Taxed To Death

Canada’s Leading Caribbean Newspaper

Volume 14 • Issue 25

Wednesday, January 14 2026

“When the Bank of Canada explicitly tells us that we must “Accept a lower standard of living,” they are telling you to shrink your dreams to fit their balance sheets...”

FULL STORY - PAGE 8

PAGE 2

FEATURE

Toronto Caribbean News | www.TorontoCaribbean.com | Wednesday, January 14, 2026

IRETI OJO

Photo Credit: Kofi Asem Photography

Taking full advantage of every fashionable moment Think of our Woman Empowered’s approach to life and fashion like a master weaver working at a loom. While others might only see a piece of clothing only for its colour, and fabric, she sees the entire outfit before the first knot is tied. She doesn’t just add accessories for the sake of decoration. She builds her creative looks layer by layer, ensuring that even if the world outside is chaotic, her look, and her confidence is strong enough to hold the weight of tomorrow.

When I first sat with Ireti Ojo, I didn’t immediately see the forty-five fashion shows she has anchored in just the last three years. You don’t see the frantic, sweat-drenched backstage air of Toronto’s emerging fashion scene, or the meticulous rows of “Stylist Archive” pieces that have graced the pages of international magazines. Instead, you see a woman who carries herself with a humility so profound it almost feels like a veil.

To know Ireti is to understand that her work: shaping frames, styling bodies, and directing the visual soul of a shoot, is an act of resistance against the fragility of time.

Away from the social media credits and the professional bylines, Ireti defines herself through the lens of survival and gratitude. “I’m somebody who loves life and knows that tomorrow is never promised for any one of us,” she says, her voice grounded in a foundation built by her parents. For Ireti, every morning she wakes up is a gift that some are denied, and this awareness keeps her rooted. She does not move through the world with the entitlement of the perpetually seen; she moves with the purpose of the perpetually grateful.

Her journey into image-making was never a calculated pursuit of fame, but a natural evolution of a girl who saw the world in colour. In high school, she was already a quiet disruptor of the status quo, layering men’s blazers and cardigans with brooches. She curated trends from what was available, creating a signature so compelling that her brothers would often raid her closet for their own wardrobes. To Ireti, no colour is taboo, and the outcome of a creative endeavour is only limited by one’s willingness to throw things together and see what sticks.

There is a specific, quiet power

in the way she describes her process. She is a multi-skilled visual practitioner: Creative Director, Stylist, Wardrobe Consultant, and Makeup Artist, who is used to wearing every hat on agile, independent sets. When she prepares for a shoot, the work begins weeks in advance. It is a period of deep mental processing where she envisions how a model will “pop” on camera. Unlike many in the industry who rely on temporary pulls from retail stores, Ireti draws from her own archive, using her personal wardrobe to build narratives from the ground up.

A typical day on set with her frequent collaborator, photographer Jim Orgill, is a study in intentional build-up.

She starts at 11:00 a.m., working with a level-headedness that belies the inherent chaos of the industry. She has mastered the art of the “build-up,” starting with the most basic looks and makeup and layering on the drama until the final shot is a peak of avant-garde extravagance.

This efficiency is about emotional intelligence. She knows that the lights are hot, the hours are long, and the energy in a room can shift in a heartbeat.

“If one starts losing their head over something small, you kind of set the tone for everyone else,” she observes, reflecting on the chaotic backstage reality of fashion. In those moments of high tension, where models must be un-clothed and re-clothed for three different designers in a matter of minutes, Ireti remains the anchor. She understands that while the public only sees the seamless result of the runway, the true work happens in the heat of the struggle.

Yet, for all her success, there is a lingering sense that she is still learning to see her own brilliance. During our conversation, her humility was so striking it was almost disarming; it felt as though she didn’t fully realize she deserved the spotlight. Her body of work speaks a truth that words sometimes miss. Her portfolio is a testament to the belief that creativity is an extension of the self, a way to evoke emotion and motivate the soul in a world that can often feel “blah” or boring.

She speaks of the Toronto fashion scene with a fierce, protective pride.

She sees the “overflow of talent” in the city’s university hubs and community events, and she laments that this brilliance often goes unrecognized because

it isn’t situated in New York, Europe, or Japan. To Ireti, Toronto is a “Force to be reckoned with,” an era of self-appreciation where creatives are finally refusing to be restricted.

However, her most resonant insights are about the sanctity of one’s circle. Ireti is resolute about the necessity of letting go. She speaks candidly about “Toxic vampires, the energy-sucking people who settle for the status quo and pull you back just as you take a step forward.

Why do you have to settle for that?” she asks. Instead, she sticks to projects, that truly move her and people who support her growth, “I help out at CCA_CANADA (Couture, Culture and Arts) run by Claris Manglicmot. This has been very rewarding. I also took a styling workshop from Toronto Fashion Academy and another with Brenda Foreman a couple years ago. I had already come with my style, but it helped with networking.’

As she looks toward the legacy she is building, Ireti is focused on the integrity of her time. She wants the older version of herself to look back and know that she took full advantage of every moment because she kept the promise, she made to herself: that life is fleeting. She likens the human potential to a butterfly made to change, made to grow, and made to be promising.

Her work is a different way of looking at an outfit, a way of saying, “Wow, I didn’t know those pieces could go together,” but her life is a different way of looking at existence. It is a reminder that we are all creative beings, often unaware of how much more we could get out of life if we simply changed our mindset and paved our own way.

Ireti Ojo is styling a life built on the bedrock of truth and the urgency of the present. She reminds us that while we might all be scared, if we don’t try, we have nowhere to go. Her archive is full, her eye is sharp, and her spirit is resolute, anchored by the simple, beautiful fact that she woke up today

Written by Simone J. Smith Toronto Caribbean News

Personal Injury Accident Specialists Motor Vehicle Accident Slip & Fall Injuries Landlord and Tenant

ABRAHAM LEGAL SERVICES

Personal Injury Claims Provincial Offences Pedestrian Accidents

Contact Abraham Legal for a FREE Consultation TEL: 647-696-4898 470 Chrysler Drive Unit 1 Brampton Serving Durham Region, Peel and Halton Region and Toronto and the GTA

Wednesday, January 14, 2026 | www.TorontoCaribbean.com | Toronto Caribbean News

NEWS & VIEWS

PAGE 3

Hear 2 Help Jamaica: Witnessing resilience through the lens of shared humanity SIMONE SMITH simone@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

“The government might try to tape the edges back together (a temporary fix).

Grassroots movements like HOV and Ubuntu Outreach are the community builders who step in ensuring the broken communities in Western Jamaica come back stronger than they were.”

Simone Jennifer Smith The cameras have long since packed up their tripods, and the news cycle has moved toward the next crisis, leaving behind a silence that is far from peaceful.

In the heart of Petersfield, Westmoreland, the air is thick with a question that remains largely unasked in our global discourse; what becomes of a person’s spirit when the “temporary” shelter they were promised becomes a site of impending eviction?

We often talk about recovery in terms of infrastructure: roads cleared, power grids restored, and roofs patched, but through my work with Hear 2 Help, and my alignment with the grassroots movements currently unfolding in Ja-

maica, I have come to realize that the most critical infrastructure is the human one. When a hurricane hits, it threatens the very sense of belonging and dignity that allows a community to function.

In Petersfield, the reality on the ground is layered and complex, becoming more glaring as time passes. There was the looming deadline of December 31st, 2025, a date that should have signified a new beginning, but instead marked a terrifying end for the residents of the Petersfield High School Shelter.

One hundred and eighty-five people, who have already lost everything to the storm, were being told they must leave.

Among them is Tricia Cunningham, a woman holding a household of nine together, including a three-month-old and a one-month-old infant. Then there is Ali, a tour guide and a first responder with the HOV Mobile Disaster Dispatch Unit, who has spent seven weeks delivering aid to thousands, only to find himself with nowhere to go if the shelter closes its doors.

The unasked question here is why we require those in the deepest throes of trauma to be “resilient” before we offer them safety. As the sources remind us, it is not time to be resilient yet; it is time to help victims get back on their feet.

This is why I am so profoundly motivated by the work of Humanity Ova Vanity (HOV) and Ubuntu Outreach.

These organizations are manifestations of a “community-first” lens that I strive to model in my own strategic storytelling. Donisha Prendergast and her team are not waiting for government intervention. They are actively implementing temporary housing solutions, such as Community Resilience Hubs made from pre-made container homes. These units offer a dignified and humane experience while permanent solutions are finalized, ensuring that families like Tricia’s have a safe, transitional space with social support.

We must shift our perspective from “temporary solutions” to “transitional solutions.” A tent is a temporary solution, but as noted by national leadership during visits to the shelter, it is often not a viable, or dignified one. A transitional solution, however, involves social workers, coordinated agencies, and an understanding of the “Response-Ability” of the government and private citizens alike.

My commitment to Hear 2 Help Jamaica is fueled by this very necessity.

We have recently sent barrels to Chef Brian Lumley and his Ubuntu Outreach initiative, which operates on the profound African philosophy of “I am because you are.” Chef Lumley is reaching into the remote, isolated communities that larger relief efforts often overlook, areas where women, children, and the elderly face prolonged hardship due to damaged in-

frastructure.

True advocacy is about closing the curiosity gap between those who want to help and those who are suffering. It is about educating while informing. For instance, HOV has created a Community Resilience Recovery Toolkit, which includes needs-based assessment templates and shelter management protocols to guide others toward a more efficient and equitable response. This is about establishing purposefully built shelters and protocols so that Jamaicans are prioritized in disaster situations every year.

When we see Trishauna, a former shelter resident now living in an unleveled, leaking, two-bedroom structure with eleven other people, we must refuse to let this experience be normalized. New policies and protocols must be created to protect the people, and the infrastructure of the nation.

I do this work because I believe in lifting each other up. Our humanity is shared, and when one part of the collective is displaced, the entire structure is unstable. Whether it is through donating to raise the $100,000 USD needed for sustained support, or simply sharing the stories of those in Petersfield, we are participating in a movement of restoration.

We are refining our collective compassion through action. Let us not wait for the next storm to ask the questions that matter today.

BLUE BINS: NO LONGER CITY-RUN January 1, 2026: Private company takes over residential recycling collection (provincial requirement).

MANAGED BY THE CITY OF TORONTO

MANAGED BY PRIVATE COMPANY

Toronto.ca/Recycling

NEWS & VIEWS

Wednesday, January 14, 2026 | www.TorontoCaribbean.com | Toronto Caribbean News

PAGE 5

Community Isn’t a Buzzword, It’s How We Survive There’s a word that gets used a lot these days — community. It appears in speeches, marketing campaigns, social media captions, and mission statements. It’s often said quickly, almost casually. But for many of us, especially within the Caribbean community, community has never been a trendy word or a talking point. It has always been a lifeline.

Right now, people are feeling the weight of everything. The cost of living continues to rise. Small businesses are under constant pressure. Families are stretched thin, juggling responsibilities, finances, and emotional fatigue, all while trying to keep some sense of balance. In moments like these, it becomes very clear who truly has a community — and who is left navigating these challenges alone.

Our community understands hardship because it has lived it before. Long before there were formal support systems, grants, or safety nets, we created our own.

We leaned on each other. We shared what little we had. We showed up for one another, not because it was easy, but because it was necessary. That spirit didn’t come from comfort — it came from resilience, survival, and a deep sense of responsibility to one another.

Community isn’t just about celebrations, food, or festivals, as important as those moments are. It’s about checking in on your neighbour. It’s about supporting a local business even when budgets are tight. It’s about patience, understanding, and compassion, especially when you don’t know what someone else may be going through behind closed doors. Community is about remembering that none of us are meant to do this alone.

For many immigrant families, community was the difference between making it and giving up. It was the auntie who watched the children so parents could work.

It was the friend who shared information, advice, or opportunity. It was the church, the barbershop, the restaurant, or the small business that became a place of connection and belonging. These informal networks didn’t make headlines, but they quietly held people together — and they still do today.

This is why supporting Caribbeanowned businesses matters so much, especially during difficult economic times. It isn’t

charity. It’s preservation. These businesses are more than storefronts. They are gathering spaces. They are employers. They are cultural anchors that keep our history, traditions, and stories alive. When we support them, we are investing back into the very fabric that supports all of us.

It’s also why community media matters now more than ever. Independent newspapers don’t exist just to report headlines — they exist to tell the stories that might otherwise be overlooked. They exist to reflect the lived experiences of the people they serve, not just when things are celebratory, but when things are challenging and uncomfortable as well.

At the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper, we take that responsibility seriously.

We don’t see ourselves as separate from the community — we are part of it. The stories we publish, the voices we amplify, and the issues we choose to cover come from a place of care, accountability, and connection. Our goal has always been to serve, not sensationalize.

In times like these, it can be tempting to pull inward, to focus solely on survival. That instinct is understandable. But history has shown us time and time again that our greatest strength has always been collective. When we show up for each other — intentionally, consistently, and with compassion — we create resilience that no economic pressure can fully erase.

Community is built in the small, everyday moments. It’s built when we choose empathy over judgment. When we shop local. When we share information. When we listen without rushing to respond. When we remember that behind every business, every headline, every family, there are real people doing their best with what they have.

As we move forward, let’s be mindful of how we show up for one another. Let’s protect the spaces that bring us together.

Let’s support the institutions, businesses, and voices that serve the community with integrity and heart. And let’s remember that community isn’t something we talk about when it’s convenient — it’s something we live, especially when times are hard.

Because community isn’t a buzzword.

It’s how we survive.

CANADA’S LEADING CARIBBEAN NEWSPAPER Selina McCallum TC REPORTER selina@carib101.com

Noel Cunningham FOOD | CULINARY noel@carib101.com

Dave Rankin AFRICAN HISTORY dave@carib101.com

Jay Brijpaul REAL ESTATE jay@carib101.com

TORONTO CARIBBEAN NEWS INC. 55 Rutherford Rd. S., Suite 205, Brampton ON L6W 3J3 647-722-6298 | www.TOCaribNews.com

Simone J. Smith TC REPORTER simone@carib101.com

Dave Rankin TC REPORTER dave@carib101.com

Dr. Vikas Puri HEALTH | WELLNESS drpuri@carib101.com

Paul Junor EDUCATION paul@carib101.com

Fazaad Bacchus FINANCE SPECIALIST fazaad@carib101.com

PUBLISHER | EDITOR Grant Browning grant@carib101.com

Michael Thomas TC REPORTER michael@carib101.com

Christina Gwira TC TECH REPORTER christina@carib101.com

Errol A. Gibbs PHILOSOPHER errol@carib101.com

Brittney Channer SOCIAL JUSTICE brittney@carib101.com

Andrew Stewart FAMILY INSURANCE andrew@carib101.com

EDITOR | PROOFING Alanna Zelau alanna@carib101.com

Stephen Weir TC REPORTER stephen@carib101.com

Paul Junor TC EDUCATION REPORTER paul@carib101.com

Simone J. Smith HUMAN SPECIALIST simone@carib101.com

Christina Gwira TECHNOLOGY christina@carib101.com

Kayla Karim CARIBBEAN SPORTS kayla@carib101.com

ADVERTISING MANAGER Trish Browning trish@carib101.com

ARY 10TH

VOLUME

6 • ISSUE

JANU ESDAY, 23 • WEDN

NG EVERYTHI

2018

TO ADVE

RTISE: 647-72

2-6298

POWERED BY

challenging only for the most • PRIVATE •MORTGA MORTGAGES ED AND MORE! IN 1st & 2nd • SELF EMPLOY SPECIALIZING• NEW TO CANADA 17 2019 REFINANCES SDAY, APRIL • WEDNE • ISSUE 5 VOLUME 8

A fee is charged

EVERYTHING YOU NEED IN ONE NEWSPAPER

WE’RE PROUD SUPPORTERS OF:

TOCaribNews Reporters & Sales Representatives on Location in:

Mortgage Agent

Group 12619

Broker Financial

VOLUME 6

Group 12619

YOU NEED

2019

IN ONE

NEWSPAPE TORONTOC I CA R ARIBBEAN.C N HELP OM MAKE “I work for A fee is charged you, YO only for the not the banks! most challen From first consult UR DR SPECIALIZ EAMS A ging credit ation to the solution ING signing REFIN

REALITY

s, and it’s ANCES IN 1st & 2nd especially of your mortgage, • NEW TO MOR then that our I can do for services are free.

CANADA TGAGES • you what PRIVATE • SELF EMPL the banks cannot.”

OYED •MORTGAGES AND MOR E!

• ISSUE 15 • WEDNES

POWERED

SOCIAL LOVE AND STATUS HEARTS POWERED BY

TO

le.ca a www.charlesayode charles@bfgbroker.c

NEED

HING YOU CHARLES AYODELE

EVERYT

TO ADV

Agent |

CALLAPER ME TODAY! I CAN HELP!

EVERYTHIN G

• ONLIN E:

BY

!

NEWSP VOLU DAY,ME SEPTEMBER 8 • ISSU20TH 2017 NEED IN ONE 416-875-4A REALITY! THING YOU www.

E2 • EVERY CAN HELP MAKE YOUR DREAMS 9I2019 WEDNESD 523 sayodele.ca charlecharle JANUARY COM AY, MAR broke “I work for you, not the banks!

From first consultation tos@bfg the signing ofr.ca your mortgage, our services are free.

BBEAN. NESDAY, CH 6 2019 TOCARI fee is charged only for the most challenging credit solutions, and it’s especially then that I can do for you what the banks cannot.” EVERYT • WED : ATORON E 24 • ONLINE HING YOU NEED TO ADVE TO EVE 7 • ISSU ISE: 647-722-6298 416-875-4523 INRYT RTISE: ONE ISE: 647-722-6 SPECIALIZING IN 1st & 2nd MORTGAGES • PRIVATEADVERT MORTGAGES NEWSP ADVERT HING VOLUME

| Broker Financial

CALL ME TODAY! I CAN HELP!

ERTISE:

The statements, opinions and viewpoints made or expressed by the writers do not necessarily represent the opinions and views of the Toronto Caribbean, or the publishers. Toronto Caribbean News Inc. assumes no responsibility or liability for claims, statements, opinions or views, written or reported by its contributing writers, including product or service information that is advertised.

CHARLE S AYODEL E

Mortgage

CHARLESE AYODEL

8 • ISSUE 1 • WEDN ESDAY, FEBRU

ARY 20

.COM ARIBBEAN TORONTOC A REAfree.LITY! ONLINE: R DREAMS 98 • E our services are banks cannot.”

YOUto the signing of your mortgage, the MAK : 647-722-62 do for you what RTISE HELP then that I can From first consultation I CAN not the banks! credit solutions, and it’s especially “I work for you, GES

TO ADVE

VOLUME

ER

NEWSPAP

D IN ONE

YOU NEE

IN ONE

I CAN HELP!

YOUAPER NEED IN ONE

NTOCARIB

BEAN.COM

VOLUME 8 • ISSUE 4 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3 2019

416-875-4523

www.charlesayodele.ca charles@bfgbroker.ca

298 • ONLINE: 647-722-62 TORONTOCARIBB 98 • ONLI EAN.COM NE: TORO

REFINANCES • NEW TO CANADA • SELF EMPLOYED • AND MORE!

PER

NEWSPA

.COM

RIBBEAN ONTOCA TOR Mortgage Agent | Broker Financial Group 12619 ONLINE: 98 • CALL ME TODAY!

647-722-62

EVERYTHING YOU NEED IN ONE NEWSPAPER

HELCPLIN

TO ADVERTISE: 647-722-6298 • ONLINE: TORONTOCARIBBEAN.COM

R WKH H DQG LV RSHQ W XU EXVLQHVV WUHSUHQH LQJ IRU HYHU\RQ DWLRQ VRPHWKLove is UH DQ HQ ,I \RX D ÀOLDWHG RUJDQL] JUHDW an emotio VLQHVV 6RFLDO - SXEOLF XQLW\ DI and H VRPH XFn that Valentin U FRPP we all feel, Conven e’s WR PDN EAN K DQQXDO 7& %X RZQHU R H WR EH Day is aODQ IRU V brate Pearson it. The KH SODF day to cele- is completely ONTO CARIBB heartH \RXU S WR DWWHQG WKH W2018 at the FRQWLQX WKLV LV W symbol ANESHA PREMRA non-pro HVV LRQV DQG payroll for of love, is the interna MAHADEO/TOR As with every new on May 6th,in Brampton! & %XVLQtional FRQQHFW the TC Busidren J/TORONTO and there this charity.fit; there is no ALYSSA spend in the Caribbe

EXVLfunds LRQ its 4th year, CARIBBEAN are IRU O RI WKH 7 for new goals? many of us DQG tion Center 100% of serious chil- helpingraised by this Now in FUHDWHG WR SURYLGHnity to FHVV LQ an IRXQGDW 7KH JRD exthat have heart issues.

VWURQJ the manythe foundation.

New year,rolls around, charity goes neurs to SURZDV \HDU JRQH us. very get children FUHDWH D entrepre an opportu PL]H a baby Imagine LV WR with before RU in the Caribbe to that fun activities The Gala had year that the help QHVV 6RFLDO ionals with J RQ DQRWKHU HOS RSWL an 6RFLDO aand very serious sue, but one set FXUUHQW having such as was full they need. is s owners full of volunte not having an WLPH UHÁHFWLQof the new most of this year, ness profess WHFKQLTXHV WR K of a heartLQJV K RQ WKHLU through This eventSDWURQV busines is- persona UDVS LOOV DQG the RFLDO EU ers that The team is about the TCCF donated gifts, a raffle V 7KH 6 RU HVWDEOLV the surgery the promise to make the WKH potential!

SDQG YHQWXUH , it means XQLW\·V PRVW entine’s quiz that gave ly heartbr WKHU FKDQFH WR JV DQG OHDUQ VN go children l time to help dedicate their XVLQHVV business EULQJ WRJHWKHU FRPPXQLW\ MHFWHG E H FRPP must beWR toVKDUH We resolve H RI DQR eaking U GUHDP their ensure that VW RI WK WR a DJ to Day chocolate and away Vala DWHVW cialized ULHV WKH of the founda experie RI QLW\ YLVLRQD This is what nce.FH WKH OtruWDNLQJ DGYDQWDJQLWLHV FKDVH RX DERXW WKHLU WRJHWKHU WKH EH RZQHUV tion get the event wasdance the night of course medical FUHDWLYH LQWURGX two RSSRUWX LYH Founda EXVLQHVV HGXFDWH RWKHUV WKH\ RI- Childre The Caribbe spe- well-dre full of genero away. This care as PLVVHG RSSRUWX H[SHULHQFHV SURGXFWn’s LFHV DQG WKH EXVLQHVV possible. for many, ROG DQG DQG quickly tionR NHHS DQG temptin us, extrem ssed people QHWZRUN SURGXFWV DQG VHUYLFHV (TCCF) is an HPEDUN RQ QHZ as to suppor to help WKHLU EHgVW SUDFW Q KRZ W LQQRYDWLYH On Saturda Unfortunately DFN WR RXU VDPHR UH- WR ely DO at- 5 WKH

solve.

PHQWV R W Z DQG t the cause.who were proud ULJKW E V QRW GLIÀFXOW W This LQGLYLGX DOVR VKDULQJ y, Februar DFKLHYH KHU JUR G FXUUHQ ed On Page TCCF hosted y ZKLOH Continu cause that celebra a Valentin ZHHNV LQ ZH·UH W LW·V DQRWKHU DW WKH\ FDQ IXUW RUH EXVLQHVV PRGHO IUHVK DQ e’s Day 9th, FWLYH KDELWV ,W· XJK IHU ted love XQSURGX VWDUW D \HDU VWURQJ EX XQLTXH ZD\V WKUDQG WR EULQJ P and raised Gala Continued DOO\ IROORZ WKUR LV FRPfunds VROYH WR OWRJHWKHU WR DFWX HQW WR DFKLHYH WKRVH H[SDQG WKHLU E On Page 6RFLDO V QJ 7 way. %XVLQHV RQH SURYLGL PDWWHU D RPPLWP DNH their 7KH 7& Virtual Tours DQG PDNH WKDW F HYHQWV LQ

and High Quality RLQJ WR GR WR P KABRENA URQWR SULVHG RI WZR Down payment ROBINSON/T JRDOV :KDW DUH \RX J HD Photos toORONTO Loans - Cash 6SULQJ WKH 7R Attract moreCARIBBEAN In Jamaica, invites you

QW" 7KLV Back y It isBuyers a centralMortgage formall Offers* not a coinci and popular that “education WKLV \HDU GLIIHUH ONTO CARIBBEAN belief Newspaper March is tise”. dence it all starts at is the key to tans Caribbean 2nd, SIMONE SMITH/TOR that Saturd and 2019, the y Inc success” of Regga Realelementary was child’s On declar First & Second Estate Agent ay, Canad stages Friday, September life. Fraternit overwhelme Alpha of day However, a e Phi 87th 647-8 foundation Day; it hosted ed Tithat hundr 16tha. Saturd their with factors dave@seinadequate Mortgages the Alpha 67-78 the foundation d by the ongoing Equity was also hosting their 12thmemo resources archreal as draising on from such 09 eds ofgala ay night has been receivingsupport to facilitate annualration the across Delta Sigma – as they were ty.ca in educational the Loans fun- community SIMON |Conventi on the grounds dave.sea students regga the House Regional institutions, was the the sisters of E SMITH/from $5000 of great over from the Club rn GTAinfilled rchrealty e fans sentin of Donalda a comthe dream in edXFDWLRQDO IXO Toronto. Hosted g the past, and the brothin Toronto.

Debt years.

TORON downNathan g nized by .co of time artists - $500,000 ÀOOPHQW FDQ the Opera by of town Toron and has Consolidation “I TO CARIBB thisebrate Sorority Inc.,Alpha Fraternity Midweste regga CP24 am still , reprepresen Downer, the Onefirst anchor always happenin 50 VillageEH HDVLO\ GHW to this day organization e. for the very journe collaborated HUUHG what Phi popul EAN t, accomplishe did not know, it is no Theta to,the Centre amazed can be and future is little Home cornu bit fostering who y ofofone to event Pl Suite ar100 at With so much an liveofauctions, Mississaug cel- featured a much-needgenre ning ers of Alpha a mandate Refina copia For those ed city of Toronto, Regga to improve a, ON Titans t eve- together with like-mindedd when looking ncelines. we the mostentertainmen of music oratio comeof discip L4Z e. RootesÀQH artists wasacross GLQLQJ inWRSSHG &with childhood in the great there are some events Inc. ted event weekend tion Home of and nsor Good had visitors in a educaReggaa epassion to support individuals includ we island. neigh1V9 Purcha the ZLWK -DPDLFDQ orchestrate in the His collab Lesse Than with This coordina d, or unatreggae borhood,dand Hotels by like Caribana, asThethe se wonder that FXLVLQH working was an The only those inMolly musicworld Johns Eglint Delta unnotice ; BEAN positions,” U.S.A. in scene d Toless the go Good an Craig, Helping the at event at fortunate on and exquisite vibe incred and of on the withCredit CARIB & Conferhe said. ibly re- Jamaica blossomed ambiance. a wave Hands Foundation seeks that may his Mortgage Agent island Toronto TheWest Found artists took place ONTO uon Airport from all parts is why the team event brought of Culcha er andput

by Andre we have such License lanthropists, Musical considerableWynton Marsa Helping LL/TOR regga in the 1970s #12275 out hwork a contin sactivi- other time the that Hands tended. This n Newspaper takes phi- Jamaican next generationto “improve the of entrepreneur s visiting Artisti CASSE Toronto Marriot e multilives w Jamaica Direct weekend NATA lis, reputa their Theis our LQVLGH cWKH elder bersimmig tions started ofisJamaicans A-KAY of American s. Andre on and after a s and Direct other all of the LYAhim home of of the community in or ties tion as communities &RQVXO Centre.

12th and instru memronto Caribbea during and includ TONE April of encecipati or *HQHUDO herefoundation’s Anne their sFriday, w Craig menta sift through SHAUN bytime in ducer, Marie CALL ing OR creating ute to2IÀFH for our April cord amount supportdirect Y c-a to produ same unique in Toron rants on t Bonner RI made effort the education list, Harbo of a at began the time tofind the novel,ay our eman world-class the continued Quinc after is natalya@lend Sunday, TEXT ties fough system born in vocali a es Hale, who to, Ontar cause urfront’s onthis our cityfrastructure, caster who or, compo counof the who . through Page y Jones lives through Falmouth morefinancia was st, pro5 in for Nelson to deliver weekendresource Jamaica, in io, to of “building noise and education”. a holid , two l.ca416-83 us occasion Caribana 7-5460 tors ended tribOn investment events officially conceptser, | www.lendmo has had ion g as inintroduced , ances da ation and broad to support Centre momento Founder Continued materials, a Mandela perfor compellin weekend was aLee Epsilon his homeland. lished ity.

Karen III, the great It inclus manc-refinancial.ca and exper- maica, President of Helpingwork in multip andestab This 14th.

- OMNI , and music at of Sigma iaity and zaa and tt commun Maulana Kwan Karl Hale expressed Hands Jale music fortun brothers equalsays zaa Assoc Continued Television.

Dewi with activity, compothe Rogers to our Chapter im- of e was first for the is re, On

by Dr.was robust Kwan rnia. it to Page al Toronto es sition that he is 7 genres ian SIMONE SMITH/TORONTO CARIBBEAN - the ians, try,” Lambda ly invited n cultu s for Toronto in 1966, eorgand, CalifoAfrica personal 0 & Second Mortgag our own Virtual the Canad n Canad

TOARTOESNTO HTAHN ASGH OF EDTSITANS BRKEOVER ETA L E C A D CANA SCARBOROUGH A A KWANZREPRESENTING BUY - SEL

WITH CONL - INVEST FIDENCE

DAVE JOH

NSON

Powered DLC BedrockFinancial by Lic 12275

Group

BUY - SEL

WITH CONL - INV FIDENCEST E

iCanad cel- in Oakla of ili phras the Ice, - $500,00 2019, the ToursFirst Africa buildingtraditions andd we in were a weekend and Highfilled with $5000 Swah har- For from Down payment ry 1st, iation (CKA) been cooks from all “As myto rice burning, Quality tion. begin frican Loans to doors in 2004, Proper Television – have from&a of the andtoo much attend Fire HD Photos Equity nt overcooking On Januazaa Assoc the Pan-ASquare is roote ation fruits was meant salt ofLoans life.- Cash This year – along derived using, friends out who is the producer behind MAS- all walks to Attract porta customs a found ation Back asizedTERCHEF CANADA – has become with our more Buyers raltime Mortgag an Kwan Consolid gives ing, “first vance ora in the-there, Kwanzaa,n Philips mak- and to be local celebrithe come for anothemph cultu Debtsoon e Offers*Purchase zaahas ebrated e & Home n diaspns) recon er round at Natha first time; ama- mean The obser journey…” CANADA! one of Canada’s most successful ty- stands an:Refinanc and Kwan international figure of MASTERCHEF that holiday, to for the ian procl a’s vest.” the Africa Credit re. The begin favorite 7 a cyber security analyst, a companies. They have skater,Home Real culinary competiGood (pan Africa Canad lit to help Estate Than Page production n Cultu by panCanada’s in Toron Less 647-or first Canad Agent icas or more Lee. week in car search salesman, and an entrepreneur. tionOffers* is inBuyers their 6th season, andOn they strategically worked across a wide dave@ Good 867to Attract rated - Amer to their Africa HD Photos ing it theKwanzaa to 3D Sign com7809 Continued High Quality Back Mortgage andceleb they will be competing for , repre return with a two-hour premiere range of genres, and are respon- This yearrealty. ca | dave.s now Tours - Cash to world isDown Virtual tion for , and s TONEY The Toron green seven nect ay payment earchr d theLoans YAtitleholda,000 chance to beNATAL one of six of reality, on in April 8th, broadcasting on CTV. sible for over 600dhours ealty.co history.red, black and of the cer- holid ns aroun y, community Mortgage zaa MASTERCHEF 416-837-5460 ng nancial.ca - $500ers and take home the TEXT $100,000 documentary 0proAfrica in CANADA has landed lifestyle, &and -day famil 50 Village lighti OR g KwanRealssing up Estate Agent CALL Centre Pl | www.lendmorefi refinancial.ca g the g the seven ber 26th memorate First Secons from $500 Mississauga, Mortgage Agent cash prize. two nominations for the 2019 Can- gramming. natalya@lendmo Suite “Celebratins of expre sentines durin Decem License #12275 ON Page y Loan L4Z 1V9 5100 culture.a is a mean Continued On This season, over ada Screen Awards including “Best candl y held from Equit ase hrealty.co 647-867-7809 lidation a thouthe 52ndit Canad Reality/Competition Series.” It is no sand promising | dave.searc emon ary 1st.

Home Purch ce bt Conso chefs auditioned chrealty.ca marks

- INVEEST BUY - SELL CONFIDENC WITH

DAVE JOH

NSON

SON

DAVE JOHN

Powered by

DLC BedrockFinancial Lic 12275

Group

Continued On

Page 5

YOU ONLY NEED A DAY TO MAKE A FEW MINUTES First A LIVING & Second WITH STEP BY Mort STEP

Equity Loan MENTORING AND gages YOU’LL BE ABLE THE USE OF A TO TRADE IN THE s from SMARTPHONE, Debt NO EXPERIENCE FOREIGN EXCHANGE Consolidati $5000 - $500 NEEDED. MARKET, ,000 LEARN FROM 10

YEAR INDUSTR

Home Refin

ance

on

NEWSPA

PER

PAGE 6

NEWS & VIEWS

Toronto Caribbean News | www.TorontoCaribbean.com | Wednesday, January 14, 2026

The infrastructure for cash is being dismantled piece by piece SIMONE SMITH simone@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

For weeks, my social media feeds have been a whirlwind of panic and prophecy. You have likely seen the posts: grainy videos and frantic captions claiming that Canada is on the verge of outlawing physical money. While the digital world screams about an immediate “cashless society,” the reality is far more subtle, and in many ways, more concerning.

It is time to step away from the noise and look at the facts of Bill C-2 and Bill C-15, but more importantly, we must ask the question no one is asking; if the government doesn’t have to ban cash to make it disappear, who actually wins when your money becomes a line of code?

There is a psychological phenomenon called the “Curiosity Gap,” where the

tension between what we know and what we want to know drives our behaviour. We know that Bill C-2, the Strong Borders Act, introduces restrictions on large cash transactions.

We know it prohibits businesses and charities from accepting cash payments or donations of $10,000, or more. What we want to know, what we need to know, is why our daily survival is being reshaped without our explicit consent.

Power does not always manifest through a heavy-handed “ban.” Instead, it functions by narrowing the field of what is possible. No current Canadian legislation explicitly aims to eliminate cash. However, by targeting large transactions and pushing for “traceable digital methods,” the system creates a structural environment where cash becomes a burden rather than a right.

You see, when you control the medium of exchange, you control the boundaries of participation in society.

This is where the “slippery slope” becomes a reality we must acknowledge.

While no politician is openly advocating for the end of physical currency, groups like Option Consommateurs warn that we are “sleepwalking” into a cashless reliance. When

cash acceptance drops to roughly 10% of transactions, we are changing who is allowed to belong.

Bill C-15, the Budget Implementation Act, further accelerates this by enacting the Consumer-Driven Banking Act. While it promises “innovation” and faster cheque clearing for low-income users, it simultaneously builds a digital framework that makes the paper-money economy an antique.

The political divide on this is stark.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has campaigned against Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), calling them a threat to financial freedom. On the other side, the Liberal platform emphasizes digital infrastructure, with figures like Mark Carney favouring the stability of digital currencies over decentralized options. Yet, for the racialized nonprofit leaders and equity-focused entrepreneurs I work with, this is about the “unbanked” and the vulnerable who are being marginalized by “modernization.”

The unasked question is this; why are we being conditioned to view financial privacy as a luxury rather than a fundamental right?

By framing these changes as “anti-

money laundering” measures or “financial modernization,” the state shifts the burden of proof onto the citizen. If you want to use cash, you are suddenly suspicious. If you prefer the tactile security of a banknote, you are “outdated.” This narrative transportation carries us toward a future where every transaction (every coffee, every donation, every gift) is a data point for a financial institution.

We must speak to the facts: cash remains legal tender in Canada as of early 2026, but we must also speak to the truth: the infrastructure for cash is being dismantled piece by piece. We are witnessing a slow-motion transition where the exit doors are being locked before we have even decided to leave the room.

To understand this shift is to recognize that our economy is like a language.

When you remove words from a language, you limit what people can think. When you remove cash from an economy, you limit how people can resist, how they can support one another in private, and how they can exist outside the gaze of the institution.

We are losing the silence of the transaction, and in that silence is where true community resilience often lives.

The 6th Annual Heightened Chef Awards recognizing cannabis excellence SEAN SEURATTAN sean@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

The 6th Annual Heightened Chef Award recipients have been chosen based on their accomplishments in a particular field within the cannabis culture, industry and beyond.

These amazing people will join an esteemed group of individuals that have established themselves as role models. The behaviours they demonstrate are an illustration of what the foundation of our community needs to be.

The following are brief descriptions of each award and about each recipient: Cannabis Vanguard: Recognition of excellence for a person/entity who pushes cannabis culture forward, uplifts the community and protects the integration of both.

As The Heightened Chef aspires to be the pinnacle of Cannabis culture, we bestow our highest honour to other leaders within the cannabis community that inspire us all to be greater. Chandra “Bird” DipteeSeurattan is our first posthumous recipient and a testament to understanding and change. Coming from an extremely conser-

vative environment and a strict Caribbean family, she had the courage to choose a new path for herself and her family.

Never allowing any topic to be taboo opened the door for me to challenge any status quo, even her own. By eventually allowing science, reason and logic to overcome misinformation, myths and fear about cannabis; my mother epitomized the internal evolution that I hope every one of my readers leap toward.

Creative Visionary: Recognition for a person/entity whose creative expression uniquely affects others in impacting ways allowing new perspectives.

Jerome Cabanatan is an accomplished visual artist, coach and teacher in his hometown of Toronto. He is a perfect example of how someone who does not consume Cannabis can have such a great effect on those who do. Enjoyed by all, his works range from independent comic books to graphic novels to commissioned art works and caricatures.

Of late he has been working on a new revolutionary graphic novel series tackling real world problems. The first installment called The Sanity Thief is meant to help identify and combat the Imposter Syndrome within oneself.

Trailblazing Innovator: Awarded to Innovators changing paradigms in the cannabis industry. While innovation is often closely connected to technology, it is not restricted to this. Sometimes all it takes is figuring out

a new way to do something.

This year, our Trailblazing Innovator is Ariel Abrazado of Lakay Kusina who is both the owner and proprietor. His acute knowledge of Filipino cuisine combined with his social savvy has placed him at some of this year’s coolest events with the coolest food.

When not innovating dishes like his Lumpia 2.0 or his Dinosaur Chicharron, he is crossing lanes by holding AC swath of themed fusion events bringing diverse cultures together! This year’s 420 event; Rolled and Fried earned him a place in my personal Hall of Fame. Based on his current trajectory, I may have to build him an entire wing!

The Olympian: This special recognition is to a member of our vendor family for providing outstanding products and above and beyond support to our guests.

The platform The Heightened Chef has created rests heavily on the shoulders of our Herculean small business vendor family, hence the name of the award given to the year’s best.

This year’s trophy goes to the Cannabis Hut. This small, family-owned franchise has beaten the odds in a fierce arena of competition. Where many others have disappeared into the sand, Cannabis Hut not only remained but also thrived!

The highly knowledgeable staff have helped curate an impeccable selection of products and provide friendly, helpful advice on how to choose what’s best for each customer. They set the bar for what a

licensed dispensary should look and feel like. With probably my easiest selection for recipients this year, I’m proud to have Cannabis Hut join the Pantheon of Olympians.

The Rookie of the Year: Awarded to the person/entity with the most impressive debut this season.

This year’s recipient is the Spark + Play Foundation. The moment I found out about a Caribbean based, cannabis centric nonprofit organization, I knew I had to investigate. Gladly, I found the people at Spark + Play to be warm, enthusiastic and dedicated to doing good in the name of Cannabis.

Making meaningful impacts both domestically and abroad in the Caribbean countries from which many of us hail could not have impressed me more.

Their illustrious Charity Gala this year blew me away on multiple levels, but mostly by the kindness inspired by them amongst their attendees. It is truly exciting to await what incredible feats they will achieve Inn years to come!

The Heightened Chef will always continue to highlight and showcase the amazing talent present in our community!

While we’ve been on a short sabbatical hiatus, 2026 will see our return to the stage with new and delightful experiences pushing cannabis culture further into the future!

So much love and praise to everyone involved with us this past year, you are all family for life.

Wednesday, January 14, 2026 | www.TorontoCaribbean.com | Toronto Caribbean News

NEWS & VIEWS

PAGE 7

China banned OnlyFans; Nothing new to see here SIMONE SMITH simone@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

The digital world was set ablaze in late 2024 when a sudden ripple of access suggested the Great Firewall of China had finally cracked. For a brief, intoxicating moment, OnlyFans was reachable without a VPN. Then, as quickly as the window opened, it slammed shut, fueling viral headlines that “China just banned OnlyFans.”

Here is the question nobody is asking: Why are we so desperate to believe this was a new, singular act of aggression rather than a predictable beat in a much older, more calculated song?

To understand this, we must examine the political economy of control. In this framework, the state manages “moral budgets.” The restriction of OnlyFans is a high-yield investment in “spiritual pollution” rhetoric designed to consolidate power under the guise of protection.

When Chinese regulators label a platform like OnlyFans a “Western disease,” or a sign of “Western moral decay,” they are engaging in narrative transportation, moving the citizen from a space of personal choice into a state-defined

drama where the government is the only shield against “corrupt Western influence.”

This is about non-compliance.

OnlyFans joined the ranks of Google, Twitter, and Instagram because it refuses to bend to the mandates of real-name registration and data localization. The “moral” justification is the velvet glove over the iron fist of data sovereignty.

Censorship is less about protecting purity and more about who owns your attention.

We must analyze the “budget” of the Great Firewall. Since its operational debut around 2003, the firewall has had to balance its technical resources.

Interestingly, there have been historical lapses. In 2010, pornographic sites briefly became accessible. Was the state suddenly more liberal? No. Resources had simply been shifted toward high-priority threats: political dissent.

This reveals a chilling reality: the state’s “moral budget” is flexible. When the social fabric feels frayed, the state “spends” its energy on high-profile crackdowns like the “Sweep Away Pornography” campaigns that have existed since the 1980s. By framing the 2025 reblocking of OnlyFans as a fresh stand for “national security and morals,” the state rewards the public with a sense of stability, even as it tightens its grip on the tools of circumvention.

China is not an island in this regard. The “Authority Bias” we often feel toward centralized governments leads

us to believe these policies are unique to one regime. However, at least 16 countries, including Russia, Turkey, and several Middle Eastern nations, use similar technical blocks (DNS spoofing and IP filtering) to enforce “social stability” and religious norms.

In Russia, the 2023 block was framed as a rejection of ‘immoral” content, mirrored by payment sanctions. In Turkey, the block followed conservative public campaigns. These are open loops in the global narrative of the internet: the promise of a borderless world is constantly being severed by the reality of local “values.”

We must stop viewing these blocks as “glitches” or “new laws.” They are the consistent application of a framework that prioritizes “socialist values” and political control over unrestricted access.

The viral posts you see on your feed are often dramatizing a policy outcome that has been in place for decades.

As we look forward, the question remains: if the state can decide that your desire is a “disease,” what else can it diagnose as a threat to the body politic?

The “unasked question” isn’t about the porn. When we allow the state to define morality, we hand them the keys to our autonomy.

Understanding this is like looking at the gears of a massive clock; once you see how the weights of “morality” and “control” balance each other, the ticking of the “ban” no longer surprises you; it simply confirms the time.

Defence spending must serve Canada first STEVEN KASZAB steven@carib101.com

TC COLUMNIST

The Conservative Party of Canada, the United States government, and several NATO allies argue that the Liberal administration under Prime Minister Carney is not spending enough to meet Canada’s defence commitments to its allies.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has called for defence spending to double, while U.S. officials (including the American ambassador) have repeatedly urged Canada to meet alliance expectations on military funding.

The question, then, is straightforward: Should Canada significantly increase its defence spending, perhaps even doubling it?

My answer is yes, but not for the reasons you might expect.

The Official Opposition and many of our allies’ frame increased defence spending as a commitment to humanitarian missions, weapons procurement, staffing, and new naval and aircraft purchases, largely sourced from allied manufacturers. What is often left unsaid is that much of this equipment is surplus to allied needs. That does not make it useless, but it does raise questions about whose strategic priorities are

truly being served.

The Conservatives, for their part, stand to gain political capital. Defence spending signals seriousness on the world stage and reliably earns praise from NATO partners. That kind of imagery has undeniable political value.

So, why increase defence spending to levels Canada has not seen in decades?

Canada’s core vulnerabilities are not being honestly addressed.

rower, but no less serious: to protect its population wherever they may be, and to secure its borders and resources at home.

That kind of defence does not primarily rely on battleships, fighter jets, or missile stockpiles. It depends on highly trained, multi-capable forces designed for the realities Canada actually faces, including:

•

•

• •

•

•

Canada’s Arctic remains largely undefended and is heavily reliant on U.S. military capacity.

Russia and China have expanded naval and air activity across the Arctic region.

Canada’s sovereignty claims over large portions of the Arctic are contested by multiple nations, including some allies.

Canada’s future economic security (through minerals, energy, and shipping) lies increasingly in Arctic waters and lands.

A nation unwilling, or unable to defend its borders risks strategic irrelevance.

Canada’s national defence must be exactly that: the defence of Canadian territory, people, and long-term interests.

It is not Canada’s responsibility that the United States historically assumed the role of global enforcer, a role that has placed immense financial strain on its own system. Canada’s obligation is nar-

•

• •

Fighting forest fires and responding to climate-driven disasters Managing floods, security operations, and large-scale rescues Protecting borders by disrupting weapons trafficking, drug smuggling, and human exploitation Defending waterways, fishing rights, and the Arctic environment

The final, and most neglected priority is the North itself.

Canada must establish fortified, permanent Arctic communities built for resilience and self-sufficiency. These communities would anchor our sovereignty, protect future natural resources and energy development, and ensure that Canada (not foreign powers) defines the rules of engagement in the North.

What Canada needs is not a symbolic military designed to impress allies, but a national defence force composed of highly skilled, adaptable personnel capable of responding to any domestic challenge.

That is what defending Canada means; here and now.

PAGE 8

NEWS & VIEWS

Toronto Caribbean News | www.TorontoCaribbean.com | Wednesday, January 14, 2026

The System Relies on your Silence to Survive SIMONE SMITH simone@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

Imagine you are a farmer who works from sunrise to sunset to cultivate a field. Every harvest, a group of overseers arrives and takes nearly half of your grain. They tell you it is to maintain the roads you use to bring the grain to market, but the roads remain full of potholes. They tell you it is to keep the village granary full in case you fall ill, but when you are sick, you are told to wait in a line that stretches for miles. Then, one day, the overseers tell you that because of their own mismanagement, you must simply learn to be hungrier. At some point, you must stop looking at the grain they take and start looking at the overseers and ask why they are the only ones who never seem to miss a meal.

Every two weeks, the ritual repeats.

You open your digital pay stub, and for a fleeting second, you see a number that represents your time, your expertise, and the moments you spent away from your family.

Then, your eyes drift downward. You watch the math of subtraction perform its cold, surgical work. Federal tax, provincial tax, CPP, EI. By the time the “net pay” hits your account, nearly half of the energy you expended has been harvested by a machine

you didn’t build and cannot control.

The unasked question is whether we are participating in a social contract, or a slow-motion asset seizure.

As a community, we are conditioned to believe that this is the price of a civilized society. We are told that our contributions fund the “universal” systems that keep us safe and healthy. As an educator and an advocate for those at the intersections of social justice and mental health, I have to ask: at what point does the cost of “civilization” begin to erode the very lives it claims to protect?

When the Bank of Canada explicitly tells us that we must “Accept a lower standard of living,” they are telling you to shrink your dreams to fit their balance sheets.

The data is staggering, yet we have been numbed to it. In recent years, Canadian families have been dedicating 42% to 43% of their total income to the government. If you live in Ontario and earn a modest $60,000, your total deductions (including the hidden tax of sales and property levies) can claim up to 30% of your gross pay before you even buy a loaf of bread.

For those who have managed to climb higher, the bite is even deeper, with combined rates nearing 50% for high earners. We have reached a point where “Tax Freedom Day,” the day you finally stop working for the government and start working for yourself, doesn’t arrive until early June.

This is where analysis of our power structures becomes essential. The state maintains its grip by framing the narrative around “fairness” and “investment,” while the reality is a stagnant economy where

46% of our neighbors are living paycheckto-paycheck. We are told that these funds are necessary for healthcare, yet we face wait times for non-urgent procedures that exceed months. We are told this money is for “rebuilding,” yet billions flow out to international conflicts while our own streets reflect a growing “Third-World Canada” reality where families cannot afford basic groceries.

When we talk about equity, we must talk about the theft of time. For African Caribbean and racialized entrepreneurs, for the educators and wellness advocates I work with, every dollar taken is a dollar removed from community-building, from generational wealth, and from the mental peace that comes with financial security. The government’s recent “middle-class tax cut” offered a savings of about $420 a year for some. In a world where inflation has turned the grocery store into a place of high anxiety, $420 is an insult. It is a distraction from the fact that while you are being “taxed to death,” the elites and bankers are the only ones whose standard of living remains insulated.

Why does it have to be like this?

We are led to believe there is no other way.

We look at zero-tax havens like the UAE or the Bahamas and are told they are only for the ultra-wealthy, or that their private systems are “expensive.” It is true that moving requires severing ties and facing a “departure tax” on your unrealized gains; the final grip of a system that refuses to let go. The comparison reveals a painful truth: in those nations, high earners retain their earnings to invest in their own families and futures, whereas here, we are subsidizing a bureaucracy that is increasingly disconnected from

the people it serves.

The psychological weight of this cannot be overstated. When extra overtime yields less take-home pay because of steeper marginal bites, the incentive to work harder vanishes. If the reward for your labour is diminished by half, your motivation to innovate, to serve, and to grow is effectively taxed at the same rate. We are witnessing a quiet crisis of demotivation, fueled by a cost-of-living grip that makes the “Canadian Dream” feel like a cruel irony.

As you finish reading this, I want you to sit back and look at your life. Is the current arrangement working for you? We have been conditioned to be “polite” about our struggle, to “adjust” to getting poorer, and to believe that questioning the government’s spending is somehow unpatriotic.

True patriotism lies in demanding accountability.

We must ask: Where is the money going? Why is our standard of living a sacrificial lamb for policy decisions we didn’t vote for? Why are we funding global interests while our own infrastructure crumbles?

The unasked question is actually quite simple; Who does your life belong to?

If the answer is “the government” for six months out of every year, then we are not living in the land of the free. We are living in a managed estate, and we are the crop being harvested.

It is time to stop accepting less. It is time to stop believing that this is the only way to live. The first step toward change is the refusal to be quiet about the cost of our silence. Ask yourself how much longer you are willing to endure it.

Unity Is democracy’s quiet power STEVEN KASZAB steven@carib101.com

TC COLUMNIST

Old Irish saying: “There is no strength without unity” (Ní neart go cur le chéile).

Unity amplifies our ability to be heard, recognized, and to solve problems collectively. Whether in families, businesses, governments, or entire nations, a unified voice and shared purpose can accomplish a great deal.

Not so long ago, Ireland offered a stark lesson in what happens when unity fractures. The country was divided north and south; Protestant and Catholic; migrant and nationalist; traditionalist and progres-

sive. These divisions hardened into violence.

British soldiers and state authorities clashed with various arms of the IRA, while Protestant Orangemen fought their own battles.

Bombs detonated in pubs, schools, roadways, and marketplaces. Women and children were killed to prove political points.

Everyone believed they had a cause worth fighting for, until enough people decided that enough was enough.

More than a million Irish citizens eventually marched against the violence, declaring that a democracy does not require bloodshed to resolve conflict. Families torn apart by sectarian divisions walked hand in hand, heart to heart, voices united.

This was unity in action. While unity can be misused, democratic unity more often serves as a corrective, bringing people back from the brink.

Unity takes many forms. A united family creates space for communication.

When we do not talk or listen, we tend to shout or withdraw. Unity asks us to look one another in the eye and truly see the other

person.

Canada has lived its own test of unity. When a strong movement in Quebec pushed for a referendum on whether the province should remain within the Canadian federation, people across the country spoke openly about Quebec’s importance to them. Quebecers, in turn, heard those voices. Debate did not undermine unity; it expressed it. Ideas flowed back and forth.

Unity, after all, is an essential condition of democracy.

Christmas has come and gone, and at its heart is the recurring theme of family unity: often imperfect, sometimes uncomfortable. Unity does not eliminate conflict.

Wherever people gather, differences arise.

One family member may despise another, yet a parent still insists everyone come together. In these moments, unity is practiced through humility, patience, and, ideally, openness.

Canadians (and many others around the world) face restrictions, challenges, and external pressures. We are

strongest when we remember that, as individuals, we lack the power that comes from shared purpose. If Haiti could unite its people, it could move mountains of change, collaboration, and progress. Disunity, by contrast, empowers others and immobilizes us.

It can leave people feeling defeated, angry, and desperate, conditions in which violence too easily takes root.

The natural state of human beings is intelligent, resourceful, and caring. Unity magnifies those qualities tenfold.

As one distinguished American once observed, “Coming together is a beginning; staying together is progress; working together is success.” If Henry Ford could recognize this truth, so can we. Most of us want the same things: a united family, meaningful work, a government that cares, and a peaceful world. I would gladly take four out of five. Even peace, however, does not happen by accident. It must be built, and unity is the work.

Wednesday, January 14, 2026 | www.TorontoCaribbean.com | Toronto Caribbean News

NEWS & VIEWS

City of Toronto launches 2026 Budget; the curiosity gap begins here SIMONE SMITH simone@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

We are often told that a city budget is a neutral document of arithmetic, a simple balancing of columns. However, as many of us are starting to really look into what is happening with our government, we see that a budget is actually a primary instrument for the “manufacture of consent.” It is a narrative designed to make systemic failures look like mathematical inevitabilities.

As we look at the 18.9 billion 2026 Operating Budget, and the, 63.1 billion 10-year Capital Plan, we must ask a psychological question: Why does the fourth largest city in North America, a global leader in finance and culture that generates 20% of Canada’s entire GDP, find itself operating under a permanent state of manufactured scarcity?

The curiosity gap begins here: How can a city that serves as Canada’s economic engine be facing a $46.5 billion fiscal gap over the next decade?

The answer lies in a structural design that might be described as a “systemic squeeze.” While Toronto is home to more than three million people and is the fastest-growing metropolitan area in North America, it operates within a framework where it receives only 9 cents of every tax dollar collected.

The data reveals a startling contrast: between 2015 and 2023, income taxes paid by Toronto households grew 10 times more than municipal property taxes. This highlights an authority bias in our fiscal structure; the City is forced to rely on limited revenue tools that are largely disconnected from economic growth. By the time you read this, the “New Deal” with the province will be entering its final year of operating support in 2026, leaving a massive question mark, an “open loop,” for our collective future.

In the 2025 public consultations, the city “heard” from over 11,000 residents. The narrative transportation of the budget process invites us to believe our priorities drive the machine. Yet, there is a somber discrepancy between public desire and institutional allocation.

When surveyed, 44% of residents identified affordable housing and shelters as their top priority. However, when we look at the 2025 net budget (the portion funded by your property taxes), Police Services receive $1,285.9M, while Affordable Housing, Shelters, and Supports receive $822.4M. Despite the public listing police services as one of the “least important” areas for investment in the survey, the institutional momentum remains skewed toward enforcement over equity.

There is a somber reality hidden in the “State of Good Repair” (SOGR).

The city manages over $200 billion in assets, from 5,600 km of roads to the largest social housing portfolio in Canada.

Here is the cliffhanger: despite a recordbreaking capital plan, the SOGR backlog is projected to climb to $24.7 billion by

2035.

The system is currently functioning like a homeowner who fixes the furnace but ignores a cracked foundation because they only have “9 cents” of their income to spend on the house. The combined 2.2% residential property tax increase (amounting to roughly $91.53 annually for the average home is presented as a solution for affordability. Is it enough to sustain a city that manages 50% of Ontario’s shelter beds and the biggest transit system in the country?

If this sounds somber, it is meant to. Intellectual leadership requires us to stop looking at the budget as a spectator sport. The “reward” for the reader is not found in the numbers, but in the democratization of the process.

The City has created pathways for engagement, but these are only effective if we bridge the information gap with action. You have the opportunity to speak directly to the Budget Committee on January 20th and 21st, 2026. You can register to speak in person at City Hall or your local Civic Centre or provide written feedback to buc@toronto.ca.

We are currently building a city “that works for you,” according to the official messaging, but for whom does it truly work when the structural deck is stacked against municipal autonomy?

As we move toward the Special City Council meeting on February 10th, the question remains: will we continue to consent to a system of manufactured scarcity, or will we demand a budget that reflects the true human value of the people who call Toronto home?

The strings are visible now. The next move is ours.

Canada boasts a foreign buyer ban preventing non-Canadians from purchasing homes until Jan 1st, 2027

BY ADRIAN REECE TC REPORTER America’s president is taking a strong stance towards rectifying the housing market in America, and Canada should follow suit. Trump has announced that he will stop institutional investors from purchasing single family homes. This will help lower housing prices and improve access for the regular person to obtain a home in America.

Canada mimics this same approach, with the access levels to homes incredibly high in Toronto, moves like this benefit Canadians immensely. While there have been positives about affordability, we are still a far cry away from what the citizenry needs.

The housing market, which has been incredibly stressful to navigate over the past few years, may be finally coming to a place that is affordable for the average person. The average home price has fallen 11.2% compared to 2024, where prices fell 4.7%. These numbers sound great, and we are moving in the right direction, but with the average home price in Ontario sitting around $834,000 and specifically the GTA sitting somewhere around one million there is still a way to go before we are where we need to be.

Canada has made a huge move in the best interest of its citizens, Canada boasts a foreign buyer ban, which prevents non-Canadians from purchasing homes until January 1st, 2027. This would allow more Canadians themselves to own homes, instead of renting homes from foreign owners who have never even set foot in the country. This ban extends to corporations as well. They are banned from purchasing residential homes of three dwelling units, or less, detached homes, townhouses and condos.

This ban includes individuals who aren’t citizens, permanent residents and registered Indians. The purpose of the ban is to reduce foreign demand, and Canadians can look forward to lowering costs to enter the housing market, and more inventory of houses that are available to Canadians, where bidding wars aren’t against foreigners with large amounts of money.

There are exceptions to the ban under specific circumstances. Temporary residents, spouses who are married to Canadian citizens and diplomats. These come with specific conditions for these exceptions and need to be carefully considered in allowable purchases of Canadian real estate. Canada will reevaluate whether they want to extend the ban or

modify it to encourage foreigners to invest in land development instead of purchasing family homes.

As we move in 2026 Canadians are hopeful that housing prices will continue to fall. Experts predict that there will be a further decrease, anywhere between 4-6%. These numbers coupled with the ban, provide great potential for more Canadians to be in homes.

There is a hint of a housing recovery, after the long housing crisis trend.

Markets like Toronto and Vancouver are still seeing pricing declines and slow growth due to affordability challenges.

Many homes are coming up for renewal, and homeowners are facing larger mortgage payments, and renewals that challenge their disposable income.

Current Mortgage rates are sitting at 3.9-5%, which is a far cry from mortgage rates that were under 2%. The renewals will increase payments by a few hundred dollars. These increased payments will change the dynamic of the economic lifestyle of Canadians.

Canadians are in a place where prices and payments are getting farther beyond their income, and even two income households have difficulty maintaining the home expenses.

PAGE 9

PAGE 10

NEWS & VIEWS

Toronto Caribbean News | www.TorontoCaribbean.com | Wednesday, January 14, 2026

The US Government changes the number of childhood injections from 17 to 11 MICHAEL THOMAS michael@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

The US government has revised the rules, and the number of child vaccinations required. By downgrading the number of childhood shots from 17 to 11 shots, such as those against rotavirus, the flu, and hepatitis A. Instead of being recommended to all children by default, those injections will now be recommended to only certain “high-risk” groups or will be accessible through “shared clinical decision-making” with parental consent.

The new recommendations put injections and immunizations into three categories: • Those recommended for all children • Those recommended for certain high-risk groups • Those that can be given based on “shared clinical decision-making.”

Federal guidance still recommends that all children receive shots against 11 diseases: measles, mumps, rubella, polio, pertussis, tetanus, diphtheria, Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib), pneumococcal disease, varicella (chickenpox), and human papillomavirus (HPV).

However, HHS is recommending only one dose of HPV injection instead of the usual two, STAT reported.

The idea of shared clinical decisionmaking emphasizes that, if a child’s caregivers wish to give them a routine injection, they should first consult with a medical provider.

This, however, does not sit well with all doctors.

One such doctor is Dr. Daniel Jernigan, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases. “By making these vaccines a shared clinical decision-making, it introduces one more barrier that prevents a child from getting a life-saving vaccine,” Jernigan said.

Jernigan went on to point out, “While that idea may sound benign, it could sow confusion around which vaccines are considered effective and medically necessary, and it could introduce logistical hurdles to accessing vaccines.”

Meanwhile, injections against meningococcal disease and hepatitis A and B are also listed under the “shared decision-making” category, as are shots against rotavirus, CO-

VID-19, and the flu.

“Abandoning recommendations for vaccines that prevent influenza, hepatitis, and rotavirus, and changing the recommendation for HPV without a public process to weigh the risks and benefits, will lead to more hospitalizations and preventable deaths among American children,” Michael Osterholm of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, told the Associated Press.

Stakeholders who benefited most from the distribution of injections were bracing for this announcement weeks in advance.

In early December, Trump asked federal officials to compare the U.S. childhood injection schedule to that of “peer nations,” implying that other countries have better policies.

Around mid-December, it was reported that Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the head of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), had intended to make the U.S. injection schedule more like that of Denmark, which recommends shots for only 11 diseases in its schedule.

Some experts have emphasized that the United States’ injection schedule has been rigorously tested and that the decision to change it was not made using new data on its safety or effectiveness. These same experts also noted that the policies of a small country like Denmark, with a population of only 6 million, would not serve the U.S., which has a

population of roughly 340 million. “The truth is that while vaccine guidance is largely similar across developed countries, it may differ by country due to different disease threats, population demographics, health systems, costs, government structures, vaccine availability, and programs for vaccine delivery,” the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) noted.

For these injection stakeholders, this is bad news. For instance, medical societies, city and state health departments, and regional health alliances have turned down the CDC’s other injection policy changes, and the AAP has sued HHS for allegedly violating established rules around vaccine regulatory changes when the agency tweaked its COVID-19 injection guidance. “Today’s announcement by federal health officials to arbitrarily stop recommending numerous routine childhood immunizations is dangerous and unnecessary,” AAP president Dr. Andrew Racine said in a statement, according to the clinical news source Contemporary Pediatrics.

The childhood injection rules for Canada are mostly the same as those in the U.S., 17 shots or more. The information shared in this article leaves independent thinking parents, Canadians included asking themselves, whom shall I believe here. Highly paid injection stakeholders and Pediatrics, or my instincts? Why are they so bothered to the point of suing over injecting my children?

At checkout stop paying more for much less SIMONE SMITH simone@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

There is a specific kind of exhaustion that settles in at the kitchen table after a long day of advocacy, education, or community building.

You unpack your groceries, feeling the weight of every dollar spent, only to realize the box of cereal, or the package of chicken feels… hollow. For many in our communities, it is a breach of trust. When you realize the amount in the package does not match the label, it means you have paid for a product you did not fully receive.

In a world where equity is often a battle, the simple act of buying food should be easy, fair. Canadian food laws are designed to protect you while you are grocery shopping ensuring that the net quantity shown on a label is accurate. This law dictates that the weight must reflect only the edible components, including sauce packets, but excluding non-edible additions like the brine in a jar of pickles.

However, the truth of a product’s weight is often more complex than a single number. We must understand the science of “loss” to know when we are truly being shortchanged. Take, for instance, a tray of fresh meat. You may notice a soaker pad tucked beneath the cut. Over time, fresh meat naturally releases liquids, which the pad absorbs to maintain safety and freshness. These liquids were inside the meat when it was first weighed and packaged, the product technically loses weight as it sits on the shelf, transferring that mass to the pad. While the law allows for small variances based on the total weight of the

food, there are limits to how much moisture loss is acceptable.

Then there is the more calculated deception: “slack-fill.” You might reach for a container that looks generous, only to find it is nearly a quarter empty. If a 250 ml container holds only 200 ml of liquid, it creates a “headspace” of 24%. Unless that extra space is vital for the product (such as room to shake a milkshake) it is considered misleading and is strictly prohibited.

We must move faster than the systems that attempt to overlook us. When you suspect you are being misled, look closer. Stop reaching for the same brands out of habit; the quantities may have shifted while the price stayed the same. Check the unit price per 100 grams rather than the size of the box.

If the weight feels wrong, the response must be swift. You have the right to contact the manufacturer directly, as they often value consumer feedback even when no law has been broken. But when the line into deception is crossed, the Canadian Food

Inspection Agency (CFIA) is the mechanism for accountability. They take food mislabelling with the gravity it deserves, investigating complaints through on-site inspections and following up to ensure companies have taken corrective actions.

The stakes are high. In the 2023-2024 period alone, the CFIA issued 44 administrative monetary penalties totaling nearly $200,000 for violations including food misrepresentation. Their work has prevented nearly 140,000 kg of misrepresented food from reaching your table. When a business intentionally ignores these requirements, it may be considered food fraud.

You are a steward of your household and your community’s resources. Reporting a misleading label or an under-filled package ensures that the next person, perhaps someone with even fewer resources, is not the next victim of an invisible tax. Protect your peace.

Protect your plate. When the truth is hidden in the headspace of a package, it is our collective responsibility to bring it into the light.

Kwanzaa; A living community practice PAUL JUNOR

paul@carib101.com

TC REPORTER The celebration of Kwanzaa in Toronto has become an annual ritual that many community members look forward to each year. For decades, CAFCAN, a not-for-profit agency focused on strengthening service frameworks for African Canadians through psycho-social intervention approaches, has been at the forefront of organizing Kwanzaa programming across the Greater Toronto Area.

CAFCAN has consistently emphasized that the Nguzo Saba, the seven guiding principles of Kwanzaa, are not confined to a single week. Rather, they are values meant to be embedded in daily life and reflected throughout the year in community programs, relationships, and decision-making.

The 2025 Kwanzaa celebrations officially began with a Grand Rising hosted by Itah Sadu of A Different Booklist on Friday, December 26th, 2025. The first day of Kwanzaa focuses on Umoja (Unity), the principle of building togetherness within families and communities.

The second day, dedicated to Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), defining and speaking for ourselves, featured a celebration at Knowledge Bookstore in Brampton, reinforcing the importance of Black-owned cultural spaces.

The third day, centered on Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), lifting each other as we rise, was marked by a gathering at Adinkra Farm in New Lowell, Ontario, highlighting land-based community engagement and shared responsibility.

The fourth day of Kwanzaa focused on Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics) through a Kwanzaa Social Media Challenge. The initiative encouraged participants to support Blackowned businesses and circulate dollars within Black communities. As organizers stated, the goal was to “Shop local, circulate dollars within the Black communities and build meaningful traditions with loved ones,” while sharing experiences online using #GTAUjamaaKwanzaa.

The fifth day featured a community gathering hosted by the OZfam Family, de-

scribed as “a festive Kwanzaa” celebration rooted in togetherness and joy.

On the sixth day, Kuumba (Creativity) took center stage at an event hosted by Kreative Expressions, held at 911 Queen Street West in Toronto, near the intersection of Queen Street and Shaw Street. Participants were invited to “Gather with family and friends for an interactive journey of creative expression,” featuring art-based photography, games, and food.

The seventh and final day of Kwanzaa, dedicated to Imani (Faith), concluded on Thursday, January 1st, with “Kommunity Karamu.”

Hosted at Ujima House, near the intersection of Lawrence Road and Weston Road, the celebration was designed to “Honour excellence, community and celebrate with uplifting music, entertainment, vendors, and a marketplace.”

A notable reflective gathering during the week was “Reflections,” hosted by Natalee Antoinette Johnson, a community change agent, youth and family advocate, author, mother, and educator. Johnson is the founder of Passion 4 Dreams (established in 2008), which empowers girls and women, and LJ Legacy Impact Foundation, a not-for-profit organization serving individuals who self-identify as: Black, African, Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Canadian, Afro-Indigenous, and members of the African

Diaspora.

Johnson is also the author of I Come As I Am: Reflections in Verse (2016, revised edition) and the children’s book My Magnificent Hair (published August 2016).

She organized a Kwanzaa Reflection Dinner at Onyx Restaurant in Brampton, creating space for dialogue and collective assessment. Reflecting on the evening, Johnson shared: “It was a beautiful night with discussions and good food. It was great to connect and discuss our achievements as a Black community and discuss our setbacks.”

During the gathering, Johnson posed a series of reflective questions to participants: • How are we building our communities with care?

• What are we individually doing to build with care?

• How are we uniting to build collectively?

• Do we see community-building as our responsibility, or have we been conditioned to believe it belongs to someone else?

She concluded with a clear call to collective accountability, “It is all of our responsibilities, and we do better when we can unite.”

Wednesday, January 14, 2026 | www.TorontoCaribbean.com | Toronto Caribbean News

NEWS & VIEWS

PAGE 11

Toronto’s Caribbean Community Highlights: Where Neo-Soul, culture and change meet SIMONE SMITH

Tickets for Dinner (3 courses) and Concert: • $65 Early Bird Advance (Until January 20th) • $75 After January 20th • $85 Door

TC REPORTER

CONTXT, 254 Lansdowne Ave

simone@carib101.com

From candlelit Neo-Soul tributes to grassroots youth empowerment, this week’s Toronto Caribbean Newspaper Highlight Section is a full-bodied celebration of culture, connection, and community power.

We spotlight must-see live music honouring Angie Stone and D’Angelo, soulful Valentine’s moments, and weekly Rocksteady rhythms that make Toronto the city it is. Beyond the stage, we turn our lens to real change; youth resilience in Malvern and Scarborough, national recognition in Jamaica, civic engagement at City Hall, and girls building confidence through culture and cuisine. Music, impact, love, and leadership, this section brings it all together, Caribbean-style.

Double tribute to D’Angelo and Angie Stone with vocalists Carlos Morgan, Sasha Henry and Band Join us on Saturday February 7th for the added and Final concert of this series, honoring the music of Neo Soul Icons Angie Stone and D’Angelo.

The Band: Juno and Multiple Award Recording Artists Carlos Morgan--Lead Vocals, Sasha Henry, Omar Martin--Guitar & MD: Jonathan Martin--Keyboards: Nathan Scott--Bass: Adrian Edwards--Drums Saturday, February 7th, 2026 Live at 918 Bathurst Centre for Arts, Media and Education, Toronto 7:00pm -- doors 8:00pm -- show This Event is live at 918 Bathurst Centre for Culture, Arts, Media and Education. Get your tickets very soon before they sell out!

Valentine’s Day. Saturday, February 14th in CONTXT; Special A La Carte Menu and Concert: Let’s Fall in Love Featuring The Mark Hundevad Group with Vocalist Jordana Talsk Tickets (Concert Only): • $25 Early Bird Advance (Until January 20th Concert Only) • $30 After January 20th • $40 Door

Every Friday in January and February; The ROCKSTEADY and SOUL Listening and Dance Sessions In CONTXT A night of the timeless tunes and unforgettable beats of Rocksteady and Classic Soul music, featuring the music of iconic artists as Ken Boothe, Dawn Penn, Desmond Dekker, The Jamaicans, Toots and the Maytals, Sid Bucknor, Bob Marley and The Wailers, Jimmy Cliff and some SOUL MUSIC, featuring classic selections by DJs - JC Sunshine and Carl Allen Friday Nights January 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th February 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th CONTXT, 254 Lansdowne Ave Doors: 6pm/ Party starts at 7:30pm Appreciate JC - PWYC and Enjoy Bring your friends. Come out here, snack, chill, and enjoy. Light and healthy menu available. This will be a limited capacity party of incredible soulful music. Come celebrate the music and the season in CONTXT. On the Rise: Building resilience in atrisk youth across Malvern and Scarborough The Honourable Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Public Safety, today announced over $1.16 million in federal support to the Malvern Family Resource Centre (MFRC) through the Crime Prevention Action Fund (CPAF).

This funding will support MFRC’s project, On the Rise: Building resilience in at-risk youth across Malvern and Scarborough, a five-year project designed to prevent crime and help youth in the Malvern and Scarborough area. It will provide comprehensive support services to youth aged nine to 30, offering counselling and school-based prevention programs.

Activities will take place in youth hubs, recreation spaces, and schools within the Toronto District School Board and Toronto Catholic District School Board. Key partners, such as Strides Toronto and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, will provide access to mental health resources and community-based supports.

The CPAF supports evidencebased crime prevention initiatives in communities that address known risk and protective factors associated with crime among vulnerable groups of the population, especially children, youth and highrisk offenders.

Nominations are open for Jamaica’s National Civil Honours and Awards Nominations are open for Jamaica’s National Civil Honours and Awards to be conferred on August 6th, 2026. The National Honours and Awards recognize meaningful and significant contributions made by individuals to Jamaica. Any person may make a nomination of an individual to be considered for Honours and Awards.

Please note that the deadline for the receipt of nominations by the Office of the Prime Minister is Tuesday, March 31st, 2026.

Applications should be submitted via email to: NHA-cpu@opm.gov.jm.

Please see link below for a copy of the nomination form and guidelines: opm.gov.jm/wp - content /up loads/2023/02/NHA-2026-Form-002.pdf City of Toronto invites residents to take part in the 2026 Budget Committee process and join telephone town halls this week As part of its ongoing commitment to engage residents and gather feedback on the 2026 Budget, the City of Toronto will hold two telephone town halls this week: • •

Wednesday, January 14th, from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Thursday, January 15th, from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Mayor Olivia Chow and Chair of the Budget Committee, Councillor Shelley Carroll (Don Valley North), will be joined by senior City staff to provide an overview of the staff-prepared 2026 Budget and offer participants the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback.

The telephone town halls will connect thousands of Toronto residents with their city. To participate, some residents will receive an incoming call, while others can join by dialing the toll-free number 1-833-380-0687 at the scheduled times.

Additional engagement opportunities : Toronto residents will also have the opportunity to address members of the Budget Committee in person or by video conference on Tuesday, January 20th and Wednesday, January 21st, at locations across the city.

Public meetings will take place

from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. onwards on the following dates: Tuesday, January 20th: • Toronto City Hall, Committee Room 1, 100 Queen St. W. • North York Civic Centre, Council Chamber, 5100 Yonge St. Wednesday, January 21st: • Scarborough Civic Centre, Council Chamber, 150 Borough Dr. • Etobicoke Civic Centre, Council Chamber, 399 The West Mall Speakers must register and indicate a preferred day and timeslot by emailing buc@ toronto.ca or calling 416-392-4666 before 4:30 p.m. on Monday, January 19th. Individuals may only make one presentation and will be provided with instructions on how to join the meeting.

Meetings will be streamed live on the Toronto City Council YouTube channel.

Written comments can be submitted to the Budget Committee by email at buc@toronto.ca or by mail to: Attention Budget Committee, Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen St. W., 10th floor, West Tower, Toronto, ON M5H 2N2.

The first 2026 Star Gyal workshop is here!

Come join the team for a cooking workshop featuring the well known and loved personality Bombay Lemonade, alongside his mother, Mama Bombay. Together, they’ll guide participants through the art of preparing one of the most traditional West Indian dishes, Vegetarian and Chicken Chow Mein, sharing family techniques, cultural stories, and the joy of cooking from the heart. This hands-on experience is designed to be engaging, educational, and fun while celebrating food, family traditions, and peer experiences in a welcoming space for girls to learn and grow.

More than just a cooking lesson, this workshop encourages creativity, confidence, and collaboration as the girls work together to create a delicious dish, they can be proud of and enjoy afterward.

Under the guidance of Bombay and Mama Bombay, participants will gain practical skills while building meaningful connections and lasting memories. There may even be a surprise guest or two…

Register for Star Gyal at indocaribcdn.com/stargyal.

PAGE 12

NEWS & VIEWS

Toronto Caribbean News | www.TorontoCaribbean.com | Wednesday, January 14, 2026

The tragedy in Switzerland was not caused by mystery physics W. GIFFORDJONES MD DIANA GIFFORD-JONES TC HEALTH COLUMNIST

By any measure, what happened in Switzerland a couple weeks ago is a human catastrophe. A room filled with young people full of promise was turned into a scene of lifelong grief. Families shattered.

Futures erased. Survivors left with horrible scars.

Authorities will do what they must. Investigators will trace the ignition point. Building inspectors will scrutinize ceiling materials, fire exits, sprinkler systems, and renovations. Prosecutors will decide whether criminal negligence was involved. All of this matters. We should insist that regulations are enforced, and

that those who ignored them are held accountable.

More troubling than regulatory failure, this was also a failure of common sense. That night, someone thought it was a good idea to set off flaming champagne sparklers in a crowded, enclosed space. Not outdoors in open air, but inside, with people packed shoulder-toshoulder. That decision set in motion consequences that will echo for decades.

The truly chilling truth is this: it will happen again. After every nightclub fire, warehouse inferno, or stadium stampede, we say “How could anyone have allowed this?” Yet, it happens again, because novelty and spectacle overpower judgment. Risk feels theoretical. We like to think safety is something others provide, but real safety begins between our ears. When was the last time you didn’t do something because your analytical internal voice said, “This isn’t smart?” A snowstorm is rolling in. You’ve been waiting months for that weekend getaway. The

hotel is booked. The car is packed. Do you pause? Or, do you say, “We’ll be fine,” as icy roads turn highways into high-speed skating rinks?

Your smoke detector hasn’t chirped in years. You can’t remember the last time you changed the battery. You assume it’s working. There’s no carbon monoxide detector in the house. You’ve meant to buy one, but it keeps getting bumped to next weekend. Your barbecue sits against the siding of your home. You know embers can blow. You know vinyl melts, but you’ve done it a hundred times without incident, so why move it now?

Your phone buzzes while driving.

You glance down. Just for a second. These are not rare behaviors. They are risks that get normalized. Most of the time, nothing happens, and that’s what makes them dangerous. The tragedy in Switzerland was not caused by mystery physics. It was not an unforeseeable freak accident. Fire and sparks in confined spaces have been setting buildings alight since long before

electricity was invented. Every firefighter knows it. Building codes reflect it. Insurance companies price it. So, what possessed someone to light flaming devices indoors? The answer is brutally simple: the same human instinct that tells us, “It’ll be fine.”

The heartbreaking reality is that many of the victims in Switzerland were young. They did not light the flame. They were simply there, trusting. If there is anything to be salvaged from grief on this scale, it is a renewed commitment to thinking ahead and to pausing in the moment. The families of victims are living with terrible grief. Our hearts are with them, but sympathy is not enough. If we truly honour the victims, we must change how casually we flirt with danger.

I’ve written about fireworks before, and I am not a fan. It is beautiful what they do in the night sky with ever more sophisticated displays, but without caution and common sense, there will be more horrible accidents.

UARR marks fifty years of justice PAUL JUNOR

•

paul@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

For fifty years, the Urban Alliance on Race Relations (UARR) has stood at the forefront of racial, social, and economic justice in Canada. Founded in 1975, the organization has built a legacy rooted in community advocacy, research, education, and policy change.

According to its website, the Urban Alliance on Race Relations is a nonprofit charitable organization that works primarily and proactively with the community, public and private sectors to provide educational programs and research which are critical in addressing racism in society.

That legacy was on full display at UARR’s Annual Racial Justice Awards, which also marked the organization’s 50th anniversary. The event drew a strong crosssection of attendees, including community members, civic officials, labour activists, educators, artists, and advocates from across sectors.

UARR’s work today spans education, policy, youth engagement, research, and public accountability. Current initiatives include: • Racial Equity & Education

•

•

•

•

•

Funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation, this initiative brings together CASSA, ONABSE, CCNCT, and TCCC to advance systemic change in education policy and practice.

Diverse Youth Fellowship A non-partisan program offering students hands-on opportunities to engage in civic affairs while completing their academic studies.

Anti-Racism & Anti-Oppression Training Institute A formal resource delivering tailored training, workshops, policy reviews, and public education for organizations and institutions.

Museum of Anti-Racism A virtual museum documenting 50 years of activism, including the history of racism, anti-racism movements, and anti-Black racism. The project will feature 100 lessons and 25 learning modules.

Reclaiming Our Narrative A media-based initiative that documents lived experiences through interviews, training programs, digital platforms, weekly online shows, and blogs.

Access to Justice A multifaceted initiative addressing police accountability, training and complaint systems, legal aid protections, legal defense supports, and education-related tax reforms.

REBUILT Initiative A youth-led research and consultation project designed to amplify the voices of racialized communities in dialogue with municipal, provincial, and federal

•

governments.

Racial Justice Policy Hub A volunteer-driven research hub producing papers, summaries, and essays on health, justice, education, and media, exploring topics such as healthcare access, environmental racism, intersectionality, and public safety policy.

The Annual Racial Justice Awards recognize six to ten individuals each year whose work advances: racial equity across health, labour, government, media, education, and justice, including UARR’s Agent of Change Award. This year’s six award recipients were: • Migrant Rights Award: Sarom Rho An organizer with the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change (MWAC), with prior involvement in Migrant Students United and Gig Workers United.

• Labour Award: Jojo Geronimo A long-time justice educator and activist with over 50 years of advocacy, including work with the Cross Cultural Communications Centre, the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI), and as a policy assistant within the Ontario government.

• Justice Award: Andrea Vázquez Jiménez Founder, Director, and Principal Consultant of Policing-Free Schools (Canada), recognized for her leadership in advocating for equitable, policingfree educational environments.

• Agent of Change Award: Neethan Shan

• •

Former Executive Director of UARR and past Trustee and Chair of the Toronto District School Board and York Region District School Board. He was recently elected as a Toronto City Councillor.

Arts Award: Jay Douglas An artist and cultural trailblazer whose voice, leadership, and legacy continue to uplift generations.

Government Award: Dr. Jill Andrew Recognized for her dedication, courage, and community leadership in advancing justice through public service.

The awards gala also featured live performances by singer Clair Jun, singer and violinist Sador Bereketab, spoken word artist Yasmin Said, and Ríthika Jeristus and Maya Jeristus of the Tamil Dance Ensemble, adding energy and cultural richness to the evening.

Reflecting on the event, Dr. Jill Andrew shared a public message on November 29th, 2025 “Thank you Urban Alliance on Race Relations (UARR) for this moment in the sun… We were there…”

UARR later shared a year-end message on December 23rd, 2025, capturing the spirit of the milestone, “As we end the year, we are filled with gratitude. Surrounded by activists, community leaders, artists, and supporters, we honoured individuals who have advanced racial equity across sectors. We close this year grateful for 50 years of impact, and hopeful for the future we are building together.”

After five decades of advocacy, UARR’s anniversary celebration served as a reaffirmation of the work still ahead.

Wednesday, January 14, 2026 | www.TorontoCaribbean.com | Toronto Caribbean News

NEWS & VIEWS

PAGE 13

Guard your kitchen against food fraud SIMONE SMITH simone@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

Feeding those we love is a sacred act of care, a quiet ritual that sustains the body and the soul. When we walk through the fluorescent-lit aisles of a grocery store, we become the guardians of our family’s health and well-being. We reach for packages with a silent, inherent trust that the labels are telling us the truth. However, in an era where the distance between the farm and the table has grown, that trust must be fortified with knowledge. To shop smart is to shop safe, ensuring that the nourishment we provide is built on a bedrock of honesty

and quality.

Think of a food label like a passport for your groceries. Just as a passport verifies a person’s identity and origin to ensure safe passage across borders, a food label verifies the “identity” of your ingredients. If the passport is forged (food fraud) or expired (safety recalls), the “traveler” shouldn’t be allowed into the sanctuary of your home.

The first step in this journey of mindful consumption is recognizing the origins of our food. Supporting local systems is an act of community empowerment. To identify Canadian food, look for clear markers such as “100% Canadian,” “Made in Canada,” or “Product of Canada”. These symbols and phrases serve as a map, connecting us back to the land and the hands that produced what we eat.

As we turn the package over, the fine print demands our attention. Understanding food labels is a vital skill for the modern household. These labels offer a wealth of information, from nutrition facts and ingredient lists to critical warnings

about allergens. One of the most common sources of anxiety for a provider is the “best before” date. We must understand that a best before date is a measure of freshness and quality, not a countdown to toxicity.

While you can often eat food after this date, it may no longer be at its peak.

Yet, we must remain vigilant: some foods become unsafe even before they appear to spoil, making proper storage an essential part of the domestic routine.

There is, however, a more somber reality we must navigate: the violation of the social contract known as food fraud. It is a quiet betrayal that occurs when profit is prioritized over the person. You expect to get what you pay for, relying on food to be exactly what it claims to be. Food fraud manifests in many forms: the substitution of cheaper ingredients, the adulterating, or diluting of pure products, and the calculated use of mislabeling or false claims. When a label makes a misleading statement, it is a theft of your resources and a risk to your health.

You must stay informed. Recalls can happen at any moment, and the speed of your response matters. Sign up for email notifications to receive safety alerts directly.

If you encounter food that is under-weight, under-filled, or suspect that a product is not what it seems, you have the power to act.

Do not remain silent. Learn where to report a food complaint or concern to protect not only your kitchen but your entire community.

In the complex intersection of social justice and health, knowing our rights as consumers is a form of resistance against exploitation. By mastering the nuances of food labels and identifying the signs of fraud, we reclaim our agency. We ensure that the food on our tables is a true reflection of the care we feel for those we feed.

Protecting your family starts with seeing the truth behind the label. It is a commitment to profound humanity, ensuring that every meal is as honest as the love that prepared it.

Greenland, power, and America’s expansionist impulse STEVEN KASZAB steven@carib101.com

TC COLUMNIST

The Trump administration has repeatedly expressed interest in territorial expansion.

President Donald Trump publicly floated the idea of Greenland becoming part of the United States, and even suggested that Canada could one day join the U.S. union. Why Greenland?

Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, a member of the European Union. For centuries, Denmark and Greenland have maintained a largely peaceful (though complex) relationship shaped by colonial history,

self-governance, and evolving economic ties. Today, Greenland’s economy is driven primarily by fishing, mining, and tourism, industries that employ a significant portion of its population.

The question, then, is why the United States appears increasingly interested in territorial acquisition. Greenland holds both economic and military strategic value for global powers. China has explored investment opportunities in Greenland’s infrastructure and mining sectors, and Russia has intensified its Arctic presence in recent years. Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, has been described by some analysts as a key node in Arctic intelligence and diplomatic monitoring though claims that it is one of the twelve most densely populated centers of intelligence gathering in the world remain speculative and difficult to verify.

Strategic positioning alone, however, does not fully explain U.S. interest. The deeper motivations are scientific and financial. Greenland is believed to contain some of the world’s largest untapped deposits of

rare earth minerals resources essential to advanced technology, renewable energy systems, and modern weapons manufacturing. Control over these minerals translates into enormous geopolitical leverage.

If the United States were to acquire Greenland, it is reasonable to assume that military installations and large-scale scientific and industrial operations would follow, including geological surveys and long-term mining development. For any global power, this would represent a substantial economic opportunity. The European Union, by contrast, has approached Greenland’s resources cautiously, balancing economic engagement with environmental protections and consultation with Greenland’s Indigenous Inuit population.

By comparison, critics argue that U.S. foreign policy has historically prioritized strategic and economic interests over the expressed wishes of populations in acquired or influenced territories. Framing this impulse through the lens of “Manifest Destiny,” some observers see continuity between

past expansionist ideology and present-day geopolitical ambition though such interpretations remain contested.

Under the Trump administration, a more aggressive and unapologetic form of capitalism gained political prominence, emphasizing wealth accumulation and national dominance over multilateral cooperation.

The myth of a “Greater America” energized supporters willing to invest political and financial capital in Trump’s leadership, so long as he appeared to deliver strength, growth, and global relevance.

Critics describe this moment as the arrival of a new imperial posture, one in which the United States shifts from moral exemplar to geopolitical enforcer. In this framing, America is no longer merely competing with other nations, but exerting pressure on smaller states, privileging economic gain over democratic norms and human rights. Whether this characterization holds in the long term remains an open question, but the consequences of such a shift would reverberate far beyond Greenland.

Three methodologies used to detect AI-generated text content creators should know SIMONE SMITH simone@carib101.com

TC REPORTER

For the educators, cultural curators, and equity-focused entrepreneurs who form the backbone of our communities, the written word is evidence of us being here at this time, and it is also a vessel for our shared history and soul. However, as we navigate a world increasingly saturated with synthetic content, we find ourselves at a crossroads.

We are collectively grappling with the consequences of AI-generated text, searching for a way to ensure that the work we read truly reflects a human’s unique understanding and lived experience. While writing rules to govern AI use is straightforward, enforcing those rules depends on the elusive ability to reliably detect whether a

machine, or a human held the pen.

“Relying on current AI detectors is like trying to catch a shapeshifter with a photograph; by the time you have developed the film to recognize their face, they have already changed into someone else.”

To understand how to protect our narratives, we must first understand the tools designed to “police” them. Automated AI text detection follows a specific workflow: a piece of text is analyzed by an algorithm, which then produces a probability score indicating the likelihood of its AI origin. This score often informs heavy-handed downstream decisions, such as whether to impose penalties on students, or writers for violating institutional rules.

There are three primary methodologies currently in play: Learned detectors: These act like sophisticated spam filters. They are trained on a massive corpus of both human-written and AI-generated examples to learn the subtle differences between the two.

Statistical analysis: This method looks for

“statistical signals,” assessing whether the sequence of words matches the high-probability patterns typically generated by specific AI models.

Watermarking: Some AI vendors embed subtle, invisible markers into the text. These do not change the look of the writing to a casual reader but can be verified with a secret key.

While these technologies offer a semblance of security, they are far from infallible. For our leaders who operate at the intersection of social justice and education, relying solely on these tools is a precarious strategy.

Learning-based detectors are notoriously sensitive; their accuracy drops significantly when the text differs from the data they were trained on. AI models evolve at such a rapid pace, detection tools are perpetually lagging behind, often becoming outdated as soon as they are released.

It is also important to note that statistical tests often fail when the AI models are proprietary or frequently updated, causing the underlying assumptions of the detector to break down in real-world settings.

This creates a digital “arms race” where the very transparency required for a tool to be useful also provides a roadmap for how to evade it.

Interestingly, research suggests that the human element remains our most potent asset. Individuals who use AI writing tools heavily have shown an ability to accurately detect AI-written text, and human panels can even outperform automated tools in controlled environments. However, this expertise is not yet widespread, and individual judgment can often be inconsistent.

As we adapt to these generative technologies, we must refine our community norms regarding what constitutes “acceptable use”. We must lead with the intellectual maturity to recognize that automated tools will never be perfect. In our quest for equity and truth, we cannot outsource our discernment entirely to algorithms. Instead, we must continue to value the complex, emotionally resonant, and sometimes messy reality of human storytelling, a quality that no machine has yet successfully mirrored.

PAGE 14

FEATURE

Toronto Caribbean News | www.TorontoCaribbean.com | Wednesday, January 14, 2026 Photo Credit: Deijaumar Clarke

CHEF VLADIMIR FRANÇOIS-MAÏKOOUVA Honouring the soul and uniqueness of his origins For Chef Vladimir François-Maïkoouva, the kitchen is where the past is remembered and tasted. It begins with a stool, or perhaps just the tips of toes reaching for a countertop that felt like the edge of the world.

In those early years in Martinique, his mother’s kitchen was a theater of movement: the rhythmic whipping of cream, the tactile weight of rolling dombrés, and the pervasive warmth of a large family gathered around a shared hope. There, love was an unspoken dialect, articulated through the slow simmer of a pot rather than the fragility of a sentence. This is the bedrock of a man who has spent twenty-three years translating the ephemeral into the edible.

The journey from those domestic aromas to the sterile, high-pressure cathedrals of French haute cuisine was a transition marked by both ambition and displacement. Vladimir left the sun-drenched terroir of his birth for the grey, fast-paced suburbs of Paris and eventually the most prestigious kitchens in the world. He became a student of giants: Alain Ducasse, Marc Veyrat, and Bernard Leprince, names that carry the weight of tradition and the sharp edge of perfection.

In these kitchens, the pace changed. Life became a blur of technical precision, discipline, and the relentless pursuit of the “right” technique. He worked in the heart of Parisian excellence, absorbing the rigid

codes of French gastronomy. Even as he mastered the art of the emulsion and the exacting standards of the Michelin-starred world, a quiet tension remained. There is a specific kind of loneliness that comes with achieving mastery in a language that is not entirely your own. He was becoming one of the most visible standard-bearers for Martinican cuisine abroad, yet he was performing his craft miles away from the soil that first fed his imagination.

“Be proud of yourself,” he would later say to that younger version of himself, the one navigating the intensity of those professional kitchens. “It hasn’t always been easy, and it won’t always be, but trust yourself despite doubts and challenges.”

The resolution came with a return. Ten years ago, Vladimir made the pivotal decision to go back to Martinique, to cook “at home” and reconcile his two identities. This homecoming was a strategic evolution. He took the discipline and technical precision learned from his mentors and began to apply them to the ingredients of his childhood. His style became defined as “refined, métissée and identitaire” a conscious expression of mixed cultural roots that refuses to choose between the elegance of France and the vibrant soul of the Caribbean.

His creative process is a slow, meditative unfolding. It does not start with a recipe book, but with an emo-

tion, a flavour, or a memory. He observes. He smells. He touches. In the quiet theater of his mind, he sketches the plate, running through the composition dozens of times before a single ingredient is touched in the real world.

He is looking for a precise result, a way to reconstruct a memory so faithfully that the diner feels the same warmth he felt standing on his tiptoes in his mother’s kitchen.

Today, as the Executive Chef of Ginger, he stands at a crossroads of global recognition. His upcoming appearance at Montréal en Lumière 2026 is a diplomatic mission. At Le Monème, alongside Chef Cédric Deslandes, he will present a five-course menu that serves as a bridge between Martinique and the world. He carries the responsibility of representing a region “Extraordinarily rich in culture, history, and identity.” He is part of a generation of chefs demanding that Martinique be seen as a “sun-and-sea destination,” as well as a serious gastronomic territory.

Yet, for all the international accolades and the high-profile stages, Vladimir remains tethered to the concept of transmission. He finds his ultimate reward in the satisfaction of the guest; the silent, emotional feedback that validates the years of energy invested. He watches the next generation of chefs grow and find their wings, much like he did, and he offers them the same quiet strength he had to find for himself.

His story is a testament to the fact that the most sophisticated techniques are hollow without the “soul and uniqueness” of one’s origins. To understand Vladimir’s food is to understand a life lived between two shores, a life that found its greatest strength in the vulnerability of its memories. He remains a man driven by conviviality, sharing, and a deep love of the land.

As he prepares to take Martinique’s culinary excellence to the international stage once more, his message remains resolute, a soft whisper against the noise of the industry, “Stay strong, stay intuitive, and above all, let your heart speak, because life is beautiful, no matter what.”

In the end, his plates are maps of a journey through doubt, across oceans, and back to the heart. They are a way of saying “I love you” to a culture, a family, and a younger self who wondered if he would ever be enough.

Through his hands, the truth of MartiniquePhoto is felt.Credit: Sanj P Photography

Written by Simone J. Smith Toronto Caribbean News

Getting Toronto moving Your City Budget froze TTC fares and added service across Toronto.

Peel Regional Police News Your access to the latest alerts, media releases, crime statistics, podcasts and more.

Image provided courtesy of TTC

toronto.ca/budget

Our staff is familiar with the diverse traditions of the customers we serve. Let us help ensure that your unique preferences are accommodated. Talk to us today and we’ll explain all your funeral options and help you through your immediate or pre-arrangement needs.

ad n Ro

to

Taun

W

t

Wes

n Duffi ows d Mea tery e m e C

t

Der

tree san S

rive

on D

acks

J illiam

t

hS hurc

rside Rive

k Ro Broc

Road arm

El

iza

be

th

St

.

enue

h Av

ad Ro

way

High

401

on

y F Valle

Finc

Ki

ng

st

Road ool p Liver

Road Dixie

treet

Wes

Drive

Road

ad

land Ross

C

Cemetery

Serving Ajax, Pickering and Scarborough since 1993

h Nort

Duffin Meadows

Vehicle Entrance

2505 Brock Road North | Pickering | 905.427.3385

w w w. m o u n t p l e a s a n t g r o u p . c o m

Duffin Meadows Cemetery is a business name of Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries.

www.danforthfoodmarket.com Specials in Effect Fri. Jan.15th until Wed. Jan.21st 2026

We’re simply the best West Indian store in town.

4

50 2/

Excelsior Wheat Snackers

99

Cedar White Vinegar

Nutrament Energy Nutrition Drink

each

325 ml

¢

Grace Scotch Bonnet Jerk Seasoning

each 4 L

Past Best Before 284 g

99

¢

PinK Ting Sparkling Grapefruit Beverage 591 ml

Choice Parboiled Rice 20 kg

Vita Malt Non Alcoholic each Beverage 330 ml

29

99

Grace Flavoured Fritter Mix

each 270 g

Maggi Season-Up Chicken Seasoning

8

Dunya Harvest Dark Red Kidney Beans

1

99

430 g

Jamaican Local Transportation & Taxes Not Included

99

¢

each 540 ml

1

99 each

Grace Sardine In Tomato Sauce assorted 155 g

113 g

each

49 each

99

¢

99

¢

each

3

$

2/

Benjamins Rose Water

2

Anchor Cherry Syrup

2

480 ml

750 ml

Palmolive Dishwashing Liquid each 828 ml

99 each

99 each each

2

49 each

3

Delicious Jamaican Dish

The Best Oxtail Money Can Buy Cargill Young Steer Ox Tail

148

85

Frozen King Conch Meat

39

6

lb

Frozen

Boneless Salted Fish fillet

5

99 $

Half/5 lb Box

Free Range Goat Meat

$ 99 lb

15 Lb Box

9.99

Grown From Australia

99 lb

Fresh or Frozen Goat Tripe

Fresh Beef Liver

2

1

Salted Beef Short Ribs

$ 99 $599 $ 99 lb lb Frozen Split Chicken Wings

27

Fresh Flamingo Chicken Leg Quarters

Fresh Chicken Feet

1

50 $

5 Kg Bag Equal 2.50 lb

lb

99 lb

76

99 18 kg Box

$

With Purchase of 2 cases or More Thursday To Sunday Only

Fresh Seafood Catches 9

9

Fresh Yellow Tail Snappers

5

99 $ lb as is From

Fresh Doctor Fish

Fresh Parrot Fish

Fresh Whole King Fish

6

5

7

Fresh Buttercup Squash

6

99

lb

7

99 99 99 $ $ $ $ 99 lb as is lb as is lb as is lb as is

Fresh Jamaican Yellow Yams

99

Fresh Atlantic Whole Salmon

¢ lb

Fresh Ghana Yam

2

99 lb

Sweet Large California Oranges

99

¢ each

d

eR or

m

Y L K E WE

!

E L SA

PROMOTIONAL PERIOD Jan. 16, 2026 Jan. 22, 2026

n ee

7

$ 99 /EA

30PCS Large White Eggs

Limit 6 Per Family

7

$ 99 /EA

Frozen OX Tail

7

$ 99 /LB

Pearl Coconut Milk 400ml

99¢

Bedessee Jamaican Pride Butter Beans 398ml

3

5

3

$ 99

2/ $ 00

/EA

Iogo Creamy Yogurt Series 16x100g

Bulk Pepitas (Pumpkin Seeds)

Bulacan Longanisa 375g

2

Frozen Mutton Leg

5

$ 99

$ 99

Boneless Beef Shank

Fresh Whole Salmon

Fresh B Liner Fish

CLEANED

CLEANED

5

/EA

3

3

/LB

6

6

/LB

/LB

/LB

/LB

3

/LB

2

E

Deep Fried Milk

1

6/ $ 99

2/ $ 99 Young Chicken

$ 59 Braid Garlic 500g

$ 99 $ 99 $ 59 $ 99 $ 59 /LB

Fried Shrimp Wonton

Pork Spare Rib

$ 59

/EA

St

Qu

9125 Airport Rd, Brampton, ON, L6S 0B8 | Tel: 905-799-9001 www.freshprofoodmart.com | OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK | 9AM TO 9PM Khong Guan Biscuit Assortment Rose/ Ezchoice 700g

Rd rt

W

BRAMPTON LOCATION

am

illi

o rp

TIK TOK

wy

k sP

Ai

INSTAGRAM

e stl Ca

2

$ 99

/LB

/LB

Green Plantain

3

2/ $ 00

* Check price on store display tags in case of disrepancy due to printing error in the advertisement. FreshPro Foodmart reserves the right to limit quantities. No raincheck.

1

$ 28 /LB

Even Angels Need Guardians

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14th, 2026

Be My Valentine Woodbine Banquet Hall 30 Vice Regent Blvd, Etobicoke (Hwy 27, South Of Rexdale Blvd) Doors Open @ 5:30 pm • Dinner 8:00 pm

Tickets $75.00 • Roses for the Ladies • Cash Bar • Formal Attire FOR TICKETS AND INFO CONTACT: • Jay: 416-418-2745 • Ojha: 905-672-2287 • Vic: 647-280-6712 • Jankie: 647-338-5817 • Kumar: 416-498-9962 • Ray: 416-278-9302 • Amit: 647-703-1283 • Donna: 416-741-4970 • Deeka: 416-281-5525

Wednesday, January 14, 2026 | www.TorontoCaribbean.com | Toronto Caribbean News

HEALTH

PAGE 23

U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves new kind of painkiller W. GIFFORDJONES MD DIANA GIFFORD-JONES COMMON SENSE HEALTH

I hear paternal grumbling at what I’m about to say. Dr. Gifford-Jones often warned we are a “nation of wimps” when it comes to pain. He believed we were losing the toughening effect that ordinary aches and setbacks once gave us. Furthermore, anyone who has run a marathon, climbed a mountain, or given birth knows that discomfort can be part of life’s great achievements. We can agree that when pain becomes relentless, disabling, or overwhelming, medicine should do better.

Here’s a familiar story. Mrs. B. arrived in the recovery room after surgeons

repaired a fractured hip. The operation was textbook. The pain was not. The medical team’s routine treatment was an opioid.

Within an hour Mrs. B. was comfortable.

A few days later she was calling for refills.

Soon she was taking more than prescribed, feeling anxious when she tried to stop, and sleeping poorly.

Older people may remember a time when pain was treated with what now seem like modest tools: aspirin, codeine, local anesthetic, ice, rest, even hypnosis.

None were perfect, but none carried the dangerous seduction of modern opioids.

When drugs such as oxycodone and hydrocodone arrived, they were welcomed as miracles. They work by attaching to opioid receptors in the brain and spinal cord, muting pain but also activating the brain’s reward system, the same pathway that leads to craving and dependence.

What followed became one of the great public-health disasters of our time. Prescription opioid use exploded in the 1990s and 2000s, fueled by aggressive marketing and the false belief that these

drugs were safe when prescribed by doctors. They were not. By 2017, about 2.1 million Americans were living with opioid use disorder, and nearly 48,000 died from overdoses in a single year. The economic cost exceeded a trillion dollars in health care, lost productivity, and broken families.

Numbers like that cannot capture the grief of parents who lose a child, or the despair of people trapped by addiction that began with a prescription.

Last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a new drug (suzetrigine), the first truly new kind of painkiller in decades. It is not an opioid. It does not act on the brain. Instead, it blocks pain at its source by targeting a protein on painsensing nerves called the NaV1.8 sodium channel.

To explain, pain travels along nerves like electricity through a wire. Sodium channels are the switches that allow that signal to fire. The NaV1.8 channel is found almost exclusively in peripheral pain-sensing neurons, not in the parts of the brain that produce euphoria, addic-

tion, or breathing suppression. By blocking this channel, drugs like suzetrigine prevent pain messages from ever reaching the brain, without the high or sedation.

Clinical trials show that suzetrigine reduces post-surgical pain compared with placebo. It does not erase pain the way high-dose opioids do, but it takes the edge off in a way that allows healing to begin. Side effects have mostly been mild itching or muscle spasms, not the nausea, constipation, confusion, and addiction risk so familiar with narcotics. Other sodiumchannel blockers are now in development, including those that could quiet pain for weeks after a single injection.

These new drugs may be costly.

Insurance coverage may lag. They may not work for all needs, and we may yet discover side effects. There is also the risk that a shiny new “non-opioid” label could distract us from the value of physical therapy, exercise, and other non-drug approaches.

Still, this is science worth watching, and hopefully of better help to people in need.

FOOD

Wednesday, January 14, 2026 | www.TorontoCaribbean.com | Toronto Caribbean News

PAGE 25

Caribbean Pepper Sauce More Than Heat — It’s Identity, Memory, and a Cultural Line in the Sand In Caribbean households, pepper sauce is never treated like ketchup or mustard. It isn’t poured casually or squeezed without thought. It sits quietly on the table, often in an unlabelled bottle, usually homemade, and always respected. Visitors are warned. Locals already know.

One careless drop can change an entire meal — and sometimes the rest of the evening. Yet, despite the burn, people keep reaching for it. That’s because Caribbean pepper sauce isn’t just about heat. It’s about flavour, tradition, survival, and identity.

This isn’t simply a condiment.

It’s culture in liquid form.

A Sauce Born Out of Necessity Long before blenders, glass bottles, or store shelves, hot peppers were already central to Caribbean life. Indigenous peoples cultivated peppers not only for flavour, but for preservation and medicine. Capsaicin, the compound responsible for heat, naturally slows bacterial growth — a crucial advantage in hot climates where refrigeration did not exist.

When enslaved Africans were brought to the Caribbean, they brought with them deep knowledge of spice, fermentation, and flavour layering. European colonizers introduced vinegar, salt, and sugar. Over time, these influences collided in Caribbean kitchens, creating food that was built out of necessity, not luxury.

Pepper sauce became a way to preserve food, stretch meals, and add bold flavour when ingredients were limited. What began as survival food evolved into tradition — and eventually pride.

Why No Two Pepper Sauces Taste the Same There is no single “correct” Caribbean pepper sauce. Each island developed its own version, shaped by local agri-

culture, climate, and cultural influence.

Even within the same island, recipes vary from household to household.

Jamaican pepper sauces tend to be vinegar-forward and unapologetically hot, built around Scotch bonnet peppers and often paired with jerk meats and fried fish. Trinidad and Tobago takes a more aggressive approach, frequently adding mustard or mustard seeds, producing sauces that hit fast and linger long. Guyanese pepper sauces are often thicker and more aromatic, sometimes oil-based, reflecting strong Indigenous and South American influences. Barbados is known for its mustard-based pepper sauce — tangy, balanced, and more restrained in heat.

Haitian pepper sauces, often connected to pikliz, are bright and acidic, cutting through rich food with freshness.

Each version reflects the people who make it — and each is fiercely defended.

Pepper Sauce as a Cultural Warning In Caribbean culture, pepper sauce also sends a message.

An unlabelled bottle on the table is a quiet warning. It means someone made this. It means they know exactly how hot it is. And it means if you ignore the warning, the consequences are on you.

Children usually learn respect for pepper sauce early, often after one memorable mistake. Adults learn moderation, or they accept the burn with pride. Either way, pepper sauce commands attention.

This is why many Caribbean households prefer homemade versions. Pepper sauce is personal. It’s something you adjust, age, and refine.

And if you buy it, it’s often from someone you trust — not a brand name on a shelf.

How Pepper Sauce Is Meant to Be Used Pepper sauce is not meant to drown food. It’s meant to punctuate it.

A drop here, a dab there — just enough to wake the dish without overpowering it. Some mix it directly into their food. Others coat the fork lightly before each bite. The brave pour it on and deal with the consequences later.

It shows up everywhere: rice and peas, fried fish, roti, doubles, boiled provision, stews, soups, and grilled meats. In some homes, it’s also used medicinally — to clear sinuses, wake the body, and remind you that you’re alive.

A Classic Caribbean Pepper Sauce (The Foundation) While there are endless variations, most Caribbean pepper sauces are built on the same core idea: hot peppers, acid, aromatics, and time.

This foundational recipe is the starting point many households use — adjusted quietly over years until it becomes “the one.”

Ingredients • • • • • • • • •

12 to 15 Scotch bonnet peppers, stems removed 1 medium onion, roughly chopped 6 cloves garlic 1 cup white vinegar or apple cider vinegar 1/4 cup water 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sugar (optional, for balance) 1 tablespoon vegetable or mustard oil (optional) Fresh thyme or shadow beni (optional)

Method Peppers should be handled with care.

Gloves are strongly recommended, and touching the face should be avoided.

The peppers, onion, and garlic are placed into a blender along with vinegar, water, salt, and sugar if used.

The mixture is blended until smooth or left slightly chunky, depending on preference. The sauce is then tasted carefully and adjusted with additional salt or vinegar if needed. Oil or fresh herbs may be stirred in at the end.

The finished sauce is poured into a clean glass bottle or jar and refrigerated. While it can be used immediately, most agree the flavour improves after resting for at least 24 hours, with deeper complexity developing over the first week.

Making It Your Own This base recipe is rarely followed exactly. That’s the point.

Some add grated carrot for sweetness. Others add mustard for bite. Some reduce vinegar and rely on oil. Others increase acidity for sharpness. Pepper strength changes from batch to batch, depending on the season and the peppers themselves.

There is no wrong version — only personal preference.

Why Pepper Sauce Still Matters In a world of mass production and standardized flavour, Caribbean pepper sauce remains proudly inconsistent. No two batches are exactly alike. Weather, pepper strength, hand measurements, and patience all play a role.

Pepper sauce comes from kitchens where nothing was wasted and flavour was built slowly. It tells a story of survival, adaptation, and resilience. It reminds us that food doesn’t need to be perfect to be meaningful.

And most importantly, it reminds us who we are.

Because if you grew up Caribbean, chances are there’s a bottle somewhere in your family that never had a label — and never needed one.

LIFE

PAGE 26

BY GEORGE SHEPPARD

Toronto Caribbean News | www.TorontoCaribbean.com | Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Is a criminal record meant to document the past, or permanently define a person’s future

A criminal record is often spoken about as a consequence: something earned, something deserved, something that sits quietly in a file after a sentence is served. In practice, it is less a record of the past than a permanent mark on the future. Long after punishment is complete, a criminal record continues to shape where people can work, where they can live, and whether they are allowed to fully rejoin the society they are told they owe their debt to.

While it may be applicable for heinous crimes, the mark of a criminal record lingers for lesser offences as well.

Sociologist Devah Pager showed how having a criminal record can hurt someone’s chances of getting a job. In her well-known study, she sent out pairs of job applicants who were the same in ev-

ery way except for their race and whether they had a criminal record. The results were clear: people with a criminal record got far fewer callbacks than those without one. Even more surprising, a white person with a criminal record was often more likely to get a callback than a Black person with a clean record. This means that having a criminal record doesn’t just make it harder to find work; it also makes existing inequalities worse.

Pager’s research stripped away the comforting myth that discrimination against people with records is rare or justified by safety concerns. Employers were not responding to specific offences, or risks. They were responding to a label. A checkbox. A signal that allowed them to quietly exclude someone without further consideration.

Employment is the most obvious

K-Pop’s roots are not an isolated cultural phenomenon SYDNEE WALCOTT sydnee@carib101.com

VARIETY CORNER

While K-pop may not be a direct representation of Black culture, there’s no denying that the foundation of the genre is inspired by Black music and culture.

The origins of K-pop date back to the early 1990s in South Korea when the music group Seo Taiji and Boys made their trailblazing debut in 1992. The group created the new youth-driven sound by fusing Western hip-hop, rock and pop with a blend of Korean music, and from there the genre evolved into more than being youth-driven.

Following their performance of their song, “Nan Arayo (I Know)” on national television in 1992, their performance marked the beginning of the start for the genre.

Coincidentally, K-pop’s emergence coincided with South Korea’s democratization. The cultural shift allowed for a greater exposure to Western music and catered to a new youth culture eager for a change and new sounds.

The new millennium marked the beginning of K-pop’s globalization when the genre achieved success in Japan through solo acts like BoA and Rain and group acts like TVXQ. With the use of the internet and social media becoming increasingly popular in the late 2000s, it has led to more global sharing through songs and music videos by K-pop artists. By the end of the decade, Wonder Girls became the first Korean group to land a spot on Billboard’s Hot 100.

In 2012, K-pop became a global phenomenon when the song “Gangnam Style” and its music video by Psy became a global viral sensation. The emergence of bands like BTS and BLACKPINK in the mid2010s solidified the genre’s place in mainstream Western culture. Both bands have

made a name for themselves as global superstars by breaking records and headlining major music events like Coachella and Lollapalooza across the globe. Along with achieving these major milestones, they also have devoted fandoms and a fierce social media presence.

As K-pop continues to flourish and soar to new heights, there have been discussions about the need for more appreciation and less appropriation regarding the genre’s roots.

Since the genre’s debut, several K-pop artists and agencies have been exposed for cultural appropriation using protective Black hairstyles, like box braids and cornrows, doing Blackface and using African American Vernacular English (AAVE), or using racial slurs.

Black K-pop fans have also experienced feeling silenced or marginalized within the K-pop fandom spaces when voicing their concerns about racism and appropriation. As a result, some have either boycotted, or left the fandom entirely.

In an Instagram video, posted by indie artist Jane Lee, who is Korean American, she shared how K-pop is Black music and culture and not an isolated cultural phenomenon.

“It is Black R&B, hip-hop and pop systemized through a Korean entertainment industry machine,” said Lee. She also shared how nowadays, most of the current K-pop hits are written and produced

by Black people.

While well-known figures in the K-pop scene, such as Bang Shi-kyuk, the founder of HYBE (the company behind BTS) and Lee Soo-man, the founder of SM Entertainment, have acknowledged that K-pop is built on the sound of Black music, more needs to be done.

Historically, Black artists have been marginalized and penalized for the very things that K-pop artists can profit from. The least that people within the K-pop space can do is do a better job at giving credit and educating those on race and culture within the K-pop community.

casualty of a criminal record, and perhaps the most damaging. Work is not only a paycheque; it is stability, routine, dignity, and connection. When people are locked out of the labour market, the consequences ripple outward: to families, to communities, and to public systems that must absorb the costs of unemployment and instability. We should not be surprised that the rates of reoffending rise when legitimate pathways to survival are blocked.

Housing is the second major fault line. Landlords routinely deny applicants with criminal records, often through blanket policies that make no distinction between a decades-old offence and a recent one, or between violent and non-violent conduct. Without stable housing, everything else becomes precarious: employment is harder to maintain, health deteriorates, and family reunification becomes more complicated. In this way, a criminal record operates as a kind of civic exclusion, pushing people into the margins where the very conditions we claim to fear are more likely to emerge.

Criminal justice and prison reform advocates, including Gail Bury, emphasize that the exclusion faced by individuals with criminal records is not a coincidence, but rather a defining feature of the system itself. Together with Madeline Bury, Gail Bury co-hosts the insightful podcast, The Prison Family Podcast, where they highlight how criminal records serve as a form of invisible punishment; one not imposed by a judge, but perpetuated daily

through policies, practices, and prevailing social attitudes. This punishment has no expiration date; it is quietly enforced by employers, landlords, insurers, and licensing bodies, often lacking transparency, or any avenue for appeal.

Supporters of the status quo often respond with a familiar refrain: people should face the consequences of their actions, but consequences are meant to be finite. A sentence has a beginning and an end. When a record becomes a lifelong barrier to basic necessities, it stops being accountability and starts becoming permanent exclusion. The question is no longer about public safety, but about how comfortable we are with creating a class of people who can never fully return.

This is not an argument for ignoring harm or erasing responsibility. It is an argument for proportionality and possibility. If we say we believe in rehabilitation, then our systems must reflect that belief. That means fair chance hiring, sensible limits on criminal record checks, and housing policies that assess real risk rather than relying on fear and stigma.

The true mark of a criminal record is not the offence itself. It is the quiet, persistent narrowing of opportunity long after the sentence is complete. As Pager’s research and advocates like Bury remind us, that mark does not fall evenly. If we are serious about justice, we must decide whether a criminal record is meant to document the past or permanently define a person’s future.

LIFE

Wednesday, January 14, 2026 | www.TorontoCaribbean.com | Toronto Caribbean News

PAGE 27

So, we say yes, we overcommit. we burn out: Decoding our silent guilt SIMONE SMITH simone@carib101.com

HUMAN SPECIALIST

You are sitting at your desk, the glow of the laptop screen etching fatigue into your features. Another request pings. A cousin needs a loan. A board member needs an “urgent” favour. A community elder needs you to spearhead another committee. Your chest tightens. Your breath shallowly hitches. You want to say no…

You need to say no, but the word feels like jagged glass in your throat. In Western societies, this difficulty often stems from a fear of rejection or social conditioning toward people-pleasing. For us, for those of us navigating the world as Afro-Indo Caribbeans, the weight is heavier. It is ancestral.

Let me decode this for you; When

you feel that internal panic, fear of abandonment actually activates your brain’s threat response, making a “no” feel like genuine emotional danger. This is compounded by collectivist cultural values that prioritize group harmony and family loyalty above everything else. In our communities, refusing a request is often framed as a betrayal of the collective.

Think back. For many of us, our childhoods were masterclasses in emotional suppression. Authoritarian parenting styles utilized strict obedience and physical punishment to teach us that resistance invited conflict. We learned early that to be “good” was to be compliant. In Indo-Caribbean homes, high expectations for politeness by age five created a hypervigilance around imperfection. In Afro-Caribbean homes, matrifocal structures and absentee fatherhood often placed immense emotional burdens on children, forcing us into the role of peacekeepers.

We are the children of survivors.

The intergenerational trauma of slavery and migration reinforced a culture of silence, where individual needs were sacrificed for collective survival. We were told

to “try harder” to prove our worth against the backdrop of systemic racism. So, we say yes. We overcommit. We burn out. We do it because we equate compliance with love and respect.

The pressure is relentless. Phone ringing. Emails mounting. Family expectations weigh like lead. You feel the urgency to perform, to be the “strong one,” to never let the village down. Refusals risk emotional blackmail, accusations of ingratitude that reinforce compliance as a moral obligation. You are running on empty, but the neural pathways in your brain are screaming that to stop is to fail.

Here is the truth: Reframing “no” is the only way to sustain your contribution to your family’s long-term health. You cannot pour from a vessel that has been shattered by overextension.

To break this cycle, we must practice a new language. When the world demands more than you have, try these redirections: •

When people need you constantly: “I would love to help, but I’m going to be unavailable for the next [time].”

•

•

When you are maxed out: “My bandwidth is maxed out; I won’t be effective unless I take a break.” Research shows people accept disappointing news better when provided with a logical rationale.

When things get heated: “This conversation is getting emotional. Why don’t we press pause and come back to it later?”

Think of your energy like a community well in a drought. If you allow everyone to take every drop at once, the well runs dry and the village suffers. If you gate the well and allow the water to replenish, you ensure that the community is nourished for generations to come. Your “no” is the gate that protects the water.

This week, I challenge you to say “no” to just one thing you would normally say “yes” to and later regret. Ask yourself, “Why is it so hard for me to set this limit?”

Your boundaries are an act of reclamation. Small changes lead to lasting breakthroughs.

We all have the ability to improve the world immediately around us

BY HERBERT HILDEBRANDT POLITICAL PARLEY It would be dishonest to pretend that things feel calm right now. The world carries a low, constant hum of disorder. Politics has become a theatre of outrage and incompetence, where real leadership is rare and posturing is plentiful. Empires still behave like empires and governments spend money as if limits no longer exist as they quietly try to shift the cost onto the next generation. Culturally, we are watching ideas once considered unthinkable pushed aggressively into schools, homes, not even sparing the bodies of children, all while good people are told to stay quiet and trust the process.

One of the most consequential shifts of the last century was not economic, or technological, but spiritual and cultural. For a lot of recorded human history, there was an understood order to how societies functioned. Faith shaped culture and culture shaped politics. Meaning and purpose flowed downward into institutions, not the other way around. The past was not always a utopia, that is very true, but when things were functional, that was the principle that worked.

That order quietly reversed in the twentieth century, particularly in the post– WWII era. Government began to present itself as the great problem-solver and poli-

tics became the primary tool for moral repair, or so they said. It was easier to subcontract out the social responsibilities of faith communities to the government by raising taxes and letting the bureaucracy manage things like food insecurity and child, elder, and health care. Culture became something to be managed, and faith was gently, but firmly pushed aside, welcome to exist, as long as it stayed private and powerless.

Most people of faith, often with sincere intentions, absorbed this inversion. We became adept at believing that the right policy, the right funding model, or the right election outcome could repair what was, at its core, a human and spiritual fracture. Responsibility drifted upward and personal agency thinned out. We should not be surprised that disappointment and disillusion have followed.

What we tend to forget is that something fundamental can never be taken from us. Each of us still possesses a form of influence that cannot be regulated, taxed, censored, or neutralized. The ability to improve the world immediately around us, not in sweeping gestures, but through ordinary, human faithfulness.

This was brought home to me in a simple and unexpected way this past Christmas Eve as we continued a household tradition we started some years back.

I spent hours driving along the rural roads around our home and in our nearby town,

stopping at homes, knocking on doors, and handing out cookie tins with my daughter. There was no message to deliver and no point to prove besides peace and goodwill to those who live nearby. Just a smile, a greeting, and a moment of connection.

Some people were caught off guard, some were hesitant, and most were genuinely friendly. A few almost certainly disagree with me on politics, faith, and probably many things of consequence to my family. For that moment, none of that mattered. What mattered was that someone showed up, unprompted, simply because they cared. If even one person felt a little less invisible that Christmas eve, it was worth it.

We spend an enormous amount of time talking about how culture is broken, as though it were some distant system operating independently of us. Culture is simply the sum of how people treat one another in ordinary, unobserved moments. It is shaped quietly, daily, by small decisions that never make the news and rarely earn recognition. Long before laws are written, or repealed, culture is already being formed in kitchens, driveways, grocery store aisles, offices, and machine shops.

This is why so many political arguments feel exhausting and hollow. We argue passionately about downstream

outcomes while neglecting the upstream work that gives politics its moral shape and limits. When faith weakens, culture thins and frays. When culture thins, politics grows aggressive and overreaches to fill the void. This order matters, whether we acknowledge it or not.

Will impacting one person positively change everything overnight? Of course not. Expecting instant results is part of what has made so many people cynical and fatigued in the first place. Good does not need to be fast to be effective. Doing good has a compounding effect. It accumulates quietly, building trust where none existed before and softening hearts that no argument could ever reach. Over time, slowly, imperfectly, and often unnoticed by popular culture and media, it reshapes the culture around it. When culture shifts, politics and government will follow, usually reluctantly and almost always too late to take the credit, though they might try.

So yes, the world feels unsettled.

Power is misused. Institutions wobble, and the noise never seems to stop, but the path forward has not been closed, and it has not been taken from us.

Anchor your faith and invest in the people around you. Let politics catch up when it’s forced to react. Start with one person that you can influence and impact positively, because that’s how real, lasting change has always happened.

PAGE 28

LIFE

Toronto Caribbean News | www.TorontoCaribbean.com | Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Do you know when to quit what isn’t working?

DANIEL COLE

daniel@carib101.com

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

“Winners never quit, and quitters never win” is one of the most frequently quoted maxims on perseverance. Its popularity lies in its simplicity, but that is also its greatest weakness. Detached from context, the statement becomes shallow, and in many cases, dangerously misleading. In reality, every enduring winner learns not only how to persist, but also when to stop. They quit what is ineffective, abandon misaligned pursuits, and disengage from efforts where the cost outweighs the value of the outcome, even if “winning” is technically possible.

Reality does not reward stubbornness for its own sake, nor does it bend to motivational clichés. One of the most consistent human errors, welldocumented in behavioral psychology, is optimism bias, the tendency to overestimate the likelihood of success while underestimating cost, risk, and diminishing returns. When this bias is reinforced by cultural admiration for grit at all costs, people often persist long after persistence has ceased to be rational.

Over the years, through interviews, biographies, and conversations with entrepreneurs, innovators, and cultural leaders, one theme has emerged repeatedly: among the hardest decisions they faced was not how to start, but

when to stop. Knowing when to quit a strategy, a market, a partnership, or even an identity proved far more difficult than launching the original pursuit.

Sun Tzu articulated it over two millennia ago in The Art of War: “He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.”

Victory, in other words, is as much about restraint as it is about aggression.

Thomas Edison is often cited for saying, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” While this is true in some contexts, it is incomplete.

There are also countless failures that were less romanticized where individuals persisted far too long in endeavors that were structurally flawed, strategically unsound, or existentially trivial. The real challenge is not perseverance itself, but discernment: knowing whether quitting is premature surrender, or strategic intelligence.

Perseverance has its rightful place. Grit, resolve, courage, and endurance are indispensable in the pursuit of any meaningful goal. However, persistence without feedback is not virtue; it is denial. When effort repeatedly fails to translate into progress, continued investment becomes a misallocation of time, energy, and cognitive resources.

Research in decision science refers to this as the sunk cost fallacy: the irrational tendency to continue investing in a failing course of action simply because of what has already been spent.

The more intelligent question, then, is not “Should I quit?” but rather:

•

Is this pursuit still aligned with my highest goal?

• Are the results proportional to the effort?

• If I succeed, will the outcome justify the cost?

Many people fail not because their dreams are ignoble, but because they are rigid in their methods. History repeatedly shows that transformative victories are rarely achieved through brute force alone. Intellectual honesty demands acknowledging that some pursuits are simply not worth the effort. Even if you win, the victory may be inconsequential. Given the finite nature of time and attention, opportunity cost becomes a moral issue as much as a practical one.

Every “yes” implicitly contains a thousand “nos.” To waste years on a hollow battle is to forfeit the chance to fight one that truly matters.

A disciplined life, therefore, requires periodic withdrawal and reflection. Ask yourself: • To what end is this struggle?

• What does success here actually produce?

• Is this effort moving me closer to a meaningful destination, or merely keeping me busy?

Quitting what no longer serves you is not failure; it is clarity. Changing methods is wisdom. Starting again more intelligently is courage. Sometimes, the most strategic move forward begins with stepping back.

As the year progresses, the call is not to work harder indiscriminately, but to think better. Conserve energy.

I have already broken all my resolutions: Why Caribbean healing doesn’t follow January 1st rules

BY ANYA NICOLA It is still the first week of January, and I have already caved and hoovered down the chocolate I swore off, skipped the meditation I promised to do daily, and definitely haven’t started that gratitude journal that was going to “transform my life.” If you’re reading this feeling like a failure because your 2026 resolutions lasted about as long as Christmas leftovers, let me tell you something: You’re not broken. The system is.

Western wellness culture wants us to believe that transformation happens on a calendar schedule; that January 1st holds some magical power to rewire our brains and behaviours completely. As Caribbean people, we know better. Our healing doesn’t follow Gregorian calendar rules because our trauma didn’t arrive on schedule either.

Think about it: When did your grandmother decide to stop speaking to her sister? Was it on New Year’s Day? When did your parents work through their immigration trauma? Did they wait for January to process losing everything they knew? When did your family start healing from whatever happened back home: the violence, the poverty, the heartbreak that made them leave?

Exactly. Life doesn’t wait for convenient timing, and neither does healing.

I’ve been thinking about this since New Year’s Day, when my WhatsApp was flooded with “New Year, New Me” messages. Everyone’s posting gym selfies and drinking green smoothies, performing wellness like it’s a competition. Three days later, reality hit. The same family dynamics that stressed us in 2025 were still there. The same financial pressures, the same workplace microaggressions, the same generational patterns we’re trying to break.

This is where Caribbean wisdom comes in. We understand cycles. We know about seasons, not just weather seasons, but life seasons. Hurricane season doesn’t ask if it’s convenient. Mango season doesn’t check your schedule.

Healing season? It comes when it comes.

My great-aunt never made New Year’s resolutions. She used to say, “When you ready fi change, you aguh change.

Calendar cyaa tell you when your spirit is ready.” She was onto something that million-dollar wellness empires are still trying to figure out.

The pressure to transform ourselves by January 31st, is just another form of colonization. It’s the same energy that told our grandparents their natural hair wasn’t professional, that their accents weren’t intelligent, that their healing practices weren’t legitimate. Now it’s telling us our natural healing rhythm isn’t

efficient enough.

Here’s what I’m learning: Caribbean healing is cyclical, not linear. We heal in community, not isolation. We heal through storytelling, not silent suffering.

We heal through food, music, and laughter as much as therapy and meditation.

We heal when we’re ready, not when January tells us to be prepared.

So, if you’ve already “failed” at your 2026 resolutions, good. You just freed yourself from a system that was never designed for us anyway. Instead, ask yourself: What does my spirit need right now? What would healing look like if it honoured my Caribbean rhythm instead of fighting it?

Maybe your healing looks like calling that family member you have been avoiding. Perhaps it’s cooking your grandmother’s recipe with intention.

Maybe it’s finally booking that therapy session, but not because January told you to, because your heart is ready.

This year, instead of forcing myself into wellness culture’s timeline, I’m going to trust island time. My healing will happen when it’s supposed to, however it’s supposed to, in community with my people who understand that the most revolutionary thing we can do is heal at our own pace.

LIFE

Wednesday, January 14, 2026 | www.TorontoCaribbean.com | Toronto Caribbean News

PAGE 29 Photo Credit: Frankie Cordoba

Misinformation, social media, and the danger of unchecked narratives

BY KAHA GEDI When are we going to stop falling for misinformation, and how many times is it going to divide us all until we see the real issue? When are we going to realize that in this day and age the average educated person can’t search for an issue and trust all the news channels that show up first and that we have to do our own research?

In a world where information is so easily available, misinformation spreads faster than ever before. Social media platforms, algorithm-driven news feeds, and clickbait headlines prioritize engagement over accuracy, making it difficult to distinguish truth from deception. While access to information was once seen as a solution to ignorance, it has instead created information overload without accountability. Unfortunately, this results in a society where people are divided by conflicting versions of the “truth.”

Misinformation does not only misinform; it actively shapes beliefs, behaviours, and relationships. False, or misleading stories fuel political polarization, reinforce harmful stereotypes, and create distrust and unrest. When they consume information that aligns only with their existing beliefs, it discourages critical thinking. For example, we have stopped asking questions on whether we have the full story.

One reason misinformation is so effective is because it appeals to emotion rather than logic. Fear, anger, and outrage are powerful motivators, and online platforms often reward content that provokes strong reactions. Many people assume that information appearing at the top of search results or shared widely must be credible. However, popularity does not equal accuracy. Confirmation bias also plays a significant role, as individuals are more likely to trust information that reinforces their existing views, even when credible evidence suggests the opposite.

Recently, there was a situation where a YouTuber by the name of Nick Shirley posted a viral video that gained more than 130 million views on X claiming that he had uncovered fraud in Somali immigrant run daycares in Minneapolis.

However, this was far from the truth as all he did was go up to daycares with bodyguards and cameras demanding to see the children inside and asking where the

money from their businesses went.

CNN spoke to this individual and found out that he didn’t come during their business hours and when asked if he really thinks that these businesses should just be unlocked, he claimed “There should be a reception,” when in reality all day cares are locked for the safety of the children going there. In addition to that, WCCO confirmed that children were in fact attending one of the daycares he alleged was fraud, called the ABC Learning Center. They spoke with the director, Ahmed Hasan, and he showed them footage of children being dropped off by the back entrance of the building three hours before Nick Shirley arrived and an hour after they left.

The biggest thing I noticed was the headlines not just saying day care fraud, but Somali fraud. While yes, there were day care scams that were investigated years ago and some still exist now, this video created immense hate toward the Somali community as everyone as a whole was being blamed. Worst of all, the president of the United States said, “They contribute nothing”, and that he “doesn’t want them in our country,” referring to Somali immigrants. So many people were saying acts are facts and that this wasn’t racism, however when people are so quick to believe something even when it has been disputed and debunked, in this case, what often remains is racism and hate.

What this situation shows is how quickly misinformation can spread and how much damage it can cause before the truth even has a chance to catch up.

When people don’t question sources, or look for context, false narratives can turn into hate, especially toward already marginalized communities. Stopping misinformation requires people to slow down, think critically, and be aware of how emotion-driven content is designed to go viral. Media platforms, schools, and policymakers also have a responsibility to value accuracy over attention and engagement.

Misinformation may never fully disappear, but its impact can be reduced if people choose to question what they see instead of accepting it at face value. In a world where information is everywhere, the effort to seek the truth matters, because without it, division becomes easier than understanding.

PAGE 28

REAL ESTATE

Toronto Caribbean News | www.TorontoCaribbean.com | Wednesday, January 14, 2026

I’ve seen it before: why Brampton landlords cannot ‘wing it’ anymore.

JAY BRIJPAUL brijpaul@carib101.com

REAL ESTATE PRO

I remember walking through a basement apartment that looked perfect at first: fresh paint, new flooring, a tidy kitchen. The landlord was proud of it.

“I take care of my place,” he told me.

Then he quietly admitted: no permits, no registration, no inspections. He wasn’t trying to be reckless; he didn’t believe the rules applied to him. That mindset is exactly why Brampton’s new landlord rules became unavoidable.

Starting in the new year, any landlord in Brampton with one to four rental units must register those units with the city and obtain a valid license before renting them out. This isn’t a one-time form you fill out and forget; it includes annual renewal, a mandatory online learning module, compliance with health, fire, and building codes, and posting the license on the property. Importantly, the license itself is free. The city has indefinitely suspended the original $300 annual fee, and that detail matters. This change is about accountability and setting baseline standards.

Policies are not made for

perfect situations; they are meant for when problems happen. When a property becomes crowded or unsafe, issues tend to spread. Fire crews respond, and bylaw officers spend weeks investigating. Neighbours deal with noise, parking chaos, and safety worries. If tragedy occurs, the first question is always: why didn’t someone act earlier? The city’s response now makes it clear: prevention is more important than reacting.

Brampton’s decision to roll out its Residential Rental Licensing (RRL) program city-wide starting January 1st, 2026, didn’t surprise me. It actually seemed long overdue. Not registering an extra rental unit now results in fines of $1,000 for the first offence, $1,250 for the second, and $1,500 for further violations. Other offences related to the RRL, like failing to display a license or ignoring city orders, face the same escalating penalty system.

From my perspective, this is an acknowledgment that rental housing in Brampton is no longer informal.

Basement apartments, shared homes, and small multiplexes now house a significant part of the city’s population. With that reality comes responsibility. Licensing won’t magically turn someone into a good landlord, but it does establish a baseline. It encourages education. It leaves a paper trail, and when issues occur, it provides the city with tools to intervene before problems escalate.

I’ve seen too many landlords rent first and worry about compliance later. Under the RRL program, that approach no longer works. A license must be obtained or renewed before a unit is rented, otherwise, the tenancy is illegal. Even beautifully finished units can be unlawful if they were never permitted, or registered, and operating an unregistered Additional Residential Unit is a serious offence.

Non-compliance can also prevent a landlord from renewing a license altogether, effectively cutting off rental income.

This is the moment for landlords to ask themselves an honest question: Am I managing housing, or

just renting out space? If it’s the former, these changes are manageable.

If it’s the latter, Brampton has made it clear those days are over. The city’s rental market is entering a new chapter, one that prioritizes safety, consistency, and accountability across every ward. You may not agree with every detail, but the direction is hard to dispute. In today’s Brampton, doing nothing is no longer an option, and “I didn’t know” is no longer a defence. I encourage every landlord in Ontario to follow Brampton’s RRL program and every tenant in Brampton to rent only licensed suites.

THE MICE WON’T DO THE DISHES. If your landlord isn’t addressing pest problems, RentSafeTO can help.

Talk to your landlord. No change? Contact 311. toronto.ca/RentSafeTO

Wednesday, January 14, 2026 | www.TorontoCaribbean.com | Toronto Caribbean News

FUN

PAGE 31

PAGE 32

FUN

YOUR HOROSCOPE

for the week of January 11 – January 17, 2026

Toronto Caribbean News | www.TorontoCaribbean.com | Wednesday, January 14, 2026

CROSSWORDS

PUZZLE NO. 148

THE LUCKIEST SIGNS THIS WEEK: TAURUS, CAPRICORN, AND SCORPIO

ARIES: Momentum feels slow, but it’s intentional. Refine plans now to avoid frustration and wasted effort later.

TAURUS: A small routine shift brings stability and quiet gains.

Trust your instincts around work and finances.

GEMINI: Clear communication matters. Honest conversations prevent misunderstandings without needing long explanations or emotional overreach.

CANCER: Emotional boundaries strengthen confidence. Protect your peace without guilt or the need to justify choices.

LEO: Ambition is strong, but pacing matters. Steady effort outperforms pushing too hard this week.

VIRGO: Progress matters more than perfection. Practical decisions reduce stress and create forward momentum.

LIBRA: Balance comes from honesty, not people-pleasing.

Address discomfort calmly instead of avoiding it.

HOW TO PLAY :

SCORPIO: Let go of emotional weight that isn’t yours. Strong boundaries restore focus and personal power.

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9 only once.

SAGITTARIUS: Restlessness signals reflection is needed. Pause before chasing new opportunities or repeating old cycles.

Each 3x3 box is outlined with a darker line. You already have a few numbers to get you started.

Remember: You must not repeat the numbers 1 through 9 in the same line, column, or 3x3 box.

CAPRICORN: Quiet progress builds strong foundations.

Consistency now leads to meaningful long-term results AQUARIUS: Ideas flow, but focus is essential. Choose one plan and commit fully.

PISCES: Intuition is strong.

Balance emotion with logic for clearer, more confident decisions.

PUZZLE NO. 858

ACROSS 1. Stuns 5. Botch things up 8. Fraud 12. Chick’s remark 13. Cloth coloring 14. Approach 15. Swiss archer 16. Hair cream 17. Gives weapons to 18. Frozen 20. Polar abodes 22. August, e.g.

25. Paying passengers 26. Important time 27. Excuse 29. Atlantic food fish 32. Circle section 33. Small breads 34. Keats poem 35. New York player 36. Bay 37. Whack!

38. Hand-cream ingredients

40. Cautious 42. Deserves 44. Spell 45. Similar 46. Be in the red 48. Mountain refrain 52. Fix 53. Cut, as hay 54. Clarinet’s need 55. Uncertain 56. Timespan 57. Cultivate DOWN 1. Competent 2. Small 3. Moray, e.g.

4. Tear in half 5. Uneasy 6. Hearty bread 7. Dependable 8. Fish feature 9. Star chart 10. Bullets 11. Military meal 19. “Swing Low, Sweet

____” 21. Tough part of a steak 22. Form of address 23. Giant 24. Type of peach 25. Occupies 28. “____ Dove” 30. Skunk feature 31. Moist 39. Actress Blair 41. Put forth 42. Papa’s woman 43. ____ out (barely manages) 44. Chopped 47. Seek to persuade 49. Letter before dee 50. Coop layer 51. Puzzling

business

Classifieds Help support local business!

GET 3 MONTHS (6 EDITIONS) FOR $300! CALL 647-722-6298 *Subject To Ad Space Availability

SALONS • RESTAURANTS • REAL ESTATE • MORTGAGE • LEGAL • SHIPPING • AND MANY OTHER SERVICES!

combine and save* *Trademark used under licence by Allstate Insurance Company. 242307 | 11-24

Michelle Edwards Pickering Agency (905) 963-3319 medwards@allstate.ca

TALK, TEXT & DATA PLAN FOR ONLY $ 42 mo. on a

12

/

yearly plan

Visit www.chatrdeals.ca for more details!

Toronto Dufferin & Eglinton | (416) 787-8890 Dufferin Mall | (416) 530-0005 Queens & Lansdowne | (416) 530-1800 China Town Spadina | (416) 315-4243 Sherbourne & Isabella St | (647) 533-7291 Jane & Wilson | (416) 300-0538 Scarborough Peanut Plaza | (647) 719-1999 Parkway Mall | (416) 666-6197 Woodside Square | (647) 719-3418 Brimley & Eglinton | (416) 269-0685 Offer is subject to change without notice. Taxes extra.

Kingston Rd & Poplar Rd | (416) 282-600 Agincourt Mall | (647) 351-3966 Brampton & Mississauga Derry & McLaughlin | (905) 795-9541 Bovaird & McLaughlin | (905) 497-6661 Springdale Plaza | (905) 515-9201 Hamilton, St Catharines & Niagara Eastgate Square | (905) 560-4869 Mountain Plaza | (905) 387-3030 Jackson Sqaure | (905) 523-1525 The Pen Centre | (289) 362-3839 McLeod & Dorchestor | (289) 783-9007