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The Reflector •

Chat, is this real? How to push back against AI misinformation | The Reflector

Acacia Carol, Staff Writer | 
If you’re a news consumer in 2025, you’ve been belaboured about identifying, verifying, and pushing back against fake news, misinformation, and disinformation. From Facebook rants to press releases, no form of media should be treated as safe because human error is undeniable.
In a healthy news system, there are checks and balances to ensure that consistently getting the facts wrong is met with swift corrective action.

But what happens when the human element is rem...
The Reflector •

A guide to the YYC Hot Chocolate Fest | The Reflector

As tariff tensions between the United States and Canada grow, many politicians are calling for Canadians to support locally owned businesses. Meals on Wheels Hot Chocolate Festival is just one of the ways you can do so.
Serving Calgarians for 60 years, every February, Meals on Wheels looks to fill the gap for Calgarians facing food insecurity by delivering nutritious and affordable meals to those in need. Last year, they sent out 1.4 million meals from their facilities.
The YYC Hot Chocolate Fes...
The Reflector •

Fascism is a total drag! | The Reflector

Neo-nazis, Pizzagate, and beanie babies, oh my! What do all of these things have in common? You’d be right if you guessed the rise of neofascism and even more right if you thought they were topics that Karla Marx focused on during her History with a Drag Queen Show at Mount Royal University’s (MRU) student bar, West Gate Social.Hosted by QriTical, The Neo-Fascist Electric Boogaloo: Part Two kicked off on Thursday with a performance by Marx herself to Cher’s “If I Could Turn Back Time” and a brie...
Calgary Journal •

Freaks and fans:The Rocky Horror legacy

As The Rocky Horror Picture Show kicked off its 49th-anniversary show at MacEwan Hall, fans got to feed the obsession that relieves their tension.

The evening started with a sit-down interview with Nell Campbell, who played Columbia in the original film. That was then followed by a costume contest showcasing the creativity and passion Rocky fans bring to make the show come alive.
A shadow cast also helps to bring things alive onstage by recreating the events in tandem with the movie. Their most...
Calgary Journal •

Alberta student loan changes already affecting learners

Spencer Patterson is a non-binary student at Mount Royal University, in their first year of the social work program. This isn’t their first year as a student. 

Patterson began studying in the journalism program, pursuing the degree into the program’s third year. Shortly after, they realized that their skills would be better applied to a social work degree. 

However, with a new change made to Alberta Student Aid financial coverage, Patterson and many other Alberta students might be coming up sh...
The Reflector •

“They refused to cooperate:” Calgary Police accused of intimidation following pro-Palestine protest | The Reflector

Acacia Carol, Contributor | 
12 protesters were ticketed and three were arrested by the Calgary Police Service (CPS) on Sept.  15, following officers’ response to “a non-permitted event.” 
The protest, which was organized by the Calgary Coalition for Palestine and the Calgary Student Movement (CSM) in coordination with various other organisations, began in Tomkins Park before proceeding west down 17th Avenue S.W. towards 14 Street S.W.
In a statement on X following the event, police outlined con...
The Reflector •

Trump, Harris & everyone in between | The Reflector

Acacia Carol, Contributor | 
As the debate opened Tuesday night, moderators David Muir and Lindsey Davis laid out the conditions of the debate: 90 minutes broken by two commercial breaks, each candidate allotted two minutes to answer and one minute for clarification or responses. No audience would be present. 
Although many issues were covered and responded to by both candidates, the main points of discussion were: the economy, abortion, immigration, policy changes, peaceful transfer of office,...
Calgary Journal •

Adapting to change and embracing community

Jennifer Hohenstein’s preschool classroom is the epitome of inspiration with its bright windows, eccentric decorations and inviting atmosphere. It seems only fitting that an influential classroom houses such an influential cornerstone to the Crossroads community in northeast Calgary such as Hohenstein — better known as Miss Jenn to her students. 

The Crossroads Community Preschool has been around for generations and Hohenstein has been a pillar of education and involvement at the school for 16...
Calgary Journal •

A spidey-sense of self

How do you stereotype yourself? In the spirit of honesty, I stereotype myself as a plucky Gen Z introvert with an affinity for cats. It’s nice to be placed in this box — I even hung up some posters. 

What about superheroes? What are the stereotypes, how do you identify with them? If I had to guess, I’d probably say something akin to Superman — a strong man in tights with superhuman strength or abilities beyond our comprehension. But it’s hard to identify with a man who can lift a plane when you...
Calgary Journal •

Pink Christmas: How one grassroots is supporting Calgary’s most vulnerable through the holidays

Have Calgary streets gotten pinker recently? Thanks to Street Sisters, a grassroots organization that never misses a Monday, it certainly looks that way. 

Dana Lyons co-founded the Street Sisters in 2019 after noticing that a Calgary demographic needed specialized support: unhoused single women. She and other advocates began approaching organizations around the city to see if there was a way to create balance within existing support systems. 

“We saw a gap for women and the specific needs that...
The Reflector •

Overconsuming overconsumption | The Reflector

For a generation labelled as planet saviours, Generation Z sure has a lot of explaining to do. Now, we’re not calling all of you imposters. We’re on the same team (04’ babies, anyone?), and sometimes, unintentionally, we may bite off more than we can chew. 
What we’re referring to is the mass amount of overconsumption that has dramatically increased since the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of clothes the average consumer purchases has increased by over 60 per cent in the last 25 years, not to men...