2020 Personal & Business Tax Filing * Business & Corporate Tax Filing * HST Filing * Accounting & Bookkeeping
Tel: 416-638-2275 Fax: 416-638-2270 see pg. 8
Vol. 25 No. 6 June 2021
Website: www.ekehefinancial.com Email: info@ekehefinancial.com
4699 Keele St., #204, Toronto, ON, M3J 2N8
Advertising : 416-916-3700
BUYING
SELLING
INVESTING
Nana Osei-Wireko Real Estate Broker
416.917.4298 soldbynana@gmail.com HOMELIFE MIRACLE REALTY LTD., BROKERAGE 5010 Steeles Ave. W., Suite 11A Toronto ON M9V 5C6 | OFF: 416 747-9777 *Independently Owned & Operated
Email: info@ghanaiannews.ca Website: www.ghanaiannews.ca
The KEEPING YOU IN TOUCH WITH NEWS FROM HOME AND LOCAL COMMUNITY ISSUES
1111 Albion Rd. #103, Etobicoke, Ont. M9V 1A9 Tel: 416-916-3700 Fax: 416-916-6701
How Canada Day was observed in 2021 Cities cancelled plans in solidarity with Indigenous people, and the pandemic still affects the typical Canada Day celebrations Indigenous communities and allies are calling for justice for the children who died in residential schools across Turtle Island, which is now known as North America.
By: Emmanuel Ayiku, Toronto, ON. This year as the pandemic continues to shape our daily lives, Canadians are also reckoning with the country’s relationship with Indigenous people and which made 2021 Canada Day very different.
In Canada alone there are 139 residential schools identified in the federal government’s Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement. There will likely be many more discoveries as searches of residential school grounds continue.
Canada Day celebrations on July 1 2021was quieter and more modest as compare to previous years, people continue to distance themselves in an effort to contain the spread of COVID-19. Many Canadian provinces are still in the early stages of reopening and have restrictions in place. As a result, the usual large gatherings, outdoor concerts, parades, sporting events, and historical re-enactments were largely moved to virtual formats. Despite the current challenges, Canada still marked its 154th anniversary, celebrating with unique identity, cultural richness, and highlights its Canadian values of inclusion and diversity. Usually, Canada Day celebrations include a daytime show and large evening shows on Parliament Hill. This year, for the second time in a row, the inperson Canada Day festivities were cancelled in Ottawa due to the pandemic. Therefore 2021 Canada Day main show took place virtually and in some cities across the country traditional fireworks displays, a common Canada day feature in many communities went on. Some municipalities also found ways to allow their residents to celebrate the event in person by spreading the activities over a few days, while others organized house-decorating competitions and a smaller-scale variety of outdoor activities at a social distance. Instead of donning red and white, many residents wore orange, which signifies the residential school experience, and Indigenous resilience. It was also for global citizens showing their commitment to the ongoing process of reconciliation. This year Canada Day follows the discovery of more than a thousand unmarked graves of Indigenous children who lost their lives in residential schools. As such, there was a national discussion on whether
Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, Photo: Globalvillagespace.com
or not it should be celebrated at all and as such celebration was cancelled.
GhanaianCanadian to become an Ombudsman
Residential schools were run and sponsored by white European settlers between 1831 and 1996. At its height around 1930, the residential school system totaled 80 institutions. The Roman Catholic Church operated three-fifths of the schools, the Anglican Church one-quarter and the United and Presbyterian Churches the remainder Canada was founded in 1867. Indigenous people have lived on this land for thousands of years before colonization. They have their own nations, languages, and cultures. The function of residential schools was to assimilate Indigenous people into a Euro-centric society. These institutions were funded by the Canadian government, and largely operated by the Catholic Church. Indigenous children were taken from their families, subject to abuse, and thousands died either at the location or trying to find their way home. In late May, the remains of 215 children were found at a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C. There have been more findings since: 751 children found in Marieval, Saskatchewan; 104 in Brandon, Manitoba; 38 in Regina, Saskatchewan; 35 in Lestock, Saskatchewan; and 182 unmarked graves were reported found in Cranbrook B.C.,
Kwame Addo Toronto City Council has unanimously voted to appoint Mr. Kwame Addo as Toronto’s third Ombudsman. Mr. Addo brings extensive experience to the position, having spent most of his professional career working in Ombudsman organizations. Mr. Addo began working in the field at Ombudsman Ontario and moved to Ombudsman Toronto in cont’d on pg. 5