NABC News
NABCNewsistheofficialnewsletterfortheNationalAssociationofBahamiansin Canada(NABC).IfyouareaBahamianlivinginCanadaorifyou'reconcernedabout Bahamianissues,thisistheplacetostayinformed
NABCNewsisanewsletterintendedtokeepyouinformedabouttheactivitiesofthe NABCandissuesaffectingtheBahamiancommunityinCanada,fromalocal perspective.Wehopethisnewsletterwillserveasaninformativeandvaluable resourceforourreaders
Inthisissue,weintroduceyoutoournewBoardofDirectors,electedOctober2022 anddiscussupcomingevents,waysyoucangetinvolvedwithNABCandsome helpfultaxandholidayinformation Readonandenjoy!
Formoreinformationonanyofthesetopicsortogetintouchwithus,sendusan emailtoinfo@nabcandfriends com
Tax Season is Coming - 8 Holiday Calendar - 9 In this issue: New Year, New Board - 2 NABC NEWS Read about the latest news and updates from NABC! 2023 Q1
Our Events - 4 Become A Member - 5 Get Involved, Get Involved! - 7
NABClogo-createdbyMelissaWilkinson
New Year, New Board
MeetthenewestmembersofTheNationalAssociationofBahamiansinCanadaExecutiveBoard
On Saturday, October 15, 2022, NABC held it's Annual General Meeting and elected a new Board of Directors. Since being elected, the Board members have been hard at work planning the renewal and revamping of the NABC, brainstorming ideas for building awareness and engagement, fundraising and events, as well as how to better serve the Bahamian diaspora in Canada You'll learn more about some of our ideas as you read the pagesofthisnewsletterandfutureissuesofthenewsletter
The new board would like to extend thanks to the outgoing board members and a number of advisors who have been instrumental in helping to keep the NABC running over the last several years, through Hurricane Dorian and the global Covid-19 pandemic. We would like to say thank you especially to the outgoing president Montez Knowles, outgoing Director of Memberships Prescott Davis and outgoing Director of FinanceMichaelReckley.Inaddition,severalothersworkedwiththeboardinanadvisorycapacity,including ZhorrahGrantandBarryHall Lastly,we'dliketoextendaveryspecialthankyoutoDevonniaMiller,whohas put in significant effort in the background to prepare our publications - flyers, announcements and even this newsletter! Thank you for all your efforts over the past several years and we look forward to continuing to workwithyouandthelargerBahamiancommunitytogrowandexpandtheNABC.
President-JasminW.Dorsett
JasminisaproudBahamianwhogrewupinNassau,New Providence,BahamaspriortomovingtoCanada,whereshehas livedforthepast20years.SheattendedStAnne'sPrimaryand HighSchools(Nassau),followedbyLesterBPearsonCollegeof thePacific(PedderBay,BC),andlaterattendedMcMaster University(Hamilton,Ontario)
ShecurrentlylivesinHamilton,Ontarioandworksatasoftware company,basedinMississauga,Ontario.Jasminisadesignated CharteredProfessionalAccountantwithexperienceinexternal audit,FinancialPlanning,Reporting,SoftwareImplementation andProductMarketing.
Inherpersonalandprofessionallives,Jasminispassionate aboutDiversity,EquityandInclusion(DEI),genderequity,and increasingblackrepresentationinSTEM Thesepassions promptedhertorunforPresidentoftheNABCafterbeing approachedbyfellowBahamianswhoencouragedhertorun.
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DirectorofMemberships-JoshuaMoss
Josh is a Bahamian-Canadian who was born in Canada,butspentmuchofhischildhoodinNassau Since moving back to Canada in his teens, he has sought to find ways to connect the Bahamas and Canada
Now, as a realtor in the Greater Toronto Area, Josh seeks to help Bahamians establish a sense of community and find ways to maintain and share theircultureinCanada
Secretary-NikishaEvans
NikishaisaBahamian-Canadianinspirational speaker,author,podcasthost,entrepreneur andlicensedParalegalwhocurrentlylivesin London,Ontario.Inadditiontobeing SecretaryoftheNABC,NikishaistheInterim PresidentoftheCongressofBlackWomenof Canada,LondonChapter.Sheholdsa BachelorofScienceinProfessional Management,aswellasgraduatediplomasin HumanResourceManagementandParalegal studies.
Our Events
PastEvents
OurfirsteventoftheyearwasavirtualgamesnightthatwasheldonFriday,January27th Wehad over20personsinattendance,withrepresentativesfromatleastthreeprovincesandanumberof differentcities.Itwasatonoffun!Weplayedanonline,Bahamianizedversionofapopularboard gamecalledCodenamesandtherewasabigrivalrybetweenthetwoteamsandwegottoeducate someofthegameparticipantsonsomeelementsofBahamianfolkculture Doyouknowwhata chickcharneyis?
ThechickcharneyisalegendarycreatureinthefolkloreofAndrosIslandintheBahamaIslands Itissaidtoliveinthe forests,isfurryorfeathered,andabout3feet(0.91metres)tall,withanuglyappearanceresemblinganowl.Incommon legend,ifatravelermeetsachickcharneyandtreatsitwell,theywillberewardedwithgoodluck,whiletreatinga chickcharneybadlywillresultinbadluckandhardtimes.
50thIndependenceAnniversaryCelebrations
2023marksthe50thanniversaryofBahamianindependence,sowewillofcoursebehavingafew independence-themedevents. Thesearestillintheplanningstagesandyou'llstarthearingabout theminourupcomingcommunications.
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THENATIONALASSOCIATIONOFBAHAMIANSINCANADAPRESENTS Tuesday,December27 Fromthecomfortofyourhome Doorsopenat:6:00pm
ForwardUpwardOnwardTogetherWebinarSeries
Wehaveseveraleventsplannedoverthenextfewmonths,includingaseriesofinformational/service basedwebinarstohelpyou,yourkidsandfamilymembersbetteradapttolifeinCanadawhilelearning usefultipsandpractices,sothatwecanmoveforward,upwardandonwardtogetherasaBahamian community Ourgoalistohavethesewebinarsonatleastaquarterlybasisandtocoveravarietyof topicsthatareimportanttotheBahamiandiasporainCanada.
ThefirstwebinarintheserieswillbecominguponMarch19,2023andwillfocusonthetopicof ImmigrationforBahamianslivinginCanada.Youcanfindmoreinformationonthiseventonthenext pageandclickheretoregister Toattendthiswebinarfreeofcharge,firstregisterformembershipwith NABCandthenemailusatinfo@nabcandfriends.comwithyournameandmembershipnumbertoask foryouruniquememberonlydiscountcode.
ThesecondwebinarintheserieswillbeheldduringthemonthofAprilandwillcoverthetopicsof housing&rentals Staytunedformoreinformationonthatwebinarcomingsoon
Ifyouhaveideasforotherevents,orwouldliketoparticipateinplanningorhostinganevent(inpersonor virtually,anywhereinCanada),besuretogetintouchwithusatinfo@nabcandfriends com
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Become a Member and Make a Difference
BybecomingamemberoftheNationalAssociationofBahamiansinCanada,youbecomeasupporterofourgoals andobjectives,whilesupportingthewiderBahamiancommunityinCanadathroughouractivitiesandinitiatives Readmoreaboutthebenefitsofmembership,aswellasthetypesofmembershipandthefeesassociatedbelow. Clickheretobecomeamember
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Get Involved! Get Involved!
RunningtheNABCsuccessfully,providingbenefitsandkeepingmembersengagedtakeslotsofeffortandplanning. Ifyou,orsomeoneyouknowisinterestedinbeingmoreinvolvedwiththeNABC,youcanletusknowhere.For businessesorbusinessowners,signuphereBelowarejustsomeofthemanywaysforyoutogetinvolvedwith NABC
BecomeaBoardMember:Therearestillanumberofpositionsstillavailableontheboard(Vice-President, DirectorofFinance,DirectorofCommunications,SpecialEventsCommitteeChair)
BecomeaCommitteeMember:TheNABCboardislookingtoformanumberofcommittees,includingofcoursea 50thIndependenceCelebrationcommitteeandaFundraisingCommittee.
Volunteerforaspecificevent/webinar:Ifyouhaveaspecialareaofinterestofexpertise,orifyoujustwantto helpout,volunteerforoneofourevents,orsuggestaneventthatwecanplan
Giveusyourideas,yourskillsandyourtime:Therearemanyotherareasinwhichyoucancontributetohelping theNABCrunsmoothly,efficientlyandhelpustofulfilourmissionandvision.Whetherit'shelpingoutwithweb designorsocialmediaandpromotions,helpingustoapplyfornot-for-profitfundingandgrants,oranyother areasyoumaybeabletocontributeto,welookforwardtoworkingwithyou!
ConnectyourBahamianGroupswithours:AreyouapartofanotherBahamiangroupinCanadaonWhatsApp, Facebook,orelsewhere?ConnectyouradminswithNABCsothatwecanallworktogethertoimproveand coordinateevents,activitiesandinitiativestogether.Emailusatinfo@nabcandfriends.com.
Spreadtheword:IfyouknowotherBahamians,letthemknowaboutNABC.TheycanjoinourWhatsAppor FacebookGroups,becomeapayingmember,oralloftheabove.
Ownabusiness?JoinourBusinessDirectory:Ifyouorafamilymemberownsabusinessthatyouwouldliketo promotewithNABCmembers,youcanapplytojoinourBusinessDirectoryTheBusinessDirectorywillbe promotedwithinallourgroupsandonoursocialmediaplatforms,providingyourbusinesswithadditional exposure,andyouwillbeabletoprovideaspecialpromotionaldiscounttovalidmemberstoencouragethem tosupportyourbusiness.
ClickheretolistentoaBahamianclassicre-envisioned!
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Tax Season is Coming!
Theendof2022meansanothertaxyeariscompletedforpersonaltaxreturns!Youcanspendthenextfewmonths gatheringyourtaxformsandweighingyouroptionsforhowyouwanttofileyourtaxes(manuallythroughthemail, usingataxpreparationsoftware,orusingataxaccountant)-butnomatterwhichmethodyouchoose,makesureyou getyourtaxesinontime!
BelowaresomeusefultaxtipsandadvicefromIndiraMajor,CPA,CGA,afellowBahamian,whoisalsoatax accountantinOntario.Specialbonus!Thefirst5personstocontactNABC(info@nabcandfriends.com)foraspecial discountcodewillgeta20%discountonpersonaltaxpreparationserviceswithMajorTax&Accounting.Actfastto getyourdiscountcode!
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2023 HOLIDAY CALENDAR
ThefollowinglistofholidaysmaybehelpfulforthosewishingtotrackholidaysinTheBahamasandCanada. Thisisnotanofficiallistandassuch,youshouldconsultotherofficialsourcestoverifytheaccuracyofthe listedholidaysandobservances
Observed:ThisholidayfallsonaweekendandisobservedthefollowingMonday Optional:ThisholidaymaynotbeobservedinallCanadianProvinces Inprovinceswhereitisobserved,it maybeoptional,suchthatitisnotrecognizedbyallbusinessesandorganizations
New Year's Day
Majority Rule Day
Family Day
Monday, January 2, 2023 (Observed)
Tuesday, January 10, 2023
Bahamas and Canada
Bahamas
Monday, February 20, 2023
Canada (Alberta, British Columbia,New Brunswick, Ontario, Saskatchewan)
Louis Riel Day Monday, February 20, 2023
Heritage Day Monday, February 20, 2023
Islander Day Monday, February 20, 2023
Yukon Heritage Day Friday, February 24, 2023
St Patrick's Day
Monday, March 20, 2023 (Observed)
Good Friday Friday, April 7, 2023
Easter Monday Monday, April 10, 2023
Canada (Manitoba)
Canada (Nova Scotia)
Canada (Prince Edward Island)
Canada (Yukon)
Canada (Newfoundland & Labrador)
Bahamas and Canada
Bahamas and Canada (Optional)
St George's Day
Monday, April 24, 2023 (Observed)
Canada (Newfoundland & Labrador)
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Holiday Name
Date Observed
Country Observed
National Patriots' Day
Monday, May 22, 2023
Canada (Quebec)
Victoria Day
Monday, May 22, 2023
Canada (All except Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island)
Whit Monday
Monday, May 29, 2023
Bahamas
Labour Day
National Indigenous Peoples Day
St. Jean Baptiste Day
Discovery Day
Friday, June 2, 2023
Bahamas
Wednesday, June 21, 2023
Monday, June 26, 2023 (Observed)
Monday, June 26, 2023 (Observed)
Canada Day Monday, July 3, 2023 (Observed)
Independence Day
Nunavut Day
Orangemen's Day
Monday, July 10, 2023
Canada (Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Yukon)
Canada (Quebec)
Canada (Newfoundland & Labrador)
Canada
Bahamas
Monday, July 10, 2023
Canada (Nunavut)
Wednesday, July 12, 2023
Regatta Day
Wednesday, August 2, 2023
Canada (Newfoundland and Labrador)
Canada (Newfoundland and Labrador)
Emancipation Day
Monday, August 7, 2023
Bahamas
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Holiday Name
Date Observed
Country Observed
Civic Holiday
Monday, August 7, 2023
Canada (New Brunswick, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Ontario, Saskatchewan)
Heritage Day
Monday, August 7, 2023
Canada (Alberta)
British Columbia Day
Monday, August 7, 2023
Canada (British Columbia)
Terry Fox Day
Monday, August 7, 2023
Canada (Manitoba)
New Brunswick Day
Monday, August 7, 2023
Saskatchewan Day Monday, August 7, 2023
Discovery Day
Labour Day
National Day for Truth & Reconciliation(Orange Shirt Day)
Thanksgiving
National Heroes Day
Remembrance Day
Monday, August 21, 2023
Monday, September 4, 2023
Monday, October 2, 2023 (Observed)
Monday, October 9, 2023
Monday, October 9, 2023
Monday, November 13, 2023 (Observed)
Christmas Day Monday, December 25, 2023
Boxing Day Tuesday, December 26, 2023
Canada (New Brunswick)
Canada (Saskatchewan)
Canada (Yukon)
Canada
Canada (Optional)
Canada (Optional)
Bahamas
Canada (Optional)
Bahamas and Canada
Bahamas and Canada (Optional)
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NABC
Contact your Association
The National Association of Bahamians in Canada (formerly "ABC) is a non-profit organization comprised of Bahamians, Bahamian-Canadians, their families and friends, and other supporters. We host Bahamian social events, fundraisers, promote Bahamian culture in Canada to further a prosperous relationship between The Bahamas and Canada The Association has specific charitable purposes that it supports Most notably, disaster resiliency efforts through our hurricane relief fund and educational sponsorship
Admin Office
E-mail: Website: www nabcandfriends com
info@nabcandfriends.com