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Rebecca Charman’s health hasn’t always been taken seriously by healthcare professionals. Between band-aid solutions and being denied diagnostic exams, Charman started to believe her problems weren’t real.
Now, a student in the Algonquin College respiratory therapy program, she saw a TikTok post that would make her reluctant to seek medical care again.
Over the Labour Day weekend, a TikTok captioned “Guess the substance” was posted by angieuncut, an account run by a former employee of the Sansum Clinic in Santa Barbara, Calif., a non-profit outpatient health organization owned by Sutter Health.
The post included several photos of OB-GYN clinic staff pointing, smiling and sticking out their tongue at residual fluids left by patients. The images were accompanied by text such as, “Are patients allowed to leave you guys gifts?” and “Make sure to leave your healthcare workers sweet gifts like these!”
The TikTok was quickly deleted after receiving online backlash that criticized the post for being unprofessional, unethical and demoralizing to patients’ privacy and bodies.
In response to the scandal, Sansum Clinic released a statement claiming the person who made the TikTok was not employed at the time of the post and that all staff shown in the photos were placed on administrative leave pending the conclusion of their internal investigation.
The involved staff have since been fired, with some online comments claiming they should have their licenses revoked as well.
Comments condemning the actions of the healthcare workers and screenshots of the original TikTok post have flooded Sansum Clinic’s Yelp review page, leaving the location with a 1.3-star rating.
Many of the comments criticized the female staff for their role in humiliating and stigmatizing the normal bodily functions of their female patients during vulnerable examinations such as pap smears, diagnosing and treating menstrual disorders, cancer screenings, pelvic exams and more.
For Charman, the video was disturbing to see as a woman in healthcare.
“To be treated that way, especially in a ‘safe-space’ for women by other women, it (the TikTok post) seemed very disgusting,” Charman said.
Charman didn’t just find the content inappropriate, but the ideology that the post perpetuated.
“It’s playing into this kind of stereotype that women’s bodies are naturally just kind of gross,” Charman explained. “People think periods are gross, body hair is gross and discharge is gross. So I think women promoting that and making a joke out of it is making women feel more ashamed of how their bodies naturally are.”
Although Charman acknowledged the potential for TikTok to make healthcare and knowledge more accessible, she believes patients are not content.
“I’d be so mortified,” Charman said, reflecting on the possibility of her medical visit being posted online. “I don’t think I would ever want to see a doctor again.”
Charman believes that the underrepresentation of women in medical studies, the stigmatization and the trivialization of women’s health concerns can make them reluctant to seek medical help.
Charman has experienced her own medical issues being taken lightly by doctors, “I have endometriosis,” she said. “For so long, I’ve been told by my doctors that my pain is normal and to just try birth control. It’s the worst feeling in the world to feel like you’re crazy for experiencing your own pain.”
Endometriosis is a chronic disease that causes tissue like the inner lining of the uterus to grow in other places of the body and can cause pain, fertility issues and fatigue. According to The Endometriosis Network Canada, at least one in 10 people with a uterus has the disease.
After years of being denied testing and dismissed with just a prescription for pain medication and birth control, Charman finally found an OB-GYN who gave her an examination. It took nearly seven years for her to receive a proper diagnosis.
Pre-health student Mandye Boucher has also felt dismissed by doctors as a woman.
As a young teenager, Boucher expressed anxiety around her first pap test and asked for a female doctor to conduct the examination or at least be present in the room.
The male gynecologist denied her request.
“The gynecologist literally told me, ‘This is my job, I can do it as much as any other nurse in here, so I don’t see an issue with why you would want a female,’” Boucher said.
For 15-year-old Boucher, who didn’t know what the examination would be like, her appointment was an intimidating experience.
“I just wanted reassurance,” she said.
Now 25, Boucher makes it a point to be more assertive in asking for the accommodations that make her comfortable in vulnerable scenarios.
Myia Malcolm, a geographic information systems student, also feels that doctors’ appointments can be daunting.
“I think it’s already pretty scary talking to a doctor. I know it’s pretty intimidating for a lot of people, as it’s all an unknown,” Malcolm said. “You have no idea what’s going on. You don’t want to be told you’re dying or something is super wrong with you.”
Malcolm believes that with advancing technology and social media, younger people will take their questions to TikTok or Instagram instead of their parents and doctors.
“The intimidation factor will only grow as people get older and as more people, like parents, talk less and less to their kids,” Malcolm said.
Although online platforms can be a positive resource for medical awareness, the spread of misinformation would be at the expense of women’s health.
“Those nurses who posted that TikTok, I think that isn’t helping our situation,” Charman said.
“I think women need to stand together…then we can make a lot of change.”
The Algonquin Wolves men’s soccer team crushed the Lakehead Thunderwolves 12-0 on Sept. 20 at the Z-building field, continuing their undefeated streak.
Spurred on by their assistant coach Kieran Spring, the Wolves clinched their sixth victory of the season while head coach Angus Wong cheered from the bleachers.
“The head coach is expecting a baby later on,” said Spring. “So, this was just a practice in case he’s not able to make it (to a game) because of the birth of his son. It’s a different role, different perspective, different way to prepare, and I had lots of fun.
“It’s been a great start to the season, there’s been a mix of competition, some quality teams and some that are a little bit less quality. But it’s about making sure our standards are high. Getting the three points every game is the goal, and it’s absolutely great to be 6-0.”
The Thunderwolves entered the second half with only 10 players due to injuries.
“Obviously it’s tough for them like it is tough for any team when you play two games in 18 hours,” said Spring. “They were trying to sit back and absorb pressure to limit some of the damage, so yeah, I feel for them.”
The Wolves also showcased some new talent, with Azeez Al-Hammood, a rookie from Gloucester High School, scoring his first hat trick of the season.
“I’m looking forward to more goals this season,” said Al-Hammood. “This team is pretty good, we’ve played six games, probably scored 40 goals and only conceded two. We’re going to do the run and have a good track record this season.
“I’m very proud of what I did today, and a big thanks to the team. It’s not a one-player thing, it’s a whole-team thing, so thank you.”
The Wolves weren’t without their own injuries. After scoring his first goal, rookie Alton Gaspard twisted his ankle, sidelining him for the rest of the game.
“I was trying to do a move. I was dropping my shoulder and in that moment, I rolled my ankle. I don’t think it’s anything serious and I should be good in the next couple of weeks,” said Gaspard.
The Algonquin Wolves women’s soccer team kept a clean sheet against the Lakehead Thunderwolves, winning 2-0 on Sept. 20 at the Z-building field and continuing their undefeated streak.
“We’re 5-0. We’re off to a pretty good start, so pretty happy with that,” said Basil Philips, head coach for the Wolves.
Despite the early success of the team, Philips said he’s keeping his eyes on the future.
“We just want to keep improving,” said Philips. “This is just the midpoint of the season, so we’re just working our way through towards the end goal. The end goal is the victory, so we are looking at the end of the season and continuing on that pathway.”
Players echoed Philips’ enthusiasm about their victories.
“It feels amazing to go 5-0,” said Alex Aubin, who scored both of the Wolves’ goals. “That was our goal, to go 5-0, and hopefully we will go at least 10-0.”
“We keep doing what we are doing,” said Aubin when asked how they will achieve a 10-0 winning streak. “We’re really working on keeping our composure when we are up, (to) keep focusing and don’t switch anything up.”
“Just keep the pack mentality,” said the Wolves’ Mallory Armstrong. “We’re a team, we’re a family. If we just keep up our strong game, I think we can definitely go pretty far.”
The Wolves dominated the game, playing most of the time in the Thunderwolves’ half.
“We were just staying patient,” said Philips. “They were playing the ball around the back like we knew they would, but they didn’t have much threat going forward. So we were just patient and looking to turn over the ball, and once we took possession we attacked.”
“I think we played really well offensively,” said Armstrong. “We kept the high press against them, kept getting them to move the ball back-and-forth, which is what our goal was today.”
Another affordable lunch spot has disappeared from the Algonquin College campus and without any announcement, students are feeling sold short.
According to the Algonquin Students’ Association, the Observatory will only be available for rentals, rather than operating as the daily campus pub it once was. The Ob was also only open for rentals during the spring term.
“Going forward, the Observatory will be used as an event space and for rentals,” said Chris Lackner, the SA’s senior manager of communications, in an emailed response.
“The SA’s day-to-day hospitality services on Ottawa Campus will be exclusive to the Wolves Den Restaurant and Games Room and Starbucks. This shift in focus at the Observatory comes as the SA continues to assess changes in student behaviour and on-campus traffic.”
Some students feel left out by the news. They did not receive notice of the semester-long closure, other than a sign taped to the door. There is no word yet on the Ob’s future and with no reason from the SA as to why the closure remains, students want to know if the rental-only operation will be permanent.
Ola Madamidola, a mechanical engineering technology student, has noticed a pattern of closures around the college.
“It’s a shame to have just another dead room on campus,” he said.
A statement from the SA to staff on Sept. 10 said the Wolves Den has updated its menu to include some campus favourites from the Observatory, including the crispy chicken sandwich, Nashville chicken sandwich, buffalo chicken sandwich, Ob Burger (renamed Den Burger), buffalo chicken poutine, grilled cheese and bacon and avocado grilled cheese.
Business alumni Alex Markus, who was a longtime bartender at the Wolves Den and the Observatory, said he noticed changes in business throughout his summer term bartending at the Ob.
“The events were usually pretty busy because it was booked, but I did notice there wasn’t as many events, like it was not booked up enough,” he said.
“I was still getting regular shifts, just no customers. Then they moved us all to the Wolves Den and only certain shifts for events at the Ob would come available.”
In high school, many students form a linear path to follow for the next few years of their life: attend post-secondary school, graduate and get a job. They are told they will find success in their future by following this three-step plan.
Vittoria Pantano, a graduate of the architectural technology program at Algonquin College, has completed steps one and two, but now finds herself struggling to land a job in her field three months after crossing the stage.
“The job market has been a little rough,” said Pantano. “Applying online, you never hear back from anybody.“
Statistics Canada reported an unemployment rate of 7.1 per cent in August, an increase of 0.2 percentage points from the previous month. The rate represents the number of people unemployed out of the total labour force, labour force defined as “civilian, non-institutionalized persons 15 years of age and over” on the Statistics Canada website.
While Pantano currently works part time at a garden centre, she has sent between 30 and 40 applications to job openings online since the school year ended, and checks websites like Indeed and LinkedIn Jobs almost every day.
“The big thing is most jobs are asking for five years of experience, which I do not have,” said Pantano.
Thanks to a co-op placement in her second year of school, Pantano has eight months of experience working with the Canada Revenue Agency. For some of her classmates, the co-op placements turned into jobs they could return to after finishing their last term of school.
“Probably about half of them have found jobs already,” said Pantano. “There were a few people who worked in the same department in the government, and they knew each other from that.”
These connections helped students get their resumés and portfolios in the right hands of employers.
Michael Anderson, a 2023 graduate of the cabinetmaking and furniture technician program, landed his job at KJP Select Hardwoods through a classmate as well. He works in the shipping department and sometimes does custom builds in the shop.
“A guy that I went to Algonquin with was working here at the time,” said Anderson. “He mentioned that they were looking for people, and I said, ‘Yeah, I’d be interested.’ So, he put in a good word for me, and that was a year and a few months ago.”
But it’s not always easy to nail career in Ottawa’s woodworking industry.
“There’s only a handful of custom woodworkers around the city, but it’s a strange industry to get into because you kind of need to have a shop or work for someone who does have a shop,” said Anderson.
The cabinetmaking and furniture technician program does not include a field placement, which Anderson wishes he had.
In the bachelor of interior design program, students benefited from their co-op placements — if they were lucky enough to find something in their field.
“I found the school didn’t post many co-op opportunities,” said Amanda Pike, a 2025 graduate of the program. “It was really about the connections you made and who you knew could help you find a co-op. There were some people who actually didn’t find a co-op in my program and weren’t able to graduate this year with us because of that.”
Pike completed her co-op placement between her third and fourth year with two interior design businesses run by designer, Alicia Hewitt. She knew Hewitt from her previous job outside of school.
Not long after graduating, Pike landed a full-time position at Astro Design Inc. It started with a student connection, which eventually led to meeting the design centre’s manager and lead designer during Pike’s final project showcase in her program.
After this, she wasn’t offered a job right away.
“I sent them an email with my resumé,” said Pike. “I went in a week later when I hadn’t heard back and she sat me down for an interview right there. About a week and a bit later, I got an email saying that she wanted to chat about potential job opportunities.”
Her advice to current students is to form connections with people and make time to attend any networking events while in school.
“Whenever you go out to a networking event, I would really focus on your appearance and practice a couple things to say to sell yourself and have that good reputation,” said Pike.
The Algonquin Wolves women’s soccer team kicked off the first game of a weekend doubleheader on Sept. 19 with a 4-1 win against Cambrian College.
Last season both teams played twice against each other. The first meeting was a 0-0 draw and the second and final meeting was a 2-0 win in favour of the Wolves.
Heading into Friday’s match, the Wolves had won in convincing fashion over Durham, Fleming and St. Lawrence.
The Wolves from the opening kickoff were focused on their mission to win the day and the game. Within the first five minutes of the match they were getting through the Cambrian defence. Creating so many opportunities to strike early, they broke through with two quick goals in the seventh and eighth minute marks of the game from midfielder Kassandra Da Cruz and midfielder Mallory Armstrong.
The domination persisted in the first half and the Wolves attacked relentlessly. The Wolves struck again in the 18th minute as striker Alex Aubin scored an all-alone goal to extend the their lead to 3-0 in just under 20 minutes.
Cambrian had no response and had a hard time generating any chances to get past midfield or on the attack for the majority of the game.
The second half was no different as the Wolves continued to apply pressure. They broke through for a fourth and final time in the 63rd minute as Aubin got in all alone past the Cambrian defence and trickled the ball past Cambrian goalkeeper Olivia Skinkle.
Skinkle faced 20 shots and was forced to see 33 shot attempts by the Wolves.
Wolves goalkeeper Paige King faced only five shots on target and was on top of her game until she was beaten in the late moments of the match by Cambrian’s Molly Watson in the 87th minute off a screamer of a free kick that was, by far, goal of the match.
The final whistle blew at the 90th minute and the Wolves were victorious, winning their fourth straight game, staying undefeated.
Wolves head coach Basil Philips, despite a dominating win, felt the team’s gameplay needs to be tweaked.
“We need to play a full 90 minutes. Letting in that goal late didn’t need to happen and we will just make sure we play the full 90 minutes we need to grab another three points,” said Philips.
Da Cruz described the team’s mindset going into the second half.
“We talked about holding our line more and timing our balls, but I don’t think it transitioned too well. We also said keep working hard and keep going,” said Da Cruz.
Da Cruz also spoke about the abnormal amount of offsides the Wolves had.
“We have to work on our offsides, because we got a few offsides and saying a few is me being generous, we got a lot of offsides,” said Da Cruz.
Steve Ball, the Wolves’ assistant coach, was overall impressed with his team’s play.
“It was a good match. I thought we controlled the pace of play. We were a little bit sloppy in certain areas, but they were a tough defensive team. I thought they got a little physical, but overall I think it was a good performance,” said Ball.
Armstrong spoke on the importance of the next game on Saturday.
“We’re just gonna leave this one behind and now turn our focus on getting the full six points for the weekend,” said Armstrong.
The Wolves were scheduled to be back in action on Saturday at the Algonquin Sports Field against Lakehead University Orillia.
Ball spoke on the newest team in the OCAA.
“It’ll be an interesting game. We have watched their results and we’re not taking anyone lightly, so we’re just going to play our game,” said Ball.
SA representatives greeted fans and collected food donations under a tent at the entrance to the festive Wolves soccer home opener games on Sept.19.
It was the inaugural night of their new Feed the Pack initiative in partnership with the school’s varsity sports teams.
The SA encouraged fans to bring non-perishable food items and hygienic products to donate, such as canned soup and legumes or deodorant, to help bolster the Food Cupboard’s inventory amid a steep rise in demand for the service from Algonquin College students.
The cost of living is on the rise in Ottawa and many college students are struggling to meet their basic needs. Students have been cutting back on groceries to pay rent and cover costs related to studying, causing a surge in demand for groceries from the Food Cupboard.
This increase in demand, combined with an overall drop in donations, is largely what prompted the creation of the new initiative, according to Abby Muir, the co-ordinator of the Food Cupboard.
“We’re an agency that’s part of the Ottawa Food Bank, and they’ve unfortunately had to cut down on the amount of donations that they give, so we’ve decided to take it upon ourselves to start up some fun events that bring in some donations,” said Muir.
Proceeds from ticket sales for all Feed the Pack games are also going to the Food Cupboard.
Muir says partnering with the Wolves benefits both the teams and the Food Cupboard.
“It raises awareness in a great way,” said Muir. “It benefits the Wolves and the Food Cupboard, which are both SA services and brings about that whole community notion, brings everybody together and everybody feels like a wolf, so it benefits both parties.”
With food scarcity on the rise among the student population, general awareness of the Food Cupboard is more important than ever. Muir predicts that demand for the service over the fall semester will surpass last fall, when one in 22 students required the service.
Basil Philips, head coach of the women’s soccer team, was proud that his team was participating in the event.
“The Food Cupboard is a good service, and it (food insecurity) can affect anybody at any point in time,” he said.
“So I think when you’re in a position to help, you should be willing to do so.”
Mallory Armstrong, a member of the Wolves women’s soccer team, knows that covering food costs while in school can be tough.
“I went away for my first year of school, so I know it can be hard to get access to that kind of stuff,” said Armstrong, looking tired but triumphant after an easy 4-1 win against Cambrian.
“We take pride in representing our school and representing Algonquin well, so I think it’s important for our peers and all the students and staff to know that we’re also here for them as well.”
Muir hopes the Feed the Pack games ultimately help raise awareness of student food insecurity.
“It’s going great so far,” she said, speaking at halftime of the women’s game. At that point, half a donation bin was already filled with various food items.
“It’s gonna be heavy bringing it back.”
To get details on the next Feed the Pack game, visit the SA website.
The Algonquin Wolves men’s soccer team extended their undefeated streak to five games on Sept. 19 with a 6-1 home victory over the Cambrian Golden Shield.
The Wolves opened the scoring at the 17-minute mark on a goal from Alix Basa. The Golden Shield answered back with a goal at the 38-minute mark, ending the first half tied.
Eleven minutes into the second half, Alessandro Vivolo, who is currently the top scorer in the league, slotted it up high on a penalty kick. He followed up with a second goal three minutes later, bringing his season total to 12.
The Wolves would score three more goals, two from Gershom Dupuy and one Noah Mayard, capping off another dominating win.
Dupuy said his team’s game plan was to exploit weakness in the Golden Shields’ back line and push from the wings.
“We started off a bit slow to execute it,” Dupuy said. “But (in) the second half we found our feet and we just went at them.”
For Wolves coach Angus Wong, victory was never in any doubt.
“We were confident that we were gonna get the win at half time, even when we were at 1-1,” Wong said.
“We tell the guys all the time that if we play to our standards, we believe that we’ll have success against any team in the province and in the country,” Wong said.
At the end of the game, the Wolves were the only undefeated team in the Eastern Division. The Humber Hawks and the Sheridan Bruins, both in the Western Division, were also undefeated.
They also have the most goals at 34, with only two against, the next closest being the Centennial Colts at 23 and three against this season.
The Wolves’ next game was scheduled for Sept. 20 against the Lakehead Orillia Thunderwolves at home.
As the clock struck noon on a sunny Friday afternoon, Algonquin College’s striking full-time support staff and colleagues standing in solidarity filled up the Woodroffe Avenue entrance.
Now on strike for over a week, OPSEU has repeatedly voiced its frustrations over provincial funding shortfalls for public colleges and stalled negotiations with the College Employer Council (CEC) over a renewed bargaining agreement.
At the Solidarity Day of Action, OPSEU representatives, members and supporters from the wider campus community gathered to advocate for fair contracts and job security protection for full-time support staff across Ontario’s colleges.
Algonquin was one of 24 other concurrent events that day, with rallies held across Ontario, including Cornwall, Sudbury and Niagara.
Taking the microphone, Veronica Attard, an OPSEU college full-time support staff bargaining team member and a full-time support staff member at the college, thanked those who joined the rally, saying, “Our fight is your fight … If our students don’t have the support, we have no colleges.”
Attard returned to Ottawa after confronting the Minister for Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security Nolan Quinn in a public event in Cornwall the day before, over his hesitation to bring the CEC to the bargaining table.
At the rally, Attard said the librarians and library technicians at the St. Lawrence College Cornwall campus had been replaced by “vending machines.”
That announcement was met with unison cries of “shame!” among the crowd.
Attard pointed to the Algonquin College’s plans to outsource Food Services and the suspension of many of the college’s programs as further evidence that the province is seeking to defund and privatize post-secondary institutions, blaming an “unprecedented financial crisis.”
In her speech, Algonquin College professor and president of OPSEU Local 415 Tracey Henderson argued that the “crisis” was “manufactured.”
OPSEU claims that the province, under Premier Doug Ford, “has committed $2.5 billion of taxpayer money since 2020” to the Skills Development Fund.
The province describes the fund as “funding to organizations for innovative projects that address challenges to hiring, training, or retaining workers, including apprentices, to drive Ontario’s economic growth.”
But as Ontario colleges suffered 10,000 job cuts, alongside program and campus closures this year alone, Henderson says it isn’t money the province is lacking.
“It’s political will,” Henderson said.
On Sept. 15, the CEC wrote that it believes “The only path forward is for OPSEU’s full-time support staff bargaining team to drop its demands that colleges can never accept, or proceed to arbitration.” The CEC has repeatedly described these priority demands as “poison pills,” preventing an agreement from being reached.
“(They are) poison pills,” Henderson said. “A temporary moratorium on campus closures, job cuts and mergers is the only antidote we have … that will protect our colleges against the Ford government handing over education that we know is proven.”
As full-time support staff members ready themselves for a second full week of strike action, OPSEU bargaining agents like Christine Kelsey, president of OPSEU Local 416, remain intent on negotiating.
The CEC has reportedly offered concessions in wage increases, benefit improvements and “important protections for full-time support staff from job loss due to contracting outside services,” but still sees the union’s priority demands as untenable.
However, Kelsey said CEC bargaining agents left negotiations on Sept. 10 after 4 p.m. and haven’t returned since. They said the CEC is asking to proceed to arbitration, something she rejects.
“We won’t win job security protections through arbitration,” Kelsey said. “What we need is a bargain contract. We want to bargain.”
Until then, picket lines will remain on Woodroffe Avenue, Navaho Drive and across the province, with signs and flags telling the province to “Save Our Colleges.”
“We really appreciate the support from other local (unions) and from community members,” said Kelsey. “All across the province, at various colleges, we’re getting support because people want bargaining to happen.”
Passing commuters honked and cheered on the strikers, while small lines of cars piled up, patiently waiting for the crosswalk to clear between speeches.
Police liaisons were present, but the event remained positive and peaceful.
Looking at her colleagues and union supporters, Henderson finished her speech by rallying the crowd.
“Ontarians deserve affordable, accessible, quality education,” Henderson said.
“We need to send a message that we are not for sale and every student in Ontario is valuable, is necessary, should be lifted up, not just those who are the most valuable.
“If we stand in solidarity, we will have our messages heard. We will affect change in our province.”
