acton interviewed local musician Freya Milliken to hear about her first time recording a performance professionally, which will be a part of Pride NB’s Monday July 13th Facebook live variety show https://facebook.com/events/s/pride-nb-variety-show-fierte-n/618647385444248/?ti=ia

Freya also discussed the versatility of music making, and the importance of not viewing genre as a confining box.

“There was this 5 week project in my chamber music class, and basically the whole point of it was to look at musical genres differently by the end of it. I personally definitely found that I look at it differently now. So we were paired into different groups of like 4 or 5, and we would be assigned a certain genre and have to change it into a different one. So I remember a couple times, let’s see my group did rap to classical, and then there was like classical to bluegrass, and death metal to this, this to the death metal and whatnot, and basically our professor wanted us to see the musician behind the music, and not necessarily the music for what it is. Like when you think of death metal you think of aggressive sounds and screaming and what not but maybe it’s not that all the time you know. With pop you think it might be all fluffy bunnies and whatnot but maybe this person is actually trying to say something, actually trying to get something across. So bringing that back into my own music I’m thinking okay well how can I send this message but in a different way.… Continue

Nova Scotia and New Brunswick flags flying at the provincial border.

Megan Mitton on the Aulac border and the Atlantic Bubble

CHMA’s Erica Butler called up Tantramar MLA Megan Mitton to get her thoughts on what’s happening with the border, and the Atlantic Bubble in general.

Erica started by asking Mitton what she thought the main challenges are with the border, and what we should be doing to fix them.

On Tuesday, about 9,000 vehicles crossed into New Brunswick at Aulac, according to the province’s online reporting.

According to reports on social media, wait times to cross at Aulac continue to be unpredictable and long.

New Brunswick’s Public Safety minister says that officials will continue to waive Atlantic Canadian cars through the checkpoint when traffic waits become too long.

The department is also working on a “technology-enabled solution” to the traffic problem.… Continue

Mount Allison hikes tuition in advance of approved budget

by Meg Cunningham and Erica Butler

Mount Allison students are looking at a 4.5% increase in tuition fees according to a fee schedule posted on the university’s website Tuesday.

Last year’s undergraduate fees for Canadian students were $8770.

This year the fees will go up by $395, to $9,165 for a full time student.

New Brunswick residents qualify for a provincial discount of between $410 and $915 deducted from tuition.

The Registrar’s office tweeted out a link to the new fees on Tuesday morning, causing some students to react on social media.

Late Wednesday afternoon, University President Jean-Paul Boudreau sent out an email explaining the increase.

Boudreau says the decision was made July 3rd by the executive committee of the university’s Board of Regents.

While approval of the university’s budget has been delayed until October due to the pandemic, Boudreau says students fees had to be set so that students could plan in advance.

Boudreau also says there is a plan to increase student financial aid by at least $400,000.

The Mount Allison Student Union released a statement yesterday addressing the decision saying that they are “profoundly disappointed.”

President of the student union Jon Ferguson says the increase was unexpected for many students, considering that courses will be mostly delivered in online format.

“Certain universities there are students pushing for there to be in fact reduced tuition due to the change in services offered but here we are seeing quite the opposite.”… Continue

Why and how to end media concentration in New Brunswick

Mount Allison sociology professor and author Erin Steuter also spoke about media concentration back in 2016, at a Green Party meeting in Sackville. Photo: Wark Times

Green Party MLA Kevin Arseneau has put forward a motion in the provincial legislature that seeks to end the concentration of media ownership in New Brunswick.

To get her take on this move, CHMA called up Erin Steuter, a Sociology professor at Mount Allison University who specializes in media studies.

Click to hear Erica Butler and Erin Steuter in conversation about media concentration in New Brunswick: why it’s bad and what we should do about it.… Continue

Nellys Kalgora on Moncton Solidarity

Nellys Kalgora, the organizer of the region’s first protest last Monday in Moncton, is a senior at the francophone Odyssey high school in Moncton.

The march she planned drew about 350 people to the streets to protest racial injustice. Erica Butler called up Nellys to find out more about the marches, racism in Moncton, and what made her decide to get involved.

On Friday, in another show of solidarity, a march and speeches in front of City Hall drew nearly 1,000 supporters.

… Continue

Call for silent solidarity Wednesday at noon

On Wednesday June 3rd at 12pm, Sackville residents are invited to take part in a silent show of solidarity for anti-racist protests happening across the country and south of the border.

Erica Butler speaks with one event supporter, Lloyd Bruce, about his reasons behind showing up in silent protest of racial injustice.

… Continue

The Check-in: Perpetual Motion Dance reinterprets dance during restrictions

Mahalia called up Renee Rioux of Perpetual Motion Dance to find out how the studio is coping with COVID-19, how they plan to augment their re-opening and what the future of dance will look like in the context of social distancing.

… Continue

The Check-in: Bistro Le Chat Blue reopens, redefining their dining experience

In our fourth installment in the series, Mahalia Thompson-Onichino checks in with Bistro Le Chat Bleu in Baie Verte.

CHMA news wants to help you understand what the “new normal” will look like in Sackville.

Are there stories you’d like to hear told on your local airwaves?

CHMA wants to help bring you news about your community.

If you have questions or concerns about life in Sackville and the Tantramar area, get in touch with us at news@chmafm.com

… Continue

Category: Interview