The mental stability of University of Toronto Mississauga students hinges on the presence of one shining beacon: the Beavertail truck.
“I’ll be walking to my sociology lecture, stressed about my assignments and presentations, trying to think of one reason to not jump off the library roof, and then I see it, the truck, and I feel calm for one sole moment in my life.” A third-year sociology major told The Medium. “I see the beautiful red truck and I know I can drown my sorrows in a maple beaver tail and hot chocolate.”
The Beavertail truck, usually found between the ICCIT building and the Student Centre on select Thursdays and Fridays, has been a UTM staple for years, and generally the only source of stability in students’ lives.
The Medium caught up with one of the workers of the Beavertail truck. “Sometimes a student will start crying as I hand them their poutine. This one girl touched my hand for a solid ten seconds and whispered ‘thank you’ to me. It’s usually tears of joy I think, but I do worry. If they order a cinnamon and sugar, they’re usually doing alright, but if they get a cheesecake beavertail, or even a beaverdog, then I know they are in crisis. No one orders a beaverdog and hopes to wake up tomorrow.”
With decreasing support and faith in the HCC, students have been flocking to the food truck for assistance and their sugar fix.
Due to the mental health crisis at U of T, the university is promising to pledge an additional three million dollars to mental health funding, with $2.5 million going to securing more frequent beavertail trucks, and the rest being spent on another pile of rocks.
